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At this time of year, every mall in the country was packed with arrogant, heedless people who took up unnecessary space with their several shopping bags. Festive music blared throughout the mall, with the same preppy love tunes on a continuous loop. Seriously, L had already heard ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ at least a hundred times already, and it was driving him to the verge of insanity. Whenever the song finished, Light was still humming it, muttering the lyrics under his breath. L had hit him.
He couldn’t understand the love for the holiday season. Sale after sale, yet, it all just seemed like one big marketing scheme to rip people off. Light had given him some boring lecture that dragged on for hours and then proceeded to call him a ‘bah humbug,’ or whatever the hell that meant. L just shrugged him off.
For these reasons, in previous years, L never did much more than treat himself to extra chocolates and laziness on Christmas day. However, that was before he met Light, who was definitely the biggest sucker for the holiday cheer out there. Annoyingly enough, he was fully aware of L’s anti-social behaviour that specially made an appearance around Christmas, and he was fully content on dragging the Christmas spirit out of L this year. So after hours of convincing, negotiating and bribing, here he was, reluctantly wandering through a gigantic mall with his annoyingly persuasive boyfriend in search of gifts.
“How much longer is this gonna take?” L groans, glaring down at the marble floor.
From beside him, Light laces his hand through L’s and tugs him further into the scurrying crowd of people. “L, we’ve been here less than, like,” he checks his watch and huffs, “ten minutes. Please, have some patience, or else I might just drive off in the car and leave you to freeze to death out here.”
“I thought we already bought all the presents when we were here just last week?” L retorts, narrowly dodging a woman who was pushing a stroller.
“We bought Christmas decorations , not presents.” Light explains, still swiftly striding through the crowd. “There’s a huge difference, genius.”
“We can just buy the gifts online,” L says. “It could spare me my remaining brain cells, at least.”
“But where’s the fun in that?”
Light’s face was twisted into a menacing scowl, his liquid gaze pinning L’s protests in place. L sighs, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Fine, have it your way,” he grunts, then with a mischievous smirk, “but, you owe me for this.”
Light returns the smirk and nods.
An hour and a half later, their hands were still devoid of gifts. L blamed Light’s indecisiveness, while Light complained that ‘the grass grew faster than L walked.’
“Maybe your dad would like this?” L suggests, waving a plain white mug that had the words ‘My Favourite Child Gave Me This Mug’ etched into it. Light was sure that he had just picked up the first thing in his vision but shook his head nonetheless.
“No way,” Light says, picking up the mug. “Sayu would have a goddamn heart attack if she saw that.”
“So… no?”
“ No .”
“Ugh,” L groans, putting the cup back onto the shelf. “Why is your dad so impossible to buy for? Seriously, Watari only asks for a postcard and a call for Christmas.”
“My dad didn’t ask for anything, L, I want to give him something. That’s how gift-giving works .”
“Well, it shouldn’t work like that.”
Light buries his face in his hands, completely sick of L’s shit. “ Anyways ,” he says, “we can always come back to this store - or something. You have to buy your own gifts, right?”
L stares at him blankly. “For who?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure Watari would appreciate a little more than just a piece of card and a bland call.”
L’s brows pinched together as he gave Light a wry glare. “Are you saying our calls are bland?”
“No, darling, just that you should put more effort into your presents.”
“That’s just as rude!” L exclaims, placing a hand on his hip.
“Whatever. ‘Least I was honest,” Light says with a shrug. “Shall we go to another store?”
They recede back into the dense hordes of people. Light thinks that they might actually get to a different shop, before L suddenly stops in front of a pop-up doughnut stand, his eyes wide with interest. Groaning, Light yanks him away by his arm, hauling him back into the crowd.
“ Lightttt ,” L whines as Light drags him away, “I’m gonna pass out if I don’t have my daily intake of sugar soon. And I can’t buy stupid gifts if I’m passed out.”
“We can get food soon, okay? But before then we need to have at least bought one thing, or else I know you’re going to somehow manipulate me into going home early.”
L scoffs.
“Don’t scoff at me, I know what you’re like,” Light says with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.
“Fine. Food comes later then.”
Lips curled in victory, Light wraps an arm around L’s waist, kind of but not really dragging him forwards. A passing man shoots them a tense stare, and Light fights the strong urge to flip him off before L’s voice pipes up.
“Wait, let’s stop here,” he says, his feet halting in front of a different store.
The store in question is packed with lingering people, yet containing cheerful energy within. A toy shop, Light concludes. His brow quirks at his boyfriend, who was already treading under the grand doorway.
“What’re we here for?” Light asks, his eyes skimming over the shelves of the store. In the centre, train tracks covered the surface of a small oval table that sat low to the floor. A noisy train looped around it, passing by miniature hedges and people. Different sorts of toys filled the shelves, ranging from soft and plush to large and sturdy.
L was already picking up a pack of dominoes and examining it plainly, not glancing up when Light wafted over and frowned at whatever the hell he was doing.
“It’s not for me if that’s what you’re thinking,” L murmurs, turning the packet over in his hands. “‘For my cousin, who has worryingly odd hobbies.”
Light folds his arms. “You never told me you had a cousin?”
“I have two, actually.”
“Oh?” Light says, tilting his head to the side. “Then when can I meet them?”
“Whenever Santa decides to fall down our chimney, then sure, you can meet them.”
“But Santa isn’t real?” Light asks with confusion, narrowing his eyes at L.
Just then, the loud wailing of a child echoed throughout the shop. Both men perked their heads up, confusedly peering at the hysterical girl that was beside them, head tipped upwards, glossy eyes nearly gawking out of their sockets.
Light leaned closer with his eyebrows crossed, and whispered to L, “Was it something we said? Or…”
L merely shrugged, his brow arched and eyes questioning.
“You,” the little girl points accusingly at Light, “you just s-said Santa isn’t r-real.”
Oh. “Fuck,” Light mutters under his breath, glancing at L for help, who was wearing a shit-eating grin and refusing to meet Light's gaze.
“Santa will put you on the naughty list if you s-say he isn’t real,” the girl hiccups, a pout cinching her lips.
“Uh…” Light stutters, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “No, uh… you see… I-”
From the small crowd of people that had gathered round to see what all the commotion was about, a certain middle-aged woman stepped forward and took a gentle hold of the little girl’s arm. She ushers her away from Light’s horrified face, sending him a weak smile of apology.
“Nicely done,” L taunts as soon as the woman and presumably her daughter are out of earshot.
“I just spoiled that kid’s hopes and dreams, L,” Light gulps, his eyes still glued to the girl and her mother as they step out of the store.
“Probably,” L agrees with a flicker of amusement plaguing his eyes, “but she had to find out one way or another.”
Light remains silent. L sighs at his guilt.
“Anyways, I’m gonna buy these for Near,” L says, holding the pack of dominoes and a soft teddy bear with a red bow wrapped around its neck. He places a hand on the small of Light’s back and gently pushes him towards the counter.
Once the toys were placed in a shopping bag and they had bought their doughnuts, Light had already perked up again. His stomach had grumbled when he caught sight of the freshly baked and glazed doughnuts, and if that wasn’t a dead giveaway that he was just as starving as L was, then the way his eyes lit up when we bit down on the pastry most certainly was.
L was already finished with the three doughnuts that he had picked when Light finished with his first. Light didn’t even bother to question him any more.
“I think we’ve spent more money on food than actual presents so far,” Light chuckles, wiping the crumbs off the food court table.
L snorts in agreement, picking up their shopping bag and chucking their trash into a nearby bin.
They wandered into a few more shops afterwards, each time walking out with a slight increase of bags and an even larger increase of hope. Their feet ached and their arms were getting sorer with every new bag that hung from them, but both were determined to finish the stupid shopping once and for all.
Finally, the last stop. Relief flourished like a flower inside of L’s chest as he watched Light pay for the very last item.
“Are you sure that that’s absolutely everything that we need to get?” L presses as they file out of the mall and into the car park. By now, it was edging closer to nighttime, with a gentle shade of dusky blue painting the sky and a subtle, cool breeze blowing against their cheeks.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Light snickers in reply. “Don’t worry, I won’t force you out here again unless I’m bribing you with more of your eatable diabetes.”
L huffs. Light chuckles again as he jolts the car engine to life.
“I don’t think we did too badly, considering you were ready to bolt out of there at any given opportunity,” Light drawls once they arrived home. The bagged gifts were spread out on the table, two pairs of eyes analyzing them with embers of pride flickering inside of them.
“Mm,” L hums, “why thank you. Next year, though, we are buying online, and I won’t be guilt-tripped with one of your stupidly good sounding offers.”
“Next year?" Light asks, cocking an eyebrow. "What makes you think we’ll still be together?”
“Oh, just a small hunch.”
“Well, fine, then in two years, we will go out and buy the gifts again, and not just through a screen,” Light says, turning to face L with a grin. “Deal?”
The corners of L's lips curl knowingly as he cups Light’s cheeks with both hands, gently pressing their lips together. His thumb traces over Light’s bottom lip as he whispers, “Deal.”