Long chapter is long. o_o
I wanted to get this up on the first, but an impromptu several-hour-long session of Zhu Zhu pets prevented me from working on the Christmas chapter. You may thank my niece for that. Also, I nearly printed this chapter out instead of clicking spell check. It just so happened that my dad was sitting right next to the printer and, well... Let's just say it's a good thing that I canceled the print before it was too late. XD
However, have no fear! We still have a chapter for each of the remaining days of December and New Year's, which makes seven more chapters. I've yet to decide if New Year's is the end all be all or if there will be an epilogue... I'll let you know how I'm feeling about that later down the road. I also plan to go back and fix/add to previous prompts. Because of the frequent updating schedule, I've left a typo here and there and I couldn't put in everything I would've liked. So at some point the fic will be beefed up a little.
But we're getting close to the end! Eeee! It's nice to know that I won't be stressed about updating anymore, but this has been such a fun fic to write. Support from my reviewers kept me going for each chapter. I love you all bunches. And this chapter in particular is very fun, indeed. Stay tuned for answers to questions that I've planted along the way from the beginning until now.
I don't own Death Note.
December 25
Christmas
Instead of the excitement and happiness he thought he would feel the morning of Christmas, Light was experiencing perhaps one of the worst headaches of his life. He curled into a ball at once and groaned. Oh, if only he had put aspirin at the top of his wish-list… How the hell had he gotten such a headache, anyway? He ate right, he got plenty of sleep (as long as L didn't fidget all night), he drank plenty of water… Drank. Drank?
Eggnog. The last thing he could remember was some eggnog. Had it been…? However, another wave of pain passed through his head once more, coaxing yet another pained groan.
"A very Merry Christmas to you, too, Light-kun."
He never remembered L's voice to be so loud… Ugh.
"Ryuuzaki…" His voice didn't end up being as strong as he'd planned. "What was in…the eggnog last night?"
Weight shifted around on the bed, but Light didn't dare to open his eyes to find out where the detective was or what he was doing.
"Alcohol. Not a lot, but after drinking as much as you did it's completely understandable how intoxicated you became," he said, still sounding rather uninterested.
So he did have a hangover. But, he couldn't remember everything from the previous night. This was a potentially very, very bad thing. Light had never had alcohol prior to the previous night, so he wasn't entirely sure what he would say to L in such a state… He could've leaked every secret he had. That, or done something highly embarrassing and/or stupid. He hadn't a clue of his nature when under the influence. Anything could have happened.
"Uh…what did I do, Ryuuzaki?" he ventured softly.
"Hmmm…" Another small shift in the weight on the bed. "What is the last thing you remember?"
There was a brief pause before Light responded, having had to rake his brain quite a bit. "I remember up to where…you handed me my mug and the movie was about…fifteen minutes in?"
Another silence hung in the air, but now it was due to L's lack of response. Light finally managed to creak one eye open just slightly, managing to catch sight of the detective's form. It wasn't all that bright in the room since only one tiny lamp was on, but the other man seemed kind of fuzzy and unfocused. However, one thing was for certain: L was deep in thought. The detective had his thump pressed to his bottom lip and stared at nothing in particular.
"Did anything happen after that?" Light inquired.
L shifted his gaze back to the bleary-eyed man. "No, not really. You downed mug after mug of eggnog and became fairly drunk, but nothing came of it. You fell asleep as soon as you finished your sixth. This was before the end of the film, which I went ahead and finished watching. A shame you didn't get to watch it yourself…"
Well, thank . Crisis averted. That, or L was possibly lying. Still harboring the headache of all headaches, Light was dearly hoping for the former.
Light slumped over onto the kitchen table, cup of coffee in hand. L went to work at a slice of strawberry cake, which there always seemed to be some of in the fridge. It was just a universally accepted constant. In L's fridge, there would always be strawberry cake. No exceptions.
After swallowing a bite, the detective looked to the younger man strangely. "Light-kun, you look as though someone ran over your puppy."
Frowning all the more, Light lifted his head to take a gulp of steaming hot coffee. It helped, to some degree.
"Now, there is no need to be so grumpy. I understand your woes that resulted from so much eggnog, but it is Christmas morning. I would hope even Kira enjoying Christmas, the day in which everyone tries to act kind and moral."
Whoah, wait. It was Christmas. When did that happen, anyway?
"Ryuuzaki, if you don't mind by me asking…could you perhaps go the whole day without accusing me of being Kira? It's all I'd want for Christmas from you, really. This Christmas would perhaps be the best to date."
"Very well, Light-kun."
Well…that was easy. It was actually unsettling how quickly L had complied.
"Now, I wish to inform you on today's game-plan. Please pay attention, because I don't particularly like repeating myself," L said, setting down his fork. The cake had already been obliterated. "I called your father last night while you slept, and at precisely three o'clock we will depart for your home. The rest of the afternoon and evening we will spend at the Yagami household for Christmas festivities."
Light peered up from his cup. "My father agreed to the arrangement…?"
"I believe I said that."
"And…we're staying there for essentially the entire day?"
"Correct, again."
Light buried his face onto his hands. He mumbled some sort of incoherent statement.
L tilted his head to the side slightly. "I'm afraid I couldn't make that out, Light-kun. Could you please speak up?"
The younger man complied, moving his hands slightly apart to expose his mouth. "Sayu…"
"Oh. Your sister. You believe that she still poses a threat to you, is that it?"
"You have no idea…" Light finally looked up from his hands. "We were only in her presence for maybe an hour for that damned bread. An hour. Now she has access to us for hours. If that's not threatening, I don't know what is."
"Perhaps Light-kun is overreacting."
Light only brought his cup to his lips again, finishing off his steaming coffee. It was totally devoid of sugars or creamer.
"Ah, so you're finished. I'll let you know, your gifts have already been transported to your family's Christmas tree. So, –"
"Wait, you got me presents?" Light looked to L in disbelief.
"Yes. It is Christmas and I'm not a Scrooge. Now, as I was saying… Your presents are already at your home, though there is one thing I wish for you to open before we depart. Since you have finished your coffee, I believe now would be as good of a time as ever to get around to that order of business."
Light let his hand drop from the cup's handle and began to push himself out of the chair. "Fine. But I'm still making sure that it's not a pipe bomb."
L blinked. "Blowing you up on Christmas? Not only would that entirely defeat the purpose of the holiday, but please don't forget that I'm still bound to you and I would face the same fate. Exploding isn't very high on my list of things to do, currently."
Light started walking toward the living room with L in tow. The bottom of the tree was still as bare as always, so he failed to see what L had left for him to open. That is, until the detective pulled some sort of folded envelope from one of his back jeans pockets. He held out the thing to Light who accepted it hesitantly. His wide eyes watched the younger man carefully as the envelope was opened.
Inside there was only a single sheet of white paper. Confused, he unfolded it to find simply one thing printed upon it: the detective's signature "L" in old English-type lettering. Before he even had the chance to ask him what it meant, L beat him to the punch.
"As a little gift from me to you, I'm allowing you to call me that rather than my alias 'Ryuuzaki.' That is, only in private or in the presence of Watari. Under no other circumstances can you call me L."
Still befuddled, Light asked, "Isn't this just another alias? What difference does one make over the – "
"Nonsense. It is my first name. I will not trust you with my last name until I'm absolutely certain that you are not Kira."
Light didn't even bother to hide his surprise. If his jaw could have reached the floor, it would've most definitely done so at this point. "You mean…part of your name…is an alias?"
"Indeed. However, it is now ten until three. Watari will be waiting with the limousine at the front of the building, so I suggest we acquire coats."
He was half-way there. All that time spent in the task force trying to get the world-famous detective comfortable around him and now he had something to show for it. He had his first name. Sure, "L" was the name the world knew, but the world didn't know it was more than just an alias. Everything he had worked toward was so close he could almost taste it, as cliché as it sounded. Light was inches away from taking control of his kingdom, ruling without L to chase him down and make him hide in the shadows. Perhaps he wouldn't need Rem's or Misa's help after all. When the moment came that L finally surrendered his most precious possession, his last name…
He would write it down in his notebook…wouldn't he? Of course he would. Ever since L challenged him on public television in the very beginning, he swore to take the man down. L was the corrupt world's form of justice, a justice which would not experience anything close to the success that his judgment would.
He wouldn't hesitate. It didn't matter if they were friends or not. At one point, he had even said to himself that if his own family stood in the way…
"Light-kun? I know that letter in the English alphabet is absolutely fascinating, but I'd really appreciate it if you put your coat on already. We are running low on time."
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Light went to the closet to acquire his winter coat.
As soon as they exited the limousine, Light couldn't help but release a heavy sigh. L looked to him with mild confusion, hands stuffed into his coat pockets.
"Does Light-kun not enjoy Christmas at his home?" The warmth from his breath hung in the air as if a small puff of smoke.
Little changed in Light's expression. "No, that's not it… It's just… Look. You go knock at the door or ring the bell and you'll see what I mean."
"…is this an elaborate way of killing me? Having me die on Christmas is incredibly low, even for Kira. I even got you presents."
"Can we just get this over with?"
"Very well. I will throw myself to whatever monsters are on the other side of that door, because apparently Light-kun is too afraid to do so him–"
"Fine. I'll do it." Light started trudging through the fresh blanket of snow on the driveway and walkway. He assumed neither of his parents had bothered going anywhere the previous day or on Christmas, which meant Sayu got to stay inside and didn't have to toil with a snow shovel in the cold. Being the eldest, Light had usually been given that duty, and the one time he was out of the house Sayu got to evade it just like that.
His gloved finger rested on the doorbell. He stared at the thing with loathing. Maybe if he jumped out of the way just in time when the door began to creak open… Before he lost his nerve, he pressed the button. L still stood behind him with his eyes boring into the back of his head.
A click sounded through the silence hanging in the air. The door was just unlocked. Light immediately bolted to stand behind the detective, moving so fast that L scarcely had time to react. He was about to turn and question the younger man's odd behavior when suddenly a considerable amount of weight latched itself onto his form. Surprised and due to the icy concrete below him, he quickly toppled to the ground with the weight still firmly attached. He switched his gaze to whatever it was. A large pair of brown eyes looked to him with disappointment.
"Hello, Sayu-kun," he said calmly. "Is this how you greet all visitors?"
The younger Yagami pouted. "No, not really. I was hoping that you were Light…"
"I knew it."
"And so you sacrificed your friend? Geez, how can you hang out with this guy, Ryuuzaki?" She stuck her tongue out at her brother.
L tried to squirm slightly out of her hold, but to no avail. "It's very nice to see you again, but…would you happen to have any aspirin? I do believe I hit my head on the pavement a bit too hard…"
"Oh, I nearly forgot! Let me help you up, I'm soooo sorry!"
The teenage girl leapt up in a flash and grabbed L's arm to help him to his feet. With his spare hand, he moved his fingers to feel the afflicted area. He winced slightly and then carefully brushed some of the ice and snow out of his hair. Light, unscathed, followed the two through the front door. While L went ahead and removed his shoes, an action he noticed the detective was all too eager to perform, he closed and locked the door behind them. Sayu sprinted off someplace to acquire the medicine L had asked for.
"That was very sly of you, Light-kun." He set his coat on the hanger along with his infinite supply of scarves. "You gave me an owwie."
"Too slow, Ryuuzaki."
Sachiko pulled her son into a hug before the detective could give any kind of retort. Really, were all of his family members ninjas? He never knew people to move so fast and without him knowing where they were…
"Merry Christmas, Liiiiight~!" The woman placed kisses all over his face while still encasing him in a hug. Oh, Light was just dying of embarrassment. L couldn't help but to smirk slightly, earning him a brief glare from Light when his mother wasn't looking.
Once satisfied, the detective finally spoke up, saving Light from further torture. He considered them even at this point. "Merry Christmas, Sachiko-san."
The woman turned her head to the unexpected voice. "Oh, Ryuuzaki! I'm so sorry for not greeting you properly! I was just so excited to see my Light-chan home for Christmas. Please, come into the living room. We've been waiting for you two."
Light managed to wriggle from his mother's arms. "By the way mom, Sayu should be coming with some medicine for Ryuuzaki. Redirect her to us if you see her, please."
A look of concern passed over the woman's face. Light noticed she was wearing one of her hideous Christmas sweaters, making him shudder. All those bells, ribbons, reindeer… ughhh…
She said, "Oh? Is there something the matter?"
"I merely slipped and fell outside, hitting my head on the ice," L piped up. "It's nothing to worry about, but what she is looking for will be of help."
Light felt a tug on his wrist. His gaze switched to L, who was now walking away from him.
"Come, Light-kun. We should advance to the living room."
"All right." Oh sweet heavens, if that mistletoe was still in there… Surely L wouldn't pull that stunt in front of his entire family? Light would make it his prime objective to find a seat farthest from where that accursed plant was hanging.
"You poor dears… That chain still won't come off?" Sachiko asked suddenly, finally taking notice of the thing.
L paused to turn around. "I'm afraid so. Not a single locksmith has been available since it is the holidays, so we may not be rid of it until New Year's or later…"
"What a shame!"
You have no idea, Light thought to himself. A strong tug pulled him toward the living room once more. He picked up his pace to walk more alongside the detective opposed to following behind. Thus, they arrived at their destination at the same time.
It was as if the Spirit of Christmas had waltzed into the Yagami household and thrown up everywhere. If Light had thought his mother had finished decorating around the time of their previous visit, he was sorely mistaken. Knick knacks, garland, scented candles, lights, music… It almost was enough to make him have to shield his eyes. Some Christmas throw blankets were on the backs of chairs and the couch, but otherwise the seats were unscathed. Soichiro stood over by the fireplace, poking at the still-new flames.
"Merry Christmas, Soichiro-san," L said, not quite as overwhelmed by the decorations as Light. The younger man was still rubbing at his eyes.
The police chief turned around, startled from hearing L's voice in his home. "Ryuuzaki, a pleasure to have you here. A Merry Christmas to you, too." His gaze shifted to the chain, creating a slight frown on his face. "So, I take it you'll still be stuck to each other for a while."
"Yes. It seems all of the locksmiths will not be back until after the first of January, as I had thought it would be…"
Soichiro sighed. "Very well. Anyway, please have a seat." He gestured toward the couch, still standing near the fire.
"Thank you very mu–"
"I FOUND IIIIIT!" Sayu proclaimed, bolting into the room. She stopped in front of L and Light, the two having just been in the middle of finally sitting down.
"That took a while," Light stated. "And what exactly is that on your head?"
"Oh, this?" Sayu adjusted the little white ball attached to her green-and-red striped hat. "It's my elf-hat. Duh. Anyway, here's your medicine, Ryuuzaki."
A cup of water and two white pills were thrust into his hands. L brought one of the things closer to his eyes, examining them. "Ah, thank you very much. This should help."
"No problem!"
Determining that the things were actually for headaches and not for killing unsuspecting house guests, L quickly threw the things into his mouth and chased them down with the water he was given. He grimaced as they traveled down his throat, not particularly liking the medicine-y taste they left behind. It was so incredibly bitter and vile… Some water was still left in the cup, so he drank the remaining liquid in hopes of eliminating the awful taste.
"Whoaaaahhh… There are way more presents this morning than there were last night," Sayu remarked, peering under the tree. She eyed one of the tags of an unfamiliar box. "This one's from…Ryuuzaki? Hey, so is this one! And…this one, too! Geez, Ryuuzaki, are you rolling in dough or something? There's like a billion gifts from you here!"
The detective brought a thumb to his lips. "I suppose you could put it that way."
DING DONG! DING DONG!
Light switched his gaze toward the front door. It wasn't in his line of vision, but the sound bothered him. The doorbell had no reason to ring anymore. He and L had already arrived and no one was delivering packages, which meant that someone… No, it couldn't be… A frown settled on his features. L didn't seem concerned at the slightest, merely staring at the Christmas tree.
"I'll get it, mom!" Sayu darted out of the kitchen, the presents and L momentarily forgotten.
This was not good. Sayu did not volunteer to answer the door unless it was someone she probably knew. Light's list of potential visitors narrowed down to one possible person.
The door was flung open.
"Misa-Misa is here!"
Oh, how badly he had wanted to be proven wrong. Not only would he have to deal with Misa's clingy nature and loud mouth, but Sayu's deviousness and L's unpredictable agenda. The day was going to sap his every reserve of will and wit.
He glanced over to L. The man, upon hearing Misa's piercing voice, didn't look too terribly pleased either. Well, at least they were in the same boat on that.
"It's so good to see you again, Misa-chan! Light's over in the living room with the others," Sayu responded. The sound of Misa's heavy Lolita shoes sounded on the tile as she removed them.
Closing his eyes, Light began to count down.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…
Two sets of feet could be heard padding down the hallway.
…five, four, three, two, one –
A pair of pale, thin arms wrapped around his neck from behind.
"Misa is soooo happy to see you, Light! She's missed you so much! Always stuck with him instead of me." She sent a pointed glare to L, who still preferred to have a staring contest with the Yagami Christmas tree. The model gave Light a smooch on the cheek.
Sayu plopped down on a recliner near-by. From where she was, she got a pretty clear view on anyone in the living room. The only person missing was her mother, but she wouldn't affect the atmosphere all that much. So far, things hadn't exactly gone as she planned. Sayu had no clue the true level of obsession Misa had for Light, and from her brother's subtle body language she could definitely tell he wasn't all that pleased. That Ryuuzaki character, however…she couldn't tell what was going on with him. It was as if he knew she was keeping him under surveillance, or he always kept his face unreadable. Now, if she just got Misa removed from the equation for only a little while…
Sachiko finally entered the living room, a large red Santa had in her hands. Misa took notice that something was about to happen, so she quickly released her grip on Light's neck and went around the couch to hop on his lap. She was wearing a modified Mrs. Claus outfit. How was he not surprised? It left little to the imagination and why she chose to wear it in front of his family Light would never know…
"Everybody, make sure you have a seat!" she chimed. The only one standing was Soichiro who upon hearing the announcement sat down in the loveseat. Sachiko remained standing, and continued, "Since we have two new faces in the house this Christmas, I'll go ahead and explain how we open our presents. Each year, we have someone new wear this Santa hat and it is their job to hand out the presents from under the tree while everyone else gets to sit and chat. Once all the presents are given out, we open them. There's no need to save ribbons, paper, or anything like that. We throw it all out. So…"
"Ooh! Light should be Santa this year! He hasn't been Santa in forever!" Sayu proclaimed. Who said it had to be a part of her grand plan for it to annoy her brother to death? She could improvise, too.
Light immediately tried to draw attention away from himself. "Don't be silly, Sayu. Just two Christmases ago I –"
"Light will be Santa this year. It's decided," Sachiko concluded, handing over the hat with a smile.
With a frown that could rival the Grinch's, Light put the accursed red hat on his head. A humored snort sounded off to the side.
Light furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Ryuuzaki…?"
Nearly caught in the act, L returned to his regular stoic expression in a fraction of a second. "Yes, Light-kun?"
He sighed. "Whatever. I guess I'll start…"
Light grudgingly began to grab the outermost gifts, handing them out to their respective owners. The ones that were from L were painfully different from the rest. The wrapping was perfect, the bows were magnificent, and they all had candy patterns. Again, a shocker. In fact, it seemed that the detective at some point or another had gotten gifts for everyone present. Well, except for Misa. It seemed even he hadn't counted on her attendance. However, Misa didn't really notice the difference between L's gifts and his family's. Well, for now. He even found two boxes for himself. Rather surprised, he set them down beside we he had been sitting, though most of the space was occupied by Misa.
Now, he was going for the Yagami gifts. He remembered his mother calling the evening before, trying to get gifts for the detective at the last minute. Light couldn't even have imagined what the stores were like on Christmas eve, but she had been so insistent on getting ideas from him…
After having made the reindeer food, Light had excused himself to go visit the restroom. He had finished and began washing his hands when he heard his phone suddenly go off. Luckily, it was a normal ring tone, opposed to the one Sayu had assigned to herself…
He flipped the device open. "Hello, mother."
"Hello, Light-chan! How are you? Enjoying your winter break with your classmates?"
"Yeah, we're having a great time. So, is there anything I can do for you?" He could hear L at work with his Tetris game outside the door.
"Yes, actually! Your father told me that Ryuuzaki is coming over for Christmas at our house, so it's only right that we get him some things. Do you know what he likes?"
Oh, god. Now that was a million-dollar question if there ever was one.
"Uh…candy and sweets… That's about it. He's not really into clothes…" Because he wears the same god damn thing every day.
"But, we can't just get him food!"
"Well…he's very intelligent, so… I don't know, maybe some books or puzzle-things?"
He could hear her sigh on the other end.
"Okay, well… What have you gotten him?"
Shit. That was a good question.
"About that, mom…"
"Light Yagami, did you get anything for your friend's Christmas present?" Ooh. She was not pleased. Think fast, Light.
"Here's the thing, though! You know we've been chained together after we lost the key, right?"
"Yes, you said that…"
"Well, how am I supposed to go out and buy him presents if he's breathing down my neck? I was going to ask you to get some things in my place. I'll pay you back in full as soon as I can go to the bank."
"Oh, well…I suppose that's fine. I'm right outside the mall in my car. So, what do you have in mind, sweetie?"
Somehow, his brain flung an idea or two out of nowhere. "Maybe a heated coat or jacket? I heard Gerbing makes something like that… It might be a little pricey, but I'll still cover it."
He heard a pen moving on some paper on the other end. "Uh-huh… What else?"
"The only other thing I can think of is… Have you heard of those new blanket-things from America, called 'Snuggies' or whatever? One of those, if there are any around."
"Sounds good. I'll keep an eye out for those things, dear. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, I love you, bye!"
And now he was going to get to the non-L gifts. His fingers reached out to grab something from his dad to Sayu when…his hand didn't move any farther toward the thing. He looked to it in confusion…and it was attached to a very taut chain. Of course. L was balancing very precariously off of the couch, looking as though he could topple onto the ground at a moment's notice.
Sayu got to her feet within seconds. "I have an idea!"
Light stood, moving away from the tree to lessen the strain. This he had to hear. "Oh? That's a first."
"Hey, you're being a total – "
"Children…" Soichiro said with warning.
"Hmph." She crossed her arms against her chest. "Well, what I was going to say was I know how Light can still be Santa and get to the rest of the presents with the chain still on him!"
L, his thumb still to his lips, suddenly broke from his silent observations. "Oh?"
Smiling triumphantly, Sayu marched over to the "seated" raven haired man, pulled off her elf-hat, and put it directly on to his head. He was looking up at the abomination on his head as if he'd been given severe head lice. It took all of Light's self control to not laugh at his misfortune. Oh, how the tables had turned…
"Ryuuzaki can be his helper elf! Ta-da!"
"Aww, how adorable! Light, Ryuuzaki, wait just one moment! I need to grab my camera!" Sachiko said. She hurried out of the room to get the said technological device.
An enormous grin was plastered across Sayu's face. They were both mortified. Well, Light more so than Ryuuzaki, but still. It was priceless. There was no way she wasn't getting a copy of this picture!
Seconds later Sachiko had returned, fiddling with the on button. Sayu dragged L onto his feet and pushed him to stand by her Santa-ified brother. Light looked as though he wanted to commit a murder, while the raven-haired man held a look so blank and unimpressed that he could've been mistaken for a zombie.
"Oh, come on you two!" Sachiko lowered the camera from her eye. "Would it hurt you to smile, just a little? It's Christmas, not a funeral for...Grandma Auntpaw or something. It'll look really nice in front of our tree! Now, on the count of three…"
Light sighed. He wasn't sure why L was complying to having a photo taken of his face, but it hardly mattered now, he supposed. They didn't know who he was, save his father and Misa. If they had any sense they wouldn't say a word about it. On that note, perhaps it was best to keep an eye on Misa…
"One…"
He went ahead and put on one of the small, polite smiles he reserved for awards and other sorts of things like that. It didn't scream to the world he was having the greatest time of his life, but it was enough to get people off of his back for looking forlorn in a photo. L, on the other hand, hadn't made a move to do anything yet.
"Two…"
Scratch that, he was doing something now. L straightened his back a bit and got rid of his scowl. Well, it was an improvement, he supposed. He could only take note of this out of the corner of his eye, keeping his gaze focused mainly on the camera in his mother's hands.
"Three…"
Just before the signal from Sachiko's finger pressing the button signaled to the camera to take the shot, he felt a hand roughly shove his head into L's, making them practically cheek to cheek. Neither had enough time to react to the force until long after the flash lit the room briefly and the picture was taken. Light whipped around to find a grinning Sayu sitting on the ground behind them. He shot her a glare, only to be interrupted by perhaps the other greatest form of annoyance in his life.
"Ooh! Misa wants to be in the next picture!"
L was rubbing the side of his face that had been rammed onto the younger man. "Light-kun has a very hard head…"
Countless pictures of Misa (most with Light and not L, though he wasn't complaining) later, she finally sat back on the couch, satisfied. Sachiko was simply overwhelmed by the concept of her son as Santa and his girlfriend Mrs. Claus, so the never-ended photo shoot hadn't bothered her at the slightest. Sayu, however, was longingly looking at the rest of the presents while Soichiro stared longingly at the kitchen. L was left to fiddle with his thumbs and to his thoughts, which varied from cake to modern existentialism. Well...mostly cake.
"Big brother, get on with the gifts already! I want my presents!" Sayu whined.
"Fine, I'm getting to it…"
Light turned back to the tree, crouching down to get more gifts to pass out. L had to do little except hand over the occasional box if the younger man's hands got too full, so he spent the majority of his time standing in the middle of the room and staring at nothing in particular.
That is, until Light had to get to the small gifts that were all the way under the tree on the other side. The tree was up against a wall, so this meant he couldn't necessarily walk around to the other side to retrieve them easily. So, this meant that he had to get on his hands and his knees to reach back to where they lay hidden. That was when Sayu caught sight of something even better than stealing fresh gingerbread men when nobody was looking. Every now and then when Light was trying to get those hidden little presents, Ryuuzaki's gaze would shift for only a brief second or two to Light's exposed rear-end. It was as if he wasn't even aware he was even looking at the thing initially, the gaze was so brief. Ryuuzaki caught himself perhaps once or twice more, but Sayu was the only one who noticed.
Yes, it would be soon. Very soon, indeed.
"Well, I think that's about it," Light finally stated, pushing himself back onto his feet. He tore off the Santa hat at once and chucked it at Sayu. It hit her directly in the face.
"Heyyy!"
"Okay, everyone. Time to open presents," Soichiro finally proclaimed. He didn't so much care about his children's bickering as much as he cared about when he was going to eat some Christmas ham.
"Yay!" Sayu squealed. The hat slapping her in the face was long forgotten. This was serious business.
The youngest Yagami began tearing into her presents as if her life depended on it. Misa went to work at her own presents with a ferocity that perhaps rivaled Sayu's. The others, however, went at a leisurely pace while the girls' wrapping paper fell around them like snow.
L's eyes were rather wide at the stack of presents that had accumulated where he had been sitting. "This is…all mine?" He examined the tags and labels on the gifts, as if to make sure it wasn't a mistake.
"Of course they are!" Sachiko replied. "You thought we wouldn't get anything for one of Light's closest friends, did you?"
The detective moved some of his things onto the floor so he could sit. Or rather, what he did that resembled sitting. He pulled up his first gift, which was a medium-sized box with red and white striped wrapping paper. It just so happened that that particular one had been from Light. He peered over to the auburn-haired man, who was currently sitting on the other side of the couch beside Misa. The chain that stretched across her lap apparently didn't deter her from opening presents at the slightest.
However, he had to focus on the thing in his hands. No one paid him any mind, so L lifted the box to his ear. There seemed to be nothing strange about it. So, he started tearing away at the paper and discarding it on the floor as the others seemed to be doing. Underneath was only a plain brown box, but upon opening it…
He moved his fingers across a bit of blue fabric he had pulled out. "Is this…a Snuggie?"
Misa paused in her gift-opening frenzy to peer over. "Huh. It sure looks like one."
Light turned his head slightly, finding that the detective's gaze was already on him. It unnerved him, because he really couldn't tell what the man was thinking. Did he hate the thing or what? His eyes were wide (as usual) and unblinking. Light shifted uncomfortably in his seat, waiting for a reaction from L.
"I've been wanting a Snuggie for ages, but I always have forgotten to order one since I get so busy… Thank you very much, Light-kun."
"Oh, um…you're welcome." Way to go and act like an idiot. He wanted to smack himself in the forehead.
Light focused back on his own gifts. Currently, he found himself holding a simple flat box. Taking a look at the tag attached, he was currently in the possession of a gift from L. Go figure; the guy had practically bought Macy's and stuffed it into the boxes in his living room. All he had to do was remove its blue ribbon. He opened the lid and was thenceforth baffled at what he saw.
"Ryuuzaki…"
L was currently chewing on some candy canes that had come in a ginormous barrel from someone else in the room. "Yes, Light-kun?"
"How…much in on this card?"
"Ah. The gift card? Well, that's for you to figure out. Either you can spend some of it at the store it's from, or call a sales associate and read them the bar code. I'm not telling, though." He chewed another hunk off of the cane in his hands. "I assume it's your kind of store? You dress in formal wear frequently, and that is something they do well…"
"Yeah. Thank you, Ryuuzaki."
He stared back down at the card. Saks Fifth Avenue. Saks fucking Fifth Avenue. It was easy to walk out of the door having spent over eighty-thousand yen. Which really made him wonder how much L had decided to put on the card, if spending so exorbitantly was so easy there? If L had gotten him anything else, what could top a gift card to one of the priciest clothing stores from America in Japan? Somehow, his hands had gotten a hold of L's second and final gift to Light.
It was a square-ish box, perhaps the size of two shoe boxes combined. What was underneath the paper wasn't very impressive; it was just all white. He carefully opened up the lid of the thing and peered inside. For perhaps the first time in his life, he was speechless. He knew L paid such close attention to details that it was almost mind-boggling, but for him to have remembered this… Gingerly he pulled out the box's contents, sitting a fluffy vanilla-colored bear on his lap.
It was almost exactly like the one he used to have growing up.
Sayu, as young as she was, wouldn't have been able to remember the bear. However, she noticed the look on his face, despite the lengths he went to hide his shock. Light ignored her for the time being and switched his gaze to L furtively. The detective now had a stack of candy and books at his feet. He'd pick the newly unwrapped novels up and flip through a few pages in the beginning, then set them down with the rest to go on to the next gift. He didn't appear to know that Light was looking over at him… He tore his gaze from the raven-haired man to look down at the bear in his arms. He would keep it safely there as he went on to open the remainder of his presents.
"Ooh…"
L was now holding a thick black jacket in front of his face. He turned it around to look at the clothing item at all angles. It was as if he'd been given the biggest slice of strawberry cake in the world with how wide his eyes were (if they could get any bigger).
"What's that?" Sayu chirped, having taken her first pause from opening presents. She only had two left, anyway.
"It's a Gerbing heated jacket from your brother. I tend to not fare very well in cold weather, so this will be excellent for when I go outside. Again, thank you very much Light-kun." He began exploring the jacket's pockets, which were apparently heated as well. One thing was for certain: He wasn't going to be turning into a popsicle anytime soon. Why hadn't he thought of purchasing such a jacket for himself before. Oh, that was right. He never really went outside. Fair enough.
It would be a half-hour later before the last gift would be unwrapped. Sayu and Misa had finished within a mere five to seven minutes and were head to toe in new clothes, jewelry, and other doodads. L was the last to finish, seeing as though he took a break every couple of minutes to eat some of his candy that he'd accumulated.
"All right, everyone. Since we're all done with our gifts, I'm going to get things ready for dinner," Sachiko announced, a new necklace shimmering around her neck. Light assumed it was from their father, who made it a point to get her some nice jewelry each year. "We should be ready to eat in about one hour, so make sure that you're ready by then."
After their mother had left, Sayu switched her gaze to Light. Immediately feeling suspicious of her, he frowned.
"Oh, Light… There's this one thing I forgot to mention to you…"
Light just continued to frown. He knew it was coming. He could feel it in his bones. She was going to say something that would invoke such rage only a little sister could create in him.
"While you were gone, I didn't just mess with your closet… I kind of rearranged everything in your bookcase a few days ago, too. Sorry. I got bored."
"Sayu."
"Yes…?" she said, oh so innocently.
"You should be very, very grateful that this is Christmas. Otherwise, I would –"
" –have my head on a pike. Yeah, yeah. I know. You've used that one before a billion times. Still hasn't happened."
"Light-kun, where are we going?" L could feel his arm being dragged over the couch, away from his sweet, sweet candy… It was heart-shattering.
"We're going to my room. Misa, I'll be back in a little bit. Keep Sayu away. Far away." The disgruntled Yagami began trudging up the stairs, L in tow.
"Misa-Misa will keep her away, don't worry~!"
Slam!
Well, they were now in his bedroom. L had just barely scrambled in before the door took a bite out of him. He remembered the place from the security cameras (which he certainly wasn't going to tell Light about). It was as neat and organized as always, but Light was still not pleased at the slightest. He strode over to his closet, flinging open the doors and letting out a groan. L peered over his shoulder.
"Well…"
"Can't you see? The pants are mixed with the shirts, they're not in color-order, my shoes at the bottom are all mixed up and not with their match…"
Sighing, L chose to walk away from Light in his state of extreme distress. And here he thought Light had too many clothes over at the task force building. His closet in his home was utterly jam-packed full of dress shirts, slacks, more dress shirts, dress shoes, ties, and the most expansive belt collection he knew of.
There was nothing out of the ordinary in Light's bedroom, except… The detective walked over closer to the desk by the window. There was a set of keys left still in the lock. To any ordinary person, they would notice the fact that the keys would be in such an obvious location and merely conclude that there was nothing of importance in that particular drawer. However, it was too obvious, which meant there was something in the drawer. L quickly glanced over his shoulder. Light was still desperately trying to fix the contents of his closet, so perhaps he would take no notice of him if he snooped for a minute or two.
Soundlessly, L slid the unlocked drawer open. However, he was only faced with a simple diary. No Death Note. Damn it. Unless…
His fingers deftly felt around the bottom of the drawer. Sure enough, he found something else out of the ordinary: a hidden bottom in the drawer. He lifted the sheet of wood just slightly, but stopped himself. No, it would be too easy. There had to be more to it. Gently he let the wood back down, the diary still resting upon it. The contents of the visible book were barely important. He wanted to investigate the peculiar drawer further, but…it was too risky with Light only a few feet behind. That, and he was beginning to feel as if he were simply looking too far into things. What if he was merely hiding something personal he didn't want his parents to see? What if the diary on top was a decoy, and the real one lied beneath? Dissatisfied, he closed the drawer soundly and turned back around. Sure enough, Light was still consumed by his work with the closet.
L glanced at the wall clock in the room. Apparently they had already been in the room for five minutes. He had been examining the desk for longer than he thought.
"Light-kun…"
"Yeah, what?" he asked, several hangars of pants in his hands.
"How long are you going to keep at that? I want to eat more of my Christmas candy… I had at least seven different varieties of candy canes. At least."
Light grumbled, "Oh, whatever. This is going to take as long as it needs to. You can thank Sayu for it."
L sighed. Perhaps he'd wait just a little bit longer before poking at the dragon again. Well, his little sister had mentioned that she tampered with his bookshelf, hadn't she? Perhaps if he tried to fix things, Light wouldn't continue with his rampage of organization. It was only a few feet away to the left, and it was certainly a mess. L wanted to assume the auburn-haired man organized his books by author and not some bizarre Light method. If it was the former, then Sayu certainly had done quite a job on it. Hemmingway was in between Shakespeare and Steven King, then there was volume three of an encyclopedia set to the right along with Hawthorne. He began pulling a few volumes off the shelves. The encyclopedia set had its own area, then there were the alphabetical groups. Just as he set down Yoshimoto's Asleep, he noticed something out of place. But, it had nothing to do with the bookcase.
It was a wonder he had paid it no mind until now. Perhaps it was because all Light had bothered to turn on was a single lamp. Perhaps he had gotten too absorbed with the lock in the drawer with the keys still in it. Perhaps Light's anxiety was considerably distracting. However, it did not change the fact that every square foot of Light's ceiling had mistletoe.
It was a trap.
But…had Light even noticed? Highly unlikely, seeing how focused he was on his task.
Therefore, it was up to him to reveal his discovery to Light. It was time for an investigation.
He shuffled back over to where Light stood in front of the closet. He wasn't even noticed. So, with a single finger he tapped lightly on the other man's shoulder. It took several tries, actually. Was he really that willing to sacrifice that much awareness for a closet?
"What is it now, Ryuuzaki?"
The nerve of that man. He didn't even bother to turn around.
"Firstly, we are behind closed doors. That alias isn't necessary. Secondly," he grabbed Light by the shoulders and spun him around, continuing, "you need to stop your obsessive organizing for just one moment. There is something very important that I've discovered about your room."
The detective's gaze made him stop dead in his tracks. Light nearly dropped the maroon button-up in his hands. Surely he hadn't… He cleaned out that desk long ago, hadn't he? Surely L had been snooping around with his backed turned on him. Damn it! If L found a piece of incriminating evidence still in his room, as impossible as it was, he'd –
"There is something on your ceiling. Actually, a lot of something."
His heart pounding in his ears, Light slowly turned his gaze upward…and found himself staring at countless clumps of mistletoe. It didn't take long before the gears started to turn in his head once more.
"Damn it. It was Sayu," Light remarked lowly. "She knew this would happen all along and I played right into her hands."
"So you did. Wit must run in the family." L took a single step forward. It wouldn't be noticed.
"I don't know what she planned to achieve by this, other than my humiliation…"
"This is humiliating for Light-kun?" He tilted his head to the side slightly.
Light went ahead to drape the shirt over his arm instead of letting it wrinkle in his grasp. "Well, yes. You're –"
"A man? A friend? Or perhaps it is because I am L? Which bothers you more, I wonder. Or…is it something else?" Another step.
Light could feel his face growing slightly warm. Damn it, what was he getting at? Moreover, how was it that L could somehow always manage to be right? But what could be 'something else,' anyway? What other realm of possibility was there? He didn't particularly like where the conversation was headed, and L seemed to have thought far enough ahead to be holding most of the cards. He was currently in control, not Light, and it was downright unnerving. Of course Light didn't feel attraction toward men. He had Misa, and numerous girlfriends before her, hadn't he? So naturally, that didn't make him feel any better about the situation. And, in the ridiculous scenario of Kira being attracted to the person whose sole purpose was to hunt him down and lock him away for all eternity, how would that sort of thing even work? How could two so greatly opposing forces ever hope to do anything? Again, impossible. Not only would he never fall for such a trap, but no one would feel particularly inclined to be involved with a detective that countless criminals wanted to get rid of. L's life was downright dangerous.
"Does it even really matter?" Light managed to say. Suddenly, it appeared that L was much closer than he had thought.
"Perhaps it does. Perhaps it doesn't."
Damn it, he was another step closer. Surely he wasn't going to…
"Though, as you very well know, Light-kun, we still must abide to all December holiday traditions. And…"
Shit, fuck, and other expletives. Why wasn't he getting away? Why wasn't he trying to run out of the room? He could feel the detective's heavy gaze still on him, and he made the mistake of meeting those eyes. Light's fate was sealed as soon as that happened. Those black eyes swallowed him whole.
"…there is far more mistletoe than there was last time."
Before Light had the chance to draw in another breath, he was pushed against the wall behind him and his mouth was assaulted. The last time, all L had done was given him a peck, and not even on the lips. Now, though, he could feel the warmth of the detective's mouth pressed against his own and palms resting on the side of his face. Any kind of logical thought had left him completely with those lips. Still too frozen, he found he could do little but sense the man's tongue slide lazily across one of his own lips, as if begging to go further. A shiver ran through his entire body.
Apparently, the action had been just enough for L to sneak through. Light fought back a moan as the detective's tongue assaulted his own while simultaneously pressing their bodies against each other. There was not an inch of space between them, and L was still claiming his mouth. If he had made any attempts against him, they had been feeble ones. He could only let his arms hang loosely at his sides and leave his eyes closed tightly. L tasted so sweetly of candies he'd eaten, of cakes he partook in daily, and…
…he was kissing back? He was far too lost to pay the thought that much mind. Apparently, something had clicked and he found his hands resting on the detective's back, only pulling him closer. A small sound came from somewhere in L's throat, but he still was clearly at work on dominating the younger man. However, now the person he had been controlling was fighting back. It proved to only excite him, making his kiss all the more fervent and excited.
Neither one cared who exactly the other person was. There were only two hearts beating madly against each other, two pairs of lungs pumping air sporadically, two people sharing a kiss. A kiss that, perhaps, was showing more of themselves than they would have ever cared to admit. The pair continued the kiss desperately, pulling each other closer as if they were aware that the moment was only temporary, as if it wouldn't ever really return. Anything after that would have some kind feeling, feelings with they had so often tried to evade and push into the darkest corners in fear of actually facing them. Nothing thereafter would ever be so simple, if there was one. Fear kept them pressed together, knowing that it would end.
Just as the tide was beginning to turn and Light managed to make his way into L's mouth, a loud knock tore their attention from each other and to the door. Their breaths were still heavy and eyes barely open, not entirely out of the haze. The knocking only continued, and it grew louder each time.
"Liiiiight. Dinner's gonna start in ten minutes! You'd better get your butt down here!"
It was then that L finally released his hold on Light, taking several steps backward. His gaze switched to the floor at once, causing his face to become hidden by a wall of messy black hair.
Light found the absence of the other body to be shockingly cold. He had to prop himself against the wall still, bringing a hand to his forehead. Somehow, he found his voice and shouted back (weakly) to his little sister.
"I'll be there! Just give me a minute, okay? The closet is just about finished."
"Okay! See you soon!" Her footsteps sounded down the stairs.
The two sets of eyes flickered to each other, the reality of the situation having finally hit them. Utter disbelief reigned supreme. They seemed to search each other for any kind of answer but any kind of words they could have formed dried up on their lips. Light was first to break the stare, switching to look back at the door.
"We…we should get down there. They're waiting on us." He started to move toward the door, trying to hide the fact that it took an extreme amount of effort to hold in the shaky feeling that still plagued his body.
L did not respond. He merely followed.
Funny, how he ended up getting more questions than answers…
It was official. Light was now a part of the strangest dinner of his entire life.
Due to the inconvenience of the chain, he and L could do little else other than sitting next to each other. The tension between them was thick, but only they seemed to feel it (which was a relief). Misa sat directly across from him and talked his ear off, or it was a battle of the mouths. Sayu's endless prattle against Misa's. It was such a force that unchecked could continue indefinitely. Then there were those glances Sayu would steal at him and L… Surely she had no idea. There was no way.
Light could remember that his parents had asked him how his first semester at the university had gone, and he'd given some sort of answer. Misa talked some more. Sayu kicked his shins. L sat in his usual, oddball way with only desserts on his plate.
He brought another bite of ham to his mouth and chewed. Somehow, his mouth couldn't pick up on its flavor any longer. Was he really that distracted? In any case, he began to reach for the pepper shaker that sat inches away from his plate. At the same time, L went to grab for his glass of water. The two hands brushed each other for only a fraction of a second, but…it was as if a jolt of electricity had passed. No one noticed; they were too busy eating or gabbing.
"Hey, mom," Sayu said, finally taking a break from her conversation with Misa, "do you think I could eat something like what Ryuuzaki has? Pleaseee?"
"Sayu, absolutely not. You still have those peas and that ham on your plate."
"But that's not – "
After swallowing a spoonful of pudding, L spoke, "It's completely necessary, I'm afraid. My body cannot handle large amounts of vegetables, protein, or meat fat. I would get sick otherwise."
"Ohhh. So you only eat sweets, huh? Lucky!"
"They're delicious, yes, but not entirely… You get dependant on sugar and caffeine. Stick to your peas and ham, trust me." In went another bite of pumpkin pie.
The chatter would return to normal and the dinner would continue as it had. Light, however, made a point to keep his hands to himself.
Next on the agenda was games. Even with the addition of L and Misa, the numbers were still even and teams were therefore possible. Sachiko had teamed with her husband and Sayu had put a claim on being Misa's partner, so L and Light were left to form their own team. Sayu just knew that keeping them together was going to be enormously entertaining, but…she hadn't thought past that. They started up with a game of Sequence, and it wasn't until the first couple of plays that they all came to the same crushing realization: they just put in the same team the two most intelligent students in Japan. Or, as Soichiro knew, the smartest student in Japan and the world's greatest detective. They wouldn't stand a chance.
And, it was incredibly humiliating. In a matter of minutes the two had gotten their first sequence, thus winning the first game. Even after their method of using Morse Code was realized, it still didn't level the playing field at the slightest. Soichiro had some skill in poker, but his attempts were in vain. Light wanted to chuckle to himself when they pulled out Clue soon after. He could even see his father release a heavy sigh, thinking along the same lines as he was. L won on his fifth turn after having entered only one room with his Professor Plum piece. Jenga saw similar results. How could someone with such twitchy hands manage to stack those blocks so high, anyway? No matter what game they procured, the Light and L team would sweep the floor, or it would be a fierce competition between the two minds.
The games were truly a relief for Light, though. He had something to occupy his thoughts with, whether it be a puzzle or a strategy. Logic was safe and had no emotional complications. The tension that had controlled him since dinner had been able to slacken, and perhaps even L seemed more at ease. Games were safe and distracting. Sayu still made faces at him, of course. And finally it seemed there was a player in the Yagami household who was even worse than Sayu herself: Misa. Well, not that it was surprising, but it made for an interesting combination. He likened them to Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The thought made Light smirk. Everything was going along swimmingly.
Until…
"Mommmm," Sayu whined, "can we stop playing games now? I'm tired of losing and the only people that ever win are Light and Ryuuzaki. This sucks."
"Well, they have won every game…"
Soichiro pushed back his chair and stood, pretty uninterested at the concept of losing more games as well. "Let's start the movie. Sayu, go grab the cookies and drinks."
"YAY! Thanks, dad!"
Light noticed L shift his position just slightly out of the corner of his eyes. Was he eager to see the movie, or was there something else? Perhaps he planned to execute a plan, but even then he wouldn't give away his intentions. It was strange.
"Yagami-san, may I ask what movie we will watch?" L asked suddenly, his gaze focused on the police chief.
"Well, we watch the same movie on Christmas each year. It's A Christmas Story. Have you heard of it?"
Candy cane in hand, L stood from the table as well. "Yes, I have. It has been a number of years since I've seen it last."
The game table was cleared and the six eventually made their way into the living room. Everyone seemed to take the seating they'd assumed earlier when opening (or tearing into) presents. Sachiko took to the loveseat with Soichiro, Sayu claimed the recliner while clad in new fuzzy slippers, and Light was stuck again between Misa and L on the couch. Misa clung to one of his arms as if it were the last day she would see him for months (which he wished was true). L, however, sat in his usual way while nibbling on his last candy cane. The lights were turned off, trays of cookies were distributed (Light's and Misa's was eagerly claimed by L, and they could've cared less), the DVD started up, and Soichiro would press play.
Ten minutes into the film, most of which were opening credits, Light had noticed nothing out of the ordinary about anyone. Sayu turned into her movie-watching zombie form while Misa still clung and donned a typical void expression. His parents cuddled, something he didn't really care to watch that much. So, all that was left to check on was, of course, L. He didn't appear to have moved at all. He had a cookie in his mouth and his eyes were set on the screen. Okay, so maybe Light could actually relax and enjoy the film. Nothing weird was going on with L, despite his fidgeting earlier. Everything was fine.
Irony, however, was a cruel mistress. His right arm which was free and rested at his side didn't stay that way for very long. A cold pair of fingers just barely ghosted over the back of his hand. It took everything for him to keep the rest of his body calm and unresponsive to the sudden touch. He couldn't avert anyone's attention. He stole a glance at the detective. L still sat there innocently, still watching the movie. Light would just ignore him and maybe then he'd be left alone.
Ten minutes later, when he had dropped his guard only slightly, L's clammy hands made a comeback. Rather than just barely traveling over his skin, they were daring to entwine themselves in his own fingers. Light froze. What was he supposed to do? If he made a move to shake L's hand away, the movement could be large enough for someone like Sayu to notice, especially if L kept a firm grip. However, the hand had left just as quickly as it came. Light let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding. He switched his gaze to the detective for another brief moment. Sure enough, he still appeared to be looking straight ahead at the film on the screen. The bastard.
For the rest of the movie, Light remained on edge. Any moment he expected to be "assaulted" again. It was only a matter of time. Even at the infamous leg lamp scene, nothing had happened since the second contact. He fidgeted in his seat slightly. When would he make his next move, and could he do anything about it other than just sit there and take it? He wasn't comfortable with this strange kind of control the detective had attained out of the blue. It was nearly impossible to focus on the movie anymore.
L nibbled on his second-to-last oatmeal raisin cookie. It was particularly delicious. He immensely regretted not taking out his newly acquired Snuggie for the film, but the sleeves may have hindered his plans. No one cared to take notice of when his hands would leave his knees and silently travel over to Light's unsuspecting right hand. He kept his reactions to the touch very well hidden, L had to admit. Even he nearly didn't notice them. However, the auburn-haired man's eyes would blink once or twice and the muscles in his fingers would stiffen ever so slightly. He was nervous, and likely very confused. However, L found he could still draw a conclusion from his findings.
They were very, very interesting indeed. He brought his last cookie to his mouth and continued nibbling.
He had one last thing up his sleeve, though.
L and Light were the first ones to leave. The detective had claimed there was something of importance he had to attend to back at his place that dealt with his job, so Soichiro practically shoved them out the door. They had hurriedly stuffed their things into boxes and thrown their coats on (L opted for his new coat) and they were on the sidewalk. Sayu whispered something to L on their way out, but he merely looked back at her and made no response. She giggled and headed back inside. What was that? His mother (and Misa) smothered him in kisses during the bizarre exchange.
The limousine waited patiently on the road in front of the house. L went ahead and handed his box of gifts to the elderly gentleman waiting at the trunk of the vehicle and waited for Light to do the same. Before he even knew it, their things were in and they were already seated in the back seats.
Now that they were finally alone in a sound-proof compartment and without mistletoe covering the ceiling, Light whipped around to face L. The detective had apparently already been staring at him, only blinking in response.
His voice ended up being a lot louder than he had planned, but he pressed on. "L, what the hell was that in the house!"
The detective's hands were still stuffed in his warm pockets. "There were many things that happened today, Light-kun. Please be more specific. Also, please use your inside-voice."
"You know exactly what I mean!"
"Hmmm…" A thumb traveled to his bottom lip. "You wouldn't happen to be referring to anything concerning this?"
In a flash, the hand that had been kept hidden in L's coat pocket appeared over their heads. Slowly, Light turned his gaze upward. Held delicately between two of L's pale fingers was a clump of mistletoe from his house. He could only stare slack-jawed at the thing. Surely, he still didn't plan on –
Before he had the chance to tear the detective to shreds in pure, unbridled rage, Light found himself falling onto his back, lying on the plush seats. A hungry mouth pressed itself back onto his own lips and he found that he could do little else but go along with things. He'd deal with the repercussions later. It was Christmas, after all.