Bloodstained Dreams

~~~~~E~~~~~

swallowed up in the sound of my screaming

cannot cease for the fear of silent nights

oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming

for the goodness of imaginary light…

~Evanescence

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L's eyelids fluttered, and his long fingers which dangled off the side of the couch twitched. He gasped loudly, his eyes flying open, and sat bolt upright, his heart pounding. He was clammy with sweat. He looked around, taking note that he was in the suite he and Light shared, on the couch they had toppled in their previous fight.

"You okay, Ryuzaki?" Light asked from an arm chair a few feet away. L wiped his face with his sleeve. It was rather nice that Light had moved him from the floor and onto the couch, but that didn't matter much at the moment.

"You…stop…manipulating me!" he yelled between pants, trying to catch his breath while yelling, and not succeeding.

"Ryuzaki, what…?"

"You cant just go and pretend you're A! I wont let you use him like that! I wont let you use me like that! You just keep playing on this, don't you?"

"Ryuzaki! Slow down! You're not making any sense."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, so don't even pretend-!" L was cut off by a slap across his cheek, and he glared up at Light, contemplating how to enact the 'eye for an eye' routine.

"No I don't, Ryuzaki!"

"Stop being a martyr, Light-kun. You think I need your help? I've survived for years without you, and I can do it again."

It was a lie, and L knew it. He had become too dependant in just two night terrors. He knew he needed Light now, but he also knew he would never admit it. He didn't want to admit it to himself. Light recoiled as if struck, and L smirked to himself. An eye for an eye, my…friend.

It was A who had introduced him to the eye for an eye concept.

Light sensed the lull in L's anger, and took advantage.

"Well, um, at least you slept some."

L was quiet for a moment, before deciding to temporarily let his argument drop. Light was being kind, and he was bitching. Maybe Light really didn't mean to manipulate him. How could he have known that he was like A without being told anyway? But then, how could he kill people with just their name and faces?

"Yes. It happens occasionally." Light seemed surprised by L's lack of anger.

"Uh…I brought you cake." Light handed the cake to Ryuzaki with a hopeful smile, which L returned. He wasn't sure which was the lie- was he friends with the boy, or was he not? It was beginning to look like the latter was the false one. He sighed, and took a bite of cake.

"While you were out, Matsuda-san called. He said he would be returning to work later today."

L's eyes seemed to laugh. "I'm looking forward to it." He commented dryly, the sarcasm obvious.

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Light yawned hugely, stretching his arms above his head. After Matsuda had arrived, the day had flown by. He and L were still at an awkward state of friendship, and Light was careful not to bring up A or the night terrors. He was briefly unchained, yet still in the same room with L as he brushed his teeth. Light was relieved that L had at least semi-normal hygiene, but he supposed with as many sweets as he ate, teeth brushing was required. He rubbed the wrist which had been handcuffed, not liking the ring shaped imprint it had left where his arm had rested on it. He changed into his pajamas, and L was waiting for him, cuffs in hand. Light sighed, and held his arm out. There was a click, and the cold metal encircled his wrist once more.

As Light settled in under the covers, L sat next to him on the bed, on leg stretched out luxuriously, the other tucked up to his chest with his chin resting on his knee. He reached for his laptop, preparing for another sleepless night, when he stopped, contemplating.

"Light-kun?"

"Yes, Ryuzaki?"

"I believe I'm going to sleep tonight."

…

L stared at the ceiling, not entirely sure how to ready himself for sleep. what if he had another night terror? Or just another dream? He chewed on his thumbnail nervously.

"It's okay Ryuzaki. I can wake you up if you have a night terror."

L looked uncertainly at his…friend.

Friend.

It was so odd to think of light as a friend.

"Yes, Light-kun." Light turned onto his side and closed his eyes, letting his breathing slow into the deep rhythmic breathing of sleep. L let his eyes slip shut, listening to Light's breath, trying to emulate it. His eyelids began to droop, and after a few minutes, they finally slid shut as he surrendered his mind to the darkness.

…

Light felt a gentle tug on the covers, and grumbled in his sleep, pulling back, piling more covers on top of himself before sighing contentedly. He was disturbed a few moments later by another tug, more abrupt this time. He made a low growling noise, pulling back so hard on the covers that they slipped from his sleepy grip, and landed with a muffled flump on the floor. At this he shivered, and awoke.

The first thing he noticed was a small mewling coming from L, not as loud as that of one of his night terrors, just whispers and brief whines. Was L talking in his sleep? He was moving slightly, which explained the tugging. Light dragged the covers back on top of them then waited in silence, listening to what L was saying, and studying the older man's features as well as one can do in the dark. Light's heart jumped when he realized that there were tears streaming in tiny silver rivulets down L's face, soaking into the sheets below.

L was crying.

The L, the greatest detective in the world, was crying.

"A…Adriannn…" he whined, his voice lowering again to a whisper.

"I…I don't want…to be alone…"

Light felt nothing but a wave of sadness for L, the man who, in that moment was nothing more than a frightened teenager, most likely re-witnessing the death of his first friend. He wiped one of the tears from L's cheek. He didn't think, he was much too tired for that. He just slipped an arm around L's waist, pressing close to him until the whispers stopped, and the tears dried. This was but a nightmare, and nightmares pass.

And the next thing Light knew, it was morning.

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okay, everyone is going to have to tell me what they think! Was it too sappy? Should I put a shounen-ai warning in the summary? Please, don't flame me if you don't like yaoi, you don't have to read if you don't want to. I'm bad with flames.