Kids, Ch. 8
Apr. 12th, 2007 03:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sunmoonandspoonSorry for the wait. I've had a lot of homework lately, plus spring break was pretty busy. (Also I was making AMVs again. They were Death Note! I am contributing to the fandom somehow!) Anyway, this is the first chapter that's been beta'd, so if it's any better than usual than it's thanks to Iron Chief. Hopefully I can get him to keep helping me out in the future. Anyway, read on and enjoy!
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Kids
Chapter Eight - Strawberry Tarts
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Sachiko falls asleep again, hair stuck to her face with her sweat and L's tears. Her head hits the arm of the couch when he leaves her, she doesn't wake up but she mutters to herself, annoyed. Best to do this before she gets too deep into it though, he doesn't want to lie here staring at the ceiling and trying not to wake her. She's sick, he has drained her. She should be sleeping now.
But L doesn't want to be alone with this. He doesn't want to hear his mother's morphine addled voice, himself at the double funeral, screaming in the arms of a man he doesn't know, who doesn't want him, who isn't even the man his parents wanted him to go to. Not Watari, yet.
He has no work to do, nothing except to cover Sachi with a blanket, to seek out food to stop his brain. But his mother used to feed him cake; he can't get comfort out of this if he remembers why he does it, fuck. There's nothing for him, now.
He sits by the door, crams his thumb into his mouth and he's always done this, always gnawed his skin off and it has nothing to do with his mother. He's always been an insomniac, and everybody's mother gives them cake. He will not allow this to invade his life. He will go outside and buy junk food.
He stands up, opens the door with minimal creaking. Sachiko mutters something and he almost stays, he needs her words but she's sleeping. So he goes.
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The sun blazes outside and he feels his skin tighten, he will get burnt if he stays out long. It's winter and this heat is ridiculous, this is partly why he rarely strays outside. Luckily he was smart this time, he picked a hotel close to a bakery. It isn't far to go.
He steps in gum on the way there, he actually chose to wear shoes for once so it's fine, he doesn't care, he's here now and it's not a great bakery, it's fine if he tracks gunk on their linoleum. He does not bother to scrape it off or see what kind of pattern his shoe has imprinted in it.
The shop stocks an average array, dry cookies, faded croissants, and cakes with dull frosting. The best option seems to be the fruit tarts, those look relatively new and the fruit hasn't rotted; they should be edible. He orders a bag full of strawberry tarts, hopes they won't get ruined and mashed on the way. He wonders if Sachiko will want one, if it's okay for him to eat everything before he gets back to the hotel. She's sick, right, and sick people don't like food. They sleep and they don't eat much. He doesn't even eat much when he's sick.
That's rationalization though; L just doesn't want to share. Since he can't see himself eating anything less than the five tarts he's purchased, he decides he'll make it up to her. Which is ridiculous since there's no way she'll know he's bought anything. Anyway he'll go to the drug store, buy her sick people things. What that consists of he has scarcely a clue, since he doesn't know what's wrong with her. Tylenol probably, maybe tissues. Cough drops? Was she coughing? He can't recall. Anyway he'll buy what he finds, help her out.
It's what he would have done for his mother, if he could.
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L winds up only eating three of the tarts, something stops him from stuffing his face with the last one. He tells himself it's because he isn't hungry, three tarts are enough. L does not believe himself.
He enters the hotel room, slips his shoes off and scrapes the gum, notes the blackened zigzag pattern. He tries to keep quiet. The floors are carpeted, something that until now he thought was a total waste. They're sapping the sound from his footsteps. Sachiko might stay sleeping.
Too late, she's up anyway, hands cupped around her kneecaps, and he doesn't think she means it but she's sitting just like him. "Ryuzaki," she croaks, "where were you?"
"The store!" he snaps nervously, feeling caught and wrong and criticized, she's said nothing but he's bristling for a fight. As soon as he feels it he gives up, deflates. "I was getting breakfast, and, um…" He holds out his purchases, dumps them with a clunk onto the coffee table. "I bought you some medical supplies. I don't know if they'll help or not."
Sachiko stares down the array, giggling softly. "You really thought of everything," she says. "This pretty much covers all my symptoms." L's embarrassed but he doesn't blush, that's beyond him, that's silly, after his outburst he's shutting down his feelings. It's nothing special anyway, he hardly looked in the store, just snapped things up and scrambled out of there. He bought exactly what he'd planned to, plus earplugs to keep out the noise of her children. They're yellow; a color that seems to suit her, she's wearing a yellow shirt after all. "Thank you," she says, "I really appreciate it."
"I'm glad," he says quietly, pointing to the real gift, the tarts. "Have one of these," he insists, knowing that she'll have no appetite. He's pretending not to notice, not to care.
But she takes it, perhaps feeling better, perhaps just wanting to please him. Whatever the reason, Sachiko takes the tart to her mouth, gets whipped cream on her bottom lip. She licks it off and for some odd reason he thinks that's adorable, for some odd reason he considers kissing what's left of it away.
What comes into his brain after that is what the fuck no, he can't believe he's even formed the thought. Kiss her? Why would he even think to kiss the wife of a co-worker? Or for that matter, anyone? That's not meant to be a part of L's life, his life's about work, he's a detective with no real spare time. Who is he to even contemplate a normal life? He isn't normal, he can't have normal, normal is completely out of reach. This wouldn't even be normal anyway, if he were to…wasn't he just thinking he'd have done for his mom what he's doing for her?
L will not kiss Sachiko, nor will he toss her out like his brain is screaming he should do. That would make things obvious, that would clue her into something going on. The last thing in the world L wants is for her to know he's transformed into a pervert. So he excuses himself, says, "I apologize but I've got work to do, I have to prepare for the next meeting." This is true. It's getting close to when he ought to get started. "You can sleep for a little longer, if you want," he says. "Please, feel better."
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After another nap Sachiko's functional if not wonderful, and she decides it's time to head home. The kids might want her for something, and anyway, she's been here far too long. Ryuzaki's earlier emotional meltdown has likely left him craving solitude, she understands and she'll permit it, step outside.
So she takes the bus home, steps inside to greet a hyperactive daughter. Sayu's exploding with nervous glee, yelling "Mom guess what guess what?!"
Sachiko blinks, laughing slightly at the girl's exuberance, glad she's got something to be so happy about, no matter what it is. She coughs and kicks her shoes off, asks just what it is she's meant to be guessing. "This girl came over to see Light, right?" Sayu says, nibbling on the plum she's been carrying. "She was wearing this really skimpy outfit, and she had bleached hair and all this make-up. I'm not sure but I think she's a model or something. Light says she's his girlfriend, and they're up in his room right now!"
This is nothing new, Light's had a lot of girlfriends for a boy his age. When they discovered how smart he was they expected him to be unpopular, a bully-plagued nerd, but thankfully this hasn't been the case. Girls love Light because he's gorgeous, and boys have always respected him, if grudgingly. Sachiko is not surprised that Light has a girlfriend. She is surprised, however, that Sayu cares so much and that this girl is a model. Light normally pursues girls with a more intellectual bent. And so she says, "a model, really?" tries to respond to her daughter's excitement.
"Yeah, I think she's in this magazine called Eighteen, and she's like an actress or something, she was in commercials and movies and stuff. I think. Is Misa Amane a common name, maybe there's more than on that looks the same…?"
Sachiko laughs, stops herself before she hugs the girl, she doesn't want to get her sick. "That doesn't seem likely Sayu, it's probably the same girl. Thanks for telling me though, he and I are going to have to have a little talk when he's finished. And I'm going to want to meet this girl."
"We could get her autograph and sell it on eBay!" Sayu yelps, about to drop the plum pit on the ground. Sachiko shakes her head, directs her to the garbage can. Sayu shrugs, says "be nice to her when you meet her, okay? I know you don't think anyone's good enough for Light, but she's probably nice enough."
"Of course no one's good enough for Light," she says smirking, "the only girl who could be good enough for one of my babies is another one of my babies, but that's just wrong." Sayu giggles, gives Sachiko a light punch in the shoulder, and heads off to her room. When she's gone Sachiko goes to the kitchen and loads the dishwasher in an attempt to absorb herself in something normal.
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Heh. Sachiko was so based off my mom in that last scene. Anyway, I hope you had fun with this. Please leave me a review, I adore the feedback I'm getting for this fic. Have a great day!
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Kids
Chapter Eight - Strawberry Tarts
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Sachiko falls asleep again, hair stuck to her face with her sweat and L's tears. Her head hits the arm of the couch when he leaves her, she doesn't wake up but she mutters to herself, annoyed. Best to do this before she gets too deep into it though, he doesn't want to lie here staring at the ceiling and trying not to wake her. She's sick, he has drained her. She should be sleeping now.
But L doesn't want to be alone with this. He doesn't want to hear his mother's morphine addled voice, himself at the double funeral, screaming in the arms of a man he doesn't know, who doesn't want him, who isn't even the man his parents wanted him to go to. Not Watari, yet.
He has no work to do, nothing except to cover Sachi with a blanket, to seek out food to stop his brain. But his mother used to feed him cake; he can't get comfort out of this if he remembers why he does it, fuck. There's nothing for him, now.
He sits by the door, crams his thumb into his mouth and he's always done this, always gnawed his skin off and it has nothing to do with his mother. He's always been an insomniac, and everybody's mother gives them cake. He will not allow this to invade his life. He will go outside and buy junk food.
He stands up, opens the door with minimal creaking. Sachiko mutters something and he almost stays, he needs her words but she's sleeping. So he goes.
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The sun blazes outside and he feels his skin tighten, he will get burnt if he stays out long. It's winter and this heat is ridiculous, this is partly why he rarely strays outside. Luckily he was smart this time, he picked a hotel close to a bakery. It isn't far to go.
He steps in gum on the way there, he actually chose to wear shoes for once so it's fine, he doesn't care, he's here now and it's not a great bakery, it's fine if he tracks gunk on their linoleum. He does not bother to scrape it off or see what kind of pattern his shoe has imprinted in it.
The shop stocks an average array, dry cookies, faded croissants, and cakes with dull frosting. The best option seems to be the fruit tarts, those look relatively new and the fruit hasn't rotted; they should be edible. He orders a bag full of strawberry tarts, hopes they won't get ruined and mashed on the way. He wonders if Sachiko will want one, if it's okay for him to eat everything before he gets back to the hotel. She's sick, right, and sick people don't like food. They sleep and they don't eat much. He doesn't even eat much when he's sick.
That's rationalization though; L just doesn't want to share. Since he can't see himself eating anything less than the five tarts he's purchased, he decides he'll make it up to her. Which is ridiculous since there's no way she'll know he's bought anything. Anyway he'll go to the drug store, buy her sick people things. What that consists of he has scarcely a clue, since he doesn't know what's wrong with her. Tylenol probably, maybe tissues. Cough drops? Was she coughing? He can't recall. Anyway he'll buy what he finds, help her out.
It's what he would have done for his mother, if he could.
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L winds up only eating three of the tarts, something stops him from stuffing his face with the last one. He tells himself it's because he isn't hungry, three tarts are enough. L does not believe himself.
He enters the hotel room, slips his shoes off and scrapes the gum, notes the blackened zigzag pattern. He tries to keep quiet. The floors are carpeted, something that until now he thought was a total waste. They're sapping the sound from his footsteps. Sachiko might stay sleeping.
Too late, she's up anyway, hands cupped around her kneecaps, and he doesn't think she means it but she's sitting just like him. "Ryuzaki," she croaks, "where were you?"
"The store!" he snaps nervously, feeling caught and wrong and criticized, she's said nothing but he's bristling for a fight. As soon as he feels it he gives up, deflates. "I was getting breakfast, and, um…" He holds out his purchases, dumps them with a clunk onto the coffee table. "I bought you some medical supplies. I don't know if they'll help or not."
Sachiko stares down the array, giggling softly. "You really thought of everything," she says. "This pretty much covers all my symptoms." L's embarrassed but he doesn't blush, that's beyond him, that's silly, after his outburst he's shutting down his feelings. It's nothing special anyway, he hardly looked in the store, just snapped things up and scrambled out of there. He bought exactly what he'd planned to, plus earplugs to keep out the noise of her children. They're yellow; a color that seems to suit her, she's wearing a yellow shirt after all. "Thank you," she says, "I really appreciate it."
"I'm glad," he says quietly, pointing to the real gift, the tarts. "Have one of these," he insists, knowing that she'll have no appetite. He's pretending not to notice, not to care.
But she takes it, perhaps feeling better, perhaps just wanting to please him. Whatever the reason, Sachiko takes the tart to her mouth, gets whipped cream on her bottom lip. She licks it off and for some odd reason he thinks that's adorable, for some odd reason he considers kissing what's left of it away.
What comes into his brain after that is what the fuck no, he can't believe he's even formed the thought. Kiss her? Why would he even think to kiss the wife of a co-worker? Or for that matter, anyone? That's not meant to be a part of L's life, his life's about work, he's a detective with no real spare time. Who is he to even contemplate a normal life? He isn't normal, he can't have normal, normal is completely out of reach. This wouldn't even be normal anyway, if he were to…wasn't he just thinking he'd have done for his mom what he's doing for her?
L will not kiss Sachiko, nor will he toss her out like his brain is screaming he should do. That would make things obvious, that would clue her into something going on. The last thing in the world L wants is for her to know he's transformed into a pervert. So he excuses himself, says, "I apologize but I've got work to do, I have to prepare for the next meeting." This is true. It's getting close to when he ought to get started. "You can sleep for a little longer, if you want," he says. "Please, feel better."
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After another nap Sachiko's functional if not wonderful, and she decides it's time to head home. The kids might want her for something, and anyway, she's been here far too long. Ryuzaki's earlier emotional meltdown has likely left him craving solitude, she understands and she'll permit it, step outside.
So she takes the bus home, steps inside to greet a hyperactive daughter. Sayu's exploding with nervous glee, yelling "Mom guess what guess what?!"
Sachiko blinks, laughing slightly at the girl's exuberance, glad she's got something to be so happy about, no matter what it is. She coughs and kicks her shoes off, asks just what it is she's meant to be guessing. "This girl came over to see Light, right?" Sayu says, nibbling on the plum she's been carrying. "She was wearing this really skimpy outfit, and she had bleached hair and all this make-up. I'm not sure but I think she's a model or something. Light says she's his girlfriend, and they're up in his room right now!"
This is nothing new, Light's had a lot of girlfriends for a boy his age. When they discovered how smart he was they expected him to be unpopular, a bully-plagued nerd, but thankfully this hasn't been the case. Girls love Light because he's gorgeous, and boys have always respected him, if grudgingly. Sachiko is not surprised that Light has a girlfriend. She is surprised, however, that Sayu cares so much and that this girl is a model. Light normally pursues girls with a more intellectual bent. And so she says, "a model, really?" tries to respond to her daughter's excitement.
"Yeah, I think she's in this magazine called Eighteen, and she's like an actress or something, she was in commercials and movies and stuff. I think. Is Misa Amane a common name, maybe there's more than on that looks the same…?"
Sachiko laughs, stops herself before she hugs the girl, she doesn't want to get her sick. "That doesn't seem likely Sayu, it's probably the same girl. Thanks for telling me though, he and I are going to have to have a little talk when he's finished. And I'm going to want to meet this girl."
"We could get her autograph and sell it on eBay!" Sayu yelps, about to drop the plum pit on the ground. Sachiko shakes her head, directs her to the garbage can. Sayu shrugs, says "be nice to her when you meet her, okay? I know you don't think anyone's good enough for Light, but she's probably nice enough."
"Of course no one's good enough for Light," she says smirking, "the only girl who could be good enough for one of my babies is another one of my babies, but that's just wrong." Sayu giggles, gives Sachiko a light punch in the shoulder, and heads off to her room. When she's gone Sachiko goes to the kitchen and loads the dishwasher in an attempt to absorb herself in something normal.
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Heh. Sachiko was so based off my mom in that last scene. Anyway, I hope you had fun with this. Please leave me a review, I adore the feedback I'm getting for this fic. Have a great day!
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Date: 2008-06-04 03:40 am (UTC)Aww... L bought medicine for Sachiko. And even saved food for her! *le gasp* The whole "kiss the whipped cream off of her lip" thing suddenly turned the whole relationship in a different direction. ...I like it. :D