What's In A Name -A is for--DEATHNOTE-

  Dammit. The tower wobbled precariously as I tried, as carefully as humanly possible, to inch the block out of its foundations. I was the only one who seemed to be struggling. Stupid game... I'd quickly learnt that playing Jenga with L was instantly a losing battle from the word 'go'.

  Oh yeah, we were playing Jenga. I wasn't trying to demolish a real building or anything.

  I'd discovered that playing Jenga was L's superpower. I played Jenga like a normal person. L on the other hand... I swear he had some kind of x-ray vision that allowed him to see through the tower. He had some ridiculously perfect ability to know which blocks were loose and which weren't going anywhere without even having to touch them.

  No wonder he'd chosen this when I'd pushed him into playing something with me. I knew how much he hated losing. Though I could tell that the game didn't offer any challenge to him, so maybe he'd chosen just to shut me up.

  I guessed I could hardly complain when I was rarely able to coerce him into doing normal, everyday things like this with me. "Your go."

  "Alright," said L, sounding bored, as usual. His long, slim fingers selected a block and pulled it from the tower without even the slightest hiccup. Damn him. "Your turn."

  "Fine," I said reluctantly. Why couldn't his turns take as long as mine?

  I tried a block fairly near to the top that, typically, wasn't as loose as it looked. I was sure that if I didn't topple the tower on this go, then I was certain to on my next. It was stupid really. Give me a gun and I had the steadiest hand you'd ever seen. Yet when it came to things like Jenga, Operation or those Buzz Wire fairground games, my fingers seemed to develop their own form of Tourettes.

  I very tentatively managed to pull the block free with my fingertips. My palms were actually sweating slightly. I knew it was ridiculous getting so worked up over a game, but it was so frustrating when you kept losing. The tower had gone through four rebuilds and I hadn't won once. Third time was not a charm.

  The block that I'd pulled free wasn't blank like L's had been. Instead, it read 'drink two shots'. Did I mention that this was also a drinking Jenga game? No? Of course, we'd been ignoring that particular set of rules for L's sake. And also apparently my own. If I'd had to drink every time I'd fluffed the game, then I would have been paralytic by now.

  That was generally what tended to happen every time I'd played in the past, but at least on those occasions, I hadn't been suffering alone. I could still remember my last birthday all too well - when Johnny had actually bought me the game. I'd still been finding Jenga blocks around my apartment for the following two weeks.

  Ah, Johnny. Speaking of the glorious bastard; he'd been a particular pain in my ass the last few days. And guess who he'd been bothering me about? I'll give you a clue: he's skinny, pale and a cyborg sent from Skynet to save us all... Okay, that last one wasn't true. But he was currently sat right opposite me, in case you needed another clue.

  L was never here in Seika for very long. He came and went as he pleased, doing his work and whatever else it was that he did. I totally got that. But the time had long passed since I'd been too chicken to try and contact him for fear of bothering him. Now I tried to persuade him to visit every chance I got. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't.

  Our... relationship - if that was what you could even call it - had always been a complicated one. It hurt my head whenever I tried to think about it. So I didn't. Instead, I just took whatever it was that I could get.

  I followed L's workload as closely as I could and, when I knew for sure that he didn't have any ongoing cases - and therefore, no real reason to say no - I encouraged him to come and stay with me for some downtime. Just for a few days. Amazingly, it actually worked.

  So when Johnny had heard that I had L to myself for a few days, and for completely non-work related purposes, he'd started to pester. He wanted to meet the infamous L. Not because of any interest in his renowned status as the world's best detective, but because he was the guy that his best friend was 'totally into', as he'd so eloquently put it.

  I'd pointed out multiple times that with his job - and, more importantly, his stupidly paranoid nature - L didn't do meeting unnecessary people so casually. Johnny got that. He said he completely understood. He just seemed to think that he was above that rule.

  And it wasn't liked he wanted to meet L just by himself in a private, secure location. Somewhere there was a chance of him being at least semi-comfortable. No, the idiot actually wanted us to 'double date'. Apparently, no amount of me telling Johnny that L and I weren't exactly dating was enough to deter that idea. He still wanted L to meet not only him, but also a complete stranger.

  Okay, I guessed that Ace wasn't a complete stranger... Yes, real name - I really didn't know how Johnny always found these guys. He and Johnny had actually been an item for two point five months now. It may not have sounded like much to some people, but for Johnny, that was serious. Very serious.

  Though it still didn't change the fact that whereas I trusted Johnny with my life and knew he wouldn't cause L any kind of trouble, I couldn't say that of Ace. We were still at that semi-awkward partner/best friend acknowledgement stage. So I continued to put off Johnny's constant badgering, for L's sake.

  L removed another block from the very bottom of the tower, as easy as anything. Man, was I tempted to try and sneakily knock the table. I didn't like this constantly losing business. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind, my phone suddenly started ringing. I jumped and banged the table, causing the tower to come crashing down just as L was placing the block back on the top.

  "Err, oops," I said sheepishly, as L gave me a reproachful look across the table. "Sorry."

  'I know, you know that I'm not telling the truth...'

  I fished my iPhone out of my pocket. Yeah, even now I still hadn't changed my ringtone. I was just too damn attached to it. The caller ID told me that it was Johnny who was calling - indicated by the goofy picture of him on the screen. Speak, or more, think of the devil...

  "Am I going to have to tell you no again?" I said by way of greeting.

  "Gee?" Johnny's voice cracked on that one word as it broke into a sob. The sound made my entire body go cold.

  I'd only ever known Johnny to have to cried twice before. Once back in school when his family dog had had to go to the vets for an operation on her hip, and once when he found out that Cory Monteith had died (don't ask; I didn't know who he was either). But this was different.

  "What is it?" I asked immediately. "What's wrong?"

  It took Johnny a while to compose himself. "It's Ace... Oh god, Gee, I'm so scared..."

  "What happened? Is he alright?" I questioned. What could have been so bad that it had upset Johnny this much? It had to be something serious.

  Johnny was silent for what felt like the longest time before he sobbed again and said barely above a whisper, "Gee, he hit me..."

  I felt an iron fist suddenly clench tight around my heart and froze. No. No way... Ace had hit him? He'd physically hurt my best friend? The anger suddenly rose in me like nothing I'd ever felt before.

  "Where are you right now?" I asked sharply. "And where's Ace?"

  "I'm at my place. In the bathroom - I locked myself in," Johnny managed to explain, still whispering. "He's still in the apartment somewhere; I don't know where. God, he's so pissed off... I don't know what to do."

  I clenched my fist, nails biting into my palm, trying to tell myself to think rationally. "Just stay right where you are. Don't open the door, no matter what he says or what you hear. I'm coming straight over." I was already out of my chair and looking for my car keys, much to L's surprise.

  Johnny sounded surprised too. "Gee, you can't. He's really mad - just get the police or something instead."

  "No chance," I said adamantly. I'd grabbed almost everything I needed. Just one thing missing. I ran to get my holster.

  "But what if he tries to hurt you too?"

  "You forget I have a gun," I said, sounding remarkably calm, considering how my blood was boiling. "Just stay where you are."

  "Wait. Gee..."

  I cut him off and stuffed my phone back into my pocket. No way was I going to the police just yet. I was going to get to Ace first and I would personally make sure the bastard never went anywhere near Johnny again. The police could deal with him after.

  "What on earth are you doing?" L had followed me into the bedroom and saw me fit the Browning into its holster.

  "I'm gonna make that son of a bitch pay," I said coldly.

  "I would advise you not to go anywhere. I don't know what you've just been told, but you appear to be planning something very foolish," said L.

  "Really? Because it made perfect sense to me," I replied briskly, shrugging into a jacket that only covered half of the holster - I'd gone past caring about secrecy - and heading for the door.

  L caught hold of my arm. "Gee, I can't let you leave like this. You actually look like you're prepared to shoot someone."

  "He's not just someone!" I responded hotly. "The scum actually dared to lay a hand on my best friend, so now he's going to pay for it."

  "If somebody's been assaulted, then you should contact the police," said L, picking up on the situation swiftly. "You're not thinking rationally."

  "If someone you loved called you in tears, would you be thinking rationally? Would you not want to find the person who hurt them yourself?" I prompted, glaring at L. He met my gaze with empty eyes, his face still impassive. He didn't say anything, which only made me feel angrier. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. Just because you don't love anyone doesn't mean that I don't."

  I knew it was a pretty low blow, but I couldn't help it. This conversation was just wasting time. All I could think about was that Johnny was terrified and alone, still locked inside his own apartment. I had to go to him. Right now.

  Plus if robot boy was offended by my remark, he didn't show it. Just like everything else.

  "I'm going with you," he decided.

  Surprise briefly flickered through me, but it was swiftly quashed by my need to get moving. "Fine." I pulled my arm away. "But don't try to stop me."

  We were both silent the entire ride. I tried my best to concentrate on driving, biting my lip so hard I almost chewed through it. I was eternally grateful that Johnny's place wasn't too far from mine, but even so, I still pushed the speed limit as much as I felt I could get away with. I noticed L glance at the dial on the dash a couple of times, but he didn't say anything. I saw that he'd securely fastened his seatbelt though, which he didn't usually tend to do. I guessed it was awkward to wear a seatbelt when you were crouching on a seat.

  I parked quite sloppily in front of Johnny's place, barely even noticing my poor handiwork, and turned to L as I cut the engine. "I want you to wait here." He opened his mouth to respond, but I quickly cut across him. "You're the one who doesn't like people knowing your face, so it's better if you stay here."

  I knew that made L's tagging along completely futile - he hadn't even tried to calm me down during the drive - but there was clearly some logic in there somewhere, because all he said was, "Don't do anything stupid."

  I didn't say anything to that until I'd gotten out of the car and shut the door behind me. "I won't do anything unnecessary."

  I stalked up to the building, forcing myself to look calmer at least whilst I was still in L's sights and punched a quick code that Johnny had given me forever ago into the keypad to gain access. The light above the door blinked green, so I barged inside and took the stairs two at a time until I reached Johnny's apartment.

  It took almost seven minutes and a lot of my banging on the door to finally get an answer. I had to count the seconds in my head to keep from attempting to break through the door. Eventually, Ace gave into opening it.

  He was wearing his shirt open over plain jeans and a look of complete surprise on his face - I guessed I wasn't the stereotypical back-up that most people would call for. Ace looked so utterly puzzled that a tiny part of me actually faltered. It would have been so easy to think that nothing had happened after all. Glancing around the room, it didn't look like there'd been any kind of altercation at all.

  My gaze trailed towards the closed bathroom door in the corner and a pang shot through my chest, imagining what state Johnny must be in behind it. The anger was still there inside me, waiting to surface, but I was suddenly more interested in getting Ace the hell out of there so that I could comfort my friend. If I could manage to deter this situation without upsetting Johnny any further, then that was the best way. I still wanted Ace to pay for what he'd done, but I was sure I could still find a way to come back to that.

  "Oh, hey, Gee," said Ace, suddenly casual. "What are you doing here?"

  The bastard was actually going to try and play dumb with me. No chance in hell. "I want you to leave right now," I said coldly, pushing my way inside. "And don't even think about coming back here."

  "What are you talking about?" Ace asked theatrically, backing up. He was still using the innocent approach. Like I'd ever bite.

  "Don't even try playing the fool. I know exactly what happened and I am not going to stand for it," I warned. "So I suggest you do what I said and get the hell out. Right now."

  Ace's expression shifted and he raised his eyebrows, all pretences gone. "Wow. So one bitch tattled to another, expecting her to come and save him, huh?"

  I gritted my teeth, one hand unconsciously twitching towards my gun. "I'd watch what you say if I were you."

  Credit to Ace - he was sharper than he looked. His eyes followed my movement and widened slightly when they spotted the barrel of the Browning, still not entirely covered by my jacket. "You actually brought a gun? What's that for; scare tactics?"

  "Think of it more as a precaution," I said carefully. "You've hurt my friend once and you can bet your ass it's not gonna happen again."

  Ace actually had the gall to roll his eyes. "Geez, it was just a little spat - I didn't even hit him that hard. Besides, the little bitch was asking for it..."

  I felt something snap. I didn't even think. I was just aware that I'd suddenly gone for my gun and swung it up into the air, so that it was aiming straight at Ace's face. No sooner had I steadied it, a hand suddenly grabbed me by the wrist, stopping me from holding my aim. The long, white fingers could have only belonged to one person. That idiot detective had followed me inside.

  "What are you doing? Let go!" I protested, trying to pull away. His grip was stronger than I'd expected. I was sure that it would have actually hurt if I hadn't been caught up in the adrenaline from the idea of riddling Ace with holes.

  "I cannot let you do something so idiotic and reckless," said L. His face was angled so that his eyes were hidden by his hair. I hated when he did that. His eyes rarely gave anything away, but it was on those rare occasions when they came close to it that he'd hide them.

  "We both already know that reckless is my second or third middle name," I still managed to reply sarcastically. Right behind smart-ass and maybe before workaholic.

  I tried jerking away again, harder this time, hoping to catch L off guard. It didn't work. All I succeeded in doing was knocking Johnny's key bowl off the table with the edge of my jacket. It smashed across the laminate floor. Despite what I'd said about not leaving the room, the noise must have alerted Johnny to a commotion, because the bathroom door then opened.

  His presence obviously distracted me, because L was able to prise the gun from my hand and kick it away from everyone. I barely even noticed. All I could do was stare at my friend's face. His eyes were red and puffy, tears still staining his cheeks. One side of his face was noticeably swollen, the beginnings of a livid purple bruise already coming into effect just below his eye.

  The rage suddenly exploded inside me. Nobody had ever hurt my best friend like that before and nobody would ever again. I didn't need a gun - I'd kill Ace with my bare hands.

  I tore my arm out of L's grip and lunged for the man standing opposite me. I didn't get very far. L had clearly been expecting something of the sort - he reacted just as quickly and grabbed me a second time. I tried to wrench away from him, but he somehow managed to efficiently cross my arms back across my own chest. No matter how much I struggled, I couldn't do anything. L was stronger than he looked. Damn him. Why had he chosen now to reveal that he was good at physical confrontation too?

  "Gee, don't!" Johnny protested, still hovering uncertainly in the doorway.

  "He's right. What are you hoping to accomplish with this?" L hissed in my ear.

  "How about justice for my friend?" I replied through gritted teeth, still trying in vain to wriggle out of L's grip. Goddamn, why couldn't he have cracked this move out before when I was in a better mood? Oh, stop it, Gee, now's so not the time...

  "There's a fine line between justice and stupidity," said L. "If you act rashly now, then you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

  As much as I just wanted to ignore him, the words really hit home. Ace had committed a crime by assault. But if I tried to fight back now, then I'd be doing the exact same thing. I wasn't involved in this, no matter how much I hated to admit it. Hitting someone was only legal if it was in self defence and even then, it could still be debatable. As a law abiding citizen - especially as an ex cop or as a detective - I had to know that difference. It really was a fine fucking line.

  I couldn't assault Ace. I couldn't physically hurt him. Not unless I wanted to end up in legal trouble. But there was something I could do.

  "Let me go, Ryuzaki," I said levelly, giving up on the struggle.

  I didn't know whether it was because of my suddenly calmer state or the fact that I'd remembered to use his preferred alias - let's face it; I rarely managed to do that - but L released me as instructed. He must have known I was thinking more clearly now. Good. I walked up to Ace, who was still watching me with a rather bemused expression, and slapped him hard across the face.

  He reeled back, looking astonished, his hand immediately going to his cheek. That was the thing about a slap. It wasn't like a punch (which, believe me, I'd still rather have gone for). It wasn't really designed to hurt - it was designed to shame. If I couldn't really make Ace hurt the way I'd wanted to, then I could at least belittle him somewhat.

  "I hope you're listening, Ace," I told him, spitting the name like it left a bad taste in my mouth. It was one I never wanted to have to say again unless I was testifying it in court. "Because if you ever come near my friend again, then I'm gonna have to repeat myself much louder."

  He knew I was telling the truth. There must have been real anger in my eyes, because I actually saw a flicker of fear flash across his face. Wow. Go me.

  "Fine," he muttered, pushing past me with his head down. "He was a bad lay anyway."

  As soon as I was sure that Ace was safely out of the apartment, I rushed straight over to Johnny and grabbed him in a hug. I couldn't quite envelope him in a mothering fashion like I wanted to - that was kinda hard when I was so much shorter than he was - but I think he understood. He hugged me back tightly. His face was still wet, but he'd stopped crying now. I hoped he'd enjoyed seeing Ace get slapped. I'd certainly gotten a kick out of it myself.

  "Thanks, Gee," he mumbled against my hair.

  "You don't have to thank me," I said gently.

  "I'll, err, give you some privacy," L spoke up. Oh, yeah, L didn't do public displays of affection. Or private ones, for that matter. I didn't pull away from Johnny - I just listened to the door close softly as L left the room.

  "So..." said Johnny after several moments of silence, still not pulling away from the hug either. "That's your boyfriend."

  "Not-quite-boyfriend," I amended.

  Johnny ignored my correction. "He looks kinda weird."

  "Yeah, I know."

  "And he sounds like a robot."

  "Yeah, I know."

  "He clearly cares about you though."

  "Yeah, I... wait, what?" I did pull back slightly then, just enough to see Johnny's face.

  Though they were still rimmed red, his eyes crinkled slightly with light amusement. "Well, why else would he have tried so hard to stop you?"

  I frowned to myself, thinking it over. He was right... wasn't he? L could have easily stayed in the car like I'd told him to, with no obligation to get involved further. But he'd still followed me inside. Not only that, he'd actively tried to prevent me from doing something that would have gotten me into heaps of trouble, even though it had meant breaking his usual no-contact policy. He'd even willingly walked into an unknown building and showed himself in front of two complete strangers.

  I laid my face back against Johnny's chest to hide my stupid smile. "Huh. I guess now I know that too."