A/N: Well yesterday was a fiasco. Why FF? Why must you eat my coding every time?

Also~Please leave feedback. It's very important. Even if it's just a word or two.

House of Cards

By Catsitta

Chapter Four: Silence is Golden

Light was giving him the silent treatment.

Most people would give in after a day or two and respond to something provoking the other party said or did. Not Light. Even at her lowest point, she clutched her pride with bloodied arrogance, refusing to bend even if it would save her life. Thus that was how two weeks passed without a single word of conversation between them. L wasn't sure if he'd ever felt this insulted in his life. She was acting like a child!

Every day he visited her. He sat by her bed, asked her questions, told her about news around the world, about the weather outside...about anything and everything that came to mind. Yet she remained steadfast, staring resolutely at the wall no matter what came out of L's mouth. She could certainly speak. When the doctor or a nurse prompted for an answer, she would reply concisely before returning to ignoring L. He was fully prepared to deal with a screaming, thrashing, threatening train wreck, and instead, he was stuck staring at the side of Light's expressionless face.

It would be better if she berated him. A quiet Light was a dangerous one. He would do most anything to get inside that stubborn head to rearrange a few wires and tighten some screws.

Instead he was dismissed by the medical staff, his visitation time over for the day.

L was sick of it.

Light would get over her snit and talk to him! They had much to discuss, especially since he was planning on moving her to a private facility in England soon. It was getting much too busy here, with the government attempting to regain control over a population dissolving further into civil war. Kira broke the chains of oppression; now her supporters were determined to take control of their countries. It would be a long time before peace returned. The scars left by the Oligarchy were simply too deep to fade with a brushstroke from the negligent hand of a false death god. So it was best to escape Japan while tensions were hot, but as of yet, unbroken. Skirmishes sparked, but any day someone could do something to throw this war into an all consuming massacre.

He did not want to be in Japan when it all fell apart.

That was why he followed the doctor into the recovery room determined to win this petty feud between him and Light.

Typically, he would offer polite greetings and sit on the chair by Light's bed. On occasion, he would perch himself on the edge of the cot, pinky finger stroking the folds in the fabric draped over her legs. Today L tossed aside the manners Watari drilled into his skull and yanked the thin sheet off the cot. Light tried to twist and grab the fabric, but pain and restricting bindings hindered her movements, and she could only jerk awkwardly onto her side.

Fire burned into those eyes. Hot and hateful.

Perfect.

Nurses began to protest, but oddly enough, the doctor kept them back with a lazy wave of his hand. L wasn't going to hurt Light, though if she kept squirming, she would rip open her stitches.

"Light should be still. Too much movement would cause her injury," he said, idly folding the sheet he ensnared. "It would not do to have a setback like that."

Her mouth popped open, signaling clearly and intent to speak, but she snapped her jaw shut with a click and shifted off of her side onto her back once more. She was fuming. Good. Emotion was just what L needed to get this brat to fall off her high horse and remember that she was no longer in control.

"Come now, Light should say what he has to say." She clenched her jaw. He could see the muscle twitching. L suppressed the urge the grin. It wasn't that hard, but the inclination was there. "This silent treatment is getting old. It's childish, pointless and quite frankly, beneath Light's intelligence."

An attempt at a crude hand gesture was what he received. It consisted mostly of her quirking her unbroken fingers, but it made its point. L rolled his eyes to the ceiling. This was becoming an annoyance.

"If Light refusing to speak, then I will be forced to assume his mind," L warned. "Which I find is always in accordance with my wishes. Never a protest." Light twitched. "Very well. Light has forced my hand, I hope he is pleased with himself."

L laid the folded sheet on the chair and stepped into the hallway. He returned with a small paper cone full with water from the hydration tank. It was cool to the touch, chilling L's fingers through the thin, waxed paper. Light, being stubborn as ever, was staring at the wall opposite of him. Her loss. One should never turn their back on the enemy.

Or anyone for that matter.

You never knew when someone would leapt behind you and bury a knife between your shoulder blades.

Or when they would dash water over your head.

Light gasped and tried to wipe the water away, but L was quick to pin her wrists.

"Tsk, tsk. Light shouldn't get his bandages wet."

"Then you shouldn't have dumped cold fucking water on my head, you asshole!"

"Ah! Does this mean Light is speaking to me again? How delightful. We have much to discuss."

"Get off me!"

"Here, let me help. Light's all wet."

He plucked a few tissues from the kleenex box sitting on the bedside stand. With exaggerated delicacy, he dabbed her hair with the tissues until the dripping stopped. Then he turned her face with his finger and wiped her cheeks and nose with perfunctory swipes, ignoring her protests as he did so. Once satisfied, L chucked the soaked tissues into the bin and began to pluck at her locks. The shortened strands were in disarray and he knew how much Light liked being tidy.

Light squirmed, but pain stilled her.

"Leave my hair alone."

"It's all messy. Not at all like Light prefers. I'm merely arranging it. There, much better."

"Fuck off."

"That's not polite," L said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Light glared daggers at him. He turned his gaze onto the wall behind her head. "Now, the doctor has informed me that Light can be moved to a different facility soon, which means we will be traveling abroad shortly. I have taken care of all the documentation Light needs to be transported and once I have final approval, we will move Light. There, Light will start a more advanced physical therapy program and finish his recovery period."

Light's expression became calculating, "Where exactly are we going?"

"That is not information to be discussed in mixed company."

"Ah. Well, how about where will I go once I heal? I cannot stay in hospitals forever."

"Why Light, does he think I will abandon him?" L leaned back slightly, contrasting to his usual slumped position. "Light will live with me, as is proper."

"P-proper! What the fuck are you talking about?"

L stood, fetched the sheet and laid it back over Light's legs. The teen was pissed. Served her right. "I will be back tomorrow, Light. By the end of the month, we should be able to leave."

"What if I don't want to? Ever think of that?"

"Light gave up his right to make decisions when he nearly killed himself for the, oh, third time."

"Third?"

L tapped his chin, "Light is too young to make choices that keep him safe, so it is my responsibility to take certain precautions."

"Oh, you so you're my father now?"

He bit onto his thumb and walked towards the door, "No. Though Light does deserve a thorough spanking. I do not believe anyone ever took a belt to Light for his impertinence."

She colored and one of the machines began to beep. The doctor laid a hand on L's shoulder.

"I will have to ask you not to upset the patient."

Curious. Of all the comments to make Light's heart race, why that last one? One would think the fiasco with the water and the shouting that followed would have heightened her pulse more than a veiled threat to bend her over a knee and smack her a couple times. He blinked. The pervert in him quickly jumped on the image. L banished the vulgar thought with a grimace.

It wasn't his fault his thoughts kept drifting to handcuffs and blindfolds. Ever since they met, Light's sassy, violent nature invoked him to respond in kind. She misbehaved, he disciplined. Until now, he didn't quite get why Light accused him of getting off on chaining them together during those early days. Had his brain just caught up?

Bah! It didn't matter.

There was no point in lingering on peculiar thoughts when he had plane tickets to book and further arrangements to make. He should call Roger again soon. Once they were in England, L had a feeling he would need the old man's help to get their lives back on track. Because Light had nothing and L had made an impulsive choice to rectify the matter. It was almost laughable how easy it was to create the documentation to make his plan official. He even had the gold-trimmed certificate as proof.

As he stepped out of the ICU and into the main body of the hospital, L wondered how Light would react when he finally told her that they were married?

-tbc-

A/N: (Hm. England is up next. Like it, love it, hate it? Please leave a review! Let's see...I'd love to reach 15 total reviews before next chapter. I'm not asking much. C'mon, just share a few words of thought so I can keep growing as a writer and help this story stay on track. Yeah? It's honestly very unsettling when there is little response. And I can't fix what is wrong if no one tell me. Yup. Anywho~ I'm having fun writing this regardless, and I'm diligently working on another LxLight fic that will be completed before I post the first part of it. See y'all tomorrow.)