"So how are we supposed to sleep?"

The world's greatest detective turned to look at his companion.

"You just close your eyes, Raito-kun and it happens," he said.

"Very funny," Raito said sarcastically, but L noticed he was trying to suppress a laugh. So Raito had a sense of humor. That was interesting, and something he hadn't noticed before, though it was hardly surprising considering the combatative nature of their time together so far.

"You have one bed, I will have the other bed and the chain can stretch between us," L elaborated.

"That doesn't sound very comfortable," Raito murmured. His eyes had turned to the half open bathroom door. "What about that? Washing and – and so on?"

"We go in the bathroom and we wash, why are you having so much difficulty with these mundane activities?"

"Uh... nothing..." Raito replied. He turned his face away but not before L had noticed the start of a blush. Another interesting thing – was Raito shy? Surely he had nothing to hide? His body, in L's estimation could be nothing short of perfect and he must have showered in male company before at school – unless, maybe, he did have something to hide.

As Raito rummaged through his bag, bringing out pajamas and toiletries, L stood wide-eyed by the bed, lost in a fantasy he named the Mark of Kira. In medieval times it had been believed that a witch had a mark on her body that was put there by the devil. Unpleasant methods were used to discover this mark, usually involving long pins with which the witch would be pricked in the attempt to discover a place that caused no pain when the pin was inserted. Third nipples were also suspect and were thought to be what the witch used to suckle her familiar, the helpful spirit given to her by Satan.

"How many nipples do you have, Raito-kun?" L asked.

"What!" Raito turned suddenly, staring at L with a look of alarm on his face, his pajamas clutched protectively to his chest. "Ryuuzaki – what do you mean?"

"It's a simple question, Raito-kun," said the detective, now wishing that he hadn't asked it. If Raito did have some kind of mark signifying his Kira-ness, now he would realise that L was looking for it. But then again, he could hardly hide it, so perhaps it didn't matter. In fact, the probability of such a mark existing would be increased the more reluctant Raito was to show himself naked.

"I have two nipples," the boy answered, now blushing quite distinctly. "Why on earth – I mean, how many do you have?"

"Two."

"So why do you think I might have some different amount?"

"Just curious," said L, enjoying Raito's flustered expression. Was it merely embarrassment? Or was Kira afraid that he'd been found out?

"Any tattoos?" L went on.

"No!" said Raito, dropping the bottle of moisturiser he'd just got out of his bag. He bent down to pick it up, then stood up quickly as if he'd thought better of it. He looked at the detective, opened his mouth as if about to say something, then shut it again.

"Some problem, Raito?" asked L.

"Uh... no. No problem. Uh... you like tattoos?"

L stared back at the boy. Now what was going on? Perhaps Raito did have a sign on his skin symbolising evil and had now realised he'd made a mistake in saying that he didn't. Perhaps he was going to admit to some distinguishing mark and pretend that he'd said he didn't have one as he hadn't told his parents about it and didn't want them to find out. That was what L would do in these circumstances.

"I've seen some I find quite attractive," L said.

"What, on other people?" said Raito. "Or do you have some hidden away under there?" he waved an arm at L's baggy clothing ensemble, dropping another bottle in the process.

"On others," said L. "I don't have any myself."

"So, uh..." Raito's face was growing pinker by the second. "Are these – I mean, these tattoos you've seen – are they on people you've, uh, dated?"

"I don't date," said L, a little startled at the question. "I've seen them on the internet."

"No, I don't suppose you do," Raito frowned slightly, following his own train of thought. "You said I was your first friend. If you don't have friends, that seems to lead to the conclusion that you've never had a lover either. I can't imagine you as the kind of guy who takes people home just for sex," he paused. "Do you?"

L stared at the young man, feeling a little confused. How had the conversation got to here? He seemed to have lost control of it. But he supposed there was no harm in answering.

"No, I don't pick up people for random one-night stands," he said. "In fact, I've never – " he stopped there, realising what he'd been about to admit.

"You're a virgin?" Raito asked and for once, L damned the boy's intelligence, there'd been no way he couldn't work out what L had been about to say. Although he hadn't and couldn't deduce all of it. L decided that maybe the Mark of Kira idea could wait until morning, this conversation had to stop now.

"We should get some sleep, Raito-kun," he suggested. "There'll be plenty of time to talk later."

"Okay," said Raito, gathering his belongings back together. "I was just interested to find out we have something else in common."

He walked off into the bathroom, leaving the detective the choice of follow or be dragged. L, eyes even wider than usual, chose to follow, grabbing his own bag on the way past.

Raito was brushing his teeth, humming to himself as he did.

"What is it about water that makes people want to sing?" L wondered.

"Uhound," Raito replied.

"What was that?" L searched through his bag, afraid he might have a more immediate problem than Kira's possible tattoos.

Raito spat. "The sound," he said. "Makes you want to join in."

"You think?" L gave up on careful investigation and dumped the whole contents of his bag onto the floor.

"Lost something?" said Raito, stepping back as a pair of jeans landed on his feet.

"My toothbrush," said L, disgustedly. "All my washing things! I must've left them at the last place. Damn! I'll have to wake up Watari – "

"Don't do that!" said Raito. "There's no need to disturb him. You can use my stuff."

"Your – your – "

"Here, help yourself," said Raito, indicating the shelf above the washbasin. What looked like the contents of a fair sized pharmacy had now taken up residence there.

L poked through the unfamiliar containers, reading instructions and opening lids to sniff.

"I had no idea that becoming clean could be so complicated," he remarked.

"It's important to look after your skin," said Raito.

"Strawberries!" L stuck his nose in the latest pot of sticky gel.

"That's for washing your hair, don't put that on your face!" Raito snatched it away and reached for several other containers. "Here... you get washed with this... and then you put this on to make your face nice and soft – "

"Why does my face need to be soft?" said L, moving closer to Raito so he could share the basin.

"No good having a pretty face if you don't look after it," said Raito with a sidelong glance at his friend that looked like pure mischief.

L gazed back at him. For once in his life he was at a loss for words. And now he was the one blushing. Then he remembered what was bothering him about borrowing Raito's – cosmetics, there was no other word for them – and grabbed quickly at the subject change.

"I have no toothbrush," he said. "I need a toothbrush, Raito-kun."

"I'm glad you realise that, all that sweet stuff you eat," said Raito. "You'll just have to use mine."

"Yours?" L found himself shocked at the sheer intimacy of the suggestion. It was as if Raito had suggested they share underwear or something.

"I rinsed it," said Raito, apparently oblivious to L's confusion. "You can wash it with some soap if you want to."

He passed the toothbrush to L, who stood, holding it.

"What, is that too gross for you?" Raito asked, head on one side, an eyebrow raised.

"Gross?" L shook his head. How could Raito's mouth be considered gross by anybody? "No. It's just unfamiliar. I don't normally indulge in this degree of sharing."

"You think I do?" Raito smiled. "I don't share my toothbrush with just anybody, you know." He moved to one side to give L more room at the sink and reached for his comb.

L squeezed toothpaste out and began to brush his teeth, hyperaware of Raito leaning over him to look in the mirror. Why was he combing his hair at bedtime anyway? There was no one to see how nice it looked – and it was just going to get disordered straight away.

They were practically touching, he could feel the warmth of Raito's body next to him. And he was using the boy's toothbrush, putting something in his mouth that had been in Raito's mouth, it was almost as if they'd kissed, which was really a thought he didn't want to pursue.

"Voogfls?" he muttered through a mouthful of, oh God, Raito flavored toothpaste.

"Floss? Of course I do," Raito passed it over, then moved away.

L finished with his teeth and turned to find the boy picking up the detective's dropped clothes, folding them and putting them back into his bag.

"I hope they didn't get damp on the floor," he said, handing the bag to L.

They went back into the bedroom where L unlocked the handcuffs momentarily to allow them to take off their shirts. He replaced them then quickly put on his pajama top before starting to take off his pants.

"What time do you want the alarm setting for?" Raito asked and L turned to see him adjusting it, still half naked. "Is half past seven okay?"

"That'll be fine," the detective said, unable to tear his eyes away from the boy's smooth muscular body. So he was still watching when Raito stood up again and pulled down his zipper, then slid his pants and underwear down over his slim hips, leaving himself naked. He reached for his pajamas apparently unaware of the bemused detective whose eyes followed his every movement as he redressed himself. L's own pants were suddenly becoming far too tight and he lost himself in a dream of reaching out... touching...

"Aren't you going to bed?" Raito's voice broke into L's lustful reverie.

"Uh, yes," L stuttered, jumping onto the nearest one and hurriedly changing his pants under the cover of his baggy jammie top. He went to pick up the pillows to arrange them the way he wanted them, then realised that he couldn't reach.

"You're on the wrong bed," Raito stood over him, looking down, a half smile on his face. "You have your right wrist cuffed, I've got my left – we need to be in opposite beds or we're going to have to sleep with our arms around ourselves."

L vacated his place and took the other bed, his mind now filled with images of Raito's arms around him. He wondered what the hell was happening to him. Maybe he needed to masturbate or something. Yes, that must be it. And how difficult was that going to be since he was now chained, night and day, to the person who was giving him all these hot steamy thoughts.

He arranged the pillows around himself and lay down, determined to think about the case. About Kira. Who might be Yagami Raito. Who was lying in a bed a few feet away from the unfortunately horny detective. And who had, apparently, not one blemish, birthmark, evil tattoo or any other disfigurement on his gorgeous and extremely well-cared for body –

L groaned and attempted to turn over.

"Damn it, Ryuuzaki, you're pulling me out of bed!" Raito protested.

L sat up and looked across at the boy who was hanging over the edge of his bed, one arm suspended across the gap between.

"Maybe we should push the beds closer together," the detective suggested.

"Why don't I just get in that one with you?" was Raito's idea.

"What?" L said, clutching at his pillows. "You can't! There's no room!"

"That's only because you have all those pillows around you like a fortress."

"Yes, but – " L paused. But if he was going to discover Kira's weaknesses, he was probably going to have to reveal some of his own. "I need my pillows around me. I can't sleep without them."

"Okay," said Raito, getting out of bed, "You keep all your pillows except this one." he picked up the one nearest to him. "I'll replace this pillow with myself, we'll push the chain under the other ones and then we can both finally get some sleep."

L stared at him open-mouthed which Raito seemed to take for consent. He climbed into the bed next to the wide-eyed detective and snuggled down amongst the nest of pillows with a sigh.

"Goodnight, Ryuuzaki," he murmured sleepily.

"Goodnight, Raito," L replied, too surprised to remember the honorific. "But – Raito – "

"Hmm?"

"I need my pillows – "

"You've got most of them. Can't you just use me like another one?"

"But Raito – "

Raito leaned up on one elbow. "What's the matter, Ryuuzaki? Do I smell bad or something?"

"No!" L practically shouted. "But, Raito, I need – I need to touch my pillows!"

The boy stared, wide-eyed and L waited for his reaction, expecting Raito to jump out of the bed and rush back to his own. Or maybe tell L what a pervert he was. Or, and this could be worst of all, laugh.

"Come here, then," Raito said, reaching out for his friend.

L found himself pulled close to Raito, cradled in his arms, cuddled against his chest. He thought he should protest but it felt so good – Raito was warmer than a pillow and the slow rise and fall of his breathing, the steady beating of his heart and the comforting strength of his encircling arms, all these things were too much to resist. He sighed and relaxed against his friend's body, his eyes already closing in sleep. He would have expected, if he'd dared to imagine being pressed against Raito's body this way, he'd be kept awake all night tormented by desire. But instead, his mind and body filled with a comfort and peace he'd never imagined, never experienced.

He could be Kira, L thought as he drifted into unconsciousness, but it really didn't seem relevant. This was enough for now. He'd deal with the rest tomorrow.