"Light-kun?"

Light glanced away from his computer to see L staring at him. "What?"

"I was just thinking…I assume that you can read English, Light-kun?"

"Yes," Light replied, wondering what the question had to do with anything. Did being able to read English somehow make him Kira?

L reached for a piece of paper and wrote "Yagami" on it. "This is how your name is written in English, correct?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever noticed what your name is, if you read it backwards?"

"Uh…no, I haven't." Startled by the question, Light looked at the paper. "Imagay? That doesn't make any sense."

"If you separate it into words…"

"Im agay? Ima gay? I'm…a…" Light paused, then said slowly, "I'm a gay."

"Yes."

Light just stared at him, totally astonished. "That's mature of you," he said finally, almost disgusted. L had appeared to be deep in thought for the last fifteen minutes…was this what he was wasting his time on?

"I never said I was mature, Light-kun."

"Just what are you implying, Ryuzaki?"

"I—"

"Are you calling me gay?" Light demanded, outraged.

"I—"

"Because I'm not, if that's what you're thinking!"

"Light-kun is getting very defensive—"

"I'm not getting defensive!"

They were silent for a moment, Light glaring at L, L gazing back steadily.

"I merely thought your name was interesting, Light-kun," L said finally. "The fact that you turned it into a big deal implies that you have something to hide."

"No, it just means that I'm not gay!" Light insisted.

"Denial is the first step toward acceptance."

"I'm not denying it! Wait a minute…" He paused, realizing what he'd just said. "I didn't mean that!"

"You have just admitted it, Light-kun."

"I said the wrong thing, that's all! It was a slip of the tongue!"

"Yes, it was," L agreed. "A Freudian slip."

"A Freudian—no, it was not." By now, Light was getting extremely frustrated—he didn't see why L wouldn't just believe him. He knew for sure that he was straight. "I have a girlfriend, you know!"

"A girlfriend you show very little interest in," L pointed out.

"Right, because of the Kira case! I have more important things right now!"

"A man who cares for his girlfriend always puts her first, Light-kun." L studied him, his expression inscrutable. "The fact that you don't means that you are one of two things."

"Yeah?" Light crossed his arms. "What are they?"

"You could be Kira. Or gay."

"I'm neither! You're being ridicul—"

He was cut off by L's lips pressing against his own. Light was about to push him away, but then L wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and he realized something—that he was actually enjoying it.

Well. Maybe he wasn't so straight after all.

He started to kiss L back—and immediately L pulled away, looking triumphant.

"I was correct, Light-kun. It seems that you are aptly named."

"Hey, you're the one who kissed me!" Light protested, his cheeks reddening. Had L only done that to prove a point? "There's no way you can say you're straight after that!"

"Well, of course not, Light-kun." L leaned in to kiss him again. "When did I ever say such a thing?"