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Izaya’s left leg cramped with effort to stay on a narrow ledge, while his right leg hang uselessly in the air nearby. The strained grip of his fingers on the wire-mesh fence was slowly giving away. It’s not that it was difficult for him to support his weight. Being vertically suspended on a fence with only his fingers and half of his one foot to support him would be challenging any day, but not really that impossible. The problem was today. Today out of all days, when he hasn’t slept properly in a week, and barely eaten in three, the fatigue catching up to him in the most creative way possible. Izaya didn’t know what possessed him to go through this part of the city. He knew it would be full of dogs. The disgusting, overly excitable creatures that wouldn’t stop barking. There were three of them now, barking up his figure hanging on a fence less than a meter above them. Occasionally one of them would jump and miss him by a hair’s breadth. He must’ve been truly exhausted to make such a gross miscalculation. Izaya mostly accounted for Shizuo’s whereabouts during today’s Ikebukuro trip. Well, he missed one monster, for it to be replaced by three others.
“Ah, shit!” Izaya felt a sharp pain in the fingers of his right hand where they were gripping the fence. He turned his head and found them bleeding. The sharp metal of the fence probably cut into the flesh from the tight grip. This fence was the problem too. It surrounded the local prison, so it had barbed wire on the top making it impossible to hop over it, and the wire-mesh itself was sharper and rustier than should be normally. Not to mention the sun beating down on his head, making him sweat through his parka, and turning his hands slippery.
Izaya glared at the space in front of him with hate. The goddamn dogs, the goddamn hot weather, the goddamn infrastructures of punishment…
Suddenly, the dogs subsided their barking turning around towards the nearby walk path. A second later Izaya heard it too – someone’s solid footsteps approaching the place where he was. This park was deserted, usually people didn’t enjoy strolling around a prison area crawling with stray dogs. Izaya unattached one of his hands and slipped it in his pocket taking out a knife, and quickly grabbing the fence again. Part of Izaya was relieved, hoping this stranger would chase the dogs away, or at least distract them long enough for him to slip away. Another part of him feared that he would be recognized and hence, humiliated. Besides, it wouldn’t do for people to know his weaknesses.
When the person stepped out of the thick canopy of leaves, Izaya considered dropping himself among the dogs and let them devour his flesh. Of course, out of all the possible people, out of all of the 100,000 citizens of Ikebukuro, it just had to be him.
Shizu-chan, and it was him, looked up at him in surprise, and the moment he recognized him, Izaya was sure the exact thoughts passed through his head as well. They had such bad luck when it came to each other.
Shizuo growled, his peaceful gaze instantly turning murderous. Just like a monster, wasn’t he?
“For fuck’s sake, why is it always you!” He grabbed the tree nearby and the bark broke with a loud crunch. “The one good day I had.” He swung the tree atop him.“The one peaceful day I had!!!” He readied to throw the tree right at Izaya when one of the dogs, a brown terrier with occasional white spots, jumped on Shizuo, dirtying his bartender pants with his paws.
These dogs clearly had no self-preservation instincts if they didn’t run at the sight of Shizuo. Now they are dead meat. Izaya smiled satisfyingly. Shizu-chan doing the dirty work for him, what could be better? But instead of chucking the dogs across the stratosphere, Shizuo lowered the tree with a loud thud behind him and squatted, petting the dog softly. This monster never ceases to do the unexpected.
“What’s wrong Mocha-chan, did the flea do something to you?” he asked gently.
At that Izaya almost choked on his spit,
“First of all, I didn’t do anything to this stupid dog, although I could have,” he said indignantly, “Secondly, why do you have a name for a stray dog. And what kind of name is that anyway?”
Izaya didn’t know why he got so worked up. The view of Shizuo handling something without anger and violence didn’t fit with his idea of who Shizuo was. A monster, a beast, someone who could crush a person’s skull with his bear hands.
Shizuo looked up at him and the usual mix of anger and disgust returned to his face.
“Mocha-chan is not stupid. Besides everyone knows fleas bite and make dogs miserable.”
Izaya sighed.
“I hate to bring it to you Shizu-chan, but I am not actually a flea. Did you hit your head by any chance?”
Shizuo growled in annoyance.
“You are a flea. Fucking blood thirsty, parasite bastard.” Suddenly something passed through his face, and Izaya saw a grin emerging on his lips. “What are you doing there Izaya-kuun? Having some trouble getting down?”
Shizuo got up and slowly approached Izaya’s hanging figure and Izaya instinctively pushed backwards, but there was no way to go. The dogs were still there, the terrier circling around Shizuo’s legs.
“Just enjoying some time in the sun and doing some light exercise” Izaya said stretching his lips in a smirk, trying not to show any strain on his face. “Didn’t you know that this is the best way to stay in form?” Izaya knew that there was no way he could come out of this situation without losing some of his dignity, but there was no way he would verbally admit defeat.
“Oh, so you are just enjoying yourself. I see.”
Now Shizuo was almost up to nose with him and Izaya stared down at his face with hate. Shizuo took a step back and smiled again.
“Then let’s enjoy the time together, shall we?” He propped his back against a tree and took out a cigarette. “I have nowhere to hurry.”
***
Shizuo knew that Izaya had some kind of phobia. Shinra mentioned it in passing once, but he never elaborated on what it was and Shizuo didn’t probe any further, wanting to know as little as possible about the flea.
Now he knew, and this suddenly became a very entertaining day. He was already in a good mood, soured a little by flea’s appearance, but it was getting better again.
Watching him squirm in an uncomfortable position with no way out was even better than hitting him in the face with a tree. Slow torture, just like he deserved.
He inhaled his cigarette and smiled. Mocha-chan came by his legs and curled into sleep. Shizuo would pass these areas sometimes when the weather was good. The park was beautiful, and because of the prison people would rarely visit it. It was quiet and peaceful and Shizuo enjoyed the company of stray dogs, feeding them sometimes. Mocha-chan was a regular in this area, and Shizuo made friends with her over time.
The sun slowly passed across the sky getting ready to set soon. One hour passed and Shizuo finished his fifth cigarette. It was a pleasant weather, warm and a sunny with an occasional gust of wind. Even so, Shizuo started getting bored. Izaya didn’t say a word since their last conversation, his head turned aside and slightly downwards. Shizuo knew that Izaya was very prideful, so he guessed he must be quite miserable right now.
Since he got nothing else to look at, Shizuo observed Izaya’s position against the fence. It looked uncomfortable and painful. One of his feet angled and pressing against the fence and another on top of a small ledge. His hands gripped the the wire-mesh tightly, and Shizuo could see that his fingers were bleeding slightly. Shizuo felt a sting of guilt. Izaya looked pathetic and not at all threatening in his current state and Shizuo didn’t enjoy unnecessary pain. At that thought he shook his head. He couldn’t be feeling pity towards the flea. If anything all the pain he would ever experience is a necessary pain for being such a shitty human being. Who is even afraid of dogs? They are completely harmless if unprovoked. Another hour passed slowly. Shizuo really wanted to leave, but he wanted to see Izaya give up first. He was curious at what he would do.
However, it soon became clear that Izaya was not giving up soon. There was also something worrying about his position. His fingers didn’t stop bleeding and there were beads of sweat across his forehead. He was breathing rather heavy, and Shizuo honestly never saw him look so bad even after years of chasing him across the city and hurling different objects at him. The sun was setting half way through now and Shizuo’s stomach growled in hunger.
“You know, they are not even that scary,” he said throwing his cigarette to the ground. “They are not gonna bite you. They might just sniff you out and that’s it.”
Izaya lifted his eyes up to him, and Shizuo noticed they were heavy lidded.
“Just… fuck off,” he said. His voice came weird like his throat was parched.
Shizuo felt a familiar irritation pass through him.
“Whatever. I am leaving. You can continue your suffering.”
Shizuo petted Mocha-chan gently and started heading home. Except… Izaya really didn’t sound well. Now when he thought about it, he probably had a fever. Could it be that he got infection from the rusty fence? He really shouldn’t care, he didn’t. But he couldn’t find the familiar anger that would overcome him at the sight of Izaya. Shizuo primarily responded to threat and there was nothing threatening about Izaya right now. He was just a helpless, sick person who needed help. Shizuo turned around and headed back towards Izaya. When he got up close he felt heat radiating from his body. He had fever alright.
“Okay, this is enough. Just go home. The dogs won’t touch you, I will hold them back if they come near.”
Izaya looked at him, but his gaze was unfocused.
“Leave me alone,” he said quietly.
“You clearly have a fever, dumbass. I am telling they won’t harm you. See, they are not even barking. They wouldn’t leave here, because it’s their territory and they were barking because they wanted to play with you.”
Izaya turned his head around slowly, looking at the dogs that have quieted down since. He shook his head and stubbornly gripped the wires.
Shizuo sighed. Shitty stubborn flea.
“Then I will carry you out of here,” he said reaching for Izaya’s arm.
Izaya reacted immediately, slashing his knife forward. Unfortunately for him, he was too weak and slow in his current state and Shizuo blocked it easily.
“Idiot, I am trying to help here.”
“I am not…a fucking charity case,” Izaya said with difficulty, “I told you to leave me alone.”
“I am pretty sure if I leave you alone you will just drop dead. And the dogs will for sure come to you then. Not to bite, but maybe like pee on you or something.”
At that Izaya looked at him with hate, but Shizou felt like he also saw a glimpse of fear. For a few long minutes Izaya just stared at him, and then finally he said, “Fine. But I am not letting you carry me. I will just hold on to your back.”
Or you could just walk, Shizuo thought with annoyance. But then he realized that Izaya would probably collapse if he relaxed his muscles right now. He turned his back to Izaya and he wrapped his hands around his neck. Shit, he was really hot. Like he should go to the hospital burning hot. Shizuo slid his hands under his tights and gripped him securely.
They walked out of the park like that. Couple of stray dogs came out curiously, but Shizuo easily shooed them away. Dogs loved him and would always come near him, but they would leave when he chased them away. When they got out of the park Shizuo was about to lower Izaya down, when he realized that Izaya’s head was resting against his shoulder and he was breathing oddly deep. He strained his neck to look at him and realized Izaya fell asleep. What the hell he is supposed to do with him now?
“Oi Izaya, wake up.” He shook his shoulder. Izaya’s head twitched but he remained asleep. Shizuo contemplated just dropping him on the ground.
“If you don’t wake up right now I will drop you,” he said honestly and shook his shoulder again. At first, nothing happened, but then Izaya groaned and opened his eyes.
“Are we out of the park?”
“Ya.”
“Okay put me down.”
Shizuo lowered him to the ground, and Izaya swayed a little trying to keep his balance. He checked his pockets and cursed under his breath.
“Forgot my phone is dead. I can’t call a taxi. Where is the closest station again?”
“I think you should go to the hospital,” Shizuo said seeing that Izaya somehow got even worse.
“I am fine, thank you for your service. Next time I need a lift I will know who to call,” he said dismissively.
Shizuo looked at him irritated, but Izaya was already walking. In the wrong direction.
“That’s not the way to the station, dumbass.”
Izaya stopped and looked around. It was already dark by now, and Shizuo had very little faith Izaya will be able to find his way home.
“You should go to Shinra’s. The fever could be from the infection from your cuts. I can take you there.”
Izaya shook his head, and hissed in pain at the motion.
“I just need to go home. I just haven’t slept or ate anything lately. Plus I think I got a heat stroke. If I rest I will be fine.”
Shizuo thought Izaya had little authority to say “I will be fine” in a state he was in. Shizuo contemplated leaving him and heading home, after all he already did more than enough. But that would be the same as leaving him back in the park. If he wondered around the city like that he could easily be mugged, or if he is recognized get a good beating. Not that Izaya didn’t deserve a beating, but it should be a fair fight.
“I will take you, or you will for sure get in trouble,”
“Just call me a cab,” Izaya said and then after a pause, “Please”. He sat on a sidewalk.
Shizuo took out his phone and ordered a taxi.
“She will be here in 20 minutes or so,”
Izaya nodded lazily. He gathered his knees and lowered his head on them. After a few minutes he looked up and his face twitched in irritation.
“What are you still doing here Shizu-chan?”
“Umm…” Truth be told Shizuo didn’t really know. He called the cab, didn’t he? He should be going but… “You look like you would pass out any minute. What if the driver comes and doesn’t find you, then my contact will be blacklisted.”
Izaya looked at him like it was the most ridiculous thing he has ever heard. It probably was.
“I will just stay with you until the cab comes,” Shizuo mumbled and turned away suddenly feeling annoyed. That’s when he saw a bright cross glowing green against a quickly approaching darkness. Pharmacy. He turned to Izaya,
“Don’t move,” he said eyeing him suspiciously. But Izaya looked like he was ready to collapse on the ground and was holding up by sheer will. Shizuo wasn’t even sure he heard him.
With quick long strides Shizuo approached the pharmacy. After a little thinking, he got an anti-fever medication, a bottle of water, antiseptic wipes, mild antibiotic and some bandages. At the back of his mind, a small voice was asking him what the hell he was doing, but he decidedly ignored it.
When he got back Izaya was still sitting on the sidewalk, his head on his knees. Shizuo sat next to him.
“Here, have some water,” he said passing him the bottle. Then he popped two pills and watched Izaya gulp them down with water. He looked really sick – his skin flushed and hot, and his eyes red. He was going through the familiar motions almost on autopilot like he wasn’t really aware of what he was doing.
“Can you give me your hand?” Shizuo asked offering his open palm. At that question it looked like Izaya became more aware. His eyes narrowed and he looked at his palm with suspicion.
“I will just patch up your cuts so you won’t get tetanus,” Shizuo said impatiently.
Izaya gave him his right hand. It was cut in several places, from Izaya alternating his hold. It didn’t look that bad, but the cuts seemed deep. Shizuo carefully wiped the dirt and blood. He expected Izaya to react to the sting, but he remained calm, observing him with a detached expression. Once he was done wiping he applied the antibiotic cream and bandaged up the cuts.
Shizuo zoned out while treating him, the familiarity of the action calming him down. He was used to treating cuts and bruises, and he sort of enjoyed the process. There was something nice about the care that went into treating a wounded skin. Once he finished though he realized with surprise that Izaya’s hands are rough and calloused. Maybe it shouldn’t be surprising considering he always uses his knives, but somehow Shizuo always imagined them to be soft. He traced the calloused parts absentmindedly, and when his fingers brushed past the pulse he realized it was beating faster than normal.
He looked up at Izaya in worry but he didn’t seem worse off than before. He was looking at him from a side angle, a part of his face resting on his knees.
“You’re good at this,” he said.
Shizuo just shrugged.
“Give me your other hand,”
“It’s fine,” Izaya said quickly. He folded his hands in front of him and turned his head looking towards the road.
Shizuo huffed distrustfully but didn’t insist. It’s the flea’s business. Why does he even care? What is he doing treating him like that?
They sat in silence until the taxi arrived. Izaya stood up and staggered to the car. He seemed better after the pills. He waved him goodbye and climbed into the car. The car left and Shizuo stood there for a while looking at the space where the car disappeared. With delay he realized Izaya didn’t even thank him. Fucking flea.