A/N: So, I would call this half-filler and half-progression. Heh. And oh shit, this is on time and a day early! Go me!

I would like to thank my lovely reviewers, and China's Panda, I don't remember you from your previous name :/. Have you reviewed for any of my previous stuff before this one? Heh. Sorry.

Well, enjoy this one! And thanks to those favorited/alerted. Heh.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Gameboy.

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Beyond allowed the children another half-hour of time at the park – in which they ran around the swing set, chased each other down the slide, and generally enjoyed themselves – before he decided that it was time to leave. The all had grown tired either way, and quite hungry, so Beyond placed them in their car seats, and they were off.

"What's for dinner?" Matt asked, curious about his food tonight. The toddler wondered if his dinner would be burned like the cake that L had made a few days ago. He wasn't looking forward to any more charred sustenance.

"I believe L is preparing some grilled chicken with a salad and vinaigrette sauce," the adult answered, eyes focused intensely on the road.

"I hate that shit!" Yes, little Mello had let his mouth run free, and as soon as the expletive was blurted, his hands moved to immediately cover his mouth. His blue eyes widened, and Near stared blankly at him. The albino child was used to Mello's 'potty-mouth,' as Roger liked to call it, but Matt was almost horrified. His parents had been devout Christians before they died, and had never once uttered an obscenity; at least, not around Matt. Looking up at Mello from the corners of his eyes, he asked tentatively, "Mello, isn't that a bad word?"

"It is," Beyond answered for him, and squeezed his hands tightly around the steering wheel. "Mello, you are never to utter that word, or any other swearword for that matter, ever again. Am I understood?"

Mello was humiliated, and a small blush made itself prominent on his face. "Yes, sir."

The rest of the car ride home was silent.

/_/_/_/_/

"L, what's with this voice?" Beyond boomed once he and the children were inside the house. Said children jumped slightly at the shrill sound of the man's tone, and immediately ran up the stairs to Mello's room.

"What voice?" The detective was curious yet he almost knew what his doppelganger was speaking of.

"The voice, the one that spoke to me today. It told me you weren't too happy with our relationship. My voices are never wrong, so do you mind explaining, Lawliet?"

Oh, that voice. L paled, his heart beating rapidly. Viciously he chewed on his left thumb while a million and one excuses and explanations swam through his brain. "Love," he stated softly, because to his knowledge, that was the way to do it; speak softly so as to get the other to calm down, and set the bait with a pet name. "I just, well, this is different for me." There; it looked like things were getting just a little better, even though their argument was just starting. "This is my first relationship, and I'm built up with so emotion that sometimes it feels too much for me, like it's a bit overwhelming."

"So, this relationship is wearing you down?" There was much anger in Beyond's voice, and if L didn't know any better, he'd say that the emotions under his mask of fury were anything but dejected. But he did know the man, very well, and he recognized the hint of hurt in his voice, even if he was trying very hard to hide it.

"Lawliet, fucking look at me!"

L couldn't even spare him a small glance.

Beyond took a step back and L moved a bit forward.

"Beyond, I love you, you know I do." The detective took another step forward.

"But?" Beyond knew the answer, but L shook his head no, as if to say 'forget it,' and Beyond shouted at him. "If you don't want to be with me then just fucking say it!" When he received no answer, he stormed upstairs to his room, slamming the door behind him.

L felt terrible, and had never meant for their argument to turn out the way it did. Of course he wanted to be with the other man; he just wasn't entirely too sure on how to convey that message to him. The way his emotions had made him feel earlier was only temporary, and after having had his nap, he felt better than ever and more than glad to continue his relationship with his lover. The only problem was that L was socially inept, and therefore was unaware of the proper expression of his particular emotions. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided he would fix things with Beyond later; for now, he would let him cool off.

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"Do you think they hate each other now?" Near asked as he held onto the back of Matt's shirt with one hand, his robot from the park still clutched in the other. He was worried for his two favorite people – the ones who weren't Mello and Matt – and was not very happy when he heard the lover's quarrel downstairs.

"Of course not!" Mello all but yelled. "They can't hate each other, not now, not ever!"

"I don't know, Melly. They seemed pretty angry at each other." Matt was furiously smashing the buttons of his Gameboy, the brand new one that Beyond had bought for him around four days ago. "Maybe they won't be friends after this."

Mello was a bit baffled at the nonchalance of Matt's statement, but he guessed the redhead to be half-right. Maybe the two men wouldn't work things out, and L would return to the busy, yet lonely, life of an underground and widely-known detective.

"No, they will work things out," came Near's quiet voice. "They always do." And the other two children's doubts were washed away as they climbed into bed to nap, a small smile on each of their faces.