The N. Mail-Hae Birthday

RQ: Hello everyone! Welcome to the madness that is my second fanfiction for Death Note. I have so many people to "blame" for this story, though they won't notice until the next chapter why I blame them so. Anyway, this was written as a Happy 18th Birthday present for Near! Please enjoy it, and remember that the word 'pickle' is indeed a funny word.

~*~

i10:00PM August 23rd, 2009/i

Mello jumped out from the passenger seat of Matt's car, not even bothering to wait until he pulled to a full stop. Matt sloppily parked the car seconds later, joining him in front of the small apartment complex. Both were too excited to be worried about trivial details like getting a ticket. Tonight was after all, the night before something very special happened.

Tonight was the night before Near's birthday. And it was not just ANY birthday. Near would be turning eighteen. As both Matt and Mello already knew, eighteen was quite a magical age. They had both been talking on and off for months, casually mentioning the various things that they could do with Near once he became 'legally able'. Anything from clubbing to X-rated movies passed between the two, though they both knew that Near would flat out refuse to do any of those things unless he was forcibly dragged.

However, those activities were not special enough for one's birthday…especially NEAR'S birthday. No, they had to do something so AMAZING, even the usually unimpressionable Near would think about for years to come. So after months of careful planning, the time had finally arrived…and they were ready. They had spent those months, shopping and planning slowly, something that made Mello repeatedly remind Matt that he damn well hoped that this would all work out. Matt would simply laugh at him, reminding him that unless Mello did something reckless, everything would work out.

They knew that Halle and Rester were living in the apartment with Near, posing as his 'guardians' so that no one would suspect him of being the world's greatest genius detective. The two greeted Matt and Mello as they walked in the door, leading them into the main room. It was a normally furnished room, severely contrasting the actually abnormal lives of the three occupants.

"We're here to pick up Near." Mello cut right to the chase, sitting casually on the sofa. "We're here to ask his 'guardians' if it's okay if we take him on an outing."

"Near will be eighteen tomorrow, why do you need our permission?" Rester looked suspiciously at the blonde and redheaded teens, his hands crossed over his chest. He had a hard time believing that Mello and Matt had anything good planned for Near, and if the boy was hurt he would feel terrible.

"Aww, lighten up Rester." Surprisingly, Halle spoke, gently touching his shoulder. "He'll be eighteen soon…doesn't Near deserve one day out of the whole year away from piles of paperwork and whiny politicians?" She turned her gaze on Mello and Matt, currently portraying the perfect picture of two innocent boys asking their best friend to come out and play some childish game. Halle knew better, but she kept her thoughts to herself. If she actually told Rester what they had planned, things could get ugly…and Halle was NOT in the mood for ugly. Paperwork was bad enough without things getting worse.

"We promise to be good to him Rester." Matt met Rester's stern frown with a grin of his own. "So c'mon…what do you say?"

"As much as we are asking, Rester." Mello spoke, his voice dangerously low. "We aren't. Let Near go with us. We'll go up and get him, and you and Halle can go into the kitchen and stay there until we leave."

Rester sighed heavily, frowning as he turned his back on the teens. He spoke through gritted teeth, as if the words were being pulled forcibly from him. "Fine…he can go. But if he's sleeping, don't you DARE wake him up."

Mello jumped up from the couch, Matt following him quickly. The two took the stairs quietly, in case Near was asleep. They were actually almost certain he was, his bedtime was usually about half an hour earlier according to Matt's observations. They found his door, opening it as slowly as possible.

The floor was littered with puzzle pieces, dice, and assorted toy parts. A combination of moonlight and the streetlights outside streamed through the small window, casting an eerie glow on everything in the room, except for one. Near slept peacefully, the light making his skin and hair seem to glow. The two crossed the floor, covering their mouths so as not to curse loudly when they accidentally stepped on a dice, or nearly kicked a fully assembled robot across the floor.

They reached the bed, pausing for a minute to simply observe the sight of the peacefully sleeping Near. As they watched, Mello felt his nerves begin to subside. He took from his pocket a cloth, pressing it gently to Near's nose and mouth. His fingers brushed lightly over Near's porcelain cheek, the skin soft beneath them. He waited a few seconds, then removed the cloth, stuffing it back into his pocket. With Matt's help, Mello managed to carry the drugged boy out of the room, down the stairs, out the front door, and then into the car.

Near slept peacefully in the backseat, unaware as Matt revved the engine of the car, then sped away from the apartments toward their destination….

~*~

iAugust 24th, 2009/i

He opened his eyes slowly, wincing and squeezing them shut again. All of his muscles felt like he had run a marathon. He tried to open his eyes again, this time more slowly. He succeeded, though he did not make any move to sit up. Instead, he carefully turned his head, his groggy mind trying to take in his surroundings and process where he was.

"Well hey, it looks like the drug is finally wearing off." Near recognized Matt immediately, even though they had not seen each other for years. The redhead was sitting across from him, the light from his DS reflected off of his signature orange goggles. His gloved hands held the stylus, moving it across the lower screen with tiny flourishes that a complete stranger would have thought impossible for anyone but a video game god.

"Matt…what is Matt doing here. Or rather, how did I get here with Matt?"

"I'm not surprised you don't know, since you were sleeping like a baby when we got you." Matt saved his game, putting the DS beside him on the couch, his eyebrows raised. His gloved fingers fidgeted with a loose thread on his vest, his green eyes focused on the smaller boy. Near shook his head, partially to indicate he did not remember, and partially to try to clear it. "Well, see—"

"Where are we?" Near interrupted him, dismissing the past details as unimportant. What was important was figuring out where he was, and why he was there. As his senses cleared, he could feel the hum of the jet, the light of day streaming in from the windows around them. He wondered who was piloting, though he guessed that the jet might possibly be on autopilot, allowing Matt to talk to him.

"You are with us, on a jet." Near's gray eyes traveled over to the other side of the jet, where Mello sat, wearing his traditional skin-tight leather. He snapped off a piece of chocolate, his blue eyes meeting Nears own. "And you're here because we want you here."

"I do not see why I am here." Near sat up, noticing that he had been laying on a couch, a pale blue blanket draped over him. He guessed that Mello and Matt had drugged him into a deeper sleep, bringing him up in the jet some hours ago. His fingers traced patterns on the blanket as his mind tried to work out what was going on.

"You DO remember what day it is, right Near?" Mello smirked, snapping off another piece of chocolate. He watched as Near leaned back against the couch, hugging one knee to his chest as his other leg dangled to the carpeted jet floor. He had borrowed the jet from the mafia, making sure it was furnished with everything that they would possibly need for their 'trip'. The couch that Near was currently leaning into was actually one of several that took up residence in the jet. He silently went over the plans in his head, making sure that he had not missed anything. Although he was normally spontaneous, he knew that his and Matt's plans had to go perfectly, until they reached a certain point. Once that point was reached, then he could resume his usual way of doing things.

"It is my birthday." Near sighed, his fingers delicately twirling a lock of snow-white hair as he stood up, taking a few steps until he was in the middle of the floor. "Mello and Matt know that I do not celebrate it…nor do I have any intention of celebrating it."

"Yeah, we know…but it's your eighteenth birthday." Mello stood also, walking over to Near and placing his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. He felt the smaller boy tremble under his touch, though his emotionless face did not change. "And I'm not planning to land this jet anytime soon."

Near met Mello's fiery orbs with his own onyx gray, sighing. He sat down on the floor, bringing his left knee to his chest again. Mello smiled down at him, turning and walking out into another part of the jet. Near watched until he could no longer see him, and then his attention was drawn away as Matt spoke, his voice full of both kindness and excitement.

"Well, since you're here, you might as well open your presents." Near raised an eyebrow at Matt, causing the gamer to laugh. "What? It's not a birthday without gifts you know." Matt lay down on his stomach, his chin in his hands as he waited for Mello to return with the gifts. As he moved his shirt bunched slightly, revealed the tiniest patch of skin on his lower back, though he did not bother to adjust it. He inwardly could feel the younger boy's eyes on him, something that did not bother him in the least. He shifted a little, causing his shirt to reveal more of his skin, teasing Near.

"Something wrong Near?" He asked nonchalantly, propping himself up on one elbow, his back now hidden from view. He laughed quietly as a tiny blush spread over the albino's pale cheeks, his gray eyes looking anywhere but at the redhead. Lucky for Near, he did not have to try to come up with an explanation.

Mello walked over, a large stack of presents in his arms. He plunked them down on the floor in front of Near, grinning as he watched the younger boy stare at them in confusion. "You're supposed to OPEN them…you know, pull the tape off and open the boxes." He smirked at the glare the albino gave him, settling down on the carpet next to him to watch.

Near sighed, picking up the box on the top. He disliked having this much fuss made over his birthday, although in their current location he could honestly do nothing about it. He nervously began picking at the tape on the brightly colored package, staring at it as if trying to see through the wrapping to the inside. He had no idea what to expect from Mello and Matt, especially after everything that had happened up to that point. Finally, with another small sigh, he decided to just get it over with and open the presents.

He carefully removed the paper, opening each of the presents and setting them neatly in a row. Once this was completed, he looked up at Mello and Matt, both boys faces' lit with identical grins, before his gaze returned to the presents in front of him. Most of them looked fairly innocent, and he would probably not have thought much of them if the other two had not included some of the most blatantly obvious sex toys on the market among them. He looked up at the other two again, his gaze clearly conveying that he was less than amused. His frown deepened as the other two burst out laughing.

"Aww come on Near…" Matt tried to stifle his laughter, but failed miserably. "You're eighteen now…you ought to have some more 'adult' toys. Just be thankful we didn't include everything that we originally set out to buy." He burst into more giggles, the frown on the younger boy's face deepening.

"I rather wish that you did not include ANY of the ones that you purchased." Near's statement only made the other two laugh harder. He did not find it amusing in the least, and the fact that he would be stuck with them for who knew how long did not make it any better. He hoped that they were laughing too hard to see the tiny embarrassed flush that tinted his cheeks.

Unfortunately Mello, who had been watching Near out of the corner of his eye, caught the small coloring of the younger boy's cheeks. He wondered what exactly was going through Near's head, and whether what they were doing would actually work. It was not like Near had much of a choice, seeing as they were about 50,000 feet above the ground at the moment. But at the same time, both boys preferred that Near actually be on board with their idea.

"Enough of this." Near's voice held ice in it as he spoke, the tiny blush on his cheeks gone. "I do not find this amusing in the least." He kept his eyes locked on the carpet, his fingers twirling his hair. He wanted off of the jet as soon as possible, at least, before he lost control of how he was feeling. It annoyed him not to be in control of situations in general (this being a prime example), but his biggest annoyance was not being in control of his own EMOTIONS…a threat that loomed closer and closer the longer he remained with the other two.

Even though he acted coldly, it was clear to Mello that he was not angry. Rather, Near was becoming increasingly frustrated by all of the attention he was being shown…and he would not admit that he was actually liking it. Having lived together for years, both Matt and Mello learned how to determine to a degree whether the white-haired boy was annoyed, or simply covering up how he felt. They were using it to their advantage now, a fact that was surely adding to Near's frustrations.

"Oh yeah, before we forget," Matt ruffled the hair of the younger boy, grinning as he completely ignored his threat. "We made you a cake…well, sort of. We know you don't eat cake, but you really should, seeing as it's your birthday and all! Hang on, we'll be right back." With that, he ran to the back of the jet, disappearing behind a navy blue curtain. Mello followed after him, turning and winking at the confused albino before also disappearing behind the curtain.

~*~

RQ: Reviewers shall have lots of loving…oh, and if anyone has any 'suggestions' as to what the gifties Near received should be, either note me or leave it in your review. I already have a few ideas of my own, but if there's something you really wanna see next chapter, please write it down. I'll TRY to use it! ^^'

Thanks for reading. Chapter 2 is on the way! ^_^

~RQ