Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me, obviously.
(A/N: So, I have recently started watching Death Note, the anime, and I really really liked it. And then this little plot bunny popped up, so of course I had to incorporate it into my growing love for Lawlight. This is a swim team AU, and the information is mostly from my own experiences with swimming. It takes place in Light and L's senior year, and they are on two different schools and are both on the swim team. I'm not that sure exactly how high school swimming works, so I'm basing the fic off of my own experiences swimming with a team and what I have heard about my friends on the high school swim team. It's a pre-slash oneshot, but I may or may not continue it. It really depends on the feedback I get from you guys, so if you want me to keep going, just review! It also helps with any future anime fics I may decide to write. )
"Good luck." a slightly monotonous voice spoke up next to Light. Light looked to his right, at a boy that Light couldn't help but compare to a spider. He admired his juxtaposition, pale skin and tips of black hair hidden under a navy blue cap. A clear complexion and dark circles under wide, almost impossibly black eyes. His form was hunched over, but Light could see the thin, rigid lines of muscle running through his limbs. There was something undeniably attractive about this man, although Light would never admit it. The boy opened his mouth to speak again, "Although from what I've heard about you from my teammates, you probably won't need it."
"Well, I guess I'm pretty good. I don't usually believe in luck." Light shrugged, internally puffing his chest out at the thought that people talked about him.
"I wouldn't be so quick to let go of that." the boy gave him a small, strange smile, before stepping back to his block, leaving Light with a stunned expression on his face. Have I just been insulted? He wondered, and his confusion turned to rage. Well, I'll show that little upstart what the name Light Yagami means!
He stretched out his arms and legs, slowly slipping into "the zone", trying to banish all thoughts of an enigmatic smile and prodding eyes. Light adjusted his cap and snapped on his goggles, checking the suction. He breathed deeply. In. Out. In. Out. The announcer blew a whistle and Light climbed on to the block, clapping his hands a couple of times to warm them up. In. Out. In. Out.
"Take your mark." In. Out. In. Out. The buzzer sounded, and Light and nine other boys dove off the starting blocks. Ten splashes of water. The 200 IM had begun.
Light's hips pushed up and then down, sending powerful dolphin kicks behind him. His arms flew out, then back in, soon finding a rhythm which matched Light's kicks. He loved the feeling he got when he swam. Shooting through the water, it was the closest Light could ever get to flying. It also helped that Light was the best swimmer in his league.
He flipped onto his back, the sun hitting his eyes. Light kicked hard, his arms pumping and torso rotating. Light had started swimming at the young age of three. His father would often tell the story, his eyes twinkling as he would lay a hand on Light's shoulder, often saying, "Light took to swimming like, pardon the pun, a fish takes to water."
Light continued with his backstroke, as he neared the wall, carefully counting his strokes from the flags in. He crossed an arm over his body, lightly touching the wall before drawing his knees up and twisting around, kicking off the wall. He did his pull-down, and mentally congratulated himself on the perfect cross-over turn. Swimming was one of the few ways that Light's father was truly proud of him. It had been a hard journey, full of tears and ripped swim caps, especially since swimming wasn't something that had come as easily as most other things. That was what made the victories even sweeter. That was also why it was Light who needed to win this race.
Light executed his open turn, and went into the last freestyle 50. He did a couple of fast dolphin kicks, before surfacing into quick, scissoring kicks and rapidly moving arms. Light's pride and his father's pride was what Light needed to keep and protect. He couldn't let anybody upset that. Especially not some newbie who was trying to get a rise out of him.
Light gave a final kick and flipped into the wall, turning and kicking off, his body immediately going to dolphin kicks. It was the last stretch of the race, and everything felt like a blur. His legs and arms were numb, and he could barely feel his heart beating. Light's only focus was the wall, which was drawing closer. He took a final breath, and propelled himself forward the last seven yards. Come on, Yagami. Almost there.
Light's fingertips touched the wall, and he hauled himself up, sucking in some well needed oxygen. After calming himself down, he looked around at all of the swimmers who were now making their way in. He smirked to himself, and looked up at the standings, already knowing that his lane, lane 4, with the proud name of Light Yagami next to it, would be first.
His eyes found the board, and he searched for his name. He found a 2:00.23 next to it. Light's amber eyes lit up with pride, and then they widened as he gasped. Next to his time was his standing, but it was a 2.
Second place? Second place? I've never gotten second place! His eyes frantically scanned the board, looking for the elusive first place winner. He found it in Lane 5, paired with the ridiculous name of L Lawliet and a time of 1:59.85. Light felt his mental gears turning and he realized with a growing horror who it was. He looked over to his neighboring lane, and his honey coloured eyes met midnight ones, which held an aloof expression as well as a small bit of smugness. And, as he stared into this L Lawliet's eyes, Light realized that his neighbor always intended to get first place. The dark-haired boy's eyes twinkled in a way that Light would have probably found attractive, if it wasn't for the fact that he was incredibly pissed off.
"Good job." L said, in that endearing, unchanging tone of voice.
That bastard.
(A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. Like I said before, I might continue it. I have some stuff written up, but nothing really solid. So let me know if you want me to keep going. If I get enough feedback, I'd honestly love to keep writing it. So please review!)