L opened the envelop and scanned them, he felt Near rest his head on his shoulder, the boy's tiny hand clutching the white fabric from L's shirt. The detective glanced at Near briefly before he continued reading.
"Watari, you would consider this?"He asked, looking to the old man. "You would adopt Near?"
"My dear L, I remember when you were small. You came to me from a difficult situation and within seconds of having you here, I knew that I had finally gotten the son I had always hoped for. I made the arrangements to legally adopt you through the house to cut through all the red tape and I haven't regretted a single moment. I saw a frightened little boy, who needed a family rather than to be placed in the establishment. Near has improved so much in such a small amount of time, you've never changed your mind so fast about anything. Maybe little Near needs this, he'll have the attention he needs and you're obviously capable of teaching him."
"I would like that, I have never had a brother before."
"Do you understand what this means, Near will live with us, he'll need care every day, not just when there's no work in front of us. Since you're the one who asked to have a new family member, I'm going to need your help caring for him sometimes and it won't always be peaceful and quiet. There maybe times when Near cries or gets into things, you'll need to be patient with him. This can also make things difficult for you, he may want you to spend time with him while you're-"
"I understand. I know it will be an adjustment, I will help you care for him. Older siblings often help, is that correct, Watari?" the man nodded.
"It is. I suggest a trial period before anything is official, will you agree to that?"
"Must we?"
"It's a good idea to see how you two will take to each other because once this happens, we can't just give him back. You've only spent a small amount of time together so far and it'll be for the rest of your lives. When you babysit, you get to give them back but when you have a little brother, it's more than just a few hours."
"Very well, I agree." L handed the papers back to Watari. "Come Near, we have some time, you can show me your toys again." Watari watched the two settle themselves onto the floor and there could be no doubt. Near was home. Just as the old man lowered himself onto his own chair, he saw Near once again holding onto L, the toddler stared deeply into the young detective's eyes.
"My." the tiny voice said gently. L patted the child's head affectionately.
"Yes Near, I am your brother, we will be a family." L assured him. Near released L with a smile and offered him the small red truck.
A/N. This concludes the story, I hope you enjoyed it. I am thinking of a sequel not sure if I'll write it yet or not though. But thanks for reading.
