A/N
Sorry for the late update! The next chapter will be up either later tonight or tomorrow as an apology ;)
Near P.O.V.
"I can't believe they're letting us go!" Mello was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet as the two of them waited for Matt to finish packing.
"I know right? This is so cool!" Matt briefly popped his head out of the closet he was currently rooting about in, "What do you think, should I bring the xbox or the ps4?"
"Xbox, definitely." Mello snorted.
Matt's head disappeared back into the closet, "Of course you would say that Mels, which is why I was asking Near. I need an unbiased opinion."
Near arched an eyebrow, "How should I know? I don't even play video games."
"Jeez Mr. Grumpy pants. What's got your boxers in a bunch?" Matt crossed the room and slammed his massive suitcase shut, struggling with the zipper in the process, "We're going on a case! Aren't you excited?"
Mello rolled his eyes and went to help Matt before the suitcase burst under his ministrations, "Sheep boy doesn't have the capability for excitement. I'm pretty sure his circuits would overload."
Near watched dubiously as Mello hopped up onto the case, adding his weight to their efforts and finally managing to get the lid to close enough for Matt to yank the zipper shut.
"It's not that I'm not excited by the case." Near folded his arms, "I'm just not thrilled by the prospect of spending a few weeks to a month with Light's family."
"We're not staying with them though," Matt frowned, "L says were getting a hotel room nearby."
"Yeah," Near rolled his eyes, "but you know they're just going to dump us on them whenever they go out to do stuff about the case."
"Nah," Mello waved him off and snatched up the handle of his own suitcase, leading the way down the hall, "they have to include us in their case-solving. Matt and I have been practicing our puppy dog faces. Watch."
They stopped walking briefly, pressed their faces close, and folded their hands in a pleading gesture. Mello's bottom lip was quavering, and Near could see real tears brimming in Matt's eyes.
"Wow." Near rolled his eyes, "You're right, there's no way they can resist that."
"See, I told you."
His sarcasm passed straight over Mello's head, and Matt shot Near an amused face as he strutted down the hallway ahead of them. Near was forced to bite his lip to keep from laughing.
When they arrived at the front entrance, they found Light and L waiting for them in front of Wammy's already running car, their bags packed and waiting by their feet.
"We should really get a bigger car." L was saying contemplatively, "Now that there are five of us."
"Wait, you're saying that Near sitting on your lap every time we have to drive somewhere isn't safe?" Light made an incredulous face at him before quickly dodging a punch.
Wammy rolled down the window and raised an eyebrow at them, "Shall I add a new car to the list, then?"
L nodded, "That would probably be wise, Wammy-san."
Near noticed the way Light smiled appreciatively at L's sudden switch to Japanese, and fought off the urge to pretend to vomit. He had done enough real vomiting the past few days.
Once they had all piled into the car, Light turned around in the front seat to eye L dubiously, "Your refusal to wear a seatbelt is one thing, but with Near on your lap it's just twice as bad."
L seemed about to protest when Light turned to Mello and Matt, "Could you two make sure L puts on his seatbelt? I give you permission to use any force necessary."
Near and L froze as Matt and Mello's eyes widened comically. Mello, barely containing a grin repeated dubiously, "Any force necessary?"
"Any force necessary." Light confirmed gleefully, while L and Near exchanged a horrified glance.
Near recognized all too well the malevolent glint in each of their eyes as the two gremlins turned to attack. Near glanced up in time to catch Light's smirk in the rearview mirror, and scowled as a full-scale fight broke out in the backseat.
Their squabble lasted the full 48.5 minute drive to the airport, and by the 20 minute mark Near had given up and moved to the floor. His skin bruised easily, and Near wasn't about to get in the way of Mello's infamous right hook.
He had just begun to plot Light's slow and painful demise by the time the car finally pulled into the airport entrance and was directed to the private airfields.
The small private plane sat alone on the runway, and as the car approached it, the heat evaporating from the blacktop caused it to shimmer like a mirage. Near sighed as his mind finally came to terms with the fact that they were leaving; Mello's appreciative whoop as the car pulled to a stop didn't improve his mindset in the least.
As they clambered out of the backseat and up the steps to the plane Mello, Matt, and L were all breathing heavily; L even had a huge bruise roughly the size of Mello's forehead slowly forming on his upper arm.
"Headbutting is a low blow." L eyed him reproachfully.
"What?" Mello hopped up on an armrest and heaved his suitcase in the general direction of the storage compartments before flopping gracelessly into one of the seats, his legs askew over an armrest, "Light said any force necessary."
"That I did." Light carefully lifted his bag into the compartment, and did the same with L's. He leaned over to assist Near, but Near simply scowled at him until he withdrew with a frown.
Near didn't miss the worried glances exchanged between Light and L as he struggled to reach the overhead compartment. He chose not to acknowledge them and instead focused his efforts on his luggage, which didn't seem to want to fit into its compartment.
Cursing his height, he eventually gave up and resignedly climbed up to perch dangerously on his tip toes on an armrest and give the bag his best shove.
Near frowned as it tilted dangerously over his head and grudgingly glanced back at Light and L. Light kept his face impassive as he leaned up to make sure Near's bag wasn't going to fall on his head during the departure, and Near did his best not to pout at the fact that he was forced to ask for help.
With a sigh, he flopped down into the seat and pulled out his deck of playing cards. The food tray launched out with a pop as he undid the latch and Near was dismayed to find that the surface was too uneven to balance his cards upon. This was going to be a long plane ride.
11 hours and 40 minutes, give or take, to be exact. Near ended up caving in around the fifth hour of listening to Matt and Mello's horribly sung rendition of Poker Face by Lady Gaga, and moved to the floor of the plane, which was luckily level enough for him to build a suitable foundation to his card castle.
"Need help?" Near glanced up to find L standing over him, and clutching a second deck of cards.
He shrugged, so L crouched down across from him and began to add to the stack. Slowly but surely, the castle grew, and Light wandered over to watch. He had originally attempted to help them, but chose to simply observe their progress as he nearly knocked the entire thing down and earned himself a glare from both of them.
Eventually Matt and Mello came over to observe, though they quickly fell asleep out of what Near guessed was a combination of boredom and exhaustion. Matt had sprawled out over two of the seats, and Mello was leaning heavily against Light, who didn't seem to mind much as he read his book. Near didn't miss the way Ligh's eyelids began to droop, and eventually L stood to layer the three of them in blankets.
Near felt himself tiring quickly, though if his internal clock was correct, they only had an hour or so left before they reached Japan. He figured that if he were tired enough, L might not make him visit Light's family with them.
Or at least he would have an excuse to pretend to be half asleep when they did. If L caught on to his plan he didn't comment, and the rest of the flight was passed in silence. Near was glad for the time to think, and he suspected that L was deep in thought about something as well.
By the time the pilot announced their descent, even L seemed to be nodding off where he sat, and at one point Near had been forced to shove him away from the card tower before he toppled over and crushed it.
Slowly, the others woke as the cabin pressure began to climb. Mello, whose ears were extremely sensitive, clutched the sides of his head in pain as Light encouraged him to try to yawn.
L, Near, and Matt gazed out of the plane windows at the sprawling city beneath them. The plane made a sharp roundabout that had Mello moaning, and soon the airport grew before them.
As they collected their baggage - Mello accidentally pulling his down on top of Matt's head in his haste - Near tried his best to figure out whether he was relieved to finally be exiting the plane, or apprehensive as they drew closer to Light's home.
They all blinked as they stepped from the plane into the blinding midday sun. It was a lot warmer than Near had expected, and his sleeves suddenly seemed too long as he paused to roll them back. He could hear the distant hum of cicadas as they followed the pilot into the thankfully air conditioned airport.
"Is there a car waiting for us or will we have to rent one?" Light shielded his eyes against the sun as they made their way into the building. The pick up/drop off zone was on the opposite side, so they reluctantly pushed their way through the throng of people rushing about. Everyone seemed to be late for something, and Near vaguely wondered why this was always the case at airports.
Meanwhile, Light and L were having a hard time corralling Mello and Matt who were excitedly running about, trying to take everything in all at once.
"I have a car waiting… we'll know it when we see it." L replied over his shoulder as he shrugged sheepishly at the woman Mello had just run directly into.
Near caught the smirk in his tone and grumpily met his eyes. L shook his head and put a finger to his lips, which Light failed to catch as he ushered Matt away from the food court.
Near was about to ask why he was acting so suspicious when they reached the doors and Light stopped dead in his tracks.
"Light!"
Near glanced toward the source of the shout and noticed a family of three standing beside an old car, waving in their direction.
Light's face broke out in a grin and he hurried over only to be swallowed in a bear hug by the woman, which Near presumed to be his mother. His sister, whom L had warned them extensively about, was bouncing up and down waiting for her turn to attack Light.
Near, Matt, and Mello hung back uncertainly as L waved them over to the family reunion. Light's father glanced over at them and smiled when he saw L.
"Ryuzaki." He held out a hand, and to all of their surprise, L moved in and hugged him.
"It's good to see you, Dad." L grinned cheekily at him and Light's father grumbled.
"Ryuzaki, it's so nice to see you again." Light mother hugged him almost as warmly as she had hugged light, "And these must be Mello, Matt, and Near."
Near almost jumped at the sound of his name, and bowed his head awkwardly.
"I'm Matt." Matt gestured to himself, "This is Mello, and that's Near. He's kind of shy."
Near glared at him reproachfully, though Light's mother merely chuckled and ruffled Matt's hair affectionately. She didn't seem surprised they could speak Japanese as well as she could, nor did she attempt to hug any of them, so Near surmised that L had warned her. For that, he was grateful.
"Wow, Light." His sister was surveying the three of them mischievously, "You didn't tell me I was going to be an aunt this soon."
L, Matt, and Mello simply laughed while Light sputtered awkwardly, "Sayu! I'm not… they're…"
Near wondered vaguely what he was going to call them when L finally came to his rescue, "These three are my top successors at the orphanage… although," he tapped his chin, "I suppose that means they're my adopted children, and therefore Light's."
"So I am an aunt!" Sayu seemed positively gleeful and Near had to stop himself from face palming. Out of the corner of his eye Near saw L shoot him a smug glance and vowed to repay him later.
"So does that mean I can call you dad?" Matt smirked and poked L in the ribs.
"Oh, I'm definitely calling Light mom." Mello gleefully punched Light in the thigh and Light smacked his own forehead in exasperation.
"Thanks a lot Sayu."
"This means you're grandpa." L smirked at Light's father, though he simply folded his arms and raised one imperious eyebrow at him.
"You say that as though I'm opposed."
Even Light laughed at this, though Near could barely force himself to smile. He had just begun to grudgingly get along with Light, and now he was being inducted into the whole family? L was a sort of makeshift father to them, and Matt and Mello were basically his brothers, but Near didn't think he was ready for a set of grandparents.
Even before Wammy's, the only family Near had known were his biological mother and father… and they weren't exactly what he would call warm and welcoming.
"Come on," Light mother ushered them toward the waiting cars, "we're going to have dinner at our house, I've made your favorite Light!"
Near groaned inwardly as they piled into the cars. This was going to be a long vacation.
Light P.O.V.
When they arrived at the Yagami household, Light quickly pulled L aside and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
"Mm, what was that for?" L twined their fingers together softly. The boys had followed Sayu and his parents into the kitchen, and they were both grateful for the momentary solitude.
"You asked them to pick us up at the airport." Light leaned his forehead against L's "Also, I have reasonable suspicion that you warned my mother against hugging the boys."
"Well someone had to." L smirked, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles he had caused in Light's shirt, "I couldn't have Mello biting off someone's fingers in the airport. Also, this way Near wouldn't be able to sneak off and avoid meeting them."
"I thought it was suspicious that he didn't sleep the entire flight." Light shook his head, "Look, Ryuzaki, I know you keep telling me not to worry, but it's been too long."
L sighed, "To be completely honest with you, Light, I'm highly worried myself. This isn't like Near to hold a grudge for this long."
Light closed his eyes. He had known this deep down, but hearing it from L's mouth made it that much worse. "Is there anything else I can do?"
"This isn't familiar territory, even for me." L bit his lip, and Light could feel his fingers nervously toying with the edge of his shirt, "I wouldn't suggest doing anything anytime soon; there's really no telling how he'll react."
Light chuckled suddenly.
"What?" L frowned, his hands stilling.
"Nothing," Light sighed, "It's just that Near was the one you thought would have the least problem with me coming to live with you, and he's turned out to be the biggest obstacle."
L rolled his eyes, "Even I can be wrong every once in a while."
"Once in a while?" Light coughed.
"Oh you're right, Light-kun," L raised an eyebrow, "once in a great while."
Light rolled his eyes and made to lead them into the kitchen when L stopped him with a hand on his arm, "Just… one more thing." His frown had returned and he seemed to be struggling with the information he was about to divulge, "I have a theory that Near's behavior has something to do with his past before Wammy's. It'll be very difficult for you to get close to him until we figure out exactly what happened to make him react like this."
"You're suggesting I try to get him to tell me his past?"
L frowned, "I'm not telling you not to, just…. try not to poke anything that looks like a sleeping dragon."
He could see that L's mind had wandered to A and B, and Light felt the now familiar apprehension creep up on him as he recognized the self blaming guilt in L's eyes. Light wanted desperately to reassure him, though time wasn't on their side as the sounds of his mother instructing the boys on table settings drifted through the open doorway.
"This isn't Middle Earth, Gandalf, and I'm certainly not Bilbo." Light smiled wryly and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, "But I promise to be careful."
L nodded solemnly and followed him into the kitchen where they found Sayu, Matt, and Mello standing amongst a snowdrift of flour.
"- did it!" They all shouted at once. Sayu was pointing at Matt, Matt was pointing at Mello, and Mello was pointing at Sayu.
L and Light took one glance at one another and burst out laughing; Light was relieved to find that the self loathing had receded from L's eyes, if only for the time being.
At that moment Light's mother, burst into the room and immediately looked to her daughter, "Sayu!"
"What?!" Sayu threw her arms up in the air, "Unbelievable."
Matt and Mello snickered at her, though their laughter was short lived as L and Light fished a dustpan and broom from the closet and handed one to each of them.
"Ha ha." Sayu stuck her tongue out at them, and was immediately handed a second broom by Sachiko.
"Kids." Sachiko shook her head and turned to L and Light, who glanced at one another, "Now you know how I felt with the two of you." She shook a finger at light jokingly.
"Please," Light rolled his eyes, "I was a perfect child."
"Perfect." Mello snickered as he swept nearby, and Light oh so casually brushed some of the four off of the counter into the spot he had just swept.
"Oops, it looks like you missed a spot."
Light and L were then chased out of the kitchen by a seven year old wielding a flour encrusted broom, and into the living room where Near and Soichiro were sitting on the couch awkwardly.
Soichiro seemed to be trying to prompt Near into picking a TV channel, though Near looked like he was close to keeling over in exhaustion. Light couldn't tell whether or not he was faking.
"Ah, Light." Soichiro seemed relieved by their arrival, "How are the kids doing with setting the table?"
"That's what they were supposed to be doing?" Light raised an eyebrow incredulously. Where had they even gotten the flour?
Soichiro opened his mouth as if to inquire before thinking better of it and simply shaking his head, "I don't want to know."
"You probably don't." L chuckled as they claimed the other couch, "Now you have three Sayu's running about the house."
Soichiro laughed and glanced to Near, who was actually asleep by that point, "And apparently two Light's as well."
L and Light shot one another a surprised glance, but chose not to comment. L brought his hand up to rest on Light's leg, and Light sighed contentedly. He was so happy to be home, especially after the events of the previous week, and it was as if a ten ton weight had been lifted from his shoulders just from simply being around his family.
"So," Soichiro abandoned the TV remote and turned to them, "I haven't spoken with you two in a week or so, how have things been?"
Light frowned and glanced at L before replying, "Things have been… busy. Everyone was sick for a few days, and before that there was a death in the orphanage…" Light trailed off as he noticed L staring at his feet, "But we'll have to fill you in another time. It's still a little too soon to be rehashing that."
"Oh." Soichiro seemed surprised, "I'm sorry, I had no idea. That must have been difficult... no wonder you chose to come all the way out here. A little fresh air and a change of scenery never hurt anything."
"Right," Light nodded, thankful that his father didn't press the matter, "Anyway, about this case-"
"We're having a briefing at the precinct tonight at 7:30, if that's not too late for you two, I know you've been flying all day." Soichiro continued as they shook their heads; Light had slept on the plane and L barely slept anyway, "We should be done with dinner by then, and we're rather pressed on time for this one. The director wants this case closed as soon as possible, and we pushed it back a day for your arrival."
L nodded, "That's perfectly fine. We'll be watching through the security monitor, though since Watari isn't here I'd like to send Light in his place."
"What?" Soichiro and Light both glanced to him, "Ryuzaki," Light frowned, "My father's coworkers think I'm off studying in England right now, how am I going to explain my return, let alone why I'm toting around L's cameras?"
"Well, it would be easier if one of us were on the inside of the investigation, and since your presence can be explained simply by visiting your father I'd prefer it if you went to the meeting in person."
Light nodded, "That makes sense, and I would have suggested that myself, however I can't act as Watari without drawing a huge amount of suspicion… Unless," Light tapped his chin, "We could set up the monitor and camera ahead of time and I could wear a concealed earpiece so we could converse back and forth."
"Precisely my thoughts." L nodded, "Plus if you need to alert me to anything without the knowledge of the rest of the task force just text my phone discreetly."
Light nodded, "All right. Should we let the boys listen in, or just keep them here during the meeting?"
"You should let us listen. It's why we're here after all." Near sat up suddenly and Light raised an eyebrow. He should have known Near was pretending.
"Actually," L chipped in, discreetly squeezing Light's leg, "You three are here because I didn't want to leave you alone at the orphanage, and Light thought we could all use a break."
"But," Light glanced at him and realized what he was up to. Good cop, bad cop anyone? "You do need the experience as the top three, so you can help out."
L and Light exchanged a glance and L sighed as if Light had changed his mind, "I will allow it, though you will not under any circumstance put yourselves even remotely in harm's way."
Near nodded hastily, "Of course not, how would we anyway?"
L and Light caught one another's eye as Sachiko poked her head into the living room, "Dinner's ready!"
L P.O.V.
As the eight of them sat down at the crowded table, L saw the way Light was smiling softly, and knew that this family dinner meant more to him than he would ever admit.
"So… Sofu." Matt began the conversation, grinning as Soichiro nearly choked on his drink, "Do you mind if I call you guys Gram and Gramp? It just sounds better."
Soichiro and Sachiko exchanged a bemused glance and laughed, "Sounds fine to me."
Dinner ran surprisingly smoothly after that, and L was amazed at how easily Matt and Mello got along with the Yagami family; perhaps because they had enough experience with children like Sayu, whose reputation for mischief most definitely preceded her.
Near on the other hand barely spoke, and ate even less; though luckily Light's parents had been thoroughly forewarned and didn't try to force him into the conversation.
By the time dinner was over it was nearly seven o'clock, and Soichiro and Light had to hurry if they were to make it to the meeting on time. L followed them to the door as the boys and Sayu helped Sachiko with the dishes.
He caught Light by the hand as he straightened up from tying his shoes and pulled him in for a quick kiss before mumbling, "Good luck."
Light bumped their noses together as he pulled away, and L smiled softly as he adjusted Light's earpiece that had been knocked slightly askew.
"I can almost imagine we're a normal family." Light smiled wryly, "Though I must say I prefer our way of living… it's much less boring."
L snorted and pushed him through the door to where Soichiro was waiting in the car, pointedly fiddling with the car radio, "Take a walk, Yagami."
A/N
As always I hope you liked it, please favorite/follow/review
Good Memories and Nightmares
- MDL
