Running Up That Hill
Chapter 3: Let Me Steal This Moment from You
What would have taken a week for Mello to plan and execute by himself had taken him three weeks with Near in the picture. It wasn't that Near was getting in his way, per se, but the younger boy continued to insist that in order to achieve a flawless execution of the plan, every step of the plan would have to be revised and reviewed until it was completely foolproof. Mello was obviously outraged at Near's boldness and bossiness, but he had to admit (albeit grudgingly) that going over their plans so extensibly was indeed an advantage; and as Near so bluntly put it, Mello's plans would not be foiled by lurking variables or preventable situations if they planned for any situation possible.
The more Mello and Near reworked and went over each and every step from different angles, the more clear and precise Mello's idea became. But just because Near's strategy was working it didn't mean that Mello was going to let it slide. The blonde made sure Near paid for his suggestions by bottoming for several nights in a row.
Ramming Near into next Thursday was an okay payment to his karmic debt, but it was sort of wasted on Near who didn't move much to begin with – it would have been great if the snow-haired boy's ass would sting like a gunshot wound every time he tried to move to remind him of the consequences of being cheeky with Mello. Alas… Not everyone could have everything to their heart's desire.
But since Mello was Mello, he was going to try it anyway… planning his revenge to the last detail and pounding Near into that couch one ferocious thrust at time.
For three weeks, Mello camped out at the SPK headquarters, rarely leaving the interrogation room while he poured over sheets, models and blueprints with Near by his side. If he had had a second to spare and think about his situation, the blonde would have found that Near was not half as bad to work with than he had previously thought. Mello would have consciously understood that it was actually quite refreshing to work with someone on his own level that was willing to go to any extremes to achieve their purpose if he had had the time. But the constant surveillance and work did not allow for such revelations.
It only allowed for more planning, trips to set up the 'equipment', and the occasional romp on the couch that never lasted for too long because Near would insist they needed to get back to work. It was irritating as hell, but the way Mello figured it, he would probably have more time to do what he wanted to do after he was done with the Yagami bastard and Aniki was back with them.
That thought could always calm Mello down and get him back to work. That and some of that Belgian chocolate Near had mysteriously procured when Mello had initially arrived.
(0o0)
Three days before the big day, Near was sitting at his customary place at the center of the couch inside the interrogation room fiddling with a small contraption resembling a handheld television set. The young boy was carefully fiddling with different buttons to configure it to his liking. All his concentration was on configuring the small device in a specific way that he did not notice Mello walking into the room, latching and unlatching the safety of his loaded revolver dangerously.
It was the irritating sound of the gun being locked and unlocked that alerted that Mello was in the room. His concentration was far from lost, but the white-haired boy ceased to need it because he had finally achieved his purpose of mastering the mechanics of the device and setting it up just as he wanted.
Mello shoved his revolver back into the front of his pants and grabbed a half-eaten bar of chocolate from the top of a surveillance monitor. He returned to the couch with it and settled himself next to Near.
"So, what's that thing for?" the blonde asked his smaller companion as he bit into the chocolate slowly.
"This, Mello, is a portable surveillance system that is connected to the main surveillance system here at the SPK headquarters. I had it shipped in for you so that you have some help on the big day. You need to watch them both until the last minute, and I will not be able to do help you with surveillance because I have to fly back to Winchester to settle some issues."
Mello choked rather ungracefully on a large piece of chocolate. He hadn't expected Near to not be alongside him on that day.
"What???? And you couldn't tell me this before?!" The blonde's fury spiked and settled in his eyes, looking at Near with a mixture of angry disappointment, indignation and shock.
"I have just found out about these issues and they need to be addressed. They are not as important as this plan, but they do need immediate attention before they get out of hand," Near tried to appease Mello in the most logical way he could muster, "But don't worry. I will return in the evening of that day if all goes well, or first thing the following day, if something comes up."
The blonde was still angry, but his face had taken on the expression of a lost child.
"But… all this planning and you're not going to be here to see it?" Mello hated how weak he sounded, but at least he had managed to keep "with me" from the end of his sentence.
Near pushed the portable surveillance screen to an abandoned side of the couch and turned his body to face Mello's. Taking one of the blonde's gloved hands; he squeezed it and tried to talk to the distraught blonde in the most soothing manner he could think of.
"Mello, If I was not 100% certain that you could handle the execution of the plan, I would have postponed this trip somehow. But I know you can do it, Mello, I am confident you can. Besides, this was your plan, Mel. All I did was provide suggestions and some resources. Everything else, that's all you. I had little to do with this, Mel, the credit goes to you…" the white-haired youth ran his thumb over Mello's leathered knuckles. Near was about to continue speaking, but Mello interrupted him.
"But you've helped me so much! The credit is not all mine…" Mello wanted to continue, but Near brought a soft silencing finger to his trembling lips.
"Mel, I know you. Even if I hadn't given you all the information I gave you, you would have still found a way to put your plan into motion." Mello remained quiet – he wasn't so sure he would have found a way, but he probably would have, being quite aware of his nature. Not to mention that he was too stunned by Near's admissions to say anything else.
"When are you leaving?" Mello's voice was barely above a whisper.
"I'll be leaving in the afternoon of the day before." Near spoke, not letting go of Mello's hand.
There was a tense silence between both boys that stretched for several minutes. Mello refused to look at Near in case his emotions got the better of him, and Near refused to look away from Mello, willing him to understand how important it was for him understand the situation.
There weren't many words exchanged the rest of the day, but both youths returned to their work and lost themselves in it. The big day was three days away and there were some details that needed to be finalized right away.
(0o0)
So what if Near wasn't being completely truthful with Mello? There were indeed some 'issues' he needed to take care of, but he didn't really have to fly all the way to Winchester to solve them. Near was surprised that Mello had not demanded to know what those issues were, but it wasn't an unexpected development. If anything, it was welcome. It saved Near the trouble of having to warp the truth or come up with a brand new lie.
Near had been banking on Mello's emotions to keep him from making much sense of the situation. And those emotions had indeed delivered – not only was Mello convinced Near was leaving, but the blonde had also showed the white-haired youth just how much he had come to depend on Near for emotional support.
The younger boy couldn't help himself and smiled at the thought while Mello was pouring over the blue prints for the fifth time that hour, going over all the places where he had installed the C-4 to make sure they wouldn't be seen and that they would detonate when prompted.
When he had told Mello his plan was perfect, he had meant it; it would be so effective, there was no way Near wouldn't benefit exactly as he had planned. With the amount of time and planning that gone into the operation, the plan would achieve its end.
Near was anxious to finally reap his rewards, but he could wait: good things always came to those who did so, and until now, that premise had never failed to deliver for him.
Near went back to concentrating on some paperwork he had been working on, occasionally stealing a quick glance or two at Mello who looked determined to carry out the plan to a step above perfection.
(0o0)
"I'm going to be off duty this weekend, love." Light murmured into the ear of a sleepy Lawliet. The sleeping man smiled with his eyes closed and stretched languorously on the bed. He turned to face Light who was dressed up and ready to get to work.
"I know, Koi. I've been looking forward to it this whole week," Lawliet paused to smile some more and then continued, "three more days and we can do what we want..."
The sinful look that followed Lawliet's words made Light wish he could skip work that day. The way those obsidian orbs were glinting with burning lust was enough to steal Light's breath and pepper his cheeks with a crimson flush.
"Lawliet…" Light warned half-serious, "if you don't stop looking at me like that, the weekend will start now… and as much as I'd like that, I can't afford to go missing all of a sudden…" Light licked his lips and willed himself to breathe deeply. He really could not afford a morning quickie if he wanted to arrive to the office before the other investigators.
Pity. Lawliet looked damn good in naught but a crumpled bed sheet.
"Well, Koi… if you stand there tempting me to pull you into bed, I will and then the weekend will REALLY start. So get your lovely self to work before I change my mind to let you go and chain you to the bed."
Light shook his head amusedly and chuckled. He bent down to kiss Lawliet's cheek, but the ravenette turned his head purposely and their lips connected. Light laughed into the kiss and Lawliet deepened it at that opportunity.
Just as Light was settling into the kiss with gusto, Lawliet pushed him away and pushed him all the way to the front door.
"you're going to be late."
Light would have complained, but Lawliet was right. But he had to laugh when he noticed the motive behind Lawliet's insistence that he left for work.
Lawliet was hard as a rock and clearly fighting back the urge to lock him up inside the bedroom and drain him of his precious stamina.
The front door slammed in Light's face and he found himself facing the corridor. He laughed to himself. As he began to walk away from the suite and into the elevator, Light's laughter got louder and more hysterical.
Light Yagami had officially checked out, and Kira was now going to work in his stead.
(0o0)
"Mello, can I have a piece of your chocolate?" Near asked as he finished packing some toys into his suitcase that Rester had forgotten to pack.
The blonde in question looked up from the gameboy he was playing on, and looked back and forth between his chocolate bar and Near. A smirk crept onto his lips, and a sing-song whisper slid past his mouth sensually.
"Maybe…"
Mello powered off the gadget and threw it somewhere and rose from the floor where he had been sitting. He approached Near and bit off a piece of the chocolate and held it between his lips. Eyebrows arched and mouth pouting, the blonde touched the piece of chocolate to Near's lips, who gratefully took it and grazed against the blonde's lips.
The blonde's eyes were glued to the younger boy's mouth as Near worked his mouth around the piece of chocolate, caressing it with his tongue and prompting it to melt slowly.
Impulsively, Mello pushed Near back, arching the small body over the suitcase laying on top of the bed. With a swift motion of his head, the blonde swept his lips over Near's, kissing and lapping at the swollen mouth until the smaller boy couldn't breathe and the taste of chocolate was gone.
The snow-haired boy brought his hands to rest on Mello's shoulders and whispered sweetly against his mouth.
"We're going to get Aniki back, Mello. And we're going to catch Kira together."
Mello's eyes hardened at the words and pressed his body against Near's menacingly, making the smaller boy wince at being crushed by the hard body in front of him and the hard suitcase behind him.
"No, Near… I'm going to catch Kira…" Mello hissed at the younger boy a mere inch away from his face. A silent moment passed and Mello's face slackened and his body relaxed. The blonde's lips curved into a soft smile and his gloved hands took Near's and pulled the snowy-haired boy's arms over his head slowly.
"…but… We are going to get Aniki back."
The kiss that followed Mello's declaration was powerful enough to make Near tremble and sigh. He even forgot for a moment that he was supposed to leave. It even made him want to stay.
But Rester's approaching footsteps reminded him of his imminent departure. Near regretfully broke away and moaned a little between breaths.
Near smiled at Mello, reclaimed his hands and mouthed 'Rester' silently to alert Mello of the approaching individual. Mello let him go and straightened the boy's white shirt that had become askew during the short encounter.
"Near, we will be departing soon. " The deep gruff voice of the Commander made itself heard and both youths turned to look at the tall blonde man standing at the threshold of Near's room. Near nodded and asked Rester to give him a few minutes alone with Mello. The commander acceded and took Near's suitcase with him.
When they were alone again, Mello was serious and whispered to Near
"Promise you'll come back soon… I need you here… to help me with Aniki. He'll be happy to see us both working together." The blonde beat himself up mentally for the gap between words that made him sound as needy as he felt.
"Don't worry, Mello. I will be back as soon as I can and I will celebrate your triumph with you. I will be calling you often to get the low down on the plan's status…" Mello interrupted Near mid-sentence
"Only to check on the plan?" Mello pouted adorably, which was strange for tough, manly Mello.
Near chuckled and ran his fingers through Mello's spun gold locks
"Of course not, I'll be calling to check on you too…" Near paused briefly and his features sobered up.
"I'm going to miss you, Mel."
Mello looked positively shocked with Near's statement, but he felt compelled to return the favor.
"I'm gonna miss you too, Near. I've gotten so used to having you around…" Near turned away from Mello and opened his closet as if looking for something. Mello watched him with one hand in his pocket looking for something as well.
The White-haired youth returned with a large bottle of expensive vodka which happened to be Mello's favorite brand.
"This is for you to enjoy while I'm gone. A little token for you to remember me by until I return." Near pushed the bottle into Mello's arms and the blonde gaped at the smaller boy.
"This… is my favorite brand…" the blonde babbled to himself as if he couldn't believe it.
"I know. I saw you drinking once, back at Wammy's."
"And you remembered that?" Mello couldn't believe Near still remembered something that had happened back when Mello was eleven and had just discovered alcohol and guns. The fact that Near could remember such insignificant things made his heart jump for some reason.
After the boy had presented with such a nice present, he would feel terrible if he didn't give Near a little token as well. He found just what he needed in his pocket.
It was a silver bullet engraved with rose patterns. Mello took Near's small hand and pressed the bullet into his palm and closing the hand over it. He held the boy's fisted hand and looked him in the eye.
"This isn't much, but I think it'll work as your token to remember me by until you come back." Near opened his palm and saw the beautiful bullet resting on his palm. The design was magnificent and the shiny silver glinted wickedly with the reflection of the overhead lights.
"It's beautiful, Mello. Thank you." Near smiled at Mello once more. The small boy glanced at the wall clock and saw what time it was.
"I have to go now, Mello. Good luck and take care of yourself." Near hugged the blonde softly, but the blonde did not returned the gentle gesture. Instead, his arms closed in on Near and pressed him roughly against the leather-clad contours of Mello's chest.
"Come back soon, Near." Was all that Mello said as he held on to the smaller boy with brutal force.
"I plan on it." Near smiled maliciously. He slipped away from Mello's embrace and walked out of the room, leaving Mello behind.
(0o0)
Once again, like every night, Light found himself staring at the door of his suite with Lawliet standing at the other side, waiting for him to knock.
It was quite late at night and Light was exhausted, but the anticipation that had been building in him for the past two days had reached his peak. The weekend was finally here and he could sit back and enjoy a couple of days surrounded by nothing but Lawliet.
Light knew Lawliet was just as excited about the days off as he was, but his self-control went to hell all of a sudden and he opened the door quickly. He slammed the door behind him and kicked off his shoes in a hurry and ran to the living room couch.
Sprawled on the couch was Lawliet, beaming and calling out a warm welcome. Light dropped his briefcase and jumped on the couch, pouncing playfully on Lawliet, showering him with kisses. Lawliet wailed in amusement as Light tickled, nuzzled and blew raspberries everywhere he could on Lawliet's body and the ravenette squirmed and shook with laughter at the onslaught of affection.
"Stop! Stop, Koi! It tickles!" Lawliet gasped as Light's nimble fingers travelled over his ribs and underarms. Light was laughing even harder watching Lawliet plead with him.
"S-Stop… or dinner will get cooold!!! Ah, stop it!" Lawliet managed to push Light off him and pulled himself to his feet, running in the direction of the kitchen before Light had time to catch him and subdue him again.
Light shed his blazer carelessly and ran after Lawliet as he loosened his tie. When Light arrived at the kitchen, he saw the dinner table set up immaculately and Lawliet perched atop the refrigerator, seeking shelter from Light's merciless tickling.
The brunette took a moment to assimilate the elaborate dinner set-up that Lawliet had going on. Gleaming crystal glasses, chilled wine, and an arrange of exquisite foods prepared by Lawliet himself graced the table. The elegance with which the table had been set up wasn't lost on Light in the least bit. Lawliet's freakish attention to detail had awed him once again.
Dinner looked great in all the sense of the expression. And Lawliet hanging off the top of the refrigerator like a scared monkey was nothing short of hilarious.
"Get down from there, Lawliet. I promise not to tickle you anymore."
Lawliet pouted from his vantage point and whined childishly
"What about the raspberries and the poking?
"Fine, no raspberries… as for poking, I'll only do it if you let me…" Light's smile turned into a lewd smirk and Lawliet shook his head, giggling.
"Okay, but you have to help me, Koi. I don't know how to get down from here…" Lawliet blushed and Light was laughing once again. The brunette man walked over to the fridge and extended his arms to Lawliet. The slim ravenette lowered himself onto those waiting arms and Light pulled him toward the safety of the ground.
Both men leaned into the embrace for a few seconds before the raven haired man pulled away and shoved Light into the nearest chair, happily chatting about the daily specials. Light chatted amicably with the other man as he began to put a bit of everything on his plate.
(0o0)
"Where to, Near?" Rester drove on, wondering why Near had so suddenly staged leaving the country. It was not in his power to question the boy's motives, so he restricted himself to doing as he was told.
"I have reservations at the Palace Hotel. We will be staying there for the night and tomorrow. You are not to contact the other agents or Mello because they are under the impression that we are out of the country. I will not need you tomorrow, so you can have the day off. Discreetly, of course…" Near droned on tonelessly from the back seat of the car. He was playing with a pair of Transformers, not even bothering to note Rester's reaction; not that there was any no to note.
Rester silently drove on and got Near and himself settled into the hotel.
Once already installed into his rooms, Near started a timer he had brought along with him and prepared himself for the final countdown to his victory.
Just before he went to bed for the night, Near called Mello and reassured the older blonde that his plan would turn out well.
What Mello had failed to notice was the slight signs of tampering on that bottle of vodka. There was enough Benadryl dissolved in other substances to assure that Mello slept in late and missed the crucial moment that could make or break his brilliant plan. The drugs would keep Mello asleep long enough for Light and L to ritualistically wake up and swap clothing like they always did every Saturday that Light wasn't working. Both men had the strange custom of role playing as the other on Saturdays and acting their parts so well that only Near could notice the difference between one and the other.
Yes, Mello would miss that small part and as a side effect of the drugs and the vodka, his vision would be rather blurry for a while and thus it would be difficult for the blonde to notice any minimum difference that might crop up from the surveillance.
Conveniently enough, the volume of the portable surveillance monitor would be muted on the off chance of someone overhearing something confidential as well as for the sake of not attracting unwanted attention. Mello would be at a public place and thus that 'precaution' had been taken.
And if Near was right, there would not be any way for Mello to notice the changes. Knowing Mello, he wouldn't.
(0o0)
After speaking to Near on the phone, Mello cracked open his new bottle of vodka and made it his priority to empty before the night was out. The hangover would be hell come morning, but he was always quick to bounce back. Besides, he needed to loosen up and forget about things for a little while before he executed his Master plan.
Shortly after finishing the bottle, Mello felt a shrouding heaviness come over him and he drifted off into a state of drunken sleep.
Author's Note: Hey, guys! Sorry for the massive delay. I've been lazy and busy - that's my excuse. Anyway, I have decided to extend this for one more chapter, so there will be five chapters, I believe... unless I decide otherwise, of course.
So, yeah... Mello and Near together are sexier than ever - and yes, I did sort of made them use Light's "We'll catch Kira together!" catchphrase because it was too good to pass up. And the vodka and the chocolate... well, let's just say that Near can bribe like no one's business. Lol.
As for Light and Lawliet, I think they're so cute and fluffy together. Especially since Lawliet turned out to be the happy, wifey uke of the relationship that waits around for Light like a puppy. I mean, it's hella OOC for the boys, but it works here because A) It's AU, and B) It's just cute. And who doesn't wany to see L in an apron and stuff?
And yeah, Rester's a pawn, much like everyone who knows Near. Amd speak of the devil, isn't he an evil little fucker??? Benadryl and Vodka? WTF? And blissful little Mello doesn't notice a goddamn thing. Poor Mello.
Anyway, even if this chapter seemed like a filler, I had to set up everything in a certain way... not to mention that Chip and Yours Truly are competing to see who can complete their masterpiece faster ( by masterpiece I mean this story and Chip's third chapter of Blood Bonds). Yes, she's stuck on the lemon and that's why she won't update. I'm trying to coerce her into writing it... let's see if racing her works.
Sorry, Chip -- now all FF . net knows your excuse, so you have nowhere to HYDE. Lol. Write the damn lemon, damnit! We all want Blood Bonds!
Okay, enough mobbing my best friend. Back to this story... I hope y'all enjoyed this transition chapter and brace yourselves for the real deal on the next two chapters.
So, R&R... and when in doubt, C-4. Remember that, kiddies.
See you at 4.
-Das Dale.