Author's Note: This was written as an LxMisa commission to SailorStarRunner at DeviantArt as a Secret Santa event. :D I decided to share over here.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

December 21st, Task Force Headquarters

"No, Matsuda!" L raised his voice but was still composed enough not to yell. A blush spread across his cheeks.

"But Ryuzaki! Aizawa said that Misa-Misa is going there as publicity, but her arranged date stood her up! He's not going to come! Imagine the buzz when L shows up to the dance with her!"

Ryuzaki suddenly stood with his face centimeters away from that of the bumbling Task Force agent. Sometimes Matsuda got a little too into his manager job, even if he was technically declared dead. "I am not going anywhere as L; L has no face and therefore cannot be seen publicly despite whichever escort he may have." He sat in his chair with the usual unorthodox posture and turned so Matsuda could not see his face. "And aside from that … Ms. Amane would not appreciate my company. Simply have Light go with her instead; I know she would prefer it."

Still, I can't help but imagine what Misa must be going through right now. Being rejected, even by a complete stranger, must be horrible…

December 23rd, Outside of the Task Force Headquarters

"I am still processing how I brought myself to do this." Ryuzaki attempted to straighten his jacket, though that and his dress shirt loosely fit him. His black pants were wrinkled, but they were the only suitable pair he owned at the moment. He grimaced at the beater shoes he had adorned to his feet to meet the dress code. Ryuzaki did not own dress shoes, so a set of black sneakers would have to suffice.

Light Yagami stood behind him, grinning at the sight and trying to make the detective look proper. "Our plan won't go into action for a while, but I need to stay since I established myself as L."

The raven-haired man raised an eyebrow. "And the real L should not be present?"

Light chuckled. "It's not like that, Ryuzaki. Some of the Task Force members have been worried about you, too. Some social graces would do you some good."

Ryuzaki's face began to turn red in pure outrage. "Social graces? T-that isn't a primary concern! I realize I may be out of the norm, but this is - - "

Interrupting the rant, Wateri drove the limousine to the front as Ryuzaki composed himself and muttered under his breath, "This was Matsuda's plan, therefore he should be force to do this."

Light waved as the two drove off. "Have a fun time, Ryuzaki!"

L glared at who was most certainly Kira, or at least was at one point, before the younger man became too distant to see; He was 92% positive that that was a sarcastic comment.

The Snow Ball

Ryuzaki stepped uncertainly into the glittery ballroom. Tiny, shining snowflakes hung from the ceiling by the hundreds in the colors of white and light blue. A slow song played from either a stereo system or a DJ hidden somewhere. A quick glance about the crowd and it was clear that Misa-Misa wasn't seen at any rate – there was no mob of flash of cameras.

Crouched over slightly, he walked along the line of the nearest wall, not wanting to attract attention. He could hear whispers around him, but he had already learned long ago to ignore them. The party-goers were all commenting on his messy hair or his dingy clothes. The weird way he walked or, loudest of all, the strange sitting position as he rested on one of a row of chairs that lined the same wall. L began to sink into depression as he kept his knees to his chest. For a moment, he attempted to sit as a person normally would, but he found it too difficult returned to his strange posture.

Another limo screeching to a halt and the flash of cameras out of the corner of his eyes warned the detective about the arrival of his date.

His date. Ryuzaki just couldn't believe that Misa was his date. They were complete opposites and separated by about five years. With that and the fact that he was fairly certain that she is – or at least was – the second Kira, it was a completely preposterous idea to think he and Misa would ever be together.

The blonde who was adored by paparazzi was wearing a dress that sped up L's heart rate to a point where he began to wonder if Light had discovered his name somehow. A tight red corset, which displayed Misa's assets nicely, flowed down into a black lace skirt which fell gently at her thighs, almost meeting a pair of knee-high black leather boots. A rosary pendant was laid gently atop her chest just as spider-web earrings complimented her dark make-up. As he stared, the memory of Misa's detainment ran through L's mind and he began to wonder if he really was a pervert; he couldn't be certain at this point.

Ryuzaki smiled slightly once his heart rate returned to normal, but he quickly regained his expressionless appearance when a disappointed Misa walked to the detective. "It's you? I thought Light was coming…"

That comment stung, but he wasn't sure why. One thing was certain: she dressed nicely for Light. "I'm not happy I'm here either. Blame you managers for choice of escort."

Misa gave a loud "Hmph!" and looked to her followers. "Well, most of the pictures have been taken already and people are heading home. It … really wouldn't be that bad to be seen with you …"

L's eyes perked up, but inside the black sneakers he curled his toes repeatedly, nervously. Misa grabbed his arm to take him onto the dance floor, but the older man remained stubbornly in his seat.

Misa raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Ryuzaki turned his head. "Dancing is not really something I'm good at …" He dared another glance at the saddened blonde, sighed, and stood once again in that crouched over fashion, allowing Misa to pull him into the center of the crowd.

L's feet shuffled, attempting to keep some sort of synchronization with Misa's. The song was slow, so Misa draped her arms around L's neck. He, in turn, wrapped his hands around her waist. He looked awkwardly down to his feet as he danced, blushing slightly when he caught his hands sliding down to Misa's butt. Ryuzaki corrected it immediately – luckily, Misa didn't seem to notice.

The girl thought to herself, Now that I take the time to notice … L actually looks nice outside of his typical white shirt and jeans. He's almost … cute.

The two slowly drifted even closer to each other, staring into the eyes of their partner. Ryuzaki could feel his lips part, but he accidentally, lightly stepped on Misa's foot. She apparently didn't feel any pain, but the detective stumbled backwards, his back bumping into another couple who scoffed at the sight of him. Seeing his embarrassment, Misa pulled him to the buffet table.

L held his face in humiliation. Misa smiled considerately and silently offered him a slice of cake that was being served. It was strawberry, though with white frosting. He smiled, a small gasp escaping him, but just after her took the cake Misa poked a dot of frosting onto his nose. Ryuzaki swiped it off with his finger and licked it clean. He then proceeded to enjoy the delicious sweet, looking up to Misa as a new, faster song began to play.

Misa held one of her shoulders, looking away from her arranged date. How could this man, this pervert who she seemed to hate so much before, seem to be this shy, sweet person she was seeing now? It was all too different too soon. "Maybe we should go, Ryuzaki." She felt a twinge of pain as L looked to her. "I-it just feels weird being here with you." L sat down the empty plate. "I mean, we work together … and I'm with Light …"

L stood straight – though not completely, as that seemed to be a lost cause for him – and cleared his throat. "Yes, I was never comfortable about this either. It's best we leave and just forget about the entire ordeal."

The ballroom never felt so empty though the two struggled to move through. Ryuzaki reached for Misa's hand, but faltered.

Outside the Snow Ball

On their date night, L and Misa spent more time waiting outside in the December cold than they did huddled together in a loving dance like the couples inside. They stood awkwardly for over twenty minutes waiting for Wateri to arrive and Misa began to worry that transportation would never come. She could feel the bitterness of the cold now more than ever. Ryuzaki's eyes dropped in thought, and then he took his jacket off of himself and wrapped it around the teen idol. Misa looked up to him, confused. She was fully aware that this was a romantic gesture. "What are you doing?"

"Would you rather be cold?" He stared at her and she looked away and clung to jacket closer to her still. L awkwardly rested an arm around her, bringing her in for warmth, and she shot her eyes up at him in surprise. The detective stayed silent to find his words then stated, "I am sorry we would have to wait this long. I don't know what could have happened. Perhaps there was an incident with the Task Force."

The both of them knew that if something did happen than waiting impatiently would be a futile effort. Misa's eyes searched the ground before meeting Ryuzaki's. With a silent agreement, the two began to walk. Though L remained silent, Misa's breath was taken away by the scenery of this region. The city that was typically full of cars blazing across the streets was replaced by the hum of the night creatures and the sight of fireflies that gently lit the bushes of the quiet houses that seemed like paintings against the still life. Ryuzaki resisted the urge to clutch his hand over his chest as it seemed to tighten without any reason. That seemed to happen a lot around her.

L tried to focus on the Kira case again. Yotsuba was in deep water – a plan was already set into action to arrest Higuchi. Matsuda would go on television to act as a decoy so Higuchi would become panicked, take a drastic action, and they could use cameras to discover how Kira kills people from a distance. Still, it would be a few days until the special aired. What could possibly happen in the meantime?

"Let's go back to the dance." The detective looked over to her in shock. "I'm sorry. Really! This must be so much trouble … we just started walking but Wateri would already be on his way, right? Why waste his trip over here and the dance?" Misa winced at herself. How could she suggest walking home and then change her mind a minute later? Headquarters was not that far away, mind you, but even she could tell it was irrational. Still, it only just hit her. The poor old man was already on his way. Misa already thought herself a bother to Ryuzaki. She didn't need Wateri hating her too.

L nodded to her suggestion in understanding. He should have thought of that to be honest, but he wasn't thinking as clearly this evening for whatever reason. In a moment more, the couple was standing just outside the ball once again. The music was audible, but a slow song was playing. The DJ seemed to like those tonight. Misa's immediate reaction was to rush inside, but she turned her head to look back to Ryuzaki.

He seemed paler than usual. It occurred to Amane that maybe a place as crowded as this wasn't the best place for him. She held out her hand. "Wanna try it one more time?"

He blushed slightly as the girl drew him closer to her, almost forcibly. Hearing the music resonate from the inside, the couple shifted one step at a time as they held each other in a tight embrace. For the first time, L wanted to hold onto someone: her. While dancing, the boy was bent over with his head resting past her shoulder. He felt as if he was floating, a dizzying sensation taking him over, and he never wanted it to stop. Misa was content as well, finally having someone to not push her away as she made her advances. The longer she held on, the more she could – for once in a long time – forget about Light Yagami.

Then the limo pulled up in front of them.

Wateri, ever faithful to the detective, hurried out of the vehicle and spoke apologetically. "I'm sorry I took so long, Ryuzaki. There was another broadcast by Sakura TV and Mr. Yagami had me monitor it while he studied incoming reported murders for the case. Perhaps giving the other agents the night off was a mistake in judgment on his part, sir."

L could feel anger rising within him, but instead remained calm and walked toward their ride home. Wateri merely opened the door for him as Ryuzaki took a breath in exasperation. Misa look awkwardly around her. L motioned for her to sit down inside. The girl pulled his arm, making him step outside in the cold once again.

Swiftly, almost in an invisible motion, Misa pecked his lips. Though the kiss lasted only a second, warmth spread through the man while he stood frozen in shock. A small memory flitted through his mind like an old moving picture on a projection screen – the memory of Misa delightfully giving his cheek the same treat a few days before. L touched his fingers to his lips as he followed Amane into the seats, a completely unaware Wateri starting the engine.

The detective pressed his lips against her passionately, delving into feelings he never had before. The girl's eyes widened as his tongue slipped in, rough and dominant while still obviously gentle with her as he too was savoring every second. As they pulled apart, Misa was still stunned but couldn't deny how pleasurable that was. It felt good. Amazing.

Ryuzaki all but whispered to her as they drove away from the dance hall, "Misa … I actually have fallen for you."