Author's Note: I know the timeline of this is messed up. In canon, Light has his memories back and L is even dead at this point… Just suspend your disbelief for this one fic. Thanks:)

And I suppose Light is off the chain, just for this one holiday… mainly because L (shockingly) wants to help cook, so that they'll have all the dishes he wants (and since L is probably still forcing Light to stay in the same room as him and they have cameras everywhere).

Originally, this was going to be shippy. But it didn't quite get that far. So, you all can see this as friendship or shippy. Whichever you prefer.

A Day Off

L's PoV

"...I mean, I'm looking forward to a break as much as the next person, Ryuzaki. But do you really want to celebrate Thanksgiving—and America's Thanksgiving, for some reason—when Kira's still at large?"

And here, L tried to not let his anger at Light's questioning him show (but how Light's contradicting him twenty-four/seven didtick him off, and keep him up twenty-four/seven as he tried to decipher it).

"Light-kun", said L, as he very unselfishly helped Watari prepare a cranberry and orange sauce they were making for the rolls that had just come out of the oven. "As I'm sure you're aware, we have reached a temporary block in this investigation. In fact, as I recall it, you were the one who told me we had hit a wall... and that I just refused to see it, since I apparently want you to be Kira and will investigate no other leads: your words, not mine. So, to that end, I think we are allowed to cook a Thanksgiving meal while we work, even if it does distract us. I think a distraction is exactly what we need right now, to rejuvenate our minds again. Now, please: stand out of the way of the blueberry pie that's in the oven."

It was quite a tragic thing to L, that such a scrumptious dessert was about to be burnt, simply because Light-kun refused to accept the nice thing he was doing in giving them all a holiday. Blueberry may not have been L's favorite flavor of baked good, but in the detective's mind... any food covered in sugar that met an untimely end, was a crime.

Apparently, Light didn't need to be told twice. He stood aside without much more preamble, and L was able to rescue the glorious dish from the oven. He then lovingly put it on the counter.

It was when L forgot himself for a second—and was about to eat a piece of the pie already, not even thinking on how he would scald his tongue—that Light seemed to remember he was capable of movement and slapped L's hand away... Something L would find himself being thankful of later, even if he hated being in Light Yagami's debt.

"Ryuzaki... I still feel there has to be some ulterior motive as to why you're doing this. I would believe you were trying to give us all a holiday, if you were sending everyone home to be with their families. But you're not. So, I can't cancel out the possibility that you're using Thanksgiving to... get off somehow. I feel the power that you have over people is something you use to get off on, I mean… Either that, or you're trying to prove I'm Kira with this. Somehow. But how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not, Ryuzaki?"

L was about to tell Light that if anyone got off on power, it was him. Since he had long ago deduced that the teen had a rather large praise fetish. But he was interrupted from doing this, when everyone came into the kitchen to finally get some food.

Soichiro was cutting the turkey and passing it out on plates… Mogi was heating up cider for everyone... And Aizawa was finishing up the rice he'd been cooking. Matsuda, of course, got the whipped cream out of the fridge, in case the one that Watari was whipping at the moment didn't turn out.

"Thank you so much for all of this, Ryuzaki!" Matsuda called, as he got a piece of cherry pie and put some strawberries onto it—forgetting his whipped cream that fast, and the version of it that Watari was currently burning—"everything's amazing!"

And the rest of the task force shared that sentiment, before filing out of the room.

Then and only then—when L was feasting on some pumpkin spice flavored turkey—did he answer Light's question, as the youth simply pawed at a vegetable tray. "...I suppose you're not wrong, Light-kun."

It took Light a moment to figure out what L meant by that—but he did eventually do so, and L was mildly impressed by it—and then he was nearly knocking his broccoli to the kitchen floor in surprise. "Ryuzaki... we're celebrating the American day for Thanksgiving, aren't we? And whenever you speak English, you have an accent... And not an American one. You're British, aren't you? And what? Are you still somehow sore about the U.S. declaring their independence or whatever? And are trying to show them up by proving you can take their version of Thanksgiving and make it better?"

L said nothing to this, because the truth was that Light had hit the nail on the head and now that he heard his brilliant plan out loud, it did sound quite mad.

But L's silence must have been answer enough, because Light angrily threw a dish towel down—why, L could only guess at-and turned towards him to shout, "Ryuzaki, that's insan-"

"Are you really that startled I'd try to one-up someone, Light?" L interrupted his "friend", feeling embarrassed despite himself as he surely blushed. At least he had shaved his eyebrows, and Light wouldn't be able to see any emotion on his face in that way... "Though I couldn't care less about the their declaring their independence part. Good for the old US of A. I just care about being better than someone. And besides, doing this allows me to have good food and celebrate Thanksgiving twice, seeing as how I of course celebrate the Harvest Festival."

And speaking of the good food… perhaps Watari hadn't burnt the whipped cream as much as they had feared! L's father figure was motioning for him to try some of his batch right now. And as L was never one to turn down dessert, he took a spoonful of it and instantly tasted bless. He gave Watari a big thumbs up, while Light continued to be baffled beside him.

"You're unbelievable," Light accused, with a shake of his head and his hands crossed over his chest. He seemed to have forgotten about his lovely tomatoes, broccoli, and celery entirely.

L just shrugged at the comment. "Think on the bright side, Light-kun. I've chosen to compete with someone else today, so you have the day off."

Naturally, Light looked furious for L's words—and the detective imagined that he might punch him again for them—but he quickly got it together and said while pinching the bridge of his nose, "Happy Thanksgiving, Ryuzaki."

And now Light, miracle of miracles, was going for the blueberry pie. It seemed that just for this one day, he was okay with foregoing his perfect looks.

L almost smiled at that. Almost.

Instead, he settled for worrying his lip between his teeth and replying, "And happy Thanksgiving to you too, Light-kun."