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The sound of the doorbell rings from across the floor.
L stands from his seat and tugs at the chain. A silent, ready to go?
Light offers an affirmative grunt, then stands.
Just beyond the door's a rolling cart left by Watari. Sitting on it, a singular stainless steel cloche. L wheels it in and towards the kitchen.
"Ryuzaki, what is this?"
"Stick around, and you'll find out. Would you care to join me, Light?"
"It's not like I have a choice." Light sighs, and takes a seat as L transfers the cloche from cart to table.
Light gestures towards it, impatient annoyance gnawing at the edges of his conscience. "Well, then. Go on. What is it?"
He knows better than to guess it's anything other than a sweet. A dark chocolate bundt cake maybe, with white chocolate drizzle? Or perhaps a brick of flaky, gooey brownie that could feed a family a four? Or maybe a tray of chocolate-dipped strawberries. L lifts the dome.
"A… cupcake?"
"Yes. Upon my request." L lifts the cupcake to observe it. The cake-portion is dark brown. Sources point to chocolate. And on top, a piped swirl of orange, decorated with triangle eyes and a jagged-tooth maw.
"I didn't know you celebrated Halloween, Ryuzaki."
"I don't." Big bug-eyes snap up, and for a second, Light doesn't recognize him. L looks more like a little kid as he cradles his jack-o-lantern cupcake, sitting crouched in his chair.
"It's my birthday today." L says it like it's nothing, but to Light, it's an admittance to a secret. What other personal information has L actually divulged about his life? Very little. It's a little surprising to Light the gremlin even has a birthday.
"Oh…"
Tongue stuck out, L places a pink and white-spiraled candle into the frosting and lights it. The warm orange flame dances on L's face, which is rounded but somehow also a little hollowed.
Wax drips onto the pumpkin's face.
Light shifts in his seat. "Are you… expecting me to sing?"
"No, Light-kun. You don't have to sing."
"But the wax-"
"Don't worry about the wax. It won't hurt us any." L's eyes—stony obsidian, hard but also impossibly soft—watches the flame flicker, expression growing serious.
"Hm. It's strange."
"What is?"
"Being alive. Being here. With you." He sucks on his thumb in thought. "I feel rather fortunate to have made it to twenty-six." A pause, and a head tilt later, he continues, "I think this might very well be the last."
"Ryuzaki, don't say that." Don't accept defeat so easily, the amnesiac Light would say, but Light remembers, and he doesn't actually care if L gives up. He's waiting on bated breath—for L to take his last.
L's eyes snap up; Light's breath catches in his throat.
"Why not?"
Light laughs weakly. "It's, uh, good to be optimistic, Ryuzaki. Don't you think?"
L huffs. Hunches over. The pile of wax at the base of the candle grows. "I'm not in the mood for games tonight, Light."
Light points to the dwarfing candle, nearly expired. "Shouldn't you make a wish?"
"I shall." L closes his eyes and keeps them shut. The flame crawls ever lower.
"Ryuzaki."
L doesn't move. He could be dead, with how still he's sitting.
"Ryuzaki, it's gonna burn out."
Still, nothing.
Light leans forward and blows it out. To maintain the spirit. Of birthdays. L's… birthday.
"Aw, man," L groans. "I really wanted to blow it out."
"Then you shouldn't have waited until the very last second." Light lifts the candle, and all the wax gathered at the bottom comes up with it. "What'd you wish for anyway?"
Carefully manicured hands, lanky and pale, peel at the papery liner; it still tears midway. "If I told you, then it won't come true, right?"
"I mean, it's all make believe, isn't it?"
L sighs. "I suppose." Breaks the cupcake in two and hands one side to Light.
Light shakes his head. "No, thanks. I'm good."
"Come, now. It's my birthday."
Light accepts it wearily. "So you've resorted to guilt?"
"I've resorted to much worse, Light. You know this." L sinks his teeth into his share of cupcake, orange frosting brushing off onto his nose. "I wished for Light-kun to be happy."
Light's heart drops—no, plummets—into his gut like a boulder dropped, barreling to the ocean floor.
"Me?" he chokes out. Is this another one of L's tests? Surely it is. But the expression L's got plastered on his face reads as nothing other than genuine.
"Yes." L picks the remaining frosting off with his fingers and deposits it into his mouth. Licks his finger tips clean. "You need all the help you can get."
"Tch," Light laughs, but it's not genuine. He's deeply unsettled. "You should worry about yourself."
"Surely." He points to the uneaten piece of cupcake in Light's hand. "Are you going to eat that?"
"No." Light thrusts it forward, expecting L to pluck it from his fingers. Instead, L meets him in the middle. Mouth open, eats it from Light's fingers. Coats the ends of them in saliva as he licks away crumbs, all the while keeping eye contact. Light's cunt buzzes with arousal. He licks his lips.
"You're expecting something from me tonight, aren't you?"
"Would you like to?" L murmurs lowly, sucking on an already clean index finger.
"That would be permissible," Light whispers.
"Let's go, then."
"'Kay…"