Tunes in Profile:
Train
American Woman
How Much Is That Couple In The Window?
She was shorter than the rest, maybe a tad over five foot if Light had to guess, and her hair fell in alternating curls of golden blonde and dark chocolate. Which, while very cute, was something he thought only an American would do. Not that the color of her hair or how pretty it looked mattered – the girl could have been bald and it wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference.
It was the way she moved, Light suspected, that set her apart from the others. She had a sensual grace about her - a confidence in the way she held herself, and a sway of those deliciously flared hips that made her so sexually appealing. She was drop-dead sexy, she was trouble, and she knew it.
Once they were just over halfway to her location, and she turned her attention to them, Light was able to get a better look at her face.
Not at all the haughty, unapproachable thing he'd expected.
Instead of a vicious green, or a cold blue; her eyes were a soft brown, their appearance clear and friendly. And unlike the hostile frown he'd assumed would be there, her full lips were turned upward in a welcoming smile towards them. A smile that created the tiniest little dimples in what looked like just a bit of baby-fat still remaining. The rest was simply a matter of symmetry – petite nose, thin eyebrows, and a complexion that matched what Light's own had once been. Altogether, she was a real darling . . . even with that crazy hair. Adorable and sweet.
And, Light couldn't help but think, young. Not Statutory Rape young, but just a little questionable young. Even with the rather lax laws in Japan, which attracted men from all over the world thanks to a 13 year old age of consent limit, Light still had that nagging this is off feeling in his gut. Anything below 16, in his opinion, was just a bit repulsive.
Now, upon closer inspection; this potential prey of L's, her well-filled out form in those too-tight pale blue jeans and spaghetti-string shirt notwithstanding, looked as though she might qualify for repulsive.
L side-stepped gracefully around a couple holding hands, and Light did the same. They were almost there. And when they made it into conversation range, the girl finally did something that Light did expect.
Her eyes slid downward, straight to the steel tether that hung between them loosely given their close proximity.
Light couldn't tell what she thought about it. If she found it creepy or disturbing, as he was sure she must, she didn't show it. She only grinned as she met their eyes again, moved forward a bit to separate herself from her flock, and waited for them to approach her.
"Hello." L greeted around a cherry still being pushed around in his mouth.
She brightened at his use of English, and responded cheerily with the same. "Hi!"
Producing his glass of cherries that Light had not seen him grab, he offered it to her. "Cherry?"
Light smiled. Beautiful. Kind. And as dumb as a rock, if she was accepting cherries from strangers in a nightclub, of all places. Maybe that was what L wanted. Someone he could manipulate with little effort.
Pushing the bright red fruit between pink lips, she pointed at the chain he and L shared. "I have one of those, too."
She lifted her top, exposing smooth skin and the flat planes of her belly. And there, encircling her narrow waist, was a delicate chain made of yellow gold. Encouraged by the both of them leaning in to inspect it, she turned around to show them the back. Light noticed, just below the chain, were two more dimples on her lower back.
"Isn't that charming, Light-kun?" L asked, staring at the girl's backside up close.
"Indeed it is." He agreed, starting to care less about how old she was with the more he saw of her.
With two fingers, L tugged the girl's shirt back down to cover her skin. They both straightened as she turned back around to face them, letting the front of her shirt fall as well.
"What's your name?" L asked; his intense, wide-eye stare not seeming to bother her at all. Actually, she didn't seem bothered by anything about L. Not his ghostly appearance; not his too-large clothes that he hadn't even bothered to change for something more fitting to a club; not even his habit of standing just a little too close.
But then, Light could tell that L had toned down his usually bizarre self considerably . . . even going so far as to stand up almost-straight. Just when the fuck, he thought, had L obtained the ability to socialize like a normal person!?
She offered her hand to him. "I'm Tess."
L accepted with the skeletal fingers of his right hand, the shaking movement disturbing the chain between them. "Ryuzaki."
Light was next, and he too gave her his right hand. "Light." Even if she had been Japanese, he would have still left the 'kun' part off. There was no need for honorifics in their situation, and the intimacy of it could only help them.
"Light? That's kind of unusual, isn't it?" She asked, staring up at him with those doe-brown eyes.
He grinned at her – that easy, warm smile of his – and shifted his weight to his right side in a show of modesty. "Yeah, kind of."
Giving them both curious glances, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I feel like your names should be reversed. You," she pointed at L. "Have a very Japanese name, but you don't really look Japanese. And you," she pointed at Light. "Your name is more something I would come across as belonging to an American."
L and Light shared a glimpse with one another before L spoke up. "Light-kun's name is pronounced differently in Japanese. He's giving you the variation that is easiest for you. As for me, my mother was Japanese, and she named me." He gave a non-threatening little smile, shoving his right hand in his pocket.
Worry crossed her features. "Oh, I haven't offended you, have I?" She asked of both of them.
Again, L took the initiative on this one. "No, of course not. Actually, we would like to invite you to join us at our table, if you'd like."
There was a certain something Light caught in L's voice. A soft, purring quality that all men adopted when speaking to a female they wanted to fuck. Not in itself all that surprising; but in L's case, it was startling. Even in the bedroom, L had never bothered to grace him with such a thing.
And she took right to it, just as expected. "I'd love to. Let me tell my friends, and I'll meet you."
"How you managed to pull that off, I will never know." Light told L once they were back at their table in front of their drinks.
L sighed. "You seem to have this assumption that I am completely incapable of interacting with other human beings, and I'm not sure where you've gotten it from. I'll admit, there are some things that I remain ignorant of, and there are some experiences that I lack. But for Light-kun to think that I am entirely socially hopeless is short-sighted. Let's remember who I am, and what I do."
Light bristled at the condescending speech L gave him without even bothering to look at him. "I remember just fine." he ground out in annoyance.
"So then, maybe you can explain your reasoning as to how the best detective in the world can manage to profile his suspects when he himself has no understanding of human behavior?" Another cherry was being steered towards his mouth listlessly.
"There is a big difference between text-book knowledge, and hands-on experience."
L looked at him now, cocking his head to one side. "That's true, Light-kun. And a good answer that I will let you believe for the sake of my own privacy."
Argh! It was on the tip of Light's tongue to tell L to go fuck himself when the arrival of their new friend stayed his tongue. Needing something to do with the anger heating his blood, Light got up and pulled the added chair out for her.
"Thank you, Light." She threw a smile over her shoulder as she climbed up the foot railing to settle in. She placed a small, black girl-wallet on the table in front of her, and looked about to see if she could call a waitress.
"Here." L dropped two cherries onto the cream of his Bailey's Coffee, and slid it towards her. "I'll get another when our server comes back."
"Are you sure? I can wait." She asked genuinely, and not just because it was the proper thing to do so as not to look greedy.
"Quite sure, Tess. Please enjoy it."
What a bastard L was. Ingratiating himself to her with an inviting, cordial demeanor; when really he was just fattening her up for the kill. Of course, Light knew that L was capable of manipulating people. Hadn't he asked Light himself to do that very thing with Misa for the benefit of the investigation? An idea he had refused not only because of his aversion to it, but because the thought of pursuing Misa in such a way exhausted him. He wasn't all the crazy about her in the first place, and trying to get closer to her didn't appeal to him in the slightest.
Nevertheless, Light had to admit, watching L stalk his prey was arousing. Hearing that tone of voice that L used with her, and seeing that interested, hungry look in his eyes when he looked at her . . . it all made Light want to terminate this misguided adventure of theirs and just take L home to bed.
"Do you mind?" He heard L ask the girl, a long finger pointing at her wallet.
"Go right ahead. You probably won't find anything of great interest." She pushed it toward him before taking a sip of her drink. There was no straw in that one, and when she was finished, there was a moderate amount of thick cream sticking to her lips.
Light looked on as her tongue slid out from between her lips to lick them clean. He had to give L credit – the man had taste. This girl was pure sex; practically anything she did had filthy thoughts running through Light's mind.
"Tess," L pronounced her name in a soft, vibrant sound. "Is 17? Much younger than I had guessed."
Turning his attention to what L was doing with her wallet, Light caught sight of her license dangling from L's fingers.
Sneaky bastard! He was carding her – checking her age without coming right out and asking. And Light knew damn good and well that L did not think she'd been older than 17.
Tess laughed. "How old did you guess?"
L concentrated on sliding her license back into its plastic pocket. "Twenty, at least."
Liar. Fifteen. Maybe.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Ryuzaki." She gave him a playful grin, as if to ask I'm not too young for you now, am I?
"On the contrary. Seventeen is a good number." He returned her wallet to its original position, his eyes moving along the front of her shirt discreetly.
Their waitress returned, and both L and Tess ordered. Light still had his Crimson Death and Kamikaze, and that was probably going to be it for him. Already, he felt warm and fuzzy from the first 2 drinks he'd had. Or had it been 3 drinks?
"I hope Tess will forgive me for what I'm about to say, as I may be out of order, but I should tell you the reason why we approached you." L turned to her a little awkwardly in his chair, his face the perfect example of innocence.
"I already know, so don't worry about offending me."
That surprised L, his eyes widening. "You already know?"
"Excuse me," Light cut in, leaning into the table. "But how do you know?" He had to ask. It was probably something way off base.
With the both of them staring at her expectantly, Tess looked as though she would think better of telling them. "Well," she started anyway, her eyes giving their restraints a quick glance. "You're gay, right? And you're here to find a female . . . participant?"
Light's gaze snapped to L in astonishment, and L looked back at him with a slight what the hell look that only he could see.
"Oh, I'm wrong, aren't I?" Her hand flew to her mouth in embarrassment, her face quickly turning a dark shade of pink. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean–"
"It's alright." L's attention went back to her in an effort to quell the words spilling from her mouth. "That's it exactly, but how did you guess?"
Relief smoothed her expression, and she let out a little sigh. "The chain kind of gave it away that you're partners, and I know that it isn't uncommon for gay couples to seek out a woman to join them."
Not uncommon? Just who were these other deviants going around doing such things? And who said they were partners? Light was not gay, and even if he were, L would never be his 'partner'. They were companions of circumstance . . . products of their current environment, and nothing more.
Of course, Light didn't voice any of that. He decided to go with something different.
"Actually, that's not it exactly." He caught L's glare in his peripheral vision, his eyes narrowed in expectation of what Light was going to say. "See, Ryuzaki has never been with a girl. And up until a few weeks ago, he has been completely . . ." Light struggled for the English word. ". . . self-sufficient."
It took everything Light had not to grin evilly. He could just feel the daggers L's eyes were currently shooting at him. Although Light wasn't entirely comfortable saying this, his discomfort was so, so worth that look of murder.
Oh calm down, Ryuzaki. What difference does it make if she knows? She has to know.
"I'm his first, I guess you would say, and we thought it would be a good idea to give him a little more . . . experience. Does this make sense?"
Tess nodded and smiled. "Absolutely."
"So, we are here to find a suitable female for him to try out . . . see if he likes it . . . that sort of thing. And since we're looking for the best possible sample for our experiment, and you're the prettiest girl here . . . Well . . ." He held out his hands to let her finish that little speech of his however she liked.
It might not show, but Light had no doubt that L, who still fixed an angry stare on him, was livid behind that inexpressive stone mask of his. Quickly, Light busied himself with taking several sips of his drink, lest he lose his composure and laugh at the boy uncontrollably.
"What Light-kun says is true." L replied a moment later, still staring at Light. "It would most likely be just you and I, I'm afraid. And whilst I would have no objections to him actively participating, I shan't think he would feel comfortable putting himself in a position that would undoubtedly compare us side-by-side. It would be appalling of me to slag his manhood, but the fact remains that Light-kun is, after all, full-blooded Japanese."
At the last, perfectly good alcohol managed to spew itself from his mouth onto the table, without his permission. Light missed a few words here and there, thanks to L's anger allowing his very English background to show through, but he got the gist of what was said. And frankly, he could not believe that L had gone so far as to insult him in such a vulgar way.
"It would also appear as though he is unable to hold his alcohol." L commented dryly, pushing himself back from the table a little and turning to Tess. "I do apologize for Light-kun's rather dreadful behavior. He is typically a very well-mannered young man."
Those words will be your last, Light thought as he struggled to recover. You should have made them a prayer.
"If you don't mind me saying, you two make the most unlikely of friends." Tess removed her napkin from under her glass and pushed it across the table toward Light as she spoke.
"Do we? Sometimes I wonder." L gave as they both watched Light dab at the red that had made its way down to his khaki pants and dark blue shirt.
"So do I." Light chimed in darkly.
Tess laughed suddenly, as if their bickering was the most interesting thing in the world. "I'll take you."
Light froze, the napkin suspended in mid-air above his pant leg. And L, as if he'd never expected anyone to really cooperate with them, snapped his head toward her in surprise.
"You'll 'take' us?" He asked stupidly.
"Yep. The two of you are adorable, and I'm sure you're the most exciting thing I'll come across all night. So let's work on finishing our drinks, and see what we can get crackin, eh?"
They both nodded lamely, at a loss for words.
"Great. I'm going to powder my nose, and I'll be right back."
They both nodded again, continuing their stupefied silence. That is, until she was out of sight.
"Light-kun–" L began, still looking at the general direction of her disappearance.
"Are we bailing?" He asked seriously, switching back to Japanese now that he no longer needed the English for her benefit.
"No. It's just that this is . . ."
"Just as planned?"
Light grabbed a clean napkin, and carried on his work on his pants. Most of it had come out, and there was only a slight pink stain in the tan fabric. His shirt, however, hadn't fared as well. Luckily, it was a dark color and didn't show as bad. Still, he started to press the napkin against the wet spot when he happened to hear the sound of a glass being scraped across the table.
Looking up, he saw L's fingers working at some kind of object beside her glass. He watched, the alcohol in his system slowing the realization of just what L was about.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Light exclaimed, reaching forward to snatch her drink from his fingers. He looked around quickly, hoping no one noticed.
L's eyes followed the drink being moved out of his grasp. "Probably what it looks like. Please give that back."
He reached for it again, and Light dragged it closer to himself. "You're . . . drugging her drink? Have you lost your mind?"
"I would prefer that she did not remember this incident, so please don't interfere."
"I'm sorry, Ryuzaki, but that's not going to happen. You might be able to vanish at the drop of a hat, but I can't. If something were to happen . . . who do you think it'll be pinned on?"
"No one, if she can't remember anything. This is why it's usually so hard to prosecute." L answered as if Light should have already known that.
Light shook his head. "No – absolutely not."
L stared at him for several moments, one long finger coming up to play with his lip for the second time since they'd been there. "What could happen?"
Light curled his arm protectively around the glass and leaned forward. "I've never had to date rape anyone before, so I wouldn't know!" He whispered harshly.
L shrugged indifferently. "Give me the glass, Light-kun. If she comes back and sees you with it, then we will both be in trouble."
Light's eyes went to whatever it was L had his fingers curled around before returning to L in challenge. "I will call my father the second I even think I see you putting anything in her drink, consequences for being here this late with you be damned."
L matched his gaze evenly, the blacks of his eyes bright and calculating. "Protecting the innocent so fiercely. How very . . ." L gave a little smirk. "Kira-like."
And there was L's second jab of the night in reference to Kira. But Light wasn't phased in the least. "I'm not joking, detective. You do that, and I'll squeal like a stuck pig."
Light didn't wait for a response either way as he slid the glass back to its original position. He'd put his cards on the table, and it was L's move.