2Whammy was fixing the car which has decided to break down in front of a park, while three Whammy house orphans, aged between four and five, stood there bored leaning on the fences of the park, except for Beyond Birthday who had caught a dragonfly and was currently carrying out its post-mortem.
"Umm Mr. Whammy… can't we just go inside the park and wait?" Avery asked reluctantly. Beyond let go of the poor insect and stood beside her, showing a silent support. (Silent support for meanwhile because silence does not sit well with his disastrous nature)
"Okay, just don't go too far." Mr. Whammy agreed. He always does, not always but most of the time because he knows he has to otherwise genius kids have other things up their sleeves.
Beyond and Avery rushed inside as soon as they got the permission, leaving L behind who stood contemplating that either he followed them. He was not at all interested but the worried look Mr. Whammy was giving him, he was sure his guardian would get concerned about his anti-social problem so before he would be asked to join his other siblings, he went into the park by himself. The park was empty except for three or four families, as it was Sunday and early in the morning. L went to the bench near to Beyond and Avery and seated himself taking in the surrounding.
Nearby there was a Japanese family with a father, mother, a son of their own age and a new born daughter; seemingly a perfect family. The boy was cleanly dressed, neat brown hair, too prim and proper for his liking, apparently a mama boy as his mother kissed his forehead affectionately and his father gave him a proud smile for whatsoever reason. Just too perfect family, L thought. He looked away deciding to observe other people in the park rather than boring, typical family dotting on their son.
"Have you guys ever thought what it would be like to have parents, siblings… a proper family?" Avery asked looking in the direction of the same family.
"Nah. It's too boring. Typical." Beyond replied striking the stick on the grass.
"But wouldn't it be nice to be hugged that way by your own parents?" Avery observed with gleaming eyes as the boy was tickled down by his father, giggling at top of his voice.
"Then we wouldn't be who we are instead, we have to become what our parents would have wanted us to be." L decided to contribute to the topic even when he wasn't sure of the answer. Wouldn't it be nice to be with his family instead of being in an orphanage? But there was no point in thinking of the answer when nothing could be done. Not that his family would return so why worry about it. "Look at the boy."
"Yeah, what's wrong with him?" Avery asked.
"Can't you see he is what his parents want him to be, properly dressed, neat and oh so well-mannered?" Beyond regarded the boy with red flickering in his eyes, "I just want to beat him with this stick and see either will he remain that well mannered."
"Agreed," said L, "except for the beating part."
The boy stood up from his place, with a small piece of apple pie in his hand and walked to the near married couple. As soon as the young couple saw him, they cooed at him and the lady picked him up in her arms while the male squished his cheeks in adoration. With a sweet saccharine smile, the boy extended the pie, sending the couple into another cooing session. Huh! Typical world, typical people, having eyes for only beautiful objects. L wanted to roll his eyes at the view.
The boy let out another cute fit of giggles. "Aww… I want to adopt him, he is so adorable!" the lady exclaimed, squeezing the boy.
Too bad he already has a family. L thought, trying to keep the sour feeling of being unwanted away from his mind.
"Thank you so much, baby." The lady has put the boy down and now was bending to meet his head-level, speaking in a very soft affectionate tone. "Would you like to have this?" she pulled out a large chocolate bar and gave it to the boy. (And L allowed himself to admit that yes he was jealous of this boy, now at least). The said boy squeaked, quickly grabbing the bar making the couple laugh at the display of cuteness, and he hip-hopped off from there.
The brunette kid put the chocolate in his pocket and started to head back to his family when he finally noticed other kids in the park. He stopped for a moment, thinking before he started walking towards them.
"Oh, no, pretty boy! Return to your mummy, or we will make you pee your pants." Beyond said eyeing the said target.
"No, you won't do anything. We promised not to get in trouble." Avery protested.
"Ah, worry not! Just wait and see, dear Avery." He gave a lopsided grin and prepared himself as the kid neared them.
As the boy neared, L took in the details of his appearance. He has a brown neat hair, matched with brown eyes appearing ocher-colored in the morning light, a unique color indeed. The boy had chubby cheeks, tinged red, giving cuteness to his appearance. Those cheeks look like strawberries! L thought, but then these thoughts were induced just because of sugar deprivation.
The boy slowly approached them, his sharp eyes analyzing them one by one, taking in the information. L noticed his demeanor has completely changed from cute giggly boy to a quite silent one. He stopped, silently staring at the stick in Beyond's hand. Following the gaze Beyond quickly threw it away, not wanting to scare the boy away and tried to give him a courteous smile which came out as a creepy grin.
The kid gave his own dazzlingly charming smile in return and came forward. "Hello!" He greeted eyeing everyone one by one.
"Hi!" Avery replied a bit too friendly trying to be courteous, as an advance apology for what Beyond was planning to do to him.
The boy extended his hand towards Avery, "I'm Light, Light Yagami."
She took his hand and shook it, giving him a small smile. "I'm Avery," she turned to Beyond, "this is Beyond," Light gaze shifted to Beyond, deciding either to shake the hand or not but deciding otherwise. Well, that was certainly interesting. Maybe this kid Light was not dumb as all the kids outside Whammy if he could judge characters within few seconds or maybe it was just Avery he was interested in like all shallow minded fools, attracted to opposite gender. "-and this is L, we are siblings."
Light's brow twitched a bit, "L, as in alphabet?"
L was about to answer to that when Light swiveled and kicked in Beyond's shin. Beyond grunted out loud before falling to the ground on his backside, a buzzing insect broke free from his hold and escaped away.
Beyond's grunt had caused both families to turn towards them, eyeing them worriedly. That's when Light put on an act and went to Beyond, cupping his cheeks in a concerned manner, "Are you okay?" and L couldn't help but crack a grin at the little devil in front of him, amused at the performance.
Beyond was glaring at the boy, plotting his next move. Reading Beyond's mind Avery interrupted immediately. "Come on Beyond, we were going for swings." She dragged the fuming boy from the smirking one.
After Beyond and Avery vanished from the sight, L expected Light would also go away, instead, he seated himself next to him. L gave him a curious side glance but didn't say anything.
"So, L was it?"
"Yes." L replied, not trying to put efforts in conversation.
"So where are your…-" Light craned his neck and turned it around while searching the park, "your guardian."
Now other's intelligence was confirmed to L. He was intelligent enough at age of five how to hide his real self by wearing a mask of normalcy, he correctly deduced that he didn't have parents and now he remembered it, Light has shaken Avery's hand instead of bowing.
"How do you know that we don't have parents?" Light was a bit surprised at the response from L which comprised of more than a word, he had expected him to shrug the question off.
"Well you three are of same age or close, it couldn't be possible for you guys to be siblings except for that you guys are foster siblings, it was just a guess."
"How did you know that we have a western origin?"
"How?" Light turned to him, "How did you know that I know you guys are western?"
"Japanese usually bow instead of shaking hands."
"Ah, observant!" Light eyes shined as he complimented, genuinely impressed. And for some stupid reason, L was pleased with that but was definitely not pleased with the fact that he would react to a stranger. So to get at even he said, "Same can be said about you."
Light gave him a small smile before reaching in his pocket and taking out the large bar of chocolate and L cursed heaven and hell (and Light as well) that out of all places he has decided to eat chocolate right in front of him. L was internally cursing when a piece of chocolate was shoved in front of him. He confusedly looked at Light who was extending half of the chocolate in his direction. His five-year-old pride asked him to reject the offer but… it was chocolate! And Watari had imposed a ban on confectioneries for a week (the reason was another long story and obviously had to with Beyond). So, L had to accept the offer.
They both sat silently eating their chocolate and L almost forgot the presence of other while savoring it.
"You are a messy eater."
"What?" L asked without realizing that his hand was smeared by chocolate because he was directly holding chocolate without its wrapper. Not only his hand but the area around his mouth was covered with chocolate and somehow he had also managed to get it on his nose.
Light's face scrunched in annoyance before he got close to L, making his body alert on the proximity. Light took out tissue from his short pants and carefully and gently started wiping the chocolate off.
L stiffened on the touch which didn't go unnoticed by other, who was intrigued at the reaction. Not comfortable with touch? Light was more than pleased with finding others weakness.
L looked at him with a look which was close to glaring but proceeded to ignore him and started eating his chocolate again. But Light Yagami doesn't like to be ignored that's why he thought of a way to irritate poker-faced boy.
"You are kayoottt!" he pinched L cheeks. And L was more than angry for invading his personal space and of course for calling him cute.
"And you look like a girl!" he blurted the wittiest comeback that came to his mind which momentarily made Light's face twist with annoyance and anger flashed his eyes, making those molten golden eyes look more alive, but he schooled his expression back to normal.
Light took the liberty of putting his head in L's lap.
"Why? Because I'm pwetty?" Light opened his eyes wide and blinked his them exaggeratedly to give the effect. His face was so close to L because of L's usual sitting position which increased his thinking power by forty percent but now had made him freeze in his place and short-circuited his mind and before L could process anything his body responded.
SMACK!
It's when Light's parents and Watari had gathered around Light, who was quietly sniffling, holding his tears back and now had a scarlet cheek (resembling more than ever to a strawberry), that L realized that he had slapped Light, hard indeed.
