N

*Near had been trying to find Mello ever since he left. He didn't know what he'd do when he found him, but he didn't care. He needed to know Mello was safe.*

*He never found anything. Until today. Near knew this was a bad idea, a stupid one but he couldn't go a second longer without seeing his brother friend.*

*It was easy to find a way in and sneak around without people noticing him. But when it came to finding Mello, he got caught. An greasy, disgusting man grabbed him. Turns out he just had to get caught to find Mello.*

*He was kneeling in front of Mello, a gun against his head while he casually looked up at Mello, his eyes holding an eerily familiar cold, dead appearance. He cleared his throat, his vocal cord were fucked up ever since...that night, before speaking.*

"Greetings, Mello. It's been a while." *Near spoke, hiding any sort of feeling from his voice. He hid his emotions well, and the fear he felt of the familiarness of this situation. And the cold metal pressed against his head.*

- @ask-lsson

Ever since then, Mello had been fighting with the looming ghost of Beyond Birthday, whom he would do his hardest to differentiate himself from, although it only fueled his descent into madness and crime; once he was stained with the disease of sin, he could never dream of being clean again.

With every mission, every order, he would dirty himself further in absolute filth, forgetting the calmness of a safe place and living his life in a constant fight or flight response; crime had changed him in the worst ways, his beautiful blue eyes had been drained of their brightness and turned depressingly dark like a storming sea, wrecking every ship with careless and animalistic rage.

His jacket, as well as his other clothes, trapped him in an intoxicating realm of degeneracy, and he could no longer see a way out; he had been trapped in a spiraling circle of depravity for five long years, there was no hope of him getting out of it or finding good in himself anymore, even though he never found any in the first place.

At the sight of Near, he felt a gaping emptiness stabbing at his insides. For decades, Wammy's House and the successor program had been the absolute bane of his existence; not a day went by without him comparing himself to those that could never reach, scratching at his skin as if he could rip the source of all his misery, as if he could rip his heart out from the burdened ribcage.

Seeing the white, pure figure of the other successor made him feel sick, devastated at his own uncleanliness in the face of everything that he could never be; a sick joke from fate presented him with his biggest regret, feeling nude and used up as he was confronted with his complete opposite.

He had the impulse to rip his hair out, to shoot himself until no one could tell that the contorted body was Mello’s; sitting in a room full of people that did not know the true extent of his sickening nature, even a medial execution would have been less painful than this nightmarish jury.

The scene of Near’s head next to a gun’s barrel immediately reminded him of the events that took place which ruined them both; hurriedly, he began to scream at the man, almost in a fit of insanity, to leave the room and return only after they were called back into the chamber.

*His hair was longer, reaching his shoulders and unkempt. Most of him looked less taken care of than it used to. His clothes were black now, the color of mourning. But who was he mourning?*

*He also had scars. Dozens of them were visible. And both of them knew of the ones that hid under his clothes. Well, Mello knew of most of them.*

Shortly after he instructs his assistants to hold Mello down as they physically discipline Near, who had never done anything so extreme as to warrant such treatment; Mello could only watch in horror as it progressed.

*Near had tried to argue with Roger, for the very first time. He was barely registering what was happening, or what he was saying, but he wasn't going to allow Mello to be punished for this.*

"He didn't do anything!" *Near yelled as he stood in front of Mello, he refused to see Mello get punished again. And then a blur of movement happened.*

*Near was dizzy from the night's actions, he shook his head as he felt himself get thrown to the floor. Once his vision cleared he could see two of the assistants holding Mello down, and another on stand by.*

"Let go of him!" *Near yelled, stumbling up and trying to reach for Mello, only for him to get forced against a wall. It's all startling fast. His shirt is forced off and his hands are tied above his head before he can think.*

*Near pales when he hears Roger's desk drawer open. He knows which one it is. He's never gotten punished with it but he remembers hearing the sounds of one of the other children screaming and their horror as they told someone what happened.*

"Three hundred lashes." *Roger spoke with a grim voice, pulling out the cat'o'nine tails. Near was shaking, he didn't know what to say, what to do to try and stop it-*

“NO! NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE TAKE ME..!”

He yelled at the top of his lungs, squirming and grunting to be released from the grip, as if he were possessed, screaming the same thing over and over.

He had always been the one to be punished physically, but he couldn’t understand at the time, that overseeing it was the worst punishment of them all. To see the good kid, the one who never got into trouble, the one whom he had led down the path of wrongdoing, be harmed in such a cruel manner, he couldn’t believe it.

He screamed and battled for freedom until he lost consciousness completely. In a way, this was karma for his own misdeed, though it felt borderline unfair, because Near had done nothing that was worthy of such violence, nor would he ever be.

-m

*The cycle kept repeating til the punishment was over. By 100 his vocal cords stopped working. By then Mello had been brought to his room. Near thought it was over, that he could finally just go to bed.*

*And then he was brought over to the fireplace. He didn't understand why, his head was barely still awake. He was exhausted and in pain and it felt like his spine was on fire.*

*The younger boy's heart started beating hard in his chest, every second dragging on. He couldn't move, it was like he was chained to his spot, his limbs immobile.*

*He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready to be alone. He started choking on his breath, as he tried to move forward but it was like wading through water, practically impossible.*

*If he didn't catch up, Mello would be gone. Forever. NO! He has to go find Mello, he can't let him get lost!*

*Breaking through the chains that kept him rooted in spot felt like he finally could breath normally, rushing out of the door and turning the corner quickly.*

"MELLO! MELLO WHERE DID YOU-" *Near yelled out, trying to find the older boy, eyes wide and panicked before someone grabbed him. Hand wrapping over his mouth, the other on his throat constricting his breath.*

*Suddenly everything was a blur, the feeling of going completely limp from the panic and the adrenaline as he was dragged by the person holding him, into a dingy alleyway.*

- @ask-lsson

Mello had been running for a while before Near’s pleading words registered in his head, he turned back to see that the boy was nowhere to be found; he was alone in a place he didn’t recognize, without his companion. He could not bear the thought of something happening to his friend, the one he had promised to protect; he knew no one besides Near and Sasaki there, with one of one of them missing and the other too far from him to be reachable, he felt lost.

A fourteen year old orphan had little to no agency in the open world, not like he had any in the orphanage either, but the situation highlighted his hopelessness; if he were to actually run away, like he had planned over and over for several years, he would have nothing and end up on the street, or worse, be sold in human trafficking.

That could very well happen to Near, a child that was way less adjusted and combative than he was, which objectively made him an easier target; sure, he hated him at times for making the blonde study like a madman in an effort to surpass him, but he would have never fathomed something so cruel, even if Near was better than him, he was still a child no more than two years younger than him.

Anxiety was bubbling up in his stomach as the worst scenarios swirled in his mind perversely; he should have been careful, he shouldn’t have recklessly chased after that damn cat and let Near disappear.

He began screaming the other’s name in an effort to find him, and asking passerby if they had seen him by describing his appearance; to be fair, it was simple yet strange, reason for which no one could give him a definite answer to his questions that descended in desperation.

Running back and forth, he stumbled into a dark alley, one of those that one of the teachers had warned about during a lesson; it was also a commonplace for criminals to gang up or seek shelter, which made his intrusive thoughts even wilder.

It was pitch black, but he had developed good vision thanks to his on-site cases, which were completely by international standards, but a tiny bit impossible for a bunch of children; most of them had the same pattern, which helped him realize that this was a perfect place for a kidnapping.

As soon he had made that mental note, he spotted an older holding a child with a hand over their mouth; coming closer, he could make out the monochrome figure of Near, which relieved him, but contemporarily frightened him immensely.

“Unhand my brother!”

He demanded in a shaky voice, pulling out the pocket knife that he was previously given with his left hand whilst keeping his right hand behind his back, with its fingers wrapped around the pistol; although the man was five times his size, he retained a glare on his face, which could not have made the kidnapper guess that in that moment, his body was trembling worse than a leaf.

*As soon as he made out Mello's figure, he started shaking his head, kicking and squirming, trying to get out- he didn't want Mello to be hurt. Not because of him.*

"Give me your money and I'll let the little brat go." *The guy's voice was gruff and cold, completely emotionless. He let go of Near's throat to grab something attached to his hip.*

*Near took the chance. In the split second he had, bit down on the man's hand, a small bit of satisfaction as the man hissed in pain and let go, causing Near to collapse onto his knees.*

From an outsider’s perspective of it, he had seen such a scene play out numerous times when solving cases and had arrived at the answer fairly quickly; but it was a whole other story when it happened before him.

The panic was sizzling in him, perhaps that was how the victims felt, having their loved ones be actively in danger whilst they stood there, powerless from the shock; cold blood ran through him as he realized that his backpack with the money inside, had slipped off his shoulders in the frenzy of his chase.

Only a moment later did his eyes register the horrifying image that was Near being held at gunpoint; the closeness of the barrel to the albino’s head was concerning, the blonde felt genuine fear contaminating his body, acid burning his throat as he pictured brains splattered all over the walls

If Near were to die here, it would be all his fault. If he hadn’t been so absurd as to run from the orphanage to have a little trip, and way worse, to have the best child in the institution involved, it was a recipe for disaster; he would have the weight of Near’s dead body for the rest of his life, if Roger’s punishment didn’t kill him first.

So, he shot.

BANG!

The sound of Mello’s pistol going off resounded in that alley, the impact exploding the kidnapper’s face into pieces as his lifeless body fell to the ground with a heartless thud; blood splattered everywhere.

*A simple glance at his sleeve made him realize who'd been hurt. And who shot the gun. Slowly he raised his head, looking towards Mello.*

*His eyes were wide like saucers, mouth a bit open. His hair was drenched in the man's blood, and so was his shirt.*

*The smell of the metallic substance made him want to vomit, and he wanted to smear the blood, to try and attempt to get it off his face but he knew it'd be hopeless.*

*Near truly was a deer in headlights now. No, a better way would be to say he was a deer looking down the barrel of the hunters gun. He could see how Mello's eyes seemed strangely cold right then.*

*The boy went silent. He knows he can't blame Mello. In fact, despite how he should feel fear he doesn't. No fear towards Mello. Just a strange awareness now. Not only that, but a huge feeling of relief.*

*No words fell from his lips. Near couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He could barely breathe. He just stared at Mello with wide eyes, lips barely open.*

*He couldn't stop himself from looking behind him, looking over his shoulder- the sight of the body, lying there lifeless. Near could barely make out his face. He could feel the bile raising in his throat, that he forced himself to swallow.*

*Mind racing, he remembered that they couldn't leave any evidence. He stumbled as he forced himself to stand up, people would be coming any minute from the sound of the bullet. Near began moving towards the corpse, his hands were shaking but he grabbed the bullet, yanking it out of the man's face.*

*The younger boy's heart started beating hard in his chest, every second dragging on. He couldn't move, it was like he was chained to his spot, his limbs immobile.*

*He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready to be alone. He started choking on his breath, as he tried to move forward but it was like wading through water, practically impossible.*

*If he didn't catch up, Mello would be gone. Forever. NO! He has to go find Mello, he can't let him get lost!*

*Breaking through the chains that kept him rooted in spot felt like he finally could breath normally, rushing out of the door and turning the corner quickly.*

"MELLO! MELLO WHERE DID YOU-" *Near yelled out, trying to find the older boy, eyes wide and panicked before someone grabbed him. Hand wrapping over his mouth, the other on his throat constricting his breath.*

*Suddenly everything was a blur, the feeling of going completely limp from the panic and the adrenaline as he was dragged by the person holding him, into a dingy alleyway.*

- @ask-lsson

Mello had been running for a while before Near’s pleading words registered in his head, he turned back to see that the boy was nowhere to be found; he was alone in a place he didn’t recognize, without his companion. He could not bear the thought of something happening to his friend, the one he had promised to protect; he knew no one besides Near and Sasaki there, with one of one of them missing and the other too far from him to be reachable, he felt lost.

A fourteen year old orphan had little to no agency in the open world, not like he had any in the orphanage either, but the situation highlighted his hopelessness; if he were to actually run away, like he had planned over and over for several years, he would have nothing and end up on the street, or worse, be sold in human trafficking.

That could very well happen to Near, a child that was way less adjusted and combative than he was, which objectively made him an easier target; sure, he hated him at times for making the blonde study like a madman in an effort to surpass him, but he would have never fathomed something so cruel, even if Near was better than him, he was still a child no more than two years younger than him.

Anxiety was bubbling up in his stomach as the worst scenarios swirled in his mind perversely; he should have been careful, he shouldn’t have recklessly chased after that damn cat and let Near disappear.

He began screaming the other’s name in an effort to find him, and asking passerby if they had seen him by describing his appearance; to be fair, it was simple yet strange, reason for which no one could give him a definite answer to his questions that descended in desperation.

Running back and forth, he stumbled into a dark alley, one of those that one of the teachers had warned about during a lesson; it was also a commonplace for criminals to gang up or seek shelter, which made his intrusive thoughts even wilder.

It was pitch black, but he had developed good vision thanks to his on-site cases, which were completely by international standards, but a tiny bit impossible for a bunch of children; most of them had the same pattern, which helped him realize that this was a perfect place for a kidnapping.

As soon he had made that mental note, he spotted an older holding a child with a hand over their mouth; coming closer, he could make out the monochrome figure of Near, which relieved him, but contemporarily frightened him immensely.

“Unhand my brother!”

He demanded in a shaky voice, pulling out the pocket knife that he was previously given with his left hand whilst keeping his right hand behind his back, with its fingers wrapped around the pistol; although the man was five times his size, he retained a glare on his face, which could not have made the kidnapper guess that in that moment, his body was trembling worse than a leaf.

*As soon as he made out Mello's figure, he started shaking his head, kicking and squirming, trying to get out- he didn't want Mello to be hurt. Not because of him.*

"Give me your money and I'll let the little brat go." *The guy's voice was gruff and cold, completely emotionless. He let go of Near's throat to grab something attached to his hip.*

*Near took the chance. In the split second he had, bit down on the man's hand, a small bit of satisfaction as the man hissed in pain and let go, causing Near to collapse onto his knees.*

•Contents of the note: "You can go sneak out a bit longer, Rodger is pretty distracted after my animals broke multiple windows and after I shaved his eyebrows :) Make sure Near has fun!"•

•There's a chocolate bar for Mello and Nears shoes with clean socks in a box the cat pushes towards them. A few of the other orphans have been getting letters like this recently, it's boosted morale quite a lot. No one really knows who this Koko person is though...•

@kokokeiko

Mello notices the cat, which makes him nearly jump, he carefully grabs the note and hesitantly pets the animal as a sort of thank you; he reads the letter, a smile slowly growing on his face as he glances from the cat to the letter again.

The boy chuckles a bit at the mention of Roger’s situation, which he thought was quite deserved and funny. He would probably be occupied with that for a good while, so they had nothing to worry about.

The blonde is pulled out of his immersed reading by the sound of the kitten pushing something towards him, it appeared to be a box of some kind.. Sasaki had warned him against taking stuff from strangers, but this person signed their letter and claimed to know them, so no harm was done.

Mello excitedly took out the chocolate and then pushed the box with the rest of its contents to Near; he was beginning to get hungry, and the snacks he brought weren’t too many, a chocolate bar had come to the rescue at just the right time.

“Look, N! Someone sent us presents, you got boring socks and shoes, while I got chocolate! Oh, I almost forgot—“

He bent down to cuddle with the kitten again.

“Thank you, kind kitty!”

-m

"I guess I can wear them til we get back...I don't wanna get sick-" *Near reluctantly slid the socks and shoes on, cringing a bit at the feeling of the shoes.*

*Near looked at the cat cautiously, he'd been told by Roger that cats were disgusting, feral animals that bit at the hands that fed them but this cat seemed nice...*

In a way, it was a sign of freedom, and a demonstration that their caretaker’s words were not to be taken as absolute truth, but rather, they needed to be questioned; in doing that, Mello found that he had a soft spot for most of them, but especially cats.

He thought that his friend should realize that too, and find a little piece of free will for himself; perhaps then he would have more confidence in himself and live a life that was not dictated by others, but decided on by him as well.

“Come on, it won’t hurt you, it’s friendly! Aren’t you -?”

"It may be friendly b-but Roger says black cats bring bad luck..." *Near mumbled, nervously taking a step back as he kept his hands close to his body.*

"I already have bad luck, I don't need more-" *Near huffed, twirling his hair around his finger in a nervous act.*

He exchanged glances with the confused cat, unable to conceive that something so cute could bring misfortune, that was some rubbish only old people could believe, and Roger happened to be a very old man.

Mello shook his head disapprovingly as he reprised his playing with the kitten and its paws; if it were up to him, he would have never let that cat go.

“That’s like, super old superstition, and it’s been proven to be bonkers!”

-m

*He attempted to grab the cat, and succeeded, freezing in place as the cat meowed. He nervously looked down, petting the cats silky black fur.*

"This...isn't so bad.." *Near reluctantly mentioned, attempting to move the cat a bit as it squirmed in his arms before jumping right out of his hold* "Ah, wait!"

*The cat was already running out of the toy store as someone opened the door to leave, while Near glanced at Mello, unsure of what to do.*

•Contents of the note: "You can go sneak out a bit longer, Rodger is pretty distracted after my animals broke multiple windows and after I shaved his eyebrows :) Make sure Near has fun!"•

•There's a chocolate bar for Mello and Nears shoes with clean socks in a box the cat pushes towards them. A few of the other orphans have been getting letters like this recently, it's boosted morale quite a lot. No one really knows who this Koko person is though...•

@kokokeiko

Mello notices the cat, which makes him nearly jump, he carefully grabs the note and hesitantly pets the animal as a sort of thank you; he reads the letter, a smile slowly growing on his face as he glances from the cat to the letter again.

The boy chuckles a bit at the mention of Roger’s situation, which he thought was quite deserved and funny. He would probably be occupied with that for a good while, so they had nothing to worry about.

The blonde is pulled out of his immersed reading by the sound of the kitten pushing something towards him, it appeared to be a box of some kind.. Sasaki had warned him against taking stuff from strangers, but this person signed their letter and claimed to know them, so no harm was done.

Mello excitedly took out the chocolate and then pushed the box with the rest of its contents to Near; he was beginning to get hungry, and the snacks he brought weren’t too many, a chocolate bar had come to the rescue at just the right time.

“Look, N! Someone sent us presents, you got boring socks and shoes, while I got chocolate! Oh, I almost forgot—“

He bent down to cuddle with the kitten again.

“Thank you, kind kitty!”

-m

"I guess I can wear them til we get back...I don't wanna get sick-" *Near reluctantly slid the socks and shoes on, cringing a bit at the feeling of the shoes.*

*Near looked at the cat cautiously, he'd been told by Roger that cats were disgusting, feral animals that bit at the hands that fed them but this cat seemed nice...*

In a way, it was a sign of freedom, and a demonstration that their caretaker’s words were not to be taken as absolute truth, but rather, they needed to be questioned; in doing that, Mello found that he had a soft spot for most of them, but especially cats.

He thought that his friend should realize that too, and find a little piece of free will for himself; perhaps then he would have more confidence in himself and live a life that was not dictated by others, but decided on by him as well.

“Come on, it won’t hurt you, it’s friendly! Aren’t you -?”

"It may be friendly b-but Roger says black cats bring bad luck..." *Near mumbled, nervously taking a step back as he kept his hands close to his body.*

"I already have bad luck, I don't need more-" *Near huffed, twirling his hair around his finger in a nervous act.*

•Contents of the note: "You can go sneak out a bit longer, Rodger is pretty distracted after my animals broke multiple windows and after I shaved his eyebrows :) Make sure Near has fun!"•

•There's a chocolate bar for Mello and Nears shoes with clean socks in a box the cat pushes towards them. A few of the other orphans have been getting letters like this recently, it's boosted morale quite a lot. No one really knows who this Koko person is though...•

@kokokeiko

Mello notices the cat, which makes him nearly jump, he carefully grabs the note and hesitantly pets the animal as a sort of thank you; he reads the letter, a smile slowly growing on his face as he glances from the cat to the letter again.

The boy chuckles a bit at the mention of Roger’s situation, which he thought was quite deserved and funny. He would probably be occupied with that for a good while, so they had nothing to worry about.

The blonde is pulled out of his immersed reading by the sound of the kitten pushing something towards him, it appeared to be a box of some kind.. Sasaki had warned him against taking stuff from strangers, but this person signed their letter and claimed to know them, so no harm was done.

Mello excitedly took out the chocolate and then pushed the box with the rest of its contents to Near; he was beginning to get hungry, and the snacks he brought weren’t too many, a chocolate bar had come to the rescue at just the right time.

“Look, N! Someone sent us presents, you got boring socks and shoes, while I got chocolate! Oh, I almost forgot—“

He bent down to cuddle with the kitten again.

“Thank you, kind kitty!”

-m

"I guess I can wear them til we get back...I don't wanna get sick-" *Near reluctantly slid the socks and shoes on, cringing a bit at the feeling of the shoes.*

*Near looked at the cat cautiously, he'd been told by Roger that cats were disgusting, feral animals that bit at the hands that fed them but this cat seemed nice...*

“Leaving now are we? Tut tut tut darling”

-@ask-miss-lady-sasaki 🍷‼️

Mello almost jumped at the sudden but familiar voice, turning around slowly as he begged for it to not be any of Roger’s assistants or worse, Roger himself.

Luckily, it was his godmother.

“AAAH—miss sasaki, you scared me! What are you doing up so late..? Close to midnight too, is there something wrong?

Me and Near were just talking a walk, we couldn’t sleep..right Near?”

He nudged Near’s shoulder aggressively for a response.

“I was out going for a smoke, yes ever so irresponsible I know~ *she said with a soft laugh before continuing*

“Uhm we—we wanted some fresh air, yeah. You know how suffocating the dorms can be, so we went out for a little walk, that’s all.”

-m

*she would briefly for a second before a devious smirk crossed her face. She would snap her fingers together before gesturing for the two to follow her* “come along”

*a few feet away from where they were standing was a glossy dark red motorcycle glistening in the moonlight*

“A MOTORCYCLE? Holy shit, I mean—wow! Are you seeing this Near?! She’s gonna take us outside with a MOTORCYCLE!!”

Mello tugged at Near’s sleeve impatiently before dragging him to the vehicle while giggling; he couldn’t stop smiling, it might have been one of the best days of his life.

-m

“Where do you wanna go first, Near?”

-m

"U-Uhm...I'm not sure. I don't know specifics or anything..." *Near spoke, voice muffled by his face being pressed into Mello's back and shoulder.* "The toy store maybe...?"

“Leaving now are we? Tut tut tut darling”

-@ask-miss-lady-sasaki 🍷‼️

Mello almost jumped at the sudden but familiar voice, turning around slowly as he begged for it to not be any of Roger’s assistants or worse, Roger himself.

Luckily, it was his godmother.

“AAAH—miss sasaki, you scared me! What are you doing up so late..? Close to midnight too, is there something wrong?

Me and Near were just talking a walk, we couldn’t sleep..right Near?”

He nudged Near’s shoulder aggressively for a response.

“I was out going for a smoke, yes ever so irresponsible I know~ *she said with a soft laugh before continuing*

“Uhm we—we wanted some fresh air, yeah. You know how suffocating the dorms can be, so we went out for a little walk, that’s all.”

-m

*she would briefly for a second before a devious smirk crossed her face. She would snap her fingers together before gesturing for the two to follow her* “come along”

*a few feet away from where they were standing was a glossy dark red motorcycle glistening in the moonlight*

“A MOTORCYCLE? Holy shit, I mean—wow! Are you seeing this Near?! She’s gonna take us outside with a MOTORCYCLE!!”

Mello tugged at Near’s sleeve impatiently before dragging him to the vehicle while giggling; he couldn’t stop smiling, it might have been one of the best days of his life.

-m

"I-Isn't this unsafe...? Three people, one motorcycle?" *Near mumbled, nervously looking around.* "And against the law?" *Near questioned, twirling his hair around his finger.*

“Leaving now are we? Tut tut tut darling”

-@ask-miss-lady-sasaki 🍷‼️

Mello almost jumped at the sudden but familiar voice, turning around slowly as he begged for it to not be any of Roger’s assistants or worse, Roger himself.

Luckily, it was his godmother.

“AAAH—miss sasaki, you scared me! What are you doing up so late..? Close to midnight too, is there something wrong?

Me and Near were just talking a walk, we couldn’t sleep..right Near?”

He nudged Near’s shoulder aggressively for a response.

"Mello's right, I have trouble sleeping and he thought a night walk would soothe my nerves..." *Near spoke with a startlingly smooth facade placed on, but it was obvious he was nervous to Mello as he squeezed the older boy's hand.*

*His socks were soaked giving a weird feeling, he was starting to almost regret not wearing shoes but shoes made him feel the same tingly feeling...*

"Where's Mello...?" *Near mumbled, looking around confused. They were meeting in 10 minutes right...? He huffed, feeling nervous. He'd never been this close to the gate. Not since he was brought in.*

- @ask-lsson

Mello had some trouble getting out of his dorm, since he was a troublemaker, his hallway was heavily monitored by surveillance, which the other children continuously complained about, rightfully; he wouldn’t have been such a nuisance to deal with if yelling wasn’t the only way to be heard, but it was.

He had finally managed to get the security and teachers off his tail, but it made him be a little late to the appointment with Near; he hoped that his delay wouldn’t enhance the other’s anxiety, he, unlike Mello, had been a good kid and had never broken the rules.

“Sorry.. for.. being.. late..”

The older boy huffed as he regained his breath slowly, he ran all the way to the gate because of the added worry for Near, and his uncontrollable excitement; he had been outside before but it was always restrained by a simulation or an actual case. Tonight, he was going to be free for a few hours, free from his personal hell and into the unexplored real world; he felt as if he was ready to face anything that blocked his path.

"It's okay...you didn't have to run all the way here.." *Near spoke, looking Mello up and down. He wasn't certain of what he was doing or where they were going.*

*Near was anxious, he'd never been in the city or anything. Weren't people going to be suspicious if two teen boys were going into shops and leaving without buying anything? They didn't have money after all.*

"What're we gonna do...? Aren't the store owners going to be suspicious of us?" *Near mumbled, his hand going down and holding Mello's, a small nervous thing. His skin was clammy and he was even paler then usual.*

“Don’t worry, I got us covered!”

Mello showed his black backpack, the one he wore use for these sorts of trips, it had a bunch of food and water in the bigger compartment, while a good chunk of money lay in the smaller one; the kid brought a finger to his lips as if to confirm that the money wasn’t his, there was a good chance that it was stolen directly from Roger’s office.

-m

"Okay...I trust you." *Near spoke, completely calm and forward. He'd never said that before, in fact, the only person he'd ever trusted so much was L himself.*

*His socks were soaked giving a weird feeling, he was starting to almost regret not wearing shoes but shoes made him feel the same tingly feeling...*

"Where's Mello...?" *Near mumbled, looking around confused. They were meeting in 10 minutes right...? He huffed, feeling nervous. He'd never been this close to the gate. Not since he was brought in.*

- @ask-lsson

Mello had some trouble getting out of his dorm, since he was a troublemaker, his hallway was heavily monitored by surveillance, which the other children continuously complained about, rightfully; he wouldn’t have been such a nuisance to deal with if yelling wasn’t the only way to be heard, but it was.

He had finally managed to get the security and teachers off his tail, but it made him be a little late to the appointment with Near; he hoped that his delay wouldn’t enhance the other’s anxiety, he, unlike Mello, had been a good kid and had never broken the rules.

“Sorry.. for.. being.. late..”

The older boy huffed as he regained his breath slowly, he ran all the way to the gate because of the added worry for Near, and his uncontrollable excitement; he had been outside before but it was always restrained by a simulation or an actual case. Tonight, he was going to be free for a few hours, free from his personal hell and into the unexplored real world; he felt as if he was ready to face anything that blocked his path.

"It's okay...you didn't have to run all the way here.." *Near spoke, looking Mello up and down. He wasn't certain of what he was doing or where they were going.*

*Near was anxious, he'd never been in the city or anything. Weren't people going to be suspicious if two teen boys were going into shops and leaving without buying anything? They didn't have money after all.*

"What're we gonna do...? Aren't the store owners going to be suspicious of us?" *Near mumbled, his hand going down and holding Mello's, a small nervous thing. His skin was clammy and he was even paler then usual.*