Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I develop a hate for fanfiction

Light shuffled uncomfortably in his seat as the rest of his family engaged in a shouting match over their lack of money.
“Why in Kami’s name would you use the money we saved for concert tickets Sayu, your behaviour is shameful and you need to refund them right now”
Said girl was pulling out all the tears and snot to remain on the good side of her parents ‘in usual fashion’ Light thought to himself dryly, trying not to laugh at the antics of the girl who only had to pull out a few crocodile tears before she was named as the golden child of the year. However Light had to work his ass off in school and put unnecessary effort into making a show of socialising and studying even though he didn’t need to do any of those things to remain top in school. It came easily to him and he was so bored of trying to please his parents to get ignored in favour of that. He shuddered whilst looking at Sayu’s neon red face streamed with tears.

“You know that we’ve been struggling with bills lately Sayu and we can’t get any loans currently, we’re out of options” Light’s face turned horrified as Sayu slowly turned to look at him with a glint in her eyes “Well those tickets to see L Lawliet are non refundable so what if we sold something else to make up for it” he could practically hear her thoughts ‘well who would ever want to cancel a trip to see the wonderful L Lawliet so why don’t we offload some useless things in this house like I don’t know the thing sitting over there’ but maybe he’s just imagining this and his family would actually show attachment to him for once.

“You know, Light’s at the perfect age to move out and he is technically freeloading off you…..” Sayu suggested innocently as Light tried to imagine what heinous crimes he had committed in a past life for so many unfortunate events to happen specifically to him one after another. His mother gave him a concerned look but his father started nodding with his usual emotionless yet stern expression.

“Come on you can’t seriously be considering this father, I’m not even officially out of high school” Sayu felt the need to contribute again “But L Lawliet is the same age as you and is ridiculously rich with fans all over the world” Light shrieked internally, it’s always L Lawliet this and L Lawliet that and he’d had enough of her fangirling. “Oh for fuck’s sake Sayu will you please shut up about L Lawliet” the rest of his family gasped like he’d just slaughtered a host of characters during a Shakespearean drama.

“That’s enough, Light I’m beginning to think your sister is right about you not contributing to this family. There is no need to attack her when she’s done absolutely nothing harmful towards you, it’s time you did something useful” ‘well if I’m gone there’s nobody to brag about during talks with relatives or acquaintances so their loss’ Light thought miserably.

“There’s plenty of people looking for a strong young boy like you so it’s time we let you into the world” Light blinked in shock “Go pack your stuff so you’re ready for when we find someone” he did a double take “Isn’t selling me illegal” he protested incredulously.

“Do not talk back to me in that tone” Soichiro roared, making his son flinch slightly. Light stared at his family for a second, half hoping it would be revealed as an elaborate trick and they aren’t actually going to get rid of him. There was no opposition. He turned and went upstairs to gather all of his things, not even bothering to listen to the chatter coming from the living room- he’s not going to bother getting involved anymore. Once all of his stuff was packed he sat on his bed and stared off into space, only focusing on the present once more when he realised the chatter from downstairs had ended.

‘Damn did they really find someone already to ship me off to, god I hope it’s not some predator or serial killer’ he immediately arrived at multiple worst case scenarios for who he was being handed over to like a parcel or some unused furniture. He became bored of trying to entertain himself with his own thoughts and wandered around the top floor of his house like a Victorian ghost. Light paused outside of Sayu’s room, briefly checking nobody was about to catch him, before going inside.

‘It should not be legal to sell this shade of pink’ he complained to himself after seeing the colour of the walls that was so bright it could have melted his eyeballs from prolonged exposure. Light rifled through her belongings, the bitch suggested selling him off so he had no lingering feelings of regret about taking anything from her. Pocketing a few sweets he went over to her desk where her computer was along with a closed notebook ‘well just to leave a lasting impression’ he smirked before pulling a few wires out of her device and removing various additions that would make it very difficult for her to fix. His attention turned to the book, the conversation downstairs had struck up again so he figured he had some time to investigate.

Light flicked to a random page and started reading curiously.

Y/N looked up at L with glistening eyes, just the sight of him made her knees weak. How could anyone possibly be this perfect, and by some trick of fate she now belonged to him. She thought back to her abusive family and how they’d grown tired of her and attempted to sell her for money. But she’d ended up in the perfect hands of none other than L Lawliet the singer.
“Are you okay honey?” She whimpered at his British accent and clutched his arm tightly…..

Light gagged viciously as he snapped the book shut, the monstrosity would forever scar him and haunt his dreams. It just seemed to get worse as it progressed, everywhere he goes the name L Lawliet seems to haunt him and he doesn’t even know who the guy is. Placing the cursed fanfiction back onto Sayu’s desk he quickly scanned the rest of her room, deciding to rip one of her homework pieces that he’d practically done for her and take the books she’d stolen off him. Having second thoughts he picked the book up to take with him.

‘That should be enough’ Light thought as he slipped out of her room and back into his own to shove his prizes into his bag. He sat down and made an attempt to look casual just as his mother entered the room, she opened her mouth as if to try and defend her actions- or rather lack of. His glare cut her off and he picked up his belongings before making his way back downstairs.

Sayu was waiting for him with a smirk on her face, Light smiled fakely “Enjoy your concert Sayu, just don’t let the sight of L make your knees weak” she turned slightly pale “What do you mean” he watched her eyes flicker around the room in panic with a smirk “You know just try not to whimper at his British accent” a blush formed across her face “shut up” she hissed. He threw the book towards his parents and horror flashed across her face along with recognition “Sayu wrote something” he called to his confused looking parents before swanning out of the house as soon as his father’s face started turning red, slamming the door behind him but still hearing the shouts.

Light’s gleeful expression faded as he turned around to see a car waiting outside his house with blacked out windows ‘Who shows up to buy someone in a limousine at the actual location the audacity’ he just stared as a grey haired man exited the car to open the door for him. Did he walk out of the door into another dimension?

The passenger door was opened for him and he slid into the back which was, thankfully, empty. The partition revealing the driver to him was down so he could see where they would be going and talk to the man driving him.

The engine started and Light didn’t even bother to take a last look at his house as the car pulled away for what was most likely the last time.

“Feel free to ask me any questions by the way, you may call me Watari like most do if you find it sufficient” Light became curious at his language “But that’s not your real name is it” there was no immediate response but Light thought he saw a smile on Watari’s face “No, everyone closely associated with my employer takes a different name to avoid any negative actions being carried out against them. It’s also so they can leave some of their more negative memories in the past” Light mentally noted that there were multiple people, whose real names were concealed for some reason and that it would be due to their past.

“Not to mean I was eavesdropping on your family but I heard some interesting shouting coming from the house and judging by your smirk you obviously did something before leaving” Light had honestly had enough of today and was too tired to put himself on guard, so he told Watari everything that had transpired today.

There was a moment of silence before he roared with laughter that delved into a brief coughing fit. Light could have sworn he saw him wipe away a few tears.

“Oh if I had any doubts before they’re completely gone, you’ll get along amazingly well with the others. I suppose you should get some early introduction to them because the whole lot can be a bit….much” Light had a blank expression on his face ‘Who the fuck am I going to’ he wondered.

“So there’s my employer who is 18 like you and quite wealthy, looking after everyone in the group. There’s four of them: Beyond is around 17- he didn’t know himself so it is what we assume and he has a fixation with jam, Mello is 15 and likes chocolate and being superior, Matt is also 15 and really likes technology which is why you two would enjoy each other’s company, Near is the youngest at 9 and he really likes toys” Light absorbed the information on the strange group of people he was to meet.

“Like I said, everyone takes an alias so is there anything you’d like to change yours to?” Light’s thoughts paused briefly at the question before firing up again “I don’t really have a preference” he confessed. Watari hummed in response “I’ll try to think of one for you then” they were silent for a time, both in thought but about completely different things.

“What about Kira?” Watari offered which made Light turn his focus back to the front of the vehicle “Hmmm…..actually I quite like that idea, Kira sounds good” there was a small smile on his face at the idea of changing the name he goes by, at least he had some help for it.

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The car slowed to a stop and Li-Kira gripped his belongings, ready to make an exit and meet the nameless employer along with the weird names squad comprising of Beyond, Mello, Matt and Near. ‘It sounds like a strangely named boy band’ he laughed to himself before sliding out of the now open door and gazing up at the very tall building of what seemed to be apartments.

Watari removed a keycard from his pocket “We’re lucky it’s just us, when in other company it’s necessary to use a more inconvenient entrance” they walked through a lobby and towards the elevators. They stopped at the one on the far right for the keycard to be swiped, not even needing to wait, Kira noted with surprise.

They didn’t have to wait long before the doors opened once more onto a complete room ‘Is this a penthouse?’ He scanned the surroundings to see a lot of furniture but no signs of human life in the whole place.

“One second” Watari said before pressing an intercom in the wall “Meet in the entrance please” after a brief crackle of static followed by silence he sighed “I will confiscate all sugar, chocolate, toys, jam, devices and no vengeance for B or M either” there were some muffled shrieks coming from seemingly all directions. Loud footsteps echoed down stairs as people sprinted into the room, a loud crash was heard along with a cry of “No, my precious jam” before two more people appeared, one running on all fours.

“Glad to be welcomed as soon as I arrived back” muttered Watari “This is Kira, his family set off the program outright with no hidden intentions whatsoever” they all made various faces of disgust.

“Left to right we have Beyond, Mello, Matt, Near and then L” Kira was too busy staring at the child to give any questions about the last name offered, something looked off about his hair that was limp and dirty. He glanced at the others before putting a hand over half of his mouth to whisper to Watari “Is he not allowed to shower?” He asked quietly, a similar thing had been enforced upon him once which he had hated but thankfully it irritated his father more to see him unclean and was taken back. Watari looked a bit startled at the question before adopting a low voice “He is, but he doesn’t like it and very rarely can we get him in” they were all still standing there watching.

“Have you tried persuading him into a bath instead” Watari shrugged “If he wants one, he certainly doesn’t take me up on my offer” Kira walked over to Near and crouched slightly so their heights could be more level.

“Hi Near” he smiled “Hello Kira” the child responded “I’ve been told you like toys right?” There was a nod given “Well have you ever been to build a bear” Near’s eyes flashed in recognition but shook his head as a no, Kira sighed “Well once I put my stuff somewhere, I’ll take you there myself but only if you try your best to have a bath. Is that ok with you” there was a long pause before he nodded, Kira picked up on the lowered voices from Matt to Mello “He’s the Near whisperer” the brown haired teen remarked quietly.

“Well done” Kira whispered to Near before backing away to have the whole group within view “Nice to meet you” he offered before turning to grab his stuff where Watari was standing, slightly wide eyed at the fact he’d just communicated so well with Near.

Kira followed the man towards a staircase but saw the explosion created by the jam that was dropped by Beyond along with some glass on the floor.

“Beyond” he called and waited for said boy to slink around the corner after them “Near is currently barefoot and I’m assuming he is like that on a daily basis so please clean it up by the time I’m back down to find him” the boy didn’t move so Kira brought out a stare he had perfected from attempts to freak out Sayu.

“Jesus Christ” he muttered and moved to start clearing his mess “And not a shard left or by the time you’re done there will be no jam left in this house” fear and curiosity glimmered in Beyond’s eyes as he kept moving.

A laugh from around the corner made Kira turn around for the second time to see the one who’s name he could not remember processing properly “Near and Beyond tamed in one go, maybe Watari should have some lessons from you” the black haired stranger smirked “And no proper greeting for me, I’m starting to feel offended” Kira’s brain drew a blank “I don’t remember your name but if it helps you look slightly familiar” his eyes widened slightly “So you actually don’t recognise me, that’s strange” but Kira noted that he breathed a small sigh of relief.

Beyond who had been cackling in the background decided to re-enter the conversation “Go on Lawli-pop, I wanna see his expression when he realises” his brain cells moved slowly ‘Lawli why does that sound familiar, what was that last name Watari mentioned something like L…. L Lawli..et’ his face turned pale and Beyond’s laughter turned hysterical.

Unbeknownst to Kira, his eyes glimmered with barely contained loathing that intrigued the famous singer, he turned swiftly to Watari who received the unspoken message. “Along the corridor first door on the right without any designs on” he made his way up the stairs, walking around Beyond who was torn between continuing to laugh or trying to pick up glass as the multitasking was going quite slowly.

L turned to Watari who sighed deeply “Technically from what I was told, you were the catalyst in all of this as his sister was the one who suggested the whole ordeal after getting them into debt with.. concert tickets” L’s face twisted “Right, seems logical that I would be seen in a not so positive light”.

After a little bit of waiting, Kira returned downstairs and noted that Beyond was dutifully scrabbling at the floor. He sighed gently as he looked around “And now to find Near”

Chapter Text

The white haired boy stared at Kira before looking back at the bath suspiciously “Is this safe?” he interrogated whilst the 18 year old put his face into his hands. This cycle had been repeating for about 20 minutes now but if it gets Near to feel more comfortable then it’s worth it.

“Remember the build a bear Near” Kira encouraged “And I’m here to pull you out if you get uncomfortable. Do you like the smell of apples?” He nodded uncertainly “I’ll put some bubbles in for you” Near peered out from behind Kira to watch the thick liquid get poured into the water and the bubbles started rising.

With an encouraging look from Kira, Near clambered into the bath as he had already changed into a long sleeved T-shirt and shorts reserved for swimming. He seemed intrigued by the bubbles but was drawn away by a click, turning sharply to see Kira approaching with an open shampoo bottle in hand. “Strawberry” was the only explanation given and Near’s only thought at that moment was ‘L likes strawberry’ before delving into the possibilities of supply issues due to the L Lawliet stans and inflation of strawberry related products. He’d have to analyse different products available online to make an informed decision but it is a likely theory.

The fingers touching his hair seemed unfamiliar but he soon relaxed under Kira’s touch letting his mind wander to other things. Kira sighed in relief at Near’s cooperation and kept scrubbing his hair and made sure not to let anything touch his eyes. After rinsing his hair with shampoo twice and some conditioner so it wouldn’t get too tangled, he started shifting “I want to get out now” he said quietly and Kira immediately grabbed a towel and heaved the child out of the water.

Drying off Near’s hair with the towel, he watched him walk back to his room to change and was suddenly struck by an idea. He still had time before Near was ready so made his way downstairs quickly, only stopping when something crunched under his shoe. Looking down he saw a shard of glass, picking it up and sniffing it he caught the faint scent of something that wasn’t jam……chocolate.

“Nice try Mello” he yelled at the teen who was hidden not very effectively around a corner. Not wanting to disappoint Near, Kira kept walking quickly around the apartment until he found Watari who looked slightly surprised to see him.

“I’m glad you stopped by Kira, I just realised I had forgotten to give you your phone” he handed over the latest model of phone to the boy who immediately unlocked it to open up the camera app “I have a solution to Near’s aversion to cleanliness but I’m going to need one decent photo of everyone if that is acceptable” Watari nodded and Kira took a quick picture of him before running back the way he had come.

Beyond was the next person he saw “Hello Beyond, I’d suggest taking revenge on Mello he tried to frame you with some glass” before his expression turned to one of confusion another photo was taken and Kira was off on his quest.

Matt was the next person to be found, crouched in an unhealthy position over a tablet, it seemed more difficult to drag him away from the game however so with some quick moves he hit the off button, captured Matt’s shocked expression before tracking down the last person he needed.

Now Mello was a lot more hidden, probably preparing for any action Beyond may take against him. He wouldn’t hide in his room because he’s not that stupid and probably wouldn’t risk anybody else’s. Kira’s gaze landed upon a random cupboard in the middle of a hall, lo and behold inside was the blonde edgelord himself.

“Shut the door” hissed Mello, flinching at the flash from Kira’s phone before being sent back into darkness. He sighed in relief at the speed of his work before legging it back to Near’s room right as he exited in different clothes.

“Are you alright?” Questioned the white haired boy at the sight of Kira’s slightly flushed face and his laboured breathing. “I’m fine” he answered whilst taking a step back and unfortunately catching his foot on the raised carpet sending him falling backwards. Before he could crash painfully onto the floor he managed to grab hold of someone’s arm to keep himself upright “Are you okay Kira?” Came a British accented voice from above him “Do I look that bad for everyone to ask if I’m o..kay…” he trailed off at the sudden realisation of who’s arm he had a tight grip on.

Kira leapt away towards Near, almost crashing heads with L in the process of his escape. ‘Wait, why did that sentence seem so familiar? Almost like…’ his thoughts halted at a certain realisation.

Are you okay honey?
Are you okay Kira?

That ridiculous fucking fanfiction where the main character clutched L’s arm as he asked if she’s alright, but it’s probably a massive coincidence that the exact situation happened to occur to him. It was at that moment that he realised that a hand was being waved in front of his face.

“ira.. Kira” came L’s concerned voice as he snapped back into focus to see both the child and the singer staring intently at him. “Sorry” he muttered quietly out of slight embarrassment from the looks he was getting.

“I came to ask you something but since you’re actually taking Near shopping it can wait until later. I know you have my card Near, just don’t go too wild on things for yourself” Kira turned to see the child in question flicking a black card between his fingers innocently. “I know, my limit is (sin(x) + cos(x))(sin(x) - cos(x)) = (√x - cos(x)√2)(√x + cos(x)√2) and then multiply it by 10,000” he said sourly whilst Kira’s mind raced through the equation and his neck snapped around to look at L “You’re letting him spend the equivalent of $10,000” both looked slightly surprised that he had solved the equation that fast but L played it off “No that was just a test” as soon as Kira’s back was turned he held a thumbs up towards Near who grinned and started following the unaware eighteen year old.

_________________

“See he’s a genius too” Beyond said as he appeared from around a corner he was using to eavesdrop, L sighed to himself “How many times have I told you to stop doing that” a smirk appeared on Beyond’s face “Well that is irrelevant in this situation Lawlipop because I predict that you’ll catch feelings for Kira… if you haven’t already” L rolled his eyes and entered his room.

“That’s impossible” he said sharply which prompted a quiet cackle from one retreating Beyond Birthday.

He thought back to the look Kira gave him after he fell and the confusion in his eyes, L’s face heated.

‘Fucking Beyond getting in my head’

“I am not going to catch feelings for someone I have just met” he announced to nobody in particular, although if his ears were sharper they may have picked up the faintest of cackles from Beyond once again.
________________

Kira anxiously clutched Near’s hand as they crossed the road, desperate not to lose the child to the crowds that were currently on the streets. Eventually Near started falling behind so he pushed his sleeves up and quickly picked him up before resuming normal walking pace in case someone behind accidentally knocked them over. Kira breathed a sigh of relief once the destination was reached and almost let his legs give way once they were inside.

Sparkles formed around Near as he looked around the store gleefully, he’d always wanted to go to build a bear with someone. Kira flinched at the sight of hyperactive children but was encouraged by the joy he saw in Near’s face. So he let himself be dragged around by the white haired child in search of sufficient plushies for every member of their strange group.

After some searching it was decided that Matt would receive a Leafeon due to his love of games, L a giant pink frog that Near had already christened ‘Strawberry”, Mello a Darth Vader because during his edgelord moments he tends to sound like or even quote Anakin Skywalker. Beyond would receive a Kuromi plush because according to Near the resident expert it was “Menacing yet cute, just like Beyond” the time in build a bear that seemed like a century to Kira come to an end when Near handed him the large deflated body of a green frog and clutched a similar small one in his other hand “We can match” he said plainly and Kira had to resist the urge to clutch his heart dramatically in a public place. He decided to get something for Watari as well, selecting a combination of wines that would certainly bring relief until the next morning. The woman at the counter took one look at L’s card that Near had handed over to him, the giant green and pink frogs he was holding, Near with his build a bears before shaking her head and deciding to not ID him and just letting them leave.

Kira looked at his full hands “I was going to teach you how to ride the subway but I think that might have to wait, one quick stop then we will return” one turned into three as Kira chased after Near into a bubble tea store and allowed a break to have drinks before having to enter yet another toy store, at Near’s innocent face all protests were dismissed and Kira hoisted the multiple plushies onto his back as he followed the toy obsessed child around.

He would admit he was quite proud of Near for thinking of others whilst out shopping, he watched joyfully as the boy picked up some new games for Matt unprompted before turning his gaze back to the replica of the master sword that sat in front of him, feeling the intense temptation of the object luring him in. A flash of white made him look down to see Near with a smirk on his face giving an approving nod, Kira had the child’s approval so by default he technically had to get it now. He hauled their multiple items to the counter and tried not to notice the cashier stifling a cackle after catching a look of the worn out, plushie laden teen following a small child around. Every step looked like it was ageing him.

Kira received emotional damage whilst looking at the receipts he had asked for, a big mistake it seemed as he cringed at the total- but L Lawliet was nothing if not ridiculously wealthy so it probably wouldn’t even scratch his exorbitant wealth. He left Near on a bench to call Watari whilst surrounded by their army of plushies, Kira carried the valuable things with him into his cleverly planned final destination. All it took was a quick conversation with the worker present and the revealing of some reference photos before he was back outside with Near drinking another bubble tea since the white haired boy had insisted they buy multiple, however the strawberry fruit tea with strawberry popping bubbles was not to be touched.

They noticed instantly when Watari arrived and Kira let Near enter the car first and passed him each individual item to place somewhere in the vehicle before getting in himself. He caught a look from Watari and mouthed Near’s name in response, resulting in no further questions from the man.

“Are you looking forward to giving your gifts to everyone?” Kira questioned the boy who was clutching his frog plush protectively, he noted that Watari seemed surprised that all of these items were mostly for everyone else instead of Near “Yes” came a simple reply before he went back to slurping his drink. Kira relaxed into his seat as the exhaustion of today finally seemed to catch up with him, he pulled out his phone and decided to scroll through various apps before settling on WikWok for some entertainment. As soon as it loaded his vision was flooded with multiple videos of L Lawliet, already logged into an account with the name of @Kthesmartone with a gothic K as a profile. It was following one person with one follower in return, surprise surprise it was L again. ‘What the fuck is this’ he stared at his screen before looking up “Watari I don’t suppose anyone else touched this phone before it was given to me?” he asked innocently despite screaming internally at the L themed WikWok he was being subjected to. “L might have set it up for you, why?” Kira cursed viciously in his head, not wanting Near to hear anything bad “Oh no reason” he tried to sound as calm and collected as possible, not even noticing a curious look from Near.

As the car slowed to a halt once they arrived back at the building, Kira mentally prepared himself to haul all of the items inside but was taken aback by the sudden appearances of Matt and Beyond waiting for them in the lobby, both letting out low whistles a the sight of the teen battling with six plushies, multiple bags and a box of something with a sword on his shoulder whilst Near walked casually alongside him holding a single bag and some bubble tea. Beyond let out a small cackle at the sight and Matt had to refrain from joining him at the sight of Kira’s struggle. Once they reached the two Kira felt himself lose most of his remaining energy “Help me” he hissed and practically threw some of the things at the two that had been roped into helping by Watari, who had earlier caught one glimpse of Kira and knew he wouldn’t be able to last the entire trip back.

They piled into the elevator where the five stood in silence for the duration of the ascension before pouring out into the residence, Mello was already waiting out of curiosity to learn what Matt had been summoned downstairs for at random. Kira caught sight of L as he sauntered around a corner before quickly putting a hand over his mouth to stifle a giggle at the sight of his fellow 18 year old holding two giant pink and green frogs. ‘Yeah you laugh now L but one of these things will be taking up residence with you’ Kira cackled to himself as he pictured L sleeping with the giant pink frog.

“Near has brought back something for each of you” announced Watari, causing everyone’s gaze to snap to the child in question before going to Kira who was staring at the ceiling looking particularly gleeful, Near slid behind the teen to hide from the four stares coming from the males who shared his home. Kira sighed lightly as he felt his presence move behind him, laughing slightly at his sudden shyness.
“I guess I’m in charge then since I am the only other person who accurately knows what belongs to every individual” he presented Beyond with the Kuromi plush and had to stifle a wheeze as the resemblance became apparent, Mello blushed with embarrassment upon receiving his gift as he must have known exactly why it was chosen. Matt was very pleased with his multiple games and pokemon themed plush but Kira was more focused on the slight dread in L’s eyes as he stared in resignation at the giant pink frog. He beamed as he passed it to the singer and after a prompt from Near, the bubble tea was also presented as an offering. Kira handed the wine collection to Watari, giving a side glance to the others before giving a thumbs up towards the man who seemed to get the message as the corners of his mouth twitched slightly in amusement.

He watched as everyone gave their thanks to Near before hoisting his frog onto one side and grabbing Near’s hand with his free arm, the child also clutching his smaller frog, before making his way upstairs to add the plush to his small list of items that included a figurine of a minecraft axolotl, a ghost in a glass dome, a funko pop of a character from a manga he had read that rested on top of the shelf he had placed numerous books on. Near sat on his bed playing with the small frog whilst Kira moved things around the room to suit his liking.

Someone coughed at the doorway and both Kira and Near snapped around to investigate, L almost flinched at the simultaneous movement and the clear resemblance between the two after one day together. Though if Near spent most of the time buying gifts for other people, Kira seemed to have a massive influence over the child. Sighing at the thought of that pink frog taking up most of his bed, L wishes that maybe Near wasn’t so generous towards him today. Despite Kira having no hand in the selection of the plushies, he definitely noticed the smug look on the boy’s face and felt that Kira was quite pleased with how things turned out.

“Ah if it isn’t the person responsible for my eyesore of a WikWok account” Kira remarked dryly as L reminisced on his handywork, he carefully curated that algorithm with videos from the more obsessed side of his fanbase and was quite pleased with his work.

“I wanted to ask you something professionally” he replied, Near immediately took his frog and left. He wasn’t really interested in the work conversations that took place in the household, the others didn’t want him to be anyway since he was far too young to be introduced to that sort of thing. It was a choice for when he was older and one they could already predict, he will most likely go down a completely different route or imitate Matt and focus on something else related to their booming music business such as merchandise. L shuddered at the thought of a plush version of himself and the unspeakable things some of his fans would do to the small version of him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him move that quickly” laughed Kira, L almost sighed at the sound. It sounded almost melodic to the ear, he shouldn’t be focusing on that though. He wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for Beyond’s meddling, L’s thoughts soured when he considered his earlier words. He isn’t the type to fall in love with someone he’s just met, or anyone at all to be honest. He really did need to start conversing with Kira about the reason he came here in the first place though.

“Yeah, he doesn’t care for work talk that much” L watched his retreating figure turn a corner “I wanted to ask you how you feel about joining the band, you don’t have to and are welcome to do something else that could be unrelated but it is an option we pose to everyone. Mello plays drums and Beyond plays guitar, for reference” Kira nodded to himself, he didn’t know that L had others with him since all he heard from Sayu was ‘L Lawliet this’ and ‘L Lawliet that’. He even had the topic blocked on his previous WikWok to avoid having to make contact with that particular corner of the internet so was unaware any concert consisted of someone other than L. A pleasant surprise nonetheless.

What also surprised him was the fact that he was considering the offer, Kira did like to sing and his long list of instruments he was proficient with would not get much use in any other situation.

“What would it involve” he questioned, in search of more information to settle his internal debate.

L considered the facets of his offer for a brief moment “Well we would decide your position first depending on your talents, plan some outfits, bring you into rehearsals and get you on stage whenever you feel ready. However I’m sure someone of your many talents would most likely reach that level while I’m still performing in Japan” he winked.

Kira went oblivious to the compliment that was heavily dropped into the conversation “Well I would say I am good at performing as a whole and have had sufficient experience with the piano, guitar, violin, cello, saxophone, flute, clarinet, drums and harp” L stood there for a moment as he bluescreened in response.

He had done research on Kira before this conversation had taken place and knew of his praised talents on the violin and piano but was in slight disbelief of the list he was given in such a casual manner.

“Any other award winning hobbies” joked L, finding humour to be his only response but was once again stunned into silence.

“I am proficient at hacking, I have never left first place in the country for academics and have had multiple publishing companies in a bidding war for a novel that I wrote in my free time when I was bored. I didn’t think it was that good since it took me longer than expected. A week of my life I’ll probably never get back” The singer gaped, mouth opening and closing several times but never quite finding the words to express the thoughts he was having- probably because there were none at that moment. He was almost scared to ask what book because if it was one on his shelf, L thinks he would pass away from the sheer surprise.

“Moving on” he cleared his throat “You are certainly talented enough to perform- probably to start your own group if you wanted to” Kira shook his head “I think I’ll stick to you for now” he said.

“Well now that you seem to have decided, we can think about your outfits for performances. You can dress however you want- any preferences to styles or stereotypical gender?” He asked, Kira shrugged “I did wear a skirt once for a dare but it was confiscated for some reason after multiple of my classmates were sent to the hospital for blood loss. They must have had an accident whilst I was indisposed changing as they were suffering from nosebleeds when I was finished” he said innocently. L wasn’t even shocked anymore, though he was now considering the idea of the boy in front of him in a skirt and found that the idea was quite pleasing.

“Well, we can try multiple samples until you find some that you feel comfortable in if there is nothing else you would like to add” Kira thought for a moment “I have always liked the idea of dressing more gothic but was never allowed to due to my upbringing and the focus on my general appearance” L sighed “I’ll place an order for some of the things you described ready for tomorrow” he looked at the time and seeing it was quite late, turned to go to his own room where that adorable yet cursed frog was waiting for him.

“Good night, Kira” he said briefly, halting as the other smiled “Night L” before starting back up and heading down the corridor for his own residence at a quick pace to hide the slight blush on his face in the darkness of the hall.

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“Fuck, he’s not an asshole” complained Kira to himself before going to stare disdainfully at his WikWok and trying to rewrite the algorithm. Not noticing his followers skyrocketing due to the L Lawliet account known as @Ltheprettyone following a new total of three people, @Mtheegdyone, @Btheevilone and now the newest member of their crew.

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“Fuck he’s hot” complained L to himself whilst placing orders for gothic clothing and multiple skirts that the boy in question would look great in. “Twink” muttered L in faux annoyance, in denial of his affections towards the unaware Kira.