Hey, people! I've finally written the first chapter of this thing. Yes, it's the sequel you've all been waiting for! And if you haven't been waiting for it, then, well, maybe you haven't read the first one. This story is a sequel to Mud-caked Shoes, which you can find at my profile. If you want to read this one, you should probably read that first, because this might not make much sense without reading Mud-caked Shoes.

Warning: L is slightly OOC, as is Light, and possibly everyone else. Hey, it's an AU. Just roll with it. XD

Pairing(s): L/Light, and probably not anything else. Who knows? (Well, I should, but anyway...)

Rating: T for language and sexual references. Might become M-rated later on, but, ehh... probably not.

Summary: Book signings, killer fans, and family get-togethers. Maybe they should have stuck to rollerskating.

Disclaimer: Kit Pocket owns no part of Death Note whatsoever. This is a nonprofit work of fiction made for entertainment purposes only.

Thank you, and enjoy.

--

"Light-kun, this seems dangerous," said L, standing shakily.

"They're only roller skates," said Light, laughing. "Just don't trip over your own feet, and you'll be fine."

"In that case, I'm not so sure I'll be all right, Light-kun," said L, staggering backwards on the skates before getting his balance back.

Glancing around, L sighed. When Light had told him they should go out more, he hadn't been picturing this.

Currently, the two of them were in a medium-sized skating rink, a bright place that smelled of feet and orange soda. All of the men's bathrooms were out of order, and the employees consisted of pimpled teenagers with attitude problems. Children were screeching as they rolled past, there was a man asleep on one of the benches, and the vending machine had stolen his money instead of giving him the candy bar he so desperately craved.

Lovely.

At least Light seemed to be enjoying himself. As he pulled on his own skates, Light smiled up at his lover. "You'll get used to it. After a bit of warming up, I'm sure we'll both be riding smoothly on rollerblades." Tying his laces, he added, "I could've gone straight to rollerblades, but I'm a bit out of practice..."

"Your ego is showing, Light-kun," said L, rolling a bit to get used to moving.

Light scoffed. "Oh, shut your mouth. I'm stating a fact." A hint of nostalgia filled his eyes. "I used to go skating a lot. With my younger sister." He frowned, his brow furrowing. "I haven't seen her in a while..."

"Perhaps you could visit her sometime soon, Light-kun," L suggested. "And then you two could handle your roller-skating urges together, instead of dragging me along."

"You'll enjoy yourself. Stop being such a baby." Light stood, rolling towards L and putting a hand on the man's shoulder to help him get steady. "Can we go on the rink now?"

"People are going to laugh, Light-kun," said L. At Light's exasperated frown, he continued, "And that is not me being unconfident. I am, as you put it earlier, stating a fact."

"L, if you fall on these things, no doubt that they will laugh. But there's no chance of that happening."

"Of course I won't fall, Light-kun. I am not that inept. But have you ever, perchance," said L, his eyes darkening ominously, "Seen me run?"

"What's your point?" asked Light, raising an eyebrow.

"I could go into detail, but really, the best way to get the point across would be to show you." They approached the edge of the rink. "You will figure out what I mean in time."

As they got onto the slick floor, Light and L slowly inched forward, L getting his bearings, and Light waiting for the other man to speed up. They began to move at a steady pace, and Light remained vaguely confused. What was the problem?

Then L began to enjoy it, and picked up speed. That was when Light saw it.

L's arms flailed at his sides, and he stood with his legs spread, as though he had stopped a split halfway. His feet dragged across the floor. A grin—or perhaps it was a grimace, it was difficult to tell—split his face in two, and his eyes were even wider than usual.

It was ridiculous, and it was slow. L was passed multiple times, the reaction of bystanders a mixture of incredulity and barely restrained laughter.

Light slowed to a stop on the side of the rink, gripping the wall tightly. L stopped next to him, seeing Light's body begin to shake violently.

"Light-kun?" L placed a hand on Light's shoulder, getting worried. "Light-kun?"

Biting his lip, Light doubled up against the divider, eyes watering and cheeks turning red. "Hm... snrk... pffft!"

"...You're laughing, aren't you?"

"Bwa ha ha hah!!"

--

"Oh god," said Light, chortling as he pulled off his skates, "That was hilarious!"

"May we stop laughing at my incompetence?" L glared at his feet, picking at the bits of sock stuck between his toes. He hated the things, and wouldn't have worn them if Light hadn't forced him to. A bit of chafing and ripping of skin was a small price to pay, in L's opinion, if it meant avoiding the foot chokers, but Light seemed to think differently.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," said Light, waving him off with a final chuckle. "It wasn't that bad. I just... wasn't expecting..." Light began to shake with laughter once more, and turned away, hiding his smile with his hand.

"All right, Light-kun, I get it." Flicking away some fuzz, L stuck his thumb to his lips. Tasting foot, he gagged and wiped the digit on his jeans. "But you know, Light-kun, even though I am so awful at it, that was actually... rather enjoyable."

"You did seem to be having fun," said Light, regaining his composure.

"Indeed. We should get a pair." L glanced up in contemplation, barely resisting the habit to chew on his finger. "Skates for me, blades for you. We could skate through the park every other weekend. Perhaps I would get more graceful with practice."

Light smiled at the thought. "Going skating through the park?" He laughed. "How romantic. We should do that."

"Are you sure you want to be seen with me?" asked L jokingly.

"Maybe not at first," Light teased back, smirking.

"Oh! I just remembered." L leaned forward on his seat. "I've been meaning to tell you, Light-kun, that my agent called me today."

"And?" Light leaned forward as well, resting his elbows on the table. "What did she say?"

"This may be a bit of a surprise, Light-kun, but I…" L paused to build suspense. "…Am going to a book signing."

"Really?" The brunette's eyebrows rose. "But I thought you were going for the 'anonymous' style. What changed your mind?"

"Takada's nagging," L deadpanned, frowning as he remembered his agent's whiny screech on the phone. "She said it was about 'the satisfaction of the people'. I told her that the sex scenes should have provided plenty of satisfaction, but she insisted."

Light chuckled. "So, when is it?"

"This Saturday." Giving Light his version of the puppy-dog eyes (which wasn't very cute, but somehow worked anyway), L added, "And I would like Light-kun to come with me."

Light snorted. "Fat chance."

L's eyes widened in mock horror. "Light-kun! What kind of thing is that to say to your lover when he's in need?"

"I'm not going to go because you're my lover," said Light. "Didn't you say I've become the 'fantasy man' of all your readers? Do you want to see people hitting on me?" He shuddered. "And they'd only be hitting on me because I look like your character… Like a cosplay fetish. Eugh."

"They won't hit on you at a book signing, Light-kun." At Light's expression, L added, "At least not around all those people. Around me. They'd probably assume we are seeing each other, since you are, in essence, my character."

"There are coincidences in the world, L. And anyway, revealing myself as your lover would only cause problems for the both of us. Maybe we should just, I don't know…" Light shrugged. "Lie low?"

Getting quiet, L drew small circles on the table with his forefinger. "…Are you… ashamed of me, Light-kun?"

Light's eyes widened. "What? No! L," he murmured reassuringly, glancing at L's hand, "I am not ashamed of you. I just think it could cause problems."

Still drawing slow circles on the counter, L muttered, "It's all right, Light-kun. I know that I am someone who could be considered out of your league."

"Stop it." L glanced up at Light, who seemed to be fighting a mixture of anger, exasperation, and… was that lust? "Don't be ridiculous, L. W-we've gone through this."

L followed Light's gaze, and observed how Light's eyes were locked on his fingers. Why would he…?

As he drew an especially slow loop, it clicked. L's lips twitched into a nearly invisible grin.

"You're right, Light-kun. We have." L's circling sped up for a split second, then slowed again. "So, if you don't want to come, I'll stop pestering you…"

"Quit it." Light bit back a soft moan. "I know you know what you're doing right now, so cut it out."

"I'm not doing anything, Light-kun," said L innocently, rubbing a spiral into the painted wood of the table.

Light snatched up L's fingers, grimacing. "Public place. Please stop being sexy."

"You are quite the pervert today, Light-kun," said L. "Really now, I was doing absolutely nothing that could be considered even remotelysexy."

"Oh, of course you weren't." As Light let go of L's fingers, L instantly went back to drawing circles. Light smacked his hand angrily. "Hey!"

"I just love getting you flustered, Light-kun," said L with an impish grin. Pulling his hand back, he added, "Anyhow, in the meantime, I have a solution that ought to suit the both of us."

"Oh?" asked Light, interest perked. "Do tell."

--

Author's Notes: L is slow. Heh heh heh. He runs in such a weird way, I had to ridicule him. XD

Short first chapter, non? It was going to be longer originally, but I've decided to save what I was going to put here for a second chapter. (Need more chapters in this thing anyway, it'll be pretty short...)

By the way: I don't hate Takada. L's agent just needed to have a whiny screech, and Takada just happened to be his agent. I'm so mean to the girls in my fics... XD

I know nothing about agents and book signings and such. I'm being what you could call 'vague'. Tee hee. :

Please review!