A/N: This is one of my darkest stories yet. Be prepared... it's anything but fluffy. Basically, what Mello becomes when he looses control. O.O Hope ya'll CAN enjoy... ^^ As always, commentary is welcome. Naturally, I own nothing. Some of the commentary in the SPK room is taken directly from the English anime, so if it sounds familiar, that's why. ^^;;;
76. Broken
The metallic barrel nestled in soft strands of silken blonde. The locks gave way to it, as did their owner, and obediently followed the other's will. The slim woman walked on at a clipped pace, respectfully fearful of her predicament but showing no indication of such. Halle was a good actress.
The man behind her went steadily, never faltering in his steps. He held the glock in a stiff, military hold. He watched the woman's every imperceptible move; the slight twitch of her hand or the unevenness in her breaths. The vision clouded swiftly as the scene changed before his eyes. The blonde, wrapped sparsely in a towel, eyes sultry in the steamy room. "He misses you." She purred, reveling in his disgust. "He really does." She shifted to towel her hair into a semblance of order. "He has your picture, you know?" she added, eyes sliding over to him slyly, trying to gauge his reaction.
He gave an impatient growl.
"Almost there." She assured him, not slowing her pace any. She tugged at the hem of her jacket to righten it and brushed at her lapels before opening a massive door. The floors here were polished and waxed to the caliber of becoming mirror-esque, and the captor knew that this was intentional. His eyes darted around from under his hood, searching out the security monitors he knew to be in place. Halle's heels clicked methodically. "We're being watched." She announced professionally, almost as if she weren't being held at gunpoint. Her captor suppressed an irate snarl.
"I'm quite aware." He replied shortly, disgusted with her nonchalance. He was not the sort to think twice before pulling the trigger. She could at least show a healthy amount of fear towards him! His eyes narrowed into catlike slits. The blonde began to tread up a flight of stairs and the butt of the gun jammed into her scalp. She blinked back a wince. That would probably bruise by morning. 'Emotionless bitch!' her captor swore. 'Completely unfazed and blank, just like…'
At last she came to a locked door. Her hand strayed to the left of the handle as slender fingers pressed against the wall. The tile gave way, revealing a small keypad. Shielding the tiny computer from view with a cupped hand, she punched in the code. After a second there was a succession of three digitalized chirps, and then a loud POP! There was a rush of air as the door compressed and swung inwards, permitting them access.
The room beyond was surprisingly large, reaching back much deeper than it was wide. Vacant spreads of unused tables and computer terminals sat ghostlike, watching them. It was eerily dark, the only source of light emitted from the array of monitors that hung on the back wall. Its glare illuminated three very abstract shapes: the first two stood tense, observing the monitors with alert posture. The first was a trim young man, the other more square-shaped and sturdily built. The third figure… the captor allowed himself one demented grin. He pushed Halle through the technological graveyard towards the other three. The two men flanking the third figure whirled about and locked into a fighting stance, guns cocked and aimed. The third remained in a crouch, encircled by a multi-tiered train set, back to the door.
"Mello. Welcome." He offered carelessly, no inflection in his voice.
"DROP YOUR WEAPON!" the stockiest man yelled, gun wavering in his grasp. The captor drew Halle to a stop feet before the others and glared from beneath his hood.
"Everyone. Please put away your guns." The white-clad figure stated. There was the faintest hint of exasperation there. "Having a shoot-out here would achieve nothing."
'That's right.' Mello smirked internally. 'You lost everyone else here to that spy. To the Death Note… you can't manage alone at all, can you?'
"Sir, with all due respect, Mello is the one who killed our partners." The younger man hissed, looking incredulously back at the teen.
'Not by my own hand, I didn't.' Mello's eyes thinned into a glare. 'I'm not so foolish as to play God, unlike some.'
"Please don't make me say it again." The leader replied flatly. "Remember that our primary objective is still to catch Kira. Killing Mello right now will do nothing to benefit our investigation."
'And what do you mean by that, hunh? Is there a reason you don't want me dead?'
The men put down their weapons begrudgingly. "All right." The stockier one said warily. Mello paused before brushing back his hood, letting it fall around his shoulders. He withdrew his gun, lowering it to his side.
"It seems that things have been going just as you planned, Near."
"Yes. I take you've already heard all about the second L from Lidner by now." the other replied calmly. "I've pretty much figured out who Kira is, and it's mostly thanks to everything you've done."
'Smug, pompous, little BASTARD!' Mello screamed, blood boiling in his veins. "Shut UP, NEAR!" In a split second the glock was raised, pointing with deadly accuracy at the back of the teen's head, the echo of the safety being removed reverberating around them, mingling with Mello's angry cry. 'I could do it. I could kill him. I could wipe that Goddamn victorious smirk off his face forever. Fuck the others, I could do it.' He was sharply aware of the twin guns pointed his direction, but all he could see was the pale boy before him. "I'm not just a tool for you to use in order to solve your puzzles, you know!" His shout wavered, too overcome with raw emotion. 'I'm not going to be second to you again! You don't OWN me!'
"Mello." The soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "If you really want to shoot me, then go ahead and do it." No anger, no fear. Nothing. Blank. Mello growled in frustration.
'DAMN HIM!' his body trembled. 'Manipulating me to his will again.' He growled, slowly squeezing the trigger. 'If I shoot you now, it will be on your orders. Everything I want you will steal from me. But now I will –'
"Stop!" Halle swung out from around him, placing a hand over the muzzle of the gun. It was flush to her chest. He might as well shoot her too. "If you shoot him, then the rest of us will have no choice but to shoot you too." Her voice was determined, but Mello could pick up on the edge of desperation. 'Trying to save me again, are you?' "What will it solve if both of you die? That's just what Kira wants." The male thought a moment, her logic irately sinking in. 'That's right. There has to be one of us to defeat Kira.' He put up his gun.
"You have a good point." He allowed, still guarded. "Anyway, I'm only here for one thing." He glanced pointedly at Halle. "I came to take back that photograph you have."
"Of course." Near piqued up, still not turning to face them. "I got it from the orphanage." He explained, fishing it out of his shirt front and holding it out behind him. Mello stared back at the mirror of his former self, expressionless. 'Why do you have this?' the thought bubbled up into his head like magma. 'Where did you find this?' "There's only one and no copies have been made." The other assured him. "I've already gone ahead and dealt with everyone who knows your face, both inside and outside Wammy's House. They'll keep quiet." He tossed the photo carelessly over his shoulder, knowing Mello would catch it. The blonde locked eyes with himself again, echoes of old feelings throbbing inside his twin heart. "I can't say 100% for certain but it shouldn't be possible for you to be killed by the notebook."
The elder successor stood in quiet observation, flipping the photograph over to check for authenticity. Small, neat handwriting was scrawled across the back, dead center. 'Dear Mello'. That was all, nothing else. 'It's clearly his handwriting… and it's obvious he wasn't going to write a note either…' his eyes narrowed. 'What does this mean?!' blue eyes flickered up suspiciously. 'It's just another game, isn't it Near?'
"Is that the only business you had with me, Mello?" that voice. So calm and steady, so grating and emotionless. But he was implying again. The blonde snorted.
"Near." He glared reproachfully down at the other. That arrogant back still facing him, showing that he was the better. Too good to fully acknowledge him. Another game. "Let's get one thing straight." He enunciated clearly, mind a haze of flashing memories. "I have no intention of working together with you on this." 'I will not be defeated by you again. I won't admit defeat. I don't NEED you, and you don't own me!' Words he had said aloud in a past life, now a silent threat. A mantra.
"Yes… I know." For a flickering second, there was emotion. Just a taste… regret?
"At the same time, I can't just take my photo and leave, that wouldn't be right." Mello invented quickly. 'No need to give you fuel against me.' He smiled internally. 'I can manipulate you too.' "So I'll settle my debt."
"Hnn?" Near turned to him slightly, tone uncertain.
'See how it feels?' the blonde grinned darkly. 'No, I suppose you don't. Not truly, not yet.' The other waited for further explanation, but none came.
"Mello?" he prompted.
"I can tell you, but it's for your ears alone." The blonde stated, leaving no room for argument.
"But they –"
"Learn to stand on your own two Goddamn feet, Near!" Mello hissed, cutting off the protest. "It's pitiful! The successor to L can't even cope on his own." The other tensed visibly, making the blonde shiver in delight. He sunk the barb down deeper. "Clearly Roger was not only biased but blind in his choice… not that it was his to make."
"You left." The detective retorted, slightly defensive. But Mello could see the slow mental deterioration that he had started.
"He could have stopped me." He jabbed. "He had plenty of time. Roger made the decision and he chose wrong."
"Don't talk to Near that way!" the younger SPK member shouted, raising his gun again.
"Gevanni…"
"Sir!" There was a tense stillness, and then Near motioned for the others to clear out. They hesitated, shooting furtive glances at Mello, before edging out of the room. Clearly conflicted between loyalty and duty, they pulled the door shut with a worried whisper.
"Mello…" the white-clad teen twirled a lock of hair between his forefinger and thumb, pulling roughly. His form of agitation. "Please explain how it is that Roger chose incorrectly." The blonde laughed disbelievingly.
"You think that you're strong because you've banished your men?" he jabbed, hungrily awaiting a reaction. Near ignored him, carefully stepping out of his model train set and slipping into his chair. He continued toying with his hair, but his posture inferred he was busier examining something else. Mello knew better. He stalked forward, a slightly deranged smile arranging itself on his features. He stood before Near's chair and latched onto the arms, forcing their eyes to meet.
Sparking blue met a chasm of grey and Near gasped. He had yet to see the scars that covered half of the blonde's body. Mello reveled in the small sound and leaned in closer. "You fool. Thinking that this was a matter of strength. Did you think I was upset over not succeeding L?" the smaller of the two shrunk back into his seat, uncomfortable with their proximity. "Did you?!" the blonde pressed.
"I…" the pale teen began, searching for a suitable response. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the mutilated skin – still beautiful but once flawless. "What is it that you want, Mello?" he asked quietly.
"Want?" the other repeated, pulling slightly away. "Only to pay my debt." Swiftly, Near fell disgracefully to his knees, chair pushed out from underneath him, wrists held in an iron grasp. He gasped as he was yanked upwards, standing now, as Mello's puppet. "You see?" the blonde asked, strangely quiet. "This isn't about L at all. This is about you. About me. You can't beat me forever, Near." He laughed then. It was an odd, eerie sound. He leaned in so that warm breath tickled the other's ear. "I won't let you." A shiver ran down Near's spine and he wriggled, trying to get away.
"Mello…" he hazarded, letting some of his composure slip. "Let go of me and let us talk this out like adults, shall we?"
"Adults?" his captor queried, an eyebrow rose uninterestedly. "I thought that was beyond your comprehension. Frankly though-" he pushed Near against the bank of desks. "I have no interest in talking things out. Funny thing is, you always think you can best me." He shifted so that pale arms were locked firmly behind Near's back. "And so you cheat. So guess what, Near? I've decided to start cheating too." A gloved hand went up to cup the detective's cheek in a throttling threat, masqueraded as a loving gesture. "I will break you." A thin smile painted on mad lips. "Take from you until everything is gone. Until your false pride lies in scraps at your feet." He inclined his head, drinking up the silent words between them. "Then all can see how great and powerful this new L is." He said mockingly, bracing his body atop Near's.
"Mello… what're you…?" he glanced furtively at the loaded gun still in the blonde's hand. The man laughed shortly.
"I'm not ready to end my game so soon." Cool blue eyes became dangerous flecks of ice. "I have no intention to kill you, Near. Then you wouldn't remember." Ashen eyes filled with fear. "No, I'm going to take the one thing you will never be able to give." The vice around the detectives wrists tightened as Mello's hips slammed down on top of his own. "I'm going to fuck you, Near." He purred, grinding into the younger man's crotch.
Near released a whimper at the unfamiliar sensations crashing through him. Mello pressed down and pulled back with his thigh, intently awaiting another cry. "S-Stop… Me-Mello!" the detective tried to glare through the lusty haze that had descended on him. "I! I don't wa-ant this. Stop…" he groaned as the pressure increased. The blonde smiled cruelly back.
"Is that so?" he asked carelessly, getting in the other's face. The hands that had bound Near's wrists and clamped over his hips moved, inching in opposition. Sea and ash met briefly before the detective's eyes squeezed shut, his head thrown back. Mello stroked him roughly through the fabric of his pajama pants, undoing the younger man. His other hand grabbed at a frail shoulder, drawing them closer together. His lips bruised over Near's, stifling a moan. His hot tongue lapped at porcelain lips, forcing its way in. The blonde peered at his victim through lidded eyes. 'He's moaning. He's giving himself over.' He mentally crowed.
Near groaned against his mouth, allowing his tongue to be dominated. A hand clutched at Mello's arm, trembling as the hand worked him faster, harder. Despite himself, his legs parted further, willing the blonde closer. Just a little closer. "Mello!" he gasped between vicious kisses. "S-stop-" A groan. "Not like this…!" The protests only spurred the blonde on.
"You're letting me." The gunner accused, biting at the other's clavicle. "You press against me." White teeth sunk like fangs into equally translucent skin. "You all but beg me."
"I… I'm not." The younger shuddered. God, how he wanted this. Just… not like this. "Mello…" he tried again as expert fingers unfastened his buttons. "Why are you doing this?" Now that the blonde's ministrations had slowed, his words were almost regular. Mello pulled away, locking eyes with him; azure swimming with malice and victory.
"Why?" he hissed, brushing the shirt from Near's shoulders. "Because I want to." His smile was predatory. "Because I've always wanted to. And I hate it. I hate you, Near. I hate what you do to me." He pinned the detective to the desk again, letting his jacket slip from his frame and pool at his feet. He hastily kicked it away and rounded on his prey. "Do you know what you've made me do? To myself?" His words dripped with loathing. Ashen orbs widened in shock and dawning realization.
"M-Mello! I… I didn't-!"
"Of course you didn't know." The blonde snarled, pressing trapped wrists against the edge of the desks so hard they started going numb. "But you will now. I will make you endure what you've put me through. I'll make you enjoy it." He laughed darkly. "I won't loose to you again." His mouth crashed down over Near's again, biting and sucking at the yielding tongue. Clearly overpowered, the detective seemed to have decided upon submission. Mello purred greedily.
They broke apart and Near faltered, dropping to his knees. He looked up at Mello, afraid and uncertain. 'Obedient little bitch.' The blonde approved. "On your feet." He spat, looking the other over with contempt. "Don't think that such gestures will ever mean anything to me." He caught a flash of pain in the darkened eyes. "That's too intimate for this." He drew Near up and slammed him back against the desks, eliciting an anguished moan. Climbing up, Mello pressed the younger man's back flush against the wall, straddling him. The place where he had bit Near was red and angry; a raised pink ring pocked against his skin. Inspired, Mello bent to ravish his skin, treating it as a canvas he'd yet to cover. Near tensed, jerking at every contact. His body, hypersensitive to touch, quivered beneath Mello's fingertips. The blonde used faint touches to torture him, drawing ragged breaths from his heaving chest.
Slender fingers reached up and massaged a nipple, rolling it into a nub. Seconds later, the gunner's tongue would reach the area, ghosting around it and increasing the tension gathered there. Gloved hands mapped the pale torso, a delicious mix of fast and slow, hard and faint. Near's heart beat in an unsteady rabbit-dance, all too revealed to Mello. The blonde kissed at the side of the detective's neck, feeling the blood pulse beneath his lips. Teeth grazed over the site while fingers pressed against Near's lower back. Making him enjoy it. Too hard a bite and he could end him. It would be simple.
He forced Near back, rolling his hips side to side. Deftly, he slipped a hand beneath the waistband of the detective's pants, encircling his shaft in sudden warmth. Near cried out, caught unaware. Thrills of ecstasy shot through him and he bucked against the hand that slowly pumped him. Already half-erect, he felt the first juices escaping him. Lubricated, the hand worked faster in short intervals, making his breathing come in pants. His back raised under Mello's palm, arching him up so his body fit like a piece of a puzzle flush to Mello's own body. Then his pants fell from his frame. The sharp contrast of coolness that enveloped him made him tremble, shoving needily into that treacherous hand. He didn't know how it would feel, but he felt close. His eyelids fluttered closed, breathing ragged. Just a little more of this, and it'd be over. A little further and then release. Just a little… the hand pulled away. Near gasped, feeling betrayed. So close. "Mello!" he moaned, inclining towards the blonde. He didn't care how pathetic it made him – lost in this newfound hazy world; he needed this more than air. "Please…" he whimpered, looking away. "I need-"
Arms hooked under his legs, bracing his back and lowered him unceremoniously to the floor. He crumpled there, still throbbing with need. "…M-Mello?" he queried, raising to a sit. The blonde looked down at him expectantly.
"Undo my pants." He demanded, unmoving. Near blinked slowly, processing the command. He moved awkwardly back onto his knees, examining the corset-laced front. "With your teeth." A wicked grin broke out on his features. Near started, loosing less and less of his composure. 'What's the matter, Near? Can't do this?'
"Hnh…" the other whimpered, edging upwards. His eyes flickered quickly up to Mello, questioningly. They fell to the task at hand and gently grabbed the end of one lace by his teeth.
"Ah!" the blonde exclaimed, feeling pressure against his groin. To his surprise, the detective was doing just as he had demanded; pressing has face forward to grab each new string. The short bouts of pressure made him groan, pivoting his hips forward, wanting more. He had only meant to further break Near's pride when he had told him to unlace his pants, but somehow he couldn't help but find the young man at his feet to be strangely erotic. The way he needed to brace himself by grasping Mello's hips, the determination in his set, the innocent, kittenish way he tugged at the strings, nuzzling ever so slightly against him. 'Enough of this. He's already starting to win…' he growled to himself, unwilling to be beaten at his own game.
He shoved the younger man away from him, still grinning maliciously. Near's shoulder blades dug into the hard tile, bruising instantly. He pulled himself up on one arm and scooted back, away from his attacker. Mello made a sudden movement and Near recoiled, head slamming against the sharp edge of the desk. An agonized groan tumbled passed his lips as his vision bled white and started to spot. He shakily groped for the tender spot on the side of his head, but Mello was quicker. A hand latched onto the snowy locks, twining through them until they were fisted into a knot. He yanked forward and Near cried out again, pawing desperately at the gloved hand that held him mercy. Mello could feel the warm blood pooling beneath his fingers, watching in morbid fascination as it spread, staining the pristine tresses. He leaned in, nuzzling into the sore. When he pulled away, scarlet was smeared across his mouth. Sickened, Near watched as Mello languorously licked his blood from his lips.
"I will make you bleed." Mello threatened, moving to straddle the smaller body. "I will make you scream." He bent so there was no escape. "And I will make you like it." Near froze, pinned beneath the other man. He knew that the hands that had returned to his wrists could feel the blood roaring beneath them. He licked at his lips and tasted copper. So the blood had trailed down his face.
"Why?" he whispered, fighting back the fear and betrayal in his voice.
Mello looked down at him with annoyed satisfaction. Emotion. It tasted so sweet. Like an addiction, like a drug. He wanted more of it. Deftly, he tore the rest of Near's clothing away, leaving only the dress shirt, unbuttoned and baring his chest. His tongue snaked out and traced patterns across the quivering skin. Near moaned, arching against the sensation. "Why?" Mello repeated tauntingly. His tongue dipped into the hollow of the other's clavicle. Near rolled his neck to give more room. "Because I'm addicted." He glared hatefully upwards. "If I can't beat you, then I will break you. Fucking arrogant prick. You took every chance of a better life from me. Everything I ever wanted. Now I'm going to take from you." Without warning he plunged into Near.
A splitting scream tore through the abandoned department. Shaking fingers clawed desperately at the blonde's back, angry red scratches cropping up at their protest. "Me-Mell-O!" he cried as he was thrust into again. "MELLO!" he winced in pain, head rolling back. Twisting, trying to rid the sharp, tearing feeling. "AH!" his spine arched disjointedly upwards, flush with Mello's abdomen. "I-It hurts!" The blonde's only response was to sink his teeth into Near's shoulder.
After the first lustful thrusts, Mello's hands began to roam. He could feel Near's body becoming accustomed to his presence, accumulating him. The detective was ridiculously hot and tight. An unintentional groan escaped his traitorous lips. He hadn't been expecting this. Just a quick, humiliating fuck. Break his pride. But this… "Ah…" his hands twitched forward, wrapping around to brace Near's legs over his shoulders.
"AH!" Near gasped as Mello fit fully within him. Flashes danced before the blonde's eyes. Familiar memories, fantasies. He had dreamed about doing these things to Near. Of taking him. Hurting him, sometimes. Irritation roared through his veins, clouding his head in a haze of lust and wrath. 'I want you, I hate you.'
"Me-Mello!" the detective gasped, arms wrapping around the gunner's neck, trailing down his back. Pulling them closer together. "Wh-why? What will-Uhn!-this serve to-Ah!-you?" They could both feel the blood gathering at their union, slicking them.
"This is what you do to me, Near." He hissed, thrusting violently. "This is your fault." Heated azure eyes watched in morbid delight as a flurry of emotions flickered through otherwise vacant pools. Pain, that was definitely there. 'See how it feels now?' Mello smirked. 'Yes, I suppose you do.' Near mewled beneath him, ramming downwards as his body gave into the powerful sensations. Betrayed by his own body. It was delicious. 'I am responsible for this. For what I'm doing to you.' The blonde's thoughts raced, riling him up. The last bits of sanity escaped him as he gave way to raw feeling. 'Fuck you. I will break you. I have broken you. You won't forget this. You won't forget me.'
"Tell me, Near." He whispered into the whimpering man's ear. "How does it feel to have me inside you? To force you to react like this." He thrust harder and Near moaned. "Beautiful." The blonde smirked, burying his face against the detective's collar bone. "Just don't ever forget who it was who made you this way. Don't forget who made you human."
Near tightened around him, spasming. He knew it wouldn't last long. So long as his own body could resist. Determined, he bent Near's knees further back, thrusting as deep as he could. A scream evanesced into a moan, the pressure finally released. "MELLO!" The name circled them, echoing hollowly, brokenly. Laced with pain. Stained with blood. The blonde pulled away before he could reach his own climax. Only lowlifes allowed their victims to see their own sexual pleasure. The pale detective shook, breath coming in short gasps. Mello sat back on his knees, an unimpressed look on his features.
"That quick?" he snorted, mimicking disgust. Near moaning, beneath him. Because of him. "Pathetic." He pulled away, staring victoriously at the heaving and quivering body. Body so pale and defenseless, stained with blood. His dark lashes fluttered, trying vainly to open. His head was pounding with abuse and sex. Mello grinned at him predatorily. "You don't own me." He smirked, slipping on his pants and doing up the lacings. "And now I've used you for one of my puzzles. I've undone you, Near. You loose." He slid into his fur-trimmed jacket and looked over his shoulder heartlessly. The detective lay sprawled on the floor, broken. Just as he intended. With a smug smile, he strode to the sealed door, hitting the release button. Whispered words trickled back to him, haunting him. Even as he walked passed the anxious SPK members, even as he walked through deserted halls, stepped into the sun streaked world beyond. Forlorn whisperings tumbled in his head, weighing him down.
"But Mihael… I love you…"
Shattering you, shattering me.