X-ray leaned against the stairs, utterly bored out of her mind as Roger gave the children of Wammy's a stern lecture on how he expected them to behave over the weekend while he was gone. An emergency had come up, and Roger was being forced to leave Wammy's house for the weekend due to an impromptu meeting with Watari. Someone to her right gave her shoulder a semi-rough shove and she reached out a hand to her left, catching hold of the banister and steadying herself before turning to glare at the perpetrator. Her glare turned into a lopsided grin as Mello continued to munch on his chocolate bar, a seemingly innocent expression on his face as he pretended to pay close attention to Roger's little speech. X-ray nudged him back and looked the opposite way when she saw Mello's electric blue eyes flick over to her. A sharp poke in the small of X-ray's back made her crane her head over her shoulder to where Matt sat behind her on the stairs, thumbs darting between the buttons of his video game with practiced expertise. He looked up at her and winked, eyes flicking over to the back of Mello's shirt and back to X-ray, eyebrows raised mischievously. X-ray stuck her tongue out at the brunette boy before turning back to the seemingly endless lecture.
"Now, I'm leaving Backup in charge, and I expect to find everything under control when I return. Understood?"
There was a chorus of yeses and uh-huh's, as well as a few stifled giggles as Beyond Birthday made a face at Roger's back when the older man used his given alias. Roger turned and put his hat on before stepping out onto the porch, shutting the door behind him. A tense silence hung in the air, broken only by the sound of Roger's car driving away down the street. For several seconds no one dared to breathe, no one except Mello, who stood munching on his chocolate nonchalantly.
"Is he gone?" Matt asked from the stairs. In the next room, Near raised his snowy white head to look out the window.
"He's gone." The seventeen year-old announced.
"It's about time." Matt muttered as he launched himself off of the stairs, shoving his precious video game into his back pocket as he stepped outside and unlocked his car using the remote starter. The children of Wammy's crowded around Matt excitedly as he popped open the trunk of his car, revealing the goodies stashed within.
"Everybody grab something!" He announced, heaving a carton of pop onto each shoulder and hoofing it back inside.
"X-ray." Beyond Birthday called her name as he held the door open for the ones who were carrying in boxes of pop, bags of chips, and cartons of candy. X-ray looked at the young man, meeting his eyes for a second before smiling at the unspoken message. She pulled out her phone and dialed the nearest pizza joint.
"On it." She announced, catching Beyond's wallet one handed as she brushed past Mello's arm. After ordering the pizza, X-ray hooked up the radio to a set of speakers borrowed from Matt and Mello's room for their impromptu party. Soon, music was blasting through the halls of Wammy's and the party was underway. X-ray smiled at the younger kids who had not experienced one of their 'illegal hoo-haws' as Matt called them. Speaking of which, X-ray laughed as she saw the brunette whooping it up in the next room, jumping up and down on the couch with some of the younger kids as he shouted: "it's not a party unless it's a Wammy's party!" Near met X-ray's eyes and they shared an amused grin before a small tug on the girls hand brought her attention to some of the kids who wanted to know how to play Just Dance. X-ray smiled gleefully as she pulled the Wii remotes off of the charger, she and Matt had been declared the champions of the game at Wammy's ever since the children had received the game as a Christmas present. Just as she had gotten the game underway for the kids, the doorbell rang.
"Pizza's here." Near called out to her as he held out Beyond's wallet to her. The pizza delivery boy smiled at X-ray as she accepted the pizza's handing them to a boy named Benjamin, who stood to her left.
"Take these to Beyond, ok?" She instructed. Benjamin nodded and carried the large stack of pizzas into the kitchen. X-ray fought the urge to roll her mismatched eyes at the pizza boy's attempts to flirt with her as she counted out a tip.
"So, you live here?" The young man asked, taking his time as he looked her over, mid=thigh length sweater, striped leggings and all. X-ray scratched her ankle with her other foot as one of her thin tendrils of hair tickled the skin.
"Yes, most of my life. Here you go."
The pizza-boy took the money and smiled at her flirtatiously.
"Any chance I could get your number?" He asked. X-ray twirled a lock of hair around her finger as she pretended to consider the offer, a trick she had picked up from Near. X-ray smiled.
"Not in a million years." And with that, she shut the door in the broken-hearted pizza-boy's face. Beyond Birthday walked up to her, a slice of pizza in one hand and a can of pop in the other.
"He was flirting with you. Did you give him your number?" The dark-haired young man raised his eyebrows at her over the edge of the pop can. X-ray had just been about to answer when a loud clomp caught her attention. Turning to the stairs, she was just quick enough to catch sight of a maroon-colored boot disappear around the corner at the top of the stairs, followed by some loud stomping and the teeth-rattling slam of a door. Matt walked up right at that moment, his mouth so full of pizza that it was impossible to understand what he was trying to say.
"Swallow." Beyond Birthday reminded him. Matt grimaced as he forced the mouthful of pizza down his throat, and taking a swig of pop.
"I said, that sounded suspiciously like the slam of a door belonging to a room that I share with a certain chocolate-loving, X-ray-obsessed blonde whom we all know, eh?" Matt raised an eyebrow. Beyond Birthday stepped forward as X-ray opened her mouth to explain.
"Mello Yellow saw and heard the pizza delivery dude flirting with his kiska." He threw up his hands in mock defense as X-ray glared at him. "Hey, I'm just calling it as I see it. And we ALL know he calls you kiska, whatever that means."
X-ray narrowed her eyes.
"I don't even know what kiska means." Matt interrupted from where he had relocated himself at the kitchen table, where he sprinkled marshmallows and chocolate chips on one piece of pizza, and placed several squares of chocolate on another. He shoved the plate with the two custom-made pieces of pizza into X-ray's hand and steered her toward the stairs.
"Our Mello Yellow could use some cheering up, me-thinks." He whispered.
X-ray sighed as she quietly picked her way up the stairs. As she neared the room shared by Matt and Mello, she noticed that nothing but silence emanated from the room. Silence, and a foreboding chilliness that warned of the simmering temper within. Placing one hand on the doorknob and turning it, she quickly found the door locked.
"Mello?" X-ray called through the door. "Mello let me in."
"No." Came the low response.
"Mello, please let me in." X-ray implored. There was a loud slam against the other side of the door, it sounded as if Mello had come flying across the room to pound his fists against the slim panel of wood separating them.
"Go. Away." He growled. X-ray sighed, making sure Mello heard her before placing the pizza next to the door quietly. She walked down the hallway, careful to make her footsteps sound like she was retreating before tiptoeing back to the door silently. Pressing her back against the wall opposite the door, X-ray slid down to the floor, slamming her heel up under the door knob, a trick she had learned from Matt that was useful for when Mello locked himself in the room he shared with Matt. If you hit the doorknob with just the right amount of force from underneath, then the door would lift up on its hinges, knocking the bolt of the lock loose, thus unlocking the door. Before Mello could lock it again, X-ray seized the plate of pizza and opened the door, shooting Mello a look of triumph as she leaned against the door after shutting it behind her. Mello scowled at her over the top of his book, looking exactly the same as when X-ray had first surprised him with that trick after locking himself in his room because of a similar situation. X-ray held up the plate of pizza.
"I brought food." She announced, setting the plate down on Mello's nightstand before plopping down on the bed next to him. Mello promptly scooted away from her and X-ray couldn't help but feel a little more than hurt at the gesture.
"Mello-."
"Save it."
X-ray's face darkened a bit, she lurched to her feet, seizing the book out of Mello's hands and throwing it across the room.
"What the HELL?!" Mello roared, slamming his feet to the floor as he stood up.
"Sorry." X-ray folded her arms. "It was necessary."
Mello scowled down at her, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. X-ray softened the look on her face, tilting her head in a way that she knew made it nearly impossible for Mello to ignore her, lie to her, or deny anything.
"Mello? What's wrong?" She asked softly. Mello grimaced, glaring at the floor until X-ray was afraid of the floorboards catching fire.
"Why don't you go ask your flirt-boy?" He growled.
X-ray eyes went wide in disbelief before she burst out laughing. Mello scowled again.
"What's so funny?" He demanded crossly, but X-ray couldn't help it.
"Mello! You only heard his part of the conversation!" She clutched her sides helplessly.
"I wasn't flirting with him, he was flirting with me. I shut the door in his face because I knew you would be upset! You can even ask Beyond and Matt if you want, they saw the whole thing."
Mello's eyes grew wide, his mouth hanging open.
"You, you did?" He asked.
"Of course! I knew you would be mad, so I ended the conversation." X-ray walked pas Mello to the pizza, bumping him affectionately with her shoulder.
"Can we eat now? I'm starving."
Mello turned to look at her sitting on his bed as she munched on a piece of marshmallow and chocolate chip pizza.
"I have a better idea." Mello said, pulling X-ray up onto her feet slowly. "Let's go downstairs."
X-ray smiled.
The party lasted long into the night and into the early hours of the next morning. The partyers had fallen asleep all throughout the house, only to jump to their feet when they heard Mello's reaction to the answering machines message.
"Children, this is Roger. The meeting was finished ahead of time and I'm on my way back, see you in an hour."
"HOLY SHIT!" Mello screeched, sitting straight up and startling X-ray onto the floor from where she had been sleeping on the couch. Matt jumped up as well.
"Roger will be here in an hour!" Mello hollered, running into the kitchen. "Wake up, munchkins!" The rest of the kids jumped up, surveying the mess around them with wide eyes.
"Everybody move!" Matt yelled, gathering trash into his arms.
The next forty-five minutes were the most chaotic of anyone's life at Wammy's. Teenagers and kids rushed everywhere, except for Near, who patiently scrubbed crayon off of the wall using a soapy sponge. Every once in a while X-ray would see Matt's wide grin as he catapulted over the furniture, a trash bag in each hand, and X-ray knew the brunette was having the time of his life. Soon the place was back to normal and everyone scattered as Roger pulled through the gates of the orphanage. Mello slammed the door shut as he, X-ray and Matt skidded into the boy's room. Mello glanced and X-ray and smiled, the night hadn't been so boring after all.