Tired of Waiting [Closed - Complete]

[sugarforteatime]

Characters: L Lawliet and Vash the Stampede
Content: L makes his move on Vash
Setting: Vash's Quarters - Winding Way
Time: Late Night
Warnings: Two men, donut boxes, maybe some rope.

Comments

[stampeded]

He hadn't been doing much tonight, just lounging around while listening to the radio, trying to decide if he should go nudge Kurt into drinking with him or not. The captain's stress levels had been a concern for him lately, because while he'd been better after that outburst on the journals, the ship wasn't in the clear yet. There was just so much going on lately.

That, and he didn't know if it was the last time he'd get to have a drink with him at all.

The knock on the door almost startled him. Blinking, he slid off of his bed, not bothering to turn the radio down. Vash just hoped there wasn't some sort of problem that needed his attention. It was way too late for that.

So, when he opens the door, he's a little surprised to see who's standing there. It's a pleasant surprise, though, and he's already starting to smile, "Ryuzaki! What are you doing here?"

[sugarforteatime]

In spite of all of the nerves he'd been feeling a few moments earlier, L didn't let it show on his face. It wouldn't have done him any good to let that mask slip.

"All of the food supplies have been put away. There were -- a few extra boxes of donuts, though." He indicates the boxes he's carrying. "I thought of you, of course."

He's still standing outside, more hesitant than he has any right to be.

[stampeded]

"There were?" His expression light up considerably more than the polite smile he'd had on just a few seconds earlier. It paid off to have a friend like Ryuzaki around, who didn't seem to care a whit about the donut ban that Joshua had imposed on him. Vash was really flattered that he thought to bring them over.

"Come on in!" He stepped aside, opening the door wider. Walking around with a donut box like that was dangerous; what if someone saw Ryuzaki at his door and tried to confiscate them? It was unthinkable! "I know it's late, but I've got a bottle if you want to stay for a while." His room really wasn't much, considering the guest rooms that Ryuzaki was probably still in were a little fancier. That didn't mean he couldn't be hospitable.

[sugarforteatime]

L stepped into the room and took a quick look around. The room was definitely more spartan than his, but it was hardly uninviting. L set the boxes down on a nearby table.

Alcohol? L had never had a drop before today, but Vash seemed accommodating and it wouldn't hurt to be sociable.

"I would enjoy staying for a while. I do not usually drink, but I could be tempted."

He was tense now, coiled and wound up. He'd psyched himself up earlier, and now he had to wait. He was usually good at waiting, gauging the right moment, but he was at a loss today.

[stampeded]

He watched Ryuzaki move around the room, not because he wanted to, but because he felt like he should. He was still at the man's mercy, and while he was feeling fairly apathetic about that fact now, Vash had to make himself be at least somewhat alert. He couldn't even muster up the slightest donut craving right now.

His eyes widened a bit when he saw Ryuzaki pick up the knife.

Vash didn't know what to do. He didn't think there was anything he could do. It was too hard for him to even try and gauge Ryuzaki's intentions right now. Hadn't he wanted to turn him in? It was with a faint flash of panic that he remembered the bounty would be the same if he were brought in dead.

Did it even matter? He had known it might've come to this.

Vash didn't struggle, but instead remained still, only setting his jaw before waiting for the pain.

[sugarforteatime]

Vash's lack of self-preservation was truly startling to L, but it was enough to convince him that he owed it to Vash and himself to trust his first instincts. He hadn't trusted Vash at first, he never trusted anyone instantly or completely, but as time passed he had grown to trust Vash more and more.

If he was right, he was going to give an innocent man back a freedom he deserved. If he was wrong he was going to give away the safety of the Winding Way crew, sixty billion franks and probably his own life.

He could live with that, and he had no idea why.

Although he'd never intended the loops and ties he'd made to be released easily or quickly he slowly started to cut away the few dozen key points that would loosen the rope efficiently if not quickly.

He didn't speak at all while he worked, eyes and hands both focused on his task.

[stampeded]

He was surprised when the pain he expected didn't come after all. Vash relaxed again, if barely, brow furrowed as he watched Ryuzaki begin to cut away the ropes.

It was a small comfort to feel the ropes begin to loosen. Vash still didn't move, though, not even bothering to shift into a more comfortable position. It had nothing to do with the fact that Ryuzaki still held the knife.

He was silent for a while himself before asking, "Why are you doing this?"

[sugarforteatime]

L silently pulled at the cut ropes. They loosened and ended up piling in Vash's lap. He would probably be able to step out of the ropes in a matter of seconds, if not quicker, were he so inclined. He set the knife down between them.

"Because you are my best friend." It was so much more complicated than that. It was so much more complicated than that, but he was not sure how to explain. His voice was full of emotion, at least by his own standards. Others might have heard his voice and thought it was slightly choked up or perhaps congested. For him, someone whose voice had two tones - cheery and blandly serious - it was emotion-filled.