L knew he was going to die tomorrow.
Well, he had calculated the chance at around ninety-three percent. If not tomorrow then the day after. Whichever way you wanted to put it, basically, L's days were well and truly numbered.
This conclusion was easily reached. He suspected it the moment that stomach-turning scream reached his ears in that helicopter, and it was only confirmed when Higuchi collapsed moments later... along with the entire case.
Never before had an investigation brought so much confusion. In the past, L had always been able to unravel the mystery, fitting together the clues like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, his exceptional intelligence the greatest advantage. It was common knowledge no one could win against L and his mind - it was his deadliest weapon and he fought with it like a true warrior.
That is of course, until Light Yagami came along, someone who was blessed with the same exception. This was totally foreign territory to L. He'd never come across anyone who could even remotely equal him, let alone ever better him, and he couldn't help but find it irresistibly alluring in spite of the admittedly complicated circumstances in which they met.
And the more he'd spent time with Light, the more his interest had grown. The young genius never failed to keep L on his toes, whether it be within the case - acting, evading, and on occasion, fighting - or in the stimulating conversation he could now have with someone actually on his level. Indeed, L had considered any chance to learn more about Light as time well spent.
Which is why L was now certain of his fate, for he knew Light too well. In the past, when L had accused him of being Kira, fierce denial and things that oh-so-conveniently proved otherwise would arise. Now, Light hadn't even bothered to cover his tracks, not even denying it in the moments they spend alone, eyes locked in a vicious battle across the coffee table, because Light knew it wouldn't matter if he was about to erase the detective anyway.
L didn't fear death. If it was his time then so be it, he could do nothing to prevent it. But what L did fear was leaving Kira- no, he was going to be honest with himself- leaving Light, and that in itself was truly terrifying.
Perhaps it was the fear that was distorting his logic, but L suddenly found his body rising from the bed, placing the laptop that was previously in his lap on the desk. He didn't know what time it was, but he thought it must be well into the early hours. Slipping out the door into the corridor, he was greeted by the pleasant glow of a full moon which shone through a large window. L made a mental note to open the blinds in his room more in the future... before remembering he had no future.
Sighing slightly, he continued along the eerie hallway, bare feet padding softly on the hard floor, the gentle noise penetrating the dense silence. He watched his shadow loom out on the floor in front of him, dark and sinister in contrast to the white light, and L almost felt like he was wading through fog. He might as well be dreaming, but when L reached the room he wasn't quite sure he wanted to visit, the shiny wood suddenly looked far too real, and the quiet tap of knuckles upon it was just a little too sharp.
L exhaled deeply. What was he thinking? Not only were his actions stupid, they were downright pointless. There was no way Light would be awake at this time. But for whatever reason, L just didn't want to go back and sit alone in his room again.
Turning the doorknob gradually, L tried to make as little noise as possible as he opened the door a crack, peeking one wide eye around the edge.
Light's room was very different to L's. His own was messy, case files and folders strewn across the desk and floor, empty coffee cups and sweet wrappers here and there; bowls of sugar cubes dotted on paper-stacked surfaces and crumbs littering the crumpled bedspread with a tossed-aside, screwed up quilt. It's not that L liked the clutter or anything, he was just too busy to tidy it up, and he liked having all the things he needed close by. He would instruct Watari to spruce it up every now and then, but at the rate the mess mounted there was little point, so more often than not, that was the state it stayed in.
L remembered how Light would complain about it when they were chained together, sometimes even refuse to enter the room, saying that the smell of sugar made him feel nauseous and 'he didn't want trip over L's crap on the way to bed'. L was therefore not surprised in the least at the state of the room he had given Light once the handcuffs were removed, to use whenever he felt inclined to stay close to the investigation.
L's eyes wandered over the desk which bore carefully arranged paper and stacked folders, to the neatly folded jeans and immaculate white shirt draped over a chair, to the bed which sported a bump of Yagami Light, hidden beneath a barely wrinkled quilt.
Silently, L slipped into the room, shutting the door as softly as was able. The figure under the sheets stirred a little, and L held his breath, but the younger man merely rolled onto his side and almost instantly was still again.
Now what? L thought to himself. He didn't exactly feel like waking Light up - towering rage and threats of certain body parts being ripped off definitely wasn't what L wanted to face at the moment, and that aside, he didn't even have a good reason for doing so. Just what was he doing here?
He wasn't even aware of rapidly approaching the bed, even though he nearly kicked the trash can in the gloom, and when L was kneeling down beside the bed, chin resting on the mattress even the feel of Light's hot breath on his face didn't shake him out of the trance he was in.
Light's closed eyes still seemed to bore straight into L; apparently the piercing stare of reddish-brown irises couldn't be contained by the thin skin of his eyelids. His brown hair was tousled, the messy strands highlighted by slants of moonlight which slipped through the half-closed window blinds.
It was strange, in sleep Light looked exactly the same. His handsome face still held the same determined expression, and for a moment L wondered if he was faking, and any moment now he would lunge out and deal one of those vicious punches into L's face for doing something as stupid as watch him sleep.
When that didn't occur however, L dared to lean in a little closer, until their faces were only inches apart. Light's delicate lips were parted slightly, and L suddenly had a mad urge to run his fingertip along them, which he fought violently. That would be so hard to explain if Light woke up. Then again, it would be hard if even if he woke up now, unbidden.
The younger man sighed in his sleep, and L wondered if he was dreaming right now, about his upcoming victory perhaps, or maybe inventive ways of killing his nemesis-
L screwed his eyes shut, unable to look anymore. Light didn't deserve this attention. Especially at a time like this. He'd had it for the whole duration of the investigation... he'd had L obsessed with him from the minute he'd laid eyes on him! And even now, when Light would murder him in perhaps only a few hours, L was still drawn to him.
L cursed himself inwardly. Why was he still here? Every nerve and instinct in him was screaming at him to leave, and he'd always obeyed what his mind had told him. But then, his mind was in disarray at the moment, otherwise he wouldn't have come in the first place, right?
Maybe it was out of a desire to not listen to reason for once, or perhaps it was just because Light's lips looked simply too tempting-
L's vision blurred as his target got closer and closer... he was absently aware of his weight denting the mattress but that didn't matter now, he didn't even know how to do it, but he couldn't stop himself...
Light's mouth felt as soft as it looked. L brushed his own trembling lips against it softly, an experimental pout. He could feel Light's breathing hot against his cheek when he pulled away slightly in haze of second guesses, inhaling deeply before doing it again.
It felt... odd, to say the least, giving his first kiss to his killer. But Light would never know, and for whatever twisted reason, that fact aroused L beyond caring. Gaining confidence, L moved his lips over more of Light's mouth, gently sucking on his bottom lip, pressing tiny kisses against it, making the skin tingle. His heart was pounding so hard he was actually worried it was making noise, and L didn't even realize two of his slender fingers were stroking Light's cheek until the younger man sighed again, making L jump, terrified he had just awakened.
But Light slept on, oblivious to the fact his arch enemy was molesting his mouth. L couldn't help but smirk in spite of himself. He felt a lot more in control of the situation than he actually was, but being the one exerting power over Light for once, no matter how minimal in quantity it may seem, was a refreshing change and L felt he sure as hell deserved it.
Trying to keep his breathing steady, L parted Light's lips with his and slipped his tongue in between. The moist warmth bought L's eyes to half-mast as he stroked the tip over Light's teeth, along the roof of his mouth, meshing it sensuously with Light's own. Exploring, searching - investigating. He was painfully aware of how difficult it was stop himself panting heavily, and how hot his body felt, but miraculously Light's eyes stayed closed and the threat of easily getting caught somehow just added to the thrill.
Light was sighing again but this time L swallowed it eagerly, not caring if he was subconsciously disturbing him, part of him even wanting that effect. But these were L's final hours, and he couldn't afford to waste them, so he resisted the urge to bite down hard into Light's swollen flesh and simply indulged himself, greedily stealing pleasure from the younger man's mouth, loving the fact he didn't have permission.
L only wished his kisses could take from Light what Light would soon take from him.
On the way back to his room, L stopped by the large window and gazed at the moon. And he no longer felt despair, but smug satisfaction. For knowledge is power, and L had just acquired one piece of knowledge that concerned Light very deeply... and yet he was totally unaware of it. And as childish as that may seem, it was enough -
- to make L smile.