The woods behind the orphanage [L x Reader] • Death Note [Discontinued]

Chapter 21 | boat ride

Another night L had snuck out, this time equiped with a disguise made by Miss applebee. Fox ears and a tail, as well as a fitting outfit for a yokai. With these he can walk the streets of any town down in the magic realm and not arouse any suspicions.

Tonights stop was somewhere you'd suggested, the seaside town up the river where the river connects to the sea, known for its population of water based creatures and the best fish and chips you'll ever eat. So under the night sky you sat on the edge of the boat, tail dragging along in the water with L all dressed up as a yokai on the other end of the small boat, sailing up the river to taste that famous fish and chips.

L wasn't too fond of anything that wasn't sweet, but you convinced him to at least try the food down here. He liked ghost brew didn't he? Surely there's be something else he liked.

"You know that look suits you" you complimented.

"You think so? I'm not used to such big sleeves" L replied.

Paired with the fox ears and tail that matched his hair, he wore a Hakama. Yokai often protected shrines, and wore the appropriate attire for it. So it wasn't unusual to see a yokai in a hakama even if they weren't around a shrine.

"Yeah it looks good, you make an adorable fox" you assured.

He sound be used to your compliments by now, but each time he was given one he couldn't help but feel his cheeks heat up. How long had it been now? A few months of dropping by at night every few days and he still wasn't used to such praise.

"I'm just glad I can actually pass off as a yokai. I was kind of worried I'd stand out as a fake" he replied.

"You look convincing trust me. Your librarian did a good job making the disguise realistic. Plus you're part Japanese, and since yokai are mainly of Japanese decent you'll fit right in"

That was true, if he were born in this world, there's a good chance he would be a yokai anyway due to his parents origins.

"You know now that I've been down here enough times and I've started to understand how things work, I feel like I've learnt enough to fill a school report" L commented.

"Should I make you a test sheet?" You joked.

"Please no, I'm done with schooling. Never doing that again"

The night was warm, but had a cool breeze and the closer you got to the ocean the more the breeze smelled of salt. In the distance you could start to see the lights from the seaside town approaching, and you'd likely start passing more and more boats and water creatures too. Even though L had been coming here a while now, he was always so intrigued and exited to see new places. Watching him lean over the edge of the boat to get a closer look at the approaching docks of the town in awe was adorable.

Then again, he always was. Humans were so interesting, in a cute kind of way.

You still had a little way to go before you could dock though, so you had more time to kill.

"How's the kids?" You asked.

"They're a handful but... you were right I am getting soft for them" L admitted.

"I told you, you're becoming a guardian figure to them. Every time I come up to your realm to spy on you I see it with my own eyes. They play with you, they go to you for help, they value your opinion. You're doing well so far, I'm sure you'll get the hang of everything and be a great guardian for them you know"

While your reassurance did give him some confidence in his babysitting skills, he still felt as if he wasn't the best choice to help raise kids. He'd never done it before and wasn't too fond of kids to begin with, being a detective was always his thing.

But there's a first time for everything right? You were confident he'd learn and grow alongside them, as you'd already seen him start to. It was a wholesome sight really.

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to know anything about Near falling into the creek Hm?" L questioned, playfully glaring at you.

"Ok I swear I didn't pull him in, he actually did fall. But I pulled him out of the water before he could even think about drowning so you're welcome" you replied.

"Ok not that I mind you spying on humans, but be careful ok? Sure no one will believe someone Nears age if he says he saw a siren but if anyone else sees you-"

"I'll be fine L, I'm being careful. The only ones I let see me are you and your kids. I trust you guys to keep the secret"

L had a hunch that the kids were onto him. Near had already seen you, Mello caught him tipsy at 3am after coming back from drinking ghost brew with you and with how close they both are with Matt it was only a matter of time before one of them tells him what they saw. And while didn't mind if they knew, given they keep things a secret... kids are prone to slip ups.

It worried him that if the kids knew then they'd tell one of the staff members and not only would L be in big trouble, but you and your land could potentially be in trouble.

It takes a special kind of person to make a ground breaking discovery of magic being real, and keeping it a secret. And while L and the few other humans that have made it down there before are those kinds of people, not everyone else is.

If the information gets into the wrong hands, it could be bad news for you and your land.

L didn't want that. He didn't want a land so rich with history, magic and harmony to be under threat. And he absolutely didn't want to hurt you. Even with his status of the worlds greatest detective, he wasn't the smartest when it came to emotions and social skills. He couldn't even tell his own blatantly obvious crush on you yet.

You saw it, but you didn't push him. He'd come to the conclusion when he's ready and when he's comfortable.

Watching him look around at the decorated docks of the seaside town, in wonder and awe you couldn't help but smile. He really was a special kind of person, such an extraordinary boy. The cutest human you'd ever seen. You couldn't wait for the day he realised his feelings, because you'd be willing to answer in seconds.

He may not realise it yet, but the complete opposite of most fairytales had occurred.

Instead of you, a siren casting a love spell on him... he, a human, had cast one on you.