A/N: WOW, last time I updated this, I got 493 hits on my stories. Just...wow. To small fry like myself, that is astounding. However...I didn't get many reviews. Did lots of people look and just not like it? What does this mean? I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE! :P
So. This chapter. I'm surprised by how long it is. But whatever. I like it. And I'm about to play Kingdom Hearts with my friend, so my happiness in complete. :D
Carry on!
Chapter 5
Light could almost literally see the wheels turning in L's head. The detective's hair, if one squinted, seemed to be swirling gently, and Light swore he could hear a gentle squeaking emitting from near the man's ear.
He vaguely wondered if it was possible to WD40 someone's brain.
However, Light kept his musings to himself in favor of continuing to watch L's fascinating thought process.
The two geniuses were currently on the bus back to headquarters, and the 30 minute ride was all the time L was afforded to come up with a plausible reason why he and Light needed to visit Disneyworld.
It was, indeed, a bit of a conundrum. L did have acquaintances in L.A., but that wasn't going to help them. Happy the clown had not gone to Disneyland, after all.
So Light watched as L's eyes got stormier and stormier, and his posture exponentially worse. Then, all at once, it was as if the sun had broken through the clouds. L's grey eyes sparkled, and a smile quirked at his lips.
He had an alibi.
L spent the rest of the ride whispering the details of their ploy into Light's ear.
Light spent it trying not to concentrate on the feeling of L's lips lightly brushing his earlobe. He was somewhat less successful in his endeavor than his companion.
So it was that, when they stepped off the elevator and into the room full of policemen waiting for them to speak, Light had absolutely no idea what their excuse was. Or even why they needed an excuse in the first place.
Fortunately, L was prepared enough for the both of them.
"Our lead proved to be both trustworthy and valuable. I will not bore you with the details; suffice it to say that there is now ample reason to believe that Ray Penber's fiancé, Naomi Misora, was last seen in Disneyworld, Florida, after which time she was never heard from again".
The team's reactions ranged from Matsuda's idolized awe to Aizawa's general indifference. Seriously, who expects a man to get enthusiastic while he's in the middle of teasing his 'fro?
Sochiro Yagami was the first to speak up. "I take it that you two will be going to Florida in order to follow up on this?"
"Precisely", L replied, pleased with how smoothly his plan was unfolding.
"GASP! Light is going to America!!!??? MISA MISA IS GOING TO AMERICA, TOO!!!"
L and Light both winced and turned around to find Misa, half-clothed, standing in the doorway.
"And why would Misa Misa be going to America?" L inquired.
"Because I just got a television promotion deal there! I was going to turn it down, so that Light wouldn't pine away without me", here Light subtly rolled his eyes, "but now that he is going too…Misa Misa will fly out with you!"
"We will be leaving tomorrow, you realize" L tried to dissuade her.
"Oh, perfect! Misa Misa's shoot is in three days, so that is ideal!"
"And Misa does realize that we will not be able to stay with her once in the United States?"
"Oh, yes, Misa Misa knows, since the shoot is in L.A., and you and Light have to go to Disneyworld. But I can fly to New York with you!"
Seeing no subtle way around it, and knowing that he needed to keep from alienating the potential second Kira, L gave in.
"EEEEeeeee! This is going to be so much fun!!! Misa Misa needs to go pack!"
"And get fully clothed", Light muttered under his breath as the petite blonde scurried off to her room. L was the only one who heard him, and he didn't try to hide his smile as he 'accidentally' brushed Light's hand with the back of his own.
Light scooched closer to the detective, hiding their hands behind their bodies so he could intertwine his fingers with L's.
"As Light-kun and I have some packing and other preparations of our own, we will now be retiring to our room. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 7 AM, and any of you who wish may come to the airport to see us off".
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Light hugged his father goodbye just outside of Security the next morning, looking over his dad's shoulder to witness L performing a similar ritual with Watari.
Their respective parental figures were the only members of the team who had elected to come see them off. Of course, everyone else had a good excuse not to.
Except perhaps Aizawa. He claimed his hair was feeling flat, and he couldn't be seen in public. Which, come to think of it, may have seemed to Aizawa like a perfectly legitimate reason.
After their farewells, the three travelers proceeded to the security check-through. L got held up by all of his technological equipment, but made up for lost time by having shoes that slipped off easily.
The chain, however, which L had stored in his carry-on in case of an emergency requiring that Light be attached to him by 6 feet of metal, was not airline approved.
He was directed off to the side, an airport police officer ushering him inside a plexiglass room. L crouched on an orange plastic chair, only to find himself seated next to Misa.
She gestured to her excessive amount of jewelry and shrugged.
Then they were both met by their respective security officers and instructed to stand up legs apart and arms out on little mats. The officers then ran a metal detecting wand over them, followed by a good old-fashioned pat-down.
L could see Light laughing on the other side of the Plexiglas, and stuck his tongue out at the boy. He should have made Light carry the bag with the chain in it.
For one reason or another, the metal detector kept going off over L's abdomen. He wondered if it was possible to eat enough sugar that it hardened and condensed into a metal in one's stomach.
In any case, the security officer was not pleased with him, and was going to demand a full strip search. L quickly peeled off his shirt, figuring that a bit of public embarrassment would be more palatable than a private, entirely nude encounter likely involving an invasion of orifices.
Glancing over at Light, who was doing his very best not to obscenely stare at L's half-naked form, L contemplated that perhaps, under certain circumstances, a private strip search might not be so horrendous.
When L's officer was at last appeased that he wasn't packing heat, the man allowed him to join his companions on the other side of the glass.
Light had his eyes fixed like glue on the swirly blue carpet, and when L went and stood next to him his face lit up like a Christmas tree. Or a Menorah. Or, well, take your pick.
L was pleased that he could elicit this kind of reaction, but was a little confused as to how…until Misa decided her alter-ego superhero was Captain Obvious.
"L, you don't have your shirt on!"
"Misa Misa, please, while we're in public you must refer to me as Ryuzaki. But thank you for alerting me to my state of undress". L noted happily that Light's Adam's apple bobbed up and down when he said this. It was far too easy and fun to make Light uncomfortably aroused.
However, as nearly the entire wing of the airport had gathered round and were snapping pictures of the odd man standing shirtless in the middle of the terminal, L decided it was time to re-cover his physique.
Light finally looked up from the carpet, and his face could have been next to the word 'relief' in the dictionary. 9 out of 10 doctors agree that it is disarmingly hard to control one's impulses when faced with a shirtless L.
The 10th doctor was on LSD at the time of the interview, and seemed convinced that L was actually a set of floral curtains.
In any case, there were no more snags, naked or otherwise, until they were boarding the plane. There, the stewardess politely informed them that the flight was overbooked, and only one of the three first class seats Watari had reserved was available.
L and Light turned toward Misa, their faces identical expressions of concern.
"Misa Misa, you should take the first class seat. We don't want your delicate constitution in amongst all those…commoners"
"He's right, Misa. We don't want you to have to eat the Economy class meal".
"You boys are so good to Misa! Of course, I would rather Light have the first class seat…but if you insist…"
"YES! Yes, of course you should have it!"
"Okay! Oops! I guess that means I'm boarding now. I'll see you two in New York!"
The fact that L was smooshed against the window and Light was half sitting on him, if only in order to avoid being sat upon himself by the large woman on his other side, was entirely worth not having Misa with them.
Indeed, the woman was quite pleasant, aside from taking up half of Light's seat in addition to her own. She didn't attempt any awkward conversation, and fell asleep shortly after takeoff.
Light occupied himself for some time with the television in the back of the seat in front of him. He became rather entranced with an American show called 'Mad Men', although he tried to deny that he liked it primarily because of the snazzy suits all the men were wearing.
After several hours, however, Light found himself completely and inexplicably worn out. He reached over L with the intention of closing the shade, but only ever got halfway to his goal.
L stared curiously down at his companion, who had abruptly fallen asleep with his head on L's shoulder and his arm in L's lap.
He poked experimentally at the Light's sleeping form, but he might as well have been trying to revive a rock.
L gave a small sigh even as a smile crept over his face. There went his chances of joining the Mile High Club. Well, they still had the return trip. Hope sprung eternal.
It wasn't exactly surprising to L that he didn't sleep for the entire trip. Instead he ate the mediocre squares of cheesecake from his, Light's, and the anonymous lady's dinners and watched their airplane move over the little flight map on the television screen.
It was a long, long while until they reached their destination in Florida, involving several plane changes, the most felicitous of which was the transfer in New York, where Misa bid them a tearful farewell.
Light was either asleep or groggy for the entire trip. His expensive taste, however, alerted him just in time to awaken for their arrival by cab to the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
Sumptuous was the first word to enter Light's mind as he hauled his and L's luggage into the lobby. L himself had gone ahead to check in with Reception, leaving Light to marvel at the vaulted, gold-gilded ceiling and small potted palm trees surrounding plush, luxurious armchairs in green, white, and pink.
Still slightly dazed from his day of sleeping, Light smiled goofily as the colors began to spin before his eyes…
And then a firm hand was steering him towards an old-fashioned gold-cage elevator. He was as concerned as someone with all the spunk and zeal of sea slug could be until the nice person with their hand on his arm assured him it was simply a modern elevator with a faux-metal exterior.
The next thing Light knew, he was lying face down on the most amazing comforter and pillows he had ever felt. It even smelled faintly of lavender.
His happiness was completed when a warm, if somewhat bony, body snuggled up against his own.
Light knew he should be more concerned about being halfway across the world, on a wild goose chase for a psychotic clown, but as L placed a soft kiss on his temple and wrapped his long arms more securely around Light's form, Light realized that he just couldn't bring himself to care.
A/N: I don't know about you, but I ALWAYS get soooo tired when I travel. Doesn't matter how much I sleep, it isn't enough. *sigh*