A/N: And in this chapter…we shall meet sexy, sexy L :D I love L. He makes me squee with happiness. Ahem. Yes, we shall meet L now. I hope you like this version of L. I like cute L….but sexy L is equally awesome.
Disclaimer: I'd work for L. Totally. I'd probably make more money than I do now.
Despite how terrified Light was, whatever tranquilizer had been shot into his leg was strong. It had taken barely fifteen minutes before Light had dropped off to sleep in the backseat of the car.
When Light woke up, he had no idea where he was. The room was small, but elegantly furnished with antiques. There was a large ornate wardrobe positioned on one wall. In a corner, a small bookcase housed a few musty old books and a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. A small bedside table was set with a soup bowl and a saucer of fine china. The bed was a queen-sized four poster bed with champagne-colored silk sheets. Light had never seen such opulence. It looked like something out of Victorian or Elizabethan England.
Light reminded himself that no matter how wealthy this man was, he had no business hiring men to kidnap him. Light had refused to work for him, and any honest businessman should have been able to take no for an answer. The fact that he had instead had Light drugged and dragged to his opulent mansion didn't leave a good first impression. Light didn't know if drug lords or mob bosses specialized in fine china and lace curtains, but whatever this man did, it had to be something highly illegal.
The door opened suddenly and a pale, thin, raven-haired young man in a rumpled suit peered inside. "Ah, Yagami-kun is awake. How are you feeling?" he murmured in a faint British accent. He crept into the room slowly, shutting the door silently behind him.
Light struggled to sit up. He still felt rather woozy. "How do you know my name?"
The young man tilted his head to one side. The large, dark eyes stared curiously at Light. "Tony told me he went through all your belongings when he found you. As I will be taking care of you, I think it is good to know your name."
"Do I get to know yours?" Light growled. He sat up and glared heatedly at the slouching youth before him. He didn't look much older than Light. Light hated being taken care of by someone his own age. He wouldn't need care in the first place if those two goons hadn't kidnapped him.
The rumpled young man nodded slowly. "Yes, of course you may wish to know my name. It is only fair. However, you will probably call me L. Everyone does."
"So, L, who's in charge here?" Light said aggressively.
L cocked his head to the other side, surveying Light intently. "I am."
Light snorted. "Yeah, you're in charge of taking care of me. Whatever. I want to know who's in charge of the whole place. I don't take kindly to being kidnapped and I'm going to tell the jerk responsible that I want to go home right now."
"I am sorry to hear that." L chewed his thumb solemnly. "I thought you would like it here, Yagami-kun."
Light stared at him in disbelief. Surely this scruffy young man couldn't be at the head of a criminal operation. He was too young and too boring. Light couldn't dream of this lifeless young man actually ordering someone to go kidnap him.
L sighed. "No one ever believes me. However, I am indeed in charge. I am a millionaire and my Candy Palace is a profitable company. I am sure you will be a great addition to our staff."
Light wrinkled his nose. "I'm not taking orders from you. You're a spoiled rich brat. I know you didn't establish this company yourself. No one would trust anyone who runs around in wrinkled suits and refuses to comb their hair."
"My hair is combed," L said indignantly. "I prefer my hair spiky." His lips curved into a thin smile. "You are not the first to underestimate me, Yagami-kun. True, I do not look like an average businessman, but I assure you my company is doing just fine. You will not be disappointed with your salary."
"I'm not working for you," Light sneered. "I'm probably the first person to turn you down, but you'll get used to it."
L shrugged. "Very well." He headed off to the door in an odd shuffling gait. He paused in the doorway and turned back. "If Yagami-kun is planning on running away, he might wish to drink his tea and eat his soup. He will need his strength back."
"I'm not eating anything you give me," Light shot back. "It's probably poisoned."
L shook his head sadly. "Then I'm afraid you won't get very far. I will check up on you later, Yagami-kun, and if I find you still in bed, I will assume that you are staying with us."
After L exited the room, Light grumbled under his breath. He was hungry and although he didn't want to give L the satisfaction of having him eat the food he made, he knew he probably did need to eat to get his strength back. He still felt terribly weak. He had no idea how long he'd been out.
Light glanced over at the food set on the bedside table. Earl gray tea and clam chowder. It smelled wonderful. He hesitated only briefly before picking up the dainty silver spoon and tasting the soup. It tasted fine. He doubted L would really poison him now when he had gone through so much effort to bring him in alive.
Light devoured the bowl of soup and then sipped the tea slowly. It was far sweeter than he would have liked. The tea was so sugary that it was the consistency of black sludge. But Light forced himself to drink it anyway. It would give him lots of energy. At last, Light felt better and he carefully eased himself out of bed only to find that he was clad only in his boxers.
Angrily, Light marched himself over the wardrobe and began pawing through it to find his clothes. There were plenty of frilly blouses, ruffled skirts, and long evening gowns in the wardrobe, but he couldn't find his own clothes anywhere. Light gritted his teeth. L had done that on purpose so he wouldn't run away. Or maybe he wanted to see Light running around in only his underwear. Pervert.
The door creaked open again and L peered inside. "Ah, you are out of bed." He looked curiously at Light. "What have you decided to wear?"
Light slammed the wardrobe shut and glared at L. "What have you done with my clothes?"
"Oh, I had them burned," L said casually. "But fear not, Raito-kun. I have a wide selection of clothing for you to choose from. If you'd like, I can find you-"
"Burned them?" Light screeched. "Why the hell would you do that?"
"Because you are working for me now and I have a strict taste in uniforms. I'm afraid that a t-shirt and jeans are unacceptable."
"Thos were my best jeans," Light moaned. His eyes flashed with anger. "What right do you have to burn my clothes without asking me? I'm getting out of this place right now."
L shrugged. "It is your decision, Raito-kun. I'll lend you one of my clothes to wear on your way out. You have the pick of the wardrobe."
Light's eyes narrowed. "All those frilly girl clothes?"
L nodded and chewed his thumb thoughtfully. "I'm sure Raito-kun would look stunning in a red dress. Perhaps a short red dress to show off his legs."
"What the hell kind of business do you run anyway?" Light demanded. "I can't even imagine anyplace where it's appropriate to dress your employees in evening gowns. It's disgusting."
L's bottomless, dark eyes stared intently at Light. "My Candy Palace is very successful. No one has complained about my uniforms yet."
"Apparently all your customers are perverts," Light said scornfully. "I can't imagine that any of your employees would be happy."
"Oh no, they are quite happy," L assured him. "If you get dressed, I will take you down to meet them."
Light rolled his eyes. "You honestly expect me to wear some frilly dress here?"
"Of course," L said calmly. "Everyone else does." He held up a short, ruffled red dress with a pair of matching red heels.
Light made a face. "Ugh. Okay, fine. Give me those." He snatched the clothing from L's hands and reluctantly wiggled into the dress. It fit him perfectly.
L nodded approvingly. "I knew you would look good in red."
Light sighed. "This is the most fucking humiliating day of my life."
L patted Light's shoulder awkwardly. "Do not be so upset, Raito-kun. I only ask that you come with me and meet my workforce. If you are still dissatisfied, you are free to leave."
Light's shoulders slumped. "And they'll all laugh at me and how ridiculous I look." He sighed heavily. It was bad enough just having L see him a dress. He didn't want everyone in L's company to be looking at him. He needed to sneak out before anyone saw him and get back home. If he was lucky, he could sneak inside without his father seeing him. That would be the most humiliating confrontation of all if his father questioned why he was wearing a dress.
"No one will laugh at you," L assured him. "Everyone else is similarly attired. "Of course, they also have the right accessories. But we will worry about that later," he said breezily. He took Light's hand and gently tugged him in the direction of the door.
Light wobbled in the heels and he grabbed on to L as he nearly toppled over. "Are you sure I can't go barefoot?"
"Nonsense. A fancy dress requires heels. Lean on me and I will assist you until you feel comfortable."
Light sighed. There went his plan. It looked like he was stuck. Life just really had it in for him. It wasn't content just to see him humiliated, but it wanted to kick him when he was already down. Light sighed again. Yep, life was kicking him in the face with one of those spiky heeled shoes.