The Little Things Give You Away

By AishiExcel

Omagawd, guys, chapter 18! Just like my age! Can you believe it? … Well, I promised a quick-ish update, which means no dawdling in the Author's Note… so here ya go. Chapter 18!

When they got to the table, as predicted, Ryuzaki pulled his feet up in his chair and hunched over. Light opted to sit like a HUMAN BEING rather than a caveman, or some kind of spider monkey.

The place was dimly lit and decorated with a distinctly East Asian theme- which would have made it very romantic for a twosome, but with the dim lighting and atmospheric music, Ryuzaki only looked more out of place. Light rubbed his temples and thanked the waiter as he brought them menus.

"So," Misa purred, scooting her chair closer to Light's so that their thighs were touching, "what is my Light gonna order?"

"I don't know yet. What about you guys? Any idea what you want to eat?"

"This all looks good… But rather… spicy." Takada primly unfolded a napkin and placed it in her lap. "I'll have to think about it."

Ryuzaki picked up the menu with two fingers and let it dangle in front of his face. "…. Hmmm… I don't see any desserts…."

Light raised an eyebrow. "There's other good food, though, Ryuga, besides dessert."

Ryuzaki put on a goofy smile and glanced first at Misa, then at Kiyomi. "Of course. But they say that you are what you eat, and I was hoping to be sweet for such lovely ladies."

Misa giggled. ACTUALLY giggled at that lame line. And even worse, even "Sophisticated" Kiyomi let out a little chuckle at her "date's" antics.

"In fact, I would guess Miss Amane and Miss Takada eat many sweets themselves." Ryuzaki continued, holding one finger up in the air as though making a very important point.

"Are you calling Misa-Misa fat?" Misa pouted, clinging onto Light's arm.

"No, just the opposite. I was calling Misa-san SWEET," Ryuzaki said, putting on an expression that Light guessed was supposed to be 'cute'.

Kiyomi chuckled again- though whether at the 'sweet' comment or the idea of Misa getting called fat, Light wasn't sure.

The waiter came by, interrupting Ryuzaki's unabashed idiocy, and asked what everyone would be drinking tonight. Misa ordered a soft drink, Kiyomi asked for some diet-something or the other, and Light got coffee.

"Coffee does sound nice," Ryuzaki murmured, chewing on his index finger. "Could I get one with six creams and eleven sugars?"

The waiter's eyebrows shot up so high that they disappeared beneath his hair. "Pardon?"

"Six creams, eleven sugars. If you do not mind."

The waiter shot Light a look like 'Is he serious?' and then cleared his throat. "Well, sir, I'll just bring you the sugar and cream containers and allow you to do it yourself."

"Alright then," Ryuzaki announced, dropping his menu and placing his hands on his knees.

The waiter scurried off, no doubt muttering to himself about crazy people. Light could feel a migraine developing already. Of course. It had been too much to ask for one peaceful, non-chaotic day, hadn't it? And things had started off so well this morning…

"So," Kiyomi piped up, folding her hands primly on the table, "how do you and Light know each other, Ryuga?"

Light opened his mouth to divert the question, but Ryuzaki was already speaking.

"Light and I have been friends since we were both this tall." He held one hand a foot above the table.

Light didn't point out that he'd only been six months old when he was that tall, and that it was hard to make friends with a six-month-old.

"Oh? Is that so?" Kiyomi held a hand up to her mouth and laughed.

"Yes. In fact, there are many interesting stories I could tell about Light-kun's childhood…"

"Oh, Ryuga, don't!" Light interjected, taking on the tone of voice of someone playfully bantering with his or her best friend. "You know I have just as many stories about you, and the girls might not think you're so cool if they find out about that one time when you were five… With the hamster…"

What did Ryuzaki think he was doing? Admittedly, it was a more believable story than "I'm actually secretly a doctor, and after Light collapsed one time, I just sort of ended up crashing at his condo, and we've only known each other for a week or so," but Light had NO interest in hearing what kind of crackpot stories Ryuzaki would make up about his childhood.

"Light wouldn't DARE tell that story," Ryuzaki scoffed, opening his panda eyes very wide. " It would make the lovely Kiyomi-san blush."

"We couldn't have THAT, could we!" guffawed Misa, flapping one hand in Kiyomi's direction. "She only blushes every five seconds!"

Light shivered as an icy wind seemed to blow from Takada's end of the table. She didn't even have to say a word.

"Ah, but Misa-san. I don't think such stories are fit for the ears of beautiful women."

Misa giggled. "Ryuga is so funny!"

Light wanted to puke. How come Ryuzaki acted like this around the girls, but couldn't even pretend to have the slightest inclination toward social graces around Light? It seemed… unfair. Light fumed for a second before realizing it almost sounded like he was jealous that Ryuzaki flirted with Misa…

… And not with him.

But that was ridiculous. He frantically reasoned with himself that he was just being defensive because EVERYONE was coming onto Misa these days, and it was a threat.

Still. It would be nice if the quirky moron could at least pretend to be charming for Light sometimes. It would make life easier.

"So," Kiyomi interjected, clearly fed up with Misa getting showered in praise, "What do you do for a living, Ryuga?"

"I… study medicine."

Light scoffed. Of course he wouldn't tell the truth. Saying he was a reclusive doctor with no medical license and no valid education didn't sound glamorous enough.

"Oh! A med student?" Misa unlatched herself from Light's arm and clapped her hands. "Ryuga must be super smart!"

"I was considering med school," Light interjected, "but I followed my passion instead of going where the money was." Did he sound vindictive? Maybe a little.

"And yet Light-kun ended up fantastically rich anyways. What a wonderful world," Ryuzaki casually observed.

Light had never, in his lifetime, wanted to strangle someone so badly. For a minute he wished he really WERE Kira, the avenging angel, so he could lop off 'Ryuga Hideki's' head with his flaming sword.

Misa scooted back towards Light and rubbed her face against his arm. "Ah, but my Light doesn't care about the money. He's such a sweetheart!"

"Of course not. Didn't you tell me in that interview that you donate most of your money to hospitals, anyways, Light?" Kiyomi interrupted, not content to let Misa be the only one praising Light.

"Well… Yes," Light chuckled, putting on his 'humble' face. "So in a way you could say that I'm helping YOU out, Ryuga."

"Mm, I never considered it like that. In that case, I am eternally grateful for your kindness."

The waiter showed up at that moment bearing drinks, so attention was diverted long enough to sort out who was drinking what, and Light noticed out of the corner of his eye that Ryuzaki was ACTUALLY putting SIX creams and ELEVEN sugars in his coffee. Lord help him.

The waiter asked what everyone would be ordering. Light ate here relatively often with Misa, so he already knew what he wanted, as did she. Kiyomi hummed and hawed for a few minutes before settling on a relatively tame dish. And Ryuzaki stared blankly at the menu for five minutes before finally saying he'd have what Light had.

Then the waiter scurried off again, leaving Light alone with this nutcase and the girls.

"So, Light," Ryuzaki murmured, idly stirring his coffee (though at this point it was more like slush than liquid) "How are you?"

"Decent," Light muttered, making angry circles in his drink with a coffee stir.

"How has the show been going?" Kiyomi asked, turning towards Light with an oh-so-interested expression.

But before Light could say a word Misa jumped in.

"Oh, you know, Light has been working so very hard to make the best show ever, but really, what's the best is the time he gets to spend with me." She beamed her best in-your-face look at the woman across the table from her.

Kiyomi cleared her throat. "I wasn't aware that you spoke for him."

Misa giggled. "Oops. Silly me. We must be like married couples that-"

"Finish each other's sentences?" Light finished, catching Misa's cue

. Really, it had nothing to do with their status as a couple, and was an actor thing. Light had learned long ago to pick up the cue in someone's voice when they started a sentence that they had no intention of completing. Misa, as a trained actor as well, knew it, and was using it to rub salt in Kiyomi's wounds.

But since Kiyomi Takada had given up on acting log ago, she had no idea, and she just got pissed.

Light almost smirked. One thing he could say about his girlfriend was that, even though she wasn't very bright, she certainly knew how to win a catfight.

Now if only he could train her to work her magic against Mello.

Ryuzaki picked up his napkin and unfolded it, staring at it. Kiyomi and Misa continued shooting carefully veiled comments back and forth at each other, but Light's eyes were on Ryuzaki. The idiot savant folded his napkin this way and that, carefully creasing it here and there, and within moments he had produced a paper crane.

So the same hands that massaged Light's back and took his temperature could also produce origami. Ryuzaki never ceased to surprise Light.

The faux-doctor puffed a breath of air into the bottom of the crane where it was open to inflate it and then handed it across the table to Misa, cutting her off mid-snide-remark.

"Huh?" She took it in her hands and stared at it.

"For you," Ryuzaki murmured, running his index finger across his lower lip.

Kiyomi laughed delicately behind her hand again. "Why Ryuga! What a remarkable skill! Could you make me one?"

"Of course," Ryuzaki seemed pleased with the attention. Not only that but, Light noticed, he had ended the catfight without saying a single word. His anger forgotten for a moment, Light realized that Ryuzaki might have known more about how to interact with people than he let on. He acted completely hopeless and inept, but maybe that was just a façade.

Light was kind of impressed.

But still mad, of course.

As Ryuzaki set to making a companion crane for Kiyomi, Light turned to Misa. Since Takada was paying rapt attention to her date's quick hands, he could discuss things with Misa without being interrupted.

"Hey Misa. Sorry this hasn't been the ideal date."

She snuggled against his shoulder, sighing. "It's okay. Misa-Misa has had FUN!"

"But are you sure you wouldn't have preferred it to be just the two of us?" Because while Light had to juggle his attention between the two girls obsessed with him and keeping Ryuzaki from embarrassing him, he couldn't butter Misa up like he usually did, and that meant that Mello could still win her over.

"No," Misa sighed contently, "I'm fine with this. It's fun meeting Light's friends."

"Good." He gave her a quick peck on the lips which he was sure Takada noticed despite having her eyes on Ryuzaki.

Misa leaned out of her seat in an attempt to draw Light into a better kiss, but he gently pushed her away.

"Not in public," he mumbled. Truth be told, Light didn't care that much for kissing Misa, because she was never content to stop. If she had her way they'd be making out 24/7, and Light just wasn't that… well, into her.

She pouted and plopped back into her seat, but Light didn't miss her grin. She had still gotten a kiss from Light in front of her number one rival.

Ryuzaki blew into the second paper crane and handed it to Kiyomi, who marveled over how delicate it was to anyone who would listen. Light crossed his arms, thinking vaguely to himself how OF COURSE Ryuzaki wouldn't make HIM a crane, seeing as HE wasn't a GIRL.

It was stupid. He wasn't supposed to be jealous like this. If anything, he should be jealous that Ryuzaki was so openly hitting on his girlfriend… and in a way, he was. But somehow it seemed more annoying that his roommate was paying more attention to her than he was to Light. After all, they were supposed to be friends- hadn't Ryuzaki said so himself? And what about that rule, 'Bro's before Ho's?' Guy friends were supposed to joke around with each other in public while their girls laughed from the sidelines. Ryuzaki lived with Light- so he should be trying to impress Light instead of showing off for these girls that Light would make sure he never saw again. Right?

Light was snapped out of his thoughts by a voice calling his name. It was Ryuzaki's.

"Huh?"

"I asked if Light-kun would like one as well."

Light was thrown off-guard. What, he was really going to do his stupid party trick for Light, too, and not just for the girls?

"Uh… Yeah, sure." Light almost blushed. Almost. But that was unbecoming for a teenage guy.

Misa held her crane by one wing and twirled it in lazy circles making 'zoom zoom' sounds with her mouth, and Takada held hers in the palm of her hand, tracing one manicured fingertip over the edges of it. But Light's eyes were on Ryuzaki's hands, watching intently how his roommate worked his magic. Soon enough, the crane had taken shape, and Ryuzaki breathed into it and, holding it with only two fingers, handed it to Light.

Light tried to ignore the heat in his cheeks and set it casually down on the table, but he found himself glancing at the stupid origami bird throughout the entire night. It was just a dumb party trick. So why did Light feel so grateful to have been included?

Some higher power must have heard his prayers, because the rest of the dinner passed without much hassle. Food arrived and occupied everyone enough to slow conversation down to a trickle. L picked at his and pushed it around, but Light swore he never caught the faux-doctor take a single bite. The most exciting thing that happened during the meal was Takada choking on a particularly spicy bite of something and Misa guffawing about it all the way home. (Ryuzaki almost gave her the Heimlich until she frantically protested that she was alright.) As they each stood up to leave, producing their portion of the tip and bill (Light ended up paying for both Ryuzaki and Misa AND Ryuzaki's cut of the tip) Light picked up his tiny napkin-crane and staring at it for a second. Then, without thinking, he folded it flat and tucked it into his pocket.

Not that he was being sentimental or anything. It was just a neat little piece of origami.

So why did he almost feel like smiling all the way home?

So! It took me a while, but as a result I think I have a longer chapter than usual, so count it as a reward. How's everyone been? Next chapter, I should have some excitement happen, so I hope everyone sticks around for it! Review, please, and thanks for readin' guys!