Time Will Tell

Chapter Four

"I believe they've found us, Light-kun," Ryu tells me as three sets of footsteps stop outside the door of the conference room. "What should we tell them?"
I sigh, give him a quick kiss, and step away from him so I can button my shirt. My onyx-eyed detective adjusts his shirt and runs his hand through his hair as I straighten my tie and fix my hair.
I wanted to wait to tell my father, but I guess it's too late to turn back now.
Ryuzaki hops off the edge of the conference room table and goes to the doors of the conference room, saying, "Relax, Light."
I nod and take a breath, saying, "Okay, Ryu."
     He opens the door and Matsuda comes tumbling in. Aizawa then falls into Matsuda, and my father is standing over them shaking his head.
     "We, uh, we didn't know where you two had gone," Matsuda tries to explain.
     "You could have looked at the security cameras to save yourselves time and embarrassment," Ryuzaki tells them. "You would also have to ask us fewer questions."
     "So, what's up with you two then?" Aizawa asks hesitantly.
     My father notices the fact that I'm trying to shrink into the background of the situation and says, "Light. What is it?"
     I heave out a sigh, walk over to L, and place my hand on the small of his back as I say, "I wanted to talk to each of you separately, but since you've caught us, we don't have any other option but to tell you that we're together."
     I gently rub Ryuzaki's back to help relieve any stress, and he leans toward me as their reactions register on their faces.
     My father shakes his head, reaches into his pocket and pulls out two separate stacks of cash, saying, "Looks like I lost this one, boys."
     Aizawa and Matsuda grin and take their winnings.
What the hell?
     "Huh?" I ask.
     Matsuda smiles, saying, "We've been waiting for you to finally admit that you two are together. Soichiro told us there was no way we'd find you two together at work, but we thought otherwise, so we decided to put up a bet."
     I breathe a sigh of relief as the three detectives chat about the results of the bet. Then, I put my arms around Ryuzaki and pull him to me. He blushes bright crimson and smiles bashfully as I hug him tightly.
     "Light," he says softly.
     I smile and kiss his cheek, saying, "You don't have to say a word, L."
     He smiles and relaxes in my arms, saying, "Of course I have to. I'm dating Light Yagami."
     "Yes, you are," I say with a smile as I rest my head on his shoulder. "And I honestly wouldn't have it any other way."
     Later on, after calming everyone down and watching our coworkers trading cash because of the apparent bet, we get back to work. Aizawa compiles a database of suspects and Matsuda assists my father with research. Ryuzaki and I analyze data on the most recent portion of the entire string of murders carried out by Kira. The others track the murders as the occur, writing down every possible detail as phone calls come in and breaking news alerts go live. It's a bit exhausting and tedious, but we're slowly catching up to our killer. We just have to narrow the field of suspects and go from there.
"Hey, Ryuzaki," Matsuda says as he walks over to where L and I are sitting.
He looks up at Matsuda, asking, "Yes, Matsuda?"
He nervously shifts his balance as he says, "I wanted to leave work early tonight. I have a date with a new girlfriend."
Ryuzaki nods, saying, "I see. Enjoy your night, then."
"Really? Thank you, Ryuzaki!" Matsuda says happily before leaving headquarters.
Shortly after Matsuda leaves, the building clears and only the core detectives of the case remain. Aizawa leaves after a while, but the last person remaining is my father. He's sitting awkwardly at his computer, with his hands in his lap, looking at the floor with a blank look on his face.
"Dad," I say as I walk over to him and take the seat beside him. "Is everything okay?"
He nods, saying quietly, "Everything is okay, Light. I'm just surprised that today has turned out like it has."
"Why's that?" I ask him.
Shit, shit, shit. This can't be good.
He sighs before saying, "Between the case and you, I'm a bit exhausted. But, I'm happy."
"I'm not sure I follow you," I tell him, and I feel my palms getting sweaty.
He smiles, "I'm happy that you and Ryuzaki are together. Even when he suspected you of being Kira, I knew that it couldn't possibly be true because of the connection you two share. I saw it then, and I'm happy I can still see it now." I relax as he continues. "You're good for him, and he's good for you. You two work best together, not apart, and it's great that your relationship reflects that."
"Really, Dad?" I ask him, honestly surprised myself.
He nods, "Truly." He stands up and grabs his coat as he goes on. "Now, don't go making any rash decisions, and make sure you take care of Ryuzaki."
With that, he leaves headquarters, leaving behind an honestly surprised couple.
"That went well?" Ryuzaki asks as he walks over to me.
I nod, saying, "I assume so."
He holds his hand out to me, saying, "Let's go upstairs, Light. It's been a long day."
I take his hand and walk with him to the elevator, saying, "Will you actually sleep tonight, or do you plan on working until dawn again?"
He smiles, "I might be an insomniac, but I feel like I might actually fall asleep tonight."
The elevator doors open as I smile and say, "Good."
     After getting ready for bed, I slip under the covers and lay my head down on the pillows. A few minutes after I start the process of falling asleep, my boyfriend slips into bed beside me.
"Light-kun," he says as he rests his head on my chest and snuggles up, "Are you okay?"
I run my fingers through his hair as I say, "I am. And you?"
"I'm okay," he says. "But, I am worried about you."
I sigh, saying, "Why are you worried about me?"
"I found something of yours a few weeks ago," he tells me.
     To my surprise, he holds up a small box.
Oh, fuck me. I was so wrapped up in the moment I forgot to propose to him. Shit.
     "Ryuzaki, I...I don't know what to say," I tell him.
     He places it in my hands, saying, "I am 99% sure that I know what is inside, but you don't have to worry about anything because I didn't open it. I figured that you had forgotten you had it, and that you would eventually remember."
     "Uhm, okay," I say quietly.
Would it be acceptable for me to propose right now...? No. I'd look like a loser. Fuck me, I can't believe I forgot about something so desperately important to me. He's probably only saying that so I don't feel like a moron.
     "I want you to propose when you are ready, if I don't propose beforehand," he tells me as I set the small black velvet box on the nightstand.
     "Really?" I ask, once again surprised.
     He smiles and looks up at me with his big galaxy-like onyx eyes, saying softly, "Speaking of, would you rather have a private proposal, or do you prefer an audience?"
Shit. My thoughts just went to the gutter.
     "If I had to choose, I wouldn't mind anyone being there, but I have a soft spot for private moments because then I can do whatever I want to do with you at that point," I tell him as I try to distract myself with blunt honesty.
Behave yourself, Light. You're exhausted, remember?
     "Mhm, I see," he murmurs as he wraps his arms around me and snuggles up close.
Shit. I can feel the blood leaving my head.
     "Light-kun, your heart rate has is increasing," he says softly.
     I smile and laugh to myself, saying softly, "That's not the only thing, Ryu..."
     "Such a convenient thing to have happen while we're in bed together, Light," he purrs.
Dammit, he's in an affectionate mood. I guess we aren't going to sleep just yet.