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"Hey, Light! The fire's lit up now and Ryuzaki's found hot cocoa mixes in the cupboard. Come inside to warm up."
Light tried to lie, tell Matsuda that he was fine continuing to dig away at the snow and that he didn't even feel cold—anything to avoid going back inside and having to face his exes, who were united against him in more ways than one. But his body betrayed him; he couldn't open his mouth to speak without his jaw trembling and he was struggling to hold the shovel steady.
Matsuda shook his head before taking the shovel from Light. He put an arm around Light's shoulders and led him back inside. If Light's face wasn't already red from shoveling the snow, he felt sure it might have turned pink from the sudden proximity.
Inside, L and Misa were too focused on their conversation to glare at Light like they had when they all learned they were working on the same murder case. They were arguing about how to prepare the cocoa, with Misa insisting that they should use the milk they found in the fridge instead of mixing it with L's coffee because, “Cowboy mocha is a crime against flavor,” while L was explaining all the reasons he was unsure about how safe the milk was to drink and that whatever bitterness caused by the coffee would be far better than just boiled water. It was clear that there was affection between them despite the bickering. In the background, an old hand crank radio they had found earlier was playing Christmas music which, while statickey, added to the homeliness. Light still didn't feel comfortable enough to talk to them, convinced that the moment he made his presence known they would find a way to blame him for the snow storm that trapped them here.
"There we go." He and Matsuda were now in front of the fireplace, the sudden warmth causing Light to realize just how cold it had been outside. Matsuda shrugged out of his overcoat and put in on the coat rack by the door. Light tried to do the same, but to his frustration found that his fingers were too numb to undo the buttons. "Oh, shoot. Let me help you." Light tried to protest, but Matsuda wouldn't let him. "You can't warm up properly if you're trapped in that coat. It's still wet from the snow. I don't want you catching a cold or something worse."
"I can—"
"For God's sake, Light!" Misa interjected. "Stop being a baby and let him help you!"
L hummed in agreement. "We still have a killer to catch when we're able to get out of here and it would be very inconvenient, and frankly embarrassing, if you were taken out of commission by something so easily preventable."
Light sighed and stopped fighting. Matsuda undid all the buttons of Light's coat and helped him unlace his winter boots as well. Matsuda took the coat and shoes and put them by the door as well. "There are blankets inside the chest in front of the fire, Light. Please take one and sit down. I know you want to get out and don't like sitting around, but you need to take care of yourself."
Soon, all four sat before the fire, mugs of cocoa in hand. Misa had won her argument and the thankfully not expired or poisoned milk was used, though L did also make a pot of coffee on the stove that he mixed in with his cocoa. All were wrapped in blankets with L and Misa sharing theirs with each other. Light swallowed a small twinge of jealousy; it wasn't directed towards them specifically, he had made his peace with the fact that he had squandered his second chances with both of them and that they were better off without him, but he wished that he had someone in his life that he could rely on like they did each other.
"The good news is that the electricity should be back on in a few hours so we'll have light and, hopefully, an internet connection," L informed the others. "The bad news is that it's going to take three days for the roads to clear so we'll be here for at least as long.”
“The pantry's full of food so there's no worries on that front,” Misa added. “Though until the electricity and gas is back on I think we should try to rely on things that don't require heat since we're almost out of matches.”
Light took a sip of his cocoa. “I wish I could have cleared away more of the snow before coming inside. Right now, there's just enough room for one or two people to step outside the front door, but I can't see the driveway at all.”
L nodded. “I appreciate you taking the time to try to clear a path. But for the time being, it's more important that we all stay together where it's warm. We can try again tomorrow afternoon, if the sun will cooperate.”
They didn't say much to each outside of that for the rest of the night. Aside from the murder case, their sordid past, and the obviously bad weather, what was there to talk about? The cowboy mocha? The disappointing lack of marshmallows to put on top? Misa's Christmas party that he definitely wasn't invited to and might have to be canceled anyway if the case wasn't finished by then?
Once the cocoa was finished, L and Misa went to the master bedroom located down the hall. Light took his blanket and some pillows from the hall closet and started to make a nest on the couch.
“There's a second bedroom, Light. You don't have to sleep on the couch.”
“Then where will you sleep?”
Matsuda turned beat red. “Right. I can sleep on the couch then, unless you want to play rock paper scissors for the bed.”
“Matsuda...did you want to share the bed?”
“Well, it makes sense. It's easier to stay warm when someone is beside you than sleeping by yourself. But I can see now that it's probably too intimate and you probably don't want to—”
“Come here.”
“What?”
Light felt his own face flushing, but he repeated himself and indicated the place on the couch beside him. “Come here. It's warm beside the fireplace. It will be easier to stay here than make ourselves cold and have to get warm all over again.”
“O-okay. That's very smart of you Light.”
They lay together on the couch, arms around each other. It felt right, it felt natural. Right before he drifted off to sleep, Light heard Matsuda say, “I hope when this is all over, we can do this again. Under better circumstances.”
Light smiled. “I'll mark my calendar.”