One Year Ago

"I only eat cake," L flatly informed the two sitting at the table with him.

"He's not joking," Beyond said to Naomi when she laughed.

"I know he's not," she smiled at the both of them. "You two really haven't changed since we where kids, have you?"

"I was never a kid," L objected, knowing full well that she would consider this one a joke. "Neither was Beyond. That's why he's still a terror."

"Remind me again why I agreed to being in the same room as him?" Beyond turned to Naomi.

"Because, believe it or not you're a good friend," was her response. "And it's pathetic that you two live in the same house and can't sit through one meal together."

"That's only because he throws his food at me," L put in.

"That was once and I was seven," Beyond shot back.

"I'm still waiting for an apology," L huffed.

"You're never going to get one," Beyond let him know. "I only apologize for things that I regret."

"Which is nothing," L stated.

"Exactly," Beyond glanced back at his menu. "I don't think I'm getting anything."

"He's not anorexic," L told this to Naomi in a purposefully loud voice.

"You should get something," Naomi pushed.

"I'll get an extra slice of cake," Beyond shrugged. "One isn't enough for him."

L nodded.

Naomi Misora was the only friends that both L and Beyond were able to share, or hold on to on their own for that matter. Part of this was due to the fact that they met her when the three of them were in preschool. The other part was because her and her parents had spent the past ten years in America. Naomi once explained to Beyond and L that her parents met in the states (although her mother was from Japan) and that she had spent the first four years of her life there as well. Her father's company transferred them to England for a few years and then back to America once again.

"And they still can't make up their mind," L mused.

"He's probably going to stay here for a while," Naomi explained her return to England. "But I might go back to LA for college."

"Don't speak of college in front of him," Beyond groaned. "He thinks he can get a scholarship to To-Oh."

"I can," L said dryly. "But I'm not applying for it if we can afford sending me away easily. Students who need the money should get the scholarships."

"You're going all the way to Japan?" This surprised Naomi.

"Yes," L let himself smile only slightly.

"If he gets in," Beyond added.

"Why wouldn't I?" L nagged his brother. "I'm smart enough."

"You haven't studied once for the entrance exam," Beyond reminded him.

"You get other students caught cheating on exams," L knew that this wasn't the most solid counter argument, but he was ready for the conversation to be away from his future.

"Students who are cheating or does he make it look like innocent ones are?" Naomi wondered.

"Both," L drawled. "But he has more fun with the latter."

"Who wouldn't," Beyond shrugged.

"Anyone with a sense of justice," L answered the rhetorical question. "If I were you I would enjoy getting those who deserve reprimanding in trouble as opposed to setting up people who did nothing wrong. I don't see how to take satisfaction in that."

"Of course you wouldn't," Beyond rolled his eyes.

"This is why I'm the good one," L explained as if Naomi wasn't already well aware.

"Good or just not as bad?" she quipped.

"Sickeningly good," Beyond said through clenched teeth.

"Hey," L was mildly offended.

"Oh don't act sore," Beyond scolded. "To you that should be a compliment."

"I don't think 'sickening' can ever be a compliment," L huffed. "Unless you're referring to my sugar intake."

"Right," Beyond nodded.

"But let's not forget the sugar faze Beyond went through back in middle school," L brought up with a wicked smile.

"I don't think I heard about this one," Naomi spoke up.

"There's nothing to hear about," Beyond tried to put the subject to bed.

"He only did it to copy me," L told her. "For a mimic, he was pretty dedicated. How many cavities did you get in the process, brother?"

"Shut up," he muttered.

"Three," L said.

"If you new why did you ask me?" Beyond rounded on him.

"Because I was teasing you," L said in an innocently honest voice.

"I'm done being the topic of conversation," Beyond decided. "Let's talk about L."

"No thank you," L monotoned. "There isn't anything to talk about."

"Not true," Beyond argued. "Naomi, maybe you could convince L to come out of the closet."

"You told me you were gay back in eight-grade," surprise coated Naomi's voice.

"I am out," L muttered.

"He doesn't act like it," Beyond said.

"But my boyfriend isn't out," L added. "It annoys Beyond because it is completely his business."

"He's defensive," Beyond commented.

"I am," L didn't feel the need to take offense.

"You have a boyfriend?" Naomi interrupted their bickering. "You didn't tell me this."

"He doesn't tell anyone," Beyond didn't stop himself from adding.

"I don't," L smiled a little at this. "Yes, I have a boyfriend, but he's not ready for other people to know about it."

"He hasn't been ready for the past seven months," Beyond muttered.

"I have more patients than Beyond thinks I should," L translated. "I'm done talking about myself, Beyond is done with me talking about him, so it seems we now have to bring the conversation to your personal life, Naomi."

"Is that your way of asking how I'm doing?" she raised an eyebrow.

"You may take it as that," L didn't quite answer.

"My family is doing good, but I think we already talked about that." Her smile shifted from one of amusement to one of a quiet joy. "I might be seeing someone."

"Might be?"

"I'm not really sure where I stand yet," she explained. "He lives here, we met the last time I was visiting."

"Beyond, I think you've finally come across someone who can take a relationship even slower than I am," L chuckled.

"Maybe," Beyond smiled as well.

Despite the bickering, this was the closest the two of them had gotten to getting along in a while. L didn't expect it to last any longer than that lunch.

"I don't see why he's aloud to leave his toys all over the house," Mello was pacing L's room.

"This is bothering you more than it should," L commented dryly from where he was sitting on his bed. "Considering you don't keep your room straight yourself."

"That's different," Mello argued. "I don't mind it being messy. Near is a control freak and the only reason he left everything like that is because he knows it bothers me."

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Truthfully, L was getting tired of facilitating the exchanges between Near and Mello. "Or are you just going to complain?"

"Complain," Mello responded. "Maybe break the next thing I step on."

"As long as Beyond doesn't get the broken pieces, you can do whatever you like," L shrugged.

"Why would he want a broken plastic robot?" Mello stopped pacing for this.

"He'll make it into a weapon," L explained. "He's done it before."

"But he has real weapons," Mello said, not understanding in the slightest.

"He gets a sense of satisfaction if he's also the creator," L drawled. "And you're supposed to tell me when he hides weapons in his room."

"I don't know where they are," Mello defended himself. "I just know he has them and they are a lot more affective than something made out of Near's broken toy."

"As long as he doesn't bring them to school again, we're fine," L spoke more to himself than to Mello.

"He's not going to," Mello informed him. "B has more self control than you give him credit for."

"It's not the self control," L explained. "It's the boredom."

"Oh."

"Beyond gets destructive when he's bored, because (a) it's assuming to him to watch other people panic, and (b) I get productive and he wants to be opposites."

"At least he doesn't litter the house with robots," Mello muttered.

"Or make holes in the wall from throwing darts?" L asked with a smirk.

"Near wasn't supposed to tell you about that," Mello said darkly.

"For once, he didn't," L confessed. "I found them under than painting you hung up. Be less obvious next time."

"Will do," Mello remarked dryly. "Did you—"

"Don't worry, I didn't tell Wammy," L assured him. "I may use this as blackmail material in the future."

"You won't," Mello brushed off.

"I won't," L agreed. "But only because I have more powerful ammo."

"I only snuck out once," Mello complained. "And even then I spent two minutes at the party before bailing."

"Hating parties runs in the family," L told him.

"I'm adopted," Mello pointed out.

"So am I," L countered. "They cancel each other out."

"Stop trying to trick me, I'm not nine anymore," Mello crossed his arms.

"Worth a shot," L shrugged.

"Whatever," Mello muttered.

"Hey, Mello?" L was fully aware that his voice came out a few notes higher than he intended it to in slight nervousness.

"Yeah?" Mello stopped walking around the room.

"Do you think I'm taking my relationship too slowly?" He let the question fall from his lips.

"You're asking my advise?" Mello found this humorous.

"I'm asking your opinion," L corrected.

"I think you should do whatever makes you and him comfortable," Mello shrugged. "Does it bother you that he doesn't want to tell anyone?"

"Not really," L shrugged. "He says he cares about me, but he needs time."

"Do you have time?" Mello asked.

"Yes," L smiled.

"Then there's your answer," Mello told him. "Honestly, I think the whole 'taking it slow thing' is putting the rest of us at ease."

"How?"

"We don't have to worry about you having sex," Mello answered bluntly. "That is a mental image both Near and myself would like to live without for as long as possible."

"Right," L looked away to conceal his slight blush. He wasn't going to correct Mello on that one.

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