Anna stared out at the grey afternoon. The fog left the courtyard looking ghostly. Rain trickled down the window and Anna sighed. She'd always found something hauntingly beautiful about the way the world looked when it rained. "Anna?" Anna turned at the sound of her best friend's desperate voice that broke through the silence she'd surrounded herself with. L was standing in the doorway, holding a very fussy two year old in his arms. Anna giggled and walked over from her spot by the window. She reached out and took the Near into her arms. He calmed almost instantly as she twisted back and forth.
"I thought I put you down for a nap." She asked him still giggling.
"I'm not tired." The little one in her arms confessed tugging at one of his curls and burying his face into the crook of Anna's neck.
"Not tired?" Anna asked in mock surpise, "Well, we're pretty tired. Right, L?" L nodded and forced a yawn.
Near simply shook his head pulling on his sleeves, "I'm not falling for that." Anna and L couldn't help, but laugh. Near was actually pretty smart for a toddler. He could actually form complicated sentences, sounding adorable in his baby voice.
Anna kissed his cheek, "If you don't take a nap, you're going to be grumpy later."
"There you all are. I need to see you in my office." Wammy said popping his head into the living room where they all were. Anna and L exchanged a look, silently asking what the other had done. After ten years living together at Wammy's house, they'd gotten in plenty of mischief. They were both very famiar with the inside of Wammy's office. The moment they walked in, they felt the presence of someone else. Anna gripped Near closer to her and stood slightly behind L, ready to push him in front of her as a sacrifice if needed. "Anna, L, this is Mihael Keehl. He'll be living here from now on." A small blonde boy was clinging to Wammy's pant leg.
Anna exchanged a look with L. She put down Near and knelt down to Mihael's level. "Hi, Mihael. I'm Anna. This is Near." The little boy's eyes flickered from Anna to the toddler and finally fell on L, who was knelling next to Anna.
L held his hand out to try and coax the little one out of hiding. "I'm Lawliet, but you can call me L, Okay?" The little boy nodded and took L's hand. His hair was cut short and choppy and his blue eyes were fearful. A rare smile tugged at L's lips and he cocked his head to the side slightly, "You don't need to be scared. You get to start over here."
Anna nodded, "So what do you want us to call you?"
Mihael looked down in thought and then up at the older two in front of them. "Mello. I want to be called Mello."
Anna's eyes lit up at the little one's voice and L knew that she had fallen in love with the child just like she had when she'd first met baby Near. She took L's hand and gave it a light squeeze, "Well, Mello would you like to come do a puzzle with us?" Mello nodded slightly and Anna and L stood up. Anna picked up Near and laced her fingers with L's. He held Mello's and walked off to the other room.
Later that night, Anna slipped into L's room without knocking. L looked up from the book he was reading in surprise, a cookie dangling from his lips. Anna looked down quickly and threw a sweatshirt L had lying on the back of his desk chair. "Cover yourself. No one wants to see you shirtless."
L smirked to himself as he pulled the hoodie over his head, "Then I guess you should have knocked instead of barging in here like a madman."
Anna looked over to her friend, her cheeks still pink from walking in on L shirtless. "I needed to talk to you."
L leaned back into the pillows on his bed, "I don't see how knocking could have prevented us from talking." He shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled cockily at her.
"Shut up, I'm serious. Imagine what Mello had to have gone through to be so scared of people." Anna asked sitting on the edge of L's bed.
He sighed and pulled the fifteen year old down so she was lying on his chest. "Where is your little angel sleeping anyways? He's not in Near's room is he?"
Anna shook her head wrapping her arms around her best friend, "I, uh, I helped Wammy clean out Andrew's old room for him."
L's breath caught in his throat and he looked down at Anna. She looked up at him, her green orbs meeting his grey ones sadly. "Anna, that's got to be hard on you. I'm so sorry. I know it's been three years, but-"
"L, I'm never going to be over Andrew's death or BB leaving like he did. I've got to move on sometime. It's not like I could just keep that room locked up forever. I'm a lot better than I was. I just miss him."
"I do too."
"Do you think Mello will be alright?" Anna asked snuggling into L.
He nodded, "He's got us and Wammy. He'll be fine."
"Maybe he and Near will be best friends, like us." Anna giggled looking up at L.
L smiled slightly, "Maybe."
"Anna, it's late. You shouldn't be in here." Wammy said opening the door.
Anna smiled apologetically and sat up, "I'm sorry, I'm leaving right now." Wammy gave the pair a knowing smile and shut the door tight. As soon as the door latched, L and Anna broke out into a fit of laughter. Anna pushed herself off the bed still giggling, "Alright, I'm going to check on Near and Mello then I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Night, Anna." L replied returning to his book.
Anna paused at the door and looked over her shoulder at L smiling, "Good night, L."