Chapter 40: Bone broth

When did he fall back asleep…?

Izaya didn't know. He remembered the conversation he had had with Shinra, the way Shizuo had slept on his bed despite the heavy coughs plaguing his body.

And the way Shinra evaded his question about his deteriorating health-

"Good morning sunshine!" A quick shadow rushed across the gray walls as Shinra followed up from behind.

The small window settled in the wall did a greater job at illuminating this room than Izaya had thought.

The flames he had seen previously were now crackling low at half their size and dust glittered in the ray of light that shone past the glass. It was at that moment that Izaya realized it had been nighttime the last time he woke.

What was it now? Midday? What day? His guts churned as he thought about how long he might have been asleep this time.

"How are you feeling?" Bed creaking softly, Shinra sat down at its ledge. Curious hands and eyes rested on Izaya quicker than he could comprehend.

Chest tightening for a non physical reason Izaya titled his head to the side.

The cushion he was resting on was too comfortable to be a patient bed's one.

Shizuo had surely made the maids carry them down from their bedchambers.

Same for the blanket.

Eyes darting to the spot he had seen the sleeping tiger in, a tinge of disappointment followed close up as the feral king was nowhere to be seen.

No blond hair, no heavy weight, just plain white.

"...where did he go?"

No specification was needed. It was obvious who Izaya was talking about.

With a short blink and set back in his treatment Shinra stilled before curling his laughing lips into a gentle smile.

"An urgent discussion is currently being held in the main hall." His voice was filled with care, same with his hands as they proceeded to lift Izaya's shirt. The weird device from the previous night was dangling from Shinra's neck once again and with quick work of his hands Izaya found the ice cold end of it against his chest.

"Now that I have answered your question I expect you to do so with mine," Shinra spoke, and Izaya realized with a hint of guilt that he had entirely ignored the doctor's words.

Was it due to the distraction? Or maybe the dizziness that cast a veil of confusion in his mind.

Closing his eyes for a short moment Izaya tried to ascertain his current state. His chest was still heavy. Same for his skin. Brimming with heat yet feeling cold Izaya couldn't really tell apart the spots that were covered by the blanket or left bare.

It was a bad sign wasn't it? But compared to the previous night-

Recalling the way he had fallen unconscious and how quick he had been to lose it yet again after waking up he felt at least slight improvement when it came to his alertness.

"... better. I think." A soft hum was given, and somehow Izaya had a feeling Shinra already knew what his body was like even without telling him his subjective result.

Getting back up from the bed the doctor was quick to scurry back to the fireplace.

The pot from the previous night was settled upon the dying flame and stirred.

"Well, if that's the case, how about a little soup?" A small bowl, not larger than an oversized cup was taken from one of the shelves and before Izaya could protest a ladle full of soup had found its way into its belly.

"I thought you were cooking medicine."

An eyebrow was quirked as the doctor moved over whilst blowing across the surface of the freshly heated meal.

"Is that meant to offend my cooking skills?" he asked, and Izaya snorted.

"By no means."

Faster than he liked to, Shinra was back at his bed. The mattress creaked and the soup was placed on a small nightstand that Izaya had failed to notice the day before.

"Can you sit up?" Shinra asked while already moving his hands to support Izaya's arms.

A soft nod was given and with more effort than Izaya had thought necessary he leant against the headboard of the small bed.

The smell of the soup drifted over in small spades. It smelled good. Really.

And yet the moment Izaya thought about eating his stomach already churned.

He didn't want anything. Just the idea made him feel sick.

"Just a few sips."

Startled just slightly, Izaya pried his eyes from the bowl and back to Shinra. His expression was so gentle. Not fitting for a doctor. Usually they were just there to finish treating their patients as quickly and cheap as they possibly could.

Not a second was usually wasted to even ask about their patient's subjective condition as they deemed themselves as wise gods that could determine so much more than any patient could possibly tell.

Shinra was approaching things so differently it amazed Izaya in a way.

Even now it was as though he had read Izaya's thoughts and ascertained his reluctance without him even needing to tell.

Reaching for the bowl Shinra offered it to Izaya- and he grasped it gently. Shinra knew what he was doing. He should do his best to follow his orders.

And so he took a sip. A small one, the kind a bird would drink from a flower's chalice formed after a long and cold night as the first couple sunray's kissed its petals.

It was a clear chicken bone broth.

A long, long time ago his mother used to make this for him whenever he was sick and it forced a soft smile on his lips.

"That good?" Shinra asked, attesting the smile as one that appraised the light meal.

Giving the doctor the excitement he deserved, Izaya nodded.

"Excellent."

A victorious grin mixed with what almost looked like relief spread across Shinra's face as he pushed himself off the bed.

"Careful there I might just make you stay here if you keep flattering me like that!" he announced with a set of happy chirps and before long he was at the fireplace again, pouring himself a bowl of the soup as well.

"Well what do you have to offer?" Izaya joked while setting the bowl off his lips.

Slowly. As long as he didn't rush he could finish this bowl with steady sips.

Tilting his head Shinra seemed to take the question to heart as his gaze traveled across his small workspace.

"Let me think, free treatment and medicine- My glorious company of course, let's not forget that," pausing shortly, he hummed, "You can read too, I bet you will be enraged about the contents of my medical tomes." The slight hint of amused sarcasm drifted in the air as Izaya glanced towards the shelf.

Certainly.

New spines freshly written and tied together settled neatly next to each other. They looked fairly new. And at least considering medicine, there were no new books being written- at least not any that you would be able to purchase on a casual market.

But neither was the instrument Shinra used, Izaya suspected, as he glanced towards the hearing aid once more.

Shinra had laid it aside onto a small table underneath the window.

It was a weird object, Izaya couldn't really make sense of it either and yet somehow the faith Shizuo put into his doctor caused his own attitude to mirror nothing but trust for this man.

Traveling further Izaya suddenly spotted fairly familiar shapes and his brows lifted.

"You play chess?" A board was settled on the far corner of the desk. Pawns were placed on top of it as if having been forgotten in the midst of a game- and yet from what Izaya could see that was not a speck of dust collected on top.

"Ah, yeah, sometimes. But I lack opponents, I defeated James once and he hasn't played against me ever since." Shinra informed, and Izaya realized the doctor was currently playing a game with himself as the opponent.

It was something he saw Kururi do a lot of times when he wasn't available and the maids refused her requests to play.

"I didn't take him for a sore loser." After all he had played against the butler and he had seemed anything but offended about his loss.

A sheepish grin spread across Shinra's face. "Well, he usually isn't. It's just the game didn't really last long enough to even call it a game."

Ah.

A soft snort left Izaya's lips as he smiled. "I can see that. He seemed quite unhappy when I took his first pawn."

Shinra seemed to be about to elaborate on his strategy when suddenly a ray of recognition rushed past his face.

"Wait, you play?" he realized, "And you won-" The amount of feeling displayed by one single person should be limited- not for Shinra as pure delight, anticipation and mischief displayed on his face all at once. "Finally, a worthy opponent!" he announced, and Izaya laughed.

This guy- really.

How could he be this carefree?

A soft knock on the door interrupted the sweet morning hours as Izaya took another small sip of his soup.

"Come in." Shinra announced, still giddy and happy beyond comprehension as his whole body emitted joy.

A knight, none that Izaya had ever seen before stepped into the doorframe, but didn't dare move further as he looked at the doctor.

"Sir. The queen's father requests an audience."

The bowl Izaya had lifted to his lips wasn't heavy, and yet the moment those words dropped he felt as though he was holding onto a stone of lead.

His father.

Lips growing tight and hands clutching the fine piece of pottery as if his life depended upon it his thoughts accelerated.

He as here-

He was here to tell him what he couldn't last time-

Once he did-

No.

He couldn't face him, he mustn't face him- but how?

How?

And then they were there. The words of salvation.

"I'm afraid the queen's father came for nothing."

Lifting his head from the clear soup Izaya glanced towards Shinra.

All former glee had been wiped off his face and his voice hallowed with unwavering confidence.

A bit set back the knight hesitated before speaking up once more. "But sir, he is demanding to see his daughter. He heard of her illness and wants to assure himself of her well-being."

Shinra didn't even blink. "Then tell him that if he really cares about her wellbeing he should let her rest." His tone spoke of certainly and unwillingness to negotiate the matter. Yet the knight didn't move and the doctor's voice grew even darker as his arms crossed.

"Did I mumble?" Harsher than Izaya thought possible the words reverberated in the small chamber and the knight stiffened.

"Certainly not." A quick bow was given, and without any further adue the door to Shinra's chamber closed again.

Izaya couldn't quite keep up with what had just happened.

The slight feeling of shock still sat in his bones, but the relief overshadowed the emotion as he directed his gaze towards the doctor.

"... thank you." Meeting his gaze Shinra's expression somehow seemed unreadable as he circled back to the pot. The bowl of soup he had poured for himself had been abandoned and he quickly scooped it back up before returning to Izaya's side.

Looking at his own Izaya felt quite out of place. "Did Shizuo tell you about him?" he asked softly but the answer surprised him more than he thought.

"Not a word."

Casual, as if having given the most obvious answer Shinra shrugged before sipping on his soup.

A blink followed, then another until Izaya was able to comprehend what the doctor had just said.

"Then why-"

A simple shrug followed. "You looked like you didn't want to see him." And Izaya felt his body relax.

That's it? That was the reason. It was amazing. Shinra's perception, his medical skills, the way he made him feel at ease with jokes and stories all alike.

So good hearted and gentle-

"Does he know?" Shinra suddenly asked, and it took Izaya a second to realize the doctor was asking about the pretentious act of pretending to be the queen.

A dark smile grazed his lips and drowned his eyes.

"It was his idea."

The revelation laid heavy in the room, as if someone had dropped a blanket of tar across its entirety.

An exasperated and maybe slightly exaggerated sigh dropped from Shinra's lips as he wailed.

"Man, I'm glad my father bailed after the king died. Claimed he was on the search for a fairy or some shit," he announced, and Izaya blinked- torn between laughing and giving condolences.

Shinra gave a face and before Izaya knew it he laughed. "That was meant to cheer you up, you know."

Feeling his own lips curl into a smile, Izaya chuckled. "Sorry, I wasn't quite sure."

"But you would like my mum I bet. She is working not too far from here. Her cooking is the best in the world." Shinra pointed towards the cooking pot above the stove. "Better than this by at least a hundred times," he announced and Izaya chuckled.

He could see that.

Shinra's mum, huh? Considering what he said about his father she had to be the one that brought him up.

A sweet and kind woman probably, alike to Shinra in a way-

And suddenly Izaya paused.

Wait.

Working not too far from the castle?

Previous memories resurfaced from when he was abducted. How Shizuo had brought him to an inn first. And the woman there that had cared about him in such a sweet and angelic way-

"Does your mother happen to run an inn?" The question followed quicker than Izaya could second guess his question.

But it seemed he had nailed it as perplexed recognition flared across Shinra's face.

"You know her?"

All of a sudden everything just made sense. About her personality, the way she seemed so farefree and how she had boasted about her son working at the castle.

Those bubbly smiles and gentle words- no doubt.

Izaya definitely saw her in him.

"You are a lot alike," Izaya found himself chuckling as Shinra's face turned into a fakely offended pout.

"Why do I always get that? I'm not my mum," he announced with a slight hint of embarrassment and Izaya laughed.

Relief and a smile replaced Shinra's expression and he pointed towards the bowl Izaya was still holding onto.

"... think you can manage one more?"

Blinking, Izaya looked at the piece of pottery. He didn't even realize he had already finished it. Taking a deep, carefree breath he nodded.

"I will try."

to be continued~

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