"I don't need saving!" Nate cried, his voice raising. "I've lived a damn good life and its time for it to end!"

Mihael blinked- looking taken aback.

"...Nate?" He frowned.

Nate let out a slow breath, before he took a seat and dropped his head into his hands.

--

After Nate had taken off after Mihael, Missy dragged Lawliet, Mail, and Light to 'explore', leaving Near with Mello.

Mello had taken a seat on the couch. He was so much different from when he was a boy. his hoody was baggy and black, as was to be expected, but his pants were black, skin-tight leather that laced up and he wore a large belt buckle. All of this had been at Nate's prompting, but Mello had come to appreciate the look- despite criticism for resembling a 'male prostitute'. Then there was the burn scar- it looked horrible, even if it overall made him look cool with his longer, messier bangs, that scar could only be attributed to a horrifyingly bad burn and it even seemed to run down his neck and shoulder a little.

Near took a seat in the recliner across from the blonde, pulling one leg up against his chest - something that Mello knew he only did when he was upset or conflicted over something. To add insult to injury, he began to curl a lock of his hair... which he only did when he was attempting to avoid thinking about something.

"...I forgot how quiet you were." Mello smirked- crossing his arms over his chest. "And how far away you liked to keep from me...out of arms' reach."

"Not always," Near replied, lifting his eyes to meet Mello's in a cold battle of wits. "At times I liked it when Mello held me close."

"You didn't at first, but when I was away you started to notice...you kinda liked it." Mello replied.

"But Mello has someone else he likes to hold, now," Near accused.

Mello blinked- frowning slightly and seeming confused.

"...What?" He asked.

"And its 98% likely that Mello does more then just 'hold' him," Near went on - was that jealousy in his voice?

"...You're talking about Nate." Mello replied flatly- looking very irritated suddenly.

"No, I meant Matt," Near said - actually using sarcasm.

"Huh, yeah...I bet you'd think that." Mello nodded slowly. "I bet there's a what? 97.5% chance that I'd hook up with one of the two of them in eight years...right?"

"Nate, 98%. Matt, 4%. Together at the same time, 13%," Near explained.

"Which leaves a 2, 96 and 87% chance that I didn't do any of it." Mello replied- standing up. "And I don't know about you, but those are some pretty damn good odds to me."

Near turned his face away, his lips pressed in a thin line.

"I am not one to talk," He admitted, weakly. "I could never choose."

"...No, you couldn't." Mello replied. "I guess wishing that I did slip up makes you feel better...whatever. At least I was never indecisive."

"It isn't as if it matters now," Near whispered, weakly. "I can't have Mello or Matt."

Mello frowned and stepped forward- kneeling down in front of Near.

"You think I've changed?" Mello asked. "Changed so much?"

"Its the fact that I haven't," The white-haired boy whispered, locking eyes with the blonde once more - his face blank, but his eyes an open tragedy. "I don't know anything that has happened to Mello... I haven't been here... and Mello is an adult now, while I am still a child."

Mello stared at Near a moment before he nodded.

"Things have happened." He said softly- pushing his bangs back behind his ear to reveal his scar and further emphasize the statement. "The whole world changed...but I'm still the same too."

"I want to believe that," Near admitted. "But rationality tells me it isn't true..."

He sighed, before he got up and moved closer. Slowly the boy reached up and put his arms around Mello's neck, pulling the blonde down and pressing their lips together.

It was like... Like tasting a food you'd been craving for the first time in years. Familiar and sweet, but better then he could ever remember it being.

Mello pressed back gently- his own arms going around Near and scooping him up- he couldn't have done it like that when they were kids. One arm holding the tiny boy against him, Mello's other came around and held the back of Near's head- keeping him in place as their kiss deepened slowly. After a moment, Mello's mouth opened slightly and parted Near's lips just enough for his tongue to slip inside and carefully meet the tip of Near's.

Near gasped at the deepened kiss and pulled away in surprise and confusion. They'd never kissed like that before- never with tongue!

Mello leaned back slightly- licking his lips before he smirked.

"I thought so." He murmured before his fingers gently ran through Near's hair.

Near's face set into a determined expression - taking Mello's smirk as a challenge.

He tugged the blonde into another kiss, this time deepening it himself, as if he'd been doing so his entire life.

Mello blinked before Near felt him smile against his lips and then press back into the kiss. Again, he ventured to open his mouth a little and slip into Near's testing it out.

The boy's own tongue pressed back into the kiss as he shyly kissed the blonde.

However a voice made him jump and pull back, turning to the doorway where Nate stood, one eyebrow quirked and a small smirk on his face.

"Ah, with a blockage." Mello frowned at Nate.

"What the fuck is going on!?" Mihael demanded.

"I've always had really bad timing," Nate informed, before he quickly explained at Near's glare- "One time I walked in on him shaving and he totally jumped and cut a chunk out of his ear! That's all I meant!"

"That's a lie." Matt hummed as he came out with pancakes on a platter and syrup. "Mello was shaving his legs."

"Fuck you Martha Stewart." Mello replied.

"Did you see what they were doing?" Nate laughed as he came over. "Ohh, pancakes, my favorite."

"Mello was brushing Near's teeth." Matt replied dryly.

"Yeah, that's what I saw too," Nate snorted, before looking around. "Hey, Mihael- where's the rest of your group?"

"Who the fuck cares?" Mihael huffed.

"Um... me?" Nate offered.

"What is wrong with Mihael?" Near inquired, pulling away from Mello.

"Just told him some stuff," Nate informed. "Where'd the others go?"

"You shooed most of them out earlier." Matt reminded as he set the pancakes down on the coffee table.

Mihael blinked as Near was set down and the ivory-haired boy immediately moved over to him.

"Um... I left them here with you," Nate reminded. "I went outside."

"They went into another room," Near informed, looking up at Mihael. "Is Mihael okay? He looks distraught."

"I'm...fine." Mihael sighed- definitely looking anything but 'fine' at the moment as he moved over to sit on the couch.

"Get 'em while they're hot...Near, you eat too." Matt said firmly.