30_angsts Prompt 1, MattxNear
Fandom: Death Note
Title: Safety
Author/Artist: Elisabell_angel
Theme(s): (include the # number and full theme) 1. Broken (~Killing for the sake of Killing)
Pairing/Characters: MattxNear
Rating: PG
Disclaimer/claimer (if needed): I do not own Death Note or it's characters... Nor am I making any money off of this fanfic.
Summary (if needed): I can't help but feel horrible that the poor kid has to endure all of this
POV: Matt's.... First person
A/N: For those who don't know this was written for 30_angsts on livejournal, in which there are 30 angsty prompts on a certain couple.... In this case, MattxNear
I had made a habit of walking by the playroom every day, several times a day. I don't recall when I started doing that, but I do remember why. The only reason I'm doing this is to keep Mello from getting in trouble, at least that's what I tell myself. Truth is, I really don't want to admit to myself why I pass by here. I pass by here to check on Near, just to see. I'd gotten very paranoid about the kid's safety, and with good reason.
When I first came to Wammy's, everything here was already established. Mello was number one, and he kept anyone else from taking his position. Everything was fine and mostly peacefull if everyone understood that Mello was boss around here. That was the first and only rule.
There was only one person who broke it. Near came to the orphanage when he was six years old, and automatically it registered in everyone's minds, that the kid was special. You could tell from the second you saw him, that he was gifted. The only one who refused to think that was Mello, and he made sure to inform everyone that the albino was no different than anyone else, and should be treated like everyone else. The blonde had even tried making friends with the small boy, but it seemed that Near was determined to brush off any attempts at friendship.
Mello didn't start hating the kid until the test results came in. Near had beaten him by five whole points. All of the orphans were both shocked and appalled, because they knew what Near had coming to him.... They knew what Mello would do, and yet they didn't say anything to the pale boy, not a warning or anything.
At first the bullying was mild, Mello called it a warning to the albino should he continue to one-up him. He broke Near's robots and scattered them everywhere, while I watched. I didn't say anything or lift a hand to stop Mello, and to tell the truth I hadn't even considered to do so. Maybe it was just because I was on Mello's side, or maybe I just didn't think the kid would be all that affected by this.
I was right, Near wasn't affected by the senseless destruction of his toys. He continued to play with the broken transformers in plain sight, almost as if in a challenging fashion. Almost like he was daring Mello to try to get under his skin. The albino continued to score higher than Mello.
Mello eventually got fed up with it. Fed up with all of it. He was pissed that, even when he was breaking Near's possesions right under his nose, the kid never raised a hand to stop him, nor did he speak at all. He didn't seem the least bit affected. So, Mello punched him, wanting to get a reaction. It didn't work, the kid fell over with the force of the punch, but didn't fight back nor did he make a noise. Mello just continued to punch and beat the kid, until his anger had subsided. I stood back and watched, almost uncaring. I was completely unaffected by the beatdown in front of me. Maybe I didn't think the kid was getting hurt, maybe I didn't think the kid was at all affected by this. He didn't look like he was, so who was I to step in. I was Mello's best friend, and Mello was known for getting whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.... And that was what he wanted.
I never came to a realization that this was really dangerous for Near until that one day. Me and a few others were playing soccer outside, and I, due to my usual lack of physical activity in favor of being plastered to a DS, was tired and needed a break. So I went inside, and had planned on going to the kitchen, and getting me a drink or something to at least cool me down. To do that, I passed by the playroom. Walking by it without a thought, I was shocked to find I had seen something unusuall in my peripherials, so I doubled back. There in a small heap on the floor was Near, there was blood everywhere, and I naturally assumed the worse. It looked bad, it looked much worse than it was. There was blood pooling underneath the albino, and there was blood on his clothes. Maybe it was because he always wore white that it looked so bloody, that it looked much worse than it actually was. I raced over, forgetting about my exhaustion, and knelt down next to the kid. He wasn't moving and his eyes were shut, and the first thought in my head, was that he was dead.
I was panicking, at the time I assumed I was scared that Mello get arrested and possibly executed if he had actually managed to kill Near. I quickly felt the kid's wrist, and relaxed as I felt his pulse. I breathed a small sigh of relief, which I quickly made up some excuse for why he was relieved. Picking the kid up, I quickly took him to the nurse.
I'm not sure why I sat there, waiting for the albino to wake up. Just making sure he was alright, I guess. When he did, he seemed genuinly surprised that the first person he saw was me.... He was just as surprised when I asked him if he was ok. He responded with his usuall answer, for when he really didn't want to answer but had to anyway, a simple 'I'm fine, thank you.' It was obvious Near was dying to ask me why I helped him, but he never did. We just sat in silence for a while, and that was fine with me.
It's impossible to deny that I was terrified for a minuit. Terrified that Near had finnally been broken like his toys had been, and for the first time in my life, I was relieved that I was wrong.