Ice-Puppet

Chapter 19 – Charmed, I’m sure

Near didn’t see much of Next over the next few weeks, but after a while the two started to talk and grow more comfortable around one another. Within months it was common for Near to spend as much time with Next as he did with Chester- who seemed ecstatic that his lover had found someone else to add to his happiness.

While Near was busy having a real life, Mello had begun to work on a case with L. It was a case about some quack who poisoned all of his boyfriends and girlfriends with arsenic, eventually killing them- the thing was, all of the dead people were unusually attractive. There was very little evidence to go on and Mello wasn’t sure about the case, to be honest.

Matt still hadn’t given up on Near, even by Piper’s birthday. Mello had all but given up on Matt, who spent all of his time either sulking or working.

Piper’s birthday party was fun for all except Near, who had a pounding headache. He had found himself growing confused recently, over the tiniest things. He was also a lot more tired then he usually was and he spent any time he wasn’t with his brother or boyfriend sleeping.

One day he was feeling so bad that he canceled his plans with Next, opting instead to stay in bed and try to nurse himself back to health.

Next, worried about him, decided to come over.

As he entered the elevator from the lobby, he nearly ran into Matt.

“Oh!” Next gasped. “Sorry about that!”

“Its fine,” Matt said with a smile as Next pressed the button for Near’s floor. “Heading out with Near again…?”

“No. He’s sick,” Next corrected. “I wanted to come over and make sure he was okay.”

Matt hummed, wondering, “Are you allergic to all the things Near is allergic to? Yeast, dairy, all that?”

“Yes,” Next informed.

“You’re so fit, though, not a toothpick like him,” Matt pondered.

Next blushed slightly and gave Matt a look. “I actually eat.”

Matt laughed, before silence fell upon them. He then said, “So, how are you?”

“I’m good, you?” Next asked.

“I’m good,” Matt responded.

Silence, once more.

“Hey, Next?” Matt asked.

“Yeah?” Next replied.

“Do you mind if I come with you?” Matt wondered. “To see Near, that is. I haven’t really seen much of him lately and if he’s sick I could cook him some soup or something…”

Next smiled. “That’s alright with me. He might enjoy the company.”

Matt laughed. “Near doesn’t really ‘enjoy’ company.”

“Mmm,” Next hummed. “He does isolate himself, doesn’t he? We’re quite the opposite, he and I…”

They arrived on Near’s floor and headed to his front door.

“Near?” Next asked as he knocked on the door. “It’s Next. I came by to check on you.” There was silence from the other side of the door so Next called, “I’m coming in, okay?” Before slipping his key into the lock and opening his brother’s front door.

They stepped inside slowly, flicking on the lights. Near, from his place on the sofa, winced and awoke from his restless sleep. “Huh?” He questioned dumbly.

Frowning, Next placed a hand against Near’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever…” he hummed. “How are you feeling?”

Near’s answer was to lean over and throw up into a bucket he had conveniently placed next to him, on the floor.

“…That’s disgusting,” Next deadpanned.

“Like shit,” Near mumbled, to answer Next’s question. He grabbed a glass of water off his coffee table and downed it. “When I’m not sleeping I’m throwing up and when I’m not throwing up I’m sleeping.”

“You poor thing,” Next cooed, rubbing his brother’s back.

“Can I get you anything?” Matt asked, making his presence known.

“Something for my headache, please?” Near begged. Matt nodded and went to Near’s bathroom to get him medicine. “Next,” the twin then stated, catching his brother’s attention. “I wanted to talk to Next about something today but I didn’t get a chance.”

“What?” Next questioned, sitting down beside Near on the sofa.

“Well…” Near shifted so the other could get more comfortable. “I would like it if Next moved into this building so we could be closer to each other.”

Next frowned. “It’s a good idea, Near, but… I can’t afford the rent here.”

“I would pay for it,” Near explained.

Next’s eyes widened. “Oh, Near, I couldn’t…”

“Please?” Near asked, pleading with his eyes.

“Near…” Next tried.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Matt offered as he returned, a glass of water and a few pills in his hands. “And if it bothers you that much, Next, you could work out some sort of payment plan with him.”

“That would work,” Near agreed, swallowing the pills and downing the entire glass of water.

“Thirsty much?” Matt laughed.

“Matt has no idea,” Near informed.

Matt went to fetch him another glass of water.

“I don’t know…” Next admitted. “Don’t get me wrong- I would love to be close to you, but… I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“I have enough money,” Near admitted. “And I want to do something nice for Next. Plus, I really want to be close to Next.”

With both Matt and Near sending him pleading looks, Next sighed and agreed.

--

They moved Next in the following week, when Near was feeling a bit better. Matt helped, while Mello was too busy working on a case to bother. Otto was over at Linda’s. Chester came over about half way through, having just gotten off work, and helped out with the rest of the stuff.

“I’ll help Next unpack,” Near declared after they had moved all the boxes in.

“You’ve already done so much!” Next protested.

Near was about to respond when a headache over came him and he put a hand to his forehead.

“Another headache?” Chester asked, concern lacing his voice.

“Another?” Matt repeated.

“He’s been getting them for months,” Chester explained. “But he refuses to see a doctor about it!”

“It’s just stress!” Near protested.

“He has been stressed, lately,” Next agreed.

“Still!” Matt cried. “Near, you should really see a doctor!”

“I’m fine,” Near informed. “It’s just headaches, it will go away.”

“Actually…” Chester started, only to fall silent when Near gave him a look.

“Actually?” Matt prompted, throwing a hand over Near’s glaring eyes.

Chester sighed. “He’s been getting confused over things. Simple things. Like left and right.”

“That’s not good,” Matt agreed, dropping his hand from Near. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”

“Why is it my ex boyfriends assume they should know everything about my life?” Near asked Next.

“Because men are like that,” Next informed. “You break up with them and they can’t let you go so they stalk you and get all pissy when you get a new boyfriend. Then when they finally accept that you’ve got someone else, they still want to be your friend and they get pissed off when you don’t tell them every little thing.”

The three of them stared at him.

“What?” He asked.

Near mumbled something and ran off to the bathroom to throw up.

“I thought he’d gotten better?” Matt asked with a frown.

“I guess not,” Next hummed.

“I’ll take him back to his apartment to rest,” Chester informed. “Sorry to just leave you with all this stuff to unpack, Next…”

“No, no, don’t worry about it!” Next chirped. “Near’s health is a lot more important then unpacking my stuff.”

“I’ll help him out, anyways,” Matt said.

Chester nodded and went to the bathroom to retrieve Near. The albino protested as his boyfriend practically dragged him, kicking, from his brother’s apartment.

Matt laughed slightly. “He really cares about you,” he told Next. “You know that?”

Next smiled weakly. “I know… I care about him, too.”

They fell into an uncomfortable silence before the two of them went about unpacking Next’s stuff. Matt would ask where something specific needed to go once in a while and Next would tell him.

The two of them busied themselves around the house almost silently, surprisingly comfortable around one another. Matt disappeared to put something in the bedroom and Next headed that way as well- the two of them smacked into one another.

“Sorry!” They both cried at the same time. Then they both laughed.

Their laughter calming down, Matt smiled slightly and Next grinned, saying, “Sorry about that- I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going.” Matt nodded, but didn’t move. Instead he just sort of… stared at the albino, quietly. “Matt?” Next asked, their eyes locking.

Matt couldn’t tear his eyes away. Next just looked so much like Near… if it weren’t for the longer hair, he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two of them. He found himself wondering… did Next taste the same as Near, too?

Only one way to find out.

Matt placed his fingers under Next’s chin and tilted the younger man’s face up, pressing their lips together. Next gasped into the kiss in surprise, however after a moment his eyes fluttered shut and he returned the movement.

As Matt dared to deepen the kiss, he realized that Next and Near had very different tastes. While Near tasted kind of like vanilla, Next had this unmistakable taste of strawberries. It wasn’t unpleasant, though, just not what Matt had expected. Still, as Next wrapped his arms around Matt’s neck, he didn’t find himself pulling away.

Instead, Matt pushed Next against the wall and deepened the kiss, pinning his body against Next’s smaller one. He slipped his fingers under the albino’s shirt, touching his pale skin gently. Next inhaled sharply at the touch and Matt was surprised at how warm Next’s skin was, compared to Near’s. Near always felt cold to the touch… probably because he didn’t eat enough. His skin was always bony, as well, where as Next’s was soft.

They paused their kiss so Matt could slip Next’s shirt over his head, before Matt pulled the smaller boy against himself once more, expertly slipping his vest off as he dragged Next backward and onto the bed. He hadn’t meant for it to go this far- he’d just wanted a kiss- but his brain was clouded and his body was taking over.

Plus, Next wasn’t protesting.

Matt slipped his own shirt off and went back to kissing Next, pinning him down on the bed. Next wrapped his arms around Matt once more and pulled him closer, the first sign that he actually wanted this, as apposed to just going along with it.

They just made out for a few moments, Matt’s hands running over Next’s body, trying to see what differences there were from Near’s. A scar on the small of his back, a tattoo (of a red heart) on his stomach, just beside his belly button. His ears were pierced, too- the right one twice, the left one four times. His skin was softer and his body was fit, not as thin.

He also moaned differently from Near.

It wasn’t anything like it was with Near. Near was gentle and shy, always letting Matt take charge. But Next… Next kept trying to dominate their kisses and take control of the situation. He was rough in a way that drove Matt crazy, nipping, biting, teasing- the exact opposite of his brother. And while, maybe Matt could imagine it was Near by looking at his face, it was quite obvious that this was not Near by Next’s actions.

When it was over Matt found himself falling back onto Next’s bed, catching his breath. He could hear Next’s gasps next to him as the albino shifted, rolling onto his stomach.

“Shit,” Matt stated with a groan, covering his eyes with his arm.

Next frowned. “What?”

“I can’t believe I just did that…” Matt mumbled, taking no note of Next’s shocked and hurt face. “What was I thinking? I’m in love with Mello, I… I’m in love with Near!”

Removing his arm, Matt finally looked to Next, only to see the pain in the other boy’s eyes. “Shit,” he said again. “Next, I-”

Next climbed out of the bed, stormed into the bathroom, and slammed the door behind himself. A few moments later, Matt heard the shower turn on.

“I am so fucked,” Matt muttered.