Cloak and Dagger

Chapter 35

"I'm so glad you're out already, Eto."

"Hush, Mito-nee." I chide Misa gently, straightening her disguise glasses for her as she focuses on the road. She smiles, nodding with gratitude.

"I didn't tell Ryuta to send you to pick me up for no reason, you know."

"Oh? Is something going on?"

"Did you bring my bag?"

"Just like you asked. Now, tell me!"

"... His birthday is at the end of the month."

"Oh, wow, really?! What day?!"

"Halloween. Wakasa-ooji told me." I say. "But, well, we might not even make it that far. I wanted you to come with me and help me figure out what to get him."

"Eh? But, Mito isn't good at getting presents for introverted geniuses." Misa murmurs.

"No. I more need you to help if I can't make up my mind, or if I... lose hope, I guess. Mito-nee is an amazing cheerleader."

"Now, that I can do!" Misa grins as she pulls into Shibuya.

~~~~~

"This is hopeless." I mumble.

"Come on, Eto! Don't you give up on me!" Misa exclaims, tugging on my arm.

"Oh, come on, Mito-nee! I barely have any money left from last time I was with Sachiko-obachan!" I groan. "The only things I've seen that I might even consider getting for him have been way out of my reach! And what the hell am I supposed to get for someone like Ryuta?"

Misa pauses, chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully.

"Well, I can honestly say that the best thing for him would be having you at his side to share the day with."

"Oh, don't give me that crap."

"Hey, you're not looking when he's watching you with the goofiest little smile on his face."

"Are we talking about the same man?"

"I'm glad you asked!"

Misa whips out her phone. I watch in disbelief as she pulls up a photo of me and L at the computers. I'm clearly absorbed in whatever I'm doing at that time, mouth half-open as I work things out aloud. Rather than working at his own computer, L is focusing on me. Like Misa said, he has a tiny smile on his lips that can honestly only be described as goofy – innocently enamoured by what he's witnessing.

"And he refused to leave your side while you were unconscious." Misa informs me. "We had to drag him out after visiting hours, every day."

"I cannot believe that." I mumble. "Not when he had to work."

"Work?!" Misa scoffs. "Eto, the entire reason he's still able to work on this case is because you're here. Because you not only keep him physically capable of doing all of this, you're his motivation. He wants to finish this job so you can be okay. When you were out, he was a different person. It was like..."

Misa lowers her voice.

"It was like someone had proven for a fact that Light wasn't Kira. He didn't have any leads, anything to go on. He was just out."

"That can't be." I murmur. Misa takes hold of my hands, making sure she has my absolute attention.

"Other than Wakasa-ooji, you're the only one who's ever become important to him." Misa says. "He really, really loves you."