March
L awoke at three in the morning, and spent the next ten minutes convincing himself that it wasn't a nightmare that had roused him. Denying his sleep daemons had become easier the more used to a minimal sleep schedule his mind and body became. That night L had only fallen asleep at midnight, and three hours of sleep was more than enough for him to get through a school day.
With that thought in mind, he got dressed. L knew that the rest of the campus wouldn't be up and about in at least another three hours. He reasoned that he could spend this time at the closest open cafe. Caffeine and sugar was sounding good right now.
Before L left the room, he let his eyes fall on his still sleeping roommate. For a moment, he considered drawing on the boy's face. Considering how much he slept each night, L doubted that the sensation would wake him up.
"Light-kun would look funny with a mustache," L mused.
Sure, he'd look funny, but he would also be furious. L weighed the chances that 'Light' would kill him should he execute this prank.
"Maybe next time," he decided, leaving the room without bothering Light in the slightest.
L found a cafe near the campus rather quickly. He ordered a slice of cake and a coffee, and sat at one of the many empty tables. To his surprise he wasn't the only person in the coffee shop. That being said, there were only two other people. L let himself relax as he ate his breakfast, to occupy his brain he decided to read ahead in the book that he'd been assigned for World Literature.
"L!" A high voice broke through the peaceful atmosphere, surprising but not startling him.
"Misa-chan, what are you doing awake at this hour?" L folded the corner of the page he was on a closed his book.
"I could ask you the same thing," she giggled, taking a seat in the chair across from him.
"I don't sleep," he stated.
"At all?" She seemed to believe him.
"How did you think the bags under my eyes became this dark?" He asked with a slight smile.
"You're pulling my leg," she crossed her arms.
"Only a little," he admitted. "I get the minimum amount of sleep needed for me to function."
"You make yourself sound like a machine," she let him know.
"I suppose I do," L shrugged off this observation. "What are you doing awake this early?"
"I had an early photoshoot." She placed her elbows on the table and her head on her hands as she spoke. "I'm a model."
"I see." L considered asking her to leave, but suddenly remembered his promise to Mello that he would be nice to one person. He doubted that a girl like Misa was what Mello had pictured for L's one friend, but L doubted that anyone else would be so willing to talk to him. Misa didn't seem that bad, and the fact that she looked close to his roommate could prove to be amusing later.
"Are you going to order something?" He asked politely.
"I'm on a diet," she said rather proudly.
"That must be awful." L couldn't fathom how this skinny girl had gotten it into her head that she needed to loose weight.
"It's worth it," she said in an assuring tone, but this didn't stop him from doubting her words. "Is Raito still sleeping?"
"He was when I left to room."
"Why are you sitting like that?" Misa must have been trying to find a topic of conversation. Having failed at doing so, she was now asking L every question that came to her mind.
"It increases my mental ability by forty-percent," he answered.
"Oh," her expression showed that she didn't deem this a worthy reason.
"Misa, what is your major?" He really wanted to ask 'how on Earth did you get into To-Oh?' but knew that would be rude and end the conversation.
"History," she said with a smile.
"I see," L hadn't expected this. "You like the subject?"
"It's the only thing I'm good at school-wise," Misa admitted. "I like the past, it's like a story. In high-school I was the only one of my friends who didn't think it was boring."
"Except for Raito-kun," L assumed.
"Yeah," Misa admitted. "Although it was hard to talk to him about school."
"Has Raito-kun complained about me to you?" L wondered.
"A lot," she said with an honesty that he appreciated. "Do you really eat that much candy?"
"I prefer sweet things," he told her.
"You're kind of weird, you know," she said with a smile.
"Yes, I know."
"Not a bad weird," she continued. "But you're definitely not normal. You're a good fit for Raito."
"By fit you mean…?" He looked to her for clarification.
"He needs something different in his life," she said this with a hint of melancholy in her voice.
"We're not friends," he reminded her.
"You will be soon enough," she dismissed.
"If I were you I would lower my expectations," he advised her.
"No chance!" Misa giggled again.
"Then we'll just have to wait and see how things turn out," he mused.
"Give me your number," she suddenly ordered.
"What?"
"You have a cell phone, right?" she didn't want for an answer before pulling out her own. "What's your number?"
"Why do you need this?" he asked slowly.
"So I can talk to you silly!" she exclaimed. He stared. "So we can gossip about Raito."
"That's a slightly better bargain." Reluctantly he told her his number.
One friend. He reminded himself.
—
L expected to beat his roommate to their room once the school day had commenced. Having no where to go after his last class, L returned there as quickly as he could. Although he had no conformation of this, L imagined that Light took his time with getting back. He knew that a good percentage of the student body had gone to the same high school as Light, and didn't doubt that the boy had many friends he could spend his time with at the end of the day. That being said, he also could tell that Light was the driven type and would want to start his studying as soon as he could. Therefore, L was more than a little surprised when it took Light an hour and a half to make it back to their room, and even more surprised at the state the boy was in.
When Light aggressively pushed the door to their room open, the first thing that L noticed was the bruise beginning to form over his roommate's eye. The next was the dirt stains on his crumpled shirt and rip at the knee of his pants. L had watched Light lay these clothes out the night before, and they had been in pristine and ironed condition then.
"What happened to you?" L voiced, knowing it came out more as curiosity than concern.
Light didn't answer. Instead he dropped his book bag in the middle of the ground and sank into a slumped position on his bed, his head in his hands.
"Are you alright?" L asked.
"I'm fine," Light's voice was stiff and bitter.
"You don't look fine," L had to say.
"Shut up," Light snapped. "Just leave me alone."
"I didn't realize you were the type to get into fights," L said more to himself than to Light.
"I said: leave me alone!" Light growled, looking up to glare at L.
"Did you start it?" L asked, his voice neutral.
"No," Light hissed. "I don't start fights."
"I see."
"But if someone tries to hit me I'm not going to stand their and let them do it." L knew that the anger he was seeing was toward whoever Light had been fighting with, not him.
"Them?" L noticed. "There was more than one person?"
"Why do you care?" Light asked with venom in his tone.
"I don't like not knowing things," L admitted.
Light rolled his eyes.
"I don't like being interrogated," with this he laid down.
"You're going to get your bed dirty," L informed him.
"Shut up," Light sounded more tried than angry.
L fished his phone out of his pocket and clicked in the number that Misa had given him that morning. He quickly typed out a text. Having to translate his wit into messages when trying to communicate with Mello or Beyond had made him a fast texter.
Raito got into a fight. He is now moping. What do I do? —L
Misa replied in a manner of seconds, and L was surprised to find that she was faster than him. Although she did use short cuts, while L preferred to fully and correctly spell out words.
OMG! What? Is he OK?
L registered the urge to scoff at her word choice, he understood that she was concerned.
He seems fine, but he's in a bad mood.
Dn't bug him. Misa advised. Do u no who he fought w/?
No.
Two seconds later L heard Light's phone go off from across the room. Light groaned, but picked it up. L watched him read the texts that he had no doubt were from Misa.
"I could have told her myself," Raito said to L. "Now she's not going to stop spamming me."
"You're welcome," L attempted a joke.
"Yeah." He could practically hear Raito rolling his eyes.
"Tell her I'm taking a nap," Raito instructed.
"Alright," L said compliantly.
Raito says he's sleeping. L typed into his phone.
Sending imaginary L candy (and not just the wrappers) to Corliss Kat for the prediction!