A/N: two in one night, I'm on a roll. ~ I'll probably repost this later when I'm not half-asleep and can make it sound better. But yeah, a lot of dialogue here.

Chapter 6: The Runaways

The white metal door swung shut heavily, leaving the detective trapped in an equally white room. BB lifted his head, just enough that he could peek up at his visitor through severely un-trimmed hair. The closer L came to where he sat, the wider his smirk grew; L, on the other hand, was frowning as his cautious steps took him closer and closer to the once-untouchable Beyond Birthday. Obviously, the people here did little more than feed him and allow him shower and bathroom breaks. He desperately needed a haircut and he was so unbelievably thin.

"What brings the great L to visit a lowly criminal?" B's voice was sarcastic and rough, but L knew how much he must have been hurting.

"B...," The single letter was nothing more than a whisper left to hang in the sterile silence of this white-walled wasteland, and L found himself embracing the very person he had sworn to push away.

"It's better this way, B. I.. I am so sorry."

"But-"

"You know this is not right." L hung his head, and B did the same, neither willing to look at the other.

"I know."

"...And you know I'll love you regardless of what they tell me I have to do."

"I know."

B remained stiff and unresponsive, determined to make the detective remorseful for what he had done - locking him away to rot here... though L seemed to be sorry enough without B's firm refusal to respond to this gesture. To B's shock, when L pulled away, the detective only did so to place a bony hand against B's face. If the criminal was not mistaken (and he most definitely was not, having known L longer than anyone besides Watari), L's eyes were clouding over with tears as those depthless orbs traveled over the shaggy hair, sunken eyes, pallid skin, and horrid burn wounds. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came. Beyond's resistance melted away with one look at those eyes, and he gently placed his hand on top of the detective's slightly larger one.

"...Hello, Lawlipop," was all B could manage, as he felt tears of his own beginning to form. It felt like hours as the two sat, still and quiet as if completely enraptured by each other, before a single tear slid down L's thin face. B leaned forward, gently flicking out his pink tongue and catching the drop of saline perfection before it could fall to the ground. "Don't be sad... I was angry at you, at first, and I thought I still would be.. but, I'm not angry."

L nodded, removing his hand from Beyond Birthday's face, only to pull him into another hug. "I know, B. I know." He began rocking the other back and forth, gently, like he recalled doing in days long past in order to comfort him.

"I'm not mad, L, I'm not. In fact, I still love you. ..I really do." Beyond placed a soft, hesitant kiss on the sensitive flesh of L's pale neck before adding as an afterthought, "Maybe even more than I did before."

"I know, and I still love you, as well," the detective said with a soft sigh.

"We can run away from all this, Lawli. You can get me out of here, and we could be together forever. We could live in that big house in England! We both love it there, and no one could bother us. Watari could come, too, and we wouldn't have to worry about anything!" B pulled away from the embrace just slightly, to look into the raven-haired man's eyes as he spoke to him.

"I wish we could-"

"You could get me out of here, and you know it! No one else will ahve to know that you got me out of this place! It'll be confidential and all, and then we could could get married-"

"..Married?" L interrupted, a hint of amusement in his tone.

B nodded eagerly. "Mhm. ~ We'll have a nice, big wedding, even though we don't really have anyone to invite... But then we could go on a honeymoon somewhere and relax and sightsee during the day. And then at night, we'd-"

"Even if I got you released, we could not go to England..." L said softly, holding Beyond close again, as if he were afraid the skinny man would run from him.

"...Why couldn't we?"

"..."

"It's your job, isn't it?"

L remained silent, nestling his face into the top of B's soft hair.

"You could still be a detective, and I could help you on your cases!" He stated triumphantly.

"Beyond... I am working on the Kira case."

Rather than the violent, shout-filled outburst he expected, B replied with a small laugh, "I see. I kind of figured, once I heard about this 'Kira' guy, that you would. Can't pass up a challenge, can you, L~?"

"You know me too well." L was smiling, a small, sad smile that broke Beyond Birthday's heart.

"But he'll kill you, Lawli!" B held tighter to his panda-eyed detective, thinking that keeping him in that small room would keep him safe from the murderous Kira.

"...As long as he doesn't get the chance to kill /you/."

"What..?"

"I took this case, because, at first, it interested me. But when I realized he was targeting criminals... I don't want you to die."

"Lawli...," B whimpered, trailing off and gripping the baggy white shirt tighter in his hands.

"I'll keep you safe, and when the case is solved and Kira is punished, I'll come back for you. We'll live in England, and get married, and go on a honeymoon, just like you said." A pause, then, "Alright?"

Beyond nodded, and gave L one last kiss before the detective slowly released his grip on B and stood to leave. "And, Lawli?"

"Hm?"

"Be safe."

"I will. And you be sure to behave," he said, a teasing smirk on his normally-emotionless face.

"Oh, I'll try. ~"

"...I love you, Beyond."

"I love you, too."