DN Fanfiction: Trinary
Title: Trinary
Rating: M
Pairing: Raito/Matsuda/L. In that order.
Word count: 15,535
Warnings: none
Summary: When Ryuuzaki had handcuffed Raito to himself in order to make sure he didn't resume his activities as Kira, Matsuda had expressed a slight apprehension over the state of affairs.
A/N: Commissioned by and written for jessieheart. Enjoy! :D
When Ryuuzaki had handcuffed Raito to himself in order to make sure he didn't resume his activities as Kira, Matsuda had expressed a slight apprehension over the state of affairs.
And when Raito had punched L in the face, leading L to attack back fiercely in an insane battle beyond Matsuda's perceived physical limits for the pair, he'd expressed his deep concern for their situation.
Now, though, with harsh words and sharp insults flying back and forth in the middle of the workroom, Matsuda was flat-out panicked that there would be a loss of life between the two.
“You're being completely insane!” Raito yelled, eyes glaring fiercely. “There are people out there dying right now, and you're too busy using up this team's time with handcuff expenses and stilted three-way dates!”
“If you would like, you may dump Amane-san, thereby negating the need for these stilted charades,” L shot back, eyes glinting. Matsuda noted from behind his potted plant that L had moved out of his customary slouch into a slight crouch, as if ready to spring.
“That's not the point and you know it!” Raito raged. “I agreed to this arrangement as a way of proving my innocence and catching Kira! Not to spend my life shackled to a depressed lunatic who's forgotten how to work!”
Matsuda winced, and L's eyes hardened.
“Perhaps you have forgotten, Yagami-kun, that I am L,” he said tightly. “I take cases that are only of interest to me. This new Kira is flat and one-dimensional, unable to focus on the greater, grander picture. Much like how you're acting now...”
Raito's eyes flashed.
“Are you saying I'm not being a benefit to this team?” he said dangerously. Matsuda swallowed, taking a step back.
“I'm saying that your unnatural preoccupation with these handcuffs and being forced to spend time with me is not only idiotic; it is also juvenile and makes you about as useful as a pair of socks to this investigation,” L shot back.
“Why, you-!!”
There was a loud crash and a smash as Raito punched L, L rolling with the punch, forcing Raito to stumble forward, tripping him and sending Raito falling face-first into a decorative vase stand. Raito leapt up, ignoring the shards embedded in his hands, and ran at L, who'd dropped to a defensive crouch.
“That's enough!!”
Raito skidded to a stop, and even L looked surprised, Matsuda noted, panting as he stood between them, not quite sure how he had moved so fast. Trying to slow his heart, he glared at them both the best he could, hands on his hips.
“You're both being stupid!” he declared. “Fighting isn't going to solve anything, and it's just what Kira would want you to do! Can't you two try to get along??”
L and Raito both stopped, looking at him for a long moment, before exchanging a significant glance. Matsuda sweatdropped.
“Wouldn't Kira not want us to fight, as it works against the very fabric of the Utopian world he's trying to create?” Raito commented, eyebrows raised.
“At least, the old Kira would,” L agreed. “Who is the only Kira truly deserving of the title Kira, so, in essence, yes.”
Matsuda blinked.
“...but... wouldn't Kira want his enemies to not get along?” he asked, biting his lip. “They pose less of a threat that way.”
“”He wouldn't object to it, but he certainly wouldn't want it,” Raito lectured. “Kira's ideal world has all the people realizing their potential and contributing to the world, all of which is impeded by senseless dissent. While out conflict may help him in allowing him not to get caught, Kira's more likely to plan on us eventually seeing things his way and joining his ideal society as active participants, for which arguing and fighting would not be ideal training. “
L had long since wandered off, Matsuda noticed. He was perched on his computer chair, eating a piece of cake.
Matsuda sweatdropped, smiling helplessly.
“I see,” he lied.
“You're lying,” L commented, licking his fork. Matsuda blinked, looking over at him, dark eyes staring back.
“Ryuuzaki...?”
“You started fidgeting and playing with your fingernails when Yagami-kun started discussing a universal realization of potential. You eyes moved down and to the left, indicating that you were confused, and then to the middle-right, showing you were hearing words but couldn't understand their meaning at all and were wondering when Yagami-kun would stop talking. Clearly, you were completely lost by Yagami-kun's argument, but were content to pretend and play along.”
Matsuda shrank in on himself, somewhat horrified that L had read him so easily.
“Ryuuzaki...” he whimpered.
Raito sighed.
“Look on the bright side - you got us to stop fighting,” Raito said dryly. “That was what you wanted to do, and you seemed to have accomplished it rather well.”
L's eyes flicked back up from the computer, settling on Matsuda, an amused smile flickering on his face.
“Indeed,” he murmured. “Well done, Matsuda-san. Well done.”
To his mortification, Matsuda felt his face flush. Raito rolled his eyes.
“There's no need to be so satisfied,” he muttered. “I would have just beat his lights out, and then the fight would have been over anyway.”
L ignored the barb.
“Matsuda-san is always very helpful,” he commented, gnawing on his thumbnail. “Be kind, Raito-kun.”
Raito sneered, and L smiled.
“Now then, let us return to work, if we may?” L continued. “Matsuda-san, please get those files from the basement that we discussed earlier. Yagami-kun, if you would continue penetrating the firewall...”
Beaming to himself, Matsuda almost skipped to the basement door, glad he'd gotten them to stop fighting. It was almost too great to be real...
“And Yagami-kun. Eighty-five percent, for analyzing Kira's mindset so flawlessly, and an additional six for knowing how to explain it persuasively.”
Matsuda didn't have to be looking to know Raito's temple pulsed with rage.
“Ryuuzaki-!!”
********
Although the peace lingered, and the rest of the investigation team noticed nothing when they finally arrived, Matsuda couldn't help but feel like this was the calm beneath the storm.
No, that's not it, he puzzled silently. What is it? Between the storm? Because the storm...?
Raito seemed almost to polite to L, it seemed. He was acting perfectly civil, almost a little too much so. Whenever L needed something, Raito offered to get it (so long as it was nearby). Whenever someone had an idea, Raito considered it and gave positive feedback, instead of shooting it down as was customary. And whenever Matsuda glanced over at the two shackled geniuses, Raito only offered him a small smile.
It made Matsuda shiver. It was creepy, to have Raito acting so... so normal.
“Yagami-san, did you find the results of the search on the-”
“Before the storm!” Matsuda exclaimed suddenly, triumphant. “That's what it is!”
A silence fell, Matsuda quickly realizing that he had blurted his thoughts aloud.
“...Matsuda-san,” L said finally, looking as if he was trying to hide a smile. “Why don't you go get some coffee for everyone?”
Matsuda flushed.
“Ah, of course Ryuuzaki-!”
The rest of the day was much of the same. The search was slow, hard work, as always, but the team slogged on, determined. Gradually, the team dwindled, Aizawa leaving, then Mogi, and finally Mr. Yagami.
“Staying here still, Matsuda?” he asked. “Or just working overtime again?”
Matsuda laughed, rubbing his head sheepishly.
“Ah, I might as well just stay here,” he said. “It's closer than my apartment, and there's more than enough rooms. It's less lonely, too.”
Mr. Yagami laughed, while Raito ignored them, typing. L looked up, blinking.
“A young man like you shouldn't be all cooped up in here with the rest of us like this,” Mr. Yagami said, ruffling his hair. “Go out and find a girlfriend.”
Matsuda's face burned, and this time, Raito joined in on the laughter.
“Don't stay up too late, now. Ja ne, Raito.”
“See ya, Dad.”
Matsuda watched as Mr. Yagami left, leaving Raito, L, and Matsuda alone once more.
It was silent, save for the sound of steady typing and the occasional mouse click. He shifted through the files quietly, trying not to disturb anyone.
“Matsuda-san,” L said suddenly. “You have no one special in your life?”
Matsuda blinked, surprised.
“Ah, not really,” he admitted. “I've been so busy lately, and there hasn't really been anyone that- you know-”
“You have not been attracted to anyone recently?” L interrupted, and Matsuda blushed.
“Well, I have,” he confessed. “But they're not interested back, certainly. And anyway, I've been so busy with work and whatnot that it's somewhat ridiculous to consider such a thing, you know...”
L tilted his head. Matsuda squirmed, uncomfortable under his unblinking eyes.
“What, in life, is more important than one's happiness?” L demanded.
Matsuda blinked, swallowing hard.
“Ano- Ryuuzaki, why are you-”
“Oh, shut up,” Raito cut in, annoyed. “Ryuuzaki, Matsuda's still pining over the fact that Misa doesn't like him back. He'll get over her eventually. It's nothing to write home about.”
“Raito-kun!” Matsuda exclaimed, horrified. “No- really, I'm not-”
“Matsuda-san, there's no reason to be ashamed of having an unrequited love,” L commented. “Really, it's perfectly natural, almost part of the human condition.”
Matsuda's face burned, while Raito scoffed.
“Don't be ridiculous,” he said, dismissive. “The human condition has little to do with such things.”
“Have you never experienced unrequited love?” L questioned. Raito rolled his eyes, still typing.
“I have not,” he said. “When I experience an attraction to someone, I go after them and eventually acquire them. I do not sit around and pine.”
“Have you never felt a feeling so great that you could not dare to risk rejection?” L demanded. “Are you so inhuman, Yagami-kun, to not know the feeling?”
Matsuda found himself absorbed in the conversation. Who knew L thought so much of feelings? Especially when he never displayed them to anyone, really...
“What of you?” Raito demanded, defensive. “Have you ever been in love? Have you lowered yourself to such a level to waste mental energy and thought on someone that you thought you couldn't win?”
For some inexplicable reason, Matsuda found himself holding his breath, waiting for L's answer.
“Yes,” L said simply.
Matsuda's eyes widened.
What...?
“How mature,” Raito said, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “And here, I was under the impression that adults faced their feelings and took the high road and acted on their wants.”
“Maybe Ryuuzaki's afraid,” Matsuda cut in, surprising himself with his audacity. “It's normal to fear rejection, ne?”
Raito turned to state at him, incredulous, but all Matsuda noticed was the small smile L gave him, grateful.
“Since when is Ryuuzaki normal?” Raito demanded.
“You are being most unkind, Yagami-kun, assuming that because I am not precisely 'normal' that I do not hold human emotions,” L said, licking his fingers. “That is just the sort of viewpoint that Kira would hold.”
Raito exploded.
“You are ridiculous!” he fumed. “Bringing Kira into everything I say just so you don't have to answer my questions! And then not doing anything real about the Kira investigation at all! You are the most self-centered, hypocritical, childish man I have ever met!!”
Raito glared at L, while L tilted his head.
“You say that like it's a bad thing,” he murmured.
Raito looked about ready to hit L, before he gave up, slumping in his chair, shooting dark looks at them both if they tried to start another conversation for the rest of the night.
******
“You're being mean to Ryuuzaki.”
It was a statement, not a question, uttered by Matsuda as he and Raito waited in the bedroom for L to finish his shower. L's handcuff was clasped around Matsuda's wrist, ensuring that Raito would still be monitored whilst he took care of the necessities.
Raito sighed, running a hand through his wet hair. Raito had showered first, now wearing a simple long-sleeved shirt and jeans, the first several buttons of the shirt left undone. Matsuda watched as little water droplets fell to Raito's shoulders, running down his chest and disappearing underneath his shirt, before quickly looking up to meet Raito's eyes, realizing he really shouldn't have been looking at such things.
“It's not my fault,” Raito said, rubbing his temples. “I'd be fine if he'd just uncuff us more often than he does. How am I supposed to deal with him being so close all of the time? It's insane.”
“I thought you two were friends,” Matsuda said, blinking. “It shouldn't be so much trouble, ne?”
“We are friends,” Raito argued. “But even friends aren't supposed to be shackled to each other twenty-four hours a day! I need some time to myself, to gather my mind and keep myself sane. I can't do that when Ryuuzaki's around all of the time!”
“Why not?” Matsuda probed. Raito gave him a look, then sighed.
“It's... difficult, with Ryuuzaki,” he said. “Ryuuzaki's so abnormal - never taking human moments or reacting as expected. He never yells or shouts, he doesn't worry about his appearance, he doesn't care what people thing of him... he doesn't even jerk backwards when he spills his scalding coffee, Matsuda! And then there's me...”
He paused for a moment, contemplative, before continuing on.
“I'm normal, Matsuda. Okay, maybe a little scarily-smart for a normal person, but still! I interact with other people, I feel attraction, desire, anger, despair, hatred, and I let it show. L- Ryuuzaki- he doesn't show any of that. And next to him, I can't relax enough to let that sort of thing out.”
Matsuda opened his mouth in a soft 'o'.
“I didn't realize...” he said, trailing off, uncertain. He blinked. “But wait. Didn't Ryuuzaki just say earlier that he'd loved someone before? Surely that's human, isn't it?”
“But he doesn't show it,” Raito pointed out. “No one ever knows what L is thinking. When I want someone, I want to sweep them off their feet and kiss them and make them forget about everything but me long into the night-”
Matsuda flushed, and Raito laughed.
“Don't tell me you're embarrassed hearing such things?” Raito smiled, amused. “It's perfectly natural, you know.”
Matsuda shrugged quickly, cheeks tinging a darker pink, and Raito laughed again.
“No matter. Anyway, but Ryuuzaki doesn't show any indication of such things. He doesn't flirt, he doesn't eye people up, he doesn't yell, he doesn't do anything. If he has feelings, it's not like anyone ever notices at all.”
Raito lapsed into silence, leaning back and stretching, apparently deep in thought. Matsuda watched, swallowing hard when Raito's shirt crept upwards a few inches, before yanking his mind back to the present.
“You're so calm now,” Matsuda said, forcing himself to focus. “Is it just Ryuuzaki that you're so nervous around, or is it whoever you end up chained to?”
There was a pause, and Raito turned his head slowly, looking over at Matsuda. His eyes languidly traveled up Matsuda's entire body, lazily, before resting on his eyes. Matsuda shivered slightly. His eyes were a warm, liquid golden brown, inviting, suggestive, and Matsuda had to remind himself to breathe. A slow grin spread over his face, confident and in control.
“You're different than Ryuuzaki, Matsuda,” Raito commented, returning to lounging on the bed. “I know where I stand with you.”
Rather flustered, Matsuda wasn't quite sure what Raito meant by that, but he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know.
*******
“You're a complete and utter imbecile!”
“If I'm an imbecile, why are you so upset at the thought I might be right?”
“Because you're completely skewing the facts and drawing conclusions that-”
“I'm skewing the facts? Raito-kun, have you looked at this data?”
“It says nothing like you're trying to make it say, Ryuuzaki-!!”
“Then why does it all fit into this?”
“Because you're making it and twisting everything so that it works out-”
“Now who's the one skewing the facts, Raito-kun?”
“You idiot-!”
“That's enough!!”
Shivering, Matsuda watched as Mr. Yagami wrenched the dueling pair apart. Raito wiped his mouth, leaving a smear of blood at the corner, while L cradled his eye, hiding beneath his hair. The looks Raito was sending at L were venomous, almost like he wanted to kill him, while L was pretending nothing had happened, looking every which way but Raito's.
“Okay. Okay. Now,” Mr. Yagami said loudly, taking charge. “Mogi will go down the precinct to check Raito's theory. Meanwhile, Aizawa and I will go down to the ICPO to check on L's idea. We'll reconvene here in a couple hours. Got it?”
“Ah, Yagami-san, what should I-?”
“You stay here, Matsuda,” Mr. Yagami instructed, glancing at the fighting pair. Matsuda's face fell.
“Someone's got to keep these two in check,” he muttered.
Matsuda turned to look at Raito and L, biting his lip. Raito was shifting his desk to face the opposite way from L's, while L continued stacking sugar cubes, eyes scanning the monitor in front of him silently.
“H-Hai, Yagami-san...”
With a sigh of relief, Mr. Yagami departed, Mogi following behind. Aizawa shot Matsuda a skeptical glance before shrugging and running after the other two, leaving Matsuda alone with the two geniuses once more.
Matsuda turned back to them.
“Okay, now - ah, how about we follow this Affirex lead, for now-”
Raito and L both ignored him, both typing furiously, and Matsuda bit his lip, before dragging a chair and his own laptop over so he could keep his eye on them both.
***********
Matsuda glanced up at the clock. Nearly two hours had gone by.
Raito had been suspiciously silent the whole time. While L had murmured ideas aloud, asking Matsuda for one file or another, Raito had kept his eyes glues to his screen, reading something on the Internet on a black web page. Matsuda figured it was probably one of the Kira fan sites, from the dark and gothic look of it, which didn't really relate to the investigation.
He was hardly going to say anything about it, though. Especially not after that fight.
“Matsuda,” L said, gingerly touching his eye, a magnificent ring of purple blooming around it. “Would you please go ask Watari if we have any bruise balm?”
“Ah, of course, Ryuuzaki-!” Matsuda stood up hurriedly, casting a worried look at L, before rushing off. Raito ignored him, digging in his desk drawers instead, steadfastly pretending the other boy didn't exist.
Matsuda returned a few moments later, carrying a small jar.
“Watari wasn't there, but I found this in his first aid kit,” he said, giving it to L. “This might help the pain, ne?”
L looked up. “I think it might,” he said. He offered him a small smile, and Matsuda felt his heart lurch. “Thank you.”
“It- it was nothing, really-! Ha ha, anything to help out, you know me...”
Ducking his head, Matsuda quickly returned to his seat, hiding behind his laptop before cautiously peering over the top.
L was tentatively applying the ointment to his eye socket, fingers brushing slightly against the skin, making him wince. Matsuda bit his lip, upset. Raito had obviously given much better than he'd gotten, and Matsuda felt bad for L. Raito had gotten carried away...
Turning to the other boy, Matsuda watched as Raito toyed with a birthday candle idly, his lips moving silently as he read the screen. Matsuda wondered if the candle had come off of one of Ryuuzaki's cupcakes, and if so, why it hadn't been put away-
Matsuda froze suddenly. Something was very wrong.
The air was wrong. It had suddenly gone still, unmoving, and the lights flickered once, darkening. Looking around quickly, Matsuda saw that blackness was creeping up from the corners and walls of the room, seeping towards the three of them in the center of the area.
Ryuuzaki-!
Matsuda tried to call out, to get L's attention, but he choked, somehow unable to get out the words. Raito was still muttering under his breath furiously, an odd glint in his eyes as he glanced over at L, who was still applying his ointment, oblivious to the changes being wrought around him.
Matsuda coughed harshly, trying desperately to speak. He grabbed at his throat, becoming more and more frantic as the dark kept closing in. Raito's chanting became fiercer, more intense, and the lights flickered again, dimming until Matsuda could barely see the others. Raito's candle suddenly lit, illuminating his face, and Matsuda nearly screamed, terrified, when L finally noticed and turned around.
“Yagami-kun, I understand that you are upset, but hacking into the circuit breakers is hardly the best method of expressing this-”
“Silence-!”
Raito grabbed L's hand, yanking it to hold the candle with him, his hand holding his there tightly. Eyes widening, L tugged at his hand, alarmed.
“Raito? Raito-kun, what are you-??”
The darkness edging in, swarming, Matsuda choked, falling forward, landing in the small ring of light that was still around the two in the center. He gasped, sucking in great lungfuls of air, watching in horror as L struggled to get away.
“Raito! Raito, let me go-!”
Raito kept chanting, muttering low, archaic sounds under his breath as the darkness closed in even further. With a final yell, Raito thrust the candle up, dragging L's hand along with it, and the darkness pounced.
“No-!”
Unsure what was going on but terrified beyond belief, Matsuda lunged at the candle, grabbing it from the top in a desperate attempt to put the candle out. He felt his skin touch both Raito's warm hand and L's cold touch, and he saw a flash of pure panic streak across Raito's face, his eyes widening as he opened his mouth to yell-
There was a loud crash and a boom, and then Matsuda knew no more.
Part 2
Rating: M
Pairing: Raito/Matsuda/L. In that order.
Word count: 15,535
Warnings: none
Summary: When Ryuuzaki had handcuffed Raito to himself in order to make sure he didn't resume his activities as Kira, Matsuda had expressed a slight apprehension over the state of affairs.
A/N: Commissioned by and written for jessieheart. Enjoy! :D
When Ryuuzaki had handcuffed Raito to himself in order to make sure he didn't resume his activities as Kira, Matsuda had expressed a slight apprehension over the state of affairs.
And when Raito had punched L in the face, leading L to attack back fiercely in an insane battle beyond Matsuda's perceived physical limits for the pair, he'd expressed his deep concern for their situation.
Now, though, with harsh words and sharp insults flying back and forth in the middle of the workroom, Matsuda was flat-out panicked that there would be a loss of life between the two.
“You're being completely insane!” Raito yelled, eyes glaring fiercely. “There are people out there dying right now, and you're too busy using up this team's time with handcuff expenses and stilted three-way dates!”
“If you would like, you may dump Amane-san, thereby negating the need for these stilted charades,” L shot back, eyes glinting. Matsuda noted from behind his potted plant that L had moved out of his customary slouch into a slight crouch, as if ready to spring.
“That's not the point and you know it!” Raito raged. “I agreed to this arrangement as a way of proving my innocence and catching Kira! Not to spend my life shackled to a depressed lunatic who's forgotten how to work!”
Matsuda winced, and L's eyes hardened.
“Perhaps you have forgotten, Yagami-kun, that I am L,” he said tightly. “I take cases that are only of interest to me. This new Kira is flat and one-dimensional, unable to focus on the greater, grander picture. Much like how you're acting now...”
Raito's eyes flashed.
“Are you saying I'm not being a benefit to this team?” he said dangerously. Matsuda swallowed, taking a step back.
“I'm saying that your unnatural preoccupation with these handcuffs and being forced to spend time with me is not only idiotic; it is also juvenile and makes you about as useful as a pair of socks to this investigation,” L shot back.
“Why, you-!!”
There was a loud crash and a smash as Raito punched L, L rolling with the punch, forcing Raito to stumble forward, tripping him and sending Raito falling face-first into a decorative vase stand. Raito leapt up, ignoring the shards embedded in his hands, and ran at L, who'd dropped to a defensive crouch.
“That's enough!!”
Raito skidded to a stop, and even L looked surprised, Matsuda noted, panting as he stood between them, not quite sure how he had moved so fast. Trying to slow his heart, he glared at them both the best he could, hands on his hips.
“You're both being stupid!” he declared. “Fighting isn't going to solve anything, and it's just what Kira would want you to do! Can't you two try to get along??”
L and Raito both stopped, looking at him for a long moment, before exchanging a significant glance. Matsuda sweatdropped.
“Wouldn't Kira not want us to fight, as it works against the very fabric of the Utopian world he's trying to create?” Raito commented, eyebrows raised.
“At least, the old Kira would,” L agreed. “Who is the only Kira truly deserving of the title Kira, so, in essence, yes.”
Matsuda blinked.
“...but... wouldn't Kira want his enemies to not get along?” he asked, biting his lip. “They pose less of a threat that way.”
“”He wouldn't object to it, but he certainly wouldn't want it,” Raito lectured. “Kira's ideal world has all the people realizing their potential and contributing to the world, all of which is impeded by senseless dissent. While out conflict may help him in allowing him not to get caught, Kira's more likely to plan on us eventually seeing things his way and joining his ideal society as active participants, for which arguing and fighting would not be ideal training. “
L had long since wandered off, Matsuda noticed. He was perched on his computer chair, eating a piece of cake.
Matsuda sweatdropped, smiling helplessly.
“I see,” he lied.
“You're lying,” L commented, licking his fork. Matsuda blinked, looking over at him, dark eyes staring back.
“Ryuuzaki...?”
“You started fidgeting and playing with your fingernails when Yagami-kun started discussing a universal realization of potential. You eyes moved down and to the left, indicating that you were confused, and then to the middle-right, showing you were hearing words but couldn't understand their meaning at all and were wondering when Yagami-kun would stop talking. Clearly, you were completely lost by Yagami-kun's argument, but were content to pretend and play along.”
Matsuda shrank in on himself, somewhat horrified that L had read him so easily.
“Ryuuzaki...” he whimpered.
Raito sighed.
“Look on the bright side - you got us to stop fighting,” Raito said dryly. “That was what you wanted to do, and you seemed to have accomplished it rather well.”
L's eyes flicked back up from the computer, settling on Matsuda, an amused smile flickering on his face.
“Indeed,” he murmured. “Well done, Matsuda-san. Well done.”
To his mortification, Matsuda felt his face flush. Raito rolled his eyes.
“There's no need to be so satisfied,” he muttered. “I would have just beat his lights out, and then the fight would have been over anyway.”
L ignored the barb.
“Matsuda-san is always very helpful,” he commented, gnawing on his thumbnail. “Be kind, Raito-kun.”
Raito sneered, and L smiled.
“Now then, let us return to work, if we may?” L continued. “Matsuda-san, please get those files from the basement that we discussed earlier. Yagami-kun, if you would continue penetrating the firewall...”
Beaming to himself, Matsuda almost skipped to the basement door, glad he'd gotten them to stop fighting. It was almost too great to be real...
“And Yagami-kun. Eighty-five percent, for analyzing Kira's mindset so flawlessly, and an additional six for knowing how to explain it persuasively.”
Matsuda didn't have to be looking to know Raito's temple pulsed with rage.
“Ryuuzaki-!!”
********
Although the peace lingered, and the rest of the investigation team noticed nothing when they finally arrived, Matsuda couldn't help but feel like this was the calm beneath the storm.
No, that's not it, he puzzled silently. What is it? Between the storm? Because the storm...?
Raito seemed almost to polite to L, it seemed. He was acting perfectly civil, almost a little too much so. Whenever L needed something, Raito offered to get it (so long as it was nearby). Whenever someone had an idea, Raito considered it and gave positive feedback, instead of shooting it down as was customary. And whenever Matsuda glanced over at the two shackled geniuses, Raito only offered him a small smile.
It made Matsuda shiver. It was creepy, to have Raito acting so... so normal.
“Yagami-san, did you find the results of the search on the-”
“Before the storm!” Matsuda exclaimed suddenly, triumphant. “That's what it is!”
A silence fell, Matsuda quickly realizing that he had blurted his thoughts aloud.
“...Matsuda-san,” L said finally, looking as if he was trying to hide a smile. “Why don't you go get some coffee for everyone?”
Matsuda flushed.
“Ah, of course Ryuuzaki-!”
The rest of the day was much of the same. The search was slow, hard work, as always, but the team slogged on, determined. Gradually, the team dwindled, Aizawa leaving, then Mogi, and finally Mr. Yagami.
“Staying here still, Matsuda?” he asked. “Or just working overtime again?”
Matsuda laughed, rubbing his head sheepishly.
“Ah, I might as well just stay here,” he said. “It's closer than my apartment, and there's more than enough rooms. It's less lonely, too.”
Mr. Yagami laughed, while Raito ignored them, typing. L looked up, blinking.
“A young man like you shouldn't be all cooped up in here with the rest of us like this,” Mr. Yagami said, ruffling his hair. “Go out and find a girlfriend.”
Matsuda's face burned, and this time, Raito joined in on the laughter.
“Don't stay up too late, now. Ja ne, Raito.”
“See ya, Dad.”
Matsuda watched as Mr. Yagami left, leaving Raito, L, and Matsuda alone once more.
It was silent, save for the sound of steady typing and the occasional mouse click. He shifted through the files quietly, trying not to disturb anyone.
“Matsuda-san,” L said suddenly. “You have no one special in your life?”
Matsuda blinked, surprised.
“Ah, not really,” he admitted. “I've been so busy lately, and there hasn't really been anyone that- you know-”
“You have not been attracted to anyone recently?” L interrupted, and Matsuda blushed.
“Well, I have,” he confessed. “But they're not interested back, certainly. And anyway, I've been so busy with work and whatnot that it's somewhat ridiculous to consider such a thing, you know...”
L tilted his head. Matsuda squirmed, uncomfortable under his unblinking eyes.
“What, in life, is more important than one's happiness?” L demanded.
Matsuda blinked, swallowing hard.
“Ano- Ryuuzaki, why are you-”
“Oh, shut up,” Raito cut in, annoyed. “Ryuuzaki, Matsuda's still pining over the fact that Misa doesn't like him back. He'll get over her eventually. It's nothing to write home about.”
“Raito-kun!” Matsuda exclaimed, horrified. “No- really, I'm not-”
“Matsuda-san, there's no reason to be ashamed of having an unrequited love,” L commented. “Really, it's perfectly natural, almost part of the human condition.”
Matsuda's face burned, while Raito scoffed.
“Don't be ridiculous,” he said, dismissive. “The human condition has little to do with such things.”
“Have you never experienced unrequited love?” L questioned. Raito rolled his eyes, still typing.
“I have not,” he said. “When I experience an attraction to someone, I go after them and eventually acquire them. I do not sit around and pine.”
“Have you never felt a feeling so great that you could not dare to risk rejection?” L demanded. “Are you so inhuman, Yagami-kun, to not know the feeling?”
Matsuda found himself absorbed in the conversation. Who knew L thought so much of feelings? Especially when he never displayed them to anyone, really...
“What of you?” Raito demanded, defensive. “Have you ever been in love? Have you lowered yourself to such a level to waste mental energy and thought on someone that you thought you couldn't win?”
For some inexplicable reason, Matsuda found himself holding his breath, waiting for L's answer.
“Yes,” L said simply.
Matsuda's eyes widened.
What...?
“How mature,” Raito said, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “And here, I was under the impression that adults faced their feelings and took the high road and acted on their wants.”
“Maybe Ryuuzaki's afraid,” Matsuda cut in, surprising himself with his audacity. “It's normal to fear rejection, ne?”
Raito turned to state at him, incredulous, but all Matsuda noticed was the small smile L gave him, grateful.
“Since when is Ryuuzaki normal?” Raito demanded.
“You are being most unkind, Yagami-kun, assuming that because I am not precisely 'normal' that I do not hold human emotions,” L said, licking his fingers. “That is just the sort of viewpoint that Kira would hold.”
Raito exploded.
“You are ridiculous!” he fumed. “Bringing Kira into everything I say just so you don't have to answer my questions! And then not doing anything real about the Kira investigation at all! You are the most self-centered, hypocritical, childish man I have ever met!!”
Raito glared at L, while L tilted his head.
“You say that like it's a bad thing,” he murmured.
Raito looked about ready to hit L, before he gave up, slumping in his chair, shooting dark looks at them both if they tried to start another conversation for the rest of the night.
******
“You're being mean to Ryuuzaki.”
It was a statement, not a question, uttered by Matsuda as he and Raito waited in the bedroom for L to finish his shower. L's handcuff was clasped around Matsuda's wrist, ensuring that Raito would still be monitored whilst he took care of the necessities.
Raito sighed, running a hand through his wet hair. Raito had showered first, now wearing a simple long-sleeved shirt and jeans, the first several buttons of the shirt left undone. Matsuda watched as little water droplets fell to Raito's shoulders, running down his chest and disappearing underneath his shirt, before quickly looking up to meet Raito's eyes, realizing he really shouldn't have been looking at such things.
“It's not my fault,” Raito said, rubbing his temples. “I'd be fine if he'd just uncuff us more often than he does. How am I supposed to deal with him being so close all of the time? It's insane.”
“I thought you two were friends,” Matsuda said, blinking. “It shouldn't be so much trouble, ne?”
“We are friends,” Raito argued. “But even friends aren't supposed to be shackled to each other twenty-four hours a day! I need some time to myself, to gather my mind and keep myself sane. I can't do that when Ryuuzaki's around all of the time!”
“Why not?” Matsuda probed. Raito gave him a look, then sighed.
“It's... difficult, with Ryuuzaki,” he said. “Ryuuzaki's so abnormal - never taking human moments or reacting as expected. He never yells or shouts, he doesn't worry about his appearance, he doesn't care what people thing of him... he doesn't even jerk backwards when he spills his scalding coffee, Matsuda! And then there's me...”
He paused for a moment, contemplative, before continuing on.
“I'm normal, Matsuda. Okay, maybe a little scarily-smart for a normal person, but still! I interact with other people, I feel attraction, desire, anger, despair, hatred, and I let it show. L- Ryuuzaki- he doesn't show any of that. And next to him, I can't relax enough to let that sort of thing out.”
Matsuda opened his mouth in a soft 'o'.
“I didn't realize...” he said, trailing off, uncertain. He blinked. “But wait. Didn't Ryuuzaki just say earlier that he'd loved someone before? Surely that's human, isn't it?”
“But he doesn't show it,” Raito pointed out. “No one ever knows what L is thinking. When I want someone, I want to sweep them off their feet and kiss them and make them forget about everything but me long into the night-”
Matsuda flushed, and Raito laughed.
“Don't tell me you're embarrassed hearing such things?” Raito smiled, amused. “It's perfectly natural, you know.”
Matsuda shrugged quickly, cheeks tinging a darker pink, and Raito laughed again.
“No matter. Anyway, but Ryuuzaki doesn't show any indication of such things. He doesn't flirt, he doesn't eye people up, he doesn't yell, he doesn't do anything. If he has feelings, it's not like anyone ever notices at all.”
Raito lapsed into silence, leaning back and stretching, apparently deep in thought. Matsuda watched, swallowing hard when Raito's shirt crept upwards a few inches, before yanking his mind back to the present.
“You're so calm now,” Matsuda said, forcing himself to focus. “Is it just Ryuuzaki that you're so nervous around, or is it whoever you end up chained to?”
There was a pause, and Raito turned his head slowly, looking over at Matsuda. His eyes languidly traveled up Matsuda's entire body, lazily, before resting on his eyes. Matsuda shivered slightly. His eyes were a warm, liquid golden brown, inviting, suggestive, and Matsuda had to remind himself to breathe. A slow grin spread over his face, confident and in control.
“You're different than Ryuuzaki, Matsuda,” Raito commented, returning to lounging on the bed. “I know where I stand with you.”
Rather flustered, Matsuda wasn't quite sure what Raito meant by that, but he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know.
*******
“You're a complete and utter imbecile!”
“If I'm an imbecile, why are you so upset at the thought I might be right?”
“Because you're completely skewing the facts and drawing conclusions that-”
“I'm skewing the facts? Raito-kun, have you looked at this data?”
“It says nothing like you're trying to make it say, Ryuuzaki-!!”
“Then why does it all fit into this?”
“Because you're making it and twisting everything so that it works out-”
“Now who's the one skewing the facts, Raito-kun?”
“You idiot-!”
“That's enough!!”
Shivering, Matsuda watched as Mr. Yagami wrenched the dueling pair apart. Raito wiped his mouth, leaving a smear of blood at the corner, while L cradled his eye, hiding beneath his hair. The looks Raito was sending at L were venomous, almost like he wanted to kill him, while L was pretending nothing had happened, looking every which way but Raito's.
“Okay. Okay. Now,” Mr. Yagami said loudly, taking charge. “Mogi will go down the precinct to check Raito's theory. Meanwhile, Aizawa and I will go down to the ICPO to check on L's idea. We'll reconvene here in a couple hours. Got it?”
“Ah, Yagami-san, what should I-?”
“You stay here, Matsuda,” Mr. Yagami instructed, glancing at the fighting pair. Matsuda's face fell.
“Someone's got to keep these two in check,” he muttered.
Matsuda turned to look at Raito and L, biting his lip. Raito was shifting his desk to face the opposite way from L's, while L continued stacking sugar cubes, eyes scanning the monitor in front of him silently.
“H-Hai, Yagami-san...”
With a sigh of relief, Mr. Yagami departed, Mogi following behind. Aizawa shot Matsuda a skeptical glance before shrugging and running after the other two, leaving Matsuda alone with the two geniuses once more.
Matsuda turned back to them.
“Okay, now - ah, how about we follow this Affirex lead, for now-”
Raito and L both ignored him, both typing furiously, and Matsuda bit his lip, before dragging a chair and his own laptop over so he could keep his eye on them both.
***********
Matsuda glanced up at the clock. Nearly two hours had gone by.
Raito had been suspiciously silent the whole time. While L had murmured ideas aloud, asking Matsuda for one file or another, Raito had kept his eyes glues to his screen, reading something on the Internet on a black web page. Matsuda figured it was probably one of the Kira fan sites, from the dark and gothic look of it, which didn't really relate to the investigation.
He was hardly going to say anything about it, though. Especially not after that fight.
“Matsuda,” L said, gingerly touching his eye, a magnificent ring of purple blooming around it. “Would you please go ask Watari if we have any bruise balm?”
“Ah, of course, Ryuuzaki-!” Matsuda stood up hurriedly, casting a worried look at L, before rushing off. Raito ignored him, digging in his desk drawers instead, steadfastly pretending the other boy didn't exist.
Matsuda returned a few moments later, carrying a small jar.
“Watari wasn't there, but I found this in his first aid kit,” he said, giving it to L. “This might help the pain, ne?”
L looked up. “I think it might,” he said. He offered him a small smile, and Matsuda felt his heart lurch. “Thank you.”
“It- it was nothing, really-! Ha ha, anything to help out, you know me...”
Ducking his head, Matsuda quickly returned to his seat, hiding behind his laptop before cautiously peering over the top.
L was tentatively applying the ointment to his eye socket, fingers brushing slightly against the skin, making him wince. Matsuda bit his lip, upset. Raito had obviously given much better than he'd gotten, and Matsuda felt bad for L. Raito had gotten carried away...
Turning to the other boy, Matsuda watched as Raito toyed with a birthday candle idly, his lips moving silently as he read the screen. Matsuda wondered if the candle had come off of one of Ryuuzaki's cupcakes, and if so, why it hadn't been put away-
Matsuda froze suddenly. Something was very wrong.
The air was wrong. It had suddenly gone still, unmoving, and the lights flickered once, darkening. Looking around quickly, Matsuda saw that blackness was creeping up from the corners and walls of the room, seeping towards the three of them in the center of the area.
Ryuuzaki-!
Matsuda tried to call out, to get L's attention, but he choked, somehow unable to get out the words. Raito was still muttering under his breath furiously, an odd glint in his eyes as he glanced over at L, who was still applying his ointment, oblivious to the changes being wrought around him.
Matsuda coughed harshly, trying desperately to speak. He grabbed at his throat, becoming more and more frantic as the dark kept closing in. Raito's chanting became fiercer, more intense, and the lights flickered again, dimming until Matsuda could barely see the others. Raito's candle suddenly lit, illuminating his face, and Matsuda nearly screamed, terrified, when L finally noticed and turned around.
“Yagami-kun, I understand that you are upset, but hacking into the circuit breakers is hardly the best method of expressing this-”
“Silence-!”
Raito grabbed L's hand, yanking it to hold the candle with him, his hand holding his there tightly. Eyes widening, L tugged at his hand, alarmed.
“Raito? Raito-kun, what are you-??”
The darkness edging in, swarming, Matsuda choked, falling forward, landing in the small ring of light that was still around the two in the center. He gasped, sucking in great lungfuls of air, watching in horror as L struggled to get away.
“Raito! Raito, let me go-!”
Raito kept chanting, muttering low, archaic sounds under his breath as the darkness closed in even further. With a final yell, Raito thrust the candle up, dragging L's hand along with it, and the darkness pounced.
“No-!”
Unsure what was going on but terrified beyond belief, Matsuda lunged at the candle, grabbing it from the top in a desperate attempt to put the candle out. He felt his skin touch both Raito's warm hand and L's cold touch, and he saw a flash of pure panic streak across Raito's face, his eyes widening as he opened his mouth to yell-
There was a loud crash and a boom, and then Matsuda knew no more.
Part 2