The first thing L did when he got back to his and Misa's apartment was kick of his sneakers.
He didn't like shoes very much. L had long, wide feet, which meant nine out of ten pairs were uncomfortable. But for Christmas Misa had bought him a custom pair of kicks, and they fit...! Well, they fit terribly.
But L had gifted her with a shirt four sizes too big, so they were pretty much even.
"I bought you a slice of cake," he announced, switching on the hall light with his shoulder. "I figured you've been burning so many calories helping me with cases lately you wouldn't mind gaining a few back." Besides, he could always eat it if she didn't want it.
There was no shrill exclamation of irritation, and L felt his stomach tighten...he tasted acid.
"Misa." His voice was steady.
He calmly grabbed the gun hidden under the middle couch cushion and pushed it down the front of his pants.
"Misa."
The kitchen was empty, and there was a empty yogurt cup that hadn't been rinsed out yet sitting on the counter.
The bedroom lights were off, though the sheets were messy.
The bathrooms were both total crime scenes, but they were always like that.
That just left the office. The door was cracked, so L pushed it open with his bare foot. Papers and precious files were stacked precariously on the desk. The three monitors were cycling through a series of default background images. Everything was illuminated by the moonlight shining in through the big windows overlooking the city.
Misa.
"Hello, Light Yagami," L said amiably, hands stuffed in his pockets as he stared down the man holding his girlfriend hostage.
"Hello, L-san." Light smiled, leaning back against the big window. He wasn't even wearing a mask. Cocky. "Did you see the broadcast from Kira?"
"We saw your broadcast, yes. It was very good; Misa made popcorn."
The girl's gaze flickered to her lover's face before falling down to the bulge in his pants. Deciding that even L wasn't weird enough to get a boner in a situation like this, Misa looked at the ground before Light noticed.
"So you know why I have to kill Misa-chan," Light said, seemingly oblivious. "Poor Misa...I feel a bit bad that your boyfriend doesn't even love you enough to sacrifice himself for you. Or have you decided to tell me your name, detective-san? No? Well, how do you want me to kill her then? Heart attack? Suicide?"
"How about by gun?" L said, reaching into his pants and yanking out the handgun, firing two shots. One bullet missed Kira and broke the glass behind him. The other imbedded itself in Light's shoulder, forcing him let go of Misa has he fell out of the broken window.
L helped his girlfriend to her feet, checked her for wounds and then hurried to look out outside. Light was nowhere to be seen, but L saw through a nearby pair of binoculars that a black notebook had landed in the street. It soon vanished down into a nearby sewer.
"Well, that was quite close," L said, turning as Misa grabbed him in a hug. "Why are crying? You're safe now. I saved you, didn't I?"
Misa put her hand on his cheek. "I'm not crying, L," she whispered, wiping away a stray tear caught in one of his heavy eye bags with her thumb.
He closed his eyes when she kissed him on the temple. "We should eat the cake slices before they melt."
Misa allowed him to pull her from the room, though she did glance back when they reached the doorway.
"Uh...doncha think we should call a window repair company or something?" she asked uncertainly, watching as papers flew away. "Oh. my. god! A pigeon just flew in! Do you have any idea what kind of diseases those nasty things carry?"
L began to chew on his thumb nail, trying to hide how hard his hand was shaking. "Hm? We can just close the curtains."