Bean

Chapter 13: The Space Between

"I don't want to do it!" Aizawa hissed in a tense whisper. "You do it!"

"No way!" Matsuda whispered back, his hand moving outward in a sweeping motion as he shook his head.

The two agents stared stubbornly at one another, then turned their gaze to Ukita.

"Don't look at me!" Ukita whispered in a panic, putting both hands up defensively.

"Noses!" Matsuda quickly brought his finger to his nose.

"What??" Aizawa scowled at the younger agent with a great deal of impatience.

"Noses!" Mastuda repeated in a forceful whisper. "Whoever touches their nose last has to do it!"

Instantly and simultaneously, Aizawa and Ukita brought their index fingers to the tips of their noses. The three just stood, looking among one another... Then slowly, they all turned to Agent Mogi, who was reading a report.

Mogi looked up.

"...what?" he asked obliviously.

"You have to do it!" Matsuda declared in a hushed tone, pointing at the burly man.

"Do what?" Mogi asked rather loudly.

"Shh!" the other three agents shushed him.

Aizawa pointed to the other side of the room.

"You have to wake up Ryuzaki!"

"WHAT??"

"SHHH!!"

Mogi looked with wide eyes over to where L was slumped in his computer chair. One knee was bent up as usual, but the other foot was on the floor. Bean was curled up on his papa's lap and sound asleep against his chest, and L's hand rested on his son's back as his raven-haired head lay flopped at an odd angle. His shadowed eyes were closed, and the little Bean moved ever so slightly up and down with L's breathing.

Mogi gulped.

"W-why do I have to do it?" he asked, whispering now.

The other three agents all dramatically gestured to the fingers that still rested on their noses.

Mogi opened his mouth to protest but then sighed in defeat. He stood to his feet and moved quietly over toward the sleeping detective. Partway there, he glanced back at his comrades. They all prodded him on with silent forward hand gestures. Mogi groaned as he turned back around and continued until he stood at L's side. He gulped again. Then, slowly, he reached out and tapped the detective's shoulder.

"Uh... R-Ryuzaki?" he spoke in a low tone.

"Yes?" L responded at normal volume.

Mogi jumped.

"What is it?" L turned opened his wide, grey eyes and turned his head to look up at the brawny agent.

Bean just slept on, undisturbed.

The other three agents approached cautiously.

"You... you were awake?" Matsuda asked incredulously.

"Yes." L tipped his head to look down at his son, then back up to the Task Force. "For the last several minutes, at least. I find that I can learn quite a lot when people think I am sleeping."

The four agents were a bit taken aback. They all looked at one another dumbly.

"Well?" L asked, getting annoyed now. "What is it?"

Instinctively, four pairs of eyes moved to the sleeping little boy at the sound of L's slightly raised tone. But Bean's eyes stayed closed, his lips slightly parted and his sleep uninterrupted. One small hand held a fistful of white, cotton fabric.