Creature of Habit
"if i should let him go, would things stay the same as they are now?" L sat contemplating this question while staring at his computer screen.
"You shouldn't chew on youir thumb Ryuuzaki/"
Light breaks him from his thoughts and L looks to his #1 Kira suspect. "It allows me to focus when i have no sweets; try it and you might get more work done Light Yagami."
The teen huffs, turning back to his own screen; annoyed.
L soon returns to his ponderings. as a creature of habit. Lawliet hates changes in his routines. so, at first, his decision to personallymonitor light 24/7 made him uneasy. however, after weeks of being with the student, he found he rather liked the company of someone on his intellectual level.
L has also been unable to find any evidence linking Light to Kira which only adds to his confused state of being. it was frustrating and forced L to consider that he may be wrong for the first time in his life. more importantly, he finds that he almost hopes Light is innocent so he can continue to work with him in the future.
this would require that he let Light out of his handcuffs. this is his biggest conundrum. If he did let Light out would Light choose to stay with him ass a colleague? L bites his thumb a bit too hard and takes it away from his mouth quickly as metallic blood coats his taste buds.
"Honestly Ryuuzaki." Light sighs and wheels over to L's chair with a bandage. He wraps the thumb, rolling his eyes. "I've started carrying these around with how much you do that."
"That is completely unnecessary, i don't need to use band aids." L turns to the monitor; ignoring the prisoner he was obsessing over in an attempt to shift focus altogether L.
"whatever. I'm going to get lunch."
"Uneccessary. I will have Watari bring something."
"I can't live on cake. I need something substantial."
"You are most Difficult Light-Kun."
"Then let me out of these cuffs and you can go back to your uncomplicated life."
L responds with a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders. it felt strange that he didn't know how he felt about his old life now.
"Ryuuzaki i need food. put on some shoes."
Exasperated at his inability to focus on the case L replies harshly. "Light, you should know by now that i refuse to wear shoes. they decrease my reasoning abilities by 7%."
"Fine. either way i;m going across the street for a sandwich," Light rests his coat over his shoulders, handcuff chain clinking loudly all the time.
L pushes his chair out by kicking one of the towers beneath his desk. He walks in his strange hunched way out into the hall. "Hurry or you will miss the elevator and i would like to keep my hand attached to my wrist."
Light laughs in spite of his anger and follows the detective out.
3
Later that night, as Light is sleeping rather peacefully, Lawliet takes out his laptop. He turns the screen on and the wall behind him is bathed in a hazy blueish glow.
The browser pops up on his favorite page; where he reads social science articles on philosophy, sociology, and psychology to better understand how others function.
something flashing yellow and red catches his eye. A rediculous ad no doubt. the click intended to close it opens a new tab. Great. there was probably a virus on the computer now. L was about to viciously click out of the tab, but when he noticed it was a silly love quiz designed for teenage girls he decided to take it. pehaps it could gve him some insight into Misa's droll squabbling.
"Are you in love? how rediculous. though i should expect no better from a website titled 'quizrocket'" L thinks, unwrapping a large lollipop slowly and rolling it over his tongue.
"Rate how much you like his personality. Such basic answers. I suppose thinking about Light-kun i like his personality fine. Matsuda is the annoying one."
"How attracted am I?" L scoffs, "That is not important to me."
"Choosing between him and my 'dream job'...I wouldn't know. this is my only option for employment. dreams have nothing to do with it.
"First thing i think about when i wake? I think about the case and look forward to working with Light.
"Why is it important if I am a boy or a girl or if i think i'm in love? Well, it's for research. Male abd doubtful. What is my result.
"there's more? Perhaps this is more complex than i initially thought."
L's toes rub against each other -another habit- as he begins the next set of questions.
"First thing i want to do when i get home? I have no home, but i guess 'tell my "sweetheart" about my day' if discussing the Kira case with Light counts.
"i already stated that i do not believe that i am in love. what is the point in asking me again?
"Do i feel better around him? I suppose Light makes my days more interesting.
"Would i move across the country for him? I travel the world regularly, he would be moving for me.
"How much i like his family? enough to work with them for the case... continue.
"Finally, i can see the end.
"I'd feel fine if he was gone, i'm busy...But i would miss the companionship.
"If he does something better than me? that is interesting.." L takes time to think this over, gazing at Light. he then answers "Jealous."
"do my friends like him? Seeing as i have no friends outside him, yes.
"I don't see the point in entering my age -sigh- alright, I'm 25 Halloween and it is 2004... continue."
Feeling suddenly anxious watching the slow roll of the 'loading results' box L begins chewing his thubs through its bandage.
ever so slowly the results come. the bright pink font stings his eyes as he reads them. "apparently I am in love with Light-kun."
the rest of the night -until Light woke up with his 6:30 alarm- L was taking quizzes on love. "purely to understand teenagers more," he repeats to himself at the beginning of each one. the outcome was consistent across the board: "you're in love","You love your best friend","you so love him","get married already"
"How troubling," L says aloud, dressing alongside Light.
"what is it now?"
"Nothing." a faint rise in the blood of his cheeks notify L that he is blushing and he pulls on his shirt to hide his face.
3 -a few days later
Light, intending to work on a paper, pick's up L's laptop. "Hey, Ryuuzaki, what's that site you're always on?"
without thinking, L responds: "Just check my history."
Realizing his mistake, L tries to correct it -too late. "wait, it's bookmarked."
"what is all this? Love tests, Ryuuzaki are you in love with me?" Light laughs loudly. "What am i saying? must have been Misa."
"It was me." L sits in a nearby chair, gnawing his thumb again.
"why would you do something so childish, you realize these are for little girls right?"
"why would you?"
slowly, Light turned to face his captor. "What do you mean by that?"
not long ago L decided it would be prudent to hack Light's phone and computer histories. what he had found was intriguing indeed. "For my own curiosity Light-kun. Did you find out whether you are a homosexual or not?"
L's brain is rattled and his teeth clack against each other painfully abruptly as a fist slams itself into his cheek. The wood of the floor feels cool against L's body after the initial impact. dazed, he lays there a second; long enough for Light to bend over to check on him.
Lawliet slams a foot into the teen's stomach, sending him backward. unfortunately he found the chain pulled him along.
they land heavily against a table that breaks under their combined weight. Light tries to punch L again, but trips over the metal links connecting them. While he is off balance, L drops an elbow to Light's back.
several minutes of kicks, punches, stumbles, and tanks of the chain ensue. eventually, they both lay on the floor breathing heavily, covered in scrapes and purpling bruises.
"I'm gay." Light pants out,
"I'm in love with you." Lawliet returns.
Light props up on his elbow, gawking at the detective who was hell-bent on putting him in jail until now. there was no possible way he'd just said that. "I hit you too hard in the head. you're hallucinating becauase according to my observations you don't feel much of anything."
"My head is fine, first of all. A child of your skill could not seriously impair my brain without a weapon. second, i have concluded there is not other explanation for my dependence on you other than 'love'."
"that could be friendship you know?"
"not when i thnk impurely looking at your sleeping face."
Light laughter fills the room. "Wow, that's creepier than your putting cameras in my room."
"3% you had no way of knowing that. ...it's troubling that raising the percentage of you being Kira upsets me somehow,"
"...where do we go from here? the best thing to do would to return to our normal working relationship."
"Light-kun How do you feel about me?"
"Excuse me?"
"i do not repeat myself."
"I would think that was obvious if you know i began questioning myself after coming into such close contact with you. I expect better from the Great L."
L's brow furrows and he picks at his sleeves, analyzing. Coming to the most logical conclusion, he leans closer...
"Light tastes like mint; how intriguing."
End.