Manhattan, New York
"You see Leon, there really is a fine art to using a knife, you should have a thorough appreciation for cutlery." The dark haired Alpha remarked to the Beta as he rummaged through the kitchen. The sounds of pots and pans banging about, drawers being opened and closed drifted out into the dining room area of Leon's brownstone on the upper west side of Manhattan.
"There's just so many beautiful and unique ways you can use a knife, no, seriously...slicing, dicing, chopping, cleaving, ripping, tearing, stabbing..."
Leon heard the refrigerator door open. "Hello lover..." He heard the other man exclaim dramatically before he slammed the fridge closed again.
The soft padding of bare feet on hardwood floors grew closer until his guest finally came round the corner to stare down at him with blood red eyes that nearly glowed in the darkness.
"So many lovely things you can do with a knife Leon..." He suddenly snarled and rushed across the room to leap on top of Leon, straddling his torso and earning a muffled shriek from the man who lay bound and gagged on the floor.
Leon's eyes grew impossibly wide, his chest heaving with panicked breaths.
"However does one choose where to start?" The man giggled slightly, playfully waving around a wickedly sharp looking blade in one hand, while he set down the jar of jam he was carrying in his other hand on the floor next to him.
"I've always favored making shallow cuts with an extremely sharp blade, rather than using a dull one that would hurt more initially, but is less precise." He mused, running the edge of the knife across his lips and surveying Leon below him. "You see, Leon, you can make so many more cuts that way. It draws out the fun much longer."
He leaned down to whisper in Leon's ear, "It's all about finding just the right spot to cut to inflict the most pain...physically and psychologically."
"Mmph...mmm" Leon began to thrash about.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" The man grinned down at him maniacally and slowly circled the tip of the blade around Leon's eye socket. "I can make this hurt a lot worse if you struggle my dear."
Leon became silent and still, but tears poured down the sides of his face.
"Who am I kidding?" The man leaned back, staring up at the ceiling to let out a throaty laugh, before looking back down at Leon with cold, dead eyes.
"I'm gonna make this hurt a lot either way, Leon Larsen."
On the Plane
"Hello Wedy, I suppose I wouldn't be hearing from you if it was good news?" L observed the blonde from his satellite linked laptop in the small office in the back of the plane. He didn't often use it, preferring to simply pull out his laptop wherever he was at the time, but was glad for it in times like this when privacy was needed.
"Unfortunately not L." The surveillance expert replied. On her end, the gothic style L was visible on the screen, however Wedy was one of few people who had actually met L in person. She was excellent at what she did and produced results, L appreciated that, even if the methods were often less than legal...morals and ethics couldn't always hold firm when in the pursuit of justice unfortunately and L had understood the need to bring people like Wedy into the mix long ago, but few of them could be trusted with his secrets as she could.
"I've been monitoring Heathrow as you requested and I am sorry to say it has been compromised. I would strongly suggested you divert your flight elsewhere, L."
"Watari, go speak with the pilot and determine the logistics of re-routing our flight while I speak with Wedy. Assess which locations are options at this point, the closer to the UK the better, preferably near one of the cities we have property in and could stay a brief period if necessary."
"Yes, L, I'll be right back."
L returned his attention to Wedy, who was lighting a cigarette.
"Any idea who or which group? How they may have found out I was headed there based on your intel?" L asked, nibbling his thumb thoughtfully, lost in contemplation of his many enemies.
"In the last two days, there have been unauthorized cameras installed to monitor the private boarding and exit areas. Also, there were several men who started in jobs in the last few days that could have access to those areas. I sent the names and faces of the most recent hires to Matt and had him run a background check on them this morning."
"Find anything?"
"The paperwork and everything all looked good on the surface, almost too good. So I asked Matt to see if he could do a facial recognition check on them by hacking into-"
"-I think I'd rather not know Wedy...plausible deniability and all...but continue please"
"Anyways...long story short, it turns out they're all members of the West Bank Syndicate." Wedy exhaled, releasing a large plume of smoke into the air around her.
"Ah, well that's interesting, but not wholly unexpected. They are one of the few groups with the man power and connections to make any sort of real effort at retribution against me." L had cracked the case several years ago that ended up sending the top five leaders of the Syndicate to prison for life.
Charges of murder, fraud, robbery, running a prostitution ring, bribery of government officials...L uncovered all of the evidence that the police could not and tied it back to specific people within the organization. His work inflicted irreparable damage on their gang, but they still held influence and had been attempting to rebuild their power base ever since.
"Is there any indication they knew exactly when my flight was supposed to arrive?"
"No, I've been trying to get audio on some of their conversations, but haven't had luck so far. Their actions up to this point indicate that they are monitoring the location for someone who could be you and they knew you were coming through here at some point in the next couple of days." Wedy replied, clearly frustrated at not to have something more concrete for L to go on.
"Yes, I believe they would most likely take the surveillance from their cameras in the private landing areas and systematically narrow down their possible targets to whichever was most likely me." Even if it meant tracking down every viable target who came through there and killing them. L's eyes widened at the possible carnage.
Watari re-entered the office, waiting for L to finish the call.
"Wedy, we will divert our flight. Please have the cameras they set up removed or destroyed, this will minimize the risk that they will go after an innocent target by mistake. We will still need to get a list of anyone who has come through that particular gate in the last couple days if possible. Set up small, discreet surveillance teams on them. The Syndicate might already have some footage from these cameras and those people could be at risk."
"Send Watari the information on the Syndicate members who are posing as employees, we will notify MI5 of the development and they can determine how best to apprehend them. Good work."
"Thank you, oh, and congratulations on your new mate, L" Wedy smirked at the screen and hung up on him.
"Bitch." L chuckled to himself. "Watari, can you take care of sending that information on once it arrives?"
"I'll get in touch with them as soon as I receive it. We were able to determine several viable options for alternate landing locations, I believe flying into Charles De Gaulle is the closest option and will allow for a stay in the Paris apartment. As soon as you give the word, I can have someone on location in France head over to prepare it for our arrival and make sure everything is aired out and stocked up properly."
"Go ahead. We'll go to Paris and then home once we've established a safe and appropriate mode of transportation."
Question upon question began spinning through L's highly intelligent mind, working through the challenge at hand.
How did they know I was going to be traveling? Did they know I was in Japan as well? Did news of the treaty terms leak to the Syndicate from someone in one of our governments or from the packs … do they have a corrupt official in their pocket?
Just how much do they know...they couldn't have much on me regardless, but Light on the other hand, he and his family would be easy to find information on. All they'd need to know is his name, his face...and they could try to get to me through him and his family.
"Watari, please have a surveillance and protection team placed on the Yagami household in Japan, let the team know there was a security breach on our end, but that they should maintain a strict cover unless absolutely necessary for the family's safety for now to avoid drawing more attention to them." L paused and wrapped his arms around his knees to think about the possible attacks and defenses that he might make against his enemies if necessary.
"I'll see to it."
L continued to sit at the computer and started to pull up case files related to the Syndicate, going into work mode as he usually would on a long flight.
"L? Are you going to go back up front with Light?" Watari inquired.
"Ah, thank you for reminding me...habit I suppose." L looked up guiltily at the older gentleman.
"It will take some adjusting, but I'm sure you'll find a balance." He said with a kind smile.
"I'll have to won't I? I'm not going to let having a mate impact the work I do, but I'd also rather not have Light miserable." Watari gave him a knowing look.
"What? I'm just thinking about my sanity is all." L responded defensively, not wanting to admit what he was starting to feel around Light.
"What's that saying 'happy wife, happy life?'" L joked with Watari, chuckling slightly thinking of how Light would react if he called him the 'wife' in the relationship to his face.
"I get the impression Light could probably make my life pretty difficult if he started feeling neglected, especially since he's probably always been the center of attention growing up. I just wouldn't want to deal with that is all." L said dismissively.
"Hmm, that must be it, of course" Watari said, heading off to take care of the flight change, "It couldn't possibly be because you're actually starting to like him." The man suppressed a smile as he left the room.
L turned to say something, but Watari was already gone. You're too observant sometimes old man.
He stood up and stretched before walking towards the front of the plane again, leaving the laptop running for Watari to use when he returned. I wonder if Light is up for continuing our game of chess. He'd truly enjoyed the game so far in several ways. Finding a challenging chess opponent was rare for him and Light did not disappoint in that regard, but he was also excited by the stimulating back and forth volley of clever comments and insights over the course of the game. Their humors were strangely complimentary to each other.
As L neared the door to the front cabin he realized he was grinning like an idiot as he thought about all of this. You barely know him, pull it together! You can't have it this bad already! He wiped what he was sure was a stupid smile off of his face before opening the front cabin door.
He began to speak before the door had even closed. "Light, I apologize for running off so suddenly, you see-"
"No worries, I hardly noticed you were gone." Light's cold tone of voice had an undercurrent of annoyance to it and he didn't look up once from reading a book he must have brought in his carry-on bag. L saw he was sitting in quite a pile of blankets over on the couch. How very Omega of you Light.
He took note of the decanter of whiskey and shot glass sitting next to him. How much more have you been drinking, Light? L narrowed his eyes speculatively at the younger man.
"I was wondering if you'd like to continue our game of chess?"
"No, I'm busy now." Light didn't look up at him, just kept reading.
Oh, boy... What did I do wrong? I feel like I did something wrong. I'm a detective, I should be able to figure this out. L thought to himself, trying to puzzle through it. Maybe telling him about our change in travel plans would get him interested in talking again, give me a clue to his state of mind.
L walked over to where Light was and sat crouched facing him on the couch.
"Combien français parlez-vous?" L asked. (How much French do you speak?)
Light's head shot up in surprise.
"Je peux parler français couramment." Light replied. (I can speak French fluently.)
"Good, I'm asking because we're diverting our flight to Charles De Gaulle and we'll be staying in Paris briefly."
"Really? I've always wanted to go there eventually." Light smiled shyly.
"Yes, really." Well that was easy enough. Maybe this mate thing isn't so hard. L smiled back at him.
"But why are we changing course mid-flight, isn't that unusual?" Light frowned slightly.
"It's...complicated Light." L hesitated, not wanting to worry him unnecessarily if possible.
"I'm sure I could muddle through it." Light said through gritted teeth, narrowing his eyes at L. "If you're going to continue hiding things from me this isn't going to work." He opened his book, ignoring L again.
L reached out and put a hand over the book to get his attention.
"Light..." The young man looked back at him with a cold, unreadable mask upon his visage. L retracted his arm from the book so he could cross his arms on top of his crouched knees and rest his chin there. "I told you earlier that I've put away some very dangerous criminals, as I'm sure you're already aware knowing the work I do. It would stand to reason that there are a lot of people who would like to figure out what I look like, who I really am and kill me. Hence the anonymity I go to great lengths to maintain."
Light had set the book down and was listening attentively now. "The call I just took was one of my surveillance experts I've had monitoring Heathrow since I left for Japan for any unusual activity as a precaution." L paused, trying to determine in how much detail he should explain this to Light.
"Apparently Heathrow has been compromised. One of the criminal groups that I worked a case on several years ago somehow found out that I would be traveling back in through that airport within the next couple of days. They setup illegal surveillance equipment, even managed to plant a few of their people as employees in that short amount of time to gain access to the private boarding and landing area."
"Ok...so does this happen often? Someone, criminals I guess, being able to get even this close to discovering details of your identity?" Light said quietly.
"No, I think this is the closest anyone has gotten in years. The concern now is how they found out. I suspect that a very rough estimation of my movements was leaked to them from some government official in their pocket." L nibbled on his thumb thoughtfully as he continued.
"Considering that I used my own plane to get back and forth, and had my own living arrangements while in Japan, it would've been difficult, if not impossible for them to be able to pass along exact details to the criminals in question. No, it's most likely that all they had was a general time frame for my arrival and departure at the most."
L looked at Light and saw the wheels turning in the young man's head. He decided to sit back and let this be a test of Light's deductive reasoning skills, to see if he would come to the same conclusions about the possible threats to his -
"L! My family, what if someone leaks that information? They might try to use them to get to you through me or them if they know I'm your mate." Light was stricken with a look of panic.
"I've already dispatched a surveillance team to watch over and protect your family 24 hours a day. They will be discreet, so your parents and sister will never even know they're there. They're professionals that I am confident will be able to handle anything that comes their way."
Light took a deep breath, exhaling shakily. Worry danced around the edge of his eyes.
"We're not going to let anything happen to them or you, ok?" L reassured him with a smile.
Light looked at him, nodding, his expression slowly calming.
L suddenly felt the young man's hands tentatively take hold of his hands. He looked curiously at Light, who gazed back at him with a look of gratitude.
"Thank you for watching out for my family, L." Light murmured quietly, but sincerely to the older man. He ran his thumbs softly across the Alpha's knuckles.
L had no intention of taking his hands back from Light anytime soon. The Omega's touch was soothing. He was moved by the genuine emotion displayed by Light, as he felt it was something the other man probably didn't let others see very often.
"Of course, Light, they're my family now too."
Light pulled both of L's hands towards him and leaned down to kiss the back of each hand, his hair falling forward to obscure his face behind a golden brown curtain.
"My Alpha..." Light whispered possessively, as his lips brushed against the back of L's hands.
L felt like his heart stopped beating for a moment as those words came from Light's mouth.
Light raised his eyes and rested his chin on L's hands.
L couldn't take it anymore, leaning forward and gently pressing his lips to Light's.
The kiss began softly, slowly. L set a languid pace, enjoying the simple feeling of Light's pliable lips molding to his own, their breathing intensified as he continued his exploration. L gently pulled his hands from the other man's grasp as they continued to kiss.
I have to touch him; I have to have more of him. L brought his hands up to Light's face, cupping the side of his face in one and using the other to softly stroke along his neck with his thumb.
Light's tongue ran hot and wet along L's lower lip, encouraging the Alpha to do the same. They turned into hungry creatures as L licked and bit at Light's lips before devouring his mouth completely. Tasting the whisky in the Omega's mouth, he wondered if he was drunk from the taste of it or if the young man in front of him was just that intoxicating. Kissing Light was dizzying, the little moans and sighs he made shot straight to L's groin.
He caressed and teased Light's mouth and tongue with his own as the other man responded with an unrestrained fervor. Their lips met again and again until they were breathless and panting, but still...
I want more of him; I need more of him. L reached to yank the blankets away from around Light as they kissed, unwilling to break contact for a moment. It felt like he was trying to unwrap a piece of his favorite candy, only he knew this would taste so much better. Light let out a needy whine that was L's undoing. He let out a low growl and swiftly maneuvered them both to pull Light on to his lap, allowing the younger man to straddle him on the couch.
"L..." Light breathed out in a haze of lust, reaching up to run his fingers through the Alpha's soft, dark hair and pull him close, eagerly meeting his mouth again. The Omega rolled his hips to grind against L's growing erection with his own, earning a low groan from the older male. L's hands drifted to grip and squeeze Light's taut ass as the sensual motion was repeated again and again.
Yessss ... Just like that...oh fuck. L's fingers dug into Light hard enough to bruise. He held the other man's hips tightly against his own, feeling their hard pulsing lengths straining against their clothes. Those few thin layers of fabric being the only thing separating them from connecting more intimately.
L moved a hand to Light's hair, carding his fingers through it so he could grab a handful and firmly pull the Omega's head to the side, exposing his scent gland.
"You smell like strawberries, Light...I want to taste you." L voice was rough with need. The young man let out a shuddering sigh, eyes half closed, lips parted.
"Please..." Light whispered.
God, he's just...perfect.
L began at Light's collarbone, licking and biting a path upward, marking his neck. Occasionally he leaned back to admire the scattering of dark purple bruises that now graced the smooth skin of his Omega.
"Alpha..." Light's words were like a benediction to L's ears. He ran his tongue across the Omega's scent gland. The young man bucked his hips in response and moaned. Mine...
L moved his other hand lazily up from where it lay on Light's hip, happy to take his time exploring the firm, tight body in his lap. He ran his hand upward, first gliding over the other man's torso-
"Uhh" Light winced in pain. L immediately removed his hands from where he'd been touching Light's stomach and rib area, and leaned back, looking into Light's eyes with concern. So, he is injured.
Light's breathing was uneven still and he struggled to hide his discomfort.
"Why did you stop? It's nothing." Light started kissing L again, but the other man placed a hand on his chest to gently push him back.
"Light, please don't lie." L's eyes implored the man to be honest with him.
"I don't think you have any room to lecture others about lying, Ryuzaki." The younger man hissed at L, giving him a scornful look. He put his hands on L's chest and angrily pushed himself off the man's lap and onto his feet, but was unable to contain a whimper of agony at the sudden movement. L stood quickly and reached out to steady him. Light gave a weak push against L, stepping further away and avoiding his help.
"I'm only going to ask you one more time to be honest with me, after that I'm not playing nice anymore." L warned. "I'm going to discover what's going on one way or another."
You may not care about your well-being, but I will not let you sit and suffer due to your stubbornness.
Light picked up the decanter and shot glass, pouring himself a drink while sending a look of skepticism L's way.
"Don't believe me Light?"
He set the bottle down and looked at L before snorting dismissively and shaking his head.
"I'd like to see you try." Light muttered.
He smiled condescendingly at the Alpha and brought the glass to his lips, before turning his back to him and waving him off with his injured hand. "Whatever, take your best shot, L".