Death Note Fan Fiction ❯ Keep Your Friends Close But Your Enemies Closer ❯ Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Raito wandered to the office's bathroom, head still pounding from his killer hangover. He gently closed the bathroom door behind himself, trying not to create any loud noises to further upset his fragile head.

Leaning over the sink, he splashed water onto his face. What had gotten into him? First, he'd gotten drunk, and then he'd completely forgotten himself in front of his coworkers.

And, above all of his other failures, L still hadn't been seduced.

Raito looked up into the mirror above the sink, droplets of water still dripping from his face. There had to be some reason that L wasn't responding. The man was only human, after all, and Raito knew from experience that most other humans had an extreme amount of trouble resisting his charms and devastatingly good looks.

Raito had tried everything. He had played with L, to try and get him to relax, which had, needless to say, failed miserably. He had given the man cake. Raito had even made completely blatant passes at L, and invited him to a hotel room alone. Twice.

And yet L seemed completely oblivious of, or at least apathetic towards, Raito's advances.

This was something Raito simply couldn't understand. If he had been in L's place, he would have been all over himself.

He studied his face in the mirror for another moment.

And then it came to him.

Raito and L were two totally different people, and what turned on Raito probably far from pleased L.

But that left the question, what exactly did please L?

Another flash of brilliance, and this answer also came to Raito.

L didn't seem to like anyone at all, or be particularly taken with anyone. But, perhaps if he were to meet a man like himself…someone who acted as idiotic as him, he would be completely ensnared in their charms.

Raito watched himself in the mirror as a wicked grin slowly spread across his face.

His plan, his final attempt at seducing L into forfeiting his name, was finally forming.

-----

L was sitting quietly in his usual chair, knees pulled up against his chest, thumb in mouth, when Raito sauntered up to him looking decidedly strange.

“Hello, Ryuu,” Raito said, his tone slightly more apathetic than usual.

L's eyes swept over him. “Hello, Yagami-kun,” he said, wary despite his calm tone. What scheme was Raito plotting this time?

Raito didn't respond, instead pulling a chair up next to L and sitting awkwardly down.

For a moment, Raito battled fiercely with himself. Could he really swallow his pride and superior breeding enough to sit like the monkey that was L?

Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Raito visibly relaxed his normally impeccable posture and forced his legs up onto the chair, sitting in a perfect imitation of L.

L blinked in surprise. He definitely had not expected Raito to begin his scheme by doing that. However, it would probably be worth it to just play along, and see where it went.

Raito looked up at the television screens in front of him, all set to various news channels blaring the latest Kira killings. He consciously tried to open his eyes as wide as they would go, although he knew it was rather fruitless. His eyes could never look as gigantic as L's; the man had an inhuman ability to keep them open wide.

His efforts were not lost on L, however, although they did leave him a bit more confused. Exactly what was Raito playing at?

The pair sat in silence for another few minutes, until Raito moved slightly, pulling off his socks and throwing them onto the ground.

It was hard for Raito to do such a thing. He was normally quite neat, and despised L for walking around barefoot.

It was hard for L to watch him do such a thing without bursting into fits of laughter.

Misa walked in at that moment, and nearly dropped the tea tray she carrying. Seeing Raito, nearly curled up on a chair, eyes forcibly opened wide, was such a shockingly ridiculous image that she thought she must've seen it wrong at first. At second glance, however, it appeared she hadn't.

Raito studiously ignored her obvious open-mouthed gape at him. He knew his behavior was odd, but it was all for the Cause.

After a few seconds, Misa regained her composure and continued over to where Raito and L were sitting, setting down the tea tray on the small table in front of them. “Um, tea, Raito?” she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Raito, instead of answering verbally, nodded slightly and gingerly picked up the delicate china cup, sloshing the tea over the top. He had to check the scowl that automatically moved onto his features.

L also took a cup, silently praising Raito for his decent impression of himself. Without looking over at the other man, L grabbed five creamers and six sugar cubes, haphazardly dropping the sugar in and pouring in the cream.

Raito was watching closely, and mimicked his moves almost exactly, even to the point of the same number of sugar cubes and creamers. L was secretly surprised. Raito usually took his tea plain, and didn't disguise his distain for sweets.

That was one of the many things he truly couldn't understand about Raito. How could one not like sweets?

The pair sipped their tea in silence, interrupted only by Misa's occasional attempt at small talk. Mostly, she just chatted to herself, while L listened intently and Raito pretended to listen while really watching L's every move.

Finally, Misa left Raito and L alone. Raito, unsure of what L would say in such a situation, continued to sit quietly, and so L spoke up after a moment. “Raito, would you like to go out for a bite of cake?”

Raito looked over to L in shock, completely bewildered at L's unprecedented comment. He had never asked Raito out, and, in truth, had never even shown an interest in the outings that Raito invited him to. He had been worried that L perhaps knew about his schemes all along, and was simply humoring him in playing along.

Of course, now he realized what a silly idea that was. L would never, and could never, outsmart Raito.

“Yes,” Raito answered a little too quickly and animatedly. He immediately realized his mistake and forced his voice to be calmer, as L's always was. “After work?”

L nodded, and then went back to stacking up his creamer containers into a small pyramid. He knew it was time for Raito's little game to end. He would have to either give Raito what he wanted, or refuse him so dramatically that Raito would forever cease his plot to seduce him. The choice, for L, was simple. There really had only been one way for this to play out since the beginning.

-----

Raito was strangely giddy for the remainder of the afternoon, and thoroughly frightened Matsuda when he walked past him in the hall outside the office, barefoot and smiling almost maniacally. An honest smile was definitely not something Matsuda was accustomed to seeing on Raito's face, and it threw him off rather spectacularly.

-----

After their workday officially ended, L and Raito left the building for the cake shop.

By that time, Raito had fully embraced his new plot to act exactly like L, and now even looked somewhat like him. He had mussed up his hair as much as he could take without gagging, changed out of his usually khakis and dress-shirt in favor of a white, quarter-sleeve length t-shirt and jeans, and exchanged his spotless shoes for his old high school gym shoes. Although they weren't as ratty as L's, they were about as dilapidated as he felt he could wear. There were some lines he just couldn't bring himself to cross.

Arriving at the cozy little shop, mostly decorated pink and frequented by young couples on dates, L guided Raito to a table in front of the cake display case. Raito pretended to be entranced with the cakes, as L would be, while actually sneaking surreptitious glances at L.

L, of course, noticed, but chose not to say anything.

The waitress finally broke their awkward silence, penciling down their two orders of strawberry shortcake and tea. Although Raito favored chocolate, he knew L happened to be quite preferential to strawberry.

Unlike the last time they had visited a café together, the waitress did not try to flirt with him. Raito chalked it up to his new “L look”. It wouldn't be strange if many didn't find his disheveled, slobby look attractive.

Although he personally didn't mind it too much. It even looked a little sexy on L…

Raito gave himself a mental slap. Thoughts of that sort were completely unnecessary.

L was still staring longingly at the cake display when the waitress returned with their orders, effectively breaking Raito's tension. The thoughts had sent his mind into a gutter he really didn't want it to be in, and cake provided a welcome distraction. Throwing away his normal reservations about eating avariciously, he quickly shoved a bite of cake into his mouth.

L, however, uncharacteristically remained motionless, not even looking at his cake. Instead, he stared intently at Raito.

Out of the corner of his eye, Raito could see what L was doing, and, quite frankly, it unnerved him. L had never actually looked directly at Raito before. Although he might have been happy to receive a little attention from his rival, he couldn't help but feel unsettled. L was looking at him almost exactly how he would look at a piece of exceptionally delicious cake.

Somewhat startled at this revelation, and what it could possibly mean as to L's feelings about him, Raito inadvertently met L's gaze. An electric jolt went through him as their eyes connected, and he looked away after only a split second.

Was it just Raito, or was there a trace of smugness in L's eyes?

Raito cursed himself for his foolishness. Once again, he was letting his emotions overtake his intellect. Mastery of self, that was the key.

L's next comment, however, ruined all “mastery of self” Raito tried to regain.

“Yagami-kun, would you like to accompany me to a hotel for the night?”

Raito did a double take. “What did you just say, Ryuu?” Raito asked, trying to keep the excitement at such a prospect out of his voice.

“I asked if Yagami-kun would like to go to a hotel for the night, with me.”

If Raito were a less constrained person, his jaw would have dropped. L asking him to a hotel after inviting him to a café patronized by dating couples, of his own free will? It was all rather too good to be true. Had L finally been seduced at long last? Raito couldn't help but think he had.

Raito ate another large bite of cake to disguise his self-satisfied smile.

L also ate a bite to disguise his own. His plan, too, was moving forward nicely.

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To look forward to in chapter 10: After Raito and L arrive awkwardly at their hotel room, L suggests a trip the bathhouse…will Raito be able to resist? Will he even want to? And what exactly is L planning, anyway? ; )

HAPPY X-MAS! :D Because when I first posted this chapter, it was Christmas eve! (See the chapter 7 author's note for my tale of woe and sorrow…and extreme frustration.)