Death Note One-Shots

Near x Reader

Hello, fellow Death Note fans. Here are a few one-shots, about ten years after their time because they just are; deal with it. If you're wallowing in the ashes of a dead fandom like I am, welcome; there is tea, coffee, and L's cake in the comment section below. Now, before we begin our journey into this writer's block-inspired series of fanfics, let's establish a few things for all those new to x reader fics: 

H/c= hair color, e/c= eye color, y/n=your name, f/c= favorite color, et cetera et cetera, you all probably know this already; I'll stop wasting your time. Oh, by the way, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, and I'll gladly take suggestions for future fics, just not yaoi. Ciao.

You walk down the hallway of the SPK headquarters, towards the main investigation room; everyone else in HQ is asleep, except for you and Near, who is waiting for you there. Your stomach flutters at the thought of you and him in the same room together, alone, but you quickly shoo the feelings away. Get it together, y/n, you think exasperatedly. He doesn't like you. You're both very good friends, and that's it. He probably just wants your help tonight on the Kira case. You know this.

You've known this for the past five years, ever since you first met Near at age eleven, back at the Wammy House, an orphanage for gifted children. When you first came there, you were practically numb; the death of both of your parents in that fateful shooting one night had left you shocked and distraught to the point of no return. In your forensics class you met Near, who never talked to nor showed any particular interest in you, but you were captivated by him. 

You weren't attracted by his looks, or his intelligence, or anything in particular; you were merely envious of how calm and emotionless he always seemed. You wished you were like that too, so you could make decisions that were rational and lacked an emotional stain, forget about your parents and move on, like they'd want you to. However, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't. As time went on, you got to know Near better, bit by bit, until, without either of you knowing it, you became partners, companions, friends. Your natural tendency towards sarcasm complimented Near's dry personality, and you both kept each other in check when making decisions; he reminded you to think rationally, and you reminded him to be mindful of others' emotions. You were thick as thieves, as your teachers would say, and you both still are. 

However, recently that feeling of friendship has evolved into something more... potent, something that causes you to have butterflies whenever you see him, something that dreams of the calculating look in his gray eyes and that aches to touch his soft white hair. You try your best to shake off those pesky emotions, but it's not nearly as easy as it sounds. When you reach the door to the main investigation room, you take a deep breath, keep yourself from combing a hand through your h/c hair self-consciously, and open the door. 

Of course, he's there, facing the large screens on the wall and observing the many clues from the Kira case that he's picked up in the time since L's death, absentmindedly playing with a few dice. You silently pad towards him in your f/c socks, and he turns around at the sound of the door quietly shutting. "Oh, it's you, y/n. You're here at last."

"Hi," you answer as he turns back around again. "What did you want me here for?"

He pats a spot on the ground next to him. "Sit. Keep me company; that's all I wanted."

You obey him and sit next to him, intimately aware of the small space in between you two as you draw your knees to your chest and stare up at the screen. "You really want company? You like being alone."

"I don't want just any company; I want your company. I know it's late, but you and I both know you weren't sleeping. You were probably just reading," He replies. 

You swallow down the butterflies that abruptly infiltrate your stomach at his words and nod. "You've got me there; sleep deprivation is a beautiful thing," you state.

He smirks, catching you off guard, and you both stare up at the screen and analyze the clues. An immeasurable amount of time later, your mind starts to wander, and you daydream. Your eyes start to close, and you delve deeper into the dark corners of your mind. You nearly jump out of your skin, however, when you hear the dice Near is playing with clatter to the floor loudly. Your head shoots up, and you look wildly from one corner of the room to the other, e/c eyes wide. 

Near grins at you, and it's all you can do to not smack him for scaring you like that. "What was that for?" you whine. "You scared me!" 

"You're quite attractive when you're annoyed," he comments, and your face goes scarlet, your mouth open. You quickly close it and look away, wishing you could become invisible. "Why aren't you looking at me anymore? Did I embarrass you?"

You shake your head. "N-no... I'm fine."

He frowns at you; you can feel his gaze burning a hole in the side of your head. A few minutes of silence go by. "You know, I meant what I said," he says quietly. Your gaze returns to him, lips parted in shock. He stares into your eyes, his expression unreadable. "You really do look attractive when you're annoyed, as well as when you're happy, sad, angry, frustrated, neutral... you look attractive all the time, beautiful even. I can't concentrate because of it."

You look away, your heart thumping unsteadily in your chest. "Well, that's a problem. Maybe I should leave," you manage to get out, but right after you say the words you regret them; there's no way you could leave, not after that confession. 

"No," he disagrees. "I can cope; I don't want you to leave." There's a pause, and then you feel his warm hand cradle the side of your face as he turns your head so you're staring into his eyes. To your astonishment, there's confusion and restlessness in his gray eyes, which is more emotion than you've ever seen him portray. "What's happening to me?" he asks quietly. "Why do I feel like this? Do you know why, y/n? Do you?"

You close your eyes and steel yourself, then open them and stare back at him. "The butterflies?" you ask, your voice barely a whisper. "Do you get them too?"

"Yes," he breathes, and something similar to relief crosses his face. "I'm glad you understand."

"Are they as distracting to you as they are to me?" you question, your heart swelling in your chest and the butterflies clouding your thoughts. 

"Yes," he answers, "but I never want them to leave." He leans in, as if his head is drawn to yours by some unseen magnetic field, and then his warm lips are against yours, moving softly to some unknown rhythm that can't be heard yet both of you understand. You lean closer to him, and his arms wrap around your neck, drawing tiny circles on the bare skin of it that make you shiver. Your hands find their way into his hair, which is indeed as soft as you dreamed it was, and the fabled butterflies cloud your thoughts, making you forget the Kira case and everything you're supposed to be doing right now.

You finally break apart an immeasurable moment later to catch your breath, and you lean your forehead against his. When Near has caught his breath, he gazes into your eyes and smiles. You smile back at him. "I... wow," is all you can say. 

He nods. "Yes. I totally agree." You laugh, causing his smile to widen, and then he releases you and wraps an arm around your waist sweetly, pulling you to him. You lean your head against his shoulder lovingly, and he lays his cheek on your hair. "Now, let's solve this case," he says, and you smile and nod, glad that, with your feelings out in the open, the butterflies are letting you think straight.