"No...I can't try anything else..." Light complained, falling back on the floor next to the coffee table with a hand over his stomach, the other one up to ward off L's sugar-laced advances.
The detective had insisted on buying one or two of nearly every sweet available at the patisserie and was having great fun trying to convince Light to sample them all with him as they sat there on the floor with a wide variety of confections and treats spread out across the small table in front of them.
"But Light, this is one of the best ones..." L pouted and gave Light a sad look.
Light chuckled. "You said that about the last three. I'm going to go into some sort of sugar shock if I take another bite...I told you I don't even like sweets." Light argued as he closed his eyes, the mid afternoon sun filtered in from the window, temporarily blinding him. His shirt had inched up to expose a tempting flash of skin across his belly that L was just itching to run his tongue across.
L set the fork down and crawled over until he was on all fours looking down at the other man. Light opened his eyes and licked his lips as he stared up at L. Now that's what I call yummy...
"Can I help you with something, L?" He smirked up at the Alpha.
"Mmm-hmm, I'm still hungry...and you look so delicious." He leaned down and kissed Light gently on the lips. "I could just eat." He kissed him on the neck. "you." On the collarbone. "up." Light shivered.
"Is that so?" Light said breathily. "Well you do know I eat lots of vegetables right? You hate those..." He teased as L nibbled on the lobe of Light's ear.
L let out a slight chuckle of laughter that Light felt vibrate across his skin. "Well, for you I'll make an exception..."
"Mmm, really...well lucky me..." Light purred. L only had a moment to watch something almost predatory flash across Light's eyes, before he was grabbed by the hair and pulled in for a dominating kiss. The younger man attacked the older man's mouth with an aggressive force, not giving L an inch to take control. What the hell...
Light wrapped his legs up around L's lower half, pulling him down against him and locking them both tightly together. He ground himself against the Alpha, a low whine escaping the back of his throat. L groaned into Light's mouth at the sudden excess of need being directed at him by his mate. Something isn't right here...not right...
L wrenched away, breathless and looked down at Light with a stunned expression, his lips swollen from the younger man's assault on them. Light just stared off seemingly unseeing, with a dazed look of bliss. He was breathing heavy, but had a lazy half smile on his face.
"Light?" L said calmly to the trance-like Omega. The young man's glazed over eyes gradually swung back to meet his. Light slowly came to himself again, eyes widening in realization.
Light quickly scrambled back from under L and sat up.
"I don't know what I..." Light choked out.
"It's ok, I think it's just your body already reacting to coming off the suppressants. I think what I read might have described it as sudden spikes of hor-" Light gave him a hard look and he stopped. "Anyways...I researched what I could after you went to sleep last night."
Light placed his hands over his eyes. "Oh my god, L..."
"It's fine, we'll just try to be as prepared as possible." L reassured him. "Like I said before, I want to be able to be there for you, whatever you might need. Unfortunately, based on what I could gather, the reactions seem to vary greatly from person to person and also in relation to the length of time they were on the medication."
Light peered over at him, nodded and stood. "I need to just...take a little time to myself right now, ok?"
L looked at him critically for a moment. "Alright."
"Maybe I'll call my parents too. I'll find you in a bit, ok?" The young man averted his eyes, not meeting L's gaze. L stood as well and reached out to tentatively take Light's hand.
"Hey...I'm here if you need anything." The Alpha said, looking on with concerned eyes at his somewhat mercurial mate. Light gave him a weak smile and nodded in response before leaving the room. L thought back to the article he'd read. Mood swings...check.
L picked up a plate of profiteroles topped with strawberries and started walking towards his office. He swiped at the whipped cream and licked it off his finger as he made his way there. I suppose I needed to get some more work done anyways. Check in on progress with Mello and Near.
He'd determined late last night that trying to cover all of the challenges that were facing him was not an option, especially if Light went into heat soon and he was suddenly unable to investigate for the better part of a week.
This would be a good test to see just what his potential successors could do when given the opportunity to put their ambition, intelligence and learning to use. Their test scores were exemplary. They also seemed to have the ability to take theories they'd learned and apply them in practice outside of a classroom. However there isn't anything quite like throwing someone into a real life situation to test their mettle.
L popped the last bit of one of the pastries in his mouth as he reached his desk and set the rest of the sweets aside for later. He logged into the secure communication program on his main laptop and patched through an email to Roger, the headmaster at Wammy's, letting him know he wanted to speak with Mello and Near within the next 10 minutes and they should be prepared to provide their assessments so far of the cases they'd been assigned.
L crouched in his chair and smirked to himself. This will certainly be interesting, as they've only had about 12 hours to pull together anything. However, I solved whole cases in half that time at their age. L considered this and quickly chose to dismiss any sympathy he may have been inclined to feel for the two young genii who were likely scurrying to prepare even now.
L tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table top, bored, and an idea came to mind as his gaze fell on one of the other laptops.
No, no, no no. He thought as he looked at one of the several laptops he had on the long desk. Should I? I just want to make sure he's ok... L nibbled on his thumb, at war with himself.
His hand shot out impulsively and he pushed the power button, taking the computer out of sleep mode. He spun his chair toward the laptop and typed in the password to unlock it. He was greeted with surveillance images for the entire apartment. He bumped it over to the master suite feed to see if that's where Light was. This is so wrong...
"...Yes, Mom, I'm getting enough to eat and I'm getting enough sleep. L has been great, you have nothing to worry about." Light was pacing back and forth across the room as he spoke.
"I can't tell you guys, you know that." He said wistfully. "Maybe one day you'll be able to visit or it will be safe to meet him, but not now."
L switched cameras for a better view as Light sat down in one of the chairs near the fireplace.
"Ok, put her on...Hi Sayu...What is he like? Let's see, I can tell you that he's surprisingly funny at times...he has a way with humor that I'm not sure most people would quite pick up on."
Light paused before continuing. "Yes, he definitely has a very strong Alpha presence, but he doesn't just try to steamroll me all the time either." The young man chuckled at his sister's response. "No, you're right, big bro wouldn't take that crap from anyone."
L watched this all unfold with fascination. I am a very bad man...I should not be listening in on this. But I can't stop myself. L ran his hands through his hair and unwrapped a lollipop to stick in his mouth.
"Oh, but you know what is really funny Sayu? All L eats for all his meals are desserts and sweets...no, seriously!" Light paused, listening to the person on the other line, he then burst out laughing. "I know, right?"
It's not THAT funny. L scoffed and bit down on the candy in his mouth.
"Oh my god, that's a fantastic idea." Light nodded enthusiastically. "I'm going to see if I can find that in a store or order it. That would be hilarious."
Somehow I don't think that what he's planning is going to be to my benefit. L's eyes narrowed at the idea of a potential prank. I'll have to be on my guard.
"Alright, bye you guys." Light's voice sounded a bit downtrodden now. "I love you Mom, Dad, Sayu...yes, Mom, I'll make sure to call you on my birthday, don't worry. Bye." Light hung up the phone and set it on the table in the sitting area with a heavy sigh.
L looked at the calendar. Two days until Light's birthday. They might even be able to leave tonight and be comfortably settled in his private living space at Wammy's by the early morning hours of the next day. Watari was making the travel arrangements to secure helicopter transport.
He hated to cut their time in Paris short, but he was sure they'd have plenty of chances to return in the future and it was most important to get home at this point. He was looking forward to checking out the modifications to their home that he'd asked to be rushed through having completed, as well as the updates that had already been in progress that Watari had suggested before they had left for Japan. Thank god for his foresight and understanding of Omegas after all his years at the school.
He couldn't deny he was anxious about getting home. He didn't want to take the chance that they'd be stuck in transit or ill prepared in Paris when Light's heat hit, they needed to get somewhere secure. He couldn't think of a better place than Wammy's. He knew that all of Watari's ingenuity as an inventor and experience working for MI6 long ago ensured that the grounds were well safeguarded against outside influence and attacks.
Aside from the rare slip up that is. L's mind thought back to an unfortunate visit from Beyond years ago that still gave him occasional nightmares even now. Overall however, the precious young inhabitants of Wammy's were surrounded with a level of protection that befit their potential gifts to the world.
L looked over at the computer screen, pulled away from his daydreams of logistical planning, and realized that the bedroom was completely empty. He took a deep breath and turned around, half expecting Light to be standing behind him like some sort of bad horror movie and giving him a murderous look. Fortunately, he found he was alone and breathed a sigh of relief as he closed the surveillance laptop for the time being.
He heard a ping coming from his main laptop, signaling an incoming conference call. L hit a button to receive it.
"Hello Near."
"Hello L."
"What do you have for me?" Such an odd child, but so gifted. L was always fascinated by this one. The small Alpha was a living contradiction. Seemingly soft on the outside, but possessing of a raw power and strength that did not match the white hair and pale skin it was contained within.
"I've sent an upload to your secure drop box of profiles I've compiled for the officials in the government, queen's council and pack who could conceivably meet the criteria of being a suspect. Within this group, they are broken out into smaller groups that identify them as most to least likely suspects...although all are within the spectrum if they are included in this file, as troubling as that may seem given the sheer volume."
L pulled up the file on another laptop and quickly skimmed it. This is good work.
"That is not for us to worry about. There is a disturbing amount of corruption in all three of these groups and a purge will likely be necessary to weed out the bad apples. I am not surprised at the number you have provided for review. Have you identified any specific profiles that you believe we should evaluate more closely that could have been responsible for leaking information about the Treaty to the Syndicate?"
"Yes, L, a few." L heard the door click behind him and based on the cadence of footfalls coming towards him, he knew it was Light and not Watari. He held out his hand to Light, encouraging him to join him, but kept his attention on the screen and the white haired young man who was presenting his findings to L on the other end. He felt Light take his hand and L let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
"Sir Cole Kingsbury, Lord William Brackish and Sir James Pittborough. All three have questionable communications and activity that tie back to the Syndicate and have been known to associate with their less than savory illegal offerings. They are either helping them by choice or by coercion." Near concluded confidently, looking off to the side as he curled a bit of his white hair around one finger.
"I have had surveillance initiated on all three, including asking Matt to conduct further research into their personal files and the communication history on any and all electronic devices he can access. I assume this is an acceptable course of action?"
"Yes, thank you Near. That will be all." The young man climbed from the chair and walked away.
"Mello? What do you have on West Bank?" L inquired as a striking young man clad in black with mid length blond hair lowered himself gracefully into the seat that Near had previously occupied.
Even though L would much rather pull Light down to sit in his lap, he realized that might be slightly insulting to the other man and gestured for him to take a seat in the chair next to him. Light took him up on his offer as Mello launched into his report.
"Their current leader, an Alpha named Maxim "Max" Volkov is the son of the former head of their little pack that you sent to jail several years ago, an Ivan Volkov, who is currently serving a life sentence." Mello leaned back and crossed his legs, putting his arms on the back of the chair. "He seems to be the brains of the operation. Highly intelligent, to the point where I would surmise he may even be on the level with some of the students here at Wammy's, which is a disconcerting thought."
"I've put together profiles of him and his top people for review. Matt is also doing further research into all of his top people's personal files and electronic communications and cross referencing that with Near's key suspects to see if there is any correlation."
Well look at you two playing nice together...for once. L received frequent enough reports about how Near and Mello did not get along that he didn't even bother looking at them anymore to be quite honest.
If they draw blood maybe I'll start to give a shit . Anyways, it's not like either of them seems to be 'driven to the brink of madness' from the competition, not suicidal, not like... L had to stop his train of thought in its tracks before he went down a very dark path thinking about his former successors and the failures that they represented for himself and Wammy's.
"In addition, I've identified an opportunity to place someone inside their walls of internal communication and I think we should take it. He already has established connections with them from con jobs in the past and should be able to slip back into the fold without suspicion given the size of their organization."
L pulled up the files that Mello had sent and grinned. Yes, this is definitely the route to take. Good call.
"Aiber, yes. He is one of the best con men I've ever met and could be a valuable seed to plant within their organization. Please proceed." Mello looked pleased.
"Thank you Mello." L pushed a key to end the call and looked over at Light, who looked a bit taken aback.
"Questions...comments...concerns...?" L deadpanned in an attempted joke, peering over his crouched knees at Light.
"They're kids, L...who are they and what is Wammy's?" Light seemed genuinely curious.
"Essentially, those two "kids" as you put it are my heirs, my successors should anything happen to me. They are highly intelligent and educated young men with an aptitude for this type of investigative work who could potentially carryon the title of L after my death." L rested his chin on his knees as he looked back at Light.
"Oh..."
"Yes, a rather morbid thought isn't it?" L noted the distressed look on Light's face. "Technically, Wammy's is categorized as an orphanage, but in reality it's a school for a multitude of genius children brought together from around the world who could potentially be my successor, though only a few are on the same level as Near or Mello."
"Where is Wammy's?"
"Just north of London."
"Do you live near it?"
"Well, yes, I have a private building separate from the school with my own living space and office to work out of. I suppose I can tell you now that it will be our primary residence." L smiled slightly at him. "Of course I do occasionally pop into the school to observe, but the students simply believe I am a guest of Watari and L's. Their close friend and colleague, Ryuzaki."
"This is so weird..." Light leaned back and rested his head against the chair, looking up at the ceiling. "So do all famous detectives do things like this? I mean do Coil and Deneuve have "successors" waiting in the wings in case something happens or are you just a special case?"
L's lips quirked up at the corners in a smile. He chuckled. Might as well let the cat out of the bag on this one too.
"Well Light...I'll give you a strawberry if you keep this secret." L said seriously, but conspiratorially, plucking a strawberry off one of the profiteroles still sitting on the desk and holding it aloft. "I am actually Coil and Deneuve as well, so yes, I can say with 100% certainty, they do have successors.
Light glanced over at him and smiled slightly. "No, seriously."
"I'm quite serious." L stated, sitting up a bit straighter. "I actually represent all three of the world's top detectives, not just the one known as L." He leaned forward towards Light and held out his hand. "Strawberry?"
Light gave him a look of disbelief as he absorbed those words and then took the strawberry almost absentmindedly from L's hand and just stared at it.
"You aren't going to eat that perfectly good strawberry? That's too bad." L teased. Oh this is too much fun...
Light finally looked at him with a playful glint in his eyes. "So if you're essentially three detectives, does that mean when we have sex it'll be like having a foursome? That's a lot to live up to L, even for you..." The young man gave him a grin and took a bite of the strawberry.
L opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Yeah, I've got nothing...