Note: Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!!
Chapter 3
Light wasn't sure how long it would take for Ryuuzaki to make up his mind and ask to test the 13 day rule, but he was sure that the detective wasn't going to waste anymore time, despite the inevitable resistance he would have to endure from the rest of investigation team.
Light knew that in the long run the test needed to be done, but the outcome had to be faked, which was easily achievable if he had L on his side. But the test couldn't commence before Ryuuzaki was aware of his situation, because if he triggered it Rem wouldn't have a choice but to kill L before Light could bargain.
Now, asking the detective to come speak in private would have been suspicious and L was surely going to gear up with all sorts of microphones, bugs and recording equipment, in case Light was going to slip on something about being Kira. Light had to find a more subtle way to bring Ryuuzaki out.
The teenager sat on his seat right next to L and studied him. Ryuuzaki was dipping little cookies into his black tea. Someone else would have mistook that behavior for moony, but Light knew that the man used food for distraction while thinking the hardest. The time was surely almost up and Light had to make his move fast.
"From the instant that Amane Misa became free, the Kira deaths have started again…" began the detective, but Light instantly cut him off, knowing where he was going with that.
"Ryuuzaki, you can't possibly be thinking about that again!" Light exclaimed and turned around in his chair to face his rival. "I know exactly where you are getting with this line of thought. If you don't mind, I will explain to the rest of the team."
Ryuuzaki turned his eyes to Light and gave him a real glare. It kind of stung Light in the chest. Was Ryuuzaki actually feeling such hatred for him that he wasn't able to keep his usually blank expression?
Light didn't lose his composure as he stood up and faced the team, ignoring Ryuuzaki's eyes burning wholes in his face.
"That won't be necessary, Yagami-kun, truly. I have already made up my mind." L's voice was deadpan- serious and it shut Light's mouth up.
Light spun around just in time to slam Ryuuzaki's hand on the desk before he could manage to bring it to the button of his intercom and contact Watari.
"You can't do that!" Light's grip became vicious, purposely digging his nails into his enemy's hand. He had to act immediately and was given no choice but to risk being recorded from somewhere. Too bad he had spent so much time plotting a proper way to lure Ryuuzaki into a private talk…
He leaned very close to Ryuuzaki's face, feeling extremely uncomfortable about it, mostly because of the task force watching this action, and whispered. "There are factors you should consider before you act. For your best interest, we need to talk."
Light pulled away from his nemesis abruptly, taking a few steps back, a bit too stiffly. Ryuuzaki himself seemed a bit shaky as he leaned back in his chair, moving his hand away from the button and gripping his ankles nervously. Both young men seemed distant and contemplating.
"What the hell! This is an investigation team, for God's sakes! You can't have secrets from the rest of us!" Aizawa was the first one to explode in the awkward silence that followed.
"Amh, technically they can, and also…" began Matsuda, but everyone shushed him. He didn't give up though. "No, really! I don't want to know their secret! It's always been obvious, but I still don't want to know!"
"Shut up, Matsuda!" it was L this time, and he sounded even sharper than normal, which ended the protests.
Light moved away to sit on a couch further back. Chief Yagami followed him and to Light's surprise sat down on the couch to his son's left.
"Light, I must speak to you…" his father started with his eyes down.
Oh no, please don't tell me you think like Matsuda too! Light thought with distaste. His father wasn't such an idiot, no please no!
"I appreciate the fact that when you and Ryuuzaki work together we get all the results for this investigation. I understand that it is pretty much you two that do all the real work, but… I have been tolerating the familiarity, which you display with each other for too long. I need to know, Light. Think about that and I want us to talk about this next time we go back home."
Light's father was giving a sympathetic look, which barely covered the bitterness underneath the man's words.
Light thought it was ridiculous that the whole team imagined the two archenemies in bed while they were constantly trying to destroy one another.
"Dad, I want to talk about this right now! Do you realize that your accusations are getting to me? I'm sure they are getting to Ryuuzaki too! What familiarity do we display with each other?! Someone, please, tell me?" Light raised his voice to capture the attention of the whole room, sounding offended. In truth, he was glad that the team failed to see his real motivations, but he had to keep the pretence.
Surely he had the whole room listening now. Even L was peeking from above his slouched shoulder.
"Can I start?" it was Matsuda, sounding excited.
"Go ahead." Light said scowling and crossing his arms in front of his chest. He looked away as if truly insulted, but willing to bear with the humiliation in order to clear his name.
"The whole whispering thing just now?! I mean, we've been trying to convince Ryuuzaki of simple things like putting less sugar in his coffee for almost a year now, and we fail to even have him consider… and here you just whisper something in his ear, and he changes his mind about the investigation! That's something only lovers can do!"
"And also, the whole staring thing. You are constantly looking at each other! What the hell?!"
"And you guys fight all the time, for silly things… as if just for the sake of touching each other!"
"And remember that time that Ryuuzaki licked some cream off your hand?!"
"Matsuda!"
"For god's sakes! You still talk about that?! It was an accident, understand!"
"Yes, Light-kun destroyed my cake! Where was I supposed to lick it from? The ground or his hand?!"
"Nowhere! It… is unacceptable in Japan, Ryuuzaki."
"I understood that, thank you."
"I am truly sorry that I punched you then, I was just…"
"Don't worry about it, dad. It helped him learn his lesson…"
The chatter in the room didn't stop even when Ryuuzaki's phone rang, but Light stopped paying attention to the heated discussion about his sexuality, and listened to L talking on the line.
"Yes, I know, it is ridiculous… Thank you, I appreciate that… Now, about that…" L got up and started to walk towards a corner in the room, but Light jumped from the couch and snatched the phone away from the light grip of two fingers.
"Please, wait until we talk." Light said softly, not just to avoid prying ears, but also hoping that Ryuuzaki might get interested.
Ryuuzaki watched him with his wide expressionless eyes. His face was blank but the corners of his lips were pointed down, giving him a passively sad look. Light knew that he wasn't truly feeling anything like that. It was another way of hiding the calculation going on in his brain.
"If Light-kun has something to confess, then I might want to listen…" he said very softly too. "But his initial words sounded a bit too much like a threat for my liking."
Light watched him intently, allowing his expression to speak for him.
There, let Ryuuzaki think that he'll get a confession out of my helplessness. He's in for a confession alright, but it won't be to his liking.
Ryuuzaki took in a deep and sharp breath, straitening up and becoming Light's height. His eyes were hard on Light's but Light could swear that the detective was inwardly gloating.
"There! The two are together again, ignoring us even when we're having this conversation! I don't know why we don't just make it official now!" Matsuda shrieked and Light turned to see everyone watching them again.
Again.
"Matsuda is very wrong about the nature of our relationship, but I won't waste time to argue with you anymore. Now I and Light-kun will go discuss something in private." L declared.
Even Light felt outraged at that, because it had sounded suggestive and impudent. He thought that Ryuuzaki had worded it on purpose, so that he irritates everyone, but there was also a chance that the detective wasn't aware of his words. Fat chance, though.
Light faced the rest of the team, who glared at him, especially his father. He couldn't defend his pride at that time. He had to use the chance to get L, or Ryuuzaki was going to get himself killed. L was necessary for the new world, which Light was going to build. So, who needs reputation when you are a god?!
Oh no! With his peripheral vision Light saw that Ryuuzaki, who had wondered off to his desk, swiftly put something in his shirt. A microphone, most likely. Damn it! I shouldn't have let him out of sight even for a second! Thankfully, it's just one, and I know where he hides them in his collar. Thanks for letting me live with you, looser!
L grabbed a bunch of crackers in his hand, to disguise the purpose of his position next to the desk.
"Come, Light-kun. Now." Ryuuzaki headed for the door, munching on a panda cracker from his fist.
Light almost laughed. You are running out of tricks, I know you way too well now. Thanks again, Ryuuzaki.
The young men left the room and the outraged task force.
