Yeah, I really do have a fetish for writing Near-involved stories. I wrote this one in about fifteen minutes, so it might be kind of out of character, lacking, etc. Anyway, just enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I dun't own Death Note, manga of all mangas, anime of all animes. ;D

"Mello… Mello… wake up."

Mello groaned, turning over on his small, twin sized bed. "Not now, Roger… gimme… five more minutes," he mumbled into his pillow. Only now, in his state of half-sleep, could he hear the thunderstorm rumbling outside.

Mello tried to make himself comfortable, desperate to find sleep again. Instead, all he could focus on was the feeling of small fingers dancing around on his back.

Glowering with his eyes still closed, he reached down to his legs for his gun, but only succeeded in grabbing a fistful of boxers. Damn. Now there was no way of finishing off this annoyance.

"I know that you're awake, Mello," Near's voice chimed. "Your eyes are twitching."

Mello forced his droopy eyelids open, revealing, quite possibly, the most annoying human being on the world. Near's eyes were filled with pleading, and they looked as if they might brim over with tears at any second. One of his arms were wrapped tightly around a small, torn up teddy bear, the other smothering a pillow and blanket.

Mello sat up in his bed and clicked on the lamp on his bedpost, watching Near as he winced away from the bright light.

"What the hell are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be calculating a route to world peace? Or… something…?" Mello's voice trailed off as the sadness in Near's eyes finally set in.

Near flinched a little as lightning and thunder growled and flashed simultaneously, closing his eyes as if trying to shut out the world, breathing heavily.

"May I sit?" he asked, finally.

"On the floor," Mello allowed, not missing a beat. There was no way that that prude was sitting on his bed.

Satisfied, Near laid out his blanket, and put the pillow at the top, sitting contentedly on it.

"I didn't say you could sleep in here! Who do you think…" Mello's voice trailed off again as Near gave him another miserable look. He looked like a little kid who'd just had a nightmare, crawling to his mother.

"Just shut up, okay? And don't get mad at me if I step on you tomorrow morning when I get out of bed," Mello grumbled, having no idea why he was being diplomatic; he reached over and clicked off the light again.

Mello wormed his way back under his covers, huffing. What a stupid little kid.

Thunder roared loudly once again, and lightning rippled through the sky, illuminating the room for a brief second. And then it was silent once again, giving way to the sounds of Near's whimpers.

Groaning, Mello clicked the light back on. "What is wrong with you?" he snapped.

Near held the teddy bear closer, rocking back and forth, still whimpering. "Could we possibly sleep with the light on?"

"No, we cannot," Mello said, firmly, clicking the light back off.

Near whimpered again.

Mello didn't bother to turn the light back on; he just sat up in his bed, glaring at the ghostly pale little boy. "You got something wrong with thunder?"

"And lightning," Near admitted.

Mello humphed. So this kid did have a flaw; he did have a fear.

"How come?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, you'd better suck it up, because I am not going to sleep listening to you crying, you little chicken," Mello snapped again.

"Then I guess neither of us will sleep at all tonight," Near concluded.

Mello snapped the light back on, and scooted over in his bed, slapping hard on the space he'd cleared. "Get up here," he commanded.

Near looked at him like his hair was on fire.

"What? I said get up here! If it'll shut you up!"

Silently, Near stood and put his pillow at the base of the bed, by Mello's feet, sitting up and continuing to snuggle his teddy.

"Lay down," Mello ordered. "Now."

Hesitating briefly, Near obeyed, and Mello threw the covers over him, snapping the light off again.

More softly now, Mello spoke again. "Does that help?"

Near yawned. "Surprisingly, yes," he admitted.

Mello smirked, satisfied with his success, for a reason he wasn't completely sure of.

They lay there in silence for a moment as the storm raged on outside.

"Roger told me that he'd heard that, the day I was born, there was a terrible storm and the electricity went out in the building," Near said, almost a whisper. "I think that's why I'm so afraid of storms. Nothing has gone very well since then."

"Since when?" Mello asked.

"The day I was born, of course."

"Oh," Mello said, quietly, turning over.

Silence swallowed them again. Both of them were looking away from each other, eyes open, just staring at the moonlight that filtered into the room, listening to the storm.

"You'd better stop bitching about it," Mello said, finally. "Because you've got it good here at Wammy's. Better than you know."

"Hm," Near said, quietly.

Silence once again.

And then, Near spoke softly. "Thank you, Mello," he said. "Although I'm fairly sure you only spoke with me to get yourself a good night's rest, it helped. Goodnight." He snuggled in with his teddy, closing his eyes.

Mello humphed, modestly.

And then he felt his eyes soften slightly as he looked down at the little white haired boy. He'd always been envious of Near, with his being so smart and collected, something Mello never could have achieved. Mello acted on his thoughts while Near, more vocal, voiced his feelings. Maybe that's what caused all the hatred between them; they were on two opposite sides of the universe.

And yet here they were, laying in bed together, listening to the rain.

"You're welcome, Near," Mello said, gently, closing his eyes.

But Near was already asleep, snoring lightly.

For me, actually, rain puts me right to sleep. But when I was little, it used to scare the buhjeebers out of me.
Anyway. Hope you liked it; please review.

-Moony