Work Text:
Light is a…light sleeper.
During Ryuk’s first few days of being within Light’s presence, the boy hardly ever slept at all. He’d be sitting at his desk, writing names non stop from dusk until dawn. When he did sleep, though, the smallest tap would wake him.
Ryuk would observe from the far corner of the room, bored out of his mind. Watching Light sleep certainly wasn’t entertaining, especially since Ryuk himself doesn’t sleep, leaving there not much to do.
Sometimes he’ll have a nosey around the boys room, careful not to accidentally knock anything over. Light is a cranky teenager, and Ryuk realised that he doesn’t like being scolded by him.
It must be around midnight, and Light only drifted off about half an hour ago. He didn’t write any names today, just studied. It bored Ryuk. He hates when Light studies, because that means silence.
Ryuk watches while he sleeps.
Light never closes his curtains for some reason, allowing the white glow from the moon to shine directly across his bed.
Ryuk gazes outside sometimes, mostly for a change of scenery that isn’t Light’s bedroom. The human world is so much more beautiful than the Shinigami realm - as much as Ryuk hates to admit. Frightening, full of far dangerous creatures, but beautiful.
All that can be heard within the silence of the room is Light’s soft snores.
Another noise disturbs Ryuk’s stargazing, however, and so he shifts his round eyes toward it.
Light is stirring, it seems, which certainly isn’t unusual. While watching the boy sleep, Light tends to move maybe once or twice - except this time, he’s making another noise.
Ryuk tilts his head a little, confused by the strange sound coming from the boy.
It’s like a whimper, only silent. Silent enough for Ryuk’s ears to pick up. Then, there’s the hitch of a breath followed by a distressed grunt.
Light is fussing again, fists balling his sheets, unsure if he wants them off or over him.
Ryuk stands from his cross legged sitting position on the edge of Light’s bed, creeping to the bedside to get a better look.
Light wails, pathetically so, his brows furrowed and face scrunched up in, what Ryuk would describe to be: agony.
Ryuk is no stranger to human dreams and nightmares.
He assumes it is a nightmare.
He cackles to himself, finding it amusing that someone like Light is able to have nightmares.
The whimpering and whining doesn’t cease, and Ryuk just merely observes, hovering over him like some nightmarish beast, casting a dark shadow from above, blocking the moonlight from seeping through.
Ryuk experimentally extends his arms, his black claws long and sharp and cool to the touch.
Curiously, he grazes Light’s face with the blunt ‘knuckle’, watching the way Light’s skin dips in with it. He does it again, up, then down. Light’s brows twitch, and the noises shimmer down a tad.
Ryuk then drags a claw down the back of Light’s hand, the sharp point only lightly scratching the delicate skin.
Ryuk has never really touched Light before, but he knows that humans are like sugar glass, easy to break. Ryuk is about as dangerous as a dozen knives.
Light shuts up completely, and Ryuk retracts himself back.
He wonders what Light was dreaming about.
He’d never tell him.