Months had passed since the accident. Both Sayu and Light's mother had fully recovered, though the memory of the accident lingered in the minds of those who had tended to the aftermath. Light had been slowly pushing L away, his constant worry and anxiety clouding his mind, leaving no room for anything else. He was in a state of near constant paranoia, and L didn't know what he should do. So he did nothing.
It wasn't until one evening about 3 months later that L realized something was truly wrong. Both he and Light were sitting at their computers, going over the files of a recent case. It involved a young couple that had been in a car accident, which normally would not have been important enough for L to take the case for, but this one was different. When the hospital performed an autopsy on the pair, the results showed that they had been dead for several hours before the accident. With no lead and little information to go off of, the police handed the case to L, hoping he would find the answer they had not.
He and Light had worked almost non-stop on the case for 3 days, getting little to no sleep and eating even less. L knew the only reason his body hadn't shut down already was because of the extreme amounts of sugar and caffeine he was pumping into his body.
He was even more worried about Light, who had shadows under his eyes that made him look like he'd gotten his nose broken multiple times. He had refused most of the food Watari brought them, save only for the tea he drank to keep himself awake.
It was around 3:00 am in the morning when it happened. One second, everything seemed fine. A single moment later, Light was hunched over, his breathing coming in short, shallow gasps. "Light?" L called out as he pushed himself up, lurching forward as Light fell from his chair. A scream pierced the air. Light began flailing his arms, as if to defend himself from an invisible attacker.
"Light-kun!" L cried out, trying to get Light's attention. He grabbed Light's wrists, trying to stop the jerking limbs that had been about to smash into his face. Then, as quickly as it started, it was over. Light's body went limp. Sobs echoed around the room, and Light grabbed L's shirt, balling the fabric in his hands.
"I can't, I can't, I can't-" Light sobbed under his breath. "All my fault, it's all my fault..."
"What are you talking about, Light? What's going on?" L pressed, pulling Light up into a sitting position and wrapping his arms around him.
"It's my fault Mom and Sayu got in that accident. It's all my fault. I could have been there with them. I could have driven them. It's all my fault!" Light spoke the muffled words into L's chest, sobs still wracking his body.
"Oh Light... it's not your fault. How could it be your fault? It was an accident, and there was nothing you could have done about it." Light continued to cry despite L's soothing words.
"I'm here, darling, I'm right here. It's okay. It's all going to be okay," L whispered the words in Light's ear, holding him even tighter. After what felt like hours, Light's tears halted their procession down his cheeks. He pulled away from L enough to wipe his nose with his sleeve, keeping his eyes trained on his lap.
"I'm sorry... for all that..." Light murmured, embarrassed to look L in the eye. L reached out and took Light's hand.
"Don't be sorry. You shouldn't feel ashamed for having emotions, Light-kun. How long have you had that bottled up inside you?" He spoke softly, rubbing his thumb across Light's knuckles.
Light felt a soft shiver run down his back at the loving caress. "Ever since the accident happened. And the case... I couldn't take it. That could have been mom and Sayu. They were so close to being taken away from me, you know? I just couldn't stop picturing them instead of the couple. This... fear, it just... swallowed me whole. I felt like I was trapped, I couldn't breathe. I've never had that happen before," Light looked up at L, who was staring at him with a concerned expression.
"Do you want to drop the case, Light-kun? You don't have to continue if it's too much," L replied after a moment's consideration. Light shifted slightly his focus down to his hands, which were still enfolded in L's. There was silence for several minutes as Light thought about his answer. Finally, he lifted his head to look L in the eyes.
"No. I want to solve this. For the couple," his voice was steady, full of compassion. "They deserve a better ending to their story. No loose ends." A smile flitted across L's face.
"I'd hoped you'd say that," he replied, standing up and pulling Light up with him. He wrapped his arms around Light's lithe frame, nuzzling his face into the crook of Light's neck. Light in turn pulled L closer into his embrace, resting his cheek on L's shoulder. After a minute, both men released each other and stepped back, though their hands remained linked.
"Let's go solve this mystery," Light spoke firmly, a confident smile curving his mouth up at the corners. L's eyes shone with a strange sort of pride. He nodded once, and together they returned to the case, though now it felt as if something was fixed that they had not known was broken. Something they had fixed together.
A.N/ So I think this will be the end of this story. I wasn't sure how any of this was going to play out at first, but recently I got a lucky stroke of inspiration and out popped this little gem. I hope this satisfies all of you, and I'm so sorry about the wait. Let me know what you think, comments are always appreciated~