No words needed [L x Reader] • Death Note

Chapter 32 | what could have been

A/n: since there's only a few people we know details about that attend wammys I'm gonna make up some kids here, but they're based on letters we know attended wammys in canon based on L's mailing list in the movies.

You found walking around the orphanage L grew up in kind of surreal. It was like seeing what you'd childhood may have been like if you weren't adopted. While L dealt with the overly exited successors, you offered to set up computers and unpack things.

His childhood room was exactly how you'd expected it. He still had drawings he did as a kid on the walls, he had shelves of old toys and his bookshelf was like watching him grow up through books. There was a self for all the picture books he had as a kid, and on top of them were more advanced kids novels, and on top of them were true crime books. He still has glow in the dark stars on his roof, and on his bedside table we're two photos in frames. One of baby him and Watari celebrating his birthday. The other of him all grown up with the successors.

You wanted to dig through all his stuff and see all his secrets but you had work to do. You'd be able to use an empty study room as your makeshift taskforce HQ, so you plugged all your computer equipment in there and left everything to boot up.

Once you'd gotten all the unpacking out of the way, you were left to wander the halls of the orphanage. Your guess about the kids being in classes were correct, only a few were down in this wing of the orphanage. Ones too young ti do school yet, or those who'd already finished their classes for the day. It seems L had informed all the staff members of you, because each time you passed one in the hall they said hello as if they already knew you. And each time you passed a room where kids were playing they'd stop to watch you go past, not expecting a new adult in the building.

At the end of the hall was a spiral staircase, and on the next floor up was another hall of kids rooms. You wondered how many kids were currently attending the orphanage, you imagined if it was strictly for gifted children it must be a pretty limited number. Some of the rooms seemed empty too, so it must be that big of a number. As you walked down the hall, you passed a room with a keep out sign on it, and judging from the dust covering it, it hadn't been touched in a while. Maybe it needed renovation? You wondered what happened there.

When you turned the corner at the end of the hall you were met with another staircase, and going up it lead you to something you weren't expecting in an orphanage, a sunroom. It looked to be where the kids learnt about plants and gardening since there were various pot plants with kids names on them basking in the sun.

Out of curiosity you looked over all shelves lined with small flowers, reading the names on the pots and what type of flower they were growing.

Mello, pansies. Matt, daisies. Near, blue bells. They must have watered them this morning, the soil was still damp.

Fliss, Daffodils. Kat, wind flowers. Dawn, poppies. Linda, hyacinths. And would you look at that, on the top shelf L has his own little pot plant. Looks like his successors must have been taking care of it while he was away since it was still damp and growing. Marigolds, his birth flower. Next to the rows of flowers were a few extra pots, notably two had names on them. A and Beyond, but no plants in them. Perhaps they'd left the orphanage? You had no idea.

"Oh wow! They weren't kidding!"

You jumped at the sound of a kids voice behind you, and when you turned you saw a short blonde girl with her hair in two braids holding a watering can. Must be here to water her flowers.

"L really did bring someone back! I thought the staff were kidding!" She said.

"Oh! Yeah that's me, they weren't kidding. Don't worry I'm not here to expose any of his secrets or anything. Just to solve a case" you assured.

"About time the man got a partner! He's always so grumpy, it's kind of funny but maybe he'll be happier with someone keeping him company"

She walked over to her pot plant, watering her flowers. Her name was Linda, the one with the hyacinths.

"Oh he's a grumpy old man when he's here is he? Interesting..." you joked.

"Can't blame him when he's gotta deal with the M&Ms. He loves them but they're ALWAYS getting in trouble. I should know they drag me into their messes all the time" she replied.

Ah so she was a friend of the successors? That'll be why she knows all this extra information on L.

"Does he talk to you?" Linda asked.

"He does, took him a while but he got there" you replied.

"Wow he must really like you then, it took him AGES to talk to the boys. He's known me as long as he's known them but he can still only say my name to me and that's it"

Everyone you'd met connected to L has said the same thing, that he opened up to you really fast. It made you feel kind of special, like you were truly loved by him.

"So you got a weird name like everyone else here?" She asked.

"(Y/n)" you replied.

"Eh, pretty normal. That's rare around here"

You had noticed that... lots of letter names and names you'd never heard of before. Although uncommon names are the coolest ones, it's fun to have a name no one's heard of before.

"You know L decently well then?" You asked.

"Kind of, I'm friends with his successors so I see him a bit when he's home. I was actually offered to join the successor program but I wanted to do an art pathway instead so I declined. No hard feelings though, he said I'm good at art" she explained.

So it was a program? Like a gifted and talented type thing? That made sense. Explains why there's only three in the whole program, it's like an invite only thing that you can accept or decline.

"Damn, you must be smart if you were offered a spot" you complimented.

"Smartest girl in the whole orphanage! I rank 4th under Matt, then Mello then Near for top of the class" she bragged.

Honestly you were starting to wonder if all the kids here were smarter than you, a whole adult. They all seemed like wise old geniuses trapped in kids bodies.

"Bragging are we?"

Linda jumped, not expecting the sudden voice. When she turned to see L in the doorway she took a moment to process what just happened.

"Wow ok, (y/n) what witchcraft did you cast on him? I've never heard him speak more than my name to me" she joked.

L just shrugged, kind of proud of himself he was better at talking after your help.

"He's gotten better at it, haven't you L?" You praised.

L nodded with a smile, enjoying the praise.

"Huh, never thought I'd see the day. Anyway are the boys free now? I have a bet with Matt on who can flip the swings over first" Linda asked.

Oh menacing kids... you remembered doing that all the time at the playground. L nodded and Linda quickly put her watering can back in its spot before rushing to the door.

"Sick! Gotta go, nice meeting you (y/n). Welcome back L, byyyyeeeee!" She smiled.

And off she went down the hall to be a dumb kid with the others. You kind of missed that childish innocence you had, when the most mundane things were fun.

"She talks a lot. Cool kid though" L said.

"I gathered, so many questions. She's friends with the boys?" You replied.

L nodded to confirm. All this new information about him and wammys made you so curious to know the full story.

"Sooo... do I get to know all the tea now?" You asked.

"I'm almost done writing it all down, give me a few more days. It's been hard enough to write it out, I definitely couldn't speak it..." L said.

"I get it, take your time. For now though, we have a killer to catch"