Routine changed again. Now, L's world had merged with her own to give rise to something entirely different.

She didn't have to hide nearly as much anymore because her truth was unspoken but common knowledge among the people she was mostly surrounded by now. Because it was unspoken and unproven, there was little anyone could do to challenge her, but she also didn't have to constantly pretend to be someone she was not.

Because she wasn't just (Y/n) Yagami who had learned her brother had been Kira the whole time. She was (Y/n) (L/n) who had pulled all the strings to get her brother arrested so she could save everyone else.

Although she still kept her actual last name hidden away from the world and close to her own heart. She knew Ryuk would find someone else to wreak havoc for him and she'd rather keep her minimum advantage while she could.

Sayu was informed that a private detective had offered (Y/n) a very good deal, and it wasn't far from the truth since she was technically earning more than she had as an FBI agent. Although the detective's being L was left out, (Y/n) had a feeling her little sister may have caught on, especially since it was made public knowledge that the members of the Task Force had interacted in close quarters with L himself. Sayu didn't bring it up and neither did (Y/n).

She had told her parents as well, once again withholding the fact that her employer was L because bringing up the man who was responsible for the arrest didn't seem like a good idea when they were all still licking their wounds. Soichiro and Sachiko couldn't quite understand why she quit, but the pair had slowly begun to distance themselves from their remaining children and hadn't had much else to say aside from wishing her luck and reminding both Sayu and (Y/n) that they they still loved their daughters very much. They just...needed some more time. Maybe a visit for the coming spring could be arranged?

The only ones who knew the full truth of her new job were her old team at the FBI who told her she was always welcome to consult them if she needed a professional opinion or just a friend to talk to. And, (un)surprisingly, Misa Amane.

The model hadn't been in the best of places when (Y/n) left Japan, but eventually, Misa had reached out to her and they had met a few months ago to discuss the whole truth of what happened and come to terms with all of it. Circumstances had solidified their friendship more out of need than want because no one else understood on the same level. Now, they texted frequently and kept the other caught up as honestly as possible, although meeting was harder to do with Misa slowly returning to the industry.

Since it was made clear that Misa had been coerced into things against her free will and was still technically set to die as written in the Note, the public had wound up being empathetic towards the surviving victim of the Kira case. There were always going to be those who were doubtful, but for the most part, the situation had brought Misa publicity like no other and the model/actress decided she felt healthy enough to capitalize on it now.

And then there were the new faces that had been part of L's world. Although not all of them were quite so unfamiliar.

(Y/n) was usually good at keeping her emotions in check, but even she couldn't hide her surprise when she was introduced to the white-haired boy from Winchester who she had helped get back home a few months ago. It felt like a lifetime had passed since, but Near looked the same as then, offering a fleeting upward turn of his mouth and a careless wave as the only indication that he recognized her at all.

With the passive and quiet Near came loud, brash Mello who was the exact opposite of his name, and the unassuming dark horse-- Matt. Apparently, Wammy wasn't the only one who needed an heir, and L's contingency plan was a trio of children that could barely go ten seconds before they dissolved into some form of argument.

It took one meeting for (Y/n) to figure out on her own that while Wammy was still L's handler and she the latter's work partner, she would be expected to follow the old gentleman's footsteps in context of the three possible successors because L couldn't be trusted to look after them under any circumstances.

Surprisingly, (Y/n) didn't mind so much. She had plenty of experience in dealing with genius boys, and she wasn't about fail any of them this time. L had decided that with the reveal of a power that could kill so easily, he needed to hurry up and train his successors because nothing was set in stone, and in private, he admitted that he doubted he would've survived if (Y/n) hadn't decided to take matters into her own hands.

It dulled the guilt if nothing else, and if she kissed him with extra care later that day, neither of them made any mention of it.

There were several changes for all them with this new arrangement.

The three boys had been moved from Wammy's House in England to Quantico, Virginia where L's new personal base was set up in an unassuming apartment building. Right across the hall from (Y/n)'s own flat to be precise. She didn't ask about what happened to the nice lady who lived there prior to the detective's appearance-- she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

L had to get used to suddenly having so many people around, most of them being kids with...interesting personalities and observational skills that were a little too good to let him get away with much. And if the kids weren't bad enough, at the helm of the chaos was (Y/n), who let him get away with even less.

Sometimes, he missed getting to call all the shots, but he wouldn't deny that being surrounded by people who didn't mind his oddities and instead relished in their shared eccentricities was a pleasant and welcome change to his previous loneliness. For the first time, it was more than just him and Quillsh, and the detective basked in the warmth of having something close to a family between the three boys and his partner.

As for the partner in question, (Y/n) couldn't deny her growing attachment to her new neighbors. She spent a lot of her time with the boys, going over their training when they weren't all engaged in a case, and if at some point they stopped being 'the boys' and became 'her boys', no one was complaining. Every afternoon was spent having tea with Wammy, who was the only spot of sanity aside from sweet, exasperated Matt, and all of her remaining time was demanded by L who got pouty if she didn't pay him enough attention, although he would deny it to hell and back.

Their relationship was something of an unspoken understanding between all of them. She wasn't an outright affectionate person if not dealing with children, but L certainly had a thing for physical contact even if the contact was extremely minor, and it made it practically impossible to deny the presence of the something between them when the detective made it so obvious.

She never asked for a label and he never thought of one. It made sense to them, so they kept at it, and that was that. It was exclusive and mutual and intimate. Comfort, affection, honesty.

Maybe love, maybe not.

Sayu liked the new neighbors as well, though they were a little hard to keep up with. She was sure her elder sister was dating the strange, black-haired man named Lawliet, but they were weirdly cute together so whatever. The three boys were entertaining, but between Near's unresponsive apathy, Mello's overly responsive aggression, and Matt's unending sarcasm, Sayu was often left exhausted after periods of extended exposure to them.

It was eventually decided after much debate and deliberation that if Near and Mello couldn't work together (since as a team, they were essentially ideal detectives and practically unbeatable), Matt would be the successor because he was the most balanced out of all them. This announcement was met with loud protests on both Mello and Matt's parts, and so, Mello grudgingly agreed to set aside his differences and concede to working with Near on the condition that Matt be allowed to join them on any and all cases.

The blond swore to eventually get good enough to beat both Near and Matt and stand as the sole successor, but his rage was losing its bite as the boys spent more time together, and inadvertently ended up closer than any of them had ever intended. Eventually, (Y/n) hoped Mello would realize that if they were able to work in a team, they would even surpass L.

Matt got along pretty well with Near for the most part, and Mello didn't seem to be constantly looking to bite the younger boy's head off at least, but it was still clear that he and Matt were the package deal.

This was okay with Near. He knew (Y/n) loved him best even if she never said it, and that was more than good enough for him. Whenever Matt and Mello went out exploring without him, he'd sit with their new handler and keep her company. Sometimes, she would run her fingers through his hair and Near would let himself lean into her, and everything felt right in the world.

Unlike at Wammy's, there wasn't a lot of quiet in their new home unless they were working on a case, which L didn't let them do often unless he was testing them on a case he'd secretly already solved. It had been several months since L had them moved so he could personally begin overlooking their studies and taking responsibility over his successors, but Near still wasn't completely used to having so many people around him at all times.

The apartment wasn't small, exactly, but it wasn't Wammy's House either and if he wasn't leaving to go outside (which he didn't unless he was forced to by either (Y/n) or Matt), he couldn't really escape the noise entirely. Their presence was always present in their belongings or little sounds to remind him he wasn't alone, and he likely wouldn't be ever again if Mello managed to mature enough to realize Near didn't actually want to compete with him over everything.

But even they were beginning to look past their differences now that it had been made clear by L that the three of them together would be his ideal heirs, filling in faults that even he had.

Something was always happening in their new home, and it was always...warm. Deep down, they knew they belonged. They were safe.

Near really liked having a family.