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The day L Lawliet found the Death Note, was the day of his 18th birthday. Not that anyone knew, of course. He was far too private of a person to allow people to know information on him such as his date of birth.
Moving on.
It was a disturbingly calm day - the calm before the storm, as L would soon find out - when the young man was traipsing absentmindedly through his college campus and happened upon a small black notebook, the words ‘Death Note’ written on the front cover in a strange white handwriting.
He should’ve left it where he found it, but as per usual, L’s curiosity got the better of him and he opened the strange little book up, carefully holding it with two fingers on each hand.
The inside cover had a list of what seemed to be rules written in the same strange writing as the words on the front cover. L scanned them quickly.
The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.
If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.
After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
L raised one delicate eyebrow. What exactly was this, some sort of twisted voodoo? A prank, perhaps?
Whatever it was, it had piqued his curiosity.
So, naturally, L took the little notebook home with him that day.
~
It was later that night when things got really weird.
L, ever since picking up the notebook, hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Chalking it up to his usual paranoia, L kept his anxiety to a minimum until he got home, where, oddly enough, he still couldn’t shake the feeling.
Clearly, I’m going insane.
Trying to ignore the hair prickling at the back of his neck, L picked up the stupid little notebook, flipping through the blank pages.
Death Note…
Yeah right.
Part of him wanted to try it out. For purely scientific reasons, of course. Write a name, see what happened. But no, he couldn’t...could he?
“Are you going to write a name or not?” An amused male’s voice came from behind him, causing L to whirl around and immediately raise a leg to kick the offending male, who only laughed at the intimidation tactic. “That won’t hurt me.” He said in the same amused tone. “And I won’t hurt you.”
L slowly lowered his leg, taking in the stranger in his bedroom. He was tall, with much better posture than L’s own, and classically handsome in a way that probably had girls fawning over him. Light brown hair that fell into dark eyes, golden skin, a strong jaw. L couldn’t help but admire him momentarily, before snapping back to reality.
“Who the hell are you and how did you get into my home?” He said in his usual monotonous tone, desperate not to let his rapidly increasing anxiety show.
The other male, however, seemed to notice his fear anyway, if his dark smirk was anything to go by. “My name is Light.” He said, voice like black silk. “And I’m a shinigami.”
L narrowed his eyes. “A shinigami? Death god?”
“Yes.” Light pushed himself off of the wall he had been leaning against, moving closer to L in a way that was distinctly not human. “You don’t believe me?”
“I believe what I can see.” L said flatly. “And you don’t look particularly godlike.”
Light sneered, his calm facade instantly replaced by a dark look that made his eyes shine red and teeth elongate. “You should show me some respect.” He hissed, his previously smooth voice now rough and cold. “After all…” He smiled, suddenly back to his calm, collected demeanor from before. “I gave you a gift, didn’t I?”
L’s eyes darted to the Death Note, causing Light to laugh.
“Yes, that. With that little book, you control Fate. You hold Death in the palm of your hand.” The proclaimed shinigami took one of L’s hands in both of his own, causing the shorter male to fight down a flush - sue him, Light was
attractive.
“You can be a God.”
And really, who was L to refuse an offer like that?
~
It started with a criminal who was already on death row, just to test the little notebook’s abilities, of course.
Then, the real fun began.
Light observed his newest human charge with a dangerous smile on his face. L was...interesting, to say in the least. He was thin and his face was sunken, yet he held himself with an odd measure of grace that translated through his careful movements. He was intriguing in a way no human previously had been to Light, making him want to take the human as his own back to the shinigami realm.
But staying here by his side would be good enough for now.
“Not all criminals are imprisoned, you know.” Light said carefully, cautious not to disturb his ‘morally righteous’ human. “After all, you know plenty of people who deserve this, don’t you?”
L looked up, clearly startled. “I beg your pardon?”
Light smiled, leaning closer to see that delicious flush spread against his human's face. “The boys who picked on you at school? Surely they’ve grown up poorly. Or perhaps that one girl, what was her name? The pretty blonde who was convinced to make you think she was interested, only to slip laxatives into your coffee? That’s considered drugging, isn't it? Think about it, L…” And oh, he was so close now, lips brushing the shell of L’s ear, that intoxicating scent surrounding both of them. “Do you think they deserve to live?”
“No one deserves to die, either.” L said stubbornly, but Light could see his confidence in his beliefs wavering.
Light sighed. “You humans and your black and white morals...I thought you were smarter than that, L. I thought you could see the world in the same shades of grey as a shinigami could. I suppose not.” He sighed again, leaning away from L. “How disappointing.”
L broke the pencil he was holding. “I suppose...I suppose there wouldn’t be too many who missed them, right? And there would be so many better off without them…”
Light merely smiled, knowing L was talking more to himself. Humans were so easily manipulated, even those as clever as this one.
It wouldn’t be long before Light had L completely under his wing.
No, not long at all.
~
L observed the shinigami in his room with caution.
Light had been by his side for a few weeks now, and even L wasn’t oblivious to the growing tension between them. There was something about Light, something other than his looks and being a god of death, something that drew L in like a moth to a flame.
Light was beautiful in a way no human was. He was morally grey, manipulative, but he was also caring in an odd way, leaving food for L when he knew the student hadn’t eaten in a few hours. L would be an idiot not to think it was just the shinigami trying to win his trust, but it was sweet, nonetheless.
And god , the tension. Thick and delirious, it coated the room like a syrup, suffocating L from the inside out with his scent, his walk, his eyes that shone red in the right lighting. When he leaned close to read the names L had written, L nearly swooned, unable to keep his knees from weakening as he breathed in that alluring scent.
Frankly, this whole damn thing was getting ridiculous.
L watched as Light walked around his room, fingers absently brushing the walls, eyes roaming aimlessly before falling back unto L. L looked away quickly, but he could feel Light’s amused smirk aimed at the side of his head.
He was really too easy.
~
He really was too easy, Light thought, watching the pink spread across L’s ridiculously pale face. Honestly, a simple smirk and the human was putty in his hands. It was endearing, the way he pretended he didn’t crave Light’s touch, Light’s praise, Light , and it would only make it that much better when Light finally got the human to be his.
~
It didn’t take long.
It had been four months, two weeks, five days, and an hour after L found the Death Note and the charming shinigami, not that L was keeping track or anything.
But that was when Light kissed him. Or did he kiss Light? L was unsure, the whole thing happened so fast. One second they were having their usual passionate argument over who deserved death, and the next their lips were connected, desperate and angry and just as amazing as L had expected it to be.
Not that he had been daydreaming about this or anything.
Of course not.
That would be ridiculous.
They kissed for what felt like hours though in reality was only minutes, L clutching Light’s broad shoulders and Light’s arms around L’s thin waist.
They broke apart only for L to take a few gulps of air, lungs burning, Light immediately trailing kisses down his neck as his grip tightened almost painfully.
“Let me have you.” He whispered in a dark voice, teasing at L’s skin with his teeth. “Be mine.”
And really, who was L to refuse an offer like that?