Authors Note: HEYO! XD Please tell me what you think; I would love to know XD

JUST SO YOU KNOW: I have taken creative liberties with middle names, so please take that into consideration. Also, I've only seen the Anime.

This is my FIRST Death Note fic, so I suppose you could say I'm new to the Fandom! Also, I live in England, I don't know Japanese, so any Japanese I use in this story I get from Google Translate XD

Please, please review XD

P.S. This is an AU - Light was never Kira, but still helped during the investigation; obviously, Light and L did not die; the Kira case took 1 year to clear up, not (about) 7; set in 2016. I apologise for OOCness, but it IS an AU ;)

I own nothing and no one apart from the following: Daichi Tanaka; Sora Tanaka; Levi (Lee/Vi); Addison (Ad/Ads/Addy); Elijah (Eli/Ellie/Lijah/Ilya); Quill (Q/Curly Q/Will); Yuri (Yu/Yui/Ri/Riri); Tora (Rara/Tori); Maelan (Mal); Kotaro; Sakura

Chapter 18

L

TIME SKIP – YEAR: 2030

August 14th 2030.

I woke to the summer sun streaming in under the blinds, to quiet chirps of birds and the warmth of a body beside me. Blinking sleepily, I wrapped my arm tighter around the man in front of me, pulling him closer.

That day, Light and I would be marking our 15th year of being together and our 10th year of marriage.

After graduating, Light had worked with his father for a few years, gaining experience and helping those where he lived. Not too long after, Light started to work with me, the two of us growing the detective business Watari and I had started. We were able to solve double the number of cases, our experiences and knowledge of the world complementing each other. Light still helped his father, of course, when asked, as did I.

Even though the sun was up, it was still early enough that we didn't have to worry about being awake. For a while, we could relax and enjoy each other's company, before our home was full with our family. Leaning forward slightly, I pressed gentle kisses against the back of Light's neck.

Over the years, it had become my favourite way to wake him up.

As I kissed the side of his neck, Light shifted and let out a small hum. His arm moved until it landed over mine, lacing our fingers together, and sleepily shuffled further back into me. Every morning, it was the same thing.

"Good morning, Light," I whispered, resting my forehead on his shoulder. "Happy Anniversary."

Light responded with a weak squeeze of my hand and a series of mumbles.

Chuckling to myself, I wriggled away, reluctantly, until I was out of the bed and headed to our en-suite bathroom. I never took long, especially early in the morning, only taking the time I needed to go to the toilet and brush my teeth. It was never longer than five minutes.

The moment I stepped back into our bedroom, I was greeted with the sight of a grumpy Light. He had wrapped himself in the duvet, from head to toe, and his eyes were barely visible, glaring.

"Morning, sleepyhead," I grinned, walking over to him.

"You left," he grumbled, voice hoarse from sleep. "Rude."

"Yes, I did. And you would have complained about my morning breath if I hadn't."

Pulling the duvet away, I pressed kisses to his forehead and distracted him enough to unwrap him completely. When I had managed to untangle him from the fabric, I pulled Light up to his feet and hugged him close; his head resting against my shoulder as he yawned.

"I need to brush my teeth," Light sighed, snuggling closer to me.

"Yes, you do," I smiled.

"You're comfy."

"I'll still be comfy when you come back."

"Fine."

It still took seven minutes and twenty-seven seconds before Light actually moved.

People started to arrive from ten o'clock that morning and, before too long, we were surrounded by those we loved.

Watari, now eighty-five, was still strong and healthy, continuing to help me, Light and the boys with cases. Mello was almost twenty-nine, Matt twenty-eight and Near closing in on twenty-seven, the three still in a healthy relationship with each other. Yes, they had arguments, but they still loved each other. Light's father was now sixty-three, his mother almost fifty-six and sister twenty-nine, the three of them continuing to love and support Light and I.

With Light now thirty-two and I creeping closer to thirty-nine, it was still strange to look back at where we had started, especially when I looked around at the children around us.

Sayu, whilst at University, had met her husband of three years, Daichi Tanaka. He stood at five foot eleven, with dark hair, light brown eyes and a muscular build. Despite a somewhat stoic and intimidating appearance, he was an incredibly sweet young man. Daichi was an English teacher at the local High School and coached the school's volleyball team, a car accident stopping him from pursuing the sport as a career. Of course, Light and I had done extensive background research into him when Sayu had first mentioned him. Suffice to say, we liked what we saw. Sayu had given birth to their first child, a little girl they named Sora, in 2028 and was, at that time, eight and a half months pregnant with their son. Sora toddled around the garden, stuffed bunny toy flapping as she ran after the older children.

Mello, Matt and Near head each taken on a child from Wammy's. Back in 2025, Roger had contacted Watari about three children; Light, the boys and I had accompanied Watari back to England that night. At Wammy's, it was uncommon for there to be children of abuse taken in. However, as we knew, there were those exceptional cases. When we had arrived, the three children were sitting in the newly build Quiet Room, a room where children could go if they were overwhelmed or angry. Roger, standing outside the room with us, explained the situation. The three children, triplets aged three, had been rescued from abusive foster parents. They were still covered in bruises; their clothes ripped and covered in dirt.

Instantly, I was reminded of each of my boys, of when I first met them.

Levi, Addison and Elijah, the triplets, stayed huddled together in the corner of the room, keeping a white-knuckled hold on each other. Roger had thought, because of their delicate state, it would be helpful if we – Watari, the boys and I – could help them to understand that they were safe now.

A year later, the boys had each officially adopted one of the triplets and brought them back to Japan. The triplets, over time, had become very attached to the boys and vice versa, much as the boys had become attached to me and me them. No one had been surprised by the adoption decision. Mello became the guardian of Levi, Matt of Addison, and Near of Elijah – it had been found easier this way, as opposed to only one of the boys adopting all three. Now, in 2030, at the age of eight, the triplets had found out the true nature of Mello, Matt and Near's relationship; none of them cared, referring to all three of them as their Dads. It was the closest the boys felt to having a family of their own since the three of them couldn't get married.

Then there was Light and me.

After our wedding, on August 14th, 2020, Light and I had waited to begin our family, welcoming our first child, our son Quill Soichiro Lawliet-Yagami, on June 2nd, 2023. We had named him after Watari, honouring the men we knew as our fathers. September 11th, 2024, after deciding we wanted to have another child, Light and I had our twin daughters – Yuri Viktorija Lawliet-Yagami and Tora Sachiko Lawliet-Yagami. Yuri was after my mother, with Viktorija honouring my Russian heritage; Tora was Light's suggestion because he liked it, with Sachiko honouring his mother. Then, on April 14th, 2026, we welcomed our son, Maelan Toshiro Lawliet-Yagami. Toshiro came from, admittedly, an anime (Bleach) that Light and I both enjoyed. The Maelan was for two reasons – first, it was a real name that Light and I had come across and both liked; second, it was a combination of Mail, Mihael and Nathan. The names of our other boys. Neither of us could resist once we made that connection.

Suffice to say, we made some people cry because of our name choices.

Running around with the children were the newest additions to the Lawliet-Yagami household – Kotaro and Sakura, our two Japanese Akita puppies. I had bought them half for Light as an anniversary present and half for the children. Light had always loved and wanted dogs; our children didn't help, with the constant pleading for a pet.

To be honest, I had also wanted a dog, so I suppose they were a gift for me, too.

As everybody sat outside in the garden for lunch, I followed Light into the kitchen. We had moved into our home, an actual house, a year after getting married, when we had started thinking about having a family. There was enough room in our house to accommodate us and everybody in the garden, with the majority being extensions we had built on.

I watched as Light walked to the sink, placing his coffee mug into it. Light leaned against the counter, a happy sigh escaping his lips as he smiled; walking up behind him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my chin on his shoulder.

"Hi there," I smiled, swaying us slowly. "You look happy."

"I am happy," Light hummed, leaning his head back onto my shoulder. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Closing my eyes, I stayed quiet. Over the years, it had become a common observation and response, our little way of noting how much we loved where we were in our lives and each other.

"The kids are having fun," Light mused. "You've outdone yourself with the puppies."

"I know," I chuckled. "I'm going to have to work hard to top that surprise."

"Good luck."

Neither of us moved from our position. Even with our family outside, we didn't want to leave the moment we were in. Content to stay there for as long as we could.

Which wasn't long.

Before we knew it, we heard the sound of little feet galloping down the hallway. We had become accustomed to the sounds in our house and our children, our senses and skills quickly adjusting to knowing everything involving our kids.

"Daddy!" Maelan's voice called. "Papa!"

Light and I let go of each other and turned as our youngest sped around the corner. Out of our children, Yuri and Maelan looked the most like me, though it was most obvious with Maelan. In looks, he was my mini-me. When Maelan stepped into the kitchen, he didn't slow down; he kept running, charging towards Light and me. I caught him easily, swinging the four-year-old up into the air and onto my hip as he squealed.

"Hey, Baby Panda," I grinned, kissing the top of his head. "What you doing?"

"Found you!" he giggled, snuggling closer and wrapping his hands in my shirt.

"Yes, you did," Light chuckled, stroking his hair. "Would you like some juice?"

Like me, Maelan had a very sweet tooth. Yes, he ate a lot better than I did, but he still loved sweet things. Juice was his number one drink of choice, and, much to Mello's delight, chocolate was his favourite sweet. For his birthday, Light's mother had made Maelan a two-tiered all chocolate cake – he would have eaten the entire thing if we had let him.

Saying that, Mello would have too.

"P'ease, Daddy!" he beamed.

As Light moved around the kitchen, I leant my back against the counter. Light and I hadn't discussed what our kids would call us beforehand. Only when Quill was born did we come out with how we would be referred – Light as Daddy and me as Papa. There was no rhyme or reason; that was just how it was.

Neither of us minded.

"You having fun?" I asked, beginning to sway again.

"Yuh-huh," Maelan nodded. "I-I-I-I wike – I wike the puppies!"

"Yeah? You like the puppies?"

"They–They're so cute!"

One thing I loved about being a parent was being able to give my children a better childhood than I had. They wouldn't have to worry about if they were safe or if they would be hurt; they knew they were loved and cherished. Wanted. That's not to say, however, that I had never been worried. When Light and I started discussing having a family of our own, I was terrified of the cycle of abuse continuing, even though I knew I would never harm a child. Especially my own. It took months of Light reminding me of that, of drilling it into my head, before I had started to relax a little.

I couldn't even begin to describe the love I had for my children.

The entire day was filled with laughter and love. And tiny little barks. The puppies seemed to feel right at home in no time, coming up to everyone for cuddles and happily playing with the children. It might have helped that Watari was in on the surprise, keeping Light and our children occupied whilst I set up opportunities for the puppies to visit the house to get comfortable with the space.

Watari had always been the best decoy.

As I topped up everyone's drinks from the mock drinks bar we had set up, I managed to put the glasses down before Elijah rammed into me. The eight-year-old's arms wrapped around my stomach, breathing heavily as he stared up at me.

When the triplets had started calling the boys their Dads, they had asked if they could call Light and me their grandfathers, even though there was only a ten-year difference between Mello and me – only three between Mello and Light. Even so, Light and I couldn't say no to them, especially when the boys called me, and Light since we got married, Dad. So, to make things easier, the triplets called me the shortened Russian term for grandfather, Deda.

"Hi, Deda L!" he giggled. "Can I have some lemonade?"

"Hm, I don't know, Ilya," I joked, using the Russian variant of his name. "Have you asked one of your dads?"

"Daddy, can I have some lemonade?"

Like calling me Deda, the triplets needed different names to call their dads – Mello, like I had, took the Russian variant, Papochka; Matt became Papa; Near became Daddy.

Whilst the three children adored the boys equally, they seemed to have a special connection with the one that had legally adopted them. For example, Elijah would typically go to Near if he had a question or asked for something, just like Levi went to Mello and Addison went to Matt. It was their natural instincts.

"Yes, you can have some lemonade," Near chuckled. "Remember not to drink it too quickly, ok?"

"Thank you!" Elijah called back.

Knowing it wouldn't take long before Levi and Addison were asking the same, I poured three cups of the clear fizz, handing one to the young boy in front of me. Seconds after Elijah had taken the cup, as I had expected, Levi and Addison came running up to me, calling the question out to Mello and Matt, respectively.

The three drank half of their drinks, before placing them with their legal guardian and running off to play again.

When I sat back down after getting drinks for the adults, Light shuffled closer to me on our bench, leaning into me as he sipped the ice tea I put in front of him. Automatically, I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, relaxing back against the seat.

As time went on, it was decided that it would be easier for everybody to stay the night. The children always loved having sleepovers, no matter whose house they stayed at, and it meant the adults didn't have to worry about leaving at a certain time to keep on their schedule.

By eight o'clock that evening, the last of the children had been put to bed.

By eleven o'clock, we adults decided to call it a night.

Laying in bed, with Light in my arms and our children sleeping down the hall, I couldn't think of a better way for my life to have gone. I had come into the world with the odds stacked against me; I never thought I would see ten. But I was approaching thirty-nine, and I was married to the man I loved, with who I had four beautiful children. Seven, if we counted the boys.

After all these years, I finally had a home.

I finally had a family.

THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER!

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