The soft white flurries fluttered down outside the windows of the England orphanage. Some happier than others to see these little droplets, and running out to enjoy the first snow of the season. Others, like certain social outcasts, sat in the playroom ignoring the subtle calls from outside and the heavy laughter that seemed to reverberate through the halls.
Even Roger had a smile on his face as he looked out at the scene from his office window. Of course, it could always be ruined easily he was well aware of, since a certain blonde and a certain gamer seemed to be a tag team of pure evil, to his definition of course.
Of course, the snow had no affect on the little albino boy sitting in the playroom, putting a blank puzzle together again, and again, and again. He had no interests in the holidays, and he wasn't about to suddenly find any interest in them.
Two children, the blonde and the gamer, chose to stay inside as well for there was a Christmas tree to decorate.
"Matt, you are not putting that on the tree." The blonde suddenly snapped at his redhead friend.
"But it looks awesome!" Matt groaned holding up particularly strange ornament of a small man in red on a sled with a rather large M on the man's hat.
"Mario does not look 'awesome' on a Christmas tree." Mello stated.
"Sure he does!" Matt said happily, placing the ornament on the tree in a rather random spot. "See?" Mello merely slapped his hand to his face, not caring what the redhead thought of him.
Mello shook his head at his redhead friend as he continued to attempt to place random ornaments on the tree. They had been decorating for almost two hours now and hadn't gotten anywhere really. They were slightly surprised that Roger had even allowed them to touch the ornaments, much less the tree!. He had though, as a sign of trying to be nice, and he was surprised that they'd actually not done anything harmful to said tree since he said they could decorate it. Although, something seemed to be missing in the tree-decorating escapade. And Mello knew just what it was.
"Hey, Matt, I'll be right back. I have to go get something for the tree." He said, standing up quickly.
"Whatever…" Matt said, unwinding a long strand of silver tinsel and setting it on the ground.
Mello ran down the hallway out of the room and down hallway toward the playroom, knowing exactly what the tree needed. When he arrived, he saw the small albino child, if you could call him that for he was 14, sitting in the middle of the playroom with the same blank puzzle as always, it's black L in the corner standing out. He went into the room and crouched down beside the albino.
Near didn't really bother to give Mello any sort of acknowledgement, though he did continue on with his puzzle and reached up mechanically to twirl a strand of hair around his index finger.
".... What're you doing?" Mello suddenly questioned.
"Nothing of true concern. Wasn't Mello decorating a tree with Matt earlier?" Near answered automatically.
"Still am but the tree's missing a key component." Mello murmured as he continued to watch the boy.
Near looked out through his curled white bangs at Mello, still twirling his hair. "And what is that?" He questioned.
"You." He gave a wry smile and grabbed Near's hand, pulling him up from the floor triumphantly. "Come on!"
Near stumbled for a moment after being jerked up so sporadically. "W-what is Mello talking about?" He asked as he tried not to fall flat on his face.
"We need to you to help with the tree, you social recluse." Mello answered, dragging the poor Near down the hallway toward the library.
"Why do Mello and Matt need my help?" Near questioned as he was pulled along.
"'Cause Matt's idea of a decoration is Mario on a sled." Mello answered determinedly.
Near had no real idea what Mello was talking about, but knowing their red-headed friend, it had to do with a game that he would cry about if he lost. He almost opted to pull back and stop Mello, to try and tell him that he did not like particular holidays, more specifically Christmas. "M-Mello, I do not believe I would be helpful in your task!"
"What, you don't want to wear an angel outfit and sit on top of the tree?" Mello asked.
Near's brain twitched slightly at the thought and shuddered involuntarily. "I would most likely want to refrain from that."
A small smirk appeared on Mello's face. "Are you sure? It'd be fuuun," He teased.
"No." Near replied more firmly as he tried to keep from falling as Mello dragged him along.
"Fine, have it your way," Mello replied nonchalantly. "But I do need your help decorating."
Near grimaced as Mello finally pulled him into the library, seeing the half-decorated, half- destroyed tree. Destroyed at least for Matt's part.
"Hey, I thought you said you were getting something important for the tree!" Matt joked as he looked over at Near, untidy hair kept back from his eyes by his goggles.
"I know that's what I said, but I wanted something else BESIDES Mario on the tree... So I dragged Near!" Mello presented Near with an overdramatic flair.
The albino's brain again twitched as Mello presented him. He wanted to go back to the playroom, but he was sure Mello would just forcibly drag him back, again. "Mello and Matt do not need my help to decorate a tree." He assured them both, twirling a strand of hair around his fingers.
Mello looked at the albino with a wide eyed look. "You're not very Christmas-y, are you?"
"Although I might remind you of snow, I do not care for the holidays." Near stated thoroughly.
"Well why the hell not?" Mello demanded.
"Because it is insufficient to becoming L's successor." Near said, lowering his head slightly and twirling his hair more thoroughly.
"Insufficient or not, we're all still kids so celebrating Christmas is one of the only childlike things we can still do," Mello said. "The least we can do is celebrate it without restraints."
Near had no way of responding to Mello without being brutally honest with him. Instead, he simply stared off out the window at the still falling snow and went to sit in one of the library's many comfy chairs.
Mello looked at Matt. "Any ideas as to how to make the little brat join in?"
Matt shrugged and looked around him for a moment before spotting what he needed. He quickly picked up two things; a long string of silver tinsel, and a candy cane from the box they had lying open in a chair. He then went over and snapped the tinsel around Near's neck in a most festive fashion, taking advantage of Near's surprised expression and forcing him to hold the candy cane in his mouth. "There we go! It's like a little snowman!" Matt tittered as he looked at the decorated albino, still starring at Matt with disbelief and surprise.
Mello tilted his head to the side and laughed. "He is like a little snowman but I don't think he agrees."
Near cringed when the taste of the candy cane hit the back of his throat and immediately drew it out of his mouth, placing a hand over his mouth so Matt would not have another excuse to give him anymore of the too-sweet sweets. "Yeah, you're probably right!" Matt said, trying to think of some other way he could get the little boy to join in.
Mello snatched his chocolate bar off the floor and snapped a piece off in thought.
Suddenly, an idea came to Matt and he immediately snatched Mello aside, leaving a still-bewildered Near in the arm chair. "I've got an idea!" Matt said, almost giddy with some strange excitement.
"Was it so important that you had to drag me aside?"
"Yes!" Matt declared as he continued on his giddy high. "Let's try and get Near interested in Christmas!"
"... How do you expect to do that?"
"Well..." Matt began. "We never see him doing anything else besides play in the playroom or study in his room, why not try and get him to do some of the stuff people do around the holidays?"
"Like decorating the tree?" Mello asked, a bit slow today.
"Yeah!" Matt exclaimed. "And making a snow man, having hot chocolate, and just hanging around with other people! He needs to socialize!"
"He is a bit of a social recluse..." Mello whipped the Santa hat from his own head and stomped over to Near, placing the hat on the white curls.
Near's brain seemed to spasm as Mello placed one of the multiple icons of Christmas on his head, showing on his face when he seemed to glare at the hat.
Mello laughed at Near's expression. "Don't be mad."
Matt laughed outright. "I've gotta go find a camera! This is much too fun to pass up!" He then ran out of the room, leaving Near alone with the laughing blonde. "I would still like to point out that I have no feelings toward this holiday..." Near said.
The blonde openly glared. "Will you at least attempt to have fun? You're younger than both of us and yet you're a lot more... boring."
"The reason for that is because I do not concern myself with such trivial things as holidays and activities like this, while I can be studying." Near stated, returning the blonde's glare with a simple redustrial stare.
"I understand your need to study, Near," Mello said, "but you're just a kid like me and Matt. Toys can only be so much fun."
"Then why do you insist upon me joining in on a holiday where toys seem to be an icon?"
"…Shut up. You're celebrating."
Near had no chance of rebuttal when Matt seemed to skip back into the room holding a plastic camera. Probably borrowed from Roger. "Attempt to smile Near!" He jeered as he snapped two or three pictures before kicking Mello into them.
"Ow! Jerk!" Mello complained.
Matt simply laughed at the murderous look in the blonde's eyes. "Wow! Look at that emotion!" Matt laughed again, beginning to take random pictures as though he were some world-famous photographer.
Mello glared at the camera and stuck his tongue out before smiling and making "bunny ears" behind Near's unsmiling head.
Near seemed to glare at the camera, muttering "I hate you both so much..." under his breath as the flashes from the camera blinded him repeatedly. It didn't seem to affect the two as they had already formulated a plan on how as to get the albino child to participate in the holiday. How it would all pan out in the end, who knew...