HEY THAR YOU SEXY PEOPLE

To everyone who gave me ideas, you are awesooooome.

To everyone that's reviewed or favourited or whatever, also a million thanks. Also thanks to everyone who encouraged/ helped/ tortured me about/with this chapter. You guys are cool beans. Also, sorry for taking so goddamn long with the updates, I've been piled up with work lately and have procrastinated like fuck. Many thanks to everyone for being so patient 3

THANK YOU AND GOODNIIIIIIIIIIGHT.

XXX

"Y'know... what this moment... needs?"

"... No, L. What could this moment possibly need?"

"Simply the Best by... Tina Turner... playing in... background."

"How the hell would that possibly improve the situation?"

"I have... no... idea... but at least... it would... look cool."

Light shook his head and gave an annoyed sigh. How the hell had he ended up in this situation again?

Oh yeah, he'd fallen off a bridge. Or something.

And he was currently being carried by a drunken/hung over white boy, who was humming Eye of the Tiger to himself and was attempting to walk to the beat of his own tune, much to Light's distaste. But it was getting dark, and Light's body was aching, so couldn't really care less. He tried to look casual as pedestrians stared at them passing by, but it failed, so he decided he actually didn't want to care, and buried his face into the back of L's head. It wasn't a very bright idea, as it turned out it was one of L's 'sensitive areas' (which he had somehow kept in touch with through his inebriated state), and L almost dropped the younger boy out of sheer surprise.

It was so embarrassing. Light had felt paranoid- if anyone from school were to see them, who knows what crap would be made up about him, due to this ridiculous situation? But, although his pride stopped him from saying it, he was somewhat appreciative. He seriously believed that attempting to walk, at that moment in time, he would look drunker than L. Even though L was holding up extremely well, he would still look completely pissed. Looking all around him, Light chewed his lip- if he didn't attempt to look at every corner at all times, someone he knows might appear from a direction he wasn't looking in! Ugh, the pressure...!

But that didn't matter at the moment, or rather, he managed to convince himself it didn't matter at that moment. He deliberately (or haphazardly) thought, So what? and managed to close his eyes, and sink into L's back. Without thinking, he started to drift off to sleep.

They did bump into someone. But Light didn't know it, so he didn't register it as a problem.

A mop of crimson hair on legs stood up from a nearby vending machine and almost smashed directly into L's face as it turned around. L himself didn't recognise said mop of hair, and when he heard his name being said in a slightly confused voice, L was close to turning too abruptly, and throwing Light and himself into a lampost. The fifteen year old stared at the stranger, attempting to put a name to a face through his (somehow still) drunken vision. "L? What the hell?"

L blinked a couple of times. Noting how much of a dead weight Light felt, he guessed that the younger boy was asleep. A little voice in the back of his head (that was what L usually listened to. However, not now- the little voice was currently being drowned out by the obnoxious beatboxing of that rather large voice that L got when he was drunk) starting moaning. Great timing, Light. Just great.

"Dare...?" L asked in Japanese, not bothering to be polite.

"For God's sake, L, how drunk are you, exactly?" The stranger growled, in English. "It's me."

L looked deep in thought. "M... Mello?"

Matt shook his head, massaging his temples. "Matt. M. A. T. T."

"... Mat-Tee."

"... That'll do. What the hell happened here?"

"A bridge. I think."

Matt simply sighed. Looking around, and with the surrounding stares, Matt decided this wasn't the best place a drunk L, being accompanied (Well, being carried by L was the more correct statement...) by... whoa whoa whoa, wait, was that...?

"L, is that Light Yagami?"

"So what if it is...?"

Matt frowned. He knew L was more trustworthy nowadays, but... still... Matt recalled what L had told him over the phone those few weeks ago.

"I don't like the idea of you being... like this... at this time of night, especially with... that guy. Wait, is he injured...? Is he the reason, "a bridge happened" earlier?"

"... Kinda..."

Matt glanced around nervously. For some strange reason, he suddenly felt like the situation was more complex and dangerous than he'd originally estimated. He needed to get L out of the open. Out of view, so nobody could see him in such a... situation, especially since the Light Yagami was here.

XXX

When Light came to, he was laying on a foreign bed, in a bedroom he didn't recognise. He raised his head a little, scanning the surrounding area, and began to feel his senses returning to him – especially the heavy, silent weight compressing against his chest. It seemed that L was fast asleep atop of him, face buried in Light's neck. Light felt way too tired to move, so simply laid there, staring at the ceiling, wondering where the hell he was. At that moment, he heard the creaking of footsteps approaching the room from the outside, and pretended to be unconscious.

There was the sound of the door opening, then Light opened his eyes slightly – not enough so that his eyes were open, but enough so that he could see in small detail – and saw a red – haired boy carrying a cardboard box. He was white, and a pair of goggles were hiding his eyes. A small lollipop stick hung out of his mouth, like a fake cigarette. The boy glanced, quickly, in the direction of the bed, and then turned to the box as he placed it on the floor, pulling away the cellotape that acted as the lock stopping anyone from simply looking inside.

"... I see you're awake then."

Light dazed a little. Was he talking to him? He didn't move.

"I know you're awake, Light Yagami."

... What?

Light opened his eyes fully, without moving, and looked directly at the stranger, who still had his back turned to them.

"... Who are you...?"

"An acquaintance of L's. You're lucky I found you both."

"Do you have a name?"

"Call me Mail."

The boy pulled out a small toolbox from the bigger cardboard box, and placed it on a chair next to the bed. He opened it, inspecting the contents, and gestured to Light to move away from L. Light shook his head, gesturing towards L's splayed out body as if to say, "What do you mean, move?"

'Mail' shrugged. "Feel free to push him off you. He won't wake up for anything in this state."

Light, uneasy, nodded to 'Mail', and shoved L off of him, making the older boy grunt as he hit the mattress. The stranger – who also appeared older than Light – removed a syringe from the toolbox, as well as a phial of medicine. He pressed the needle of the syringe into the medicine, filling it, and beckoned to L. 'Mail' didn't seem to enjoy talking much.

"Roll up his sleeve to his shoulder."

Light glanced nervously at the needle. What was going on? "What... what's that for?"

"To check if he's been poisoned."

Poisoned? L? "What? Why would he be poisoned? He's just drunk, isn't he?"

'Mail' gave Light a serious look. "How long has he been like this?"

"S-since yesterday... why?"

"No one stays drunk for more than a day, Yagami-kun. Unless they intake alcohol for more than twenty-four hours, minus any small breaks. It's suspicious, so I'm going to neutralise anything that could be dangerous."

"What... what? Who are you?"

"The owner of this bedroom. Now roll up his sleeve."

Light was still nervous. He moved, sluggishly, towards L, and tugged at the white shirt sleeve, pulling it up past the fifteen- year old's shoulder. 'Mail' brushed L's arm, brazing it with a tissue, and entered the needle into L, slowly, neatly, as if he'd done it before. Light, feeling somewhat nauseous, turned his head away, not wanting to see anything go in or out of L.

T-that sounds wrong... goddamn it, Light, this isn't the time!

Light was extremely bewildered – he had no idea why they were here, who this person was, but he was just letting them drug up L as if it was nothing. Dammit, he was so useless! Running his gaze over L's face, to avoid looking at his arm, he hoped that what he was letting the older boy do was right. L's eyelashes, dark, yet fairer than L's actual hair, flickered a little as L flinched slightly, probably feeling a pinch of pain from the needle. Hand shaking, Light did as one who has seen their mother treat younger siblings many times before, and wiped the blackened bangs out of L's eyes, away from his sweating forehead. L's breathing was rough, a slight rasping noise being made every time the fifteen-year-old breathed out.

Light didn't think where they were was as important anymore. "What's wrong with him?"

'Mail' paused. "... He's been drugged in the last seventy-two hours, and has fallen ill. You should take him home after this."

L had run away for a little while a couple of days ago, hadn't he? Light remembered, Maybe he got drugged then! Maybe... maybe this guy might know something...

"H-hey..." Light started. The red head nodded, as to acknowledge Light, but still refused to look away from the syringe.

"Hey... L left my house the other day... h-he's actually left home a couple of times, looking for someone, an old friend... Was he looking for you?"

'Mail' looked up at Light. His eyes were unseen from behind his goggles, but somehow Light could tell their curious expression. "L was looking for someone?" The stranger continued to stare directly at Light.

"Yeah... I thought maybe, you..."

"No, not me. I've been in contact with him ever since he came to Japan. But I think I know who he was talking about." Although his answers were very straight to the point, Light could tell that the red head was becoming less apprehensive of him, and was starting to become, for want of a better word, more talkative.

"Really? You do? Then could you... could you tell me? Please."

'Mail' cleared up the tiny pierced area of skin on L's arm, before placing a plaster atop of it. "Why would you want to know?" He stood up from his crouching, and turned to Light. "It's not like you could do anything to help us find him."

"Us? So, you're looking for him too?"

'Mail' flinched at his own stupidity. Turning away, towards the toolbox again, he talked in a monotone voice Light recognised as akin to L's constant tone. "You seem to care quite a lot about L's affairs. Do you like him?"

Light almost fell off the bed. "W-what?" he stuttered in a high pitched voice, "Me? Him? No, nononono no no no. No. I could never... I don't..."

Light could slightly hear a snigger from the boy with the toolbox. He's probably thinking, 'Methinks thou doest protest too much', or something...

God, Light was obvious. Dreadfully obvious, just like L had said. Sure, he didn't... hate... L, but he would never say he liked him in that way... or any way, really... So what if L had somehow turned up in the not-so-child-friendly dreams of the fourteen year-old? That was supposed to be healthy, wasn't it? To have those kind of dreams? Well, they never said anything about another member of the same sex who you weren't even friends with being involved. B-but that didn't mean that Light wasn't normal! And he didn't like L. He didn't want to have sex with L, like he had in his dreams, either. S-so what if he'd gotten worked up when L ran off? So what if he'd masturbated on L's bed just because it smelled like him? So what if they'd kissed more than once? So what if...

So what if, in the smallest amount possible, he found L, for some awkward, unknown reason, sexually attractive? So what if... so what if he liked him, if only a little...

It was all L's fault anyway.

Light stared at L, the dark marks underneath his eyes, the strands of black hair arranged in random directions, the now slowing rise and fall of his chest. It was all his fault that Light liked him. If only L hadn't done that stupid crap, like kissing him... If only that hadn't happened, Light might not have even been here...

"So," 'Mail' started, interrupting Light's train of thought, "I'm assuming that you're going to attempt to stick your nose into things then?"

"What?"

"You know, to take this as a chance to ask me questions pertaining to L behind his back?"

"No ...Why would I do that?"

"Because right now, and I mean this as in no way to offend you, but..." The boy turned quickly, grabbed Light's shoulder, and Light felt wet cloth being pushed against his face.

"Right now, you could be a bit of a burden."

Light's vision started to fade almost immediately, and his whole body went limp. Wait, now I'm being...!

Light slumped over next to L, and Matt looked on at the two of them sleeping. He felt like a mother who'd just tucked two of her children into bed.

XXX

Light awoke in his own room, in his own bed, with L nowhere to be seen. Light scanned the room frantically, wondering whether he'd just dreamed what had happened. Pulling himself up and out of bed, he felt like crap, and his ankle was killing him, despite it now being covered in bandages. That damn redhead! He'd gotten the drop on Light, and now Light felt increasingly worried as to where he could find L.

Walking as fast as his sprain would take him, he looked over the kitchen area, and turned to the living room area, where he thankfully found a bored looking L wrapped in a blanket, sitting next to Sachiko.

She turned to Light as he entered. "Ah, Light, you're awake. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine... how did we get here..."

L looked at Light from where he sat. Light returned the gaze, and felt that L was a little off.

"We got called by a family over on Ukitara. They said their son had found you wondering around, in a lost state, and you were injured. You were lucky they looked after you both. I went around with your father later on and we put you to bed, seeing as you refused to wake up."

"I... see..."

L didn't stop staring at Light. Almost as if he was waiting to see if Light was going to say something he shouldn't.

Sachiko then decided to busy herself with making dinner, and rushed off into the kitchen area. Light awkwardly sat next to L on the sofa, and gravity was obviously not in the best of moods today, seeing as when Light went to sit down, it thought it would piss him off by adding too much momentum as he landed down on the sofa, and almost fell into L. Brushing it off, Light apologised quickly and clammed up a little, embarrassed.

"Are you... okay?"

L was silent for a moment, and Light thought maybe he didn't want to talk to him. Relief flushed over him when L finally replied.

"I can't complain."

There was an awkward silence, and Light wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to do so. Luckily, L did it for him.

"... I'm sorry."

"Excuse me?"

"I left of my own accord, but I didn't consider the consequences, or rather, I took them for granted... I was very immature. Please forgive me."

L's voice was as one-toned as always, giving away no secrets. Light stared, a little concerned that L had actually apologised and recognised that he'd been in the wrong for once. That voice said nothing about the reasons behind everything... L's disappearance, his behaviour, that stranger who nursed them... nothing gave him any insight whatsoever. Light sat back, and nodded a little, too emotionally drained to consider prying into it anymore. For now, anyway.

"Apology accepted. I'm just happy nothing messed up happened to you. I mean, besides the drugging... "

"... Right..."

"And the drunken behaviour..."

"... Uh-huh..."

There was another awkward silence, and as Light opened his mouth to utter small talk, L interjected. "You were concerned?"

Light didn't look L in the eye, and shrugged.

"Well, yeah, it was hard not to be... you could've been anywhere, and Dad was under a lot of pressure to find you, and it felt weird..."

" 'Weird'? What felt, 'weird'?"

"W-well... it's just, you've been here for what, two months now...? And, well, it got really noticeable when you weren't there all of a sudden..."

"Ah. So that's you were masturbating on my futon."

Light quickly turned to L. "That... that had nothing to do with...!"

"Whatever you say, Light."

"Shut up! This isn't about me..."

"But it is."

Light stared at L, and L stared back. Confusion came over Light, and he frowned. L continued.

"I left because of you."

"... What?"

XXX

After three wasted hours at cram school, where they more or less 'crammed' information that he already knew into his irritated head, Mikami stalked down the alleyway that connected to the place where he received cram lessons, the building that bent over and leered at all that walked past it. It was almost completely black save for the shreds and slivers of light that stretched out to reach the middle of the alley, but didn't even get close. He didn't trust the alley, and had a bad feeling about entering it, but shrugged it off. It not like he was scared of anything anyway. Well, there was that one guy who'd creeped him out, but he hadn't seen that guy in a few weeks. Nothing to worry about there.

And yet, before Mikami knew it, he was surrounded by scarved shadows.

There were three boys on his left, and two more on his right. They all sneered a little, and Mikami returned their sneers with a bored, uncaring expression, as if they were as natural as the air that sat around him.

"Hey kid, you got something we can have?"

"We need some medicine, so why don't you give us the money for it?" One of the thugs asked, getting all up in Mikami's face. Mikami grimaced a little at the close proximity, and shook his head.

"No. Please go away."

"Aw look, the kid wants to leave! Alright, alright. Fourteen-thousand yen and we'll get lost. How'd that sound?"

"No. Please fuck off."

The yobs laughed aloud, almost at the same time. Or rather, one of them laughed, and the others followed suit. Mikami peered at the thug in question, and decided that this guy must've been the designated leader of this, 'group'.

There was a smack.

It was rather loud, and sounded blunt. All people occupying the alley turned as it sounded, to see a teen laying face down on the floor, and a small shadow standing over the unconscious boy's form, holding what appeared to be a shingle from a roof. There was blood scraped against the wall, and it trailed down to the leaking head of the husk upon the concrete.

Mikami blinked a little, and after what appeared to be a look of minor annoyance flashed over his features, shook his head, sighing.

"What the fuck?" One thug nearby seemed to realise that they were under attack, and rage propelled him towards the shadow. It obviously wasn't a good night for him to attack strangers, as the shadow simply dodged, and as the yob turned to strike again, his jugular met with the shingle. Red stained his front as he fell.

"You can't be fucking serious..."

The shadow smirked.

"That's a rather vague question. This is life, to take it serious would be naught but suicide!"

Mikami sighed. "God, you're so dramatic. Who says that in real life, seriously?"

A little freaked, the punks turned heels and left, cursing.

The shadow, still smirking, turned its eyes on Mikami's unshaken figure and walked at a lazy pace towards him. "So, where have you been, Mikami?"

"I told you to stop following me. I mean, thanks for what you just did, but seriously, you're freaking me out a little."

"That happens a lot."

XXX

THIS WAS A RATHER SHORT CHAPTER
And I'm sorry about that... I think my Death Note muse might be dying, so if all the characters start going really out of character, it would be better to stop reading. Unless you don't mind the characters being OOC.