Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing

A/N: I was in a bit of a funk this chapter. I'm not good at feelings. Seriously. There's a huge debate within my small circle of friends as to whether I'm asexual or not. Pollination, bros. Ah, that's a talk for another time. It's legit, though. Think that's what started the whole thing. I'm not worried, though. It's fun to sit back and watch them argue over it.

And me… I have not a single fuck to spare for it. Moments either, but that's because school is a life-sucking bitch. Homework, scholarships- which I should be working on rather than this, come to think of it…

Motherfu-

Ah…

The scene with the cashier… in Japan, you don't get your groceries bagged for you. You take a shopping basket, and when you check out, they take the stuff from you basket, scan it, and then put it into another one that they have there along with a few bags. You then take your basket over to a large counter that they have near the exit and bag your own stuff. I thought it was interesting… and my host family thought it was funny that I thought it was.

Ha.

And just for you, EveningBlack, I incorporated the Aftermath drabble "Feel" in here. I kept my promise1 Not that I really promised… it just sounds good. Makes me sound all trustworthy and reliable and stuff when I'm really not.

*Blatantly ignoring the fact that this story was left for like holy shit SIX fucking months*

…Enjoy, yes?

Waking up the next morning was somewhat of an ordeal, Light muggily thought as he slowly came to consciousness. His whole body felt limp, boneless, though a strange sense of energy pervaded him, a sort of restlessness.

It was certainly an odd feeling, this sense of wanting to go back to sleep, yet feeling strangely energized, as if… well, it was almost as if all of the stress from school and grades had simply… disappeared.

Groaning slightly in the back of his throat, Light twisted a bit to the side, brows furrowing above closed eyes as he registered that something was preventing him from moving. A something that was rather warm, somewhat soft, and on the whole, very comfortable. But it was keeping him from getting up, something that he realized he needed to do if he didn't want his mother to come and wake him up because he had slept so late.

Now a bit miffed at the obstruction and simultaneously confused at just what was preventing him from moving, (for in his muddled mind, he couldn't possibly imagine what could have fallen on him while he slept) Light finally, finally deigned to open his eyes and flick them downwards-

Only for his them to meet the sight of a sleeping incubus curled up, half on top of him. His amber eyes opened wide at the sight, memories of the past night- the past day rushing back to him in something that much resembled a flood.

Or an avalanche.

…He'd go with the avalanche.

It was much more devastating.

Sort of like those memories.

Guh.

Eyes falling half-lidded, Light carefully dislodged an arm from under L's warm shoulder- steadfastly ignoring the way his skin rubbed quite pleasantly against the incubus' own warm, silky-smooth skin. He raised his arm in order to thread a hand through his hair, breathing out steadily as he attempted to stem the flow of thoughts and memories racing through his head.

"Fuck," Light breathed quietly, so as to not waking the snoozing incubus. He needed time, some time to collect his thoughts and think through what had happened and how he would deal with it before actually confronting the root of the problem, the incubus itself. Squeezing his eyes shut and pushing his arms under him, he heaved himself upright, shifting himself slowly up the bed and into a sitting position.

This was done so smoothly that it didn't wake L at all, though he did shift further down Light's body to settle over his thighs, instead of his stomach and chest. The only sign that Light's movements had disturbed him was the small, annoyed puff of warm breath L gave at this and a slight shifting to move further up, resettling himself more comfortably so that the side of his face rested across Light's bare stomach. Warm breath washed over the skin and made Light's muscles quiver slightly while black spikes of hair brushed teasingly over Light's chest, making the student's eyes flutter slightly at the tickling sensation.

With a jolt, Light realized that he was… comfortable… like this. It felt almost right to have the incubus sleeping peacefully on top of him, almost like a cat. Well, not that he'd know.

He'd never had a cat.

But still, the sentiments were the same.

It was nice. More than nice, actually.

Light felt relaxed, comfortable with L sleeping on top of him, and that was a dangerous thing for him to feel. If there was any chance of him getting rid of the blasted incubus for good, he needed to switch that "comfortable" to "uncomfortable."

And fast.

L shifted slightly on top of him and he looked down reflectively, eyes narrowing in contemplation. From where he was sitting, he had a prime view of L's face, and he could see a faint pink tinge to the usually sallow cheeks, his elfin face relaxed and peaceful instead of drawn taut and hungry, as it had been before. A small jolt ran through Light as he remembered, with crystal clarity, exactly how the incubus had appeared last night, both writhing on top of him and shuddering beneath him. For that period of time, L had transformed from the admittedly slightly goofy mythical being to… to… an almost unbearably erotic being.

During sex, L transformed into what he truly was, an incubus, a creature that was almost deadly in its seductiveness and unbearably alluring. And that last night had changed Light's view of him, altered the way he saw L- he'd never look at him the same way again. Even now, thoughts of the skin he now knew to be achingly smooth and pale, the way the exquisite elfin face looked like in the throes of ecstasy, the lithe, toned body that had welcomed him in so perfectly hotly made him bite back a gasp and a shudder.

His eyes squeezed shut as he attempted to banish the images, but they simply wouldn't go away. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the memories of the way L had sounded, looked like, felt out of his mind.

And with a sense of reluctance, Light admitted, finally, that… L wasn't as unbearable as he thought him to be at first. For the few minutes after sex, when Light had been calming down, when L had been fed and sated, there was almost a sense of companionship. It was comfortable for a few minutes, teasing L about his brother and simply enjoying the warmth of L against him.

And even before…

Light shut his eyes, sighing heavily. He had enjoyed last night, even if that was not the way he had imagined his virginity to go. L had made it…okay. Better than okay, in fact, his very essence so warm and welcoming, soothing Light's fears and making the experience overwhelmingly good.

And he'd be lying to himself if… if he said that he didn't want to see L like that again. If he didn't want to experience the whole thing over again- and he refused to voice, even mentally, the sentiment that the only one that he really wanted to do it with was the blasted incubus.

Another shudder wracked his body at that thought, and this time, the disturbance must have been enough to rouse the slumbering mythological being currently making its home on his chest. A soft puff of breath washed over his chest, almost a groan of disturbance, and then, he felt the tensing of muscles under pale skin.

A moment later, L shifted to slowly raise his head. He gave his head a gentle shake to brush the hair out of his eyes, and then his sleepy black gaze rose to meet Light's. Meeting the incubus's gaze for a moment, he said nothing as L's black eyes swept over his face almost curiously, as if… they were explicitly looking for… something.

It was almost odd, but then, the moment was broken as L smoothly slid his legs up, fluidly moving to rest his hands above Light's shoulders, knees on either side of Light's ribcage, straddling his body. He leaned forwards for a moment, nose just barely brushing Light's own as he simply stared.

…It was quite a thing to see first thing in the morning, those black eyes with their dark circles only a few inches away from his face. Light made a small sound of shock in the back of his throat, but made no attempt to push the incubus off of him.

The close sight of those wide black eyes allowed Light to see the smallest hint of a green tinge glinting within them, and the color sparked memories of last night, memories that came flooding back. His eyes closed in consternation as he desperately willed the memories back, waaaaay back into the subconscious of his mind, where they belonged.

Hadn't he already been through this, dammit?!

A small touch, like a poke came, directed at his sternum. Yanked from his thoughts, Light re-opened his eyes, looking up incredulously at the incubus whose eyes were still fixed firmly on his face.

"Hello."

…It was an odd thing to say in the morning, but then again… nothing with L was truly normal, was it?

He chased down and firmly put to rest the little thrill of delight that shot through him at the thought.

There was a feel of awkwardness to the whole situation- after all, how does one greet the very person that they had had sex with the night before? Light wasn't exactly sure, so he decided to clear his throat, and then replied. "…Hello."

It seemed to break the tension, for L leaned back, placing his palms on Light's chest, relieving some of the pressure. It let Light breathe a bit easier, though as the student looked up, he saw that L was still staring at him intently, with that searching gaze back on his face. But looking closer, it seemed as if there was a hint of worry hidden deep within those captivating obsidian-black eyes. His thin black eyebrows were furrowed, and L's slim fingers were digging into his skin.

If L had had a tail-

Whoa, hold up.

Light blinked, and then his eyes opened wide and he shot up into a sitting position. Confusion over the incubus's odd worry was quickly replaced with consternation over the lack of appendages he knew very well L ought to have. He reached out and grabbed L's thin shoulders, resulting in a quick inhalation of shock from the incubus. Light ignored it, though, sliding his hands around to L's back to his shoulder blades, brows furrowing as his fingers only skimmed over smooth, warm flesh.

"Light, while this is a wonderful way to wake up in the morning…" L's husky voice came, heavy with dryness and a trace of curiosity, "What are you looking for?"

The incubus's voice snapped him back to reality and disgruntled, Light leaned back, amber eyes narrowing as he regarded L's confused expression. A thin black eyebrow was arched in inquisitiveness, and Light resisted the urge to blanch in embarrassment as he realized that he had been practically fondling the mythological being perched atop his chest.

Not that he didn't have any right not to, after last night, but still…

Light eyed the incubus with the slightest niggling of displeasure. He had been looking for… for something familiar, damnit. Everything that made L, well, L, all L-like and… incubus-y was gone. There was no tail, no wings, no unnaturally pointed ears, and his teeth were, as far as Light knew, probably normal as well.

L looked like any other human male perched causally atop his chest.

Not that he had had other human men on his chest before, so he really had no past experience to back it up with, but… the sentiment was the same. L looked human and…ordinary, for all intents and purposes.

And…apparently, he wasn't residing in his mind anymore.

Light wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Nothing," Light finally sighed, releasing L and leaning back on the palms of his hands, surveying the incubus. At Light's apparent return to normalness, all traces of worry seemed to have been wiped forcibly off his pale face, instead replaced with a sort of cheery inquisitiveness.

"How do you feel, Light?" L asked, tilting his head to the side. It was almost a direct reminder of the events that had transpired the previous night, and such a blatant reminder and the memories and insinuation that it carried nearly made Light's face go somewhat pink.

He must have looked somewhat uncomfortable, for L only smiled secretively, in a sort of catty way that reminded Light of the cat who had gotten the cream as well as the whole trawlerful of salmon. Light's eyes narrowed at that.

Apparently, having a full stomach put L into a chipper mood. How delightful.

Quirking an eyebrow, Light replied, "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

L paused- Light thought he saw an odd flicker within those black eyes, but then it was gone and a small smirk was present on L's pale face, tugging his lips upwards. "Ah, yes. Thanks to your rather spectacular performance last night, I am now full and fit. Thank you, Light!"

Sighing, Light shook his head. The incubus had missed his point completely.

Not that he should have cared about the demon in the first place- going back to the getting rid of the black-eyed annoyance part- but…. still.

"Not exactly what I meant, L," Light said reluctantly, gesturing at the incubus in a motion that somehow encompassed the demon's whole body. "I mean… you."

L's large black eyes blinked in confusion as he tilted his head to the side. His hand came up to his lips and he mouthed at his thumb thoughtfully, regarding Light with an intent expression. "Hm?"

"Well, aren't you sore?" Light asked, wincing a bit at the nearly-direct reference to the prior nights' activities. And, it was also directed a bit at himself. He shouldn't care- it spoke volumes for how he truly felt about the incubus, and in order for him to be rid of the nuisance, he really… couldn't… feel about the demon. As hard as it seemed to have become.

The incubus blinked his large black eyes once, tilting his head to the side in confusion before his eyes widened in comprehension. "Oh, that." L flicked his hand dismissively, and Light knew that if L still had his tail, it would have flicked as well.

…He kind of missed that tail.

"Of course not," L continued, smiling a smug little smile as he placed his hand upon his chest in mock pride. His eyes glittered, and Light was reluctant to admit that the incubus still was, well, himself, despite the lack of demonly appendages that had actually been somewhat endearing. "We demons have supernatural healing powers. I recovered rather quickly, though it was kind of you to ask," L candidly added at the end.

Light opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment, his mother's voice drifted up from the stairs made him freeze in mixed shock and horror.

"Light? Light, are you awake?" There was the sound of a first few tentative footsteps upon the stairs leading up to his room, a sign that his mother was coming to wake him up.

Panicking, Light looked about the room, his eyes finally landing on the incubus still perched upon him chest, regarding him calmly as if there was no reason to worry.

"What are you doing, idiot?" Light hissed, shoving the pale body off of him, eliciting a shocked yelp from same said sex demon as he tumbled off the side of the bed and landed on the floor. "She can see you now- hide!"

Grumbled muttering that sounded something like, "persnickety paranoid mortal" issued forth from the floor where L had sat up, shooting Light a sour look and rubbing his head. Nevertheless, his black eyes flitted over to the door, where a series of knocks were issuing forth.

With a grimace, L rolled onto his knees and scooted over, slipping under the bed. There was a bit of rustling as some items got shifted about, but then it soon came to a stop. There was no sign of the incubus, no clue that Light had had a mythological being in his room at any time.

Shifting the blankets around to cover himself up more decently, Light ran a hand through his hair to ruffle the caramel-brown strands up a bit, lowering his lashes to make his eyes look heavy lidded. He had to look as if he had just been awoken, and he thought he pulled the look off rather well.

The door creaked open and Light's amber eyes slid in a sleepy way over to the door, regarding it faux- blearily. Sachiko's round face popped into the room and her dark brown eyes took in Light's ruffled state, eyebrows furrowing.

"Light," she admonished him, opening the door just the slightest bit more, steeping into the room with hands on her hips. "I know it's the fall holiday, but you can't sleep the day away." Her tone was disapproving, though it held a slight trace of curiosity as she continued, "Did you stay up too late last night?"

…No. Just exhausted because of an insistent incubus that forced me into activities of exertion, that's all. Nothing to worry about. Now, mother, I beg you to not look under the bed because I really don't feel at all like explaining what a naked man is doing under my bed first thing in the morning.

"No, Mom," Light replied, shaking away the stray thought that had flitted frivolously through his mind. Damn these wandering thoughts. "I guess I was just tired. I didn't think to set my alarm."

"Mm," Sachiko hummed, stepping further into the room. Her eyes flitted about the neat area, a small smile coming to her face. "I suppose you deserve to sleep in… you've worked hard the past few weeks…"

"I guess," Light replied, not really paying attention to Sachiko's words so much as the fact that he swore he could hear a small bit of rustling and sniffling from under the bed, along with what sounded like "allergies" and "dust bunnies" and some words that were most definitely in a language and judging by the tone they were said in, they were most definitely not child-appropriate.

Given the sort of creature they were talking about, it was understandable. A sex demon, in any circumstance, was not child-appropriate-

But then, the fact that he could hear L's mutterings struck him, and internally, a sense of panic flashed through him. The incubus was being too loud- what if his mother could hear?!

Desperately, Light flicked his eyes over to his mother to see if she showed any signs of hearing the incubus currently lurking underneath his bed, but he stopped short when he saw that, oddly enough… looking at Sachiko, Light could tell that she heard nothing. There was no confusion or curiosity on her face that would have indicated that she heard odd noises originating from underneath his bed.

His eyebrows furrowed as he thought about that- it seemed so small and quiet for him to normally hear…

But his attention was jerked away from the oddity as Sachiko turned to leave, over her shoulder asking, "Light, when you've woken up more and gotten dressed, I'd like for you to run to the supermarket for me. I need some groceries for dinner."

"Sure thing, mom," Light yawned, attempting to make it look like he really was tired. He also stretched out a leg over the bed as he did so, subtly kicking the bed as a warning to the incubus, whose mutterings had since gotten even louder. Abruptly, they died down, though Light was certain that he could almost feel the brooding sense of irritation that the now-silent incubus was giving off in vibes.

Sachiko smiled, oblivious to the secret happenings and said, "Get dressed and come down to eat, alright?"

Nodding, Light began a few half-hearted shuffling movements, showing that he was getting up so that Sachiko would take the hint to leave him to get dressed in peace. Apparently, she did, because after another smile and cursory sweep of the room, she left, closing the door firmly after herself, shutting Light in his room.

Immediately, Light threw the blankets off and slid off the bed, not bothering to care about his nudity. He leant down, lowering himself onto hands and knees, reaching out to pluck at the blankets that had slid over the side of the bed, pulling them up.

Immediately, he was met with a baleful black glare, a pale face peering out at him from the dark depths of the space beneath his bed. A dust bunny was caught in L's jagged spikes of bangs, and a smudge of dust was streaked across the rise of a sharp cheekbone.

In the back of his mind, light couldn't help but think that it was almost endearing.

"May I come out from whence you banished me?" L hissed, animosity emanating from him in waves, black eyes narrowing into annoyed slits.

Suppressing a grin, Light nodded and slid back, holding up the blanket so that it wouldn't fall down and get L tangled up in it when he came out from under the bed. "Of course," Light said good-naturedly, watching in slight amusement as L slunk out from under the bed with a huff of pure irritation, pulling himself out and across the wooden floor with long, pale fingers.

Standing to his feet, L gave himself a good shake, black spikes of hair waving with the motions and sweeping over his skin dislodging any and all accumulated dust bunnies with the motion. Once he had succeeded in returning his hair to its normal state of dust-freeness, he turned to see what Light was doing, when he was hit square in the chest with his discarded clothes- underwear, white shirt, and baggy jeans.

Looking up curiously, he saw that Light was going about picking up his own discarded clothes for the sole purpose of tossing them into his dirty clothes hamper. "You're lucky that you chose to toss your clothes on the other side of the bed," Light remarked off-handedly as he bent to retrieve his red tie that was a trademarked part of his school uniform. "It might have raised some questions if my mother had seen your clothes."

Large black eyes widening even more, L involuntarily winced as he dropped the shirt and jeans to the floor in favor of pulling on his underwear. "Yes…" he mumbled, unable to deny his carelessness. "I should have been more careful… once my clothes were off of me, they became part of the corporeal world. I should have realized this, but I was a bit… preoccupied." He gave a small flinch of discomfort at this last part, remembering what had led to said preoccupation.

That brand of desperateness had been rather unlike him.

And very unclassy too, which went against everything that he was as a creature that embodied classiness, seduction, and sex.

…Curses.

…And speaking of curses, L had to resist the urge to use one in a very explicit way when he saw Light's shoulders stiffen in the middle of putting his dirty laundry into his hamper. A sort of odd air filled the room

"L."

Light had turned to face the incubus, face a perfect mask of mixed thoughtfulness and blankness. L's eyes went wide, as wide as a deer's caught in a headlight as he suddenly knew what Light was going to bring up. His approach to the whole matter of actual sex had been rather unorthodox and probably not very enticing, L thought with a slight wince.

He was probably very angry, no doubt, now that the initial afterglow had worn off and he realized how much of an utter ass L had been-

"…I'm not angry."

…Human say what now?

L froze, staring at Light with utter confusion written on his face.

At seeing L's expression, Light only gave a small smile and turned away, displaying the long line of his nicely-muscled back, which L was able to fully appreciate even though he was somewhat overwhelmed by Light's underwhelming approach to the whole matter.

…It was a very nice back, though.

…He wasn't sure if he was proud of the scratches that littered the tanned, golden skin of that lovely back.

…It was rather embarrassing, now that he thought of it.

Shaking his head to relieve himself of such thoughts, L finally found his voice enough to ask, "What?"

Tilting his head back, Light paused in pulling a pair of slacks from their hanger in his closet long enough to shrug unconcernedly. "I'll admit, I wasn't very happy about the initial part- that was rather crude on your part. But," Light continued, "that last part… I didn't mind." And then, with that, Light fell silent in favor of going through the time-consuming process of choosing which shirt he was going to don that day.

Fighting a smile and ignoring the thought that if Light truly knew what had come of such an encounter, he wouldn't be in such a chipper mood, L only leant down in order to step into his jeans and swiftly tug them up his long legs, doing up the button.

That last thought, though, reminded him painfully of the fact that he would have to tell Light what had happened sooner or later. It affected his life, after all, and he cared about what happened to Light. He cared if the human disliked him or not, because Light was different than any of the other Hosts he had ever been attached to. He was special and L…

He truly did care for Light. To the point where it was at an almost dangerous and risky level, concerning the fact that he knew Light rather disliked him. Even if he didn't show it. In fact…

L tugged his shirt over his head and looked thoughtfully to Light, who was just ambling over to the bathroom to take care of his morning needs, pondering silently. The human didn't seem as if he hated him… in fact, ever since last night… L was fully aware of the fact that sex could inspire certain feelings within humans about their partner. For his own kind, since sex was such a natural thing and viewed as food more than anything else, it was rare that such actions could inspire deep feelings within them.

L ignored Light as he came out of the bathroom, shuffling over to rather unconcernedly draw his own underwear and slacks up his legs, not allowing his train of thought to be broken.

But humans were an entirely different matter altogether. Since last night… even right after the act, in fact, Light had been warmer in his mannerisms towards L, almost to the point of affection when he had first awoken. It was odd, and maybe...

A spark of hope flared within L's chest at the thought- maybe Light did not dislike him as he thought the human had? Perhaps… it was simply the fact that L was a male demon that had been bothering Light. But after last night, that disinclination seemed to have dissipated. Perhaps Light did care, but in the stubborn way that the student was, he refused to admit that he might actually like the incubus.

And in that case…

A small smile flashed across the sex demon's pale face, unseen by Light.

Dramatic measures would have to be called for.

Humans had the endearing quality of blurting out their true feelings in cases of extreme duress. And as different as Light was from other humans, some qualities remained the same.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Light," L finally said, sticking a hand in his pocket and bringing the other up in order to better nibble at his thumb as he watched Light button up his slacks and turn to retrieve his undershirt, slipping it on. "Maybe it has made you more inclined to indulge in some of the same acts at a later date?"

Rolling his amber eyes, Light only shook his head at the incubus' incorrigibleness. Some things would never change, it would seem. "Don't push it, L," he muttered, reaching out to grab his button-up overshirt, sliding it over his shoulders and slipping his arms through the ironed fabric. "Just because I'm not averse to it doesn't mean I want to do it all the time."

Though… he wasn't really averse to not doing it all the time either. But he wasn't about to let the incubus know that.

Widening his already large black eyes further, L leaned forwards and said intently, "But such acts are healthy, Light! They're good for you. In fact… how do you feel this morning?" L inquired. It sounded innocent, but the incubus was also subtly trying to see if Light felt any difference in his body. What had happened last night… it should have never happened and L knew that the effects were something that Light was slowly going to have to come to terms to.

Stopping for a brief moment to catalogue how he felt, he finally slowly said, as if thinking about it, "I feel…" Light trailed off, pausing in buttoning up his white shirt to furrow his eyebrows, assessing the state of his body. After a moment, he continued, oblivious to the way L's body stiffened at his musings. "It's weird, actually. I've heard, well… that things like sex are supposed to leave you sore." His eyes flicked over at L, who by now had forced his body out of his tenseness and for all intents and purposes, appeared to be listening intently to Light, but no more than usual.

"I mean," Light continued thoughtfully, "I know why you aren't in pain. You're an incubus. You have some magical healing properties, I guess," Light said, pausing to wave his hand in L's general direction, before retrieving his tie from a suddenly helpful L, who proffered it out to him oddly silently.

"But me… it's odd. I've never felt better," Light mused, missing the way L froze and then grimaced at the words. He took a deep breath to calm himself and prevent any signs of panic, and then resumed his search through Light's drawers for a pair of socks.

Blinking, L fought to come up with some way to deflect Light's attention from the changes in his body, quickly saying, "Well, Light… maybe it was the release of endorphins or something…" L trailed off, and then, his eyes seemed to brighten, and with an intent, earnest smile tugging at his pale lips, L held up a single finger, telling Light with a great amount of earnestness, "Sex is good for you. It's what I've been saying all along!"

Quirking a brow that silently communicated that no, L was not worried about his health and trying to improve it by engaging in sexual intercourse, Light drily replied, "No, L. You were whining about how hungry you were."

Wide black eyes blinked in an attempt to be innocent, and Light knew that if L still had his tail, it was be waving earnestly, and if he still had his wings, they would be fluttering in an almost adorable way.

Damn.

The incubus seemed to deflate slightly at Light's abrupt shooting of him down, but he seemed to recover rather quickly. L shrugged, corners of his mouth twitching as he relented somewhat reluctantly, "Well, and that, I suppose. But food is good for you…"L tried once more, obviously not willing to give up his stand just yet.

Light snorted at this, reaching out to snatch the pair of socks that L was proffering to him, holding them out between finger and thumb, grimacing as if they were the most distasteful thing since the invention of eggplant.

…Not that Light could blame the incubus for not liking eggplant. It was disgusting. But he digressed.

Stepping back and taking a seat upon the bed, Light only shook his head of slight amusement. "In small doses," Light returned, sliding the first white sock upon his right foot. L watched this with an odd amount of curiosity, grimacing at the way the fabric slid over the thin, tanned skin of the student's foot.

He detested socks. And shoes. All footwear, really. That people would willingly entrap and surround their feet in an inescapable material trap that caught all sorts of bacteria, skin cells and sweat was beyond him.

Giving a small shudder of disgust, L only rolled his large black eyes, shaking his head, black spikes of hair swaying with the movement, brushing contrastingly over the white skin of his shoulders and neck. The movement unconsciously and unintentionally drew Light's amber gaze to his neck. There were no traces of any bruises or red marks that should have been left there after last night, and for some reason, Light found himself disappointed in that. It wasn't like anyone was going to see the marks he had left upon L, but some sort of evidence that last night had occurred would have been preferable.

…Which was a very bad line of thought to go down. If he wanted to have any chance to get rid of the incubus, he needed to pretend that last night hadn't happened, that he hadn't enjoyed what had transpired. He couldn't wish for it to happen again, because to want that meant that he still wanted L around.

…And if he wanted his life to go back to normal, (boring) he needed L gone.

Though that thought was somehow disturbing. Especially when it was accompanied by the undeniable fact that since the first moment L had arrived, there had not been even one moment of boredom. L kept him on his toes, and while the incubus was annoying and a pain, he was… interesting. Exciting. Humorous. Intriguing.

…Which were all very bad adjectives to apply to a thing that he needed to want gone.

"You're just too concerned with your weight."

L's sudden words drew him out of the thoughts that he had been losing himself in and he blinked, giving his head a sharp shake to clear it. "Hm?" Light hummed, raising his eyebrows as he hastily slid the other sock onto his left foot.

Gesturing to Light's slim body, L repeated, "Your weight. You're too concerned with it when you actually could stand to put some on…"

Light could almost taste the irony in the air as L trailed off. Quirking a brow as he stood up, he reached out a hand to squeeze L's thin hip, telling him candidly, "Pot calling the kettle black, you skeleton."

Slim black eyebrows furrowing, L swatted Light's hand away. "You seem to be in a rather good mood this morning. Odd. Yesterday morning you decked me, and now you're attempting to grope me…" There was a slight hint of humor in L's voice, though it sounded oddly forced.

"For someone who finally got what he wanted, you don't seem to be very pleased. Well, at least not anymore," Light mumbled offhandedly as he turned away to find his brown coat, his attempts rebuffed. The ensuing silence made Light stiffen and slowly he craned his neck to see L standing in the middle of the room, hands shoved in his pockets, left foot idly rubbing the top of his right. His lips were drawn between his teeth, the incubus worrying at it and his black eyebrows were drawn, giving him an almost… concerned…appearance.

"L?" Light asked, snapping the incubus out of his daze. His head raised, and a flicker of something odd passed within his black eyes before it was snuffed out, gone before Light truly had a chance to analyze it for what it truly was.

"Hm?" L hummed, shaking his head. "Sorry. I'm afraid my mind wandered for a moment there…"

Tilting his head as he snatched up his coat from the back of the chair he had carelessly draped it over, Light remarked, "You seem to be in a rather odd mood."

"And you seem to be in a remarkably good mood. Shame, really. I almost wish you were in a bad mood," L sighed forlornly, clasping his hands to his chest dramatically.

"And why is that?" Light asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Because… then… if you were feeling down, I could offer to feel you up, Light." A hopeful, mischievous glint was present in the incubus' black-rimmed eyes, the re-appearance of such making l a bit more L-like. If he had his tail back, though… and his wings…

…And there, that was the path that Light was definitely not going to go down. Instead, he opted for a different, safer route as he raised an eyebrow and said with a mixture of amusement and disbelief, "…That cheesy pick-up line is way overused, L."

"Really?" L asked curiously, seeming to droop a bit at the letdown. The appearance of such a characteristically old, cheesy pickup line reassured Light a bit, lightening the dismal feel the room seemed to have subtly taken on.

…Light thought it was wholly unfair as to how the incubus seemed able to make even that goddamn tempting thicket of black spikes that he called hair droop as well. Unfair in an adorably endearing way.

Sighing, L raised a hand to mouth at his thumb, mumbling, "It was rather new 75 years ago. Worked wonders, too…"

Stifling a chuckle, Light only readjusted his shirt, and knowing that no more stalling could possibly be pulled off, looked at L, assessing the situation. "L," he asked, "how are we going to explain you away if you stay corporeal?"

Looking down at himself and poking at his arm, L let out an annoyed huff. "I suppose you've a point," he mumbled, sounding somewhat let down. "I was looking forwards to being corporeal for the first time in fifty years… but necessity comes first…" trailing off, L heaved a great sigh before he seemed to come to some sort of decision within his mind and finally said, in a firm voice, "…Light, I'll stay incorporeal for the day."

Well, Light hadn't been expecting that. He had been thinking more along the lines of distracting his family while L snuck out, or letting him out through the window. After what L had told him yesterday, about how mundane and boring it was to be stuck within a person's mind for day after day, the last thing he wanted was for L to have to go back to such a thing after finally being able to take on a solid form and walk about without a large drain on his energy. Holding out a hand to gesture at L's human body, Light started to protest, "But L, you just-"

Giving a small shake of his head and a shrug to accompany it, L simply said, cutting Light off before he had a chance to truly protest or try to change L's mind, "I know, but you're already late as it is, and trying to explain my presence would only cause problems. I can wait another day or so…"

Light stared at L for a moment, seeing the incubus give him a small grin, and he returned it. Maybe L wasn't so bad after all. Once you warmed up to him…

"Yeah," Light said, conceding just this once in order to avoid conflict, nodding. "Thank you. I promise, it won't be for long- we just need some time to come up with a cover story…" he added, in order to reassure L that the incubus wouldn't forever be stuck in his mind.

L just shook his head, black spikes of hair waving with the motion. "It does not bother me, Light," L reassured the young student, closing his eyes as he said it. As Light watched, a smoky, almost transparent black mist rose from L's skin, and then, he saw black wings slowly start to rise from behind L's shoulders, a black tail sliding slowly into appearance. Small white fangs poked over L's lower lips, just barely discernible, and through a part in L's hair from the way his head was tilted, Light could see that the tips of the incubus' ears were gradually elongating, becoming tipped.

And when he opened his eyes, they were pure black, and Light jolted, because there was a certain glint in them, something ancient lurking behind the obsidian depths that Light had realized was there until he saw it reappear. Seeing L's eyes both in his solidified, human form, and his incorporeal demonic form, he could tell now that there was a discernible difference in them.

It was somewhat disturbing, though Light was comforted by the fact that he knew L, and that while he was not totally harmless as he tried to put off sometimes, L was not dangerous. At least not to Light.

The incubus blinked, and then he smiled, rolling his shoulders and fluttering his wings a few times, as if to get readjusted to the feeling. A oddly small wave of relief went through Light at the sight of the incubus back in his normal form, and with a small shock, he realized that he had missed L like this, all demon-y and incubus-y and... just L.

Something was missing when L was out of his demon form, though Light refused to say that he had grown to actually... like L as he was. He wanted the demon out of his mind so that he could be in peace, right?

…But it was hard to think along those lines when a familiar weight settled into his mind, the feeling almost that of…happiness, of a certain relief when he realized that it was L. he was still standing there, in his incorporeal form, and yet, he was also in Light's mind, a known presence that he hadn't thought that he would miss. Hadn't known that he missed it until it was back. It was almost like proof that L was still there, which was really not a thing to be joyful about based on the fact that he had to want L gone if he wanted to be rid of the clinging, annoying demon.

But it was hard to think along those negative lines when he felt an undeniable surge of something like happiness when L reverted back to his original form, with his sparkling black eyes and mischievous twitching of his tail, wings fluttering like he was scheming or planning to do something.

"Light?"

The sound of his name from L made Light blink and look up, seeing L tilting his head to the side, thumb resting on his lips, eyebrow quirked in curiosity as he stared at Light. His small bat-wings fluttered and tail flicked behind him, waving as if it were curious as well.

"Nothing, L," Light said, brushing away his moment of weirdness. Turning away, he missed the concerned look that flitted across L's pale face, pink lips twisting into a small frown as he saw the tense set of Light's shoulders. "C'mon."

"Mm," L hummed in agreement, and within a second, he felt the incubus disappear from behind him and sink into his mind, a familiar presence that pressed at the back of his brain, shifting and settling until it seemed as if the incubus was comfortable.

…And he refused to even think, as he opened the door and started descending down the steps, that he was the slightest bit happy that L was still there.

…And wisely, the incubus mentioned nothing, though he was sure to have caught at least the tail end of that passing sentiment.

Breakfast, the walk to the supermarket, and the trip through the supermarket passed without a hitch, though there was a sense of irritability and tenseness that pervaded Light the way to the supermarket and when he was picking up the groceries Sachiko had asked him to. It was almost as if he were not comfortable in his own skin, which was odd, for it was the first time he had ever felt like this.

It was only when he was checking out that Light had an epiphany. It hit him right as he was taking his change from the cashier, startling him and accidentally knocking the money from the man's hands. Immediately, he was jerked back into reality and embarrassment flooded him as he realized what had happened. Apologizing, he leant down to help gather the spilled money, taking it from the friendly cashier, who handed him his shopping basket and bags.

He took both gratefully and walked over to the bagging counter, thinking as he took the meager amount of groceries from his basket and slid them into the plastic bags he had been given.

L had been silent all day. He was certainly there, as Light could feel the press of the incubus in the back of his mind, but as for directly talking to Light or even trying something, as he had yesterday… nothing. And thinking of it now… the incubus had been acting of all morning, even before they had set off for the supermarket. He had been quieter, and lacked his usual snarky wit and energy.

Which was odd. The incubus delighted in making him uncomfortable, about pressing him for food and poking fun and nettling him. To have demon so silent and almost… absent… from his everyday life was a disturbing thing. It made Light uncomfortable, to say the least, and as he slid the last of the items into the plastic bag and picked it up, dangling it from between his fingers, he made a conscious attempt to reach the incubus lurking within his mind.

Now that he truly paid L some attention, he could feel a sense of worry emanating from the presence in the back of his mind, subtle as it was, and Light suddenly knew the reason that he had been feeling off all day was because the demon's mood was rubbing off of him subconsciously.

Thanks a lot, you brooding sex demon, Light though almost offhandedly, not realizing that the demon could hear him until the demon, within his mind, seemed to stiffen and his sense of moodiness quickly turned to indignation.

I am not brooding, L sniffed indignantly, shocking Light and causing him to stumble. He quickly righted himself, though, flicking his caramel-colored bangs out of his hair and giving a congenial nod to a few shoppers who gave him concerned looks.

Against his will, though, Light felt a small smile tugging against his lips at the incubus' indignation as he pushed open the doors to the supermarket and stepped outside. It was unlike L to be so withdrawn and silent, and he had missed the outgoing energeticness of the demon.

Not brooding? Light replied, pausing to readjust the collar of his jacket and the grip on his bag. Then what was with the vibes I was getting from you?

Silence.

There was no reply of any sort, and Light's smile abruptly started to fade as he started to get the notion that something was seriously wrong. L? he tried. Nothing still came, and he even went so far as to poke the ball of seemingly depressed demon curled up in his mind.

…Light. The thought seemed to come from nowhere, and Light was taken aback by the abruptness of it, especially when L gave him no chance to reply.

Stop once you get closer to home and there's no one around. I need to tell you something.

And just like that, the incubus' presence was gone, and no amount of prodding, cajoling, or poking could force the incubus to reply. Eventually, Light was forced to give up and start the walk home. It was the weekend and there weren't many people about, as they were either still sleeping or at home. And as it was still somewhat early in the morning, there wasn't much traffic either.

The supermarket was about a 20-minute walk from his home, and the first half was spent attempting to get L to talk to him, but to no avail. It was only when they turned down the street to the residential neighborhood that he lived in that L spoke up.

No one's around, Light. Stop here.

Still somewhat confused by the incubus' request, Light nonetheless came to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk. Sensing that whatever L had to say truly was important, Light turned and set his plastic grocery bags down, sensing L's presence leaving his mind as he did so. Sure enough, when he straightened and turned, the incubus was there, standing barefoot in the middle of the empty sidewalk.

His gaze was turned away and Light could sense a sort of internal conflict roiling within the incubus. The tenseness was obvious in the set of his shoulders, setting Light ill at ease as well.

"L?" he asked, somewhat concerned now. He knew that he wasn't supposed to care, but something was off and it was disturbing him. And that it came so soon after last night…

It hit him, then, that maybe he did do something wrong. Was he not good enough? Had he injured the incubus in some way, done something?

Worry speared him in the heart as he tentatively reached out to rest a hand on the incubus' shoulder, eyebrows furrowing in consternation. "L?" Light repeated, still failing to gain a sign that the incubus had heard.

"L!" Worry was quickly being replaced with irritation, and it was only when he raised his voice slightly that L finally whipped around, black eyes wide, skin around them obviously tense, enough for Light to see.

"What is wrong with you?" Light asked with concern, expression one of seriousness as he took in the almost defensive posture the demon had affected. Voice softening, Light hesitantly asked, "Was it… did I do something? Are you-"

Light never got to finish, though, as L shook his head hastily, cutting Light off as sharply said, "No! It's not what you did wrong… I… it's that…" L trialed off, a look of frustration overtaking his pale features. His lips parted enough for a white fang to be seen biting on the pale, full bottom lip, and his black tail seemed to curl around his leg, almost as if it were scared. His wings were drawn in close to his body, and for all intents and purposes, L appeared to be drawing in on himself, shrinking away.

…Something was most definitely wrong. Light knew for sure now, and he knew that the incubus wasn't lying when he said that Light hadn't done anything wrong. He looked almost… guilty, and Light suddenly knew that something had happened last night.

There was something that L wasn't telling him.

And L must have known the exact moment that Light figured that little fact out, because he flinched almost unnoticeably, wings giving a weak, stuttered flap.

Amber eyes narrowing, Light stepped forwards. "L?" Light asked softly. "What happened?" His tone was not harsh, and yet, it was undeniably hard, demanding an answer.

In response, L only flicked his eyes to the side, tail twisting and curling close to the ground. He licked his lips and said hesitatingly, "I… Light… last night…" Once more he trailed off, and Light, getting tired of L's attempts to get out of answering his question, pressed on, not letting L get away or try to evade.

He was the one who had felt the need to take the time to stand here and tell Light something. It had to have been important, and it irked Light that L had been so hell-bent on telling him something, only to try to get out of it when push came to shove.

"What, L? I don't have all day for you to stand here. You wanted to tell me something, and it obviously has something to do with me. Spit it out," Light said impatiently, crossing his arms. He glanced around at the sidewalk, making sure that no one could see him talking to himself. He knew why L had gone incorporeal- it certainly was easier to have the demon residing in his head rather than following him about and causing him problems, but it was inconvenient when L suddenly decided that he had something he had to confess.

"Last night…" L said quietly, black eyes flicking to the ground, seemingly unable to look Light in the eye. He took a deep breath and then plowed on, tail and wings hanging limply, something that was rather odd for the usually spirited demon. "I made a mistake," L rushed out, wincing at the confession. "It wasn't supposed to have happened, but it did, and there are repercussions. I couldn't, in good conscience, not tell you about them."

Confused, Light's eyebrows furrowed as he took in L's words. Last night's actions had been something L had been angling for ever since meeting him yesterday morning, and now the incubus was regretting his actions? Was that what this was all about? What had happened? "Repercussions? L, what are you talking about?" Light asked, eyes narrowing at the way L blanched and shifted away, bat wings drawn in tightly against his back and tail curling almost fearfully around his leg.

That was a very good sign that something was very seriously wrong, and more intent now, Light took a step forwards, causing L to flinch as Light demanded, "L! Tell me! What did you do?!"

Eyes opening wide, L finally met Light's own. There was a flicker of unease there, and then he finally said, "You kissed me, Light. When I was still feeding. That energy, that raw life force was not meant for humans to ingest, but you did. And it altered you, Light. You…"

Pausing to take a deep breath, noting the way Light had frozen, no doubt recalling his previous actions, perhaps linking them to his new energy and vigor, L plowed on. "By ingesting something only meant for those of my kind, we who are immortal, to feed off of, your makeup has been altered to resemble us."

"What the hell are you talking about, L?!" Light exclaimed, slashing a hand in front of him in anger, causing L to flinch and recoil. "Don't evade the question!"

He hated it when L was like this- deliberately wording his answers to make them ambiguous. This was a serious matter, though- what L was implying had affected him in a most serious way, and this was not the time to be evasive.

Scrubbing a hand over his face, L looked Light directly in the eye, and the student was surprised to see a wary, almost…. fearful… look in the demon's black eyes. "Light," L said shortly. "Did you bother to look at yourself today? To really process how you were feeling?" L paused, and then stepped forwards, raising a hand to gently trace his fingertips over the corners of Light's eyes, reinforcing his words. Light, simply stood, allowing L to keep talking, shocked as the implications of L's words started filtering in.

"The slight bags under your eyes, the start of wrinkles disappeared, and you've been energetic, yes?" the incubus tentatively asked. Light stepped away, eyes wide as he desperately shook his head, unwilling to accept, to even think about what L could possibly mean. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"L. What did you do to me?" Light gritted out through clenched teeth, resisting the urge to grab the damned demon by the shoulders and shake him until the truth came tumbling out from those pale lips.

L's head turned away, and shifting his weight to one foot uneasily, he said quietly, softly, "…Light. You… you won't age."

There was silence in the wake of L's words, as the meaning behind them truly sank in.

"…What…?" Light eventually whispered, shell-shocked eyes staring blankly at the incubus grimacing in front of him.

Raising his head, L looked Light straight in the eye, and baring his teeth, hissed, "You won't age, because you're like I am. You're immortal, Light. And you're stuck with me, like it or not."

There.

There it was, finally out in the open and hanging.

Taken aback, because Light knew that L wouldn't joke about something like this, attempting wrap his head around what L had just said, Light was shocked silent for a moment, before his hands clenched into fists, and his lovely amber eyes narrowed into venomous slits.

Goddamned incubus! L had fucked everything up, hadn't he, without so much as a by-your-leave. And that… that pissed Light off.

"You did this to me," Light hissed. "I didn't ask for that. Why- why would you do something like that?!" Light shouted, slashing a hand in front of him in anger, causing L to flinch slightly, though he didn't truly back down either.

"It wasn't my fault!" L shouted back, bat-wings flared out, tail whipping in malicious anger. This truly was not all of his fault- such a thing was a true rarity and had only happened once or twice in their kind's history. It hadn't crossed his mind to warn Light of such a thing because of its rare occurrence. "It wasn't done consciously! I didn't do it on purpose!" he defended himself, not caring or realizing how childish the defense sounded, though it was true- what had happened had been caused by him, but it had not been directly his fault.

In the back of his mind, Light knew this, but the overwhelming fact that he wouldn't age, that he was immortal and- oh, God, he couldn't even begin to imagine what that meant, how he would deal with it, anything.

"It's not my fault that you wanted to have sex with me!" Light retaliated, going straight to the heart of the matter.

Baring his fangs in a distinctively primal manner, L's fists clenched and he said through gritted teeth, "You can't blame me for my nature! Sex is in my nature, Light, and if you don't like it, then-"

Light cut L off at that moment, "I can tell you to leave?" His
voice was flat and carried a determined, disturbing tone to it, causing L to stop short and assess Light, sensing something had changed with his words.

"Wha-?" L started, but Light cut him off once more, his voice more intense now, much more firm than before.

"I can, right?" Light asked, stepping forwards, lips pursed in a grim, flat line. His amber eyes were flat in their anger, and L seemed to shrink back under the force of the human's anger, eyes widening as he caught the implications in Light's words, in his voice and his bearing. "If I don't want you here, attached to me, then I don't have to have you around!"

Inhaling shortly, L stiffened, wings fluttering to a halt and tail freezing as he realized for certain what Light was getting at.

For L's kind, banishment from a human Host was painful and shaming, a fact that they couldn't adequately satisfy or seduce their Host and keep them satisfied. Thus was the source of L's horror as he choked out, "Light! You don't mean-"

Cutting L off for the third time, Light shook his head. "L, I'm saying that I want you to leave me the hell alone. I'm sick of dealing with all this shit, with demons and… and whatever the hell you did to me. I didn't ask for this, and I want out," Light said resolutely, turning away from L. "I want you to leave. I don't care where, I just want to be left alone. Period."

Without waiting for L's response, Light stepped out into the street, his anger and shock making him unaware of his surroundings. He didn't see the car barreling right down the street, coming right for him.

L, however, did, and able to see what was going to happen, his eyes widened in shock and he jumped into action.

"Light!"

L's thin shoulder connected with Light's back, knocking him off-balance and skidding to the side, near the sidewalk. The back of his head connected with a painful crack on the hard concrete sidewalk, addling his senses for a few moments.

But not enough so that he failed to hear the screech and the thud that followed shortly after it. Fear struck Light square in the heart at the sound, because it could only mean one thing. L wasn't lying here next to him, out of the way of danger.

Shaking his head, Light forced the strength into his arms to weakly push himself up, lifting his head in order to look around. Early as it was in the morning, no one was about, and it was probably the sole reason that no one was screaming and running about.

Though…

Light's sight finally cleared and amber eyes rose, looking about desperately for any sign of the incubus that had pushed him out of the way. They widened in horror as they finally fixed onto splayed black hair, and a thin body crumpled a few feet away from the hood of the car that had hit him.

"L!" Light choked out, feeling a heart-wrenching sense of worry as the crumpled form of L stirred not at all, not even a twitch. His thin shoulders remained still, tail and wings lying limp and weak upon the ground, forlornly boneless.

Fear pooling in his gut and choking his thought, Light He forced himself up off the hard black asphalt, ignoring the way his muscles protested and joints ached from the hard impact of being shoved off to the side.

No no no L was a demon he wasn't supposed to die he was immortal-

Pushing himself to his feet, Light ignored the frantic figure of the driver in the car, who appeared to be dialing for help- not that paramedics would be able to help anyways. Not much could be done for a demon, and this thought had Light gasping in fear as he stumbled to L's side, dropping next to limp form of the demon.

I was angry- I didn't-

Shakily, he reached out and carefully grasped L's shoulders, rolling the incubus over, his need to see if the incubus was alive and alright overcoming the fact that common knowledge dictated one should not move someone who was injured in such an accident as this. His breath caught in his throat when he saw a thin trickle of blood coming from a cut on the incubus' forehead. His face was pale, paler than normal and a desperate desire to see if he was still alive had Light pulling L's thin form into his arms, cradling him as he bent his head to press his ear against L's chest, holding his breath and trying to see if he could hear a heartbeat.

And when he failed to hear one, he swore that his own heart came to a stop. L was utterly limp in his arms, not a twitch or subtle rise and falling of his shoulders to indicate that he was still breathing.

Gasping, Light called L's name once more, shaking his shoulders and desperately saying, "L! L, L, come on, wake up! Please, L, wake up, wake up…"He was hoping beyond hope that the incubus was faking or just unconscious or something, because… this was L and L wasn't supposed to die!

Demons can't die can they?!

But… maybe… L was hell-bent on proving him wrong.

Because there was no sign of life from the incubus. None whatsoever.

All that was left was a limp body devoid of life.

His arms went weak, struck with the horrific knowledge that if L were alright, he'd be up by now.

That was the final proverbial nail in the coffin, the knowledge that suddenly struck him that L was gone. Irreversibly, irrevocably, and undeniably gone. No more prodding and poking, no more mischievousness or cheesy pick-up lines or twitching tails or fluttering wings or anything remotely L-like.

It was… just… nothing. It was at that moment that Light's eyes widened, and he looked down upon L's lifeless body and realized that…

Without the quirky and infuriating incubus… there was really nothing to keep him interested. Nothing had held his attention as L had, nothing had ever been as… fun… as having L around was. The incubus had been infuriating, annoying, exhilarating, and amusing. He had teased and played with Light as no one had ever been able to, had made Light desire him as no one else ever had.

Memories of yesterday and this morning flashed through Light's mind, of sparkling black eyes, of a mischievous smile and warm, soft skin and electric kisses.

No one would ever be like L was, and something ripped, tore, and bled within Light's heart at the realization that this was it. Without L… it felt empty. And that since he was immortal now and L was gone… the thought of having to face those years made him realize that he would be lost and lonely, because no matter who he found in the future, they would never be the same as L. They would never be as exhilarating or annoying or desirable as the incubus had been, and the revelation of that made Light realize that he had been wrong. He didn't want the incubus gone because…

He only wished he had seen it sooner, though it had been impossible to tell at the time. But now, the incubus had done what he had wanted, hadn't he? L had left, just like Light had wanted, but not like this. Never like this. He hadn't meant for the incubus to leave like this, and especially not departing when he had had such an impact on Light's life, and his heart.

A shudder wracked Light's frame and his fingers constricted around L's torso, as if by holding onto him, he wouldn't quite have to let him go yet, and unconscious words that came from the rip in his heart poured out in a stream that Light couldn't seem to stem. "L… I… I love you, you stupid demon," Light whispered, cradling L's limp body closer. "When I said I wanted you to go off and leave me alone, I didn't mean for you to... to die, I didn't mean… oh, God, I never meant it, I was just angry and shocked and...I'm not anymore, really… just… Not like this, you bastard. Make me fall in love with you and then you go and die on me… Bastard…" Light trailed off, his jumbled mess of words came to a halt

"You're quite unimaginative with your insults, Light."

Light's eyes opened wide as he heard that deep voice, and his head snapped up, staring wildly at the grinning demon held in his arms. His black eyes sparkled with pleasure, and he licked his pale lips once before he spoke. "I do believe you called me a bastard twice. There is a variety of other insults that you could have called me, but to choose the same one twice…?"

"L!" Light exclaimed incredulously, amber eyes flitting over L's thin body to make sure he really was alright and alive- and not dead.

What the- he had died, gotten hit by a car and crumpled like a lifeless sack of rice upon the asphalt!

Why was he not dead?!

"You… you're alright!" Light exclaimed. Granted, he was rather happy about that fact, but he still didn't know why L was alive after getting hit by that truck.

L blinked innocently, though he made no move to get up. "Is the extreme lack of blood that blindingly obvious?"

"But… you got hit by a car!" Light said incredulously.

"Actually, I'd call it more of a torpedo. The smallest ones always hurt the worst because they always travel so fast. And yes. I did get hit by it. And it rather hurt," L winced.

"You should be dead!" Light nearly yelled, his mind whirling as he tried to process that L was still fucking alive even after getting hit full- on by a goddamn car!

"I'm a demon, Light. I should make a very poor one if I allow myself to get offed by a human-made contraption such as that," L snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Let yourself-" Light cut off as he stared down at the smirking demon in his arms, his amber eyes narrowing in anger as he realized what had happened.

The manipulative little bitch had set him up. He had planned all this out, just so he could get Light to admit what the demon had no doubt wanted to hear. Light was immortal now, and being hit by that car wouldn't have killed him- hurt him a bit, but definitely not killed him. L pushing him out of the way and then pretending to die was just to get Light to come to terms with how he truly felt about the demon and admit what L had wanted to hear.

And L's little, mischievous smirk just was icing on top of the fucking cake, telling him that his suspicions were right.

"What was that, Light?" L asked innocently, his tail going up to slip under Light's shirt, curling around his waist and wriggling slightly in place there, curling and uncurling in a sort of palming motion.

Oh, fuck.

Light felt a small smile tug at his lips at the innocent look on L's pale face, black eyes wide and staring at him, though a devilish glint gleamed in their depths. It was really, really hard to stay mad at L when he was like this, all kinda sorta cute and sexy and impish all rolled into one.

And… he couldn't be mad at L, not right now. In fact, thinking about it, L willing to get hit by a fucking car to get Light to confess his feelings was sort of… sweet, if not desperate in a sort of weird way.

But L was an incubus that the now-immortal Light was a host to. Nothing about that was normal, and neither was anything about their unwitting relationship this whole thing had turned into.

As such…

It made Light less inclined to hit L over the head for such a stupid move or be disgusted by him. But Light was a bit vindictive; he had never denied that. L wasn't going to get off scot-free for that little moment-large moment- of panic he had caused Light.

"You're a little bastard," Light told L, dropping him and standing up, wiping his hands off on his jeans.

"Light?" L said, sitting up and watching as Light turned his back on him, an uncertain expression on his face. He had thought… but, Light had been almost smiling! "You did mean what you said, right?" L asked, and there was a hint of desperation in his otherwise normal tone.

Light looked back over his shoulder, eyes flicking down L's form, making the incubus freeze in panic for a second, worrying that Light was going to tell him to fuck off, because he had gone too far. But then, Light smiled slightly, a teasing glint in his lovely amber eyes and he held out a hand to the side in a silent offer. "C'mon, L, before people start asking questions that I really don't feel like having to explain."

L's face lit up and he scrambled to his feet, rushing forwards and taking Light's hand. They started walking away from the scene where L had gotten hit, leaving behind a very confused and frazzled driver to stare after them incredulously.

"So... you really do love me?" L asked hopefully, his small bat-wings fluttering a bit unconsciously as he peered up with a mixture of suspicion and blatant hope at Light, curling his slim fingers around Light's hand.

"…I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean, it, L. I'm not one to toss around those words lightly. If I say I love you, you incubus, you'd better be goddamn ready to accept that I love you and not try to back out of it," Light swore, tilting his head to the side to glare at L. No; he'd not let the incubus go so easily now that he had him.

But the incubus didn't look threatened; instead, if the satisfied Cheshire smile and low purr that came from L's throat were anything to go by, L looked quite pleased by Light's possessive words. "That's good, Light," L sighed. "Because once an incubus falls in love, we don't let our prey go very easily."

"Really?" Light asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. There is no 'till death do us part,' because as you just saw, it's very, very hard to off a demon. It's more like, 'until death by dismemberment, staking, and burning into a pile of cooling ashes do us part,'" L smirked. "But even then… no. Not even that would stop me from being with you. I'd probably find some way to have my ashes scattered near or on you and have the wind blow them perpetually in your direction."

"Urgh… L, that's kinda creepy," Light said unsurely, raising an eyebrow in consternation.

Shrugging, L gave a sharp, sly smile and told him, "It just means I'm devoted to you, Light."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Light flicked his eyes over at L once before letting a small smile grace his face. "I guess I can deal with sentiments like that."

"So… you're not angry about any of it?" L asked suddenly upon hearing Light's words, tugging him to a halt and swinging the human around to face him, regarding him with a very intent and serious expression. "I mean, about you not… well, the fact that you're not going to be aging anytime soon, or having a demon as your significant other?"

Light paused for a moment, amber eyes raking over L, who was staring at him with an inquisitive light in his widened black eyes, mouthing at his thumb in a mixture of worry and contemplation.

Smiling briefly, Light shook his head, closing his eyes. "No, L. I'm not mad. I mean, I was at first- you should have asked me or something first before pulling a fast one on me like that- but now… well, I guess as long as you're with me… it's not such a big deal. Yeah, it sucks that I'm going to have to watch my family die and all that crap," Light said speculatively, but upon seeing L flinch, he hastened to add, "But that's alright. I mean, we have all of eternity to work out any kinks in this relationship, don't we?"

And then L grinned, his face lighting up and canines gleaming in a positively devilish way. "Yes," L agreed, his wings fluttering and tail flicking mischievously. "All of eternity and longer, if you wish."

And Light returned L's smile, seeing for the first time a whole world of opportunities open to him.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that, L."

FIN.

Epilogue?

Go and look at the Aftermath- it's basically the epilogue, detailed in short little funny, (at least I think) drabbles.

I sorta left the ending open for interpretation but you can pretty much imagine what happened after this.

But for those who want a better explanation…

Light and L live happily ever after. Light graduates high school, goes to college, graduates, gets a job as a detective, (of course) and slowly starts to rise through the ranks to the top.

And a few decades later, because Light isn't aging because L made him immortal, they move on and Light finds a different job.

But really, they live happily ever after.

Just… go check out the other story, alright?