8.

Once L returned to the living area, I sat atop the bed and pulled open my laptop. I'd fallen dangerously behind in school, my thoughts tinkering with the darker, more playful aspects of my mind. Scrolling down the web page, I ran a hand over my face.

I'd be lucky if I got anything turned in on time.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed when a knock came on the door. It was wide open, so whoever knocked did it out of politeness.

"One sec," I muttered, fingers clacking away at the keys. I had a montage of sentences flowing through one after the other so rhythmically, and I didn't want to lose it.

I clicked the save icon and closed my laptop. My face paled at the person standing in the doorway. "Light," I said, my eyebrows raising.

He nodded, jaw clenched, amber colored eyes settled on the laptop I'd closed. "So," he tapped his shoe on the carpet, "Ryuzaki, huh?"

My chest clenched, and I tucked my lower lip between my teeth. I picked at the torn cuticles of my fingers and ignored the question. "How's school?"

His arms crossed against his chest, fingers digging into his sleeves. "You know," he smiled, the rest of his face smooth as stone, "same old."

I nodded, exchanging a similar smile. "Would you like some coffee? I need some if I'm going to turn in anything on time." I slid from the bed and walked toward him. My tongue slipped between my teeth as I monitored my breathing. He wasn't my dominant. Not anymore. But he had been. And I didn't know how I was supposed to respond.

"Minami," L called from the next room, his voice light and singing. "Come here, please."

My chest lightened at the sound of his voice. "Ah—coming, Ryuzaki."

Light stepped aside to let me walk by, but his fingers reached out to brush against my own as I passed.

Reflexively, my arms crossed, hands resting on each elbow.

The entire task force hunched over the coffee table, pouring over notes scribbled with words, messages about Kira. Murmurs and the rustle of pages pilfered the quietness, filling the space with white noise. L was almost silent, pressing a letter tile every so often, adding to the noise.

I knelt by the hunched man, pressing my knee against his.

I'd been watching him these past few days, taking note of things he liked, ways he sat, his mannerisms. My emotions heightened when I was aroused or close to my period, which meant that I had to learn to take his words with a grain of salt. He always said what he meant, but almost never meant it how he said it. Some people were like that, and while normally I wouldn't pay mind to it, my emotions had been all over the place lately, and it had been grating my nerves.

He slid over a tall cup of creamy coffee.

And sometimes he was a man of no words.

"Thank you," the words spilled from my lips in a whisper, my eyes flickering to him. My fingers wrapped around the steaming mug, bringing it to my lips.

His eyes caught mine, a slight smile tugging at his mouth. "Keep your energy," he murmured, and turned back to the computer screen at his feet.

I set the cup next to his laptop. "I'll be right back," I said, and returned with my laptop. I wasn't working on the Kira case, but L and I could do our work together.

It'd been three hours and no leads. Aizawa and Matsuda were done, nearly passed out on the couch. Chief Yagami's hair had loosened from the gel and spilled over his forehead. Light looked as put together as ever, aside from the tie loosened at his neck.

I had no idea what time it was, but knew it was time to call it quits. My knee pressed against L's. He only hummed in response, so my knee brushed against his again. When he looked up, I inclined my head toward the sleeping officers.

"Ah, yes," he murmured. "Let's call it for tonight. Go home. Get some rest. Meet back here tomorrow," he called, half turning his body to address the task force.

I saved my work and powered off the computer, lying it to rest on a small table near the unused television.

Buzzing on the carpet reverberated to the skin on my feet and I looked over, my phone illuminated and moving. A sigh parted my lips and I stared at it for a second too long.

"Are you going to answer that?" L asked, eyes back on his laptop.

Thinking it was bothering him, I scooped it up and answered it on the way to the kitchen, empty coffee mug in my other hand. "Hello?" I answered quietly.

"Minami," my mother's voice shattered the peaceful atmosphere. "Are you coming home for the holidays?"

"No," I replied, uncaring of whether she meant Thanksgiving or Christmas, rinsing out the cold coffee ring at the bottom of the mug. "Finals are around the corner, and I'm looking for an internship." I didn't have to explain, but the cloaking silence that befell us after my answer held angry electricity.

"You have to come home." Her voice rose toward the end.

I set the phone to speaker and set it on the counter to wash the mug.

"What is that noise? Are you paying attention to me?"

I resisted the urge to rub my ears. Her shrill voice shook my head. "I'm washing dishes. If I weren't paying attention, you wouldn't be on speaker. Why do I need to come home?"

She scoffed. "What do you mean 'Why do you need to come home?' What are holidays without family?"

What, indeed.

Footsteps padded the kitchen tile.

I set the clean mug on the dish rack, picked up the phone, and turned it off of speaker. I didn't know how to respond initially, but settled on my typical excuse. "Mom, I can't. I'm busy."

Before she could respond, the phone was pulled from my fingers. I turned to a bushel of dark hair and sunken eyes.

"Mrs. Akane? Hi, this is Hideki Ryuga. No, not that one I'm afraid. Your daughter will be spending the holidays with me. She's interning as my assistant and the hours are quite long. I don't give leniencies to holidays. If there's any issue, you may take it up with my counsel, Dr. Wade."

Without awaiting a response, L ended the call and shut off the phone.

I stared at him, ignoring the device he offered between his thumb and forefinger. "Dr. Wade?" I finally asked, taking the phone from him.

He shrugged and turned away. "Watari has many names." His answer was immediate. "You should go to bed. You have a lot of assignments due tomorrow."

I gave a long blink. Of course he knew how many assignments I had. He was L. He knew everything.

I just wish he knew how I felt.