A/N: Yo! So this is my first ever Death Note fic! :D If you enjoy it please review, it makes my day knowing lovely people like yourself take the time to message little ol' me! Without further ado: the story! ENJOY!
The time was half past one in the morning in England. The waning moon hung right in front of a second story window at Wammy's, its eerie light illuminating the gently relaxed features of the thin, 8-year-old blonde boy lying in bed. Mello rolled over and peered out of the window, finding himself unable to sleep. Maybe it was his hidden stash of chocolate bars secretly tucked underneath his mattress that was causing his insomnia, but he would rather go without sleep for a hundred nights than give up his precious sugary confection.
Mello groaned and rolled onto his back, draping his arm over his closed, blue eyes and trying to calm his thoughts, thinking that falling asleep during classes the next day wouldn't go over well with his teachers. On the other side of the room, Matt began snoring. Lightly, mind you, but it was quite bothersome to his blonde roommate nonetheless. Mello was contemplating throwing his alarm clock at the redhead in an attempt to wake him, or at least get him to stop the awful racket, when a soft creak sounded at the front of the room.
As the dim light of the hallway reached Mello's eyes the blonde lifted his arm and sat up groggily, ready to kick the crap out of whoever was keeping him from sleeping. He was about to ask "who the hell is that?" when he realized he didn't have to. Standing in the doorway, a black silhouette against the light from the hall, stood a boy who Mello would recognize anywhere. It was the outline of the boy he hated most at Wammy's, most in England, most in the whole world.
"What the hell do you want, Near?" Mello grumbled as he lay back in bed, trying to ignore the sudden, unwelcome presence of the small albino. Matt had begun snoring louder, as if he knew people around him were talking and was trying to drown them out. The boy in the doorway clutched the toy robot he was holding tighter to his chest as he stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him.
Oh dear God, please don't tell me he wants to talk! Mello thought. It's bad enough I have to deal with his pretentious thoughts during the day, but does he have to rub his achievements in my face when I'm trying to sleep too?! Before Mello could yell at his 6-year-old nemesis to scram, Near had shuffled over to the side of his bed and was peering down at the blonde boy's face with relief and apprehension. Mello shoved his face into his pillow to keep from looking at Near when the albino boy finally spoke quietly.
"…Mello?"
"What?" Mello asked again, his voice muffled in his pillow with a touch more annoyance in his tone.
"I had a bad dream. Can I stay with you?"
Mello lifted his head in order to refuse outright but hesitated when he noticed Near's expression. He looked close to tears as he rubbed his eye with the back of the hand not holding the toy. This boy seemed much more vulnerable to Mello in the dark of night than in the bright sunlit hours of the day, where he had trained himself to show no emotion. Before Mello acknowledged his own volition he was scooting over and pulling back the sheets of his bed.
"Whatever," he said to Near, plopping his head onto the extra pillow and staring at the ceiling. "Just don't touch me. We need to rest up for classes tomorrow."
Near beamed as he hopped into the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. "Thank you, Mello. You're a good friend." Mello winced at his casual use of "friend" but was even more surprised at the next sentence Near uttered. "I'm so glad you're not dead," the albino said, rolling onto his side to face the blonde.
"What? Why would I be dead?!" Mello asked.
"It was my dream," Near replied, staring at Mello's stoic profile, illuminated by the moonlight seeping through the window. "I came here to make sure it wasn't real." Near gave a wide yawn and rubbed his eyes again. "And it wasn't. I'm glad. I would miss you a lot. Well, goodnight."
And with that, the conversation ended, leaving Mello dumbfounded. Did Near really see him as a friend? That would be absolutely ridiculous! If he was really Mello's friend he would let him get the best grades on tests or solve the cases first for a change. What a moron. Did Near even know what being a friend was? Did Mello know…?
In those two minutes of contemplation Near had fallen asleep with his cheek pressed against Mello's shoulder. The blonde thought about jostling him awake but decided against it, letting the moment of tenderness go for the night, being too tired to care about what Near thought of him. But it was thoughts of that odd friendship, as well as the warmth of Near's close proximity, that finally put Mello to sleep. Even as Matt's lurid snoring raged on.