Chapter Text
The silence grew loud as both of them sat back in bed, L mindlessly typing on his computer and Light flipping through a book. They both had woken up fairly early, not that L had even gone to sleep. Considering this, the entire task force remained sound in their slumber. What failed to be noted earlier, is that when Light glanced over to the older man as he put his shirt on, his eyes captured a steady flowing line of faded scars in rather sporadic placements. Certain ones had patterns whereas others were spontaneously placed. Light briefly felt a twinge in his chest. He hadn’t taken L for the sentimental type, however it’s not surprising considering the amount of pressure he is constantly under. That never seemed to bother him though, Light couldn't help but remain curious. Additionally, Light had observed just how thin the pale man was. His ribs were sharp enough to cut a person, and his stomach had been sunken in. His collar bone appeared to be able to tear through his skin at any moment. It genuinely concerned Light, also confused him. How, after consuming so many sweets throughout the day could he be so thin? Granted, his body most definitely isn’t gaining the nutrition it needs. Light wouldn’t be surprised if he had diabetes. The shirt L had taken from the young man was extremely loosey fit, they were nearly the same height, Light being a few inches taller especially with how L slouched. Yet the shirt looked massive. Light was a fairly healthy weight. Toned and lean, but L seemed to surpass the smallest sizes he even thought were available.
“Light-kun, I must say you’re very interested in that book.” Light’s heart skipped a beat, clenching his jaw in surprise. How long had L been observing him so closely? He could practically feel his warm breath hitting his cheek. “What the hell?” Light uncomfortably shifted away. “It’s fairly obvious you’re not reading, what’s on your mind Yagami?” The raven haired man gathered himself next to Light, intently listening. Light pondered momentarily, if he listed something minor, L would become suspicious. Nobody would ponder so hard over a trivial subject that Light was planning to give. However, it definitely wasn’t appropriate to bring up his scars, or his weight. Would L really mind though? The “studious” man inhaled deeply, deciphering which subject would be less harmful to discuss. “Your arms.. I couldn’t help but wonder. Of course it’s not my place to ask and I’m sorry if it comes off as rude or brings up a sore subject.” Light nervously rambled, something he tends to often do. L’s eyes squinted, causing Light to tense up even more. Was he upset? On the other hand, L couldn’t figure out exactly what Light meant, was it the paleness? He had completely forgotten about the scars.
“What about my arms drew your attention to Light-kun? It must be very thought provoking.” Light’s eyebrows furrowed, maybe he was offended? He couldn’t tell if the detective was being sarcastic or just completely oblivious. “Uh.. nevermind, I’m sorry.” He quickly withdrew his statement and snapped back to his book. L curiously pulled up his sleeve to see if he could spot anything that would be odd to the outsider’s perspective, only to realize that Light had been talking about his scars. This drew a small chuckle from the pale skinned detective, how could he forget? “Oh I see, you really mustn't be so careful Light, it is natural that anyone would be curious. I assume you’re already aware of what they are?” Light was taken aback by his sudden show of emotion. He simply nodded as he closed his book, which he hadn’t flipped a page to since they got out of the shower. “It helped me think, or so I believed. Eventually I realized it was detrimental to my cognitive abilities. “ He reverted back to that monotone drawl that he constantly had. “So you stopped?” Light inquired, taking a sigh of relief. “Yes, it wasn’t as useful as I had imagined. “
“So what do you do now?” Light almost had an idea. He had originally assumed L was anorexic, only to realize that wasn’t the case. Perhaps he was naturally thin, but after seeing just how skeletal his body was, he could only conclude that L was most likely bulimic. L was a very blunt and straightforward person, never had he had to beat around the bush with Light, whatever words came out of his mouth were the truth one way or another. This subject on the other hand, wasn’t something he was necessarily comfortable discussing. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt his dignity being drawn away from him whenever it came up. It was never appearance related, and he didn’t want Light to assume something so shallow of him. Not that he ever cared about anyone else’s opinion but his own and Watari’s. Before he could open his mouth, the phone began to ring with almost a blaring sound. Both of them flinched and groaned. L leaned over to pick up. “Yes?” “It’s Matsui, we’re all awake if you want to come down!” He sighed at the cheerful voice that sounded over the other line. “We’ll be there in a moment, thank you Matsuda-san.” carelessly he dropped the phone back in the slot. “We’ll continue this conversation another day, Light-kun. Try not to worry.” He smirked slightly, barely visible. Light sighed as he followed the detective to another long day.