Matt woke up early in the morning, as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the blinds of the window. He groped groggily at his nightstand, searching for his clock. The red digits read 6:00 am, classes only started at 9. He sighed, he usually would have turned around and slept until 8:55, but his empty, aching stomach didn't let him go back to sleep.

He groaned as he left the bed. The running of the previous day had left his legs sore. He really needed to exercise more, he thought as he stumbled through the room heading to the bathroom. He whispered a curse through gritted teeth as he tripped over Mello's backpack, almost falling to the floor. He mumbled grumpily to himself. Mello had the most annoying habit of leaving his things all over the floor. Not that Matt cared much about tidiness, but he'd like to walk to the bathroom in the morning without risking a concussion. He kept walking without bothering to look back to see if the noise had waken Mello – he knew from experience he wouldn't wake up a second before his alarmed ringed.

He quickly brushed his teeth and his hair, grabbed some clothes from the pile in his closet and walked in direction to the kitchen.

They weren't technically supposed to be using the kitchens but the cook wouldn't come out for another hour and that rule wasn't strictly enforced. Roger believed that self-reliance was a very important skill for the children to learn.

Matt grabbed some bacon and eggs from the fridge and walked to the stove to make his favorite breakfast. The smell of food sharpened his sleepy brain and he found himself letting his mind wander to Near again. He wondered if he was already awake, Matt had the feeling he was a morning person.

He hoped he hadn't spent the whole night without eating, Matt thought, frowning to himself. He was certain he wouldn't have come to make food for himself, it was just not something Near would do.

He bit his lip. Maybe he should make him something to eat, since he was already cooking for himself. He knew breakfast was only a couple of hours away, but what if Near was too weak to get out of bed? And alright, maybe he was grasping at straws a little to find an excuse to spend some more time alone with him but who could blame him? He swallowed guiltily, he knew who'd blame him… but there was no way for him to find out. And it would be just cruel to let Near go hungry, especially since he was partially responsible for him missing dinner.

And so he shook his head to get rid of all the reasons not to and decided to make Near breakfast.

He scratched his head considerately, he knew most days Near had nothing more than some cereal and a glass of milk, but it seemed too impersonal to just bring him a bowl of cereal; there was no thought to it. He wanted to make something. The only thing he knew how to make was bacon and eggs. He knew Near should eat healthy and as far as he knew, bacon wasn't healthy so he decided on the eggs. He decided to make an omelet using just the eggs whites, both because it was healthier and because it amused him to have Near eat an all-white breakfast.

Omelets weren't exactly his specialty, so there were some bits of shell he had to scoop carefully from the bowl, but overall he was proud of the results. He grabbed a platter to put both their plates and a glass of milk in it and got out the kitchen. He carried the platter through the deserted halls, careful not to tip it. He knew the direction to Near's room by heart, it was the only one in the end of a long bare hall, far away from the rest of the other rooms. Matt didn't know if that had been Near or Roger's decision.

Near was one of the few of the orphanage to get his own room, a privilege reserved to only the five students with the best overall performance. Mello and Matt had been given to choice to get a private room too, but they decided to stay together. Matt wondered if Near got lonely, not having anyone to joke with or talk to before bed. He knew he would.

When Matt got to Near's room he hesitated before knocking. It suddenly occurred to him that in his list of reasons not to visit Near's room wasn't the option that he might not want Matt there. It had been a little arrogant of his part, Matt thought, to assume Near would welcome him into his room when the most he'd done was invite him to do a puzzle and study in the library. He knew how much Near valued his personal space, maybe going there really wasn't a good idea. Besides, Near had said he liked his company, but did he really mean it? Maybe he just thought it was the polite thing to say…

His mind was starting to run circles around itself, and he was seriously considering turning back to the kitchen and eating alone when the door opened quietly before him. Near stood in front of him, looking up with a quizzical expression on his face.

"I thought I heard someone by the door." Near mused. Matt wasn't sure if he was talking to himself or to him. "What brings Matt to my room at such an early hour?" he asked, curiously eyeing the food in Matt's hands.

"Uh…breakfast!" Matt said holding up the platter, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I mean, I thought you might be hungry because you missed dinner last night, and uh… I was hungry because I also missed dinner…" Matt rambled, increasingly embarrassed. Why did he always sounded like an idiot in front of Near? "So I made breakfast for us. You know, most important meal of the day and everything, so I thought…" He let his words die out, hoping Near didn't need further explaining.

Near smiled slightly, just a little tug of his lips, but it made Matt's heart jump

"Of course." Near said, still wearing that little smile. "Breakfast. That is very thoughtful." He continued, moving away from the door to indicate Matt should walk in. Matt did so, relieved not to have made more of a fool out of himself.

It actually wasn't the first time he'd been in Near's room. No, it hadn't been part of his endeavors to get to know him from a distance; that would have been a little to creepy and stalkerish even to Matt's taste. No, he'd been there with Mello once when they'd caught a wild snake in the woods and Mello had decided it would be funny to put it in Near's bed. Matt had tried to protest, but Mello had insisted the snake wasn't venomous and started to get angry at his friend's reluctance. Matt had no choice but to agree, hoping to be able to get the snake out the window without Mello noticing. He wasn't able to, and the next day Near showed up for breakfast with the snake cheerfully perched on his shoulder, making a couple of younger girls yelp in fright and Mello grind his teeth so hard Matt was half expecting to hear a crack. He probably didn't hide his grin as well as he should have, because Mello was snappy to him for the best of the day.

It was exactly the same as the time Matt had been in it, with the exception that there was no snake in the bed. Roger had made Near get rid of it right away. The room was not as big as Matt's, but the lack of furniture made it seem more ample. There was only a twin sized bed with a small bedside table next to it, a small closet and a desk in a corner. The walls were white and bare, there was no piece of decoration in the entire room, a stark contrast with Matt's: covered almost entirely with posters and pictures, and sometimes some of his drawings if he felt confident enough. There was only one large window, where he could see the woods just outside the building. It was halfway open, letting the sounds of the chirping birds float to the room. The floor was covered with a fluffy white carpet, comfortable enough to roll around in, Matt thought. He wasn't sure why that made him blush.

Near sat in the floor by the bed and motioned Matt to do the same. Matt slowly dropped to his knees, setting the platter on the floor, careful not to spill the milk. He took a moment to look at Near as he sat himself. The morning sunlight coming from the window reflected off the white walls and onto him; it made him look like he was glowing.

Matt smiled, feeling a gentle warmth fill his chest. He never thought he'd be able to see him from so up close. He was even prettier that way, his skin looked smooth and unblemished. Matt wondered how he'd react if he touched him softly on the cheek, just to know what it felt like. He had almost convinced himself to do it when Near spoke again.

"Matt is staring." He said, bluntly as ever.

Matt knew he should be embarrassed but all he felt was fondness. And maybe the hunger, or the way Near glowed in the morning light had made him temporarily mad, because he found himself saying aloud what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry, but you're just very pretty…" he stopped there, suddenly aware of the implications of what he was saying. He felt horror freeze him into place, he was sure he wouldn't be able to move a muscle if he tried to, which might be for the best, because if he felt he could move he would have bolted out of the room right then.

He steeled himself for Near's cold look of contempt, for the polite, but firm request that Matt leave his room that very second.

For a moment all he got was silence. When he managed to take his eyes off the wall and face Near, he was surprised, not to mention intensely relieved to see he had a tiny shy smile in his face.

"Pretty… Matt really thinks so?" he asked, slight curiosity showing in his voice.

"Yes." Matt answered. His mouth was very dry all a sudden, he grabbed his glass of orange juice and drank it all at once, avoiding eye contact.

"Interesting…" Near whispered. Matt wasn't sure he was meant to hear that. "Thank you, Matt." He smiled gently at him. When he looked away it was too take the first bite of the omelet Matt had so considerately done for him.

Matt, glad for an excuse not to embarrass himself by opening his mouth, moved to eat his own breakfast, grabbing the crisp strips of bacon and eating them with his hands.

After a few minutes of eating in companionable silence, Matt ventured speaking again.

"So… do you like the food?" he asked, taking a nervous glance at Near's half full plate.

"Of course." Near answered easily, without looking up from his place. "It was so kind of Matt to make it, I am very touched by the gesture."

Matt, although delighted by those words wasn't entirely convinced by Near's answer.

"Yeah, but how does it taste?"

"It tastes… delightful," Near answered, giving himself away by his hesitation. "A very valiant effort," he encouraged.

Matt frowned slightly. He was pretty sure what Near had said was code for 'It tastes like crap but I don't want to hurt your feelings.'.

"Good, let me taste then," he asked, berating himself for not thinking to taste the food before he gave it to Near.

"No," Near answered simply, grabbing the plate from the tray and pulling it to himself. "I do not wish to share."

Matt laughed, surprised and endeared by Near's childlike attempts to spare his feelings.

"Don't be selfish, Near," he admonished playfully, smirking at the odd vision that was Near hugging a plate of eggs. "If they're so good I want to taste them."

"No."

"Just a taste," Matt insisted, lunging forward to try to swipe some eggs from Near's plate. His movement were a little too sudden unfortunately, because his knee hit the platter on the floor, spilling Near's milk all over the floor and making him lose his balance. He fell on top of Near, knocking them both to the ground and making the eggs he'd been trying to steal land all over his face.

Matt face was so close to Near's he could count his eyelashes, feel his faint breath on his cheek. His heart was beating so loudly against his ears that although he could see Near's lips forming words, he had no idea what they were.

"What?" he asked, blinking dazedly at Near.

"I can't breathe with Matt on top of me," Near struggled to say. Matt jumped away from Near horrified when he realized how he must be crushing the small boy.

"Near, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Do you need to see the nurse?" Matt asked, frantic with worry.

"No, there's no need for that," Near assured him, although he was still very obviously winded. "I'm alright, truly," he assured Matt when he saw his anxious expression.

"I'm so sorry, Near. I didn't mean to hurt or to make all this mess." He apologized, almost at the brink of tears. He was such a clumsy idiot, he made a mess of everything. "I shouldn't have come, I'm sorry I-"

"Do not apologize," Near said, looking wide eyed at him, probably surprised by the depth of emotion Matt was showing over a little spilled milk and loss of breath. "Matt is much too hard on himself. The mess can be easily cleaned, and I was not truly hurt. I'm glad Matt came to me this morning. Haven't I already said I enjoy his company?"

"You have," Matt smiled, a bit shyly. "I wasn't really sure if you meant it…" he admitted, exposing his doubts for the first time.

"I do not lie," Near said simply.

"Except when you said my eggs were 'delightful," Matt teased, grinning.

"Alright, I sometimes lie," He acknowledged with a small grin at Matt. His expression turned serious again when he added "But not about that."

Matt believed him. It was impossible not to when Near was looking at them with those wide, honest eyes. He looked so earnest, so somber… so lonely. Matt heart clenched at the loneliness in those eyes, and for a moment, all he wanted in the world was to reach over and give the boy a hug, promise him he wouldn't have to be alone. But he didn't want to push boundaries again, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep that promise. But he wanted to… he wanted to…

After that Matt insisted in cleaning up the mess himself, using some paper towels Near had in the room. He was almost done when Near called his name.

"Yes?" he asked, looked up at him. He was looking down with a curious smile on his face.

"You have some egg on your face," he responded, confusing Matt for a second. He briefly wondered what else he had done to embarrass himself when he realized Near meant it literally. He touched his face, finding a bit of the omelet under his chin and popped it in his mouth, making Near scrunch his face for moment before smiling in amusement.

"Crap, I forgot the salt," Matt realized, tasting what he thought were the blandest eggs anyone had ever tasted.

"Next time you'll know," Near said, blushing a very light shade of pink. Matt beamed at him, considering Near's words an invitation to come again. He would gladly accept it, especially if it gave him more chances to see Near blushing like that.

"Sure thing," he indirectly answered the invitation.

They spend the rest of their time they had before classes started by working on a puzzle together. Matt wasn't sure if they were doing the same puzzle as the previous night of if Near had an endless supply of blank puzzles to complete one after the other. Neither option would be surprising to him.

About half an hour before the bell rang to call them to class Matt gathered the things he'd brought and prepared to leave. He wanted to stay, cut class and just play puzzles with Near all day. It felt greedy to want so much when he didn't even deserve the precious time he got with him, but he couldn't help it. Maybe it was in his nature to be greedy.

"I should go," he said, almost apologetically. "I have to sneak this stuff back to the kitchen and get my bag for class," he continued, unsure of why he felt like he needed to justify himself. "Goodbye."

Near looked at him curiously, head tilted to the side in confusion. "No need to say goodbye. We'll see each other quite shortly."

It wouldn't be the same, Matt thought sadly to himself. Still, he smiled halfheartedly at Near and didn't voice his pessimistic thoughts.

"Yeah… and maybe we'll see each other in the library tonight?" he looked at Near hopefully, unable to help himself. He knew immediately it wasn't a good idea, it was too unrealistic to disappear for two nights in a row and expect Mello not to suspect something was different, but damned if he cared at the time.

"Maybe we will," Near nodded affirmatively.

Matt grinned back and left, walking merrily across the hallways, satisfied by what had after all been a very satisfying start to his day.

Matt managed to put the things he'd removed from the kitchen back without being noticed and was running to his room when he collided with his best friend.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Mello shouted, before realizing who had hit him. "Oh, it's you," he noticed carelessly heading to the cafeteria. Matt knew he was expected to follow.

"You were up early today," Mello commented, brushing aside the other children in his way as he walked. It was Matt's queue to explain.

"Couldn't sleep. Got out for some fresh air."

A simple answer was always a good answer in Matt's experience. If he knew Mello, he wouldn't care enough to pursue the issue much further.

Mello hummed in agreement, barely paying attention to what he had said. They had entered the cafeteria and he was scanning his eyes across the room, looking for someone it seemed. Matt wagered he had a pretty good bet of who it would be. He was proven right quickly enough.

"Sheep isn't here today," Mello grumbled, grabbing his tray. "It would be beneath his highness to eat with us plebs," he mocked, quite unfairly in Matt's opinion since they saw him there most mornings.

"Maybe he's just not hungry, Matt suggested, stuffing his hands firmly on the pockets of his jacket, wishing he had a game to distract himself with.

"I'm surprised he even needs food at all. Don't things like him usually only need electricity to survive?" he laughed, sitting down on an empty table. Matt forced a hollow laugh, hoping that's be answer enough.

"Aren't you eating anything?" Mello asked, noticing for the first time Matt hadn't grabbed a tray.

"I'm not really hungry," he answered, relieved the Near insulting portion of their breakfast had finished.

"Are you sick or something?" Mello felt Matt's forehead, feeling his temperature. It made Matt smile. His friend could be caring sometimes if he felt like it.

"I feel fine," he assured him.

"Good," Mello said, focusing on his breakfast again. "I can't hanging around a sick person, I don't want to catch anything and miss study time." Matt rolled his eyes at him. He'd only seen Mello sick a few - terrifying - times, and in none of those times had the sickness stopped him from studying. "Maybe you should go to the infirmary just in-"

"No!" Matt shouted, drawing the startled attention of the students on the other tables. "I told you I feel fine." The said through gritted teeth, avoiding Mello's incredulous gaze.

Realization dawned on Mello's face, being quickly replaced by an irritated frown. "Alright, alright." He conceded with an annoyed sigh. His lips were set in a thin, angry line. Matt knew how angry being yelled at made him. It was a testament to their friendship that he was willing to let it go without repercussion. "But sooner or later you'll have to deal with that ridiculous-"

He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the bell announcing they should be heading to class. That distracted him from what he was about to say, and then he was too busy heading to class to finish his remark. He couldn't want to have punctuality points deducted from his grade.

Matt, who already had as many punctuality points deducted as it was possible to deduct, didn't bother hurrying to get his bag. He walked with a small frown on his face, annoyed by his friend's callousness. He damn well knew why Matt didn't to go to the infirmary. But of course it was 'ridiculous' to him. Everything that wasn't about his obsessive competition with Near was ridiculous. Not that Matt had much room to talk when it came to being obsessing with Near…

He sighed to himself, swallowing his anger. It wouldn't do him any good to act on it, but sometimes it was so tempting to show Mello other people could get angry too… He shook his head, taking a deep breath. He was being silly, Mello didn't mean any harm, he just didn't understand. There were lots of things Mello understood that Matt didn't, and that didn't make Mello angry with him because of that. Frustrated, maybe. And a tad condescending. But not angry, he reserved his anger for other occasions. So Matt shouldn't be angry either, Mello did so much for him…

He bit the inside of his cheek, chiding himself for being overly sensitive. If he was being true to himself, he had to admit his anger was also very much related to Mello's comments about Near. He'd heard worse before, and it had always stung a bit, but he'd always been able to ignore it. But now, after spending even such a small amount of time with the boy, he'd seen something so human and vulnerable and lonely in him that holding his tongue was a bit of a challenge. It was almost scary the effect Near had in him, but it didn't surprise him. Matt wouldn't have been so fascinated with him if he didn't know there was something special in him. Something deeper than intelligence.

The halls were completely empty but the time he headed to class. He sighed to himself. Even waking up three hours early he still managed to be late for class. Mello seemed to share a similar thought, judging by the disapproving glace he'd thrown his way after Matt sat himself in the seat next to him. He tried to look at least somewhat apologetic, and even tried to take notes during the class to make up for his tardiness.

The notes were sloppy and disconnected, quotes from the teacher's lecture mingling with stray thoughts unrelated to the class. It was very hard to focus when he was so deliberately trying not to pay attention to the stoic boy just a few seats away from him. He couldn't help stealing an occasional glance to him on occasion, slightly disappointed that Near's gaze never once wandered his way.


AN. Oops, I did it again. It's not point to even apologize anymore, but I had this in my drafts and thought someone might be interested. I'll try to keep writing.