A/N: You review me, I'll write for you. That's synergy, people, and we've got it going on.
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Escort to Happiness.
Eleven.
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There was a slight silence, in the kind in which no one really knows what to say. Raito turned to L with a big sigh of relief and clasped a hand onto the man's shoulder. "L, finally. But you didn't tell me you were coming back so soon. Did Mello dump you?"
L brushed the hair out of his eyes. "There was no dumping. But last night I realized that even though Mello and I had been out all the time and even with the gifts I had earlier purchased, he is still not happy. His friend that died was important to him, more so than I had before surmised. The only thing that can replace him is someone as dear, a friend." L smiled over at Near who quietly sipped his coffee. "And Near, you and Mello are only a few years apart. You would be perfect companions."
"You can't just pair people up like that," Raito protested. "It isn't natural! This is a fortune five hundred company, not eHarmony!"
"I think it's quite natural. Mello is young, Near is young… They're young people in need of camaraderie."
Raito seemed a little put off at this. "Young?" He gestured to himself and L. "We're not exactly geriatrics, you know!"
"You just said a moment ago that I was too old for Mello."
"I wouldn't have said it if I knew about this! Honestly, L, can't you leave that boy alone?"
"I cannot. I ruined his life."
"Well, now you're ruining mine."
"You're just dramatic."
"I have every reason to be!"
"Excuse me," Near interrupted, finally done with his coffee and more stable. He had been waiting his turn to talk but it then seemed like that turn would never come. Both older men looked down at him in expectation. Near cleared his throat, "Mr. Lawliet… I'm not sure I completely understand your reasoning but from what I have gathered, you ran a young man over with your car. Now his friend is wallowing in sorrow. But you were going to fix it and were doing so well… why do I have to get involved?"
"He was never doing well, just throwing money at the problem," Raito huffed.
L ignored this. "You don't have to get involved, Near. It's only something I want you to think about."
Near seemed leery and looked at the ground for a moment. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What does this job entail?"
L smiled. "Working at a flower shop."
-
It was around ten o' clock and the streets were paved with pedestrians just trying to get from point A to point B. Near looked out at them through the glass of L's passenger side window and sighed as they turned round the corner and left the vicinity of IDM. Near was still in his business attire despite L's invitation to change into something more comfortable. Near couldn't handle too many changes at once and as they entered the heart of the city, the cobblestone sidewalks turning to concrete, he wondered if he had made the right decision.
He sighed heavily and sat back in his seat. L noticed this and spared the boy a glance, smiling, and said, "I appreciate this, Near. What you're doing. Mello will appreciate it, too, you know."
Near nodded solemnly. He didn't care about Mello. Mello was a blond shadow behind a curtain to him at the moment, not a person and not the reason he had agreed to this. He raised his eyes to L as the man drove, one knee pressed up to his chest and the other gently tapping the gas pedal. He was a more tangible reason to be doing anything and Near felt relaxed at seeing L's composed state and forgot his insecurities at starting a new job. If L was this confident in his abilities, he had no reason to shirk.
They slowed and parked on the curb in front of the same flower shop Near had visited a few weeks ago. L got out first and Near met him on the sidewalk and as the boy was going up to the door, he was stopped.
"Wait, Near. Come here for a second."
Near turned to see L at the trunk of the car. He pulled out some green garment as Near approached and Near blanched a little as L held the apron up to him. "Here, put this on," he said, handing the apron to him. "It will look good on you."
"But sir…"
"And you can stop calling me sir and Mr. Lawliet. You don't work for me now."
Near frowned heavily at hearing that and was about to protest, potentially quit the shop before he had started, until L placed a hand on his shoulder in a calming manner. He smirked and said, "We're friends, so you're permitted to call me L."
Near said nothing, only took the apron placidly.
"All right, let's go," L said and walked for the door.
The bell rang over L's head and he was greeted by Mello's blue eyes from behind the counter.
"Hey, L," he said. "Where's your uniform?"
L's answer was Near walking in, the apron tied around his waist and the hem down to his shoes. He walked with large steps so as not to stumble and trip into the shop and looked up, greeted not with kind indifference but with a gasp of disgust.
"What the fuck? L? Who-? Why? ROSIE!" Mello shouted and caused some loud calamity to happen in the back room - something like crashes and thuds and Rosie came running out of the back with a sleek black BB gun.
"What's wrong? Who's robbing us?" she asked, waving the gun around with a lack of expertise.
L hurriedly stepped in front of Near. "No one is robbing anyone, please put the gun away."
"I don't want to work here, L, don't leave me here," Near whispered, shivering like a leaf behind the grown man.
"It's all right, Near," he announced and pushed Near out in front, his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Near is here to work, nothing more. Mello, you mustn't be so alarmed by him."
"He's wearing your uniform! What's going on?"
"Oh, dear," Rosie sighed, lowering the gun with a look of relief. "Thank goodness. Yes, L, I remember our conversation on the phone…" She went into the back again, perhaps to put the device away and called, "We sure will miss you, L!"
"Miss?" Mello stomped around the counter. "We're not going to miss him! He's not going anywhere! L, you aren't going anywhere, are you?"
"I am going back to work. My vacation is over," L replied, slightly taken aback my Mello's reaction.
"Vacation?" Mello stressed. "You were just working here for a vacation?"
"I told you last night, Mello-"
"No, you didn't! A-And even if you did, this is fucked up, man! How're you just going to leave like that? And bringing this kid in here as a replacement is not going to help!"
"I am your age," Near responded glumly.
Mello narrowed his eyes at the boy hiding behind L and took a threatening step towards him, fists balled. "What was that? I'm not even talking to you-"
"Mello," L said, holding his hands out, "please calm down. I don't know why you're so upset, I'm doing this for you. It's not as if you'll never see me again."
"I don't care if I never see you again," he huffed, folding his arms and turning away.
"He is more dramatic than Raito," Near said, coming out from behind L.
Mello whipped his head around. "You haven't been here for more than a minute, kid, don't make me open a can of whoop-ass on you!"
"My name is Near, not kid," he responded, ignoring what he now thought to be idle threats. "And I will be working with you here."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!"
"You don't."
"What?"
"Oh, Mello," Rosie called, coming into the front room once again. She seemed less mussed than before and walked over to the three boys to break up immerging fights. "Don't be so harsh with the little tyke."
Near frowned. Tyke? he thought, insulted.
"Ha," Mello intoned.
"He's here to help and comes highly recommended from L," Rosie said matter-of-factly and smiled down at Near. She grinned at the way L's apron hung on him and said, "Would you like another apron, Near? One that fits?"
"I like this one," he said quietly, clutching at the apron.
"This is fucking ridiculous. You can't just switch them out," Mello whined to Rosie.
Rosie grinned wider. "Why not? A worker is a worker, right? Unless L is your preference, Mello."
"I-I don't have a preference!" He glanced at L and faintly remembered, through the haze of all the wine, L's hand on his at the restaurant. He reddened and shouted, louder than need be, "L's just trained is all! It'll take me forever to get this pipsqueak up to speed!"
"I assure you, Near is quite quick at picking things up. It will be simple for him, Mello."
"Yeah, whatever…"
Rosie smiled brightly, ignoring all the negative feelings in the air. "Well, the day is young! Let's see what we can teach Near before the day is out. Come along, Near, this way," she chirped, taking the boy by the hand and bringing him along to the back room. Near looked back over his shoulder, maybe to get one last reassuring expression from L but only saw L place his hand on Mello's arm before he was dragged into the back.
"Mello," L said softly, "Near is an efficient person. He will not be a burden."
"I don't like him," Mello responded, brooding.
L, sensing Mello's mood had slightly improved with the help of Near's disappearance, decided to take a different approach. "I would never leave you," he said and Mello looked at him wearily. "I will see you so often, you will get sick of me."
"I'm already sick of you," Mello said and gave him an indifferent glance. He sighed loudly and pushed L's hand away, tired of the contact. "Whatever, L."
"I'll prove it to you," L said, reaching into his back pocket. Mello watched with mild interest and his eyes widened upon being handed a shiny new cell phone. Mello took it almost numbly and L explained, "So you will have no problem contacting me. You may fill it with however many numbers you like, but mine is the only one in there at the moment."
Mello held it for a second, entranced by the sleek feel of it, and realized that he had never before had a cell phone, not even in high school. He looked up and L and hid his expression of gratitude with a disconcerted one. "L, that's kind of creepy."
"Why?"
"Your number is the only one in here… and I told you not to buy me anything more!"
"Oh, I thought you meant just food."
"No, I meant anything."
"Well, it's yours now."
"Psh. Thanks."
L sighed.
Mello shook his head. "No. Thanks. Like, I mean it," he said and put the phone into his back pocket.
"Ta-dah!" came a call from the threshold of the back room and both men looked over to see Rosie holding a pair of shears and Near, dismayed, with his apron cut off at his knees.
-
When L had gone, Mello looked upon his new coworker with distaste and dissatisfaction. Though he felt the cell phone that connected him to L in his pocket as a constant reminder to not throttle L's protégé, he had a hard time with it. Near was too small to be taken seriously and his white hair was off-putting. Rosie had instructed Mello to tutor Near on the ways of the cash register and Mello did so begrudgingly, careful not to get too close to Near, lest their elbows touch.
Fortunately, Near was quick on the uptake, as L had said, and when the first customer walked in, Near was almost a natural. Almost, because as Mello stood back and watched, Near seemed to have little to no personality. As the customer approached the counter, an elderly man with a large bushy beard, Near faced him emotionless and said in greeting, "This is a flower shop. What flower will you purchase and how many and would you like a card?"
The man blinked, scratched his head and looked around. "Well… I was thinking about petunias… they're for my sister, you see. What would you recommend?"
"Petunias it is then. How many?"
"Um… err…" He looked at Mello, who was leaning against the wall, for some assistance, but Mello shook his head in refusal. The man sighed. "I suppose a dozen."
"Would you like a card?"
"Sure."
"What will it say?"
"Um… 'To my dearest sister, Agatha.' And you can leave out the um."
"Noted. We have a selection of cards for patrons. Please choose," Near said and pulled out a large binder full of different cards. Near flipped to the first page of about fifty and pointed to the first card. "This is a light pink with-"
"Okay, that one," the man said, not wanting to endure Near's guide through greeting cards.
"Very well." Near shut the binder. "That will be twenty-seven-fifty-two."
There were two more customers after that and Mello chipped in so things would go quicker. Other than his monotonous way of doing things, he was quite useful at doing calculations in his head and no one gave him any trouble for being so small.
After the small rush of three customers, Mello was leaning against the back wall after having swept again. His right hand was in his side pocket, fingers lightly ghosting over the case of his new cell phone. The silken feeling under his coarse skin was fascinating and somewhat calming. With that brat in L's spot, he needed something to comfort him and he could only sweep so much. Rosie was on her lunch break and with the shop so quiet, he thought he could maybe give L a call. Just to see if he truly meant what he said - I would never leave you - or if he was full of shit.
The more he looked over at Near, standing at attention at the counter, the more he fondled his cell phone and that itch to call L was aggravating. But giving in to that itch would seem weak and needy, almost Matt-needy and he couldn't be that. He couldn't be Matt.
Mello let go of the cell phone and crossed his arms. "Hey, Near," he called.
Near perked up and craned his neck to see the blond. "Yes, Mello?"
"You know, when I was out with L before… we saw you in front of Sbarro and you were with some guy. Who was he?"
Near raised an eyebrow. "Why would you need to know that?"
"Just interested." Mello raised an eyebrow to match Near's. "Is he a friend?"
"That is not your business." He turned back around.
Mello growled. "Dammit, Near! It is my business, okay? That guy has been stalking me for weeks! I need to find him, so just tell me his name, okay?"
"No."
"What? Listen, kid, I'm your superior and you're on probationary service here! One slip up and you're tossed out on your ass!"
"You have neither the authority nor the influence to fire me," Near said, looking ahead coolly.
Mello's face reddened with fury and before he decided to pick up the broom and chase the boy out of the store, he grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and held it aloft. "Listen here, you pasty bastard! L gave me his phone number and if I call him, he'll make you come back to work over there!"
Near's left eye twitched as he turned again to Mello. "Why would L give you his private number?"
Mello grinned a little, feeling a slight shift in power. "Maybe it's because he likes me so much. But this phone is a direct line to him and if you don't tell me who it was you were with, I'll tell L you're half-assing over here!"
"He wouldn't believe you," Near replied, tiny fists balled on the countertop. But there was a waver in his voice and Mello's grin widened and just as each of them thought they would burst, the bell rang at the front door and Rosie walked in with a Styrofoam box in hand.
"Hello, boys," she greeted, bypassing them and their fury as she went into the back. "I have left over Chinese from lunch! Who likes egg rolls? Mello, there's some fried rice in here… Boys?"
Rosie stuck her head out and gasped at Mello holding a broom over his head and Near shielding himself with the greeting card binder.
"Hey!" She ran out in the middle of them and took the broom from Mello. "Shame on you, Mello, picking on tiny Near! He's a new employee!"
"He's a little rat," Mello raged, growling over Rosie's shoulder at the smaller man.
Near lowered the binder cautiously. "He is a mad dog. If I turn my back, he might be inclined to stab me."
"Gladly!"
"Mello," Rosie chided.
"I don't care!" Mello shook Rosie off of him and trudged for the front door, broom in hand. "If anyone needs me, I'll be sweeping… sheesh…" The bell rang.
Once out in the sun, Mello began to furiously sweep the sidewalk, gathering in a pile any stray bubblegum wrapper or piece of newspaper. People walked by hurriedly to try not to get their shoes swept up in Mello's passion for cleaning the street. He carried on in a huff for about half an hour until he wore himself down and slowed down, leaning the broom up against the shop windows. He sighed heavily and felt the heft of the cell phone in his hand as he pulled it out once again. He found the phonebook inside and the one number, the one letter attached to it - L.
Mello's thumb hovered over the call button for a long moment, and he thought of hearing the endless ringing on the line. The prospect of waiting anxiously like a horny schoolgirl was hell and he flipped the phone closed and cursed long and loud and the masses crossed the street hurriedly.
-
"Jesus Christ, is this how he acts when he misses you?"
L couldn't wipe the smile off of his face as he looked out of the passenger's side window of Raito's car. Seeing Mello losing his mind over one small number and the loss of L's presence was awakening some sort of sadistic pleasure in him. The last time he could remember a smile so wide on his face was when he caught Raito a few years ago sitting in a pile of Oreos while on a self-imposed diet.
Raito turned to L with an unhappy expression. "You're happy, huh? You just lost me a great assistant, you know."
L waved the statement away. "Near will be fine."
The engine started and Raito pulled out from between the two cars across the street from Rosie's Posies.
"You know, L…"
"What?"
"He's going to go insane without any coffee to deliver."
"Probably."
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To be continued.
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A/N: Thank you for the reviews, all, I'm here for comments and questions!