Scream

Near screamed. He screamed as loud as his small form could muster, his lungs stinging and his throat rough. His lips bled, the thin trails of blood dripping from the tooth-marks on his red lips, the trails mixing with the thin lines of tears, forming a pink as red as his cheeks.

“S-s-stop! P-please, stop!”

The only response was a wicked grin and more pain. The nails of boney fingers dug into Near’s skin and rose small droplets of blood. Cold hands, even colder than the ground, left flaring bruises the shape of long hands on Near’s back and shoulders, the rough ground leaving the young boy’s chest raw.

“S-sss… st-top!”

The grin widened and the pain increased. Near’s backside felt like it was being torn apart. But it was hard for him to know what the pain really was specifically, the burning confusing his senses as the sharp, heated pain spread through his legs and back.

“N…n-no…”

Near’s voice just got weaker and weaker the more he begged and screamed. His throat and tongue began to be overcome by the burning. He couldn’t speak. He wouldn’t even hear the dark laughter through his heartbeat pounding in his ears…

Near found the strength to scream again when the salty seed of his intruder spilt onto his burning, bleeding orifice.

He gagged on his scream as the intruder forcibly pulled away, Near soon losing consciousness from exhaustion and lack of air.

The last thing Near remembered was a hushed voice sweetly whispering “goodniiight…” as his intruders shadow blocked out what little light shown in the dark room…

…

Near finally woke up in his own bed, finding himself unable to scream. His jaw cracked as he tried, silent tears pouring down his cheeks as his eyes wrenched shut. He closed his mouth, a small trail of saliva dripping down his cheek as he bared his teeth. He tossed his head back and fourth, desperately trying to scream…

Everything just got darker with the sun blocked out by a shit-smear of rain clouds on the once blue sky. It scared him. It was dark just like that room. That terrifying room…

His eyes snapped open when he felt a touch on his shoulder. He choked, rapidly backing from the contact as if on fire. He wheezed as the air left his sore lungs, his wide eyes immediately focusing on a wide-eyed Mello, hand outstretched cautiously, and a worried Matt, whose expression was mostly hidden by his headgear.

Near panted softly, breathing out sharply and wheezing softly as he breathed in. His wide eyes stared at Mello, examining every aspect of the blonde’s face and trying to forget the face of his intruder.

Near’s gaze soon darted to Matt eyes, making the boy jump, as Matt pulled his goggles down to hang at his neck. Near did the same to Matt as he did with Mello, desperately analizing his face.

Mello’s voice finally broke the thick silence, making Near flinch.

“What happened to you…?” Mello asked, the usual malice and bite gone from his soft voice. He reached out slowly, Near eyeballing the hand with such terror that Mello had to pull away.

Matt bit his lip, pale teal eyes swiftly flicking from Mello’s equally worried expression to Near’s terrified one.

Near just wheezed and gulped painfully, wrenching his eyes shut and hiding under the covers, like any scared kid would do…

Mello and Matt’s teal eyes met one anothers, worry and fear equal in their blue-green irises…

…

It was quite a while before Near regained his voice. The only reason Mello and Matt had known was that Near had screamed at the top of his lungs. The two teal-eyed teens had dashed through the darkened halls, the sound of thunder outside just making their guts tense painfully from fear.

The two older teens reached the Near’s room to find the light-haired boy curled in the corner of the room hidden by the bed, screaming until his voice gave out once more…

…

“I don’t know what to do, Matt…” Mello muttered, oddly wide eyes focusing on the tips of his toes as he tried to think.

“I can’t- I can’t take this… it’s freaking me out. I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. I’m either too scared or too worried…” the blonde continued, wincing slightly as Matt shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“Same… here, buddy…” Matt answered, shifting uncomfortably once more.

“I know… I know he was… was raped… but…” Matt started, shifting once more.

“Will you STOP fidgeting!?” Mello yelled, voice cracking mid-sentence and eye twitching once as he moved his head to glare at Matt. Matt jumped, muttering a quick apology before just fidgeting his hands. Mello groaned with annoyance as Matt, for all his goddamned fidgeting, at himself, for getting so jaded about all of this, and at Near, for getting fucking raped in the first place.

…

Mello and Matt visited Near every day after the incident. They would mainly just stay quiet, stare at each other and think. They would never talk. Near stopped talking. Every time Mello or Matt spoke, Near would flinch. So, none of them ever spoke. It wasn’t exactly hard to do. There wasn’t really anything to talk about…

Well, until one day Mello’s frustration took his speech…

“…..I’m gunna go talk to L about this…” Mello muttered, his own voice getting quiet from the lack of talking.

“Please don’t leave!” Near choked out, his words raspy and tear-stained. Both Mello and Matt jumped, their teal eyes both focusing on the boy reaching out for Mello.

“W-what?” Mello muttered, eyes wide with shock.

“…don’t… go…” Near pleaded, eyes clearly showing how Near was begging for Mello to stay.

Mello stayed…

…

From then on, every time Mello tried to leave, Near would beg for him to stay and the blonde would always stay.

One day, weeks after Near was molested, only Matt came to visit Near. Near’s still wide and tear-soaked eyes scanned the closed doorway, waiting for Mello.

“Mello…?” Near whispered softly, looking to the red-haired boy sitting on the bed next to him...

-

Mello knocked on the thick wooden door in front of him, slightly irked at how the dense wood stung his knuckles.

“Yes?” a familiar voice asked as the door was opened slightly.

Mello smiled.

-

“He went to talk to L, so it’s just me,” Matt explained simply, not liking how Near shifted uncomfortably.

-

“Hi, L… Can we talk?” Mello asked, light smile still gracing his lips.

L smiled in return.

-

“Why, what’s wrong, Near?” Matt asked, worry shining bright in his voice and exposed eyes.

He blinked, leaning closed when Near gestured for him to do so. Near cupped one hand against Matt’s ear and his own cheek, whispering to Matt…

-

“Sure, Mello. Come in,” L replied, a kind smile still spread across his thin lips as he opened the door further for Mello to enter.

-

Matt gasped, immediately bolting up and dashing down the halls to where Mello was.

“MELLOOOOO!!!!” he screamed at the top of his lungs as he saw said blonde entering the dark-haired detectives room.

Mello blinked, looking over his shoulder at Matt, who was running towards him as fast as his thin legs could take him.

“RUUUUN!!!” Matt screamed, getting a confused look from Mello. Realization finally dawned on the blonde when he felt the thin piano-fingers of the eldest male wrap around his shoulder.

The blonde looked up at L with wide, frightened eyes, staring up at the wicked grin spreading across the raven-haired males lips and his almost drunken eyes staring at Mello's fair, untouched skin.

“Let’s talk,” L purred, dragging the struggling Mello into the darkened room and locking the door.

Matt hit the door with all his weight and speed, pounding on the thick wooden door with his strong hands, demanding to be let in…

His only reply being the terrifying sound of Mello’s scream…