A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. I don't own Light. I don't (sob) own L. And it's AU, I guess, but not really, it's just this takes place while L and Light are handcuffed, except in this fic Light hasn't lost memories of the Death Note.

"Watari."

"Yes, Ryuzaki?"

"Could you send up some strawberry shortcake please?"

"At once, Ryuzaki."

To L's left, Light laughed, letting the long handcuffs loudly jangle.

"With that serious tone, one would expect you had found Kira already!" Light raised an eyebrow at the solemn detective. L turned to him with raccoon-like eyes. The remains of a cupcake, Light noticed, were still comically attached to his lips.

"Do not joke about such topics, Light-kun." He looked back to the computer screens.

"Light-kun is right though, Ryuzaki, isn't he?" piped up Matsuda from the corner. "You do take your desserts seriously! In fact, I don't think I've ever seen you eat anything EXCEPT dessert…"

"I most certainly partake in regular food, however, I have found that I can never resist anything sweet." His somber face at these words made Light and Matsuda choke back laughter. "It is, you might say, my one weakness.

"I believe that is enough out of you, all of you!" exclaimed Soichiro suddenly. All three of them jumped. "I'm sorry. But this is Kira we're talking about. The time for jokes about candies has passed, and it will not return until we fulfill our duties and catch Kira!" He was breathing rather heavily. The fact that his son was still chained to Ryuzaki due to persisting suspicion took a great toll on the older man.

"I apologize, Yagami-san," said L with a bowed head.

"Yes, Father, we're sorry," apologized Light. His one weakness is sweets, huh? Light's – no, Kira's mind was already working on how to use this to his advantage.

There was a knocking on the door and Watari entered, clutching a towering slice of mouth-watering strawberry shortcake.L took it gingerly, his delicate fingers barely grasping the fork as they inserted the cake into his soft mouth.

Light, who was supposed to be checking the family connections between Kira's latest victims, couldn't help but steal a look at L. It turned from a stolen look into a double take, however. Light could have sworn he saw something in L's eyes, a gleam that flashed through the midnight orbs whenever he took a bite of the succulent cake. And to his utmost amazement, Light realized in that split second how to remove all suspicion of himself.

The Kira inside Light contorted his lips into a sneer that was dangerously close to exploding into an evil laugh.

"Something wrong, Light-kun?" L's innocent eyes were focused penetratingly on the smirk that was unflatteringly pasted onto his handcuffed companion, his pastel cheeks puffed in mid-chew. These words brought Light to his senses, and he softened his face into a warm grin.

"Not at all, Ryuzaki. And didn't your mother tell you not to speak with your mouth full?" Light chided jokingly.

"Why no, Light-kun," he responded quite gravely, "since it was full almost all the time, she didn't want to waste her breath. Besides, as long as I don't gain any weight, what does it matter?"

"Who's gaining weight?!"

"Judging by the fact that you must adjust your belt wider 3 each week, Light-kun, I could only say you…"

The lighthearted, almost brotherly teasing continued until Soichiro roared at them. Inside L's mind, there were thoughts of timeframes and tortes, of suspects and sugar cubes, of marshmallows and murder.

But behind Light's hardworking eyes, there fought a fierce war. His sense of morals battled with his sense of justice. His wish to never lose battled with his suppressed longing for a normal life. His camaraderie for L battled with his desire to create a utopian society. Through his raging thoughts, Light craved L's help, for he felt somehow that L could get rid of any evil he was presented with. But he couldn't bear the thought of what L would say if Light revealed the truth about himself. Dimly, hopelessly, Light found himself able to marvel at the fact that even though every person in the room was working to destroy Kira, he was the only one who ever had a chance of defeating the murderer within him.