AN: Finally, an update!
Disclaimer: Do not own Death Note.
Warning: An overuse of '…' But they're so fun to use!
What just happened?
I feel…good?
No.
I've never felt better.
So…what happened?
L opened his eyes, immediately resting them on a sleeping teen next to him.
Oh.
And it hit him. And…he wasn't sure what to think. Last night had been perfect. That was the only way to describe it, to describe him. Light. L's thoughts came in staccato bursts, firing off one after another.
Consequences.
Always have to think.
But I didn't.
And I don't want to.
Consequences.
Don't think about it.
Yes, that was the key. As foolish and stubborn as it was, L resolved to simply disregard the repercussions of his actions. But whether he was going to think about them or not, he had a job to do.
On the other side of the bed, Light's eyes opened.
Um, ow.
L certainly hadn't been gentle. But the insomniac had brought him to his climax so quickly the room spun, and Light had screamed the detective's name more than once that night. Only now did Light understand the need for soundproof rooms, and he went red.
L, noticing that his partner was awake, leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, earning a small smile. "Good morning, Light- kun." He stood and pulled on a pair of boxers, then began to get dressed.
Light yawned and stretched, noting that he had gotten unchained at some point during the night. "Morning. What's the hurry?"
L slipped on a shirt, his reply muffled through the cotton. "Kira will not stop while we are otherwise occupied." He poked his head out of the shirt and looked at Light. "Though, he may while you are busy."
Something flashed in Light's eyes, too quickly for the dark haired man to see. Disappointment, maybe? "Come on, L. You can't still possibly think I'm behind the murders. You've been around me for weeks, and I haven't done anything suspicious, right?"
"Hm…" L looked at a bowl on the dresser with interest and took a sugar cube from it. He popped the white treat into his mouth and let it dissolve. "No."
"Yet the killings continue."
L couldn't deny that. "Yes."
Light looked irritated. "So I can't be Kira.
"Light- kun," L began, "Please understand my position. I must admit, compared to when I first began investigating you, I am much less suspicious of you. But it makes sense, does it not, that if there were even the slightest chance you were Kira, that I would have to keep my guard up?"
"You don't trust me," Light stated.
L was silent for a moment. "What is trust, Light- kun?"
Light shook his head slowly, standing and stepping into a pair of boxers. "It makes sense. I just don't like it."
"I love you. Isn't that enough?"
"What is love, L?" Light countered, dressing completely.
L came up behind him and wrapped his arms around the teen. "This," he replied, poking Light gently in the chest. "And this." He gestured to himself. "Is love," he finished, speaking into Light's neck.
"Mm. I suppose that's enough," Light conceded, leaning back into L's embrace. The latter spun Light around and kissed him, gently at first, then rougher, running his hands along the younger man's chest and then down to his hips. L grasped Light's waist with thin fingers and pulled him closer, forcing his way into the brunette's mouth. Light gasped, then took two handfuls of L's shirt and shoved the detective onto the bed, following him soon after. He held L's shoulders to the mattress and his lips found their way to the man's collarbone.
"Easy," L murmured, gazing up at the aroused teen.
"Hush," Light ordered distractedly, moving his hands down to finger the bottom of L's shirt.
The older man twisted uncomfortably. "Light- kun, I was hoping we could last longer than ten minutes after getting dressed before pulling off our clothes."
Light yanked at the material, but L wasn't letting him get any farther. "L, take of the damn shirt before I rip it off your back," he growled.
L sighed quietly before complying and pulling the shirt over his head. It had been foolish to think they'd get any work done today.
Light paused, his face inches from that of the man beneath him. "You could at least try not to look annoyed."
L blew a couple strands of black hair from his face in exasperation. "Oh…" The insomniac leaned up and kissed Light on the neck, his lips and tongue trailing the teen's jaw line and moving up to his mouth. Light shuddered, tasting vanilla, then frowned when L pulled back. "Light- kun needs to learn to control his hormones," L breathed out, resting his head back on a pillow.
"So says the man who chained me to the headboard last night," Light retorted.
L chose to ignore that.
Tap! Tap!
Two insistent knocks on the door.
"Fucking interruptions need to stop!" Light hissed, pushing himself off of L while cursing his misfortune. Why was it that every time he seemed to be in dominance, someone had to pound on the goddamned door?! The dark haired man lunged for his shirt and threw it on hastily, further disheveling his appearance.
L pulled the door open to reveal Rodger, who was standing in the hallway looking serious.
"L, Watari needs to speak with you. He says it's…"
Only to then look wide- eyed and almost embarrassed as he stared in apparent shock at L's neck.
The detective's eyebrows knitted in confusion, and he stole a quick glance in the mirror. …Damn. A small, purple bruise practically screamed "ROUGH, KINKY SEX!" from L's collarbone.
"Ah…never mind that. Watari has to talk to me?" L asked, pulling them back to the matter at hand.
Rodger blinked, regaining his composure. "Yes, he's on the phone in my office. He says it's urgent."
L nodded and edged past Rodger into the hall, ignoring a sheepishly mouthed "sorry" from Light. He wondered briefly if Watari was going to reprimand him for not making any progress on the Kira case.
A cell phone was lying open on Rodger's desk, and L picked it up between his thumb and index finger, holding it to his ear in a manner that suggested it was about to explode. "Watari?"
There was silence on the other end.
And then, "Lawliet."
L blinked. Watari never, never used his real name. "Has something happened?" Stupid question.
Nothing from Watari, then a heavy sigh. "There has been a breakout in the Los Angeles prison…"
No. No, no, no, nonononononononono!
"Beyond Birthday has escaped," Watari finished.
This time, silence on L's end. The detective became aware of his own heart thudding wildly like it was a bird trying to break free of a cage. He didn't. He couldn't have. He wasn't supposed to. L had won.
But no. The game was afoot once more. L struggled to keep his voice steady, to calm his erratic heart.
Watari, seeing it was a good sign that L hadn't started panicking or screaming or had fainted, continued. "There was no sign of forced exit: no bent bars, holes in the wall, or anything. He just wasn't in his cell. Disappeared. The only thing that was out of place was…well, he wrote something on the wall. I'm not entirely sure what it means."
"Do you have pictures?" L questioned quietly, his hand tangling in his hair in anxiety.
"Yes. I'll send them to you."
"Thank you." L headed for the investigation room to get access to a computer.
It's just another case.
Yes. Just some escaped convict. Find the target, and put him back in prison. It was the only way L knew how to cope: By ignoring everything but the bare facts, letting the rational, unwavering part of his brain take over. All fears were clamped down upon, leaving L with a sense of…not peace, exactly. More like…nothing. Expressionless. Sort of the way he was before he had started this damn investigation with Light.
"There was something else. A murder was reported, about five hours after the escape. And there was something written on the wall in the same way as the cell," Watari told him.
"Beyond is killing again."
L's tone was hollow, causing Watari to feel a pang of pity. "L, no one would blame you if you were to allow the police to handle this—"
"No. Beyond is my responsibility. Whether you feel the way I do or not, I do not want the police involved, or the task force to be informed of this."
L could hear the old man sigh quietly. "Very well."
"But, Watari…I must ask: Is it wrong…for me to feel frightened?" L's voice sounded very young, looking for some kind of guidance.
Watari knew what the detective need to hear. "You have every right to be afraid. I'd consider it almost worrying if you weren't. But if you're going to do this, you've got to go in strong; you can't let your emotions interfere. I'm counting on you for that, you hear me?"
L was vaguely reminded of when Watari used to use that tone of voice to get him to eat something other than cake when he was young at Whammy's, and he smiled. "I don't wish to be frightened. I know that's what he wants, because it is what he's always wanted." L wasn't going to let Beyond mess with his mind this time. "You're right. I am going to find B and bring him to justice."
L entered the investigation room and sat in front of a monitor, pulling up his messages. One was a collection of snapshots, and he clicked on it, eying the first photo: An empty cell apart from a perfectly made bed and a desk. It almost looked like B never used the bed. The next pictures were of the cell at different angles, and the detective got a glimpse of the writing on the wall. The last photograph was a close- up of the message, and L leaned forward for a closer look.
It was…
An equation?
What?
In red. Blood? No…jam. L suppressed a shiver and bit on his thumb harshly. In jam:
13 – 12 = 1
What was that supposed to mean? L stared at it for a few moments, and then understood. It was similar to what Naomi Misora told him during the LABB Murder Cases. If one puts a 1 and a 3 together, it formed…
1 and 3 together made B.
1 and 2 made…a calligraphy L, to an extent.
So… B – L = 1. There was only going to be one of them left. "Watari."
"Yes?"
"Beyond means for this to be our last encounter; the writing on the wall is a message to me. He's saying one of us will end up killing the other. One of us is going to die."
And it's not going to be me.
It was a challenge, and L was taking it. No pawns, no sending out someone to investigate in his place. If this was truly going to be their last battle, L would have to stand on his own two feet. This, he realized, means I'm going to have to get on another damn airplane.
"Watari, please book me a flight to Los Angeles."
AN: Ooh, how exciting. BB's being thrown into the mix. For any Beyond Birthday haters, please don't kill me. *hides under a rock* Till next time! Hopefully it won't take so long to update. Oh, yeah: Review!! They make me write faster! Thanks to my reviewers: Sashocirrione,xElementFivex, devils address, L death noto, DoodleYounks, im a molly doll, methegirl, hamaell, RandumGrrls, 0o grimmjow schiffer o0, Nikkiacatmeki, Eveliina92, AmazininglyAddictedToAnime, and A Thief A Pharaoh A Priest. If I left anyone out, sorry!!