Room 305; the apartment directly above Nears. Just an hour or so he found out that the family who lived here was killed, by unknown causes. He was now standing in front of the door. His hand reached out and turned the doorknob. Like he expected, it was locked. With a quick glance around, he pulled out a bobby pin from his pocket and picked the lock. He smiled satisfied as he opened the door. Near thought for a minute that what he was doing was wrong. Breaking into a crime scene for his own curiosity.

But Near was sneaky, and he could do almost anything without being caught. He stepped inside, looking around in the room. He reached for the light switch and flipped it to on. His eyes moved to the switch when the lights didn't turn on. He flipped the switch down then up again but still nothing. Luckily it was daytime so the sun beamed through the shades, giving him enough light to look around clearly.

There was police tape covering the windows and some of the walls. It looked like most of it had been ripped down. Near walked through the living room. There wasn't really anything unusual so he made his way down the hallway. It wasn't until he reached the bedrooms did he notice something. On the floor outside one of the bedrooms had scratch marks on it. Much like the ones he found on his bedroom wall. Near leaned down and examined them. They were the exact same marks that he found.

He stood back up and put his hand on the door knob when he heard a bang on the wall in the living room. Near walked back into the room and looked at the wall. He jumped slightly when he heard it again. The boy walked closer, pressing his hand against the smooth surface. This time the bang was softer and he heard a voice. The albino pressed his ear against the wall now. He backed away when he heard the voice loud and clear. Whoever it was, they were moaning.

Near backed away and began to walk out. He closed the door quietly and sighed. As he turned around to walk back to his home, Matt and Mello came out of the apartment next to where he was. They were both panting and their faces flushed. Matt was pulling his pants all the way up and buttoning them when he looked over at the blushing Near.

"Am I interrupting something?" Near asked, twirling a piece of hair.

"Wha? Uh no." The ginger was still out of breath and ran his hand through his hair. Matt looked over at Mello who gave him an interesting look. "Uhm Near, why don't you come hang out for a bit?"

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Near sat on the black leather couch in the twos apartment. He could vaguely hear the arguing that was going on about who was going to get a shower first. His mind was to preoccupied with that apartment. What was so special about it? Yes, a family had died in there, but where was the evidence? He didn't see a speck of blood anywhere. Blood is not easy to get out of wood, so they couldn't have possibly cleaned up a whole family's blood successfully. His thoughts were silenced as Matt sat down next to him, obviously loosing the fight for the bathroom.

"What were you doing in that apartment?" Matt leaned his head back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling.

"Simply investigating. I wanted to see what it looked like."

"Yeah, Mello and I went in there the other day. It's kinda creepy, but nothing real cool."

He nodded in response. "What were you and Mello doing in the apartment next to it?"

Matts face turned a dark red. "Uh.. just hanging out."

Near knew that was a lie. One, he wasn't stupid, two, it was pretty obvious when they both came out flushed and Matts pants halfway off. Though he wasn't sure why they had chosen to do something of that nature in an empty (he hoped it was empty) apartment when they had their own private one.

"You know, Mello thinks you're cute."

His ash colored eyes widen and he felt his cheeks heat up. "Mello thinks I am what?"

"Cute." The ginger laughed softly. "But don't tell him I told you. He'd kill me."

"I believe Matt and Mello are in a relationship.."

"Relationship? Nah, Mello and I just like to experiment with each other. You know, 'no strings attached' kinda thing. Maybe friends with benefits."

Near felt even more uncomfortable than he already was. Not only had he heard the two having a sexual moment, it didn't meananything. Not to mention Mello had maybe said one sentence, possibly two to him and he thought he was cute? Though the more Near thought it over, the more he came to the conclusion that Mello wasn't bad looking. Though he would need a better look at him to confirm it.

"Why does Mello not tell me this? That he believes I am cute?"

"Yeah right. Mello sharing feelings? Hah. He's really not that kind of guy to be honest."

So thats what it was. That's why Mello had not said much to him, but simply looked him over. Near turned his head as he heard footsteps to the left of him. It was Mello. He was walking towards them with a towel in hand. And he was shirtless.

"Here." He said as he tossed the towel towards Matt. "I didn't use all the hot, before you ask."
Matt got up and thanked the blonde before heading off to the bathroom. Near watched Mello as he slipped on the shirt he was holding in his other hand and sat down next to him.

"Hello Mello." He said quietly, still looking at the blonde.

"Hey."

Near took the time to study Mellos features. His hair was about shoulder length and was the color you would expect a halo to be. His eyes were an ice blue, his skin slightly tanned and flawless. He was skinny, much like himself. Though muscles could be seen in his arms and in his abdomen that was exposed as he stretched.

"Near...? You okay?"

The boy moved his eyes from Mellos stomach up to his eyes. "Yes, I am fine."

Mello nodded and looked at the wall. The albino then remembered what Matt had told him only minutes ago, and he got an idea. "I have not finished unpacking yet.. I was wondering if Mello would like to help me?"

The blonde hesitated for a minute. "Yeah."

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Mello had such brought in the last box labeled 'study'. He set it down next to the other six boxes and put his hands on his hips, giving him a second to catch his breath. Almost all of the boxes were full of books. It was one of Nears favorite past times, reading.

"You've got a lot of books." Mello said as he sat down next to him.

"Reading is very calming." He said as he began taking the many books out of the boxes, placing them on the floor.

"What else do you like to do?"

"I enjoy doing puzzles. Some of them are very large and it feels good when I complete one."

Near noticed the small smile Mello had on his lips as he took the rest of the books out. It didn't take long before they were both looking at the completely full bookcase, smiles on their faces. They had organized them according to size, making it look very professional. During the time Mello pointed out some of his favorite books. They included many Shakespeare pieces and mostly classic books. It surprised Near, he didn't expect Mello to be the reading type.

Now the two boys were in the kitchen, looking for lunch. Near decided to make himself a small salad with some mineral water. Mello was still looking through the fridge undecided. Though when he opened the freezer, his eyes lit up. The albino stood on his toes to see what he had in his hands.

"Chocolate ice cream? That is not healthy to have for lunch."

"So what?" Mello said as he shut the freezer and placed the cold container on the counter.

Near got out two white bowls for both him and Mello. He prepared his salad to his liking, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots and a bit of cheese. As for the blonde, he scooped four spoonfuls of the low-fat chocolate ice cream into the bowl. After being satisfied with their food, they walked over and sat on the couch in the living room.

He observed how Mello ate his chocolate. Medium sized spoonfuls filled his mouth and he let it melt completely before swallowing. He watched as a bit of ice cream dripped from the side of his mouth, sliding down his chin and landing on his arm. Near almost forgot about his salad as he watched how delicately Mello ate the desert.

"Mmm. That was so fucking good." Mello almost moaned as he swallowed his last spoonful. "Near I think I might have to come over more often for this ice cream."

"Mello may come over whenever he would like to."

Then there was that smile again. It was so small but it was amazing. Near didn't think Mello was the kind of guy that went around smiling like a fool. Especially because Matt informed him that the blonde did not enjoy sharing his feelings. But something about that smile made Near want to smile himself. It was a weird feeling.


A/N:

Did I mention that this story has MattxMello? Well heres me mentioning it xD. Theres only bits and pieces but their true relationship will come out later in the story.

lalala~ hope you like.