Playing the Game

Breakfasts

~

'Light-kun, I went for breakfast. Feel free to join me. The Task Force shouldn't be there (although, there is a ninety-four percent chance of Matsuda being there). I figured you could use the extra sleep. -L'

L sits the note on his desk, figuring that Light will find it when he wakes up. L quietly opens his bedroom door, eyeing the outfit Watari picked for Light. The beige pants and button-down white dress shirt seem like clothing Light would wear. He wonders if he should asked Watari to pick out softer clothing— sweat pants and a loose-fitting shirt— so that Light would be more comfortable in the midst of his heat. L takes the clothes off the doorknob and into his— no, their— room and drapes it across the desk. If Light seems uncomfortable in it, L will find him more comfortable clothing.

L made sure the showers across the hall had clean towels, and L cleaned the shower, even though no one has ever used it— L prefers using his human washing machine or simply taking a bath. He stocks the shower shampoo, body wash, and opens a new wash cloth. An unopened box of toothpaste and a package of medium-bristled toothbrushes are neatly sat out on the small sink in the washroom. Light should have all the hygiene products he needs for the morning.

L softly closes the door behind him, careful not to disturb Light. He debated if he should leave Light alone, considering that the Death Note is still nearby— a small fragment still remains in L's desk. L thinks of the situation as an experiment: will Light use his freedom to hang himself? He took the small fragment of the Death Note out of Light's watch and replaced it with an ordinary piece of paper he tampered with. If Light writes any name on it, he'll know that Light can't be trusted with any sort of freedom. If Light writes on the paper, L will have no choice but to never let Light leave his sight. L hates putting Light in this sort of dilemma, but L would rather find out sooner rather than later. Even if Light were to write L's initial on the paper, he wouldn't really care. He's already decided Light isn't going in a cell. It would just mean that L would have to be more assertive with Light.

L is ninety-eight percent sure that Light won't touch his watch or search for the Death Note. L trusts Light, even if it is foolish to trust someone who killed people on a whim. L just has to make sure before... well, anything really.

He gets in the elevator, hitting the floor number he wants to go to. He hates elevators- their bright lights, the way they jolt, how close together the walls seem, and everything else that makes an elevator an elevator. L only uses them because they're quick. The stairs take too long, especially in a building with as many floors as this one. The doors open soon enough, allowing L to step directly into the dining room.

The sharp smell of alcohol lingers in the air, causing L to wrinkle his nose. The sharp claps and roars of laughter only furthers L's confusion. Soichiro Yagami sits in a chair at the table, downing alcohol like alcohol blood poisoning doesn't exist. He lets out laughs between sips, his face flushed. Aizawa takes a slow sip out of a bottle of vodka, looking throughly displeased the entire time. Mogi sits next to him, eating a piece of cake that L had made specifically for himself. Matsuda sits away from all of them, his head in his hands. He sits in a chair near the head of the table, a juice box sitting discarded in front of him. Are they having the worst party L has ever seen in his life?

"L, come join us," hollers Soichiro in a cheerful tone. "None of this would be possible without you! You should come have a drink with us."

"I don't drink. It messes with my deduction skills," replies L in a gloomy tone.

"Please," says Soichiro. "You're the reason my evil son was caught. You should celebrate his imprisonment with us."