the rain was beating down on rooftops of tokyo that sultry night. the kira case was peak, and the lights in house light had rented seemed to never go out. that's where the task force was temporarily meeting — a cozy house with foggy windows that now housed the most intelligent and exhausted mens in japan.

you weren't a child anymore. had been years since light had left home — now, you're all grown up. independent, and everything about you changed. body. silences. eyes.

but it wasn't because of light that you accepted that invitation to live with him disguised as an obligation. was because of him. — matsu.

ever since you were little, you remembered him. that clumsy cop who sneak you sweets and make you laugh even during the most rigid dinners. he had a lightness, a lost warmth, a wavering sparkle in his eyes. what adults called weakness, which you saw as a crack — and cracks are for getting in.

when you saw him for the first time, so many years later, he was thinner, his face more serious, his hair a little messy from the rush of the investigation. but his eyes… his eyes still had that same reflection. he was tired. vulnerable.

he was perfect.

---

he almost fell asleep on his own desk. the accumulated sleep from a bad night seemed to affect his brain in a strange way — neither good nor bad. just...numbing. and at the same time, his senses seemed more exposed. more sensitive to the provocations you were about to make..

he turned off the computer slowly, rubbing his eyes. he was already crawling towards a makeshift mattress in the living room when he finally noticed you standing there, half in the shadows, leaning against the wall.

— "wouldn't L be mad if I borrowed you for a little while?" — you asked, in a low, almost innocent voice.

he stopped in place. his face's tired. eyes half-closed. he didn't answer right away. after a brief silence, he scratched the back of his neck and grumbled with a half smile:

— "if you return it properly later... I don't think he needs to know."

you smiled and took a few steps forward, still soft.

— "I'm hungry," — you said. — "this house's kinda scary... I feel like I'm being watched. I don't wanna walk around here alone.."

— "d'you think kira's behind the fridge?" — he joked, but his eyes gave him away. sleep made him vulnerable. the least alert mind, the lowest barriers.

— "who knows..." — you answered, almost in a whisper.

he followed you, still half-sleepwalking, and started preparing a simple sandwich. the noise of things in kitchen was muffled by the rain. you sat in the corner of counter, watching him move slowly, as if he're in a dream.

and then, quite naturally, you let the questions escape. one by one, surgically chosen. with a purpose.

— "what you've been doing these last few years, besides taking care of kira case?"

— "hm... just that." — he answered, opening the bread with a certain slowness. — "there's no time for take care of my personal life."

— "no girlfriend, then?" — that was risky.

he hesitated. gave a short, somewhat embarrassed laugh.

— "me? you're kidding. who'd wanna someone who works 20 hours a day, smells like coffee and forgets his own birthday?"

you chuckled softly, tilting your head a little.

— "how old are you again?"

— "..twenty-nine. almost thirty."

— "hm... then you're only a few years older than me."

he stopped picking at his sandwich. his gaze went up and met yours. for the first time, he seemed to realize what's going on there. the tone of your voice. the way you're watching him. the tight space between you.

he looked away again.

— "you've grown..." — he said, finally.

— "i know."

you picked it up gently, letting your fingers lightly touch his. and then, he took a bite, without looking away. tried to keep his focus on anything else, but was useless.