3.

All the morning had brought, to either men, was frustration. L was used to minimal sleep, but the man that lay beside him was not. The Light that flooded in through the large windows exposed the angry look on Light's sleep deprived face. L looked over to him, slightly distracted by his own thoughts.

"You didn't sleep." He said, to which Light returned his gaze, "Neither did you."

L sighed, facing the window. Light noticed how ethereal he looked, outlined by the sun, his hair was greasy, and the bags under his eyes a constant fixture, but in the light, he almost looked like an angel.

"What's wrong?" L asked, noticing the look without having to even turn back around.

Light decided to play into his thoughts…. It was much easier to discredit them if he used them as a part of his facade.

"You look like an angel." Light said softly, finally able to receive a somewhat genuine laugh from the other man. "I can't tell if that's some sort of joke…" he began, "Or if you're alluding to the fact that I'm not long for this world." Light rolled his eyes, "can you stop with that?" he asked, and L continued looking out the window. "Hmm? It's a fair question isn't it?"

"It wasn't either… you've got the three greatest detectives in the world living in your head, not one of them could've deduced that?" Light was finding it hard to get up, let alone argue, but L was always able to bring this kind of frustration out of him. Finally, L turned around. "Exactly… now shouldn't that tell you that I'm the one who's correct."

"Well.. Whatever you think, I'm not taking it back." The dark haired man shrugged, "fine."

L began to 'get ready' before Light had. This consisted of nothing more than ordering Watari to bring him breakfast, though. Other than that he had been ready for this morning since last week. His breakfast, if you could call it that, was a pack of smarties, black coffee, and a tub of whipped cream to keep dousing the coffee with.

"Would you like anything?" L asked, to which Light simply shook his head, L began to dump the smarties into the coffee, and by that point Light's appetite was too confused to even bother. "I'm alright, thanks Ryuzaki."

"You left some of your clothes, if you're not going home you could change into those…" L said, in between sips. Light nodded, and finally allowed himself to get up. He walked over to the drawer to remove the clothes he had left, and disappeared into the bathroom to get ready, leaving L to his thoughts.

The shower turned on, and it was only then that L was able to lower his guard. He rubbed his hand over where Light's had been last night and considered this morning's exchange. He looked over into the mirror that hung over the desk, and stared at himself for a moment. "Nothing I'd call angelic…" he thought to himself, his hand still laying upon his cheek. He balled his hand into a fist, and rested it on his knee… it had to be an act. L knew letting him in on his plan was stupid, so stupid, and he now found it hard to take anything… whether it be Light, or the results from this test he was conducting, as the truth.

Truth…

He continued to stare at himself, breaking that gaze only to close his eyes for a moment. "If I'm going to be able to separate fact from fiction, I'm going to have to determine what fact is for me" he reasoned. The sensation brought upon him from Light's touch came without surprise, honestly. Although he didn't feel it often, he was no stranger to attraction… albeit, it was always one-sided, but he was familiar with the feeling nonetheless. It was also no surprise, that he felt that towards Light. Even if just minutely, he had known since they had first met that it existed, and he accepted that because he knew that he had no choice. He needed to determine the facts, and, unfortunately, that was one of them. A part of him hated that he was drawn in by such an obvious person… literally everyone had that same initial reaction to the man. He was tall, he was handsome… but no…

L opened his eyes again, knowing that there was more to it then that. He had become attracted to their back and forth… to Light's intelligence. "That's why I'm not allowing myself to let this go…" he thought, disappointed in himself… he found his gaze wandering to the floor, only to return upwards as Light emerged from the bathroom.

"I didn't even realize the water had stopped…" L thought, again disappointed in the fact that he had become distracted by his thoughts so easily. Light was clothed from the waist down, but his hair was still sopping wet, so he refrained from putting his shirt on just yet.

"Your coffee's going to get cold." He said simply, as he noticed that the whipped cream had dissolved inside the drink, making the colour much lighter. The smarties had risen to the top, stripped of their colour, L nodded, scooping out another spoonful of whipped cream, and dropping it inside the glass.

Light grabbed a towel from the drawer, and began drying his hair off with it. As he did, L couldn't help himself but watch. While his own physique was boney and his colouring almost grey, Light's complexion was milky and warm. Thin, but unlike L, there was obvious definition. L looked to the ground, away from the sight before him. Finally, Light draped his shirt over his head, and was able to pay attention to L's demeanour.

"Are you alight Ryuzaki?" he asked, to which the other man had no reply. As L's back was turned to him, Light let himself smile at the sight. Had he made the world's smartest man shy? His smile grew, and he kneeled to the ground beside him, "Ryuzaki?" he asked again, his voice veiled with concern as his arm draped over the back of the chair. While Light sat there, waiting for an answer, L tried to think of one that would satisfy him. He didn't understand what the other man was doing… "despite the obvious one-sidedness of the relationship," L thought, "Light was with Misa… and before that he had a seemingly real relationship with Takada… a relationship that he had understood was consummated. His interest had only ever been in women… would he go for a ploy this far out? Would he trick me with something so obviously a lie?"

"No I'm not." L said, choosing honesty. He stirred the whipped cream into his coffee, as it swirled with the melted chocolate from the dissolving smarties. His voice was casual, and Light leaned in closer, "Well, what's wrong?" he asked, to which Ryuzaki shrugged,

"I've told you before Light, I'm simply depressed."

"Simply depressed?" he asked, "There's nothing simple about that."

L raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"You're crucial in solving this case ryuzaki… it'd be a shame for a mind as brilliant as yours to be tormented." L felt a pang in his chest, and spun his chair around, forcing Light to lose his grip as he stayed kneeling before L. "If it's such a shame, Light… then stop tormenting me."

His eyes were wide as he spoke this, looking down at the man beneath him as he stayed perched on his chair. Arms folded together, his lips stayed shut after that statement, while Lights own mouth hung open in disbelief. "Stop insinuating that I'm Kira." He said through gritted teeth.

"I'm trying so hard to help you."

L kept his focus on Light, as he wanted so desperately to believe him. "10 days." He said simply, "I won't believe… or condemn you, for ten days." Light sighed, lowering his head so that it rested atop L's chair. L spread his feet apart as to not get in the other man's way.

"I think I can live with that." Light breathed, he then looked up, his movements quick and sharp

"You…you didn't write in it, did you?"

L stuck his thumb in between his lips, "Now, what if I have?" he asked, cocking his head to the side "I-I wouldn't want you to die all in the sake of confirming any guilt you think I have."

"If I die, I die knowing you weren't guilty." L decided to play along, knowing that if he died, Watari would be able to apprehend Light as soon as it happened.

"Ten days…" L muttered to himself, "seems so far away…"

As Light stood up, he tried his best to ignore the sound of ryuk laughing behind him. "Ryuzaki.." He whispered, leaning towards the dark haired man, bracing himself against the arms of the chair. "I don't want you to die." As he whispered these words, both men were unsure as to whether or not they had held any truth whatsoever. Light was now so close that his hair brushed against L's face. L looked up at Light with an apprehensive look on his face,

"What exactly do you want then, Light?" he asked, and Light responded by pressing his lips softly against the other mans. L refused to let his guard down, refused to close his eyes, but the kiss was soft… so soft, and chaste, and when it had ended and the two men had parted once again, all L was left with… all he had gathered from the exchange, was that Light's lips were softer than they had any right to be. He pressed his fingers against the other mans lips as if asking why.

Why would you kiss another man, why…why would you kiss me? He wondered silently and questioned to himself more importantly, more earth shattering than Light Yagami kissing Ryuzaki… why was Kira kissing L?

Light grabbed L's hand with his own, and brought it away from his lips. He stared at L confidently, as he could tell by his trembling hand that the kiss had meant more to him than he was letting on.

"That's what I want." He said finally, telling the man below him what he thought he had wanted to hear. But, as those words left his lips, he had a nervous fluttering in his stomach.

"Perhaps I should've asked watari for some food…" he thought, but underneath that idea was a much more confusing one. Maybe there had been some truth to what Light had said…

L broke the contact as he took his hand back from Lights grasp. "I see." Was all he made out, before Watari knocked on the door- the sound surprising both men and sending them away from each other.

"Aizawa's wondering where you are, Ryuzaki." He said upon entering the room

"Oh, yes… well Light and I will be right down."

Watari glanced over at the coffee suspiciously, after all- it was not like L to leave food untouched.