(A/N): This is a oneshot between my favorite hetero couple from DN. No, there will not be a sequel.

Vaccine

"Amane-san, I know you're not as dumb as you act to be."

The phrase spoken from his lips made her mouth open. Her facial features smoothed out as she blinked once, twice at L. He stared back at her, eyes as black as the new moon sky. His knees pulled to his chest in that awkward position he sat in, and a plate with a cake slice on the table; earlier he had offered her one, but she declined.

Wiping the surprise from her face, she smiled widely at him. "What are you talking about, Ryuuzaki? I don't act unless I'm on TV."

L stabbed the spongy cake with his fork and brought it to his mouth, yet did not eat it. "You insult me, Amane-san," he said rashly, "I know when I'm right, and I know I'm right at this. You act dumb to gain attention."

Misa pouted madly at L. "I don't act dumb at all, Ryuuzaki! How dare you say that!"

Then L put down his fork, the cake only half-way eaten. He spun his swivel chair around and gave Misa his full attention. "Then are you insinuating that you are dumb?"

"Of course not! Misa-Misa is not dumb!"

"I am not talking about Misa-Misa. I am talking about Amane Misa. Is Amane Misa dumb?"

Misa wasn't sure what to say. This conversation was much too radical for her taste. No one had ever asked her such questions. This was harder than being interrogated; at least she knew the answers when she was interrogated. However, as L studied her, she suddenly became frazzled by L's interrogation on her 'playing dumb', because no one has ever been as blunt as he has. No one has ever confronted her about it; because, yes, she did act that way. Misa-Misa was that way, but not Amane Misa.

"Well?" L egged on.

Misa chewed on her lips and shook her head. "No. I am not dumb."

L gave the briefest of nods, then returned to eating his cake. Misa sat on the couch behind his chair, looking down at her striped stockings she had on. She felt uncomfortable, yet, it wasn't so uncomfortable she wanted to leave. While L did make her nervous with his wide eyes and questions, he also made her think about things she usually pushed to the back of her head. He was the first not to be caught in her web of make-believe-everything-is-wonderful-in-Misa's-little-head. He made her wonder why she weaved that web in the first place. Why did she want people to think she was all beauty and no brains. She wasn't a genius and made C's in school, but she had common sense, yet, nobody seemed to think she did. Because she didn't want them to think she did.

Yet, Ryuuzaki did.

Misa wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or more nervous.

"Amane-san, may I ask you one last thing?"

She lifted her head and looked at the back of his head. "Uh, sure."

He turned his head to her, gleaming black mirror-like eye looking into her. "Why did you come here tonight?"

Misa swallowed. Her back straightened. "I-I thought Light would be here."

He turned his swivel to face her yet again. "And now that you know he is not here, why haven't you gone to check his home?" Misa swallowed and pulled her chin to her body. "I see," L said nibbling on his fingernail, "You have already checked his house to find that he is not there."

Misa looked down at her lap, clenching her fist on the hem of her Lolita skirt. She chewed on her bottom lip, feeling her eyes water. "He…He loves me…He's just busy…"

"Amane-san, I don't mind that you play that façade around the taskforce, but I ask you don't put on such an act with me. It degrades you."

She looked up at him with watery eyes. He lifted himself from his chair and walked toward her, hands in his pockets. "I don't deny that you do indeed love Light-kun," he said bringing his face close to hers, "And yet, after his adultery affairs and lies he has told you, you still continue to do so. Why is this?"

"He loves me!" Misa shouted, "How would you know anything! You know nothing about women!"

"Of course not," he stated, "I'm a man."

Misa shut her mouth. His answer was short and to the point, like everything else. She averted her gaze, looking past him. "I…I trust Light…I trust him."

"If you do," L said bending closer, "Then why are you here and he is not?"

Misa bit her lips, feeling her eyes water. She didn't speak.

"Tell me, Misa," L said, lifting her chin to make her look at him. His drop of the respected -san title did not go unnoticed. "…If Light-kun loves you so much, then why are you crying?"

And she was. Thick tears falling down her cheeks and dropping into her lap. Her bottom lip trembled. Then she moved forward, grabbing Ryuuzaki around the middle and wrapping her arms around his torso, and she cried into his shirt, sobbed uncontrollably into his middle. L stiffened and did not embrace her. He didn't like it when people invaded his personal space without his permission, however, this was a distraught woman crying, and pushing her away, he hypothesized, would only make things worse. It had been years since he had embraced someone; in fact, the last he could remember, he had hugged Watari when he was a child. So, how did Watari comfort him when he needed comforting?

Awkwardly, L patted her blonde head, copying what Watari did with him so many years ago. "Um, there, there," he said with each pat. Not exactly as comforting as it needed to be, but at least he tried.

Misa lifted her head to see him. Her face was wet, and luckily she had water proof mascara. She sniffed as she stared into his blank, emotionless eyes. She could actually see her own refection in those obsidian orbs. She could see herself probably as L saw her; a sniveling little girl who thought with heart and never with her head, and her heart had always deceived her. Yet, Ryuuzaki made her use her head. He made her think logically, he made her actually think. He was rude and unemotional with his sharp answers and blunt replies, stabbing her in the skin like a shot.

She removed her arms from around his torso, then wrapped them around his shoulders. L's eyes widened even more as she raised herself on tiptoes and gently pressed her glossed lips to his chapped ones. He didn't push back, and he didn't embrace her. He kept his eyes open as she kept hers closed. Then she slowly departed from the kiss and dropped back down on her heel, gazing up at L, seemingly unaffected by the kiss. They didn't say anything for a while.

Misa's cheeks suddenly flushed when she realized what she had done. She had kissed Ryuuzaki! She had kissed him while she was with Light! She could feel guilt looming over her, but it had yet to make a move on her.

And then L said, "Amane-san, two wrongs don't make a right."

Misa looked downwards, avoiding his gaze. She gave a small nod. "I…I know."

She pulled away from him, taking two steps back. She didn't look up at him. She wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. "I…I think I should get going now. Misa-Misa has an appointment she can't cancel."

L didn't say anything or make any movement at all to acknowledge her. So she turned away and walked towards the door. She heard the squeak of the swivel chair that meant L had returned to his awkward sitting and his cake.

Misa hesitated in the doorway. She looked back and saw the back of his head. "L?" She used his 'name' instead of his alias. It did not go unnoticed.

L looked back, plate in hand. "Hm?"

Her eyes softened, but she held his gaze. "I'm sorry."

And he said, "No, you're not."

He was right. She wasn't sorry. She didn't regret it, and that made her more guilty. In fact… she didn't quite enjoy it, but it did not repulse her either. Perhaps, if L had…

She gently shook her head and smiled at him. "Thank you, Ryuuzaki."

He looked forward to his computer screen. "No problem."

Misa shut the door behind her and leaned against it. She let out a long sighed, and just stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts, of course, were on Light and L.

Light was warm. L was cold.

Light lied. L was brutally honest.

Light was a pill. L was a shot.

Light was poison.

L was the vaccine.

She turned around and threw the door wide open. "L!" she cried out.

L was standing with an empty plate in his hand, most likely going to deposit it in the sink. He blinked at her. "Yes, Amane-san?"

She quickly walked across the room, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him, hard and passionately. The plate clattered and fell to the floor, breaking into three large pieces. He stiffened and did not move.

'Please do something!' she thought desperately in her head.

Then softly, his hand was placed on the small of her back, bringing her forward. His other hand went to her hair, bringing her closer. She was delighted that he was putting forth some effort. She pulled him closer as if she wanted to swallow him whole.

When someone is poisoned, they need the vaccine.