Chapter Text
“Where are we going?” L asked curiously, staring wide eyed out the window. “This isn’t the way to headquarters.”
Damn it, even tipsy, he’s really observant, Light thought, huffing out an annoyed breath. “Matsuda wants us to meet him for a couple drinks before we go back.”
“Of which you will not be partaking, Light,” his dad said sternly, eyeing him in the rear view mirror.
“Yeah, dad, I know,” Light said, laughing.
“Then why are we going? I don’t want any more to drink,” L said, pouting a little.
“You don’t have to drink anymore, Ryuzaki, but Misa will be there, and we figured this would be a good way to try making things up to her.”
Light blinked at that and then nodded. “That makes sense. So we stay for a bit and let her have some fun and then go back?”
“That was the idea.” His dad gave him another look in the rear view mirror, clearly amused over Light’s deliberate avoidance of bringing up the real point of meeting for drinks, and he grinned, giving his dad a slight shake of the head. The snort that left him told Light that he would suffer the consequences for not telling L, again, what was going on, and he just laughed. Oh, I know, dad. I can take whatever punishment he’ll dish out.
“Fine. Does this mean I’m paying for this?” L grumbled.
“Only if you want to?”
“Fine. I’ll text Watari later and get him to wire the money to whoever pays for it tonight.”
“Wow, Ryuzaki, that’s... generous,” Light said, blinking in surprise. “Aren’t you worried they’re going to take advantage of that?”
L gave him a Look. “I’m not going to announce that. We’ll just inform Matsuda to start a collective tab.”
“Well, you can tell him yourself, because we’re here,” his dad announced, pulling up in front of the bar. Which had a prominent sign reading ‘karaoke’. “Both of you out, I’ll be back when I find parking.”
“Okay!” Light said, grinning at the way L’s expression was rapidly morphing from resignation to one of abject horror. He grabbed L’s hand and tugged the sputtering man out of the car, calling to his dad, “See you in a few!”
“Light, NO, I am not doing this,” L sputtered indignantly, stumbling a little as Light pulled him towards the doorway.
“You don’t have to drink, and you probably won’t get signed up to sing, it’s fine,” Light countered, smiling wickedly at his boyfriend.
“Yeah, your words tell me I’m safe, but that smile tells me you’re going to immediately turn around and sign me up for something embarrassing,” L groused, not paying attention to anything else but Light as he led him into the bar, making a beeline for the diminutive blond goth dancing to the music.
“Busted!” Light laughed, squeezing his hand and tugging him forward so he could steer him towards the group, who were now waving them over to their booth. “You can always punish me for it however you see fit, later,” he said in L’s ear, low enough that no-one else could hear him over the music, and was gratified to hear the hitch in his boyfriend’s breathing. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“I kind of hate you right now,” L said, glancing back at him. “I thought we were going back. I had my own plans for you after being up in your room.” The way he surreptitiously looked Light up and down made his mouth go dry and his knees go a little weak, and it must have shown on his face, because L grinned wide, hooking one finger in his mouth and chewing on his nail in satisfaction.
“Damn, maybe I shouldn’t have been so gung ho about this karaoke thing, then,” Light said, shaking his head. As they got to the booth, Light leaned in and murmured right into L’s ear, “Let’s just see what happens, yeah? Now sit down, Ryuzaki.”
L sat, sliding into the booth beside Matsuda and shifting into his customary crouch. He was only slightly unsteady, and Matsuda immediately clapped him on the back, exclaiming, “Heeey, I’m glad you guys made it! We thought you weren’t going to come out.”
“Oh, we just didn’t tell him where we were going,” Light said with a laugh, ignoring the flat look L gave him in favour of nodding to everyone. Except Misa, who hugged him excitedly. He stifled a sigh and said, “Hey Misa. I take it your events went well?”
“So well! I made a little extra on the second one, so Matsui suggested we celebrate!” Misa gave Matsuda a happy smile and the rookie just blushed and saluted with his Sapporo, grinning widely. “So we decided, what better way than karaoke night?”
L snorted at that, muttering something under his breath, and Matsuda started, looking at him before asking, “What was that, Ryuzaki-san?”
“Nothing, Matsui-san, it was a stupid joke,” L replied, plucking up the cocktail menu and holding it in front of his face to peer at it. “What’s good to drink here?”
“Ryuzaki, I thought you didn’t want anything more to drink?” Light asked, grinning when everyone gaped at him and turned their attention to L, whose attention was still buried deep in the menu.
“Yes, well, I have a feeling more than one of you will try to sign me up for something embarrassing, so I’m going to need a little bit of liquid courage,” L replied, finally bringing the menu down and blinking in surprise at the expressions on everyone’s faces. “Uh. What?”
“You’ve already been drinking?” Aizawa asked, frowning slightly.
“And I missed it?!” Matsuda asked excitedly, elbowing L playfully in the side.
“Ooh, Ryuzaki’s getting adventurous!” Misa exclaimed, sliding into the booth beside L and draping an arm around him. “Welcome to the land of normal people, it’s fun here!”
“Could you all please stop making such a big deal about it? It was literally half a glass of wine,” L said with a scowl, hunching down over his knees.
“Well, are you looking for a mixed drink, more wine, or beer, or a cooler or something?” Matsuda asked, smiling. “I know all the best drinks in all categories.”
L stared at him for a second and then began ticking points off on his fingers, clearly ignoring the way Misa was playing with the collar on his sweater. Light certainly noticed, leaning in to grab her by the hand and tug her back. “Something sweet, preferably mixed, not strong, and doesn’t taste too much like alcohol.”
“What is it, Light?” Misa asked, smiling up at him.
“Minty? Fruity? Chocolate-y?”
“What are you doing?” Light asked curiously, glancing to L again. Damn, L, you’re like a magnet, pulling everyone’s attention today.
“Oh, nothing, I just really like that sweater on him,” Misa responded, shrugging. Her expression turned sly as she asked pointedly, “Did you pick it out for him?” Shit. I keep forgetting that she’s a little more shrewd than I usually give her credit for.
“Surprise me.”
Matsuda laughed. “Oh, I know exactly what you’ll like. Let me out.”
“Matsuda-san, before you go, if you haven’t already, you should start a tab for this table.”
Misa glanced back and immediately stood up, giggling as she whispered to Light, “Did you really not tell him we were going out for karaoke? That’s mean. What if I sign him up for ‘Like A Virgin’ or something?”
“Yeah, he’ll never sing that in a million years, Misa,” Light said, not even looking when he caught L’s wrist to steady him as he slid out of the booth again. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Light-kun.” L tugged his wrist out of Light’s hand and looked between them curiously. “What are we talking about?”
“How you should wear stuff like this more often,” Misa said promptly, grinning. “You look almost presentable today. Now, if you’d just let me do something about those eye baggies, you could almost be hot.” She reached up to poke at L’s face, but he caught her fingers before they could get near his eyes, giving her an annoyed scowl.
“We were not talking about that,” Light laughed, and L just stared at the both of them with wide eyes as Matsuda edged out around them and started for the bar.
“You know what I think you should do if you ever decide to get really adventurous, Ryuzaki?” Misa said, leaning in close and smiling up at him, tugging her fingers from his grasp.
“Nope.”
“You should go full goth!”
L stared at her and then looked over at Light with an amused smirk on his lips. “Light-kun, is goth like emo?”
Light burst out laughing as Misa went, “Huh?!” Oh, L. Quit teasing her.
“There are similarities in the fashion,” Light said when he finally got himself under control. “And I already told him something like that today, Misa. So he’s aware.”
While they were talking, L had sat back down and scooted right to the back of the booth, staring at Light as if pleading him to read his mind. He could hazard a guess as to what L wanted.
“Where is Matsuda?” his dad’s voice sounded just then from behind him, and Light turned around.
“He went to the bar. Said he was going to grab something for Ryuzaki.” He arched an eyebrow at that, and Light laughed and said, “I know. Don’t ask.”
When his dad went to sit beside Aizawa, Misa leaned up to kiss his cheek and said, “I’m gonna go sign up for a song, okay?” Her gaze slid to L and she grinned. “And find something for him to sing. I’ve always wanted to hear what he sounds like.”
“Alright, you do that,” Light laughed, immediately slipping into the booth beside L.
“Let me guess,” L said in a flat monotone, watching Misa bounce up to the stage. “She’s signing me up.”
“Yup.”
“She isn’t even trying to be subtle.”
Light laughed, stretching one arm across the back of the booth and letting the fingers of his other hand stroke idly against L’s ankle, only hearing the soft inhale because he was sitting right beside him. “It’s Misa, do you honestly expect anything else?”
L’s response was cut off by Matsuda’s return, announcing, “One strawberry daiquiri as requested!”
The expression on L’s face once he had tried the (very pink) cocktail telegraphed his pleasure quite clearly, and Light laughed when he immediately declared, “Matsuda-san, you have exceeded expectations. Good job.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s a girl’s drink, but okay,” Aizawa piped up dryly, rolling his eyes and taking a swig of his beer. L fixed him with a blank stare and sucked on the straw, seemingly unperturbed by the attempted blow to his masculinity. Light found his lack of reaction especially hilarious given how embarrassed L had been when Light had teased him about the pop music on his iPod.
Still, the insult annoyed him, so he squeezed his fingers lightly around L’s ankle in solidarity before pointing out calmly, “And I’m pretty sure he is allowed to drink whatever he wants, Aizawa. It’s still alcohol.”
The quiet chuckle that escaped Mogi made him smile in satisfaction, and Aizawa just shrugged, murmuring, “Touché.”
It seemed like fortuitous timing that Misa returned then, announcing loudly, “I ordered a round of chocolate cake shots! Who wants one?”
“How many did you order?” Aizawa asked, frowning. He didn’t seem enthused.
“One for everyone, of course!”
Light winced at that, and glanced towards his father. “Um, Misa, I’m not...”
“I would prefer not to have any shots, Misa,” the man cut in, adjusting his glasses in slight irritation. He nudged Matsuda out of the booth and added, “And it looks like at least one of us needs to stay relatively sober tonight.”
“So there’s going to be two extra shots, Yagami-san,” L called, giggling a little when the man just waved irritably at him. He looked at Light and added, “What are the odds he’ll let you have just one shot?”
“Slim.” Light rolled his eyes and smirked. “Besides, maybe I don’t want to drink, anyway.”
“I know you snuck a sip of my wine, Light-kun,” L pointed out dryly, taking another sip of his own drink as he stared Light down. How could he possibly know that, he wasn’t even looking at me, Light thought, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at him.
“Light, you had wine too?” Misa asked, laughing as she tugged at his arm. It took him a moment to tear his gaze away from L’s, but he finally managed it, putting on a haughty expression.
“It was just a sip. If Ryuzaki didn’t want me drinking any, he shouldn’t have set it down.” He could hear L’s disbelieving snort and he fought to maintain his dignity, even as his face heated. Shut up, L... “Besides, I didn’t really care for it. It was too sweet.”
“Oh, so perfect for Ryuzaki, then,” Aizawa joked, leaning on the table and reaching across to clink his beer can against L’s glass. “Just kidding. It’s nice to see you doing normal things for once.”
“Why does everyone think I don’t do ‘normal’ things?” L asked, rolling his eyes when everyone laughed at his use of air quotes. “What? Did I do that wrong?”
Light closed his fingers around L’s and pressed his hand to the table. “You did it right. Stop worrying. It’s all in fun, Ryuzaki.”
L’s little ‘hmmph’ was overshadowed by the arrival of the shots, though as the bartender left, he did take that moment to point out with a mischievous grin, “Yagami-san isn’t here right now. As lead detective, I say you’re allowed one shot if you want it, Light-kun.”
“Light, won’t your dad be upset?” Matsuda said, glancing towards the bar.
“We’re all supervising him, it’s not like we’ll let him get drunk,” Aizawa countered, grinning. “What the chief doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“Yeah, come on, Light, just do one shot with us,” Misa said, laughing and reaching for one of the shot glasses and a slice of lemon. “Come on, guys, bottoms up!” She raised the shot in a mock toast, licking the sugar off the rim and downing the liquid, giggling as she sucked on the lemon.
L stared over at her, and then watched the others with confused eyes as they followed suit. “I don’t understand. How is this combination supposed to taste like chocolate cake?”
“Just do it, Ryuzaki,” Misa laughed. Light privately agreed with L, but shrugged and glanced quickly to the bar to see if his dad was on the way back before taking his shot.
“Weird. It does taste like chocolate cake,” he remarked in surprise, stuffing the lemon into his empty shot glass. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw L hesitate and then finally take one of the remaining shots. “So who is going to have the last one, since dad doesn’t want it?”
“Me!” Misa chirped brightly, only for L to let out an irritated sound. Both she and Light turned to look at him.
“What, do you like it?” Light asked, amused by the annoyed look on L’s face. The man spat the lemon rind out onto the table, and Light laughed. “Okay, I don’t think you were supposed to eat the lemon, Ryuzaki.”
“Whatever.” L leaned forward and looked at the NPA officers sitting across from them. “Hey. Do any of you want the last shot?”
A chorus of ‘no’s left them with varying degrees of amusement and L turned to give Misa a slightly creepy grin. “I want it.”
“I ordered them, I should get the last one!”
“You know you could just order another one-“ Light started, only to be cut off on both sides with nearly identical ‘Shut up, Light!’s. Oh great. Now L and Misa were joining forces to be obnoxious? He exchanged an amused look with the others, leaning back with his arms folded in exasperation.
“Misa, if you’re trying to make this a challenge, you are not going to win.”
Misa just snorted and stabbed a finger towards L, grinning broadly. “Please. If I challenge you to something musical, I bet I’ll win!”
Light glanced between them and sighed. “I’m going to the bathroom. Misa, let me out.”
“Okay!” She immediately moved, and Light gave her an incredulous look when she just scrambled back into the booth beside L and continued to argue with him over their little ‘challenge’, the prize effectively forgotten. Great, what have I done? he thought, heading off towards the bathrooms.