Author's Note:

This is a late-ish birthday present for my good friend indigo's ocean, though she might not be able to read this for a while due to her computer problems. XD

Because it's her Death Note OTP, and since we've been retard-ing Death Note for a while now, I decided to write a Matt x Near for her. Random and crack as it is, I find it cute as hell. This is my first yaoi ever, so constructive criticism would be appreciated, along with comments. :3

Please review! : D

­­­­­­­­­­Birthday Cake
a Death Note (© Ohba Tsugumi & Obata Takeshi) one-shot

"So it must have been the look on his face.
That look of satisfaction after a hard day's work,
of thinking that he had just conquered some huge obstacle,
that made Near accept the gift."

Opening Song: "After Dark" - Asian Kung-Fu Generation

24 August 1991.

That was the date that had been recorded in the records as his birthday.

24 August.

That was the date printed on today's newspaper.

Honestly, Near couldn't remember the last time he had celebrated the day of his birth. To any child his age, it should have been the most exciting day of the year, where he would be showered with gifts and presents of all sorts. It should have been the day where the attention was focused on him alone, where it only his opinions and thoughts and what he wanted to do mattered. It should have been his day.

Than again, Near wasn't just any child.

To him, this was just the mark of another year of intelligence, another year of knowledge and learning. He could find nothing special in the number thirteen, though everyone else made a big deal out of it. It was the age where a child officially became a teenager, where the child should be granted more rights.

To him, the whole thing was just ridiculous.

And that was why the white-haired boy had went about the day like he normally would have. He woke up, he got dressed, he ate breakfast, he went to the common room, and he played with his puzzle. It was simple, really, and simple was the way he enjoyed things.

And that was why he decided his day was ruined when a hyper redhead ran up to him, skidding on the tile in his socks. The goggled figure hovered above him, probably grinning, though Near payed no mind to him. He never did.

"Neeeear!" came the voice of the older boy. It came out in a sing-song tone rather than mocking, something Near would have expected from his blonde counterpart. In which he couldn't help but wonder; where was the chocolate fiend? Wherever he went, his loyal dog was sure to follow. "Guess what I heard?"

Don't respond, and maybe he'll go away. That's what Near told himself, anyways, and that's what he did. He continued to put together pieces of his blank puzzle, unresponsive.

It wasn't like he hated Matt. No, Near didn't hate anyone; he might have greatly disliked a select few orphans, but he couldn't say he hated any of them. Mello was... Well, Mello was a foolish and rash character who had problems keeping his mouth shut, but Near couldn't hate him for that. No, the blonde was simply over competitive and extremely spiteful, something that neither of them could help. Sure, Mello could have tried to restrain himself a bit more, but that was just a display of lack of self-control. Near didn't particularly dislike Mello, either. He was, in a sense, just there. A very loud amount of "just there", but he was just like any other person to him.

Matt... Well, Matt was just Mello's sidekick.

"I overheard Roger saying it was your birthday!"

Any other child would have looked up at that moment, grinning. Any other child would have nodded vigorously and outstretched his hands for a present. Any other child would have reacted differently from what Near did — he blinked up at him.

With a nonchalant shrug, he returned to his puzzle. "Yes."

Matt cocked his head to the side, a confused expression on his face. "Yes?"

"Yes, you are correct. Today is my birthday."

Near could just hear the redhead grinning. "Happy birthday!"

He didn't even bother to look up. "... Thank you." He might have lacked social skills, but he knew his manners. When someone wishes you a happy birthday, you thank them. Now, hopefully, he would leave and wreak havoc with Mello. ... Away from him.

"So are you gonna do anything special today?"

Nope, apparently that wasn't going to happen.

"No."

He sat Matt's feet shuffle. "Awww, really? How come?"

"I don't find any particular need to ask Roger to go out of his way just for my entertainment," he replied curtly. "From what I understand, his workload has increased, and I wouldn't want to add to that because of a menial reason."

"Damn Near, you're no fun at all." He'd heard that one before.

"Where's Mello?" he inquired, directing the conversation elsewhere.

He glanced upwards quickly, just in time to catch the scowl on Matt's face. "He got food poisoning from the salmon last night... I told him it looked funky but he wouldn't listen to me." Typical Mello. Though that would also explain the reason as to why Matt had decided to join Near instead. Well... at least he wouldn't have to deal with Mello's incessant nagging for a day. "Hey, you wanna play Mario with me? Since it's your birthday, I'll let you have the wireless control!"

How tempting.

Near didn't bother to look up before stating his rejection: "No thank you."

Had he looked, he might have been able to catch the flash of hurt, though it was quickly replaced with a grin, as per usual. "Alright then. See you later, Near!" And with that, the striped-clad boy went running out of the common room, probably towards his own room.

It was then that Near looked up, the same blank expression on his typical apathetic face. Something inside prodded at him — guilt, perhaps? No, no of course not. He shook it away with a shake of his head, and resumed with his puzzle.

...

The sun was beginning to set, and its decreasing rays cast a mural of colors on the common room floor as it pierced through the windows. The children were departing from the room one by one, retreating to either their rooms or the kitchen for a quick snack. It would be time for Near to leave as well, to retire to his room and do what he always did before going to sleep: read and research.

Before long, the puzzle was packed away with the other toys, nudged between stacks of books and other puzzles. Near glided along the tile, his socks making it easier across the room despite his over sized pajama pants dragging behind him. He walked down the hall, his blank eyes positioned forward despite the loud voices that resonated around him. The children were all still wide awake and filled with energy and vigor. It was strange how all of them were around the same age, and yet it was he who stood at the top, far different than all of them. Only thirteen and he had an outlook on life that only adults had. Where exactly had his childhood gone?

Near took no extra time to dwell on the thoughts, however, and proceeded up the stairs where the rooms were located. He passed Mello's room without a second glance (though he swore he could have heard groaning), and made his way into his own room.

It was small, as were all the others. It, like he and everything else he did, was simple. There was a bed pushed into the corner, a book case filled up with over sized books, a desk and chair, and a closet in the other corner filled with the same pajamas he wore everyday. The only outlandish thing in his room was the shelf of toys that hung above his bed.

He picked out a book from the shelf and seated himself at the desk, sitting in the same awkward position he always sat in. One leg was pulled up against his chest and the other dangled to the side. He absentmindedly twirled a lock of thick white hair as he flipped through the pages, reading over the words he had long since memorized.

And that was when his door slammed open.

Before the intruder could yell, "Near!", he had already figured out who it was.

Swallowing a sigh, Near spun around in his nifty chair, where he greeted Matt with a blink of his dark eyes.

Nothing, no amount of coolness could hide the look of surprise on his face when he saw the redhead. There he was, standing with large grin on his face, with his hands outstretched. In his hands was a small cake, or so Near assumed anyways. It was a bit lopsided and looked as though it were about to collapse inwardly, and the pink frosting was no work of art. Batter stuck to Matt's face, hands, and clothes, and even a smudge had made its way onto his trademark goggles.

On top of the pink frosting, written out in sprinkles, were the words "Happy Birthday, Near! :)"

Before he could ask (if he could ask), Matt said, in a rather defensive tone, "Well you see I've already beaten all the levels on Mario and I unlocked all the characters, and I got really bored doing it again, and Mello's still sick so I was like — what the hell, you know? I mean, Roger got really mad when he found the kitchen totally trashed, but..."

The cake did not look appetizing. In fact, it didn't even look like a cake. If he tried to eat it, he'd probably be in the same predicament as Mello in a couple of hours.

So it must have been the look on his face. That look of satisfaction after a hard day's work, of thinking that he had just conquered some huge obstacle, that made Near accept the gift.

Closing Song: L no Kabe - Death Note

OMGNEARISSOFREAKINGHARDTOWRITE.

-spaz-

I really wanted to draw this for indigo for her birthday, but I opted with a pretty picture of Matt with the lyrics to "Hey Jude" in the background. And now she can have this as well. Along with knowing that my first yaoi fic was for her. XD;

I hope you guys enjooooyed!

(Review? :'D)

- Reno