A Flea's Fever

Izaya sighed as he rolled onto his back and stared up at his ceiling, closing his eyes as he listened to the night sounds of Ikebukuro. It never stopped to amaze him how humans were always on the move, regardless of the time, weather, or day. They only seemed to want to please themselves, not caring about anyone else or what others wanted. For example, how he wished for quiet so he could rest and get over his fever, but knew that it would be impossible because of said humans. Giving a sigh, he decided that, since it wasn't too late, he'd walk around the city for a bit in an effort to wear himself out. Getting out of bed, he started to his closet and grabbed whatever he first touched, then after getting dressed, headed out of his apartment. Without the walls to dull the sound, he winced slightly as the sound made his headache throb even more.

Maybe this wasn't all that good of an idea, still he knew that he would get no rest unless he tired himself out slightly, and he blinked when a thought suddenly occurred to him. He would get a good night's rest if he was able to find one person, his favorite person he should say. Smiling to himself, he started down the street, keeping his eyes peeled for the fake blond that he loved the most out of all humans. Or he should say actually loved, because in truth he hated nearly all humans but him and a few others. Still, he was hoping that he could find Shizuo, or else tomorrow he'd feel even worse than he did now. Of course, having a work out with Shizuo wouldn't make him feel good either, but it would allow him to get enough rest to get over his little fever.

"Izaya! Damn Flea! Get out of Ikebukuro!" The shout caused him to smile, and look over his shoulder. He smiled at the blond that was ripping a street sign out of the ground and started running toward him. He twisted around, watching as the few other human stragglers quickly dashed away to save their own skins and to avoid the Monster of Ikebukuro.

"Shizu~Chan! I'm so happy to see you!" He called out, opening his arms wide as the man got closer, flicking his hand slightly to open his pocket knife. He then narrowed his gaze and started to dodge the wildly swinging sign. All the while smiling at the man and laughing joyfully as he shouted one curse after the other.

"Damn Louse!" Shizuo shouted, finally giving up swinging the sign and instead chucked it at him as hard as he could. Izaya narrowed his gaze and jumped as the sign went flying, and watched as it went under him and stuck into the side of a building. Giving a laugh he hopped back a few paces while keeping the blond in his line of sight.

"Now, now Shizu~Chan! Temper, temper." He cooed, watching as a nerve ticked above the man's glasses, and watched in satisfaction when he reached up, grabbed his sunglasses, and smashed them in his hold. He suddenly became nervous, even though he didn't allow it to show. Shizuo was at his boiling point, and it had come on quick, which meant that the man had a bad day, and that Izaya was going to be pushing his limit if he allowed this to go on too long.

"I'm not in the mood. SO DIE ALREADY!" Shizuo shouted, grabbing a nearby vending machine, and tossed it at him like it was nothing more than a pebble. Izaya stepped to the side, frowning when it rushed by with such force that he nearly brought down the store side it crashed into. It seemed that this wasn't such a good idea, especially since he could feel his fever starting to get worse, and knew that unless he wanted to be unconscious and at the man's mercy, he needed to get home. Now. Only problem, Shizuo was blocking the way that he needed to go. Which meant that he would have to run through the alleys just to get home safely. Moving carefully he edged toward the nearest alley way, but froze when another vending machine slammed onto the ground beside him, causing him to jump back. He glanced back at the man, blinking as he saw that Shizuo was only a foot away from him, and before he could step back, Shizuo grabbed his arm and twisted. He gasped as pain shot through his arm, and winced as he was brought to his knee as a pain also shot through his head as his fever spiked. Damnit, he had pushed himself too far and he groaned as black dots started to form in his visions. This wasn't good, he couldn't pass out at the hands of his enemy, it would be the end of both of them if it happened.

"Looks like you've finally ran out of luck, Flea." Shizuo growled, and Izaya squinted his eyes and stared up at the blond. This wasn't good. He had to think of something, and quickly or else he would be in for it. There was no way he would be able to stand up to Shizuo's strength in his condition.

"Damn." He whispered, allowing his body to relax when nothing came to mind, and when all the thinking he did just hurt his head more. He closed his eyes, and listened as Shizuo seemed to shift his weight. He blinked when he was suddenly jerked to his feet, and stared up in shock at Shizuo. The blond was staring at him with something close to concern shining in his eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Flea?" Shizuo asked, and he gritted his teeth. Damn this man and his ability to throw him off balance. The man never did what Izaya expected of him. He was sure that the moment he relaxed, Shizuo would have been pounding him to death for all the shit he had put the man through. Not suddenly become concerned for his well being. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a hand was gently placed against his forehead, and looked up to see Shizuo with a thoughtful look on his face.

"That's one hell of a fever you have, Flea. What are you doing wandering around when you should be resting?" The man asked, and Izaya blinked. He wasn't sure how to deal with this Shizuo. An enraged Shizuo he knew what he had to do to survive, but a caring Shizuo he knew nothing about, so he decided to go about as he usually would. So he smirked, and suddenly went on his tip toes so he was closer to the man's face.

"Aww. I didn't know you cared, Shizu~Chan." He purred, watching as the man blinked and seemed to grow slightly agitated. Only to frown when he sighed and carefully pushed him back slightly.

"Don't pull that shit with me, louse. You need to get home and take care of yourself. Unless you really have a death wish." Shizuo stated, once again throwing him off balance because it hadn't been what he was expecting. He pouted and smacked the man's hand away, watching as surprise entered his eyes. They stood staring at each other for a minute, and Izaya then sighed and shook his head while shrugging his shoulders in his way.

"Such a disappointment, Shizu~Chan. Always doing the exact opposite of what I expect of you, really. Still, I don't need your pity." He growled, his eyes flashing as he sprung forward quickly, his small knife slashing at the blond. He gasped when Shizuo grabbed his hand easily, and growled at how the fever was making his reflexes slower. In the past he would have landed the blow, angering the man into a fight, but now the man was treating him like a sick child.

"Fine. The louse doesn't want my help, he wont get it." Shizuo growled, shoving him back with enough force that he landed on his back side on the ground. He glared up at the man as he stepped to the side and motioned Izaya to go on. Getting back to his feet, Izaya glared at him as he passed and then focused on putting one foot in front of the other as he headed back to his apartment. He truly did feel tired, and no doubt that he would fall asleep the moment his head hit his pillow. That was, if he was able to get there since his vision was becoming more blurry and his body was starting to feel weak. Giving a small groan he pressed two fingers to his temple as another pain shot through it, and prayed that he didn't pass out before he got to his apartment. Swallowing, he glanced back up and froze as he saw three men approaching him, dark looks on their faces. He cursed himself for even coming out this late of night in his condition, he should have known better, and knew that he needed to stop thinking about it and get away from the obvious Yakuza hit men. Spinning on his heels, he ran back the way he had came, but barely passed the nearest alley way before a hand reached out and grabbed him. Pulling him into the alley and slamming him against the rough brick wall. He watched with dazed eyes as the other three quickly entered and approached them, removing their belts as they approached.

"The Boss ain't happy with you, Izaya. Time for some punishment." The man in front growled, reaching Izaya's side first and roughly grabbed his hands before tying them together with his belt. Izaya swallowed as another pain shot through his temple, and tensed when the man's hand slid under his shirt and scratched roughly against his stomach.

"Who's up first?" The man growled, his hand going lower to unbuckle Izaya's jeans, and Izaya closed his eyes. He knew that he was too weak to struggle, and that he had put himself in this position, but that didn't mean he still wanted this to happen. But unless someone who was willing to help him came along, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"First, before we all have our fun. Allow me this." Another man stated, and Izaya clenched his teeth as a fist connected with his jaw. Jerking him sideways and knocking him to the filth that littered the alley way. He heard the men laugh, before more fists and shoe covered feet slammed against him until he wished that he would black out already.

"Alright! Enough! We don't have all night to do this. So, lets get to it." The leader growled, and he winced as he grabbed a handful of hair and forced him up. He knew in that moment that ribs were broken, and something was wrong with his left shoulder, but he still glared at the men as they all started to grope at his body. He twitched and tried to get out of their reaches, but regretted it when a foot slammed right into his stomach, forcing the air out of his body. As he struggled to breath, he felt one of the men start to straddle him, and started to struggle weakly.

"Look at him! Wiggling around like the worm he is!" One of the men shouted, and he squeezed his eyes shut while turning his face away as he felt tears begin to prick his eyes. He wouldn't cry. Not in front of these men. He refused.

"Alright. I get first." One man growled, and he tensed as he felt large, hard hands grab his hips and pull him closer.

"If you don't release him right now, not one of you will live to see tomorrow." The growl caused everyone to freeze, and Izaya slowly opened his eyes to the front of the alley way and blinked as he saw Shizuo standing there smoking a cigarette and a deadly look in his eyes. For once though, those deathly eyes weren't focused on him, but on the men that had been ready to hurt him. He watched as the men slowly stood, and looked like they were facing death. He figured that in some ways, they might be since he had only seen that look on Shizuo once before. Now that he thought about it, he never had seen or heard anything more about that man that had received that look.

"B-But I thought you hated him as well? S-shouldn't you be happy that this is going to happen to him?" One man asked, taking a step back as Shizuo stepped closer. The look in his eyes growing colder at each word the man got out.

"I'll admit, I don't like the Flea. But, people like you four. I hate even more. Now, leave or I will kill all of you." He growled lowly, and Izaya watched as the men bolted as if hell hounds were right on their heels. Then looked back up as he saw Shizuo crouch down and start to untie his hands. He swallowed, knowing that he wasn't far from blacking out, but struggled to get his mind working again.

"Why?" He whispered, the word sounding too soft to him, and groaned as he finally gave in to his body and allowed the darkness to consume him.

Shizuo sighed as he fixed the Flea's clothing as best as he could, secretly thankful that he had gave in to his instinct to double back and make sure the man got home safely. If he hadn't then the man would have been forever changed, or worse dead. He had to admit, yes he had hated the flea in the beginning, but over time he had actually viewed the man as a weird friend, and eventually more than that. Izaya was the only person who ran towards him, never away from him unless to avoid his attacks. Even then, he stayed close enough to still talk, or in his case taunt, him, and only escaped when he had something work related to do. He blinked and glanced down when the man mumbled something that sounded like he was asking why he was doing this. He tensed when the man's body suddenly relaxed and a sigh escaped his lips. Moving slowly, he pressed two fingers against the man's wrist and closed his eyes until he felt the man's steady pulse. It seemed to be beating slightly faster than it should, but he figured that to be nerves and the man's own fever. Sitting back on his heels slightly, he glanced at the man, and then to the streets outside the alley way. He needed to get him back home, treat his wounds, and get him into his own bed. After, that he guessed he'd just let things go back to the way that they were. Decision made, he carefully picked the man up after pulling his hood over his face, slightly surprised when Izaya unconsciously snuggled closer and fisted his hands into his bartender vest. Not bothering with that at the moment, he started for the man's apartment.

The moment they reached Izaya's apartment, he was surprised that the door was unlocked and briefly thought that the man was insane for just leaving it like that. Giving a sigh he entered the apartment, removed their shoes, and then looked around to get his bearings before heading into the man's bathroom in search of the first aid kit. Only to find himself in a slight predicament as he realized that Izaya was refusing to release his death grip on the vest, and wasn't sure how to balance the man and get the kit. Giving a sigh, he settled onto the tile flooring, grabbed the kit, and did his best to get to the wounds that he could without releasing, or waking, the man. Once he finished it as good as he could, he stood back up and laid the man onto his bed, but once again the man refused to release him.

"Come on now, damnit." He growled, carefully prying the man's hands off of him, and placed them on the bed. He started to straighten, but froze when Izaya let out a whimper and started to twist on the bed with a look of fear on his face. He leaned back down, and blinked when he saw tears beginning to form in the corner of the man's eyes. Izaya, crying! He realized that those men must have gotten to the man more than one would have thought, and also figured that the man's fever wasn't helping much either. Still, he didn't like it and started to regret that he had allowed those men to walk without doing anything to them.

"S-Shizu-Chan..." The whimper from Izaya froze him to the spot, and all he could do was stare down at the man in shock and worry. Why the hell would Izaya be calling out his name? Swallowing, he removed his vest only, and then settled onto the bed beside the man. Surprised when the man seemed to still slightly, then rolled and gripped onto him again, giving a sigh before relaxing and snuggling into his side. Shizuo stayed propped up, looking down at the man and soon found himself carefully running his hand through the man's soft brunette locks. Smiling lightly when Izaya mumbled, shifted closer, and rested his head along side Shizuo's ribs. If anyone had told him that he would be snuggling with Izaya, he would have knocked them into the next millennium, but yet here he was. Offering the man he saw as an enemy, yet also wanted for himself, comfort that he doubted anyone else could give. Save for Shinra since they seemed to be friends.

"You better count your blessings that I'm against unnecessary violence, Flea." He muttered, before making himself comfortable in his upright position and closed his eyes. It was late, and he figured that the man would probably freak tomorrow and kick him out, so he might as well as enjoy it as he could.

"...izu-chan...Shizu~chan...Wake up already!" The sound of someone calling his name caused him to awake, and he had to think a moment before the nights events came back to him. He then looked down to where he felt a tight grip on his side, and raised an eyebrow as he saw that Izaya was looking up at him with a worried expression. They stared at one another, then he realized that the man still looked flush, and was nearly radiating the heat from his fever. He glanced around and saw that it was early in the morning, and then straightened.

"What do you need?" He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he attempted to straighten, only to blink when Izaya tightened his hold and nuzzled his face into Shizuo's chest.

"Head hurts. Feel hot. Don't want you to leave though." Izaya muttered, and he figured that the man's fever must really had gotten to him if he was saying that kind of stuff. Still, he wasn't the kind of person that would just ignore someone in need, and knew somethings about fevers since Kasuka had gotten some. He placed a hand on the man's back, and raised both of them into the upright position.

"Where do you keep your medicines at?" He asked, and looked down when the man pointed to his personal bathroom. He carefully got out of bed, and blinked as Izaya crawled out and clutched onto the hem of his shirt like a little kid. He had to admit, it was kinda cute on the man, and he pulled him close when he looked up at him with lost eyes. Once they reached the bathroom, he watched as the man opened up a cabinet and pulled out a small bottle of pills that he handed to him. Shizuo quickly read the label and raised an eyebrow when he read that it was a natural medicine and wondered briefly how many times Izaya had to deal with these fevers. He popped open the lid and handed the man the recommended amount that it read, and waited for him to take them.

"How are your bruises doing?" He asked, watching as the man glanced at him then looked down as his eyes glazed over. Shizuo moved closer and grabbed his shoulder to make him face his way.

"They can't hurt you here Izaya. Also, I wont let them hurt you again." He whispered, watching as the man's eyes cleared slightly and he moved closer until Shizuo basically had him in an embrace. Giving a sigh, he hugged the man carefully, and then moved him back.

"Will you let me look at your wounds? Before that though, why don't you take a bath and see if it'll help your fever? It should also sooth some of your aches." He stated, watching as the man looked at the tub then back at him in worry.

"I-I don't want to be left alone." Izaya whispered, and Shizuo felt his chest tighten at the lost and fearful look that the man gave. He pulled the man close and embraced him again.

"I'm just going to be in the other room, alright? I'm just a call away. After you get done with your bath, I will be back in to tend to your wounds. Alright?" He asked, watching the man from the corner of his eyes as he gave a small nod. Shizuo then made him wait in the bathroom briefly as he gathered the man's clothes. Once he handed the man the items, he headed out and settled onto the bed and pulled out his phone. He had best call Tom and say that he wouldn't be in today, since he really didn't want to leave Izaya alone in his condition. After giving Tom the brief details, he then waited for Izaya to call for him, but blinked when the man walked out with the first aid in hand wearing the joggers that he had found. He had to fight back a blush slightly as he saw that the joggers were slightly big on the man and rode low on his hips, and he blinked as he watched the man slowly approach him with unsure eyes.

"What's wrong, Izaya?" He asked, watching as the man fidgeted slightly, and then tensed when he suddenly launched into his chest and held on tight.

"I'm sorry Shizu-chan. I know that all of this is a bother to you, but I thank you greatly for helping me even though you hate me." Izaya whimpered, and Shizuo sighed as he awkwardly patted the man's back.

"I...don't hate you. Haven't for a while now." He stated, feeling the man tense and looked down when he looked up with confused eyes.

"Y-you don't hate me?" Izaya asked, his eyes wide with something that resembled hope in them. Shizuo shook his head.

"No, I don't hate you. Not anymore." He stated, watching as the man frowned slightly and looked away while tightening his hold on him.

"That means that you did hate me at one point." He muttered, hiding his face in Shizuo's shirt, causing the man to smile and gently place a hand on the man's shoulders. He moved the boy until he was on the bed, and then reached for the first aid kit.

"At one point, I couldn't stand you, but only because I didn't really know how to deal with you. Then later, I started to think of you as a form of a friend. You weren't like anyone else that I had met. Everyone always avoided me, but you always seemed to seek me out. Why was that?" He asked, applying the ointment as he talked.

"Well, because...You interested me. I thought you'd be someone I would like to call a friend, but when you looked at me and nothing but hate entered your eyes...I don't know. I figured that if you were only going to hate me, then I should get my kicks when I could. After a while, I also thought it as we were friends, but I never thought you would see it that way." Izaya whispered, and Shizuo allowed silence to ensue as both went into their own thoughts. Only to blink once he was done and Izaya turned to face him.

"Can I ask you something?" Izaya asked, and he nodded, watching as the man seemed to think for a moment and then inhaled.

"Why did you help me last night?" He asked, and Shizuo thought a moment. Then decided on the half truth.

"Because you don't deserve something like that. No one does. When I saw what they were going to do, nothing but rage filled me because someone that I knew was about to be hurt. I wasn't about to stand by and allow that to happen." He stated, looking down as Izaya stared up at him with his head tilted slightly.

"Would you have done the same thing if you still hated me?" He asked, and Shizuo thought a moment. Then smiled and shook his head.

"Probably not. Back then I would have probably murdered those bastards without a second thought." He added on when Izaya got a fearful look in his eyes and then smiled when he did. Only to blink when the man suddenly wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his nose into his shoulder.

"I still hurt, Shizu-chan." He whispered, and Shizuo looked down at the bruises that he could still see. There were dark bruises on his ribs, hips, as well as a slight bruise along his jaw. Giving a sigh he held the man close in the only comfort that he could give him.

"It will hurt for a while, possibly for a few weeks. Your ribs are bruised, and not to mention that the thought about what happened will probably bring phantom pains. The only thing to do with this is be patient." He whispered, rubbing the man's back when he tightened his hold. Only to blink when he suddenly looked up, and fought the urge to close the little distant between them to allow their lips to connect.

"Shizu-chan?" Izaya asked, and he felt the pressure increase when he saw the wanting look in the man's eyes. He was wounded, and had a high fever that was no doubt making him like this. There was no way that Izaya returned his feelings, unless the fever was really messing with him. He quickly jerked away, watching as a hurt look crossed the man's face, and caught his chin before he could look down.

"Don't think of it like that, Izaya. I don't want this all to be because of the fever. Please, understand I don't want you to hate me for it afterwards. Lets wait until after the fever, then we'll see. Alright?" He whispered, smiling when the man pouted slightly, but nodded and snuggled closer.

"You'll still stay with me though, right? Take care of me and protect me?" He asked, and Shizuo smiled and pulled him closer.

"Yeah. That wont be a problem." He stated, laying back on the bed with Izaya curled half-way onto his chest.

Izaya could only stare up at the man that he had been recently sleeping beside. He recalled everything that had been done and said during his fever, but just couldn't bring himself to accept it. There was no way that Shizuo actually meant those things, it just wasn't possible. Was it? No, no, no. The man had to be only saying those things to make him feel comforted since he had lost control over his emotions. That was the only rational thing that could have happened. Shizuo had only humored him because he was ill, nothing more nothing less. Izaya thought, his eyes going back to the blond still sleeping in his bed, and tensed as he felt a blush cross his features.

Still, he had known that the man had been telling the truth when he had said that he no longer hated him. That he saw him as a...friend. Even though he believed that, he also knew that the man had been holding something back, that it was only the half truth. He growled lightly to himself, wishing he could just gather the courage to wake the man like he had done during his fever, but feared that it would all go bad the moment the man realized that he was no longer ill. Not to mention, there was what the man said before they had fallen asleep. That if he still felt the same about a kiss, which he did, that they would go from there. Had that just been to stop them from kissing, or had he actually meant it?

"Enough of this Izaya. Only one way to find out." He whispered to himself, and carefully walked to his bed and looked down at the sleeping blond. Swallowing, he eased onto the side of the bed, and leaned over Shizuo until there was just an inch between their faces. Closing his eyes, he carefully lowered his head, and softly pressed his lips against Shizuo's. He stayed like that for a moment, and then slowly started to pull back. Only to freeze when a strong, yet careful, hand caught the back of his head.

"Is that it?" Shizuo's rough voice caused him to look up quickly and he met the man's golden gaze. He swallowed, waiting for the man to go into a fit of rage and finally kill him. Only to gasp when he forced his head back down and pressed their lips together again. Izaya hesitated only for a moment, and then relaxed against the man as Shizuo deepened the kiss by brushing his tongue against Izaya's lips. Izaya opened up, and shivered when the man's tongue brushed against his own, enticing him to join in on the play.

He fisted his hands into Shizuo's shirt, making him relinquish his hold on the back of his head so he could pull back slightly for much needed air. He panted as he rested his forehead against the man's shoulder, listening as Shizuo also breathed deeply for air.

"Shizu-Chan. Did you really mean, what you said earlier?" Izaya asked, blinking when he felt a hand settle onto his back, and gasped slightly when the hand pulled him closer into Shizuo's chest, causing him to straddle Shizuo to maintain his balance. Straightening, he glanced down to see the man smiling up at him, and he blinked as a weird feeling started to come over him. It was a feeling that he had only felt a few times, and the first time ever was when he had met Shizuo. He was happy. Swallowing, he clutched Shizuo's shirt and leaned down again, hovering over the man in silent question if he was really alright with this.

"Enough hesitation, Flea. If you want me, then it's your turn to chase me." Shizuo growled, before grabbing the back of his head again and pulled him into another kiss. Izaya went willing, all the while, for the first time, thanking his body for the fever that had brought them together.