A/N: This began about two weeks ago and was originally for Light's birthday but my time was stolen and I couldn't finish it in time. So. I bring you belated gift, my sexy Light. XD
And don't worry; this chapter may be filled with L but there will be our post-birthday boy appearing in just a little bit ;) This was written for a 15 Pairs self-challenge that I detailed about on LJ and the prompt, if you haven't guessed, was "cupcakes" so, yeah.
Eh, I don't own Death Note, nor do I own Reno from FFVII who makes a cameo appearance (I got the idea from Tierfal XD)
On with the show!
Cupcakes
Chapter 1: The Mission
They glittered and sparkled like a hundred exciting little delights in assorted colours. And even from behind the sheet of glass, the warm, mouth-watering aroma was overwhelming. A pink tongue prodded and slid temptingly over an upper lip. The icing was thick and perfectly so; colourful and bright – oh, he was being enticed into simply buying an entire box…or five. But alas, he was here for…uh, what was it again?
It was the sugar, he concluded. It was all sparkly and sinfully shiny in the light and totally blinding him from the main task at hand. Yes. Sparkly sugar should be illegal during such pressing times.
L scratched his head and pouted, cocking is head to the side as he tried to rack his brain. His brain was unrackable. Even his usually brilliant vocabulary seemed to be failing him. Of all the times to be forgetful, he thought in annoyance.
Well, there was the time that Light had decided to bake a blueberry pie and had specifically left L in charge of taking it out of the oven when the bell rang while he was off for a shower. And rightfully so too, seeing as he was covered head to toe in flour and dough due to an…unfortunate incident involving pretty much every single kitchen utensil on the counter. It wasn't L's fault. Really. L had of course agreed but his excitement had somehow rendered him deaf to the bell and he just stood in front of the oven, grinning with wide eyes only to watch the pie turn from pale straw to a lovely gold to…some sort of charcoal.
It was an honest mistake.
"Yeah, honestly stupid," Light had remarked afterwards.
What a waste of perfectly good pie.
Back to the present – or would it be forward since one was travelling from the past? – L sighed and shook his head, a finger at his lips as he struggled from the need to slip his hand into his pocket, whip out his wallet and buy himself the entire shop. Light could have the kitchen; that way neither of them would be in short supply of food.
"You could just ask me," Watari told him earlier that morning.
But the dark eyed man shook his head childishly and insisted that he was indeed very capable of handling such a situation. How hard could it be? He ignored the imaginary roll of eyes and the snorted chuckle that accompanied that question – it sounded suspiciously like Light's voice – and stared woefully at the huge sticky biscuit with pink and blue rock sugar icing.
"This would be a great deal easier if Light-kun were here," he mumbled agitatedly, frowning in annoyance. The amber eyed boy – there was a donut with filling remarkably the same colour – would have kept him on track. Even if running in a patisserie wasn't currently at the top of his list of priorities. It could take seventh place, because that was a nice number. And it was seven letters long. And today was the twenty-seventh. Life was a series of numbers, each coinciding with one another and performing the prolific task of arithmetic until the number seven was borne. And if you were lucky, it would spell "cupcake."
Finally, the impish looking boy behind the counter appeared to have taken pity on his customer with the little-lost-puppy expression, complete with nibbling thumbs and a sad little pout.
"Ya need any help, sir?"
L looked up at the messy red hair underneath his mini-chef's hat. He appeared to be no older that Light, and looked pleasant enough.
Now normally L wouldn't admit to something as embarrassing as needing help for something like this but if Light and their relationship were at stake, he was willing to do so.
Raising his shoulders in a light shrug and looking to the side, the dark eyed man mumbled, "I need to…bake something for a birthday."
The red head raised his brows and leaned on the counter. "You…want to bake something."
Shooting him a look of disdain, L nodded brusquely. "Yes. I want to bake something."
The red head – his name was Reno, if the flashy gold tag on his manly apron didn't confirm his identity – leaned even closer with a concerned frown on his forehead, making him look even more like the dud L was beginning to think he was.
"Are you aware that you're supposed to buy shit here? It's not some cooking school."
"Yes I am well aware of that," L snapped fighting the indignant flush that was making its way up his neck. Apparently Reno noticed it too for he smiled in amusement and shook his head.
"So it's like that, huh?" and he was all wicked laughter behind those green eyes and was proving to be less and less pleasant prior to before he opened his mouth.
"Who's the lucky gal?"
As the boy took off his apron and hug it onto the door to the kitchen, L had the greatest urge to throw eggs. But when he noted that he had just disappeared under the counter and sounds of shuffling paper was heard, he thought that maybe he had better let the boy stay egg-free for a while longer. Besides, weren't eggs supposed to be a necessary addition to most desserts? What a waste that would be.
"It's not…it's a friend," L settled with, rolling his eyes to the corner of the shop and prodding his thumb into his bottom lip. He knew how lame and flat that sounded but the result would most probably be fairly exorbitant if he chose to speak truth. The truth hurts…other people, mostly.
"A friend, huh?" Reno repeated distractedly as he pulled out a few books and flipped through them, licking his fingers as he turned the pages. "Not many guys do that for friends. Must be some friend."
A small wispy smile played on the dark haired man's lips and in his mind, he saw Light last night as he surrendered himself to the couch and closed his eyes.
"Long, long day…" he had sighed heavily.
"You should sleep in tomorrow," L replied with a smile that was mirrored on Light's lips as the boy allowed himself to drift closer to sleep.
"Maybe I'll take you up on that. What day is it tomorrow?"
"Saturday."
"…I'm definitely…sleeping in…" A few minutes later, the gentle, comforting clicking of keys and the hum of the machine was the only thing disturbing the silence.
The young man didn't even know it was his birthday. And knowing him, he'd probably end up sleeping well into the next night. He almost chuckled out loud thinking of the amber eyed boy who was sleeping through his birthday at this very moment. Light always had his own way of doing things.
The green gleam that caught his eyes however, made the smile waver and taper off his face, for a very snarky looking young red head was looking at him with utmost glee.
L groaned inwardly at the words that came next, wanting nothing more than to drop his own head into a bowl of flour.
"So it really is like that, hey?"
L narrowed his eyes and feigned ignorance.
"I don't believe we are on the same wave-length."
The red head smirked and nodded his head in mock agreement. "Right, right, of course you don't." L had to give the guy credit; he was good at playing the I-know-you're-lying-but-I-won't-say-anything card – it was foldable. The staring game lasted about twelve seconds – even though the detective was compelled to stop at seven – before Reno sighed and placed a few books onto the counter top. They were bits and pieces of paper strung together with raffia and L knew in an instant that he had succeeded in getting the owner's recipes. Some people were just too easy to convince.
"These should help; they're the copies I made so you'll just have to deal with the handwriting," he told L easily. "Why didn't you just go to a bookstore and search the culinary section? And I'm sure you've got a damn computer."
Taking the booklet gently, L smiled. "Because this place is famous for white chocolate cupcakes. And if Light-kun was a flavour I believe he would most likely be white chocolate."
The stunned silence that echoed as he left the shop ended when the door closed behind him and the boy began laughing, the sound muffled by the glass and wood.
With that, he crawled into the car, pulling his legs up to his chest and grinning triumphantly at the book between.
"Home, L?" Watari asked, amusement lacing his comforting voice.
"Yes please."
Now that the hard part was over, it was time to do some baking.
And he ignored Watari's repressed chuckles, shooting him angry, warning glances all the way home.
A/N: Reviews are always lovely and welcome :3