A/N: OMG HAI!!! I have an excuse for not updating for en entire month! If you have seen my profile lately, then you already know that Steve and I were busy. What were we soooo busy with? Well, Steve had to spend a lot of time at practice for a school play, so she was super-duper busy. I was participating in NaNoWriMo, which is a writing challenge to try to write a 50k word story within the month of November. I won~!! As you can imagine, though, it was a busy month for the both of us.
To make up for the lack of updates, Steve and I managed to shell out a super long chapter just for you! Actually, once all our stuff ended, we were giddy about writin' this, and we both like this chapter lots! We even decided that it felt like we were best friends with Light xD
Please enjoy this chapter!
Captains and Cruise Ships © Owl City
Stormy nights reawake
The stomach ache
That I've acquired
From feeling down, things look grim
And I'm so sick of being tired
Light glared at the sidewalk, imagining it as Ryuuzaki's face and damning it to hell a thousand times over.
"That bastard! What the fuck was he thinking?!" He cursed under his breath, exhaling a loud sigh. Everything in his life seemed to be jumbled up, and nothing was making sense- or turning out the way Light wanted. Both of which were things that Light was neither accustomed to nor pleased with, which could be a contestant for the understatement of the year. Light thought that he was upset when he'd gotten cake in his hair, but this had be the mother of all 'fuck my life' moments.
"Seriously, what the hell did he think he was doing?! I swear, if I ever see him again, I'll kick his ass so hard he won't be able to go anywhere without a tube going through his throat… maybe then he won't try to kiss me…" Light's voice softened to a deadly whisper spoken under his breath. 'What the hell was that all about, anyways? He's L, he shouldn't get caught up with people like me, especially with guys like me.' He mused, his expression sliding back into its much more comforting mask, though his heart and mind were flooded with confusion and stress, though Light was still slightly confused as to why. He'd had people make moves like that to him before, though it was generally with girls, and rarely with guys, though it'd happened with a handful of them. And when it came to either gender, Light simply pushed them away gently and politely denied, and then walked away. What was so… different about L? Was it just because he was more respected by Light? Was it because of his strange, disheveled appearance? Whatever it was, there was something about L that intrigued Light, and he was curious to find out what it was. However… wouldn't that entail another meeting? Light cringed inwardly at the thought, but how else would Light find anything out about L, the strange enigma Light couldn't solve?
--
Light kicked off his shoes as he entered his house, hands hanging by his sides. His stomach shifted shyly in his stomach, reminding him gently that he was indeed human and needed food to function. He put a hand over his stomach, glancing around to see if Sayu or his mother had seen him; Sayu would make some comment about Light eating too much and his mother would insist on cooking him some obscene meal only some Roman dictator would be able to stuff down without puking their guts out. Sighing quietly, he walked over to the kitchen, grabbing a bag of chips and heading up to his room without a word. He had quite a bit to think about, and to be quite frank, comfort food was quite desirable in a situation like this. So, with a small, hopeful smile on his face, he shut the door behind him.
…. Nine in the Afternoon …
L woke up slowly in his private room at headquarters, a major headache pounding at his skull from the inside. He'd fallen asleep the previous night with the hopes of blank sleep, but he'd dreamed of nothing but Light laughing at him for a full night's sleep. Now he had the worst headache in the world and his mouth was dry and tasted bad.
Yesterday had been a bad day for L. He'd wanted Light to respect him, and maybe he had gotten Light to respect him after the tennis match, but after kissing him, L was sure that Light's respect for him dropped quickly. L didn't want to sound like one of those cheesy guys on those children's romance movies, but he couldn't help but mentally kick himself over and over and call himself an idiot.
Cake seemed like a good remedy for his foul mood and harsh headache, so he called Watari in to give him some.
When Watari entered, there was a worried look on his face. He'd had the same look yesterday after the meeting. It was probably because L hadn't told him anything about what had happened. His concern had probably grown since L had been in a terrible mood ever since.
"Sir, are you feeling alright?" Watari asked, hesitant to give L his cake.
"Just give me my cake," L said without looking over at the old man. He was busy pretending to be focused on the data from the Clocker's Case.
Watari was silent for a bit. "I understand your meetings can be confidential, but I'm usually supposed to be listening to the whole thing from the car through an earpiece. And if that's not the case, you always tell me what had happened. This time, though, you're refusing to tell me anything and you're upset."
"Yes," L agreed with Watari's truths.
"…So tell me what happened to put you in such a bad mood?"
L got up from his perch on the couch and took the cake from Watari, staring at him coldly.
Watari's frowned deepened and the worry in his eyes grew.
Then L left the room with his cake. He didn't have to tell Watari what happened. If he did, Watari would probably scold him, and L already felt bad enough.
Not wanting to deal with the other task force members, who had already arrived, L took the elevator to roof level. It was truly the only place where there weren't any cameras. At the moment, L just wanted to be completely alone, and cameras would simply bug him. To further enforce that he would be alone, he blocked the door with some boxes of ammunition for the turret in the helicopter that was on the roof. The boxes were fairly large, and the ammunition was heavy, so it would do to keep people away.
Then, L sat down and began eating his cake slowly and alone. He had to make this cake last for a while if he wanted to be away from Watari for any significant amount of time.
L sat on the building's roof resolutely as if he was protecting something. He sat there for a long time. Even when it began to sprinkle lightly, and then rain, he didn't move. The only time he moved was when he was out of cake. There was some emergency cake in the helicopter's small refrigerator, though, so L simply took the cake outside and continued eating slowly.
Usually, L didn't like the outdoors, especially rain, but today was different. Today, the outdoors was perfect; the rain was too. It was relaxing, and cleansing, and allowed L to forget about the case and wallow in his depression.
The night came too quickly for L, but his determination to be depressed and angsty and think about Light wouldn't let him call it quits and go back inside. He accidentally fell asleep, lulled by the rain and the delicious cake in his mouth that made his tummy warm.
When L woke up the next morning, he was lying on his bed in his room inside of headquarters. This didn't deter his need to wallow. Rather, it helped him because now he knew how much cake he would need to take with him. So, with a cart filled with sweets, L went back to the rooftop without speaking to anyone at all. He blocked the door again and continued eating cake and thinking about Light. He was feeling better today, so he wasn't as depressed. Light was simply on his mind in a different way.
L wondered how Light thought of him and if Light was attracted to him. He wondered whether Light would ever even consider going out with him.
This day ended almost like the previous day, except there was no rain this time.
The next few days were spent the same way, though L began bringing his laptop to the roof to work on the case more. There wasn't really anything new with the murders, but there was certainly a lot of research to be done.
Forensics had come back while L was moping, and that's when L began to notice a pattern. The stores that the real Clockers always hit were usually opposite of their last victim store. There were other criminals that hit similar places as the Clockers, whether by discovery of the pattern or just at random, so the gap between forensic reports and the actual thefts and killings would pose a problem.
Knowing the Clockers' pattern was a good improvement, and the only reason L hadn't though of it before was that he hadn't enough proof backing the claim. The pattern discovery was, indeed, important, as it gave L an idea of what kind of places they would hit next, but there were a lot of opposites and there were a lot of stores in that category.
Perhaps the Clockers were slipping. Or maybe it was on purpose. L couldn't tell, but it was a clue nonetheless.
L paid a lot more attention to the case, enough to find the pattern and deduce all that. The majority of L's time on the roof, though, was still dedicated to Light. L always got to a certain point in his research where he would stop and have fantasies of him and Light "going at it." It wasn't unpleasant, though that was a huge understatement. The only downside to the fantasies was that L created a "problem" for himself, and he refused to touch himself. When the aching got too bad, that was his sign to start focusing on the case again.
The urge to contact Light was a constant problem for L, but all he had to do was think of the angry response to the kiss Light had given him. He knew by this point that he'd gotten too attached to the teenager, but he was also past the point of caring. L had already dug himself a hole filled with care for Light that was simply too deep to crawl out of. To say he was in love with Light was a bit extreme, but he sure had a huge crush on him.
Whatever it was, it made L happy.
… Nine in the Afternoon …
Light stretched out on his bed as he stared at the clock as it ticked with a mechanical precision Light loved. At the moment, he was still trying to rid himself of the memory of L kissing him, but it was like some sort of bacteria, because once he killed it once, it'd come back twice as strong. His bag of chips was discarded in the small waste basket next to his desk, long forgotten. What to do, what to do…? He had no homework or projects to finish, and there wasn't any news on the Clockers case as far as he- well, his father- knew…
"How boring." Light mused with a sigh, "… perhaps the news?" He wondered aloud, sitting up and smoothing out his hair. Standing up, Light walked over to his chair, sitting down and turning on the television. Today, Light was in a rather lethargic mood, and he was grateful that he didn't have a date, or he'd be forced to walk somewhere, which wasn't very appealing at the moment. Perhaps it was more than his complaining muscles; perhaps he just wanted to make sure that he'd be avoiding L.
L… His mind traveled back to the kiss once more.
"Oh, to hell with it."
--
The next day passed without incident, making Light highly agitated and anxious. He was almost missing the excitement that L brought that day, no matter how miserable. It was a nice change from his daily routine, though he wished that L wouldn't do things that were reckless and stupid. Like kissing him.
Mentally bitch-slapping himself, Light went on to finish his math homework. He didn't know why reviewing a section of Calculus was so important anyways, but at least it was easier.
Light went to sleep that night with a frown and a cluttered mind.
The next morning, Light awoke in a foul mood. His dreams had been plagued with L's face, some mocking him, some threatening, and others making ridiculous faces that would otherwise make Light rather amused. However, with all of them pressing in on him, smothering him with their dirty hands and loud, unemotional voices, Light didn't enjoy it. At all.
"You suck, L." Light groaned, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. Why did the psychotic genius have to be super-glued to his every thought? It was rather frustrating- in more ways than one. Every now and then, when the damned kiss came back to mind, if Light's defenses were unprepared, his devious mind would tease him mercilessly, forcing him to picture what'd happened if L didn't let Light go, if he was in a more secluded place, if Light didn't move quick enough… Oftentimes, Light would have to forcefully stop his thoughts; if at home, it took a slam of his head on his desk, but if he was at school, Light had a feeling things would be a bit more difficult. All he could do was hope that he would be occupied enough with the lesson that he wouldn't think of L and his stupid, stupid kiss.
"LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!" The teen broke out of his thoughts as his mom shouted up the stairs. "Dinner's ready!"
"Coming!" Light called back, wiping the worried expression off his face as he went downstairs. To be honest, things were getting to a state where they were un-nerving Light. He hadn't heard back from L yet… was something wrong? Sure, Light gave him a harsh rejection, but L was strong, he should be able to rebound without too much difficulty, right? Maybe L had simply forgotten about him… Light sure hoped not, because if so, then Light was being the flustered one, and that was simply un-natural. No, L had to be thinking of him. But… why hadn't Light heard from him?!
"Good evening, Light." Light smiled as he heard his dad's voice.
"Evening, dad." He replied. This time, the happiness in his voice was truly genuine; while his voice showed wear and the need for sleep, Light had a feeling that L didn't reveal the kiss to anyone. That meant that L was still alive, Light wouldn't be placed under house arrest and constant supervision, and that hopefully, Light would be able to weasel something out of him.
"So dad, how's the case going?" He asked, sounding as casual as humanely possible.
"Not so well. There's not many new developments, and my stupid boss spends quite a bit of time on his own." Light blinked. On his own? What was L thinking?
"Oh. That doesn't sound like a very productive workplace, huh?" Light stated the obvious, keeping the conversation alive, even if by a thread.
"No, it's not." His father sighed, raking a hand through his hair before he continued eating. Light had a feeling that his father was signaling the end of a conversation- and information- and, bitter with the sudden end, Light began to eat as well.
'L…' Light thought, his eyes narrowing slightly, 'What the hell are you doing?'
"Thanks for the meal!" Light smiled as he closed the dishwasher, going over to sit on the couch in front of the television. He wasn't planning on actually watching the program, but instead, he was simply waiting.
"Alright, I think I'm done." A grin flashed Light's face as he heard his father speak up, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"Good night Dad!" Sayu called, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father exiting the room, heading upstairs. That was his signal to move. He followed his father up the stairs, but he wasn't detected. Soichiro walked into his room, which was otherwise empty.
In other words, the perfect interrogation room.
"Dad," Light spoke up, closing the door behind him, "I want the truth." Soichiro flinched at the sudden voice, and turned around to see Light blocking the doorway.
"Light, I don't have time for this-" Soichiro started, but didn't get to finish his sentence.
"Yes you do! I know your boss is L, okay?" Light interrupted, anger sparking in his voice.
Soichiro didn't respond immediately. He thought over the way L had been acting, and decided this was actually a good time to try figure out what exactly had happened during their meeting. It wasn't like Ryuuzaki had said anything to anyone. Since Light had asked about work, he figured that Light had done something and was trying to figure out what it had caused.
"So he told you, huh?" Soichiro guessed after heaving a sigh.
Light shook his head. "No, I found out. It wasn't that hard… Dad, why didn't you tell me that there were cameras in my room?!" He wasn't getting to the point right away, but the more agitated Soichiro was, the more likely he was to spill.
"I was told not to tell you. It would've hindered the results. I was completely confident that you were innocent, but Ryuuzaki thought differently," Soichiro explained, trying to sound calm. He hadn't been given instructions in case something like this happened. At this point, he was simply trying to say what he though L would want him to say.
"Dad, you don't have to call him Ryuuzaki. There's no use in using an alias in this situation." Light complained, hands on his hips as he held an even gaze with his father. "What the hell is wrong with L? How come he's moping instead of working on a case as important as this?" He demanded- and then he realized his mistake.
Soichiro's eyes widened for a minute. Something had happened during the meeting to make L upset. "Yagami Raito, you had better tell me what happened during your meeting with Ryuuzaki." He clenched his fists as anger ran through his body. Light didn't know about the chaos he'd caused around the Task Force. No one really knew what to do without L's direction. Soichiro tried his best to lead, with frequent help from Watari, but everyone was very stressed out.
"Nothing of any importance, okay?" Light crossed his arms, his eyes not bothering to conceal their anger. "L's a self-obsessed jerk who doesn't care what anyone else says or does, because he's so perfect that he HAS to always be right!" It wasn't exactly a lie.
"Well, you won't get me to tell you what you want unless you tell me what happened to make you form that opinion." Soichiro refused to budge. If L had caused his amazing son some kind of trauma, he was going to pay. After all, Light was a very polite young man, and it was rare to see him angry like this.
"… L told me I'm a suspect in the Clockers case. We discussed why, and I've told him everything that makes me innocent, but apparently , his stupid notions he calls evidence says otherwise." Light rolled his eyes. Of course he wouldn't tell Soichiro what L did to him. Not yet… He simply re-arranged a few details, but essentially, it was the truth.
Soichiro nodded in understanding. He completely sympathized with Light feeling threatened. It made total sense. "Yes, I understand…" Soichiro decided that was all he was going to get out of Light at the moment. It wouldn't hurt to tell him what L was doing.
"Lately, L's been going to sit on the roof alone. His assistant tells us he's very upset over something, but isn't quite sure what the problem is. The task force has been a mess and L hasn't said a word to anyone. I doubt it if he even spoke to his assistant at all. Everyone's worried about Ryuuzaki and wondering what made him so upset. Usually, he's very emotionless, or emotionally stable, I suppose… There's really nothing else that I know."
Light did a little victory dance inside his mind. Yes! He'd successfully fooled his father.
"Oh. Huh. I didn't think that I was yelling at him THAT much…" Light muttered, trying to act confused over L's actions. The roof… really? How depressing. So what, just because he didn't get to rape Light, the world is coming to an end?
How pathetic.
"Well, if that's all, I'm going to my room."
"Good night, Raito."
Light fell face-first into his bed, his eyes rather devoid of emotion. What was L doing, sitting on the roof all day long? He should be working on the case… Light only wanted to get his point across that he wasn't physically interested in L, despite his dream.
Did he go too far?
No, that couldn't be true. L knew Light didn't want it, and despite the fact that L didn't have the worst lips in the world, he should've respected Light's opinion. Light would've expected a bit of sulking, but removing himself from work and shutting himself off completely was simply… beyond expectations.
'Ugh, why am I worrying so much?' Light thought, turning over and covering his eyes with his arm. 'If L wants to overreact, then let him. He's not important. No. Not at all…'
So why was he so worried about him?
… Nine in the Afternoon …
L grumbled as he awoke on the Friday after the kiss. Today, the Clockers would strike. L had managed to successfully knock out many possible stores to be hit. Still, there were a lot of possibilities, but L hoped that his discovery helped at least a little bit. All the data from the last thefts had already been scourged, so there wouldn't be much to do that day on the case rather than sit and wait for the next strike.
Currently, L was lying on his bed with the covers off the bed and his legs pulled up to his chest. If he wasn't lying on his side, he would've felt strangely lying down like this. Stress had claimed him more than it usually did. Thoughts of the case and Light swirled around in his brain.
At this point, Light was on his mind so much, that it didn't bother L. In fact, L had began working better when Light was on his mind, just not if he was completely on L's mind. L wanted to impress Light, and he knew he could do that by solving the case. So with Light in mind, his motivation was also there.
With nothing but free time today until later at night, L's thoughts were dominated by Light. He was very stressed over what he should do about his situation with the teenager. The need to see him had grown, but L refused to even watch the surveillance cameras anymore. He didn't want to barge in on Light's privacy like that. In the end, it would simply make Light hate him more.
L got up from the bed and rid his mind of Light. He needed to drown his sorrows in something other than cake today. Still, though, he didn't want to see the task force. It was early, so that wasn't an issue, but L didn't feel like going onto the roof today, besides, the fridge was void of L's wanted item. So L went to the second best place for food besides the fridge; Watari.
"Watari," L called to the empty room, "I want something from you, please." L decided to be courteous to the old man. If he played his cards right, Watari might not press L for answers about the meeting. He still didn't want to talk about his embarrassing blunder. Then again, L hadn't spoken to Watari in a few days, and his old friend was bound to be curious.
"Sir? Do you need something?" Watari appeared in the doorway that led to the hall outside of the room.
"Yes, I want you to take me somewhere, if you don't mind," L explained.
"Yagami-san's residence?" Watari asked hopefully.
L frowned at his assistant. "No, that would be uneventful."
"Then where would you like to go? The park, the café, where?" Watari seemed delighted to hear that L wanted to go somewhere rather than eat alone on the roof.
"I would really like some ice cream… Can you take me to that place on the opposite corner on the same block as the movie theater?" The location was actually near the place where he had met up with Light, but that was merely a coincidence.
Watari nodded and the two headed downstairs. The car was cold, and when Watari finally pulled out of headquarters' parking lot, L saw that it was 8AM. On Fridays, the task force members usually showed up around 9:30 or 10, so they had about that long to return to headquarters, which L didn't mind at all.
The smell inside of the ice cream shop was delightful. It smelled like sprinkles. L loved the smell of sprinkles, so it worked out nicely. The poor employee behind the counter had no idea what he was in for, nor did he know how many ice creams he would have to make. It was a sad fate really, and his hands would probably be frozen in the end.
Oh, well. L didn't care. He ordered two of everything on the menu and sat at one of the tables while Watari slowly brought him his orders as they were made.
… Nine in the Afternoon …
Light sighed, walking along the bustling streets. The sun slammed down mercilessly on him, small beads of sweat threatened to roll down his unblemished forehead. They were hastily wiped off, and Light looked around for something to do. The boredom and constant worry became too much for Light, so he went outside to find something entertaining. Who knew, maybe something fun would happen.
"Hm…" His gaze settled on an ice cream shop. "That could work." While Light wasn't totally fond of ice cream, it was hot out, and while the cold would help cool him down, the whole concept of a sugary treat reminded him of L.
"Oh, to hell with it." He sighed. If it'd make Light feel better, then it'd be worth it. He would never admit it, not even to himself, but he only wanted the ice cream because it reminded him of L and made him feel close to the odd detective.
Walking into the store, Light waited in line for a few minutes before finally coming up to the register.
"Vanilla, please. Er- small," he added hastily. He wasn't really into the whole ice cream thing, so he was only going to get as much as he needed. He paid the man, grabbed his receipt, and sat down at the nearest table. There seemed to be a bit of a rush in the back, so Light assumed that it would be a while before he managed to actually get his dessert. So, assuming there was nothing better to do, Light looked around, looking at the other customers.
His eyes settled on a pale face with black, disheveled hair.
"… You have got to be kidding me." He breathed. No way. Was L really here, in the very same ice cream parlor as him?! Suddenly, Light wasn't sure if he should be glad or not that L was here. He was almost happy that L was here, but he also was upset to see the man who'd kissed him in public.
So, he decided to take the rational course and go up to L.
"Fancy seeing you here," he spoke, standing behind the mastermind.
L's eyes widened and his heart rate skyrocketed when he heard Light's voice behind him. He looked upwards and craned his neck until he could see Light upside down. His heart thudded in his chest and butterflies took off inside his stomach. Seeing Light was such a surprised, and definitely not a bad one. L had never experienced a feeling like this before, though. The sudden dryness in his throat, the pounding of his heart, the butterflies in his stomach; it was all very new to L, and he wasn't sure whether he liked it or not.
"Hello, Yagami-san," L said to him.
Watari, seeming to understand that this wasn't a good place for him to be at the time, walked over to watch L's desserts being made. Though he was curious to see what would happen between the two geniuses, he knew L would be mad. Furthermore, he knew that it wasn't his place, and he respected those two reasons.
Light was disappointed at the lack of a good reaction from L. He'd been hoping for something more… entertaining.
"You're not even going to ask why I'm not at school?" He frowned. He had to keep talking, he needed to continue this conversation. Light didn't really know what it was, but there was some part of him that yearned for L's presence.
L looked back down at his ice cream and took in a large spoonful of the frozen confection. "Why aren't you in school?" he asked without swallowing the ice cream, as if it were more comfortable for him to talk with his mouth full.
Light rolled his eyes. It was what he'd asked for, but… He hated how unconcerned L sounded. Was Light really the only person here affected by their kiss? It couldn't be- L was sitting on the roof all day!
Oh. That would make a nice topic of conversation.
"So…" Light coughed, "is the roof very comfortable?"
After a few more spoonfuls of ice cream, L replied. "I'll be talking to your father later." L could see that Light was fishing for a conversation. L couldn't say that he wasn't surprised, because he thought Light hated him completely. After all, Light hadn't even hesitated to yell at him. He didn't say anything further to Light, hoping to making him suffer a little bit.
Light wished that he could grab his hair in his frustration, but there were quite a few reasons why that was impossible at the moment. L was just making fun of him, wasn't he? Yes, that had to be it. Why else would he be pissing him off so much? Other than the fact that Light hated him, of course. Light had the feeling that L wouldn't be talking to him anytime soon, so he stayed silent as well, waiting to see who would break the silence first.
L was a bit surprised that Light didn't say anything else, but then he remembered that he wasn't Light's favorite person in the world. …But if that was true, then why had Light even come up to him? Through L's skill as a profiler, he knew that Light was the kind of person who wouldn't even raise a brow if he saw someone he didn't like. And if he did want to mess with someone he didn't like, he would be yelling by this point.
Something was very off with L's theory of Light not liking him, and L enjoyed being wrong this one time. It made him feel happy on the inside to know that Light took an interest in him on some level and to some extent. On the outside, though, he continued to eat his ice cream as if he were a starving artist who'd run into some money. What better way to waste your precious food money than on ice cream, right?
Light watched L eat in silence, his throat up-heaving as he watched the sugary stuff being shoved down L's throat. His eyes absentmindedly stared at the spoon as it entered and retreated from L's mouth, seeing it go down into the bowl and back up again, into L's mouth, out, and over again. Light caught himself after the fifth time or so, and then kept his gaze firmly fixated on L's forehead. He wanted to ask how L could eat all that, but he'd already done that before and he wasn't prepared to lose this silence contest.
Although Watari wasn't listening in on their conversation, he did notice that L and Light had stopped talking. That wasn't a good sign. He didn't know the entire situation, but he did know that L really liked Light, as could be seen in his many strange behaviors that were connected to the teenager.
Watari needed a way to get the two talking again, or to at least break the silence. He looked down at the many finished ice creams that the poor cashier had made. An idea struck in his mind like a match, and Watari grabbed the plain vanilla ice cream that Light had ordered. Calmly, he approached the two boys.
"Excuse me, Yagami-kun, but it seems your ice cream is ready." Watari held out the small cup of ice cream. A brightly colored spoon was stuck into the frosty treat.
Light turned to look at the old geezer in surprise. He took the ice cream, nodding, but not breaking the silence. Taking the baby blue spoon, he poked at the ice cream, raising a small amount to his lips, but pulling it back in displeasure. It was much too sweet for his tastes.
Watari shrank back to the counter and was disappointed when the talking didn't pick up again.
L stubbornly continued to down the ice cream at an alarming rate. He was admittedly a little afraid of getting a brain freeze. If he didn't keep his mouth busy, though, he knew he would start talking again. He longed to hear Light's voice again. It was such a sweet, harmonic sound, L could just imagine the things they could talk about for hours… L shoved more and more ice cream into his mouth and swallowed without tasting.
Damn, that guy wouldn't quit, would he?
Light stood there, grasping his ice cream, which was now starting to melt, and shifted his gaze to L's table. There were already plenty of empty cups, but the speed at which L was eating made it look as though the man had never tasted food before. He should've had a brain freeze that would consume all of hell by know; why didn't L look affected by all of it?
A sudden pain began to bubble within L's brain. He set down his cup of ice cream. Brain freeze had finally appeared. His skull numbed and pounded at the same time and his deductive abilities were lost as every gear and cog in his brain stopped. All that he could really register was "pain, ow, pain. Oh my god, ow. Pain, pain, pain, pain! Pain, pain, pain, pain, PAIN!!! HOLY FUCKING COW PAIN!!!!"
L's face remained unchanged as he sat there in his hurt state. A frown and a little but of face contorting did manage to twinge his otherwise unaffected face.
Light noticed the changes in L's composure. Was it something he'd said- or lack thereof- or was the glorious wonder known as brain freeze finally setting in? Serves him right, the stupid bastard. A small grin graced over Light's features.
The malfunctioning state of L's mind made him lose more than just his deductive ability. He also lost his balance. Due to his lack of balance, L fell sideways out of his chair and onto the floor. Desperately, he dug his fingers into his hair and grabbed his throbbing head. He could no longer control his facial expression, and so his face tightened as the pain overwhelmed him.
Light, not wanting to make a scene, quickly grabbed L's arm and pulled him up, frowning quite visibly. Great, now was known to be in the presence of the world's greatest creep. "Get up," he muttered, his voice ringing with agitation. He didn't really know why he'd approached L in the first place; he'd done nothing to irritate him so far.
"I won," L grinned slightly through his pain. It hadn't been his plan to get Light to talk to him this way, but it sure did work. He decided to simply stand because he knew he would only fall over if he sat again.
Light grimaced. Yes, Light had lost. Another victory for the #1 detective in the world. "Congratulations," he stated sarcastically. His grip on L's arm didn't cease; he'd rather look like this than have L fall again.
"Thank you for helping me up, Raito-kun," L said politely. He was glad to hear Light's voice again whether the teen was happy or not. Actually, scratch that. Light was never happy, and it seemed to L that he enjoyed being grumpy and cranky. So L was happy to hear Light's voice again.
Letting go of L's arm, his other fingers twitched, yearning to clench into a fist, but Light refused. L knew that Light was pissed off, but he didn't want to over-react. He needed to keep on the down-low.
"You're welcome." He responded, voice chill as ice. He stared for a moment into L's eyes before turning around and going back to his table. Hopefully, L would take the hint and leave Light alone.
The pain in L's head subsided after a while and a new pain entered his body. Heartache clenched at him and made a heavy pit in L's stomach. He didn't want Light to ignore him. Unlike Light, L disliked being grumpy. He stood beside Light's chair and gazed down at the brunet.
"Do you truly hate me?" he asked innocently. It was strange. Usually when L asked a question, the response didn't scare him. It did now. He was fishing for truth that he wasn't sure he was ready for.
Light looked up at L, almost a bit surprised. That was rather… straightforward. Light almost opened his mouth and said 'yes' immediately, but he held himself back. Could he really hate L? L was a bastard, yes, but he was also a genius who solved dozens of the world's most difficult cases on his own. He was the very definition, the foundation, of the justice system. Without L, the world would probably be in chaos. He was still the L that Light revered, if you disregarded the quirks and the utter lack of respect for anyone else but himself. Which, in Light's opinion, could not be disregarded. But did it constitute hate…? While there were many things in the world Light disliked with a passion, there were really only select things that he really hated. Criminals being one. And said criminals were being locked up by the police, and sometimes, with L's handiwork. L would take care of the people Light hated, so he had to be a bit grateful for that…
"No." He spoke softly, loud enough so only L could hear it. He was rather disappointed that he couldn't hate the man who ate nothing but crap and kissed him in a public area. Sure, he disliked him to a degree, but he didn't hate him. Maybe he couldn't.
L's heart nearly leapt for joy, but he instantly calmed it down. Although Light admitted that he didn't hate L, which was a good thing, he hadn't admitted that he liked L at all in any way. L wasn't satisfied with simply not being hated. He wanted Light to like him.
"Would you like me if I hadn't kissed you?" he asked, simply assuming that Light disliked him. L hoped Light would just break down and admit his undying love for him. Sadly, that would probably never happen.
Light pondered over that for a moment. Well, yes, the kiss was a contributing factor to Light disliking him, but that wasn't the only thing. Bad habits aside, L still suspected him, despite all the evidence proving his innocence. He was still a creepy, stubborn guy with no sense of personal hygiene. Who just so happened to be his idol. But... why did L care in the first place? Was it really that big of a deal...?
It apparently was for L, so he decided to play with L's emotions a bit.
"Probably."
A frown formed on L's face. He didn't want to keep hearing about how he'd made a mistake, but he was the one who'd asked. He couldn't stop denying it or sugar-coating it if he planned to get anywhere with Light. Obviously the kiss had upset the teen more than L imagined, so he had to deal with being constantly reminded that he was wrong.
"Is there something I can do to make it up to you?" L asked in all seriousness. He didn't care if he looked like a fool. If it got him somewhere with Light, then it should be worth it. But honestly, face it; L looked like a fool all the time, so there really was no change from the norm. The only thing L didn't really want is Light to ask him why it mattered to him so much.
What would L say to that? He couldn't very well say "I love you," because there were many things wrong with that. It would only drive Light away. He had no idea what a good reason might be other than the fact that Light disliking him bothered him a lot. If he was forced to admit to that, Light would probably ask why it bothered him. Then L would be backed into a corner and forced to say that he wanted Light to like him, which would simply spiral into many other things until Light won over L, smashed his vanilla ice cream in L's face, walked away, and never spoke to L again. Wonderful.
L prayed that wouldn't happen.
Light blinked. Why was it so important to L that Light liked him? Was this some sort of test? Yes, it had to be… that's what this whole thing had been about all along, hadn't it? L feigns affection to get close to Light, and… and…
And what?
What good would it be for L to get close to Light? Was he planning on worming his way into Light's room, to look for more clues? No, he could just get a warrant for that… maybe there was some personality information that L knew about? Maybe… but what would getting close to Light have to do with it? Nothing was really making sense. L didn't really like him, did he? It was just so… unconvincing that L would like Light without getting to know him at all. Or… what if the case was just a ploy? Yes, that would make sense… L comes to Light claiming that Light was a suspect, but really just wanted to get close to Light. Maybe L thought of Light as competition, and when he got close enough, he would take out his prey. While the thought was flattering, Light doubted it; L was too self-important to think of someone as competition.
… So why the hell was he asking these questions?!
"You can promise me that you'll never do that again… ever." Light stated the obvious. Maybe if L behaved himself, Light would reward him with his ice cream. It wasn't as though he'd eat it.
'Oh. And you can stay the hell away from me,' he added mentally. He doubted that L could really 'make it up to him' so easily.
L nodded. "I shall refrain…" He didn't know what else to say. So, he went back to what Light had originally wanted him to ask. "So why aren't you in school?"
Light nearly scowled at the sudden change in subject. He'd wanted to know more about why L was asking about Light's feelings, but perhaps they could wait until later. Maybe if he got L a bit more comfortable, he'd get a more truthful answer.
"Someone pulled the fire alarm, so they let us go." He replied simply.
"I see," L said to acknowledge Light's answer. He began to realize that his position in the conversation was very submissive. It seemed that Light was in charge of this interaction, and L didn't like it. He wanted Light to like him, but it seemed he was just taking advantage of his standoffishness to make L feel strange.
To remedy this problem, L sat back down in his chair. He began to eat his ice cream again, but at a normal pace, this time.
Light watched as L sat back down at his table. What, was that it? L was simply leaving it at that and going back to eat his sugary treats? Light didn't like the idea, but hey, if that's what L wanted, then that's what he'd get. The silence, however, was really quite frustrating. He wished L would talk to him again; while their conversations weren't too exciting, they weren't terrible either.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He grabbed his napkin, scribbled something down with a pen, and folded it up. Also grabbing his ice cream, he walked over to L's table and set down the ice cream, slipping the napkin underneath.
"Here," he spoke up, "enjoy yourself." With his mission accomplished, he then walked out of the ice cream store with haste, his hand clutching the cell phone in his pocket the entire time.
L watched Light go with curious eyes. He was a bit upset that the teenager had just decided to leave. Still, Light had left him his ice cream, and that was good. When L lifted the cup of vanilla ice cream to begin consuming it, he noticed a folded napkin under where the cup had been. Hope grew within L as he set the cup down and picked the napkin up.
If Light had taken the time to fold it, there was something significant about it. L eagerly eyed the note concealed inside the folded corners. Written on the napkin were the multiple magical digits L had only hoped to obtain. It was Light's phone number. Sure L could've gotten Light's number any time if he had really wanted it, but he felt special knowing Light had given L is number willingly. That was probably more than other people could say.
The corners of L's mouth turned upwards uncontrollably. He now had the ability to contact Light. What was more, Light gave him permission to contact him. This was a very good day for L. He couldn't wait to test out the number. That would have to wait until later of course, but still. He would be able to hear Light's heavenly voice any time he wanted!
For what it's worth darling, dear
I wish you were here
'Cause I feel alone
A/N: I really, really hope you liked the super long chapter! Sorry again for the wait. Next time something like this happens again, I'll warn you guys ahead of time. Everything happened kind of quickly…
When we were working on this chapter, I kept looking at all the reviews you lovely readers left us and it was really good inspiration and motivation to write! So please review, fave, and alert! If you don't have anything to say in the review, just tell me how you think we're doing on keeping the characters in character, and maybe give suggestions if you think we're lacking on something. OR MAYBE YOU COULD TELL US IF YOU LIKE THE PLOT/STORYLINE =OOOO
Anyways, I gotta go do some homework, so… UNTIL NEXT TIME, AU REVOIR~!
