Silence. A peaceful quiet surrounded the raven-haired man as he lie motionless, curled up and warm in a fetal position. I could stay like this forever, thought Beyond, snuggling into the pillow pressing against his cheek.
Sounds from afar began to filter into his ears slowly; a bird's call, hushed chatter of people passing by and the hum of cars on the paved road outside his bedroom window. The quiet tune of the world moving around him deepened his gentle slumber.
"Mommy, mommy! It's time to get up!" A clamor of childish voices announced loudly. Three distinct lumps of weight fell upon his blanketed form, hastily rousing him.
Mommy? He thought rather confused. Sunrays filled his now open crimson eyes, pupils contracting uncomfortably. Raising a forearm to his affected eyes, the young man sat up in bed with a chuckle. Oh, that's right. How could I forget? "Really, must the three of you wake me like this every morning…" After a few short moments his pupils adjusted to the light and he lowered his arm, finishing his sentence. "…Matt, Mello and Near?"
The three boys sat on their knees looking up at Beyond with smiles. They nodded out of sync to the question.
"Of course, Mommy," said Mello. "Because you never wake up on time."
B shook his head with a smile, unfurling himself from the warm blanket. "Thank you," he said to his children, petting each of them on the head. "Now run along," he added, moving to the closest to change his pajamas. "You three need to get ready for school. I'll start breakfast in a few minutes."
Several minutes later B walked into the kitchen, pulling on a light pink apron, tying it in the back with a few knots. What will I make today…he thought idly before looking to the kitchen table.
"Good morning, Beyond," said L, who sat at the table, feet upon the chair he was crouched upon. He was biting idly on a thumbnail while his other hand rifled through a large jar of assorted wrapped candies. "Did you sleep well?" Removing the thumbnail from his mouth, L grasped a candy at both ends, unwrapping the treat.
Before he could place it in his mouth, Beyond had intercepted the morsel with one hand. "How many times do I have to tell you not to eat so many sweets, my stupid, stupid husband?"
Large dark eyes blinked a few times. "Because you haven't made breakfast, I had to find other forms of sustenance. And without the proper amount of sugar in my system, I will not be able to get through my work."
B crumpled the candy and wrapper in one hand, throwing it in the trash as he rolled his eyes. "Really, L." he said with a shake of his head. "You're so impatient." A sudden realization came to mind. "Or maybe….it's because…" With a few muffled sniffles, B continued. "C-Could it be that you really don't like my cooking?" He finished the sentence regretfully, slumping to the floor with loud sobs.
L blinked a few times, though unshaken by B's actions. "You know that is not true and that I simply enjoy consuming large amounts of sugar. It helps to make thinking much easier for me."
Standing off the kitchen floor, B wiped at the crocodile tears under his eyelids. "Meanie," he whispered, adjusting the apron before heading to the fridge.
"Daddy, Daddy!" shouted the three children as they entered the kitchen, collecting around L.
"Good morning," said L with a smile as his children sat at the table waiting for breakfast.
The kitchen was loud with chatter and the sizzle of cooked food. It wasn't long before the meal had been consumed and the three boys were out the door to the bus stop.
B stood on the front porch a few moments, waving as his three boys raced to the bus stop. He went in, locking the front door. "Well," he said looking to L with a devilish grin.
L sat the same as before in the chair at the kitchen table, sipping what seemed to be a cup of sludgy sugar with a few drops of tea.
Beyond walked carefully to the kitchen so as not to make a sound, inching closer towards the crouched figure on the chair. Once he felt he was the correct distance away from L he threw his arms over the other man's shoulders, fingertips meeting at the other's collar bone. "So," he said in a deep tone. "Your three children have left for the day. And your beautiful wife is all by herself." One index finger trailed from the top of L's chin down his neck. "She could use some company right now."
"Beyond," L stated, unemotional as ever. "You know very well that there is no time for such things. I have my work to attend to, and there are many household chores you must complete yourself."
B's cheeks inflated. "You're being mean again…" he said with a pouty face, his hands pulling on the thicker parts of L's cheeks, and then releasing them.
"You know there are a lot of things that have kept me busy of late…" L trailed off, his cheeks stinging from being pulled. "I should be done with my largest case in about 3 days time. Can you stave off those animalistic urges until then?"
A grin found its way to B's face as he stood upright, throwing his hands in the air.
L continued to sip his tea.
"But be forewarned…" B's tone took a dangerous turn as he whispered into his husband's ear. "Since you've made me wait for more than a week….well, let's just say that you're not going to be able to walk for a while…kyahahaha…" He began to cackle a somewhat unusual laugh. B then left to clean the kitchen with an almost chaste smile upon his face.
L shivered once, the teacup at his lips frozen in his hand's grasp. I should have known it was a bad idea to make him wait…
A few hours later, after L had left for work, B found himself in the front yard of the house with a watering hose in hand. He sprayed the bushes and flowers generously, releasing a light sigh. Let's see…he thought happily. I've washed the dishes, started the laundry and watered the plants. I still need to clean the kid's rooms and think about what I'm going to prepare for dinner later.
B looked around the neighborhood while managing his mental to-do list. Their neighborhood was a humble suburban cul-de-sac. He looked to the left at the house next door which was painted lemon yellow. The Yagami's, he thought. They were a nice couple. Light Yagami worked on the police force with his father Soichiro, and the two of them also worked with L on cases from time to time.
Yagami's a fine guy I guess. But Misa…his wife… B shook his head. She's something of a fireball. I really don't know how those two got together.
Looking again to the Yagami's house, B noticed someone creeping onto their porch. Oh…he thought with the slightest twinge of an on-coming headache. Looking to a small wristwatch on his left wrist B verified the time. 1:00pm sharp…same as usual.
The creeper in question was Mr. Mikami. He lived a few houses down on the other end of the block. Mr. Mikami was a loner and usually kept to himself. But his one public quirk was his daily stalking of Light Yagami. At 1:00pm everyday he would tiptoe up to the stoop and hope to catch a glimpse of Light at the front window. Whether it was some kind of sick admiration or a crush or whatever, Mikami kept to his routine, rain or shine.
B sighed. Really…you think the Yagami's would notice. Or someone other than me would notice.
"I thought I told you to stay away from here!"
Beyond heard a familiar voice call out. He turned and saw Misa Yagami run out of the back of her house with a hose. She promptly sprayed Mikami in the head with a few sprits of water, knocking him over.
He looked shocked as he fell, scrambling to get to his feet and make a fast escape.
Misa ran after the offender as far as the hose would go. "Yeah, and stay away from my Light, you pervert!"
Crimson eyes blinked as Beyond let out a sigh. Really…I should remind L that moving to a new neighborhood wouldn't be such a bad idea. The young man quickly remembered himself and the list of chores he still had to complete. Oh! Here I am getting wrapped up in other things when I need to go back inside. I still haven't figured out what to make for dinner yet. With those thoughts in mind, B turned off the water to his own hose, rolled it up and went into the house.