Holding onto Forever 2

Chapter 3

It took an hour or two before Matt was able to sleep, his mind still tense with everything that had just happened. He worried about Near, who seemed more frightened than he'd ever seen him. If there's one thing Near fears it's the unknown. He's used to knowing everything, always having the answer, a plan. To Near this was like learning to live all over again, and while Near isn't as strong willed as Matt, he can be determined when he needs to be. If he wants to, that is.

Matt's eyes eased open to glance over at the clock. 07:30. 4 hours sleep is better than none, he thought to himself. Near was still cradled in his arms taking deep breaths, his chest rising and falling slowly with each one. So peaceful. He didn't want to move and possibly wake Near up, but he had to pee badly, and would be surprised if Near didn't have to as well.

Slowly slipping his arms from underneath Near, he climbed out of bed. Near opened his eyes sleepily, and gave Matt a barely detectable smile.

"Good morning." Matt said.

"Good morning Matt. How long were we sleeping?"

"About 4 hours I guess. How do you feel?"

"Ok I guess. I need to use the bathroom though." Near said.

"Do you think you can walk?"

"I believe so."

Near placed his feet on the ground, and climbed off of the bed carefully. His legs were a little shaky, but he felt fine otherwise. He wasn't dizzy, or disoriented like he was earlier. Matt led him out of the room. There were people walking around everywhere, everyone on their way to do something. Near took note of his surroundings. Everything seemed somewhat odd. You could tell everything was man-made. They just seemed different somehow. The walls were made out of a steely grey substance, at first it looked like rock, but had the cold touch of steel. They reached a door with a sign that said "lavatory". Matt opened the door for the both of them, but Near had to touch it. It felt like it was made out of plastic. Extremely light, however extremely solid at the same time.

"There must be some interesting raw materials here." Near said.

"Wait until you see the food if you want interesting."

The toilets were shaped normal enough, but appeared to be made out of a bluish glass. After relieving themselves, Matt suggested they go and get breakfast.

"I don't know about you but I'm starved." Matt suggested.

"I think I can eat a bit. Depends on what it is though."

"I'll find something somewhat normal for you. However I think we should get you a change of clothes. You look a little funny walking around in that gown."

Near smirked a little, looking down at what he was wearing.

"Probably a good idea."

They went back to Matt's quarters, where Matt pulled a trunk out from under the bed. He provided Near with greyish/black t-shirt and a pair of cargo pants like Matt was already wearing. The pants were a bit too long and loose around his waist, but would have to do until Near was able to get some of his own clothes.

"You seem to be in better spirits today." Matt said.

"I guess I am. I just needed some time for all of this to sink in. I'm still a bit uneasy though."

"It took me a while to get used to this too."

"How long have you been here Matt?" Near asked, cocking his head slightly, confused as to what Matt meant by a 'a while'.

"I dunno, a month, maybe a month and a half?"

"That's interesting. I died only 4 days after you did." Near said.

Matt winced a little. He didn't like hearing Near say that.

"Who knows what happens to time. C'mon I'm starved."

The two of them left the station end entered Joa, the massive underground world that was their home. They entered what seemed like a huge hallway, about 30 feet wide, 30 feet tall, and from where they were standing, you couldn't see the end of it. Matt held Near's hand proudly as they started to walk together.

Going down the middle of the hall, there were make-shift tents and stands set up. Some people were selling artwork out of them, some other's had food, books, jewellery, hand crafted musical instruments, computers, you name it. It was similar to a flea market like you'd find on Earth.

"This happens every day?" Near asked.

"Yep. Some people make their living this way."

Near looked around curiously, hoping he would find a stand where someone was selling toys. He felt Matt tug him in a different direction, and followed him through another door into the galley. The smell of food hit both of their nostrils. To Near's surprise, the smell was pretty familiar.

"Egg and toast ok?" Matt asked.

Near nodded.

"One egg please and some toast." Matt told the cook.

Near was wondering how they were going to share one egg. That is until he saw the egg. The cook opened a box and pulled out a huge yellow egg several times the size of a chicken's egg. It actually required two hands to carry as it was too big to wrap one hand around. Matt saw Near's eyes go wide.

"It's an egg from a perlo, an indigenous bird here. It's kinda like a chocobo."

"What's a chocobo?" Near asked.

Matt giggled a bit, forgetting that Near never really played video games before.

"Never mind. A Perlo egg tastes remarkably similar to what we're used to."

The cook placed the food in a tray and handed it to Matt. They walked to a nearby table, where Matt placed the tray down.

"I'm going to get us some juice." Matt said. He was back quickly with two glasses in his hand filled with a dark orange liquid.

"I' take it this isn't orange juice." Near said.

"No. But it's better. They call it a palapeo. It's about the size of a grapefruit."

Near tasted the juice. To his surprise it was fantastic, better than any orange juice he'd ever had.

"This is delicious."

"Told you."

Next, Near tried the eggs. The consistency was similar to regular scrambled eggs, but the flavour was a bit off. Near didn't mind though, as he ate a healthy portion.

"It's good that you have an appetite. Some people don't eat for days when they first come here."

After they ate Matt decided to take Near on a tour. Near couldn't believe how big the place was. They went to the library, the gym, the pub, and the common living quarters, which were huge rooms lined with bunk beds. This is how most of the population lived.

"How did you get your own room?"

"It's because of my job. I work at the ministry, so since I'm a government employee I get my own quarters."

"What do you do there?"

"Security detail mostly, and some other odds and ends. Olivia liked the fact that I'm good with computers, and they had a position to fill, so she decided to give me a shot. When you arrived they woke me up to clear the outside perimeter before they went outside to get you."

"Sounds like a lot of responsibly."

"It is, but it's not so bad. Keeps me busy. Not like there are any video games for me to play with."

Near wondered if he'd have to deal without having toys.

They went back into the main hall, walking past more vendors.

"How does one pay for goods here? Is there a form of currency you use?"

"The way I understand it is that before the attacks, the main form of currency was called 'chips'. Now that we're living in here, the essentials are provided by the government, like you cant own property, and everyone eats at the galleys, etc, but the vendors have their own economy where they take chips still in circulation as payment, since they can use them at other vendors, otherwise they just barter. Bartering is pretty big here. Sometimes you can just do some work for a vendor in exchange for goods."

Near seemed to be becoming a little less afraid of his situation and more fascinated by it. He had the urge to learn more, now that this was his new home.

As they walked back to the ministry, they ran into Olivia.

"Good to see you up and around! How are you getting acquainted with this place?" She exclaimed, smiling genuinely.

"I'm doing well I think. It's a bit overwhelming. There's definitely a lot to learn."

"I'm sure someone as smart as you will get used to life here pretty quickly," She turned to Matt, "Matt, don't forget you're on duty today."

Matt looked down the ground.

"Yeah I know."

"I think Near will be ok. Right?"

Near tensed up a bit. While he was feeling more comfortable than he was earlier, he wasn't sure he was comfortable enough to take this whole place on by himself. Matt had a job to do however, and he didn't want to be in his way. He nodded in agreement.

"Are you wearing Matt's clothes?" She asked amusedly, looking down at the legs of his trousers that were dragging on the floor.

"How could you tell?" Near replied with a smirk.

"C'mon, I'll take you to get some proper clothes that actually fit you. Matt, I'll meet you at the ops-centre after I'm done."

Near followed Olivia to the laundry room. It was a large room that had washing machines against one wall and racks of clothes on the opposite wall.

"Can I play dress up with you? I think it might be kinda fun for me." She asked playfully.

Near wasn't sure how to interpret the question but he agreed anyway. Olivia happily scoured the racks of clothes, picking out items for Near to try on.

"Go behind that wall over there and try this on." She said, handing over the clothing.

She had picked out a pair of black jeans, and a tight fitting white t-shirt, made from some sort of silky material that hugged his slender frame. The jeans were made out of an interesting material as well that was incredibly soft and flexible and had a slight sheen to them. They felt incredibly comfortable to him despite the fact that he still wasn't wearing any underwear.

He emerged from behind the wall, and found Olivia holding a pair of black boots.

"You need shoes too. I hope they are your size."

Near took them from her and put them on and then stood in front of her, arms outstretched.

"Does it look right?"

"You look fucking adorable." She exclaimed, "Matt's going to thank me. Go look at yourself in the mirror."

Near turned around and looked at his reflection. It almost looked like a different person entirely staring back at him. The boots made him both feel and appear taller, and the tight fitting shirt and jeans made him feel sexy and confident. He wondered if this is why Mello dressed the way he did.

"A new life, a new look," He said quietly to himself before turning around to Olivia. "I think they work."

"You'll probably want to grab some socks, underwear, and a few extra shirts, so feel free to look around and take what you need. I need to go back to my post. Do you think you'll do ok by yourself?"

Near was a little nervous about being left alone in this strange place all by himself, but he didn't want to be a bother to her, so he nodded in agreement. She explained to him how to find where her and Matt worked, in case he needed them, and then she left.

Near scoured the room for another 10 minutes or so, and ended up finding a pair of pajama bottoms, a few pairs of socks, and a few more shirts. Satisfied, he left the laundry room with the clothes bundled up in his arms, and brought them to Matt's quarters.

He decided to hit the library, to see how much he can learn about his new home. The library was a somewhat small room, probably smaller than the library at Wammy's House, understandable, considering the living situation. Near gazed over the shelves, before deciding on a a book called "Etherine: An abridged history for the newcomer".

Near sat down at a table and opened the book, starting right from the beginning. His mind was going back into it's normal mode, absorbing knowledge like a sponge. He got through that first book fairly quickly, and then moved onto another. Some people had entered the room, and Near paused his reading for a moment to listen to them talking, what they were talking about, taking note of any slight cultural differences, trying to learn everything he can. If he feared the unknown, then knowing everything is the only logical solution.

Near hadn't realized it but he spent 6 hours in that library, and ended up with a 2 foot tall stack of books he read next to him.

He was starting to get hungry again, but was too nervous to go by himself, not knowing what to eat. He decided to go find Matt and see when he would be done with work. He walked into the ops centre door, and spotted Matt at his terminal, speaking into a 2-way headset while typing commands into his computer. Near thought Matt was so cute, working away so seriously, that he smiled outwardly as he approached.

Matt's gaze broke from his computer screen for a moment and fixed on Near. His eyes widened as he looked Near up and down, all the way down to his black boots.

"Umm.. Wow you look hot." He said, causing Near to blush and look down.

"Olivia picked them out for me."

"I'll have to thank her. I cant wait to peel those off of you later." Matt said with a mischievous grin. If Near wasn't blushing before, he was nearly purple now.

"Matt!" Near exclaimed in a hushed tone, looking around to see who else was in earshot. Matt laughed it off, but Near actually started to get excited, thinking about Matt ravishing him later. He was starting to get aroused, and he wasn't wearing any underwear. Matt decided he'd tortured Near enough, and changed the subject.

"So where have you been all this time?"

"I went to the library. I read quite a few books about this planet. Incredibly fascinating, but I started to get hungry, and I wanted to wait for you to eat something."

Matt pushed a button on his console, and spoke into the headset.

"Guys I'm going to take a break for a moment to get something to eat, I should be back in about 45 minutes."

Matt got up from his chair and stretched his arms and back before putting his arm around Near's shoulder and leading him out of the room.

They walked together to the galley. Near's stomach was rumbling away, although he wasn't sure what he was going to end up eating. Everything there was so strange, so backwards compared to Earth. Even basic elements, like wood and metal were so totally different. While Near hasn't seen the outside yet, he could only imagine what kinds of wildlife have evolved there. From the reading he had done earlier, he learned some facts that baffled him.

"Hey Matt. Today I did some reading in the library, and this is definitely an interesting planet we have here. It's a quarter of the size of Earth for one. It has two moons, a red giant for a sun... And you didn't tell me that we're on 36 hour days."

"I was going to get to it. I didn't know how much of this bizarre shit you could handle. Although you seem to be much more comfortable."

"I'm getting acquainted, but this whole alien invasion thing does not sit well with me. I don't know we can just sit here, huddled underground, hoping they'll leave us alone."

"What else is there to do? We have no military, no weapons to speak of, and they outnumber us... a lot." Matt said.

"I suppose you're right, but this can't go on like this forever. Something's going to give eventually. I mean how does one gather food? What if we need to rebuild parts of the complex? Where do we get the raw materials if we cant go outside?" Near started to ramble, and he didn't realize it at first but he was working himself up into a panic.

"Near! Calm down!" Matt halted their progress and faced him, placing both hands on Near's neck, rubbing his cheeks gently with his thumbs. He noticed Near was hyperventilating slightly.

"We just take it one day at a time. It's ok to admit you're still afraid. I wont hold that against you."

Near nodded, taking a deep breath. They resumed the walk to the galley in silence.

The food was a variation of grilled chicken and vegetables, however it obviously wasn't chicken nor any vegetables that Near was familiar with. It was edible enough, and it satisfied his hunger, and provided his brain with the calories it needed. Matt needed to get back to his post, and Near decided to follow him to get an idea of what Matt actually does here.

Matt sat back down at his console and put the headphones back on.

"Back on the perch James." He said. Near giggled slightly at Matt's free use of whatever lingo they've come up with here. Matt shot Near a sheepish glance.

Matt typed some commands into the keyboard.

"What I'm doing here is helping them repair some of the motion sensors. Some of them got knocked out during a recent wind-storm," He then spoke into the microphone again, "I'm still not getting a signal from C-35, James."

"Does everyone have a job here?" Near asked.

"Most people don't actually. There's not enough jobs to do. So what people do instead of going mad is create. Art and music are very popular here. There's nothing else to do really." Matt replied, not taking his eyes away from the screen.

"How do you keep from going mad?"

"By doing this. Like I said, there's no video games here. Not that I've seen. I'd even settle for fucking Pong at this point." He laughed.

Near sat there and observed Matt for a little while longer. He started to get sleepy.

"Matt how much longer will you be here? I'm getting tired."

"Another hour should do it. Go ahead back to my room. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Near went back to Matt's quarters and laid down on the bed. He must have drifted off to sleep because after what seemed like a short period of time later, Matt was laying next to him.

"Is it true that you died trying to protect me?" Near asked.

"Well, that's what Mello told me I was doing. That's how he convinced me to work with him. Fucking bastard he is. I bet he doesn't even feel bad about what happened to me."

"Mello's dead. He died very shortly after you did. Takada did him in with a piece of death note she had with her." Near said.

Matt looked ahead, not sure what to say about it. There was something else Near needed to know. Something that Matt had to get off his chest.

"I slept with him."

"What?"

"I slept with Mello. The night that he brought me to LA. I was scared and confused and drunk and then he started touching me and it felt incredible. I hadn't been touched in so long. I couldn't help it. I let him do what he wanted to me. It hurt too. It was as if he was punishing me, or more likely, punishing you. I'm so sorry Near."

Near stayed silent. The isn't something that surprised him. He always figured something like this might have happened, and while in the past life he would be raging with jealousy, there seemed no purpose to the anger now. Mello was gone now. Besides, Near felt that if he hadn't abandoned Matt for those years, he wouldn't have been driven to it.

"I blame myself for what happened. I blame myself for you ending up with Mello in the first place. I blame myself for your death. I shouldn't have left you for all those years. How could I be surprised by what happened?"

"Mello said you were in danger. That you were afraid to put me in the same danger, which is why I hadn't heard from you." Matt said. Near sat up and turned to Matt.

"I was terrified. Nearly everyone in the entire room dropped dead right in front of me. I was frozen, waiting to be next. Wondering what it would feel like when my heart exploded inside of my chest. The fact that Mello was able to get that close to me..."

"Wait. Did you say Mello did that?"

Near nodded. Matt felt even more disgusted by him than ever.

"What ever ended up happening with Kira?"

"Kira's dead."

They sat in silence. Matt felt relieved getting everything off his chest, and was glad that Near didn't seem angry with him. He was still angry with himself however, but he knew he had to eventually put it behind him and move on.

"So you said something earlier about helping me out of these clothes? 'Peeling them off of me', I believe is what you said?" Near said, looking at Matt with a sultry, daring look in his eyes.

Matt felt his heart instantly skip a beat, surprised by the sudden change of subject. He knew they'd become intimate at some point, and now he was nervous, anxious. He didn't even know where to begin.

It had been so long since they'd been together, it might as well have been the first time. Near was laying on his side next to Matt with his head propped up on his elbow. His shirt stretched around his body, showing off his lithe form. The bottom of his shirt was pulled up slightly, exposing his smooth tummy, a view afforded by the daringly low beltline of his jeans, which hugged his hips like a second skin. This type of appearance was expected of someone like Mello, but this was Near, uncannily sexy and delicious. Matt thought the clothes changed the way Near felt about his image. He could tell by the look in his eye. It was a silent challenge that said 'So what are you going to do now, big boy?'

Near wrapped a lock of his hair around one of his fingers, twirling it coyly, waiting for Matt to make his move. Matt turning to face him, reached out, and slowly wrapped his shaking hand around one of Near's biceps, squeezing the muscled flesh gently. He followed with the other hand, carefully cupping Near's cheek with his palm. He slowly brought his face closer, closing his eyes as he approached, and touched his lips to Near's. It was like a surge of electricity flowing between them. Near inhaled sharply as he opened his mouth slightly, allowing Matt to taste him. Their tongues met, swirling and twisting and sliding over each other like a pair of serpents. Matt released Near's lightly muscled arm, and slid his hand under the bottom of his shirt, running his palm over the searing hot skin. Near's breathing got faster. Hearing the air rush through his nostrils, the memory of their past encounters rushed back to him. He remembered what Near liked back then. He remembered how he liked to tease Near, have him begging for it.

Matt slowly pulled Near's shirt off and over his head and laid him on his back. He feasted on his neck, making Near whimper quietly. He ran his hand up and down Near's sides, causing more sounds to escape from him. Matt was kissing his chest, flitting his tongue over each of his nipples like a snake, while working his magic with his hands. Matt rubbed his hands up and down Near's thighs, stopping just short of the hard bulge straining behind the fabric of his jeans. He started to suck at his tummy causing Near to yelp with pleasure.

Near pulled at Matt's tank top. They broke contact just long enough for Near to pull it off, before Matt attacked Near's torso again. Matt knew Near was ripe by now, as he couldn't control himself, running his hands through Matt's hair, squeezing his shoulders, anything he could get his hands on. Near needed release, the burning desire coursing through his veins like liquid fire.

Matt decided to relieve him a bit, and slowly unbuttoned Near's jeans, carefully pulling down the zipper, exposing Near's hard, pulsing cock. Near raised his hips as Matt slid the jeans completely off of him and tossed them onto the floor. Matt started kissing Near's thighs, teasing him some more. He could see the sweat building up on Near's stomach. He decided to end his torture once and for all, and grasped Near's swollen member by the base before taking it whole into his mouth.

"mmmmmm...yeah..." Near panted as Matt slobbered up and down his shaft. A familiar sensation started boiling up inside of him. He wanted to taste Matt, taste him before he let it all go inside of his mouth. "Matt... stop..."

Near instructed Matt to take his clothes off, and they rearranged themselves into the 69 position. A quivering, pulsating mass of flesh, thrusting into each other, making lewd slurping sounds and the occasional groan of pleasure. Matt used his finger to prod Near's anus gently, which sent Near over the edge. His body spasmed as he shot jets of semen into Matt's throat. Matt was already at the edge, and the salty sweet taste of Near's nectar and Near's frantic sucking and humming sent him soaring over as he shot his first load into Near's mouth, and all over his neck, face and chest as his spasming cock slipped out of his mouth. Matt sucked hungrily at Near's member as he came, trying to get every last drop out. Eventually their thrusting and jerking slowed to a halt. Matt turned himself right again and kissed Near deeply, their juices mixing together on their tongues. Near cleaned Matt up with his shirt, and pulled the blankets over them burying his face in the crook of Near's neck, their sweaty bodies clinging to each other. Near rubbed his hand up and down Matt's back until they both fell asleep.

Near had always dreamed of living with Matt, although this isn't exactly what he had in mind. Matt's assigned quarters were cold and militaristic, a narrow spectrum of greys and blacks, dimly lit, and visually barren. A steel framed bed, a simple nightstand. That was it. It reminded Near of his quarters at that military outpost in Liverpool, just as impersonal, yet Near found Matt's room warm and inviting because it was theirs.

Their routine was simple. Matt would get up and go to work, leaving Near to sleep for a little while longer. They would then eat breakfast together, and afterwards Matt went back to work while Near found some way to occupy himself. He spent a lot of time in the library, trying to soak up any morsel of information he can find. Even this bored him sometimes, and one day he decided to walk the main hall, and keep walking, all the way to the end.

As he walked the 3 mile long hallway, something caught his eye. A man was selling handmade toy robots, causing Near's toy addiction to perk up. Near looked over the figures adoringly, running a finger along each metal form.

"How much are they?" Near asked, knowing he didn't have a single 'chip' to his name.

"3 chips each." The man responded.

"Thanks." Near nodded, and reluctantly started to walk away from the vendor. He stopped abruptly and turned to face him again, remembering something Matt had told him.

"Could I work for one? Is there any jobs you need to have done?"

The man thought for a second, seeing the desperation in Near's eyes. He nodded, beckoning Near closer.

"I want you to go see a man in section cj-316 named Persius. He has some bare metal scraps that you need to pick up. Tell him that Michael James sent you, and take the bare metal to the foundry at the far east end north of the galley. The guy there already has the mold. Have him make as many bodies as you can. Then bring them to me and you can pick any one of them you see here."

Near swallowed nervously. Not that he thought he was above manual labour, he just never had to do it before.

"Ok, I'll do my best." Near said.

Near walked around the complex for a while, somewhat lost, until he found the man he was looking for. Persius was a tall and gritty looking man, the wrinkles under his eyes spoke volumes of the hard work he's endured over the years.

"Umm... sir? Excuse me. Michael James sent me to pick up some material from you." Near said.

"Ahh yes, the toy maker. I have a bundle set aside for him."

Persius handed Near a bundle of metal, wrapped in a cloth and banded together with string. It was slightly heavy, but carryable. It was a 30 minute walk to the foundry that followed. Near had to take several breaks as the weight of the scraps began to wear on him. The whole time Near was wondering how they managed to build a foundry in this place, and when he finally found the room he was looking for, he got his answer.

The setup was definitely home-made looking. A makeshift furnace sat in the middle of the room, as well as a long workbench with various parts scattered around. Near figured this is where they made spare parts for the various machinery in Joa. He handed over the scraps, and the man working there told him to come back in an hour. Near wanted to ask what fuel was used for the furnace, something he was incredibly curious about, but decided he'd research it later instead of bothering the man with questions.

He walked around aimlessly for a while, anxious as each minute felt like an eternity. Eventually he walked back to the foundry, and found the man loading up fresh robot shells into a box.

"Careful, they're still hot." The man warned Near as he handed the box to him.

Near carefully carried the box back to the toy stand and set the box down at Mr. James' feet. The man had a pleased look in his eyes.

"Good work young man. Pick whichever one you want."

Near looked at the row of robots. They were for the most part the same, just some of them were painted differently, and had a few different attachments. Near picked up the one that he seemed to like the most. It was crafted quite nicely, hand painted, and the arms and legs were moveable on metal joints.

"I like this one." Near said.

"It's yours. What's your name son?"

"Near."

"Stop by and see me from time to time Near, I may have some more work for you."

Near nodded and thanked him. Happily he returned to Matt's quarters, where he sat on the floor and played with his new hard earned toy. Lost in his own fantasies, for once he felt normal, even if it was only for a little while.

Thanks for reading! I promise things will become more interesting from here on out. Just needed to get some much needed character/environment development out of the way.