Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Death Note. It belongs to Tsugumi Obha and Takeshi Obata.

A/N: I had so much fun writing this. Fair warning though, things start to get pretty racy.

As with Chapter 1, a few of the lines are lifted or adapted from the anime.

Comments and criticisms are welcome! Tell me what you think :)

Alex

"I just– I can't believe… Light!" Police chief Soichiro Yagami stared slack-jawed at the screen before him as though he suspected it of some unknown trickery.

The master detective known only as L glanced curiously in the direction of his colleague, one eyebrow slightly raised.

"I wouldn't have thought your son's sexual orientation would be a matter of such great concern to you, Yagami-san."

"It's– it's just, how could he not tell me about this?" Soichiro sputtered. "Doesn't he trust me?"

"Mm… it is not unusual for a seventeen-year-old boy to be secretive, especially with regard to something so personal. When I was that age, I also kept to myself."

Were he not so preoccupied with the events unfolding on the monitor, it might have crossed Soichiro's mind that L was hardly qualified to speak on behalf of normalcy. The enigmatic detective was currently perched on one of the hotel chairs in his usual owlish fashion, arms resting oddly on his knees and bare toes curled over the edge of the seat cushion. Evidence of his chronic sleep deprivation was, as always, apparent in the dark circles under his eyes, and the combination of messy black hair framing an unusually pale face gave him an almost specter-like appearance in the soft blue glow of the computer monitors.

"I suppose, but…" Soichiro trailed off, apparently lost in thought for a moment, until suddenly clenching his fists. "I can't believe my son reads those magazines! Whether he is interested in women or… or not… I don't want him reading that kind of filth."

The two lapsed into a momentary silence, wherein Soichiro clenched his fists still tighter, his knuckles turning white. At length, L turned again to his associate.

"Perhaps it would be best if you retired for the evening. We've all been working such long hours. I will inform you if there are any new developments." L's baritone voice had a soothing quality that could be remarkably persuasive.

Soichiro exhaled deeply and shook his head.

"Yes, I think you may be right, Ryuzaki. This isn't for me to see, anyway. From now on I'll be leaving the surveillance of my family to you." He stood up and leaned to retrieve his coat from a nearby chair. "Please do contact me immediately if anything should occur that is relevant to the case, but I want you to know that I still feel certain these cameras will put an end to your suspicions. I may not know everything about my son's private life, but I do know that he is a good person. He could never be a murderer. I know Light isn't Kira."

With a parting nod in L's direction, Soichiro left the room.

Promptly, L turned his attention back to the screen, eyes narrowing as though he could somehow puzzle out the boy in front of him simply by staring hard enough. Soichiro's conviction was far from enough to convince him of Light's innocence.

Light Yagami, is this really all you're hiding?

He supposed it was not surprising that someone in Light's position would choose to conceal his homosexuality (if indeed that was his orientation). The teen was undoubtedly accustomed to near-universal adoration from those around him. In addition to possessing seemingly flawless good looks, Light was a brilliant student who had far surpassed his so-called "competition" in every subject, an accomplished athlete, and a natural born leader with a commanding air about him that was undeniably magnetic – L had noticed it even in Light's everyday interactions with his family. It made sense that such a seasoned overachiever would be reluctant to display a side of himself that could be perceived as a weakness or defect by others, however baseless that perception might be.

L had to admit that he found the boy completely captivating. If he were Kira, he might even be a worthy rival. He clearly possessed exceptional deductive reasoning abilities, as he had been assisting the NPA with cases since he was fifteen. L himself had been doing detective work since he was even younger, but Light had not had the benefit of the… well, the less-than-conventional education that he himself had received.

The prospect of going head to head with an adversary who posed an actual challenge sent a thrill of anticipation down L's spine, which was followed presently by the hint of a frown.

Is it possible that I actually just want Light to be Kira? L began chewing at a thumbnail absently. But no – I know there's more to it. I'm still missing something here. Light fits the profile exactly, and all the evidence so far points in his direction. It's circumstantial, but still…

L's musings were cut short when he noticed that Light had set aside the magazine and was making a call. He listened in as a male voice answered, and Light proceeded to make plans with someone L shortly identified as Mikami Teru, a second year law student at To-Oh University, for the following night.

The next evening, L was halfway through his third generous slice of strawberry cheesecake when he heard the news. Two criminals whose names had been broadcast on national television only a half hour before had died suddenly of heart attacks, while Light Yagami had been sitting innocently at his desk, studying for the university entrance exams and snacking on potato chips. He hadn't turned on his television or accessed the internet since the names had been broadcast, and yet both these men – neither of whom had a pre-existing heart condition – were dead.

Does this mean he really isn't Kira? He couldn't possibly have known these criminals' identities, let alone killed them…

L paused suddenly, his fork hovering midway to his mouth.

These men– they don't fit the profile of Kira's usual victims. They're nothing but petty criminals, really. Why would Kira even bother with them? Unless… unless perhaps their deaths served some other purpose?

L put down his cheesecake, all thoughts of sweets temporarily forgotten.

It was quite the stretch, but… if Kira somehow knew he was being watched, it would be a smart move indeed to kill criminals whose names had been broadcast while he had been otherwise occupied, even if they weren't quite up to Kira's usual standards. Very little was actually known about how Kira's powers worked, apart from the fact that he needed a name and a face to kill. Perhaps he had some alternate means of getting that information?

He didn't see how Light could possibly have become aware of the cameras so quickly, but it was certainly suspicious that during the brief period of his surveillance, Kira had begun killing a much lower caliber of criminal than had previously been his M.O.

This time, L was jolted from his ruminations by a knock at the Yagamis' front door, and Light's clear voice echoing over the speakers.

"I'll get it, mom," the teen called from the stairs.

The man who entered was tall – perhaps slightly taller than Light – and objectively very handsome, with broad shoulders and textured black hair that was about chin-length. Like Light, he was stylishly dressed and clean-shaven, and he wore an expression of obvious approval as he gazed at the younger man from behind angular, dark-rimmed glasses.

Clearly, L thought, this was a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve – it seemed in this way he was the opposite of Light, whose face L usually found to be an inscrutable mask.

"Glad you changed your mind about coming out tonight, Light." Mikami smiled broadly. "It's about time you got out from behind your desk for once."

Light responded with a low laugh. "You're one to talk, Mikami. I think you might work even harder than I do."

The two men had made plans to attend the party of a mutual acquaintance in Aoyama that night, and Light had been nearly ready when Mikami arrived. The youth's russet hair was smooth and artfully tousled, and not even L could fail to observe how arrestingly beautiful he looked in a crisp grey button-down, casually left open at the collar, and dark blazer.

"That's a fair point," Mikami conceded with a grin.

After the necessary introductions had been made and an offer of tea from Light's mother politely declined, Mikami followed Light upstairs to his room, ostensibly to wait as Light finished the last of his preparations.

L was surprised to see that Mikami simply sat patiently at Light's desk and gazed out the window as the younger man disappeared into the bathroom. Despite his obvious interest in Light, Mikami hadn't bothered to look around the room. Not that, L acknowledged to himself, there was much to see – there were no personal effects on display, no artwork or photographs anywhere to be found that could offer the slightest insight into Light's personality.

L wondered if the young man ever let anyone truly see him.

In a short time, Light returned, leaning against the doorframe with a typically unreadable expression.

"Ready to go?" Mikami rose from his chair and started toward the door, confusion flitting across his features when Light moved to close it.

"Not just yet…"

Heat flared to Mikami's face as he realized what Light was insinuating.

"Light, this… I mean, are you sure this is…"

Even as he began to form the protest, however, Mikami was advancing on Light, unable to resist closing the short distance between them. With a smirk, Light reached to pull the older man closer, capturing his lips with his own. As his tongue flicked against Mikami's teasingly, the dark-haired man groaned softly into the kiss, closing his fingers around Light's hips and pressing them to his own.

L's eyes widened a little at this sudden turn of events, but he did not consider looking away. To L, his unorthodox methods were more than justified as a means to an end (in this case, capturing the most prolific serial killer of all time). He felt no guilt about violating Light's privacy. Anyway, L's own interest in sex was minimal – it's not as if he derived any personal enjoyment from witnessing such acts.

He was, however, fascinated by how easily and completely Light was able to control the interaction, despite being the younger of the participants. Before long, he had Mikami pinned to the wall with an arm pressed to his chest, trying desperately to suppress his gasps and moans of pleasure while Light simultaneously nibbled on his lip and fondled his swollen erection through the fabric of his pants.

While Mikami was beginning to unravel, L noticed that Light's own movements seemed, if anything, more precise and deliberate, his gaze remaining sharp and focused even as the other man's eyes glazed over with lust.

When Mikami began to shudder against him, Light pulled back and allowed him a moment to breathe before taking hold of his loose-fitting tie and guiding him toward the bed. For an instant, the older man seemed to recall where he was, and his eyes widened.

"Not… not here, Light… y– your family…"

"Shh, don't worry, we won't…"

With that breathy reassurance, Mikami relaxed and once again gave himself over to Light, who had managed to maneuver him to the foot of the bed and now proceeded to push him backward onto the soft comforter. He landed with a surprised yelp, drawing another amused smirk from the young brunette.

Light was on top of him in an instant, straddling his hips and invading his mouth. He paused only briefly to remove Mikami's glasses and place them on the bookshelf behind his head. When he began to slowly grind his pelvis against Mikami's, rubbing their erections together, the sound that the older man made was so desperate it was almost a whimper.

"Ahh, f– fuck…"

At that, Light moved to unbutton Mikami's pants and began stroking him at a languid, torturous pace, an intense yet emotionless expression on his face that L found riveting.

"Light… god, ah,please just–"

L couldn't help but wonder what Light might look like in a state of such desperation, moaning and writhing in an excess of pleasure, his usual stoic composure absolutely shattered. It seemed to run so contrary to his nature that L thought it would probably be that much more satisfying to witness, to actually see Light's face flushed and his hair disheveled in a haze of raw emotion, to hear him beg deliriously for more (god, ah, please just–)…

The imagery that flooded his mind was so vivid and mesmerizing it filled him with a sudden fierce longing that was almost violent in its intensity. A sensation that was close to pain filled his chest, leaving him feeling shaken and short of breath in its aftermath.

Heart pounding and utterly astonished, L tore his gaze from the screen in an effort to make sense of what he had just experienced. He could not.

He had witnessed sexual acts before, and never had they connected with him on any kind of visceral level. But then, this had been… different, somehow. It had felt… strangely… well, intimate. There was no other way to describe it. It had felt as though he was not simply a detached observer, but somehow…

L once again lifted his eyes to the screen, this time with a more calculating gaze. Mikami was panting heavily, clearly on the verge of breaking as Light pumped him with rapid strokes, while Light himself looked on with… amused detachment? Self-satisfaction? Almost as if…

L's dark eyes widened. This has to be paranoia. I had been wondering whether Light could have somehow discovered the cameras, and the idea has been messing with my head. Influencing my perception on a subconscious level. That has to be it.

But then, when Light finally brought Mikami over the edge, gasping out choked cries of bliss, L felt his chest constrict achingly once again as the impossible happened.

Light met his eyes.

He stared right into the camera L happened to be watching just then – one of 64 in the room, no less – as though he could see him.

And the brazen, unadulterated lust in his eyes was simply gorgeous.

Heat pooled in L's stomach and seemed to diffuse throughout his body as he looked into Light's smoldering bedroom eyes.

It was too much. He slammed the power button on the monitor with the heel of his palm, his racing heart feeling somewhat soothed by the action.

L couldn't even recall switching to that particular camera angle; he must have done it instinctively when he had wanted to see Light's face. There was simply no way, even if he did know about the surveillance, that Light could know L would do that.

It had to be a coincidence. That was the only explanation.

An extremely unsettling coincidence.

L exhaled slowly. He hadn't even noticed he'd been holding his breath.