A/N: Final chapter! Woo! Thanks everyone who read and reviewed! You guys are all made of fantastic and incredible and I'm very grateful to you all! Hope you enjoy the ending!

Disclaimer: Still don't own Deathnote.

Stage 4: Acceptance

After L's visit, Matt noticed that something changed in Mello's view of Near. The blonde fought to beat him just as fiercely as ever, his ranting to Matt continued just as often, and he still never went to the first floor playroom.

But the change was there.

During his rants, Mello had stopped any implications that Near was cheating, and even used the word 'intelligent' in a descriptive sense several times. His studying became more calm and fervent, and he could be persuaded outside every now and again. Matt saw that during these rare times, Mello would always shoot glances back towards the orphanage. He would focus particularly on the window of the first floor playroom, as though he could gain some kind of enlightenment on his rival if he caught a glimpse of him through that window.

One day, precisely three months after L's visit, Matt walked into the room he shared with Mello and found Near there, sitting on the floor alone in the empty room. Matt wondered for the briefest of moments if he'd entered the wrong room. Then he wondered how Near had even gotten here, since he couldn't recall ever actually seeing the albino walk.

"Hello Matt." Near greeted, breaking the stunned silence.

"Uh… hi." Matt said, "So… what are you doing here, man?"

"I… am not sure." Near admitted, looking away and raising his hand to twirl at his hair. "I think I'm waiting for Mello." Matt tried to find the proper words to convey just how terrible an idea this was.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but if Mello finds you in his room he'll probably blow up and take half the orphanage with him." Matt informed the younger boy. Near peeked up and Matt would say that his expression had turned from blank to just slightly wry.

"Is there any right way to take that?" The albino observed. Matt blinked.

"Guess not. Sorry. But it is true." Matt replied. Near looked away again.

"Probably… but I have to talk to him about something." The pale boy stated.

"Okay… But I still think this is just… again I mean no offense, but this is really a very bad plan." Matt said apologetically. Near didn't glance up again, but cocked his head curiously.

"Do you have a better one?"

Matt did. "Yeah, you go back to your playroom, and when Mello gets here I'll tell him you wanted to talk. That way he won't feel like you're invading his territory and may actually listen instead of…"

"Blowing up?" Near offered.

"Yes. That." Matt agreed.

"Alright." Near smoothly pushed himself up, and shuffled out of the room. Matt stared after him, and shook his head a few times, trying to clear it.

"That was weird…" The redhead muttered, and settled down on his bed to play his game while waiting for Mello.

Roughly half an hour later, Mello came back from his extra study course, and plopped down on his own bed. The blonde snagged a chocolate bar from his nightstand's drawer, tore open the wrapping, and sank his teeth into the sweet. Matt decided that as long as Mello had chocolate, bringing up the subject of Near was only mildly dangerous.

"So Mel…"

"Yeah Matt?"

"Near was looking for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Said he had to talk to you about something. Probably back in his playroom by now."

"I see." Mello chomped on his chocolate. Matt waited. Mello took another bite. Still, Matt waited. Mello finished his chocolate bar and grasped another. He was about halfway through it when Matt decided to hell with it.

"Aren't you going to go?" The redhead asked. Mello made a disdainful noise through a mouthful of chocolate.

"No." The blonde licked the melting bar carefully.

"Why not?" Matt ventured on bravely. Mello fixed him with a glare.

"Because it's Near." The blonde answered. "Why the hell would I want to humor Near?" And just like that, Matt lost it. He dropped his game on his pillow, leapt up, and whirled to face Mello.

"I dunno! Maybe because you're freakin' in love with him!?" Matt shouted. Mello opened his mouth, a murderous expression firmly fixed in place, but Matt didn't give him the chance. "God, Mello, don't even try and shut me down! I've only been watching you obsess over him since he got here! I've had to listen to every fucking rant, hear every little detail, even about stuff I was there for! I put up with it because you're my best friend, and because I know you'd beat the crap out of me anyway. I am so sick of hearing Near this, and Near that, and on and on and then you try to tell me you hate the guy!? That you're not even going to go see what it was he wanted to say?"

Mello's anger had been shattered by shock, his eyes widening as he watched his best friend's tirade. The chocolate bar had slipped from his fingers and landed on the carpet, but he didn't even notice.

"Just go Mello, ok!? Come back and kick my ass afterwards if it'll make you feel better, but just fucking go and talk to him." Matt finished, breathing hard. His deep gasps were all that could be heard in the room for several minutes. And then…

"Alright, Matt."

The redhead stared at his best friend, hardly daring to believe it.

"Alright. I'll go talk to him." Mello slid off his bed, padding lightly towards the door. Matt's eyes followed the blonde, any moment the gamer expected to suddenly wake up. He didn't. Mello seized the handle and pulled.

Near stood there, in the doorway, his left hand poised to knock and his right entangled in his pale curls. The boy's eyes were unusually wide, and he focused them dazedly on Mello.

Clearly, Near had been standing there for some time, and had heard the entire exchange. Mello recovered surprisingly well.

"Yes?" The blonde raised an eyebrow delicately.

"I…" Near stared at Mello, lost for words. Matt stared at the duo, now certain that Mello wasn't just going to thrash him, but literally and painfully end his existence. Matt only wished he'd gotten the chance to try the new Mario game before he went.

Then Near straightened his back, standing on his toes to reach as high as he could, and brushed a kiss against Mello's stunned lips. The albino turned, and walked away, leaving a staggered Matt and an astounded Mello behind, craning their necks to watch him as he reached the stairs and began his way down.

When Near was out of sight, Mello closed the door, took measured steps back to his bed, sat down, and proceeded to spend the next hour watching the chocolate bar he'd dropped earlier melt on the carpet.

Matt eventually shook himself out of his stupor, and quietly resumed his game, deciding it would be in his best interests not to disturb Mello in this state.

From then on, Mello went to the playroom weekly. Matt never complained about being ranted at again. Near was seen to smile brightly at random intervals. And a stain marred the carpet in Matt and Mello's room that no amount of scrubbing could completely get out.

END.

A/N: Well... that's all folks! Hope you all had as much fun reading as I did writing it! And once again I must pelt you all with desperate requests for reviews! Please! Please review! Come on it's December! Where's your Christmas spirit!?