Because ya'll have been so patient with me (and because I happened to have this chapter COMPLETELY outlined) my Muse round-house kicked me into overdrive, and so, my lovelies, I present to you…ANOTHER NEW CHAPTER! Yes! It only took one day to finish! And I must say, I'm quite partial to this one… ^_^

This one is a bit more serious, however. But it still has funny parts. XD

Enjoy~!

000

That night, I succeeded in lulling Near to sleep around two. I had long since run out of riddles, and had resorted to nonstop games of "20 Questions". He had actually started even playing with me, although even after twenty questions, I still hadn't the slightest clue what it was. Heck, half the time after he told me the answer, I still didn't know what it was. Who chooses answers like "Quadratic Equation"?

Oh, right, a genius.

Never play "20 Questions" with a genius.

Yawning, with lids half closed, I trudged towards the elevators with a platter of chocolate-macadamia nut cookies in hand. Entertaining the boys had left little time for baking, and I knew poor L was running dangerously low on sweets. It might be a pain taking them all the way down to the industrial kitchen, but it was still better than him breaking into my apartment in the middle of the night to fill his sweet tooth. And knowing his obsession with sugar, I wouldn't put it past him.

I was rounding the corner when I noticed a light coming from the monitor room. I peeked in.

The room was dark, save for the eerie glow of all the computer screens. L was crouching on a chair, staring blankly into one of the monitors. But the weirdest part?

He was alone.

"Light's not here…" I whispered to myself.

To my surprise – which made me squeak and nearly drop my cookies – a voice answered me.

"Yes. I needed a little time to myself. I'm continuing to observe him through the security cameras while he sleeps."

I had thought L was asleep, but apparently he wasn't, though he didn't turn to face me. I inched up to him, and looked up at the monitor.

Light was sprawled over his bed, the blankets half kicked off on to the floor. He was definitely snoozing.

"But…L-kun…what if he wakes up?" I asked quietly. Looking back, that was kind of pointless. It wasn't like Light could hear us through the monitor.

"He won't," my crush answered, "I had Watari slip sleeping medicine into his drink. He'll be unconscious for at least five more hours."

I gasped.

Not because of what he had said, but because he had turned towards me, and I saw the full extent of the damage their little fight had caused.

Both of his eyes were blackened, his left one completely swollen shut. A line of dark bruises ran up his jaw line into his cheek. His bottom lip had been split open, probably by his own teeth.

"L-L-kun!" I choked out, "You look awful!"

He blinked his one open eye.

"Yes, I am aware of that. However…"

The corner of his lips curled slightly.

"…Light-kun looks worse."

That did make sense. Given L's preferred way of sitting – namely, crouching – his leg muscles had to be über developed. For a fair fight, Light would have had to hang from a monkey bar every day. So it was really a small miracle that Light's nose and jaw were still intact.

But that didn't detract from the fact that L looked like he was in a world of hurt.

"S-Stay here!" I said, dropping the cookies down on the desk, "I'll go get some ice!"

A few minutes later, I returned, carrying two bags of ice, wrapped in towels. I handed one to him.

"Here…uh…hold this over your eye, okay?"

L watched me curiously out of his one good eye as I gently pressed the other bag to his swollen jaw.

"Everything will heal in a few days," he said, frowning, "This really isn't necessary."

"Yes, it is," I insisted, "This will help you feel better. I…I-I can't stand to see you in pain."

He stared at me, his eye wide. I blushed, and focused on the bruises staining his face.

It was strange. There I was, alone with my crush, in the dark no less, and I was barely stuttering at all. It looked like all the time I was spending with him was making me less nervous around him. Before, I got so flustered I could barely stammer out a sentence near him.

The realization made me hopeful; maybe one day, I would be able to talk to him like a regular person. Maybe one day, I could finally tell him…

As I worked, something that had been bothering me all day began to gnaw on me more and more. Finally, I gathered the courage to ask.

"Um…L-kun?"

"Yes, Shortcake-chan?"

"Did you…" I hesitated, but finished anyway, "…did you really want Light to be Kira?"

I think the question surprised him, because he blinked.

"Yes," the raven-haired man replied finally, "I did. In fact…I still want him to be Kira."

His voice quieted, and took on a note of weariness.

"But…I suppose that's partly out of frustration."

"Frustration?" I repeated.

L turned back towards the monitor, wincing as he did so. He gazed solemnly at the one displaying Light.

"From the start of this investigation, everyone excluding myself has assumed that Light Yagami is innocent, even when the evidence suggested otherwise. As the son of Chief Yagami, he had the respect and trust of the entire task force from the very beginning."

He slipped his thumb into the unharmed corner of his mouth, and began to nibble lightly.

"I, however, was suspected and doubted from our first meeting. I had to struggle to earn the task force's respect. Even now, I know that everyone trusts Light-kun more than they trust me, which proves – difficult – to convince them of my theories."

L paused, watching as Light rolled over in his sleep.

"I know that Light Yagami was the first Kira," he said, frustration edging into his usually calm voice, "I know this. Yet, he is still seen as the victim, while I am cast as the villain."

"…you're jealous of him."

L spun towards me, his dark eye wide, looking shocked. I realized a split second later that I had said my revelation aloud, and I felt the color drain from my face.

Oh my god. Oh. My. God. Did I actually just say that? Did I actually just say that to him? Why THE HELL did I just say that? He's going to hate me. He's going to HATE me!

I braced myself for what was sure to be the moment he verbally smashed my heart into itty-bitty pieces of mortification, regret, and self-loathing.

But that moment never came.

L continued to gape at me for several seconds, before his gaze lowered, his raven hair falling to conceal his face.

"…jealous?" he murmured, "Hmm…you know, you're right. I am jealous."

His tone turned resentful. The hand that had been resting on his knee dug into his pant leg.

"I know all too well that the task force would rather have Light lead them instead. Foolish as it is, I can't entirely blame them. Everyone Light-kun meets seems to be fond of him. He's socially adept, popular, and, by society's standards, considered very attractive."

He exhaled, his gaze falling slowly to the floor. The bitterness left his voice, leaving it tinged with sadness.

"He is, in effect, everything that I am not."

"That isn't true!" I protested.

The raven-haired man raised his head, looking dejected and slightly confused.

I began fiddling absent mindedly with my braid, but didn't stumble over my words.

"The only reason Light-kun's more skilled with people is because he's had more practice, L-kun, not because he's better than you. You're a lot smarter than he is, and everyone on the task force knows that, including Light-kun. And…"

I gulped, my shyness getting the better of me once more. But I said it anyway.

"…um…I'm sure a lot of w-women find you attractive."

L continued to look at me for several seconds, before he leaned over slightly. Even with two black eyes, a swollen jaw, and half his face covered, he still took my breath away. His lone obsidian eye gazed into my blue-green ones.

"Do you?" he asked softly.

My cheeks lit up like a roman candle.

I probably would've blubbered and stuttered and fumbled all darn night if the situation hadn't called for an immediate response. Because I knew the longer I waited, the less likely he was to believe me, even if I was telling the truth. But the question had effectively blown a fuse in my brain.

So my hasty response was completely honest.

"YES!" I blurted out, and promptly bit my lip, flushing a shade of neon pink previously only seen in fireworks.

I kid you not, L looked so completely stunned I thought he was going to fall off his chair. Before he had a chance to reply, I made a snap-second subject change.

"A-Anyway," I managed, "You shouldn't let anyone make you feel guilty about being depressed, L-kun. Everyone gets depressed sometimes. You're only human."

The raven-haired man's expression suddenly changed, and he looked even more despondent than he had before. Slowly, he removed the ice pack and set it delicately down on the desk.

"I am," he said quietly, "But L is not. He cannot afford to be."

L turned his chair back towards the monitors. He picked a cookie off of the platter and bit into it half-heartedly.

"Thank you for your concern, Shortcake-chan. I'm sure you are tired. Go and get some rest."

My shoulders slumped.

Well, great. I'd tried my hand at cheering him up, and I'd just made him even more miserable. Nice to see my social skills were improving. At this rate, I'd have him contemplating suicide in no time.

Kira would be so proud.

I began a defeated trudge towards the door, and cast one last glance towards my beloved crush.

L was crouched alone in the dark room, gazing forlornly up at the monitors, the cookie hanging from his mouth.

It was bad enough seeing him hurt. My heart just couldn't take seeing him hurt and depressed.

Therefore, I went against my timid nature, fighting against every shy, cowardly fiber in my body, and used the tiny chunk of spine that I had managed to grow.

"And…um…f-for the record, L-kun," I announced loudly, "I…I-I think you're way cuter than Light!"

I didn't wait to see his reaction. Because, if you'll recall, I had just used what little backbone I had to force out that statement, leaving me, for the moment, completely spine-less.

So I ran.

Like my ass was on fire.