Mercy Rule

Results!

Mello and Near stared at each other.

There was a tense silence in the room - or there would have been a tense silence if not for Matt's hooting and words of encouragement. L simply sat back on the bed and watched as the two orphans battled each other silently, their eyes never leaving their opponent's.

Matt ran up to L's bed, jumped on top next to the young man and sat beside him, watching Mello and Near in fevered anticipation. He began to nervously tug at the hem of his tee-shirt.

"Agh! The suspense! The unadulterated trepidation! It's just too much for me, L!" Matt cried, fidgeting around.

"Matt, calm yourself."

"Jesus…" Matt breathed, not listening to his mentor. "You doin' all right, Mel? You need some water? How about some chocolate?" Matt called, much too loud for the fact that Mello was only four feet away.

Mello's eye twitched. Matt, you idiot, shut up! I'm trying to concentrate! Why don't you make yourself useful? Mello looked over at Matt for a moment, hoping his eyes would convey a meaningful message to his best friend.

Matt read it loud and clear with an emerging grin on his face.

"Hey, Near! How're you doing? You're looking pretty fine from where I'm sitting! Are those pajamas silk?"

Near blushed furiously but said nothing.

Mello frowned. No good… He's not gonna talk! Dammit, this kid never says a word anyway, how the hell can I…

Near, with his cheeks stained pink, kept his gaze steady. Obviously, he's going to do anything to try to make me talk. Why would such a silly competition mean so much to him? His hands are shaking and he's sweating. Does he really think THIS is what will set us apart?

Near was shaken out of his thoughts when he witnessed Mello rising fro his seat on the floor. L, Matt and Near watched as Mello came over and stood menacingly in front of Near, his fists clenched at his sides, fingers still shaking.

L blinked, his thumb pushing past his lips. Is he really going to hit him…?

Matt stood up on the bed and shouted, "Yo, Mel, leave the lower half unharmed, dude!"

Near looked up at Mello, meeting his gaze head-on, wondering also if he was going to be hit but that was just before Mello came down on his knees and pushed his lips roughly to Near's.

Matt gasped soundlessly.

L chewed on his thumb, watching with interest.

"Holy… shit," Matt said, taking the liberty of removing his goggles and setting them on his forehead.

Near's eyes were wide and he and Mello stayed still, with Mello's hands grasping Near's shoulders and their lips pressed as one, not moving as neither of them had any idea what to do.

Mello grinned on the inside. This has GOTTA work. Any second, he'll push me away and tell me I'm a horrid something-or-other. I'm gonna win!

Near closed his eyes then and pushed back, his hands coming up to cup Mello's cheeks and hold him in place as he tilted his head.

Mello opened his eyes this time, highly confused.

Matt pointed wildly. "MELLO! You no-good sheep-stealer! You've just been hanging out with me to take Near, haven't you?" he accused.

Mello rolled his eyes. Oh yeah, Matt, that was my ingenious plan… Sheesh… But what the fuck is going ON?

As Near pushed down lightly on Mello, climbing atop him and never breaking their lip-lock, his eyes flickered to the bed where L was seated, watching the two's movements. Near looked at L for a long moment and then finally, pulled away from Mello, just an inch.

"You win," he said and replaced his lips where they had been.

Unfortunately, Mello's jaw dropped in surprise right when Near spoke and the pale boy ended up placing his lips on Mello's tongue.

Near withdrew quickly, sputtering and wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "Mello, honestly, that's so-"

"You talked!" Mello screeched, sitting up and flinging Near off of him.

Near went tumbling backwards as Mello stood up, utterly bamboozled. Mello had not the chance to say one more word before he was knocked over by a red flash which happened to be Matt, tackling him to the floor.

"M-Matt! What the fuck are you doing!" Mello shouted, being pinned to the ground.

Matt eased up a little, a confused look on his face as he stared down at his friend. "I dunno. But I do know you made a move on Near!"

"I did not!"

"You were playing tonsil-hockey with him, idiot!"

"You're the idiot, I was trying to get him to talk!"

"Well it worked, asshole!"

"I know it worked, dickhead - Hey." Mello stopped, blinking. He tilted his head back to see Near climbing to his feet, rubbing the back of his head sorely. Mello said as if he didn't believe it, "I won, Near."

"Yes," Near said, "I believe I stated that earlier, when you were showing affection towards me."

"Yeah but - WAIT! I wasn't-"

"Ahem," L cleared his throat and stood up from where he had been sitting. All three boys stood at attention then as if they were about to hear God give them an extra commandment. L said calmly, "Mello, Near did speak first, so you are deemed the winner."

"YES! THIS IS SO BOSS!" Mello screamed, jumping around, pumping his fists in the air. "I'M NUMBER ONE!"

Near watched Mello's merry-making with quiet satisfaction. L came over to him and put his hand on the boy's soft head. "Near," he whispered, "you did a very good thing."

Near nodded.

Matt whined over in their direction, "When do I get a kiss, huh?"

L groaned, fearing Matt's whining would never stop, and he came over to him and placed a small kiss on his lips.

Matt blinked and blushed delightedly. "Sweet."

Mello gaped. "Aw hell."

Final Score:

Mello: 11 Near: 10

Winner - Mello

"Heh. You read the score, Near. So? Are you broken? Beaten and bewildered?"

"No, but I am rather sleepy."

"… SLEEPY?"

"A tad bit."

"… You take the fun out of everything, I fuckin' swear…"

"Hey, dude, are you two gonna kiss again?"

"What the fuck? Matt, what're you doing here?"

"I thought you were upset that Mello showed affection towards me, Matt."

"I did not-"

"Ah, I'm fine now. I got me some L-lovin'."

"What? Matt, you-"

"'Sides, I got my camera now. Bring on the triple-X! Shota gets mad hits on YouTube!"

"Matt…"

END.

A/N: Here we are, at another end. Any closing thoughts from anyone who enjoyed will be highly welcome.

See ya next time, kids.