November

The past few weeks had been Raito's definition of bliss. Although he and L were 'officially a couple' in Misa's words, the blonde was the only one who knew about their relationship. This wasn't completely because they wanted to keep it a secret, although L did say something about waiting a little longer before explaining things to his family and Raito wasn't crazy about breaking things to his folks either. When he eventually did tell them he knew that Sayu would be upset that she wasn't the first to know. The reason they were less public about their relationship at school was because neither of them thought that it was any of their classmate's place to know their business.

"Sorry to interrupt your talk, but I need the room too," Raito announced his entrance into he and L's shared room (since they started dating mentally calling it that felt all the more intimate).

Right now L was Skyping Mello, and Raito had promised that he would continue to give L privacy when he talked to his brothers, more of their sakes than for L's. This time he didn't feel bad, since he had given them over an hour. He didn't mind interrupting Mello, because he could tell that his presence didn't make the blonde uncomfortable and vise versa. Once he had walked in on L's conversation with Near, L's youngest brother, and Raito was a little ashamed to say that the kid freaked him out.

"If I don't start studying now I'm not going to get any sleep tonight," Raito told L and Mello.

"Sleep is overrated, Light-kun." L told him, and Light made a mental note to later tell L a number of seductive remarks that this comment made him think. "But Mello and I were about done with this conversation."

Raito shrugged, meaning to give off the impression that L and Mello should take their time. He proceeded to dump the books that he needed onto the portable table that he had bought to function as the desk when the both of them needed a flat surface. It would probably be better if L continued to talk to Mello, for Raito knew that it would be hard for him to get much work done while L's attention was on him.

"Light, does L have a boyfriend?"

Raito froze. He knew to would be bad if he let Mello's question hang in the air, but it caught him off guard. Doing his best to look as smooth as always, he turned to L with a raised eyebrow.

"Does he?" He asked, and L quickly avoided his gaze.

"It's possible," L the statement was just as dodging as Raito's question. "And the poor fool who thinks that putting up with my problems and social skills will be a walk in the park deserves both of your pity."

L gave a small sigh, but Raito didn't let these words go unfollowed.

"Maybe he knows that it won't be easy but thinks you're worth the challenge," Raito tried, his eyes not leaving L's partially turned head despite his efforts to make the comment seem casual.

"You know who it is," Mello said from the computer screen.

"I might," Raito had to admit his was enjoying this. With a slight shrug he added: "But L's love life is none of my business."

"That's not exactly true," L spoke up now and Raito could see the smile teasing the corners of his mouth. "I'd say that, as my roommate and best friend, my love life is about as much your business as it is Mello's."

"Very funny," Mello seemed to understand that he wasn't about to get an answer from either of them.

"I'm only taking a precaution. Considering you did nothing to stop Beyond from nearly stabbing my last boyfriend," L informed his brother in a close to stern voice. Raito gave a start at this comment, but L continued without noticing. "I'm not sure I want to give you two much information about my current one for the moment."

"He did what?" Raito needed to voice his concern at this one.

"In Beyond's and my own defense," Mello said in a half amused tone. "B only tried to kill him because he cheated on you."

"And, as warmed as my heart is to know that the two of you care, I'm still not telling you right now," L concluded. "Goodbye Mello. Good luck with your plan."

With that he ended the call.

"Plan?" Raito wondered.

"Nothing," L shrugged. "High-school romantic drama."

"Say no more," Raito laughed.

"That's all I could say anyway," L informed him.

"Sworn to secrecy?" Raito asked.

"Exactly," L confirmed with a bright smile.

"I'm not saying that I want to know," Raito gave him a sinister grin. "But I know how loose your lips can be when I want them to be."

"That's assuming that you have any power over them," L smirked back.

"What? Are you going to say I don't?" Raito teased.

"I let you think that you do so you can feel good about yourself," L said flatly.

"We'll see about that," Raito laughed before pulling the boy into his arms.

Their lips met and they fell backwards onto Raito's bed. One of Raito's hands tangled in L's hair, the other rested on his boyfriend's hips as he pulled his light body on top of him. L's elbows met the bed on either side of Raito's head, pushed their faces together even more. Raito felt the longing grow inside of him as he continued to kiss L. Without fully realizing what he was doing, he was reaching under L's shirt, letting his touch trail along his back and down again. His fingers played with the hem of L's jeans before moving further.

"Light?" L had pulled back now.

"Sorry," Raito retrieved his hand, embarrassment covering his face. "I didn't mean to—I mean, we should probably talk before I—I mean we—"

"I'm sorry," L retreated from his position over Raito in order to sit next to him.

"When I think about it, I'm not sure I'm ready either," Raito added.

"It's not that," L sighed. "Well it is that, but not for the reason that you think."

"Oh?" Raito slipped his hand into L's and squeezed it. "What's wrong?"

"Do you remember when I said that I had some problems last year?" L asked, Raito didn't doubt he knew the answer.

"Yes," Raito confirmed anyway.

"I need to tell you a story."

Raito could feel his heartbeat increasing as L finished explaining why his walls were so high. Part of Raito was happy, for he knew that L was only telling him this because he trusted him. Part of him felt for the heartbreak that L should not have had to go through. And part of him was terrified. He knew that L wanted assurance that Raito would never do anything to hurt him like this. Raito could tell him that easily, but once L heard all the trouble Raito had caused for himself in his last year of high school, he feared that L would not believe him.

"I'm sorry," he pulled L into a hug, partly to comfort him and partly to hide his own face.

"It's okay," L told him. "I happened a year ago, and I've moved on. I just wanted you to know."

"Thank you for telling me," Raito breathed into L's hair.

Now would be the perfect time to explain to L that Raito had made mistakes in the past. He couldn't control the reaction L would have, but it was better to let him know, right? If he didn't it wasn't lying, but it wasn't what Raito would call honestly either. L would understand…and if he didn't Raito would convince him. He'd try to convince him. He would be able to, right?

"I care about you," Raito heard himself saying.

"I know," L whispered back. "I care about you too."

If he didn't say something now, if he didn't tell L that he had a story too, Raito knew he was never going to be able to.

"I'm never going to hurt you," he told L.

"I know," L sounded happy.

What L didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Almost a month flew past them and brought a whirl wind of school work with it. When the holiday break finally rolled around the corner, Raito couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity to rest. Of course L had thought up the perfect idea to prevent this.

"Do you want to go to England with me?" L asked as the two of them walked back to their room on the last day of school before the holiday.

"What?" This had caught Raito entirely off guard.

"I can afford an extra ticket," L explained. "Unless you want to spend Christmas and New Years with your family."

The thought of enduring two holidays with homophobic relatives was enough to make Raito consider L's offer, for both this and his parent's sakes.

"You want me to come home with you?" Raito found this hard to process.

"Yes," L beamed at him.

"You haven't even told your family that we're dating," Raito pointed out.

"I told my guardian," L objected. "And I'll be ready to tell Near and Mello by the time we get there. Besides, I want to show you were I grew up."

"I've never been outside of Japan," Raito admitted sheepishly.

"We'd have to get your passport set up quickly," L realized. "But I can manage that if you want to come."

"Of course I want to," Raito laughed. "It sounds amazing."

"Good," L took Raito's hand in his own.

"But you're sure that I won't be intruding?" he quickly rephrased this: "You're sure that your family won't feel that I'm intruding?"

"They'll be happy to meet you in person," L answered. "I'll tell Wammy that you want to, and warn one of the boys."

The smile on L's face was too bright for Raito to form another argument or question.

"I feel like I'm forgetting something," Raito ran a hand through his hair as he stared at his filled suitcase.

"Light-kun understands that we have stores in England?" L teased. "If you forget something, we can buy it there."

"I know," Raito sighed. "But I'd rather be on top of things."

"Did you remember to pack my Christmas present?" L inquired with a smile that Raito mentally coined devilish.

"Maybe," he replied slowly.

"I want to see!" L resembled a five-year-old as he darted to Raito's suitcase.

"Don't look," Raito jumped in front of him. "It isn't wrapped yet."

"Why not?" L sounded even more like a child. "Light-kun should know that the probability of me seeing it is even higher if it's not concealed."

"I didn't wrap it so that you wouldn't be able to tell which of my belongings it is," Raito explained.

"If my present is mundane enough to fit in with the belongings in Light-kun's suitcase, I am disappointed," L huffed.

"First of all," Raito rounded on him. "My belongings are not mundane. Second, don't worry, you're not going to be disappointed."

"I'll take your word for it," L shrugged.

"Are you all packed?" Raito checked, eye the nearly empty suitcase on L's bed.

"Yes," L answered.

"You're sure," Raito asked again.

"Most of my things are still in my room in England," L reminded him. "I have everything I need that isn't already there."

"Fine," Raito backed off.

"And I have a hairbrush," he added.

"What?" Raito looked at him with a confused expression.

"Never mind," L muttered. "I'm ready when you are."

"Just let me double check that I have everything," Raito said.

"You have everything," L declared, and proceeded to pull Raito and his luggage out of the room.

"Stop fidgeting," Raito complained. "Have you ever waited in a line before?"

"Yes," L muttered, but didn't stop tapping his feet impatiently.

They hadn't even made it past security, and Raito was already exasperated with his boyfriend's behavior.

"How did you do this by yourself last time?" Raito wondered.

"I don't know," L exclaimed as dramatically as he could.

"Just settle down," Raito instructed. "Take your shoes off now."

L did as he was told.

"Where are your socks?" Raito asked in a voice that was both disgusted and ever so slightly amused.

"You know I don't like socks," L reminded him.

"You still have to wear them," Raito argued.

"Why?" L asked in a voice all too innocent for Raito to believe.

"Because you're going to ruin your shoes," he said.

"They're already ruined," L pointed out.

"Because your feet stink," Raito said blandly.

"Do they?" For a second, Raito was afraid that L was going to pick up his foot and sniff it.

"Did you pack any socks?" Raito wondered.

"No," L seemed proud of this.

"You're deliberately trying to be difficult," Raito observed.

"A little," L confessed.

By now they had reached the front of the line, and L decided to behave. Raito was able to get the both of them through security without any problems. Unfortunately, it was as they were trying to find their way to their gate that L's next childish interruption was scheduled.

"Can we buy candy?" L sounded as if he was asking a parent for permission.

"Are you hungry?" Raito countered.

"Yes," L admitted. "For candy."

"We can buy a little bit of candy," Raito relented. "I thought you packed some in your bag."

"I don't want to eat those yet," L told him. "Some of that is for Mello and Wammy."

"Well aren't you being nice," Raito teased.

"Sometimes I share," L crossed his arms. "If you buy me candy, I'll share it with you."

"I feel like that one should be self explanatory," Raito muttered.

Raito bought L candy, and that seemed to appease him until after they had boarded the plane.

"Why couldn't you let me by the business class tickets," L complained when they reached their seats.

"Because it's expensive and you weren't the one paying of it," Raito said shortly. "Do you want the window seat?"

"You should take it," L ushered Raito in front of him. "It's your first time flying out of Japan."

"Thanks," Raito felt his mouth curve into a smile.

They were lucky that their seats were on the aisle, and that the third seat had not been sold (Raito suspected that L's guardian had a hand in that one). As soon as they sat down, L took the opportunity to get comfortable. Raito stopped himself from complaining when L didn't buckle his seat belt and instead brought his knees to his chest. However, he couldn't help a remark when L kicked off his shoes.

"I was serious about your feet smelling," he told his boyfriend.

For a second, L just looked at him. Then, in a fast movement, he was pushing his left foot into Raito's face.

"Stop it," Raito exclaimed, as he tried to swat the foot away.

"How much do my feet smell, Light-kun?" L asked with a wicked smile.

"Get your foot out of my face!" Raito exclaimed, but couldn't help laughing as he did so.

"If you say so," L complied.

"You're insane," Raito informed him.

"Yes, I am," L said proudly. "Would you like some candy?"

The flight was long and Raito took the opportunity to get some sleep. This turned out to be a good idea, for the second he set foot onto English soil, he was swept up into the whirlwind that was L's family. L's guardian met them at the airport, he was older and far calmer than Raito expected him to be. Raito felt that he made a good first impression, for neither L nor the old man could stop smiling as they drove to the house.

L's siblings were harder to impress. Raito hadn't planned to be alone with either of them on the first day of his trip, but within minutes of arriving home, L was rushing to his room to 'check it for traps' that Beyond had apparently set up when he had visited that fall.

"Maybe you guys are as crazy as he made you out to be," Raito couldn't help muttering to himself after he watched his boyfriend dart from the living room.

"We are," Mello informed him in a tone Raito had trouble reading. The blonde crossed his arms before adding: "Now sit down, we're going to threaten you."

"What?" Raito asked, although he knew better than to think this was a joke.

"Well, B's not here to do it," Mello said in explanation. "And you need to know the price of messing with our brother."

He sat himself down on the couch, next to his white-haired younger brother.

"I'm not messing with him," Raito attempted to explain as well, not wanting either of them to think the wrong thing (or to think that he was intimidated for that matter).

"Keep in mind that everything you say can and will be used against you," Near said in a smooth voice that reminded Raito a little bit of how he imagined L would have talked as a child.

"Am I in court now?" Raito meant this as a quip, but he knew that he sounded more than slightly flustered.

"No, we don't give you any rights," Mello took this opportunity to be witty.

"Fine," Raito relented for the moment, and also sat down on their couch. "You're going to tell me that if I ever hurt him my dead body will never be found."

"No, we'd use it as an example for the next one," Mello piped up. "But you're on the right track."

"Look." Raito understood where they were coming from. He wasn't going to tell them that L had told him what happened with the last guy that he dated, but Raito could tell that both of their intentions were to prevent something like this from happening again. Maybe scaring Raito wasn't the most meaningful way to do so, but he gave then points for the thought. "It's great that you two want to watch out for him, but you don't have to worry."

"Sure," Mello made it clear that he didn't believe Raito. That was okay, for the moment.

"I'm being serious," he continued before Near could add a comment as well. "I care about him more than I've cared about any one I've been with before."

Maybe that wasn't saying much, considering Raito's relationship history, but it was true.

"I don't intend to leave him, and even if I did I would do everything I could not to hurt him in the process," Raito meant this. He knew that, if they ever did break up, he wouldn't be the one ending it. Right now he couldn't imagine L leaving him, but that was more likely than anything that Raito was feeling changing. "I know you're worried about him, I'm glad that you are, but you don't have to be."

He kept talking until Mello cut him off by standing.

"Okay, we get it. We won't kill you for now." The blonde sounded annoyed, and Raito realized that he might have over done it as he watched Mello leave the room.

"Don't mind him," Near's voice was close to monotone. "He's been moody lately."

"Oh?" Raito wasn't sure if he should ask what was wrong or mind his own business.

"I think he's in love," Near continued, sounding almost sad.

"Really?" This was not something that Raito had expected to come out of the kid's mouth. "Is that a bad thing?"

"He's not handling it well," Near explained. "Every time someone in this family is in love all it amounts to is drama."

"Maybe it'll be better this time," Raito tried to sound comforting.

"No," Near sighed. "There's going to be drama."

"That's too bad," Raito didn't want to argue.

"If you and L haven't already had drama, then you will as well," Near warned.

"I'll be ready then," Raito told him.

"You can try," Near sighed.

"Okay," Raito was feeling awkward. "I'm going to go check on L."

Raito could feel Near's eyes on his back as he left the room.

"Did they try to scare you?" L asked when he entered the bedroom L had grown up in.

"Yes," Raito admitted. "But I think I held my own."

"Good for you," L smiled.

"Did you find any traps?" Raito couldn't help asking.

"Only two," L replied. "It's probably safe."

"I'll take your word for it," Raito sat on L's bed. "Do you have a futon for me to sleep on?"

"We can share the bed," L said nonchalantly.

"Are you sure?" Despite sharing a room, they had only ever slept in the same bed the night that L's nightmare had woken Raito up.

"Why not?" L shrugged.

"Okay," Raito smiled as him.

"If you're going to kiss me I could do without the foreplay right now," L informed him.

Raito laughed, but complied.

Thanks to Callicanios, Corliss Kat, Wizard-Party-Forever, and America is Awesome for the reviews!

Thank you Corliss for realizing that this story fits Beauty and the Beast! It might not be as obvious as In Person being Cinderella, but you definitely have a point.