Sigh. Still a day behind. I'll be getting the sixteenth in either tonight or tomorrow, since my internet connection seems to be pretty fickle. Keeping up with each day won't be as difficult once finals are done and over with. Thanks for the lovely reviews! We're getting closer and closer to Christmas. :) Key events are coming up, so be sure to stick around!
I don't own Death Note.
December 15
Lemon Cupcake Day
As soon as Light entered the kitchen, all he could do was let out a groan at what he saw. There on the table, stacked higher than humanly possible, were white boxes. Each one had printed in curly script Princess Pastries. Little hearts dotted the surface area here and there. He shuddered thinking of what they could possibly hold. Just at a glance, there were clearly a minimum of thirty boxes. If a dozen of something was in each… Oh, god. He didn't even want to do the calculation in his head because of how much further into dread he'd be put.
L appeared not to notice Light's reaction, though undoubtedly chose to ignore it. He immediately went past Light's immobile form to the tower of pastry boxes. Stretching on the very tips of his toes he managed to take down one from the top. He pulled out a chair and sat down with the box on his lap, removing the lid so carefully that it may have very well been his child. The younger man simply stared, a frown settled deeply upon his face.
Inside L's heart-spotted box were twelve perfect little yellow cupcakes, a candy lemon smiling on each as garnish with little yellow crystal sprinkles around it. The detective took one out of the middle at once and began peeling the wrapper. He brought the cupcake to his nose and inhaled its sweet scent.
"You know, Light-kun…" L said suddenly, still ogling his cupcake, "I fully expect you to eat a good portion of these cupcakes."
He felt his stomach churn in protest. "Exactly what would you define as a 'good portion'?"
The other licked some of the frosting off of the side. "Hmm… How does one box sound? I'm being lenient, truthfully."
Light fought not to sputter. He could barely stand one! "Twelve…cupcakes?"
"I did not stutter. You make it sound like a large number."
"For you it may not be." The detective hadn't even looked up from the little yellow thing in his hands which grew smaller and smaller by the second. Light continued, "What would you do if I refused?"
Cupcake number one vanished, soon to be replaced by cupcake number two…out of over three-hundred. The detective appeared to be scrutinizing it carefully. He picked off the candy lemon and set it on the table. "Well, your Kira percentage will take a blow undoubtedly. And, I may have to use force."
"Force?" What was he going to do, ram cupcakes down his throat?
"Indeed." Onto cupcake number three. He added somewhat darkly, "It would be a fate worse than cupcakes…"
Light narrowed his eyes at the threat. "Somehow, I seriously doubt the seriousness behind those words."
By this point, there were somehow six cupcake wrappers on the table. When had that happened? The detective merely continued to eat the baked goods nonchalantly, not quite meeting Light's gaze. It was greatly unnerving the younger man, who could do little but stand there with the chain connecting them. Minutes seemed like hours while Light was trapped in that feeling of tension, and the silence was not broken until L had finished his first box. He lifted his enormous black eyes to Light.
"Are you challenging my claim?"
Unblinking, Light responded, "Yes, I am." In the back of his mind, he wondered truly if he had really made the right choice, or acted merely on impulse. He refused to bend to the man's will. If he did comply, he'd lie in bed for the remainder of the day nursing his stomach and L…L would be sitting there continuing to eat those accursed cupcakes. That he wouldn't stand for.
"That's a shame." L opened the second box gingerly. "I'll give you two minutes to reconsider, which is the time it will take me to consume this box."
Still resolute, Light continued to stand where he was. The detective remained indifferent and went through his cupcakes like clockwork. It was a mechanical process, really. Take off the candy. Set it in the pile. Remove wrapper. Set it in the wrapper pile. Take four bites, chew and swallow after each. Move on to the next cupcake. It seemed strange why L didn't bother to eat the candy lemons, as he'd never shown any signs of hating any candies of any kind. Was he just saving them for later…?
It was time. The raven-haired man was on his final cupcake. Neither one had said a word since L had set the time limit and Light could feel tension growing inside of him. He watched the process one last time, though L took a short moment afterward to lick icing residue off of his fingers. Their gazes met once more.
"Your answer? We are ten seconds short of two minutes."
"…I still refuse to eat a box."
L sighed quietly. "Very well."
That…didn't sound promising. Before he even knew it, Light found himself on the ground with a particularly peeved detective sitting on his back.
Tears streamed down Light's face, still pinned to the floor. L watched, unblinking, as he forced the younger man's mouth to stay closed.
"Now, I'm going to ask once more. Will you eat a cupcake?"
Light only squirmed under him again, trying to break free. It was fruitless, however. L brought one hand to Light's mouth, forcing it open once more. In it he threw another lemon sour. Mouth still firmly closed, Light could only let out a groan. He wanted more than anything to spit the offending candy out.
"I never would have thought that your weakness was sour things, Kira." A growl erupted from the younger man's throat. It was the only communication he could manage, really. L pulled another smiling lemon candy from his pocket. Just as he was about to administer the next sour, a soft knock was heard at the door.
L immediately recognized the pattern. At once he practically leapt off of Light. He received a chilling glare from him, but just as Light was about to act upon his fury Watari walked into the room. The older man took note of Light's rumpled state of dress but swiftly addressed L instead.
"Preparations have been made."
"Ah, I see. Thank you very much, Watari-san. Have you been enjoying your holiday?"
Very quietly, Light went to the kitchen and rinsed his mouth with water to cleanse it of the horrid lemon candies that had been crammed into his mouth. He'd narrowly evaded further torture. He remained alert for the rest of the day, and L did little to bother him to his surprise. However, just as his head hit the pillow to go to sleep that night and his eyes closed…a certain lemony dessert squished itself upon his face, some of the gruesome icing going up his nose. He felt a wonderful sense of satisfaction as luck somehow enabled him to punch L squarely in the jaw, despite his temporary lack of sight.