'One of the things I thought about Susan and me - at the time, and now, again, all these years later - is that there often didn't seem words for our relationship; at leasts none that fitted. But perhaps this is an illusion all lovers have about themselves: that they cescape both catergory and description.'

~Paul, The Only Story

As soon as they arrived back at Nate's apartment, Mello asked to talk to Matt privately.

"Let's go into the bedroom," Matt said before turning to Nate, "is that ok?"

Nate still was typing on his laptop with his ear defenders on. Matt shrugged at Mello and they both decided that it was unlikely that Nate would care, especially as Matt had slept there last night anyway.

Nate's room was very small, like the rest of the apartment. However, where the apartment was relatively sparse and dull, the bedroom was cluttered and colourful. It seemed Nate was very fond of toys. Rows of shelves along the walls were covered with action figures, lego structures and racing cars. Airplanes and helicopters hung from the ceiling. There was an actual toy box under the window and on its lid were a series of animal plushies. But what made it truly weird was that it wasn't a child's room; the walls were the same dull beige as the rest of the flat. The floor was a thin, grey carpet. The books left in piles on the floor were that of a well-read intellectual. Even the bed and its covers were a simple white. It was an adult room. But filled with toys.

"Jesus," muttered Mello.

"Yeah I didn't notice it last night," answered Matt, sitting on the bed, "I was too tired and it was too dark so I just fell asleep. Then I woke up this morning and… well it was pretty weird."

Silence fell.

Mello stood awkwardly. He still had his coat on. Bits of frost melted onto the worn carpet.

Matt was still in only his socks, pants and t-shirt.

"You wanna maybe put on some trousers?"

Matt shrugged, "I'm comfy."

Mello sighed out a 'fine' and took off his coat before sitting next to Matt on the bed.

"Sorry for being an arse earlier."

"It's ok."

"I'm scared of change."

"I know."

Mello turned to Matt, his eyes blazing and desperate, "do you think I'm wasting my life?"

"Maybe… a little? I don't know. You're smart and you're capable. You're angry and I understand why but," Matt struggle to find the words for a moment before settling on, "I just don't see you really doing anything about it. I'm not judging though. I know you think I am and that's why you got upset earlier, but I'm not. I know you have your low moods…"

Mello looked back down at the floor, embarrassed.

"So I understand that being… proactive?" Matt tried out the adjective, "That's the word right? Being proactive is hard."

"It's the right word," Mello reassured, his voice low. "Misa… thinks I should go to university."

"Really? I thought she was sort of anti all that."

"She doesn't want to go herself. Thinks it's a waste of time. But she said I should try."

Matt nodded, "I think she's right. You're book smart. Like Nate."

Mello couldn't help feeling a little light at that; to be compared to someone as smart as Nate was pretty cool.

The bedroom door opened and Misa marched in, "the book club is tonight and I shall not let it be a shitshow like last time."

"First," barked Mello, furious at her interruption, "it was a shit show because YOU chose to act like a fucking maniac. Second, were you listening to us this whole time?"

"I'm not the one who was throwing drinks in people's faces like a scorned wife in a restaurant," Misa trilled before turning to Matt, "I need you to come shopping with me. I have taken twenty pounds from Nate and I shall put it to good use."

Matt, smiling and shrugging at Mello, began to pull on his jeans. Mello sighed and went to leave, brushing past his sister when she caught his arm and muttered, "while we're out, talk to Nate, if you can."

He nodded, grateful at her rare show of tact, and made his way into the living room.

Nate was still sitting on his beanbag with the laptop on his lap. His socks were odd. His hair ruffled white curls, framing his face and neck. Large dark eyes that clashed with fair skin were focused on the screen in front of him. Nate was still wearing the ear defenders, big red things that looked like they were heavy.

Very cute.

Not at all like anyone else Mello knew.

The taller boy stood and analysed his feelings. He had felt a weird amount of attraction and resentment of Nate, especially when they first met. And they had never really talked because Mello didn't know how to approach him. Mello assumed that the resentment was likely born out of jealousy. Even now he felt a roiling sort of shame at the thought of having to ask Nate for help, of being vulnerable. But after that, after asking and maybe even achieving something of the life he was scared to want, then what would he feel for Nate? Would it just be that other feeling? And how devastating would that be, especially when the inevitable rejection came? Unlike Misa, Mello was completely uneducated in sex and desire. He had known he was gay reasonably young and the knowledge had sort of always been there, just sort of tip-toing into consciousness slowly as he aged. But he didn't know anyone else who was gay. And so, at age seventeen, Mello was a virgin who had never been kissed. In a community where most people were sexually active at fourteen or fifteen (or so they said) it was hard not to feel concerned that he had no idea of how to flirt or handle rejection or any of those things.

Did he even fancy Nate? Or was he just interested because he was telling himself he was interested? It was hard to tell. There was The Dream, sure. But sex dreams didn't mean you were actually attracted to that person; they were random. There was the fact that Nate was very clever. And very beautiful. Ok, yes, all things that would attract him. But it was more complicated than that. Mello didn't feel like he was 'walking on air' around Nate. He didn't feel really happy in his presence or anything. He felt sort of sweaty and nervous and kind of angry but a bit turned on.

Was that normal?

Was that a crush? He didn't know. Fucking sex education in school didn't say.

Realising he had been staring, Mellow stretched and in feigned nonchalance, made his way over the couch by which Nate was leaning against. He draped himself across said couch, his head resting Nate's. Under the guise of reading Nate's essay, he tried not to get distracted by how nice the boy smelled.

It'd been a hell of a day for Mido. He'd said good bye to his sister, recognising she needed space to think, and had visited the two universities he was applying to. Both were excellent, but he had found it hard to focus.

What he did realise quite quickly was that he liked Scotland. He'd only been once or twice before to visit his sister, but on his own, walking through the town, whilst he recognised it had the same problems as the rest of Britain, there was an air of hope and unity up North that seemed to be disintegrating in England. He could understand why only two years previously they had held a referendum on whether they even wanted to stay in the UK. He had been oddly slighted by it at the time (odd because Mido wasn't particularly patriotic) but perhaps the warning signs of England becoming an angry place had been apparent to enough Scots even then.

The dialect was hard though. He couldn't help but be relieved that a lot of the students in both unis were from England or Wales. He'd overheard a few Irish voices, but Irish was almost as incomprehensible as most Scottish accents.

With a tote bag full of goodies from both Open Days, he followed google maps to a small café near to where Kiyomi worked. Settling down, he took out her copy of The Model Wife and read it steadily, finishing it within two hours.

It was badly written, but he liked the questions it raised about its female characters. He wondered what the feminists at his college would think about it.

Officer Penber had contacted her. Apparently there had been some break in the case and it involved her client Felicity. Kiyomi hadn't mentioned it to anyone, her client or anyone in her office. It was better to wait and see what the police actually had. Rape cases were notoriously difficult, especially ones like Felicity's where she had said she'd lied.

In the taxi she stared dolefully out of the window.

Last night haunted her. The shame, the anger and the relief. It was awful. Just awful. Her whole world had been turned upside down and now she didn't know what she wanted.

And she was too old for that. She was twenty-seven. She needed to know exactly what she wanted. She needed to know that she wanted to get married and have two children and a nice house in the country and that this was to be done with Light; charming, handsome Light.

Light who ignored her. Light who she had been convinced had been cheating on her. Light who, a small part of her, was glad he was no longer officially hers because being with him meant constant anxiety and self-reflection on why she just wasn't good enough for him.

Kiyomi closed her eyes, a headache forming at her temples. She knew how people saw her. She was a bitch. The mean lady who was smug and self-satisfied. She was never seen as someone who was clever – as clever as Light – or as someone who was proud of achievements she had worked for. She wasn't seen as a dedicated girlfriend who had always been loyal. No, she was an up-tight, posh egotist.

She was probably going to be alone forever. Girls like Misa would end up with a husband and baby by the time she was twenty-two. There was a good chance Kiyomi would remain childless and possibly single.

The worst thing, the worst thing, was that she wasn't even sure if that was really a problem for her. What was it that she really wanted? How much was dictated by what she thought she ought to want? All she did know was that she wasn't happy and neither was Light. She had suspected before, but hearing his voice the other night, she now knew. He had been happy on that call. He didn't sound like that with her.

As the taxi pulled up in front of the station she wiped away a few tears and steeled herself. She was a professional.

Inside the station she was led into the offices which were alive with action. The evidence of a breakthrough was clear; the uniformed officers were at their desks looking at files or a computer screen while non-uniform were clustered in groups in front of a large white board containing the faces of multiple women. There were different ages and races, but all of them looked thin and washed out.

"Ms Takada?"

She turned and saw the same policeman she'd seen before. Handsome, dark hair and dark tired eyes. Ray Penber.

"You have news for me? Regarding my client, Felicity Rowhawn?"

He nodded brusquely, appreciating how she got down to business immediately. "A lot has been happening recently with another rape case. A young Ukranian prostitute was found raped and murdered in a park."

Kiyomi felt her insides freeze, but tried to not let her discomfort and repulsion show.

"We ended up linking her to a cleaning company who use illegal immigrants," Ray continued. "We realised that this is the same company your client works for," he shrugged, "it was too much of a coincidence so we began to pay attention to anything that linked to her case."

"Thank you," said Kiyomi suddenly. Ray glanced up at her, looking as surprised at her interruption as she was. "She took back her statement," Kiyomi continued, "you could have just ignored her but you didn't."

Ray gave a small, sad smile, "I came into this job to help people. I don't feel like I always do… Anyway," he took a steadying breath and Kiyomi couldn't help but feel how shattered this man was, "last night two witnesses noticed a number of women from this same company going into a seemingly abandoned factory. And this factory, we have reason to believe, is connected to a criminal faction who dabble in prostitution. We didn't have time for a raid, but could get a few officers to check the place out early this morning." He sighed and shook his head, "we found a lot of weird stuff in that place which I cannot tell you about. But what I can say is that sex crimes have been occurring, and Ms. Rowhawn's boss was involved. We decided to call you then, but just an hour ago we were able to get a warrant to search his house," he paused before adding, "we found a werewolf costume."

"You cannot be serious."

"Trust me, I have a feeling this is going to be a pretty depraved and strange case. But yes, deadly serious. It's being processed as a matter of urgency as we speak. We're going to find as much DNA as possible. But really, DNA is only for the jury, what we need is – "

"You need her to confirm it's the same outfit."

"Exactly. As soon as we saw it we knew it could be part of your client's case. It's too much of a coincidence."

Kiyomi thought for a moment before confirming, "And this is all tied to her workplace?"

"Yes, but we don't think Felicity had anything to do with the seedy stuff going on behind the scenes. There isn't much evidence of that and it seems unlikely."

He hadn't told her much, but Kiyomi could guess more about this case than he was saying. A dead prostitute. A number of women working for one company that not only hired illegal immigrants but had some connection to a crime syndicate? It was a front for prostitution. No doubt. It was highly doubtful that Felicity was a prostitute herself, and unlikely that she was involved or she never would have contacted the police to begin with. By contacting the police, she'd put the whole criminal operation at risk.

"Do you think people tried to silence her?"

"Maybe," answered Ray before grimacing, "but maybe not. She knew we didn't believe her and that's reason enough for a victim to withdraw their complaint. Obviously the case against her for wasting police time has been suspended, depending on how this investigation goes. We let your client down, Ms. Takada. She has every right to sue us, if she wishes."

"I admire your honesty," she said, leaning back and observing him appreciatively, "but I may encourage her to do so. Her reputation has been destroyed and she doesn't come across as someone who was confident to begin with."

Ray nodded sombrely and Kiyomi suddenly felt very passionate about Felicity, desperately wanting the woman to get her dues and with her money go somewhere else; start a life anew.

"Please let your client know and bring her in as soon as possible. You have my number. The quicker this is done, the better."

"I understand."

After Kiyomi left the building, Ray went into a small conference room where Light Yagami was sitting with Naomi. They were talking quietly, Light laughing softly now and then. Naomi looked charming and Ray felt his stomach shift uncomfortably. Back home was miserable now. It was quiet and lonely and the place was filthy most of the time. He just didn't have the energy or time to clean. Or even cook, he'd been eating out or just going to bed hungry most nights.

"Where's the other one?" he interrupted, making the pair look at him, "Lawliet?"

"He's with the captain," Naomi explained. "He's probably being offered a job as we speak," she let out a small laugh, but it was strained. She was upset, he could tell.

"Can I speak with you privately a moment?"

She nodded, patting Light on the arm before going out into the hallway with Ray.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Naomi."

She sighed, "just a bit jealous. I worked hard and Lawli… he's just… it's just hard. Being out-shined. That's all."

"What Lawliet did was impressive to us. But for him not really. He just made a few guesses and put some links together. For him, this was a game of sudoku. But you," he lifted her chin so they could look into each other's eyes, "you actually did the footwork. The unglamorous stuff that needs to happen. You got someone from the estate to actually talk to us! That never happens."

She laughed and looked away, "only because she knew Lawliet…"

"Because you put her at ease. She was nowhere near as friendly with Aizawa."

She froze up then, making him frown because he didn't understand what he'd done wrong. But he decided to shoot his shot anyway; no time like the present.

"Look, come back home. I know you hate it at you parent's house. Lawliet can come back too."

"I cheated on you."

A beat.

In the hallways they could hear the sounds of the offices around them; low voices, the photocopier, some angry shouting out in the front of the station.

Ray took in a breath, "what?"

"It was a one time thing. One night. I was drunk. And angry. The guy didn't know I had a partner. I left and I felt ashamed but… and that's why I left you. I realised. I realised it was over between us."

"You fucked some guy?"

She winced, "y-yeah."

"Some stranger?"

Naomi frowned. That was a weird thing to ask. She looked up at him, "would you rather it have been someone we knew?"

He scrunched up his face at that. It was a look she'd seen before; disgust and resentment. "Oh fuck you Naomi! And why are you telling me this now? In the middle of a fucking case! Like I haven't got enough to deal with!" He spat out all of this in an angry, hurried hiss of a whisper.

Naomi felt her eyes welling up and hoped to god she would not cry, "I'm sorry, I really am!"

There was another moment of fraught, intense silence.

"Have you done this before? Screwed other men? Or was this the first time?"

"This was the only time." She looked up at him again, "the only time I ever betrayed you. I knew it was the end after."

Ray was breathing quickly. He felt an enormous amount of stress. It was like everything around him was spinning. "It's your fault," he panted, "you cheated."

In his brain obscenities screamed out, "whore, bitch, slut!"

"Yeah," she was saying in that defeated voice which he hated because it always made him feel like some cartoon villain dunking on some innocent, put-upon maid, "it's my fault. We were falling apart for some time but I know that was the final nail in the coffin. I hope you find someone who deserves you, I really do, because you are a great guy Ray –"

But it was all white noise to Ray. All of it was for nothing.

"I cannot believe I wasted the best years of my life with you," he hissed, bitterness colouring his words. Naomi immediately looked away, deeply stung. Some part of him knew he would regret saying that at a later date and seeing her turn away so he wouldn't see her cry. It often happened in their argument. But he couldn't control himself.

"I could have been with someone worthwhile," he continued, "someone who actually cared about me. But I got stuck with you and your fucked-up family." He was about to say more but stopped himself. Lawliet was watching them at the end of the hall having just turned the corner. He was too far away to hear but he must have worked out they were arguing by the look on his face.

Ray walked away.

Naomi found herself engulfed in a warm hug.

"It's ok," she heard her brother say. Her head was on his chest and she could feel the rumble of his low voice. A few tears now safely falling, she put her arms around his ribs, pulling him closer.

"He's an arsewipe," complained Lawliet.

"No," she sniffled, "it was my fault."

It was Light who suggested they should all go out for coffee. They were all tired and in need of a shower at this point, but he wasn't willing to go back to his normal life, Naomi wasn't willing to be alone and Lawliet wasn't willing to leave her just yet.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion but they all felt wired and excited. They talked too loudly in the quiet café, laughed too loudly at jokes about their families and embarrassing childhood recollections. Naomi, in all her sadness, couldn't help but notice her brother, who seldom laughed, was joining in now (albeit more restrained than herself or Light) and neither could she miss the fond looks Light was giving Lawliet when he explained that he'd given all his books away to Mello, a boy who needed stimulation.

"What did the captain want with you?" asked Light.

There was a pause and Naomi felt herself going tense.

"He just wanted to make sure I would allow Ray to take the credit for the initial advice I gave," Lawliet answered lightly, adding a disgusting amount of sugar to his hot chocolate. Light watched him with interest, oddly focused on Lawliet's fingers.

"I would have thought he'd offer you a job," Naomi forced herself to grin.

Lawliet glanced at her before sipping on his syrupy hot chocolate, "he was talking about trying to get me in some sort of consultant role. To work around my," he glanced at Light, "at my history. But I don't think so."

"What?" Naomi frowned.

"It's always been your thing, joining the police. I liked solving this crime, but I'm not sure I want to be a cop. So, I'm thinking of maybe going into Private Investigating. Less paperwork, less beating up kids selling weed or breaking up fights on a Saturday night. I mean, I'm not one hundred per cent but…"

Naomi couldn't believe it, "that's really cool… I can help you, if you like. We have Private Investigators helping us on cases on occasion."

"Same with Lawyers," Light added, "it's not unusual for us to use PI services."

Lawliet smiled softly, "well I'm already in the right circles. No harm in looking."

"Not back to university then?" asked Naomi. Mom and dad would have wanted Lawliet back in education.

Lawliet shook his head, "one day, perhaps. But I don't think it was good for me. Especially the environment. I think I need to work. I think I even need the struggle, a little bit. It's been good for me."

He and Light looked at each other and shared a smile.

They had held each other's gaze a beat too long before:

"Light?"

The pair looked up to see a young, handsome boy standing by their table, a cup of tea in his hands.

"Mido," Light put on that smile Lawliet hated, all fake and smarmy, "Lawliet, Naomi, meet Mido. He's… Kiyomi's… younger brother."

They all remained together for another hour or so before agreeing they were too tired to continue.

"I'll see you tonight though?" Light asked Lawliet, who was putting on his jacket to leave, "at the book club?"

Another small smile, "of course, I've been looking forward to it these last two weeks."

"Nice to meet you Mido!" trilled Naomi.

Mido waved to the siblings, "nice to meet you too!"

The siblings left and Light was alone with Mido.

"Are you happy to come back to the apartment with me?" Light asked Mido, "or did you want to explore some more? Kiyomi's office isn't far from here."

"I know, I was waiting for her to finish at lunch, but she wasn't able to make it. Some big breakthrough at work."

The two men left together after Light called for a taxi.

"Are you ok Mido? You've been pretty quiet, even when Lawliet and Naomi were here. It's not like you."

"I was just thinking," Mido said. The taxi arrived and they both climbed into the backseat, Light giving the address to the driver.

"How long have you known Naomi and Lawliet?" Mido asked after a moment of contemplation.

"Not long, why?"

"Not to sound weird but… you just seemed really happy today."

"Oh."

An awkward silence settled over the men. Mido thought back to when he first met Light. He had been around ten and Light was a teenager. He and Kiyomi dated in Secondary School, split up for a few years, and then began dating again in their early twenties. He had seen Light laughing and even kissing or hugging his sister, but Light never had looked as happy as he had when looking at Lawliet or engaging in conversation with him. Even when they had bickered (which had been often). Mido also knew that his sister, with whom his allegiance lay, had not been happy for some time.

"I read a book recently," Mido said suddenly, making Light look at him, "it was called The Only Story. The idea behind the narrative was that everyone has one great love story in their life. That one relationship that defines you. So, there's this guy who meets this woman. And there's an age gap, but they try to make it work. But it's hard. Even though they genuinely love each other, it still falls apart. And he always remembers her, because she was his Only Story."

"That's pretty sad. I guess you always have to work on relationships."

"Maybe. But the protagonist wasn't sad. Because it was better to have loved than to have done what his friends did, just married for the sake of it, burying themselves, growing resentful of their partners… it's a complicated story. There's an age gap and one is married so… so it's morally ambiguous and you wonder about him being only nineteen when it started but… but I like the idea. That we should be brave and allow our Story to happen. To be in love no matter what. Even if you can lose that person."

"Are you in love?"

Mido grinned, "no. But I am opening myself up to new opportunities. Listening to new perspectives. Trying to be observant."

"Anything you observed today that prompted your book review?"

"Maybe. I liked how your friend Lawliet was trying to be a better person. And how Naomi is trying to be hopeful. They're positive people. They have a good aura. Is that why you like them?"

Light laughed a little cynically, "not sure I believe in auras."

"Me neither but you know what I mean."

"How long are you staying?"

Mido noted the change of topic but went along with it, "as long as you and Kiyomi will have me. I'm thinking of attending university here."

"Excellent, let me know if you need help with your application."

"And I'm coming to the book club tonight, Kiyomi said I could."

"Of course. You already know Lawliet. You'll meet his housemates and my co-worker, Matsuda."

Mido smiled and leaned back, resting his eyes for the rest of the journey. Once in the apartment he kept himself busy, unpacking clothes and so on, allowing Light time to himself. He hoped Light was thinking about what he had said.

Later that evening, Light and Mido walked together to Nate's flat. Mido was chewing Light's ear off about his feminist group at college.

"I never really engaged with feminism," Light said after Mido was done campaigning, "I never knew when to speak or when to keep my mouth shut. Could never keep up with what was offensive and what wasn't."

"Well it's complicated," Mido said, "they're not a hive mind, they disagree amongst themselves."

They arrived at Nate's door and knocked.

Then gaped at the red-haired boy who opened it. He was eating a croissant and only in socks, boxer shorts and a t-shirt.

"Hey man, come in."

"Is this Nate?" Mido whispered.

"I have no idea who this is." Light responded flatly.

Matt led them into the living room, sitting on a chair and getting out a Gameboy.

Mido looked around the room. An albino was sitting on a cushion next to the coffee table, piling up legos to make a pyramid. A witch was sitting on a stool in a shadowy corner, staring at said albino.

"Um…"

"Hello Nate," Light said calmly to the albino before nodding to the witch, "and Mello, hope you're well."

Mello scowled and Nate ignored Light, who, unperturbed, sat on the couch. Mido followed his behaviour.

"Light?" called a voice from somewhere, "Light is that you?"

Misa came out of Nate's tiny kitchenette, a champagne glass in her hand. She tottered over to the couch. "It's good to see you again, I notice whatshername isn't here. Didn't work out?"

"Me and Kiyomi are still together," Light plastered on a fake smile.

The girl hmphed and took a sip of her drink, "who's this guy?"

"This is Mido," Light introduced the boy she was glowering at, "he's Kiyomi's brother."

"Nice to meet you," smiled Mido, who had decided to take it all in his stride.

"Misa, charmed," she held out her hand and awkwardly Mido kissed it after sending Light a confused glance.

She then sat on the arm of the couch, next to Light, "I was thinking," she said, "I know there was… something… between us, but we should pursue it."

"Misa –"

"It's not fair on Kiyomi, she's a darling really, just repressed."

"Oh my god –"

"But I've been thinking about it and you're really old Light. Handsome but old. And it just wouldn't be cute you and me being together. Plus, I'm a strong and free spirit."

"It's true," piped up Nate suddenly.

"And I just think your bourgeoisie aspirations would stifle me," Misa continued, swirling her champagne glass and spilling the contents, "and, I cannot lie, your lack of true commitment to your current fiancée is alarming."

Light knew she was (probably) joking, but that hit a bit too close to home, "Misa are you old enough to drink?"

"I'm eighteen Light," she answered drolly, taking a deep sip.

"It's apple juice," Nate piped up just as the door knocked.

With a muttered, "oh thank God," Light went to open the door.

"Hiiiiiii!" trilled Matsuda and Sayu in unison as soon as he opened it.

"We bought wine!" cried Matsuda, "to…ease tensions a little."

"Much appreciated," answered Light, "come in, we have new people."

The pair, after being introduced to a still trouser-less Matt and to Mido, cooed over the new boys. Matt put down the Gameboy and was suddenly engaged in whatever Sayu was on about, and Mido felt relieved to be in the comparative normalcy of Matsuda. Light engaged for a little while but soon left to 'make an important phonecall'.

"What brings you here?" Matsuda had asked.

"I'm thinking of joining the University," Mido responded, and on announcing which one, sent Matsuda into a tizz because:

"I'm doing my second year there!" He pointed to the others, "Nate is in his first year and Sayu is starting in September!"

Meanwhile, Mello had snuck from his shadowy corner to the kitchenette doorway, where he now stood with Misa. He was still watching Nate.

"Go talk to them," Misa hissed.

"No."

"Mello!"

"Fuck off!"

He slunk further into the recesses of the dark kitchenette like some sort of hobgoblin. Misa sighed, folding her arms, "do you want me to go first."

"No!" hissed the voice of her twin out of the darkness.

"I'll break the ice."

"No! You'll say something stupid."

Misa smirked, "oh ye of little faith!"

She sauntered over to the boys, sitting on the coffee table. She crossed her long legs, smirking seductively as they watched; Matsuda and Mido with wide eyes, Nate with boredom.

"University eh?" she crooned, "not for me I'm afraid. I've decided my unique set of talents would be better off… in front of the camera… if you get my drift." She raised an eyebrow inexpertly and smirked.

"Oh my god…" muttered Mido just as Mello came crashing out of the shadows shouting:

"She wants to be a youtuber, not a cam-girl, for fucks sake Misa!"

"Why are you screaming at me?" she shrieked, "what's a cam girl?"

Matsuda broke out into fake laughter suddenly, "ahahahahahhaha! Well I better serve this wine!" and fled into the kitchen.

"Misa," Mido tapped the now spare space next to him, "please sit by me. I have a feeling that you are a fascinating person."

Nate, who was at the other side of Mido, smiled at Mido's ability to read character and was about to concur when Mello sneered;

"Look buddy, don't try and have sex with my sister. You're not her type and she's fucked around five guys already."

Misa smiled and shrugged at Mido, apparently unperturbed.

"Well, that's interesting to say to me," said Mido, leaning forward and peering at an increasingly uncomfortable Mello, "you say that as a criticism to what you presume is my underlying sexism, or your own? Is a woman not allowed to have more than five sexual partners? Or are you worried she is being taken advantage of by men?"

Mello slowly sat down on the coffee table in front of Mido, "I…um…I don't know?"

Outside of the flat Light stood waiting for Lawliet. The truth was he'd already lost interest in the Book Club and had only come because he knew Lawliet was. He pulled out his phone and checked it again.

Nothing.

"Light?"

He looked up and saw Kiyomi. She looked beautiful, as always. Her make-up meticulous, her outfit sharp and refined. Her brown bob glossy and matching deep brown eyes. Skin a soft light brown. She was really good looking. And he felt disappointed at seeing her.

"Hi," he smiled, "how was today? Sounds like a lot happened."

She nodded slowly. Her movements seemed cautious. "It was. A client has had a rough time of it. There was lots of tears today, but I think justice is going to happen."

His smile became more genuine now. This was the Kiyomi he truly cared for. The one that was ambitious, loyal and loved fiercely.

"Wait, where's Mido?"

"Inside."

"You left him with those people?" She shrieked.

Light scowled and she pushed past him into the flat, "he's fine!"

Kiyomi stormed through the little hallway into the shared space. There she saw Misa, Sayu, some half-naked boy and Nate (amazingly) all dancing to 'Single Ladies' by Beyonce.

"Hi Kiyomi!" called a panting Sayu at the same time Misa yelled:

"You have a cute brother!"

"Where is he?" yelled Kiyomi over the din.

Nate danced up to her. His movement were accurate but bizarrely robotic, "he's in the bathroom," he answered so quietly she had to lean down to hear him, "he gave Mello an existential breakdown."

"What?" she muttered immediately walking to the bathroom.

She knocked on the door and walked in.

Mido was sitting inside the bath with Mello. The boys were holding hands, like they were doing a séance.

"GET OOOUUUT!" Screamed Mello like he was possessed, "I'M FEELING THINGS!"

Mido laughed a bit manically, "I'm ok, wait for me outside!"

Throwing her hands up she stormed out of the bathroom. Great, her brother was now one of them.

Lawliet ran up the stairs two at a time. He was running late and felt stressed. He'd worried all evening about what to wear; embarrassingly having changed outfit twice. This was not him; he was not the kind of guy that cared about what he looked like. But tonight he did and he had become frustrated with himself for not knowing what looked good.

Then Ukita had called asking him to do a late shift last minute as Susan was sick or something. And even though he did not want to go work in the shop, he'd really considered it because he could do with the extra cash. In the end he had said no.

But the anxiety was still there, pulsing under the skin, rotating around his heart. Making him feel ill.

And then he reached the landing of Nate's floor and saw Light standing at the balcony. He was surrounded by the lights of the city and he looked beautiful. Like something magical. Almost inhuman. And just being so majestic and godly, he somehow made the surroundings of cheap, dirty Manchester look better.

Light turned and smiled sweetly. A smile that reached his light brown eyes. "Hey."

"Hey," Lawliet hadn't even realised he'd been walking towards Light.

"You look really nice," Light was looking him up and down and had said this with feeling.

Lawliet was wearing a white shirt with jeans and a pair of old trainers. So at this compliment he frowned in confusion but said thanks anyway.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. From inside Nate's flat they could hear Misa shrieking and loud pop music. "Um… I'm guessing the book club hasn't started yet?"

"We were waiting for you. Everyone's here now."

"Cool."

The two men stood. Maybe they would wait a little longer before going inside…