One question? Bullshit. Mello didn't have a history of asking L questions, and he sure as hell wasn't about to start. He didn't need to. The underlined words told him everything he needed to know.
"That's not your decision to make," he said, his voice vicious. He pushed to his feet so abruptly that the spasm of pain through his arm made his stomach clench, though the sensation didn't approach the force of nausea and disgust he felt for the man by his feet. If he'd had a gun, it would have been leveled at L's head. He might have even used it. "Death's not some get-out-of-jail free card," Mello hissed. "You have a goddamn responsibility. You know how many people's lives you've fucked up? How many people died because of you?"
Mello didn't care much about death, but he suspected that part of L did. One of the things he admired most about the man was that he understood the end always justified the means. There was a fucking point to all of this, and that point was winning. If he was going to fold, he shouldn't have paid the damn ante.
"I spent the rest of my life doing your goddamn dirty work, but now you just don't feel like doing it any more. Tough fucking shit. I didn't ask you questions six years ago and I'm not going to ask you questions now. I'm going to tell you to do your goddamn duty, or you're a disgrace to everything you made us. Me." The correction was immediate, but Mello jerked his head away from it with yet another furious hiss. "If you're not an asset, you're a liability. I don't have time for liabilities."
no subject
"That's not your decision to make," he said, his voice vicious. He pushed to his feet so abruptly that the spasm of pain through his arm made his stomach clench, though the sensation didn't approach the force of nausea and disgust he felt for the man by his feet. If he'd had a gun, it would have been leveled at L's head. He might have even used it. "Death's not some get-out-of-jail free card," Mello hissed. "You have a goddamn responsibility. You know how many people's lives you've fucked up? How many people died because of you?"
Mello didn't care much about death, but he suspected that part of L did. One of the things he admired most about the man was that he understood the end always justified the means. There was a fucking point to all of this, and that point was winning. If he was going to fold, he shouldn't have paid the damn ante.
"I spent the rest of my life doing your goddamn dirty work, but now you just don't feel like doing it any more. Tough fucking shit. I didn't ask you questions six years ago and I'm not going to ask you questions now. I'm going to tell you to do your goddamn duty, or you're a disgrace to everything you made us. Me." The correction was immediate, but Mello jerked his head away from it with yet another furious hiss. "If you're not an asset, you're a liability. I don't have time for liabilities."