What time was it? About 3:25 am probably. It was still dark outside, the orphanage still lay quiet but there was one person awake.

Mello had stirred from his sleep, having had another nightmare. He'd been having them for awhile, and never knew what to do about them, but this time he remembered that the grown ups said he should go to L if he needed help with anything. So the child climbed out of bed, crept down the dark hallways and knocked on L's door. He didn't get a reply, assuming L was asleep. He opened the door anyway to go talk to him but found the room was empty, it didn't even look like he'd been in bed recently.

Where was L?

He knew that grown ups stay up late sometimes, so maybe he was somewhere else in the orphanage. Mello was seen as the toughest of the group, being a troublemaker and daredevil. But he was still a child, and children are easily scared, especially after all he'd been through before coming to wammys. He found walking down the dark hallways with creaky floorboards unnerving, and couldn't help but look over his shoulder every few minuets. It felt like someone was watching him in the darkness.

He checked the playroom, no one.
He checked the classroom, no one.
He checked the library, no one.
He checked the study room, no one.

So where was L? What would he be doing up this late?

He was about to give up and go ask another grown up for help, but he finally managed to find someone awake. There was a light on in the kitchen the kids weren't meant to be in there it was for the grown ups only. Still he approached it and found none other than L, awake at 3am eating biscuits.

"L?" He spoke up.

L jumped, turning to face Mello and suddenly remembering he was a baby sitter now.

"It's late, you should be asleep" he replied.

Mello couldn't help but notice something was odd about L tonight. The bottoms of his jeans were wet, as if he'd stepped in water, there was something glittery on his shoulders and he seemed a bit... well, drunk. Someone as young as Mello shouldn't even know what drunk is, but he'd seen some things before coming to wammys. But he wasn't scared of L even in his obviously slightly intoxicated sate.

He trusted L, and L just seemed sleepy rather than scary.

"I had another nightmare... and I can't sleep anymore, I don't know what to do" Mello said.

L was slightly confused, he'd never had to do the whole comforting thing to a child before. And Mello was the last person he'd expect to be asking an adult for help. He was a very determined child who wanted to do everything himself.

This whole situation was odd, the tough kid up at 3am asking for help from an adult that's slight drunk and definitely not covered in wishing dust...

But there was one thing L knew he could do, and that was relate to Mello.

"I used to have nightmares a lot too, they go away more as you get older... but yeah they're not very nice" he began.

"What did you do to go back to sleep?" Mello asked.

"I didn't, but that's just because I'm bad at sleeping. I'd usually go to mr wammy for help and he'd make me hot chocolate and send me back to bed when I'd calmed down" L explained.

Something about hearing that softened Mello up, he was usually very 'I'm a grown up and I don't need help' but whatever nightmare he had must have shaken him.

"Can I have hot chocolate? I love chocolate" he asked.

"Uhh... yeah sure. Hang on" L agreed.

Hot chocolate was one of the few things L knew how to make perfectly. So he was right onto it and quick to make the shaken child his beloved beverage. As he did, Mello sat at the counter and watched. He couldn't help but notice L was alot more... spaced out than usual. Almost dropping the spoon, tripping on nothing, sleepy and a bit dazed.

Where had he been and what was he doing?

"L..." Mello spoke up.

"Yeah?" He replied, mixing the cocoa into warm milk.

"Where did you go? You seem extra tired"

L was silent a moment. He couldn't exactly tell this kid he'd gone to a magic world where he'd gotten tipsy on ghost brew and ran into a wishing dust well by accident, followed by exploring the treetop town and singing sea shanties slightly drunk with his siren buddy.

"I went for a walk, when I can't sleep I do that" L replied.

Mello couldn't help but feel like there was more too the story, but the hot chocolate was set down in front of him and he quickly dropped the subject to drink it.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was seeing Mello on such a similar position to the one he was in at that age, but something made L soften up too. He wasn't the best with kids, still learning. But he could empathise with the boys, having had a similar childhood.

He new first hand how horrible recurring nightmares are as a kid.

"Mells" L began, leaning against the counter next to him.

Mello looked up from his hot chocolate, to have L place a hand on his shoulder.

"I know everything sucks right now, but I promise as you get older you understand more things and it becomes a lot less scary and confusing. The best you can do now is have friends and grown ups to help you" L explained.

Looking up at the much older boy, Mello held his hot chocolate in his hand and gave L an aspiring look. It was right then, right at that moment that Mello decided something...

He wanted to be just like L.

Smart, world's greatest detective, tall, nice and comforting but still able to be strict and ruthless when necessary. L was the older carer figure he never had back at home, and he knew right then that he wanted to grow up and be like L.

L has just unintentionally made himself a role model to Mello.

"You promise?" Mello asked.

"Promise, trust me I'm old" L joked.

"You're super old"

He may be only in his 20s but with his joints he may as well be 70. And to a child 20s was old anyway, he didn't mind being seen as 'super old'.

"Yeah super old, and you're super small" L teased.

"Nuh-uh I'm tall for my age! I'm taller than Near and ALMOST taller than Matt!" Mello replied.

"And you'll stop growing if you don't get any sleep. Finish that up and get back to bed before Roger catches us and roasts us"

"What about the nightmares?"

He couldn't really avoid them, they just happened when they happened, but L understood the worry from Mellos end.

"If you've already had one tonight then you shouldn't have another other" L said, hoping it'd be enough to comfort him.

"Ok... thank you L" Mello replied, putting down his empty mug and getting off the chair.

Before he turned to go back to bed, he couldn't help but hug L goodnight. His child height only reaching L's waist. L ruffled his hair and gave him a smile.

"Don't worry about it ok? Now back to bed it's late" L said.

"Ok ok! Goodnight"

"Goodnight"

And with that Mello rushed off down the hall to go back to bed before he got in trouble for being up so late. L stood there in the kitchen for a moment, letting everything that happened sink in.

"Hm... that was easier than I thought. Maybe it's the ghost brew..." he mumbled to himself.

He was getting better at babysitting with every passing day, even if he didn't know it yet. And his care for the boys was growing deeper with every passing day too...

"I wonder if (y/n) knows some kind of anti-nightmare magic..."