#14 Love

"What should L say?"

L's big black eyes stared pleadingly at his heirs, the three boys who were now three young men in their own right, and his beloved caretaker of many years, calmly handing around the drinks and snacks.

They were to be his groomsmen tomorrow, and Watari his best man. He was getting married.

And until this moment he had very successfully managed to put off writing his vows. He wasn't sure how his bride to be had even convinced him to write his own thoughtful words of love. Certainly had he been in his right mind he never would have agreed to such a task.

The boys stared at him for a moment.

Mello shrugged, always first to voice his opinion. "Just say some random crap about how much you love her, that's all she'll wanna hear anyway." He took a bite of his chocolate bar, relishing the snap.

Matt rolled his eyes, "You have got to be the least romantic person on earth, Mells."

"You got a better idea, goggle-boy?"

L winced, "Matt and Mello will please not fight. Matt has an idea?"

Matt smirked a little, "Not really, but rest assured she'll remember what you say for the rest of her life, so you'd better make it good. Something about how you realised she was the one, yanno?" he clutched at his heart in a parody of some shojo heroine. "One true love, and all that, something personal to her."

Mello rolled his eyes, "I still say you could say anything and that woman would buy it."

L frowned a little, "Mello will be nice, and attempt to be helpful… and Matt's suggestion would be a good one, had I any idea why I love Misa."

Near's maroon eyes raised from the pile of lego he was playing with for a moment. "L should not marry someone he doesn't love."

L shook his head hurridly, "No, I do love her, but… it is not something easy to put into words, and I'm not sure what exactly it is about her I love."

"She's got a nice ass." Matt suggested, before Mello smacked him around the head.

L groaned and lifted one hand to his eyes. "Please. L does not want anything to happen that might make Misa regret marrying me, chances are 99.9% certain that if L cannot say anything at the alter Misa will walk out right there and then."

Mello rolled his eyes, "Okay, okay, how about… 'Misa, I knew from the moment we met that we would be together forever'?"

L thought for a moment, then shook his head, "Misa-chan would never believe that, not since when we met she was a prime suspect." He bit his thumb. "…I really don't understand how we ended up together…Misa could do so much better."

"Well you always had posters of her in your room!" Matt called from under the pillow Mello had thrown at him. "I remember you stared at 'em like she was really there."

"You shut up, you're not allowed an opinion." Mello snapped, leaning on the pillow over Matt's head. "Come on L, you're supposed to be a genius, you gotta be able to come up with something."

Near sighed from his spot on the floor, "Mello misunderstands precisely what L is a genius at. Also, I believe Matt is signalling that he can't breathe."

L sigh and shook his head, rising from his chair and leaving the room while the three argued. So much for thinking of them as adults, they really were still just children. In the other room he stared out the window. He could almost see the nearby church where he would be married tomorrow.

After a moment he felt a presence behind him.

"Watari-san." He said calmly.

Watari nodded; a fatherly smile on his face. "You seem to be having an awful lot of trouble for someone with so many ideas."

L raised an eyebrow. "Elaborate."

"In that room you stated several things, one: that you love Misa too much to possibly put into words, two: that you don't want to make her regret marrying you, and three, that you sincerely believe you are lucky Misa loves you." The old butler smirked a little. "Just say that to her."

L blinked. "Is that enough?"

"L, that's love." Watari replied, laughing and messing his hair.