A/N: Omg! This is soooooooo late! D:
This was originally for Mello's birthday...which was on the 13th....Yeah....
Anyway! I hope you guys enjoy this anyway! XD
And if I'm unable to post another story this week, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own these Death Note characters in anyway. However, this story is mine!
Poof!
White powder in the shape of a mushroom cloud exploded in Near's face. If it was even possible, the albino boy's skin was now whiter than white. He coughed and tried to wipe the flour off of his face. Only messily smearing the flour further, Near's gray eyes gazed about the kitchen that currently looked like a white tornado came crashing through it earlier. Every cabinet and surface was covered in a layer of flour. A few bags of sugar had been knocked over and split over the counter. One white-and-blue bag poured sugar over the edge of one of the counters, looking like a waterfall of white crystal shards. A carton of eggs was opened, reveling the fragile, white shelled objects. One egg had been accidentally wasted. The broken egg lied on the tile flour. The egg had become a pile of yellow glop, white, shell fragments, and was covered in flour. Staring at the kitchen that had quickly become a monstrosity, Near shook his head at himself.
Okay....So making a cake was harder than I originally anticipated.
Near stared down at the large, metallic bowl that had some ingredients already in it. This had actually been attempt number three at trying to bake a cake. Every time Near came close to adding more ingredients other than flour, sugar, eggs, and milk, something would go wrong. He had dropped the bowl the first time and had to start over. The second time he accidentally knocked over the carton of milk, causing the white, creamy liquid to run everywhere. Now, he had accidentally confused sugar with baking powder. He blamed the flour that covered everything for the reason he messed up this last time, and because of the flour he read the label wrong. Of course, he did know that getting the flour everywhere really was his fault, therefore he messed up again.
While going to dump out and wash the bowl again, Near only hoped Roger didn't come into the kitchen for some reason. Although the chances of someone coming into the kitchen that morning was only a 20% chance, Near was becoming paranoid since he was taking so long. Near rolled up his long, pajama sleeves and turned on the facet. While watching as cold water ran over the silver bowl, Near reached up and began to twirl one of his snowy locks. I can't give up on this. Today is December 13th, Mello's birthday. He probably won't want it once he knows I made it, but....He doesn't have to know I made it.
The original plan was to make the cake early this morning, so Near would have time to sneak it off to Mello's room before anyone woke up. Now, Near had a better chance of putting the cake on the long table in the cafeteria where the teachers had begun setting up the birthday items last night. There was a chance he'd be able to slip the cake onto the table without anyone noticing until it was around lunch time—the time to start singing happy birthday to Mello.
Once the bowl was cleaned for the third time that morning, as soon as Near began to lift the large bowl from the sink, a bewildered voice called out his name, "Near?" The abrupt, unexpected sound caused Near to flinch and drop the bowl back into the sink, which caused water splash onto Near, the surrounding counters, and onto the floor. As if those counters weren't messy enough, the water caused the flour that was layered around the sink to become muddy and gooey.
A droplet of water dripped off of Near's chin and onto his white pajamas that were partially soaked. Wide gray eyes blinked over at the kitchen entrance and locked with blue sapphires. Near's emotional wall was dropped for a few seconds before he was able to regain his original, even composure. For a moment, Near could have sworn a small voice in his head commented: Mello is always the one catching you off guard. While thinking this, Near's usual, expressionless emotion formed on his face. He reached up to twirl one of his snowy, white locks again. Casually, Near asked, "Yes, Mello?"
With a confused look still on his face, Mello asked, "What the hell are you doing?" Wearily, Mello stepped into the kitchen, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"I am," Near paused for only a slight second to try not to loose his monotonous mask, "making a chocolate cake."
While walking over to Near's side, he flicked his head so his blond bangs swooshed out of his face. "Chocolate cake?" He gave an amused smirk.
Near gave a short nod and asked, "I find it only fair that I ask you why you have ventured into the kitchen this morning, Mello."
Mello nonchalantly responded, "I came in here to get me a chocolate bar or two." The amused smirk was still on his face as his blue eyes gazed about the messy kitchen, finding more and more humor with every flour covered counter top he spotted. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the flour that covered the counters, the egg shells and glops that sat on the floor, the sugar that was being wasted as it steamed down from the cabinets, and how everything appeared white, which Mello would only associate that with Near. He was still in disbelief at the fact that Near had caused such a mess, but at the same time, he found amusement in it.
Near then added, so Mello wouldn't think he was ignoring the slight, half question, "And yes, it's going to be a chocolate cake." Reluctantly, Near pulled his hand away from the lock he was twirling so he could take the clean bowl out of the sink and back over to the counter that had the cook book resting on it.
While stuffing his hands into his pockets, Mello rounded the counter that rested within the center of the kitchen and stared over Near's shoulder at the open, recipe book. Mello frowned as he became slightly uneasy at the comment that arose in his mind. While Mello grew unsure if he should put his thoughts to words, Near silently read through the recipe again as if Mello wasn't even present in the room. The fact Near was ignoring him causing a smudge of anger to flare up inside Mello. Trying to brush it off, Mello decided to mutter out the comment in a half friendly, half uncaring sort of tone, "You can't teach a cream puff to make a chocolate cake."
Near froze in place at that statement. He turned his attention towards Mello, reviling his widened, silvery eyes. Mello's own eyes widened when he noticed the faint, pink blush on Near's usually pale cheeks. The blond turned his head slightly to the side, feeling embarrassed by the statement he said and reaction he caused. Quickly, to get out of the slightly awkward situation, Mello snatched up the recipe book and glanced down the ingredient list for the chocolate cake.
"Come on, Marshmallow! Stop dragging your feet and pick up the pace will ya?" Mello lightly snapped as he grabbed the sugar bag that surprisingly still had a good amount of sugar in it. After obtaining the sugar bag and walking back over to Near and the mixing bowl, Near's small smile remained on his face as he began to measure and add flour to the bowl.
Near began to twirl one of his white curls as Mello began to pour some sugar into the bowl. "I do believe that's more than the suggested amount of sugar, Mello," Near observed as a waterfall of sugar grains poured into the silver bowl. Mello, however, didn't seem to care about the amount of sugar that was going to go into the cake.
Before Mello stopped pouring sugar into the bowl, he smirked and explained, "They're only suggestions; it's optional. I for one know the right amount of sugar this cake needs." Once Mello set the sugar bag down, he went to the refrigerator and began to rummage for the chocolate syrup. Near walked over to the cabinet next to the sink to get the carton of milk that was now half full.
Then Near walked back over to the mixing bowl and began to carefully measure the milk; unlike Mello, Near cared how much of each item was put into the mixture. Since baking wasn't exactly one of Near's strong suits, he believed it would be best if he stuck to the directions in the book. The sound of rustling caught Near's attention for a moment, but he chose to ignore it. After the milk was poured into the bowl, the sound of the chocolate syrup bottle being slammed down on the counter caused Near to give his full attention to the blond.
Near's eyes widened at the unexpected occurrence. Mello had not only rummaged for the chocolate syrup in the refrigerator, but he had also searched for and found an apron. The apron was a faded red color with maroon trim. On the upper, chest part of the apron was a bright pink heart that was wearing a white chef hat. Mello had also found a white chef hat to go with the apron. As the blond began to put the hat on, his content smile faded into a defensive facial expression as soon as he noticed Near's reaction.
"What?!" Mello snapped sharply. "Do you have something to say? If you do, say it then."
Near began to twirl one of his curly locks again before he said casually, "The chocolate syrup needs to be added next."
Mello's defensive state shifted back to a casual, content expression. As soon as he lifted the bottle halfway to the mixing bowl, he paused. His blue eyes rolled over to Near, and a mischievous smile formed on his face. Near's facial expression didn't change, even though curiosity was nudging at his insides as his mind tried to guess Mello's next move.
"You're right, Near," Mello began slowly. He let his sly smile widened before finishing, "Chocolate syrup does need to be added next."
Before Near could decipher the meaning behind Mello's words, the blond quickly lifted the chocolate syrup bottle over Near's head. He began to pour the sweet syrup onto the albino's white, winter locks. The cool, sorrel syrup ran through the snowy, vanilla curls and began to drip down to Near's face. The chocolaty liquid covered most of Near's head, covering up the snowy curls. It was like chocolate syrup mixing with vanilla frosting.
This action caused Near's gray eyes to instantly widen, and his entire body to freeze. He blinked up at his curly bangs that were dripping with chocolate and removed his fingers from his head to see that they had been covered in chocolate too. Mello's laughter rippled through the air. His ribcage was beginning to hurt from nearly rolling on the floor with laughter. He was bent forward and holding his sides.
"A chocolate covered Near! A chocolate covered cream puff! A chocolate covered marshmallow!" Mello breathless laughed between gasps of air.
Because he was too focused on the scene that occurred moments ago, Mello didn't realize Near had already plotted his revenge until it was too late. Near had stealthily snatched up a bag of flour that was sitting nearby on a counter top. He moved it right in front of Mello's face, and then crushed the bag in, causing flour and smoky powder to fly out of the container. The blond's eyes were instantly snapped shut, and a lock of distaste and surprise fell onto his facial features almost immediately as the flour hit his face.
Near's expression changed to a hidden one as he waited to see if Mello's anger would flare up and if the blond would harm him in some way. As tempted as Near was to twirl one of his curls, he didn't since he didn't want to get the chocolaty syrup even more on his body. He could already feel the sorrel droplets running down and off his shoulders after they dripped down from his hair and sides of his face. While still holding the flour bag, Near commented evenly, "It's only fair, Mello." Near paused for a moment before adding, "Unless Mello feels the need to do that again. Then we would not be considered even."
Near cautiously watched as Mello stood back at his full height and began to wipe some of the flour off of his face, particularly around his eyes. His blue eyes blinked open and instantly fell on Near, causing the white-haired teen to be more on guard. Mello jerked his head to the side to get his blond bangs out of his face. A cloud of flour powder came off of Mello and floated in the air. With an unreadable expression, Mello began almost irritably, "Near, you're always so straight forward with everything."
Near watched as Mello grabbed the bag of sugar on the counter. Before he had a chance to react or move, Mello shoved the open bag towards Near. As soon as the sugar bag was flown forward towards Near, sugar flew out of the bag and whacked the white-haired teen in the face, neck, and shoulders. After getting pelted with sugar in the face, Mello began to pour sugar onto the other teen's head, getting white grains in Near's hair. Some of the grains were getting stuck in the syrup that was already there.
"You really should learn to sugar coat things, Near. There. That should help you get started."
A pleased smile pulled at the edges of Mello's lips. A contentness flickered in his blue eyes as he held his head with his usual pride. Near tossed his head, making sugar crystals fly off his head and his curls to bounce lightly. Blinking up at Mello, Near felt relief wash over him when he saw this content expression on Mello's face. A distinct, true smile formed on Near's face. It was a smile that Mello had never seen before; a smile Near never let anyone see before. The blond was so use to the teen's emotionless expressions that seeing this smile shocked the blond. This true, crescent moon smile that Near showed made it seem that the white-haired teen, for once, was happy. That thought alone caused a warm feeling to heat up inside Mello, causing his own smile to widen.
Blue sapphires locked with silver crystals. Only five seconds of silence passed between them before everything began to happen at once; it was as if the two successors were having the same wave of thoughts. Sugar, flour, chocolate, eggs, and other ingredients that had been lying around were now flying through the air. The two of them ducked behind cabinets as they tried to dodge the objects. Considering that Near wasn't as agile as most individuals, he was getting pelted with eggs and cake ingredients. However, Mello was getting just as pelted when he quickly found out that Near had better aim than expected.
Laughter filled the air as the two of them had their food battle. Somehow, it was possible for the already monstrosity of the kitchen to worsen. Of course, Mello and Near weren't focused on that and didn't care about the cleanliness of the kitchen. The uncharacteristic laughter coming from Near seemed to drive Mello's own mirthful state. No matter what it was, Near always seemed to affect the blond. However, it was different this go round. This time, Mello wasn't angered by it or cared.
The blond suddenly raced forward, removing himself from under a small table that he had found shelter in. From the roughhousing, Mello's chef hat had been discarded long ago, but the apron remained on him. Mello quickly turned his head as an egg flew through the air, heading straight for him. The egg smashed against the side of his face, and the yellow glop rolled down his neck as he continued to laugh and spat playful, taunting words. Near's silver eyes widened when he took note of the determination and trickery in Mello's blue eyes. However, there was no way for Near to dodge or run away from the charging blond.
With the chocolate syrup bottle in hand, Mello tackled the white-haired boy down, and the two of them went rolling across the messy, kitchen floor. The two of them rolled over flour, eggs, sugar, chocolate syrup, and even over some small puddles of milk and water. The laughter still echoed through the kitchen as the two of them tumbled. Even when the laughter began to die down, wide smiles remained on their faces. When the two of them stopped rolling, Near was lying flat on his back with Mello straddling him. As expected by Near, the blond began to pour the dark sorrel syrup onto the snowy, porcelain teen that now looked more like a chocolate covered marshmallow than anything.
Now, their light chuckling died down. Silence filled the air around them. As soon as their eyes locked, their smiles slowly began to melt away. As the silence dragged on and the realization of the position they were in hit the blond, Mello began to feel a bit uncomfortable. Mello averted his eyes and could feel his heart beating heavily. However, his heart's quick pace could have been from roughhousing, but at this point he couldn't tell.
The blond could feel the white-haired teen's silvery eyes on him. As much as Mello wanted to continue looking away from the adolescent, the silent challenge was something the blond couldn't resist. Trying to hold onto his pride, Mello's blue eyes locked with Near's gray ones. Their eyes searched each other in the silence, but both of them didn't find the answers they were looking for.
Mello tried to ask as casually as possible, but his tone came out slightly awkward, "Why were you trying to make a chocolate cake anyway?"
Near reached up and wiped some of the chocolate off of his face as the foreign substance began to feel weird on Near's porcelain skin. Shifting back to his usual, emotionless self, Near shortly answered, "Why do you ask if you already know the answer, Mello?"
Mello's blue eyes widened at this answer. He already had an idea as to why Near would suddenly have the urge to bake a cake—a chocolate cake at that. However, the fact that Near was being vague about this left many questions unanswered. Was Near wanting him to assume the underlying meanings of this event? Before Mello could think about Near's underlying meanings further, Near asked in a quiet, self-conscious voice, "Does...Mello like cream puffs and marshmallows?"
Mello's blue eyes widened again for the second time in the past few minutes. He was surprised by the seriousness in Near's face. It appeared Near really did want the answer to this question, as if it deeply mattered to the teen. A small smirk crossed Mello's face.
"Why ask questions if you already know the answers, Near?"
For a moment, Near only blinked his silvery eyes up at Mello. Then a smile slowly began to take shape on Near's lips. It was the same smile Near had gave earlier, showing that he was truly content and happy with the truthful answer Mello had given him. A warm feeling washed over Mello at seeing this smile again. This white-haired adolescent always seemed to have some sort of control over Mello, but at the moment, the blond didn't care because he knew that he too had some kind of control over the chocolate covered teen.
Mello felt himself gently leaving forward, moving closer to Near. Silvery crystals watched the blond as he moved closer to the albino boy. Not objecting to Mello's movements, Near's silvery eyes slowly began to close. Their lips brushed against one another, sending static through each of them. In a bit of shock at the newly discovered chemistry between them, the first kiss was short and gentle. However, both of them soon realized that they craved the new emotion between the two of them. Their lips locked again, this time not as soft as the last one.
Near pulled back for a moment, and when he did, Mello began to lick the chocolate that was now on the blond's lips. The smile remained on Near's face as he whispered, "Happy birthday, Mello."
I couldn't decide on whether I considered Near a marshmallow or a cream puff....SO I PUT BOTH! XD
C:
It's been a long time since I've written anything fluffy for Death Note, so it was about time I wrote something like this.
Oh and if there's a lot of grammatical errors, I'm sorry. I'm not feel well today, so my editing skills have dropped down a couple of levels. D:
Anyway! Love you guys~
Have a merry Christmas (or Hanuka or Kwanzaa or Friday or anything else I missed lol)! *throws out sprinkled sugar cookies*
