#cybirdpunk

Once he finally caught up, she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. As always, clothes shopping came first. The instant the two of them entered the store, Sayu gasped as she noticed a nearby banner.

“Look, Light! They’ve got that new Misa-Misa collection!” Sayu exclaimed, staring at the beautiful smiling blonde girl on a banner advertising a new arrival discount. “We have to start there. Her look is, like, the biggest thing ever right now.”

“Whose look?” Light asked, not even looking at the banner. He seemed more interested in a sale on plain white shirts. Honestly, how boring could he possibly get?

“Misa-Misa, duh! Do you seriously not know who she is?” She tugged at his arm again and he finally turned to see the banner, looking utterly unimpressed. Undaunted, Sayu continued. “She’s the most popular model in Japan right now. Gothic lolita was pretty much dead before she came onto the scene and single-handedly brought it back. She’s just the best.”

She chose to leave out the fact that she had a massive crush on her. There’s no way Light wouldn’t tell Dad. He always told him everything.

“Huh. That’s interesting,” said Light in the most uninterested voice he could muster. He was teasing her again. She mock-pouted and punched him in the shoulder.

“I’m sure she’s got men’s stuff in there, Light. Maybe you could consider trying a look that doesn’t scream ‘I work in a cubicle’ for once in your life.” She rubbed her chin and looked him up and down, picturing potential looks. “What if you wore, like…a leather jacket? With spikes? Add in a little eyeliner?” She grabbed a pair of black pre-ripped jeans off a nearby display and held them up in his face. “These would make it look like you went out and did cool stuff instead of sitting in your room and studying all day.”

Light stared at the pants with a look of genuine distress. “Sayu, please tell me those holes aren’t an intentional part of the design.”

“Yup! Isn’t it cool?”

“There’s nothing ‘cool’ about being wasteful,” he replied, taking the jeans and placing them back on the display. “Those could have been a perfectly functional pair of jeans before someone ruined them.”

“You’re no fun at alllllllllllll,” Sayu groaned, moving to the next display. “Look at this, Light! The newest Cosme Misa line is out. Misa-Misa always has the best makeup.” She picked up a tube and held it out to him, rolling it up to reveal a deep purple hue. “I saw her talk about this one in an interview. She said it was her girlfriend’s favorite color in the entire line!”

“Girlfriend?” Light asked, raising his eyebrows as he looked down at the lipstick. “I didn’t realize people could be so open about that now.”

Sayu felt her heart sink. She knew Light was old-fashioned, but did he seriously have a problem with that? “Why?” she asked, putting the lipstick down and absentmindedly grabbing some eyeliner. “Is that bad or something?”

Light’s eyes widened and he quickly averted his gaze, crossing his arms awkwardly. “No! Of course not. I don’t have any problem with that. I mean, obviously I of all people wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

“Why you of all people?”

Light turned away from her, suddenly very interested in a nearby display showing thigh-high striped socks. “No reason. It’s just a figure of speech. I’m sure you’ve heard it before.” He yanked a pair off the rack, looking them over.

Sayu peered over his shoulder and smirked. “Thigh-highs, Light? I didn’t think that was your style.” She figured that would just make him madder, but he seemed to calm down now that they were moving away from the topic.

“Of course they aren’t. But there’s somebody I’ve been trying to get to wear socks for quite some time now. I’m wondering if maybe these are unique enough to get them to consider it.”

“They don’t wear socks? They sound gross.” She groaned, turning back to the makeup. “You have weird friends.” Finally settling on a cute bubblegum pink lip gloss and some new mascara, she grabbed some black eyeliner and handed it to Light. “I still think you should try some of this. Boys can wear makeup too, y'know.”

Light looked at the eyeliner like it was some sort of alien artifact. “What is this?”

“It’s eyeliner, duh. You put it on around your eyes and it adds some color to them. Right now it’s in style to put a looooooooot on, but I just like to use it to make my eyes pop a bit.”

To Sayu’s surprise, Light didn’t immediately put it back. “Color around the eyes…men can wear it…” Suddenly, his eyes bugged open and he looked at her like he’d just had an earth-shattering revelation. “I knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“You’re so weird,” she chuckled. Grabbing a basket for each of them, she threw in her makeup and a pair of thigh-highs. She moved deeper into the store, letting Light slip away to the men’s section as she perused some new skirt designs. As much of a nerd as Light might be sometimes, she really did enjoy shopping with her brother. He was always so busy, so any time the two of them got to spend together was time she valued above nearly anything else. And he might never admit it, but she knew he valued it too.

After filling her basket to the brim, Sayu managed to track Light down as he looked through some admittedly sleek turtlenecks. “Looks like my sense of fashion might finally be rubbing off on you!” she called, making him jump. “You should get the black one. Black works for you.”

“You think so?”

“Trust the expert, Light. Whoever you’re trying to change up your look for is going to appreciate you playing to your strengths.”

She smirked as she saw Light’s face redden slightly. “I’m not buying this for anyone else. I’m just trying something new. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” Quickly stuffing the turtleneck into his basket, he motioned toward the register. “Did you have anything else you wanted to get, or are we done?”

Sayu grinned and held up a basket filled with a wide array of new Misa-Misa brand apparel. “I think I’ve got enough to make the other kids at school jealous.” She let out a small sigh. “It’s not like I can make them jealous with my grades the way you can.”

“You know I’m always happy to tutor you, Sayu.” Light said as they headed towards the register. “Maybe I can show you that there’s an actual point to diligent studying beyond being a 'nerd’, as you put it.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” she giggled as they entered the line. After a few minutes of waiting, they arrived at the register. Light put up his basket first, brimming with white shirts and cheap jeans. Then, for some reason, he reached out to grab hers as well.

“Wait, what are you doing?” she asked.

“You helped me pick out something stylish. It’s the least I can do to cover your expenses as well.” Sayu blinked a few times in surprise as Light gave her an almost unnaturally genuine smile. “I can be a good big brother every now and then, you know.”

Without thinking, Sayu threw her arms around him. “You’re the best, Light.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far.” he chuckled as he turned to pay for their clothes. He didn’t realize how serious Sayu was. She usually kept it inside, but she really did think the world of him. He was a way better brother than he thought he was.

As they stepped out of the store, Sayu could feel her stomach start to grumble. “Hey Light, can we hit the food court next?”

“I suppose a little something to eat would be good right now.”

“Yay!” she cheered, beaming at him. “You have to try the new pizza place that just opened up. It’s to die for.”

“Sounds good, Sayu. Lead the way.”

“Are you going to treat me again?”