Author's Note: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's an update! ;O;
This entire chapter is written in third person…don't ask me why, cuz I honestly don't know... O.o
P.S: This chapter would have been uploaded like 3 days ago, but I was having uploading problems with FFN; I'm not sure what the problem was, but whatever, it's working now. ^^
Enjoy~
Chapter 9. Therapy
As the dark-haired detective awoke gently, he immediately felt the emotions behind the dreams he'd been having rush through him. He couldn't quite remember what had happened within them, but he had a feeling that it had had something to do with Naomi. The nostalgic embrace he was in at the moment had triggered such dreams, no doubt. He closed his eyes, taking short breaths so as to not bother his sleeping counterpart. He watched his face, feeling the movement of his chest against his own as they breathed.
Will this boy be my end?
He couldn't shake his suspicion off. Would it even be wise to do so? When had his suspicions ever been wrong? However…even if the boy would cause his early demise, could being destroyed by something so beautiful, so angelic, be anything to complain about? Should it be seen as some sort of privilege? He shook his head lightly in disapproval at such an absurd thought. This boy was his equal, in a sense; why should being destroyed by another human being be a privilege?
But he'd never seen someone so utterly handsome before; not just handsome, but charming, and intelligent on a level that was close to his own. All this, and he had not even one disability; he wasn't crippled, he didn't have asthma, he didn't even need glasses…How could such perfection even coincide with all the corruption around it? It almost wasn't fair. Not to everyone else, who felt lesser around such an other-worldly being, and not to said being either since he was forced to be around those that differed so greatly from himself. But this couldn't be the case. He was human, and humans had blemishes, imperfections. His faults must be within.
The sleuth was suddenly reminded of Lucifer; the rebel archangel that had challenged God's supremacy. It was said that he'd once been a beautiful angel, and one of the closest angels to God. But regardless of such outer beauty, his core had been rotten; stricken with jealousy towards God's newest fixation with humanity, he'd become consumed with sin like the very race he despised.
Lucifer translated as light-bearer, such an ironic and contradictory name. Perhaps this was the same sick humor that had promised that the brunette next to him would be named Light at birth. Coincidence or not, it was an odd name; also, not Japanese in any way. He couldn't help but wonder what his parents, the ones who most likely chose his name, would give as an explanation if asked why they'd picked it.
The 17 year old stirred in his arms, and the older man looked up to meet the fluttering eyes before him. Blinking away the daze of sleep, his eyes focused on the pale face in front of him, meeting the large, insomnia-ridden dark eyes.
"Have you been awake long?" Light asked.
L shook his head, answering "No more than five minutes."
"Hmm, I like sleeping with you, Ryuzaki."
"...The feeling is mutual," he admit.
It took the raven approximately half a second later to realize the double entendre behind the brunette's words. He actually hadn't expected such a remark to come from Light, regardless of the playful tone behind it, and found that he'd fallen right into the younger boy's little trap. L's eyes met the other's with light suspicion, to which the brunette sent him an innocent and confused look back, but the amusement in his eyes told L everything he needed to know. The boy laughed at L's narrowed eyes and the sound was like wind chimes. He pulled the other boy tighter, arms wrapping around him in a gentle hug. L closed his eyes and relaxed as he enjoyed the feeling, savored it even, before he forced his eyes back open and tensed a little. Recently, his body had been so very bothersome. While his brain told him to feel one thing, it seemed his body had a mind of its very own. Light ignored the slightly hesitant body next to him and put his nose to the black hair before him and inhaled, smiling inwardly at the clean smell. There was something about the man that was so pure, yet he felt as if there was so much more to him, so much more he needed to uncover. He pushed the thought aside as he wiggled himself lower to meet the boy's stomach. L looked down at him curiously, but he ignored the stare in favor of continuing what he'd wanted to do. He pulled up the man's shirt, going in for the kill. He attacked the man's stomach with kisses, his nose nuzzling affectionately at the skin before him. Thin fingers gripped his shoulders quickly in a gesture that could only be interpreted as 'stop'.
"No," he smiled.
And then he heard it.
A breathy chuckle. No, not even that; it was a nearly silent vibration from within L's chest, followed by the faintest of smiles that lingered merely a second. He felt his chest whiz with determination as he moved back to his stomach, laving more kisses to sensitive areas such as his hips, and then his sides. His reward was a light giggle and a gentle shove for mercy. But he ignored it, deciding to kick it up a notch, this time letting his tongue dip into the small dent in his naval, his hands coming up to grip and touch wherever they could. Then the man laughed, finally giving up against the pleasant torture.
"Stop t-tickling…me!" he begged through his teeth, failing at suppressing his laugher.
"Why should I when I'm finally getting you to smile?" Light laughed.
"Dammit, Light!" he cried. As much as he tried to sound stern and serious, he couldn't. How could he be mad with the beautiful boy smiling at him, touching him so fondly?
Light finally stopped tormenting the man, quite happy with the results he'd received. He moved back up, leaving kisses on his neck, then his jaw, then his cheeks. He met L's lidded gaze with a small smirk, coming close to his ear.
"It seems I've found your weakness," he joked in a whisper.
The patients in the North Wing of Mansfield had been called to room 108 by the nurses. Apparently, someone had suggested to Namikawa that the patients should start talking to someone like a guidance counselor to express their feelings, after hearing of all the violence.
"What did the nurse mean by 'North Wing'?"
"There are four wings at Mansfield," Light explained as he walked down the hall with L, looking for the correct room. "We're in the North Wing. The North Wing is for teens and young adults; patients within the age range of 13 to 29." L nodded and Light continued, "The South Wing is for any children, under 13 obviously. The East Wing is for adults up to age 56. And the West Wing is for the elderly patients. There aren't many patients here though, seeing as this is a…special institution."
L nodded, "…Have they ever had any 'meetings' like this with the patients before?"
"I'm not sure, but there haven't been any since I've been here."
"How long have you been here?"
"About three years."
Curiosity hit L hard, but he wouldn't ask why Light was in here. Then the brunette would ask why he was here, and he really didn't want to get into that.
"Well, here it is," Light announced. They walked in, immediately greeted by a warm glow flowing through the windows, and rather spacious surroundings. There were about 15 chairs placed in a large circle, and there was a woman sitting in one of them facing the door.
"Welcome," she said with a smile.
She was a thin woman, but wasn't too skinny, and her brown hair was cut rather short in a curly, stylish bob. Her skin was very light, her cheeks a soft pink, as was her lip gloss. She had a pretty face, and looked like she was probably in her late twenties.
"Have a seat," she said, motioning to one of the many chairs.
The boys took their seat, eyeing the room and woman. She hummed to herself as she sorted through papers, glancing up at the clock occasionally. After about five minutes, familiar patients started to flow into the room. They walked in, looking over everything with an odd expression.
What is this, therapy? Weren't we sent to Mansfield because we couldn't be fixed? Mello thought to himself as he sat down, sending confused looks to his two partners.
Leo walked in then, and behind him was Riley. Light made a look as if he'd smelled something unpleasant, but L remained impassive. The raven refused to let the blond intimidate him.
More patients walked in, and after everyone settled in and stopped looking to Light for answers, the woman cleared her throat. "Welcome everyone. I'm Ms. O'Connell, and I'm here to talk to you guys about whatever you'd like," she smiled. "This meeting is for your benefit, so I want you all to feel free to speak your mind."
Silence.
"Are you crazy?" Tommy asked.
Soft chuckles filled the room as the woman turned her gaze to the red-head. "Crazy is such a loose term. It can be viewed and perceived so many different ways. I may be crazy to you, but I may not be crazy to the next person," she answered.
More silence.
"I like her. I can tell she's one of those people that win arguments by playing constant mind games," Nick said with a laugh.
"Mind games, huh? You could be right. But this isn't about me. This is about all of you. So would anyone like to start? You can say whatever you'd like," she insisted.
"…"
"Okay…how about this: everyone say something that they love or are fond of in only one word. We'll go around the circle clockwise, starting with me." She looked to everyone for approval, and took their stares as a yes. "Alright…swimming. Now you go," she said, looking at Mello.
"…Chocolate."
"Good," she encouraged, "now you."
"Puzzles," Near said, curling a strand of his silver hair between his fingers.
"…Routine," Matt answered shyly.
"Talking," Nick said with a smirk.
"Running," Tommy offered.
"Sex," Leo stated.
"You would go there," Jace laughed.
The Italian raised his middle finger, causing a few more chuckles, before turning to the blond next to him. "Your turn," he said to Riley.
"Art."
"Action," Jace said.
"Games," Light informed. Nothing was better than a good game to ease his boredom. He turned to L.
"Justice," he answered in a monotonous voice, knees to his chest, thumb to his lip. He received strange looks, but he ignored them. Justice was the perfect answer for a detective like him. Or more accurately, former detective…
"People," the youngest patient in the room, Taro, answered.
"Good, good. Now we're going to go around the circle again; this time I want you all to say one word to describe why you like or love the things you all just stated. My word would be 'weightless'. Your turn," she smiled at Mello.
"Orgasmic."
"Since when is chocolate orgasmic?" Tommy questioned.
"Since when is it not?" Mello retorted. "Now go before he talks again," the blond said to Near with a grin. Tommy rolled his eyes.
"Challenge."
"…Comfort."
"That's cute, Mattie," Mello whispered. He placed a soft kiss on Near's cheek. "I can't reach him, so pass that to Matt for me," he said with a playful smirk. The pale boy did as he was told, turning to kiss Matt's cheek, his lips lingering for a couple seconds before pulling away just as Mello had.
"Fags," Jace joked.
"I have this weird feeling that you like provoking Mello," Taro said laughing.
"Not Mello, specifically. He's just the most fun to fight with."
"Masochist," Light chuckled.
"It actually works out in a way; Jace is always there when I have the urge to beat the shit out of someone, so our relationship is pretty symbiotic," Mello laughed. The blond looked over at Tommy expectantly.
"Freedom," he sighed.
Leo grinned, "Pleasure."
"Beauty," Riley said passionately, his eyes falling on L briefly, causing Light to send him a glare.
"Excitement," Jace said, his eyes glowing.
"Entertainment," Light said, rearranging his bangs carefully.
"Balance," L said. Actions needed consequences; otherwise there would be no natural flow. Without justice, things would be utterly chaotic.
"Company," Taro answered happily, his large eyes bright. Light couldn't help but think that Taro reminded him of Sayu.
"Alright. Now does anyone remember the first time they'd felt that way about the thing they mentioned? Or why you feel that way at the moment?" Ms. O'Connell asked. She smiled at the nods she got in return. "We'll go around a third time. However, you can answer in as many words as you'd like this time," she said.
"…When I was younger, my mother used to give me chocolate to make me feel better whenever I was upset. So I now equate chocolate with good feelings," Mello answered. He looked up cautiously, giving certain people a stare that said 'I dare you to laugh'.
No one laughed.
"In times where I could not focus, puzzles kept me occupied and challenged my mind," Near informed, his eyes blank as he looked towards Matt.
"Routine has always been comfortable for me because there are no surprises, which means that there's nothing to have to be prepared for," Matt explained, looking to his left at Nick.
"I had spent two years without speaking a word. I guess it was some type of rebellion against those around me… But after a while I realized that no one cared, so I changed my approach. I spoke about anything and everything, to anyone. It was almost as if I was making up for the years I had been mute," Nick said a bit solemnly before giving a pleasant smile.
"I won't go into detail, but I had been put in a bad situation when I was younger; it was the situation that landed me here, actually," Tommy swallowed with a twinge of anxiety at the memory, and continued, "The only thing I could think to do was to get away from the situation, so I ran. It helped me feel…less trapped."
Leo sighed, hand coming to his neck as he stretched slightly. "I think my answer and the situation to which it pertains is pretty obvious, enough that I shouldn't have to elaborate; but for anyone who wantsme to say something, I'd say that instant gratification is the draw."
Everyone nodded, turning their attention to Riley. "My appreciation for life's minor and major beauties was heightened under certain circumstances. The way my mind opened up to see such wonders clearer is art in itself, really."
Crazy bastard… Light thought to himself. He can take his artistic view on things, and shove it straight up his-
"Anything fast paced keeps my attention, which is exactly what I need most of the time. I don't like to be left alone with my thoughts," Jace answered smoothly.
"You can still think after being punched by Mello so many times?" Nick laughed.
"Apparently," Jace replied with a roll of his eyes, his hand running through his dark hair and covering the white streak for a moment.
"Games of any kind are entertaining. Not only do they demand effort and planning in most cases, which is fun and challenging in itself, but they alleviate boredom," the brunette answered, saying the last word as if it were a vulgar curse. His honey eyes fell on the monochromatic man next to him.
I might as well be honest… They won't be able to contrive anything solid from my statement if I keep it vague, L thought.
"As a former detective, 'justice' coincides with my morals in a way that most cannot understand," L stated, rubbing his toes together on his chair.
Light's eyes widened in surprise; Former detective?
Author's Note: Sorry for ending the chapter kind of abruptly… ^^' But the next main event will take up most of the next chapter because it will lead to yet another main event; said event being lemony smut with our favorite threesome (well they're my favorite threesome…). :D Anyone up for MattxMelloxNear? ;)
Review if you'd like… (~*v*)~
P.S: Are my random original characters annoying or acceptably realistic? Let me know if you review, please. :3
