No one wanted to piss Mello off.
And that was especially true for Near, his rival, a small-framed boy who stood no chance against him, were Mello to become physical.
So, of course, that was to be avoided at all costs.
But...
There was really no time limit for a bath, no bell to ring and remind you it was someone else's turn to use the bathroom. That had never bothered Near before, but now he internally cursed the lack of such a thing.
Before him stood a very angry Mello, who had been waiting for a good hour and a half and who most likely wouldn't be very pleased to learn that Near had lost track of time, immersed in a fantasy world where Mr. Rubber Ducky had to be rescued from the dangerous Sea of Bubbles.
"What the fuck were you doing in there?" Mello inquired as soon as he was out the door, like he had expected.
Near cleared his throat, twirling a lock of hair as he tried to come up with a good excuse.
He swore never to bring his playthings to the bath ever again. But he needed to deal with the problem at hand - Mello's hands were already balled into fists.
What could possibly stop the over-emotional chocoholic blond from giving him a beating?
Certainly not ethics or logic. Near made a mental note to start carrying chocolate around for situations like this.
He could tell Mello was about to ask again for what was probably gonna be the last time before it was too late when he finally came up with an idea.
Near lifted his chin. "I was masturbarting."
Yes, he thought. That was believable, and enough for the time being.
"I was thinking of Mello," he wasn't sure why he added that last part, but he didn't really care - Mello was paralyzed with shock, and Near was able to make his big escape.
Mello was left to stare at the empty hallway once Near was gone.
The scene replayed itself in his head countless times - the way Near had lifted his chin, like he was proud to announce his doings...
The moment had been so surreal that, for a second, Mello was sure it was all a dream.
But it couldn't be, could it? Why would he even have a dream like that?
Unless...
Mello shook his head to clear his thoughts, and decided to use the second floor bathroom.
Escaping from Mello hadn't been physically exhausting at all, so why was Near panting? Why was his heart beating so fast?
No, more importantly... What was he gonna do when Mello realised he had been tricked?
It shouldn't take too long. Near momentarily regretted his choice. Surely he could have come up with a better lie, had he not been so desperate to avoid the situation.
Lying on his bed, his mind was left to wonder - why this?, why that? It was a useless path.
If I had used another bathroom...
But he enjoyed the bathtub. It was probably why Mello also preferred that bathroom.
Even so, if he had waited until Mello was done instead of going in first...
Not that he could possibly have known he would take that long in the bath.
A useless path, indeed, he thought to himself. Wondering and wishing wouldn't change anything.
What could be done to assuage Mello's unavoidable anger?
He had no means of obtaining chocolate on such short notice.
Perhaps he could ask Matt for help? No... The redhead would most likely not want to interfere.
What did people normally do to ease the consequences of having lied to others? The one thing that came to his mind was not at all pleasant - apologising.
Near sighed. For now, the best he could do was try to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be rough.
Mello was most definitely not going to sleep.
Not with all the possibilities spinning in his head, so fast it made him dizzy - well, maybe pacing around in circles played a part on that.
"Will you just sit down?" Matt groaned in frustration, "I'm getting dizzy just from watching you."
"Yeah? Well, why don't you try going to your own room?" Mello retorted.
"This is my room," Matt cried indignantly.
"Shut up!" Mello bit back, "I'm thinking."
Matt rolled his eyes and slipped to the floor, silently dragging himself out of the room.
Mello was immersed in confusion. Why would Near say that?
Why would Near do that?
And why wasn't he completely disgusted by the mere thought of Near's small hand sliding up and down the pale boy's shaft, mouth opening up slightly to moan out Mello's name...?
Oh, wait. When had he stopped his pacing? And was his nose bleeding?
In the following morning, Near did not feel like leaving his room.
But it turned out that he didn't have to, as Mello came to first thing in the morning, entering the room like it was his.
"You know why I'm here," he immediately accused, pointing a finger at Near.
Near sat up, drawing one knee close to his chest. Mello was in his room. And the door was closed, Near noted - not that any passerby would've cared to help him. After all, no one wanted to piss Mello off.
Like Near had.
Remembering his best - or least terrible - idea from last night, the boy started apologising.
"... And I'll never do it again," he finished in a monotone.
"What?" Mello inquired. He didn't seem ready to give Near a beating, but rather confused.
"I said I'm sorry for lying to Mello, I know it was wrong and I'll never-"
"I fucking heard you, snowflake!" now he did seem ready for a few punches.
Near blinked.
"Who the hell tells a lie like that?"
"I did," he replied easily.
Mello shook his head in frustration, and possibly confusion.
"Fuck you," he said.
How original, Near thought sarcastically, but figured it was better not to add fuel to the fire.
Only then - now that he was no longer concerned with the possibility of being assaulted - did he realise the implications of Mello's reaction.
"It was an obvious lie," he started, "Mello should have realised shortly after I was gone. Unless he didn't want to."
"Shut the fuck up, Near!," Mello screamed, flushed, "Of course I knew! I came here to teach you a lesson!," he continued to yell almost desperately, as if he was trying to convince himself, "I just never expected you to apologise, that's all!"
"Well, I did apologise," Near stated, "Will Mello leave now, then?"
Mello nodded weakly, "Yeah. And you better not do that again."
"It was a white lie," Near said, twirling a lock of hair around his finger, wondering why he hadn't simply stayed silent and let Mello leave.
"That's the last thing it was," Mello argued predictably.
"Did it cause any harm?" Near inquired without expecting any solid answer.
"Well," Mello was looking down at his feet now, "Maybe I didn't hate the idea of you doing that sorta thing. Maybe I was gonna confess undying love for you or something equally as stupid."
"I'm sure Mello weren't, though."
"Of course I wasn't," he scratched his nose. "Well, see you around."
Near nodded, making a mental note of the fact that Mello's nose itched when he told white lies.
A/N: Happy birthday to me!
I can't believe it's finally done... That didn't turn out half as bad as I thought it would, but it was hard seeing as it's not what I'd normally write. It could have been better, of course.
There'll probably be a sequel (next tuesday) if anyone's interested.
Tell me if you liked it at all?