CHAPTER 1

In the first few days following the beginning of the bizarre arrangement, Light had felt somewhat nervous, but confident and determined to prove to Ryuuzaki that he was not Kira, and grateful for the opportunity, however inconvenient. As time went on, however, his optimistic patience faded somewhat, and was replaced with a more acute awareness of the annoyance of the situation.

The degree of close proximity to Ryuuzaki to which Light was confined had - as is to be expected - its definite drawbacks. For one thing, there was the simple issue of alone-time no longer being an option. Both Light and Ryuuzaki, being people who had previously designated most of their time as alone time, took some issue with this. Light more so. Ryuuzaki didn't actually seem overly bothered. He seemed to be able to achieve the desired "aloneness" whether or not he was actually alone. It was an introversive sort of thing.

Light was sometimes puzzled by how little Ryuuzaki seemed to do all day. When he wasn't working, he was either doing some sort of a puzzle or eating some form of sweets (usually both), or simply lounging around looking detached and thoughtful.

Another concern was sleep habits. Light, being a student, had a fairly solidified routine: bed by midnight, awake by 8, typically. Fairly normal. Ryuuzaki conflicted with this in every dimension possible. He slept erratically, varying in both time and duration. Some weeks he wouldn't sleep for days. Others he would sleep like a cat, 2/3s of the day. This could be all in one 16-hour marathon, or in naps scattered throughout the day. The latter was better, because these often took place in his large computer chair, which meant the level of mobility Light was allowed was expanded to where he could go dragging a chair full of sleeping detective approximately 7 ft. behind him. Often however, it was Ryuuzaki keeping Light up, as whenever he did sleep it was safe to assume there would be at least one or two midnight snack excursions.

Then there was the issue of privacy. The length of the chain made it so that one could remain outside the bathroom when the other went in to brush their teeth or use the toilet, but showering was another matter altogether. Light was sometimes slightly bothered by this. He was confident about his body, but he was naturally just a modest person. Ryuuzaki didn't seem to mind, though. Ryuuzaki seemed to have very little self-consciousness at all.

"I'm first," Ryuuzaki said, beginning to remove his pajamas before the door was even closed. By the time Light was able to turn away politely he was already down to his underwear. Light felt a mild twinge of annoyance. Had he no sense of common courtesy? He caught a glimpse of Ryuuzaki's now-naked reflection in the mirror and quickly turned, slightly warm-faced, to face the safe corner by the door while he turned on the shower and stepped in. While Ryuuzaki showered Light paced impatiently, uncomfortable in the already steamy bathroom.

"Are you really going to use that much shampoo?" Light criticized.

Ryuuzaki leaned back, his foam-topped head entering view from behind the curtain. "I have very thick hair. I have to keep it clean, or else it affects my concentration."

Light rolled his eyes.

"I can arrange to get you your own bottle if you're concerned," he offered, running fingers through his soapy hair.

"That's not necessary." Light resumed pacing for a while. The room was uncomfortably hot.

Ryuuzaki seemed to take an unreasonably long time to wash himself. Light was irritated. How long could it take? There isn't that much of him to wash. He'd seen that. He stared at the wall, avoiding further thought on that mental comment. At one point when there hadn't been much sound of movement he glanced over to try to ascertain from silhouettes what on earth he was doing now. He appeared to be lying on the floor of the shower. Mildly concerned, Light approached and, after a moment's hesitation, pulled back the curtain partially. "Ryuuzaki."

He was lying on the floor with his eyes vacant. At his name, he blinked and looked at Light. "Yes?"

Light felt another twinge of irritation. He'd thought he might've fallen. "What are you doing?" he demanded tiredly.

"Relaxing."

"Will you hurry up?" he asked calmly but impatiently.

Ryuuzaki took a bar of soap and began washing his arms. "If you're that impatient, this shower seems reasonably sized." He examined his fingernails. "You could probably get in while i finish up. I suppose it would be more efficient, though we have plenty of hot water."

Light took a moment to suppress what could've been a blush. "No thank you." he replied coolly.

Ryuuzaki looked back from him to his fingernails. "Suit yourself."

Light glared suspiciously at the shower curtain. What was he trying with that comment? Or did he just really have no sense of boundaries? Light paced some more while Ryuuzaki rinsed half a bottle of shampoo out of his hair and walked apparently unabashedly out of the shower past Light to the towel rack and began drying off. Light turned respectfully and waited until he had his new underwear on. Light began undress. Ryuuzaki was sitting on the counter in his characteristic hunch, staring off vaguely in Light's direction. Light was uncomfortable with his overly-large dark-circled eyes on him, but felt somewhat reluctant to express it.

"Don't you have more hair to dry?" he asked.

"No." Ryuuzaki said, not taking the hint.

Light shot him another glance.

Ryuuzaki's eyes refocused on Light. "Oh," he said. Light thought he might be blushing slightly, but it might've been projected expectation based on normal human behavior. He covered both eyes with his hands in a way that somehow did not make Light feel much less exposed. He finished undressing and got in the shower and began washing his body. The water felt good, as did his hands as he soaped himself down. He would've considered touching himself, were he alone. That was another issue with the whole privacy situation. When he was done washing, he shut the water off and pushed his hair back.

"Ryuuzaki."

"Light-kun?"

"Cover your eyes again."

"Yes."

Light stepped out and began to dry himself off. Ryuuzaki was still sitting on the counter. He was now wearing a large sweater that hung almost comically off his slight form, though he seemed not to be bothering with pants. Light dressed and left the bathroom, Ryuuzaki following.

The two of them both spent the next few hours trying to work, but they were at a bit of a stuck point. They weren't making much headway on the Kira case, and looking through the previous day's victims hadn't turned up any connections, so they were both a bit bored. Ryuuzaki still seemed to be a bit depressed at the setback. Light sighed, leaning back in his computer chair. He glanced over at Ryuuzaki. He still wasn't wearing any pants. He'd just finished a sundae and was absently licking strawberry syrup off his fingers. Light watched his lips and fingers for a bit, wondering if it was actually strawberry syrup, or maybe raspberry... He suddenly became aware of Ryuuzaki's eyes on him and looked away quickly, turning back to the computer screen. He felt a bothersome tingling between his legs. He wished he'd been able to take care of things in the shower. He tried to get back to work, but the truth of the matter was that there wasn't much work to be done.

Ryuuzaki got up for the kitchen again and Light reluctantly followed, not particularly hungry himself. He grabbed an apple out of a bowl on the counter and leaned against the wall, waiting, while the other man meandered directionlessly, looking in cupboards and drawers. He still hadn't put on any pants, and his sweater barely covered his underwear. Light found his legs somewhat distracting, and felt slightly irritated.

Further work still made no new headway on the case, and when Ryuuzaki went to bed early Light complied as well, though he wasn't quite tired yet. He was bored, and he wanted to sleep, but it just didn't seem to be happening. Minutes passed and he heard Ryuuzaki's breathing grow even and slow in the other bed a few feet away. He shifted positions, trying to get comfortable. He felt again a throb of arousal. He tried to dismiss it, but it was insistent. He regretted greatly the lack of privacy. He tried to think of mundane, unexciting things. Eventually, he drifted into sleep.

Light felt an aching pressure between his legs. As it built, he could feel someone touching him, stroking his growing erection. He could also smell strawberries. He felt soft lips against his shaft. He gave a sharp intake of air as he felt them close around the tip with a warm wetness. The lips traveled up and down his length, caressing and sucking. The sensation was amazing, and he felt his pleasure building towards a climax... A particularly intense throb of pleasure and the sound of himself moaning brought him into the cloudy consciousness of his distracted state. He was rock hard, rubbing against the mattress. His mind in a haze of fervent lust, he wrapped a hand around his throbbing erection and stroked vigorously, loud moans escaping him as he felt himself on the edge of orgasm. He opened his eyes and with a shock registered Ryuuzaki, awake and watching him. He felt a chill of concerned surprise, but it was drowned in the feverish need for release and he closed his eyes and squeezed himself hard, sending him over the edge. He came hard and intensely, any thought about the implications of those eyes on him eclipsed by waves of pleasure. His eyes were open again and through the haze of aftermath he saw Ryuuzaki's eyes still on him. He passed out almost instantly, but as he did he thought he heard an amused voice say: "Interesting."

AN: Thanks for reading ^^ Any feedback is appreciated, positive or negative; i am always a slut for reviews