A/N: I GOT A NEW LAPTOP!!!!! YESH!!! And damn, it is SOOO nice. :D Thank y'all for your kind words of sympathy. I will miss my lovely pink dell laptop dearly, but I have a NEW lovely black dell laptop now, and it IS SO FUCKING SWEET! YESH! XDXDXDXDXD
Hahaha . . . yeah . . . I didn't realize that some people wouldn't be able to review because of that silly author's note. Lol, sorry! My bad! XD
Okay you guys, :D Now that my computer problems are hopefully out of the way, chapters should be a bit more frequent! Which is always awesome, no?
Here we go again!
Oh, and I just realized - It's our THREE MONTH ANNIVERSARY! :D Yes, my friends, it was three months ago this very day that I posted the first chapter of this story. Damn, what a ride it's been! And after three months together, I can honestly say, I'm am soooo in love with you all! XD
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, YOU GUYS!
The Art of Drowning
Happiness Found
Light honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd been in a grocery store. Grocery shopping – it was so mundane, so painfully normal. It was everything that his life hadn't been for months. The only thing remotely interesting about the impromptu shopping trip, besides the markedly different products and layout of a typical English grocery store compared to its Japanese equivalent, was L himself.
Light stared at L's hunched figure in interest. The other man diligently compared the prices of two different cartons of eggs. It made such a strange picture.
"What do you suppose is the difference between these two, Light-kun?" asked L, opening one of the cartons and peeking inside.
"One's blue and one's pink?" answered Light sarcastically.
"I don't mean the cartons, Light-kun. I mean the eggs," replied L.
Light rolled his eyes. "They're eggs, Ryuuzaki. They all come from the same place."
"Yes, but why is that one more expensive than this one right here?" asked L, holding up both cartons of eggs.
"Just pick one, and let's go," said Light, crossing his arms.
"But Light-kun, is there something wrong with the one that costs less? I wouldn't want to purchase sub-par food," stated L, his eye widening with sincerity.
Light bit back a groan before grabbing the less expensive blue carton out of L's hand. "Come on."
"But Light-kun -"
"Just shut up, Ryuuzaki! There's nothing wrong with it, and besides, it doesn't matter which one we buy! It's not like you're going to eat any. You hate eggs," argued Light, striding towards the checkout line in determination. There was no way in hell he'd let L drag him back to the egg display.
"I suppose Light-kun has a point," said L grudgingly, easily keeping up with Light.
"Of course I do," said Light, his chin rising just a bit.
L snorted, and Light threw him a glare.
The check out line was particularly long, much to Light's dismay. Light glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye. L was gnawing thoughtfully on his thumb, and there was a muted expression of longing on his face. Light followed L's line of sight, only to be met with a candy display. Light chuckled softly.
This brought L's attention back to him. "What is it that Light-kun finds so humorous?"
"Oh, nothing," said Light, smiling to himself. L's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't push.
"Mummy! Look at that man's face!" loudly whispered a voice.
"Hush, Molly. He'll hear you," admonished a woman.
Light coughed uncomfortably, not only aware of the attentions of the small child behind him, but also of L. L smirked at him, and Light wished he could have punched that look right off the other man's face. L looked far more presentable than Light did, for once. Light's nose, while thankfully not broken, was swollen and purple. His cheek still sported an harsh, red slash, and the other side of his face was heavily bruised.
"Not one word, Ryuuzaki," warned Light under his breath.
"I wouldn't dream of it," replied L with feigned nonchalance.
They took their time walking back to Tank's house. Mainly because Light couldn't wrestle up the energy to do more than stroll. He was so tired. Light hadn't had the opportunity to sleep much, and unlike L, who seemed to thrive on sleep deprivation, Light didn't feel up to his usual standards. He felt slow, lethargic, and both physically and emotionally drained from earlier events. The past twenty four hours had been very demanding.
"Is Light-kun feeling alright?" asked L.
Light blinked his eyes open. They had been dropping of their own accord. "Just tired. It seems to have hit me all the sudden."
L nodded in understanding. "You should rest before we leave."
"When are we going to do that? Leave, I mean?" asked Light, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.
"Tonight," L replied simply.
Light looked at his wristwatch. "It's already noon? Damn."
They continued on in silence for another block before Light finally worked up the nerve ask L a question that had been bothering him all morning.
"Hey, L?" started Light, his voice only shook with slight hesitation, and Light stubbornly chalked it up to exhaustion.
L startled, tearing his gaze away from what Light guessed was a bakery, if the cake displays were anything to go on.
"Yes, Light-kun?" L tilted his head to look at him. Light swallowed, nervous now that he had opened up communication.
"Are you – well, how are you?" asked Light, cringing. He was usually much more articulate than this. He really must be tired.
L gave him a questioning look. "As well as I can be, given the circumstances."
"Ahh, yeah, about those circumstances . . . " Light trialed off, undecided on how he should phrase his question. It would probably be best if he just plowed ahead. "You're taking all of this fairly well. The Kira thing, Roger, Light Layfield, me being alive . . . that's a lot to take in for one day. Frankly, I don't know whether to be relieved or worried that you seem to be wholly unaffected, and -"
"Light-kun," interrupted L. "You, out of everyone, must understand that I do not operate on the level that most people do."
That gave Light pause. Of course he realized that. Neither did he, but L was still human, and a human could only handle so much before they cracked.
"I might have had some difficulty in the beginning, but I have come accept this turn of events for what it is, and I wish to make the best of it all," finished L. Light frowned in disbelief.
"You've only known about all this for a few hours. That's not nearly enough time for you to be okay with everything," pointed out Light.
L smirked. "Well, maybe not for you, but my mind operates on an entirely -"
"Okay, fine. You're alright. I get it," huffed Light, cutting off L before he could get too snarky.
"Just keep in mind, Light-kun, that if certain events had not played out the way that they have, things would not be as they are now," reminded L.
"And that's a bad thing?" asked Light, thinking about the mess they were in.
"I'm not stupid, Light-kun, despite what you may think. I know with certainty that one of use would have been dead by now, had this not come to pass," said L, bringing his thumb up to rest against his lips.
Light's mind flashed to Rem and his plan to kill L. It was true. If none of this had happened, then L would be dead now. Light would have murdered him.
He shuddered, cold at the thought. "Yeah, I know."
Light nervously glanced at his companion, if only to reassure himself that the man was alive and breathing. The thought of L dying made Light – well, he didn't know what it made him feel. There was no one word to describe the horror, pain, and desperate grief that ghosted at the edge of his mind at such a thought. He knew one thing though. He wouldn't be able to hold himself together if he lost L now.
They turned a corner, retracing their previous steps back to the Tank's house, each lost to their own thoughts. It wasn't until they were almost upon the house that L broke the quiet.
"Thank you," he murmured softly.
Light turned to look at him in confusion. "What for?" For not killing him? Yeah, no problem.
"For caring. And for being alive. I was not a happy person without you, as either Yagami Raito or Light Layfield, but now that you are back, now that I have both of you back, I can safely say that I can't recall a time that I have ever been more content. Besides, having Light-kun with me makes any surprise revelation that rears its ugly head manageable," admitted L.
Light smiled, L's words making him feel warm. "You're welcome. And just to let you know, I'm pretty happy that I have you back too."
L returned his smile, making Light's smile widen. It made him feel like everything was going to be okay. They were both alive. They hadn't murdered each other. They were fairly safe at the moment, and if anything did happen, Light knew that L would be by his side to see it through.
"You sort of remind me of the walking dead," said Tank upon their entry to the kitchen.
Light frowned, handing the grocery bag to Tank. "Ryuuzaki can't help it if he's a little pale," Light paused. "Okay, well, maybe he can, but -"
L shot him an incredulous look while Tank waved his hand dismissively as he put the eggs away. "No, no! Not Spike! I'm talking about you, Asian guy! Yeah, sure, Spike looks a little emo, but that's a pretty popular style these days, and he pulls it off. You, on the other hand, look like a zombie."
Light blinked. "Me?"
"'Emo?'" questioned L slowly.
"Yeah, you, Asian guy. You look half dead. Oh, but then again, I'm the one who keeps interrupting your sleep, huh?" chuckled Tank.
Light huffed, giving Tank a pointed glare. "I can't argue with that."
"Greg's already asleep up in that bedroom that I was going to put you in. So that means you and Spike will have to share the other room. I'm sorry to say that there's only one bed," said Tank, leering at them.
Light tried to ignore the look, but Tank was anything but subtle. "It's nearly one. Why's Greg sleeping?"
"Eh. I don't know. He sleeps a lot. I want to go back to sleep too, but I need to go workout. I haven't been all week. I wasn't born this buff, you know," said Tank, flexing his arms ostentatiously.
"Could have fooled me," said L under his breath, looking warily at the towering figure of Tank.
Light ignored both of them. "Which room will we have to share?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, the one Spike was using earlier. But, hey, if you want to share with Greg, then I'm sure he won't mind. Seems you've shared a bed before, if what Greg's been saying's true," said Tank coyly.
Light choked. "That only happened once! And I was drunk! It wasn't like I purposefully chose to pass out in his bed!"
Light didn't see the poisonous look that crossed L's face.
"Hey! You want some pancakes?" asked Tank suddenly, gesturing towards a stack of fluffy, sprinkled pancakes.
"I thought you needed eggs to make pancakes?" asked Light, eyeing the multicolored mess.
Light was somewhat amused that L and Tank snorted in laughter at the same time, but since it was obviously at his expense, he kept his amusement to a minimum.
"Light-kun obviously does not cook," observed L.
"You can say that again, Spikey. You don't put eggs in pancakes, Asian guy."
"No? But you put sprinkles?" asked Light defensively. It wasn't his fault he didn't know what went into a pancake. They had rarely been made in the Yagami household.
"Well, yeah! Sprinkles are the shit!" exclaimed Tank, pumping his fist. Light noticed L slowly moving farther away from the huge man. Light didn't blame him. Tank was a bit overbearing.
"Then what do you need the eggs for? If they don't go in the pancakes," yawned Light, covering his mouth. He felt himself fading. He'd have to find a bed soon.
"They're for the cake I'm baking tonight," explained Tank, obviously excited at the prospect.
"Cake?" asked L, his posture straightening out slightly. The sight gave Light a mental image of a puppy perking up at the sound of a can opening. Light shook the image away. He really was tired.
Tank nodded. "Yeah, it's my gerbil's birthday."
"You have a gerbil?" asked Light, his voice deadpanned. Tank just didn't seem like the type of guy who would be capable of keeping much alive. Maybe a cactus, but definitely not a pet.
"Yeah, Happy Meal the Third. I call him Happ. Had him for two years now. I baked a cake for him last year, and I thought I'd continue the tradition. He stays in my room."
"What sort of cake will you be making?" asked L. Light had to refrain from rolling his eyes.
"Strawberry with chocolate icing," grinned Tank, rubbing his hands together.
"Homemade or cake mix?" questioned L further, leaning forward in interest.
"Oh, homemade, of course!"
"Will you be using real strawberries in your mix?" L was biting his thumb now, his eyes wide.
"Like I would use anything else!"
"How about whipped -"
"Do gerbils even eat cake?" interrupted Light, who was not at all interested in the discussion. He really just wanted to find that bed now.
"Erm, no. But I do!" said Tank.
"Ugh. I'm going to bed," sighed Light, finally giving in. He didn't have it in him to be social anymore. There was just something about Tank that sucked all the energy out of a person, and what little Light had been working with was quickly depleting.
"I believe I'll join you, Light-kun," said L in response.
Light nodded, too tired to do anything else.
"Alright you two! Want me to wake you up when the cake's ready? It'll be awhile, though. I got to go work out, and then Oprah comes on at four. Plus, I need to pick up my dry cleaning, but I can definitely come get you when the cake's ready."
"That would be most agreeable," answered L, his eyes lighting up with the promise of cake.
Light just waved his hand carelessly, already halfway up the stairs.
By the time L had made it up the stairs and into the room, Light was already stripped down to his boxers and under the covers. He was adjusting the pillow under his head when he felt the weight of L cause the mattress to sink. If he hadn't of been so tired, Light might have smiled. This was the first time Light Layfield and L Lawliet - not Raito and L the detective - had shared a bed in years.
Light sighed peacefully, feeling comfortable and warm.
"Light-kun?"
. . . god damn it . . .
Light bit back a groan. L was ruining it. He was supposed to come in, get in bed, and at least pretend to sleep for awhile so Light could get some rest.
"What?" he growled, making his annoyance audible.
"I want to go to the bakery down the street," stated L.
Light shoved L hard, sending the other man tumbling off the side of the bed.
"I'm not stopping you!" he exclaimed, throwing the blanket over his head.
L snickered from his place on the floor, and the sound was grating. "I thought the doughnuts on display in the window looked especially appetizing, however, you were stumbling your way through a convoluted inquiry into my emotional well being. I didn't want to interrupt."
Light blindly threw one of the pillows in the direction of L's voice, hoping that L wouldn't pull back the covers and witness Light's flush of embarrassment. "I don't care what you do as long as you let me sleep. So go eat your damn doughnuts. You remember the way, right?"
"Right," agreed L, shutting the door softly in his wake.
Light harrumphed. Stupid Lawli.
It didn't take long for him to fall asleep after that.
It was the incessant beeping noise that woke him up.
Roger groaned, squinting and blinking against the harsh, white light.
"Roger! Old boy! Thank heavens you're awake!" rumbled a deep voice somewhere to his left. It was vaguely familiar.
He felt heavy and tired, so it was with great effort that Roger turned his head to see who it was that had spoken. Quillish? What on earth was that useless bag of bones doing in his room? And why was he hovering over him, wringing his hands like a worried mother hen?
He tried to ask Quillish this, but all he could manage was a dry croak.
Suddenly, the rim of a cup was placed gently against his lips. Roger drank greedily, sighing as the water eased his aching throat. With the water came a new awareness, and Roger looked around in dull surprise at what could only be a hospital room.
"Wha-" he coughed. "What happened?"
"Heart attack, old boy. You're right lucky to be alive," said Quillish gently, setting the cup of water back onto the hospital tray.
Roger stared dumbly, his brain barely processing the words before a nurse bustled in.
"Awake, are we? Dear Mr. Ruvie, didn't Dr. Langley warn you that you needed to lay off the double cheeseburgers? You were just in here yesterday. It's no surprise that you're back so soon. What with how high your cholesterol measured," tutted the nurse, who Roger half way remembered from his doctor visits.
He had gone to the doctor's yesterday, hadn't he? High cholesterol? He remembered something about high cholesterol. Roger tried to clear his head, but everything was so fuzzy.
"When do you think he can leave?" asked Quillish.
The nurse adjusted a knob on one of the many machines he was hooked up to. "You'd have to talk to the doctor about that, but I'd suspect either tomorrow afternoon or the next day. He's already cleared the hard part."
Roger wasn't paying attention to what the others were saying. Instead, he was trying to remember something . . . pressing. Yes, pressing. Very important. Something he had to deal with immediately or the consequences could be -
. . . could be . . .
. . . could . . .
. . . be . . .
Roger's breath quickened, his thoughts coming to a screeching halt. His fists clenched the stark white bedsheets.
"Now, now, Mr. Ruvie. Your heart rate is increasing. There's nothing to be alarmed about. You're going to be fit as a fiddle in no time."
Roger felt the bottom of his stomach fall, and he turned his head to look at Quillish, who only regarded him with a concerned air.
"I'll send the doctor in just as soon as she returns from her lunch break," assured the nurse, who then quietly shut the door behind her.
Now that they were alone, Roger seized the opportunity.
"Quillish? Where's L?" he asked, hoping that the shake of his voice wouldn't give away his barely hidden panic.
"L? He's back at the House. I had to slip something in his tea last night once we got in. You know how he is. It's the only way I can get him to sleep. I didn't want to disturb him this morning. Although I knew he'd be worried, so I left him a note in his study. He'll find it when he wakes, I'm sure. I told him not to expect me until you're out of the hospital, which will hopefully be on the morrow, hmm?"
Roger nodded dazedly. So the old man didn't know that L was . . .
"Do you need me to call in the nurse? You're looking a little green around the gills," observed Quillish, making to stand.
"No! No, thank you, dear friend. I'm just a little shocked, is all," replied Roger, his mind in turmoil. How the hell was he going to explain L's disappearance to Quillish? He only had until he was released from the hospital to throw together a working plan.
"Well, I hope you'll let me run down and pick you something up to eat for lunch. Hospital food is most unappetizing."
Roger's stomach rolled at the thought of food. "Yes, that sounds lovely, Quillish. Thank you."
Quillish nodded before retrieving his bowler hat and leaving. Once the door to his room had shut, Roger let out a low groan.
What was he going to do now?
A/N: Well, there's Roger. :D And Watari. So you kinda know what's going on on that front. Oh, and that other question most people have been asking?! Yeah, can't really answer that . . . sorry . . . :D
Okay, well, it's late. I'm tired. And my sister is in here bothering me, so NIGHT! AND SAY SOMETHING!! (preferably snazzy cool!)
Oh, and sorry for the general lack of cliffhangers. They'll be returning soon. :D
((((((( okay, so, nothing pertinent to this story, but to the readers of Hacker of the Past, damn! What a cliffhanger! frnight! come on! You're killing us! But you're sooooo awesome anyway, so it's okay! XD))))))))))