Near was sitting up in bed, going through things in his mind. He'd been planning and setting this up for a few weeks, after the night that had been etched into his brain.

The door creaked open but Near kept his eyes closed. He didn't know why – perhaps because someone was sneaking into his and Mello's bedroom at two o'clock in the morning – but he felt the need to feign sleep.

"Shh, don't wake Near up." Mello whispered. Matt laughed quietly in response as he carefully closed the door behind him. For a brief moment Near wondered if they were planning to play a practical joke on him but he stayed perfectly still. He heard Matt pad over to Mello's bed and then there was silence, broken with a strange noise. Near's eyes flew open. The strange noise was the sound of Mello's gasps as Matt's tongue invaded his mouth. Mello's hands roamed Matt's back, one hand moving to the zip of Matt's trousers. Matt let out a soft laugh, pushing Mello down onto the bed and climbing on top of him…

The door clicked and Mello walked in, making a point of ignoring Near. Inside, Near was grinning. He knew Mello was putting on an act because he'd already caught Mello glancing at him several times when he should have been listening to Matt. His plan would still work.

Mello climbed into bed and turned off the light without saying a word. Near paused, waiting for a minute to pass before he made his move. He moved towards Mello's bed and knelt on the edge. Mello moved away slightly, sitting up. His eyes were slightly wide, although it was difficult to tell because Near's eyes hadn't completely adjusted to the darkness yet.

"I know what you do with Matt." Near stated, playing with a strand of his hair.

Mello looked nervous but remained silent, trying not to overreact and give Near anything he could use. When he replied, Near could tell he was trying to contain his emotions. "I don't know what you mean."

"When Matt came into the room, I wasn't asleep." Near said, staring at Mello's face. Mello frowned and looked away, his hand balling into a fist.

"That's none of your business, Near." Mello said, his voice thick with anger and embarrassment.

"Oh? Okay. I thought you might want to talk about it." He replied, purposely brushing his fingers against the back of Mello's hand before returning to his own bed, hiding a smile. He had felt Mello freeze under his touch. Near had never touched Mello in any way before and after Mello's reaction he knew it was going to work.

He put his head on the pillow and turned away, as though he was going to sleep. Mello always let his emotions get the better of him, so he wouldn't be able to leave it like that. Near was right, after a beat of nervous silence Mello slipped out of his bed and sat on the edge of Near's.

"What do you mean 'talk about it'?"

Near chose his words carefully. "What did you think I meant?" He asked, allowing Mello to see his small smile. Mello had frozen again, not being able to believe the signals Near was sending him. He hesitated, his ego not allowing him to answer the question. His expression turned into a glare as he got up to return to his bed. Near knew that if Mello went back, he wouldn't speak to him for the rest of the night so Near grabbed Mello's wrist, his hair falling in front of his eyes and hiding his expression, aside from the small grin playing on his face.

"Do you want to talk about it, Mello?"

Mello paused, deliberating something in his head. Near could feel Mello's pulse throbbing through his thin wrist and after three beats Mello turned towards him, tilting Near's head up with his fingers and pressing his lips against Near's. Near kissed him back, winding a strand of Mello's hair around his fingers. That was all the permission Mello needed as he climbed on top of Near, pinning him to the bed and letting out a soft moan. Near's eyes widened. When had he let Mello take control of the situation?

Mello pressed his body against Near's and Near let his hand explore Mello's back, feeling everything that Matt had felt and everything he'd been curious about. Mello didn't waste any time locating the waistband of Near's trousers and lowering them. For the first time, Near felt nervous about the situation but he pushed these feelings aside.

Mello pulled his own trousers down and Near smiled darkly, looking up into Mello's eyes. Mello positioned himself, meeting Near's gaze, looking down dazedly with something between lust and obsession and placed a hand on Near's shoulder. He pushed forward and Near let out a sharp gasp, his cheeks turning hot as Mello put his lips against Near's ear.

"Happy birthday." Mello whispered shakily.

Wanted to try and keep this rated T ^^ Inspired by the AWESOME doujin by KurosakiAkane on her Cursed MoonS website. Check it out if you have the time.