Author's Notes: Very mild LxLight/LightxL. You don't have to interpret it that way, but you can if you want to. I wrote this thinking it would take place before Light regains his memories, but again, interpret it as you wish.
Sharing Blankets
Small clumps of snow bombarded the window panes relentlessly as a snowstorm raged outside the bedroom. If he had have been at home, Light would have heard the familiar, loud howling noise as the wind slid through a tiny gap in his window. Fortunately, Task Force Headquarters – and more specifically, L's bedroom – was well-designed and did not allow such a noise to penetrate the rooms. However, Light still found himself unable to sleep.
It was cold. It was freezing. Light hadn't felt it as much in the main room of the headquarters, but for whatever reason, L had insisted on having numerous large windows placed on every wall of his room. As a result, the cold was able to creep into the room much more effectively, resulting in L's room being at least five degrees colder than most other rooms. The bitter cold, on top of the loud pounding of snow against the glass, was keeping Light awake, despite his best efforts to fall asleep.
Additionally, L was perched beside him on the giant bed. The light of his laptop and the typing of keys didn't help matters either. Light shivered uncontrollably beneath the mass amounts of blankets, bawling sheets into his hands and bring his knees up to his chest in an attempt to warm himself up. His extremities were almost numb and his skin was prickled with discomfort. His breathing came out loudly due to the cold and his own frustration, but L seemed to be too engrossed to notice.
What made the situation even worse was the deathly cold, metal handcuff on his left wrist. It was so cold that it felt as if it was biting into his flesh.
"Ryu-Ryuuzaki," Light murmured, his teeth chattering, "I know you won't l-like the idea of this, but...pl-please take these handcuffs off..."
He knew what the answer would be the moment he voiced the question. "I can't do that, Light-kun."
"Please, I'm begging y-you," Light pleaded weakly, cursing the metal around his wrist. "The metal is so damn cold, Ryuuzaki...a-and it hurts..."
"I know. I can feel the cold as much as you can, Light-kun, however..." He paused as he clicked on several things on his computer which Light could not see. "...I have taken the necessary precautions to ensure that I can keep watch of you every hour of every day."
Light buried himself under the covers as much as he could, to the point that he had to talk louder so that L could hear him properly. "I know all that, but you don't sleep anyway, so you can still keep watch-"
"I do sleep, Light-kun, which is precisely why I must keep you chained to me at all times," L interjected explanatively. "I hope you understand the position I am in."
"Would it really matter? I mean, if I was Kira, I could just kill you while you were asleep, even if we were handcuffed..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Light-kun," L responded nonchalantly. "Neither you nor Kira – that is, of course, assuming you two are not the same thing – would do something like that. The risks would be unimaginable, considering the fact there are cameras even in this room."
"Right..." Light growled angrily into his pillow, sliding his icy hands between his legs in the hopes that the appendages could generate enough warmth to defrost his fingers. "Why the heck are there so many damn windows in your room?" He inquired irritably.
"I like the view of the city," L replied in a simple, bored manner.
Light glared at L's figure, illuminated by the soft glow of the monitor. After a minute or so he asked, "Aren't you cold at all? Or is the world's greatest detective immune to the cold, too?" He added snappishly.
L only gave a subtle shrug in response, which Light barely noticed. Light's eyes were aching from tiredness, but even though his senses were dulled, he could see that the detective certainly looked uncomfortable by the negative room temperature. Light also noticed the way that L kept blinking his eyes as if he was trying to keep himself awake, not to mention the fact that there were arbitrary pauses in his typing, in which L seemed to be staring mindlessly at the screen. Light knew the bags under L's eyes were extremely noticeable and indicative of his insomnia, but Light never saw him genuinely tired; he was always alert and calculating.
"Ryuuzaki, you look kind of tired," Light commented, wondering how L would respond.
His raven-haired companion merely replied, "I'm fine, thank you, Light-kun." Light frowned at his response, but said nothing more.
The storm outside continued to rage and Light felt even more cold seep into the dark bedroom. The night was progressing and so was the snowstorm, but he and L still remained awake, much to Light's annoyance. He groaned miserably as he became more and more discomforted by lying on the same side of his body, but the rest of the bed was too cold for him to roll over. L kept tapping on his keyboard and clicking on different articles and statistics, searching for answers.
"L..." Light sighed heavily, still shaking violently from the arctic bed sheets, "Please...take the handcuffs off..." He tried again.
"No, Light-kun."
"The metal is so cold..." Light moaned with misery, rubbing his feet together to generate heat for his icy extremities.
"If you reach over, you can switch the electric blanket on," L revealed, much to Light's joy and indignation.
"You could have mentioned that sooner!" Light complained, quickly reaching over and flicking the blanket on, quickly bringing his arm back under the sheets. "Now it has to heat up..."
"Yes, but it shouldn't take too long," L consoled him coolly.
Light waited impatiently for the bed to warm up, and still unable to fall asleep, he stared at L through the darkness. The man was still hunched over his computer, but upon closer inspection, Light noticed L's arms trembling as they typed. Light blinked a couple of times, before saying, "Ryuuzaki, are you shaking?" Light reached out and sought the detective's exposed hand, inhaling sharply at the contact – his hand was a lot colder than expected, as if he was literally touching ice. "You're freezing, Ryuuzaki!"
L turned his gaze towards him, his expression ambiguous due to his friend's touch. "As I said before, I'm fine-"
"No way!" Light argued, sitting up a little to look at L properly. He ignored the cold for the time being. "Come on, L, my hands are frozen but your hand felt so much colder! I can see you shaking! And, maybe it's just the light, but your lips are turning blue!"
"I would prefer if Light-kun was less analytical when it came to my current state of being," L told him, a touch of irritation evident in his otherwise emotionless voice.
"But-!" Light began but was quickly interrupted.
"I appreciate your concern," L offered, sounding rather earnest. "However, I am fine, Light-kun, as I said before. Please do not worry."
Light stared at him with a troubled expression, but eventually conceded and slid back under the warmer blankets. "Whatever..." He grumbled tiredly.
Another thirty minutes ticked by, in which the bed began to heat up and Light began to ignore the biting sensation of the handcuff and the sounds of snow hitting the window. Light sighed with relief as he gradually warmed up, but his body was still shaking.
Light's eyes slid open to squint at L, and he saw the mist that appeared each time L exhaled. He wanted to say something, but he knew L was extraordinarily stubborn, so he silently observed the man as he worked. L soon paused in his typing because he could feel Light's eyes on him, but he gave no other indication that he knew Light was watching him. His body was trembling rather violently from the cold, and Light fought down the urge to reach out to him.
To his surprise, L closed his laptop and sat it on the bedside table. The room darkened more, but it didn't take long for either of them to adjust to the lack of light. Light watched as the detective shakily lifted the blankets up from beneath him and pulled them over him as he slid down onto the mattress, his legs still drawn to his chest in the same way that he sat.
"L...?" Light whispered, his throat becoming raspy from breathing in the cold air.
Instead of the cool, controlled voice that he typically possessed, L stuttered a little in his response, "I...I'm quite tired, Light-k-kun. The cold makes me qu-quite drowsy and c-considering how mercilessly cold it is th-this evening..."
"So you admit that you're cold," Light declared victoriously, and he saw the outlines of L's large eyes narrow at his words.
"I believe that most humans would be cold in such conditions," L stated, vaguely dancing around Light's accusation.
They said nothing more for several minutes, each individual silently dealing with the frosty night. Light – who had been curled up for a while now and was not so stubborn that he would sit out in the cold for many long hours – was considerably warmer than L, who had his arms wrapped around his knees to the point of constriction.
Light's teeth continued chattering as he watched L's suffering, and subtly attempted to move closer in a small attempt to share body heat. His movements did not go unnoticed by L, who was now watching him intently. Determinedly, Light inched forward a little more, directly looking into L's eyes as he did so, unperturbed. L found Light's gaze slightly intriguing, and in response (To Light's astonishment) moved closer to the younger man.
They lay close to one another in mimic positions, trying to produce as much body heat as humanly possible. Light's shivers died away completely and L's body tremors seemed to have lessened to gentle, occasional quakes. Eventually, L's monotonous voice cut through the chilly silence: "Light-kun, don't you find it strange that we are here, sharing blankets and exchanging body warmth?"
Light frowned at his question. "Why do you say that, Ryuuzaki?"
"Well," L began, deductive reasoning evident in his voice, "For the most part, we are Ryuuzaki and Light-kun, sharing warmth on this exceptionally chilly night, as friends would, given the circumstances. And yet, at the same time, it could be L and Kira –greatest enemies – that are lying here, in the same bed, sharing blankets."
"You're L, but I am not Kira," Light replied automatically, scowling.
L's lips quirked into a tiny, amused smile. "Okay, then let's say that it is L and his number one suspect, which he believes is Kira, obviously." L's smile widened slightly. "Don't you find it bizarre, Light-kun? To think that L and his prime suspect are sharing blankets?"
"I guess..." He admitted, mulling L's statement over. "Although, we wouldn't have to if you didn't keep us chained together twenty-four seven..." He muttered.
L ignored his comment. "I think it would be entertaining if the media found out about this. Imagine the sorts of headlines that would be produced, not to mention the horror and anger of the general public." He paused and amended, "Not that I want the media to find out, considering my reputation seems to have been smeared ever since I began the Kira Investigation..."
"Ryuuzaki..." L looked at Light interestedly as the young man spoke. "Ryuuzaki...and Light...that's who we are, Ryuuzaki. We're friends, and that's why we're here, lying together and sharing blankets."
"Oh, but we'd be lying to ourselves if we didn't admit that the reason for this situation to even arise is because of L's suspicions of Kira," L told him, his voice sounding both interested and bored. "If I did not suspect you, then you would be home now, with Chief Yagami and the rest of your family. Because I suspect you, we are sharing this bed and our body warmth."
"Whatever..." Light said moodily, exhaustion settling on his mind. "But...I don't think that mortal enemies would try and keep each other warm..."
L watched Light quietly as he drifted into unconsciousness, finally warm enough to do so. "Light-kun," He said quietly, unsure whether his companion could hear him anymore. "I'm sorry that it hurts so much," He said, trying to ignore the icy metal that dug painfully into his wrist.
The windows thudded against the force of the vicious wind outside, but L blocked the sounds out and focused on the man before him, considering Light's final words.
Yes, he decided, mortal enemies wouldn't try and keep each other warm. It was the sort of thing that friends would do.
But Kira and L were good at pretending.
The warmth of the bed and his companion, combined with the comfortable mattress and pillows, lured the insomniac to sleep, even if it wouldn't last for more than a few hours. The two men lay beneath the blankets, sharing them and their warmth with each other to fight off the bitterness of the chilly night. Auburn and black hair mingled together a little as did their misty breaths, but the rest of their bodies remained apart. The chain was draped across the mattress between them – linking them – still emanating a chilly aura that bit at their skin.
Kira and L lay together that night, but shared blankets as Light and Ryuuzaki.