25
They found L passed out on the topmost floor, and Mogi rushed to carry him and bring him to his room. They frantically called Watari to check all the security cameras to find out where L went to when he left.
Fortunately, it didn't take them too long to find him, and get him to safety. Misa was crying out of guilt that she was the one who made L like this. She kept saying she was sorry, and that she didn't mean to do any of this, but only Mogi and Watari can hear, as L was unconscious and appeared to be having a fever.
Misa didn't leave his side, and volunteered to take care of him and keep his head cool. She kept praying for L to be well, and promised never to do that again.
L woke up in the middle of the night, not really knowing what happened. His eyesight was still hazy, and he saw Misa asleep on his bedside. He deduced that he must have passed out and had a fever, seeing that he still has a damp cloth on his forehead. To be honest, he didn't even know that he can have a fever.
Misa woke up when she felt L move, and almost instantly hugged him, crying and asking for forgiveness. L could feel her genuine remorse and worry for him, and thought that maybe he was really just over reacting from what happened earlier.
"I forgive you, Misa-san" L told her softly. "Just don't do it again. And thank you for taking care of me"
Misa nodded.
And L thought that the incident has been resolved.
However, Watari thought differently.
He scheduled to have another session with the therapist the next day.
What's more, he announced to the team that the investigation is put on hold for a month until L gets his shit together. To say that L was upset was an understatement.
He was furious. It was like Watari was openly sabotaging the investigation. If that is the case, he didn't want to participate anymore. He had never rebelled with Watari before, but maybe today it is justified. Especially when Watari has been acting for his own interests lately.
To be honest, L didn't know what was happening with himself. He had always kept his emotions under control, and this was the first time he was ever confused, but he didn't want it to be something that kept him from continuing the case. It felt like a sick addiction at this point. But now that there was no investigation to look forward to, he was forced to face this growing monster inside him.
Misa tried to cheer him up, but he wouldn't listen even to her, who he determined to be very unpredictable for his liking. He just wanted for things to go back to what it used to.
However, despite his stubbornness, they still managed to get him into therapy, even if it meant strapping him in an IV (to keep him from fainting), and wheeling him into the private room just beside his bed room.
"I will have to admit, this is messed up" the therapist confessed. "Normally I would wait for a few days and let you recover by yourself, but…"
He stopped mid sentence, knowing that it was for the better.
"I'll start, doctor" Misa said eagerly. "It was all my fault. I mean, I thought about it…and maybe I was starting to develop feelings for Ryuuzaki because we were stuck together for a long time, but it doesn't justify me forcing his feelings on him"
The therapist cleared his throat.
"And I'll say it again, I'm sorry L. I now know that what I did was wrong"
L looked at Misa, then at the therapist.
"I forgive you, Misa-san."
Misa looked relieved.
"I was going through a lot of emotions at that time, so I may also be at fault. I didn't know how to process such a thing, and I may have projected my anger on you, Misa-san"
He wasn't lying about that, either. Before he came to this session he could swear that it was not just a regular IV drip they stuck on him, but it was a mixture of anti-depressants, and it was making him numb to his environment.
"Perhaps you want to talk about it?" the therapist encouraged.
L for some reason snapped at this remark. He didn't want to be here at all, and they were forcing him to pour his feelings into this when he was already heavily drugged, resentful and rebellious.
"You know what, I just want people to just fuck off, and mind their own business" L shouted, to the shock and horror of Misa. "I am hurting all over, and people here think they know better than me when it comes to dealing with my own emotions, and force me to do things that I don't want to do. Can I even say no to this? I did not consent to any of this and yet here I am, heavily drugged and still required to tell my feelings to someone I barely even know. Well, I just want to say fuck you!"
Misa didn't know what to do with the sudden outburst, and just clasped her hands on her mouth, hoping that the therapist would say something, and he did. But not what she expected.
"Is that all?" the man said.
L completely lost it. He removed his IV and threw a chair, and just started thrashing the place until Watari came to stop him. Misa can only scream in frustration. L was cursing everybody left and right, until a blow to the head knocked him unconscious. Misa was in tears after witnessing this whole ordeal.
However, the therapist didn't seem affected by all of this.
"I am sorry for all this mess" Watari apologised.
"No worries. It really seems like he is dealing with a lot of stress, and I don't think I would be of any help if he thinks of me as an enemy" he admitted. "I suggest going through the medication as always, and let him be outside on his own, let him do his thing for now. he needs to cope on his own"
"I understand" Watari bowed as he carried L back to his room. But before leaving, he apologised to Misa too, who was caught in the crossfire.
Misa nodded, without saying anything.
It was clear at this point. L was hurting.
….
"Wake up, Lucas"
Teru gently shook Light awake as the pilot announced that they had safely landed. Light stirred a little at first, but shot awake when he realised that he had been sleeping on Teru's shoulders for the duration of the flight.
"I'm sorry! I didn't notice I fell asleep on your shoulder. I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable" Light blurted out, to which the man only laughed.
"It's alright, Lucas. It was just a while ago, and you looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn't want to wake you up unless it was necessary"
"You should have woken me up sooner…" Light was red from embarrassment of sleeping on a stranger.
"It's actually alright, we are already friends anyway."
To be fair, Teru could have woken Light up sooner, but he didn't because for some reason it made him excited at having Light sleep on his shoulder. He didn't want to wake him up until the very last moment, but he didn't want to say anything about it.
"Now, give me your bag, I'll help you out"
"Thanks." Light gave him his small bag that had all his important belongings. He knew this may not be safe but he was already too embarrassed to argue.
Fortunately, he didn't do anything that would generate any suspicion from Light. They went through immigration with no issues, and Light waited for Teru to take his own bags from the carousel. Teru hailed a taxi when they finally reached the exit, and gave him his address.
The first time Light went to a different country, he was drugged and unconscious for majority of the time. Considering this, he could not help but look in amazement as he saw a whole new country in front of him, which looked completely different from where he was used to. He did not realise that Teru had been looking at him the whole time.
"Welcome to New York, Lucas" he said casually as he watched Light look at the scenery.
It took them thirty minutes to arrive at Teru's place. The apartment was not so big, it was something a single man would live on. But it was perfectly clean, and there was nothing out of place. Light was impressed.
"This is a nice place" he said.
"Thank you, Lucas. This made me happy" he said awkwardly, as he headed to a room just beside the stairs. "You can use this room if you like"
He opened the door to the room and Light went to have a look. It was a simple looking room, with a bed, a study and closet. But it looked more spacious than the one he had previously in Whammy's house.
"This is perfect" Light said. "How much should I pay in rent?"
"No, no, you don't have to pay. I mean, this is a spare room I never use anyway, so feel free to use it"
"Oh, but I would feel guilty not paying rent"
"No, seriously, I don't want a fellow Japanese paying rent on something I got for free. I mean, this is paid for by the company anyway" Teru explained. "So if you're working for me then consider this as part of the salary"
Light thought about it for a second.
"That sounds great, Teru!" he said. "I'm gonna have to work hard for all the favour you've given me."
"I'll expect nothing less, Lucas" Teru smiled. "But we have travelled for such a long time, I think we should take a rest for today. Maybe take a shower? It is just down the hall."
"Yeah, maybe I'll do that" Light looked very happy at finding accommodations so quickly. It was very lucky of him to meet this generous guy.
It didn't take long for him to settle in. After he got a quick shower, he placed his things on his desk, and what few clothes he has on the closet. He took a few minutes to tidy up, but then he suddenly felt tired, maybe he is experiencing jet lag? He decided to sleep for a bit and allow his body to recover.
When he woke up, it was night already. He opened the door to see Teru preparing dinner.
"I ordered take out. I hope you like Chinese food. It's the only thing available"
"Oh, no. That's fine. Thank you"
They ate fried rice and dumplings together, and despite the quality of food Light enjoyed having rice again, as he hadn't had any during his stay at Whammy's House.
"How is it?"
"It's good"
Teru looked relieved.
"Tomorrow I promise I'll cook karaage or something"
"Oh, you don't have to. I can cook. It's the least I can do for letting me stay at your place for free."
"I'm sorry, but I just can't let a guest…"
Light quickly thought of something.
"Well, how about I cook and you wash the dishes after? That way I won't feel so guilty at not doing anything"
Teru considered for a moment.
"Alright, if you insist. But we do have a dishwasher just so you know"
"Oh", Light's family never had a dishwasher, but he heard that most American homes have one.
"But that's okay. I usually work late so I just eat out most of the time anyway" he explained. "If you cook something, I'll eat it."
"Thanks" Light really didn't want to be a burden to anyone, especially when he just arrived in this new, foreign place. At least he can do something to repay his kindness, and this way he can control what he eats.
The following day, Teru took him to where he was working, and introduced him to his colleagues. Light sat at the reception for a while as Teru talked to his manager about hiring Light for a part time position. The manager must have said yes because after an hour, one of the human resources personnel came to meet him and asked him to sign an employment contract. After carefully reading the terms of his employment, he signed it, and they shook hands. He was now officially hired.
Teru was pleased at him being hired, and made him work right away. He wasn't lying when he said he had a mountain of paperwork waiting for him when he returned. It was so piled up that you can't even see his desk anymore.
Light had to sort out all the files according to the case number, and arrange it into a nice folder and placed to the correct drawer. He also had to check the mail, make copies of certain files when needed, in short he was the legal errand boy. But Light wasn't about to complain. For one, he never actually finished his first year in university, so he would have to start from scratch on his next course. Another thing was that he was in a foreign country, so he really shouldn't be choosy with jobs.
At least he can get to walk around and explore not just the office, but the surrounding neighbourhood when he is tasked to deliver some letters or files for signing to a client. Sometimes he would stop and take a look at what New York looked like. In some way, it felt like he was in Tokyo again. Everyone was busy, the streets were crowded, and it was also a concrete jungle of sorts. But then there was the park. Sometimes he would take his time delivering the parcel to the client, and would just take a break there, and relax. For some reason, the park reminded him of Whammy House. Peaceful, full of energy, hidden away in the heart of the city. He wondered how they were going there?
Admittedly, he did not want to go back, but he sure missed the children there. Unconsciously he touched his stomach and remembered why he left. He didn't want to subject his child to that kind of mental anguish. He just hoped that the kids can cope well, and for L to finally choose a successor so that they stop that testing nonsense.
How was Near doing anyway? He was the most suitable candidate to become the next L, and if he was not too prying he could have been in good terms with him. But it always felt like he had to watch out for him somehow, and that there were always motives in whatever he does.
Light remembered the time and decided it was time to go back to work.
When he got back to work, Teru was waiting for him already.
"I think it's time to go home" he told him.
"Oh, but I still have a couple of things I have to do…"
"You can do it tomorrow. I don't want to let you do overtime work on your first day"
"But how about you? I thought you still have work to do?"
"I'm bringing them home" he told Light, and that was when he noticed that Teru was carrying a box full of documents.
"You shouldn't have to do that for me, either." Light said.
"It's fine. I'm looking forward to your cooking anyway" Teru smiled.
Light smiled back.
"Okay, but you really shouldn't overwork yourself for me"
They headed home after that, and Light made sure to cook something delicious. Although, unknown to him, anything he cooked would have made Teru happy anyway.