So... here's chapter 11, and I would just like to say something: I cannot write fluff without drizzling it liberally with cheese. Adn this chapter is fluffy. Be warned.

Disclaimer: Well, what the hell do you think? I don't own Death Note, and it's probably a damn good thing I don't.


Chapter 11 - Light's Feelings and L's Confession


L was bored. This was a normal occurrence in the past, however, since the Kira case started, L had been too busy to be bored. And he had gotten used to that life. Now, there was nothing to do, and L was not happy being bored.

Light was bored. Before seven months ago, Light would have solved this by going out and painting the town blue. Quite literally. Seven months ago, he had gained a constant stalker, and become quite unable to do anything fun. Not even control his own body. And then, in the cell, Light had amused himself by teasing L. Now, however, Light did not particularly want to tease L, nor could he go out and paint the town blue. So, Light found himself in quite a predicament.

Misa was getting frustrated. Both of the boys were sneaking glances at each other, looking away, and doing absolutely nothing! For Kami's sake, Light had just admitted that his twin sister thought he was flaming! That should have gotten some sort of reaction out of L!

Then again, Light was 'dating' her. Misa knew that he didn't really feel that way about her, and could deal with that if only Light ended up happy. So, Misa decided, since her dating Light was getting in the way of Light's happiness, she would just have to stop dating Light!

"Light," Misa said suddenly, startling both L and Light out of their daze, "I don't think we should date anymore."

Light fell off the bed in shock. (He actually did that fairly often when no one was watching.) "What?"

"I don't think that you and I should date anymore, Light."

"Why do you think that, Misa-san?" L asked, not ashamed in the slightest that he was butting in on what should have been a private conversation. He was slightly confused as to why he was much happier than he had been at the beginning of the day, despite all the negative things that had happened.

Misa shot L an annoyed glance before rolling her eyes at him. "Because Misa isn't blind."

"Why do you say that, Misa?" Light asked, clambering back up onto the bed.

Misa rolled her eyes, and asked of no one, "Why is it that genii can't see what's right in front of their nose? They're absolute idiots in some ways!"

"Hey!" Light cried, "I resent that!"

"The reason," Misa stressed, "that I don't think we should date anymore, is that I can tell that there is someone else for you. And yet, you have absolutely no clue. I kind of pity you. You don't really know love, do you?"

"I know love!" Light insisted. "I love Aryn and Matt and Mello and Near and Soichiro and Sachiko and Sayu and Kina and-"

"You don't know love that burns you up, consumes you and hurts so much, even though you've lived for so long." Misa cut Light off, turning her eyes from Light to L. "You don't know how to recognize the kind of love that sears your heart and makes you stronger in your vulnerability. You can't see what is right in front of you."

There, Misa thought, ignoring the part of her that was dying slowly at what she was doing. Misa firmly squashed that part of her under a heel. Light's happiness was important to her, and Misa could tell that he wasn't going to be happy with her. If that doesn't get them to realize it, nothing short of smashing their lips together will.

Unfortunately, it looked like neither Light nor L had realized what exactly she meant. They were looking at each other, and then at her in confusion. Misa sighed. Idiots!

"Misa...are you okay?" Light asked, concerned about the model.

"No, Misa is not okay." Misa snapped. "Misa is currently annoyed with idiot genii."

"Why is Misa-san using oxymorons so often?" L asked, trying to figure out what Misa was saying.

"Light-kun, L, Misa has something to say to you. Light, you like L. L, you like Light. Romantically. Now, Misa is going to go somewhere else and let you two talk."

Misa stood up and walked out of the room, leaving behind the two confused genii.

Light and L just sat there for a moment, staring after Misa before they looked at each other.

"Was Misa-san correct, Light-kun?" L asked, cocking his head to the side. "Do you like me romantically?"

Light shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. I do care about you, but really, I don't know how romantic love feels. I've never actually liked anyone. I thought I did once... and then my partner ended up on the opposite side of a battlefield and since I was reincarnated I've just...not let anyone in. So, I'm not sure how exactly I care about you. But I do."

"I see..." L said, trying to figure out how to put his own feelings into words. For once, his genius mind was failing. Something that happened rather frequently around one Light Yagami-Arget-Suino. "I suppose...I really have no idea how to phrase my own feelings."

The words tasted bitter on his tongue, like tea leaves that had steeped for too long. The great detective L, admitting a weakness? It should not be! But something inside L was telling him that he needed to be completely honest with Light.

Light felt something in him break with those words. L was just not sure how to break the news to him without hurting him, wasn't he? But...why would L care about hurting him?

L sighed, looking down at his hands, clasped around his knees. "I...when I said that Light-kun was my first friend, I meant it. You are the only person, other than Watari, who I care about. I assumed that the what I felt for Light-kun was friendship, nothing more. But... Misa-san does know quite a bit about how the heart works. And, having little experience with matters of the heart, I will trust her judgement. I... suppose I do like Light-kun as more than a friend."

Light froze for an instant. L...liked him? Him, battered, war-torn, broken, murderer Light? Why?

Then Light's brain restarted and he saw L looking at him, forlorn and eerily reminiscent of a kicked puppy. Light gulped and gathered his courage.

L's eyes widened as Light leaned forward and kissed him gently. Barely brushing their lips together really. All of the million thoughts that had been racing through his head a moment ago ceased as he stared into Light's eyes.

Light drew back very quickly, fearful of what L's reaction would be. He was fairly sure that the detective hadn't kissed someone before. How would he react to Light taking his first kiss?

He needn't have worried. L growled slightly when he realized that Light was pulling away, and leaned forward to follow him.

Light was shocked when, instead of slapping him, as Light had feared L might, L drew him into another kiss. This kiss was more substantial, but still, just long enough for Light to realize what had happened.

Light stared at L, trying to decide if he really wanted what the detective seemed to be offering. He decided that he should at least try. After all, L woke feelings inside him that he had never felt before, not in all of his years of existence. Not even with her.

"L, I-" Light began, only to get interrupted.

"Oi, you two!" Aryn stuck her head in the room. "Matt's recovered from looking at L's past, and Mello's gettin' antsy! He wants to remind you, Light, that you promised to take us to that 'high-class' English-style restaurant. So, we're going out for dinner. Matt already got us reservations with his amazing skills at hacking. We're also taking Misa and L with us. Oh," Aryn saw the position that the two males were in on the bed. Light leaning backwards, and L leaning over him. Light's wings curled slightly around the two of them. "-am I interrupting something? Sorry! Just...get L some nice clothes, Light. Kay? We're leaving in about an hour."

And Aryn ducked back out of the doorway, leaving the two genii alone.

"Well," Light quipped after a moment, "that certainly broke the mood, didn't it?"

"Yes," L agreed, "it did."

"Well," Light said, squirming out from under L and walking over to the closet. "if I know Aryn, she completely cleared out her condo in New York and brought it all over here, if she told the Foxes that I couldn't be trusted on my own, so there should be a decent amount of clothes in here. Not any suits!" Light added upon seeing L's slightly panicked expression. "I only wear suits in Japan. Mainly cause in Japan, suits don't look out of place on a teen. In New York, they do. So, a lot more casual clothing over there."

"I see." L said, even though that wasn't what had him panicking. He was worried that the untimely interruption of Aryn would lead to the two of them ignoring their mutual feelings for each other.

"Don't worry." Light came back and leaned down over L, breath tickling L's ear. "I won't forget."

L stared with wide eyes as Light stood up again and began rummaging through the closet. And then jumped in shock as three colored balls of light began swirling around him, nudging against his body and chattering to each other in high-pitched voices.

"Don't worry." Light said, voice slightly muffled by the mounds of clothes that were rapidly being revealed. Absently, L wondered how exactly the closet fit all of those clothes, because the closet was far too small to naturally hold that many clothes. "Those are just Tamas. They're basically a physical representation of my magic. They're measuring you to find out your size, so I know how much we need to adjust the clothes you're going to borrow."

L caught one of the balls and brought it up to his eyes. It wriggled in his hands and shot out at his face, making an annoyed purr. L jerked back in shock as the Tama began to berate him in purrs and growls. At least, that was what he hoped it was doing.

Light's head popped up from inside of the closet. "Sorry, forgot to tell you. Don't touch the Tamas. They're kind of touchy."

"I can tell, Light-kun." L began attempting to shield his head as the Tama he had caught began whirring around it frantically.

"Don't worry. They're absolutely harmless." Light assured L.

Aryn popped her head back into the room. "Oi, thought you-" Whatever Aryn was saying was quickly forgotten as she stared at L, who being swarmed by Light's Tamas, and the clothes that were randomly going flying from the closet. "Oooooo....kay then."

Light stood up, holding a pair of black pants and a marbled green and blue dress shirt. "L, I found something! Aryn? Why are you here?"

Aryn appeared to be wishing she was anywhere else. "Err...I came by because I completely forgot to tell you that we're going to be swinging by your place and picking up Sayu. Otherwise Misa would be the only human, and that's just not fair to her. But...apparently it's bad timing. I'll just...be going now."

And Aryn disappeared. Light stared after her in mild confusion. "Absolutely insane. Insaner than me, at least. Misa...the only human? But..." Light turned to L. "...Oh, yeah. Aryn mentioned Matt scanning you. I'm guessing you aren't quite human, then?"

L nodded, swatting at one of the Tamas as it ran into his ear. "Matt brought forth a memory I hadn't even realized I had. Apparently, when I turned twelve, I grew a pair of black wings that were gone in the morning."

Light stared at him for a moment. "That...that means you're..."

"Half-fairy?" L finished. "So Matt said. He also mentioned something about an 'Unseelie Court'. Can Light-kun explain?"

"Yeah..." Light said, getting distracted. "I promise I'll explain later, okay? I'm going to find something for myself to wear. You get these on while I look." Light tossed the pants and shirt he was still holding at L, and then dove back into the closet. L stared after him for a moment, before he got nudged by one of the Tamas and jerked out of his daze.

"Light-kun...Where can I change?" L asked, looking around for a bathroom or something.

Light popped out of the closet again. "Sorry. Erm..." Light waved his hand, and a black screen formed in the middle of the room. "There. That screen is completely opaque. Just go around to the other side and try the clothes on. The Tamas will tailor them to fit you a bit better. And feel free to just call me Light. I grew up with an English mentality to names, and dislike honorifics." And Light dove back into the closet.


Half an hour later, the two males were almost finished getting ready for dinner. L was wearing the outfit that Light had picked out for him, which had been adjusted to fit his slimmer frame. Light had eventually found a crimson shirt and a pair of red-on-black pants, which he had promptly put on, happy to be out of the clothes he had spent the last month in.

Light was brushing L's hair, trying to get it into at least some semblance of order. L, being part Fairy, and therefore very sensitive when it came to his hair, was all but purring in delight. They were talking idly, the words coming easily, far easier than they had when Light was being controlled by the Death Note.

"Light, since it seems that we have a large amount of time before we leave for dinner, do you think you could tell me about the Unseelie court?"

"Sure." Light shrugged. "I'm kind of surprised that you didn't know anything about it yourself. They're rather famous among the Irish, actually. Didn't study much mythology growing up, did you?"

"You're right. I was much more focused on things that could help me as a detective than fantasy. Not through my own choice, admittedly."

"That sucks. Myths and legends are really fascinating, even the ones that aren't based off of reality. Anyway, there are two courts in the Faerie Realm. There is the Seelie court, and the Unseelie court."

"I think you mentioned that earlier. Why are you repeating yourself?"

"I know I said that, but still. You can't understand one without the other, so you'll be learning about both."

"I see...that makes sense. Like darkness and light."

"I suppose so. Anyway, the Seelie and the Unseelie courts are complete opposites."

"How so?"

"The Seelie court is full of what humans call Light fairies," Light said, eyes growing distant as he slowed his brushing of L's hair. He was remembering when he learned that lesson, from Jaryn. "They are carefree and joyful, but with capricious temperments. Quick to anger and quick to calm, they draw their power from the sun and are drawn to the day. Their power is the strongest in the summer and their wings are always hot colors. They almost never become Blinded, though they do occasionally kidnap a human child and raise it as their own. They prefer meadows of tall grass, and rarely grow taller than about waist high on a human. They also hold the most power in the Faerie Realm."

"I see. What about the Unseelie court? If they are opposites, then that would imply..." L said, leaning back slightly into Light's body, wanting to give his - Boyfriend? Lover? Partner? L wasn't sure which word would be entirely right. - some comfort.

Light smiled and wrapped his arms around L, leaning back against the headboard. "Yes. The Unseelie court is comprised of the Fairies that humans would call dark or evil. But they're not entirely right. Dark is not evil, nor are the Unseelie court. Their domain is the night and they grow the most powerful in the dead of winter, when the moon holds sway over the frosted lands. They are slower to anger, but also slower to forgive. It may be hard to gain an Unseelie Fairy's trust, but once you have it, you have it for life.

"Their wings tend towards neutral and cool colors. Only the royal family has black wings, like the ones you said you grew. Most of the Unseelie court sincerely hate the war. They are larger than the Seelie court, tending towards the size of a normal human, but are the lesser of the two courts of Faerie. The Unseelie court fey are far more likely to become Blinded than the Seelie. Most recently, the two children of the Unseelie King became Blinded, about forty years ago."

L shivered. "My parents?"

"Your father, most likely." Light corrected. "He was Blinded about a year before the king's daughter was. She had only one child. A girl, who she named Lujayn."

L had no idea how to respond to that. How does one comfort their partner, who is remembering the girl he was supposed to marry but died, who just so happened to be the cousin you never knew you had? L decided to change the subject. "Have you ever been to Faerie, Light?"

Light smiled, resting his chin on L's head. "A few times. Each court has its own lands, and we usually go to the Seelie court when we're there. Only once have I ever gone to the lands of the Unseelie. We had the good fortune to come in the middle of winter, on a full moon. It's beautiful."

"What did it look like? You said that the Realm of Faerie is vastly different from this world."

Light sighed, rustling L's hair with his breath. L shivered.

"I'm not entirely sure that I can describe it. Faerie is wild. You can see the vitality of the land there in a way that has been long lost in other places. The moon is whiter than anything I have ever seen, and brighter than it is here on Earth. It was the middle of the night, and the full moon was high in the sky, but seeming to hang closer to the horizon than the Earth's moon. The air seared our lungs with cold. Everything was draped with ice and the snow was crystallized. The moonlight was being reflected off of the ice, and even though the sky was black, it was as bright as the middle of the day. It was...something out of a fairy-tale, ironic as that description may be. It was the second most beautiful sight I have ever seen."

L shivered. The sheer longing in Light's voice frightened him. L vowed that he would try his hardest to not visit the Realm that should have been his home by rights. If it could entrance Light, one of the strongest individuals he knew, what would it do to him?

After a while, L found his voice again. "What...what was the most beautiful sight you have ever seen, Light?"

Light jumped slightly in surprise. "What?"

"You said that it was the second most beautiful thing you have ever seen. What is the most beautiful?" L turned around so he could look into Light's eyes.

Light shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you that."

L widened his eyes and let them begin to water a bit. "Why not? Don't you trust me?"

Light laughed and shook his head. "Because it would sound cheesier than a pizza. And don't try the puppy dog eyes trick on me. Aryn and I are the masters of the puppy eyes."

L pouted. "Why must you ruin all my fun?"

Light chuckled and nuzzled L's ear, before nipping it gently. "I don't ruin all your fun, do I?"

L froze, wide-eyed. He had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Light decided to change the subject. "You know, we could probably find a way to give you your wings back."

L turned around completely so he was staring straight into Light's eyes. "You would...do that?" he breathed, hardly daring to hope. For as long as he could remember, flight had fascinated him, and been something that he wan-no needed to be able to do himself.

"Of course." Light responded. "Like it or not, you're one of us now. And we'd go past the ends of the earth for each other."

L cocked an eyebrow wryly. "And how, exactly, did I become a part of the group?"

Light pretended to think. "Well, there's the fact that you're essentially royalty hiding out in the human Realm, regardless of the fact that you had no idea that you weren't human. Then there's the fact that you are the cousin of someone who Aryn and I feel we failed seven years ago. And then, of course, there's the fact that you managed to worm your way into my heart, a feat only accomplished by five others, and you are the only one I've ever felt the way I do for. Face it, you're stuck with us."

L kissed the tip of Light's nose. Light crossed his eyes for a moment. "In that case, I do believe that I could have done far worse."

Light smiled softly. "Yes, I suppose you could have...You could have ended up with that one girl who had a crush on you at the university!"

L frowned. "What girl would that be?"

Light sighed in frustration. "You know, the one who was stalking us the entire time?" L still looked confused. "Never mind. You know, I might not be able to do anything for getting your wings back before dinner, but I can at least begin to try to find out why they disappeared. By all rights, from your twelfth birthday, you should have been walking around with black wings on your back, and the fact that you only saw them for an instant before you passed out says volumes for the fact that there was foul play of some sort involved."

"Is...Are you saying that..." L was at a loss for words. Was Light implying that...one of the people at Wammy's knew of the Realms, and had changed something in L?

Light nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so. Fairy wings are a bit like a lizard's tail. They grow back if they're cut off, so you should still have yours. But, let's not focus on that right now. Right now, let's try to find out what exactly happened so it can be fixed, okay?"

"Okay," L agreed. "What do you have to do to find out what happened?"

"Well, there are several things that I could do. I could make you relive the night you grew your wings, however I don't want to do that. It's very painful to grow wings, and once is enough for that experience. I'm not going to make you go through that again."

"What are the other methods?"

"I could try to recover your wings while flying blind, but there's no telling what might happen if I try to do that. It would be very easy for me to irreparably harm your magical core, which would most likely lead to you dying. Not a good thing."

"No, I very much like life. I would rather not give it up anytime soon." L agreed, wide-eyed.

"And then there's the final way. It's the safest, and least painful, but it would also be very difficult. I'd be looking at your aura, and tweaking things there, to bring your fairy genes to dominance, rather than you human genes. Also to get rid of whatever block was put on your fairy genes to keep them from asserting themselves," Light said, pulling L slightly closer to him.

"Why would it be difficult? If it's the safest and least painful, then shouldn't we go with that option?"

"...It would require absolute trust between us." Light said, already afraid of L's reaction to some of his secrets. He was Kira (Maybe not through his own will, but still!) and he had fought for millennia in a War, killing no one knew how many intelligent beings.

"But I do trust you." L frowned in confusion. Why did Light look so worried?

"No, I mean, we would have to know all of each other's secrets, and still trust the other." Light looked away, ashamed.

"...I see. Well, that might take awhile, but I doubt that anything could make me stop trusting you."

"L, you don't understand. I'm the only one of us who would be able to do that, and L... I've fought in a war. For millennia. I'm not proud of the things I did, and I don't think that anyone would be able to trust me after hearing about the things I've done. Still do, to keep the humans safe," Light said, voice rising hysterically.

L was about to say something, when Aryn stuck her head into Light's room. Again.

"Hey guys, it's time to go! We're going over to Light's place to pick up Sayu, an then we're going to go to the restaurant!"

And Aryn disappeared again.

"Light, I'm afraid your sister scares me," L said after a long pause.


Couple things to say.

First: I like my Misa!

Second: I want to explain my reasoning behind hte scenes here, since I know that nothing frustrates me more than writing a story where Light and L are immediately in a relationship. First off, L is an insomniac, and Light has his body adjusted to go at somewhat close to English hours. That would mean that they would have many chances to talk while the est of the team was gone, therefore letting L get to know the real Light and giving Light a chance to act like himself, and see L not shying away from his insanity.

Light is insecure because, well, he's killed billions of people in his lives. He can't imagine L, the best detective in the world, accepting that.

Third: Holy shit! I still can't believe that I made one of the Wammy's people a traitor! Bet you people can't guess who, though! You won't find out in-story for a long time. As in, I'm writing Chapter 18, and it still hasn't come out.