A/N: Good morning, not morning, and anywhere in between, my lovelies. How are we? Are we well? Are we hydrated? Medicated, if need be? Fed? In need of a hug? I can't really help you with any of those right now, but you can. I know you can. To the best of your ability anyway. Now, how about we get into this week's chapter, yeah? That sounds like a good idea. But this chapter's going to have a little holy shit moment that might be a monkey wrench later. Still, at least we have each other. We always do. And little shout out to Sayu for being awesome (particularly this week). We love Sayu Yagami in this house and protect her with everything we have. And I'll see you next week. Love you! x

The next morning, Sayu got out of bed and headed downstairs like any other morning. Her dress from the night before still laid on her bedroom floor. The pile of bobby pins sat on her nightstand. Everything was business as usual. That is until Sachiko asked Sayu a simple request. Over breakfast, of all things! Just to know how much she'd need to make. It was a normal thing for Light to turn it down, but it never hurt to ask.

However, Sayu was so blissfully unaware about what lies behind her brother's bedroom door, "Hey, Light? Mom wants to know if…"

"SAYU!" Light gasped, doing his best to cover up what last night held for him.

"WHOA!" Sayu covered her eyes, noticing a still asleep and half naked L in her brother's bed, "Looks like you had a good night last night, Light. Good for you."

"It's not what it looks like," Light tried to explain.

"It's not like I haven't tried," L grumbled, barely starting to wake up, "He's really making me work for it, Sayu."

"You're not helping," Light gave him a little smack with a pillow, "And not in front of my sister!"

"I'm sorry, Light," L pulled him back down to the bed. I don't remember telling you it was ok for you to get up.

"Look, Sayu," Light let L wrap himself around Light's waist again with no problem, "Mom and Dad have no idea L stayed here last night."

"Clearly," Sayu noticed, throwing herself in Light's desk chair.

"I need your help," Light begged, "I need you to run interference while I sneak him out."

"I can do that!" she chirped, "Leave it to…"

"And…" Light winced, preparing himself for the aftermath of this one little decision, "To help lessen the blow when I drop the moving out bomb on them."

"You're moving?" Sayu wondered.

"You're moving?" L perked up. He's moving? Where, oh where, could you possibly be moving to, Light? I know what your bank account looks like. You don't have nearly enough to get a place on your own.

"Well…" Light came clean, "I'd be lying if I said I haven't been thinking about it. Maybe I could give the tower a shot."

"The task force headquarters?" L bit the inside of his cheek, hiding his genuine excitement.

"Yeah," Light nodded, "That is…If it's ok with you."

"It's fine with me." Oh, it's beyond fine with me. I knew you couldn't say no to me, Light. Not after last night.

"Ok," Light held L's hands on his chest, "Sayu, go run interference."

"Got it!" Sayu got up from Light's chair and headed back downstairs, leaving her brother and his boyfriend to their morning.

"Good morning, Light," L gave him a much more proper good morning kiss.

"Good morning," Light's face squinched up.

"So?" L wondered, "You have to sneak me out?"

"I doubt my parents would take so kindly to me casually throwing you out the front door," Light chuckled to himself.

"I'm guessing this was a lot like what your high school experience was like," L figured, "I never had that problem, but what about you?"

"High school and early college," Light admitted, "Yeah."

High school and early college, huh? L started putting timelines together in his head, "Does that mean you've snuck Takada out of here?"

"A couple times," Light nodded, "Not very often, though. And L?"

"Yes, Light?" L cuddled him closer.

"Can we not talk about my exes please?" Light asked, "If we're going to have a nice morning together, nothing would be a bigger buzzkill than my past romantic prospects."

"I'm sorry," L kissed Light's forehead, "Are you sure I have to go? I could just stay here for a little while longer."

"We can always go out tonight," Light suggested.

"But will we?" L crossed his fingers.

"I mean…" Light hid his face in L's chest, "If that's ok with you."

"You? Me?" L decided, "Dinner tonight?"

"Yes, please," Light indulged himself in a little more skin on skin contact. Is it bad that I don't want him to leave? Well…I'm sure we could do this some more when I'm just living down the hall. And without worrying about someone breaking it up.

"So," L teased him a bit, "Are you sneaking me out the window or out the front door?"

"Front door," Light giggled, rolling his eyes. I hate that I love you…Even worse, I hate that you made me admit it. He's lucky he's cute.

Meanwhile, Sayu had made it downstairs, taking a quick look around. Dad's got the paper. Mom's got breakfast. You and L should be perfectly safe, Light. But it wouldn't hurt to add a little more distraction. She skipped over to the kitchen table and sat across from her father, "Morning, Dad."

"Good morning, Sayu," Soichiro didn't even look up from his paper.

"Reading the paper?" she asked, making light conversation.

"Yes…" Soichiro peered over his paper in confusion. Only to look back down again.

"Anything good?"

"Not really," he reported, "We've been doing our best to keep this case out of the media."

"Why?" Sayu wondered, "Shouldn't people know? That way, they can be more careful when they leave the house."

"No," Soichiro put his paper down, "We don't need to cause mass panic like that."

"Sayu," Sachiko called from the kitchen, "Did you ask Light about breakfast?"

"Yeah," Sayu chirped. I think he's good. Besides, he's got L. What would he want breakfast for? "He's good."

"Maybe I should go ask him," Sachiko started heading toward the stairs, "He might have changed his mind."

"No!" Sayu jumped up. In the next breath, she tried to calm herself down, "It's alright. You know how Light is. Once he puts his mind to something, it's a rarity he changes it."

"Sayu…" Soichiro worried, "Are you ok? You're acting awfully strange."

"Fine," she promised, "Everything great!"

"Is Light awake?" Soichiro wondered, "When he left last night, he seemed pretty upset about something."

Sorry, Light. Don't mean to throw you under the bus, but…I don't have much of a choice, "The she-demon was there. She found him and apparently, she was trying to sink her claws into him again. He found me before he left last night and it wasn't pretty. Could you really blame him for being a little upset?"

"Oh…" Soichiro winced. The aftermath the first time around was a mess. I couldn't imagine what it'd be like the second time around. No…Light's too smart to go down that road again, "Poor Light…I wish he would've said something."

"I think he's ok," Sayu hoped, well aware of how ok Light was.

"If you ask me," Sachiko chimed in, "I think he should find someone new. I'm sure that would help get her out of his head."

"You know what, Mom?" Sayu smiled, catching a glimpse of L and Light coming down the stairs, "I couldn't agree more. I bet he'd be alright if he found someone new."

Light shook his head at his sister while he stood in the doorway. But L quickly grabbed Light's attention away again, "I'll see you tonight."

"Absolutely," Light gave him one last kiss, "I'll see you tonight. Are you going to be ok, getting home by yourself?"

"My car is around the block," L assured him, "I'll manage."

"When did that happen?"

"My phone is never too far from my hand, Light," L pointed out, "It's my job to worry about you, not yours to worry about me."

Is he fucking serious? Light melted inside, "I love you."

"I love you, too," L left Light in the door and took a walk down the block. As promised, his car waited for him.

"Back to the tower, Mr. Ryuzaki?" the driver asked.

"Yes, please," L got into the car, wishing with every fiber of his being that Light would've gone with him. I can't wait for you to be living in the same building as I do, Light. It's going to make 2AM a lot better. That's for sure.

When L got back to the tower, he pressed the bypass button and headed upstairs. I could use some coffee. And a donut. I'm thinking a donut. Or two…Or four. Four might be better. He pushed his door open and found Watari sitting in the kitchen, "Welcome home, Lawliet."

"Hi, Watari…" L sat next to him, his head onto the counter, "Can you make me some breakfast please?"

"Of course," Watari got up, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," L grumbled into the countertop.

"Alright," Watari let it go, quickly changing the subject, "How was the NPA ball last night? I noticed you didn't come home, so I'm assuming you stayed at the hotel."

"Can't say that I did," L clarified, "I stayed with Light last night."

"So," Watari figured, "The ball went well, didn't it?"

"It was…" L thought it over, "Eventful. To say the least. Do you know who Misa Amane is?"

"She's a model and an actress, isn't she?" Watari got the box of donuts from the upper cabinet, "You had a soft spot in your heart for her, if I remember correctly."

"Not anymore."

"Why not?" Watari wondered, "What happened?"

"She's Light's ex-girlfriend," L explained, "The bad one. The one that had him signing their NDA. She's terrible, Watari. I met her last night, too. How Light dealt with her for as long as what he did, I will never fully understand. But…I met all of his exes last night. They didn't know who I was in relation, but that may have worked in our favor."

"That's understandable," Watari winced, putting the box in front of L, "As many as you'd like, Lawliet. They're all yours."

"Thank you," L opened up the box and started indulging himself. But then, he looked over at his suddenly ringing phone. Huh…Unknown number. Not too often I get those. L slid his finger across the screen, "Hello?"

"L…?" On the other end was a soft, sweet voice L hadn't heard in so long. And it put a hole in the pit of his stomach.

L got up from the kitchen island and took the box of donuts into his bedroom, making sure he was out of Watari's earshot, "Near? What are you doing up? Isn't it midnight?"

"My new medications are keeping me up," Near told him, "They've been screwing up my sleep for the last week."

"Still," L tore off a piece of donut, "You should be in bed."

"Oh…" Near's voice softened even more, "Are you mad at me…?"

L knew he was caught between a rock and a hard place, his chest feeling heavier and heavier as the minutes ticked on. This could be a disaster, "No. I'm not mad at you. Are you at least in bed?"

"Yes," Near promised, "I'm in bed. Just having a hard time sleeping."

"How are you, Near?" L wondered, genuinely concerned. Near should know better than to call me, but who knows if he had anyone else?

"I've been slowly progressing," Near reported, "I've been keeping up with my doctor's appointments every week. Mondays and Fridays at two o'clock."

"That's good," L praised, "I'm glad to hear it."

"So," Near asked, "When are you coming home?"

"Near…" And there's the sound of the other shoe dropping.

"I know," Near stopped himself, "It's not my business. You don't have to answer me. I'm not entitled to that information."

L got a little nervous, "How'd you know I wasn't home?"

"I know what you look for in a case, L," he gushed inside, "There's been a string of murders in the Kanto region of Japan. Around Tokyo. I can only imagine that's where you are. Not to mention, you said it was midnight here. Meaning that wherever you are, it's not midnight."

"If we're being honest," L smiled a bit, "I just woke up not too long ago. I'm glad to see your deductive reasoning is still there. Very impressive, Near."

"Thank you."

"On that note," L asked, "How has school been going for you?"

"I'm passing. For the most part…My STEM classes are too easy."

"Is there no way they can bump you up?" L figured, taking a bite out of his second donut.

"They've tried," Near sighed out, "But apparently, my professors don't appreciate when I correct them. It's alright, though. I'll be graduating soon."

"That's great," L laid back on his bed, his heart getting heavier. A part of him missed having Near balled up at his side, "I'm sure your professors will appreciate it. No one ever likes being told they're stupid."

"Will you be there?" Near hoped.

"I don't know, Near…" L chewed on his lip, "Would that be a good idea?"

"I'll be fine," Near swore, "I understand that we're not going to get back together, L. And that might be for the best."

"So," L wondered. I have been looking for an excuse. This might be my chance, "Could I bring a date?"

"Go ahead…"

L knew what Near was doing. Despite how hard it was for him, he pushed himself to believe he'd be ok. But L trusted him. And the process, "I really am proud of you, Near. And it was nice hearing from you. But you need to go to bed. Ok?"

"Ok," Near caved, "And you're still not mad at me, right?"

"Of course not," L promised, "Just go to bed. At least try. For me."

"Fine…"

Even though things were messy when L and Near split up, that didn't mean L didn't still care. Just a little bit. For the sake of indulging him, L put on that one voice…The one with the little bit of authority in it that Near soaked up like a sponge, "Good night, Nate..."

"Good night, L…"

Click.

Well…He didn't call me Daddy out of reflex. Maybe he really is making progress. Watari knocked on the door, snapping L out of his headspace, "L? Is everything alright?"

"Yes," L sighed out, "Everything's fine."

"Who was that on the phone?" Watari asked.

Watari would rake me over the coals if he knew I was in contact with Near. But still…It was nice to hear his voice again. However, on that same token, I'm curious as to how well he'd respond to me bringing someone else to his graduation. And it would be an excuse to get Light out of the country. And to bring him back to London with me. In due time. L lied through his teeth, "It was no one."