Domestic Bliss

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note nor any of the characters used within this story.

Chapter 1: Beginnings

The cool glass of the car window felt good against Near's skin, the pale flesh warmed in part from the sun filtering through the pane, but likewise just as much a result of the physical toil forced upon him from the actions he'd been dragged into throughout the day. The city passed him by, becoming mere abstract shapes and mixtures of color rather than any real indication of where they were in the city.

"Is it really necessary to bring me along?" He finally asked, letting his gaze move away from the city blocks and over to the blonde driving. "Surely you can do this without me." After all, they both knew Near wasn't exactly serving any legitimate purpose accompanying him. All it resulted in was the younger successor becoming increasingly exhausted with every place they visited.

Near watched as the corner of Mello's lips pulled up into a small smirk, "I could, but if I went by myself you would complain about what I pick."

Near could hear the touch of humor lingering in his words, unabashedly alluding to the fact that Mello was more than aware he could do this himself. In fact, he could do it well too, considering how thoroughly he knew both Near and his preferences on the matter. But rather than flaunt that fact, Mello was forcing Near through this draining experience for his own amusement. Typical…

Gray eyes rolled without bothering to offer Mello a response, instead turning to focus back out to the road.

A moment later he felt a warm hand cover his own, the silence cut by Mello's smooth words, "Just one more, alright? I promise. This will be the last one."

Near sighed, shooting another look over to him, "Fine. But this is the last one." And yet, with Mello's hand held secure in his lap, comfortably warming his own naturally cold fingers, he wondered just how long his resolve could realistically hold against Mello's wishes…

They finally parked at a four-story brick building on the quieter side of the city, the dark bricks and clear windows seeming to hold its own warm, homey feeling compared to the gray stone and sleek metal that made up so many other buildings. Near swallowed as he looked at its looming form, knowing what was ahead for them.

"Come on." Mello practically whispered to him as he leaned over to Near's side of the car to get a better view of the building. "Last one. If this doesn't work, I'll let you pick."

Near nodded without a word, placating rather than really registering Mello's words, then finally following the blonde out of the car. He tugged his jacket closer around him to stave off the cold, his lips burying down into the material as Mello met him around the other side of the car and retook his hand, guiding him up the steps and through the front door.

Moving in together had been Mello's idea. That was the first real surprise of their relationship. Everything before that Near could usually deduce before it occurred, much to Mello's chagrin.

The second real surprise, however, was just how quickly Near had accepted the suggestion. It had been almost immediate… as though some small, unconscious part of him knew that having Mello around on a consistent basis was what he truly wanted. At times that idea scared him a bit… he busied himself with other things to put off facing that question.

Regardless, when Near agreed to the arrangement he hadn't quite expected to be dragged across the city for this supposed 'house hunt.'

Their realtor met them on the fourth floor, herself a pleasant middle-aged woman who seemed more concerned with making sure the two of them found a place they loved than with understanding the functionality of their often blatantly dichotomous relationship. And why should it be any different, considering how much they were paying for both her service, and the condo itself…

"I think you're going to really love this one." She said, the lines of her face creasing as she smiled, showing that she had spent years perfecting both that expression and the cheerful tone she spoke in. "It just came on the market not too long ago." She explained as she fished in her pocket for the keys and pushed them into the lock, "One bedroom, as you requested. Modern amenities. And a view that is to die for in this city." She let the door swing open allowing the two to enter first.

The inside was empty, as was to be expected for a property so new to market. A galley kitchen sat off to the immediate right with one wall opened as a bar to allow the entire space to feel more open. The bedroom sat off to the left of the living room, providing a seamless transition from one room into the next by the light hardwood floors spanning throughout the entire space.

Mello let go of Near's hand as the younger wandered further in, the sound of the realtor prattling about numbers and tenants and other information becoming a dull background noise easily filtered out. Instead, his focus remained on the four large windows in the living room across from the entrance. The buildings across the street were small, single story entities, which allowed their higher-positioned condo to have a much wider view of city, but more importantly the sky.

Vibrant blue hues danced across Near's vision, entrancing him in ways he couldn't remember ever truly appreciating before now. Though perhaps that was because his world had become a constant sea of gray both because of the city itself, and the confines of the building he lived in. The color reminded him of Mello's eyes. Deep, and yet in many ways illusive, as the true nature of the sky itself wasn't blue at all, just as Mello's own exterior often betrayed the truth of his feelings and intent. It was the kind of blue that he wanted to lose himself in for a lifetime or more.

He turned on his heels towards the two, "This." He said, bringing both pairs of eyes over to him. "We'll take this."

The woman's carefully constructed demeanor shifted, her confusion wholly apparent as she clearly had not expected such a quick decision when she had not gotten far enough in her speech to even show them the rest of the condo. Mello, though, only smirked; something about it suggested that this was all very deliberate. In that moment it did seem to be a perfectly organized plan. If Mello dragged Near around the city all day looking at different potential places, the younger would have a greater appreciation for their 'final' option. There was never truly any 'choice' to this hunt.

The blonde turned back to her, "I guess we're buying it."

She hesitated, then nodded, "Alright. I'll… go get the paperwork in my car." She muttered before heading back out the front door.

There was a brief echo as the latch fastened back into place, followed a moment after by the dull thud of Mello's boots against the wood floor as he crossed the space to Near, "So, this one? You sure? I didn't even get to look at the whole thing. What if there are literal skeletons in the closets?" His arms wrapped around Near's waist as he approached.

"Well if skeletons are all we're getting then I'd say we're quite lucky. Skeletons are by far the least gruesome thing in both of our jobs."

Mello chuckled, leaning down and quickly kissing him, "Fine, but if there's skeletons in the closet I'm making you clean them out."

Near nodded once into the kiss, "Agreed."

This flat was small, simple and quiet -a far-flung opposite from the chaotic nature of both of their careers and certainly their relationship as well. And yet there was something that made the empty space already feel like theirs. Something comfortable and familiar in the polarity of it all. Already he could tell that it would fit quite nicely into their entire relationship dynamic.

Near relaxed into Mello's hold, allowing himself a moment to lean against the warm, older blonde before they would have to deal with whatever stack of paperwork was necessary for securing this property for themselves.

In that moment, he couldn't help but think that there was no other place that he would rather pen the beginnings of their new life together.

A/N: I apologize for being so quiet lately. Although I am very, very busy I want to get back into writing. I don't feel entirely whole without it. While I don't quite feel secure enough to jump back into something as intense as say Dice, I want to spend some time just practicing and having fun with some lighter material. So, I decided to expand on the pieces I did for Meronia week to make a series of pieces devoted to the two successors managing through everyday domestic types of scenarios. With that said, if you have any ideas for this sort of material, I am quite open to suggestions. I'm also trying to see about interweaving some sort of plot into it, but I'm not sure how or what. So, again, any thoughts would be appreciated, either on any of that, or this introduction itself.

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-Forbiddensoul562