As much as he knew that being clean was necessary, the way L's hair hung in his face while he showered was the epitome of annoying. He scowled down at the water going through the drain as water that was much too hot turned his pale skin a light pinkish color on irritable places – like his neck, his shoulders, and his chest. He turned off the water and stepped out, toweling off. He put his clothes back on and dropped the towel over his head, even though his hair had already thoroughly soaked the back of his collar.
"I don't understand why you do that." Light said, causing L to look up into the mirror. The towel was still drooped over his head as he was attempting to dry his thick black mane without the use of heat.
"Do what?" L asked curiously, turning back down to shake the water out of his hair like a wet dog. He rubbed the towel over his hair once more before placing it gingerly in the hamper underneath the hotel sink.
Light all but rolled his eyes. "That always annoyed me: putting on my clothes before drying my hair. You're a genius; you must know that your hair is going to soak your shirt if you put your clothes on before drying that mane of yours, especially when it sticks to you like cellophane and practically doubles in length when you shower."
L allowed himself a tiny smirk and he straightened up – as much as he usually did – and looked at Light via the mirror before them. "I didn't know you were so observant of my shower behavior or of my hair's reaction to water." They were still attached by handcuffs, and Light was currently leaning against the bathroom door, behind L.
Light scowled minutely. "Firstly, if that was some half-strangled attempt at an innuendo, you have succeeded. Secondly, I think we both know part of the reason for this," Light pointedly held up his wrist that was attached to L's via handcuff. "is because of my deductive skills. And lastly, are you finished, because I'd really like to get out of here. You were standing in there for forever and the steam is choking me." Light complained as he was prone to do when annoyed, and L tended to annoy him on a regular basis now.
L sighed, turning to face the younger. "Yes, Light, I am done now. Don't you need to shower as well?" L asked, bringing his thumb to his lips and nipping the nail gently, large eyes dark and curious.
Light gave a dismissive shake of his head. "No, I don't. I showered this morning, don't you remember? Probably not, considering you were asleep against the wall. For as long as you can stay awake, it amazes me how hard you are to wake up."
L pursed his lips slightly. "Need I remind you I had been going on nine days without any sleep and had slept deeply for fifteen hours?"
"I could never sleep that long."
"You probably couldn't go one-hundred and twenty hours without sleep regularly, either."
"I don't need to."
L shrugged and let Light drag him back to their suite via handcuffs, shuffling behind him absently. His thumb massaged his lower lip in deep thought, accidentally stumbling into Light's back. "Sorry, Light, I… Light?" L noticed how the younger detective froze.
"Sorry, Ryuzaki, I was just thinking." The smile Light wore was very false in the detective's eyes, but when was anything the brunet said or did genuine?
L's eyes narrowed momentarily, before he continued walking towards the kitchenette. He knew Light would make the two of them tea while he started researching locations they were supposed to visit today. He situated himself in the table chair while Light walked around him and began making the tea. L noted how the release and tug of the chain was a lot slower today, like Light was drawing out each movement as he made them tea. It worried him slightly, but he refrained from twisting to see what the boy was doing in order to keep up the farce that he trusted the teenager.
Tea was handed to the panda-eyed detective carefully, and he dually noted the slight tremor of the brunet's hands.
As they always did, once Light was siting, they raised their tea cups to each other and watched the other drink over the rim of the cup. As soon as the tea hit his stomach, L dropped his teacup and it shattered on the faux-wood floor. He retched, arms quickly wrapping around his stomach to quell the sickening feeling he got like his stomach was being torn apart from the inside.
Light was slow to sit his tea cup back on the saucer, an arrogant smirk – that trembled like his hands – on his pink lips. He stepped over the shards of china and grabbed L's collar, sneering down at the man.
"Wha-?" L asked hopelessly, grappling for Light's wrist so he could hold himself up as Light dragged him across the room and backed him up against the wall. He was coughing of blood in clots until it was dripping down his chin like water, or spit.
"Poison." Light clarified, watching blood pool in the hollows of L's collarbone as it continued to come out his mouth like a waterfall. "Be grateful. You'll be dead soon." Light said with a sickeningly sweet look.
"K-Kira!" L declared, spitting accusingly at Light.
Light nodded subtly, holding the man against the wall as he leaned in to whisper. "I am Kira." With a tone that insisted he was proud of himself for being a lunatic.
L tried to use their position to bring his knee up to Light's groin sharply, but Light's hand instead caught the blow and reciprocated it to L, kneeing him in the gut. The inky-haired man cried out, trying to cringe in on himself but Light didn't allow him to. He squeezed his eyes closed, blood trickling out of his right tear duct and down the side of his nose. He looked up at Light with sheer hatred, unguarded and unadulterated.
"Should have… never… never trusted… you." He heaved, trying to draw in air.
Light brushed some blood away from L's chin, putting his free hand over L's eyes. He leaned in slowly, his lips tasting the blood of his victim. L's inexperienced lips trembled, but responded nonetheless. It was a cute, meaningless effort because they fell still all too soon and Light pulled away. He pulled his hand back to see L's lifeless eyes and smirked at his reflection in them.
"No, you should have never trusted me." Light said apathetically before he let the man slide down the wall to the floor, blood still oozing out his mouth, nose, and eyes. He put his hand on his stomach, feeling the Death Note hidden just inside his button-up shirt and smiled tauntingly at the dead man on the floor before he turned on his heel and walked out to meet Misa in the parking garage a few stories below.