Slightly exhausted, just a bit tipsy, and on my way to think about Neuvillette's reactions to receiving a genuine compliment. Specifically about his eyes. Because every compliment he's received has always been about some kind of learned behavior - his composure, his eloquence, his authority in court - and never about, well, himself. Especially not his eyes.
No, those were usually met with disdain, fear, or a general uneasiness. Even the most well meaning humans can't hold his gaze for very long - and the list of those that can is even shorter. It's something he's made peace with: catching the Iudex's eye is something most (if not all) Fontainians seek to avoid. Whether it's in the courtroom or on the street, Neuvillette's gaze is cold and impassive; aloof and indifferent to the passing of time around him.
Except..it isn't.
He's observant, curious; he casts a critical eye not in the case of judgement, but for the sake of his own lack of understanding. There's an innocence there -- no, not innocence. Even in your tipsy babbles, you had used the term "inexperience" to describe the heavily veiled emotion there. A barely there hint of softness - one that was most often seen when he spoke with the Melusines and rarely (yet with increased frequency) directed towards you.
Neuvillette finds it...unnerving in a sense. Not in a particularly negative way, but one that brings him a strange sense of calm. Peace bordering on comfort. For someone to notice his mannerisms and behaviors and see them not as the immortal eccentricities of the Chief Justice, but as features that make him who he is...well, he's not exactly sure how to feel about it. Perhaps it's because he doesn't understand how he's supposed to feel about this - about being known in such a rarely intimate way. And perhaps to you it isn't as intimate as it is in his mind (a feeling he hopes isn't as visible as the other emotions you've been able to find in his eyes) but he cannot help but hope that it is.
To have his own questions and curiosities met not with anxiety, but with genuine enthusiasm is already a shift for him. To then be seen by you - known by you - not as the Iudex of Fontaine or even as the Hydro Sovereign but as Neuvillette...he will have to take some time for himself to understand it.
But for now, he'll meet your eyes and give you a slight nod; a small acknowledgment and murmured "thank you" in response to your compliment. For now, he'll just have to hope that his veil of impartiality is enough to continue to hide these thoughts.
For now...for now.
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🍪anon here! i had a little thought and it goes, L being jealous of misa having her hair brushed by reader and he acts as if it doesn't bother him but he hints at wanting his hair brushed (it was funnier in my head, my cats do this and I thought of L and Misa)
Little Kitten ╾ L, Misa
sigh. 🍪 anon you are my favourite.
I have moved to my main @lawlietscaramels please follow there for new content!
★━━─・‥…━━━☆
"Y/N-chan!"
The high pitched voice is clearly Misa's. It's a nice voice, good for singing, but if you listened to it too long you'd go mad.
Misa stops in front of you, holding out a hairbrush with a smile. She tilts her head to the side. "Will you brush my hair for me?"
You hesitate for a moment then smile, picking the hairbrush out of her hands. "Sure." Misa squeals in delight and starts taking her hair out of its little ponytails, sitting down in a chair and turning her back to you. She swings her feet a little as you begin brushing through her hair.
It's quite pretty, blonde and shining gold in the light. Once you've gotten the few knots out, your free hand comes to stroke through her hair. Misa sighs.
"Thanks, pretty!" she declares, turning her head enough that one of her eyes can meet yours. "So, you know, Y/N, I was with Light yesterday and..." Misa blabbers on, her arms waving all around. You're sure she's annoying the Task Force, but nobody comments on it. So you just listen to the girl's triumphs and woes, continuing to gently brush through her hair.
About twenty minutes pass before you notice L sulking at his desk.
"Hold on, Misa," you instruct, pausing her part way through a tale about a grumpy waitress. She leans her head back, eyes catching the flourescent lights, and pouts a little. You give her a pat on the head and look back over at the head detective. "L, are we distracting you?"
"No," he says stiffly, glancing at you for only a moment before his dark gaze moves to the hairbrush, Misa, and back to his computer.
"..Alright, then."
The detective stuffs a chocolate in his mouth and seems to pout.
Misa laughs. "I think Ryuzaki wants his hair brushed, Y/N." There's a mumbled "do not" from L's direction. You shake your head and resume running your fingers and brush through Misa's hair.
"He'll have to come ask me."
Another 20 or so minutes pass. It's more peaceful this time, Misa only making the occasional comment as the sound of tapping at keyboards and rustling through files fills the room. Her hair is very soft, and your task quickly becomes more meditative than anything. You're getting really into it when there's a small nudge at your leg.
L's standing beside you, his shoulders hunched and head tilted down so he can stare right into your eyes, his hand outstretched to poke at your pants. As you watch, he slowly lowers himself into that 40% froggy sit of his, and looks up with big, bush baby eyes that ask "why don't you like me?" as he lets his head fall onto your leg.
Misa laughs again, and prudently prances off, going to annoy Light. L stays crouched at your feet.
He's too cute...
You sigh but don't protest. Couldn't if you wanted. "Alright then, Ryuzaki, on the chair."
His mouth doesn't bother quirking up into a smile, but his eyes seem to brighten as he straightens up and crouches back down, this time in the chair in front of you. L keeps turning his head to look at you, jumping when he sees you looking back, and turning his head away again. You put a hand on his shoulder and he's caught between freezing and falling out of the chair.
"Be still," you scold gently, and begin brushing his hair. It's much knottier than Misa's, and you're a little scared to guess when he last ran his own comb through it, but it seems clean enough.
Once you've tugged the knots out, it's quite nice, actually.
You start humming a little, your hand reaching up to stroke through the dark, raven-feather hair sticking up all over his head. L lets out a mix of a sigh and an "oh!" and his entire body shudders. You laugh.
He leans back slowly, bending his head so he can look up at you. You give him a little tap on the chin, then the forehead and smile. L's eyes close as your fingers massage into his scalp, the hairbrush neatening and smoothing out his hair.
His lips tilt into a smile too, eyes opening just a slit to stare sleepily into yours.
"Thank you, Y/N."
★━━─・‥…━━━☆
𝖎𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖙 ˏˋ⋆˖⁺˖⁀➷ 𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖌 + 𝖋𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜
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