Death Note Fan Fiction ❯ Rules ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 12 )

Rules

 

Chapter 11

 

Thanks to many different factors, including his family's wealth and status and the enforcement of gender roles, Light had never had to participate in that teenage rite of passage known as babysitting. However, after spending an hour shopping with Elijah, Light felt he had enough experience to stand with the most seasoned child-care pro. The older man just had so much energy. His previously low spirits had skyrocketed upon finding a gift for his mother, and since then, Elijah had not stopped moving. Light was ready to keel over from exhaustion.

 

In true holiday fashion, every store in the mall was decked out from floor to ceiling with lights and decorations. Light turned his nose up at all the crass commercialism, but Elijah stared at it all with wide-eyed wonder. It was very similar, Light thought, to a child blowing dandelion seeds: he, the adult, cringed at the thought of dozens of new weeds, but Elijah's eyes only saw the soft curtain of white that floated in the air before him. Mesmerized by the displays, he wanted to go into every store so he could see it all up close. Light had resisted following, but, after a near-disaster at the first store, he quickly changed his mind and diligently tailed the excited blond, slapping away Elijah's curious fingers whenever they reached out for something he shouldn't touch.

 

As time passed, Light's mood steadily improved. The older man's childlike amazement at everything was just too endearing to annoy him for very long. True, the first time that adjective had crossed his mind, Light had nearly bashed his head into a nearby candy-cane-striped pillar, but he had quickly realized that such thoughts were finally okay for him to have. Elijah was not his enemy. They were no longer fighting or competing; he could just enjoy having the other man around. So he let himself smile, watching quietly and occasionally taking pictures with his phone to show Julie later.

 

"Light, look."

 

Obediently, Light turned from the music player he had been examining and followed Elijah's finger towards an enormous Toyland display in an open area of the mall.

 

"Santa," Elijah explained as if Light couldn't see the red-suited man himself.

 

"So it is."

 

As Light turned back and replaced the player, Elijah lifted a thumb to his mouth and began pushing his lower lip back and forth. After a few moments of silence, he mused, "I wonder if they'd let me sit on his lap."

 

Light was very grateful he had nothing in his hands at that moment, for if he had, he would have dropped it. "Excuse me?" he choked.

 

His companion merely blinked at him, completely ignoring the other's shock. "Sit on his lap," he repeated unnecessarily. "I never did it when I was a child."

 

Light snorted. "Well of course. You were Buddhist. The only fat man in your life didn't have nearly as much hair."

 

Elijah narrowed his eyes slightly and dropped his thumb. "For your infor--" he started but stopped abruptly, his eyes widening to nearly double their normal size. A wild flush splashed across his nose and upper cheeks, and he turned quickly away from Light's eyes.

 

The brunet lifted an eyebrow at him, not understanding. Then, he played a few possibilities of what Elijah might have said through his mind, and realization mercilessly smacked him in the face. The older man -- the one who was dead and only here on apparently very strict rules -- had almost slipped. And Light had set him up for it. Unfamiliar guilt washed over him in waves.

 

"I'm sorry," he murmured, daring to reach out and take Elijah by the shoulder. The blond turned his head just slightly enough to flash Light a small smile before hiding his expression once again.

 

Light sighed and hung his head. He would have to watch what he said from now on. It just wouldn't do for him to have gained Elijah's trust and almost-friendship only to lose it due to his own stupid mistake. Although, he realized, the fact that Elijah had loosened the firm grip he had on his tongue meant that he now felt comfortable being in Light's presence. That thought in itself made him smile again.

 

Feeling somewhat reassured, Light lifted his head. Elijah was no longer there.

 

"Oh dear Lord …" Light groaned as his eyes shifted to the Santa station. Sure enough, a very familiar figure was talking to the pretty young "elf" standing by the camera. The suffering genius groaned again, a bit louder this time, and plodded over to join them.

 

"… so I thought it might be a good present for her," he heard Elijah saying as he drew closer. "She loves that picture of me so much that I thought why not get another to put beside it? One of me at five and one at twenty-five."

 

The elf had a hand to her mouth in giggly amusement. "How sweet!" she sighed. "Your mother is so lucky to have such a thoughtful son." She threw a look at Santa who was listening to a small girl relate her wish list. "We're not very busy right now. I'll go ask Mr. Claus what he thinks, okay?"

 

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Elijah smiled. Light blinked at the brightness of it. He hadn't realized the other could act normal when he felt like it.

 

Once the girl had left, he leaned in and asked, "What's this about your mother?"

 

Elijah shrugged. "I told her that my mother has a picture of me sitting on Santa's lap when I was five and that I want one of me now to give to her as a present."

 

"You lied through your teeth. Not very Christmas-y."

 

"Is it so wrong for me to want to experience a quintessential part of childhood?"

 

"I think you just want one of those candy canes he's giving out."

 

"Ah, Light, you know me too well."

 

At that moment, the girl came back and informed them that Santa would happily allow the young man to sit with him. Elijah flashed her another out of character grin and bounded over to the bearded man. Light simply shook his head in disbelief.

 

After Elijah had posed for his picture, he sat up as straight as his bowed spine would allow and announced, "For Christmas, I would like peace on earth and good will towards men."

 

Light rolled his eyes. The elf beside him giggled.

 

"And," Elijah continued, resuming his normal posture, "a strawberry cake as big as I am with extra frosting." He turned hopeful eyes to the chuckling man on whose lap he sat. "Okay, Santa?"

 

"Now that's the Elijah I know," Light commented. "Everything boils down to the cake."

 

"He's so cute," the girl gushed. Turning to Light, she demanded, "Does he have a girlfriend?"

 

Light blinked at her. Again a female was preferring skinny, strange Elijah over him and his dashing good looks. What was the problem with American women? "No," he answered her question, "but he's not really looking right now."

 

Her face fell, giving Light a great deal of satisfaction. He barely had time to enjoy it, though, before he felt a hand wrap around his wrist and pull.

 

"Your turn, Light."

 

"What?" he all but yelled at the blond who was doggedly dragging him towards the fat man.

 

"Your turn," Elijah repeated. He tilted his head a bit to look at Light over his shoulder. "You seem to be having trouble hearing me today. Perhaps you should get your ears checked."

 

Snarling like some sort of animal, Light attempted to dig in his heels, but he had forgotten just how much strength that skinny body hid. Before he could scream about how much he did not want to be doing this, he found himself plopped down onto a red lap, staring at fake white whiskers.

 

"Light wants some new underwear and a back scratcher," the evil demon announced with a grin.

 

"I do not!"

 

"Then tell him what you want since I don't know."

 

"Your head on a plate," Light hissed, narrowing his eyes into slits.

 

Elijah blinked at him. "That's not very Christmas-y." He fiddled with the plastic around his candy cane and added, "Besides, that's John, not Jesus, so think of something else, Salome." He turned his back on the younger man and wandered over to the elf, still fiddling with the plastic.

 

Light growled and resisted the urge to tear his hair out. When he heard light chuckling from behind him, he turned and glared at the actor in the red suit. "I'm not Christian," he stated flatly. "And even if I were, I wouldn't believe in you."

 

"Of course you wouldn't," the seated man replied, still smiling. "But since you're here, why don't you tell me what you would like if you did celebrate Christmas?"

 

"I don't want anything," Light snapped.

 

"Nothing? There are no holes in your life that you would like filled? None at all?"

 

"Well," Light relented, feeling some of his anger melt away, "I guess there are a few things. I'd like to start building my own library. My dad has some great books, but of course I can't take them with me when I move out." He glanced over at Elijah, who was chatting with the girl and devouring his candy cane, and smiled. "So I guess that's what I'd like."

 

"Any books in particular?"

 

"Classics mainly. Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, some of the Greeks."

 

"So, philosophy."

 

"Yeah."

 

Santa patted Light gently on the shoulder and reached down to the basket next to him to retrieve another candy cane. "I'll see what I can do," he said and held out the treat to the young man.

 

Light considered refusing it but took it after a second thought. He would just give it to Elijah who would be thrilled to have another one. Getting to his feet, he thanked the actor and wished him a happy holiday before walking back over to Elijah.

 

The blond's eyes lit up like that legendary North Star when Light handed him the extra piece of candy. They both thanked the giggly elf as she handed Elijah two pictures, and then they wandered away, back into the mild chaos of holiday shopping.

 

As he walked next to Elijah, Light peeked over at the pictures in his hands. He could see that the top one was of the older man on Santa's lap. "You got two copies?" he asked.

 

Elijah shook his blond head. "No, the other one is of you."

 

Light's feet froze. When Elijah stopped a few paces ahead and turned to look at him, he demanded, "What do you mean the other one is of me?"

 

A small smirk lifted the corner of Elijah's mouth. "Just what I said."

 

"And when did I get my picture taken?"

 

"When you were talking to Santa." The freckled monster glanced down at the photo in question and commented, "You have quite the thoughtful look on your face. It's rather cute."

 

Light balled his hands into fists and leaned forward in preparation to pounce. "Give me that," he ordered quietly.

 

Elijah lifted his eyes and fixed Light with the blankest, most L-like stare he had seen in months. Then, suddenly, he grinned. "No." And he turned on his heel and began striding away as quickly as his loping gait would allow him.

 

Light ground his teeth, knowing that if he tackled the older man, it would create an amazing scene that might get them both thrown out. "Elijah McCormick!" he growled at the other's retreating figure. Elijah just lifted a hand and waved backwards at him.

 

One thing was certain in Light's mind as he ran to catch up. He was taking back that damn candy cane.

 

xXx

 

Julie had said once that nothing was as sad as a college campus after all the students had gone home for break. Elijah had never bothered going on campus, so he didn't really know if that was true. However, he did know that he felt extremely lonely without his friends around. They all emailed him and Ethan called occasionally from Vermont, so that helped. But he couldn't help feeling tired and sluggish and a bit lost without anyone his age actually near him. It felt strange, being dependent on other people. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

 

Christmas morning, Elijah opened his eyes and immediately thought of Light. Had the younger man opened his present yet? Did he like it, or was he going to start yelling at Elijah again like he had in the mall? As he rolled out of bed, he noticed it was barely five in the morning. He did a quick calculation for time adjustment and concluded that Light more than likely had not opened his present. Still, half from habit and half from hope, he flipped on his computer and checked his email.

 

A short note from Light sat in his inbox.

 

Hey, 'Lij. It's not quite the twenty-fifth here, but a Merry Christmas to you. I went ahead and opened my gifts early so I could send you a thank you and have it there by the morning. You were listening in on my conversation with "Santa", I see. I ought to bust out a few of your teeth.  They're going to fall out anyway with all the candy you eat. Seriously, though, thank you for the books. It was, after all, exactly what I wanted. I hope you like the present I got for you. Send me a quick note after you've opened it. -- Light.

 

Elijah smiled and released a small breath of relief. Light wasn't angry. And it seemed as if he had not figured out that Elijah had forced the entire Santa thing on him simply to get gift ideas for his friend. The final two sentences reminded Elijah of the huge box downstairs next to the tree. The box that Light had ordered him not to open under pain of death since the present inside was not wrapped. Julie had offered to wrap whatever was inside it, but Light had told her to just leave it alone, much to her displeasure. Today he would be able to open it and satisfy his -- and his mother's -- curiosity.

 

For the next two hours, Elijah fiddled around on his computer, sending little holiday greetings to his friends and filling the rest of the time with games. Then, around 7 AM, he wandered downstairs to make coffee. To his surprise, he found Rich already in the kitchen, dressed in a frilly yellow apron and making pancakes.

 

"Good morning," he called over his shoulder while pouring batter onto the griddle.

 

"Good morning," Elijah returned. He hesitated and then added with a small smile, "Merry Christmas, Dad."

 

"Merry Chri--" Rich started automatically, but then he froze when he realized what he had just been called. He turned to face Elijah with a beaming smile. "Well, that's quite a present," he laughed. "And you didn't have to spend any money on it either. Got another one for your mother?"

 

Elijah dipped his head and tried to hide his blush behind his bangs. "Yeah," he replied. "Where is she?"

 

"Still in bed. She needs to be woken up, though."

 

"I'll do it," he volunteered, lifting his head again. Rich winked at him in response and went back to the pancakes.

 

Spurred on by his sudden burst of confidence -- and Rich's out-of-tune whistling -- Elijah had made it half-way up the steps before he had another thought. Quickly, he went back downstairs, retrieved his present for Julie from underneath the tree, and resumed climbing.

 

She was awake when he peeked his head in, and she waved him over to sit on the bed next to her. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart," she said, smiling.

 

He didn't reply but instead held out the small wrapped package for her. She took it with a hint of confusion but opened it as silently bidden. When she flipped open the top of the box, her hand flew to her mouth, and her eyes misted over.

 

"Oh, Elijah, it's beautiful."

 

"Out of everything in the store, this one made me think of you. And I thought, because of the sapphire, that it would also make you think of me." He reached out and covered one of her trembling hands with his. "Merry Christmas, Mom."

 

Near tears, Julie threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly. He stiffened a bit at the excessive contact but, after a moment, forced himself to relax. Slowly, he lifted his arms and placed them around her shoulders. It didn't feel bad, being this close to someone else. It just felt … different. It was something he still needed to get used to, and for Julie's sake, it was something he wanted to get used to.

 

"Thank you, dear," Julie choked into his shirt, trying to hold back the tears. "I love you."

 

He smiled and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I love you, too, Mom."

 

And at that, Julie did cry.

 

Later, after Julie had composed herself and Elijah had changed shirts, the three of them ate breakfast and then gathered in the living room to open presents. Elijah couldn't believe the number that were for him. He had gifts from each of his friends and a ton from his parents. Julie, Rich had confided, had gone absolutely insane this year -- with the gifts, the decorations, the food. It was as if Christmas had just been another day before Elijah had come along. The revelation embarrassed Elijah, but it also made him feel good in a strange way.

 

After opening a few presents from his parents and the one from Annie, Elijah decided to tackle the large box from Light. He retrieved a pair of scissors from the kitchen and cut open the top of the shipping box. After pulling back the flaps, he peered inside, and his eyes grew wide.

 

"What is it?" Julie asked after a moment of silence.

 

Instead of answering, Elijah turned to Rich and said, "I don't think I can get it out by myself. Can you help?"

 

"Sure."

 

The two men easily maneuvered the awkward present from the box and set it down on the living room carpet. Everyone stared for a second; then Rich cocked his head and stated, "It's a chair."

 

"No," Elijah replied softly. He stepped up to the black-cushioned chair, carefully reached out, and spun the seat around on its post. "It's a swivel chair." His gaze fell to the four-pronged bottom. "With wheels."

 

Memories flooded his senses. Spending sleepless nights typing at a computer while sitting in a chair just like that one. Rolling back and forth between monitor and conference table whenever the group had discussions. Relieving a bit of boredom by spinning around and around until he felt so dizzy he might fall off. That chair had practically been an extension of his body. He had had no idea how much he missed it, how much he hated having a regular straight-backed chair in his room, until this replacement chair had appeared before him.

 

How had Light known? He reached out and spun the seat again, feeling his heart swell within his chest until it hurt. How had Light even come up with the idea for such an unconventional, ordinary, perfect gift?

 

"I think he likes it," he heard his father remark, and his mother laughed lightly in response.

 

"Well, of course," she replied. "Sometimes I think Light knows him better than we do." Turning smiling eyes to him, she continued, "That's okay, though. That's what friends are for, and Light is a very good friend to our boy."

 

Elijah lifted his gaze from the chair and looked at the two of them before letting his eyes fall on his present once more. He broke out into a wide grin. "Yes, he is," he admitted, and he sent the seat on a dizzying, jubilant ride.