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“What’s wrong with him?” whispered Matt. “Is he catatonic?”
“I think so,” Near said. “He’s displaying all the symptoms.”
The two of them and Mello were currently by the doorframe, peeking into L’s bedroom. This was where Light had been holed up for the past three days.
“Christ,” Mello muttered. “It’s terrible. He looks dead. He hasn’t even shaved.”
“Should we call..?” Matt suggested.
“No,” Near said. “He’ll kill us then. It’s better to have one death than three.”
“Fine. Then I’m going in,” Mello said bravely. “Someone has to do it.”
Matt patted him on the back for luck, while Near simply gave him a thumbs up - which Mello pointedly ignored. He was still sore over the younger boy beating him on a test the other day.
“Light..?” Mello pushed the door further, opening up the room to the first entrails of light that it’d received in days. “Light. Light Yagami. Mum. Mumsie. Mums. Mothe-“
“What,” Light said flatly, looking up from the depths of L’s comforter. “I told you to get UberEats for the rest of the week.”
“Ugh- it’s not that- but what’s wrong with you?!” Mello groaned. “You’ve been all dead lately!”
Light grunted. “Nothing’s wrong with me.”
Mello sat on the bed. “You can’t be serious. L-“
“Don’t even say that name to me right now, young man.”
“..Dad.. has been on business trips before. What’s the matter this time?”
Light suddenly looked very forlorn and small - and Mello was stricken by how young he seemed. Usually, he just seemed like a cranky middle-aged man.
The older man blinked sullenly. “It’s just been a bit long.”
He had been fine the first week, really. That was usually how long L’s trips lasted. Then the second week had passed, and he found himself looking out of the windows drearily, talking about cases to the wall because the kids couldn’t keep up with him, and then three days ago, he had become an abyss.
Where was L? Was he okay? Was his hair too long now and getting in the way of his work whenever he looked over his documents? Did he miss Light? Stupid thoughts like that started to run through his mind, though he knew they were useless to ponder on, because it was such a high-level case that the detective hadn’t been able to reveal even a hint to Light, let alone speak to him.
Matt and Near had now joined Mello on the bed, sitting around his rotting body. Light suddenly felt like he was in hospice care.
“At first I thought I was just- sort of.. bitter. Over L not sharing this case with me,” Light said.
“Is that why you made us brainstorm on what the case could possibly be for three days straight on the whiteboard?” Near asked.
“Yeah. It wasn’t really because I wanted you to ‘get into his mindset’,” Light said. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. We kind of got that,” snorted Mello. “So what’s really wrong?”
Light flushed. “Nothing for you kids to know.”
Near sucked at his thumb. He couldn’t think of a reason why. Mello also seemed a little perturbed.
“You miss his physical touch,” said Mello.
Light pinched his arm and he yelped. “No! Don’t think that way. It’s disgusting.”
“God, okay,” Mello muttered. “I mean you’re a couple- it’s normal-“
“They’re not a normal couple,” Matt said.
“True,” Near murmured. “What a mystery.. I’m fascinated.”
“Don’t deduce me. Just go back to playing or hacking or setting hitmen on people, I don’t care,” Light replied, sinking deeper into his mattress. “I’ll be okay.”
“No, you look terrible. Did you even shower yesterday?” Mello demanded.
Light refused to respond.
“..is it the lack of romantic affection?” Near wondered. “Nothing necessarily physical, but because he isn’t in contact-“
“I am not- I don’t care about stuff like that,” Light muttered.
“You’re just lying now,” Mello said. “You so do.”
“I’ve killed thousands. I really don’t.”
“Oh,” Near said. “Because you can’t go outside, of course, without L around. You’re suffering from a lack of environmental stimuli-“
“No.”
Mello stuck his tongue out at Near, then said: “Because of the other day, when Near broke a mug and Matt tried to booby-trap the hallway carpet-“
“No, though that was horrible.”
“Ugh, it’s so easy,” Matt rolled his eyes. “I know why.”
The other two kids and Light stared at him.
“Really?” Light asked, because even he wasn’t quite sure himself. And also because he was surprised - Matt constantly received the lowest scores in Logic & Reasoning amongst the three.
“Yeah,” Matt said. “You’re.. bored.”
Light blinked, looking at the boy. He supposed that could be true - he had finished his caseload four days into L’s trip. But it hadn’t been the same, hadn’t felt the same, not without him around.
“Woah,” Mello said. “Mattie, you’ve grown a brain!”
“Is it true?” Near asked Light.
Light sighed. “…alright. Everyone up. I’m going to shower. Be ready for your next mock case in two hours.”
The three children pumped their fists and jumped on the bed - then ran off when Light tried to push them off. Then finally, the brunet rose from his misery, and dragged his corpse to L’s ensuite.
Well.. he’d use his toiletries for now. Even if they sucked and he refused to change them, no matter how many times Light had tried to swap them out or trick him into changing brands. Whatever. It was fine to have dry hair for a while, wasn’t it?
At least it would smell like him.
—
When L finally returned, it looked like something out of a Hallmark drama. Three children ran up to the gangly man as he took his first steps into the hallway.
“L!”
“Dad!”
L stared at them, trying to gather as to why his usually mutinous successors/children were suddenly so enthusiastic about his return. They usually couldn’t care less if he left the house, unless it was to Waitrose - which in that case, Mello would be begging for his chocolates and Matt his gourmet crisps. Near never cared at all though, but even now he was lumbering towards L, curiously gazing up at him.
“I thought you were all more of Mummy’s boys. He tortured you that much while I was away?” L asked, crouching down a little to meet their insisting eyes.
“Sort of,” Near said.
“Unintentionally,” Matt said.
“He was moreso torturing himself,” Mello said.
And then, of course, the matriarch himself had finally descended from the stairs as well. He looked a little thinner, but still alright, still pretty.
Still his Light.
He stood at the end of the hallway, arms crossed, face stormy. He was wearing one of L’s few sweaters - and to his surprise, black sweatpants. It was always ironed trousers with this man.
“What’s wrong, darling?” L smiled mischievously. “Thought you’d be happy to see me.”
“Kids, go to your rooms,” Light said.
“Wh-“ Mello was about to start protesting. “Don’t kill Dad!”
“I’ll give you your souvenirs later if you do as he says,” L said - and the three immediately scurried away, their house slippers thudding up the stairs. They all had matching Disney ones because they’d forced Light to buy them on a family/business/spy trip to California.
And then there were two.
“What’s wrong, honey?” L drawled sarcastically.
Light tapped his foot against the floor as L drew closer. “I don’t know, you tell me.”
“Is it because I didn’t call?” L asked. “You know I couldn’t.”
“Oh, was the post system down?”
“Knowing the Royal Mail, perhaps.”
“But you didn’t try.”
“I would’ve, if I could,” L said softly, and now he was languidly approaching Light. “If it makes you feel better, I spent my free time watching you on the cameras.”
Light huffed. “That’s.. creepy.”
“But you like it, don’t you?” L asked, gently stroking Light’s hair now. “And the sight almost sickened me, really. Cooping yourself up in my bedroom for three days..”
Light flushed, burying his face into L’s warm neck. “…it’s your fault.”
“Yes, all my fault,” L murmured into his soft brown hair, then giving it a light kiss. “Left my criminal wife alone just a little too long-“
“Yes,” Light mumbled, trembling - why, when did he start always falling apart in L’s arms? “You’re terrible. You’re a horrible prison warden too, leaving me here like this.”
“Sorry, love,” L said. “Shall I make up for it now?”
Light gave him a cat-like smile, and perhaps in another life, it’d be the last thing that L saw before he died - but in this one, it was only the one he saw before Light kissed him, oh so gently.
”Yes, please,” Light whispered against his lips.
”So the case starts like this…”