I Know Your Secret-Death Note

Just Tell Me (Part 2)

       "Yeah, can you come up here?" L's audio barely picked up the sound, but it felt loud, booming, in his ears. He slipped his headphones off and looked over at Light, who was going over the newest batch of murdered criminals. His face was impassive as he worked, but L figured that was because he knew L was watching.

       "Light, can you take care of it from here?" Light looked up, then look at the computer monitor, then looked at L with a smirk.

       "Yeah, I got it." L turned to the monitor and slipped his headphones back on.

       "I'll be right there, Honey." The nickname slipped passed his mouth and he felt himself freeze. Ori didn't appear to react, and L took that as a sign that he could relax. He turned off the monitor and audio, then made his way to the elevator.

       The ride up was painfully long and silent. For a long time, L liked the quiet, but now he was too used to Ori's rambunctious behavior. Silence now felt empty and expansive. 

       He couldn't deny that this constant back and forth was becoming tiresome. He knew how Ori felt and Ori knew how he felt, but that didn't make it any less stressful. This could be L's first romantic relationship, but he didn't know about Ori. She never talked about old significant others, but she was smart and extremely attractive, not to mention she was just fun to be around. She was tempermental, yes, but that was due to Vivian's death. 

       He knew Ori was tired too. He knew she just wanted this over with so they could move on with the case, but they needed to have this conversation. They needed to have this talk and figure out what they wanted to be to each other.

       When the elevator finally dinged and the doors slid open, L's heart jumped into his throat. His hands were shaking and he thought his legs would give out. Sucking in a deep breath, he exited the elevator and made his way to Ori's room. The hallway felt longer than usual, doors and walls stretched until L thought he'd never make it to her room. Until he did. 

       The blank white paint stared back at him, his hand hovering just over it, ready to knock. Why couldn't he do it? He was L, and yet he couldn't knock on one girl's door. How pathetic could he get?

       Steeling his nerves, he knocked once, and then knocked again. The door opened almost immediately, and there was Ori, red faced and beautiful. Her freckles were a splash of paint across her cheeks and nose, darkened by her blush. 

       "Hey," she said, sounding breathless.

       "Hey," he replied smartly. L had never felt so speechless before, and yet here he was, completely tongue tied.

       "Come on in." Ori said, stepping aside and opening the door wider to let L walk through. He stepped inside, his heart pulsating in his ears. The air was still with tension. In other words, it was extremely awkward. L didn't know what to do, and he didn't think Ori did either.

       "Listen-" Ori started, but L interrupted. It was rude, but L needed to put in his two cents first, other wise he felt like he was going to spontaneously combust. 

       "I love you." He said. Ori's already red face was becoming that of a strawberry.

       "I love how smart and attentive you are. I love how you just seen to understand what I mean. I love how I'm able to have a conversation with you without wanting to stab my eyes out." She let out a soft chuckle. 

       "I love your laugh and how cheerful it was." Was, not is. He needed her to laugh like she used to.

       "I love how strong you are and how strong you try to be." He was stepping closer until she had to tilt her head up to look him in the eye.

       "I love how you trusted me enough to let me comfort you about Vivian, even when I didn't know what I was doing." She laughed wetly; the sound reverberated through his heart and made his stomach flutter. Tears were streaming down her face. She opened her mouth, but all that came out was a high pitched squeak. L's own eyes felt wet. Her red flush went all the way down to the collar of her shirt.

       "You-you can't just say things like that." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

       "I just did." He said slyly. It was odd. For his entire life, L simply felt like a robot, solving cases and then moving onto the next one in a monotonous schedule and rhythm. He felt human for the first time, as cheesy as it sounded.

       "I don't know what I'm doing." She whispered in a ragged voice.

       "Me neither, but we're smart; we'll figure it out."

       "Can I hug you?" She asked tentatively after a few seconds of silence. L didn't even waste time coming up with an answer. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her flush against him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Her arms came up to his middle, clenching the fabric of his shirt between her fingers. His mind went back to their kiss just a few days earlier. How pliable and soft her mouth had been. He wanted to kiss her again, but not without her permission, not until she was more comfortable with sharing her feelings both physically and verbally.

       "Tell me again." She said. 

       "I love you."

       "Again."

       "I love you." She nuzzled into his chest, humming in contentment.

       "One more time." L laughed, causing Ori to pout.

       "How many more times are you going to make me say it?"

       "Just one more." L huffed and tucked his chin under her jaw.

       "I love you." Ori chuckled. Her eyes were drooped and L could tell she was getting tired. 

       "Do you wanna lie down?" L asked. Ori blinked at him, her chin rested against his chest.

       "Yeah, I haven't been able to sleep a whole lot lately." L frowned. He felt like it was his fault that Ori hadn't been able to sleep. Maybe if he hadn't put so much pressure on her then she would've been able to sleep better. But this was also the perfect opportunity to come up with an excuse to cuddle with her.

       "Come on, I'll stay with you while you fall asleep." He combed a hand through her hair, fingers slipping between the soft locks. It was strange how her hair could be so curly and yet so silky at the same time. What kind of conditioner did she use?

       "Hmm?" She raised a brown and hummed dryly. L laughed and planted a kiss on her forehead. 

       "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything. Just sleep." They slipped under the covers and Ori snuggled close into his chest. Her nose sunk into his collar bone. L continued to comb through his hair and rubbed her back. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

       With his heart full and mind at ease, L let himself sink into a dream or two.

       The Kira Case could wait.

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       Fucking finally!! That took way too long for my taste. Hope y'all are happy that they finally ended up together.
       Until next time... Doragon-Chan is Out!
       "It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that creates unhappy marriages."
       -Friedrich Nietzsche