Lawli: I had such a writer's block for this chapter, but thankfully this last week I was able to get it togetther and write something! I apologize in advance if there's any typos, I didn't really get the chance to edit it yet. If you see any errors, please point them out to me!
Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed on the first chapter! I really appreciate the feedback!
Please R&R!
The Decorative Kind
"You must be Beyond Birthday."
Beyond stared at the doll-like boy on the couch, his expression halfway between suspicious and curious. L's voice was a soft whisper of a sound, gentle and comforting yet commanding respect, much like Watari's voice – only Beyond found that he enjoyed L's voice even more than Watari's.
Standing up from the floor, Beyond nodded his head slowly. "Who are you?" Over the years he'd learned that revealing he knew others' names before being formally introduced to them tended to scare people. L Lawliet, with his porcelain white skin and soothing voice, was not someone he wanted to scare.
L smiled at him, a closed-lipped smile that somehow seemed mocking. "I believe you know that already."
Beyond's eyes widened a fraction. "W-what?"
"I've read your file, Beyond Birthday," L explained, gesturing towards Watari's desk where the manila envelope branded with Beyond's name lay innocently. "Is it true?"
Beyond raised an eyebrow, not knowing what L was talking about since he had yet to see the contents of the folder himself. "Is what true?"
"That you can see things other people can't? That you're special... have special talents," L answered, fixing his eyes on Beyond's. "That you know who I am without ever having met me before?"
Beyond was more curious than ever about what that folder contained. What else did it say about him? What else did L know, or think he knew?
His silence bothered L, judging by the way he slumped back against the sofa and dropped his hands from their perch on his kneecaps. "You don't have to tell me," he said despondently. "I understand if you don't want to –"
"L Lawliet," Beyond blurted, startling even himself.
L's eyes widened to an almost impossibly large state. He leaned forward in interest, catching his index finger between his teeth and beginning to gnaw on it. Beyond looked away from him, cheeks burning; he shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have said anything. L probably thought he was a freak or a cheater, he probably hated him now, thought he was a weirdo, an oddball, not normal.
"Amazing..."
The single whisper jolted Beyond from his self-deprecating thoughts. He blinked several times before hesitantly raising his gaze to meet L's doll-face. The tiny smile was back on the other boy's lips, his dull blue-black eyes sparkling with fascination.
"What else can you see?"
Beyond shook his head quickly, not wanting to reveal anything more. The aspect of his eyes that truly made people afraid of him... he didn't want to show that to L. He didn't want to say that the pretty boy on the couch had roughly eleven years left to live.
"Nothing," he said flatly. "That's it." He'd said too much already. His eyes were not something amazing. They were special, but not in a good way. They showed him death and nothing good could ever come from that.
The smile disappeared from L's face, replaced by a pensive frown. "Oh. I'm disappointed," he said, fixing his eyes elsewhere as if Beyond was no longer worth looking at.
The door to the office opened, Quillsh Wammy – Watari, Beyond reminded himself – stepping inside. When he caught sight of the two dark-haired boys, he grinned. "Hello, Beyond. I see you've already met Light."
Brows quirking at the name, Beyond glanced back to L who straightened himself on the couch and spoke to correct Watari before Beyond had a chance to.
"Actually," L informed him, "Beyond already knows me as L. There is no need for an alias in his presence."
Watari looked between the two boys before settling his gaze on L. "We've talked about this. Keeping your identity a secret is of the topmost priority. To reveal your name –"
"Is to put your life at risk," L finished the statement, sounding bored as he did so, like he had already heard this too many times in the past. "I know. But Watari should not worry. I did not reveal anything. Beyond already knew.
"Really?" Watari asked, sounding fascinated, making Beyond feel as though he was an insect under a microscope, being studied by strangers. "So it's true then."
Watari's squinty eyes focused on Beyond, who kept his head tilted downwards. Beyond wasn't used to people talking about his abilities, especially not right in front of him.
"It seems so," L replied quietly.
"And... the other thing?"
L shook his head negatively. "I do not know. He would not say."
Watari nodded and moved over to his desk, picking up the envelope with Beyond's name on it. Beyond stared at the envelope inquisitively before meeting Watari's gaze. As if reading the question in his mind, Watari smiled and extracted several pages from within the folder, holding them out for Beyond to see. Tentatively, Beyond took hold of the papers and began to read them over to the best of his ability.
Beyond Birthday
Date of Birth: 13 Jun 1983
Place of Birth: Saint Joseph's General Hospital, Winchester England
Mother: Meredith Birthday (32)
Father: Blaine Birthday (deceased)
The chart went on to detail menial facts such as his hair color (black), eye color (grey), current height (4'6'') and so on. As these were things about himself that Beyond already knew, he did not find them interesting in the slightest. He locked eyes with L, who was once again smiling in that closed-lipped fashion of his.
"Try the next page," L suggested.
Nodding, Beyond followed the advice and turned to the next page, scanning over it quickly. He soon came across the words that he hated to hear himself described as – unique, special, etc. The page listed aspects of his personality as perceived by those who knew him best, such as his mother, several of his school teachers, and even the nun who taught the Sunday School class he used to attend.
Remarkably smart.
Highly intelligent.
Frighteningly perceptive.
A loner.
Possibly has Sight.
"Sight?" Beyond quoted, making a face. "What does that mean?"
L continued to smile at him. "You can see things other people can't," he explained. "Names. Maybe other things, too. It's an amazing talent that not many people have."
"It's not amazing," Beyond disagreed. "Seeing... kn-knowing..." When you're going to die, when everyone is going to die. His focus shifted to the floor and he stared at his sock-covered feet. "It's scary."
"You might think so now, but if you learned to conquer that fear... your Sight could bring you to great opportunities. You could do incredible things, Beyond Birthday. With that vision of yours..." L's voice trailed off. He reached over to the table next to the couch, his hand disappearing into a small jar and then appearing once again with a tiny wrapped candy held delicately between his thumb and index finger.
Beyond watched as L meticulously unwrapped the candy and then slid it into his mouth.
"I don't..."
He didn't know what to say. He'd never thought of his eyes in such a way before, and he wasn't sure if he should believe in what L said about them. All his life he'd only viewed them as a curse, not as a gift; he couldn't suddenly change that mentality.
L didn't give him time to ask the questions he wanted to. He bit down on the hard candy in his mouth and Beyond was able to hear the crunch from where he stood.
"How did your father die?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
That same night, Beyond sat at his bedroom desk, staring at the polished wood blankly, replaying the events of the morning over and over in his head. He was still unsure of whether or not the conversation in Watari's office had even taken place, it seemed so unreal to him.
"You're special, Beyond," L had said to him, getting up from the couch to stand in front of him, thus revealing himself to be almost a full foot taller than Beyond. He'd taken Beyond's hand in both of his own and squeezed tightly. "I want you to be my partner."
Partner...
The word rolled around in Beyond's head and he contemplated the many meanings of it.
Partner could be friend. Or equal. Or co-worker.
A blush spread across Beyond's face. He was too young for such things, to even be thinking about them, but if he and L were only four years apart in age that made L just old enough...
Partner could mean lover.
Beyond tapped a finger nervously against his bottom lip.
"I want you to be my partner."
Beyond hadn't know what to say to him. L refused to elaborate on how they would be partners – that was classified information which would only be disclosed to Beyond should he agree to the terms. Beyond didn't really understand; it all went way over his head. He didn't know the terms, and he wouldn't be told them unless he first agreed to go along with them. He couldn't think about it for very long, it made his head spin and his hands feel sweaty.
"Partners..."
In the end, he'd said fine, but he hadn't learned any new information regarding L's partnership.
"Tomorrow," Watari promised him. "Return to my office after breakfast. L and I will give you all the information you need."
"Why not now?"
"Because right now, we are going shopping," Watari informed him with a smile.
An expensive china doll rested on the shelf above his desk, the present Watari bought him that afternoon. It was skillfully crafted from smooth porcelain, with shoulder-length black hair that was silky to the touch and large blue eyes. The doll wore a magnificent white dress that was reminiscent of a princess' royal gown, speckled with iridescent sequins that changed colors in the setting sun.
It was beautiful, as beautiful as L had looked when Beyond first saw him in Watari's office that morning. That was part of the reason Beyond had been so adamant about getting this doll in particular. There had been a large selection of dolls in the antique store, some of them far more extravagant than this one and others made of straw like the ones his mother used to make for his bedroom. But none of them reminded him of that moment in Watari's office; none of them reminded him of L.
Sighing wistfully, Beyond picked up the doll and ran his hands over it reverently.
"Partner..."
He brushed his fingers through the doll's hair before replacing it on the shelf. Moving away from the desk, he slowly made his way to the bed, where he retrieved his pajamas from underneath his pillow. After stripping out of the clothing he'd been wearing all day, he changed into his red flannel nightshirt and matching bottoms.
It wasn't even dark yet, but Beyond felt tired. So much had happened in the course of the day. He'd gone from holing up in his bedroom, resenting Wammy's House and everyone associated with it, to agreeing to become L's partner in something he didn't know any details about.
Once he'd placed his dirty clothes into the hamper, he walked over to the window and pulled the curtains shut, blocking out the dying rays of sunlight before crawling into bed and pulling the covers up to his chin.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Good morning, Beyond Birthday."
The man on the bed didn't say anything in return, and Evelyn Linus didn't expect him to. Beyond Birthday was one of several patients under her care and she'd long ago realized that he was too far gone for normal conversation. This didn't bother her in the slightest as he wasn't the first of her patients who occasionally shut himself away. She didn't mind the silence; it was far more comfortable than the awkward discussions Beyond started on the odd days he felt like saying something.
Evelyn busied herself with gathering the tray of food at the end of the bed, untouched save for the cup of strawberry yogurt which she practically had to force down his throat the previous evening. Exhaling quietly, she replaced the old tray with a new one which held a breakfast she knew would not be eaten. As she was unwrapping the plastic spoon for his grits, she felt eyes on her. Turning her head minutely, she caught Beyond staring.
She smiled. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, pushing the tray closer to him.
Beyond looked down at the tray and then back up at her.
"You should eat your breakfast now, while it's still –"
"Why didn't you say hello?" he interrupted.
Evelyn blinked. She hadn't expected him to say anything. "I did say hello, Beyond. I said good morning."
Beyond nodded slowly. "To Beyond Birthday."
"Yes."
Beyond's eyes hardened. "You did not say hello to L."
Evelyn held back a sigh. She wasn't used to being around when Beyond's hallucination was present, but luckily she did know how to deal with the situation. Forcing an even wider smile onto her face, she apologized.
"I didn't know L came to visit you," she said.
Beyond fondly patted the space on the bed next to him. "He's right here," he told her, his hand moving up as if to wrap around someone's shoulder.
She focused on the bed, which was empty aside from her patient. "Good morning, L," she greeted. "I'm sorry I didn't see you."
Beyond looked much happier now. "It's okay. We look so much alike, sometimes people think we're the same person."
"I see. Well, it won't happen again, I promise." Evelyn crossed over to the cart she'd wheeled in and plucked a small cup of medicine from it. "Would either of you like something to drink?" she offered.
Beyond nodded eagerly. "Yes. I want water and L would like hot chocolate."
Taking note of the orders, she poured a glass of water for Beyond and a cup of hot water for L. Removing a packet of coco powder from the cart, she poured it into the cup and stirred.
"Here," she said, handing Beyond both of the drinks. Beyond was grinning from ear to ear as he set the hot chocolate beside him on the bed for L. "I also need you to take these, Beyond."
Hesitantly, she handed him the cup filled with pills, not sure of how the man would react. On good days Beyond would take the medicine without question, but on bad days he was prone to screaming and thrashing on the bed and threatening her. On several occasions he'd tried to attack her, only to end up victim to the tranquilizer she kept in her side pocket in case of emergencies.
Beyond's eyes narrowed suspiciously on the pills, his fingers tightening around his glass of water. After several moments of silence during which Evelyn held her breath, he gingerly reached out and took hold of the cup, removing the pills one by one and arranging them in order from biggest to smallest in the small gap between his legs. Relief washed over Evelyn as he popped them into his mouth one at a time, swallowing them with the aid of his drink.
"Thank you," he said quietly, turning his head to the side to glance at the untouched plastic mug containing L's hot chocolate. He frowned. "L isn't drinking anything. I don't think he's feeling well."
"I'll leave it here," Evelyn said. "He can drink it when he feels like it."
"Are you leaving?"
"I'll be back in a few hours to take your tray," she replied, motioning to the breakfast at the end of the bed. "Try to eat something." She smiled at him again and returned to her cart, pushing it to the door.
As she was about to exit, Beyond suddenly asked, "do you think you can ask the doctor to come look at him?"
Turning around, she faced him again. Beyond was not looking at her. Rather, his blank grey eyes were trained on the hot chocolate.
"I don't want him to get sick," Beyond explained.
"Of course," Evelyn said. "I'll... I'll tell the doctor right away."
"Thank you. Good bye."
After locking Beyond in his room, Evelyn made to walk toward the kitchen to return the tray when she caught sight of a young man lingering around the corner.
"Mr. Rue," she said, recognizing him in an instant as one of Beyond Birthday's only visitors.
Rue stepped into view, shuffling toward her. He nodded towards Beyond's door. "How is he?" he asked softly.
Evelyn answered him honestly. "It's a good day." She paused before inquiring, "would you like to see him?"
Rue's eyes widened and he looked back and forth between the door and Evelyn. "No," he finally decided. He took a step back. "No, I can't."
Lawli: And thus ends chapter two! Please let me know what you think of the story so far! And again, if you saw any errors me please let me know! Feedback and constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!