::Open RP - A's Garden::

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

It was a lovely day, really.

Even if the weather had been less than ideal, A would have gone to the garden. The plants needed to be tended, after all, and right now he's kneeling by the catnip bed, pulling out the few weeds that have dared to encroach on his territories.

Now that he has a computer with an internet connection, A is Discovering music, and he's singing, very badly, as he weeds.


"Everyday seems a little longer
Every way love's a little stronger
Come what may
Do you ever long for, true love from me"


He can't carry a tune, but there's an odd hiccuping tone to his voice that's a clear attempt to mimic Buddy Holly.

Comments

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"He's going to die for this. He's going to die alone, and bleeding, and frightened. There will be bullets in him, a shinigami named Ryuk will take his soul, and Near will have driven him to it. Then, Near will become the next L. They'll replace me, like they always told you I needed, so nothing will be lost, alright?"

L rocks him a little, while they sit.

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

"I need. I need to hurt him, to stop him," A whimpers, clinging to L. He's not sure he trusts Near that much. "I met a shinigami," he says, still whispering. "He said you told him he should eat a pear."

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"That was him, he'll kill Light for us."

L leaves out the other details.

"If we change things, hurt or stop him here, then hundreds of thousands of people might die, and he might live. Near might be killed too."

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

"But you, you..." A doesn't care about Near, or hundreds of thousands of people. None of them are L.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"I'll be twenty five, which is about what they expect anyways. I'll be doing something I love, for a reason that matters. I'll come back here after and spend my afterlife with you and your kittens, and being in love with Matt. I don't have things so badly, A."

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

"No," A says fiercely. "No one should hurt you. I can't, I can't let it..." He breaks into staccato sobs, shaking his thin frame, cutting off his words.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

L wraps him up a little further, and keeps on rocking him and making hushing sounds.

He'd best just cry it out. L can hold him while he does.

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

"It's not right," A wails. "I. You. Need you to be safe." His face has reddened now, and his eyes are already getting swollen. "Can't, I, I can't let..."

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I know, I know A, but sometimes life just goes wrong, and sometimes there's nothing to do but hold on."

He'll do breathing exercises with him in a moment.

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

"No," A moans again sniffling. "Won't, I won't, won't let him, I... I won't, I'll stop him, make it, make him not be able to..."

He's talking fast, words stumbling over each other.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"No," says L, non-negotiable.

"Breathe for a moment. Alright? Breathe in--"

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

Whimpering, A locks eyes with him, trying to breathe. There's an odd raspy quality to his inhalation, almost a wheeze.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"And out," quicker than they might usually, but because he's crying enough that he won't be able to manage more.

"And in, one two," he reaches out to wipe A's face with his sleeve.

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

He exhales with a nasal keen, and closes his eyes as L wipes his face. He's still shaking violently.

"No," he whispers, almost inaudibly.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"Alright, A, it's alright. Here." He does climb to his feet, and does pick him up, without waiting to see if he can walk. One arm behind his back, and the other under his knees.

"Put your arms around my neck. Naomi can open doors for us as we go, if that's alright with her."

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

A doesn't resist being carried. He buries his face in the crook of L's neck, his eyes still streaming tears, not thinking about how he's staining L's shirt.

"I, I..." he whispers, "I need... need to keep you safe, I need..."

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"It's not for years and years."

He sets on up the staircase.

"I think I'll get the house elves to bring us some soup and cocoa. That's what you do for people feeling badly."

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

"Years," A echoes woodenly. His thoughts are as rushed as his words were, and screaming, screaming at him; can't let it happen, can't, can't...

"But I can't let it," he whispers.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"A."

L drops it (not him, obviously) and keeps on walking, a little quickly, because although A is a tiny little thing, he is still a person. And because a warm bed to be tucked into with kittens will help.

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

More whimpering, and A squeezes his eyes shut, trying to still his thoughts, to quiet the urges to go, to run, to get a lovely lovely knife and find that Light, find him and carve him, slicing tendons and sinews, taking tongue and eyes, cutting and cutting and making it last.

Shutting his eyes was a tactical error, perhaps, because now he can visualize it.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

L shifts his grip, so he's holding him more steadily.

"Breathe, and use my steps to count, alright? Four counts." He's walking quickly, so that should be hard.

[misoramassacre.livejournal.com]

Naomi followed (or preceded - she could guess the route) in silence. Holding the doors open was quite all right with her.

[i-am-an-hero.livejournal.com]

Even with his eyes open, A's not seeing Naomi. L's always got a big portion of his attention, but right now he's A's only focus.

[ijk-mno.livejournal.com]

"I wish you two could have met under better circumstances." L meets A's eyes as much as he can, without tripping and killing them both.

"Naomi, A is my family. A, Naomi is a very good agent."

[misoramassacre.livejournal.com]

Now was not the best time to correct tenses (or perhaps adjectives). Naomi nodded in acknowledgment as she reached the next door.