"Are you ready?" Shizuo asked, kneeling in front of his boyfriend. Izaya fidgeted with his fingers as he sat on the floor of their apartment.

"Just do it," he answered. Shizuo nodded and began unwrapping the bandages that covered the info broker's left eye. It had been just over a month since Kuro attacked Izaya and was arrested. Just as Izaya's ex promised, he was soon bailed out by his parents and they attempted to force Izaya back into the relationship. Long story short, Shizuo was there to show the papers for the restraining order and asked them to leave. The three of them left Tokyo not too long after.

Izaya winced as the last layer of the bandage was removed, exposing the freshly healed wound to the air. He sat there, still fiddling his fingers as Shizuo examined the scar left behind. The raven flinched as his aid gently dabbed at the edges of the scar.

Once he was finished making sure the wound was sealed, Shizuo gazed at Izaya. The raven continued to play with his fingers and hardly held his eyes up. He sighed as he placed his hand against Izaya's cheek, causing the smaller male to relax into it.

Ever since the attack, Izaya had become more dependent on the blonde than before. He denied any meetings that refused to let him have Shizuo by his side. He slowly started getting better once Kuro moved away, but Izaya still clung to the blonde like he was going to disappear forever if he let go.

Shizuo rubbed his thumb across Izaya's cheek as he looked at the scar. He sighed heavily.

"Shizu-chan?" Izaya's voice broke the blonde from his daze. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he replied. "I'm fine." Izaya placed his hand over Shizuo's.

"Don't lie to me, Shizuo," the info broker pulled Shizuo's hand from his cheek. "I know something's bothering you." Shizuo gently squeezed his boyfriend's hand.

"Is it my scar?" The question caught the former bartender by surprise. He looked at Izaya and saw his eyes aimed up in front of him.

"What? Of course not!" Shizuo responded. Izaya didn't falter, causing the blonde to sigh in defeat.

"Maybe," Shizuo admitted. "I'm worried that you'll get stuck in this rut of relying on me and that your job will suffer because of it. I'm... worried that you'll never get your confidence back." He felt a hand on his cheek and looked up to see Izaya leaning towards him. The two shared a short kiss before the raven snuggled up to him for a hug.

"What's something that we both share, Shizu-chan?" The blonde thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

"We're both stubborn." Shizuo looked down at his boyfriend. He never expected Izaya to openly admit his own faults.

"It's true that I'm relying on you a lot right now," the raven continued. "But I want to get back to my usual work. The anxiety and fear that he planted in me is holding me back for now. Until I can find a way to defeat it, I want you to be my protective guardian giving me the strength to persist through this." He aimed his gaze up towards Shizuo, a small smile on his face. "Alright?"

Shizuo relaxed and smiled back. "Until you can defeat this opponent, I vow to give you all the strength and protection that you ask." Izaya's smile widened.

"Thank you, Shizu-chan." Shizuo wrapped his arms around him.

"Anything for you, Izzy."