Ack, I'm behind again! Finals are a pain, I've gotta say. Or rather, prep for finals. I'll catch up tomorrow with a double update day. Oh, I highly recommend going to the grocery store and trying to find that Häagen-Dazs Midnight Cookies and Cream ice cream that L was eating. After I wrote the prompt, I pretty much went out to get some and it was delicious.

On a separate note, thanks so much to everyone who left feedback! There's even the mention of a cosplay reproduction of December 13, which = very exciting. :D Another nasty soup chapter, yay! It's the last one, I swear. We kind of deviate from the purpose of the prompt, but can you blame them? As always, tell me what you think!

I don't own Death Note.

December 14
Bouillabaisse Day

"Not again." L was almost pouting.

Light looked at his own bowl, not quite so excited, either. "I'm afraid so…"

Courtesy of the city's high class French restaurant, there sat before them on the table two bowls of bouillabaisse. Chunks of fish and other sea creatures floated around in the broth, the steam carrying the smell up to their noses. L's face was starting to drain of what little color it had to begin with, his mind going back to his previous experience with a soup. He looked up to Light with pleading eyes. What was he trying to look like, a kitten?

Sighing, Light then said, "Well, I don't want to take part in this any more than you do. But, we have to at least eat just a little bit…"

L almost shivered at the thought, choosing instead to look at the soup angrily. "I am not repeating the Gazpacho incident, I'll let you know."

The other nodded. "Agreed. So perhaps…if we consume even less like, say, a teaspoon instead. Even with your stomach, I'm sure that's doable."

"Then what?"

"Well…that's the only component of the holiday, right?" He looked to L with confusion.

"Yes, but that sounds…boring."

"I assumed you'd have other things to attend to."

L gestured to his bowl of soup. "This is the only thing I have to attend to. The Kira case is my prime focus, and this is a component of the Kira case. If we are just to eat a tiny morsel of the soup, the only thing left for me to do would be counting the number of hairs on Light-kun's head or something of that nature…" He switched his gaze to Light. "Frankly, I was hoping Watari would forget about the soup…so I had not planned ahead in the case that he'd follow through."

Lies. Light knew better than that. L planned ahead, created countless back-up plans, and then planned once more, just as he did. By giving him control of the situation, perhaps L was analyzing him again. If he tried too hard to please the detective, it could very well be taken as hiding from the fact that he was Kira. However, if he merely suggested something mildly entertaining to pass the time…then he'd be in the clear.

Light put a hand to his chin, quickly formulating a fool-proof plan of action. He swirled the spoon around in the soup for a moment more before he spoke. L's large black eyes had observed him calmly all the while, seemingly not too terribly interested.

"I do have one idea…"

"Elaborate, please."

"Very well. I am leaning toward watching movies and snacking." As L brought a thumb to his lips in thought, Light continued, "For one, it's an activity that doesn't require that much fuss. Since there's nothing else to do other than eat the soup this seems to not be that much of a hassle to pull off. Furthermore, there is no way in hell that I'm stepping foot outside into the freezing cold to go on some field-trip."

"Light-kun will need to specify the movies and the snacks before I am to blindly follow him."

Due to his rapidly processing mind, Light quickly responded, "Given you possess them, I was thinking films such as the Star Wars saga."

"So you are a science fiction fan? I perceived you as more of a horror fanatic…"

Ignoring the last comment, Light replied, "Well, Star Wars also contains the elements of a Western, a war film, and even the quasi-mystical epic within those 'episodes.'"

"Ah, I see. I'm afraid I've never seen it at all…"

Light could do little but stare.

The detective shrugged. "I never found the time. It may be around somewhere. If not, it can be easily acquired."

"Right. As for the snacks –"

L quickly interjected, "Watari will go to the local bakery."

"Ryuuzaki, unlike you I can't survive an entire evening on cake."

"I see nothing wrong with that."

"Of course you don't." He hung his head slightly in exasperation. "Can I at least have a bag of potato chips?"

"Under one condition."

Light stopped to wipe some sweat off of his brow. It had taken him an entire hour to do it, but there in the living room was perhaps the most intricate pillow fort he'd ever witnessed. Oh, and L hadn't helped at the slightest. He stood there with his quick sketch containing the "blueprints" for the fort clipped securely to a notepad, always looking over his shoulder to make sure that the pillows were positioned just right. It was enough to drive him insane. Light wondered though what the hotel staff though when he'd requested, say, fifty seven pillows. They came in all shapes and sizes, from small and round, to incredibly long and rectangular. The coffee table now pushed aside, the kitchen table took its place in the center of the living room. The bed was completely stripped of its sheets, moreover.

They had, in fact, found the six Star Wars movies tucked away in a set of cabinets. Neither were sure how they got there, especially seeing as they were accompanied by a mysterious collection of Furbies. Once obtaining L's laptop for movie-viewing purposes, they carefully entered the magnificent fort through the igloo-like tunnel entrance. The snacks had already been transported to the inside, along with Light's lone bad of chips. L immediately wrapped several blankets around his form for warmth and inserted the first episode DVD into the laptop. He did this quickly, wanting to return his arms back to the warm of the blankets.

"Just so you know, Light-kun," L said suddenly, the menu of the first disc coming up on the screen, "the movies all together will total at 795 minutes. So, we'll finish at 2:15 AM, seeing as though it's eleven in the morning currently."

Light had learned how to deal with being around a single person for every minute of the day. However, he now realized that he'd spent hours around that same person…but in a much, much more confined space. The thought didn't settle very well.

Before he even knew it, the opening crawl began with the strong sound of brass. A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…

At once, L was transfixed by the film before him. He had that far-off look of contemplation, his thumb resting on his bottom lip. Light hadn't bothered to care to know if the man was terribly interested with movies, so it came as a surprise. He wondered how consumed the detective was by the movie, exactly.

Initially, Light found that he felt distracted from the film. A single thought, which others stemmed from, kept surfacing. For how much longer was L really going to live? His every move was being monitored, making it virtually impossible to contact Misa for such an act. Then, even if he was successful in that regard, he'd still be the prime suspect for the detective's death. L made it painfully obvious that he was still in the running for being Kira. If Light was to be successful in his ambitions for his – no, the world's future, L couldn't be standing in his way. The detective was his main hindrance, always so vigilant, and he wanted to be rid of it. And yet…

It was already episode two. When had that happened? Light glanced over to L. The man had nibbled on cookies and drank some tea, but the majority of his treats were untouched. His eyes were wide in an almost child-like wonder through every moment. The Star Wars movies had been a part of Light's life since childhood, so they were nothing new to him. However, seeing the wonder brought to a fresh pair of eyes, especially on the typically stoic detective was almost…human. Strange how he'd never really paid any attention to those walls the raven-haired man had built, how little he would let slip through the cracks.

The glow of the laptop screen illuminated L's pallid face.

Luke pleaded desperately with Vader onscreen, "Search your feelings, Father, you can't do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate."