Chapter 21
As soon as they were back in the room, Light went into the bedroom to change and L went to the cabinet where he kept his purchased sweets. He got several items and brought them out to the balcony along with his laptop and put them on the table. He gazed out over the landscape, smiling as he watched animals gracefully move into view. Knowing that there was such a place of beauty and grace balanced out the horror and death he dealt with on a daily basis; that and the miracle of his relationship with Light.
He looked up as Light walked out of the bedroom, carrying a bottle of suntan lotion and wearing the dark blue swim trunks he had purchased that were knee length, and sported a light blue strip around the waist and down the side. As he watched, Light poured the lotion into his hand and began to rub it on his chest and down his abdomen. L once again was quite glad his jeans were roomy; the view was beginning to get to him and his body was reacting. Light smiled at him and began walking towards him holding out the lotion.
"Put some on my back?" he asked and L cleared his throat as he took the bottle. He poured some in his hand, tried not to grimace, and began to rub it on Light's back, the warming of the liquid against Light's skin not helping his predicament at all.
"You sure you won't come with me at least for a while?" Light asked him as he neared the small of Light's back and the waistband of the trunks. He had a fleeting thought of allowing his hands to continue inside but remembered he had work to do. He pulled his hands back and took a deep breath before he answered.
"Yes….No…I've got too much work to do," he said breathlessly, making Light raise an eyebrow in question, and turned to look at him. He noted the color in his face and smirked, he knew that look well.
"I don't have to go right away if you have something else in mind?" he suggested and L shook his head.
"As attractive as that idea is, you are now covered in greasy suntan lotion and smell of coconut which has decreased any interest I may have had," he leaned forward and kissed Light softly, "This will have to suffice until later," he looked down at the palms of his hands and grimaced, "It is a testament to how much I love you that I did this in the first place." He said walking to the kitchen sink and washing the offending trace of lotion from his hands then walking back to the balcony and sitting down at his lap top.
"Now go and play I have much to do," he said focusing on the screen. Light laughed and walked back into the bedroom, grabbing a shirt to wear as cover until he got to the pool and the book he had been reading.
"Fine Dad, I'm going," he said going to the door. He stopped for a moment, the ever-present worry about the contracts on L's head at the back of his mind coming to the front again, "Keep your cell phone nearby, I'll call you later to see how you're doing," he added. L waved his hand at him as he continued to read his screen.
"Of course, now please let me work, the sooner I get to it the sooner I will be done for the day" he said tersely still staring at his screen. Light sighed and opened the door, Detective L had taken over.
The first person L wanted to talk to was Watari; he wanted him to bring him up to date with what was happening and…he just wanted to talk to him. He missed not talking to him on a daily basis several times a day; he hadn't realized just how much he depended on that until he hadn't had it. The moment he heard his guardian's voice, and saw his face on the screen he smiled.
"Ryuzaki, it's good to hear from you, I take it all is well?"
"Yes, this vacation has proven to be very enjoyable, but it is time I take a look at what is happening with my cases," L answered. Watari was quiet for a moment before he answered.
"You needn't trouble yourself, the boys are doing an admirable job," he said and L shook his head as he reached for a biscuit.
"Of that I have no doubt, but nevertheless it is important that I know exactly what is happening and also what new cases are waiting. I am especially interested on anything that could be happening on the Coil and Denouve fronts, so please bring me up to date."
"Certainly," Watari said and began to retrieve folders, "How are you feeling, Ryuzaki?" he asked as he did. L frowned slightly as he knew exactly what he was asking about.
"I am fine, my sleeping has not been troubled too badly, I only see Light as Light…well at least 98% of the time." He answered.
"That's excellent news, Ryuzaki. What about Light? I am sure he has his issues that he probably has not voiced, but I am sure you are aware of." L nodded as he finished off another biscuit.
"Indeed he has, he would not have been human had he not after what he has been through. It did take some doing to get him to admit it, however, he has finally been honest with me and we have addressed and worked on his situation as well. I believe we shall both heal very well," he answered.
"It is good you both can be honest with each other, especially in a situation like this," Watari told him and L smiled.
"It was one of the things we each insisted on beginning this relationship," L told him, "We spent every waking moment of every day during the Kira case lying to each other for self preservation. It was imperative that we promised not to ever lie to each other again. Now, what information do you have for me?" he finished and Watari opened this first folder and began to up date him.
"Excuse me? Is anyone using that chair?" Light looked up from his reading at the question into the face of a young, bikini clad, dark haired woman. She was pointing to the beach chair to the right of him and smiling behind large sunglasses. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
"I'm not sure, but I haven't seen anyone using it," he answered and she smiled back as she walked over to the chair.
"Thank you, I thought perhaps you were with someone and it was taken," she answered.
"No, that isn't the case," he said and went back to his reading. She lay a towel she had brought with her across the chair and sat down. She opened a small bag she had been carrying with her and pulled out a bottle of suntan lotion, then began to apply it to herself. Light glanced at her for a few moments and then went back to his book.
After a few moments of applying it she turned and looked at Light. Even behind the sunglasses she could tell he was good looking, and that accent when he spoke to her…was it Japanese? She smiled to herself, when her friends had suggested they go to Disney World for a girls only get away she thought it might be fun, if a little silly. The last thing she expected was to find someone like him. She checked his hands as they held the book—nope, no wedding band she could see, that was promising. Her two travel companions were sleeping in, they'd had a rather late night and she'd been the first one awake. She left a note and decided to enjoy the pool and the sun; and when the bar opened a bit of the hair of the dog. She leaned towards the still reading Light.
"I'm sorry to bother you but could I ask you a big favor?" she asked. Light looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow in question.
"Such as?" he asked.
"Nothing horrible I promise you," she said laughing, "But I can't reach my back and I'll burn badly if I don't get some lotion on it. Usually my friends are with me so it isn't a problem. Do you suppose you could help me?" she asked holding out the suntan lotion. Light hesitated for a moment wondering if this was some kind of come on, but he decided that even if it was it would probably be rude not to help. He smiled and sat up, putting his book down on the table on the other side of him.
"I guess I can do that," he said and stood up, crossing the distance between the two chairs and taking the lotion from her hand. She definitely enjoyed the view, nicely toned chest, slim waist and well toned legs. Here was definitely an excellent catch for a bit of vacation fun if he was available; definitely one to talk about when she got back home. She watched as Light poured the lotion into his palm and walked behind her.
"I know it probably seems very forward of me, I mean I don't even know your name but I really don't want to burn," she added as he began to apply it to her back.
"It's Light, and I don't mind," he answered and he quickly moved from her shoulder blades to her lower back. He finished quickly, rubbing the remainder of the lotion on his own arms and headed back to his chair.
"Thank you Light, I really appreciate it" she said as he walked away again enjoying the view, "And I'm Tracy." He smiled at her as he got back into his chair and retrieved his book.
"It's very nice to meet you Tracy, I'm glad I could help," he answered and went back to his book, much to her surprise.
Tracy was quite surprised that he didn't go further with the conversation once she had given him her name. Usually once a guy got her name the next thing to follow was a litany of corny one liners or stupid pick up lines, but not this time. Apparently whatever he was reading was more interesting than speaking to her. For a moment it crossed her mind that he could be gay, but she quickly dismissed that. If he was then surely his partner would have been with him at the pool since he was so good looking, and he was obviously alone. He was probably here with friends just as she was. He was just not into chatting with her at the moment, that was all. She would wait until the bar opened which would be soon, and then she'd try again.
After a few minutes, Light lay his book down and looked at his watch. He'd been gone a while quite a while now, it was time to check on how L was doing. He reached into the pocket of his shirt and pulled out his phone. He looked over to the side to where Tracy was lying, and although she looked asleep he decided not to take any chances. Not that he was planning any slip ups but rather be safe than sorry and not be overheard at all. He got up and walked closer to the bar and away from her as he dialed.
L frowned slightly when he heard his phone ring; he was reading a report that Matt had scanned and sent to him and he really didn't wish to stop at the moment. But knowing Light if he didn't answer he'd have to endure the wrath of the concerned detective and it would take less time and aggravation to answer the phone.
"Are you enjoying your poolside activities?" he asked when he answered.
"I am. It's pretty quiet, I've been reading and relaxing in the sun. I'm about to try out the pool, but I thought I'd give you a call first and see how it's going."
"Very well, quite a number of things have been happening in my absence, the boys have handled them well. Eraldo Coil has several offers to track down a few missing persons;
definitely not worth my time but I may do it for the amusement factor; they're probably already dead anyway. I was reading a report on one of the cases when my phone interrupted." Light chuckled into the phone.
"Fine, I get the message, I'm sorry I bothered you. I'llget back in touch with you for lunch soon okay?"
"That sounds agreeable. Enjoy your swim," L told him and closed the call. Light looked at his phone and shook his head; L was definitely in his zone he should be happy he answered the phone at all.
He walked back to the chair and put his phone back into his shirt pocket. He checked out the pool and noticed a few more people had arrived. The smaller children were in the nearby kiddie pool, older children towards the shallow end. The deeper end of the pool was still fairly empty so he decided it would be a good time to take a swim.
What he didn't realize was that his every move was being scrutinized by the young lady in the nearby lounger. She hadn't been deeply asleep when Light had gotten up to make his phone call so the sound of him moving out of his chair made her open her eyes. She watched as he walked towards the bar and made a phone call. He was too far away to hear but it had been too short to have been a girlfriend she decided. She continued to watch as he returned to his chair and then walked to the pool and got in. If she had enjoyed the view from the front, she was definitely enjoying the rear view as well. She watched as he climbed into the deep end of the pool and then disappeared under the water, to resurface further down the huge pool; popped up to look around and then disappeared again to resurface back where he started. He did this several times, obviously enjoying the water immensely.
As he resurfaced the final time and began to get out of the pool, Light realized he had neglected to bring any towels. As he walked back towards his chair he was suddenly face to face with a white fluffy one.
"Here, I noticed you didn't have any and I brought a couple," Tracy told him holding out the towel. Light smiled and took the offering.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," he said and began to dry himself before he went back to his chair. Tracy watched, enjoying the show as she sat back on her chair. Once he had finished he picked up the suntan lotion and began to reapply it, and began to be aware of the fact that his every move was being watched. He wondered if he should mention that he wasn't interested, but decided he'd wait until she made it obvious that was what she was after rather than taking the chance that he might be wrong. Once he had finished with his legs he was startled when her hand reached across and took the lotion from his own hands.
"Let me return the favor, turn around," Tracy told him as she began to pour the lotion into her hand.
"That's not necessary, I'm just going to lie down on my back anyway," he told her moving away from her and she laughed.
"Don't be silly, if you could do it for me there's no reason why I can't do it for you," she said smiling, "Don't worry I'm not going to bite or anything, I really just wish to return the gesture." She added and after a moment's hesitation Light nodded and turned his back towards her.
"I guess that makes sense, thanks," he answered and allowed her access to his back, even though a slight warning bell was going off in the back of his mind.
L finished the report and went over a few more items with Matt who was pulling the late night shift while Mello slept and Near was with Sayu.
"You needn't pull an all nighter, I don't expect you to do what I do," he told the redhead when he watched him yawn on the screen.
"I won't, I'm just waiting to hear from one of your contacts. Watari's having them contact him directly so they won't be confused by the different voices; even though they're computerized they could probably tell the difference after a while with the three of us. Once he reports in and Watari tells me what's up, I'll go to bed. You guys still having a good time?" he asked and L smiled.
"Yes, this has been an excellent time and I look forward to the few days we have left," he looked at the time on the screen, "As a matter of fact I should sign off soon and contact Light for lunch; he's enjoying the pool at the moment while I work." Matt laughed.
"Smart man getting out of the way," he said and L smiled.
"Yes, well be that as it may, I am going to say good-night and I will get back to you tomorrow."
"Okay Ryuzaki," Matt said yawning again, "Have fun, give Light a kiss for me." L bristled at the suggestion.
"I certainly will do no such thing, good-night Matt." He said ignoring the laughter
from Matt and switched off. He closed the lap top and stood up, bringing it into the main room. He went to the refrigerator and retrieved the last of his candy apples and left the room, deciding he'd meet Light at the pool and possibly eat lunch with him outside.
As he got to the pool, he scoured the area to locate Light. He didn't see him in the water, so he walked towards where he could see the bar area. As he got closer he could see Light sitting on one of the many lounge chairs, and there appeared to be a girl with him. That in itself didn't bother him, Light was a social character it would not be unusual for him to speak to people, but not only was she with him, she appeared to be rubbing his back and THAT was not allowed. He'd had to endure watching Misa paw all over Light when their relationship had to remain secret, and then Miyano who did more than just touch his Light; he would not allow anyone else. He could barely see through the haze of anger that was around him. He picked up his pace and in no time was close enough to hear her suggest that after she finished they go to the bar and have a drink. As Light agreed to the idea and looked towards the bar, he saw to his surprise L walking quickly towards him, one hand balled into a fist, the other clutching a candied apple.
"Ryuzaki! You decided to join me!" he said happily moving towards him and away from Tracy, and then saw the anger in those dark eyes, "Wait..is something wrong?"
"Obviously," L answered and walked past Light to the surprised bikini clad girl behind him. He took a vicious bite out of his apple as he stared her down.
"Who are you?" he demanded making the girl shrink back.
"Ryuzaki…" Light began and stopped as L's fisted hand rose.
"I'm Tracy, are you a friend of Light's?" she answered which made L's eyes narrow even more.
"I am Light's partner which is why I now ask you why you feel you have the right to put your hands on him," L answered and Light brought a hand to his forehead and groaned moving quickly.
"His partner? As in…life partner?" she asked as Light walked in between them.
"Ryuzaki don't be rude, she was merely helping me reapply my lotion," he began and then groaned when he realized how bad that probably sounded
"Yes, I imagine that was what she was doing. Her reason for doing so is what interests me," he answered, his eyes never leaving Tracy's as he took another angry bite.
"Because she was being nice, and because I had done the same for her earlier," Light answered and then was sorry he had when that glare was suddenly turned on him. The moment that glare left her, Tracy immediately turned and grabbed her things from the chair. Apparently Light was gay, and the last thing she wanted was to be in the middle of this.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble. It was nice meeting you," she said hastily and took off. L's eyes left Light's long enough to watch her until she disappeared from view and then turned back to focus on his partner.
"I can't believe you just scared her away like that!" Light began "You know better than to think anything was going on, that would be ridiculous so stop looking at me like that," he finished as those eyes continued to flash at him.
"Someone had to let her know she was not going to get what she obviously wanted, and you were not doing it," L answered, anger still obvious in his tone.
"I really don't think she was looking for anything, we were just talking," Light defended and L snorted at him.
"Then you're more ridiculous than she was, what were you thinking putting your hands on her in such a way? Then allowing her to do the same?" Light ran a hand through his hair.
"She asked me if I could help her and I thought it would be rude not to, that's all," he answered, "Come on stop being jealous, you know I could never be interested in a girl like that, or any girl at all for that matter," he added with a slight chuckle.
"I was not concerned that you might have been interested, it was the fact that you were allowing her to touch you like that. No one else is allowed to touch you like that again," L snapped at him, his apple forgotten for the moment. Light stared at him for a moment, confused with L's actions as he had never behaved like this before. He then realized that L had said "again", as if L had been witness to someone touching him like that before but that wasn't the case…then it suddenly came to him where this was coming from – what happened with Miyano. e He'd deal with that later, right now he just needed to calm L down. He reached out and lifted L's chin with his fingers and smiled at him.
"Have I told you how hot you are when you're jealous?" he asked and watched as those large eyes flashed in annoyance at him before they began to calm down. L stared back into auburn eyes that now twinkled in amusement and it forced him to calm.
"I know I've told you what an ass you can be, and yet you persist in being one." L returned making Light laugh.
"Yes, but that's one of the reasons why you love me," he said removing his fingers and reaching for his sunglasses.
"I can assure you that is not the case, it is one of the things I overlook," L returned and Light feigned hurt.
"Damn Ryuzaki, you want to warn me the next time you're planning to kick me like that again?" he said and L rolled his eyes and sat down at the table.
"Why don't you make yourself useful and see if they serve food out here, it is why I decided to join you in the first place," he suggested.
"Not until your mood changes, I had to deal with bitchy you at breakfast, I'd rather not deal with bitchy you for lunch too," Light told him. L opened his mouth to answer but then thought better of it. Instead he smiled and looked in the direction that Tracy had disappeared into.
"She did manage to move very quickly didn't she?" he asked making Light laugh.
"Poor girl. You forget how formidable you are, I almost ran too," he said making them both laugh, finally breaking the mood, "I'll go check and see if they have a menu. If not we'll go back to the room and order something." L nodded his agreement and watched as Light walked over to the bar. He finished his apple as he went over in his mind what had just happened; obviously he had some issues over what he had witnessed on his screen between Light and Miyano but it didn't concern him. He doubted that he'd have to worry about Light letting anyone else touch him in a questionable way after this, and that suited him just fine.