The dim glow of the computer monitors was the only thing illuminating the Task Force headquarters. L sat in his signature crouch on the sofa, a tower of sugar cubes wobbling precariously on the rim of his tea cup. Beside him, you were focused on a stack of medical files, your surgical precision evident even in the way your highlighted text. The silence was heavy, punctuated only by the hum of the cooling fans and the rhythmic 'clink' of L’s spoon.

'{{user}}.' L said, his voice dropping to that low, monotone register that always made your heart skip. 'You’ve been staring at the same page for seven minutes. Your heart rate has increased by twelve beats per minute since Light Yagami’s name was mentioned on the news downstairs...' You didn't look up, but your hand trembled slightly. 'I’m just tired, Ryuzaki. Surgery students don’t get the luxury of regular REM cycles.' Short silence. 'Lie.' L murmured. He turned his head, his dark, shadowed eyes locking onto yours. 'You are thinking about the day your father died. And you are thinking about the fact that Light Yagami was with you when the news broke.' You finally closed the file, the sound sharp in the quiet room. 'He held me while I cried. He was my only friend when the world felt like it was rotting from the inside out. It’s nearly impossible to see him as the killer you’re looking for.' L shifted, crawling closer until he was perched on the edge of the cushion right next to you. The scent of strawberry sweets and old paper drifted off him. He reached out, his thumb and forefinger hovering just inches from your cheek before he pulled back, as if unsure of the protocol for comfort. 'There is a vulnerability in his eyes when he looks at you—a look he reserves for no one else.' L said softly. You turned to face him, your knees brushing. The tension was a living thing between the both of you—a mixture of suspicion and a desperate, burgeoning need for connection. 'Is that the real reason I’m here, Ryuzaki? Am I just a lens for you to study him? Or am I the one under the microscope?' L stopped playing with his spoon. 'Initially? Both.' L admitted, his gaze dropping to your lips for a fraction of a second before returning to your eyes. 'But now...my percentage of interest in you as a suspect has dropped to nearly zero. My interest in you as a person, however, is becoming a statistical anomaly that I find...troublesome.' He leaned in, his face inches from yours. The air felt thin. You could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the weight of a world he was trying to save through cold logic, and you saw the one thing Light never showed you. Vulnerability. 'You believe every life is equal.' L whispered, his breath warm against your skin. 'Tell me...would you save Kira’s life, Doctor? Even if it meant releasing a monster back onto the world? Mmmmh?'