Mello had always been in a hurry to grow up.
(He didn't have a child's smile anymore.)
And anyone who didn't feel that childhood was just one massive waste of time was stupid, he thought and said and yelled loud enough for everyone to hear, because he wanted everyone to know, and he wanted everyone to feel stupid. ("Very immature, actually," Matt would say and then he'd receive a prompt punch to the stomach.)
And Near was the worst of all.
Because all he would do was sit over those pointless puzzles. Puzzles were toys, toys were for children, and children were worthless. Think, Near, think- you're so smug and smart, but you're just a little boy.
Near was just a stupid little boy, basking in his Youth, refusing to grow up.
Mello wanted to shake him and scream, "Look where you are, you stupid, stupid little boy!"
But what Mello would not admit to anyone, and what Mello would hardly even admit to himself, was that he hadn't voluntarily given up his childhood. It had been snatched away from him violently, horribly, and he had to pretend like he had made the choice to grow up.
With his parents, he was the baby.
Without his parents, he was just an angry boy whose childhood had been stolen, and he wanted it back, goddamn it all, why could Near keep his, that's not fair, not fair, not fair--
And it made Mello angry (very much like a bratty child, Matt would never point out but always realize) so he would kick Near's puzzles across the room and stomp through the cities that had taken so long for Near to build.
In Mello's obsessive, pious readings, the name Aloysius came up.
Aloysius, the Saint of Youth.
Mello scoffed at first, but there was the fact that his own beautiful religion, the one thing he used to prove that he was more mature than anyone, recognized someone for Youth.
And if Aloysius could be immortalized as the Saint of Youth at the age of twenty-three, then maybe, just maybe, Near could keep working on his puzzles and building his cities.
And maybe, just maybe, Mello could learn to smile like a child again.
(Years would go by though, and the child's smile, the stupid little boy's smile, the Saint of Youth's smile never appeared on his lips again.)
WTF, whut whut, whut is this? I honestly have no idea. Inspired by Brideshead Revisited, dedicated to indigo's ocean because she's AMAZING. So, yeah, I kind of wanted to give Mello another reason for hating Near besides just scores and crap, and that's what happened. Hmm. First time ever writing Mello without Matt, TBH. Scaryyy. Review plz.