A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews. School's out for summer, people, and I'm on the move.

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Escort to Happiness.

Ten.

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"It's pretty perverted. But it's not like I can control my dreams anyway, right?"

"Right."

"So, it's no big deal. … Is it?"

"It is not."

"He's just a freak is what he is! God, this just pisses me off!"

"If he gave you so many gifts, wouldn't that say that he cares a great deal about you?"

Mello balled his fist as he turned away from the window to look at L, sitting in his odd position in the only chair in the apartment that wasn't broken. L, as raggedy as he looked most of the time, still seemed quite out of place in Mello's broken down hole in the wall. It had taken Mello a great deal of coaxing to get him to bring L up - the strange sort of shyness he harbored intensified when he realized there were dead sunflowers everywhere.

The invitation up was only due to the fact that L suggested he take Mello out to a proper restaurant that evening. L hadn't donned anything more spectacular than what he usually wore but Mello, not having worn his new leather outfit anywhere yet, was debating it. Somehow, someway, they had started again on the subject of his far off stalker and Mello revealed to L his recurring daydream that the man would demand some sort of pleasurable payment for all his charity.

"He doesn't care about me, L," Mello insisted, "he's just after something sick. I hate him. Nothing in this world is free, there's always a price!"

L tilted his head; said quietly, "Some things are free."

"Well, not this," Mello said, walking over to the table where he had laid out the leather vest and the pants. He took them in his arms, loving the feeling of the smooth material against his skin, and looked at them intensely. Why can't some things be free? he thought.

"Do you want to give all the gifts back?"

Mello raised an eyebrow and finally sighed. "I spent all the money… and besides that, this outfit looks… amazing. It's just the cost may be too much."

"I see."

"No… you don't." Mello turned his back to the man and went for the bathroom in the back of the apartment. "I sort of envy you, L. Nobody's going to stalk you," he said as the door closed.

L wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. When he was sure Mello had locked the door behind him, he whipped out his cell phone and speed-dialed Raito. It rang only half a time and Raito answered frantically, "L! I've been trying to contact you all day!"

"I've been at work, Raito-"

"Yeah, whatever. Did you see what happened this afternoon? That street urchin might have killed me if you hadn't tripped him. He called me a stalker!"

"Well, that's because to him you are. He thinks you are the one bestowing gifts upon him."

"I hope you set him straight on that one then…"

"I'll do no such thing."

"Why?"

"He thinks you are a freak. I am barely out of freak status; why would I want to switch places with you?"

"You're impossible! Tell that boy who you are!"

"No."

"Ugh!"

"Just stay out of sight. What was Near doing with you out there anyway?"

"Oh hell. It's a long story. In short, someone at work bit into Near's sandwich and I offered to take him out to lunch."

"… Well, I'm glad you two are getting along. I must go now, I'm taking Mello to DiMaggio's."

"What? But that's where we go!"

"Do not show up with Near. Goodbye."

He flipped his phone closed on Raito's cries of protest and the door to the bathroom was opened. L put the phone in his jean pocket nonchalantly and looked up in time to see Mello come out into the living room, his body wrapped tightly in leather. He grinned and raised an eyebrow at L. "Well? How's it look?"

"Very nice," L said, his thumbnail in his mouth and his eyes studying the silver studs stretched across Mello's hips.

Mello nodded as if that was obvious and, after giving himself another once-over, he sighed. He didn't notice L's eyes still on him and said, "Uh, L… thanks, by the way. I guess."

L blinked. "What?"

"I said thanks. For, like, taking me out to eat all the time. It's made it easier on my other bills and stuff… not worrying about food. But, um, I understand if you can't do it for a lot longer."

L seemed to be taken aback by this sudden show of appreciation and stared at Mello for a second. Mello frowned at all the attention and turned towards the door, saying gruffly, "Well, aren't we going? I'm hungry!"

"Yes, of course." L got up from his seat and followed Mello out of the apartment and down the flight of stairs. It was dark on the street and the streetlights and lamps were lighting up the way to L's car parked in front of the apartment.

The Mercedes' black sheen was lit up under the lights of a bypassing car and as L walked around to the other side, Mello was still standing on the curb. L looked over at him and called, "Is something the matter?"

"No fucking way!" Mello shouted, pointing at the car like a trained hound dog. "This is your car?"

"Indeed."

"Fucking hell, where did you get the money for this? You cannot afford this on a janitor's salary!"

"I inherited it from my dead parents. They bought it the week before their death, you see."

Mello blinked and scratched at the back of his head. "Um…"

L smirked a little. "Get in."

-

Raito sat on his bed in a huff, his arms crossed over his chest and his papers and laptop surrounding him, forgotten about for the past few moments. His cell phone lay to his side, untouched since L's call and Raito fumed and mulled over the thought of calling that insensitive jerk back. This entire façade was getting out of hand - it was one thing to buy Mello flowers, another to spend mountains of money on clothes and food but now taking that unwashed barnacle to DiMaggio's was quite another.

"That's it," Raito grumbled to himself, snatching his phone from where it lay nestled in his bedcovers and before he was able to flip it open, it began to ring. Raito blinked and opened it, greeting the caller with, "So, you've come crawling back, have you?"

"… Pardon?"

"… Shit. Near, what are you doing calling my cell phone number? How did you even get this number in the first place?" Raito asked, his eyes rolling towards the speckled ceiling as Near began to explain in his monotone voice.

"I looked you up in the work directory," he said calmly.

"Well what is it you want? I'm very busy."

"I would like to come over."

Raito blinked. "What?"

"Please allow me to come over. There is something I would like to discuss with you about the merger between our company and the Oak Group. I have been working on this proposal for days-"

"Let me stop you right there. First off, interns aren't supposed to think about this kind of thing; that's what L and I were hired for."

"Mr. Lawliet is entangled in a late-night affair and you yourself are mourning his loss. This is less than productive."

"I am not mourning-" Raito stopped his budding rage and looked out of his open bedroom door. There was a knocking at his front door and he sighed, looking at his watch and wondering who it could be at this hour. He said, "Hold on, Near, there's someone here. Honestly, the world is bringing me problems. First L, then you, now - Aw, hell!" He opened the door only to be greeted by Near standing in the hallway with a stack of papers in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other and his cell phone held between his shoulder and ear.

"Hello," he said, struggling with his items.

"What are you doing here? This is completely inappropriate, compromising our professional relationship with late-night visits!"

"You mean like you and Mr. Lawliet always do?" Near asked, casually inviting himself in. Raito frowned heavily as Near set down his papers on the coffee table by one of Raito's over-priced couches. Near turned around and held out the coffee cup with a Starbucks print on it. "Here," he said, "a non-fat latte with orange extract."

Raito paused before taking it. He knows what I like at least… After taking a sip, he sighed and said, "Okay, Near, what do you want? But make it quick, I was working before you barged in on me."

"This won't take long," he said, sitting on the couch. He stared at Raito and patted the seat next to him.

Raito sat obediently and concentrated more on his drink than Near showing him his research on the Oak Group's past seasons and their fluctuating wealth. Near seemed to notice this and said, with some irritation, "Couldn't you at least hear me out? I came all this way."

"Nobody invited you," Raito responded, continuing to sip.

"In all actuality, I would have preferred it if Mr. Lawliet would be here too. At least he would be interested in saving the company's good name."

"Ha!" Raito scoffed, lowering his drink for the first time since Near began talking. "Good luck finding him around here anymore! He's gone off with his boyfriend for the night."

Near blushed faintly. "Boyfriend?"

"That's right! Spread it around the office, Near; L's abandoned us for a cheap blond in tight leather."

"Oh my."

"Oh my is right. He's got some nerve, leaving us in the lurch like this."

"Well, we wouldn't be in such a lurch if you'd help me. I need to speak with the CEO about my ideas, perhaps you could be of some use." Near looked back down at the paper he held in his hands; the graphs he had spent so much time thinking of in between runs for coffee. "Boyfriend or not, if Mr. Lawliet was here, I know he'd be interested in this," he said softly.

Raito groaned and looked at his watch again. "It's almost nine. I'll never be able to work now…" He stood up and put the empty Styrofoam cup down on a table. "Let's go drinking, Near."

"… Drinking? Did you not hear anything I just said?"

"No. You can try again over drinks. Let's go."

Near sighed.

-

The décor and ambiance of DiMaggio's was not what Mello expected at all. He figured that what L meant by 'proper restaurant' was something like Olive Garden. He never imagined the roses of light on the pavement leading up to the doors or smell of gentle lilac in the air or just-sunset lighting of candles at every table. The conversations all over the dining room were as soft as the candlelight.

Jesus fucking Christ, what kind of posh place is this? I bet this is the kind of place that doesn't have prices on their menus! Holy shit. Mello snuck a glance at L as the two of them followed their waitress to a table in the back. The other patrons tried to be slick about it, but they gawked at Mello's attire, the scar on his face and his unwashed blond hair. When they were seated next to an open window that looked out onto a small garden of lilies, Mello grabbed his menu and opened it up - sure enough, there were no prices.

"Fuck, L, can you afford this place?" Mello asked, unaware that a table of elderly women were a few feet away and appalled at his language.

"Of course," L said.

Mello scrunched up his face and set the menu down. When L still perused his own, Mello growled lowly and took it away from him, forcing L to face him. "All right, now you listen here. I know you weren't a janitor before so let's just cut through the old shit-cake."

L blinked mildly and then nodded. "Fine, have it your way. I was president of mergers and acquisitions at IDM before I came to work for Rosie."

Mello gaped widely and the waitress came over with a bottle of red wine that L had ordered. She poured them each a glass and left the bottle and was walking away when Mello finally managed to say, "What the fuck, L? Why would you lie to me like that? Janitor and president of fucktards aren't even close to one another!"

L raised an eyebrow as the women behind Mello got up and left, huffing to themselves about the wholesome days of yesteryear. "Mello," L said, returning his attention to the ruffled blond, "don't be so upset. I just didn't think it would make much sense to you if I came from a better paying job."

"It doesn't!"

"Well, I needed some time off. It was a high-pressure job. I saw Rosie's hiring sign and thought it would be a welcome vacation from IDM."

Mello frowned, unsatisfied. "Something still doesn't seem right…"

"Have you decided what you want to eat?" L asked, eyeing his menu once again in an attempt to change the subject.

Mello sighed. "I don't know what half this stuff is… I've never been to a place like this. Wine and stuff," Mello said, looking at the liquid inside the glass, the coruscating glass under the candlelight, "Me and Matt never even passed places like this…"

"Matt," L echoed without giving it a thought. "Who is he?"

Mello looked over at the dark-haired man and reddened slightly, turning his attention towards the window. "Nobody. Forget it. An old roommate."

"I see," L said and closed his menu. "Why aren't you two living together anymore?"

"He di-" Mello's voice cracked and he suddenly felt some kind of shame, something akin to the funeral when he looked at Matt's crying mother and found no words of solace. There was a lump in his throat and he swallowed it down bitterly, washed it away with a swig of wine, and continued, "He died. He's dead."

L watched him for a second, the spots of pink blossoming around Mello's cheeks and nodded, placed his hand over Mello's hand deftly. "My sincere apologies," he whispered and looked at Mello. He found himself hoping that, through their shared gaze, Mello would find everything out, more than his past job or who he was or who had really sent him the flowers that lay dead on his floors. Then, before a full moment passed, Mello took his hand away from L's, and L's small twinge of masochistic dourness slipped away.

The waitress came again and took their orders.

When she was gone again, the two of them were left with each other and the strange air between them. It was different than those times when L had just said something peculiar and off-the-mark and Mello thought him to be a freak. This time, he had actually said something human and Mello couldn't bring himself to look at the man again, slightly afraid that he might indeed turn to him and see a human. Not just a freak sitting in a fetal position.

"If you'd care to talk about it," L said softly, but stopped there, unsure of what to say next.

Mello shook his head and continued to look out of the window, his head propped up on one open palm. After another moment of silence, he spared L half a glance and said, shrugging, "It's okay." It had taken a while to be sure of his voice, L thought. "He was stupid. He got himself killed, walking out in traffic. Just asked for it. I knew that was going to happen someday, he was always doing shit like that."

Mello paused again, swallowed, and returned his gaze towards the window. "But I still sort of miss him. Even though the apartment is too small for two people, now it just seems too big. He was… well, if you want to call it that… my best friend. We did a lot together, like you and your friend who's always calling you."

L cracked a small smile. "The needy one?"

"Right. Matt was needy. Not attention-needy, but person-needy. He needed to be around me. Needed me to like him. Pretty pathetic, I guess."

"I don't think so."

Mello quaffed half his glass of wine in one swift motion. It gave him courage to look L in the eye and he did. "Don't think you have to be all nice to me because I told you my friend died."

"I'm not being nice. I'll kick you if you want."

Mello narrowed an eye at L and downed the rest of his glass. It gave him courage to grin. "I guess I was getting a little lonely after he died. But then you left your stupid big-wig job and came to bother me. But you're weird… well, this is weird. You're alright."

"And what is 'this'?" L asked casually while refilling Mello's glass.

"I don't know. Us going out all the time. Like I said, it's made things easy on my other bills…" Mello took another drink. "But it's like we're fucking dating. It's weird. If I wasn't so quick to accept all those other gifts, I wouldn't have a stalker now. So… we should just work together. You can't buy me anything more."

"I understand," L said, taking a small sip.

"Good."

Their food came soon after that and sometime during the meal, L looked up at Mello as he scarfed down the food like it was the last thing he would ever have. L said, "Mello, I'm…"

"What?" he asked, barely paying L any attention.

That lump again in L's throat - a hurdle to get over if he were ever going to tell Mello the truth, do what Raito said, what he knew would probably be for the best - and L let it stay there. He shook his head and smirked a little at the sauce on Mello's chin. He said, "It's no burden to take you out. On the contrary, I find it enjoyable."

Mello rolled his eyes and they continued on. By the time they were leaving, L had had one glass of wine while Mello had finished off the rest of the bottle. L helped Mello out to the car and the valet opened the door for them. When Mello was safe in the passenger's side, he was spouting absolute nonsense that would probably not even make sense to himself if he were sober. But L found it to be slightly cute and ignored him for most of the way home until they were one block away from Mello's apartment building and Mello turned to L, his blue eyes fervent under the changing streetlights.

He said, "Sorry, L. I guess I am pretty lonely."

L kept his focus on driving until he parked in front of the building and when he turned to address what Mello had said, the blond was snoozing. L sighed.

-

The next day, an average Wednesday for IDM, was not so average for Near. The small intern was walking around in a sickly manner, slightly agitated at all the bright florescent lights overhead. His stomach was shaky and the memories of the previous night at that posh bar with Raito were shaky in themselves. All he could clearly remember was the warmth of the scotch down his throat and the warm chocolate of Raito's eyes as he looked deep into his drinks.

Raito had really been putting them away and Near only remembered having one and a half drinks but when he walked into the brunet's office that morning, Raito was bright and sarcastic as ever. Near had deep rings under his eyes and as he placed the cup of coffee on Raito's desk along with a memo of that day's meetings, Raito grinned at him over the top of the monitor.

"Hey there, Near," he greeted smoothly, all teeth and bright eyes. "You sure seemed to have enjoyed yourself last night."

Near frowned, ignoring Raito's light teasing. "How can you not be in bed right now? You had six times the liquor I had."

"I'm used to it," he replied, one eyebrow raised. When Near steadied himself against the desk, Raito sighed and inspected him further. "Near, are you all right? You know, if your hangover is so bad, you should probably go back to bed."

"I am fine."

"Uh huh."

"I will be drinking coffee in the kitchen if you need me," Near murmured, turning in a semi-circle to find the door and exit. When it was closed, Raito broke out into a fit of laughter, forced to hold onto the desk for support as Near had. He never thought he would see the day that Near would loose his vapid expression so completely like he had in the bar and then again by cause of a hangover.

Raito's laughter died down as he recalled the airy smile Near wore after his first sips of scotch. The way he twirled a lock of hair around his finger as the conversation turned from imaginary things like saving IDM to real things - real things that were L. And Near called him L for once, not Mr. Lawliet, shaking himself loose of professional constraints. Near divulged things to Raito that would probably be best forgotten lest Near be burdened by their remembrance for the rest of his life at IDM. Things that Raito would never forget and would tell L at his earliest opportunity.

"He's wonderful-"

Raito swiveled around towards the window behind the desk and grinned to himself, surveying his view of the city.

"Just everything about him. His eyes-"

"Ah, the truth would out sooner or later," Raito mused to himself.

"His lips."

"What truth?"

Raito gasped and nearly fell from his chair when he saw L walk around the side of his desk. "Christ, L, is your aim to send me to an early grave?" he demanded as he stood, dusting his suit off. His hair was slightly askew and L smirked, brushing the stray locks into place.

"That is not my intent. How are you? Where's Near?"

Raito rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, thank you. What do you want with Near? You gave him to me; he's out getting me coffee probably."

L shrugged. "I must discuss something with him."

"That's new… so… how was your date with Mello?" Raito yawned, brushing a piece of lint off of his jacket.

"Splendid."

Raito pursed his lips only to see L rolling his eyes. "He's too young for you, L…"

"I know that."

Before Raito could answer, the door opened and Near was there, his mussed disposition new to L and upon seeing the dark-haired man, Near straightened immediately.

"M-Mr. Lawliet, you're back," he greeted. "Is your vacation over?"

Raito noticed the cup of coffee in Near's hand and groaned. "Near, I haven't touched the first cup-"

"This is not for you," Near grumbled and slurped.

L smiled at him, taking a step towards the boy. "My vacation is over, Near. But I'm here to ask a favor of you."

"Yes, sir," Near responded, seemingly cheered by L's presence.

"I have found a young man in need of a companion. And I think you're it."

-

To be continued.

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A/N: Thoughts? Concerns? Questions? Hit me.