Light, Now Turn Back and Die (Lawlight)

Break Off

The only thing worse than being stuck in a stuffy car on a hot day is being stuck with two teenagers in a stuffy car on a hot day. It may have been his idea to let Misa tag along, but he'll be damned if he actually has to suffer the consequences of that, so he forces them both into the backseat. Light has taken to glaring intermittently at him through the mirrors, and L finds it his only solace against Misa's constant chattering. She's doing her best to force light to talk to her. Unfortunately for Misa, Light is talented at evasion and brushes off all her conversation without blinking twice. It's a mercy when they complete the twenty-minute drive to the town below. He glances at the list again. The closest store is City Hardware, so he'll start there.

L takes a sharp left and parks near the entrance. "Wait, we're just buying wood and stuff?" Misa whines. They all clamber out of the car.

"Yes, that's what I was tasked to do," L replies.

"Booooring! We should do some fun stuff while we're here!" Misa leans herself against Light's side. He stiffens.

"You're welcome to run off on your own, but I won't wait for you," L deadpans. He starts towards the store without a backward glance. There's quiet shuffling behind him, a hissed debate, and then one set of footsteps follows his.

The store is completely packed, to L's dismay. The noise is unbearable, clicking carts and the hum of chatter all around him. A burly man brushes past him and nearly knocks him off his feet. It all turns to fuzz in his ears. He hunches in on himself as people press around him. He's tearing off his nail before he can think about it. The edge of it scrapes his lip painfully. L winces.

"Hey, Ryuzaki." L gasps involuntarily. Light's there at his side, peeking over his shoulder at the list. "So we need nails first?" He's smiling and L realizes with relief that Light hadn't noticed his minor breakdown.

"Yes. Where's Misa?" The words stick in his throat but years of practice allows him to sound normal.

"She's waiting outside, says the place is too crowded for her. Fair warning, though, she's definitely going to drag us somewhere to go shopping." Light plucks the list from his hand and makes for the aisles. This growing familiarity bothers him to no end. He shoves his hands deep into his pockets and tries to ignore it.

The aisle with nails is less crowded than the rest of the store. L lets out a shaky breath as some of the panic subsides.

Light squints at the paper. "It says nails but not what length. Do you know what-?"

L shakes his head. "No idea, I guess we'll just get every kind and hope one is correct." Light looks uncertain about this.

"This is a pretty long list. We should be careful not to use our entire budget with reckless spending."

"Budget?" L asks.

Light stares at him. "Didn't Abigail give you money for any of this? Y'know, from the theater budget?" L sputters a laugh.

"No, of course not. This isn't that much anyway. I can afford it." He starts plucking packs of nails off the wall. Light doesn't move to help. He's still standing, visibly stunned, the list dangling from his fingers.

"How rich are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" L tucks the nails under his arm. "Come on, if we hurry we won't have to deal with this crowd any longer than necessary." Light mutters something under his breath and follows.

True to Light's warning, Misa is upon them as soon as they exit City Hardware. She grabs Light's arm and starts talking his ear off. This is problematic, most of all because Light has an armful of supplies which he tries desperately to hold on to as Misa pulls at him. L finds her approach to getting to know someone... intense. Though it's fun to watch Light suffer. Is this what actual socialization is like? Maybe Watari is on to something after all.