"Can you not," Light says through gritted teeth, for what feels like the hundredth time, "drip your goddamn wet hair all over the place."
L looks at him from his place at his computer, beside Light's. His hair is very, very wet. It looks thick enough to make his neck ache. L washes his hair every other day, and could never be bothered to give it more than a cursory rub with the towel. He would instead leave little puddles everywhere he went, on the floor, on their desk, on Light's pillow in their shared bed. He would sit there dripping for hours. He never seems to get a cold.
The dripping got on Light's nerves. If they weren't handcuffed, Light would half hope that it would drip into his laptop and kill him.
"But I've just washed my hair, Light-kun," L explains, like he is being helpful.
"I know that," Light says, through his teeth, with infinite patience. "Use a hair dryer."
"I don't own one."
"I own one. You see me use it every day. You can borrow it."
"Light-kun is very kind, but I couldn't possibly blow-dry my hair. It makes it fluffy."
"Fluffy," he repeats.
"Yes," L says, unconcernedly. He tugs sadly on his hair. "My hair sticks out a lot of its own accord, as you've probably noticed. If I try to blow-dry it after a shower, it makes matters much worse." He gives a little shudder and pops a sweet into his mouth to comfort himself.
Light isn't entirely sure if he is mocking him or not.
"You put product on it," he explains patiently. "To make it smoother."
L shakes his head. "Oh, no," he says, not even bothering to think of an excuse this time.
"Ryuzaki. It is better to have fluffy dry hair than dripping wet hair."
"I disagree, Light-kun."
"Dry your hair," he threatens. "It's distracting me from my work."
"If Light-kun were not Kira, he would not be so easily distracted," L observes. He pops another sweet in his infuriating mouth. "It is rather suspicious."
Light growls and stands without warning. He nearly pulls L to the floor when he makes for the bathroom.
"Ow! Please give me some warning next time you stand up, Light-kun. What is it? Have you forgotten something?"
"No," he says. He takes a towel, his hairdryer and his bag of toiletries back to the room with him. "I'm drying your hair," he explains unnecessarily, and starts crawling around to look for a free socket.
"That won't be necessary."
"I wasn't asking you."
"Light," L complains. "The noise is very distracting."
"Your dripping is very distracting," Light says, pushing the plug into the wall. He gets to his feet. "And this will be over sooner. It's better for your health, if anything." He pushs L down by his shoulders until he is on his knees, and then sits behind him on the bed, pulling the other man between his knees. "It's like you don't even try to dry it," he complains, rubbing the towel over his hair roughly.
"I try," L says, in a slightly huffy voice, partly muffled by the towel. He begins to wriggle in protest. "Light, I – "
"I will dry your damn hair for you, all right? I'll make sure it doesn't get fluffy."
"But I – "
"No, L. I've done everything you've asked. I agreed to be chained to you, to be locked up for days under constant surveillance, and you disrespect me every single day and I don't say a thing, I just deal with it, so when I ask you for one simple thing like drying your hair so the pillows don't get wet, so I'm not constantly walking in puddles and wiping keyboards down, then you can shut up and let me."
L has gone very still under the towel. "You're right," he says, almost meekly. "I'm sorry, Light-kun."
Light tugs him back gently by the hair, so his back is straight against his legs. In all honesty, the wet hair doesn't bother him that much. It is just one of many, many other things, and if it hadn't been this, Light would have lost it with him over something else. He just needs to stop thinking for a little while.
L's hair is in surprisingly good condition, considering the lack of vitamins and minerals in his diet. It gleams almost silver in the light, and smells fruity. While Light uses the shampoo sold at the hairdressers, L uses travel sized bottles in different colours, with non-surprising scents of kiwi, strawberry, cocoa, etc. He seems to pick one each time at random, depending on his mood, rather than finishing one before opening the other.
"I won't use too much product on it," Light tells him, putting the towel aside. "Just enough to make it easier to comb."
L starts squirming again.
"Keep still," he warns. "And shut up. Or I will make it fluffy."
To his amusement, L goes stock still and doesn't say another word.
Satisfied, Light pulls him back again so he is upright once more, and puts his hands in L's soaking hair.
He flinches slightly.
"Relax," Light drawls. "Even if I am Kira, I'm hardly likely to kill you with a hairdryer, am I? As appealing as it sounds right now."
L remains mute.
Light rolls his eyes, and turns on the hairdryer.
He sprays heat protectant as he goes and runs a comb gently through the black hair once is able to. L's hair is as strong as it looks, and the whole operation takes considerably longer than it takes Light to do his own hair. He doesn't really care how it will look, but he decides rather generously to not let it get fluffy.
When he finally turns the hairdryer off, L tries to get away, and Light curves his legs and feet in to hold him. "No," he admonishes. "Not yet. You don't want it to get fluffy, do you?"
L mutters something that sounds suspiciously like a swear word, but goes still.
Light is beginning to see his point; L's hair is extremely fluffy. He looks like a gothic hedgehog. Light takes hair mousse from his toiletries bag and rubs a little in his fingertips, and then begins to massage it into L's scalp.
L squirms once or twice, clearly not used to the sensation, hunching over and ducking more than ever, and Light only grins and pulls him back up and secures him with his feet. He is enjoying himself immensely.
L gives an involuntary little animal shiver when Light runs his fingers through his hair in a way that he obviously likes.
"You're taking so long," he grumbles quickly, to distract him.
"It's almost done," Light says placatingly, letting his fingers trail through the now silky hair even more slowly.
L sighs, but settles back against Light's legs, clearly uncomfortable.
Light runs a brush through his hair a few times, enjoying the gentle rustling sound it produced, but then puts it aside and goes back to using his fingers. He sees the pale expanse of L's neck between his fingers. He wants to bite it.
L's hair is almost completely dry now, and tame, and all the product is completely absorbed. Light is essentially just massaging his scalp. And L is letting him. He is sitting very, very still with his head back, tilting slightly with Light's movements, like some kind of strange pet. Light wishes they had a mirror in front of them; he's sure L's eyes are closed.
"You actually have quite nice hair, if you'd look after it properly," he tells him.
L nsorts. "Light-kun has missed his true calling in life," he observes, dryly.
Light chuckles, and gives a sharp tug on a few strands. "Shut up," he says. "You're enjoying yourself."
L shakes his hair free defensively and touches it with one hand, tentatively, as if he's not sure he'll still find it there.
"See?" Light says, as L pats it hesitantly. "Not fluffy. And dry. That wasn't so painful, was it?"
L mumbles something and drops his hands. He tries to get away, but Light's legs tighten around him again.
"What do you say?"
"…Thank you?"
Light holds him for a moment longer, then loosens his hold just slightly and let's L pry his ankles apart. He lets L move away far enough for him to drop to the floor behind him on his knees. He pulls on the chain until L's back is against his chest. "Missed a spot," he murmurs. He puts his chained arm around L's chest and puts his mouth in his freshly tamed hair, breathing it in.
"Light." He has gone very still again. "What are you doing?"
Light nuzzles him just slightly and doesn't answer. He isn't even sure what he's doing, whether he is winding L up or not.
"This is inappropriate."
"Lean on me," Light urges, ignoring him. He links both hands around L's waist and tugs him back.
"Light- "
He gives a sharper tug so that the detective practically falls into the space between his legs, considerably more snugly than before.
"This isn't funny." L may be completely collapsed against him, but he is very tense.
Light lifts a hand and runs it experimentally through L's hair, and gets the little animal shiver he got before. He smirks in triumph. "So that's what you like."
"Shut up, Light."
Light does, and to his surprise, L begins to relax into him.
He plays with his hair as a reward. He waits for L to tell him they need to get back to work, but he doesn't make a sound. When Light's chained arm begins to ache, he lets it rest beside L's on the floor. If L wanted to touch him, he only had to move one finger by hardly an inch.
His left hand continues playing with L's hair lazily, and every now and then he rubs his jaw along his hairline. Their breathing is slowing with the movements of Light's hand. L is completely relaxed, like they'd done this their whole lives.
'Still awake?' Light considers murmuring, just to hear the beat before he responds, but he dismisses the idea.
Finally, when he is barely moving his hand at all, he lets it drop down next to L's. L doesn't seem to notice. Their legs are flat on the carpet now. Light's mouth is still in L's hair. Their breathing has synchronised.
It takes L a moment to raise his head. "Maybe you should stop now," he says, like Light hadn't stopped several minutes ago.
He moves away from Light like he is just waking up, and the loss of warmth is sudden and unpleasant. Light loops the chain around his wrist several times and pulls L back lazily, so they are facing one another.
As he expected, L's eyes are very wide. "What?"
Light loops the chain again until he was close enough, and then leans in to kiss him. L's hands drop to support himself as his balance goes, while Light's, never one to miss exploiting a weakness, go back to L's hair. He lets the chain unloop and fall between them in coils. L lets Light's tongue touch his own.
Balancing on his knees, Light pulls L's shirt off over his head. Then he takes L's hands and places them inside the shirt he's mostly unbuttoned.
"Light," L whines then, and tries to pull away.
Light grabs his hands and puts them back. "You can't kiss me and then pull away and say, 'Light." He reprimands him gently. The cool chain is pleasant on his bare skin. He stays balanced on his knees while he gets L's jeans down, then his own, and is able to rub himself into L's thigh whilst jerking him off. L is holding himself up on his arms and helpless to stop him.
"Come on," Light urges, determined to not be the first over the edge. Come on, into my hand. "Come on, come on."
L cries out unexpectedly then, and Light is coming with him, writhing uselessly. L's arms give out and he collapses against Light. Light holds his wet hand out of the way. He nuzzles L's hair a few times. "I need to shower."
If anyone can think of a more appropriate shampoo for the title, please let me kow, lol. Thank you for reading!