Thunder

by Hidden in Shadow's Safety

OBVIOUSLY AU. After unwilling going to his rival for help, Mello finds out something new about the albino. Near doesn't want to talk about it though. I mean, who wants to talk about their greatest fear? Rated for swearing. Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, or the characters. I only own the plot. Also, seeing as this is AU, expect some OOCness. Don't like? Don't read.

1. Part One

THUNDER

Part 1/2

A.N. And I am here with a kinda fluffy two-shot. There's not any official pairings, but I guess there's some MelloXNear if you squint a bit.

This is based solely off a headcannon that I came up with... during a thunderstorm ironically enough. Yup, trust me to come up with things in the same situation.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Read, Review, Favorite, and Follow, please.

'I can't believe I actually had to ask this shithead for help,' Mello thought, staring at the younger teenager with disdain.

A flash of bright light made it's way into the room, causing Near to freeze. At the sound of the low rumbling that followed, the white-haired boy stood up and dismissed himself.

'So, the Sheep's afraid of thunderstorms, huh?' the blonde thought, hearing the nervousness in the other's voice. 'This I gotta see.'

Silently, the blonde crept into Near's room, opening the door only wide enough to slip inside.

The first thing Mello noticed was the corner of a white blanket sticking out from under the bed. The second thing was the soft sobbing; also coming from under the bed.

A sudden wave of sympathy washed over Mello as he knelt down at the foot of the bed.

"Near," the blonde said gently, "come on out, nothing's going to hurt you."

"M-Mama?" Near choked out, as if seeing an illusion.

"What?" Mello questioned. "I'm not your mother, Near. Are you trying to piss me off by pretty much calling me a girl?"

Near glanced out from under the bed, a nervous look in his eyes. Slowly, he crawled out from under the bed and curled up against it. The white-haired boy still held the blanket close to him.

"Hey, you wanna, tell me why you're so afraid of thunderstorms?" Mello asked, remembering something from his childhood. "My mother used to tell me that explaining to someone why you're afraid of something will help you get over that fear."

The smaller boy shook his head, trembling with the next clap of thunder.

Mello scooped the smaller boy up into his arms, placing him gently on the bed. "I'll stay by the door until you fall asleep, okay?"

Near nodded weakly, curling up into a ball and making himself seem as small as possible. Mello walked across the room and leaned against the doorframe.

'I keep forgetting he's still just a kid,' Mello thought. 'It's scary how similar we really are; aside from all the obvious things, I was afraid of thunder too... and spiders... and earwigs... and wow I was a pathetic child.'

The blonde didn't move for what felt like hours, until he saw the younger male's breathing even out.

Smiling gently, Mello slipped out of the room, flicking the light off on the way out.