A/N: Thank you all for your kind attentions. Please enjoy!

-

Azure Paler than the Sky.

nineteen.

"Hey, all you late-nighters. It's Matt again. I thought about skipping tonight because I am kinda tired but… I just can't sleep! I dunno what it is about this kind of weather that makes you wanna stay up all night and watch for snow. I swear, it's gonna happen soon and when it does, I'm going to go out and make snow-angels!

"Just for all of you who're interested, my end of term project with Lisa is going great - I couldn't have asked for bigger talent! I'll probably get top marks. In the Spring, I'll start my spread on sensuality which should be fucking awesome…

"God, am I tired… it's really warm in the studio here so even in my boxers, I'm not cold. Someone talk to me to keep me awake. The number's 555-MATT. … Hey, you're on the air!"

"Hey, Matt, it's Dave again."

"Hey - uh… ahem. Right. Well, what's up, dude?"

"You don't sound happy to hear from me…"

"Well, I mean… it's just, things got a little weird the last time we talked."

"You enjoyed it."

"Uh…"

"…"

"So what's up, man? You cool? All relaxed and relieved?"

"I heard you talking about being unable to sleep. I have this Ryan Farish CD I play whenever I'm not able to sleep so I thought I'd put it on for you to listen to."

"… Really? Aw, man, that's really nice of you but I don't want to fall asleep on radio."

"Just listen."

"… Wow. This is nice…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… Zzz…"

"… Um, Matt? Are you still there?"

"Zzzz."

"…"

-

It was a little past one in the morning and Near still hadn't fallen asleep. He lay sprawled out on his bed with a coloring book beneath him and crayons splayed out by his elbows. He had been trying for hours to go to sleep but sleep never came and in the end, he lay on the bed, staring out of the window. The moon outside was dusted over by the fog on the window and sometimes when Near wasn't zoned out, he would try to see snowflakes. Still, there weren't any.

Earlier, he had heard Mello leaving to go to a session with L. As much as Near dreaded thinking about it - how I've come so far only to let L down… - he couldn't help but wonder, what would become of L's painting? Would L try to have Mello step in for him? It was a nice thought and might work in a story or something but there was no way that could happen in real life. Mello and Near, physically, were nothing alike and so for L to try and make Mello a Near-model would be futile.

So, what could be the purpose of another session? he wondered, sighing down at the crayons beneath him. Almost instantly, he chided himself. He was no longer part of the project so it really wasn't any of his business what they were doing. Though he told himself that, time and time again, these images invaded his mind.

The way L watched Mello in class.

The small sneers and lilt of the lips Mello gave his professor.

Near blushed at the feeling coursing through him at the thought. Mello's coral lips and L's stark eyes. For Mello, it was all in the way he would lounge around half naked in the apartments, either his own or in Near's, his zipper all the way down. Near often shivered with delight at the sight of Mello's dark blonde pubic hairs just barely visible over the zipper. How he looked down as he was concentrating on the canvas and then suddenly looked up, his blue eyes hiding behind a veil of gold. And oh, that grin he gave.

The contrast of Mello's golden starlight ways and L's solemn ability to take Near's breath away was immeasurable. Nothing was alike with the two. L was so introverted, and, like a black hole, one couldn't help but be sucked inside and lose themselves to the emptiness. All those implications in the few words L would say to Near daily were melting Near away. He couldn't begin to explain the excitement and… longing he felt when L brought all his attention onto the boy.

Near sometimes felt he would be crushed under the weight of those hungry eyes.

He rolled off of the bed, inwardly groaning and shuffled over to the door to step into his sneakers. The moonlight through the window reflected off of his pale skin and followed the curve and bagginess of his pajamas as he moved to put on his hoodie.

What's really crushing me, he thought as he struggled to pull his head through the hole, is staying in here awake like this. Thoughts getting to me… if I can't sleep, I'll just have a walk about campus. By then, I should be able to go to sleep.

He opened the door and set off down the hallway, not thinking for a moment that the cold weather might keep him awake even longer. As he walked down the hallway, he cast a glance towards Mello and Matt's dorm and thought that perhaps Matt was back from his late night radio broadcast. Near had listened one night, he thought that it was the first time Matt had done it, and had quickly turned his radio off after hearing some questionable noises.

Even if Matt was asleep just then, something told Near that he would gladly accept Near if he were to knock on the door. To play puppets or build castles or just to lay in Mello's spot on the bed and talk. Of course, Matt would probably say the same thing he had a week ago.

You know, some people would say it's natural to…

Natural to…?

The door opened at the bottom of the stairwell and the cold air hit Near like a rushing wave. He sighed, a puff of his breath showing up in front of his face, and ventured outside. His sneakers crunched on the blades of grass, heavy with frost, and made tiny sounds under his feet as he crossed the field towards the courtyard on the other side of the cafeteria.

At this time of night, the campus was quiet. It was lonely but sometimes, Near wished it was this way always. Just the sound of the would-be snow under his sneakers and the cold on his face and hands, penetrating his pockets. He rolled his eyes towards the sky and the icy wind raced through the fields, shaking the bare trees and ruffling Near's hair. He shut his eyes tightly and pulled up his hood over his ears that were already pink.

Sighing, he continued down a bit of a slope and nearly slipped on a particularly slick patch of grass. He let out a small yip and unfurled his arms from his sides, waving them around wildly to regain balance. His heel tilted back and he managed not to go sliding down the downgrade. When he stepped back, he quickly about-faced and headed in the opposite direction, the parking lot.

He shuffled slowly but efficiently, watching his step, a small dot in a snow globe, as it were. His eyes scanned the ground, sometimes rolling up at the landscape in the distance, the naked trees and night whirling overhead. Silence in stereo and the only sound made itself known in a moment when he stepped off the curb and into one of the side parking lots. The click of his sneakers hitting the concrete. That and-

"Oh, Near."

Near's head shot up, his eyes rounding.

L smiled a bit, lowering his head from where he had been looking up toward the sky. He was slightly hunched over, leaning back on a jet-black Mercedes. One hand was shoved deep into his jean pocket and the other was resting on the hood of the car, looking much paler than usual. L's eyes were half-lidded and the deep circles underneath were much more noticeable.

Haven't you been sleeping? Near wondered. Though, he said, "L… what're you doing out here? I thought you were with Mello."

"Ah," L hummed, nodding. "I was, but it was a very short session. How much can we do without our subject, after all?"

Near looked away, ashamed. "Well…"

"What're you doing out here? Young students shouldn't wander the campus alone like this at night." L glanced at his hand on the hood of the car and dragged his fingers along the paint, making faint marks where the frost covered it.

"I couldn't sleep," Near said.

"Still, it's very dangerous."

"I-I'm not a child," he huffed, his cheeks reddening, "but I am a little tired. I'll go back to my dorm room now…"

L rocked forward, abandoning his space on the car and held his hand out to the boy before he could turn. "I'll take you. It's a bit of a walk from here, as I remember."

Near blinked. "That's your car?"

"Naturally," he said, walking around the hood to the driver's side. He opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind him. Near hesitated but through the tinted windows, he could see movement and the door on the passenger's side was opened. He paused and then walked forward, climbing into the car and shutting the door behind him.

He sighed immediately and relaxed against the leather seat, tipping his head back. "It's so warm," he said, aloud on accident. The heat was on and he found himself wondering if L had just stopped the car a bit ago. His cheeks and nose pinked at the heat coming from the vents and he turned his head to the driver just as L inserted the key into the ignition; the engine hummed smoothly and L backed out of the parking space.

Near watched him mildly, surprised actually, at how easily L drove with one knee pressed up to his chest like that and the other leg operating the gas and brake. He had never imagined that was how L drove or anyone for that matter.

"So," L said and Near turned to the window, watching the world through frost and glass. "How have you been doing lately? We don't talk much anymore."

Near shrugged into the seat. "We never did much talking…"

"True."

"… I'm sorry, I'm being cold," he sighed. After a moment's pause, he said, "I do miss talking to you. But you never told me what you were doing outside like that." He looked over again and noticed that L didn't have much more on than a sweater and heavy jeans. He must've been freezing but showed no signs of it.

L turned the steering wheel lightly. "Ah," he said, "I was waiting for snow."

Near nodded. "Everyone's been waiting for it."

"It's late this year but the forecast said it would come soon. I got that knowledge from Raito, who has something called WeatherBug on his computer. But… it's been saying that for the past five days so I don't know if I believe it or not anymore."

"You were out there though, waiting."

L let out a half-hearted laugh. "I'm just impatient."

"Are you?" Near asked, his eyelids fluttering. The heat just kept rolling onto him in waves and he could barely keep his eyes open. He let his hands slip from inside his coat pockets and rested them on his lap just below one of the vents and they warmed.

"For some reason, I don't like the cold but I love snow. It's very relaxing to look at. Though I discourage my students from scenery painting, I'm always pleased to see snowcapped mountains or plains blanketed with white. It's-"

"L, please."

L blinked and reached forward to turn on the windshield wipers - the frost had become too thick to see through and soon a field of vision was cleared. "Please what, Near?" he asked, replacing himself comfortably into the seat.

"Please, just ask me back. I'm sorry for leaving… I've found no peace outside of helping you and Mello. I miss it. I…" He sighed.

"Just what were you looking to find peace from?"

Near said nothing.

"You couldn't possibly be ashamed of your body, like you told Mello."

"Why…?" he asked sleepily - in truth, it was almost a yawn.

L pressed down on the brake and the car came to a halt. He left the key inside the ignition and Near subconsciously appreciated it, the continual feeling of being wrapped up inside a warm blanket lulling him. L turned to him and reached over his lap to the other side of the seat where he pulled up the crank to lean the boy's seat back. He did so in one swift motion and Near went tipping back along with the seat.

"Because you're beautiful," L whispered, leaning down over him, encouraged by Near's pale hand grasping at his shirt and pulling at it. "Every silky inch of you is worth adoration. I'm so proud of Mello for loving you like he does. And I'm proud of you…"

Near exhaled, shuddering as their noses brushed. "I left."

"You came back," L breathed.

"Don't praise me…" Near closed his eyes and could feel the warmth of L's body on his. He parted his pink lips and tilted his head to the side. L placed his lips in the groove of Near's and, on the other side of the window, snowflakes began to drift to Earth.

-

Matt was just laying down in the bed when Mello came into the apartment, yelling and shouting and waking the dead with his volume. Matt, used to this sort of behavior but not it's avid fan, sat up dazedly in bed and watched as Mello went on about something or another. Matt listened, coming in and out of what was being said. He had been so tired and even on his way back to the room, he had been dreaming. But now…

"-gone! Matt, are you listening? Matt, wake up," Mello yelled, punctuating his command by picking up a pillow and slapping the back of Matt with it.

Matt flinched and snored aloud. "Huh? What's gone, Mel?"

"Near! I came back from being with L and I went into Near's room and he's gone!"

"Aw, c'mon," Matt slurred, rubbing at his left eye, "give the kid a break, he's probably got a class…"

"It's two in the fucking morning, Matt," Mello said through gritted teeth.

Matt blinked. "S'it? Damn, it's late…"

Mello groaned. He paced around the room like a trapped cat and just as he lifted his head to maybe scream at Matt some more, there was a knock on the door. Mello paused in his pacing and then, sparing Matt a glance, was at the door in two large strides. He threw it open and was about to shout Near before the young boy was presented to him, asleep, in the arms of their professor.

Mello gasped, "What happened?"

"What is it, Mel?" Matt asked, still sitting up in bed.

"Maybe if you got off your lazy ass, you'd see!"

"… Not that interested…"

Mello turned back to the two and L said, "He fell asleep on me while I was driving him back to the building. Could you help me get him to his room?"

"Oh… yeah, okay," Mello went back to the nightstand by his and Matt's bed - Matt had already deduced that Near was safe and so he rolled over in bed - and retrieved his copy of Near's cardkey. He walked back over to the door and shut it behind him. L was standing over by Near's door with Near hanging limp in his arms and watching Mello expectantly.

"So," Mello said as he crossed the hallway, "how did he even find you? I thought you went to bed."

"I ended up outside. Seems Near was interested in walking around campus."

"That's dangerous," Mello grumbled, sliding the key.

"I told him so."

The door opened and Mello pushed it back further just as L held Near out to him. Mello held out his arms and took the boy, straightening again and walking into the room. He turned back at L who was standing just outside of the threshold.

"Aren't you coming in?" Mello asked, eyebrow raised.

L smirked a bit. "You're asking."

"… What?"

"You're asking me to come in. That's nice of you, Mello." He took a few steps into the apartment.

Mello scowled. "I'm not a complete heathen, you know, and I like-"

"-you," L whispered, leaning into Mello, his shirt brushing up against Near's side. His lips connected with Mello's and the blond nearly dropped his lover in surprise. After the initial shock, he pushed into the kiss, inadvertently holding Near tighter.

L pulled back quickly and smiled at the dazedly happy look on Mello's face. "You might want to put him down," he said, pointing to the boy in his arms.

"… huh… Oh. Right."

-

The next morning, Near's eyes slowly opened, fluttering under the sweet sunlight that fell down from the open window and onto his bed. He sighed lightly and fisted his hand in the comforter. He'd obviously forgotten to close the curtains again, as he had probably been staring out of the window the previous night for hours. So long, in fact, that he could not recall when he had gone to sleep.

Had it been here on the bed, that coloring book beneath him as he waited for the snowflakes to fall outside of the window? Or had it been…

I… I saw L last night, he thought sleepily, closing his eyes again, and he took me back as his assistant… He took me home. A-After we… we…

Near reached his hand up, sliding over the bedspread, and touched his lips gingerly with his fingertips. He could almost feel the warmth of L's descending lips upon his own. The heater in the car. Out of the corner of his eye, how he had seen the snowflake fall and cling to the window like life. The snowflake…

Near's eyes popped open and he whirled around, propping himself up with one hand. As he looked behind him, there were fields of white as far as he could see out of the window. And the snow continued to fall, showing no signs of stopping soon - they danced and trembled on the way down, some caught on the sill, others free to whirl out in the small storm. Near's eyes were alive with the flurries reflected in them.

It wasn't a dream.

"Mmm, Near…"

Near gasped and looked down at the body his hand was placed on. L looked up at him through tired, bleary eyes, his hair a splayed out over the pillow he lay on. Near quickly retracted his hand and whispered, "L, what're you doing here?"

"I was sleeping until you nearly punctured me," he said, sighing, and leaned back into the pillow. He looked up at the ceiling calmly. "I haven't slept like that in a long time."

"You… slept with me," Near breathed, his cheeks a bright red.

"Well, I'm still trying to sleep so, both of you, shut up."

Near whirled his head around to find Mello laying on the other side of him, by the wall. His blond hair was in disarray and his blue eyes were paler, as they usually were in the mornings, from sleep. As Near found, looking down at himself then, all three of them were in their clothes from yesterday.

"Near," Mello ground out, "what's with all the racket?"

"I… ah, what's going on? Why're you two here?" he asked, beginning to panic a little. It wasn't everyday he woke up with two men in his bed, one of them his lover and the other his teacher. Near looked back at L when he felt the man's weight shift on the bed. He sat up and was a little above eye-level with Near.

"You fell asleep in the car last night," he explained, "and I brought you back here to Mello."

Mello finally sat up, joining the two. "I can't believe you went out like that, Near, what if someone had grabbed you? Like on TV. Some crazy person could've raped you and left you out in the cold to die."

L rolled his eyes. "A comforting visual."

"Shut up, I'm being realistic."

Near looked at him, his eyes reflecting guilt. But somewhere deep inside, Near thought that maybe Mello had been tuning into Matt's radio show too often. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I couldn't sleep… Lately, I've just… had so much on my mind."

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about," Mello said, taking Near's shoulders in his hands. "The last thing we want is for you to end up like L with perpetual dark circles under your eyes."

"Thank you, Mello." L ignored Mello's laughter and placed an arm around Near's waist, causing the boy to blush and tense. "But he does have a point and we discussed this last night, while you were sleeping…"

Near looked from one to the other. We…?

"I wanted to say, just…" Mello shrugged.

"Just?" Near asked.

"Let things go naturally, okay? You don't have to hide your feelings for L," he said and Near gasped, blushing, before Mello continued, looking at the older man, "because I'm not."

Near blinked owlishly as L's other hand reached up and tangled in Mello's blond locks, pulling the two closer until they collided in a kiss, an inch away from Near's nose. When they broke away, Mello turned to Near and pushed him down to the mattress, bending forward until he captured Near's lips in a heated kiss. Near practically melted under the force of Mello's body on top of him and, when he squinted his eyes open, L was sitting there, a studious smirk tugging at his lips.

Mello kept the boy pinned to the mattress but broke their lip-lock, laying down on Near's side. He was grinning at Near's confused state and sighed into the boy's white curls as L leant over Near, taking one hand in his as he did so.

"You're quite a capable young man," he whispered in Near's other ear, causing the boy to tremble beneath him. "I believe you can handle the pressure," and he hissed the last word as their lips connected as they had the night before.

Near opened his mouth to his professor and felt Mello nipping at his earlobe and neck, trailing love bites down his pale skin.

With his legs shaking, he thought, Is it…

Mello bit him as if he were chocolate.

Is it really okay…

L sucked at his bottom lip with fierce longing.

… to be happy with two people like this?

-

to be continued.

-

A/N: Please tell me your thoughts!