Fandom: Death Note
Pairing: Mello/Near
Genre: Romance/Fluff
Rating: T
Warnings: Violence, shounen-ai, alternate universe
A line of black sedans sped down the highway, headed north for the nation's capital: Washington, D.C. Unbeknownst to the caravan, a red sports car began a steady pursuit. A few minutes passed before a large black helicopter appeared over the western horizon, flying directly toward the line of vehicles. It was a busy day–no escape was possible. The helicopter soared over the caravan, its metal body gleaming with the setting sun, and dropped a small explosive on its target. Suddenly, a flash of red zoomed in front of the leading car, the driver of the sedan hitting his brakes hard. All cars followed suit, and the bomb landed one car ahead of its original destination. A roaring was heard, and there was fire in the air. The unlucky recipient of the explosive was completely destroyed, and the car immediately behind it was flipped onto its roof by the side of the highway. Passing vehicles rolled to a stop, spectators jumping out to assess the damage and call for assistance. With the chain of events occurring so fast, no one noticed a red coupe sliding to a stop beside the overturned car. Not one bystander spotted a rather conspicuous redhead running to the vehicle and extracting a small bundle of white, dragging it back to the sporty read car. The vehicle drove off undetected.
The phone rang twice, and the blonde picked it up, scowling at the number on the screen. "Where the hell are you?" he asked angrily. His scowl deepened at the answer he received. "...What did you do? I swear, if it's another one of those...no? Well, I'll still probably kill you..." Suddenly, his expression turned to one of pain and shock. "W-What? Why? Well, when did that..?" He began pacing across the tiled floor, the heels of his tall leather boots clacking lightly on the ceramic. After listening to the last response, he paused, sinking to the floor and dropping his voice to an almost-whisper. "No...bring him here. Immediately." He hung up the phone, pulling his knees to his chest and hiding his face between them to hide his worry-stricken expression.
The thrum of the engine was a steady, quiet purr. The redhead picked up his cell phone and hit the correct speed dial. It rang twice before the other end picked up. He listened to the raving question before speaking. "Hey, Mells. You'll never guess who's lying unconscious in my passenger seat." He chuckled slightly at the response he received. "No, no, it's not a hooker...jeez. Let's just say it's the object of your obsession, and he's not made of chocolate." He paused, listening to the calm before the storm. "Near. Yes. Because I saved him from being blown into oblivion by a car bomb. The car ahead of him is scrap metal, but his just flipped on its top. He's still injured pretty badly, though...I'm probably going to take him to the hospital in Miami. He'll definitely need medical attention." He could hear the noise of his friend's pacing, and the soft 'thud' as he sat down heavily. "He nodded, and spoke low into the receiver. "Of course. I'll be there in thirty minutes, so be ready. And, Mello? It'll be alright, mate. Bye." Looking into the passenger seat, where the crumpled body of the world's next top detective lay covered in blood and filth, Matt wasn't so certain of the truth of his assessment.
As he had expected, it took just over half an hour–he'd never been an advocate for speed limits–to reach the city, and five more minutes to weave his way through the seedy industrial sector before coming to the warehouse which was currently being used as the official headquarters of Miami's mafia. Home sweet home, he thought sarcastically. He didn't have to wait long: the door slid open in a matter of seconds, and he drove quickly inside. He got out of the car, running around the front to open the other door. Gently, as if handling a piece of priceless crystal, he lifted his burden out of the seat, being careful not to agitate any of the cuts along the thin body. Once again, he didn't spend much time waiting, and a few seconds later a door to his right slammed open, revealing Mellow in what was probably the second-worst state he'd ever seen him in.
The first was the night they'd left the orphanage, after all bravado had fled into the darkness like so many shooting stars. That night was the first (and only) time he'd seen Mello cry. He had pretended to be sleeping, but he distinctly remembered the look of pain on his friend's face as he looked down at the stolen photograph of a small, unsmiling boy whose hair was whiter than snow.
He walked forward slowly, pausing halfway and attempting to meet the icy blue eyes of his best friend. But those eyes held nothing for Matt to see: they were blank, lifeless, and tired.
The blonde stared through Matt as though he could not see him, yet also avoided concentrating on the bloody mess in his friend's grasp. He stepped forward, reaching with arms that were barely obeying his command to stop shaking. "Give him to me," he said sternly but quietly. The redhead hesitated, but dared not disobey. The weight that descended into Mello's arms was at once startlingly light and shockingly heavy, if only on his heart. He turned and briskly walked back inside the headquarter's living area, making his way to his own personal section of the building.
Mello laid Near gently on the soft cot he'd arranged in the center of the brightly-lit washroom. He looked him over, trying to discern the extent of the damage done to his frail body. It'll probably take him a week or more to heal completely, Mello thought with a grim expression. Near...you'd better not leave me behind here. I...can't lose you. The blonde knelt beside his makeshift operating table and began to undress the smaller boy slowly, methodically, trying not to agitate the many wounds as best he could.
It took Mello almost three hours to remove the glass and other shrapnel from Near's wounds, wash and disinfect them, and apply bandages to some of the worst injuries. The bruises he couldn't do anything about, but he made sure to be especially gentle when he gathered Near up in his arms and made his way into his bedroom that was adjacent to the bathroom. Mello laid his "patient" on the bed, covering his bare form up to the chest with the soft black bedding; the material provided a sharp contrast against Near's ivory skin, making him look fragile, like a porcelain angel descended from the heavens to remind humanity of that ethereal beauty that only God's seraphic messengers possessed. He's perfect...beautiful. The blonde's face tinged a light pink at the thought, though he couldn't take his eyes off that pale, perfect face; the soft yet slender features; the long black lashes that brushed alabaster cheeks as the boy dreamt; the pale pink lips that were parted slightly in an unconsciously adorable expression. Mello realized that that was the reason Near was so perfect: he never had to think about it. Near didn't have to try to be beautiful. He just is.
Matt had been waiting in the central part of HQ for more than five hours, fielding questions and playing his DS like there was no tomorrow. Where is he? I'm tired of dealing with these things. Finally, Matt stood, walking out of the central area and through the labyrinth so intelligently-created by the mafia to keep their "precious leader" concealed from those who would seek to harm him. Matt finally reached his friend's rooms and opened the door thoughtlessly. What he saw was enough to make him gasp and shut the door silently before opening it again for a second glance. ...Whoa.
He wasn't sure, but the redhead was thinking that Mello probably didn't know what he was doing, that he'd done it unconsciously. Still, the gamer thought, this could make for some amusing blackmail...nah, I don't need the extra stress of sleeping with both eyes open. Heheh. Instead, Matt stood there for a few minutes admiring the surprising but peaceful scene.
Near had turned onto his side during the night, lying in the center of the soft bed. Matt guessed that Mello had sat on the edge of the bed, but he had quite obviously fallen asleep during his watch over Near. The blonde now lay beneath the sheets of his bed, the floor beside it littered with the dark leather he usually wore. What was perhaps more incriminating was the position the two prodigies were currently in: Near was sleeping peacefully upon Mello's chest, his head nestled in the graceful curve of the blonde's neck. Mello's arms were, in turn, wrapped securely around the younger boy's waist, one hand resting on Near's unexposed hip and the other resting on his shoulder, a lock of the snow-white hair in his tender grasp.
The redhead turned and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him as he walked back to the main HQ, a smile on his face.
A/N: So...how does everyone like the new story? Worth a few reviews? When reviewing, let me know if you want more of this story (I also plan to upload another chapter of "Five Minutes til Midnight" soon). Until next time.
