「 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝚊𝚕𝚏𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 」- 𝙻. 𝙻𝚊𝚠𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝙸𝚇 - 𝚅𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚌𝚎

H.H.S.A Guidebook for New Inhabitants
Originally published in 803 A.D by V. Atticus
Edition 34

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9. It's not at all uncommon for two people who are very important to each other to meet here in death. Many of us need to see a certain person one more time in order to move on.

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[ L — Day 12, A.D. ]

"You should be thanking me, you know." X said through a mouthful of noodles. "This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for my so-called 'scheming'. But all I get is scorn." The two of us were sitting on the sofas by the Initiative table in the Communal Hall, eating breakfast together.

I scowled back at him. "Go to hell, dipshit."
"I may very well will, depending on whether or not the gods take mercy on my wretched soul."
"Well, maybe work on your karma and try not to be such an ass while you still have time."
"Oh, I'd never! I would rather burn for eternity than kiss the ring of our Gods above." He told me, and then leaned forward with a grin. "So then, tell me what happened. Did you, you know..." He made an obscene hand gesture.

"Ugh, you're disgusting." I said, throwing a crumpled napkin at him. "And no, we didn't. Sorry to disappoint."
"Then what did happen?"
I shrugged.
"I just asked him to sleep next to me 'cause I was drunk and touch-starved." You know, after saying it out loud, I get why his mind went there. I looked away, embarrassed by having to recount such a shameful event.
X raised an eyebrow. "...Are you sure you didn't fuck him?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" I told him, mortified. "Not everything's about sex, you know."

"Hey, keep it down. People will hear." He said, cocking his head at two people next to us that were giving us strange looks.

"Oh, let them talk." I muttered before sinking back into my seat, awash in my own humiliation.
X shrugged, not seeming to care. He didn't appear to acknowledge or even notice my embarrassment, because he continued with enthusiasm.
"Well moving on, what happened come morning? You guys are a thing now, right?"
"What? No, what makes you think that? We just talked is all."
"About...?"
"Stuff."
"Like...?"
"Stuff."
"Oh, come on." He chided, grinning. "Don't be shy now."

I gave him a dirty look. "Like I said, it was nothing crazy. We admitted things are complicated, and agreed to a kind of relationship that's yet to be defined."
X groaned. "That's so... lame."
"You're lame. You know, I meant it when I said things are complicated. Consider where we're coming from. The idea that I, L's manqué successor, would even consider dating him is absurd."

"Not really." He said, shrugging, mouthing the word 'manqué' sarcastically. "He's not L anymore, right? Someone else is. And you're not his successor. You're just Ryuzaki and Above now, and you guys 'fancy' each other, or whatever it is you Brits say. So you just have to move past it."
"That's a lot easier said than done, X. My being A and him being L are a big part of our identities, especially to Ryuzaki. It's hard to separate L, the detective, and Ryuzaki, the person."

"...Oh, so you told him?"

I nearly fell out of my seat. Actually, Ryuzaki had to grab my arm to keep me from crashing onto the floor.

"Don't startle me like that!" I gasped, wrenching my wrist out of his hand. "God, why do both of you love sneaking up behind me?"
"...Sorry." He said, and we both gave the other a funny look. I'm not sure what exactly was communicated with it, but I reluctantly allowed him to help me up and sit beside me on the leather couch.