A/N: I'm bored and have been meaning to write this for a while. Just a fun little one-shot that I may turn into a series if I feel motivated enough.
Disclaimer: I own neither Death Note, nor Café Kichijouji. Although it's almost Christmas soo... Hey, a girl can dream, yeah?
Summary: L stops by a little café for an afternoon snack. Mild crossover with Café Kichijouji.
Title: A Nice Cup of Coffee
L, the greatest three detectives in the world, had felt like a break today. Just a little trip out to a small café in downtown Tokyo. It wasn't often that the man left his room for reasons not pertaining to a case, but the prospect of coffee and cake in a nice, professional atmosphere sounded extremely refreshing.
Watari had driven him down in the black limo, dropping him off and heading back to do… whatever it was that Watari did when L wasn't around. The detective shuffled into the café with a smile, a little bell ringing above the door to announce his entry. It was a cozy little restaurant, simple but elegant tables and chairs and a plant or two in the corners for color. The door presumably leading to the kitchen was visible behind the long square cashier area. A hallway to the right led off to the bathrooms and what had to be a storage room. Everything was in warm, light, tan and yellow colors, with a few splashes of blue and green in the plants and paintings.
The place certainly looked nice enough. However although it was nearly lunchtime, there didn't appear to be anyone else in the shop. Not even a waiter.
Confused, L checked the door, but the sign on the outside declared the store to be open at this time. Wondering if perhaps today was some sort of holiday and the manager of the shop had simply forgotten to close up, L turned to leave.
Someone was standing there. Most people would've cried out or leapt back. L was not most people. His already wide eyes widened a little more, but other than that there was no reaction. The eerie smile on the young man who had appeared there grew. He wore a waiter's uniform, had slanted cobalt eyes and dark plum-colored hair that brushed his collar and fell into his face.
"Well." The man said in a strange wispy sort of voice. "A customer."
"Yes." L replied, confused but not deterred. "Is this café open?"
"Indeed." The man nodded. "My apologies, most of the staff have gone out to replace our sadly dwindling supplies… I am Chef Minagawa." L was further confused. Minagawa had said 'most of the staff' meaning plural. How many people could it possibly take to do a little shopping?
"Ah… I see." L lied. "Should I return later then, perhaps?" Minagawa appeared to consider him.
"No… I shall serve you." The man stated, as though having just made up his mind. He granted L another of his creepy smiles. Those smiles were clearly designed to imply that he believed it was only a matter of time before you made a fool of yourself and he was going to be there to make it worse when you finally did.
Minagawa moved swiftly, surely, behind the cashier, opening the door to the kitchen. "What shall I make you?" He asked, the question almost seeming to be directed at himself rather than L.
"I would like a cup of coffee, a slice of strawberry cheesecake, and a dish of sugar cubes." L ordered politely, walking over to seat himself at one of the small tables. The chairs were comfortable despite not having cushions, and just large enough for L to rest his heels on the edge and sit in his usual position.
Minagawa, now wearing a bandana and two hairclips to hold his hair out of his face, poked his head out of the kitchen raising a delicate eyebrow at the sight but making no remark on it.
"Would you like cream or milk with your coffee?" He asked; his voice apparently retained its chilly tone no matter what he said.
"No, just the sugar cubes." L answered calmly. Minagawa nodded and vanished back into the kitchen again. Sounds of stirring, coffee brewing, and cupboard doors opening and closing filled the air. L chewed on his thumb while he waited, staring boredly at a picture of a peaceful harbor on the wall. A fat black cat leapt onto his knees, slid into his lap, and meowed languorously. L stared at it. The cat stared back. A staring contest ensued.
"Sukekiyo!" Minagawa's voice as he came out of the kitchen, carrying L's coffee in one hand and a dish of sugar cubes in the other, had a faintly disapproving air, but there was a look in his eyes that L was able to read as deep affection for the little animal.
"It's fine." L said. He didn't really mind cats. They were much better than dogs, anyway, and never tried to lick your face or demand that you play with them in noisy, distracting barks.
Minagawa just smiled at him and it wasn't the same smile as before, it was warmer now, more accepting, as though L had passed some sort of test. The chef set the coffee and the dish down and returned to the kitchen. L began ferrying cubes of sugar into the dark hot drink with his right forefinger and thumb. He'd gotten up to twelve and counting when Minagawa returned with his plate of cheesecake and a fork. The chef stood there for a moment, head tilted, and watched with vague interest as L continued lifting the cubes and dropping them in his coffee like some sort of human crane.
"You must be a very bitter person, to need so much sugar." Minagawa observed, setting the plate and fork in front of L so carefully that they didn't make a sound as they touched the wooden tabletop. L glanced up at him in genuine surprise.
"Yes… I suppose I am, in some ways." The detective replied thoughtfully, lifting the fork gently to dip it into the cheesecake. Minagawa stood by, waiting for the reaction.
Oh. God.
This was the best cheesecake in the world. The whole. Damn. World.
L looked up at Minagawa, his mouth full of sweet strawberry syrup-drenched delight, with pure adoration. He wanted to say something, to ask the man if he wanted the best paying chef's job in existence, to ask what he wanted, anything just so that L could have this every day for the rest of his life. Minagawa had a new smile on. This one, clearly a follow up to the first, seemed to say 'there, see, I knew you'd make a fool of yourself, but I won't make it worse this time.'
Wordlessly, L finished his cheesecake, and his coffee. Minagawa lifted Sukekiyo off of L's lap, cradling the cat gently as it leaned against the chef's shoulder and yawned. Without speaking, the two men went to the cash register; Minagawa rang up the price, which L felt was far too cheap for what the other's skills were worth. Nevertheless, the detective paid, leaving a handsome tip.
He turned to go, this time no dark youth stood in his path and he reached the door, the little bell tingling as he pulled it open.
"Come again." A ghostly soft voice whispered in L's ear, and when the detective's head turned the kitchen door was already shutting gently.
And L just knew that he would.
To Be Continued…?
A/N: Huh… that was less humorous than I imagined it to be. Then again, Minagawa has a lot more self control then the others.
This could be slashy, if you squint and turn your head a little. Though that could just be my pervy side acting up.