While Dr Matsudo, suruga and Watari were rummaging through the case files looking for something they could use to start making up an antidote, Maki and boy insisted that you and L have a picnic with them. Saying that you've been stressed and needed a break on the case. You accepted, because they were right. You were stressed, plus going along with something fun for them will hopefully take some stress off them too.

So you spread out a blanket on the rooftop of the lab and placed out lots of sweet foods and drinks for lunch. You'd slept rather well last night despite the circumstances, so you felt rather up to a little outing today.

"See this won't be so bad! It's sunny it's warm and there's lots of sweets!" Maki said.

"Yeah ok, this isn't that bad" L admitted.

Sitting down at the edges of the blanket, you all crowded around the food ready to dig in. Boy and L already reaching to grab cakes.

"Hey-" Maki said, stopping them.

They froze, looking at the stern gaze of the young girl. Suddenly remembering they were in Japan and there's something you gave to before you eat.

"L you're literally part Japanese" you snickered.

"And I was raised in England, shush you" he replied.

"Ok now-" Maki began.

I'm unison, you all said "Itadakimasu" and Maki let the boys jump onto those cakes again.

"Boys..." you sighed.

"So messy" Maki laughed.

You took one of the cakes, taking a bite and finding it rather sickly sweet. No wonder L was all over it. But it was good nonetheless.

"L you know if you keep sitting like that your back will end up looking like a banana" Maki said.

You snickered, maki seemed to have a fun time roasting L.

"Bit late for that..." L replied.

"Maybe if you stood up straight too you'd look taller and have less pain when you're older"

"You Osakans sure are blunt"

Well, he wasn't wrong. Osaka was knows for being rather casual and straight forward with their speech, and considering Maki grew up there it'd make sense she'd have their dialect and attitude.

"(Y/n) make your boyfriend stand up straight" Maki said.

"I've tried, believe me" you replied.

"Ok why are the girls ganging up on me here? I get it my back is... not that great" L replied, admittedly finding it a bit amusing.

Throughout the conversation boy had been quiet, partly due to the language barrier, partly because he was just a rather quiet kid. He was probably still thinking about that equation he'd been doing recently. You and L have been talking to him in English in hopes he'd at least understand a bit if that, and if he was going to wammys in Winchester he'd need to know it. Maki did some English in school so you were sure she'd be able to communicate in a basic level and learn quickly when she got to wammys.

And it seems boy had been picking up on words and their meaning recently.

"(Y/n)" he said.

"Yes?" You replied, adding another cake to your plate.

He pointed at L, then back at you.

"Married?" He asked.

L almost choked on his cake hearing that.

"Oh- uh. Not yet. But... in love" you replied, hoping he'd understand.

He gave you a confused look.

"Girlfriend, not wife" L added.

He seemed to connect the dots, and nodded in response. You gave L a sly grin.

"Not wife... yet" you teased.

"Maybe when this mess is over. So will you get me a ring?" He joked.

"Oh you want me to propose huh? I can do that"

"You don't have to I was kidding"

"The idea is in my head now... we'll see who gets to it first then"

You were young, still in your early 20s. Marriage was a big deal... but the again you have been together all your lives so maybe it wouldn't make that much of a difference. But nothing was happening while this mess of a case was going on that's for sure.

"If you get married let me be the bridesmaid!" Maki smiled.

"Well considering I don't know that many girls outside work you might have a good chance f being in the wedding party" you replied.

"L would like a wedding. Just for the massive cake"

L playfully glared at Maki, again being roasted by this 10 year old.

"You watch the sass there Maki. Or you won't get any wedding cake" he joked.

Their exchanges really did remind you of when the boys first came to the orphanage and starting warming to to L. It was cute, at this point Maki and boy were a part of the detective-successor family. Maki lost her father only about a week ago, and yet she was handling things well even in these horrible circumstances. She was such a strong kid.

You hoped that when she was older she wouldn't be left with the same trauma reactions L had to go through.

And boy... he was an interesting case. No record of parents or family and when his village was bombed he didn't even see it happen thanks to K getting him out in time. Maybe he was just an orphaned village kid that was taken care of by various adults until blue ship attacked. You did find it odd that he was in the village were people were dying from the outbreak but came out completely unharmed, healthy, never having caught it.

"L..." you said.

"Hm?"

"Isn't it weird boy was never infected even though he was in the village?"

"Now that you mention it... it is strange. Unless K gave him something that stopped him being infected" L suggested.

"Wouldn't he have sent it to us if there was some kind of vaccine he gave boy? Oh- unless he couldn't since he was being watched by blue ship..."

L thought for a moment, licking the icing off his fingers.

"We have everything we need in the documents from the lab Makis dad works at... expect for one ingredient. Maybe K knew that ingredient and was able to make a single dose for boy so he could send boy to us with the case info without spreading the virus... in that case why would he have not sent the missing ingredient with boy? Maybe he did and he hid it in the files of the USB necklace and we missed it because it was so well hidden" L said. 

"Hey! Enough case talk! We're having this picnic for fun and stress relief, do your smart people things later" Maki jumped in.

She seemed to be the one running the show on this picnic, so you'd give in and obey her for now. She was right after all.

"Ok, ok. We'll talk about it later" you said.

"Now L..." Maki began with a sly grin on her face.

Sipping his marble soda, L gave her a concerned look knowing he was going to be roasted again.

"... how about you prove to us you're the worlds greatest detective by standing up straight for once?" She teased.

You giggled, nudging L with your arm.

"Yeah L, prove it to us" you teased.

Boy could tell you and Maki were ganging up on L, and giggled away finding it amusing.

"One condition" he said.

"And that would be?" Maki asked.

"I get your last cookie, and a kiss from (y/n)"

Maki gave him a playful glare.

"Fine. But you have to hold your back straight for ten whole seconds!"

"Deal" L replied, taking the cookie off Makis plate.

He then turned to you for your part of the deal. You rolled your eyes and gave him a smile, placing a kiss on his lips.

"Suck up" you laughed.

L was a man of his word and as his end of the deal stated, he got up and after eating that cookie in under two seconds took his signature slouch and slowly... and rather painfully, straightened it out.

"Your spine sounds like bubble wrap" you laughed.

"What am I a marshmallow? What's with all the roasting?" L replied.

He struggled to hold his back straight for the whole ten seconds, it being rather painful after being slouched for most his life. You made a mental note to drag him to a chiropractor and get him checked for some kind of scoliosis when you got back to England.

"That's ten seconds! See it wasn't that hard was it?" You said.

Maki and boy clapped for him, laughing at the sight of someone not even in their mid 20s yet already complaining of back pain like an old man.

"Well done Mr squiggles" Maki teased.

L sighed, not even having a comeback for that one. He sat back down next to you and shook his head.

"Why do I get the feeling that the boys will start roasting me too once they make friends with Maki?"