Rain pattered against the window, dripping down the glass and obscuring the view outside. Lying in a warm bed, safe from the April showers, a young man in his mid-twenties stared out the window.
The gray skies and cold wind did nothing but make the man laugh. He felt that mother nature was mocking his positively elated mood by making it rain. He was happy regardless of the weather. He felt more at ease, albeit slightly bored, than he had in a long time. He knew that his newfound partner would dislike this turn of events.
Rolling over onto his side, Izaya stared at the still sleeping blond that had moved in with him as soon as he was released from the hospital.
Living with the brute was only one part of their recovery plan. The first step was complete: communication and forgiveness. By some miracle, they were able to come to an understanding that night in the hospital and managed to put a small patch on their broken hearts.
They were in the midst of phase two of their healing. Izaya had invited Shizuo to stay with him while he recovered from his surgery. He claimed that it would be best if Shizuo had someone to watch over him. But both knew what the hidden motive was. Izaya truly wanted Shizuo in his home again. Shizuo happily complied.
Shinra had a small conference with Izaya and Shizuo the day before Shizuo was allowed to leave the hospital. They discussed medical bills, exercise and diet plans, and anything else that could possibly help Shizuo in the long run. Hearing that Izaya was planning on paying for most (Read: All) expenses made Shizuo upset at first. However the raven insisted, and was happy to do it.
"It's the least I can do," he had said with a grin.
So now a little over two months later, Shizuo was smoking free and no longer craving cigarettes. Izaya joked that he craved a new "drug", which always made Shizuo leave the room with a red face. Izaya was paying for medication, new exercise equipment, organic foods - although he already bought those to begin with. He didn't mind all too much.
The informant cracked a small smile as he watched Shizuo's chest rise and fall gently with each unstrained breath. He has grown fond of waking up to see that face. He reached his hand out to gently brush stray locks of blond hair from his closed eyes when the alarm rang and stirred the man.
"Ahh, rise and shine, Shizu-chan! It's a new beautiful morning!" he chirped, like a songbird in the spring. Shizuo groaned and squinted his eyes, glaring past the raven at the window.
"It's raining…"
"Very perceptive of you~"
"It's not a nice day." He grumbled before rolling back over to bury his face in the pillows. Izaya frowned, throwing the blankets off to jump on him, "Oi, wake up! You need to start your day with a delicious handful of pills, a hearty breakfast, and a 30 minute walk on the treadmill."
Shizuo peeked up from the pillows and scowled, "First of all, starting my day off with pills isn't the most appetizing thing. Second, food sounds really good right now. And third, I'd rather walk out in the rain than on that shitty piece of machinery."
"Well we can't have you catching a cold because you're too stubborn to walk in place for a half hour, can we?"
Honey and carmine locked on each other in a fierce stare before Shizuo sighed and pushed himself up, despite the fact that the raven was sitting on his back. Izaya rolled off onto the bed, watching as Shizuo got up and headed into the kitchen.
"Good boy!"
"I AIN'T A DOG."
Izaya laughed, hopping up out of bed and stretching as he walked into the kitchen where Shizuo was starting to fry up some eggs. "I hope you're going to be making something else besides that."
"Don't worry, I'm making an omelet. It'll have veggies and cheese and sausage in it. Is that healthy enough for you?" Shizuo mumbled as Izaya walked up behind him.
The day normally started out like this. Playful banter, which sometimes lead into a serious banter which had Shizuo throwing silverware at Izaya. Breakfast with idle chat about whatever they could think of. "How's the weather" and "How'd you sleep?" After they had full bellies and were ready for the day, they would normally go for a walk on sunny days.
Though they never walked together. Shizuo had suggested the idea on the first warm day when he was allowed to walk outside. But Izaya refused, adamant on keeping his reputation and appearance.
"If Shizu-chan was walking beside me all buddy buddy, can you imagine the chaos that would ensue? Ikebukuro couldn't handle it!" he exclaimed dramatically, playing with the pieces on his Go board. "People have no idea that we're in this…relationship. It's best they don't find out."
So on days when the sun was shining, Shizuo and Izaya would go for walks, though Izaya would wear some sort of disguise and follow behind a few meters. It didn't take long for Shizuo to get bored of the silent walks, and they started talking on the phone while walking.
But it was days like these, when a downpour stopped them from participating in any outdoor activities, that Shizuo hated most. No fresh air. No final destination. Just walking in place on a machine while Izaya sat back and watched.
"You know you have to." Izaya said with a sigh as he brought their plates to the sink. Shizuo sneered and took his pills. Izaya sternly at Shizuo, eyes flicking back to the treadmill in the living room. "Go."
"Tch, fine." Shizuo grumbled as he walked over to the damn machine. It took him a while to figure out how to turn it on and get it set properly the first few times. Now he had no problem getting on and walking without it going too fast.
Izaya watched from his spot in the kitchen as Shizuo walked for thirty minutes. Shizuo hated the feeling of Izaya's eyes on his back.
"Quit staring!"
"I'm sorry, Shizu-chan. I just cannot help but watch you. It's just so enticing the way your muscles move~" Izaya said with a coy grin.
Shizuo's face flushed from a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. "Like hell you can't help it," he growled under his breath, turning up the speed to walk faster. He was starting to get irritated. Izaya huffed and walked to the front of the machine, leaning on the control panel lightly.
"I honestly can't." He tilted his head and stared at Shizuo as the blond walked perpetually towards him, never getting closer. "You know, I think you were onto something."
"On to something? Like what?"
"With that whole 'Psyche Tsugaru' nonsense," Izaya said whimsically, "Despite how angry you look right now, I can still see that calm side lurking beneath. Maybe you do have some traits that resembled your online persona."
"Are you saying I was right?" Shizuo asked with surprise. Izaya admitting someone else was…right? That's so out of character for him.
Izaya hummed with thought, "Yes…perhaps you are. Maybe there is some…kinder and more upbeat person hiding in my cold black hole of a heart, ne?" He giggled icily, almost mocking the idea. Though Shizuo could tell that Izaya did mean what he said.
"Well, it's not a complete black hole. You're giving me a shot, right?"
"Don't feel so special. It's just cause you're a monster, that's all."
Shizuo laughed, shaking his head, "Whatever you say, Psyche" Izaya visibly cringed at the new pet name, causing Shizuo to laugh harder. "Pay back for all those years you called me 'Shizu-chan'. How does it feel, Psyche?"
"This is completely different. My nickname for you is purely my way of showing affection. Whether it was love or hate, mind you."
"Same shit."
Izaya's feathers were clearly ruffled at Shizuo determination to continue calling him that infernal name. "Well don't expect me to start calling you 'Tsu-chan'!"
The blond laughed again, earning a cold glare from Izaya. Shizuo looked at the clock and sighed; only ten minutes had passes since he started. Twenty more to go.
"When can we have a good chase again?" he asked, looking back over at Izaya who was clearing paperwork off the table.
"When your stamina is built up to actually be able to chase me through the streets without getting winded." Izaya said stiffly, still obviously riled up over the "Psyche" pet names.
"Damn. I kinda miss screaming your name and spending all my energy to chase you down."
"There are always other ways for you to scream my name and use all your energy."
Shizuo quirked a brow as Izaya glanced over his shoulder with an erotic gleam in his eyes.
Oh.
Izaya smirked, standing up to toss away the useless papers while Shizuo turned off the treadmill quickly and hopped off. The raven dashed off to his bedroom, an eager blond hot on his heels. He snickered with amusement as Shizuo slammed the door shut behind them, hiding their secret affair from the rest of the world.
7 months, 100 chapters, 358 pages, and 131,743 words later, Your Last Breath is complete. Wow. I just...I honestly cannot believe I have made it this far. Writing a story like this...it's always been a dream. And it's finally a reality. Every single review and comment has made this journey so worth while. I am so happy that I was able to write a story for you that you all enjoyed. At least, I hope you enjoyed. I really do. I know i've enjoyed every moment of this, and I can't wait to get my hands on another prompt to work with. Will I ever write anything this long again? I have no idea. But I'm so happy and honored to say I am one of the few writers that somehow managed to. Thank you all so so much. I cannot thank you enough for your love and support. Hopefully I'll see you all again soon with another fic!