L observed that the puzzle was almost complete as he walked into the living room. A young boy with white hair was sprawled on the hardwood floor of Wammy's house, a half-done puzzle in front of him. The raven-haired detective stood quietly behind Near as he scanned the floor for pieces. He hunched over and picked up a rubix cube from beside the boy.
He tilted the cube several times, memorizing it's colored squares. Deciding it was worth the effort, L shuffled over to the couch and sat down, his back curled in an awkward position (awkward to anyone but him). He tilted the cube a few more times, his thumb pressed against his mouth.
It seems as though I can complete the cube with an algorithm. The center piece doesn't move, so I should build around the middle squares...
While the older detective twisted the rotating pieces Near continued with his floor puzzle. After a while the soft clicks of the cube slowed, eventually stopping. L set the completed puzzle on a small table next to the couch and looked at the albino. Near had the massive floor puzzle complete...except for one piece. Bemused, L watched as a small look of frustration crossed the boy's face.
"Mello must have taken it." Near said.
"Why do you think that?" L responded, watching him.
The boy took a lock of his snowy hair into his fingers and twirled it. "Mello takes my toys whenever he loses to me." His voice was quiet, but L could hear a note of weariness.
"That isn't very kind of him." He stated, making a mental note of Mello's temperament. "But Mello didn't take it from you." L stood up and approached the boy.
Near looked at the detective. He knew it would be rude to contradict his elder, but..."Matt then." he said lamely, not really believing himself.
L just shook his head. The boy sighed. "Maybe I lost it." He said, though this was even more unlikely than his previous response.
L smirked and crouched down in front of the boy. "Not yet." Near blinked. What in the world was he smirking for?
In one swift movement L had knocked Near to the floor, pinning his hands down. Near let out a small exclamation of surprise, but it was muffled by the older detective's lips pressing against his own.
Time seemed to freeze. Near slowly returned the kiss, and as soon as he did so L pulled away. He ruffled the young boy's snow white hair and stood. "Now you lost it."
The boy watched in utter amazement as L shuffled out of the living room and disappeared around the corner. After staring at the corner for a few moments he looked down at his hand, where the last puzzle piece stood in startling brilliance. Slowly, Near placed the final piece into his puzzle, completing L's symbol.
He allowed himself a small smile.