Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, though it's all so out of character here, you probably can't tell that this is Death Note...

A/N: YES YES YES. I AM SORRY FOR OUT OF CHARACTER...NESS... And ActionFry, haha, how did that comment on your stories get there? Heh. I don't even know what I'm typing half of the time. They are very good though. :P I love beautiful stories.


Accidents Happen

"Want to come in?" Emily offered weakly.

Two turnouts. If he said yes, he'd be invited in. If he said no, he'd go back to work. L wasn't used to being torn between two choices. He chewed on his thumb, thinking it over.

Two things were speaking to him. His conscience and his heart. However, he had no idea which was which and whether it was his heart or his conscience that told him that he should stay with Emily after she'd used him as a giant tissue. Whether it was his heart or his conscience, it was screaming at him to stay.

However the other thing, was telling him he needed to work. He needed to bring justice and catch Kira. He was passionate about his work so it could very well be his heart but it was equally likely that it was his conscience. It wasn't morally right to abandon his work to spend time with his colleague's cousin when obviously the colleague was uncomfortable with it.

"I have a lot of work to do." He swallowed and said calmly. Emily looked at him faintly and shook her head.
"Aren't you tired after everything today?" She asked. He hated to admit it but he was. He was always tired but he hadn't had time for a cup of coffee today.

She was clutching on to the doorframe, looking overwhelmed.

"You really should go to hospital." L muttered, secretly panicking. Perhaps it was his conscience telling him that he couldn't leave a friend behind when she was close to passing out or maybe it was his heart that told him that Emily needed him. Whichever it was, it didn't make much of a difference because as he she stared past him and nearly fell over, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her into her own apartment.

He pulled her over to the sofa and sat her down, she tugged at his arm and forced him onto the sofa next to her and once again he found himself sitting normally on a chair. He didn't want to get his scruffy trainers on her tidy sofa. She let go of his wrist and closed her eyes, sighing sadly.

L watched her for a few moments, her delicate eye lids were closed and she was breathing steadily. Had she passed out again?
"Coffee?" she asked suddenly, her eyes snapping open and a forced smile on her face.
"No thank you." L said, although he would have sold the cake that was waiting in his fridge for some coffee at that point.

He didn't want to force her to stand up. She looked so pale, it was as if she'd dissolve and blow away in the wind. Not that there was any wind in the room.
"Are you forgetting that I can tell when you're lying?" she said with a smile. This one was warmer and less painful. A real smile. He smiled back at her.

Emily couldn't help smiling more. One of L's rare smiles, just for her. She could accept being just his friend if he let her see that smile every now and then. It was one of the nicest things about L. It was proof that he was just as human as she was.

She unzipped her coat and took off her hat and mittens, putting them neatly on the coffee table and was about to stand up when L spoke again, catching her attention.

L had decided that the best way to stop her from standing up was to distract her.
"How do you know when somebody is lying?" He asked curiously, one of his hands firmly, yet gently on her shoulder to prevent her from getting up.

Emily froze where she was and wondered how to answer the question. L's dark, eyes were watching her carefully, the dark shadows beneath them framing them in an eerie yet somehow beautiful way.

"I don't know how I do it really. I just know." She said after thinking it over for a few seconds. Disappointment clearly showed on his face as he nibbled his fingernail.

"I know why I can do it though." She said quickly and L noticed sudden fear in her tone.

"I have two brothers who are twins; they're four years older than me." She said unsteadily, staring at her mittens and hat on the table. L silently nodded to show he understood.
"For some reason, they've always hated me. When mum and dad turned their backs they would hit me and kick me. If my parents ever asked, they'd lie. They'd always say they were accidents." Emily said quietly. She was almost whispering and her breath came out in rattling sighs that shook through her and made her shudder uncontrollably.

"Sometimes they would bluff. If I couldn't work it out, I'd suffer. Humans adapt to withstand scorching hot and freezing cold temperatures. If they didn't, they wouldn't survive. I needed to adapt to survive. Anybody could do it if they tried." Tears shimmered in her brown eyes and made them seem even more captivating than usual in a sad way. L froze, staring into her eyes and wondering what she saw through them. Did she see the world the same way as he did? Wonderful yet tragic? Dangerous yet beautiful?

"I would never go through all of this if I had the choice. It's not right to force somebody to adapt with violence." She blinked and a tear slowly trickled down her cheek and into her lap. How could she have the energy to cry after earlier? Was this what was hurting her? Accidents?

"Two years ago, they were imprisoned for manslaughter. Not a single part of me doubts that it was murder." Emily was visibly shaking now. Every time she inhaled, it reminded him of wet paper and he was terrified that she may just tear and break right in front of him. L wished he could react but all that he was capable of doing at that point was just staring at her and biting his finger, his eyes full of horror and sadness.

"But then, two months ago, they both died of heart attacks." Emily spluttered and now the real tears came. L removed his finger from his mouth and wrapped his arms around her. It was natural for him to do so. He felt like they were both made to comfort one another and share their pasts. It hurt him to see her upset. His own memories escaped from where they were buried years ago and the bells rang in his ears, louder than ever. She buried her head into his shoulder and he was thankful for that. If he cried, she wouldn't see.

"Nobody has ever been told the full story before. I was scared that they wouldn't understand. If they had known that they had hurt me, they wouldn't understand why I was still sad about their deaths. No matter what they did, they were still my family." She half whimpered into his ear and he pulled her closer. He understood. He understood and it hurt him. The truth was painful.

"Sssssh." The comforting noise left his mouth without him being consciously aware of it. It was as if somebody else was whispering to both of them. He wanted her to stop crying. He wanted her pain to end. The agonizing pain was sweeping through the room and stinging everybody with its crushing grasp. L was fighting against his own tears now. He could feel the warm water in his eyes and it took a lot of mental strength to attempt to push memories back and to try and silence the bells.

Emily was breathing heavily and L realized that she had cried herself to sleep while he held her in his arms. Her arms were around his waist; holding him close to her. Just knowing that she cared enough to return the hug was enough to calm him down and slowly, the bells died away. A single tear trailed down his face and he blinked, surprised that he was still capable of crying after all these years. L closed his eyes, nestling in Emily's hair and breathing in the delicious smell as he lulled himself to sleep.

It was twenty past five when L woke up. That was what the clock on the wall said any way. This meant that he had been asleep for approximately four hours and five minutes. He felt both heavy and light at the same time. It was like he had been in a deep, flying dream for a long time. Perhaps he had been. He couldn't remember. All he could hear was Emily's steady breathing as she rested her head against his chest and the echoing of the bells.

He felt numb. His skin was tingling and for a few foolish moments, he pondered over the possibility that the pain had seared right through him and he had died in Emily's arms. L was used to sleeping while being sat up but to sleep while sitting in a position he wasn't accustomed to was painful. He felt stiff and for a few minutes he just laid there listening to the soft, snuffling breaths that Emily was taking. She was still asleep. If this was death, he didn't mind it. He wished that he had died long ago.

Delicately, he slid his arms out from around her and moved hers so he was free to stand up. He tottered to his feet and stretched. It was a relief to stand up. He couldn't wait to have some coffee and a slice of cake. He looked down at Emily, innocently sleeping. Had he really just slept in her arms? The thought sent butterflies fluttering through him. He was alive. He was sure of that.

As much as he wanted coffee, he didn't want to leave her behind. He gingerly picked up a cushion from the sofa and put it behind her head. She stirred slightly then continued to breathe deeply. It reminded him of a story that his mother had read to him long ago. Sleeping Beauty? People didn't really seem to understand her beauty like he did. Perhaps everybody else was seeing the clumsy shell and not the graceful swan behind it.

L bent down so he was at her level and he brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Pausing for a second, he wondered whether he should proceed or not. He frowned as he tried to work out what to do but he decided to ignore his conscience. Yes it was definitely his heart that told him to stay loyal and not be afraid to express how he felt to her. For five seconds, he didn't care for anybody else would think if they ever found out and he gently pressed his lips against hers, kissing her tenderly.
"Good night." He whispered in her ear.

As he closed the door to her apartment with an almost inaudible click and shoved his hands into his pockets, a thought sat in his mind.
"Maybe Misa is right. Maybe I am just a pervert…" He thought sadly, the taste of his first kiss, still lingering on his lips.


A/N: Haha that sucked so badly. xD I'm no good at writing. Hopefully I'll get better with practice. Thanks to *deep breath* Sybil Corvax, Danicasdeath, angelicnw2005, AnimelovingKiDD and of course, ActionFry for reviewing. You guys are amazing. :D It's so useful to hear what you think. If you ever have anything negative to say, be free to say it, feedback is feedback and it's the best way to know how to improve my work.