:Insomnia:
At exactly 3:37 a.m., L shuts his laptop and glances warily at the sleeping form of Yagami Light.
A single thin beam of moonlight eerily casts itself between the blinds, softly illuminating the golden brown hair and lean body that lay peacefully on the hotel bed. L can hear nothing but the sound of their breathing and the quiet hum of the computer on the opposite side of the room. After gently setting his laptop on the nightstand, L's eyes sweep over the relaxed face and shoulders – a stark contrast from the hard lines and tense posture that define Light's appearance during the day. L feels almost privileged to witness such vulnerability.
He moves to lie down as quietly as possible, unable to keep the chain from softly clinking. That damn chain. It stretches across the bed sheets like a giant abyss between himself and his colleague. His suspect. His…friend?
No.
Not really.
Light might put on a friendly façade in the investigation room for his father and the rest of the team, but once the door closes and the two boys are alone, their time together is nothing but a twisted game – a game of wits and double meanings, of suspicions and narrowed eyes masked by light-hearted banter.
No, L decides. He wouldn't call that friendship. L scowls, rather uncharacteristically. Who does Light think he's fooling? Who does Kira think he's fooling?
Oh yes, Light is Kira. There is little doubt about that. As for anything further than that, L is in the dark. He doesn't understand Kira's methods. He doesn't even have any hard evidence linking Light to the cold-hearted murderer. However, years of experience of working with criminals has proved his gut instinct to be correct in the vast majority of the cases at which he has worked diligently throughout his young life. It just…adds up.
Light's chest rises and falls with quiet, deep breaths that convinces L that he truly is asleep. While this should be somewhat comforting to L, it's not at all.
The sick bastard, L grimaces. Mercilessly killing by day, resting peacefully by night -- he wishes the gods' curses upon him. Kira doesn't deserve to have a good night's sleep.
Aizawa-san is on watch duty tonight – twenty-four hours a day, L has at least one of the team members monitoring the cameras and the audio. The detective has nothing to worry about. Even so…L cringes at the sight and the feel of the cold iron chain wrapped around his wrist, trying not to imagine it wrapped around his neck instead. Clammy hands clutch the bedsheets tightly, his knuckles white with a sudden rush of horror. Light wouldn't…would he? No.
But Kira would.
Suddenly the bed shifts and Light stirs, murmuring something unintelligible. His heart beating hard against his chest, L can't help but hold his breath until the movement stops and the room is silent once again. L wonders briefly what the brunet was dreaming about, and shivers involuntarily. He burrows under the covers and curls into his regular fetal sleeping position, but never takes his eyes off the man lying next to him.
Again, L studies the chain, gently running his dexterous fingers over several of the links. He and Light are bound together, not only physically, but in more abstract ways than L would have liked to be. Fate made Kira the son of the Chief of Police. Fate had Kira attending the same university as L. And of course, fate led Kira right here, tethered to L by a six-foot leash and a lifetime's worth of suppressed animosity. L and Light – thrown together in a tangled, chaotic mess of apprehension and unspoken mistrust. It was rather poetic.
I am Justice. I am Justice, L reassures himself. He'll be the one to catch him. It is only a matter of time before Kira slipped up. He just needs to be patient. I am Justice.
Fighting sleep, L anxiously chants the mantra over and over again in his head. He won't close his eyes -- no matter what, he just won't. Sleep is not an option, not with Kira lying next to him, ready to pounce…
The exhausted L can't even remember finishing his thought before Light's voice pulls him from the blissful dark recess of his mind. A sleep-laced Ryuuzaki? It's time to wake up, followed by a satisfied stretch and an even gaze, with the barest trace of a smirk. Sleep well?
Yes, L decides, Yagami Light is nothing but a ticking bomb.
He had better take cover.
Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.