Somehow Mello tended to be surrounded by a crowd of kids when they were younger. Wherever he went, he was in the dead center of a mass of loyal cronies. He was the kind of person that despite how selfish, belligerent, and obnoxious he was, he still had friends. The other kids saw him mostly as short-tempered and destructive, tactless and impulsive. His disturbingly wicked intellect was the only thing that kept him firmly as the second smartest in the orphanage of gifted children. Well, his uncanny smarts and his devilish sense of humor.
Near wasn't any of those things and yet he was alone. He thought logically, weighing every outcome before making a decision. He often over-thought situations, preferring to dwell in thought instead of feeling. His personality was dry and somber, yet he wasn't predictable. To counteract his exceedingly bright intelligence, he teased his brain with simple games. He almost always had a toy robot or stuffed animal clutched under his arm. Most kids didn't understand that…or him, for that matter. In turn, Near didn't bother to understand them. It wasn't worth his time, and that brought him to wonder why Mello was walking towards at that exact moment.
It had recently rained, so Mello's combat boots splashed in mud and water with every step he took towards Near, who was sitting on the blacktop at the edge of the basketball court. One of his friends swiftly followed him, practically perched at his shoulder. "This has got to be the epitome of stupidity or insanity. Whatever the outcome, I'm pretty sure you'll end up pissed away. Which I'm not cool with dealing with, man."
"Fine. Don't. Leave this up to me, Rye-bread." Mello called his comrade, Riley, by his nickname.
The curly-haired brunette kept his pace up with Mello's. "I mean, Near? Why the hell would you want to voluntarily hang out with him? I can't even stand the thought and neither can you. Usually."
"Yeah, well, I can't stand your face. But I seem to manage."
"Funny."
"People seem to think I am. I don't know, when your just so well-loved by your peers, you tend to go along with the praises they hurl at you."
"Ha-ha. You're dazzling wit can't even justify how wrong this situation is. It's so wrong I don't even want a part of it."
"Then get the hell outta my face. S'none of your business." Mello countered with.
Riley held his ink-covered hands defensively. "Hey, I'm just looking out for you. D'you know what you're getting yourself into?"
"Yeah, so split. Now."
"Whatever, dude. I tried. You're crazy, just batshit crazy."
"Mello." Near, although he could've ignored Riley and Mello's conversation, raised his head to address the tall, lanky blonde casting a shadow on him. "Why are you here?" He inquired of his elder.
"To make your day suck a little less. And hey, just think - fifty years from now, you'll hear a kid take the confirmation name of Mello because of me." Mello folded his legs, settling down on the concrete beside the small white-haired boy. "Yeah," he said smugly. "I just called myself a saint. Resist the urge to bow. But if you bowed and stuck your face close to the grass, then it'd look like you were grazing, sheep-boy."
Near lifted an eyebrow at the black-clad teen. Mello expected him to answer, and paused to listen for it. The silence between them spanned long enough for Mello's shadow to expand and swell over the blacktop further.
"You know, talking to you is just as productive as flossing the teeth of the lion statue out front." Mello said, surveying the stack of cards Near had clasped in his hands, then his gaze raked over the toy robot close to Near. "How does Optimus Prime stand you? Does he ever get tired of listening to your long, ranting conversations?" He paused, but Near didn't comment. "I know, I know. This is where you'll point out that Optimus Prime isn't real, but—wait, what?" Mello's brows shot up incredulously. "Don't tell me you believe that there was actually a race of transforming robots? Wow," the blonde remarked. "Hollywood can brainwash everyone these days." He faltered, clutching his chest like the fact pained his heart. "That's…that's a bit upsetting, actually."
Near ignored his incessant babble (he was starting to sound like Matt, which brought Near to surmise that they spent to much time in each other's company), and asked him an important question. Anything to make this conversation worthwhile, avoid having it become a waste of time. Besides, his questions needed answering. "Then why are you here? Why would you want to leave the other kids for me? We're rivals…so you say. Shouldn't I be the last person you'd want to make 'day's suck a little less'?"
Mello's lips pressed into a firm line. "Ever heard of rumor, kid?"
"No." Near admitted honestly, sheepishly. Statistically, he was intellectually superior to the other boy, so where was this lack of knowledge coming from? Why did he feel like he was missing information?
Mello snickered, a light humor brightening his features. Fashioning a knot out of the blades of grass crushed in his hand, he said, "'Course not." He turned to Near, a gestured at the cards he was holding. "Here, deal me some cards. I'll play War with you."