Chapter 7. Fate

L's eyes felt gummy and stuck together. He shut them tight, not allowing any of the sunlight pouring through the window to infiltrate his delicate state of mind. His head was throbbing, and his back ached from sleeping on the floor. Beside him lay an equally hungover Light, rubbing his temples in an attempt to stunt the searing pain of dehydration shooting through his skull.

"What happened?" groaned Light, groggily sitting up, feeling the back of his head. L followed Light's lead, propping himself up as well. He scanned the room for Misa; she was no where to be seen and to L's guilty delight, they were alone.

"We drank with Miss Amane to tolerate her presence", muttered L. Light chuckled and met the detectives eyes. L felt his stomach churn, there was something off about the way Light was looking at him. It made him nervous and ignited a turbulent wave of nausea. L gagged but caught himself. There was nothing in him he could even regurgitate. Light gently placed his hand on L's shoulder and rubbed his back. The affectionate moment caught L off guard, causing him to jump when Light made contact with him.

"Are you alright, Ryuuzaki?" For the first time since L had released him from his imprisonment, Light's face was genuine and concerned for the detective. L's stomach began to settle as the boy's hand delicately made its way up and down his back. He took a deep breath and stared at the ground, pulling his knees to his chest in his familiar fashion.

"I'm alright". The sensation of Light's touch left sparks along L's skin. The longer he allowed the boy to do this, the slower and longer the strokes became. Light traced his fingers along the length of L's back, moving ever lower, leaving goosebumps in their wake. L didn't dare move, lest Light realize how much power he currently had over the detective. Light's hands made their way under L's shirt, tracing the curves of his back and ribs. The physical contact had transcended comfort and felt completely different now. L felt a strange sense of excitement as Light's hands glided along his bare skin. Slowly, he lifted his head and pivoted his body towards Light. The boy's face was closer to his than he expected. L could feel Light's breath on his nose and mouth. He looked into the teenager's gold eyes and found himself captivated. Being with Light, in this way seemed to calm the stormy caverns of L's psyche. L wrestled with the notion that perhaps he should press his lips to Light's. Would he indulge the curious detective, or pry him off like he did to his chore of a girlfriend? If Light were Kira, acting on his inexplicable attraction to the auburn haired youth beside him would indisputably ruin L. Allowing a cold blooded murderer to heat his veins and speed his heart in this way could only lead to his death.

Fortunately for L, Light had already silently chosen their fate. "I don't understand what it is about you, Ryuuzaki", he spoke softly, guiding the shirt off of L's body, "You infuriate me, you're cold, rude, accusatory, and immature. But for some reason I..." He trailed off, noticing how close their faces were. L felt his heart begin to race, what was this sensation? It was the same thing he felt when he and Light showered, but oddly, L did not want to cast the feeling away or repress it as he usually did, rather, he found himself fully embracing this strange desire. Light shifted his gaze to the detective's lips then met his eyes again. He leaned forward and softly pressed his lips to L's.

The moment their lips met, L felt something stir within him. He felt a chemical charge coaxing him closer to Light. Light's kisses were like atomic bombs; explosive sensations L had never felt before washed over him as he clutched the soft hair on the back of Light's neck and pulled him closer, deepening their kiss. Light pushed the detective to the ground, tearing his hand away from his neck, and pinning him to the floor. L knew he was physically stronger than Light, but found himself willingly submitting to the Killer.

Light held both L's wrists captive with his chained hand, while he continued to explore the curves of L's slender figure with his free hand. L felt like his body was on fire. His will to resist his impulses was long gone now, as he continued to kiss Light, gasping for air between each embrace. Noticing how weak L was to his touch, the young murderer smirked and pressed his body closer to the detective's. A wave of hedonistic delight submerged every atom in L's body, as he let out a soft moan against Light's lips.

Light moved his hand towards the button on L's jeans but froze at the sounds of a polite knock at the door. L abruptly sat up as the teenager dismantled him and brushed himself off. L's shirt was dangling on the chain which connected the pair. He clumsily tried to pull it back over his head, but found himself too flustered and became tangled. Light quickly aided him before Watari peeked through the door.

"Hello," Watari said calmly, "The task force has arrived and is ready to begin work whenever you are ready, L".

"Thank you Watari, we'll be down shortly," L replied, attempting appear composed in the face of his long time guardian.

As soon as Watari withdrew and closed the door, the physical tension between the pair became painfully obvious. "We should probably head down", said L, unable to even look at his equally conflicted counterpart.

"Yeah...we should", Light said, embittered by their untimely interruption.