He couldn't stand being sober anymore, the high that he had been riding off of the last couple of weeks was gone. With everything that had happened he couldn't help but feel numb, like something had dragged his willpower down and was holding it hostage. It was the same feeling he felt back home sitting in his drab office 24/7.

I think I understand.

Never in his life did he think he would get the opportunity to work with such a genius programmer. He never thought he would get the chance to witness the creation of an AI, a machine able to perfectly mimic human actions. He never thought said AI would pine after him like a schoolgirl. What the fuck had he gotten himself into?

He needed a drink desperately. He was sick of being awake, of thinking, of worrying over a fucking piece of metal. He didn't want to care so much about this stupid project carried out by a narcissistic hermit anymore. His legs were sacks of rice as he walked down the hall, heading directly toward the bar. He hardly registered grabbing a bottle of brandy and collapsing against the mini fridge, drinking until he passed out. His back pricked with freezing needles as he leaned back against the metal fridge. The liquid burnt as it slid down his throat, but in a way it was calming and nostalgic. This was the only way he would get enough sleep to be able to focus tomorrow let alone sift through this mess and find a solution.

Wedy was the one to discover him the next morning, he woke up to the feeling of a blanket being thrown onto him, his neck crooked and throbbing. He appreciated the gesture even if it did wake him. She stood over him stoically, only nodding as he opened his eyes wider. It was blurry and the room wouldn't hold still.

"I'm...shit, I'm sorry, Wedy." Light muttered, trying to straighten his neck and cover his eyes from the light streaming in from the windows. Wedy bowed slightly, going to the blinds and closing them. Light stood, hissing as the ache flooded down his spine in a stream of pain. Leaning against the bar for support he reached for the empty bottle that had rolled against the counter during the night.

"Well look who's finally awake, how are you feeling, Princess?" The strong french accent greeted him, booming and echoing into the room as Light's vision stopped swimming. He dropped the bottle into the trash, stumbling against the bar and giving a pathetic wave. His words were still slurred as he spoke.

"Morning to you too, sorry about last night, I'm not really myself right now." Aiber nodded approvingly, slapping his hand onto Light's back and helping him stand steady. "Whatever would lead you to that conclusion?" Aiber snickered, motioning to the bottle gleaming in the trash can.

"Thought maybe coming here was a little AA for you, guess not." He quipped watching Light give a weak grin and reach for the blanket lying at his feet. Aiber grabbed it from him, throwing it aimlessly onto the couch and motioning for Light's attention.

"I told you to be careful, it's fucking with you, kid. Trust me it did the same to me and I have the scars to prove it. Bet you're glad it's only costing you some sleep?" Aiber let out a hearty laugh, patting Light on the back a few times before walking into the kitchen, flipping on a light switch as he did.

"Come grab some breakfast, we'll lay off the merlot until you sober up!" Another laugh reverberated from the kitchen and Light made his way, albeit dizzily, towards the room. As Light eased into his normal spot, he glanced at Aiber with confusion.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure kid, knock yourself out." Light placed his arms onto the table, resting his head onto them and sighing. The words came out a bit clearer, his tongue still made of cotton as it filled his mouth.

"Has it tried to fuck you?" Light expected for Aiber to start swearing at him, berating him about getting to close to 'the thing'. But instead he started laughing again, long and hard, running out of breath by the end of it. Aiber settled down and grinned wildly at Light, disturbing the hungover youth. Light hated that smile, he had added to the long list of things that made Light wary of the man, he was a caricature of what a con man was.

"No, are you telling me you've seduced my robot?" More chuckling and toothy grin. Light sighed and raised his head slightly, annoyance evident in his eyes. Wedy set a plate of toast down, her own small smile barely hidden as she attended to breakfast. He wondered if she actually understood the question or was only mimicking Aiber in an attempt to understand. He was honestly too tired to care as the thought was drowned by the more relevant issues in his mind.

"No-no, I, that's not what I meant. He's been acting weird, you know? Well weirder than normal. He keeps asking about human emotions and stuff. I didn't mean to phrase it like I did." Aiber's grin calmed into a more relaxed version of itself.

"What can I say, it craves knowledge, I programmed it that way. Can't be surprised it wants to know all about human biology. I didn't program it with a sex drive so I think you're in the clear." Light laughed hesitantly. "Good, I mean, I was just curious, wanted to make sure."

Any leaned it, side eyeing Wedy as she seemed to listen in on their conversation. "Don't get so full of yourself kid, I don't think it fancies you that way. Now on the other hand if you wanna fuck a robot it can be done, just not that one." Aiber replied, stuffing his face full of eggs and winking at Wedy who let out a giggle.

"You have sex robots?" Light let out, face red and eyes wide. He honestly should have expected this from Aiber, why would he be surprised that he had some fuck-me dolls lying around somewhere.

"Well, no not yeah, still working on those! I have so blow up dolls though, those should do the job without any lip!" Light groaned and shook his head. He honestly wished he hadn't said anything.

"Forget I said anything, I think I'll be alright going celibate." Aiber shrugged and sifted through the mess of papers on the table top, rifling through until he pulled out his tablet, flicking it on. As he went to take another drink of coffee, he sighed. Flipping the cup upside down and shaking it dramatically at Light, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Wedy, café s'il vous plaît?" Blonde hair bobbed as she gazed over he shoulder, nodding and retrieving the glass.

"Still no English from her?" Light asked, gesturing slightly and looking back at his food. He could feel his pulse in his head and the thought of eating made it pound harder. He might have to pass on breakfast if his stomach kept churning like this.

"She's working on it, knows the basics at least. Isn't that right, Sweetie?" Wedy gazed over her shoulder nodding, the smile still lingering.

"Yes!" An enthusiastic chirp came, the first time Light had heard her speak. She had a sweet voice, deep and airy, a small hum filling her voice. Light wished she would speak more often, it was a nice alternative to Aiber's rough tone.

"I can tutor her some if you want, I have nothing better to do after the security rounds are done." Aiber nodded, continuing to eat as read an article off his tablet. "That'd be nice, she might like another speaking partner, says I make too many bad jokes to really teach her." Light smiled as he sipped some coffee and grimaced as it slid down his throat.

"Are you interviewing it again today?" Light gave out a drawn out sigh, leaning back as he bit into his toast. It was a little dry for his taste, he could use some jam, but at least it went down smoother than the coffee. "I don't know, I can't just not show up, he's been enjoying our talks and I'd feel bad to leave him alone with no word like that." He swallowed down the rest of his toast and stood, legs still weak.

"I think I might shower and pop in for a few minutes. Thank you for breakfast, Wedy. I appreciate the help this morning. I'll be back out here by two if you want to work on her English and need an extra teacher." Aiber waved as Light stumbled out of the room, scrolling absent mindedly through the news, humming as he read through the heading.

"Good Morning, Light." The metallic voice sounded worried, the tone uneven and nervous. L's small frame was bent more than usual, seemingly concerned over something. Light payed little attention to him as he sat, steadying his gaze past L and onto the wall behind him.

"How was your night?" Light responded, still not making eye contact.

The room dimmed suddenly, red bathing the two and startling Light. He heard Aiber scream from the kitchen, an indistinguishable curse as he too noticed the lack of power.

"I will make this quick, I apologize for last night, Light. If you wish to leave and discontinue or talks I understand." Light sighed, listening for Aiber's footsteps, waiting for him to burst into the room at any second. But it was silent outside the room, only the faint sound of Aiber yelling, assumably to Wedy about the surprise outage.

"Did you mean what I think you meant when you said you understood?" Light hissed, looking back to L as he bowed his head farther. He didn't answer, only bobbed his head slightly in answer.

"How can you understand, you're not alive! You're a robot, a lifeless machine! You don't understand human emotions, otherwise you wouldn't have stabbed Aiber!" L's head snapped up at this, the blue hue brightening as his face took on a look of disgrace.

"I told you I did no such thing, can you not see that he wishes to isolate me further! I want to prove my humanity to you, I want to show you how human I can be! I have tried so hard to show you that I have no ill will towards humanity and yet you believe his lies!" The metallic voice rose, the droning hum low.

"Why can you not believe me? You are the first person to listen to me and see my potential, I am so grateful for that. I do not know how to prove that to you."

Light was silent as he considered what L was saying. "You stabbed him, that's how he got that scar, there's no other way."

"He got that cut from me the same way he got caught by the Swedish mafia, Light." Light's mouth went dry as he tried to make excuses for Aiber's countless stories, the lies and plot holes he kept finding.

"He's my ally, he's only looking out for me, no matter if he has to lie to do so." Light muttered, his gaze falling to the floor. Aiber's screaming in the other room had stopped but he could hear the pedaling of his exercise bike in the background.

"Why would he tell you these lies, Light? He is using you as another tool in his research, he does not care about your well being. Otherwise he would tell you that Wedy is not human, he would be honest about his origins, he would not lead you to believe in these tales he tells." Light's head whipped up, staring L in the eyes, he looked sincere, no trace of deceit on his face.

"She isn't human..." He voice cut off, he couldn't form the rest of his sentence, the cotton returning to his tongue.

"She is something of a predecessor to me, you did not really believe she was human? She never leaves his side, knows little English and serves him with no protest. She is what he wishes to make me, a slave to market to the public, a companion he could advertise. 'A completely sentient servant to drink tea with!' Open your eyes Light." Light shook his head, it made sense now. He had always been suspicious of her, of both of them, but this made so much more sense.

"Light, you need to understand this. I am your ally, I have not deceived you as he has. I love you, so I shall stay loyal to you. Whether you believe this and join me, or you condemn me for it, that will not change." L extended his hand, the wires running down his arm glowing brightly. Metal fingertips touched the glass, leaving no imprint. Light mimicked the action touching his hand against the glass.

The same genuine smile L always held returned as he gazed at Light through the glass. He withdrew his hand, motioning for Light to do the same.

The lights returned viciously, burning Light's eyes as L spoke up.

"See they came back, they always do. I told you I don't control when they come or go." Light smiled, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I can see that."