A/N: OMG, NEW FIC IS FINALLY OUT! God, I don't even know how long I've been working on this...it's not even that long!

Basically, this idea came to me A LONG TIME ago, so I wrote it all down and started typing it up. I wanted to do a fic that wasn't a one shot, but wasn't a twenty-odd chapter epic, either! XD

So, this one's around...I forgot. Ummm. Seven chapters? Yeah, that's it. Anyways, I really like it, and it's cute (SO wish that was an option on the genre picker here...) and also, IT'S THE FIRST STORY I'VE HAD A BETA FOR! (Which has improved it beyond belief)

So, this'll probably be updated every Saturday, give or take a day or two.

And, thanks so much to my beta, Rainbow Fruit Loop, for making this amazing! I was gonna force her to write a beta note, but then decided I'd have mercy on her and not. XD

This chapter's a bit angsty, by my standards, so sorry if you don't like that! But trust me, it doesn't stay like this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. Unfortunately. If I did, Mello wouldn't have died. Or Matt. Or L. Or anyone, really. Death isn't my thing.

Chapter One: Poker Face

It all started with that goddamned beach trip Roger cooked up.

"This is so fucking stupid! I'm fourteen, not some fucking toddler!" Mello was not amused.

"Geez, princess, calm down. A beach trip ain't so bad. At least the weather isn't quite as shitty down here." Matt replied calmly, staring up at the sky through his orange goggles.

"It's too hot!" His best friend complained. The whiny bitch.

"And exactly whose fault is that for insisting on wearing black? C'mon, Mels, I know for a fact that you have some colour in your wardrobe. Anyways, look, Roger's calling everyone for some kind of pow-wow over there. We'd better go listen." The redhead started slouching away towards the gathered huddle of orphans.

Mello followed, looking pissy.

"Now, everyone, this beach trip has been organised for all of you to take a well-earned break from your studies and have some fun; not to get lost. To prevent this, I will be assigning you each to a small group of three, in order of rank." the caretaker of Wammy's announced.

Mello's eyes bugged. Wouldn't that mean…?

"First group: Near, Mello and Matt." Roger started rattling off the list of groups.

Internally, Matt facepalmed. Jesus, was Roger fucking stupid or something? He was going to get Near's ass killed one of these days.

Mello, on the other hand, was horrified. He was stuck with the albino sheep. Again.

He didn't bother to disguise his reaction, letting the shock and disgust reign free on his features. He surreptitiously glanced over at Near to see what he thought of the whole thing.

Completely blank. Of course.

Mello had to grit his teeth. God, Near was so annoying. Poker faces were overrated these days, anyway.

"Now," Roger's voice brought Mello back to the matter at hand, "I must stress the importance of staying in your groups. It will be incredibly unwise if individuals wander off. Therefore, anyone caught doing so will be severely punished." Roger's all-seeing eye slid to give Mello the poignant evils.

Mello grimaced inwardly. He was already in enough trouble for trying to steal the entire kitchen's worth of chocolate.

There went his last hope of freedom.

"That is all. Have fun, children!" Roger bade them farewell.

Have fun.

Yeah, right.

Mello turned around slightly, and noticed the redhead mooching up behind him.

"Yo, Mello. Should we go change so we can swim, or what? What do you want to do first?" asked Matt in his characteristic drawl.

"Whatever. I don't really give a shit." Mello groused.

Matt ignored the Mello Sulk and turned to the white-haired boy who had just joined their group. "What about you, Near?"

"I have no opinion on the matter," came the quiet reply.

"Shock, horror. Come on, Matt, let's get fucking moving. I hate procrastinating." Mello grabbed his friend by the wrist, and started dragging him towards the changing rooms. Near followed in silence.

When they were in the small, dim room, Mello promptly stripped himself of his shirt and pants, having donned swimming trunks earlier that morning. Now that the minimal shock of having to put up with the albino full-time was gone, he was actually beginning to look forward to their dip in the sea.

Not that he'd admit it.

Matt followed suite, and chucked Mello a towel once he had fished it out of the huge-ass carrier bag he'd been lugging around all day, simply because Mello had been too damn lazy to pack his own.

Both males turned to Near, who had yet to undo a single button on his white pyjama shirt.

"Hurry the fuck up; we ain't got all day." Mello snapped at him, putting his hands on his hips.

Near paid no attention, continuing to sit in silence and twirl his finger in his hair.

"Hey, freak! I said, 'hurry the fuck up'!" Mello raised his voice, leaning closer into the younger boy's personal bubble.

Near finally reacted, and pulled back slightly from Mello's invasion. "I have no wish to remove my clothes," he said.

"I don't give a shit whether you want to or not - just take them off! I can't go swimming without you, unfortunately." Mello informed him, grabbing his shirt and attempting to pull it over his head.

Near resisted, gripping the hem tightly.

"Stop being such a bitch!" Mello was seriously annoyed now. "Take off the fucking clothes!"

Matt watched the proceedings with something less than interest. This happened pretty much every day; Near and Mello's arguing was an unstoppable phenomenon.

Eventually, even the redhead was too bored to continue. "You know what? Fuck Roger and his stupid rules. I'm gonna go swim. See ya there, Mels, Short Stuff." He exited the changing rooms with a small smirk on his face.

Mello seethed. He would have eagerly run after his friend, but the last thing he needed was for Roger to be on his case even more. The guy knew how to hold a grudge, that was for sure.

"Seriously, Near. Take off your fucking clothes! What, do you not have a swimsuit or something?"

Near looked up at him through a curtain of snowy white hair. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. However, as I have said before, I do not feel entirely comfortable stripping in front of Mello."

Mello could have sworn he felt a vein burst. "I don't give a fuck if you feel comfortable or not! Just take off your clothes already, so I can go fucking swim!" With that, he ripped the shirt off Near, pulling off a large majority of the buttons from the front.

And then he froze.

"Fuck. Near, what happened to you?" Mello finally breathed, still unmoving.

Near sat, his eyes averted, as Mello blatantly stared at his torso.

The pale skin was covered with scars and bruises, both old and new.

Mello gulped, reaching out as if to touch one, but thought the better of it, letting his hand fall to his side.

"What happened?" he repeated hoarsely.

Near gave no answer, and then proceeded to merely fumble with his hair in something that would have been nervousness, had it been any other person.

"Near. Tell me what happened. If someone did this to you, you can't let them get away with it. Hell, I don't like you, but I can't believe anyone would give you bruises as bad as those. There could even be some internal damage!" Mello told him near-hysterically, wishing for the calming aura of Matt. The blond was no good with situations like these.

Still, Near stayed silent, only breaking his blank visage with a slight raise of his pale eyebrow.

"Near!" Mello damn-near screeched at him.

Finally, Near sighed and blinked slowly, looking up at Mello from under his eyelashes. "Doesn't Mello remember?" he asked quietly.

Mello narrowed his eyes, confused. "Remember what?"

"When Mello is angry about my beating him in the exams, he makes a habit of physically abusing me." Near reminded the blond, shifting his eyes to the floor again.

Mello could feel an awful headache coming on. "Are…are you telling me I gave you those scars?" he croaked, his blue eyes wide with shock.

Near only looked at him, his expression blank.

Suddenly, Mello felt the horrible urge to throw up.

God. Oh, dear, fucking God. He'd meant to hurt Near while he was angry, but not—

He just hadn't been able to see—

His goddamn fucking poker faces.

The room swam, making Mello dizzy. All he could see were the terrible injuries on Near's torso; everything else was a black haze.

He was a bully. No, that didn't cut it.

He could have seriously hurt someone, a fellow Wammy's habitant. Who the fuck cared if it was Near or not - even Mello wasn't capable of hating the kid that much.

He was despicable.

Suddenly, Mello couldn't bear to be in the same room as the white-haired boy. He ran out of the dimly-lit changing room, desperately searching for a place in which he could be alone for a while.

Near watched him leave, his poker face never slipping. After he was sure the blond wasn't coming back, he sighed heavily and put his shirt on, fastening the few buttons that remained.

He didn't particularly want to go swimming; he may as well just wait out the duration of the trip in here.

And take the time to shake off the unexplainable sadness that had permeated his mind.

A/N: Oh dear. I really went down the depressing route there, didn't I? Sorry about that. Anyways, please review! I'll be uploading the chapters anyway, but it's always good for my self-esteem. And I have exams coming up, so I need something to make me hppy. :( *shameless blackmail*