#wammys week

[numbuh424]

Wammy Boys and sleepwear 😴🛌

also I changed Near's to this because I liked it better for him and thought him having the pillow was cute

[applestorms]

@jessaerys ok shit this took a while but WHATEVER. wammy's lore collection here we go :3c less analysis this time, this is mostly just to archive the main known details we have in canon about the house, and also the people from there more generally. however much you wanna accept all this/take it at face value is up to You, Dear Reader (and tbh y'all should just read all these if ur curious since they're all pretty short + have Interesting narrators. i'll include links to free versions). do whatever you want forever etc. etc. also, SPOILERS. obviously.

LABB: (listen here)

no this book isn't written by ohba. yes i'm including it. shush. anyways, most of the lore in this comes from mello's vague comments about beyond's backstory, but there's a Lot of interesting things established in this, so. here's a bunch of notable quotes. if you're not already familiar, please keep in mind that the narrator of this novel is mello, writing at some point shortly before his death.

"L. The century's greatest detective. In light of his staggering mental abilities, L died an unjust and untimely death. In the public record alone he solved over 3,500 difficult crimes, and sent three times that number of degenerates to prison. He wielded incredible power, was able to mobilize every investigative bureau in the entire world, and was applauded generously for his efforts. And during it all, he never showed his face." (pg. 10)

"So, what you're reading now are my notes about L. It's a dying message, not from me, and not directed at the world. The person who will most likely read this first will probably be that big-headed twit Near. But if that's the case, I will not tell him to shred or burn these pages. If it causes him pain to discover that I knew things about L that he did not, then that's fine." (pg. 10-11)

"I am one of the few people who ever met L as L. When and how I met him...this is the single most valuable memory I have, and I will not write it here, but on that occasion L related to me three stories of his exploits, and the episode involving Beyond Birthday was one of these." (pg. 11)

"Obviously, it never came to light that L--and more importantly, Wammy's House, which raised me until I was fifteen--was deeply connected to the matter, but in fact, they were. L, on principle, never got involved in a case unless there were more than ten victims or a million dollars at stake, and this is the real reason why he belatedly, but aggressively, involved himself in this little case, which only ever had three or four victims. I will explain further in the pages that follow, but for this reason, the case of the Los Angeles BB murders is a watershed event for L, for me, and even for Kira. It was a monumental event for all of us. Why? Because this is the case where L first introduced himself as Ryuzaki." (pg. 11)

"For any one else but those two [Near and Kira], my identity may be of no interest, but I am the old world's runner-up, the best dresser that died like a dog, Mihael Keehl. I once called myself Mello and was addressed by that name, but that was a long time ago. Good memories and nightmares." (pg. 12)

"She [Naomi Misora] briefly considered the idea that Raye Penber, or someone else, was playing a practical joke on her, but she found it hard to believe that anyone would be so bold to sign their name as such. L never revealed himself in public or in private, but Misora had heard several horror stories about what happened to detectives who tried passing themselves off as L. It was safe to say that no one would dare use his name, even in jest." (pg. 18)

"This was L, so he was undoubtedly solving several other difficult cases all at once. Cases all over the world. For him, this case was just one of many parallel investigations. How else could he maintain his reputation as the world's greatest detective? The century's greatest detective, L. The detective with no clients." (pg. 35)

"L had earned a certain degree of hostility from other detectives, and the jealous ones called him a hermit detective, or a computer detective, but neither of these is a particularly accurate representation of the truth. Naomi Misora had also tended to think of L as an armchair detective, but in fact, L was quite the opposite, a very active, aggressive individual. [swoon.] While he had absolutely no interest in social connections, he was certainly not the kind of detective to shut himself up in a dark room with the shades drawn and refuse to come out. It is now common knowledge that the three great post war detectives, L, Eraldo Coil and Danuve were all actually the same person. Certainly, anyone reading these notes is almost certain to know...though they may not know that L engaged in a war with the real Eraldo Coil, and the real Danuve, and emerged victorious, claiming their detective codes. The details of this detective war I will save for another occasion, but in addition to those three names, L possessed many other detective codes. I have no idea how many, but there were at least three digits' worth. And quite a number of those were fairly public detectives--just like, as anyone reading these notes must know, he appeared before Kira, calling himself Ryuzaki or Ryuga Hideki. Of course, Naomi Misora had no way of knowing this, but in my opinion, the name L was, for him, just one of many. He never had any direct connection to that identity, he never thought of himself as L--it was just the most famous and most powerful of the many detective codes he used during his life. The name had its uses, but lacked obscurity. L had a real name that nobody knew, and nobody will ever know, but a name which only he knew never defined him. I sometimes wonder if L himself ever knew exactly which name was written in the Death Note, which name it was that killed him. I wonder." (pg. 43-44)

"If we must discuss why L so adamantly refused to reveal himself, we can explain it very simply: doing so was dangerous. Very dangerous. While the world leaders should make efforts to ensure the safety of all the finest minds, not only for detectives, the fact is that the current societal systems do not allow for this, and L believed he had no choice but to protect his mind under his own power. By simple arithmetic, L's ability in 2002 was the equivalent of five ordinary investigative bureaus, and seven intelligence agencies (and by the time he faced off against Kira, those numbers had leapt upward several more notches). This is easy to think of as a reason to respect and admire someone, but let me say this as clearly as possible: that much ability in one human is extremely dangerous. Modern danger management techniques rely heavily on defusing risk, but his very existence was the exact opposite. In other words, if someone was planning to commit a crime, they would greatly increase their chances of getting away with it by simply killing L before they began. That was why L hid his identity. Not because he was shy, or because he never left the house. To ensure his own safety. For a detective of L's ability, self-preservation and the preservation of world peace were one and the same, and it would not be correct to describe his actions as cowardly or self-centered." (pg. 69 nice)

"So whenever L was working, he would usually have someone else as his public face--and in this particular case, the FBI agent Naomi Misora was filling that role." (pg. 70)

"Beyond Birthday had the eyes of a shinigami congenitally. It was not particularly difficult for him to track down people with the initials B.B. or find people who were fated to die on a certain day at a certain time." (pg. 94)

"Normally contact with a shinigami was a prerequisite for acquisition, but Beyond Birthday had traded nothing--he had seen through those eyes since before he could remember. He knew your name before you said it. He knew the time of death of every person he met." (pg. 94)

"You might think [the eyes] would hardly be useful without a Death Note, but that is simply not the case. The ability to see someone's remaining life is the ability to see death. Death, death, death. Beyond Birthday lived his life unceasingly reminded that all humans would eventually die. From the time he was born he knew the day his father would be attacked by a thug and die, knew the day his mother would die in a train crash. He had these eyes before he was born, which is why he called himself Beyond Birthday. Which is why a child as strange as he was taken in by our home, sweet home--Wammy's House. He was B. The second child in Wammy's House." (pg. 94-95)

"The competition between L and B. L and B's puzzle. 'If L's a genius, then B's an extreme genius. If L's a freak, then B's an extreme freak. Now it's time to get ready. There are things I must do before B can surpass L. Henh henh henh henh.' This thought was the only thing that made him laugh without needing to think about it. And those that know will recognize the laugh of the shinigami. Still grinning to himself, he faced the mirror, brushed his hair, and began applying his makeup. The reflection of himself in the mirror. Himself. As always, he could not see his own time of death. No more than he could see the death of the world." (pg. 96)

"We were raised at Wammy's House in England, in Winchester, as L's successors, as L's alternatives, but that does not mean we knew anything more about L than anyone else. Including myself, only a few of us ever met L as L, and even I knew nothing about L before he met Watari--Quillish Wammy, the genius inventor who founded Wammy's House. Nobody knows what's going on in L's head. But even so, I know how Watari felt. Looking at L's incredible talents from the perspective of an inventor--of course he wanted to make a copy, of course he wanted to create a backup. Anyone would feel the same. As I have already explained, L never appeared in public. L knew that his own death would increase the crime rate all over the world by a few dozen percentage points. But what if they could copy him? What if they could make a backup? That was us. L's children, gathered from all corners of the world.

"But even for a genius like Watari, creating a fake L was easier said than done. Even for Near and I, who were said to be the closest to L...the more we tried to be like him, the closer we got, the father away he was, like chasing a mirage. So I hardly need to tell you what it was like when Wammy's House was first founded, when he was still experimenting. The first child, A, was unable to handle the pressure of living up to L and took his own life, and the second child, Beyond Birthday, was brilliant and deviant. B stood for Backup.

"But B tried to surpass L, not become him...no, that might not be right. I have no way of knowing the inner workings of his mind. He...their generation was not like the fourth generation, with Near and I, all the children bound only to the code with the serial L. They were prototypes, never even given the L code, expected to fail. I prefer to refrain from idle speculation based on my own experiences, but, well, Beyond Birthday may have thought something like this: As long as there was L, B would never be L. As long as the original existed, the copy was always a copy." (pg. 104-105)

"The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. L.A.B.B.--L is After Beyond Birthday. This reading is why I think this name is so much closer to the killer's intentions than the Wara Ningyo Murders, or the Los Angeles Serial Locked Room Killings. I wasn't talking about the names on a purely stylistic basis. Whether Beyond Birthday had put that much thought into it I have no idea, but if he had a specific reason for choosing to commit his murders in L.A., then that is probably why. I am sure he had a much more personal obsession with L as an individual than Near or I ever did. I can understand why someone would become a criminal in order to fight against a detective, which is why I can write something like this, but even so. What did he hope to accomplish by killing unrelated people? Or perhaps B simply wanted to meet L. Then he could use the eyes of the shinigami he'd been born with and see L's real name, see when L would die. He would be able to figure out who L was. Beyond Birthday had never told anyone that he had the eyes of a shinigami, and it would not surprise me at all if he believed himself to be some kind of shinigami." (pg. 105-106)

"Beyond Birthday challenged L. And L accepted the challenge. To put it bluntly, the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases were nothing but an internal struggle, a civil war within our home, sweet home-- Wammy's House. Unfortunate for the victims that got mixed up in it, but even if Beyond Birthday had not killed them, all those victims were fated to die that day, at that time, for some other reason, so logically and morally, their deaths were unavoidable. So in the strictest sense of the word, the only one who really got mixed up in their war was Naomi Misora." (pg. 106)

"L was said to never move on a case unless there were more than ten victims or a million dollars at stake. The only exceptions to this were cases at difficulty level L (extremely fitting), or when L had personal reasons compelling him to get involved. The Los Angeles BB Murders were both of these. I hardly need to point out the difficulty by this stage of the story, and L was essentially fighting his own dead copy. [harsh, dude.] The current head of Wammy's House had told Quillish Wammy/Watari, who had told L about B's disappearance in May, and ever since L had been looking for him even as he solved other cases. Wammy's House only knew him as B--they did not know his real name, Beyond Birthday, so this search was near impossible, but L knew who the killer was. He had not been looking for a killer so much as he was looking for a case. L had been waiting, expecting Beyond Birthday to do something to challenge him. L could move any policeman in the world, but in this case, he could not ask anyone for help except Naomi Misora...more than likely, for this reason. I don't think L really put that much stock in honor, but everyone is embarrassed by their own sins, and nobody wants those missteps to become public knowledge. L was the goal of everyone in Wammy's House. Every one of us wanted to surpass him. To step over him. To step on him. M did, N did, and B did. M as a challenger, N as a successor. B as a criminal." (pg. 116-117)

"No matter what she did, she had no way of knowing. That this killer, Beyond Birthday, could tell someone's name and time of death just by looking at their face, that he had been born with the eyes of a shinigami--she had no way of knowing that fake names were useless with him, completely and utterly pointless. How could she have known? Even Beyond Birthday himself could not explain how he had been born with the eyes of the shinigami, how he could use them with no payment, with no arrangement. Neither Misora nor L knew why, and, obviously, neither do I. The closest thing to an explanation I can offer is that there are shinigami stupid enough to drop their notebooks in our world, so there might well be shinigami stupid enough to drop their eyes." (pg. 193-140)

"'So, Naomi Misora...' said L, wrapping up. But Misora hastily stammered, 'Um, er, L...' but then she hesitated, not sure if she should ask this or not. 'You...know the killer, right?' 'Yes, as I said. He is B.' 'I don't mean like that...I mean, he's someone you know personally?' On the 16th, L had said that he had known the killer was B, and she had sort of known ever since, but two days before, L had said something that changed her guess to conviction. Whatever you do, please catch the killer. The century's greatest detective, L, would never say that about some ordinary indiscriminate serial killer. And the way his letter was just one letter long... 'Yes,' the synthetic voice agreed." (pg. 144-145)

"'I have nothing to do with him,' L said. 'To be completely accurate, I do not even know B. He is simply someone I am aware of. But none of this affects my judgement. Certainly, I was interested in this case, and began to investigate it because I knew who the killer was. But that did not alter the way I investigated it, or the manner in which my investigation proceeded. Naomi Misora, I cannot overlook evil. I cannot forgive it. It does not matter if I know the person who commits evil or not. I am only interested in justice.'" (pg. 145)

"My great and respected predecessor, the man whose actions were a strong influence on me personally, B, B.B., Beyond Birthday--obviously, I need hardly explain again that the murders themselves were not his purpose. So what was he doing? Again, I hardly need to explain--he was challenging the man he copied, the century's greatest detective L. A matter of winning or losing. A contest." (pg. 159)

"Since L could solve every case no matter how challenging, if he created a case so difficult that L as unable to solve it, B would have defeated L." (pg. 159)

"He knew that the moment he took action Wammy's House and Watari would alert L, so he did not even bother trying to stop them. He could only guess at which stage of his plan L would start to come after him, so he prepared things carefully, ready for L's entrance at any point." (pg. 159)

"B approached Naomi Misora, calling himself Rue Ryuzaki. Rue Ryuzaki--L.L. For anyone from Wammy's House, there could be no higher goal than identifying yourself with that letter--and Beyond Birthday seized this case as his chance. even Naomi Misora knew what had happened to detectives falsely identifying themselves as L, and B was from Wammy's House, so he knew this better than anyone--so this choice suggests the strength of his decision. He never once intended to survive--had had made up his mind. He was ready." (pg. 160) [trans. note: the name "Rue" in Japanese, ルエ (ru-e), is an anagram of エル (e-ru), which is how L is pronounced.]

"Naturally, his face and fingerprints would burn as well--he had always disguised himself with heavy makeup while he was with Misora, and he never left a picture behind, so even if someone directly affiliated with Wammy's House inspected the body, they would have no idea that Rue Ryuzaki/Beyond Birthday was B from Wammy's House. He had left nothing to connect Beyond Birthday to B." (pg. 162)

"B was presenting the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases to L as a case that could never be solved. That L could never solve. In other words, he had never prepared any clear solution to it--since the killer had committed suicide, disguised as the fourth victim, there was no longer a killer to catch, and no clues left to catch him with." (pg. 163)

"My poor, poor predecessor. Not only was he utterly and completely defeated, but he survived, driving home his embarrassment...he must have longed for death. Accept my condolences, B." (pg. 169-170)

"If I had space left over I had intended to carry right on into the other two stories I heard from L: the story of the detective war between the three greatest detectives, all solving that infamous bio-terror case, with guest appearances by the last of the alphabet, the first X to the first Z from Wammy's House; and the story of how the world's greatest inventor, Quillish Wammy, aka Watari, had first met L, then about eight year's old--the case that gave birth to the century's greatest detective, the Winchester Mad Bombings that occurred just after the third World War. But however objectively I look at things, I do not have the space or the time. Oh well." (pg. 170)

"She had spoken to L only once after the killer was arrested. He thanked her for helping to solve the case, and told her just a little about the background of the case. That B had been a candidate to succeed L, and that the pressure of that had driven him off track." (pg. 171)

"And a few years after his arrest, on January 21st, 2004, serving a life sentence in a California prison, Beyond Birthday died of a mysterious heart attack." (pg. 173)

C-KIRA: (read here)

near grief :pensive: pretty sure this was animated in the anime movie thing?? tbh i still need to watch that. Very interesting as some of the most recent post-main story lore we get about wammy's imo. less quotes now + more summarizing since these are just comics

near has apparently only "talked" to L once (in quotes since he didn't actually say anything, just sat in the back of the room doing a puzzle the entire time. real asf girl)

during this "conversation," roger or one of the orphanage heads set up the usual L screen + a camera/mic so that L could see all the kids and answer their questions.

notably, mello & near didn't ask any questions, just lurked in the back watching L with a "nasty look in [their] eyes," which near assumes is what made him pick them to be his top successors, considering the fact that he didn't actually look at any of their data. (somewhat seems to imply that L didn't actually give a shit about grades or anything like that when picking his main successors?)

while answering questions, near is caught off guard by one of L's answers. to transcribe it all directly here--

NEAR (NARRATING): At the time, I didn't think L would put it so bluntly. L: It's not a sense of justice. L: Figuring out difficult cases is my hobby. If you measured good and evil deeds by current laws, I would be responsible for many crimes. L: The same way you all like to solve mysteries and riddles, or clear video games more quickly... For me too, its simply prolonging something I enjoy doing. L: That's why I only take on cases that pique my interest. It's not justice at all. And if it means being able to clear a case, I don't play fair, I'm a dishonest, cheating human being, who hates losing...

not quite the monster speech, but fascinating all the same. near seems to imply that this answer sent some kids into a despair spiral, but it actually caused him to like L more and more, feeling that he was, "exactly the kind of person who wanted to achieve his own goals." kinda goes against the HTR13 ohba comment? shrug

The Wammy's House/L's One Day: (read here)

honestly i interpret these comics as like. canon crack fic. but anyways, here's the established L lore included in these two.

L was taken into wammy's as a nameless orphan at an unknown but likely quite young age

very soon after arriving he beats up all the other kids he meets--

he is "utterly incompatible," with all the other kids and monopolizes all the things he likes simply cause he's stronger than them and presumably could fight them for it-- naturally, he ends up usually just playing by himself

notably, this all establishes that L isn't the first kid at wammy's, that there was already at least one generation of older kids living there before he got there (and could eventually turn it into an L successor creating machine)

once watari realizes that L has some outstanding mental abilities, he gives him his own private room and a computer. afterwards, L spends most of his time sitting in front of the puter by himself

L requests that watari buy 1 million pounds with Japanese yen and tells him which stocks to buy, causing his assets to reach "almost 20,000 times the original amount," in two years. visually this is depicted as happening when L is still quite young

several years later, L stumbles across a serial murder case in the news, which is the first he solves, starting his new career path

-

L can stay awake for 100+ hours and then gets over it by sleeping for like 17 hours. pictures also may imply that he doesn't actually sleep in a bed, but just lies down sideways in his chair. RIP yotsuba light's perfectly designed sleep schedule

L also shits/pisses in the same position he usually sits in (frog-pose), facing the tank south park style

he is a big fan of cleanliness!! human washing machine etc. etc. honestly i think this is just another way for him to hold that same crouched position

text says he always has, "ten or so identical sets of clothes prepared for him," since he's picky about it, but the art itself shows way more than ten. also rare shirtless L moment?? (watari helps)

L does in fact go outside!! he likes roller coasters/theme parks, swinging, art galleries, live music, etc. though most of the time he just sits in his room thinking thru shit n solving cases.

[rairai-raven]

Prompt 6 and 7: Broken and Recovery

The constant wars had caused a wedge in their relationship at one point. With their differing viewpoints on how to solve conflicts, arguments were surely a given. However, sometimes they got personal, driving the two further apart. It wasn't until the end of the incident with Red Alert that they started to mend their relationship and renew their love for one another.

[jazzy-a]

@levi-dayne Deneuve-Matt just lighting up a cigarette as L-Near and Coil-Mello argue for the next 3 hours, like "F*ck this. Imma go work on this triple homicide in Belgium."

I would love an alternate universe where all three Wammy boys lived and they became the world’s 3 greatest detectives.

Near becomes the new L, Mello is Coil, and Matt is Deneuve, and they all work together.

[ladyzayismultifandom]

The Kiss of Death

L Lawliet x Reader Genre: awkard cute fluff with everyone's favorite detective

Description: On the ongoing mission to take Kira down, L and Y/N must sacrifice their dignity when Light (intentionally) messes up their excursion. A/N: This is pre-cuffed L and Light era btw! And f/n = fake name.

Kira is still on the loose taking innocent people lives and with no concrete evidence to the existence of the “Death Note” or “Shinigami’s” Lawliet was put into a corner. He was 98% sure that Light Yagami was Kira purely based on vibes but nothing else that serves as evidence has worked. Close surveillance in his house has been a little useful but he hasn’t cracked him just yet. Light was good. Too good.

After ruthless nights of arguing Watari thought it would be a good idea to call in reinforcements from the infamous Wammy House where L was raised. Those reinforcements were you. You’ve never been to Japan before but you were excited to help an old friend. With an IQ of 150 and cunning eye for detail you would be a great asset to the task force. Once he find out you were on your way L sent you a file with all the information he found along with a detailed list of all the task force members. You got everything you need to know but you hate that fake name he came up with.

When you got off the private jet Watari sent you, Matsuda and Light were waiting for you at the end of the stairs.

“So he sent the killer right to me. Interesting” You thought. You took a good look of Matsuda. He was a good man, socially awkward, probably a bit annoying, but a good cop. He fidgeted with his fingers the more you looked at him. Meanwhile Light didn’t seem bothered at all. He stared right back but not at you. It was like he was staring deep within your soul and if you weren’t paying attention you would have missed the tiny smile fighting to break out. He was definitely up to something but what?

Taking off your sunglasses you walked down the stairs and offered your hand out to Matsuda who held it like a fragile piece of of fine china. He raised it up and kissed it which wasn’t something you were expecting but flattered either way.

“Enchante, I’m f/n” You offered your hand to Light as well to which he firmly shook for a second and let go. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they greet you. Matsuda was ever the gentlemen who might be confused of your customs but has good intentions. Light shook your hand like a man trying to prove himself. He wanted you to think he saw you as an equal when that couldn't be farther than the dark truth that lie beneath. This case is going to be good.

“I’d like to speak to Ryuzaki alone if that’s okay. “ You asked the task force after meeting everyone officially. Watari escorted them all out leaving you and your sugar fiend friend alone. For a moment you sat in silence until it felt safe to speak.

“Lawliet”

“It’s Ryuzaki”

“I’m not calling you that.”

“Then you put me at risk f/n.” You roll your eyes at the way he refuses to use your real name. You were alone after all.

“How could I put you at risk when we both know that Kira is Light?” You put your cup of tea up to him and he puts three sugar cubes in there. At the Wammy House, every child had their thing and yours is tea which goes perfectly with cake hence the beautiful friendship you have with Lawliet now.

“So you believe me?”

“Have I ever been wrong?”

“Well-

“Other than that.” You took a sip.

“I know it’s him. I need evidence. That’s why you’re here f/n”

“Does anybody other than Watari and I know you’re real name?” He shook his head no. Perfect. A plan was brewing.

Weeks go by and you get to know everyone. Sadly the result was still the same. Light was definetly Kira but he had help. Originally you thought his father was in on it but after personally interrogating him it became clear that Soichiro Yagami did not know or even consider that his son could be a criminal nonetheless a cold blooded killer. Lights girlfriend Misa Amane on the other hand only pretended to be a bimbo everyone thought she was. If she wasn’t so head over heels over Light she might have been a great force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, the charismatic cult-like charms of Light got to her before then. She's the perfect fall person if things went south for him. There’s was another accomplice helping Light get away with his crimes but his identify has been tough to crack. You’ve searched for people under the name Ryuk and haven’t found anything so far. Looking back at the early surveillance tapes of Light in his room it did look like he was trying hard to ignore something on his mind. Could it have been someone there? Someone the camera didn’t catch? Is this the power of a shinigami?

Another day with the task force trying to find all the things in common with Kira's victims besides how they die you turn to genius next to you.

“Ryuzaki?”

“Yes f/n”

“Let’s go out” Matsuda almost choked on his spit making you burst into a laughing fit. Lawliet was not amused.

“I assume you mean all of us?” He says not even sparing you a glance as you teasingly look at him.

“Of course. What else would I mean? A day off would be nice right boys?” You look at the rest of the men who are relieved to hear that except Light. Just like Lawliet, he didn't look too amused. You smirk as you take a sip of tea.

“You did that on purpose” Lawliet mumbled

“You love it.” You whispered before turning around in your spinny wheelchair. Stretching your arms before you do a big clap that makes the whole task force except Light and Lawliet jump. You smile.

"So who wants to go on a little excursion tomorrow? I'm sure Kira wouldn't mind if we didn't hunt them for a day. "

"Until they kill someone else." Light claims

"And then I'll know it's you," Lawliet says. The two stare menacingly at each other.

"Let's not point any fingers. Light is still not 100% in the clear yet but he's also a part of the team. It could be Matsuda for all we know" Your innocent joke lightened the mood making all the men chuckle to themselves. Little did they know they were all pawns in your game.

"Yes... matter of fact Light why don't you set up an excursion for us? I'm sure you have friends that travel locally and if you're not Kira nothing will go wrong and Ryuzaki can relax. Right?" You suggest.

"And if you are I'll have the pleasure of putting you behind bars."

"Fine. If that's what it takes." Light says. The familiar tugging at his lips starts but they never go into full bloom as if he's trying to hide it. Tomorrow you're finally going to find out what his game is and who he's playing it with.

Later that night when you were alone drinking tea while Lawliet ate cake the two of you discussed all the possible mistakes Light could make to prove he's Kira to everyone. Killing someone would be too obvious but he could make it look like an accident or even frame another person on the task force so that was possibility number one. Possibility number two is he finds a way to get Misa alone to do his bidding. That would be the easiest thing to do to get him out of the clear for everyone else but not the two of you since you know she's his accomplice. To prevent that from happening, you'll have Matsuda or Soichiro keep a close eye on her the entire excursion. There was another possibility that you didn't bring up on purpose. This was because if Lawliet knew he would be totally against it seeing as it would put him at risk but you realized the unusual pattern of all Kira's victims a long time ago. They all die of a heart attack, most have some kind a criminal record of some kind or they know Kira true identity before they die. Most importantly Kira's victims full name are always on public record except the one he wants to kill the most which sparked an idea. What if you gave Light L's real name? Would he try to use it? Most importantly would it work? Along with Mello and Near you were raised with Lawliet but there is the possibility that even the name you became fond of calling him wasn’t real. Deep inside you know he wouldn’t lie to you. He can’t.

The next day Light had arranged a day in Kamakura full of fun outside excursions everyone on the task force except Lawliet appreciated. To annoy him even more the disguise you chose to display was his wife. You knew if this plan was gonna work he couldn’t look like Lights stalker the way he focuses in on him and you two work better as a team so splitting up wasn’t an option. In case Light isn’t Kira (which is highly unlikely) and Kira manages to strike while you’re out Watari is at home monitoring local crime. Keeping a close eye on Light’s reactions you wrap your arm around Lawliet giving him a supportive pat. Light face remain stoic.

“See? Kira wouldn’t kill us in the middle of a crowded area like this. “ Matsuda happily claims as he holds up his oversized binoculars to look at The Great Buddha.

“In a crowd like this no one would notice anyway.” Lawliet mumbles.

“Oh don’t be such a hermit! You loved playing outside with me when we were children.” You say trying to gauge the boys but to your surprise the only one who asked was-

“Ryuzaki and f/n grew up together?!” Misa acts surprised. Oh to peak into her little mind.

“I was studying human interaction”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night dear” You kiss his cheek before dragging him by hand along and joining Matsuda ahead as he excitedly leads the pack.

“Is it me or is f/n enjoying her role a little too much?” Kanzo whispers to Soichiro who shrugs.

“We’ve been working hard the past few weeks. I’m sure she’s just having a little fun besides I don’t think it’s exactly one-sided.” Soichiro chuckles

Throughout the day the seven of you walk around every shrine, zen garden, and temple you can get close to while remaining a safe distance from Light and Misa who didn’t seem to be plotting anything just yet. Just two teenagers who might be serial killers without a care in the world. Lawliet grew frustrated.

“F/N”

“Yes, dear?” You tease but can’t help it when his cheeks turn a rosy red for a second.

“When exactly is this plan of yours supposed to start?”

“Patience honey all will make sense soon” You whisper seductively in Lawliets ear pulling him in to your embrace wrapping your arms around his neck. Begrudgingly knowing his role Lawliet wraps his arms around your waist in reciprocation. You notice Light staring at the two of you. From where he’s standing it looks as if you two are sharing secrets. He tries to hide his look of suspicion when you make eye contact but it’s too late. Like a spider you’ve spun him in your web making him helplessly anxious and maybe even frightened. Unable to contain it you smirk at him

“That’s right. You should be afraid” You whisper still in Lawliet’s embrace. For the first time all day he chuckles.

“If I didn’t know any better you’re turned on right now y/n” He whispers in your ear just as seductively as you did earlier. Given how awkward and standoffish he can be at times you didn’t know he was capable of that.

“Lawli- Ryuzaki!” You shriek but for a moment his hands squeeze your body. You almost said his real name out loud. Too loud. Did Light hear it? Shit

“Careful dear people will think you’re cheating on me” He says jokingly but you know it’s a threat. No, a promise. While you planned to leak it anyway to see if Light would try to kill him this is not how you wanted to come out. Shit shit shit.

And yet if you weren’t turned on before. You are now. Something about him matching your energy while being so close just did something to you and even though he’s a little pissed off he’s still hot.

“I’m gonna get you back for that”

“Likewise f/n” further emphasizing how pissed he is.

After walking for the majority of Lights excursion filled day in Kamakura the task force grew exhausted. Too tired to do anything else Light and Matsuda called around for places to retire for the night before returning to work tomorrow. Soichiro drove the rental to a spot near a beach, real low key vibes, perfect place for a late night swim with Lawliet. He’d never go for it. The seven of you were to be split rooms. Naturally you and Misa were in one room. Soichiro, Kanzo, Matsuda, and Light in the next room. Lawliet gets his own room so he can have a private discussion with Watari. This was the plan everyone agreed to until you got there.

“I’m sorry we only have one room left but if you five gentlemen don’t mind the hotel a little further down I can reserve a room for you” the hotel receptionist says. Looks like you and Misa are stuck here alone-

“I’ll stay with you” Lawliet stepped up.

“But who will watch Ligh-“ He cut you off

“I said I’m staying”

“Besides I think we can trust Light now,“ Shock was what you saw on Light's face now. If only for a moment but there was shock. Whatever plan there was to kill Lawliet might be dead now but then again this could've been a part of his plan all along.

When the two of you walked into the hotel there was one bed. As children sleeping together was better than being in cold bunks but as adults this predicament was a bit...awkward.

He let you shower and change into your pajamas first but as you wait in bed going over all your notes on Kira a nervous feeling stirs inside you. What if he mentions what happened earlier? What if he doesn't because he has other plans of ruining your life for almost ending his? Is he about to get in this bed with you?

"I hope you're not overthinking what happened earlier." He broke you out of your funk. You didn't even realize he had already gotten out of the shower. "I already gave Light my real name once. It won't work Y/N"

"Then why-"

"I figured if you were going to put my life in danger I'd scare you a little too. Reminds me of when we were kids." He laid down next to you in bed. For years there's been an invisible line between you that you so desperately wanted to cross.

A line you want to cross now more than anything.

"Can I ask you something?" You turn your body towards him but he remains on his back, facing the ceiling.

"Shoot"

"Do you remember when we were teenagers Mello locked us in a closet and I kissed you on accident but you wouldn't let me go until Watari let us out?"

"Yes"

"This feels a lot like that" He smiles as his body curls towards you.

"Are you saying you want to kiss me Y/N?" You scooted closer to him smirking.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" You leaned over him practically inches away from his lips yet he didn't flinch. He didn't move away but he didn't move any closer. He was just there. So you sighed and leaned ba-

"Please" He grabbed you by the shirt and pulled you back to him. He had a look in his eyes you've never seen before.

" In case I die"

"Wha-" He met your lips with his before you could ruin it. The two of you were alone. Truly alone for the first time in years and this time if it were his last Lawliet was going to get what he wanted almost as bad as he wanted Light behind bars. You.

You leaned down into his embrace not letting a breath escape between your lips. If you were going to die tonight it would not be Kira and you were okay with that.

The next day on the ride home neither of you spoke a peep making it seem like you'd gotten into a fight. Nobody really needed to know what really took place. When everyone went home for the day you were at it again neglecting the surveillance cameras and carefully watching Light. If this is how he gets you both so be it.

May the kiss of death satisfy the Gods that be.

A/N: HAPPY FLUFFTOBER!!!

[zimt-deathnote]

You asked for it, and here it is, Near scenario:

You mentioned a while ago that you imagined at some point Mello just lost it and injured Near seriously.

The fight is followed by a meltdown, a bad one like he hadn’t had in years. Near shuts himself in his room after receiving medical attention, his roommate his only contact with the outside.

He had gotten better at controlling his emotions and reactions since he got to Wammy’s, his self esteem had gotten slightly better since so many failures in public school. But losing it completely in front of all of his classmates, like some baby who can’t stand up for himself, is incredibly humiliating. He’s not angry at Mello. Not that he likes what happened, at all. Still, no matter how supportive his family is, how well Wammy’s taking care of him and helping him, he can’t help blaming himself every time he has an outburst.

Since the staff can’t manage to get him out, after two days they decide to call the family. He doesn’t want to speak to them. Not another failure, not after his parents had found some hope that he might manage on his own.

The day next, his sister comes. She comes into the room, Near’s roommate politely excuses himself.

Near’s in his corner/laboratory on the ground, keeping his hands and eyes busy by dismantling some toy robot. His face is all purple and bandaged.

After a while, his sister gets him to talk to her.

S (for sister, can’t remember her name): so, who do I have to kill? What happened?

N: Don’t be silly, if you want to commit a murder I should remind you that a school full of future detectives isn’t really the ideal place. Unless you want to become our new assignment of the week. You would make the children really happy though.

She asks if he wants to come back home, he refuses. It takes him a lot of effort to convince her that he was not being bullied, and that this was a very isolated accident. Yet, she insists on wanting to know what’s going on.

It’s afternoon, and yet the orange light does not come through the window in the isolated room that was picked just for his needs, sealing him away from his classmates.

Near shares his consternation at having been unable to read the situation before it escalated, and his shame for the meltdown in front of everyone. Of course he knows that it’s mostly Mello’s fault for beating him, but he also knows that if he wants to become a good detective he’ll have to know how to recognise a violent reaction when it’s arriving, or he’ll never be independent.

She smiles.

“Nate-“

“Don’t call me that, you can’t do it here.”

“Nate, when will you get it into that huge brain of yours that nobody ever is actually fully able to function on their own? All of us got blindspots, but not many are so aware of where they are, and not so many would be such sticklers in trying to make up for them. You are doing your best. That’s more than many people can say to do.”

N: “….I’ll admit I haven’t seen much improvement in Mello’s anger issues lately”

S: “haha definitely not, by the way where can I find him? Mom ordered me to-“

N: “whatever it is, please don’t.”

Near is not completely alone in his dark room for that evening.

That’s the gist of the scene. Hope it can be inspiring.

Thank you for reading ❤️❤️

I had this in my inbox for so long now cause I wanted to write that incident out better first but I couldn't get around to do it yet </3

But this here, this is the good shit ☝️ Thank you so so so much for this absolutely lovely scene, Anon 🤍

Sister's name is Alison btw!

----- My other socials Commission Info Let's drink some Ko-Fi! 🍵

[vamphorica]

mattmello week i: vacation

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: M/M

Fandom: Death Note (Anime & Manga)

Relationship: Matt | Mail Jeevas/Mello | Mihael Keehl

Characters: Matt | Mail Jeevas, Mello | Mihael Keehl

Additional Tags: Vacation, Beach Holidays, Childhood Sweethearts, Wammy's House Era (Death Note), Wammy's House (Death Note), Fluff, Public Display of Affection, Gentle Kissing, Gift Giving, Canon Compliant

Word Count: 2,777

Series: Part 1 of MattMello Week 2024 | @mattmelloweek

Summary: Matt and Mello decide to take a spontaneous trip to the seaside.

────────────────────────────

“I’m bored, let’s run away.”

October had brought about with it the mundanity of the forthcoming academic year, no longer enticing in its promise of long hours studying in the library to fixate on specialist subjects. Once again, there were exams to sit that required revision on topics that were frankly boring, and Mello was becoming more and more agitated with each paper, the fear of bad results paralysing him at the bedroom desk for hours on end. The week of respite that was afforded for Christmas was some distant fantasy, and as Matt rested his chin on the other boy’s shoulder, he knew it was time they escaped from this place, even if for a brief moment.

“And where exactly do you propose we go?” Mello mumbled, distracted by the encyclopaedia propped up against the wall that he was using to copy his reference notes. He wrote fast, Matt noticed, but his script was beautiful and easy to read. Bastard.

Matt moved his face so he buried his nose in Mello’s blond curtain of hair, breathing deeply, “We can go to the coast and back in a day.” He pulled back suddenly, cupping his hands across his face as he sneezed loudly. Mello rolled his eyes, flicking a page.

“Hardly beach season, is it?”

Matt shrugged, “Do you want to go away or not?”

“My History exam is in three days.”

“Great, tomorrow it is then.” Matt grinned, “I’ll set the alarm nice and early.”

────────────────────────────

Mello had always been the early riser of the two, and was growing frustrated at how incessantly Matt moaned about his self-inflicted exhaustion. They had scaled the gates at the crack of dawn, taking nothing but a small backpack that contained the accumulation of coins that they had both hoarded over several months from various circumstances since forgotten about. The train station proved to be a nightmare, with Mello notably irritable at how persistent the ticket seller was in interrogating them about their ages and why they intended to travel to the seaside on this rather cold Tuesday morning. Yes, they may have been bunking, but Mello hardly thought it was any of her business to be so intrusive.

“I got no sleep at all last night…”

“Shut up. Take a nap on the train or something, you shouldn’t have stayed up.” Sharing a dormitory with Matt had long since taught Mello to tolerate the repeated beeping that emanated from Matt’s various consoles that he played into the night. The rhythmic pattern they tended to possess often helped him drift to sleep himself anyway, “Need I remind you that this was your idea?”

Matt made a noise akin to an injured puppy, his hand slipping into Mello’s as the train heaved into the station. The blast of air confronted them with the reality of this little adventure that they were about to pursue. Mello squeezed Matt’s hand, and they stepped into the carriage, accompanied by a certain nervous excitement in anticipation of the day ahead.

While Matt did fall asleep the moment that the two sat down, Mello was intrigued by the journey, fixated on watching the rush of blurred landscapes from the window for the entirety of the two hours. His memories of arriving at the House were hazy things that arose only occasionally, but aside from that car journey, he had never travelled this far before. With Matt by his side, any anxieties of arriving somewhere completely new dissipated, replaced instead by a lingering curiosity of the world outside the confines of Winchester.

“Wake up.” Mello nudged Matt as they arrived, prompting the redhead to open his eyes slowly, frowning, “We’re here.”

“Already?”

Mello nodded, standing up, “You coming, or what?”

The two stumbled off the train to the quiet unfamiliarity of a strange place. The platform was empty and the grey clouds above promised nothing pleasant regarding the day’s weather prospects. The two looked at one another as they often did in these moments of uncertainty, but they had come all this way in search of something different from the claustrophobia of the House, which Mello insisted he knew well enough to give a decent estimate of how many bricks it was made up of.

“Let’s go.”

It was obvious this was a town that woke up for the summer, then proceeded to hibernate for the rest of the year. Storefronts selling buckets and spades, postcards, and other tat stood neglected along the narrow high street leading up to the coastline, and the few pensioners that roamed around peered suspiciously at the two small twelve year old boys that passed them by, as if they were breaching their territory. Mello stared back at them in defiance, hardly in the mood to be intimidated by these strangers, but Matt quietly averted his gaze to the cobbled ground, his hands nestled deep in his pockets.

The sea greeted the boys soon enough, stretching out into the whiteness of the autumnal sky as it lapped at the pebbled shore. There was a certain stale smell to the air and the soft cawing of gulls echoed in the isolation; all of a sudden Matt and Mello were the only people in the world. There had always been people around them their entire lives, mostly adults monitoring them and forcing them to comply with their strict rules about who they were meant to become. Yet now, in this empty beach town with its long stretch of seclusion and its cool, sharp breeze, Matt and Mello could sense the enticing opportunity of freedom for the first time.

“Let’s go in the sea.” Matt turned to Mello, a grin lighting up his expression.

“It’ll be damn freezing!”

“We can just take our shoes off and roll our trousers up.” Matt had already begun making his way to the shoreline, treading over the rocks carefully, and Mello quickly followed behind, hardly as resistant to the idea as he would have liked Matt to believe. They kicked off their trainers and discarded them without much concern as to whether they would still be there when they returned, before proceeding to fold over their trouser hems quickly, racing against one another to experience the sea for the first time.

“Ready?” Mello asked and Matt nodded. They shuffled close to the lapping waves, before Mello grabbed Matt’s wrist and ran, pulling the redhead alongside him. They both shrieked loudly as the icy water immediately numbed their feet, giggling at the extremity of their joint reaction.

“It’s so cold!”

“Yeah, no shit!”

They waded in as far as they could, until the water rose to their knees, before stopping to glance back at the beach behind them. There really was no one around, and their hands found each other's shirts, instinctively compelled to cling onto one another for a sense of comfort. They knew there was no risk of judgement here, and the warmth of their bodies was a reassurance in contrast to the bitterly chill waves in which they stood.

“Hey, Matt.”

“Yeah?” Before Matt had time to react, Mello slapped a tsunami over him, provoking another loud scream.

“You wanker!” Matt shoved Mello, causing the blonde to lose his footing and crash down into the sea, which snatched him as if reclaiming something sentimental once lost. Matt immediately grabbed a flailing hand that remained outstretched, pulling the completely damp Mello upright again, smacking his back as he hacked loudly, saltwater caught in his throat. He recovered quickly enough, but not without scowling at Matt.

“Sorry…” Matt mumbled, before attempting a small smirk, “Guess you won’t need a shower tonight.” Mello punched his arm softly, before pressing himself close to the other, giving Matt the opportunity to wrap his arms around Mello tightly, burying his face in the soft curve of his neck and shoulder. He forgot Mello could be fragile too, sometimes.

They stood together like this for a quiet moment before Mello complained that he was cold, and they made their way back up to the shore, wincing as their feet suffered against the hard rocks beneath. Their shoes remained where they had left them, and they gratefully sat down to slide them back on. Matt pulled off his hoodie and began patting Mello’s hair dry uselessly.

“I’m fine, I’m fine…” Mello resisted, but he appreciated the gesture, as ridiculous as it was, “Matt, I’m hungry. Do we have money for food?”

“Yeah.” Matt counted out ten quid from what he could find at the bottom of the backpack, “What do you want?”

“Anything. Well, not ice cream.”

Matt smiled, and stood up, “I’ll see what I can do.”

────────────────────────────

“What can I get for you, son?” The man at the counter was significantly younger than the other residents they had seen so far, and his accent was wildly different to what Matt had heard before, throwing him off as he stared at the battered fish before him blankly.

“What do you have?”

The man laughed, making Matt feel like an idiot, but as he pointed up the menu behind him, Matt could see that the options were limited to fish and chips. They sometimes had it for lunch at the House, but Mello was a picky eater and Matt did not fancy taking a risk.

“Chips. Please.”

The man nodded and began piling a generous portion onto a sheet of newspaper before wrapping it up. Matt wasn't entirely sure of what he thought about this practice but knew better than to comment on it. He exchanged it for the coins and as the man counted his change, he felt the warmth from his parcel melt away the sting of his frozen fingers. Mello would appreciate having something hot to eat.

He found Mello where he left him, sat up with his legs pulled tight against his chest and Matt’s hoodie draped over his shoulders like a cape. It had become sodden as it caught the droplets of water that fell from the strands of his golden hair. Matt sat down as close to him as he could, crossing his legs and laying the package in the centre of his lap before opening it up.

“Here we go. They're hot, so be careful.”

Mello smiled, picking a chip up and blowing on it gently before putting it in his mouth.

“That's really good.”

Matt tested one himself, and nodded his head in agreement, “Yeah. It is.”

Before they knew it, they had attacked a good half of the portion, their fingers slick with grease and crystals of salt. There was something that felt a little bit mischievous about it, for although Wammy’s didn't discourage unhealthy eating habits, it felt like a confirmation of what they had set out to do by taking this little excursion from the boredom of their everyday lives back at the House. Maybe it was because of this that Matt felt a surge of confidence rise within.

“You've got something on your face.” He commented nonchalantly and, without giving Mello time to respond, gently tilted his face with one hand and pressed his lips onto the blonde’s. They had kissed before, once or twice, in the shadows of the corridors while everyone was asleep, but Matt had always felt compelled to initiate it more brazenly. He felt Mello’s lips move against his and they sat with the saltiness of one another for a few moments before reluctantly disengaging.

“I found something while you were gone.” Mello mumbled, and Matt raised an eyebrow, curiosity peaked. Mello gently took the frames of Matt's goggles and pulled them down so they hung around his neck. Matt blinked. It really was a grey day today, now that the world was no longer bathed in a warm hue.

Turning around, Mello picked up something from the ground and then held it up to Matt. A piece of vivid green seaglass, smooth and bright, “I was surprised to find any here, actually, but it's like I thought. It matches your eyes.”

“Oh.” Matt didn’t really know why he struggled with an appropriate response to this, but his chest felt distinctly heavy with adoration for the boy before him. Mello recognised a piece of Matt in this strange landscape. He smiled softly, “Thanks.”

Mello nodded and handed it to Matt, who turned it over in his palm, comforted by its flawless texture, “Do we have to go back to the House?”

“Hm? Yeah, Matt. We do.”

“What if we just stayed here? Or took a train to London. We could even fly to the States from there.”

“With what money? Besides, they’ll find us eventually, you know.” Mello sighed, resting his chin on his knees. Matt leaned against him, relieved that his clothes had more or less dried now, even if it was inevitable that he would go down with a cold in a matter of days, “We don’t have the luxury to just run away – like it or not, we are successors. Sooner than later, I expect, L will have to make a choice about who he wants to take over when he dies.”

“You’re right. I just wish we didn’t have to deal with the pressure.” Matt replied quietly. It was not really the pressure he faced that concerned him, but rather the effect it had on Mello. He had watched how his studies consumed him, how obsession with his position in the House ate away at him with an unrelenting force. Matt had always known that such a trip as this was never going to deter Mello away from the House’s ambitious expectations, but he had hoped that it at least reminded him that there was more to life than the grades that held him captive.

“We should buy a postcard before we go.” Mello announced suddenly.

“Why? Who would we send it to?”

“We can keep it as a memento. Come on.”

The two boys scuffled up, neglecting the remainder of the chips on the shore as an offering to the gulls that had been circling close by, and drifted back towards the high street. The sun was already setting, casting the shops in a warm glow, and Mello dragged Matt into a small store that still had its ‘open’ sign turned outward. It was a musty little establishment, full of all kinds of oddities and junk that only a seaside town could make appear mildly endearing. Matt stared at a collection of taxidermied rats wearing clown outfits in horror as Mello made his way to the postcard stand.

“This place is so creepy.” Matt muttered in a hushed tone, but Mello ignored him as he sifted through the postcards, disappointed by the selection that was on display. Outdated Jubilee celebrations for various Royal Family members, postcards from Mallorca and Budapest, an assortment of ‘Get Well Soon’ cards. He was close to giving up until something caught his eye.

“Greetings from Los Angeles, California.” He read across the front of the faded postcard, depicting a sprawling skyline of tall buildings and palm trees, the sky blue and clear in a manner that looked almost artificial, especially in comparison to the bleakness of this little town. Mello could not quite place his finger on it, but something drew him to the image, something he wanted to hold onto.

“Yeah, come on, let’s go.” Mello muttered, his eyes darting over to the woman at the counter, who appeared half asleep. He slipped the card in the inner pocket of his jacket, without even Matt noticing, and they left the shop, only the small sound of the bell behind them indicating they had ever been there to begin with.

────────────────────────────

Despite the mild panic Matt and Mello felt upon realising that they were two pounds short of covering the fare back, only managing to earn after hanging around unashamedly begging for change to use at the telephone box, the two eventually caught the last train back to the House. Mello could feel himself drifting off, catching his head falling against his chest as he tried to blink some energy into the final stretch of the day.

Matt repositioned himself so that he could encourage Mello to lean his head against his shoulder, his hand rubbing the blonde’s thigh reassuringly, “Do you reckon Roger will be angry?”

“Mhm.” Mello replied, “Why, you scared?”

“No! No, I really enjoyed today. I’ll take whatever punishment.” He smiled, “Promise me we will run away together again soon, please?”

Mello’s eyelids felt too heavy to fight against, and as he breathed in the familiar smell of Matt, his mind wandered to that bright sunny skyline of the postcard buried in his jacket.

“Yes Matt, we will.”

[rinrinart]

AAAAAA

I just finished watching Death Note like a week ago. That was so cool >:D

Have the Wammy kids in the winter ❄️

[sour-stardust]

MattMello Week Day 7: Nothing bad ever happened AU

I was originally going to draw something where they survived the Kira case, but then I remembered that things went wrong when they went to Wammy's House (Roger + Watari messed UP when raising them)

So here's them at a boarding school instead of Wammy's (I felt a bit inspired by @zimt-deathnote's boarding school au)

[rosazoldyckk]

𝒀𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆!𝑳 𝑳𝒂𝒘𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝑿 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

Title: It’s yours alone. Fandom: Death Note. TW’s: Extreme mentions of Yandere/Obsessive behaviour, mentions of kidnapping and manipulation, a bit of non-consensual behaviours near the end (ONLY KISSING THOUGH!!) . If these make you uncomfortable then please read with caution or skip

1311 words

It's been almost three weeks since the infamous L Lawliet had saved you. And you had not stopped crying since.

It was driving him insane, the tears rolling down your beautiful plump cheeks. He loved how you looked with your cute lip-pouted, and tear-stained face, how your skin gets tinted, and the sniffle and twitch of your nose. You were just so unbelievably adorable.

Yet how could he enjoy such a sweet impression when it was made by sadness and not pleasure or happiness? It completely baffled the man as to why you were crying so much anyways. You probably missed your friends and family and the outside world. But he was here for you, to listen to your venting and frustration, yet you refused to even bat an eye towards him.

He really tried to help, he gave you as much space as you needed. He made sure that Watari had memorised your favourite meals, games, books, whatever it may be. L loved you, he wanted to make you feel good before you got used to him.

He knew you tried to escape a couple of times when he had been out doing detective work. He had cameras in his home, and he made a habit of watching you from his little computer room. He didn't need to bring up punishments yet since you were barely functioning at the moment, so he settled for watching and making his plan.

It was how he was now in this situation. With a sigh, L pushed the door open, restless on his feet to look at you in person again. You were a drug to him, and he had previously satisfied his urges with a glimpse of you while you walked home, gazing at you while you changed, unconscious of the eyes watching. But all he had now was his cameras, and he was already tired of that.

When the door swung open, he saw your head snap in his direction, your semi-relaxed posture straightening on the bed, and sitting up in a more alerting position. When your eyes met, he could feel his heart racing, alive, more so than he had felt in years. Yours glistened with unshed tears, already puffy with the previous nights worth of crying.

The silence hung in the air waiting to be pierced through. And though the detective believed he outgrew the puppy-eyed awkward phase of his life you made him feel like he felt then, the small newbie in Wammy's orphanage he was when his obsession love started. He gulped a bit, regaining his composure and walking in, closing the door.

Your eyes darted around the room, fingers lacing in the sheets. He gasped softly, "...You... "

"W-what?" You're voice shook, it made him hesitate. Your eyes narrowed in a glare, "What? What do you want from me?!"

He was taken aback. You were screaming at him, chest heaving, short huffs for breath and anger evident in your eyes. Your tone was grating to the raven haired man. L held himself together, not to make a scene and appear lacking in control. But his heart jumped at your tone. He understood why you were reacting like this, he had calculated this reaction, it was the beginning of his strategy. So despite the strange feeling boiling in his chest, he ignored it. Instead, he focused on you. How beautiful you looked.

"What are you here for?" Your voice broke. Though he ignored your words and approached you, he held his breath, inhaling softly in hopes to steal a little of your scent, he stood in front of you, and he felt dizzy.

He felt his breath evaporate, he couldn't feel anything but notice how your hair looked, how your skin seemed to glow despite the dimly lit room, how your eyes, despite the rampant hatred in them, held the galaxies in their depth. Your presence threatened him by wobbling his knees, demanding him to fall to his knees and truly worship you. You were divine, he was lucky to be in your gaze.

You were so ethereal.

Your lips shook with a sob, and snapped him out of his mind. Your hands rubbed your eyes, though the tears didn't leave, only fell faster, bigger, and your sobs louder. "...Are y-you going t-to..." You breathed in a soft shaky breath, "k-kill me?"

...kill you?

It took him a moment to comprehend what you were saying. Kill you? He would never even fathom such a sinful thought. Ever since he met you at Wammy's orphanage he fucking cherished you, you were his everything. His whole existence rested on yours, that's exactly why he had to save you. That's why he have to rush everything. But it's okay, it will be now, you were here, and his strategy had changed. He reached out, ignoring the way you flinched back when his hand touched your skin.

You hated the response you gave. The way your body froze when he crept close, the raven-haired man's eyes wide and watching, unnerving you more. His fingers slowly caressed your skin, even with your brows furrowed, his hands caressed you with all of a strange intent in his touch.

"kill you?" he muttered, dazed. "No, No. No, never, darling, I would never dare, your life is mine, mine is yours." His voice lowered still. "Love, I only saved you, I'd never do that."

Your eyebrows furrowed, cringing in your own skin when he leaned in more, his forehead leaning on yours, even if you tried to back away. His hand moved down, dropping onto yours. His crooked fingers gripped your own, and you jumped a little, but he didn't do anything to respond to your jittery behaviour, he was too dazed. Too dazed by something you couldn't understand.

L stared, his large coal eyes bore into your own. His hand pulled yours upwards and towards him. You were frozen still, and nervous to resist. Thoughts of when he abducted you in your mind, the way he manhandled you, the bruises still staining your skin, and you couldn't resist. You couldn't resist. You were terrified.

He placed your hands on his chest and inhaled deeply. He smiled softly, "My heart, can you hear it, love?"

His heartbeat fluttered softly. You hated the way his heartbeat made your stomach explode in butterflies, It was warm, a shiver crawling up from your stomach, it burned faintly. You didnt understand.

"Do you hear it?" L whispered. "Do you hear my heart, Y/N? It's beating. It's beating for you."

You shook your head slowly. “Please-“

"I live for you, Y/N."

L leaned in, you squeezed your eyes shut, preparing for the worst.

Warm, soft lips pressed against your own, and your eyes opened along with your mouth from pure shock. L did not let this opportunity slip by. Before you could snap it shut again, he slipped his tongue into your mouth, sliding it around every-which-way, exploring every single corner. Nothing was left untouched.

Stop -

You squirmed, trying to shove the sick man off of you, but he pinned your wrists to the sides of your hips, pressing his mouth even harder against yours. A low rumble of pleasure sounded in his throat as he kissed you absolutely breathless.

L pulled away, both of you gasping, one simply for air, while the other from need of oxygen as well as horror. You tried once more to break free of L's grasp, but he was simply too strong for you.

"Y/N." L's voice had gone husky. You avoided his eyes, afraid to set loose the monster inside that was already making it's presence known.

"You must understand my heart…it's yours alone."

[lightyaoigami]

praise_lilith 2024 wrapped ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

this year, i wrote 18 fics totaling 26,243 words! here is a retrospective gathering of all of those fics under the cut.

kompromat: lawlight, 4.6k, rated m [rewrite]

Amnesiac Interpol Detective Inspector Light Yagami goes to a hotel bar in London and sees a familiar face. The Man denies any past between them, but is he telling the truth?

because the night: lawlight, 2.3k, rated e

yotsuba arc fare with a bit of a kink twist - not kinktober, but probably belongs there.

sweet tooth: lawlight, <1k, rated t

a valentine's fic, short and sweet, about a future!lawlight living together.

pillow talk: lawlight, <1k, rated e [kinktober]

When Light isn't granted the freedom he's used to, he indulges in a violent fantasy. Unbeknownst to him, L shares his proclivity for the very same.

yabai!: lawlight, 1.2k, rated e [kinktober]

When L requests that the task force refresh their marksmanship, Light takes it upon himself to arrive early to the shooting range. He soon discovers he's got a shot at more than a bullseye.

unread message: lawlight, <1k, rated e [kinktober]

a sexting epistolary over email.

compliance: lawlight, 1.8k, rated e [alignment series] [lawlight week]

When Wall Street analyst Light Yagami encounters his beguiling IT help desk colleague L, he must learn to balance his burgeoning career in finance with a messy workplace romance. When he goes to L's apartment for the first time, he finds he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Alignment (director's cut) (praise_lilith's version) (from the vault) (demo track)

quod erat demonstrandum: yuri!beyondlaw, 5.6k, rated e [kinktober]

Beyond teaches her roommate L thing or two after a night on the town.

domicile: mello & near, <1k, rated g

Mello isn't happy with his roommate at Wammy's House. One night, after a particularly egregious transgression, he asks Roger to reassign him.

"but monica," you entreat. "that doesn't add up to 26k words!" you're right. i have secret anonymous fics floating out there. good luck!

[gh0stbeeee]

tell us more about the death note/h2o crossover please 👀

Warning, tiny bit of dark content near the end. But like, it's death note sooo...

Characters:

Rikki = Light

Emma = L

Cleo = Misa

Lewis = Matsuda

Miriam = Kiyomi

Zane = Mikami

Kim = Sayu

Elliot = Near, Mello, Matt

Miss Chatham = Ryuk

Now, despite character assignments I'm still giving cannon siblings. So Sayu is still Light's little sister, the wammy boys are L's etc. The roles are based off of personality, so not everything fits and I'll move things around. Like yeah, Ryuk is Chatham because him as a weird old ocean man with ominous advice is hysterical.

Plot:

Starts of pretty similar, will diverge.

Light and Misa go to high school at the Gold Coast, Australia. Light's mother is a marine biologist that works at a nearby institute, while his father still works in Japan as the chief of the NPA.

Misa lives there with her parents, and is close with Light. Ie, she follows him around and he puts up with her. She is also good friends with Matsuda, who studies with her occasionally.

L is the new transfer kid, who Light doesn't like because he keeps on challenging his intellect. Plus he's weird.

So of course Light gets put in a group biology project with him, along with Misa.

While brainstorming where to research, L asks about Mako Island. Light says the Island and the waters around it are too dangerous. L (in essence) calls him chicken.

That weekend, the two, and an unwilling Misa, take Sachiko's boat out to Mako. And the gas tank leaks. So, they row the short rest of the way to Mako.

Of course, there's no phone service, and no one will look for them until after the weekend. Light and L bicker on the beach until Misa makes them go setup camp on the shore, then look for higher ground to try and get reception.

While looking, Misa falls in a hole. L goes in to help her. Light falls into trying to lend them the rope. Stuck down there, they look for an exit, and find the moon pool.

After oooing and aweing, they figure out the pool is connected to the ocean due to tidal rings. They plan to swim out after L scopes it out. Problem, Misa can't swim.

But after encouraging words and promises to help her, they all get in the pool as the full moon rises over the mouth of the volcano.

Weird bubbles happen.

But they ignore it, swimming out to the ocean and back to their camp near shore, getting dry and going to sleep.

The next morning they go into the shallow water to look for samples for their project since they have nothing else to do.

And they all turn into fish.

They freak, Misa screams, it's a mess. They all crawl onto shore to try and figure this out, and as soon as they're dry, they turn back to normal.

Misa refuses to touch water again. L needs time to process what just happened. But Light, the little getter he is, goes for a swim.

And he loves it, it's the most awesome swimming experience he's ever had. Way better than swimming as a clumsy human. He convinces L, then Misa, and after they all start to get used to their tails, they're having the time of their lives.

Now, they can push the boat back to the mainland, and say that "luckily" the gas tank leaked right as they were getting back.

They get what they need for the project, and like the dorky 16 year olds they are, swear a pact to never tell anyone about this.

(Touta finds out a week later when Misa tried to go to a pool party.)

Miscellaneous/Plot Points

Misa shows up at school the following day in total beach girl aesthetic, including beach curls, shell/pearl jewelry, flowy clothes and wedges. L nearly smacks her upside the head. Light does.

They turn the moon pool into their own little hangout! Misa gets them all to buy fairy lights, tapestries, blankets, pillows, and even shelves for all of their stuff, along with a crap ton of batteries for the lights. It turns out surprisingly cozy.

They all hang out a lot for obvious reasons, which puts a chip in Kiyomi and Teru's shoulder. They've tried to be close to Light to no avail, but suddenly this L guy, and Misa who is now more than tolerated, are suddenly thick as thieves with him! They get bitchy with the two, especially L.

Misa made them all fishing net pouch-belts to put cool things they find during swims in.

The pool starts to look like a little treasure trove, since there is a LOT of cool stuff to find and the bottom of the ocean.

With the sheer amount of pearls and mother of pearl they find, Light starts to make accessories out of it. Misa is overjoyed and accepts the items with joy. L likes to watch Light tinker. Light doesn't mind him there.

The three, especially Light develop a superiority complex in regards to other people. It's based in insecurity about not being human anymore, but they do feel superior because of their powers.

L goes research nuts. A large portion of the moon pool wall looks like a mermaid conspiracy board, he wants to find any possible explanation. Light helps where he can, impressed with L's brain.

L was the first to find his powers, when he froze Kiyomi and Mikami to a wet sidewalk. Next was Light, after he boiled his annoying history teachers coffee all over his desk. Misa found her power a few days after, accidentally flooding her bathroom when she tried to bath.

The first full moon was... not good. Ryuk randomly showed up at the beach to warn Light, who discarded his words as meaningless blabbering. The three of them went moon crazy, and swam in the ocean until Misa got caught in an illegal fishing boat net.

The next morning, the boat was found sunken and destroyed, the charred and frozen bodies of the small were found with it.

None of them swam for three days.

But uh, yeah! They're a little pod, very protective of eachother :)

Misa likes to find starfish that match their hair colours and stick them on the boys' hair. They don't come off :)

It's the wammy boys that notice something up (they including Sayu are 10 btw) and they end up finding some of L's research. Watari just said it was probably a hobby when they showed him, but when they go to Sayu and they find a type of shell that is only found at diving depth in Light's room, they begin to think their theory of mermaids is warranted.

The trio is annoyed by the snoopyness, and now that they were technically murderers there was another level of urgency to keep this secret.

Unfortunately, mermaid hunters and scientists do start showing up, as "sitings" have increased due to underwater cameras.

Stakes rise and the three begin to ponder the benefits of staying. And the risks of going.

They start sabotaging. Finding the groups, their plans and evidence under the guise of mermaid enthusiasts. It works mostly, except for one group that keeps coming back. L finds himself impressed with how easily Light can manipulate them.

The three start going farther away during swims, able to go to places like Fiji or the Mediterranean in under an hour due to their extraordinary tails.

There is relationship drama. Misa is realizing her crush on Light is going no where, and he and L have started to become closer. Eventually they get over it, but lawlight is end game.

Kiyomi's jealousy deflates over time, and she begins to appreciate Misa without Light clouding her mind ;)

That's all for now I think! BTW, blue tails for mermen isn't on a whim, it's cannon in the h2o sequel Mako mermaids :)

[aliypop]

Good Luck Charm

Word count: 461

Prompt: Elvis and Cecelia are having a quiet night winding the twins down when Jesse has another idea.

Warning: None

Taglist:

@darkmoviesquotespizza

@sissylittlefeather

@richardslady121

@thegettingbyp2

@presleyenterprise

@dkayfixates

@rjmartin11

@thetaoofzoe

@your-nanas-house

@zayurir

@60svintage

@sillybookmarks

@leapresley

@everythingelvispresley

@dreamondina94

@elvismylove04

@pocketfulofpresley

@elvispresley1956

@poeandmoonknightgirl

Memphis 1961

"Look at your little tummy wummies!" Cecelia cooed, bathing the twins as Elvis sat by Cecelia, eyes full of adoration, "You're a great mama, you know." He smiled, cleaning up spit from Jesse's mouth, "And you're a great daddy," She kissed his nose, hearing Jesse and Elaine babble, "Hey! Can't your daddy get some kisses," He chuckled as she smiled. It had only been three weeks since she had the twins, but they'd been adjusting the best they could,

"Bawbababwa!!" Elaine said, sticking her tongue out. Elvis gasped as he looked at his brown-eyed cutie of a daughter, "Baaah to you too!" Cecelia chuckled, the two going back and forth as she took her out of the tub, "Seems you two are in a heated debate, huh?"

"Naw, she said Mama should give her more milk." He teased, still washing up Jesse, "Well, Elaine, if your brother didn't have your daddy's appetite, you'd get more." She teased, walking Elaine to her nursery. She dried off the baby and powered her down,

"There we go. Now it's time for your sockie wockies." Elaine fought as she didn't want them on her feet, but the poor thing had no choice,

"Alright, now for your jammy wammys."

"AW HELL JESSE PEED ON ME!" Was all Cecelia heard. Holding back her laughter, Elvis came in as he held a twice-wet Jesse, his blue eyes looking at his own father's blue eyes with mischief,

"Well... you know what they say?"

"What's that?"

"It's a good luck charm... uh-huh-huh." She chuckled, handing Elvis a diaper and Jesse's pajamas, "Very funny honey, "He kissed her cheeks, and Cecelia blushed as she looked at him,

"Alright Jesse, be good to your daddy an put your foot in this sock."

"Wubbbaw."

"Mhmm." Elvis nodded,

"Bwabba!"

"I know!" He slid the material on his feet as he kissed his forehead, the couple then rocked them to sleep with a lullaby,

"Say, Elvis..."

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you be my little good luck charm tonight?" Cecelia looked at him,

"Ain't nothing little about this charm." He teased scooping her up in his arms. Maybe moments like this were why they called babies bundles of joy.

[snakxreader]

ANOTHER ONE!

overworked journalist that Wammy forces to get some rest and gets them to fall asleep “like a dad figure”

I find asking this one quite ironic since like you know, the wammy ask from before, Triffanny has it

G O O D

A/N: DADBUS ASKS REALLL!!! I love doing parental asks, please gimme more/hj

Pretty fun to do, mildy based off personally experience/hj, I hope you enjoy!

Wambus and Journalist (Take a Break)

With every passing minute, their body felt like it was going to give way from exhaustion. But it wasn’t like they weren’t used to that feeling, so they did their best to roll with it. Buddy had been on a real catching spree as of lately, Donating to Gramble’s barn, helping Chandlo get his ‘gains’, the snax used to help Snorpy defend against the Grumpanati or whatever had happened to somebody in town. Of course, these started to wear on them and their friends noticed. Filbo in particular.

But it was fine. They were fine. They had to be, because who was going to do it otherwise?

Buddy stopped by Wambus’s farm for a second, to gather the sauces needed to gather the Bugsnax they needed today. The farmer noticed them, pausing in his work to greet them.

“Stranger! What brings you here so early?”

“Headed out to the Simmering Springs to catch some stuff for Beffica, she’s really obsessed with Snaquiri right now….” They said, swiping some Cholocate Sauce. “Amd Wiggle wants a Grapeskeeto….oh, and Snorpy wants a Pinkle for something….then I gotta backtrack to Sugarpine-”

“Uh…those are, uh, lotta requests…” Wambus frowned, eyebrows furrowed. He rested his weight against his hoe. “Shouldn’t you space those out?”

“It’s fine. Why not do them all today, right?” Buddy yawned, shaking themselves slightly as to not fall asleep. Wambus still looked unconvinced.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” Buddy affirmed, preparing to head down to the Sinmering Springs. Their eyes were still heavy but other than the usual exhaustion, they coud run errands. Wouldn’t bet that hard. Snaquiri just had to be shot down with a bit of Sauce, and thye could used the chocolate to get Grapeskeeto, so really all they had to do was catch those, walk through the campfire, head to Sugarpine, catch the Sprinklepede, then make it back to Flavor Falls to-

Wait. Campfire?

They looked down. Oh, they were on fire. People were screaming.

Seems about right.

…..Oh grump, they’re on fire!!

Buddy ran around, kicking up as much dirt as they possibly could and stepping on their own feet in an attempt to put out the fire. Thankfully, they had only been set ablaze for a minute or so, letting it pamper out with only minor bits of singed fur. Buddy sighed.

“Buddy!” Filbo cried out, but Buddy brushed him off, intent to keep going, mumbling a quick apology.

And then, Buddy felt himself getting lifted into the air and slung a navy furred shoulder.

“Wha-?!”

“I’ve been watching ya for the past week as you ran yourself dry with different errands, ya need to lay down!” Wambus growled. “Now.”

“Wambus! Wambus, let me go!” Buddy tried to squirm their way out of Wambus’s grasp, only to fail everytime. He marched them to their hut, and plopped them on their bed, tucking them into the sheets. The journalist pouted, annoyed at the turn of events. They tried to get up, but Wambus refused to let them leave, keeping them under the blankets.

“Wambus!”

“Ya look like death, take a nap.”

“I don’t-”

“Shhhhhhhh….nap.” Wambus shushed them. “Don’t fight it, I can see it in your eyes.”

“I’m…I’m,,,” Buddy tried to struggle, but Wambsu was right. He was exhausted, sleep deprived and in a bit of pain. They laid against the pillow, feeling themselves get tucked in once more.

“I’m not tired. Just. Just a quick break.”

Wambus snorted. “Of course, Stranger.” He ruffled their hair and left their hut.

Buddy was asleep in less than two minutes.

[queer-omens-in-the-archives]

I'm very curious what do you think about these for Meronia:

1. How did they meet and what were their first impressions of each other?

28. What's a conversation they'd get overly invested in that nobody else would care about?

30. What's something one thinks the other should improve upon?

Hiii thank you for the questions!!!! :3

1- How did they meet and what were their first impressions of each other? In my mind Mello was already at Wammy's House when Near got there around age like… 7-8? Idk if the Wammy's staff would have formally introduced new children to their peers or just been like, "yo dropping this kid into their new enclosure, whatever bye", but either way:

Mello's first impression of Near was basically "huh, weird kid! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" and then forgot all about him... until Near started outdoing him in every single subject ever except sports.

Near's first impression of Mello I could see go two ways: "who is this insanely charismatic sun-haired angel, I am having my first ever crush" OR "who is this loud agitated bastard, can't he be quiet and still, I'm sad about my family and trying to think". Either works for me dhgdsf.

28- What's a conversation they'd get overly invested in that nobody else would care about?

In the post-canon "Mello lives and they work together as L" AU that my brain seems bent on conjuring today: one time during a particularly slow/unbusy few weeks, they get really into figuring out the perfect font, kerning, line spacing, etc for optimised legibility of work documents. It gets to the point they're like, essentially collaborating on this, but ALSO having heated disagreements, printing out a bunch of test sheets for comparison, etc, culminating in one time when they take it to their staff... who are all like "uhhhh, who cares as long as we can read the stuff, what are you two getting so worked up about ?_?" and they are both so mad that nobody else cares. (They are just not getting enough enrichment in their enclosure, doctor idleness will KILL the patients they need fresh interesting thinking material to live)

In actual canon, I think that's more likely to happen at Wammy's House, due to the degree of focus the Kira case required from both of them + the fact they didn't really have any kind of regular contact after Mello left the orphanage. Probably some obscure area of science both of them happened to get really into at the same time, and couldn't find anybody else on their level to discuss with (I am unfortunately not enough of a science/maths person to have any idea what the exact topic could be lol)

30- What's something one thinks the other should improve upon? This one is really hard for me because in my mind they accept each other fully as they are and would not change anything about the other, even if/when it pisses them off <3 but trying to actually answer the question,

Mello prooobably thinks Near's emotional regulation skills could use some improvement? This is brought to you by a post I saw recently (unfortunately cannot find the post nor remember who made it) about how Mello is used to living life at an emotional intensity level of 85, so he's good at handling his emotions in general despite the occasional impulsive behaviour; whereas Near very infrequently going from his average of 0.3 emotional intensity to 60 is Much Harder for Near to cope with. And I think in the context of a romantic relationship between them, that skill imbalance could cause some friction / Mello definitely would want Near to get Better at it dfsfd

The other way around... welp. I have been rotating this in my mind for a literal ten minutes and cannot envision a single thing that Near would seriously believe (as opposed to off-handedly think and forget about 10 seconds later) Mello should do better. He thinks Mello is great exactly the way he is. Because who is Near if not the original Mello stan and apologist <3

[character relationship headcanons ask game]

[alarici]

mattmello week day 1: Vacation

Vacation before finale. minor canon divergence. 377 words.

Only to bring you peace.

They spend Christmas in the north.

Only at Christmas time.

Matt is tired. It gets dark too early. He'd gotten used to the California sun, before they flew across the ocean for the endgame, or whatever it was. Mello is unbothered. Mello takes tepid showers and bundles himself in his furs and leaves the house. Business. They're headed back to Tokyo, soon.

Only the King of Kings

It's a stretch to consider it a vacation. Sure, they're in the middle of nowhere. The town, closer to Western Russia than to Kanto, is snow covered and scenic. Warm yellow lights and icicles falling off cottage roofs. Like one of those snow globes that sat gathering dust on the mantle at Wammy's during the holiday season.

Matt knows Mello's in pain. The cold does the metal posts in his leg and the newly-scarring burns no favors. It's a horrible vacation. There's nothing to do. They go to the little shop and buy cured meats. Rice that Mello makes him cook. Matt stares out the window at the mountains.

So imagine his shock when one night, Mello sinks like a rock into Matt’s bed. Their little house has four beds across two rooms. It’s empty and cold and Mello usually keeps to himself. Unlike the static closeness of Tokyo or the frantic need of Los Angeles, they barely speak and rarely touch in Ikawa, Akita. Matt babysits his setup and rarely braves the cold, rarely leaves the house. Mello does god knows what, arriving red and wet from the endless snow.

Matt’s ok with this. Bored, cut off, neglected, lonely, but ok with this when Mello lifts the three layers of blankets.

“It’s Christmas morning,” Matt thinks he hears Mello say into the dark room. It's 4 AM. Matt's tired. Matt's never been able to fall asleep easy.

“They don’t celebrate that here, so they?” Matt asks into his lumpy pillow.

“The Christians do.”

“Are there any Catholics here?”

“Haven’t met any.” Small sample size, Matt thinks.

Matt breathes. Risks turning towards Mello, forehead to uncovered neck. Mello reacts, barely, but Matt feels the tilt of his head. A shift a millimeter back. The curl of his upper back. A sharper breath.

"Merry Christmas, Mello."

"Vacation's over in two days."

"Back to Tokyo?"

"Yeah."

Only what once was mine.

(italics are from the great song "Only at Christmas Time" by Sufjan Stevens)

It takes the end of time It takes a long, long time Only one thought of mine Only at Christmas time