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Working on the Kira case nonstop is exhausting. The exhaustion seeps into Light's bones until he's longing for his bed back home so bad he can't work any longer. But the day isn't over yet, “Ryuzaki can we grab some coffee?” “Mph” Light decides to take that as an affirmative. He stands up sluggishly dragging L into the mini kitchen.
He's so focused on getting his coffee he doesn't hear the quiet thump behind him. The thing that breaks through his focus is a quiet sob. Ugh Misa must be crying again. But when the sound repeats he realises it's not Misa's voice.
He turns to look. Light's eyes widen as they land on L. The world's greatest detective is a quivering mess on the floor. He's lying curled up on his side, a little trembling ball.
A pang of concern and curiosity runs through light, his mind racing with possibilities. What could have caused this normally serious person to break down like this? Is it something related to the investigation or did something happen to him? The whimpering grows louder and light can't help but feel drawn to him, his feet carrying him towards L without conscious thought.
He wonders if L's finally cracked under the pressure of trying to catch Kira. No, that can't be it, he's done countless investigations before.
Light slowly kneels down beside him, like L is a skittish wild animal. "L... what's wrong?" His voice is soft and gentle, the voice he uses when comforting his sister. Light places a hand on L's shoulder, feeling his body tremble beneath his touch.
L curls in on himself more forming a protective barrier from the outside world. He stops whining and goes completely silent, like he's trying to hide.
Light pauses, his hand still resting on L's shoulder, waiting for him to respond. His mind starts racing with possibilities, did he fall and hurt himself? Light's gaze drifts around the room, taking in the familiar environment of the Task Forces kitchen. It's a familiar sight but in this situation feels completely foreign.
Light gently squeezes L's shoulder, trying again to coax a response out of him without startling him further. "L... please talk to me. What's going on? Did something happen?" He says, attempting to penetrate the wall L has built around himself.
Light glances down at L's hands curled into fits, then back up to his face buried in his curled up legs. His eyes are closed tight, and Light senses a deep-seated pain emanating from within.
L mumbles something Light can just make out "m' dizzy.. " his voice is raw and quiet. Is he that tired? It has been a few days… light searches the room for something that could help him and thinks of calling watari but the thought of someone else seeing L like this makes him feel strange.
L whimpers again and in a quiet shaky voice squeaks out "Light... lay n’ top.. me... pressure" and the quietest murmur of what seems to be a please.
light freezes, trying to process the unexpected request. What is he asking me to do? Why does he need pressure on him? Is he bleeding? His mind races with possibilities, but none of them make sense.
Before light can respond or react, L's eyes flicker open and lock onto his. His gaze is desperate and pleading, filled with a vulnerability that takes his breath away. "P-please," he whispers again, his voice barely audible.
Slowly, he nods and carefully lies down over him on the floor. Light's body forms a gentle curve around his trembling form, trying to provide some semblance of comfort without being too intrusive. Light places a hand on top of his head, stroking his hair like he used to do to his sister when she was upset.
Light closes his eyes and focuses on calming himself down alongside L's erratic breathing. The silence between them becomes awkward, but he remains still, waiting for a sign he can move.
After several awkward moments of silence L's breathing evens and he lets out a small sigh before reaching up to tap Light on the arm to signal he's alright. As light sits up he sees L, still hunched over but slightly more open, his eyes are red and his fists are still clenched closed. He doesn't look him in the eye but seems to be doing slightly better. "Help me.. bed.. please" he whispers in fragments.
Light reaches out and gently grasps his arms, helping L stand up without applying too much pressure. His movements are deliberate and controlled, gently guiding him. "Let's get you some rest," Light whispers softly, his voice a gentle accompaniment to the silence.
As they move towards the door, he notices L's gaze drifting around the room before finally coming back to light. His eyes flicker with a hint of gratitude before dropping away once more.
Light wraps an arm around L's waist and lets L lean on him. Light slowly leads him out of the room and down the corridor, their footsteps echoing through the quiet hallway. They pass by other agents who stare curiously but say nothing. Misa however has her mouth wide open in obvious horror, it almost makes Light laugh.
They eventually arrive at their shared quarters. He leaves the lights off to instead help L lay propped up in their bed. He lies down without a word, his body still tense. He should leave him alone now. But something keeps him rooted to this spot.
Light takes a deep breath, eyes fixed on the dark ground as he tries to process everything that's happened. He turns to leave.
"Light" L's voice pulls his attention back to him. He's looking in Light's general direction, his hands are curled up near his chest, reminiscent of a T-rex. He lies propped up on the pillows awkwardly with his legs stretched out long in front of him. "Stay... please”
Light turns his head back to face L, It's a request but it feels almost impossible to deny. The softness of his voice is a stark contrast to the turmoil he senses beneath the surface.
A pang of empathy rushes through Light's heart for this broken version of L. He reaches out with a tentative hand, his fingers brush against L's cheek, tracing the curve of bone beneath his pale skin.
What have you been through? What secrets are you hiding? Light's mind whirls with questions as he searches for an answer in L's blank red-rimmed eyes.
The touch seems to calm L slightly, and he relaxes into Light's hand, allowing him to stroke his cheek in slow circles. It's an intimate gesture that feels both natural and wrong, like their sharing an intimate secret.
"Grab… computer?" he stutters, eyes flickering up to meet light's. He nods, turning to grab L's laptop. As Light reaches for it he hears the shuffling of fabric and when he turns around laptop in hand he sees L has thrown his jeans off to the ground and shimmied under the covers to get more comfortable. He pats the spot next to him in a quiet invitation.
As light stands there, frozen in indecision, L's gaze flickers up to meet his once more. He looks shy and hesitant, an expression unfit for a great detective. "...come" he whispers again, his voice barely audible.
A shiver runs down Light's spine. It's not every day that someone invites him into their intimate space like this, especially not someone who's as reserved and stoic as L, it makes his heart flutter.
Light slowly approaches the bed, setting the laptop down beside them on the bed before carefully climbing onto it. L immediately huddles up next to him and wraps his bare legs around Lights. Light's eyes widen and he flushes as L's warmth invades his space.
He then points at the bedside table motioning for Light to open it. Inside is a necklace with a large silicon hedgehog pendant and a piece of cake made of foam. He grabs them and hands them to L who puts on the necklace and starts chewing on the hedgehog and poking at the cake.
L reaches across Light to grab the laptop and places it on Light's lap he opens it and surprisingly doesn't open a document related to the case but instead YouTube. He awkwardly types with one finger into the search bar moving with an awkward slowness, as if he's trying to hide his true intentions.
He types 'gravity falls'. L scrolls through the results for a second before picking one and leaning onto Light's chest as the episode starts to play. It's a cartoon about kids investigating monster's, not what one might expect from L but that fits with the mood of the day.
The lights are off and the laptop's brightness is low. L seems to finally start to relax as he leans on Light's chest. He is taken aback by the way L leans into him, his body relaxing against Lights like a weight has been lifted.
Light adjusts his position slightly to accommodate him, feeling a strange sense of comfort wash over him. The dark world of the Kira case seems to leave his mind for just a moment.
So this is what L needs, a distraction from the chaos.
Light glances down at L, his face illuminated only by the laptop's soft glow. His eyes are heavy, his brow lightly furrowed in concentration as he absorbs every detail of the show. Light can almost hear the thoughts in L's brain quiet, replaced with cotton candy and colorful cartoons.
L wraps an arm around his and threads his fingers through Lights, L's hand grasping his with an unexpected tenderness. His eyes start to drop and he leans against him like a sack of powdered sugar. The pendant he was chewing on falls out of his mouth. He smells like strawberries and cream, Light has never felt so at peace, it's like his world has shrunk to only include the strange creature clinging to him.
The warmth of his body seeps into Light, as L leans on him, he can feel the weight of his exhaustion bearing down on the both of them. L's eyes flutter shut, and his breathing slows to a gentle rhythm. The world outside recedes further into the background, leaving only the two of them suspended in momentary peace.
Light peers down at their entwined hands, feeling an unfamiliar sense of comfort wash over him. They seem to fit together perfectly. The silence between them is comforting. He can almost hear the soft thump of L's heartbeat.
Light strokes his hair gently, his fingers slowly detangling his black curls. The sensation is almost... soothing, like the sound of rain on a window. Why is he so perfect right now? Light's mind whispers questions, but his heart beats in time with L's.
The episode comes to a close and Light shuts the laptop and places it to the side. He pulls the covers up over them and presses his face into L's hair.
Light's eyelids grow heavy, the soft hum of L's breathing and the gentle rise and fall of his chest are like a lullaby, rocking him into a deep slumber.
As he drifts off he's vaguely conscious of L's arm still wrapped around his, his hand holding on with an unyielding grip. It's as if he's anchoring himself to Light keeping them tethered together.
Light's dreams are filled with visions of strawberry fields transporting him to a world where everything is soft and gentle, especially his sweet little detective.