AN/ Before this chapter starts, I AM SO SORRY for not updating in so long... I'm in college now and my major is very demanding unfortunately. I want to continue writing this because I'm so attached to this story, but I doubt anyone reads this anymore. Gonna keep writing anyways so I hope someone enjoys this! :)
"I see you've picked up the bad habit of smoking."
L sat at the end of the couch, staring at B, examining him. He looked at the man tiredly, blowing smoke into his face. B's whole life was a series of bad habits. Smoking, cutting, complaining...
"How do you get them?"
"Across the street."
"They let you leave?"
"Well, not anymore, K gets them for me now." B looked around nervously. He was trying to stay cool, but he was so restless. Every time L spoke he felt as if he were going to jump out of his skin. He wanted to tell him something, everything, make up for lost time, but he didn't know what to say.
"K seems like a nice girl."
B nodded. "She's the only one I can tolerate around here, so, yeah."
"Interesting." L played with his thumbs.
B shifted his body uncomfortably on the couch, clearing his throat.
"So, where did you go?" B finally asked.
"Hm?"
"Where have you been, L? You've been gone for years, you never visited once..."
"I wanted to cut all my ties to this place." He said. "It was time for me to be an adult."
"...Yet you came back." B squinted at him.
"I have my reasons."
"And what would they happen to be?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
B growled, letting himself sink further into the couch.
"How have you been?" L asked him, sounding genuine.
B wasn't used to people asking him how he felt. He didn't know how he felt. L watched as the boy hesitated to answer.
"...Alright, I guess." He lied, cigarette hovering at his lips.
"You don't need to lie to me, B." L said. He stared at B gazing out the window; his red eyes were always sad, but seemed more dull than he remembered. "You don't exactly look alright."
"Tch," B sucked hard on his cigarette. "I guess you can say its been a little gray since you left." L watched as B flicked the ashes onto the windowsill. "Actually, that's putting it lightly.. It's been a black pit of endless darkness. You probably already knew that, though."
"You make it sound like your unhappiness is my fault."
"That's because it is."
L chuckled at this, shaking his head at the boy.
"B you haven't changed at all."
B went to take another drag from his cigarette but paused, narrowing his eyes at L.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He said defensively.
"It means you still act like a child."
B cringed. That kind of hurt. He stared at L's emotionless face and once again, wanted to punch him.
"Did you just come up here to tell me how much of a piece of shit I am? Because I already know!" He said angrily. "Just leave, I want to be alone."
"Don't overreact, B."
"I said get out."
L sighed and slowly stood up. "It was nice speaking with you."
…
L poured two cups of scorching hot tea, one for himself and one for K. They were sitting at the coffee table in the corner of his room. K looked around; she was in L's room. It was plain and unused, yet clean and free of dust. Everything looked like it hadn't been touched in years, because it hadn't. L pushed the teacup to her and began putting sugar cubes into his.
"Thanks..." She said as she watched him put an obnoxious amount of sugar in his drink.
L noticed her staring and looked up at her. He held a cube out to her.
"Would you like some?"
"Oh, no thank you." She nervously took a sip of tea, before spitting it right back into her cup.
"Careful," L warned, stirring the sugar in. "It's hot."
K nodded, her face red, and blew on the hot drink. They sat there in silence for a while, drinking tea, and L just staring at K. He was observing her. K drank the last of her tea and placed the cup back onto the table, sighing.
"More?" L asked, holding the tea kettle.
"No, I'm fine."
"Would you like some cake?"
Before she could respond L had called for Watari, asking him to bring over some cake. The old man arrived shortly after with a small white cake adorned with strawberries. He placed it on the table in front of them with two plates, two forks, and a knife. K watched as L cut himself a generous slice, then cut one for K, handing it to her.
"Thank you."
K had finished her slice and was sitting there, watching L watch her.
"More cake?"
"No, L."
"Tea?"
"No thank you!"
K was confused now and a little creeped out, what the hell was he doing? Her hands rested on her lap and she played with the rips in her stockings. L licked frosting off his finger and shrugged, cutting himself another slice.
"So you're probably wondering why I called you to my room."
K nodded. Finally, a normal conversation.
"Your test scores were average, like any other person your age living in this town. You're probably wondering why you're here, because you're not that smart. Everyone else is so much smarter than you, correct?"
Not that smart. Wow way to be blunt. "Yeah, I'm nothing special." K rolled her hands into fists. It was true, they were all smarter than her. She could never keep up with the work. Reading was easy for her because she enjoyed it. But the math and everything else was stressful and she had a hard time understanding, everyone else could pick it up easier than she could.
"K, would you like more tea?"
"What?"
"Tea?"
"...Sure."
L smiled, and poured her more tea. "K you're very easy to persuade, I can see why B likes you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, offended.
"You sound just like him." He murmured, shaking his head.
K didn't respond, and just stared at him, waiting for her question to be answered.
"B is a very demanding person, he likes to be in control. He hates people who don't listen to him, you listen to him, don't you?" He finally said.
"...Of course, no one else will." K said. L was starting to sound like Murphy.
"Well, of course you do, why else would he keep you around... he can break you easily." L mumbled, laughing to himself. He stared at a white speck of frosting on his hand and rubbed it in between two fingers. He paused. "I'm going to tell you this now, be careful."
K narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"
Before L could respond B appeared at the door, looking at him, then at K, then back to L.
"What's going on in here?" He asked suspiciously, red eyes darting around the room. He had come down to apologize to L, but now he wasn't feeling so sorry anymore.
"Oh nothing I was just having a little chat with K here."
B glared at him. He was now realizing how much L got on his nerves. Everything he said and did just seemed so... condescending to B. "Why?" He asked.
"I wanted to see why my friend was so interested in her." L said, smiling at him.
Friend. B glared at him, that familiar, friendly smile suddenly making him feel angry.
"K, I... I need you to help me with something." He said.
"What is it, B?"
"Just come." He said, desperation showing in his eyes. He wanted her out of the room, he wanted her away from him.
Something was obviously wrong. K turned around to look at B briefly, then turned back, facing L. The man stared at her, raising his eyebrows. K did what L expected her to, she stood up, thanked him for the tea, and walked out the door with B. L watched as B looked over his shoulder at him as they walked out, his red eyes staring into his soul.
…
B was holding her by her wrist.
"Where are we going, B?"
He said nothing and continued to drag her along, walking her to his door. They went to his room and saw A was in there, and did a 180 and walked into K's room.
"Let go!" K complained as he shut the door behind them. "What's wrong with you?"
He stood before her, looking like he was going to fight someone.
"L's changed." B said. "He's... I don't trust him."
"What are you talking about?" K laughed. "Weren't you guys like, best friends or something?"
"He's different, K." He said loudly, sternly. K flinched at his loudness, furrowing her brow at him.
"Lower your voice or hes going to hear you!" K snapped at him.
"He's trying to prove something but I don't know what, and I don't like it."
"B stop being so suspicious."
There was a knock at the door and the pair fell silent. When no one answered they knocked again, and K walked past B to crack open the door.
"Yes?" K said, peeking outside. Of course it was L.
"I need B to return to my room for a moment."
...
"What?" B spat, standing at the door.
L sat on a chair near the window, holding a stapled bunch of papers in his hand. He stared at it intently.
"I noticed on your test you showed no work when the directions clearly stated that you show work, why is this?"
"You really called me back over here for this?"
"Just answer my question."
"I wanted to finish the test."
"Ah," L hummed to himself. "So you wanted results. You don't care how the plan is executed you just need the result."
"I guess."
B stood there awkwardly, staring at the floor, waiting for L to tell him he could leave. L noticed how uneasy he was, and stared at him in wonder.
"What's wrong? You don't want to spend time with me anymore? You used to feed off of my attention-"
"That was in the past L, shut up." B snapped at him.
"You've always fed off of others attention, first with me, and I can see that now with that girl, K."
L watched as B looked up at him slowly, anger gleaming in his red eyes.
"She seems to care about you a lot B, always consumed with worry because of you. " He rubbed his thumb on his lips. "I think she cares more about you than she does about A."
"Why are you telling me this...?" B growled.
"Do you love her?" L asked simply.
B's breath caught in his throat. "I love no one." He said coldly, still glaring at L.
"It was just a question, B." L said. "You try to act unemotional, but you're just coming off as angry."
"Shut up." B growled, getting annoyed at the sound of the man's voice. He was right.
"I used to think you and I were a lot alike, but... we're actually not." L put his thumb to his lips and watched as B became more and more agitated. "You see, you're nothing like me; A is more like me than you are. You try to imitate me on a physical level but you have fallen short on the intellectual and emotional side."
B simply glared at him, an irritated expression on his face. The man just talked, it was as if his thoughts were playing aloud.
"You're very smart B, I'll give you that, but you're immature and incompetent. I'll tell you why I'm here, because you seem confused. I need to choose a successor out of you all, you and A being my top choices. I need someone to replace me if I were to, say, die."
"Why are you still talking?" B asked rudely. L was just speaking and none of it was making sense to him.
"You let your emotions get the best of you, thus making you incapable of being my successor. I wanted you to excel over A, probably because I'm selfish and I was so fond of you."
B heard that last part and his eyes lit up. L cared about him.
"But obviously I was wrong, I kind of wish you were more like me... you'd be perfect. You actually disappoint me, to be quite honest. You may leave, Backup."
"Backup." The word played over and over again in B's head, in a never ending, infinite loop.
…