In Charge
Chapter 22 – Fake Faces
By Threshie
AN: GAH, after working on this chapter FOREVER, here it is for you to read! x.x; I'm sorry this took so long—I'm a full-time college student, and was too buried in homework to even work on this fic for awhile, there.
I hope I did the concept I was going for justice and didn't make it too confusing with my typical head-hopping writing style...I've had what happens in this chapter planned for ages now, but actually writing it presented quite a challenge. Anyway, for better or for worse, here comes the "big reunion."
Disclaimer: Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.
For a long moment, nobody said a word. Matt was simultaneously glad, worried and puzzled at the sight of Near. Glad to know that he was safe again, worried that he was in a wheelchair...and puzzled because for some reason the white-haired boy looked absolutely floored to be seeing him.
Why...? He must've known I was here, too, not just L. We're in my hospital room, after all... It didn't make sense, but before he could wonder about it too much, his attention was drawn to something more alarming.
Near's eyes were red.
H-has he been crying?! The realization was unsettling; Matt didn't want to think about what Mikami must have done to push someone that stoic to tears. They arrested him, he reminded himself, Near's safe from him now. Not that that helped whatever had already happened to him...and the cop who had called L had obviously been wrong about the injuries being "minor," because needing a wheelchair wasn't something to dismiss lightly!
Neither was the blood.
Near's hair was dotted with it. He was missing his pajama top, and his undershirt was bloodied, too. Against his pale skin and hair, the redness in his eyes and on his clothing stood out starkly. He obviously had been injured significantly, to bleed onto his clothes like that, but the only actual signs of a wound were the bandages on his right wrist and some raw-looking red marks on his left. He already had an IV needle in the unbandaged wrist again, even though he couldn't have been back in the hospital more than half an hour.
How many IVs has he had in his arms in the past few days—3? 4? A splash of bright green drew Matt's eyes and mind away from the IV. Hey...
The dinosaur.
It was the dinosaur that he had given to Near! Matt couldn't begin to guess how it had journeyed through the entire kidnapping with Near and back again, but there it was cradled in the white-haired boy's arms. The dinosaur concluded his impression of Near's condition—bloodied, bandaged, in a wheelchair, but still clinging to a toy as he always had and probably always would. Matt took all of this in in maybe thirty seconds, but time seemed to slow down; those seconds lasted a long time.
What do I say now...? After all of this, it would be petty to even feel bad about what he told me before he got kidnapped. He wasn't sure whether he should admit how worried he'd really been—he'd been far more concerned than an acquaintance would have been. Denying it to himself was pointless, but if it would irritate Near to try and be friends when he'd been turned down, he probably shouldn't mention it to him... Or should I? I don't think he'd be mad that I was worried about him—I mean, I couldn't help it, really...
The stare-down continued for a few minutes, Matt's mind racing nonstop between his options, before Near finally ended it.
Slowly, as if any sudden movements might somehow frighten the redhead away, he placed the dinosaur on the bed in front of him. Then, much to Matt's surprise, he stood and padded the few steps it took to stand beside the bed. So he doesn't need the wheelchair, the redhead thought in relief, watching him sidelong. Even though he was sitting up in bed and Near was standing, the younger boy's small stature placed their eyes at the same level. Cornflower blue met again with deep black.
"Matt," the smaller boy breathed the name wistfully, breaking the expectant silence at last. He sounded almost as awed as he looked—almost. His eyes were wide and filled with surprise... Matt wasn't sure what to say, but was about to attempt an answer anyway, when quite abruptly there was a small hand resting on top of his head. It patted lightly, once, twice, then rested again.
"You are real," Near murmured. This time he did sound as surprised as he looked; if possible, his eyes had gotten even wider than before. He's...been through a lot. Maybe he's not quite right in the head? Matt took a deep breath, at last finding his voice again.
"Yeah," he said worriedly, reaching up and pulling the hand off of his head. Near made no move to recover it from his grip, sighing instead. He looked very tired suddenly...it had become obvious as soon as the wide-eyed surprise wore off. "Uh...are you okay?" Stupid question—of course he isn't! I mean, look at him... Matt bit his lip, staring at the dinosaur just to avoid staring at Near. He looks...hurt. It's almost as bad at when he was in the ICU—I don't even like to see him this way...but at least he doesn't actually need the wheelchair.
Near tugged on the hand that the redhead still gripped in both of his, the action pulling Matt out of his thoughts as well. A bit awkwardly, he let go, not looking up. He's okay, I guess. He's acting kind of odd...but hell, anybody would after something like this...right?
"I-I was really worried about you," he admitted more quietly, chancing a glance up at Near's expression. Not "was" exactly—I am worried about you. I'm definitely still worried about... He let the thought trail off, blinking. Near was looking down at the dinosaur, an absent little smile on his face. It was a far cry from the smirk Matt was used to—this was a sweet smile, the kind you couldn't help when you were happy. He probably didn't even know that he was smiling.
Telling him I was worried was the right thing to do, I guess, if he's smiling.
It was contagious...Matt found himself smiling, too. I think he's gonna be okay. If you can still smile, you can get through anything, right? Mello told him that whenever he felt down. It had always been sound advice.
"...I will be fine," Near assured him, plucking the dinosaur up from the bed and examining it with sudden intensity. He seemed uncomfortable suddenly—as if he'd just realized he'd been smiling.
"Yeah," Matt glanced at the plastic beast, fidgeting a bit; Near's shyness seemed as contagious as his smile had been. Gah, what's wrong with me...? Am I really this happy that he seems to be happy I was worried about him? It was really ironic that Near was smiling at all, after having such a horrible time the past few days. I don't care why, though—I'm just glad he's okay.
"Here."
Matt looked up at the one-word sentence...and blinked, finding himself nose-to-nose with Near's toy dinosaur.
"Uh...for me?" He asked, taken aback. Is he saying he doesn't want it after he's had it with him this whole time?
"He will help you feel better," Near said, in such a serious and matter-of-fact tone that Matt couldn't really object. He took the offered dinosaur, placing it on the bedside table beside his Gameboy and goggles with a raised eyebrow. I guess this must be his way of saying "get well soon" without actually saying it. The gesture made him happy; it was proof that Near cared about him at least a little. He still seems kind of surprised I'm even here...I'll bet he thought Mikami killed me for awhile there.
He had no idea...
Nodding to himself as if the acceptance of the dinosaur had set things in order and now he could move on, Near turned abruptly away from Matt...toward Mello. Recalling abruptly that L and the blonde were also in the room, Matt would have felt embarrassed to have his shy conversation with Near overheard, but he was caught off-guard by Mello's dark expression instead. Whoa...why is he so freaked out? He saved the day—shouldn't he be happy?
Near wasn't surprised at all.
In fact, he seemed to return the stormy attitude; his voice was much colder than it had been a moment before as he said flatly, "Why didn't you tell me Matt was all right?"
It had come. The moment he'd been bracing himself for.
I don't care if you're mad at me, Mello told the white-haired boy silently, meeting his dark eyes. For all of his anxiety about this on the way here, now that the moment had come he felt strangely calm. Resigned, maybe. In any case, he stared evenly at Near and didn't look away. Actually, I want you to be mad at me. Go ahead, get mad! Lose it like you did at Mikami's—no more of this fake face of yours! If he could just force Near to show that he actually cared about all of this—that he cared about Matt—then the white-haired boy couldn't turn around and lie that he still didn't want to be friends.
Then at least somebody will get something good out of all of this...
It hurt that Matt wanted Near to be his best friend more than Mello...but the blonde told himself that for once he would think of what Matt wanted instead of only what he wanted. If Matt wanted Near, now that Near had proven he had the compacity to care for Matt in return Mello had decided to let them be. And of course in the process he was going to leave, get out of the way so to speak.
Such thoughts made him laughed derisively on the inside, of course. Don't make it sound so high and mighty, he told himself, You know the real reason you're leaving is because you can't stand the sight of the two of them smiling together while you're left out across the room.
It had been futile to try to prevent it in the first place...as in any battle with Near, inevitably he had come in second again.
I knew that something was bothering him, L thought curiously, pressing a thumb to his bottom lip as he watched Mello from his chair. The blonde boy had been far too silent when he had first arrived with Near...and had looked like he was trying not to scream at somebody. It must have been anticipation for this confrontation with Near...what the great detective couldn't figure out was why Mello would care if Near was angry with him.
"Why, Mello?" The white-haired boy pressed; his voice was as soft as ever, but now there was a definite trace of anger there. "You must have known...and yet you intentionally allowed me to believe that Mr. Mikami killed him! Why?"
Killed him? I suppose to Near it must have seemed that way. Mello thought that Matt was dead when he found him, so Mello must have known that Near would assume he was dead and kept the truth from him intentionally. For Mello to have been worried about Near's reaction when he found out that Matt was all right, then... L mulled this information over for about five seconds before concluding, This isn't about Near at all.
He glanced sidelong at Matt, whose bed was mere feet away from the chair he was perched on right now. The redhead was staring at Mello in disbelief, evidently stunned into silence by what Near had just declared the blonde had done.
Indeed, that was it...L turned his wide-eyed stare back to Mello, thoughts already flying through every possible reason the blonde would have lied about such a thing. Why, if it would place Mello into this position of possibly making Matt angry with him, would he choose to do something like this? It doesn't make sense...why lead Near to believe that Matt was dead until the two of them met again and it was obvious that Matt was all right? Hmm...
Absently, he plucked one of the caramels from the tower he had been stacking on the bedside table since Near and Matt had started their conversation, peeled the wrapper off and stuck it in his mouth. Even Mello wouldn't put Near through anything else just for spite, not after what has already happened to him recently...at least, I don't think he would...but that sure is what it looks like.
Mello could feel eyes on him—not just Near's, but L's and Matt's as well. Just as he'd expected, everybody was staring at him suddenly, and none too happily. Ugh...let's speed things up a bit, I want to leave already!
He didn't relish the reaction that he was going to get, but answered flippantly, "I was too busy being shocked." H crossed his arms, forcing a smirk onto his face despite his grim and impatient state of mind, and added pointedly, "I thought for sure somebody as cold as you just had some agenda in making Matt think you were his friend—I couldn't believe you actually cared whether he was dead or not."
Explaining that he couldn't have heard what Near really thought of Matt unless he lied wouldn't help anything...he knew that Near's response would be the same regardless.
"I have told both of you this," Near answered flatly, rewarding him with an angry little frown, "Matt and I are not friends. I am not his friend."
Denial.
Yes you are, dammit! Mello gritted his teeth; he saw the way that Matt hid the crestfallen look when Near wrote off their friendship so blatantly. He already knew Near's opinion on the subject, but to have it denied so flatly and promptly still must have hurt. How dare you...you stubborn little brat, you and I both know you care about him! Why are you hurting him? I'm not standing for this—I'm gonna make you admit it!
"Don't give me that crap!" He snapped, "All you've talked about since I got you back from Mikami is 'Matt, Matt, Matt', and all Matt's been talking about since I came back from my trip with L is you!"
Near took a step toward him, but the movement tugged at his IV. Turning, he silently unclipped the rack. Mello stared at him, nonplussed. Is he really going to carry that thing over here just to argue with me to my face?
"Guys..." Matt ventured at last, sounding startled by this outburst. He looked pretty taken aback by this whole scene; Mello figured he probably felt like it was his fault they were fighting about him. I'm not going to let him take any blame this time, though—this is for me and Near to work out, and that little twit's gonna win whether he likes it or not! What the hell was this, anyway? As soon as he decided to let Near have Matt's friendship, the white-haired boy refused to accept it! Was he just born to disagree with me or something?
At any rate, neither of them answered Matt, nor even seemed to hear him.
Near crossed the room, trailing the IV rack behind him by tugging it with one arm, and everyone was silent while this was going on. L, Mello noticed, seemed to have gotten bored with the proceedings...he was stacking some caramels on the bedside table, his back to them all. I wonder if he thinks I'm an idiot to be doing something like this...as far as he can see, I'm being a big jerk for no apparent reason. It was impossible to tell what L was thinking unless he said it, of course; the great detective had just as great a poker face. It didn't help that his face wasn't even in sight at the moment...
Well, he'd done it. He'd admitted that he hadn't told Near Matt was alive, and the world hadn't ended up yet. I'll give it a few minutes.
A familiar small white form stopped in front of him, and the blonde waited calmly for whatever he planned to do. Obviously Near wanted to do something, to drag himself all the way across the room like this. Maybe he's finally mad enough to tell Matt the truth.
He doubted it, somehow—even tired and irritated as he was now, Near was still amazingly good at keeping his cool. Disturbingly so, sometimes. Being mad at me for lying about Matt isn't enough--this is going to take a little more leverage...
Near couldn't explain quite how he felt at that moment. He was angry at Mello...that much was certain. Here I was attempting to sympathize with him...and he let me say everything, knowing full-well that Matt was here and all right. I wouldn't have done this to him if he thought that Matt was dead... This explained why the blonde had been so quiet when he should have been more outwardly upset over Matt's "death," anyway. It didn't tell him why, though—why intentionally make him believe that the redhead had died?
He looked up at Mello evenly; he'd calmed himself a little during the walk across the room, and now regarded the blonde with the usual intense stare. Mello didn't look back; as with before in the hallway, he seemed upset about something, but subdued...silent.
Wait...
If he wasn't upset about Matt back there...what was he upset about? He knew Mello too well to doubt the conviction he had had before—the emotions in his voice and on his face had been genuine.
"You should have told me the truth," he said simply, keeping that question in the back of his mind for now—he could address it after they cleared up this little misunderstanding that Mello seemed to have about telling Matt that they could be friends. I told him at Mr. Mikami's place—I cannot accept. There are too many reasons why Matt and I can't be friends... "I was only so focused on Matt because I thought that I had seen him shot dead in front of me—it isn't because we are friends," he added flatly, knowing full-well that both he and Mello knew that it was a lie.
He'd already told Mello what he really thought, after all.
Thinking back to Mikami's place made him cringe; he must have really been upset, to let everything pour out for Mello to hear... Well, it doesn't matter if he knows the truth—as long as I deny it, it is just his word against mine. Near usually won that kind of confrontation...actually, he usually won most kinds of confrontations with Mello, come to think of it.
"You know what?" Mello's slanted eyes were snapping angrily with ice and blue sparks as he said sharply, "Shut up. Shut the hell up!" Near blinked, quite abruptly finding himself almost tugged off of his feet by the older boy's grip on the collar of his shirt. Mello leaned down until they were nose-to-nose, hissing out, "I don't what you think you're playing at, making him care about you more than me and then writing him off like so much garbage, but I'm not gonna let you do this!" His voice rose with each word; most of it was loud enough that Matt couldn't have possibly missed it.
Near's glare didn't falter; being shaken around by Mello hadn't exactly been the plan in coming over here, but he didn't care at this point. He was too angry to care. If you really cared about Matt's feelings, you wouldn't start this kind of argument in front of him. You should have told me all of this while we were in the hallway. Except, of course, he hadn't known that Matt was alive then...therefore he wouldn't have started the confrontation in the first place. Still, he was sure that Matt would feel like the problem now that he'd heard all of this nonsense.
I didn't make him care about me...
As always, Near's silent stare in response to his screaming only served to make Mello angrier.
"Matt's been my friend since we were little kids and suddenly now he cares about you more than me—you don't appreciate it, though, do you?!" The blonde shook him a little, but not hard—it was almost like the motion was just for show. The smaller boy blinked again, curious now. If he was really angry he wouldn't care if this hurt me...
"It's just another game to you, isn't it?!" Mello's voice was a sharp contrast to his actions; his tone was so convincing that he sounded an inch away from punching somebody in the face. "As soon as you beat me at something, you don't care about it anymore—all you cared about it for in the first place was to make sure I didn't come out on top! I know you and Matt cared about each other a few hours ago—what happened, huh? Are you saying that all you ever cared about Matt for was so that you could steal him from me?!"
Glad that he had to pause to take a breath, Near sighed and shot a dubious look up at the older boy. Why are you doing this, Mello? It isn't like you...if you were really angry, you wouldn't be holding back like this, so why are you bothering to sound like it? In a fitting irony to the blonde faking being rough with him, despite looking like he was being bullied Near was rather glad Mello had latched onto his shirt--crossing the room had tired out his legs, and he probably would've sat on the floor right there if he wasn't hanging from his collar.
So he is faking us all out...why? From what he just said, it sounds like he wants Matt and I to be friends.
The tirade could have been invented on the spot, just to have something to yell, but Mello really did sound sincere...even though what he was saying didn't make much sense, Near for some reason wanted to believe it. Assumption was the basis for all investigations...deciding to assume that Mello's words were true, he started thinking about what exactly the blonde was trying to say, instead.
From what he could interpret of the nonstop barrage, Mello seemed to think that Matt had decided Near was his best friend, ditching Mello—and that now that Near was denying being Matt's friend, that left all three of them friendless. So he was trying to push Near into admitting that he did want to be Matt's friend, in Matt's best interest...at least, that was the only reason to cast himself as the "bad guy" that Near could come up with. How stupid...as if Matt could care about me more than you, Mello—he has only really known me for a week, while he has been your friend for years.
From across the room, grabbing and shaking Near looked pretty convincing.
"Mello, stop it! You're gonna hurt him!" Matt called incredulously, staring at the two. He wished he could get out of bed and go separate the two of them physically, but L had already cautioned him against even sitting up too fast; he'd lost a lot of blood, and it left him weak and shaky. Just another problem this weekend to thank dear Mikami for...
Still, he was sorely tempted.
Ruling out that option, he turned to L, who was perched on the chair beside his bed, and asked, "A-aren't you gonna stop Mello? Near's already injured!"
"I know that it's difficult to believe," L murmured around the thumb that was pressed to his lips, staring intently at the confrontation across the room, "But I'm about 90 percent sure that this isn't as bad as it looks."
What? How does he know that? This was L, though...if anybody could tell what was going on, it was probably him...
Matt bit his lip, turning back to Mello and Near.
The blonde still had a firm grip on the collar of Near's shirt and was shouting at him, occasionally punctuating his words with a rough shake or two. The white-haired boy didn't reply; he didn't even move his hands to try and pry Mello's hands away. His back was to Matt, so the redhead couldn't really tell whether Mello's treatment was affecting him, but... Whether it shows on his face or not, he's been through enough! Mello, what are you thinking? What the hell is all of this about...?
They were arguing about him--of all the stupid things to be arguing about, of all the much more important things they could have been worrying about, they were arguing about him.
Near was possibly being hurt because of him.
"Mell!" He shouted again, sitting up impulsively and setting his chest to throbbing. Even with the pain medication in the IV it was enough to take his breath away, but he persisted in yelling anyway. "St-stop it...!" L glanced at him quickly when he heard the wincing, concern in his eyes.
"Matt, Mello isn't going to hurt him. Please trust me and don't hurt yourself," he admonished gently. "Trust me"...sighing, Matt sank back into his pillow. He did trust L...but... How can he know what Mello's going to do or not? It's not like Mell told anybody he was gonna lose his temper!
"If I'm right, this will be over pretty quickly," L mused, turning his wide-eyed gaze back to Mello and Near. Matt didn't see how...or even why they'd started arguing in the first place.
Oh, right. They were arguing about him.
L felt sorry for Matt, but he didn't really have time to explain why he'd come to the conclusion that Mello was putting on a show. If he was right—and he was confident that he was—the "fight" between the two across the room would be over before he could have gotten through an explanation, anyway.
Mello came up with an interesting problem-solving technique this time around—perhaps I'm too straightforward, but I wouldn't even have thought of this possibility. The black-haired man observed as Near said something too quiet for anyone but Mello to hear, an angry furrow to his brows. Mello's plan seemed to be working...
L hadn't been able to figure Mello's reasoning out until the blonde had grabbed Near by the shirt. It wasn't an unusual move for Mello to do when he was angry, but it had been unexpected—because Mello had made it quite obvious before he left for Mikami's place that he wouldn't let anyone hurt the white-haired boy. He wouldn't go and rescue him only to turn around and hurt him himself...
When L thought about that, it had been obviously very quickly that Mello wasn't treating Near very roughly at all, but rather making it look like he was. Near wouldn't have offered much response in any case, but if he was actually in pain L highly doubted he wouldn't even lift a hand to try and stop Mello. He hadn't even said anything at that point—and words were Near's best weapons in a fight.
What Mello had been yelling had explained the situation for L quite clearly—it was a friendship triangle, and Mello had decided that he would be the one to be ousted. Maybe he didn't believe he was capable of doing anything else...
Matt won't let that happen. I should stay out of this, though...they need to work it out for themselves. He glanced at the redhead sidelong, noting the helpless look on his face, and smiled behind the hand he was leaning his face on. I just need to wait a little while—he'll realize sooner or later that he's the only one who can solve this.
This is stupid, Matt thought, frustrated. L won't even try to stop them--isn't anybody else worried about Near, here? I mean, what a dumb thing to argue about at a time like this! Why is who gets to be my friend even up for debate? Near doesn't want to be my friend, and I'm sure that's the last thing on his mind right now! It still hurt a little to be rejected so flatly, but unlike Mello the redhead had decided to respect Near's decision and not push him about it.
The real question was, why in the world did Mello want Near to be his friend—and what was all of this about Near "making Matt care about him and then casting him aside"? He didn't do that! He had to spend time with me because I was in charge—I'm sure if he had the choice not to...
He sighed, ignoring the resulting twinge in his chest; he already knew the end to that thought. What really happened wasn't the point—even if it wasn't true, Mello obviously believed that Near had slighted him somehow. The blonde usually came across as pretty self-centered, but Matt knew from experience that it was just like him to leap to furious defense if anybody tried to hurt his friends. Near didn't do anything wrong, though...if anything, I'm the dummy who started caring about him when I knew he likes to be alone.
Near had seemed glad to see him when he'd first arrived, glad enough to even count as concern, but now Matt knew that it had been more shock to see him alive than anything. He was just surprised to see I was alive and okay...he might not be my friend, but he obviously doesn't hate me or anything, so he was happy I was okay. That's all--i-it's not friendship...
He frowned at Mello again; he had gone silent, but hadn't let go of Near yet. This has to stop—Mell, you're wrong about Near. You're wrong about me, too--you said I care about Near more than you, but I never said anything like that! I care about you both!
As in in response to his thoughts, Mello abruptly relinquished his grip on Near's shirt, turning to glare at the redhead instead. As angry as he'd sounded a moment ago, his eyes told a different story. Hurt and desperation, that's what that look said. Huh...? He sounds mad, but he doesn't look it at all...
"Matt, Near's a damned liar," the blonde said darkly, "He cares about you whether he says it or not!" Matt only frowned back at him. No, he doesn't. Mell, I don't understand this—why are you so determined to make Near be friends with me? Do you think it would make me happy to have a friend who doesn't really want to spend time with me?
"I do," Near sighed, smoothing down his shirt; he seemed pretty unaffected by Mello's outburst, despite his fragile appearance. The blood and bandages didn't do much to inspire confidence in his condition.
"Ignore him—he does--" Mello started, then blinked and turned to stare wide-eyed at the white-haired boy. "What?! You do?"
...He does? Matt echoed silently; he hadn't expected that reply at all. Of course, Mello obviously hadn't either—he'd been so sure Near was going to deny caring about him that he hadn't even acknowledged what the smaller boy was saying for a moment. Matt had been listening the first time, though, and was a bit hopeful at the short answer. Wait...but...he said he didn't case about me. What the hell is going on, here? Why is everybody lying suddenly?
"Yes," Near raised a hand, started to twist a lock of his hair around one finger, as he frowned up at Mello sidelong, "I said that I do care about him. I do not, however, consider him a friend, and I don't know why you of all people want me to do so."
"Oh, yeah?" Mello smiled bitterly down at him, "Like hell. Listen to me, Matt—Near wants to be your friend more than anything." He didn't look away from Near, whose eyes had widened. The smaller boy looked...strange, suddenly. Uneasy. Intimidated? Matt thought, startled. Mello glared at the white-haired boy, adding bitterly, "He was crying over your supposed 'death', for god's sake—if he says he's not your friend one more damned time, injuries or not I'm gonna kick him!"
Matt looked quickly to Near, expecting him to make some blunt reply and dismiss the whole story in one fell swoop...
But he didn't.
Instead, the white-haired boy quietly averted his eyes to the floor, becoming if possible even paler than he'd been before, and wrapped his arms around himself. Matt stared. He's telling the truth...isn't he? Near wasn't crying about Mikami, then? But...I thought he didn't care...why would he tell me he doesn't want to be friends if he does?
Finally!
Such a victory over Near felt pretty hollow, since he was essentially fighting for the right to lose to the white-haired boy, but Mello savored it in a strange way nonetheless. He'd never managed to strike Near speechless before...it was kind of funny to watch, really. Don't worry, you little twit—you're the loser right now, but in a minute you'll be number one again...as usual.
"Near..." Matt began, concern in his voice. Mello turned in his heel and started for the door, figuring he could have the last word in the argument for once. It was a fitting goodbye, right? Bye, guys, I'm sure now that Near's lying is out of the way you'll be happy and best buddies and all of that damned stuff I used to have. I hope you're happy, Matt...that's what's important, after all...
"Mello—w-wait, where are you going?" Matt sounded anything but happy at the moment.
Mello could have kept walking...he probably should have. Turning his back on Matt wasn't something that he was proud of doing, though, even if he had done it a time or two in the past. Since Matt couldn't follow him right now, though, it would be pretty unfair to run for it...even if that's all he wanted to do right now. Talking sure as hell isn't what I want to do! He gritted his teeth; Matt probably just wanted to tell him they could all be friends—that he didn't care about Near more, even though it was so damned obvious... It's okay. Let him say whatever he wants—this way it'll be over with.
Taking a deep breath, Mello stopped in his tracks only a few feet from the door. Here it comes, he thought, closing his eyes. "Let's all be friends", or "Let's talk about this some more"...hell, maybe it's gonna be "thanks for nothing", after I "picked on" Near in front of him!
What Matt said next wasn't at all what he'd expected, though.
"A...are you kidding me?" Mello opened his eyes again at this, blinking at the door he'd almost escaped out of. "You're gonna walk out on everybody over me?" Matt sounded like he wasn't sure whether to laugh or panic. Bet he didn't think he was important enough for somebody to do that over, the blonde thought a bit bitterly.
He decided not to answer either question. "No" and "yes" ought to be pretty evident when he was just about to leave.
"That's it, right?" The redhead asked, "Seriously, you guys are fighting because you both want to be my friend...right?"
Crossing his arms, Mello wondered why he was bothering to answer, but said darkly, "You've always been my best friend—why the hell would I change my mind now?"
Matt shook his head in disbelief—he was right, they were fighting over him! Or rather, over which of them should be his friend—Mello obviously wouldn't mind being his friend, but for some reason thought he wanted Near to fill the position more than him. And here I thought people as smart as them would get bored with somebody like me. Sheesh.
He glanced at Near, who was still examining the toes of his socks uncomfortably. What Mello had said about him crying must be true, to warrant such a reaction... I'm guessing you actually do want to be friends, like Mello was yelling about before...?
"A-and, Near..."
"I lied," the white-haired boy confirmed glumly, not looking at him. He sighed, "I am sorry....I do want to be your friend. However, there are reasons why I..."
Mello's trying to make Near be friends with me...Near's trying to hide wanting to be friends with me so that Mello can stay my friend...hold on, I think I get it...!
"You two both think I can only have one best friend." Matt said it as he realized it, thought it aloud. Suddenly this all makes sense...they've been arguing about me since Mello got back from his trip with L, haven't they? Over me...because they think so some reason that I can't be friends with two people at once! He shook his head in disbelief. Gah—I'm supposed to be the dumb one, here, guys! How can the two smartest people after L believe something this...stupid?
"Mello has always been your best friend," Near spoke up, smiling wearily. "Don't ruin that to be friends with me—I am used to being alone."
"Don't listen to him!" Mello shot back immediately, whirling around to glare at the white-haired boy, "He cares about you, and I know you care about him, Matt! If you care about him more than me...i-if you'll be happier this way..." The last few words had a tremble to them; abruptly, he turned back toward the door, clenching both hands into fists. "L-look, why don't we ask L? He's a genius, he'll get what I'm talking about here!"
Matt glanced at their mentor, who was stacking his caramels as calmly as ever and seemed to be carefully ignoring the other occupants of the room. Which really meant that he was eavesdropping intently, the redhead knew. L glanced back at him promptly, nodded oh-so-slightly, and turned back to his caramels without a word.
The message had come across loud and clear, though. You don't need my help on this one, he was saying. You already know the answer. Take charge.
Matt looked back to the two across the room and frowned. He's right—this is pretty easy to solve.
"We shouldn't even bother L with this," Near was telling Mello from the floor; he had sat down at some point, and was now hugging one knee to his chest tiredly. "The answer is painfully obvious: you and Matt remain friends. It has always worked before, why change things now?"
"Because now he cares about you," Mello grumbled, "I don't see why, but he does, so...l-look, just shut up and let me win an argument for once, dammit!"
"Hey guys," Matt interrupted the two of them, sighing. "C'mere a sec...I don't wanna yell at you from across the room." I've got something to tell you to your faces...
Mello and Near exchanged one last scowl before, ironically, the blonde stooped down and scooped the smaller boy up into his arms. Near seemed a bit surprised, but wasn't complaining; he was very quiet as Mello carried him across the room, snagging the IV rack with one small hand and pulling it along beside them.
"Thank you," Near murmured tiredly as the blonde placed him back onto the floor beside Matt's bed a moment later.
Mello crossed his arms, answering pointedly, "It was quicker getting back this way." He turned to Matt, glaring. "So? What's the verdict—me or Near?" His rushed tone made it pretty obvious that he wanted Near to be declared the "winner" already so that he could escape this tense atmosphere he'd mostly created singlehandedly. I'll put an end to that, too, Matt thought grimly.
He hadn't planned on putting it this shortly, but since Mello had asked so abruptly, the redhead answered in kind.
"Neither," he said.
--End Chapter 22
AN: Brain...turning...to...mush... x.x This chapter was finished while I was really exhausted from nonstop homework for hours beforehand, so...if it's a bit hard to understand, I'm really sorry. I hope it didn't disappoint—all of the switching points of view confused me while writing, so I'm afraid they'll probably confuse people while reading, but what can I say, there are four different people in this scene... (Sigh)
Trivia: This chapter's title refers to the fact that Near and Mello are lying to try and make Matt be friends with the other—Near in denying he wants to be friends, Mello in pretending to be more of a jerk than he actually is to try and make Matt get mad at him. XD; (Which backfired brilliantly...LOL, everybody knows him too well to believe he's really mad if he didn't actually hurt Near at all in such a situation.) It also has a tie-in with next chapter...as you will see just as soon as I get the darned thing written! (The hard part was this one, though, so it should be out MUCH sooner...thank goodness. Taking this long to update irritates me, too, you know. (Sweatdrop) )
To whoever keeps leaving anonymous reviews asking if I've died when I take too long to update, know that it's kind of irksome to get such a review right after I've just spent every hour of what time I had left after doing my college homework working on the latest chapter. It'd be nice if you would review with an account, at least, so that I could reply and let you know that I am, I fact, very much alive. ^^; I'm not mad or anything, it's just kind of frustrating that the only response I can give you is a new chapter and when I receive such reviews I generally don't have the newest one DONE yet. Rest assured, the moment they're finished I post them up for you to read, LOL.
Anyway! Thanks to all of my readers who have stuck with this story through its super-fast AND super-slow updating phases (yes, even you, Anonymous :) Again, I'm sorry updates are taking so long, but I DID say they would slow when my college quarter started up. We won't have to worry about that much longer, though--the ending is fast approaching! 'Til then, I hope that you enjoyed this super-long chapter! :)
-Threshie
In Charge Akugi! Volume 22
Akugi #86
Narrator: Near's shyness seemed as contagious as his smile.
Matt: (Smiles) Gah, what's wrong with me...? I feel all warm and fuzzy suddenly... //
Near: ^^ "I win, Mello—he's in love!"
Mello: (Shakes fist) "He hasn't SAID it yet, dammit!"
Matt: _; Ouch, guys--am I just part of your competition?
Akugi #87
L: I knew that something was bothering him. C_C (Watches Mello curiously) So it's a love triangle, then...
Mello, Matt and Near: (See his expression and wonder uneasily just what he's thinking about them...decide to cut argument short to distract him with cupcakes)
Threshie: ^^; "It's way too easy to interpret this fic as shounen-ai, seriously..."
Akugi #88
L: "If I'm right, this will be over pretty quickly."
Near: (Has had enough of being yelled at; punches Mello's lights out)
Matt: o_o; "H-how...but...isn't he supposed to be HURT?"
L: (Matter-of-factly) "Mello messed up his hair. You don't mess up Near's hair."
Matt: (Recalls how many times he's ruffled Near's hair or patted his head in this fic; gulp)
Akugi #89
Mello: "Matt, Near's a damned liar! He cares about you whether he says it or not!"
Matt: (Frowns) No, he doesn't...
Near: (Sighs and smooths down shirt) "I do."
Mello: "Ignore him—he does--" (Turns to stare at Near) "What?! You do?"
Near: (Smirks) "Made you look."
Mello: "...."
