At the Heart of Justice

Chapter 11: Flutter

It was well past midday by the time Naomi appeared in the doorway of the living room, groggy and sore. In truth, she could have gone right on sleeping, but her aching jaw and empty stomach had eventually driven her from her bed. One hot shower and a change into comfy clothes later, Naomi was ready to find out if her midnight encounter had yielded anything useful to the case.

L was on the couch, hunched over with his knees to his chest and his long toes curled over the couch cushion. Before him were several documents, and he was examining them closely, one by one. He held one up in his left hand, the top corner pinched between his thumb and index finger. He speed read down the page before holding up another in the same manner with his right hand, mumbling incoherently to himself as he read.

"Hi," Naomi said as she entered the living room. She still felt the moving sensation of having just stepped off of an amusement park ride.

L turned on his feet, lowering the pages and looking at her with questioning eyes.

"Oh, hi," he said, seemingly surprised that she was up. "How are you feeling?" He set the papers down on the coffee table.

Naomi put a hand gently to the side of her bruised and swollen face. "Sore... but better."

L nodded slowly. "That's good."

His eyes followed her as she sat down next to him, crisscrossing her legs. Biting down on one thumb, he leaned in to inspect her beaten face. Splotchy red and purple bruises surrounded the swollen area on the lower left side where the two white steri strips held shut the nasty little gash beneath them.

L studied her injuries closely, his head tilting one way and then the other. His other arm hung down by his feet like a monkey. Naomi couldn't help but think of Curious George as she looked sideways at him, once again very aware of the proximity of his face to hers.

"Mhmm..." L grumbled, learning back into his own personal space again. He sighed and folded his arms atop his knees, looking at her through sleep-deprived eyes.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," he said. His voice was low and sincere. "I have to say, I do feel somewhat responsible."

Naomi shook her head. "L, I've been hurt before. It comes with the job." She lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug.  "But, thank you."

L nodded. "Mm... yes, well, in any case..." He looked away and began biting his thumb again. He hugged his knees to his chest with his other arm and added quietly, "You're a valuable agent and I would hate to lose you. I will try to be more careful."

The cadence of L's voice was plain and monotone, but something about the soft seriousness with which he spoke gave away that he meant every word.

Naomi offered him a reassuring smile. "Thanks, L. I appreciate that. But really- it's okay. I'm okay."

L nodded again and squirmed a bit, all at once seeming very uncomfortable with the exchange of feelings. He tipped his head toward the kitchen, the end of his thumb still between his teeth.

"Watari went and got some things for you to eat before he went to bed."

"Oh, that was nice of him! Actually I-"

A sharp pain suddenly sparked along Naomi's jawline. She stopped speaking and quickly put a hand to her face.

"Ahh, ow..."

L looked at her again and rested both of his hands on his knees. "Are you sure you should be up?" he asked slowly.

Naomi looked toward the kitchen, her hand still resting on her cheek. She spoke as best as she could, her words a little distorted as she tried to keep her teeth together.