Note: Too many unnecessary details (I can't help it though). I may be blunt with some descriptions because I'm trying not to be confusing.

Just a warning here - two guys, one bed, go figure. Another warning - not in the usual patterns (hint: who's who in this pairing?)

Chapter 14

Raito stirs and shifts. Someone mutters in a low voice behind him. The presence leaves, taking away the pointed pressure from his butt cheek. The arm that has been draped at his waist is also gone. The hand was reaching much too low, within molest range. Cool air saturates his back, creating that chilly uncomfortable feeling of being abandoned.

The crisp clinking sound of metal against porcelain is heard. Raito's eyes roll back inside closed eyelids. Can't a guy get some decent sleep? He rotates 180 degrees to observe the eating figure. L is crouching as usual, his right hand lies on the bed and he uses his other hand to attack the cake. Ah, so he tried not to wake me with the chain jingling. Raito could envision husbands going out of their ways to placate to their wives when the ladies are enraged by their men. He rolls his eyes a second time. There's no husband and wife here!

Groggily, Raito eases himself towards the edge of the bed, still flat on his stomach. He ignores the pleasant friction down below where the distended part of him rubs along the mattress. He rests his cheek on his crossed arms at the edge and looks on quietly.

L forks out a dollop of strawberry jam from its glass jar, cuts a portion of the heavily frosted cake with the same utensil and devours the ghastly mixture of carbohydrates and fats in a mouthful. He takes another bite. When the fork dips in the jar for a third time, it is not brought to the cake. The dollop of jam is painted onto the detective's lips. He licks at the glossy red slowly, reminding Raito of other times where those lips were not covered in a fruity spread. L's tongue runs over the fork meticulously to clean every last bit of the sweetness from the shiny metal. This is the same mouth that can stimulate with more than words. Raito feels a tightening at his loins.

"Enjoying the view, Raito-kun?"

Raito is caught unawares but he tries his best to school his features. Fine features that have been tainted a lovely pink.

"I could feel you with my toes." That seems to be a way of explanation.

What toes? L is miles away to sense Raito's arousal. Then Raito realizes his own elbow is almost touching those bare toes. The heat gave him away.

"It must not be too comfortable to be in your current position."

If L tries to make one more veiled reference, Raito would give him a facial mask of frosted cake.

"That would impede my thought processing." L continues his cake consumption.

Raito suspects that is precisely L's intent on him, to distract him. He vaguely recalls something. It is about the Kira case. It comes to an end. There's the man under arrest and..

The Death Note.

The six numerical digits immediately snap to attention in Raito's mind. They are the key to the briefcase. He scans the floor and catches sight of the case underneath those perched feet, slightly more towards the headboard. He decides to retrieve it through a less practical, but more enjoyable, route.

"Excuse me."

L gulps but doesn't retreat when Raito reaches his arm between his feet on his way to taking the briefcase. His already erect member gets firmer when the elbow brushes against it, making unnecessary contact. His hard flesh strains against his boxers, almost springing free from the unbuttoned fly. The halfhearted plan backfires. Actually, there was no plan.

"Your sitting position leaves much to be desired. I can imagine that to be more thought impeding." Smiling impishly, Raito sits cross-legged on the bed and turns the dials of the case.

L brushes off the comment distractedly and focuses his undivided attention to the eager young man. His arms are horizontal on his raised knees and he sweeps a thumb at his lower lip.

Zero seven nine, three one one. Raito slides open the latches on each side and lifts up the burgundy lid, his heart pounds fast in curious anticipation.

There is genuine shock on Raito's face, quickly replaced by anger within a second. His furious eyes cut through the air to glare at the detective. L appears quite calm and nonchalant.

"What is the meaning of this?" Raito points at the content inside the briefcase.

"It is part of the Kira investigation. I thought I should inform you thoroughly before further complications occur."

"Yeah, you did mention you were monitoring me and my family with my father's permission, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a violation of my human rights. Well, what's the meaning of this?" Raito demands, raising his voice a notch.

"It is an image of Raito-kun looking intentionally into the camera. It is my belief that, by whatever conceivable means, you were alert to the presence of the surveillance devices installed in your bedroom. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note your spontaneous reaction in person. You seem genuinely unaware of this fascinating incident, even though it was you who had instigated the act."

Raito's hurt deepens. More tests? Even now? He starts to question the love between them. Is this all just a one-sided fairy tale? If L doesn't like him, why led him on when he confessed his true feelings? Kira has been caught. What is the reason for the continuing suspicions? His anger flares but he keeps a close tap on it.

"I'm absolutely dying from laughter. What application did you use? That really looks like me."

"It is an authentic image. I printed out this particular capture from the footage of Raito-kun recorded on tape, at the fourth evening."

"This is simply outrageous!" Raito's cheeks are flushed, partly from embarrassment, mostly from indignation.

"I could show you the exact file, if you would like."

"Don't bother. It's another trap, isn't it? What's the meaning of this?" The enraged brunet asks for a third time.

Before L could reply, Raito just realizes what an idiot he has been.

"A good ploy to yet another distraction." The youth chuckles coldly. "Where is the Death Note?"

"It is in a safe location." L isn't making any effort to deny anything. He is indeed an unfeeling bastard.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ryuuzaki. Does it become unsafe in my hands?"

"95 percent."

"You are overanalyzing things. I would need to examine the notebook one of these days. This is what brought us together. We are partners in the investigation, aren't we?"

"Yes, partners."

"More than partners.."

"More than partners." L echoes softly. He swallows hard against the twisted gnawing at his insides. He should have adhered to his rule of professional detachment. He is sinking deep and fast, to a level that can be the end of him, if something miraculous doesn't come along.

Raito knows direct confrontation will get them nowhere. He should try something less conventional. Though he feels like a lowlife, if the feelings between them are true, then the detective should respond favorably to his emotional side. L's obsession with the Kira ability transfer theory still seems absurd. Since when did Kira become portable?

The student mimics L's sitting posture. His chin rests on his forearms placed perpendicularly to his raised knees. There is an inscrutable expression on his face but he allows his eyes to remain animated. Those dark brown orbs try to contain the sudden flood of tears that threatens to overflow. I hate this, but drama is my forte.

The secret to acting is to blend in some truths.

L is both startled and troubled. Throughout the weeks together, Raito hasn't shed a single tear, with the exception of that particularly vulnerable moment of his confession. Kira would try something like that just to catch him off guard. But Higuchi is caught and the Death Note is not under Raito's possession. Perhaps this emotional byproduct is real. He reaches out to the hurting youth.

Raito circles his arms around his shins and rests his cheek on his raised knees, head turned sideways, as if ashamed to be caught on the brink of tears. The detective closes in further to kneel in front of him and hunches his upper torso downwards to envelop the youth in a comforting embrace. Raito hides a smirk in his arm.

It works.

"Raito... it was never my intent to harm you in any way." L has dropped the diminutive kun honorific, shortening their distance verbally. "Never. Please trust me on that."

Those softly spoken words give substance to make Raito's tears turn real. The runaway liquid flows along his knee, connecting with L's bare abdomen.

"Raito.." L gently lifts up the young man's chin and kisses along the wet streak on one side of his face. His other eye is still full to the brim with tears. When he blinks, a drop of it drips out, which the older male brushes away, to be followed by another kiss.

Still holding Raito's chin, L dips his head to devour those trembling lips. He feels so much love and he cannot express himself adequately to let the other know of its intensity. There is a tightening in his lower abdomen and he moves slightly away, lest the youth wrongly deduce all he wanted was sex all along. Having an erection is a curious thing, it doesn't necessarily mean the man wants intercourse at the moment. However, his tongue has a mind of its own. Its suggestive movements tell Raito how much he wants to be inside of him. It keeps on stroking on the warm roof while circling around the crevice to make sure nothing is missed. The tingly sensation arouses the youth, instilling a burning need in him.

Raito moans with longing at the intimate contact. A kiss can tell so much more. He has once overheard a classmate saying how a prostitute can fuck your brains out but still refusing to kiss you. That is absolutely irrelevant in this situation and he has a sudden urge to laugh.

L breaks off from the kiss and looks down at Raito inquisitively. The sadness is gone from those dark brown eyes. Raito is lowering his legs, connecting with a very erect organ behind a pair of boxers. The detective grunts and makes to move away but Raito stops him. L is now kneeling with Raito's legs in between his knees. In one quick motion, this last piece of garment is being slipped off, though the elastic is caught slightly below his balls since his legs are parted to impede a smooth drop. Raito begins to suck.

L remembers similar situations from his past with Tailor. They had had arguments and they would make up and had incredible sex afterwards. This is so trite. Nevertheless, if all relationships follow this universal formula then, by all means, have incredible sex. He inhales sharply when Raito's tongue rubs back and forth around the underside near the tip, titillating the sensitive bundles of nerves normally hidden under his foreskin. Sweat beads on his body. He pants unevenly. The ultimate sensation is building up and he presses hard at the base of his member right before it starts. Raito stops and stares up at him, wondering what the heck is going on.

"What's the matter?"

"We need to talk, Raito." Just Raito. The student loves this new form of intimacy.

"Oh?" Raito flicks a finger at the rigid length before his face to sway it left and right.

"Raito, I want to.."

"Fuck me?".

"..make love."

"Same difference. Don't try to beautify things."

"What we have here is something beautiful. Can you not sense it, Raito?" L has long discarded his boxers and sits straddling Raito's thighs. He places his chained hand on the brunet's chest. Slowly, he pushes Raito onto the bed with his torso covering him, hearing and feeling their beating hearts.

"Can you not feel it, Raito?" L snakes his other hand downwards.

"I can feel it alright. It still doesn't change the fact that you had me deceived."

"I have been nothing but being honest with you."

"You knew I was after the notebook when I asked for the combinations but you didn't stop me. You tricked me."

"Only because I love you." The tone is quiet yet steady, as sure as the sun will rise in the east.

"Damn you, L! You play dirty." Raito has longed for those enchanting words, but not here, not now. Nevertheless, his resentment is slipping away.

"I love you, Raito." Those sweet words are repeated tenderly against his ear, finally dissolving his outer shell of resistance. The sounds transform into a warm and soothing sensation that sinks deep, stroking at his heart to cause it to jump in elation.

"You play dirty." The feeble accusation sounds like an endearment as the brunet's arms wrap around the detective, hugging him tight, never wanting to let go. The mischievous hand of the other man down below is causing something else to jump.

"When you wish to inspect the notebook, I need to be present and I must have possession of it the same time you do."

"Hold on, is this one of your many negotiation techniques? Did it ever work in the past?"

"I'm serious, Raito."

"Right, they always say get inside a guy's head to win him over. You're getting onto my head. Do I get head out of this too?"

L's hand grips hard to tell Raito he is not pleased with him at all. His most vulnerable part is at his mercy. Raito doesn't like restrictions. He tries to buy time to avoid having any being applied to him. From every perceivable angle, the conditions sound reasonable and given that he is not Kira, there isn't any valid objection he could use, except for L sounding like a control freak. That is too laughable an excuse and he refuses to even voice it out. Besides, he is tired of the Kira percentages. L seems to be waiting for a response.

"Fine." Raito allows grudgingly but he soon gasps when L's continuous ministration works him up to a frenzied arousal. "...ahhh.."

The detective twists away from Raito's embrace to move downwards. The student shuts his eyes when he feels his shorts getting pulled off and whipped cream being smeared onto his distended organ. A couple fingers make their way to his entrance and he tenses. The awful memory from the bath returns. Those persuasive fingers are gentle as they journey through their search, seeking the sacred spot, easing his fear. The tip of a tongue circles his sensitive head when the spot is found. Both are pampered with circular strokes and direct taps, just the way the youth likes it.

"Ahh! L..nnnn...hahhh.." He moans loudly and arches his back but the warm mouth does not clamp down on him as he had expected. It stays teasingly out of reach as those worshipping fingers exit. Damn you, L.

Raito feels some fingers grip at the base of his length to direct it to a hot tightness that slowly envelops him. The taut heat continues to swallow him to the hilt when he feels the other man sitting on him. At the foreign sensation, his eyes fly open in pleasant shock. He is the one inside! The dark-haired man lifts himself up and bears down again, repeating the same course of actions to set an erotic rhythm that sends them spiraling upwards on their way to the heavens. The student timidly thrusts up his hips and earns an approving grunt from the man above him. Well, Raito was never asked if he wanted this but he enjoys it too much to deem it as a violation. He touches the other's erection which needs much attention and is rewarded with an inner tensing of the walls around his imbedded member. He maintains his strokes and the snug sheath continues to fasten on his hardness, milking the excited flesh. Raito does not know true pleasure until now. He feels his soul being showered with such infinite love as his body is pulled nearer towards the blinding light.

Little cries of ecstasy are torn from both, their breathing ragged and shallow, passionate sweats roll off their bodies, their hearts sing at this celebration of love. At some thrusts, L arches his back and deepens the contact within him. It has been quite some time since anyone has found his spot. L whispers that to Raito. The revelation excites the brunet to a new level and he grows stiffer. The boiling tension is unbearable.

L has his head thrown back as he rides on Raito, sometimes grinding down lightly, most of the time forcefully. He seems to like it rough. Hoarse groans of satisfaction rumble from his throat when the body beneath him drives upwards to fill him completely, bumping at the love spot within him on the way. Slender fingers play with his neglected member and he could feel his sphincters fastening involuntarily onto the hardness buried in him. He is close, so close that his stomach hurts with an overwhelming yearning. He is flooded with love for this young man and he cannot get close enough. He shifts his legs to bend his knees in his usual sitting posture, to compress his pelvis against Raito, to squeeze at the rigid length inside him with all his might.

"Nnn..too tight. I'm a little sore.." Raito gasps both in pain and pleasure.

"Has it occurred to you.. that it might be... the other way around?" L leans close to murmur shakily in Raito's ear. "That... you are... too big?"

Raito almost feels shy at this unexpected compliment. Their exotic delicacy talk comes back to him. His face must be purplish by now.

"How shall we resolve this 'problem', my love?" L teases.

Actions speak louder than words. The youth flips over to pin L on the bed. He lifts one leg outward from the man under him and presses in slowly when he settles in between those legs. In and out. Out and in. He feels powerful at his paced thrusts. Is that how L has felt at all those times? The man squirms restlessly under him, lifting his hips to have more of him.

"Harder..Raito, more..." L pleads in a coarse whisper. The demand is beyond arousing.

Raito kisses L deeply as he comes. The pleasant ripples continue, growing stronger. Again? He is breathless when he looks at L. The detective is half shutting his eyes, cheeks flushed. He should be close too. The brunet disengages and aims the other's member at himself to envelop it whole. L, I love you too. The precum and whipped cream are barely enough to lubricate, yet feeling L inside him is a joy. Instinctively, L begins to thrust in a frantic pace.

"Ahh...I love you..Raiiito..nnn..haaahh..."

"I..aaahh.. love you too..L...nnnh.."

L arches his back, plunges in one final thrust and loses himself in Raito. His deafening cry of ecstasy is mixed with Raito's as the brunet is finally overcome by his own intense bliss. Raito lies limply on L, still quivering with the aftereffect from his throes of orgasmic waves while his warm stickiness continues to pool between their abdomens. One of his hands is reaching around L's neck with the intent to wrap him in a kiss when a seismic shock runs through him.

A series of images are forced inside Raito's mind. Names. Many names. Laughter. Maniac laughter. Chase. Neverending chase. Eyes. Misa had the Eyes. Death. Those that deserved it. Hunt. L had declared to hunt him down. A name was written and it had saved a girl. The bad guy had died. Death Note. This is the only way to cleanse the world. He remembers now.

I am Kira.

L feels a hand circling the nape of his neck, Raito's face lowering as if to engage him in a kiss. Their lovemaking this time has been extremely satisfying. His whole being is purring with contentment. Then Raito twitches violently. A mad glint enters the youth's eyes and his mouth is open in a silent scream. He is not certain if their recent activities has caused this but it is unsettling to witness the warped expression. Raito's eyes bore into his sharply with a fearsome gleam before they roll back in their sockets. The brunet has fainted and his body slumps lifelessly against him.

Then L remembers. He understands now. How he wishes he didn't.

More Notes: Gosh, moving at a snail's pace. It was even longer but I've cleaned out useless paragraphs. Since so many people really want to see a happy ending, I've been thinking about it. Nothing is definite at this point though.

-M.H., Aug 11, 2007