A/N: I've finally managed to type this up. I've had it written for a long time, but everything kept getting in the way. My job, my cold, my car accident…etc. But now it's ready and the next chapter should come along really quickly. The next chapter will be fun for me to write.

Disclaimer: I don't own L or Light…if I did, we would all have pocket-sized L's.

"Raito-kun, wake up," L hissed.

Light blearily opened his eyes to discover that he was lying facedown on his bed. He lifted his head and saw L standing on his pillow, head cocked to one side.

Light sighed wearily. "You again." But his words had no malice. He was emotionally empty.

"Is Raito-kun aware that he has slept for three hours?" L inquired.

"Three hours?" Light repeated in disbelief. He rolled off the bed and ran his hand through his hair. "Damn, that long?"

"Yes, your parents have already been in to check up on you twice. You've missed dinner."

"I missed dinner?" Light sighed unhappily.

L looked apologetic. "I tired to wake you. You just kept sleeping. If you're hungry, you can have my last Skittle." L held the Skittle aloft with both hands.

Light reluctantly accepted L's offering and popped it into his mouth. "Thanks…"

"Raito-kun, is this the time you usually take your bath?"

"Yeah," Light muttered. "I don't want to miss that too." He shoved L into his pocket and headed for the bathroom.

"Have you forgotten that I can't swim?" L protested.

"No, I haven't forgotten. I think it's time you learned. I'm going to teach you."

"I don't know if I want to get in the bathtub with you. You might fall asleep again."

"I won't. I'm awake now. Besides, I won't be in the tub for long. I need to teach you to swim first."

Light reached into his pocket and when he pulled L out, he discovered that the little doll had wrapped his body around Light's hand. Light scowled "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You're going to drown me, aren't you?" L looked distressed. He had wrapped his legs around Light's wrist and was holding onto Light's thumb with both hands. "You're still angry with me so you're going to hold me under the water and watch me struggle for air."

Light frowned at L and shook his hand irritably. "That's ridiculous. Now cut it out. Get off me."

"Drowning is not the way in which I wish to die, Raito-kun," L said solemnly. "If you attempt to kill me, I will have to be reformatted and that is a less than pleasant experience."

"What? Reformatted? You mean, reincarnated?"

"Not exactly. It is a long and painful process. As soon as I die, my body is taken to the shinigami realm and I am modified so that I will no longer die in such a way. And unfortunately, you will end up dying in the same way."

"So, let me get this straight. If I kill you, I end up dying too?"

"Correct. That would be rule twelve."

"And how many times have you died?"

L hesitated. "Well, it was an accident. I was accidentally tossed off a cliff."

Light snorted. "How do you accidentally throw someone off a cliff?"

L sighed. "He was rather clumsy, but a decent man at least. He was on vacation with me at the Grand Canyon. I was standing in one hand while he took pictures with the other. Unfortunately, he accidentally dropped me in his enthusiasm. I was taken back to the shinigami realm and he fell to his death."

"Yikes," Light muttered.

"So, if I drown due to your actions, even if they were unintentional, you will die," L warned.

"I'm not going to drown you!" Light walked to the sink and turned on the tap. "I'm going to teach you to swim in the sink. I don't want to have to save you every fucking night."

L loosened his death grip on Light's wrist. "So it's shallow water?"

"Yes, god damn it," Light growled.

"You are certain that it is shallow even for me? I don't want you to die."

"I'm sure," Light snarled.

Light slowly lowered L into the water. "Just relax and lay flat on your back. You can float that way and not go under."

"But I want to swim."

"Okay, I'll teach you to tread water first." Light grabbed L's arms and made the motions for him. "See, just like that? And keep kicking your feet."

L looked at him skeptically. "This is swimming? It doesn't seem very conducive to travel."

"Well, no. That's not what it's designed for. It's just for staying in one spot with your head above the water."

'I see. If I were to wish to move, how would I do that?"

"Well, there are several different strokes I could teach you. There's the breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, freestyle…"

"I get it," L said irritably. "Perhaps you had best rent me a video on swimming styles as it would take quite some time to teach me all of them. For now, this will suffice. I will practice this treading water business. But please stay close in case I start to drown because I cannot swim to you."

Light rolled his eyes. "I'll be in the tub with you. Don't worry about that." Light drained the water from the sink and turned on the bathtub's faucet.

L watched surreptitiously as Light undressed. Light either didn't notice or didn't care anymore because he didn't yell and call L a pervert. That made L happy.

Light settled himself into the tub and gently lowered L in with him. L treaded water for a few moments beside Light before he decided he would rather sit on Light's knee and dangle his feet in the water.

Light poured a drop of shampoo into L's tiny palm and watched as the doll lathered up his hair and leaned over to dunk his head in the water. Light also dripped a few drops of body wash into L's palms and let L scrub himself. Light put one drop on his own finger and rubbed it across L's back. L slid off Light's leg and washed all the soap off as Light climbed out of the tub and dried off. Light reached back and fished L out of the tub. He handed L a paper towel. L dried his hair and then wrapped it around his waist.

Light carried L back to his room in the pal of his hand. L balanced himself in a crouched position, one hand resting on Light's thumb.

L could tell that Light was definitely more tolerant of him tonight. He let L sit on his nightstand in a pile of tissues Light had just pulled out from the box. "Good-night," Light murmured. He pulled on his pajamas and crawled into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.