Chapter 4

Matt enjoyed watching Mello so deeply involved in a case with Near, it meant he had been right all along, they could work together as long as Mello forgot the competition aspect of their relationship. Not to mention he reaped the benefits at night as a thoroughly happy and relaxed Mello was also an insatiable, horny Mello.

At the moment they were sitting in the back of the building, leaning against a tree and watching the kids who were outside running around, screaming and laughing. Matt took a long drag on his cigarette and laughed as a couple of the over enthusiastic boys ran into each other, knocking the wind out of each other and hitting the ground.

"Wow, that was special." He said continuing to laugh and Mello joined him.

"We were never that stupid." He commented and Matt responded by blowing smoke into his face.

"WE weren't, YOU were. You don't remember the trees you ran into because you were so busy looking behind you to notice them in front of you? Or the grass you ate because you were always hitting the ground because your feet couldn't keep up with you?" Mello frowned at the smoke and pushed Matt away from him.

"At least I was up and moving most of the time. Getting you to drop that and get up and play was next to impossible!" he retorted, pointing at Matt's game. Matt shrugged, completely unfazed by the accusation.

"Yea, well I missed out on all the stitches you got too, wow, sorry I missed that." Mello reached over and pushed Matt to the ground and then straddled him, holding him down.

"Are you trying to piss me off? I think all those things contributed to what I am now, right?" Matt looked up into Mello's face, smiling at the smirk that he found there and carefully moved his legs to quickly draw them back and push Mello off of him with his feet. Mello flew backwards, landed on his back and Matt got up and sat on Mello's legs and laughed.

"You're right, you're my hero and it's all due to you running into trees when you were a kid!" Mello sat up and grabbed Matt, bringing him down so they were face to face. Then he leant up and kissed him.

"You're such a pain in my ass." He told him when he pulled his mouth away and smiled.

"I love you too." He said and leant down to kiss Mello again when the sound of someone clearing his throat made him stop and look up. They both gasped and scrambled to get to their feet once they realized L was standing there staring at them.

"I do not believe such open displays of affection are proper in the presence of the children." He said simply and both Matt and Mello nodded.

"Sorry, we kind of forgot the kids were over there." Matt said and L's expression softened.

"I am quite sure they won't have nightmares over it, but I think it would be best if that wasn't a normal occurrence. You understand it is not that I don't approve, I don't approve of anyone making out in front of the students." They nodded again and then L smiled.

"Have you two had lunch, or were you too…busy to be hungry?" Mello nervously reached for a candy bar as Matt laughed.

"No we haven't had lunch yet, L. We actually were watching the kids for a long time, we just kinda forgot about lunch." L nodded and began to walk towards the building, hands in his pockets and a small smile on his face.

"Then come join me, Watari has brought some things I think you would enjoy." He said and they both fell into step behind him.

Upon arriving at L's apartment the first thing they noticed was the table was set and there was food all around the table. The second thing they noticed was that Near wasn't there.

"Isn't Near going to eat with us?" Mello asked as he sat down. L shook his head.

"Near was here until the very early hours of this morning, a long time after you left. I made him go down and get some rest; he ate something before he went." Mello smirked.

"He really is like you, isn't he?" L stopped in the middle of picking up his fork and thought for a moment.

"In some things that is unfortunate, I suppose. It is only because he holds respect for me that I was able to make him go to bed. I am sure I defied Watari's requests for this kind of things many times in my lifetime, and it wasn't that I don't respect him, but just because I am far too stubborn." He then continued to grab a piece of melon with his fork in his style. Matt elbowed Mello as he watched L use the fork with just his forefinger and thumb and deftly get a piece of his melon to his mouth. They both giggled quietly, until L lifted his eyes and stared at them, making them both nearly choke on their food.

"Am I doing something amusing that I am not aware of?" he asked, and they hastily shook their heads.

"No..no L it's just..something we've always loved watching you do since we were kids." Matt explained, "The way you hold your fork..we always thought it was so cool and we haven't seen it in a while…that's all." L's head tilted to one side as he listened and then looked down at his fork and then back at them.

"I see. Cool?" he asked and they both broke up laughing.

"Yes, so cool L. No one else in the world eats like that!" Mello said and L nodded.

"Ofcourse not, no one else is L." he said quite seriously and they were off and laughing again. L smiled at them and continued to eat, thoroughly enjoying having his boys again.

Near walked back in a couple of hours later s to find Mello sitting at his desk going over some new information. He sat down next to Mello in the extra chair and surveyed the screens around Mello's head.

"There hasn't been another victim, which is off from what the killer's pattern has been." Mello told him and Near nodded looking at a feed from Japan.

"It appears the NPA is a bit confused as well; it must be a first for Detective Yagami." He said.

"I am sure Detective Yagami will not have a problem with this for very long; we are working together on several avenues." L said as he stood up from his desk. "If you would excuse me, Roger has requested I come down to a meeting with he and Watari, despite the fact that I have more important things to attend to. I shouldn't be long." He said as he walked towards the door and then out.

"Ofcourse he's going to defend Yagami, I think he has a soft spot for him." Near said after L had left. Matt looked up from his game and grinned.

"Really? Who is this Detective Yagami?" Near beckoned him over to where he was and hit a few buttons on the keyboard. A picture and service record of one Light Yagami appeared on the screens; Mello whistled.

"Way cute!" he said and then ducked as Matt swung at him, "Well he is, I can't help but tell the truth!" he said. Matt looked up at the pictures and had to agree. Staring back at him was a very attractive young man with amber eyes and auburn hair; his hair and suit impeccable.

"Not only is he attractive he's near genius in his intellect; rivaling L's IQ actually," Near added, "He practically walked through school, securing a top spot in To oh University and graduating with every honor imaginable. Then on to the NPA, where by the way, his father is a high ranking Chief of Police where he just practically walked into whatever he wanted his scores were so high."

"L would be crazy not to be attracted to this guy, there's no wrong here." Matt said reading Yagami's service record.

"I believe the attraction is mutual," Near continued, "I have noticed that L had given him the right to call in on the line that is used exclusively by his contacts. They have conversations that don't always include the case. L has worked with him several times before, and he is the only one L will work with when something comes up in Japan, and that is very unlike L. As long as they can understand him, L generally doesn't pick and choose who he communicates with, but when it comes to Japan, it's only Light Yagami."

They all looked at each other and burst out laughing. This was too awesome to be true; their L had a crush on someone? And apparently the feelings were reciprocated.

"Oh we have to get these two together!" Mello said and then looked at Near, "What are the chances we could get L to want to go to Japan and work on this on location? I know he does it on certain cases, couldn't this be one?"

"Not to burst a bubble, Mello but what if we do get to Japan? L doesn't meet anyone personally, it's too dangerous. And if they do manage to meet, then what? This is L we're talking about, how can he possibly have a relationship with anyone? He lives and works here, Yagami is in Japan. It can't really amount to much if they're this far apart!" Near told them. Mello sighed and smacked Near in the back of his head.

"For Christ's sakes stop sinking the ship before it even leaves the fucking dock!" he said to him and Matt laughed.

"There are a couple of valid points there, Near but if it's going to work out they'll figure out a way. But we owe it to L to push him into this somehow. If there's a chance he can find someone to make him happy, we have to try and help him find it." Near nodded but still looked uncertain, in fact he looked truly unhappy with it. His fingers twirling furiously in his hair, as his other hand clutched his robot. Matt and Mello looked at him and then each other and began to understand.

"Near, he's not going to love you any less if he finds someone. As close as you are to him, there' definitely a couple of things you can't provide for him!" Mello said winking and a blush rose to Near's cheeks as he realized what he meant.

"You're disgusting, Mello!" he said and pushed him away as the blonde laughed at his embarrassment, reaching for his chocolate.

"C'mon now, this could be great for us. Maybe he'll be less quick to turn those eyes on us if he gets some relief, you know?" Mello continued laughing and Matt joined in. Near, however, failed to appreciate the joke.

"Is that all you guys think about? You think sex is going to fix everything?" he asked them, angry that his own emotions were showing.

"C'mon if you'd ever had it you'd know it's good for practically anything that ails you!" Mello said with a big grin and then immediately regretted it when Near looked at him as if he'd been punched.

"Why are you so sure I haven't? Am I that abhorrent?" he asked and Mello quickly backed pedaled.

"No, Near it's not like that. But for the same reasons that L hasn't, you're so wrapped up in your work you don't socialize. How can you meet someone if you stay in this corner all the time? Have you even looked at some of the girls that are here? The senior class has some awesome looking ladies, why don't you introduce yourself to a couple? Unless ofcourse you swing our way.." Near shook his head violently.

"No, I don't swing your or L's way, and how can I possibly talk to any of the girls here? They're about to graduate, they'll move away, what's the point of that?"

"There you go again blowing up the damn ship, you don't know what the situation can hold for you unless you try, Near!"

"I know you're thinking of the future, if you should become L for any reason you think it would effectively end any relationship. That's not true you know. Just because L stayed single doesn't mean it has to be that way. You'd have to find a special person who would understand, but it could be done. Don't close yourself off because you feel you're destined to be L." Matt added, putting his hand on the white haired boy's shoulder.

Near looked at them both and realized that they had managed to voice all of his fears about his emotional life in just a few minutes. How had they done that? Oh, yes they were genii as well, weren't they? He smiled at them both and nodded.

"I'll think about it, okay?" he said finally and they other two smiled back at him and nodded.

"That's more than we had when we started this conversation," Matt said and ruffled Near's hair as Near drew back in horror.

"Now, what are we gonna do about L's little problem, eh?" Mello asked and they all put their brains in gear to figure a way to get their mentor and Light Yagami together.