Believe it or not, this was spawned by a role-play my Mello and I did, encouraged by a rant on a forum on a damn WOLF BREEDING website. o.o; Ah, well, whatever works. Story was originally called "This Forum Contains Adult Content," but was renamed. I still hate the name, but whatever, it's the content that matters.

Slightly PWP, taking place in late December 2009, after Mello's 20th birthday but before his death (obviously). Sorry for tense typoes or lack of pronouns. I had to edit everything from an informally-written story. xD

Enjoy, I know I did. -grins-

Rated for...ah fuck it, you know damn well.

Your Favourite Toy

"Near. What are you working on?"

"Nothing, Mello."

Mello frowned slightly at what he was positive to be a lie. Near's dark eyes were fixated on the screen of Matt's computer, his left hand on the touchpad while his right held a chocolate bar to his mouth. It was melting, and dripped down his wrist occasionally, where his tongue would ensure the brown didn't stain his white cuffs. His fingers were coated in the candy. Mello paid that no heed; his eyes were on the albino's face. The tiny smirk on his chocolate-smeared lips was almost unnoticeable…just not to Mello. The latter approached him, glancing over his shoulder, but Near hit the button at the base of the monitor, causing the screen to go black immediately. The frown on Mello's face intensified into a scowl.

"I don't believe you," he said lowly.

"You never do."

Mello snarled quietly and gripped the back of Near's chair under long fingers; he rolled it aside so roughly that Near had to lower the leg that had been raised up to his chest; the younger boy jumped off the chair to steady himself, lowering the hand with the chocolate bar. He didn't protest much further than a quiet "Please, don't pry," even when Mello pushed the button to turn the screen back on.

It was a forum that met his eyes, one he was familiar with, through Matt. The thread open was entitled "Your Favourite Toys." Several people had listed childhood games and small stories about them; others posted more elaborate, detailed descriptions of one particular toy. A few had posted images, and a member named "Goggled-Wammy" with a very suggestive image of Axel and Roxas as his avatar had posted a list of his favourite video games. Mello smiled faintly, and then stifled a chuckle when he scrolled down to see that a few people ('Mostly boys,' he assumed) had even had the audacity to post their lovers as their toys.

It was avatar of the user called "White-Chocolate" that got his attention.

The image was a white puzzle, complete except for five pieces; the puzzle in question was a light blue "M," although the missing pieces rested just beside the left side of the column on the right, shrouding part of the arch between the parallel lines. The result ended with the letter looking more like an "N" than the "M" it was obviously supposed to be. Mello had no suspicions of who this user must have been, the bastard…

His eyes traveled down to the six words posted there:

"My favourite toy is called 'Mello.'"

The soft voice that spoke beside him came in accordance to every movement of Mello's lips as he mouthed the words, his scowl fading into a look of plain shock. Blue eyes tore from the screen to stare at Near, who was simply watching him. The chocolate bar had been finished, and the wrapper discarded; the younger boy was just staring at him, absentmindedly licking away the smudges on his arm.

"What the hell?" Mello said finally. Near didn't respond; he continued to stare, his eyes betraying not a single emotion. Mello's heart thudded in his chest, threatening to burst from his body from the hatred he felt for the boy before him. Gods, he hated him so much.

He wasn't one to waste time. Or to think. Another look of displeasure contorted his features and golden hair whipped around his face as he glanced back to the screen. He smirked; immediately, he scrolled up and logged out of "White-Chocolate" and into "Natural-Aphrodisiac." It only took a few taps of his swift fingers before the next post appeared. The page refreshed automatically; beside the avatar that simply read "Always" as white text on a black background, his post appeared, one single word: "Near."

The word mocked him, but he grinned sideways at the boy, his hair falling to shroud the scar that marred the left half of his face.

"Well?"

Near correctly interpreted the single word, spoken more as an insistent demand than a question. He shuffled over to the computer, his perpetually wide eyes taking in Mello's post; his hand didn't leave his lips. His expression didn't change by a single flick of an eyelash. After a moment, he turned to meet Mello's triumphant eyes, which faded slightly at the blank stare. Near's hand left his lips.

"I claimed you first."

Mello stared back, watching. Near's tongue left his lips to draw itself over his fingers; he continued to lick chocolate from his fingertips. His eyes flickered with what could have been a mischievous sort of cunning. Mello fought to contain the hatred building inside of him, to keep the blush from his cheeks...

"So?"

"So I'm seme."

Mello couldn't hide it. His eyes snapped open, and his blush fought back against him, burning his cheeks angrily, almost as angrily as how he glared at Near. Seme…a word taken from a verb that meant "to attack," but was also translated into a slang form of "top." Was it an implication? Was perfect Near, L's successor…Number One…taunting him? Was it…some sort of pun? No, it couldn't have been…Mello's eyes narrowed. It was too unlike Near. He must have meant…no, it was...impossible.

"You can't handle seme," Mello said finally. Near blinked. It could have been an emotional reaction. Perhaps his eyes were just dry from his incessant staring…always staring. After a moment, he drew his fingers from his mouth and raised his pinkie. It was still coated in melted chocolate; his lips hadn't yet touched it. Mello inhaled sharply as Near smeared it onto the tip of his nose, and shivered slightly at the feeling.

"Yes," Near replied simply. Mello was sure the thick chocolate would sizzle and evaporate from his nose…not from the blush, no, from the vicious anger, the cruel glare...his stomach churned with...wait, it was hatred he felt, right?

"Try it," Mello managed, challenging him. "I dare you."

"I'm surprised at you."

"Why's that?" he sneered, shaking his head so that his honey-gold hair fell from his face, so he could stop seeing the colors reflecting in Near's eyes with his good eye, so he could see Near through black and white with the one ruined by the accident…Near was always in black and white. Pure white. "'Cause I wanna prove you wrong that you're not seme material?"

Only years of experience at hating Near helped him to bite back his gasp; Near leaned up to him and gently drew his tongue up Mello's nose, running it along the bridge and falling back down to his heels before he could get past the soft spot between Mello's eyebrows. Mello was too shocked to respond, save for an angry growl that welled up in his throat, a glare that could only appear through his eyes as a tiny flicker, through all that ANGER.

Near leaned closer to the older boy's ear and nipped at the soft flesh gently, making a shiver run down the latter's spine. Not because the situation was attractive, gods no, only because he hated him, so much.

"No," Near replied, his voice fluttering against the shell of Mello's ear; Near pressed his lips to it lightly, then continued in a whisper. "Simply because you're a natural-born uke."

That didn't pacify Mello's anger. He snorted in disdain and moved away, glaring down at Near, who stared up at him. There was emotion in his eyes now, albeit unreadable. "Natural-born uke my ass."

"You sure?" Near leaned closer, his lids half-lowered over those foggy eyes.

"...yes."

If Mello's eyes could have widened any further, they did at Near's next move; he snickered quietly, edging closer to Mello until their noses were practically touching. A light blush was painted over his porcelain-doll cheeks. His eyes were fixated on the tip of Mello's nose, past that...his lips.

"Yes," he said, his voice edging on sarcastic. "You certainly sound it."

His gaze traveled up to Mello's eyes, still staring. The blue orbs narrowed at him, the right one squinting in displeasure. 'I sound...uke? Oh, I should show him...'

He smirked.

Taking a swift step forward, he successfully pinned Near against the wall, resting both palms on either shoulder; Near was only a little less than two years younger than him, but the height difference was more obvious than ever as he stared down, his eyes glimmering. Near stared back, his pupils dilated, his breathing as even and soft as ever.

"I do?" Mello said lowly, and he leaned forward, using one hand to grip Near's silver-white hair and pull his head back. Lightly, he ran his tongue down the boy's pale throat, giving the collarbone a small nip. "That just won't do, 'cause I'm really not the uke type."

Near inhaled deeply, a break in his breathing pattern that made Mello take in a breath as a hiss through his teeth.

"Mello, right now, I'm not in the mood to be, either."

He moved a small hand up to Mello's chin and brought his scarred face up so the two pairs of eyes met, grey, dead eyes against harsh blue ones. Mello's own expression was just as unreadable as Near's. "My lips are up here."

He pushed forward, upward, forcing himself away from the hand gripping his hair. Gentle even through the impulsive reaction, he pressed his lips against Mello's, his eyes closing. Mello fought back a shudder, feeling heated (with rage, of course) despite the leather vest, the warm red jacket.

'Really wasn't expecting him to do that…can't say I'm complaining...'

He shook the thought away and pressed back against Near, lightly running his tongue over the pale, hesitant lips. When Near opened his mouth, he entered forcefully, moving his hands from the boy's shoulders and to his stomach. Slowly, he slipped them under the white shirt. Near shivered, subconsciously arching into the touch; his eyes opened half-way and he raised his hands to Mello's jacket, his fingers grasping the red fabric clumsily and pushing it away from the vest, so that the zipper was more easily accessable. Mello almost scowled at what he was sure Near was thinking…he's number two, so he's uke…

Near smiled beneath the kiss, and a similar smirk tugged at Mello's lips.

'It's almost like a battle, isn't it? Another game. He'll give in eventually.'

He pulled his hands from under the white shirt and slowly shrugged off his jacket; his hands were steady, though he didn't know how the hell that was possible, and he began to unbutton Near's shirt. The latter pressed against Mello's tongue with his own, making a small noise of contentment at the contact, a noise that made Mello's mind grow fuzzy. Near pushed closer to his face, standing on his toes. His small hands moved slowly, guiding the zipper of Mello's vest down. Mello pulled Near's shirt down, pushing it back, past the shoulders. He guided thin fingers over the milky white skin.

'I wonder...if I can get more noises like that...not that I like this. I hate him. I hate him...tch.'

Mello broke away from the kiss and slowly trailed his mouth down Near's neck and chest, quickly occupying his mouth with one of the pale nipples. Near panted for air softly, his even breathing irregular, his emotionless eyes flashing and untamed. He finished unzipping the vest and ran shaking hands over the lean muscles of Mello's chest and stomach. Wincing slightly at the feel of Mello's mouth, he moaned softly, running a delicate hand up to Mello's shoulders to push the vest back. Mello grinned at the sound, twisting his arms so that the vest could easily be deposited on the floor with his jacket. Moving from Near's chest down to his stomach, his trail of kisses and nips stopped at the waistband of his pajama pants.

'Mm, I wonder.'

He hooked his fingers under the waistband and grinned, slowly sliding the pants down Near's legs. Near made a noise that could have been a grunt of disdain.

"Mello. You are not seme."

It was without warning, or grace, that he charged forward and to press Mello to the opposite wall, stumbling slightly over the pants around his legs. Mello grunted from the impact, but didn't object as Near leaned against the older boy for support, his white chin on the strong chest; dark eyes glared, squinting slightly from the seductive grin on Near's lips. "Do not fool yourself into thinking otherwise."

He kicked his pants off, biting at Mello's collarbone and running hands over his chest, smearing it with chocolate, lightly brushing against his nipples; his mouth moved to lap away the melted candy…truly a natural aphrodisiac, though he didn't know whether it was the sweetness of the chocolate or the saltiness of Mello's warm flesh that affected him so. He allowed his left hand to stray down and unbuckle Mello's belt.

Mello merely smirked at Near's sudden burst of aggression.

"Not seme? We'll see about that, Near."

'I'll let you have your fun for now, but in the end, I will be number one...and I will be seme.'

Still, he fought a moan that ached to burst from the feeling of the warm mouth attacking his collarbone; his hips pressed eagerly against Near's hand as he fiddled with his belt. Near ran his tongue up the softer side of Mello's neck and face, to the corner of his mouth, where it lingered for just a moment before the boy captured Mello's lips for another kiss. He removed the belt entirely and raised his left hand to entwine it into Mello's hair, pulling him closer and pressing their chests together.

Mello had unconsciously shivered at the tongue running up the side of neck, where it was so much more sensitive than before...when the hell did that happen? To reassert himself, he slipped his own tongue from his mouth into Near's, and let his hands wander down Near's sides and come to rest on his hips, fingers teasingly sliding into his boxers.

Near's eyes snapped open, his façade dropping entirely. Despite himself, he whimpered into Mello's mouth. He moved his trembling hands to the lace at the front of Mello's pants and tugged at it so they fell open. Without hesitation, he pulled them down, clumsily, his face hot. He pulled away to break the kiss and panted, moving forward quickly to press kisses to the pulse in Mello's neck. Mello was unable to hide his smirk at the whimper, and allowed one hand to dip under the band, gripping the younger boy's length and gently running his thumb over the head. He kicked his pants from his ankles and tilted his head sideways slightly, giving Near more room to access his neck and emitting a small groan.

"Nngh...Mello..." Near arched into the touch, blushing, and pressed the two pairs of hips together, grinding gently even through the cloth. He bit back a gasp, which welled up in his throat as a low growl. Mello pressed back against Near with just as much force. "M-Mello..."

He reached up to wrap his arms around Mello's neck, entangling his left in Mello's hair and pushing the chocolate-smeared right hand against the wall behind them; he leaned forward suddenly and forced his tongue between Mello's lips. The blonde's lips twisted into a slightly predatory grin behind the kiss.

'Now who's seme, hm?'

He groaned at the friction and slowly moved his hand up and down the length of Near's member, his other free hand gripping Near's waist tightly, leaving small, cresent-shaped marks that were obvious, red imperfections on such flawless white skin.

'I don't care if I hurt him. I hate him.'

His grip loosened slightly.

Near broke away, glaring beneath dripping, silver bangs.

"Are you going to leave them on, or what?" He flicked his dark gaze down to the last remaining article of clothing to exaggerate his point, then glared up at Mello. He smeared chocolate from the side of his hand onto the spot between his eyebrows and leans up closer to lick it off. Mello shuddered, but simply shrugged, and shifted his hand from his waist to the band. Gentle despite his predatory urges to tear them off violently, he removed Near's boxers slowly, watching them pool at his ankles like melted, white chocolate.

"There. Off. Happy?" He gave Near's length a small squeeze before the boy could answer and swiftly moved to flip them around, pressing Near's front into the wall while one hand slid down the small of his back. Near let out a noise that was half of a shocked yelp and half of a vicious snarl, a sound that sent a jolt through Mello's body, straight to his own…his attention was redirected.

"Mello, you..."

Near whipped his head back to glare at Mello and gritted his teeth, frustrated, his hair falling over his dark, expressive eyes…there was…so much there that Mello had never seen before…but again, something distracted him. Near struggled against the hand pressing him into the wall and reached back, his fingers barely brushing the tip of Mello's erection. Mello let out a soft sound, but leaned forward to rest his chin on Near's shoulder, flicking his tongue out and licking the shell of his ear.

"Shush, Near, I told you I wasn't the uke type. You shouldn't be surprised. Though, I can always turn you around, if you want." He slid his hand further down Near's back until it was at its lowest point, extending a long finger and tenderly pressing against him. "I'd certainly have no qualms over that."

"Mello!" Near snarled, the gleam in his eyes purely instinctual. "Let me...!"

He broke off to growl throatily, and dropped beneath Mello's supportive hand. He put a hand to the ground, splaying his fingers out, and swept Mello's legs from under him, drawing a yelp from him. Near pounced onto the lean chest and attacked Mello's throat with feather-light kisses and licks, nipping like a cat. Mello snorted and gripped the younger boy's shoulders, rolling them both over until he straddled Near's waist.

Near let out an almost inaudible whine as Mello leaned down to suck at his neck, a mark already starting to form from the force of the sucking and biting.

'This is a full-out war now, isn't it? Ought to be interesting.'

Near growled again, glaring, an animalistic gleam in his usually indifferent eyes. He propped himself up on his elbows and reached down to grip Mello's length, running his finger over the weeping edge, fingers stroking him lightly. Mello eyes widened at the feeling, and a small moan escaped from his lips before he could stop it; his breathing became ragged as the soft hand moved against him.

"Nngh...N-Near."

He shifted to press a hand against the floor, propping himself up, his teeth digging into his lip as he fought another groan.

'...tch...so that's how he wants to do it...'

Mello jerked his hips roughly and pulled away from Near's grip, sliding down the albino's body until his mouth was right above the younger boy's erection. Raising a hand to brush a strand of gold hair back behind his ear in what might have been a mockingly feminine gesture, he gave the head a tentative lick before completely covering it with his mouth.

"Agh!" Near threw his head back, pale fingers scrabbling uselessly at the ground, looking for a grip; he clamped his eyes shut and panted, his chest rising and falling with the rapid breathing. He raised a hand to his lips and bit the knuckles to stifle his whimpers and mewls. "Mm...ello..."

Mello smirked in victory and sucked in roughly, wrapping one hand around the base of Near's shaft and using the other to spread the pale legs wider. 'That's it, Near, just lay back and enjoy it...uke.'

He snickered at the thought, and slowly started moving his head down Near's length, moving back up once his lips touched his hand. Growling lowly, Near writhed under the sensation, arching into the touch. He whimpered lightly against the hand in his mouth and thrusted into Mello's mouth desperately, his fingers aching against the ground. Mello managed not to gag at the younger boy's actions, but shot a small glare up his way; he removed the hand from his knee and moved it further down between Near's legs, gently prodding at his opening and slipping his finger in once again.

'The way he's squirming around under me…it's driving me up the fucking wall.' He inserted another finger, twisting them around and making a small scissoring motions that made Near cry out in pain. 'I don't think I'll be able to hold out much longer.'

Near clenched his teeth, his pained cries coming out as growls, and became dreadfully aware of a tightening sensation he disliked intensely for the moment.

"Mello! Please, don't...don't make me...not yet!"

Near arched away from the fingers stretching him, but Mello's mouth was still...there. He let out a low mewling noise that made Mello remove his mouth to look at him.

'Yeah, up or down, he's…well, fucked. Literally.'

Mello paused his fingers' movements and looked up towards Near, sliding his body up until they were face to face. Even though he hated him ( 'And I do, so much…'), he pressed a soft kiss to the boy's lips.

"Shh, calm down, Near. It's alright." His right hand remained wrapped around Near's aching length, and he pumped up and down gently, his other fingers moving slowly, continuing to stretch him, to prepare him. 'I'm about to explode here; what the hell does he expect me to do?'

"Mello..." Near whispered.

"I'll go slow," Mello assured him, speaking so closely to his lips that they brushed against each other at every syllable. 'For now.'

Near hissed softly in pain. "Mello, go on...you win, alright? You're seme. Just...agh, do it already!" He gasped at the hand's ceaseless movements and glared into Mello's eyes. "You win. You beat me. In the truest sense of the words."

Only the gods knew how he managed to keep his voice so calm, so steady; weak and trembling, he fell back to floor again, his chest rising and falling rapidly with his desperate breaths.

Mello blinked slowly at his words, taking a moment to full comprehend what Near had just said. '...I beat him...I...won.'

It didn't matter.

He closed his eyes and groaned slightly, nodding as he removed the fingers from Near; he lathered his erection in a light coating of his own saliva before pressing himself against Near. 'Nngh...I hate you...but I'm sorry.'

Mello captured Near's lips in a rough kiss while pressing himself in slowly, groaning inwardly at the sensation, the tightness. Near kissed back, forceful, moving his tongue against Mello's in a vain attempt to hold back the scream building in his throat; tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, and he fought an urge to shake his head to clear them away, silently cursing the burning agony ripping through him from between his legs. Mello continued to press himself in until the smaller boy had fully engulfed his length. Mello paused with an almost relieved sigh when his hips finally meet Near's pale thighs, and the former pulled away from the kiss, breathing heavily.

'...ah, fucking hell...'

He lifted himself up and moves to gently pull back, thrusting into him again, a shudder shaking his body. Near arched his back in pain, moaning softly and biting his lower lip until the skin broke open. He trembled violently at the next thrust, his legs quaking unsteadily. "Mello..."

Mello opened eyes at the word, looking down at Near's bloody lip with a raised brow, his heart thumping... 'Gods, I HATE him so much!'

"Mngh…Near..." It was more of a purr than anything. He leaned down and ran his tongue over the blood, pressing their mouths together again. He took the opportunity of Near's distraction to thrust back into the frail body, and Near moaned into his mouth, a soft sound. He pushed his tongue against Mello's, trying to block out the pain with pleasure...though it...seemed to have already been happening on its own. Near opened his eyes weakly to look at Mello, countless emotions glistening behind dark irises, and Mello's own blue caught the grey gaze.

The older of the two was slightly surprised at the pool of emotions staring back at him; a small sense of relief washed through his mind, and his eyes slid closed again, as his movements escalating to higher speeds. "...Aah...hah..."

He pressed their bodies even closer together, a low groan escaping his throat at the delicious friction. Near moved his arms to wrap them around Mello's shoulders, raising his hips from the floor slightly, pushing his body closer to the other one.

"Ngh, Mello, please...you won, you can go...f-faster..."

He would have blushed if his cheeks weren't already burning; he winced at the painful friction, but from deep inside of him, there was a growl of pleasure that escaped as a quiet moan. His stomach felt like it was on fire...he hugged the older boy closer.

Mello didn't respond to his words, but moved to make his thrusts faster. He shifted Near's leg from his elbow joint to his shoulder, his nails unconsciously grazing the pale skin, leaving streaks of red that faded to pink almost immediately, still a stark contrast to the glistening white. Near ran his tongue gently over the scar that took over half of the older boy's face.

"...haa." Mello broke their lips' contact with a small gasp, grateful for the air filling his lungs. "...won...? ...hah..."

"Mihael," Near whispered softly. "You...ah, you win..."

Mello's actions ensured that no movements was ever wasted, for every thrust set Near's logic spinning into oblivion, causing his mind to fill with static, his throat to vibrate with soft cries he simply couldn't contain…his vision was blurred, and he saw nothing beyond the gold of Mello's hair, the blue of Mello's eyes, the pink of Mello's cheeks…

'...Mihael...'

A small smile tugged gently at Mello's lips at the name; the many cries coming from the younger boy merely added fuel to his already raging need of release. It only took two more thrusts before his mind died, faded entirely from him…and then he was blinded, a flash of white making his entire body convulse, rocking him almost violently with a harsh climax.

"...oh, fuck."

When his vision cleared and he could see again, he collapsed onto Near's trembling body, his breathing heavy and somewhat labored. Their hips were still firmly pressed together. Near squirmed slightly beneath him and panted softly.

"Mih...Mello, get off," he whispered, closing his left eye to help him concentrate. "Or you're...going to get very dirty...I feel it..."

Mello grunted back in reply, failing to move. The prospect of being dirty didn't really seem to faze him, and he moved a hand between their bodies, gently stroking Near's member in an attempt to help his climax along. "Like I'm not dirty already."

Near swore softly and gave up on his vain attempts to hold back. He cried out in relief at the flash that made his eyes burn behind closed lids, and came over Mello's hand, making the older boy grin smugly in satisfaction.

"M-Mi...Mello..." Near opened his eyes weakly, trembling. "Mello..."

The owner of the spoken name removed his hand with a low sigh. Dropping it to the floor and relaxing beside Near, he slowly pulled himself out of the younger boy's body.

"Near..."

'Nate...'

He opened eyes, catching the white-haired boy's dark gaze. A small smirk played across his face, toying with his lips. '...unbelieveable.'

Near extended a shaking hand, reaching toward Mello as though he desperately wanted to curl up to him; he took in the sight of the exhausted and emotional eyes before him, and retracted his hand, sighing unsurely.

"Mihael..." He smiled a little, though his eyes were sad. "You win..."

Mello snorted softly, lying on his back, one hand splayed across his chest while the other remained on the cool floor, still covered in white. '...I win...hn.' He glanced up at Near's sigh, cerulean eyes flickering over his still-shaking hand, which was held close to the boy's pale chest. Mello had seen it moving towards him, but he merely nodded, shifting around a bit to make himself more comfortable.

"Yeah. Guess I do."

Near's hand twitched again; he forced himself not to move his body any closer to Mello, and nodded, simply to copy Mello's movements, a motion of self-comfort. He curled up slightly, exhausted, and forced a small laugh.

"Guess I'm a pretty bad seme, huh?" His own body seemed to mock him, exacerbating the statement; his eyes stung. He blinked back tears, hoping desperately that Mello didn't see. The stunned expression that drew itself over Mello's unnaturally beautiful face told Near that he had; the older boy rolled onto his side, and he looked Near over with slight interest. "...You weren't...that bad."

'Tears.'

He moved towards the frail, silver-haired boy and hesitantly wrapped a warm arm around his small, bruised waist, pulling him close to his chest.

"Mello," Near whispered, obviously startled; his body tensed. "What are you-"

"I still...I still hate you. But..." He trailed off, biting back a yawn. "...but don't leave yet, Nate...don't leave."

Near rested head against Mello's chest, smiling gratefully from both the action and the power in the single word that was his real name. His lashes lowered over his tired eyes. He was quiet for a moment, then emitted a tiny chuckle and looked up at Mello in amusement, dark eyes twinkling, stars speckling a night sky. "So I'm your favorite toy, hm?"

Mello rolled his eyes, but made no move to push him away, closing his eyes with a tired grunt. "Yeah, right."

Near smiled and closed eyes. "I'm glad, then," he whispered, disregarding Mello's tone. "Because it means you can't possibly mean what you're always telling me."

'...sarcasm isn't easily conveyed to him, is it?'

"What, that I hate you?" He opened his left eye briefly, staring at him for a second in black and white before closing it again. Near gave a tiny nod, pressing closer to Mello's chest.

"Yeah, Mello, that you hate me. Because...you don't, do you?"

Mello frowned, chewing his lip silently for a moment. Then:

"...I do hate you, Near..."

'...I do...right?'

"No, you don't," Near mumbled quietly, certainty clear in his tone, though the breath of the words fluttered in the air as the last part of him to remain awake.

Mello yawned again, opening his eyes blearily. He rested his chin on in Near's hair and his mind wandered, his fingers absent-mindedly running along his back the smooth skin of the small boy's back. After a moment of silent contemplation, he nodded once, decisively, and closed his eyes, breathing out softly into the white-silver locks.

'...Maybe...I don't.'

I fuckin' love those two.