Sweet Little Lies

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"I'm bored of chess"

"Only because I'm winning Ryuzaki"

This was true, L had practically lost the game. The detective wasn't so sure he was smarter anymore...probably why Light was so much better at chess.

It had been a few days since...𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, as it were. They saw each other everyday. But L was always lonely now. It was strange, to think the men had been chained for so long. Together, twenty-four hours, seven days a week, for 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔. L had been so used to Light's presence, it was as if he had always been there. His absence...was just as disastrous as L had been expecting—the difference the lack of a chain could make.

The pair once had a strong friendship, entertaining chats, and a good dynamic. On the surface, they still did. Like a married couple of twenty years attempting to keep the spark alive—prolonging the inevitable. But L wanted to prolong the inevitable. He still wanted Light by his side, whatever Light he was. Even though, the real one, 𝒉𝒊𝒔 Light Yagami...was lost, forever. So distanced that L could no longer see bright brown eyes on the horizon at daybreak. Instead, there was just a big glowing ball of fire—completely uninteresting.

Without the chain he'd fallen away, off the face of the earth it seemed. The detective would most likely, never see him again....

When they didn't work, they played chess. Only chess, constantly 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒔....if Light weren't busy conversing with 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒂 that is...
When it wasn't chess, it was the '𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕'. It used to be L's favourite, a variation of word tennis. Where one opponent would yell a country, the other, would have to name the capital city, of said country - as quick as possible. If they stuttered, or were wrong, the opposition would gain a point —simple really. Until of course, Light knew every answer and stated it at the end of a yawn—in blatant boredom whilst staring at his watch. Light was 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 staring at his watch. Probably just to mock him. It wasn't fun anymore if your fellow competitor—𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚—disliked you.

"It's not because you're winning Light-kun...we play too much chess, why don't we do something else for a while?"

It wasnt because Light was winning. L didn't care too much about that anymore. Light could win, maybe winning for the thirtieth time in a row would make him smile and then L would be somewhat brighter at the sight. Light knew his imminent victory wasn't the reason, the detective just didn't enjoy rewriting fond memories with stale ones; sad ones, why did Light still hang around him? Did he wish to torture L with their shared past? A past that could never be revisited with the same joy that once existed in both their eyes? Should he tell Light this? No...admitting that would be absolutely terrible and if this new Light Yagami 𝒘𝒂𝒔, determined to torture him then...𝑲𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

"Then let's have a round of the '𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕"'

Light was definitely doing it on purpose. Never had he 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 gotten the contest's name correct. Ever since...𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚—the day Higuchi was apprehended; the day Shinigami were 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍...Light disappeared. Everything was strange. But neither man brought up the subject, nor acknowledged the elephant in the room. Things were normal on the surface but dead underneath. There was no anger between them. There was nothing at all. It just wasn't 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. They hadn't touched in 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔.

"You...you said the contest's name correctly Light-kun?"

L mumbled in his monotonous voice, sprinkled with slight resentment at Light's achievement.