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

Chapter 23 | shot by cupid

Sitting at the end of the docks, tail dipping in the water and an ice cream in your hands L sat beside you with his kimono sandals next to him and feet touching the water, ice cream in hand.

His disguise worked like a charm, no one suspected he was human. Even other yokai thought he was really a fox.

It was about 3am, and you'd explored the whole seaside town and gotten ice cream as a treat before heading back to the gateway so L could go home.

"I don't know what magic is in the sugar around here but everything is so good" L said, licking the caramel sauce off his ice cream.

"You and your sugar" you snickered.

"Seriously everything down here is 10 times better than human food. I don't know how you guys do it but I want every recipe you have"

"That can be arranged, although some ingredients you can't get in the human realm"

That was true, something like ghost brew or sparkling sauce couldn't be made without ingredients from plants native to the land. So his cooking in the human realm would be limited. But what he wouldn't give to eat the desserts of this place every day.

"You know the more time I spend here the more I feel like... a sense of deja vu. Or a nostalgia I guess, like a craving to come back every time I see something that reminds me of it" he commented.

"It's got a grip on you huh?" You replied.

"It sure does... everything about this place is so fun and comforting. The food is amazing, the sights are beautiful, the people are interesting and it's almost like there's no dramas here. It's like a perfect little slice of paradise"

"Maybe that's why no humans have spilled the beans about this place yet, because they grew too connected to it"

You definitely didn't mind L coming more frequently if that's what would come if his cravings. You liked hanging out with him, he was calm and collected yet easily intrigued and exited. Not to mention he had his fair share is strange habits that made him rather amusing ti be with. You'd never seen someone sit all curled up all the time, even when wearing a hakama. In fact right now with his feet dangling in the water was probably the first time you've seen him sit normally.

Which he'd probably never do again in your life time.

Not to mention his strange habit of putting percentages on everything. Maybe that just came from his habits as a detective, but it was funny to see him slap numbers on the most mundane things.

He truly was an interesting person. That's why you liked him so much. He was different, not just because he's human, but in everything he does.

"Hey, you think maybe one day you could make some excuse to come spend like a week down here? It'd be fun if we traveled around the archipelago together and saw all the sights. The island just of the coast from this one is covered in really pretty shrines I'm sure you'd like" you suggested.

"If I can find a time and way to do so, I'd jump at the chance. I've never been down here during the day for that matter so just seeing that would be interesting. Maybe when the kids are on a camp or something I can sneak off" L replied.

Of course you knew he couldn't really leave the kids unsupervised, so his chances of getting a week off anytime soon were slim. But just being able to travel with him one day would be fun.

"By the way, I've known you're a detective for ages and yet I've never actually heard about your cases. Care to share some stories" you added.

"They're all long ones so I'll go into depth next time, but I've definitely come across some strange ones. I worked on one where the victim didn't have any form of identity, and the death was so suspicious it seemed like they were a spy that got killed by another spy. That was one hell of a case" he said, taking a bite of the cone from his ice cream.

"No fingerprints or anything?"

"Burnt off. No labels on any clothes or belongings either. It was like this body just appeared out of thin air"

"That's so weird... could you determine a cause of death?"

"Strangely there's two possible ones, but because the way the body was found they couldn't determine which one it was. Either poison, or burning. Long story short we never found out their name, but we did trace it back to spy on spy violence so the case is semi solved"

That sounded like one hell of a story you'd kill to hear. Next time you hung out you'd definitely be nagging him for the full thing.

"Wild... what's the hardest case you've done?" You asked.

Somehow L had finished his ice cream faster than you could even begin yours. As he pondered which case to answer with, he took the last bite of the cone.

"Hmm... probably this disappearance that happened in Hawaii. Everything was completely normal leading up to the vanishing, and there was zero evidence left behind. It was like they just walked right into thin air. One minute they were there and the next they were gone. And with no body I couldn't even tell if they were alive or dead. It took almost a year of tracking down sightings and combing through security footage but it turns out the guy was involved in some shady areas and ended up getting... taken care of let's say" L explained.

"Ah- organised crime?" You asked.

"Yep, they're good at what they do I'll give them that. Almost got away with it, but in the end you can't outsmart the detective that's never dropped a case or left one unsolved"

L truly was an impressive person. Even with his strange habits, and childlike wonder at the world you lived in, he was beyond smart. Never having dropped a case, and solving everything he ever worked on and only being in his 20s? That's impressive. Beyond impressive.

His intelligence contrasted his skittish joy he had when running through the streets of magic towns in awe at all the new things he was seeing. But it made him both adorable and mesmerising at the same time.

Well... they say get you a guy that can do both.

In the months you'd known him, he never failed to amaze you.

"You know you're like, the coolest person ever right?" You complimented.

"Huh? What-" he stammered, caught off guard by the sudden compliment.

"Seriously. You're so cool, smart and fun at the same time. A total nerd but also entertaining and interesting"

"If anything you're the cool one. You're a siren, I'm just a human who has a few extra IQ points. You can do magic, swim in the deepest waters, breathe underwater, you know all the lands just from memory AND you're fun to be with and super interesting. Not to mention you can sing better than anyone that ever lived" he complimented.

You gave him a playful glare, to which he returned one back to you.

"What? Mad at me for trying to turn your compliments back on you?"

"Yes. Take my compliments Damnit you're cool! And I can promise you I'm just any old siren, you on the other hand aren't just any old human" you said.

"(Y/n), I promise you that you aren't just any old siren. You're the best siren to swim the rivers of this universe. Not to mention having the coolest tail, I mean extra fins? Come on"

While you may be rather proud of your extra powerful, elegant tail he needed to get the message and just accept your compliments Damnit.

"L, accept my complaints. I like you and you're cool, ok? What do I need to do to get that into your head? Kiss you?" You joked.

He was silent for a moment, processing that last part. He knew it was a joke...but he'd be lying if he said he wished it was serious.

"Maybe you should" he joked back.

This time you were slightly silent, processing the obviously serious joke he just shot back at you.

But you know what? Sirens are known for being bold lovers... if he was opening the door for it, maybe you'd just swim right on in.

"Maybe I will..."