Light, L, and the others burst onto the boat deck from the crew stairs just aft of the third funnel. They look at the empty davits, horror sinking in as they realize there are no more boats left.
"The boats… They're gone." L says, the expression on his usually stoic face portraying the terror in his heart. He sees a man he recognizes from the First Class strolling along the deck, escorting two First Class ladies.
"Colonel Gracie! Are there any boats left?" he shouts quite hysterically.
"Oh, Liam! Yes, there are still a couple of boats all the way forward. This way, I'll lead you."
Light grabs L's hand and they sprint past Gracie, with Aizawa and Matsuda close behind. They tear past the band, amazingly still playing.
"Music to drown by, now I know I'm in First Class." Aizawa comments.
They reach the last few boats, joining the surprisingly small crowd of people. Even with the blanket and Light's arms around him L is shivering in the glacial air of the ship's deck.
"Women and children only!" an Officer shouts, his voice fading into the background as L takes in his surroundings. He watches as a woman with two young daughters looks into the eyes of a husband she knows she may never see again.
"It's goodbye for a little while… Only a little while. There's going to be another boat for the daddies, this one's for the mummies and children." He tells his girls, kissing their noses and wiping the tears from their frightened young faces.
"Go with mummy." He says, hugging his wife before she stumbles into the boat with the children, hiding her tears from them. Beneath the false good cheer, L can tell that the man is choked with emotion.
Some of the women are stoic, L observes, while others are overwhelmed by emotion and have to be helped into the boats. He sees a man scribble a note and hand it to a woman about to board a boat.
"Please, give this to my wife in DeMoines, Iowa." He pleads, eyes swimming with unshed tears. He is a third class man. He knows he will not make it.
Light hugs him tighter as L shivers, knowing it's not just from the cold.
"You'd better go check the other side." Light tells Matsuda and Aizawa. They nod and dart off, searching for a way around the deckhouse.
"I won't go without you." L says, knowing what Light is thinking.
"Get in the boat, L." Light pleads, desperation leaking through his strong façade.
"Yes, get in the boat, L." Aiber says from behind them. L is shocked to see him, and clings instinctively to Light.
Aiber looks him up and down, seeing him standing there shirtless and soaked, shivering in his thin dress pants.
"My god, look at you. You're a mess." He says laughing as he removes his overcoat, "Here, put this on."
He numbly shrugs into it, more for modesty than warmth.
"Here, son, how old are you?" the Officer asks him, having boarded all the women and children. He starts to announce his age, but Light cuts him off, knowing he can pass for a boy and trying his damndest to get him on a boat.
"He's only fourteen. He's my younger brother, please, let him go."
"Okay, come aboard, son. Quickly, please."
L turns his frightened eyes to his lover.
"Go on. I'll get on the next one." Light tells him, smiling.
"No. Not without you." L answers stubbornly. He doesn't even care that Aiber is standing right there, clenching his jaw at the emotion he sees between L and Light.
"There are boats on the other side that are allowing men in." Aiber whispers, leaning close to the pair, "Light and I can get off safely. Both of us."
Light smiles reassuringly at L, hugging him tight for a moment before releasing.
"See? I've got my own boat to catch. I'll be alright. Go on." He says, squeezing L's hand and pushing him toward the lifeboat.
"No… I'll go with you on that boat…"
"I'm afraid the arrangement I've made will only cover Light and I." Aiber says, "We'll all be in New York by sunrise. That's all that matters, right?"
"I—"
"L, please." Light says, his eyes pleading with him to just go.
"Okay." He says, hugging him, and turns to shake Aiber's hand quickly before boarding the boat.
"Lower away!" the Officer bellows, directing the men at either end to make sure the boat lowers evenly. The two men watch at the rail as the boat begins to descend.
"You're a good liar." Aiber says lowly, still looking down at L.
"Almost as good as you."
"I always win Light, one way or another." He turns to him, smirking, "Pity I didn't keep that drawing." Aiber chuckles, "It's going to be worth a lot more in the morning."
Light knows he's screwed. He gazes down at L, not wanting to waste a second of his last sight of him.
L looks up, gazing into Light's eyes as the ropes go though the pulleys. All the sounds around him are fading away, and once more all he can hear is his blood pumping in his ears. A rocket bursts overhead, outlining his love in a halo of light, the sparks fading and falling away. He sees Light's hand trembling on the rail, the tears welling up in his eyes. The unbearable pain in his chest increases as he gets further and further from his Light, but he still stares up, tears pouring down his face uninhibited.
He sees the smirk on Aiber's face in his peripheral.
Suddenly, he jumps up, lunging across the woman next to him. He reaches the gunwale, climbing it, and hurls himself out of the boat to the rail of the A-Deck promenade, catching it, and scrambling over the wall. The boat continues its descent, but L is back on Titanic.
"No L! No!" Light spins from the rail, sprinting for the nearest way down to A-Deck.
Aiber, too, having seen him jump, and at the realization that L is willing to die for this man, this gutter scum, he is overwhelmed by a rage so all-consuming it eclipses his thoughts until there is nothing but L and Light.
Light runs as fast as he can, banging through the doors to the A-Deck foyer and rushing down the stairs. He sees L coming into the foyer, flying toward him, Aiber's long coat flapping out behind him as he runs.
They meet at the bottom of the stairs, colliding in an embrace.
"L! You're so stupid, L! You're such an idiot! Why did you do that, L? Why?" Light asks, in between quick, fervent kisses.
"You jump, I jump, right?" L says, his hands caressing his lovers face.
"Right." Light smiles, and pulls him into a long, passionate kiss, holding him tightly, refusing to let go. He tastes salt, and realizes that it's from the tears streaming down both their faces. They continue to kiss despite everything, welcoming the warmth they have created for themselves.
Aiber comes in and runs to the railing. Looking down he sees them locked in their embrace and growls, his vision going red with rage. Mikami comes up behind him and puts a restraining hand on him, but he whips around, grabbing the pistol from Mikami's waistband in a lightning-fast move.
He runs along the rail and down the stairs. As he reaches the landing above them, he raises the gun. Screaming in fury, he fires, a carved cherub at the foot of the center railing exploding at the impact of the bullet.
Light pulls L toward the stairs going down to the next deck. Aiber fires again, running down the steps toward them. A bullet blows a divot out of the oak paneling behind Light's head as he tugs L down the next flight of stairs.
Aiber steps on the skittering head of the cherub and goes sprawling. The gun skitters across the marble floor. He gets up, and reeling in his anger goes to retrieve it.
L and Light take the stairs two at a time and run straight into the deep water at the bottom of the grand staircase, literally dodging bullets as they slosh across the room to where the floor slopes up, until they reach dry footing at the entrance to the dining saloon.
The water laps at Aiber's feet and he retreats up the stairs a couple of steps, the eerie sound of the woodwork groaning and creaking surrounding him.
"I hope you enjoy your time together!" he calls to them as they run through the dining saloon. Suddenly, he remembers something and starts to laugh. He notices Mikami making his way down to him, perfectly composed even after chasing him, and his crazed laughter doesn't cease.
"What could possibly be funny?" Mikami asks dryly as he reaches the step that Aiber is perched on.
"I put the diamond in my coat pocket." He explains, giggling madly. Mikami still looks lost, not understanding the significance of that statement, but noting his master's lack of a coat.
Aiber turns to him with a sickly expression, his eyes glittering, and shouts, "And I put the coat on L!"
Almost done... Thanks to all who favourited and reviewed, or even just read. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!