(I own nothing)

~Chapter Thirteen~

A/N: LEMON. just warning you. *blush blush blush*

Gevanni awoke, more comfortable than he had been in as long as he could remember. He rolled over, freezing as he felt the warmth of another body beside him. He remembered what had happened the night before, and he smiled widely as he reached out, careful not to disturb Near, and brushed the sleeping boy's hair out of his face. He looked so cute... so peaceful and unguarded in his sleep. If only he could be so carefree and open while awake. He sighed, and Near stirred for a moment, before opening his eyes. Gevanni's heart leapt at the bright smile that spread across Near's face when he saw Gevanni.

"Good morning, Near," he said softly, kissing his chest. "Did you sleep well?"

Near nodded, color spreading across his face. "Yes, thank you... And you?"

"How could I not, with you beside me?" Near blushed again, but smiled happily at Gevanni, reaching to put his arms around the man's neck. Gevanni was, to say the least, thrilled, leaning in to kiss Near softly. Near was having none of that, though, and pulled Gevanni closer to him and clung to him, kissing him back fiercely. "N-Near? Are you okay? What-"

"Why are you questioning this?" Near asked sadly. "Do you not want this?"

"Near, that's not it at all, I just wanted to make sure that you're okay; this is kind of a surprise."

"Then shut up," Near demanded, shocking Gevanni into compliance. He took the man's lapse of silence as an opportunity to attack him again. This time, Gevanni took his advice and didn't resist the boy's advances.

"God, Near," he murmured, sliding a hand up the boy's shirt, exploring the soft skin of his chest. Near shivered, making a small noise of pleasure. "Here," Gevanni muttered, slipping the boy's shirt over his head, dropping it on the floor. That was much better. Once again, however, he paused.

"What is the problem?" Near snapped in annoyance. "I am doing quite well; I am responding positively to this, and yet you are still uncertain."

Gevanni laughed at the boy's scathing glare. "Sorry, Near. Just... tell me if there's something you don't like."

The look that Near gave him spurred him to resume his previous actions. He pressed his lips to Near's throat, letting his tongue run across the pale flesh and causing goosebumps to rise all across the boy's body. From there, he moved his attention down to the collarbone and shoulder, randomly allowing his teeth to brush the skin. He then turned to the boy's stomach, where he knew he was ticklish, making him squirm a bit and moan quietly. He knew better than to stop again and ask Near if he was okay, but he was so afraid of hurting the boy... He knew that Near would not be pleased if he voiced that fear. "Near," he whispered against his skin. "I love you so much..." He moved back to Near's face, looking directly into his eyes. "I love you." He kissed him, and Near was, somehow, even more desperate than before. "Near? What do you want me to do?" Near's breathing was coming in gasps, his cheeks flushed.

"Everything," he panted, closing his eyes. "Everything."

Gevanni swallowed nervously. "Y-you mean...?"

"Yes! What part of 'everything' is so difficult to understand?"

"Um... do you have anything to use? You know, for...?" Near was staring at him blankly, so he took that as a no. "Hang on. I'll be right back." He stood, resolving to buy a pair of pajama pants that fit more loosely than this pair. There would have to be something in the bathroom down the hall that they could use, or if all else failed, he could improvise. When he opened the door, however, he almost tripped over a small box. Puzzled, he picked it up, discovering a note.

'Gevanni- You can thank us later. You're welcome. Use these well. Yeah, we know we're awesome. ~MxM.' Even without the initials, he would have known that it was from Matt and Mello. He brought the box inside, opening it to find, as expected, all manner of things sex-related (there were some things that he couldn't even imagine when they would be useful, although for the most part, it was just the essentials).

"What's that?" Near asked, sitting up curiously. Gevanni had to calm himself down before he was overcome by the sheer cuteness.

"Heh..." Gevanni blushed. "Apparently our good friends Mello and Matt approve of our relationship," he told Near, holding up a condom and a bottle of lube. Near's eyes widened almost comically.

"Oh," he responded, his voice small, and Gevanni crawled back under the covers.

"Near, are you sure about this?" Near nodded, but he looked a bit more apprehensive. Gevanni began kissing him again, finally straying a hand down to touch Near. As soon as the man's fingers touched him, even through the fabric, he gasped. "Shh, it's okay," Gevanni crooned. "Is it okay to... um, prepare you?" he stammered, his cheeks burning with heat.

Near nodded, clenching his eyes tightly shut. He gently helped Near shed his pajama pants, and then his rubber ducky print boxers. Coating his fingers with an ample amount of the lube (strawberry flavored- thank you, Matt) and carefully, slowly, slid a finger into Near. "Shh," he whispered as Near gasped in surprise and pain. "Try to relax," he instructed, kissing the side of Near's neck as he began to move his finger. "It will hurt less that way." He hoped that was the case, anyway. He hadn't actually done this before; everything he knew about this topic, he had learned from reading Yaoi. Gevanni continued to move slowly and rhythmically, until he was able to add another finger. Near whimpered quietly, and despite his effort to hide it, Gevanni knew that he was in pain. "I'm sorry, love, " he whispered, kissing him tenderly to ease some of the pain- or distract him from it, at any rate.

"I-it hurts," Near whispered, and Gevanni felt a twinge of guilt.

"I know... I'm so sorry. Do- do you want me to stop?" As much as he wanted this, he would stop if that was what Near wanted.

"N-No," The boy managed, shaking his head. Gevanni continued his gentle pace from before, doing his best to stretch him as much as possible with the least amount of pain. Suddenly, Near gasped, his eyes flying open, and Gevanni grinned.

"Was that better?" he asked, kissing Near's sweaty forehead. Near nodded frantically, closing his eyes tightly as Gevanni found that spot again. While he was distracted, Gevanni took the opportunity to add one more finger. Despite the pleasurable feelings, Near involuntarily cried out softly in pain, clinging tightly to Gevanni's chest. Gevanni kept kissing him, brushing away the few tears that had managed to fall. "I'm sorry, Near. It's okay, love. It will get better..." He whispered quiet reassurances the entire time, until Near relaxed his grip on Gevanni's shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked, cupping Near's cheek with one hand. Near didn't open his eyes, but nodded shakily. "Near, if you don't want to do this, we don't have to. I will stop if you tell me to." This time, Near did open his eyes, glaring angrily at Gevanni.

"Are you serious? What did I say before?"

"Well, I know, but I just-"

"Are you afraid of this?"

Gevanni stared open-mouthed. "W-well I'm a little concerned... I've never done this."

"And you think I have? Stop making excuses." Gevanni was surprised at Near's urgency.

"So you want me to...?"

"Yes. I don't know how much clearer I can make it." Smiling, Near kissed him, reaching for the lube and removing his fingers. Near squirmed; it felt strange. After losing his pants, Gevanni put on the condom and coated himself with more lube than was probably necessary (he didn't want to hurt him more than was necessary), and, kissing Near gently, slowly pushed in.

"Oh..." Near whimpered, and Gevanni couldn't tell if it was a sound of pain or pleasure. Probably a bit of both, judging by the pained look on Near's face and the strength with which he was holding onto Gevanni.

"Near... try to relax... it will hurt less," Gevanni panted, forcing himself to stay still until Near was fully adjusted. Near's eyes were clenched shut, breathing heavily, his skin flushed. He was in pain, but it wasn't terrible, as there was an odd feeling of pleasure mixed in with the painful sensations. Nothing that he had experienced had been like this. When he had been captured... things similar to this had happened, but Gevanni was being so gentle and kind to him, not wanting to hurt him, where that man had made his main goal to cause Near as much pain as possible. This just furthered his love for Gevanni- yes, it was love. He didn't like to admit it, but the last week, without Gevanni, had been hell. This feeling of closeness... this was what he had been trying to express. This was what he thought he couldn't express, and he only hoped that Gevanni felt the same. He opened his eyes, and he felt immensely happy when he saw Gevanni watching him, concern etched into his face. He smiled, leaning up to kiss him, trying to convey his love through the kiss. "S-So are you okay?" Gevanni asked, stuttering.

"Yes..." Near responded, suddenly uncertain. All uncertainty dissipated, though, as soon as Gevanni began moving. He pushed himself further in, then pulled out, frightened that he had harmed Near's fragile body. The boy seemed to be okay, though, and the sight of him laying there panting, his cheeks bright red and his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, encouraged him to repeat the action. Near was feeling.... indescribable things. Every time Gevanni moved, he hit that one spot just inside him, taking his breath away. Fueled by Near's sounds of pleasure, Gevanni picked up his pace a bit, making Near cry out slightly louder than before. He smiled, pausing to kiss Near. Near threw himself whole-heartedly into the kiss, wrapping his arms tightly around Gevanni's neck.

"I love you," he whispered as he held on to the man. "Don't leave me, please."

"I could never leave you," Gevanni whispered back. "I love you far too much for that." He resumed the pace, and he could tell that Near was close. This was good, because he was pretty sure that he couldn't last too terribly much longer. He held Near close, and sure enough, the boy came a few moments later. He let out a soft, high-pitched keen, and that, combined with the feeling of his muscles tightening around him and the look on his face, pushed Gevanni over the edge as well. They lay there in the aftermath, shaking and panting, Gevanni holding Near's small body close. "Hang on," he muttered, stumbling out of bed to take care of the condom. He put his pants back on, and went down to the bathroom to get a wet towel to help Near clean up. He passed Mello and Matt on the way back, much to his chagrin.

"Hey there, Gevanni buddy!" Matt called cheerfully. He mumbled a hello.

"Where would you be going? Isn't your room the other way?" Mello asked, smily wickedly. Gevanni could feel his cheeks burning,

"I- um..."

"Don't worry about it. We're just messing with you," Matt told him, laughing at the man's discomfort.

"Yeah... um, thanks," he mumbled, pushing past them. "I'll see you later." He could hear them laughing gleefully the rest of the way back. "Sorry that took me so long," he told Near apologetically as he closed the door behind him. "I... ran into Matt and Mello." Near groaned, hiding his head under the covers.

"They will make fun of me," he lamented. "Well, Mello will." Gevanni knew it was probably true.

"Here, let's get you cleaned up." He sat on the bed, using the still warm towel to wipe Near's skin clean. Near closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Gevanni washing his stomach and chest. When he was as clean as he was going to get, Gevanni retrieved the boy's pants and handed to him, then crawling back into bed as Near put them on.

"What are we doing?" Near asked, slightly nervous at this change in routine. "We have to go back to work." Gevanni rolled over, "accidentally" rolling on top of the boy, who squeaked in protest.

"Near, when was the last time you took a day off of work?" Near was silent. "And when was the last time that I took a day off of work, eh?"

"We... haven't," Near finally admitted, able to guess where this was going.

"And how many times have Mello and Matt taken off of work, doing God knows what?"

"Many times," he said, smiling at Gevanni.

"Exactly, Somehow, I don't think anyone's going to mind us missing one day of work." He didn't say it, but he knew that everyone would be pleased that someone had finally gotten through to Near, had been allowed close to him. Even Roger had picked up on the boy's unhealthy behavior, and was worried about his mental health. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that the last Wammy's orphan whose distress he had noticed had been A, and that had not turned out well. Even so, if someone as clueless as Roger knew that Near was upset, then everyone knew Near was upset. Watching Near nestle closer against his body, Gevanni had to smile. Although it wouldn't normally be a big deal, this situation wasn't normal; Near wasn't normal. Near was smiling. Smiling. Gevanni kissed him on the forehead. "Why don't you take a nap or something?" He had noticed how their previous "activities" had worn Near out greatly.

"Shouldn't we call and tell them that we won't be there?"

"Somehow, I think Mello and Matt will have taken care of it."

Gevanni was right in his assumptions. Roger came into the room where Mello was lounging, looking for Gevanni.

"Mello, do you know where Gevanni is?" he asked, not liking the smirk on the blond's face.

"He's busy."

"Doing what?"

"Fucking Near."

"...................oh." Mello laughed as the old man left the room. Clearly, he had no desire to hear about the sex lives of any of them, so naturally, Mello made it his job to torment the man with stories, sometimes including very explicit details.

"Hey, Mel. What did you do to Roger? He looked like he'd seen a ghost," Matt commented, walking in to join Mello.

"I didn't do anything to him."

"Yeah. Right. What did you say to him then?"

"Oh, I just told him where Gevanni was."

Matt nodded in understanding. "Ah. So I see that our plan worked..."

Mello laughed. "It worked too fucking easily! Where's the fun in that?"

"The fun, Mello, is that Near and Gevanni are finally together, and finally happy." He looked at Mello reproachfully.

"Oh, yeah. That." He shrugged, and Matt rolled his eyes. Some things would never change, and Mello's blatant refusal to show anything other than animosity towards Near was one of those things. As he took his seat next to Mello, though, he could have sworn that he saw him smiling.

A/N: gaaahhhh *blush* here it is. sorry it took so long to post. you can take it up with my beta. No, just kidding. she's a great beta.

Oh man, I'm blushing right now, as I'm typing. I had a hell of a time writing this chapter. I pretty much hyperventilated when I sent it to krista... *shame*

but yeah, I hope you didn't hate it too terribly much. I don't really like writing lemons. It makes me very very very very uncomfortable. oh well.

Thanks for reading!!! tell me what you think! :D I really appreciate all of your reviews. please, feel free to give me any suggestions you want. I like suggestions.

*many thanks to soundofmadness223*

~alex~