#mello’s face looks off here but i had fun drawing him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

itsguysnightitsironic · 1 year

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Some human skin and bone

The yassification button glitched, so sorry for your loss.

Did this take years of my life? Yes.

Did it take making at less three before realising I used their identifying colours to render them? Also yes.

Drawings without the dramatic light under the cut with some very long ramblings.

(I'm pretty sleep-deprived right now, excuse my weird grammar and ramblings.)

They are in order of making.

HOOTSIE

-She was the first I drew of the bunch, and I based her mostly on a baby I saw in a hair salon. She had these big un-blink-able eyes and these adorable chubby cheeks that just made sense that Hootsie had.

-To try to union the owl and bear parts of an owlbear, I gave her this very puffy ENORMOUS fur coat with a feather jacket under it. To define where in her original design the fur and feather separate.

-Also the claws, since Hootsie has claws, it's your decision to decide if they are REAL or if Gricko made them for her in wood.

-Her makeup it's designed to scream "OWL" and her original markings, from the big eyes, and eyebrows as owls horns, to the line to symbolise her beak.

She was very fun to draw, brain empty, just owlbear.

GIDEON

-You know the whole "re-inventing the wheel"? Well, this was a "drawing Mace by accident over and over again"

-Credits to Beth Mello for inspiration for the splash blood makeup, which it's just so pretty

-I don't know where the metallic horns came from, I know it's inspired by something but it is so locked in my mind and I can't pull the strings to know where it comes from.

I showed this one to one of my old art teachers and he said "It looks like me when I was younger" and now I can't unsee it.

Your genishi is my retired art teacher now, so sorry for your loss.

GRICKO

-Did I ask my father to pose to draw his old hands? Yes. Yes, I did. And I had to make them more rough and hairy because he has "selling wristwatches on tv" hands? Absolutely.

-I based his hair on a member of Metalica, Kirk Hammett. Now that he's older, he has this very pretty long curly greyish hair that just felt very Gricko.

-I cut his fingers. Well, only the right hand, he has the other one but it didn't grow correctly so it's more like little little finger without nail. So he has four fingers, in his original goblin design he has four fingers and so does the human version now, we don't know what happened, Gricko probably doesn't know either.

-The makeup had to have the most eccentric in-your-face eyeliner ever. With some green highlighter to remain of goblin skin, blue and white dots for his magic and to link him with Hootsie's little blue gems, and body paint inspired by Britons war paint. (Which are drawn after two of his totems.)

Lighting for this one was weirdly easy... The ocarina wasn't.

FROST

-As someone who is pretty young and it's starting to grow white hair already, I can say, that whatever it's happening to him it's more from stress than genes. What ghost scared you, sir?

-I fought with his face so much, I had his body ready for days but not the face. I wanted to keep the expression that Frost has in the original, mostly the smug smile he has.

-Credits to Freja Bermann for inspiration for his makeup which it's inspired by multiple of her looks inspired by the solar system.

-I just realised that by giving him "horns" and two dots to symbolize his tiger ears it looks like the froggy chair of Animal Crossing.

I'm not changing it. This is our little secret.

KREMY

-How do you draw an alligator as a human? How??? DRAW??

-You know what, drawing hands it's only fun if it's old people's hands. They have more texture and can be a bit rougher. They can define a character's life so well... For example, here Kremy has four fingers, you can decide if he got it cut off by fucking around, bitten off, or if he gifted it as a sign of faith to his patron, you decide.

-You hear about "Give Gideon a cowboy hat" get ready for "Give Kremy opera binoculars"

-His makeup was inspired by cabaret, just dramatic eyeshadow and eyeliner. There are markings as gator skin around his eyes and nose. And a fake beauty mark because why not?

Drawing Kremy it's always fun, even if I get tortured first by trying to structure his face.

I can't bring myself to do Torbek, Twig and Petunia, sorry, I'm very tired.

AHHHHHHHHHH.... Have a cupcake 🧁.

#legends of avantris #once upon a witchlight #kremy lecroux #gideon coal #morning frost #hootsie the owl bear #hootsie grimgrin #gricko grimgrin #im taking a power nap #wake me for the next ep

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dragonsareourfuture · 3 years

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Death Note as Stand-Up Comedians

Mello

- he’s allowed to complain about Near in front of an auditorium full of people as long as it’s in the form of a joke — of course he loves it.

- He has a lot of passion up on stage. The audience loves it because it makes them feel really immersed into the show.

- Mello has a tendency to get really loud when he gets really into a joke or bit, so the tech crew has gotten used to lowering the volume on his mic as the show progresses and he gets louder and louder.

- Mello has a harsh sense of humor, often using exaggerations and sarcasm to accentuate a point.

- He would tell stories from his time at Wammy’s house, mainly the chaos moments with Matt because the rest is pretty traumatizing for him.

- It’s his style that draws people in and his sense of humor that keeps them there. He has a very unique clothing style and, even when his managers suggested he dress down for the show as to not scare people away, he refused. He said that he would rather show who he is upfront and let the public decide whether or not to invest time in him than fake his personality for people he doesn’t know or give a shit about. They got the hint pretty quickly after that.

- He would sometimes do joined shows with Matt, which is quite interesting. Their dynamic works perfectly on stage and they even weave jokes that weren’t scripted into the show to keep each other on their toes.

Matt

- He’s a pretty chill guy, so I picture his sense of humor as pretty dry. Not in a bad way, of course. For instance, he tends to say the most hilarious things with a straight face and flat tone, which somehow makes the joke even funnier.

- He likes to involve the audience a lot, so gags where he (with permission) takes an audience member’s phone and reads their texts aloud are common. Somehow he can make jokes about the most mundane of text conversations and have the audience howling.

- Like I mentioned earlier, he and Mello’s contrasting senses of humor work for a perfect dynamic when performing, so shows where they’re together are the audience’s favorite. But even though Mello’s wild passion can take the spotlight at times, Matt is never overshadowed as they’re both sure to include the other in any bit or joke they do.

- For no reason at all I think Matt it great at imitations and impressions of different people. So, like when he’s doing a bit and speaking for someone else he can assign voices for everyone and the audience knows who he’s supposed to be speaking as in that moment. Usually these people are only known to him and Mello, so the audience can’t tell how exactly spot on he is. His impression of Near gets Mello wheezing, and his Mello impression gets the audience wheezing with Mello constantly claiming “I don’t sound like that, idiot!” With the audience shouting “YES YOU DO!”

- L’s sense of humor tends to require a specific taste, which is why he would probably be one of the least successful of the bunch.

- Don’t get me wrong, his sense of humor is adorable and one of the best aspects of Death Note in my opinion, but it comes in short and random bursts. He’d be talking about something serious and then crack a joke (“yEs tHat mUst Be dArK”), so it requires patience to really get to his sense of humor.

- The audience, I feel, wouldn’t have the patience to stick around and wait for his humor to surface.

- But L would have a cult following of a specific group of people that appreciate his talents.

- I’m picturing a show in which he starts off by talking about some cases, and transition to jokes from there. Due to his occupation, many jokes involve a darker sense of humor but also contain surprisingly innocent little remarks or comments. I can’t really explain it better, it makes sense in my head but I’m not too sure how to put it into words.

- Most of the show he keeps his straight face, but when he gets the audience going from something he said he can’t help but crack a little smile and chuckle into the mic pretty bashfully.

Near

- I’m sorry but Near doesn’t have too much of a sense of humor. But he does do or say some of the most hilarious shit on accident.

- It was actually Halle that convinced him to take up stand up comedy, as she got to spend tons of time just sitting and talking with him, cracking up at something Near said while he just stared at her in confusion.

- She had complete and total confidence that just plopping Near on stage and telling him to “just talk” would get the audience going, so she took him to a bar that did stand up comedy nights. Near absolutely killed it.

- Eventually he learns what the public finds funny through experimentation and tells those kinds of jokes more often, learning to perfect his craft. Through this method he is able to go from ‘accidentally funny’ to ‘intentionally hilarious’.

Light

- I wholeheartedly believe that Light has no sense of humor. Period.

- Sure, he’s accidentally funny sometimes but not enough to fake it ‘til he makes it like Near did.

- So he gets someone else to write his show for him. He’s just a pretty face, and the person who wrote his show is mentioned once or twice but who really cares about them? It’s Light who’s doing all the work, obviously. He’s the one getting sweaty up on stage.

- Honestly he barely has a sense of humor he’s probably just do it as a side thing for recognition or like most youtubers who write a book or start a podcast.

Matsuda

- Okay so, I definitely think that Matsuda would be one of the most successful stand up comedians out of all of them.

- He’s just so bubbly and kind and just genuinely a wonderful person so who could walk out of a show if his unsatisfied? No one. That’s who.

- My mans here has the opportunity to make so many self deprecating jokes due to how the task force treats him and how he’s just overall looked at as inferior to everyone he works with. And guess what? He doesn’t take that opportunity at all. He thinks self worth is the most important thing in the world and instead focuses his jokes around break room stories and observations of every day life.

- However if he ever does make a self deprecating joke, it’s never with any hatred towards himself. Like, he’ll joke about how his recklessness got him in trouble with Yotsuba, but instead of cursing the trait he has, he always expresses his hopes to get better and learn from his mistakes. Meanwhile the audience is dying at how he tells the story with so much energy and just— ...he’s wonderful.

- He just reminds me of John Mulaney when I picture a show of his.

- He’s pretty goofy by nature and you can tell that he’s enjoying himself up on stage, watching him laugh at his own jokes and beam at the audience with a smile so bright it could rival the spotlight shining down on him.

- He also really likes the attention, having been pushed to the side for so long.

- He’s just overall a really nice and positive guy while also being hilarious to listen to. 10/10.

Misa

- With her already existing music career and fashion career, people know her pretty well. Therefore, there is a HOARD of people waiting to see how she fairs at something so different from her previous career paths.

- And y’know what? Misa’s great at it.

- I’d like to imagine she’s out of her terrible relationship with Light in this au and realize how messed up he was, so I think she’d do a lot of clowning Light in her shows.

- She will kinda mix the comedy with valuable life lessons on relationships, so a lot of fans come up to her and thank her because they let their kids watch her shows and they’ve learned so much from her while being entertained for a good hour.

- Also her voice is so cute and pleasant to listen to I would gladly listen to her talk for a week let alone an hour.

- I imagine her style of show and humor to be along the lines of straight up ranting and just talking her heart out. You know that friend that can talk for hours but it’s okay because they make everything, even the most mundane things, sound dramatic and fun and lively? Yeah, that’s her.

#death note #death note headcanon #Misa amane #death note misa #matt death note #mihael keehl #mello death note #Mail jeevas #nate river #near death note #light yagami #l Lawliet #l death note #touta matsuda #matsuda death note #comedian

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deathnotesecretexchange · 3 years

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Title: Gift Exchange

From: @anakien

To: @user-null

Prompt: Mello & Near gift exchange without the other knowing

Word Count: ~3,800 words

A/N: Hi! I hope you enjoy this! :)

Mello will never admit it, but he's always liked Christmas.

He has fuzzy memories from being a kid, long before he was ever brought to Wammy's. On Christmas Eve, he attended church services with his mother. He remembers kneeling with her in the pews, clutching her rosary, and listening to her sing.

He can't picture her face anymore, but he remembers her there.

Christmas at Wammy's is different. Wammy's is always lighter, somehow. The place is decorated, all lights and trees and little ugly snowflake decorations up on the walls. Roger takes a carload to the nearest church for the Christmas Eve service, though Mello no longer goes. The chefs bake more, laying out plates of cookies and other spiced holiday desserts. And though all of the kids are too intelligent to truly believe in Santa, Watari's and L's Santa traps are kind of fun (though, as always, it's only a test for the successor path).

But Mello's favorite part of Christmas might be the gift exchange they do every year. Some of the older kids started it several years ago, X, Y, and Z, but every year the tradition continues.

This year, Linda begged and begged until the others let her organize the exchange. They pile into one of the empty classrooms after dinner, the others buzzing with excitement. Even Matt looks relatively excited, his GameBoy ever-present but sitting paused in his lap.

Even that little twit Near is around, sitting quietly in the corner. He meets Near's gaze and holds it for a moment. Near doesn't look happy really, but there's still something akin to excitement in his gaze.

Mello doesn't let that curb his good mood, his own excitement still bubbling in his belly. He turns away, back to Matt, and shoves him to go put their names in the hat.

Linda yells at everyone to settle down, hands on her hips. She trots around the room, waving the hat under everyone's nose.

Matt draws his slip first, and then Mello grabs his, under Linda's watchful eyes.

He leans back and peers at it. Linda, the slip reads. He snorts. Easy. All he has to do is get her art supplies.

He watches her flounce off to the next person, and Matt groans as soon as she's out of earshot.

"Damn. I wanted her," he says. He pushes his goggles up to the top of his head and sighs.

Mello smirks. He is no stranger to Matt's not-so-secret crush. He briefly flashes Matt his little slip of paper, and Matt's eyes grow wide.

"Switch with me."

Mello cackles. "No way. She's easy to buy for."

"Mello," Matt says pleadingly. He's practically begging, and Mello relishes in this newfound control. "Come on, man. Let's switch."

"What'll you give me?"

"A month's supply of chocolate."

"You were going to give me that anyway. That's my Christmas gift."

"Two months!"

"Six. And next time Roger gets on my ass, you cover for me."

Matt sighs and looks longingly over in Linda's direction. "Three months, but I'll do the Roger thing."

"Deal." Mello sticks out his hand, Matt shakes it, and they exchange slips.

Only that's when Mello realizes he never found out who exactly Matt had. He unfolds Matt's slip to see Near written in tiny letters.

"Hell no," he says immediately, trying to shove the slip back into Matt's hands.

Matt gives him wide eyes. "Come on, we shook on it."

Mello grits his teeth. He turns around, scouting for Near. Nowhere in sight; he must've left as soon as he got his paper.

"I hate that little sheep," he sneers.

Matt looks genuinely, legitimately disappointed, and Mello's resolve starts to falter.

"I'm a good fucking friend," Mello grumbles finally.

Matt's face lights up, and he slaps Mello on the shoulder, grinning.

They leave the room, and Mello fights the irritation that lingers.

------

One week before Christmas, Roger rounds up all the kids who want to physically buy their gifts to head to the closest department store.

He and Matt climb into one of the vans, followed in by Sura and Hermine. Both girls chatter away in the front row, smiling at Matt but ignoring Mello.

Mello scowls and looks out the other window. He can practically feel Matt's silent gloating, though he stays quiet as he pulls out his GameBoy.

"Got room for two more?" A new voice says. Mello turns, and Linda grins at them. Near stands next to her, looking as impassive as ever.

Matt lights up and immediately scrambles out of the back seat, making room for Linda.

"Come here," Sura says to Linda, beckoning her over. Linda gives Matt an apologetic smile and scoots into the middle row next to Hermine.

Near stands expectantly, looking up at Matt.

"We got room," Matt says to Near. Matt looks disappointed, but Near obviously doesn't care. Mello averts his eyes as both turn towards him, angling his body as close to the side as possible.

Mello stiffens as Near climbs in next to him. He remains still, holding his breath, even as Near straps in and ignores him. Matt climbs in next, sending Mello a silent expression that's a mix of amused and apologetic.

Near suddenly leans even more into Mello's space, digging into his pants pocket, and Mello chokes for a moment. Out Near pulls a small wooden toy and then moves back into his own space. He murmurs a small apology, obviously waiting on Mello to yell at him.

Instead, Mello could only focus on how warm he was, and on how soft his hair was against his cheek.

"Watch it," Mello mutters, but without any venom. It's also a beat too late, and Matt is staring at him with an eyebrow raised. He snorts on the other side of the van, trying belatedly to turn it into a cough. Mello glares over Near's head, feeling his cheeks heat in embarrassment.

Their staring match is interrupted as Roger climbs in the driver's seat, craning around to count them. He sighs, visibly exhausted, at seeing Near next to Mello.

"Mello, am I going to have to separate you two?"

One of the girls giggles, and Mello's cheeks flush even more.

"You don't have to worry about me," he says irritably. "Tell the sheep to stick to his seat."

"I'll be okay," Near says, not even looking up at Roger.

Roger sighs again, but turns around, cranks the engine, and they're on their way.

The girls chat amiably. Matt sticks to his GameBoy, occasionally leaning over to say something to Linda, and Near fiddles with his toy. Mello gets bored of ignoring everyone after about ten minutes and turns to watch Near.

He's playing with one of those wooden block puzzles, where the goal is to get one brightly red piece to slide neatly out of the entrance. He watches Near fiddle with it for longer than expected, until Near finally clears an open line and frees the piece.

Near huffs a little, pleased. Suddenly, he turns to Mello and holds the puzzle up. "Want to try?"

Mello cocks his head and reaches out to snag the toy. "I'm only doing this because I'm bored," he says, "not because I think your stupid toy is cool or anything."

Near jerks the puzzle back, but before Mello can say something angrily, he mixes up the pieces on the block, setting it up for Mello to have a fresh start. He holds it back towards Mello, who grabs it silently.

"It's more fun when it's a challenge," Near says simply.

Mello doesn't know what to say, so instead he turns his attention back down to the block and begins. Near stays quiet, simply watching.

It's kind of fun. Mello will never actually admit it, but it scratches the itch for challenge in his mind.

And damn, Near mixed the pieces up well.

He finishes the puzzle, sliding out the little red piece, just as the van pulls into the store parking lot. Grinning, he looks sideways at Near and holds up the piece.

"Got it," he says, radiating satisfaction.

The corners of Near's mouth tilt up, and he gently takes the piece and toy back from Mello. "On the ride back, you can attempt to complete it faster than me."

Mello snorts. His chest feels warm. "Yeah, right. I definitely beat that faster than you!"

Near's eyes are bright. "Perhaps with a little more practice."

Mello opens his mouth to shoot back another comment, but Near doesn't wait to hear it, already slipping out of the backseat and heading towards the store without looking back.

Mello sits for a moment, an odd feeling in his chest that only occurred when Near smiled at him. He brushes it off and climbs out after him. Matt, waiting just outside the van door, steadies his arm as he trips out.

"Well," Matt says, amused, "that was new."

"What?"

"Oh, you know. Just you sitting next to Near and not trying to kill him for once."

Mello scoffs. "Shut up."

"It's a Christmas miracle!"

Mello shoves him.

———

The store is ridiculously crowded. There's still another week left until Christmas, but people are already out in swarm.

He and Matt split up at the sight of the crowd of people. Mello heads straight back for the toy section, pushing and shoving his way through. Luckily, the puzzles aren't really picked over, and he picks out a 1,000 piece puzzle with some picturesque mountain landscape on it.

Well, that was easy.

Roger gave them an hour to shop. It's barely been fifteen minutes. Groaning, he trudges off in the direction of the craft aisle, in search of Matt.

Said friend is found squatting on the floor, looking between two identical green paints.

"I'm done," Mello says. "Come on."

Matt waves him off. "Go check out." He holds the tubes up towards the light. "I have to pick the best shade."

Mello rolls his eyes. "Those are literally the same color."

Matt shushes him and squints even more at the paint.

Mello huffs and turns to head out. As he leaves, the white paint catches his eye. Near's voice echoes in his head, "It's more fun when it's a challenge." He grabs a tube and heads to check out.

———

For the ride home, Near gets into the other van. Mello doesn't know why this actually bothers him.

———

Only a couple of days before Christmas, Mello actually gets started on Near's gift. It's painstaking - painting each piece white, front and back.

Matt ribs him a little about it and snags a picture of him sprawled out on his stomach on the floor, legs kicked up in the air and tongue peeking out. Mello threatens to break his camera, but Matt laughs and hides it away. Pretty soon, it's all forgotten as he has to get back to painting.

When he's finally finished, it looks pretty damn great, if he says so himself. He's never been one for puzzles, so he doesn't bother to put it together by himself. He somehow cons Matt into doing it with him, and when it's finished, both of them stare at it.

"I think Near'll like it," Matt says, stretching out the crick in his neck, "but you could never pay me to do that again."

"It needs something else," Mello says, squinting down at it.

Matt shrugs. "I think the white looks good."

Mello doesn't disagree, but it sticks in the back of his mind until he sees Linda the next day. She's an artist; she'll be a better judge of style than Matt, who wears that same ugly vest and goggles everyday.

He waves her over. "Come look at this for me."

She looks confused, but follows him back to his and Matt's room. He points out the puzzle.

"Oh! That looks good. For Near, right?"

"It needs something else," he says bluntly, "but I don't know what."

She hums. "What about his name? Or initial?"

Mello considers it. "Can we make it small? The white - he says he likes a challenge."

She looks at him, amused. "Oh, so you've talked to him some more?"

"Shut up. Can you sketch an N or not?"

She grins and grabs a pencil off of Matt's desk. In the top left corner, she draws the N, stylized in the same font that L does his.

"What about this? You can paint it," she says, leaning back on her feet when she's done. "I have black paint you can borrow to fill it in."

"Thanks." It was exactly what he had in mind. She drops the paint off and he spends the evening doing delicate, small strokes so each line is straight.

He leaves it out to dry. Even Matt grudgingly admits it looks better than before.

There's still a couple more days until Christmas, but Mello can't help but be excited, even though the gift is for Near of all people. He thinks about the weird way he felt the other day when Near smiled at him. It probably is just excitement for the idea, no big deal.

———

The gift exchange takes place on Christmas evening, after dinner. Mello's been antsy all day, but he only started to get a little nervous once the meal was over. He's pretty sure Near will like the puzzle. After all, it's practically custom-built for the little twit. Still, his stomach twists uncomfortably as he watches Near from across the dining hall.

As if knowing Mello's thinking about him, Near looks up and catches his gaze. Mello immediately looks down at his food. He forces himself to look away for the rest of dinner, though he can still feel Near's eyes on him every now and then.

Everyone meets back up in the living area fifteen minutes after dinner. It's enough time to go back and grab the gift. He'd wrapped it the day before, so all he has to do is pick it up and head back with Matt. Matt has Linda's gift tucked under one of his arms, and his GameBoy under the other.

There's already a crowd of people waiting and chatting loudly. Matt and Mello sit with some of the other guys. Mello keeps one eye on the door, waiting for Near to walk in. As more and more people file in, Near still doesn't show. He shifts, antsy.

"Dude, relax," Matt says. "He'll show."

"I'll be pissed if I put in all this work for nothing," Mello grumbles.

Matt rolls his eyes. "Sure. That'll be why you're upset."

Before Mello can spit something back, Near walks in, just as composed as ever. He holds a small brown box in his hands, a deck of cards resting on top.

Matt nudges him. "What did I say?"

"Shut up."

"Everyone, quiet!" Linda stands up, cupping her hands over her mouth. "Is anyone not here? I think everyone's here. We're about to get started! I'll read off the names. If you have that person, bring them their gift. Easy?"

The room buzzes, and she flaps a hand to get everyone to be quiet.

"Okay, first off... Ronan?"

There's not a whole lot of students, but the exchanges still seem to drag. Mello occasionally throws peeks towards Near, who doesn't even look like he's paying attention. Instead, he's building a tower with his cards.

Linda calls her own name at some point and looks ridiculously excited over her new paints. Matt practically glows all the way back to his seat, which only grows more intense as he opens Hermine's gift for him - some brand new game for his console.

"Near!"

Near looks up expectantly when his name is called. Mello slowly gets to his feet at Matt's prodding, feeling the eyes of every other kid in the room. He hears some of them whisper as he walks by - after all, his and Near's rivalry has always been the subject of much gossip.

"How did Mello get him-"

"Poor Near, I bet-"

Mello ignores them and comes to a stop in front of Near. He holds out the gift. "Here," he says, gruffly. "Merry Christmas."

Near looks up at him, wide-eyed for only a moment before he composes his expression into something more neutral. He takes the box and scoots away from his cards.

Mello cringes inwardly, looking down at his sloppy wrapping. Near doesn't seem to care, though. He just calmly unwraps the puzzle box, displaying the mountain landscape.

"Thank you, Mello," he says.

Mello swallows and gestures lamely. "Open it. It's uh, not the mountains."

Near tilts his head at that, but he does as Mello says and opens the box. The pieces are all mixed inside, but Near holds up one of the ones with the black initial on it.

Mello is well aware that everyone's eyes are still on him. He sweats a little. "It's an all-white puzzle. Except for your initial. I, uh, painted everything on it." He clears his throat. "You said it's more fun with a challenge."

Near's face is devoid of all emotion, but his eyes are bright. "Thank you."

That's as much recognition as he's going to get, so he nods and turns back around. As soon as his back is turned, he hears the telltale sound of all the pieces hitting the floor. When he gets back to his seat, Near is already hard at work on his puzzle.

Matt looks at him, smug. "Better than a baby puzzle, huh?"

"Shut up."

Near looks up and meets Mello's gaze. He smiles, softly. Mello lets one side of his mouth tilt up.

Linda calls the rest of the names. Mello waits impatiently for his own name to be called.

"And last but not least, Mello!"

Much to his surprise, Near is the one who stands up and walks over to him. Mello takes the box Near hands him and tears it open, no regard for the neat wrapping. Inside is a stack of chocolate bars, twelve in total. He lifts one up and flips it over to see that dark chocolate content is 82.5%.

"This is my favorite chocolate," he says, a little shocked. "How the hell did you know that? I never can find it in stores. L special orders it for me for my birthday."

Near looks satisfied and doesn't answer his question. "It would be a year's supply for anyone but you," he says dryly.

Mello smirks. Near walks back to his spot, and Mello immediately tears into the first bar. The room titters.

Linda stands back up. "I think we're done! Thanks for participating, everybody. See you next Christmas!"

The room gets loud again as people start to trickle out. One of the other guys leans over to poke at Mello, smirking and taunting him about how he and Near got each other's names.

"What, you think I planned that?" Mello scoffs. "Yeah, right."

Matt jabs at him with his foot, already plugging his new game into his GameBoy. Linda comes by to speak to Matt, and Mello ducks away because he really doesn't want to see Matt's sappy expressions. Instead, he drifts closer to Near, until he squats down beside him. Near doesn't look up from the puzzle.

"Did you know I had you?"

"No," Near says. "Nor did I suspect you knew I had you." He tries to snap a piece into place, but it doesn't fit. He grimaces slightly.

Mello preens.

"It took me four hours to put it together," Mello says. He conveniently leaves out the fact that Matt was helping him. "Beat me. I dare you."

"You don't want me to take my time, enjoy my present?" Near's voice is too innocent for Mello to believe him.

"Smartass. Sounds like something someone would say when they know they can't beat my time."

The corners of Near's mouth tilt up into a smile, though he still doesn't look up. "Merry Christmas, Mello."

Mello snaps off another piece of his chocolate. Damn, that's the good shit. "Near." With that, he turns and leaves him to it.

———

The next morning, Mello walks through the living area on the way to the dining hall. In the corner, in Near's spot, the puzzle lays finished. A piece of paper rests on top, and he bends down to pick it up.

Six hours. - N

Mello can't help it. He laughs. "Merry Christmas, Near. Guess I'm still better than you, after all."

———

A/N: I slightly changed up Near’s classic all-white puzzle for this fic. In the show, you see Near working on it in the episode where Roger tells them that L died. But it actually has an L on it, not an N! But I thought it would be cute to have Mello spend so much time working on it for him out of spite (though, it’s not spite, it’s more of a crush, even if he’s not aware of it yet). Either way, I hope you enjoyed this! :)

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my-one-true-l · 4 years

Note

It's me again 😇❤ Hope you don't mind. How about a scenario where the Wammy boys rescuing their kidnapped s/o? Thank you~

Hello Dearest lisutarid-a! I absolutely don’t mind at all! I adore your asks!!! 🖤

So sorry this took me a while! As I wrote these, they started approaching one shot length, so I had to seriously pare it back and keep in mind scenarios LOL!

Let’s go!

(as always, when there is BB, there is a trigger warning, just in case)

Our Dear L

“L, we’ve located where they’ve taken them.” Watari informed him hurriedly. “They’re just outside of-“

With heavy strides, L was already heading out the door. “I’ve already discovered their location.”

“I’ve assembled a team-“

“No, I’m retrieving them myself.”

“You can’t do it alone and I have already dispatched the team. I have instructed them to-“

“Watari, time is of the essence and brevity is of the utmost importance.”

“I’ll tell you on the way.” Watari followed him out the door.

***

L clumsily darted to where they were bound to a chair and gagged, a ragged cloth shoved into their mouth restricting their cries for help.

While still tied to the chair, he hastily yanked the cloth from between their teeth. Falling to his knees, he took them into his arms the best he could.

“I’m so sorry. This is my fault. They wanted to get to me and they succeeded.” He stroked their hair as they buried their face into his shoulder. “I knew better than to act on-“

They leaned away from his embrace to stare him in the eye. “I’m safer with you than without you. You know this.” They reassured him as they nuzzle his nose with theirs. “Now, please untie me.”

Our Dear Near

“Rester, please get the car at once. I have sent you the GPS of our destination. Prepare for the possible altercation we discussed. Inform Gevanni and Lidner as well. I don’t expect this to go smoothly.”

“Will do.”

***

Rester, Lidner and Gevanni secured the suspect with surprisingly little effort. They were a capable team and worked well together, united under Near’s command.

Near shuffled towards his Love, the bottoms of his socks getting blacker with every step, but it wasn’t a concern of his. In this moment, all he wanted was to see that they were alright.

He was not pleased with the sight that beheld him. They lay hunched on the ground, skin as white as his pajamas. They were not bound and he wondered why they didn’t come to him once the commotion was over.

In a rare display of emotion, Near ran to their side, skidding to the ground and stopping next to them. They clutched their stomach, red soaking through their shirt.

“Rester! An ambulance immediately!” he barked harshly at him.

They slowly turned their face, drained of color, towards him. “Near, I’m sorry. I think I’ve been badly hurt.” Their words were placid.

Near took them into his lap and they clung to him, leaving bloody hand prints on his crisp button down.

“You’re safe now. I refuse to let anything happen to you.” He cradled them close to him.

“I believe you.” They cuddled close to his chest and closed their eyes.

Our Dear Mello

Mello steadfastly approached the front of the warehouse. He didn’t care if they saw him coming or not. He wasn’t thinking of the consequences if they did see him. He had one objective and nothing was going to get in his way.

Fueled on by the thought of someone hurting the person he loves, he kicked the door in, alerting everyone to his presence.

Within seconds, three armed men turned to face him as they drew their guns.

“Let them go,” Mello demanded. “You wanted me and here I am.”

“You aren’t making the calls here,” one of them taunted him in return.

“That’s funny. I think I am.” Drawing a pistol in each hand, he took aim and fired.

Two of the three dropped, a bullet lodged in each of their chests. The third man shot at Mello, grazing his shoulder just beneath the burn that marred his skin. Without a second thought, he pulled the trigger. The confrontation ended with a head shot to the last kidnapper standing.

He ran to his Love’s side. They were lying on the floor in the corner, hog-tied, a piece of duct tape silencing their screams for help.

Turning them so they were sitting upright, he hugged them tightly against his chest. “It’s ok. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.” He took his switchblade and cut the ropes that bound them.

They looked up at him with teary eyes, trying to convey their appreciation.

“Ok, baby, this is going to hurt. I’m so sorry.” He picked a corner of the duct tape that muted them and with one quick motion, tore the tape from their lips.

“AH, you stupid bastard, you coulda gotten killed!” They threw their arms around him. “You’re bleeding.” They gently touched the gunshot wound just below his scar, applying pressure with their bare hand.

“Heh, that’s nothing,” he smirked kindly at them, not wanting to convey how much it actually hurt. “I’ve gone through worse.”

Our Dear Matt

“How the fuck did I let this happen?”

The taillights of the car that held his Love were getting farther and farther away.

He floored the gas pedal and sped towards them, a cloud of dust was all that stayed behind.

There was no excuse. No explaining it away. He may not have been the direct reason they were taken, but the company that he kept was directly associated to this nightmare.

If he ever got them back, he would change his ways. Immediately. No looking back. No returning to old habits.

Suddenly and without warning, the car he was pursuing pulled over. The back passenger side door opened and a figure fell from the backseat and slumped to the ground. The vehicle then sped away into the night.

Pressing the clutch as he stomped the brake, he gripped the stick shift and dropped it into neutral, skidding to a stop a few feet from where the heap lay motionless on the side of the road.

Jumping from the car, he ran to them. Relief washed over him as he saw them sit up.

“Damn it! Are you ok?” He carefully reached a hand to them. He didn’t want to touch them for fear they were injured. “Did they hurt you? Fuck.”

“They just smacked me around a little. No big deal.” They took his hand but glared at him. They blamed him and he knew they should. “Do you owe him money or something?”

“No, I pissed him off the other day when he and his friends were over at the house. He said he would show me. I didn’t think he would take it this far or be this big of a dickhead. I’m sorry.” There was no amount of apologies that could take away the guilty feeling that settled in his chest. He wrapped his arm around them as they leaned into his shoulder.

“Never again, Matt. I mean it.” Their words were stern, but their eyes housed tears that were about to flood their face.

“I know.”

Our (or maybe just my) Dear Beyond

Beyond stalked with purpose in the darkness that surrounded the house his love was being held in. With his black hoodie drawn up over his head, he became one with the shadows. He was quiet as death as he broke the lock on the back door and slithered through an opening he should have never been able to squeeze through.

With silent steps he navigated the pitch black that enveloped the house, letting the muffled voices guide him to where they were being held until the glow of a solitarily lit room came into his sights.

“You’ll make for a lovely plaything, so young and pure.”

“Please, just kill me.”

“Perhaps. I’m sure you’d be just as much fun to me dead as alive.”

Beyond burned with a rage that had no rival. He slinked into the background, removing a serrated hunting knife from the recesses of his pocket. With a swift and singular motion took the man from behind. With unnecessary fervor, he palmed his adversary’s face as he sliced his throat from ear to ear. Beyond dropped the carcass to the floor as the life span that had once hovered over him blinked from existence, head hanging limply and quickly being swallowed in blood.

He placed a sanguine-soaked hand on each of his Love’s cheeks. “Did he hurt you? Did he fucking put his hands on you? I’ll ki-”

He stopped short. He already had.

“No, he didn’t. He didn’t touch me,” they answered with shaky words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to let him get me.”

“This is not your fault.” He took the knife and cut the ropes that held them. “This is why I don’t ever want you to leave my side. Do you understand now?”

They nodded with a lowered head, deferring their eyes from his. “What happens now?”

“I burn the house to the ground,” he said matter of factly. “There’s a can of gasoline by the door.”

“I have matches in my coat pocket.”

“Very good, my darling.” He kissed them on the top of the head and petted them like an obedient dog. “You’re a very big help to me.”

#Death Note #L Lawliet #Nate River #Mihael Keehl #Beyond Birthday #Mail Jeevas #DN #Near #Matt #Mello #BB #L #death note headcanons #Ask #Answered #Lisutarid-a

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anuknowha · 5 years

Text

Till Death Do We Part// Chapter 7, Daydream

He had woken up this morning in his his room. His shirt was off and his skin showing as he stretched and yawned. He was feeling rather confident. He was feeling excited knowing that he was going to be tonight's opening act in Chicago and most importantly, his blood was pumping at the thought of finally being able to meet his two favorite artists. Skrillex and Marshmello.

They delivered him foods, because it was still early in the morning. He had forgotten he had ordered room service that morning. So the knock that suddenly rang at the door came to him as a surprise. He scratched his head and got up, his brown locks in his face. And as he brushed them away out of his eyes, he answered the door.

“Delivery for… Mr. Berling?” the woman at the door stated while she was looking down at the metal tray in her hand.

Once she looked up a blush started to appear on her cheeks. She shook her head trying to snap out of it as she stared at him.

“Y-you’re Avicii aren’t you? I love your music!-” she tried her best to whisper but failed to hide the excitement in her voice.

Avicii took time to hush her, and grab his food before thanking her and closing the door.

“I hope I didn’t come off too rude.” he mumbles to himself as he sits the tray on the bed and sighs.

He walks back over to the door and checks the peephole, in which she’s no longer standing at and he let out a nervous huff.

“Long day ahead.” he told himself as he plopped on his bed and opened his tray to reveal golden pancakes drizzled in fresh maple syrup, two strips of bacon and a small container of butter.

He started eat, one forkful after another, until the plate was clean. It was than sat next to him as he grabbed the remote and looked for something on tv. Today was going to be a long day, but he wasn’t going to let it get out of hand.

“You know, you can’t keep this up forever George. You’re gay and you can’t just hide who you are, someway, somehow, they’re going to find out about it and you’re going to still try and cover it up.” Anselmo stated.

George threw his jacket on the couch in anger and turned to his partner.

“Look… just… my family doesn’t even know I’m gay right now and I rather the press not know either. Its 1992 and all that people know about gays is that Freddie Mercury died from being one and that seemingly only us homosexuals can catch AIDS and I rather not be the second rockstar putting their life on the line to be out in the shooting range you know? I rather not be a target.”

“George, all I’m trying to say is that you need to realize that we can’t keep hiding this. This may be a secret but its not one that should be, or have to be kept forever. I know we can’t help what others say about us or what they think but you’re George Michael, you’re better than this, you don’t have to be upset or take any of this from anyone.” his boyfriend said sympathetically, as he walked over to grab his arm. He placed a gentle kiss on his lips causing George to return a small smile.

“I guess you’re right…” George sighed.

“Good, now go out there and get em.” he said patting his back, “I’ll be waiting for you to return. And when you do, I have a surprise for you.”

“I don’t think you should wait up for me, I’ll probably be bloody tired once I come from this stage.” George smirked as he headed towards the door.

Avicii went to take a shower, finding one of his black t shirts shirts to throw on along with some jeans. He was about ready to head out for today. He opened the door to his hotel room and took a peek in both directions making sure no one was around him to make sure he doesn’t draw attention to himself. He quickly skipped out and headed towards the elevator which was already waiting for someone to take a step inside.

He happily did, and went down to the first floor before exiting the building. He went to go find something to do, and since this was his first time in the huge city, he wanted to take some looks around.

He spent the day shopping, going to a few stores and buying a few more shirts, and a new hat that was more expensive than the one he had sitting in his room. He slapped his new cap on, giving himself a small chuckle.

“I think I’ve done enough, and I still have about 3 hours before showtime. I better take my stuff back to my room…”

His phone started to ring, and he picked it up, it was his agent.

“Avicii, Skrillex and Marshmello are trying to meet up with you before the show. They said they want to have a quick talk and hang out some. Do you think you could meet them at the venue in say, about thirty minutes? Don’t worry, I’ll have a cab pick you up from your hotel in about 15 minutes.”

Avicii was about to say something before he got cut off. Quickly, he tried to wave down a cab and was successful as it took him back to his hotel. He hurried to get upstairs and stumbled to find his room key. Once he opened the door he threw his bags in, one of them falling on its side, which left his shirt laying on the floor. He shut the door quickly but silently and made his way back downstairs, he knew that the taxi was outside, waiting for him.

Upon arrival at his arrival to the venue, he was promptly greeted by Skrillex and Marshmello who were standing outside waving at him from a distance. He was quick to get out the car and race over to them to greet them, trying his best not to fanboy as they both shook his hand.

“Come on inside, we have snacks.”

Within a few minutes, they were inside, sitting down and enjoying themselves plates of fruit.

“Me and Mello have been waiting to meet you for a while. We love your music and we were looking forward to playing after you.” Skrillex smiled.

Marshmello only nodded.

“Is he going to be like this the whole time or is he going to talk?” Avicii said raising a brow.

“He’s just going to answer using postcards if he needs to and or the average gestures.”

Marshmello gave a thumbs up.

“But back to what I was saying, it is going to be an honor to have you open up for us, the fans will be screaming.”

“I bet.” Avicii shrugged taking a bite of his strawberry.

“What have you been doing anyway? You know, while you were here?”

“Shopping. I was actually shopping while I was waiting for you guys.”

Marshmello made the gesture of laughing as they all continued to talk for about an hour.

“Guys, you wanna start making sure everything is in order?” Skrillex’s agent said.

“Yeah… lets go.” Avicii smiled as he tossed his plate in the trash.

The went on stage, each making sure that their songs were ready. They took turns messing with the sound and the microphones, being careful not to break anything. They couldn’t help themselves as they made jokes. And within the next two hours it was time to perform.

First up on stage was Avicii, he was excited, pumped even as he watched everyone dance and sway their hips to the music. And after about an hour of him playing his songs, he gave it over to Marshmello and than Skrillex who seemed to bring the house down. Once they were all done, they went backstage to share drinks, toasting and making a few more jokes before they had to say their goodbyes.

“That was much fun Avicii, we should hang out again some day. You know, when we’re not all busy and touring.” Skrillex smiled.

“Yeah” Marshmello said through the mask.

Both Avicii and Skrillex looked and Marshmello and burst out into laughing before they went their separate ways for the night.

After his concert he walked backstage, tired sweaty, his hair in a disarray. It was a mess, he was a mess, but that didn’t stop his boyfriend from pulling him into a big hug once he away from the audience.

George groaned and laid his head on his chin as his boyfriend pretended to drag him with him to his dressing room.

“I’m tired.” he groaned into his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“I know, I know. Would you rather wait until morning? I really wanted to do it tonight but I wouldn’t like to have the rest of your stamina dragged away by what I’m planning to do you know?”

“That’s fine...”

“Well… also, after that we are going to call your family and you’re going to confess to them.”

“Okay…” he said groggily.

His boyfriend tossed him on the couch gently and watched him go into a sleep slumber before his eyes. He couldn’t help but smile to himself although he knew that his boyfriend wouldn’t remember what he was even talking about when the sun rose in the morning. But currently that didn’t matter to him. All that mattered is that they were both happy and safe. Anselmo laid down next to his boyfriend, resting his head on his shoulder before falling asleep as well.

The next morning they woke up and looked at each other. George couldn’t help but laugh as he pushed his lover from his shoulder gently.

“I didn’t take a shower last night and here you are, drenching yourself in my sweat. I must stink huh? From all that jumping around and performing?”

“I don’t care about that, and you know it. Plus, I think your muscular scent is amazing, it draws me to you even more. It's a scent I can’t get out of my mind, just like I can’t get you out of my mind.”

George laughed giving him a peck on the lips, which was only returned with a more passionate kiss that lasted seconds before his lover pushed him on the sofa.

“This is my surprise for you.” Anselmo whispered into his boyfriend’s ear.

And within those few words they started to undress. And they were on top of each other, limbs tangled in a hot passionate time of sex. They felt so in love, so happy as their bodies intertwined and became one. The dressing room filled with moans and groans and the sounds of wet skin smacking against each other. It lasted for what seemed like hours, and by the time they ran out of stamina it was noon.

“I’m hungry.” Anselmo mumbled against George’s chest.

“Well let's go, we’ve been in here a while and I think we should’ve already been out of here.”

George got dressed and helped his partner get dressed before they walked out the door. They followed each other and headed towards the exit. They were happy to finally be getting out of there. They rushed arm and arm to the tour bus and took a seat. They couldn’t help but look at each other and burst into a fit of giggles.

“You should’ve seen yourself! “Oh George, right there!”” George mocked.

Anselmo blushed and shoved his boyfriend down on the couch inside of the giant tour bus.

“Tsk tsk, did you remember what you promised me that we’d do today?”

“Mmm… not quite. Was it more sex?” George teased.

“No... wanna try again?” Anselmo cooed.

“No, not really.” George said grabbing a soda from the fridge next to him and opening it up.

“You promised that we would call your parents and confess to them that you’re gay.”

He could tell George was hesitant and didn’t want to say anything. He sent his boyfriend a glare and sighed.

“I don’t recall this.”

“That doesn’t matter, you told me you’ll do it. Please? For me?”

George took a sip of his can of soda and requested that they stop at a nearby phone booth to call his family. They stopped at the closest gas station and he got out the car. Each step he took was hesitant.

He walked in, put in a few coins, dialed the number and picked up the red painted metal phone. It kept ringing, two, three times before it was picked up.

“Hey mom…” George started.

“George! It's been too long since we last spoke. I have missed you much! How’s the tour, how’s life? How’s everything going?”

“Great mom. There’s something I need to tell you…” George trailed off, wrapping the long red cord around his index finger.

“What is it sweetheart?”

He could tell she was smiling on the other side of the phone, and he didn’t want to ruin it by telling her the truth, but he knew he had to. He took a deep breath and spoke.

“I’m gay.”

It got silent on his mom’s side of the phone.

“You are… I kinda figured that! I’m glad you’re embracing it finally and I’m glad you shared it with me.” she said which felt like music to his ears.

For once he felt accepted and comforted by someone in his family.

“I’m going to tell everyone else, I know that they’ll be thrilled!”

“Okay!” he said biting his lip with joy.

He was trying to hold back his screams of happiness.

“Mom… I love you… and thank you…” George said, trying to hold back tears that were now forming in his eyes.

“I love you too George. I can’t wait for you to come home.” she said, holding back tears of her own as she hung up the phone.

George looked around his room in tears. He snapped out his trance from looking at the ceiling, something he forgot he was even doing. He sat up and felt them drip down his cheeks. It was all a dream; something that lasted longer than it had in reality. He missed Anselmo, a lot, but he knew he couldn’t have stopped him from dying. He couldn’t have stopped the disease from spreading or even delay it from happening. Every time he thought about it, it shook him to the core. His partner died from AIDS in less than 2 years into their relationship and it broke his heart. He was hoping that it would last longer, that he would have time to spend with him but he didn’t and it destroyed him. Every time he thought about him, he would remember the song he dedicated to him. He would remember how he would sing it to him and watch as he listened during his last days. It made him happy to know he was so special. And when he took his last few breaths George watched, his painful movements. He cried, and observed them pronouncing him dead before taking him away. He knew that his heart was broken, and over the next few years he grieved, he was depressed. He could lie awake at night thinking about this, watching him, breathing. He’d think about how he use to have someone to cuddle up to and smile and laugh with. But now, he could only think about the warm embrace of the man he once loved. Between those few years of grieving, he had also lost his mother. This sent him into a downward spiral that he was almost unable to bring himself back from. He was in a slump, felt as if he was cursed, and it drove him mad. He knew he would find someone else, but than he knew he needed a break. These days, being here and thinking about things like this was hard for him. It made him uncomfortable and sick to his stomach. He sat in his bed, covering his face with both his hands as he let out small mewls and cries of pain. He wanted no one to hear him. George had spent most of the time in his room, because he didn’t want to break out in tears knowing that he hit his mark too early. At first his partner died before him, and now he was dead without his partner. But it wasn’t his fault and he knows it wasn’t, nonetheless, it still gave him chills to think about it. He knew this was something, dead or alive, he could never get over.

Avicii blinked and looked straight ahead, he was still in his room. It was empty, except a little bit of equipment and his bed. He remembered he was dead, that he was no longer home. He shook his head and brushed his hair back from his eyes. He dared not to say anything as he remembered the beautiful thought in his mind. He ‘made it big’ he thought to himself but sometimes he knew that “big” wasn’t big enough. He knew, that you could always be who you dreamed to be, but sometimes you couldn’t be more. And that was because they were holding you back, the company, the ones that “raised” you. It made him uncomfortable sometimes; the fame, the fortune, people screaming at him and occasionally stalking him. He didn’t like it, he hated a lot of it to be honest. Being rich, having money, was all good but there was something that was still bugging him. That’s why he quit making music, he knew he couldn’t take it. It was too much on him, it ruined him. His mental health deteriorated and he could feel himself slipping through the cracks. He remembered what he was saying one day on a tour bus, how his “music will be the death of him”, and it was. He mumbled to himself as he got up, and walked over to his equipment. He ran his fingers over the keys, taking it in, for what seemed like the first time in a while. Avicii took a deep breath in and sighed. He remembered what it was like playing in front of all his fans, it was fun. It was something he had actually enjoyed in this long stressful mes.

And he said, “Wake me up when it's all over.”

But the truth is it wasn’t going to be, until he took that last step that last breath. Tears started streaming down his cheeks as he swallowed. He didn’t want to remember that day anymore, how he took the wine bottle, how he ended it all so soon. But he couldn’t help but remember it. It hurt like hell, like the wound he sustained. The only difference was this one was emotional and he knew, that he couldn’t actually end it. He was happy it was all over, but at what cost? What did he have to give up to be free? Everything.

He chuckled to himself, and had a soft smile float onto his lips. “All this time I was finding myself, and I... didn't know I was lost…”

And they knew that it was all a daydream.

Taglist: @lennonwhipped @rogers-flowered-blazer @caviarandqueen @peacelennon @caminc91 @sweet-mother-love

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deathnotesecretexchange · 3 years

Text

Matsuda’s Gift Exchange

From: @s-w-o-l-o

To: @memekami

Prompt: Matsuda organizing a gift exchange

Word count: 1982

“No.”

Touta Matsuda blinked. “What?”

Shuichi Aizawa’s eyes never left his monitor. “You heard me, Matsuda.”

Matusda frowned. Not surprised, but I didn’t expect such a short response.

“Come onnn, Aizawa, this can raise the morale of the team!”

“No.” Aizawa’s perpetually stern expression was unchanged.

“It’s festive.”

Aizawa frowned. “Since when do you celebrate Christmas?”

Matsuda shrugged his shoulders. “Since I saw online this thing the American’s call…dirty Santa?”

Aizawa’s typing stopped. “Is this a porn thing?”

Matsuda’s face reddened. “N-no! It’s a gift exchange.

Aizawa paused what he was doing to finally give Matsuda a sideways glance. “What kind of gifts?”

Matsuda gave another hapless shrug. “Anything really! It’s really fun, everyone gets a gift, then we sit around and each chooses one randomly.”

Aizawa exhaled slowly. “I’ve barely got the time or money to buy my kids gifts, much less one for you guys.”

“It’s nothing big! Maybe two to four hundred yen?”

Aizawa frowned. “You really want to do this? Why?”

Matsuda let out a sigh, leaning back to his chair. “I don’t know sir…We’ve all just been working our asses off. More So lately than in the last five years, and…” He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper, though they were the only two in the room. “The team needs this after what happened to the Chief.”

Silence fell between the two as suddenly they tried everything in their power to avoid eye contact. It had only been a handful of weeks since Soichiro Yagami’s sudden passing following the team’s raid on the hideout of the terrorist only known as “Mello” and his allies from the American mafia. Father of fellow member Light Yagami, Soichiro commanded the respect of his subordinates- not only respect for his position but also for his character. The man had embodied honor, and his absence was felt heavily by the whole team.

Aizawa shook his head. “Look…” He turned to Matsuda. “If you can get everyone- everyone- on board with this, and you set up a place and time.” He couldn’t believe he was saying this. “Then I’ll agree to this gift exchange of yours.”

Matsuda was stunned. “Thank you sir!” He moved to hug Aizawa but was hastily pushed back into his chair. “Glad to see you’re feeling the Christmas spirit!” Matsuda gave him a wink.

Aizawa tried to fight his grinning, jamming a thumb towards the door. “Its getting late, get home, you moron.”

______________________________________________________________________________

With glee Matsuda closed before him. Aizawa was always going to be the most difficult to convince. With him on my side, the others should go along easily! As if by fate, at the end of the hall Matsuda spotted his colleagues Hideki Ide and Kanzo Mogi, chatting with each other.

“Ide! Mogi!” Matsuda shouted, sprinting down the hallway, waving the two down. He could already tell Ide had a disgusted look on his face, while Mogi stared with the same unreadable expression as always.

“Stop running in the halls, Matsuda, we’ve been over this.” Ide chided. “The floor below us is going to complain again.”

“Sorry! I just had to talk to both of you before you went home.”

Ide grimaced. “What is it?”

Matsuda gulped. Ide was never one to hide his distaste for him- even all the way back to five years ago when they first started working together, and since Ide had rejoined the investigation…nothing much had changed. Observing the man’s already annoyed expression, Matsuda knew he was already on the losing end of the ensuing discussion. Taking a deep breath, he began his pitch with renewed confidence.

“We’ve been through alot these last few months, wouldn’t you two agree?” Ide and Mogi gave each other confused sideways glances, and nodded slowly.

“I was just talking with Aizawa, and I thought it was a great idea for us to have a gift exchange!”

Ide raised an eyebrow. “A what exchange?”

“A gift exchange! For Christmas!”

Ide put a hand over his face. “Ridiculous…” He halfway muttered.

Matsuda pursed his lips. “Aizawa thought it was a good idea-”

“He probably said that to appease you,” Ide’s hand slipped away to reveal disappointed features. “We don’t have the time.” “The time? We’ve been chasing Kira for five years! A night to ourselves wouldn’t hurt!”

Ide gritted his teeth. “It’s pointless!”

“It’s not!” Matsuda gave Mogi and imploring look. For once, the giant seemed flustered, looking back and forth between the glaring Ide and Matsuda. Finally, he raised a hand to speak.

“It’s a nice gesture, Matsuda, but Ide’s right. With the chief gone, the work has increased for all of us, and with Mello now to contend with, every night must be devoted in finding him.” Mogi spoke with a calmness, and Matsuda could tell from his eyes that he was speaking truthfully, and not just to brush him off.

Matsuda stared sadly at his feet. “I guess you’re right..” He put a hand in his pocket and crossed his fingers tightly. Mogi gave Ide a disapproving look and an elbow jab in the ribs. Ide cursed him under his breath and looked back to Matsuda.

“Hey, stop moping.” Ide drew a deep breath. “What would this gift exchange entail?”

Matsuda beamed. “We would each draw a name, get a small gift we think that person would like, and then get all together at a restaurant or someone’s home to exchange!” He looked earnestly at both of them.

Mogi looked to Ide. “It’s harmless, really.”

Ide opened his mouth to object but received another glare from Mogi. From the disapproval of him and the eagerness of Matsuda, Ide finally caved. Rubbing his temples, he simply gave a slow nod.

“Yes!” Matsuda took them both by surprise by wrapping an arm about both and embracing the two. “You’ve made my day.”

“What’s this?” The three froze in place at the voice of none other than Light Yagami coming from behind them. Ide practically threw Matsuda to the floor trying to get him off as the three tried to regain their composure in Light’s presence.

“N-nothing!” Ide’s voice cracked. He and Mogi gave each other a nervous glance. Any interaction with Light outside of official investigation work was a rarity, and even after five years the team truly never knew how to react to his presence. Light for his part gave the same smile he ever did. Matsuda always thought Light’s smile, though it looked friendly, always had a certain chilling nature about it. Despite his smile, his eyes were always intense- he almost looked to be dissecting any person he looked upon.

“Hey Mogi,” Ide gave him a quick pat on the back. “Thanks for the offer to drive me home!” He gave a completely unsubtle head to the stairway exiting the hall and Mogi was quick to pick up on his hints.

“Of course! You’re very welcome.” Mogi gave an unconvincing performance. The two gave their goodbyes and quickly departed, leaving Matsuda alone with Light. The latter turned and gave Matuda that same lifeless look he had given his subordinate a thousand times before. He stayed quiet, almost daring Matsuda to speak first.

“Ah…Light, what luck.” Matsuda played with his hands. “I was just hoping I’d run into you before you went home.”

Light’s smile endured. “Yes, Matsuda? I haven’t long, so make it brief.”

Matsuda’s words fumbled. “I was talking it over with the others, and I had an idea for a team building- yes! A team building activity!”

Light cocked his head. “What would this activity be?”

“A gift exchange! I saw online how the Americans do it! We still have time before Christmas!”

Light blinked. “What?”

“I think the Americans call it dirty Santa…or White Christmas…or…something with an elephant?” Matsuda’s mind was starting to wander.

“Stop, stop.” Light raised a hand. “A gift exchange? Why would we partake in such a thing?”

“Well you see, I know the whole team has been down since…” Matsuda took a deep breath. “Since your father’s passing. I believe something like this can-”

“Stop.” Light didn’t have to raise a hand this time, as Matsuda choked on his last words. “Who has expressed any such feeling since his death?”

Matsuda raised an eyebrow. How could he talk so nonchalant about his own dead father?

“No one, Light, I just have a knack for feeling this sort of thing. I think we would all enjoy a little distraction from everything that’s been going on, and I know your father would want us to-.”

“Now I want you to just stop talking entirely.” Straighten his tie. “I find it offensive that you dare to even assume what my father would want when you barely knew the man, and then you try to explain to me, his son, how he would feel.” Matsuda felt dead inside, but he knew Light had only just begun. “You also insult my father by implying he would condone this frivolous garbage, and not only is it pointless, but it distracts from our goal.” He seemed to loom over Matsuda as he spoke these next words. “Now, if you want to spend all of your time planning ridiculous social events, I can easily have you transferred to a more…blithe department.”

Kira, kill me now. Just so I wouldn’t have to be here any longer. Matsuda gave a weak nod.

“My apologies, Light, I spoke out of turn and without regard. I won’t let such distractions interfere with my work again.”

Light placed a hand on his shoulder. The grip was harder than Light was letting on. “Thank you, Matsuda, I’m glad you understand.” After an eternity, he released his hand. “Now if you excuse me, I must be heading home.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Days later, Matsuda’s mood hadn’t improved in the slightest. He avoided Light as much as he could, and even the other three sensed that something had gone down between the two. Where Matsuda would usually hang around the investigation headquarters to chat with the team, now he was leaving as quickly as possible. All to avoid another unpleasant encounter with Light.

A week after the confrontation, Matsuda noted that Aizawa and the others had packed their things and had left before him.

Weird.

As he made his way onto the parking lot, in the ebbing sunlight he spotted three figures huddled around his convertible. He quickly realized as he drew closer that it was Aizawa, Mogi, and Ide.

“You guys…?”

Aizawa turned to him. “Matsuda!” He raised out a hand, clutching a small, wrapped box.

Matsuda’s eyes widened as he realized what he held, and he noticed that the others held identical gifts as well.

Aizawa noticed his confused glances. “We thought about it, and we decided your idea was a good one after all.”

“But Light-”

“What Light doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Mogi spoke.

Ide sighed. “Now do you have your gift or not? Our reservations are in half an hour.”

Matsuda couldn’t believe it. “Reservations!?”

Aizawa smiled. “Yeah, Mogi here got us a table at that fancy ramen place, Ichiraku.”

“That’s incredible!” Matsuda was beaming. “My gift has been in the car for weeks, I was actually going to throw it out tonight.”

“Well, good thing you didn’t!” Aizawa laughed. “Now, you’re driving.”

“Ah hell, Matsuda is a terrible driver!” Ide complained.

“Stop complaining and get in, Ide,” Mogi gave him a slap on the back of neck.

“Thanks for this guys” Matsuda said as he got into the car. “I really…” Aizawa noticed the heaviness that overcame him.

“Don’t sweat it, Matsuda, just drive. I’m starving!”

Matsuda smiled. Soon the four were on their way “Hey guys! I almost forgot, I burned a CD of some Christmas music. There’s a really good one on here, its called…What I want- No! All I want for Christmas!”

#submission

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