L and Near and Mello
Movie Night
"Are you sure you want to watch this one?" L asked once again. He held a video cassette in his hand.
Mello, who was seated on the couch opposite of Near, nodded, his blond hair falling in his eyes. "Yes, I want to watch that one."
"But it's scary," L said, looking at the title of the video then to Mello. Every Friday they would watch a movie, chosen either by Mello or Near, and today it was Mello's turn.
"I've seen scary movies before and they don't scare me," Mello said, crossing his arms and looking smug, "And it was made in 1973, it can't be that scary. That was before you were born, L."
"Only by six years," L said. He still had not put the tape in. "This is a very graphic movie also. I don't know if this is suitable enough for you."
Mello was about to retort by saying they weren't babies, but Near decided he would intervene instead; besides, he, too, was curious about a scary movie, having never seen one.
"We are very mature for our age, L," he said in his emotion-less tone, playing with a piece of white hair, "We can handle mature situations. If there is a scene we don't want to see, we will simply not look."
L tried one last time. "Are you sure you guys don't want to watch any other movie? I mean, The Exorcist on a stormy night? That can set off the mood in a bad way."
"Play the damn tape!" Mello shouted.
L shrugged nonchalantly and put it in the VCR. He checked that it was rewound all the way before pushing play. The federal warning of copying came on.
L settled himself between the two boys, a blanket wrapped around them and a bowl of popcorn on L's lap; Mello was eating a chocolate bar and Near had a Transformer in his hand.
"If you guys get scared, don't blame me," L said as the title came on, "And don't tell Roger I let you watch an 'R-rated' movie."
The movie played and Mello made several comments about it being boring, that was until the movie progressed, then he remained silent. A few times, L felt either boy beside him twitch or jump on some scenes.
"What the-!" Mello suddenly yelled out, "That was…freaky! How do you go down the stairs like that?"
L would have shrugged his shoulders, if each one had not been occupied by the heads of Mello and Near. The girl had just done the spider-walk down the stairs and blood flowed from her mouth.
"If blood comes out like that the logically thing to do was immediately send her to the emergency room," Near said, "Why aren't they doing that? Sure the situation is frightening but there could be some serious medical problems and they don't take her to see a doctor."
"It is only a movie, Near," L said, "The directors sometime like to make the characters lack common sense."
"Is she…" Mello said, his jaw dropped at the scene being played, his eyes large with disgust and shock and fear.
"Yes she is," L said before Mello could finish.
"In her…"
"Yes."
"And she's using a…"
"Yes, she's using a crucifix."
Near then said, "Ouch."
"That's disgusting," Near said.
Mello was so disgusted that he paused taking a bite of chocolate. "I'll never eat pea soup again."
"We're having it tomorrow for dinner," L said.
"I lost my appetite for the next week," Mello answered.
L was so wrapped up between the boys he could not move. They had finally decided not to make any comments but watched with horrified amusement as the priests tried to exorcise the demons out of the girl. Mello and Near both had a grip on each of his arms and were almost seated in his lap. The bowl of popcorn was empty and Mello had finished all his chocolates. Near had abandoned his Transformer on the floor, forgotten.
A steak of lightning lit up the window, followed by a crack of thunder.
"Ah!" Mello shouted.
"Are you frightened, Mello?" Near asked.
Mello growled, "Of course not! I was yawning!"
"A yawn that made you jump?"
"Shut up!"
"Boys," L said in warning.
The credits rolled and L turned lifted his arm after asking Near to lift his head, and turned on the lamp on the inn table.
"That's it?" Mello asked, blinking in surprise. "That's the end? What the hell? There should be a sequel!"
L stood up and patted over to the VCR and pressed rewind, not saying anything.
There was a pause in the room.
Then Mello cried out, "There is a sequel, isn't there?"
"We're not watching it," L said.
"C'mon!" Mello shouted, "We've gotta see it!"
"It's time for bed," L said, looking back at them, "It's late and you guys will fall asleep if we watch it again."
"I'm not tired!" Mello said.
"I am," L admitted, "And I'm going to bed. I suggest you do the same."
Cursing, Mello got up with Near, who took his toy. L followed them down the hall and wished each one goodnight before moving down to his own room that he occupied when he was visiting when not on a case.
Near was in the middle of the Grand Hall, the large staircases on either side seemed oddly eerily. Not it's usually high-class decoration with its white colors and beige carpeted stairs. No, these were creepy stairs.
And then he began hearing voices, not a good sign of one's sanity.
"The power of Christ compels you…The power of Christ compels you…The power of Christ compels you…"
Near backed away from the stairs but could not tear his eyes away. He backed into a statue that did not belong in the orphanage. It was a woman, the marble a pearly white, but she had black eyes, fangs, and blood coming out of her mouth, her eyes like tears, and a blood stain on the front of her gown where her feminem anatomy would be.
He turned back to the stairs and to his horror, saw the girl do the spider-walk down the stairs, going completely against physics. And somehow, he had gotten closer than he was before because she opened her mouth, but unlike the movie, she flicked out her tongue that was forked like a snake. Near moved back in horror and it followed, hissing and screaming. Near then ran, it running after still in spider-walk.
"The power of Christ compels you…The power of Christ compels you…The power of Christ compels you…"
Near's eyes opened wide and he took his dark surroundings; it was only a dream. His body was slightly shaking from the aftermath of the nightmare. Lightning flashed against his window, illuminating the digital clock by his bed. It had only been an hour since he came to sleep. And now he knew he would not be able to sleep.
He pushed himself out of bed, trying to be rational about the situation as he moved down the hallway. It was only a movie and none of the things in there were real and would never happen. But he was still a little boy who had a nightmare.
He stopped at a door, pausing to look at it. It would bruise his pride, but he opened it anyway, slowly.
"L?"
The room was dark, of course, but he could see the outline of the bed and the still figure that laid in it. Twirling a piece of hair between his fingers, Near tip-toed closer to the bed. L's face was relaxed, his eyes closed and mouth partly open. His breathing was deep and even. He also slept at an odd angle; one leg bent at the knee and pulled to his chest, and the other straight down. He looked like a jackknife. Near then realized that he usually sat that way. Odd, L's sleeping position was the same as Near's sitting position.
Near reached out and placed a small white hand on L's shoulder, gently shaking it. "L?"
"Hrm?" L sounded as he opened one bleary dark eye. He lifted his head up, his messy hair sticking to his pillow. His eyes were very sleepy and he rubbed them. "Near? What's wrong?"
Near fidgeted. He twirled his hair. "Can…I sleep with you?"
A small smile crept on L's lips. "I knew you would have a bad dream. C'mon."
He moved over and put his leg down and lifted the comforter, inviting Near in. Near complied and crawled next to L.
"Better?" L said, wrapping a protective arm around his waist.
"Much." Near let in a breath of air. The nightmares would not get him while he was with L.
"So what happened in your dream?" L asked in a sleepy voice.
"That girl in the movie," Near began, "I saw her crawl down the stairs backwards."
"Mmhm," L said, "That is a scary scene."
"But, she flicked her tongue like a snake and chased me."
"Hm. That's odd. Near, have you been reading horror books?"
"No," Near said, shaking his head, "Why?"
"Well, in the book, I only read it out of boredom and because it happened to be there, the girl does flick out her tongue like a snake, and in some of the Exorcist movies, she actually does chase her mother around like that. That's why I thought it was odd that you would dream something like that." L let out a yawn. "No matter. Just a dream. Goodnight Near."
"Night," Near mumbled.
The bedroom door opened and shut with a loud bang.
"Hello Mello," L said.
"Oh, hey," Mello said, sounding like he was getting his breath, "Just, uh, wanted to check up on you, make sure the movie didn't scare you to badly."
Near heard L chuckle slightly. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you Mello, but if you like, you can sleep with me and Near."
"Wha? Near's there, too?" Mello said with a laugh, "What? Did you get scared and have a nightmare?"
"I should be asking you the same question," Near shot back. Mello grumbled at him.
"Hurry up and get into bed," L said. Mello moved to the other side and climbed in; L scooted to the middle to make room. He pulled the comforters over the three of them, each one placing their heads on his shoulders.
"Near just got done telling me of his dream," L said, "What happened in yours, Mello?"
Mello made a small sound. "I didn't have an actual nightmare, but I thought my bed was shaking."
"Hm," L said, "Well, I promise you that my bed is completely stable, if it does not break from all of us."
The two little boys made small giggles.
"Goodnight you two."
"Goodnight L."
The next morning, Roger had gotten up early to wake the children. Since it was Saturday, they usually slept in a little later, but he did not want them to waste away the day. He checked the playrooms, the cafeteria, and the playground and counted heads. Mello and Near were missing. He deduced they were probably asleep.
He went back to the hall and checked their rooms, each one empty. Odd, he thought. He moved down the hall and slowly opened the door to L's room, seeing maybe if the detective might've seen them.
Inside he saw a mass bundle of arms and legs on the bed. L in the middle, arms out like a cross. Mello had his head on L's stomach, one leg thrown over the bed, and his arm around L's waist. Near was curled up under L's arm, using his shoulder as a pillow and a trickle of drool wetting L's pajama sleeve.
Roger smiled and closed the door. He would give them an extra hour before he woke them up.
(A/N): It came to me while I was watching the 1973 version of the Exorcist. And L's sleeping habit, I sleep like that. I hope you enjoyed. Ja ne.