Aiber was good company, at least when alcohol was brought into the question. L didn't drink much, Quillish had made it so getting drunk was difficult, he always considered that an advantage.

But not anymore.

Aiber was drunk, sprawled out on the couch in an abandoned shack in Iceland. And L envied him.

He just wanted to forget, just for a little bit. He poured himself another glass, ignoring the rambles of the blond. He looked towards the windows at the stars, the sky was clear, stars littering the darkened canvas.

"Y'know Hans, if ya' wanna get plastered you should drink som'ore." He ignored him once again, setting down the half-empty cup and moving towards the door. "Ey' where are you goin?" There was a faint breeze, the bushes swaying with it.

He heard AIber stumble after him, plopping himself down on the grass. "Watcha' lookin for pretty boy." He pointed up, the Milky Way was visible.

He lay down, arms going up to cushion his head as he watched the lights blink. It was peaceful, a break from reality, from his responsibilities.

The silence stretched as they gazed, it reminded him of Beyond. His successor often snuck into his room, sitting next to him on the window seat to watch the stars, content to just be near each other with the faint feeling of comfort it gave.

But they never sat in silence.

Because silence was never good.

He glanced over to Aiber, who's eyes were narrowed at the stars. "Along the shore the cloud waves break, the twin suns sink behind the lake, the shadows lengthen In Carcosa." He saw Aiber startle out of the corner of his eye, be it from the breathy tone of voice he used or the fact that he spoke at all.

"What?"

L raised a brow, not taking his eyes away from the stars, continuing the song "Strange is the night where black stars rise, and strange moons circle through the skies, but stranger still is Lost Carcosa." His eyes wandered the cosmos, taking in the sight, voice falling away, the pair lapsed into silence once again.

The stars seemed to wander, shades of blue and purple highlighting the faint lights. It was a beautiful sight, one that his mother would have loved to see.

He glanced back at Aiber, and felt a small smile form on his face, vision becoming the slightest bit blurry as the stars seemed to shine brighter.

His mother would have loved to see it.