Disclaimer: Note that none of these characters belong to me. I an merely borrowing them for use in the fanfic.

Note: This story will contain Yaoi/Shounen-Ai.

Another Note: I'm really horrible at writing humor. If you have any suggestions, PLEASE, don't hesitate to leave them in a review or message!

And: PLEASE, tell me if there's any grammar or spelling mistakes! I'll love you forever if you do!

Day 18

Midnight came.

The clock tower chimed in the distance.

Feet shuffled nervously outside Light's bedroom door.

He knocked. It sounded louder than was intended, but a husky voice came from within.

"Come in. You would even if I said no."

The doorknob turned noisily. L made a mental note to have Watari oil it. The door creaked as it opened. Poor Watari. The man had oiled both aspects of the hinges not a week before.

Light was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking out the massive window that made up a good portion of the East wall of his room. He didn't seem happy.

Not with L.

Not with himself.

Not with life.

"What do you want?" Still rude, with a blunt-sided tinge. Light didn't seem angry, but he didn't seem sad, either. Probably somewhere in between.

"I just wanted to see if you were ok. That you hadn't jumped out the window and killed yourself." At this, a smile flashed on Light's lips. He had been thinking about the action at an earlier time. It now sounded like a stupid and foolish idea. L seemed to agree.

"No. I figured, since I'm essentially stuck here, I might as well have fun with it."

L was surprised. Light having fun in a situation he obviously didn't like…

It was as if the world had flipped over.

A long while passed in silence. At one point, L had shuffled to where Light was sitting and flopped down next to him. Light had scooted away slightly. The pair sat in silence, watching as the moon shone over the woodlands, the howls of countless wolves permeating the cold, autumn air. Stars glimmered dimly in the sky, clouds covering many of them. The grass below swayed in a slight breeze, as if dancing. Trees brushed together, practically singing, their leaves falling away with every touch. It was deep into winter, but the trees were losing their leaves very quickly. The river below sparkled with moonlight, sending light into the air like dust off a very old book.

L inched closer. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he wanted to lean against Light and hug him. But he stayed put, as Light instantly scooted away again, putting even more distance between them. When he did this, he shot L a harsh glare.

L pouted.

Someone knocked on the door. L hadn't realized he had closed it.

"Come in."

Light glared at him again. He obviously didn't want anyone else in his room.

Watari entered, wincing when the doorknob and door squealed upon being moved. He was carrying L's laptop. When he opened it, a massive room was displayed on the screen, hundreds of police officers in what seemed to be an office for democracy purposes. On the other side, though, a black, calligraphic L adorned the otherwise white screen. It was all anyone ever saw of L.

"L? Have you caught Kira?" The voice was familiar, but Light couldn't place it.

The detective seemed slightly taken aback. He thought that the news had spread to the police force by that point.

"Yes," he murmured. The voice would be garbled and synthetic on the other end. "Over eighteen days ago, ." L seemed surprised, even as he spoke.

Light's father.

Light knew how disappointed Soichiro was in him. He gritted his teeth angrily.

"Where is he?" The man on the other end seemed utterly and openly peeved. Light knew instantly that his father wasn't happy he was out of prison. Maybe he was upset Light was even still alive. This only angered the teenager further; having to put up with such horrible surrounding was bad enough. His father had started communication at the worst time possible, it seemed. Could the moment get any worse?

"I brought him back with me. He is under my supervision. Would you like to see him?" L seemed rather hopeful. Light cursed under his breath. He never wanted to hear of his father again. That man had been part of the cause Light had been captured. He had help, but so had Light. The only difference? The latter had been counterproductive.

"After what he's done? No. I never want to see that boy's face again. He has caused an endless amount of disgrace upon our family. Furthermore, he is no longer a part of said family." The voice seemed to spit the words, as if his tongue wouldn't cooperate with his thoughts.

After a moment, L's expression deepened into one of sadness. "Oh. I see." Did he even remember his family? Why so solemn? Maybe he had been pushed away, too.

He closed the laptop, ending the communication, and handed it back to Watari. The older man bowed respectfully and hurried away, once again wincing at the creaky door. Watari would have to oil the damned hinges, he knew. L would tell him to, soon enough. He would prolong the duty until the time came around.

Light stared out the window, emotionless. Wolves howled. He knew his father didn't see his point of view; that of justice. Soichiro would never see like his son.

Never.

He would always be foolish like L.

Like much of the world.

They didn't understand justice. They thought everyone had a right to live. They were wrong. Not everyone, depending on their actions, would be allowed to continue with life. Light would, once he regained hold of the Death Note, continue with his original plan. He wouldn't let the notebook out of his sight for anything. L would never take it away again.

But where was it?

The clock tower rung loudly, deep and bold.

When had Light fallen asleep?

He could only remember thinking about what he would do with the Death Note once he got it back, but nothing else. Had L drugged him again? The raven-haired detective was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was sleeping.

No.

L never slept. The insane amount of sugar he consumed probably kept him awake all the time. It was no wonder he had such large marks under his eyes. It must've been from lack of sleep.

Anyway…

Light got out of bed and stretched, arching his back until he heard dozens of crackles along the length of his spine. Feeling refreshed, he then slipped out of the room. When he opened the door, that same bell rung. High pitched, somewhere else in the extensive mass of rooms and corridors. Alerting L that he was awake.

L was standing, or hiding, against the wall. The door swung outwards, and thus hid him from sight when Light exited. Silently, L followed the younger man. The brunette didn't notice him, even when they had passed down the stairs and into the kitchen. When Light finally turned around, he leaped around three feet into the air and yelped in surprise. He ended up on the floor, propped up on one hand, the injured on clenching the skin above his heart. L could hear the boy's heart beating. Maybe he had scared him a bit too bad…

"Never. Do that. Again," Light panted.

L smiled. It was adorable. Utterly adorable. "Sorry."

Light stared. L's eyes seemed to light up when he smiled, as if he'd just seen the largest cake in history and it was all for him.

Light's finger and wrist had been dressed the previous night. L had known he'd broken something. The snapped bones were already on their way to recovery.

L extended and hand. Light took it gratefully, and was standing within seconds. The boy really did have a lot of energy.

The childish man looked down at his cake, gleaming prettily in the dim light of his computers. He licked his lips. It was well past nightfall, but he never slept. He preferred to eat the night away, feasting on cake and other sweets.

Another man, younger, passed behind the other, still staring at his cake. He smiled.

Maybe he really was warming up to L.

Please leave a review if you liked the story!