The three days you made him take off were finally up. Impatient, you tap your foot in your office, anxious to see how he managed the time off, and interested to hear what he actually got up to. An eternity went by as you waited, and eventually hear the door click, and L walk in yet again.

"Ah, welcome back. What did you get up to for the three days?"

You ask with a smile, and he sits down before answering, shrugging his shoulders.

"Not much, I tried to get more rest and go outside a bit though....To be honest it was sort of boring."

"Thats normal. When you're so used to a workload like yours it can get boring when you suddenly are taken out of it. But did you? Get more rest, I mean."

You smile, but he shakes his head while shifting his feet a little.

"Not really. I was too busy thinking."

He says, and before you could say anything, he looks up.

"I...I want to talk about my past. Like from when I was young?"

"You want to talk about your past?"

You ask, slightly surprised. He was opening up way more than you expected he would. And quickly too.

"Yes...I feel like it would get to the core of things...Confidentiality is ensured? I dont want any record of this...Please."

"Of course."

You smile, putting down the notepad and pen before letting your hands clasp in your lap.

"I'm here to just listen today. You can talk about anything you like. What's said in this room, stays in this room."

You smile, and he takes a deep breath before looking up.

"I...Didn't think about where to start."

He says, and you laugh lightly.

"Let's start at your earliest memory, okay?"

You say, leaning back while he brings his thumb to his lips, thinking.

"Um...My earliest memory was...When I first came to the orphanage I grew up at. All I can really remember was seeing the gate, and feeling cold...I was with Watari already at that point...I think."

He says, scratching his knee as his eyes don't meet with yours.

"I'm sorry to hear that...If you dont mind me asking, how did you end up there? Or do you not remember?"

You ask, using a gentler voice.

"My biological parents abandoned me when I was very young. I'm not entirely sure as to why, but the day I was born was October thirty-first. They may have been superstitious....But all I know is that I was found out on my own before being taken in. I have no idea who or where they are, let alone whether or not they're even still alive."

He says, shrugging. Again, the apathy was quite clear.

"I see...Well, what was life like at the orphange?"

"It was pretty normal, up until showed promise from a very young age for detective work. Soon enough I was groomed to become the worlds best, along with successors in case something happens to me. And here I am. I dont regret what happened, I just....Had to grow up pretty fast and I didn't make many friends because of it. I also had to remain quite closed off from the world and keep my identity a complete secret. The cases along with being unable to relate to others made me a bit weary of people. I dont trust easily or at all sometimes."

He shrugs, but you could see his exterior walls slowly starting to crumble down. You were the first person he probably told this to. That, and it was probably the first time he admitted it to himself too.

"But, besides that...The successor program was made because of me and...I don't want them to have the same experience. The thing is, it's not a sense of justice that I have, despite what people think. Figuring out difficult cases is my hobby that I happen to enjoy and be good at. The same way others like to solve mysteries and riddles, or clear video games more quickly. For me, it's simply prolonging something I enjoy doing. That's why I only take on cases that pique my interest. It's not justice at all. And if it means being able to clear a case quicker, I almost never play fair, I'm a dishonest, cheating human being who hates losing."

He says, and you soften your expression. He planned telling you this, didn't he? Silent for a moment, you consider what to tell him before looking up again, trying to place your words carefully.

"That's not to say that you dont care about justice though. Clearly you value others' lives. Why else would you have decided to go public after so many were killed by Kira? You have a set of morals and emotions just like all of us, but you just need to learn how to recognize and control them, and most importantly, be more in touch. If you ask me, I dont see you as the monster you seem to perceive yourself as. I see you as a person with morals and ethics, but that isnt what drives you specifically. And that's okay."

You say, and he sighs as you continue to piece together your thinking in a way that would help him.

"...When you were growing up, you were dedicated and groomed towards becoming the worlds best detective, and were consumed by the expectations of others and yourself. On some level you do care about others regarding your work, because you said yourself that you don't want your successors to have that same burden as you. And that shows to me that you tend to put yourself on the front line first to protect others, even if you dont realize it. It's a noble thing to do."

You say, smiling while he runs one of his hands up his face and into his unruly hair.

"Yes...I do care about it to an extent. I have to. But it's a double edged sword.  In this field I also live my life confronting all those ended prematurely, all the grief stricken families and pain...Its a daily reality for me. It's something that leaves such a bitter taste that I have to coat everything I eat in sugar. I am a champion of justice, sure. Call it what you will. But I would never want that for someone else. It's not just the expectations. It's the pain of it all. But I almost dont feel it anymore. Even with all the pain, I still do it because I like the challenge. Is it because I care? Or am I some sort of unfeeling, paranoid, lying..."

He trails off, and you were silent before slowly looking up, seeing that his disheveled bangs were shadowing his eyes, but you saw a tear slip down and drop onto his hand that was clenched atop his knee.

He was...Crying. quickly hiding your surprise to stay professional, you lean forward before lightly clearing your throat.

"...L?"

You gently ask, and he quickly wipes the tears away, not looking up to you.

"I'm a monster."

He says, and you uncross your legs before resting your elbows on your knees, trying to maintain his eye level.

"No, you're not. You're someone who people dont understand. But the biggest point that needs to be made...Is you don't understand yourself either. And you just need someone to help you put the pieces together."

You say, and he nods while you sit back again.

"L...I'm very glad you were able to be as open as you have."

You say, and he doesnt answer.

"What do I even do?"

He asks, not looking up. And for once, you didnt know what to tell him.

"Well, that's something you have to decide for yourself. What do you want? I'm not asking what would be good for your image, or your career, or any case you may be working on. I'm asking about you."

"For once...I dont know."

He says, and you sigh as you couldnt help but feel a tug of sadness for him.

"That's okay. It's okay not to know, or to be unsure. But maybe take a little while to think about it. And I'll be here to listen whenever you need. You just look out for yourself a little more, okay?"

You say, standing.

"A-are we out of time?"

"I'm afraid so. Just about. Why? Was there something else you needed to speak about?"

You ask, and he shifts.

"N-no, I just-..."

He begins, but trails off.

"I-I dont know, now that I've become comfortable around you I get paranoid when I leave."

He says, and gently walk over before touching his thin shoulder.

"That's fine. I can see that as a likely outcome if you become close to someone. But it's alright, I promise. Trust is just a feeling you have to become used to a little more, and you need to look at how you seperate who to trust and who not to. A little exposure is an okay way to start, then we can work from there to see what works for you, whatever that may be."

You say, and he remains silent as you let your hand slip off of him, stepping over to your filing cabinet before gently tucking his folder into one of the slats.

"Anyway, I'll see you soon, okay?"

You say, and he nods, slowly getting up before you walk him to the lobby.

After seeing him off, the rest of the day went by rather normally, and once you were done, you sigh as you stretch, checking the time. It was still early, just shy of four pm, and you decide to spend your afternoon out getting some fresh air. Going home for a bit to shower and change clothes, you get into more casual wear and let your hair out, planning to go get a coffee and maybe take a walk while you were at it.

Leaving your apartment while you take a breath of the fresh and crisp air outside, you slowly make your way towards your favourite coffee shop downtown, stopping to admire the flowers blooming along the way before finally getting there about an hour later.

Once you had gotten your favorite drink and sat down, you just relax and look out the window of the shop while you sip your coffee. A few minuets passed while you zone out slightly thinking of nothing in particular, but soon after get snapped back by someone clearing thier throat behind you. Looking over, you see L standing there, and you instinctively smile.

"Oh, hello there. Funny seeing you out of the office."

You say warmly, and he shifts a bit.

"Yea. I was just getting out a bit, like you said. I was actually heading over to that big art gallery that opened not long ago. I was just leaving but I saw you here...Would you..."

He begins, but his words trail off to silence while his eyes trace away.

"Would I like to come with?"

You smile, finishing his sentence for him while you let out a lighthearted laugh.

"Y-yea..."

"I'd love to."

You smile, standing before readjusting your hair out of your face and looking up, noticing he was quite a bit taller than you when you were out of the heels you wore to the office and back in your regular old Vans.

"Well then, I don't want to keep you waiting. Let's go."

You smile, and walk together out of the cafe while you chatted with him about various things, making sure none of which involved your sessions. As far as you were concerned, what you did in the office stayed there. No exeptions. Funnily enough though, you two had pretty good chemistry when just talking casually. It felt very natural, and it didnt feel at all like you were back at the office. It was nice, and L seemed to be a really nice and sweet person once you knew him a bit.

"You know, I actually hardly recognized you when I saw you in the coffee shop. I had to do a double take."

He says while you approach the gallery, and you laugh lightly while your thoughts trail off.

"What!? Is it really that hard to recognize me if I have my hair down?"

You ask, and he looks toward you before smiling only slightly.

"Well, that, and you have different clothes on."

He says, and you couldn't help but giggle. Once in the gallery, you slowly make your way around while you continue to chat to one another, slowly getting a little more playful and at ease around each other outside the professional environment you were both used to. Eventually as you kept walking through, your eye catches a particular painting that made you stop talking mid sentence.

"Oh! L, look, its a Monet. It's beautiful....Don't you just love the style? It's so lovely, to me his style really says romance."

You say, admiring the canvas as L puts his hands into his pockets.

"I like how you take a deeper look into things."

He says, and you look over before smiling.

"What?"

You ask with a small laugh, and you see his cheeks dust with a soft pink before he quickly glances down.

"I-I mean...It's just something I noticed about you. That's all. You appreciate the finer details."

He stutters, and you smile before continuing to walk through the gallery.

"It's what I'm good at. Maybe it's why I can appreciate you so much."

You smile, looking back at him before drawing your eyes back to the painting.

"You know...I wanted to thank you...And I've been meaning to tell you this. You're the only person I've ever fully opened up to. I feel...comfortable around you, and I feel like you understand me more than any others have."

L says suddenly, and you smile softly.

"I'm glad about that."

You say, and he looks down, smiling lightly too while he shifts a little, and you gently put your hand out to touch his arm, to which he looks over, his cheeks a soft rose hue that was only just noticable.

"Really."

You say, and keep walking together in the gallery while you felt a small tug of contentness.

~♡~Six months later~♡~

You groan as you awake to your alarm in the morning, pulling up the covers and refusing to beleive that it was already time to get up.

"Not morning already..."

You whine, turning over while you reach out to press the snooze button on your phone.

"Not so fast there."

You hear your boyfriends voice say, and you hear the alarm stop before he gently pulls the covers away, one of his arms still loosely around your waist, and his body close.

"Rise and shine sweetheart."

He says, and you rub your eyes before sighing, opening them up to see L lying next to you.

"Ngh...What time is it..?"

You ask slowly, and he kisses your forehead before sitting upward.

"Time for you to get up."

"Very funny."

You say, and sit up as well before stretching, swinging your heavy legs over the side of the bed, then making your way to the bathroom as you yawn.

"You look beautiful."

He says, and you can't help but smile as he wraps his arms gently around you while you begin to slowly get ready for the day. Once done and dressed, you make your way to the door, still quite tired, but waking up slowly.

"Anyway honey, I'm off to work for the day..."

You say, and he shakes his head before walking to another room, returning with your briefcase in hand.

"Don't want to forget this now do you?"

"Oh! Oh my goodness, thank you."

You say, taking it from him before he sighs, shaking his head.

"Everything you need is in there. I'll see you this afternoon, okay?"

He says, and you nod while you put your coat on.

"Have a good day love...Don't work yourself too hard okay?"

You say sweetly, giving him a gentle but loving kiss before he follows with an extra on the cheek.

"I won't. The same goes for you too you know."

He says, and you nod before he kisses you one last time, before you were headed off to the office.

Who knew that L, someone who came to you only because he was made to the first time, would become someone so much more than just a compelling case study.

Just goes to show...Love can truly spring up anywhere in the most unexpected of places.

~♡~