Fear the name Alice Hyde (Near x OC) A Death Note FanFiction

Chapter 23: Departure

a/n: hey everyone- a chapter on the shorter side today, but in the next few chapters we'll finally be rejoining with the main events of the Death Note series and I'm really excited to incorporate hyde into the story.

thank you to all my readers and enjoy!

That morning I woke up late. It always used to happen after a nightmare, but I hadn't had one in so long I'd forgotten the exhaustion that settled into my bones and the headache that thumped against my skull. I rolled over with a groan and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. 11:03 AM. Damn, at least there was still plenty of time before Near and I had to leave for the airport. The sound of water from the shower was quiet and rhythmical, and an overwhelming sense of calm washed over me. Rising from the bed, I dressed in the clothes I had set aside specifically not to stand out. Hoodie, jeans, sneakers, dark blue backpack, something that would make no one look twice at me. As I pulled my head through the neck of the hoodie, the shower turned off, and Near exited not long after.

His hair was dripping wet and droplets of water still clung to his body. Near had exited the bathroom wearing nothing except a pair of loose white boxer shorts. I did my best not to let my eyes wander over his bare skin, but my mind flashed back to our heated exchange of kisses after London Bridge. His hands all over me, my fingers pulling at the buttons of his shirt. The event had gone unresolved, and now my eyes drank in all I could of Near's slim form. His chest, his shoulders, his wrists which had always been surprisingly delicate. Despite his constant logical thinking and analytical views, the way he moved had always seemed... graceful.

"A morning shower, huh?"

Near stopped drying his hair and looked at me, "I felt particularly filthy this morning."

"Nothing to do with me I hope?" I said.

"No," Near responded casually, missing the obvious humor in my voice, "just looking at some of the killings done early-on in the Kira case for experimentation purposes. Some of the autopsies are... unsettling. Normally, I don't have time to do something as trivial as take care of my body. However, I thought it might clear my head." He approached me slowly and pushed a lock of hair out of my face, "You slept for a long time. The nightmare took a lot out of you." Near's eyebrows furrowed as he looked for lingering evidence of the night terror on my face. I took his hand in my own and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I'm fine, I promise. If it makes you feel any better, you know I couldn't have woken up without you. Had it been like when we were kids, I could have been trapped in that hell for hours." I pulled on Near's wrist and he fell into my lap. My arms wound around him and I held him close to me, burying my face in his neck. I inhaled deeply, "You smell clean. It's nice."

Near's face flushed red and he slowly withdrew from my embrace, "We should make sure the room is packed up and clear of evidence before we leave. We don't want anyone to know that we were here."

I sat back on the bed and crossed my arms over my chest, letting my gaze linger on Near's slim figure, "Can I at least have a good morning kiss?"

He turned to me with a grumpy expression, "You're not going to be this clingy when we recommence the case in Japan, are you?"

"I won't make any promises." I said. Near sighed heavily as he returned to me and leaned in to kiss me, though I spotted a tiny smile on his face before I closed my eyes. I pressed forward into the kiss, letting my fingers slip into Near's damp curls. In the pit of my stomach, I knew Near was nervous. We were leaving our safe haven and returning to the hunt for Kira, and now we had no safety net. It was different before our lips touched for the first time. Back then, if one of us died it was only a friend, a best friend, but still only a friend. Now that Near and I were, whatever we were, losing him would hurt so much more. I pulled away from the kiss and rested our foreheads together, "Get dressed, I'll start packing."