In Charge
Chapter 12 – Friendship
By Threshie
AN: Sorry this took so long, guys. (Sweatdrop) Not that I have a particular schedule for when to update, but people seem to start panicking that I'm abandoning the fic if I go more than a week without an update. I've been drawing a lot lately as opposed to writing; in particular, I'm working on a Death Note doujinshi, my first ever actual full-size manga type project. It's on manga paper and everything...LOL. Besides the drawing, the reason that this chapter was a bit long in coming is that the plot line gave me some difficulty. I think I've got things plotted out well enough now to make it turn out the way that I want it to...albeit in the longest chapter yet. Over 5,000 words this time! (Phew!)
Even without many reviews coming in, judging by the "Story Traffic" feature this fic is now pulling around 100 different readers (not hits, but actual READERS) per chapter. (Impressed) Wowee, guys... I'm glad that so many people are enjoying the story, and I'll do my best to keep turning out an interesting fic for you all. :) Thanks very much for reading!
Disclaimer: Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.
The house was a mess, and Mello didn't care to clean it up.
Slamming the door and flicking the lights on, the blonde ignored the assortment of games Matt had left scattered on the couch, making a beeline for the computer room. L had set up dozens of computer monitors and several computers inside, a tangled mess of cords snaking out from behind them and into no less than five power strips, each of which had eight sockets.
There were papers all over the floor, along with a computer chair lying on its side. Realizing that it was Near's, Mello felt a brief twinge of that bad feeling again. I'll bet he fell of of it—there's no other reason it would be on the floor. He headed past the mess, cursing to himself when the toe of one of his boots caught a toy robot and knocked it into the far wall. There were more toys underneath the papers—dozens of them. Stupid Near and his stupid toys! What the hell is this, a giant toy box?!
Grumbling to himself, Mello came over to the phone and sat on the table next to it, propping an elbow onto one knee and leaning his face on that hand. He punched the button to turn speaker-phone on, not wanting to mess with the receiver at the moment, and then the speed-dial button for voice mail.
Did Gevanni or Rester call? I barely even recognize what they sound like—they're not my problem... Well, at the moment they were...
He sighed, listening as the machine rattled off something about having forty-five new messages, and waited. The number of messages didn't matter; dozens of people left messages for L at all hours of the day and night, so most of them probably weren't from Gevanni or Rester.
Maybe none of them were.
Listening to forty-five messages will take too long! Irritated, the blonde punched the button to skip to the next message—3—repeatedly, counting off the number of times in his head. If they left any messages, they've got to be the most recent ones—I'll try the last five.
After punching the 3 button forty times, Mello was naturally quite sick of using the phone—especially when the message that started to play after all of that trouble was just another one for L. Not important—3! Punch. There was a beep, and then the next message started in...something about L and "the murder case in L.A." Growling, Mello jabbed at the 3 button again.
Beep.
"Hello Near, this is Commander Rester. I guess you're busy right now, or you'd answer the phone..."
Finally! Mello sat up slightly, listening to the message. If Rester said anything important, he would have to relay it to Near. Not that he could do anything about it from the hospital—why even bother?
"The investigation is going well—the police weren't kidding when they said it was a very strange case. It's too complicated to describe over the phone—I'm emailing you the photos and forensics reports we have so far. There are still two locations tied to the crime to investigate before I'm done here, so don't expect me back for awhile. Call me when you get my email, all right? I have some other information that's kind of hard to put into text."
Beep.
It occurred to Mello that he wasn't sure where Rester was calling from. Near sent him and Gevanni to different states, but that's all I really know about it. Not my case. He was curious what kind of information Near wouldn't be able to understand in text, but the next message was starting, so he did his best to pay attention.
"Gevanni here," the voice was male, slightly gravelly, and sounded very irritated. "Would it kill you to pick up the phone? This's my third time calling, and I finally gave up and decided to leave you a message. Listen, Salem's not a happy place right now—ours isn't the only murder case being investigated here. There was another murder right after I got here! I emailed you a bunch of photos and documents about our case, but look, it looks like the new murder's connected--the crime scene has a tie-in with ours. If you give me the go-ahead, I'm gonna go over and investigate that place, too. Please get back to me."
Beep.
Since he'd heard from both Rester and Gevanni, Mello was about to punch the 3 button again to skip the final message, but the familiar voice made him freeze.
"Hey, this's Matt," the machine murmured; the tone was that familiar, slightly awkward "I rehearsed this in my head but nothing's coming out right" one that Matt got when he knew that he was being recorded. It made Mello smile. He's never been the most confident public speaker ever...why did he leave a voice mail, though?
The next sentence answered his thought almost before he finished it.
"Um...Near got appendicitis and had to have surgery, so we're gonna be staying here for awhile. Speaking of 'here', we're are the St. Marie Hospital on 203 West Street; Near's room number is 128." There was a brief pause, then the rest of the message came out in a rush, as if Matt was trying to get the call over with: "I'm listing this stuff because if Gevanni or Rester are listening to this, Near would appreciate it if you'd bring some of his toys—those robots, maybe—and if it's not too much trouble, bring me a few packs of smokes."
Beep.
"End of messages," the answering machine murmured, in a soft British-accented voice. Mello had always figured that L didn't like robotic-sounding computers because, with the way his voice synthesizer sounded, it sounded like another L was talking to him.
Of course Matt called home to let anybody who got back know what's going on, Mello told himself, glancing down at the answering machine. It made sense, and was the responsible thing to do. The comment about cigarettes amused him. He's a terrible liar—pretty bad at making a serious request sound casual, too. He sighed, pressing the button to end the call, and hopped off of the table. So I'll tell Near both of his men called, and that both want him to call them back. And to check his email.
He made a beeline for the kitchen—the good chocolate was in the highest cabinet. Snagging a handful of bars, he tore the foil off of one and snapped off a piece. He wondered what Matt and Near were talking about while he wasn't there.
...I wasn't even gone a week, and Near's already snagged my best friend. I hate him! The bad feeling twinged, and for once he didn't care. Try as he might, when it came down to one-on-one competitions with Near, the white-haired boy somehow always won. It seemed like competing for who got which cases to solve wasn't enough for him now.
That liar—how is he not being friends with Matt?! He only always beats me because he lies and cheats at everything! Growling, he let go of his chocolate bar, which hung clenched in his teeth, and yanked the door open. His other hand was full of the other bars, and he didn't feel like juggling them around between hands at the moment.
He climbed back onto the motorcycle, stowing the chocolate behind him in the under seat compartment, and revved the engine a lot more loudly than was necessary. This is because I got L to myself, isn't it? He can't stand it, so he decided to steal Matt to get back at me!
He was angry at Near for always messing up whatever he was happy with, for monopolizing Matt's attention...for that guilty, bad feeling that wouldn't leave him alone. He hated the fact that hating Near made him feel like a jerk at the moment.
I have nothing to feel guilty about—he's taking full advantage of this whole hospital thing. He's sick, but he doesn't need Matt waiting on him hand and foot--I've got a right to be mad, dammit! Despite the words, he couldn't muster up any more anger. He was frustrated, yes, but saying that he hated Near wasn't exactly the truth. He wasn't fond of the white-haired boy by any means, but what he really hated was that he apparently wasn't as good as Near. He hated that Near always beat him—not at some things, not sometimes, but always and at everything.
That meant that it was only a matter of time before Matt's friendship wasn't his anymore...because now that Near had decided he wanted it, he could take it from Mello without even trying.
As he pulled the motorcycle out onto the highway, the wind stirred through his hair, the roar and rumbling of the engine washing away the sounds of the world. He had to get back to the hospital quick, if only to keep Near from having any more time alone with Matt.
He's been my best friend for years...for as long as I can remember. Don't I matter to him? No...he wouldn't do this on purpose. Near's manipulating him. Matt was possibly the only person who really understood Mello, and the person that the blonde got along with the best. The thought of losing his friendship was bad enough, but thinking of it going to Near instead was like a punch in the stomach.
Matt, I'm not letting Near have you without a fight. Watch and see—I'll show you who really cares about you, and who doesn't care about anybody but himself!
"I'm sorry..." Matt was sure what he had expected when he went walking out into the hallway with Near in his pajamas and socks, but running into Mikami and receiving a prompt, polite apology hadn't been it.
The black-haired man even bowed to Near, and looked truly bothered by his apparent mistake. Too bad I'm not sure what he's apologizing for... Matt glanced down at Near, who was watching Mikami a bit warily, to see if he knew.
Apparently not, because he raised a hand and started to twist a lock of his hair, murmuring, "For what?"
Stiffening a bit, Mikami sat up straight and adjusted his glasses. He frowned.
"While under my care, your condition became much worse and you were moved to the Intensive Care Unit. As the nurse in charge of your care, I must take responsibility—I'm only doing my job properly if you improve and recover."
"Near doesn't blame anybody for that," Matt said, "It was an allergic reaction."
Near nodded, looking up at Mikami seriously. It was a scrutinizing kind of stare; while he didn't blame the nurse for what had happened, he obviously wasn't very fond of him, either.
"...Dr. Lidner says that I do not have peritonitis," he said pointedly, frowning. "What made you so sure that I did?"
Come to think of it...according to his "tests", there was no doubt about it. Matt blinked, quickly looking back at Mikami to see his reaction. He looked irritated now.
"Your condition at the time was caused by the growing allergic reaction, but the symptoms were very similar to those of peritonitis," he explained, crossing his arms.
"So you misdiagnosed me, then," Near said pointedly, frowning back.
Mikami looked like he might be about to say something unpleasant, but instead he only said, "Appendicitis in which the appendix is ruptured has a much higher chance of peritonitis." A pause. "Besides, I was going to bring Dr. Lidner to verify before any action was taken—I am not a doctor, and I wasn't playing at it either."
That last comment made Matt frown, too.
"Next time," he pointed out, "It'd be nice not to tell the patient he might die until after you asked a real doctor." He didn't have to say that to Near—it scared me, and I wasn't even the one who might die.
"The patient has a right to know what's happening to them, and as far as his symptoms were concerned at the time he definitely had an infection," Mikami countered stiffly; it seemed like an injury to his pride every time someone pointed out that he was capable of making mistakes. What a prick—if you were as perfect as you pretend you are, you wouldn't think you had anything to apologize for! Get over yourself already! It usually took a lot to make Matt mad, but after his dealings with Near, Mikami was on the "short fuse" list for sure.
Maybe that was why he said what he did next.
"Not when the patient's a kid!" The words came out before he could stop them. Near looked and sounded and even acted so child-like that it was easy to think of him as one...Matt respected him a lot, though, so he hadn't ever really said so like this. Crap...I hope he doesn't think I'm belittling him. I'm not...he just seems like he needs somebody to take care of him...
"I am not that much younger than you, Matt," Near pointed out, amused by the direction that the conversation was going. He sounded serious and calm, of course—the amusement was of the inward variety. I wonder what age Mr. Mikami thinks I am...not that it is important. Sighing, he added, "And, I would much rather know what is really happening to me than to be kept in the dark, even if it might be disturbing."
I hope that this conversation is over soon so that we can walk again... Amusing as Matt was being, Near didn't particularly enjoy talking to Mikami. His energy was also running out fast, and he had hoped to walk to the end of the hallway and back today. Only now that Mikami had shown up, he was wasting that energy standing around and talking...
Matt looked unhappy with his reply, but only said, "I guess." He glanced at Mikami, frowning slightly and adding, "We'd better get going—you shouldn't stand for too long."
It really seems to bother him that Mr. Mikami hurt me before. Actually, for somebody who he had only spent a few days of time with, Matt seemed to care about his well-being an awful lot... I wonder if that is because I am a "kid" to him... He sighed, allowing himself to be led past Mikami and down the hallway again.
Mello's little chat with him really had backfired. Ever since the blonde had made him say that he wouldn't start a friendship with Matt, he hadn't been able to get the thought of doing just that out of his head. I hadn't considered it an option...but, he is treating me like a friend, isn't he? He peered up at the redhead, who was looking thoughtfully off into the stretch of hallway ahead of them while walking, and smiled faintly. If I wanted to, if I responded in kind, I could have a friend.
Matt could be my friend.
Mello felt an irritating amount of deja vu as he propped the motorcycle onto its kickstand in the garage for the second time in the same hour. Climbing off of the leather seat, he sighed and headed back into the house. Damned Near....this is your fault, too! In all truth, it was his own fault that he had had to come back, but blaming Near for things didn't make him feel as bad as it had awhile ago.
He had been so busy fuming at Near over potentially stealing Matt's friendship before that he had forgotten entirely about Matt's request in the voice mail. You get me stuff when I ask you to, so it's the least I can do to bring you some smokes, Matt. As if you'll leave poor little Near's side long enough to go smoke, anyway! That wasn't the point, though; it wasn't Matt's fault that Near was manipulating him, Mello told himself. He refused to believe that Matt could actually want to be Near's friend on his own...there had to be some sort of mind game going on, he was sure of it. He's probably pulling some guilt trip, the jerk...
He went and rummaged in Matt's room—an utter mess, as usual—until he found a slightly battered box of cigarettes hidden halfway under the bed. Pocketing them, the blonde frowned. There was one more thing that I was supposed to do while I was here...something Near mentioned at the hospital. He stood there wracking his brain for what it could be, but, as usual when he forgot about something and then focused intently on remembering it, the last task stubbornly eluded him. His mind seemed eager to think of anything else, in fact.
Oh, forget it! Near can do his own stupid work when he gets back home, for all I care. Scowling at Matt's room in general as if it might clean itself up suddenly by intimidation alone, the blonde teen headed back out to the garage, hopped onto his motorcycle, and sped off again without giving the forgotten task another thought.
Instead he thought of the situation at hand.
When will L get back already? He said he'd be back yesterday. I wonder if something went wrong with the case... He frowned, coming to a reluctant stop at a red light, and glared at the driver in the car next door, as the man was shooting him a weird look. Whether it was his clothing, his haircut, or the fact that he was riding an enormous motorcycle and looked very small by comparison, Mello didn't know, but he hated it when people stared at him. You look like a freak to me, too, so there!
He drummed gloved fingers on the handlebars impatiently. I should call L when I get back to the hospital. Hmm...no, maybe before that. Then nobody can overhear, so we can discuss the case if that's the problem that's holding him up... Just as the light turned green again, he swerved abruptly into the turn lane and pulled over in front of a small convenience store, killing the engine and reaching for his cell phone. If it was a problem with the case, he might be able to help since he had worked on it, too.
"Aww!" Matt sweatdropped, stopping very reluctantly when he heard the chorus of feminine cooing from behind them. Near turned, too, glancing back at the three nurses who were quickly making their way to the two boys. Two of them were brunettes, the third a redhead, and all wore bright, cheery scrubs with cartoon patterns printed on them. They were young, maybe 20, and so Matt guessed that they were probably interns from some college.
"Are you a patient here, sweetie?" The brunette with the green scrubs asked Near in that patient and slightly higher-pitched voice that people seemed to reserve for young children. She braced her hands on her knees, leaning forward slightly to be eye level with him.
Tugging on a piece of his hair, the smaller boy looked down at the floor rather than meet her eyes and nodded. It was such a childish response that Matt couldn't help but smile, too. He doesn't like talking to strangers much, I don't think. That, or he's trying to make them go away so we can finish our walk... He sighed; they had already been stopped by Mikami, and now this. The end of the hallway was beginning to look farther away than it had from the outside of Near's room...
"I thought so—isn't it fun to spend all day in your pajamas?" The woman giggled, sitting up. Matt sweatdropped. She has no idea he never wears anything but pajamas, he reminded himself, So she doesn't know why that's a really...ironic...question.
"I suppose," Near murmured, glancing up at her a bit tiredly. There was another chorus of hushed "aww!"s from the other two women behind the one talking to him.
"What a polite kid! I'm sure somebody nice like you will be all better in no time, and back home with your parents," the redheaded nurse said sweetly, reaching over and patting Near's head. Blinking, he looked down at the toes of his socks and nodded again.
"Um, we'd better keep walking, Near," Matt suggested as politely as he could, sensing that the white-haired boy wasn't sure how to get rid of his new admirers.
"Yes," Near glanced at the women again, looking somewhat relieved. "It was nice meeting you all." He turned and started down the hallway again, leaving Matt to hurriedly follow suit.
"Bye-bye!" The nurses giggled, waving. Matt sweatdropped and waved halfheartedly back, then faced forward again. Sheesh... He glanced at Near, who was looking thoughtfully at the floor as he walked and twisting a lock of his hair again. I guess that's what I should've expected, walking around out here with a cute little guy like him...eheh. He really does seem a lot younger than he is.
It was disconcerting whenever he realized that Near was only a year younger than him. He would be more inclined to believe that the white-haired boy for some reason lied about his age, if not for the fact that he had grown up around Near and so knew that he really was fourteen years old.
Near had always thought that his white hair was what people noticed first when they met him. Now, though, he was beginning to think that his apparent age was somehow more attention-grabbing. Do I really look that childish...? He wondered, fidgeting with a piece of his hair absently. Being small of stature is one thing, but people seem to believe that I don't think like a teenager does. Hmm.
The nurses weren't the only ones...Dr. Lidner seemed to talk to him in a "how cute, a kid who's acting mature—I'll humor him" kind of way, and even Matt had said that Near was a "kid" during that conversation with Mikami.
Matt seems to mean well, though. He was only concerned that Mr. Mikami had scared me. I wasn't afraid...but it was kind of him to consider that. He glanced up at Matt sidelong, then quickly returned his gaze to the floor when he realized that the redhead was watching him. ...Based off of how he and Mello interact—the only example of friendship that I have available at the moment—Matt has been treating me like a friend. He was almost certain that if he asked Matt to be his friend, the redhead would happily agree.
But if he did that...
Mello will never forgive me.
"Matt..." He ventured thoughtfully, deciding to test the waters.
"Yeah?" The taller boy replied immediately—almost too quickly. Has he been waiting for me to say something?
Seriously, Near turned and looked him in the eye.
"Why do you care what happens to me?" It was a blunt, matter-of-fact kind of question, but very relevant to the situation. Depending upon his answer, maybe he is just being kind and not offering friendship. Maybe he is only so concerned with my well-being because I seem like a child to him...
Matt blinked, obviously caught off-guard by being asked this straight-out.
"Um....I'm not sure. I just do," he explained sheepishly, scratching his head. "I guess you're an interesting person. I-in fact, I was kind of hoping we could still be friends after all of this...this hospital stuff is over with. I-I mean, I know I'm not a very interesting person or anything, but maybe, if you don't mind..." He trailed off into somewhat awkward mumbling, looking at the nearest wall with sudden and tense interest.
Near frowned to himself, looking at the floor again. Just as I thought...he does want to be my friend. If I accept, though, Mello will be furious because I told him that I wasn't going to befriend Matt. He sighed. He really didn't care if Mello was angry at him, but if he caused a scene then Matt would definitely feel like it was his fault for being the subject of the argument.
Not only that, but if Mello and Near were both Matt's friends, who would be his "best" friend then? Does he care about me more than Mello already? He was spending all of his time looking after Near; as things looked now, it was highly probable that Matt would pick Near as his best friend over Mello...despite the years of difference in the time that Matt had been friends with one or the other.
He would never do that to Mello, though, the white-haired boy knew. He would try to be his friend, too. Mello might not know that, though. If Matt is friends with me at all, he will be unhappy. If Mello is unhappy, Matt will be unhappy. And so long as I am Matt's friend, Mello will constantly try to beat me at being Matt's "best" friend—I know that is what he will do. Matt won't fall for it, of course—but if he does anything toward me, Mello will assume he is losing and up the ante.
In other words...befriending me would likely ruin Matt's friendship with Mello entirely.
He sighed softly, closing his eyes.
I don't want that.
"I am grateful that you have taken such good care of me," he said, "But we don't have much in common, Matt. I don't think that we could be friends." He said it more coldly than he'd intended to, probably because he was too tired to hide what he was feeling. "I would rather be by myself, thank you."
It was a lie, and a blatant one at that.
He wanted Matt's friendship.
He didn't want to be alone again.
Near had never had a close friend before; even L, as much as he obviously cared about all of them, was always busy with work and rarely spent any significant amount of time with any one of them. Mello and Matt had always had each other for companionship...and that left him by himself. I would rather be lonely, which I am used to, than to cause Matt as much upset as a friendship with me would cause, though, he told himself firmly.
"...Th-that's okay, no big deal," Matt tried his best to sound unbothered, but there was definitely hurt in his voice. He fidgeted, adding hurriedly, "We better start heading back, before you get too tired to walk the whole way." Near nodded, allowing the redhead to lead the way back to his room.
I'm sorry, Matt...this is what is best for you. Being my friend would only make you miserable in the long run.
--End Chapter 12
AN: I'm not sure who I feel worse for—Matt, Near or Mello! Nobody's happy at the moment. (Sweatdrop) Meanwhile, something seems to have delayed L's return—and yet he hasn't called to tell anybody why! As if the poor guys didn't have enough to worry about...
Took me hours, but all 11 chapters before this one now have Akugis, too. (Stubborn and wants all chapters to match, so wrote them all on in one day) Go back and read them if you haven't already, LOL. :) See you in lucky chapter 13 next!
In Charge Akugi! Volume 12
Akugi #45
Narrator: He headed past the mess, cursing to himself when the toe of one of his boots caught a toy robot, which retaliated by blasting a hole in the leather footwear with its laser rifle. It then transformed into Wing Zero Flight Mode and--
Mello: "NEAR! Give the keyboard BACK TO THRESHIE!"
Near: (Smirks)
Akugi #46
Mello: Listening to forty-five messages will take too long! (Punches the 3 button to skip 45 of them)
3 Button: (Breaks after message # 25)
Mello: "...ARGH!" (Is forced to listen to the remaining 20 HIGHLY TECHNICAL, WORDY messages for L about very COMPLEX cases, as he can't skip them)
Akugi #47
Mikami: "I'm sorry..." (Bows)
Near: (Twists hair) "For what?"
Mikami: "For assuming that you are a child—how could I not realize that you're loli-shouta? It's something from my own culture—how could I have overlooked it?!" (Spazz)
Near: "...."
Matt: (Wonders what "loli-shouta" means, exactly...)
Akugi #48
Nurse: (Gushy-sweet voice) "Are you a patient here, sweetie?"
Near: u.u "I am a surgeon."
