One Last Night

'Twas the night before Christmas… Just kidding. It actually was the night before Roger was informed of L's death. And Near was having a dream.

Stab. Stab. Stab. In the heart, around it. Blindly stabbing. He was being stabbed. He was lying on the ground, taking it with no protest.

Weeks he had had this dream. He did nothing to stop it. There was only one person who could be stabbing him. Flashes of blond hair, black clothing. Why was Mello stabbing him? Mello loved him!

He waited for the climax, but the stabbing never stopped. Never stopped. Until, until-

Near flew up into a sitting position with a yell. He hugged his knees close to him, shaking. Nightmares had never plagued Near, until, until. Until Mello confessed his love. Until he loved Mello back. So why was Mello always stabbing him in the dream?

Near was shivering madly now. Who was the one person he could tell? Mello. Who was the one person who would listen? Mello. Who was the one person who would understand? Mello. Who was the one person who would comfort him? Mello.

Now silently crying for no apparent reason, Near shuffled out of his room in a trance. He was still shuddering madly when he reached Mello's room. He stood in front of the door for a moment, nearly forgetting where he was and what he was doing. Then he knocked shakily.

Mello's eyes slowly opened in the darkness of his room when his brain acknowledged the soft knocking at his door. Only one person knocked on his door like that. Yet even as Mello got up to open the door he knew something was wrong. The knocking's normal assurance and calm wasn't there, but it was still the same person.

"Near?" Was all Mello could say when he opened the door. The boy was in a terrible state of mad shivering. His breath unsteady and uneven, shallow. He didn't seem to have noticed Mello was there, because he just kept staring blankly.

"Near!" Mello said loudly, plating his hands on Near's shoulders to steady him. Near came back to Earth at Mello's touch, but he was still enveloped in his dream state. He lurched forward shakily and began to pound his clenched fists on Mello's chest unseeingly. "Mello don't kill me!" Near cried.

"Near, pull it together!" Mello said softly, turning Near around and embracing him. "I would never, ever want to kill you. Where in the world are you coming with this?" Mello whispered with loving calm.

Near's hear froze at the sound of Mello's voice. Or rather, it was simply locked. And Mello was in possession of the key. "You're not going to kill me." Near stated, regaining some of his normal unemotional composure. He had yielded to Mello's hug, but neither was he giving back.

"No Near, no." Mello said as comfortingly as he could. He kissed Near's cheek. "Why would you ever think that?" Mello asked, rotating Near back around so they facing each other. Near's eyes were stone cold towards Mello, but Mello could see deeper into Near's eyes then any other person could, he could see Near's hesitancy.

"Near, you know perfectly well I'll understand. Tell me."

"Wait." Near said simply. He wrapped his arms around Mello's neck and tilted his head upwards to kiss him hard. This time, without any mental separation of hesitation. Mello was momentarily stunned at Near's lunge, and soon he kissed back, holding Near up by the small of his back. For it seemed to Mello that Near was so intent upon the kiss that if Mello wasn't there to hold him, he wouldn't remember to keep himself upright.

Near's arms quaked as he tried to worm his tongue into Mello's beckoning mouth. Sensing the boy's physical distress, Mello leaned the two of them onto his bed, where they continued to kiss passionately. Near blindly attempted to finger his hand up Mello's black shirt, but Mello's own hand was quick and deft even in the dark. He firmly grasped Near's hand and pulled it away from him.

"Stop trying to distract me." Mello breathed coldly. Near was taken aback. Near thought Mello loved it when he tried to do something on his own. Still staring at Mello questioningly, Near was shaking. Partly from the effects of the dream. Partly from the heat of the passion.

"You haven't been yourself for a while now. Near, what's going on?" Mello was all serious now. "You especially aren't behaving normally first thing in the morning, and when we see each other." So Mello had noticed. I should stop habitually underestimating him… Near thought remorsefully as he looked into Mello's intense blue-green eyes. He should just get it over with. No point in putting it off any longer.

"I've been having this dream."

"Ok." It was mere a prompt to continue. "Of you stabbing me with a knife repeatedly. It never stops until I wake myself."

Near could tell Mello was disturbed by this revelation. "It only goes away when I come to you."

Mello was still staring at Near. In his mind, Mello could perfectly conjure up the image of Near's white hair spattered with blood. "W-well, let's think about this logically." Mello stuttered, sitting up. Near sat up with him, looking at Mello expectedly. He was on to something, Near could tell.

"Well…" Mello began, wondering if his idea was too farfetched or not. Looking into Near's hungry eyes, Mello knew that even an unrealistic answer would be better then none at all. "Maybe it means that someone like you has been killed, and you just didn't now him or her and the killer well enough in real life, so your brain just made it you and I."

Near was now looking away from Mello, twirling a lock of his curly white tresses for the first time that night.

"Let's assume your theory is correct Mello."

"Ok."

"I think I know who died."

"Who?"

"L."

"No." Mello said hollowly. "L can't die now! He's, he's-"

"He's not immortal."

"Near stop talking like this!" Mello was exasperated.

"No Mello, I really think he died."

Mello sighed. He would have to give in to Near's insistent stubbornness. "Ok Near. If you still believe this in the morning, we'll talk to Roger. But let's go to sleep now. You're tired."

Near happily got in the covers with Mello. He was looking forward to a sleep with peace of mind, no stabbing included.

On the other hand, Mello snuggled Near protectively. Truth be told, Mello Near lost it. L dying… Ridiculous.

Falling asleep in Mello's arms, Near was reproachful to the coming morning. He wished life could just be just like this. Him and Mello. Pieces, puzzles.

Falling asleep with Near in his arms, Mello was reproachful to the coming morning. He wished life could just be like this. Him and Near.

Falling Falling asleep asleep in with Mello's Near arms, in Near his was arms, reproachful Mello to was the reproachful coming to morning. the He coming wished morning. life He could life be could just be like be this. like Him this and Him Mello. and Pieces, Near. Puzzles.

To Be Continued