Quick author's note before we get started: This is AU, this is slash, and it will involve an older Light and a younger L. I happen to like it this way; if you don't, sorry- find another fic. For those of you who like this sort of thing, welcome! So glad to share my strangeness with you guys. *Giggles* Anyway, read on, and (hopefully) enjoy!

The grounds of L's high school were stunning, both in the almost obsessive perfection of the maintenance and in the mathematical nature of the design itself.

As a younger student, L had noticed the complex, blocky patterns and certain overarching color schemes. As he was, by nature, an incredibly curious young man, he sought out answers. After days of looking, he was able to find one of the many groundskeepers- who seemed to have the uncanny ability to remain completely out of sight at almost all times- to ask about the design and its inspiration. The groundskeeper informed him- rather gruffly, he thought- that the grounds were inspired by the AES, the encryption protocol that governs world-wide banking interactions. L found it most interesting because it was a symmetric key algorithm, meaning it used the same key for decryption and encryption of information. When asked why the AES was chosen as the inspiration, the groundskeeper was less helpful. "Dunno," he said, "No one ever really covered that bit with me. I guess they didn't think knowin' all that was important for me ta' do my job."

The groundskeeper's displeased and suspicious expression made it clear that he didn't think it was important enough for L to have asked, either. He got a similar reaction from his small group of "friends" when he excitedly shared the information with them; blank stares and utter disinterest. He didn't know why he was surprised; he'd been getting the exact same reaction for as long as he could recall, which was a rather long while- his earliest memory was of himself as a two year old.

Any time he chose to speak about the things that really interested and captivated him, the people his age met him with ignorance, and sometimes even mockery.

So, he tried not to do that.

He tried very hard to blend in; he dressed properly and sat up straight, he walked to and from his classes in shoes- though he took off the blasted things as soon as he got in the classroom- and he even "hung out" with the people who were in his higher level classes occasionally, though truthfully, the small group of "friends" he had he had out of obligation; to walk about completely unattended would encourage bullying and possibly assault from one of the many who hated him for being consistently right and consistently spectacular in his academic performance.

Plus, though he was loathe to admit it outside of the confines of his mind, he was lonely. Lonely and bored. Lonely without some sort of human contact, bored by the contact provided by those around him. He ached for someone- someone challenging, someone gifted, someone brilliant and successful.

He would also ask that they be devastatingly handsome and willing to satisfy his rather- abundant- sexual desires.

Yes, L was capable of feeling desire. And he did feel it. Rather intensely, he might add.

But, try as he might, his desires could not be satisfied by those around him, or even a college man.

"College boy," he revised, with all the levity of retrospect. L had tried people his own age exactly twice, and then tried college aged males exactly twice more.

All four occurrences were massive, disgusting failures- failures that had forced him to step back and address what he wanted from a relationship, and where he was most likely to find it. What was he attracted to? What did he need out of a partner?

First, most obviously, was intellectual capability. Even a beautiful idiot is an idiot, and L refused to be stuck with someone who wouldn't understand the things that interested him. He wanted to be able to talk about everything; Dostoyevsky, the economy, Rachmaninoff, modern democracy. He needed someone who was on his level.

Secondly, he needed someone who was self aware- someone who knew themselves completely, what they needed, what they wanted out of life, what they would want out of L. He'd watched relationships collapse because of a lack of this awareness before, and he would have rather have given up on relationships completely than have his own relationship fail because of that.

There were more things he wanted them to have or be, obviously; a sense of humor, the drive to be successful, a predilection to cuddle.

And then there were the sexual requirements.

Unlike most people his age, L already knew exactly what he needed in that department; he'd refused to subliminate his slightly unorthodox desires. Instead, after the fiascos of relations with people his own age, he faced them head on in order to figure out what they were.

He'd figured out that he was submissive in the bedroom, that he liked it rough, and that he liked his men older and well dressed. That, and the suits and glasses. They did things to him that he did not want to think about while still at school.

He knew that his tastes were unorthodox, and that many wouldn't approve, but who were they to scorn him? He was unorthodox, himself, and he was going to do what he needed to do to find an appropriate- well, satisfying match.

But where did one go to find an older, intelligent man- preferably a fit, sexy one? Certainly not anywhere in his town- there were absolutely no places of intellectual gathering and the local drinking establishments disgusted him.

After he got home and shut himself in his room, the answer practically bludgeoned him in the face.

The internet.

Obviously, the internet would have some sort of meeting place for older men looking for younger partners. So, he pulled out his laptop, settled into bed, and began poking around. Before too long, he happened across a Forbes woman article about something called the "sugar daddy" phenomena- older, successful men paying the way for young women and men to go to college in exchange for a relationship. He didn't want to be a prostitute, though he did worry about how he'd pay for college; hell, he even had trouble accepting gifts from people, so he didn't think that something like that would work.

He kept looking.

But that article kept sticking out in his mind, like his brain had seen its importance and flagged it, like a high-priority email. He could just make an account, and see what kind of responses he got- it was free for the young, after all. If it wasn't what he wanted, he could delete it, after all.

He pulled up the website with shaking hands and made an account, filled out his bio, and posted a picture; he began waiting, waiting for a response, waiting for the right one to pop into his life.

He wouldn't have to wait long.