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“WHAT THE FUCK, YOU CREEP??” Matt’s eyes snap open to Mello’s shouting. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?” Mello screams.
“Huh,” Matt sits up, rubbing his eyes. He blinks slowly. Mello is sitting up, back against his headboard, clearly perturbed. There’s a small shadowy figure at the end of the bed. Matt squints.
“GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM,” Mello shrieks. “IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING NIGHT, YOU LITTLE SHIT,” He has a colorful vocabulary. Matt’s unphased. He’s used to the enraged tone by now. But, the small figure recoils.
Matt flicks on his bedside lamp. His eyelids snap closed instinctively with the brightness. Mello makes a sound of discontent too. Matt thinks he hears a small whimper as well. He forces himself to take a peek. It takes him a minute to get a good look. The light is uncomfortable. His pupils are yet to adjust.
Near is standing right in front of Mello’s feet. He’s fragile in appearance. He’s shaking too. He’s not very threatening at all, but it’s definitely a startling sight to wake up to. And, well, Mello’s going to react like Mello.
“Near? What are you doing?” Matt takes a gentler approach. He’s barely met the kid, despite the fact that he’s been here for a while. He just doesn’t speak to anyone. The closest thing they had to an introduction was Roger announcing he would be joining the house, although Near hid from that whole event. None of the staff could convince him to say hello to everyone else. Matt’s also witnessed Mello being a dick to him, but that doesn’t really count as interaction.
“I would like to speak with Mello,” Near says blankly. There’s a tremor in his voice. He sounds a little unsure, and certainly unhappy, maybe even upset.
“I don’t want to fucking speak with you, dickface,” Mello growls. He crosses his arms tightly, grumbling. “Get out of my room or I’ll break your damn nose.”
“Mello,” Matt chides. “Give him a break, there’s clearly something wrong,” Near’s forehead is shiny with sweat. His hair is sticking up in every direction. He’s twirling a strand of it anxiously.
“Fucking good,” Mello mutters. “He deserves it,” He kicks his blanket off and swings his legs over the edge of his mattress. “I’m not dealing with this.”
“Mello, I would like to speak with you, please,” Near states again.
“Mells, the worst thing he’s done to you is get a perfect score on a few dumb tests,” Matt reasons. He knows Mello won’t listen, but he can try. “Be nice.”
“Never,” Mello grunts. He stands. His heels strike the ground with a resounding thud. He’s so stompy when he’s pissed, or sleepy. “I’m going outside,” He begins to storm off, but pauses and turns around. “Matt, you can deal with this bullshit if you want,” Mello shoves Near in the sternum. It’s not overly violent, but the boy still tumbles backwards. He doesn’t react much though. Mello flicks his forehead for good measure. “Don’t bother me again,” He barks.
“But, Mello, I would like to-” Near tries again. There’s maybe, possibly a slight hint of urgency in his voice.
“FUCK OFF,” Mello snarls. He flounces out dramatically, slamming the door behind him as hard as he can. If this building weren’t made to handle abnormal children, Matt would worry that the reverberations woke the rest of the orphanage.
“I would like to speak with Mello,” Near repeats immediately after Mello has left. He stares at the floor.
“Well, he’s not available,” Matt narrows his eyes at the door. Mello’s going to be Mello. He’ll scream with the same vigor if someone bumps his shoulder as he would if he were shot in the clavicle. “You can talk to me if you want though.”
“I would prefer to speak to Mello,” Near replies. Matt thinks he hears a slight snuffle. Could Near be catching a cold? Or is he getting teary? Matt’s nervous to handle either situation. “I do not know you.”
“Okay,” Matt nods slowly. “I’m Matt then,” He holds out his hand as if for Near to shake it. Near steps back against the wall.
“I know your name,” He mumbles flatly. “I just do not know you…”
“Do you know Mello?” Matt asks, raising an eyebrow. “The only time I’ve seen him talk to you is when he’s yelling at you,” Mello’s a challenging person to befriend, especially when you’re beating him on an exam. Matt’s learned to get a question or two incorrect intentionally, just to pacify him.
“He is the only person who talks to me,” Near responds solemnly. “I do not know who else to awake at this hour.”
“You woke me up already, so…” Well, it was more Mello’s yelling that took him from his slumber. “What’s up?”
“I want to speak with Mello,” Near says again. It’s definitely a more frustrated tone. It’s still subtle, but it’s probably the most emotion Matt’s ever heard come out of him.
“Listen, he’s not in the mood,” Matt sighs. “You can go back to bed or you can talk to me, I don’t have a better option,” He might’ve said it a bit too sternly. Near inhales sharply. His leg bounces up and down for a few moments before he opens his mouth to speak.
“I do not… feel well…” He murmurs.
“Like you’re sick or something?” Matt asks. Near must be about ten now. Usually, people know what to do with themselves by then, or at least they seek out whichever staff member is awake overnight.
“I do not know,” Near says shakily. “It’s an uncomfortable sensation…” He swallows audibly. “The room does not feel… still…” Oh, he must be dizzy? Matt wonders if he ate anything. He never sees him at mealtimes. Waking up from low blood sugar is no fun. Matt knows that well. He’s spent too many days so engrossed in his DS that he forgot about everything else.
“Okay, uh,” Matt stands. Near curls in on himself slightly, but he lets Matt approach him. “You look… really pale…” Near’s white as a ghost. He’s usually pasty, but he looks unhealthily so right now. There’s a warm blush across his cheeks and nose. His eyes are overly shiny, like there’s tears welling up in them. “You should sit down, come on,” Matt pulls out Mello’s desk chair and motions for Near to take a seat.
“I feel very cold,” Near adds, shivering as he takes a seat. His legs are too short to reach the ground. His feet dangle. “The temperature has changed rapidly, I do not feel comfortable.”
“Okay, so you have chills too,” Matt presses the backs of his knuckles to Near’s forehead. It’s hot and sticky with perspiration. “You probably have a fever,” Matt sits down in his own rolling chair.
“My head hurts,” Near murmurs. “I woke up with this discomfort and I could not return to sleep,” He stares at the ground, bringing one leg up to his chest. He drops his cheek to his knee. He looks tired. “I do not know what to do about it.”
“You probably need medicine,” Matt has to admit he’s unsure as well. He knows how to treat a screen migraine for himself, and a concussion for Mello, and that’s about it. “We can go ask whoever’s in the office tonight-”
“No,” Near cuts him off breathily. “I do not want to do that.”
“Why not?” The staff get annoyed sometimes if you bother them at four in the morning, but it’s not to an alarming degree. They’re generally nicer than that shitty group home he was stuck in for awhile. “I’ll come with you, if you want.”
“No…” Near shakes his head. “Mr. Ruvie is in the office tonight, and I do not wish to see him,” He sounds sniffly and small as he speaks.
“Oh, that’s fair,” Matt nods. It’s a rare night that Roger takes the role of overnight watch, but he is a dick. He’s cruel for no reason. Mello has almost punched him out on several occasions. “I don’t like Roger either,” Matt wouldn’t want to get him involved if he was feeling this awful.
“He upsets me,” Near whispers. “He only speaks to me when I have done something wrong,” Matt’s surprised Near’s gotten in enough trouble to go to Roger’s office. Although he did hear about Near’s roommate being moved to a different space some time ago…
“Yeah, no one likes Roger,” Matt has no idea why he even bothers to put himself in a position where people could ask him for help. He’ll act like it’s the end of the world. “Is there someone else you’d rather wake up?”
“I’d rather wake up Mello…” Near mumbles.
“You tried that,” Matt smiles. “He wasn’t a fan,” He can hear Mello pacing angrily in the hall outside their door. “I mean, is there an adult you like more that we can get?”
“No,” Near shakes his head. He tips sideways a little. He looks unsteady.
“Okay…” Matt says slowly. He’s unsure of what else to do. Tylenol might help? He’s pretty sure it says ‘fever relief’ on the bottle. He has some of that migraine medicine the nurse gave him a while ago too, but that’s a prescription. Near’s tiny so he doesn’t think the dose would be the same.
“I apologize,” Near rasps. His voice gets weaker with each statement. He coughs softly.
“No, it’s okay,” Matt pats his shoulder awkwardly. “Do you want some water?”
“I do not think that would be wise,” Near’s knuckles are pure white. He’s gripping the armrests of the chair hard. Matt can hear him gulp. It looks like he’s nauseous. He wonders if they should move to the bathroom.
“Are you okay?” Matt asks. He tries to sound gentle. Near’s eyes are wide. He seems afraid.
“I do not feel very good,” Near’s voice is choked and barely audible. He’s breathing too fast.
“Are you going to throw up?” Matt asks nervously. Mello binges on chocolate to the point of vomiting sometimes, so Matt has a general sense of how to help. He still hates it, and he’d rather not see anyone’s stomach contents tonight.
“Perhaps… I…” Near covers his mouth with his palm. Matt moves back instinctively. “No…” Near swallows. His eyes are watery. His nose is bright scarlet.
“Are you sure?” Matt still thinks he looks queasy.
“Mhm,” Near hums. He brings his other leg up to his chest. “I thought I might vomit for a moment, but the sensation dissipated…” He explains monotonously. There’s still a hint of discomfort in his words though.
“Are you sure there’s no one I could get for you?” Matt asks. The nurse isn’t here overnight, but the rest of the staff have some medicine.
“Mello…” Near still hasn’t gotten the hint.
“Near,” Matt sighs. “He’s not going to be very helpful, I don’t know why you want to talk to him of all people, but he’s not going to hear it.”
“No one else speaks to me,” Near’s timbre breaks slightly. His eyes are glossed over. “I don’t know who else to speak to, no one else knows who I am beyond my alias, I cannot introduce myself like this.”
“Okay, okay,” Matt cuts him off. He doesn’t understand why Near seems to set on Mello, but whatever. “I’ll see if he’ll come in. Just, you know he’s going to be mad, right?”
“I would like to speak with Mello,” Near replies flatly.
“Fine,” Matt can’t imagine this going particularly well, but he keeps his word. He gets to his feet. “Say your prayers,” He mutters. Near isn’t listening. He’s staring at the ground, sniveling. He looks sleepy, and sick, obviously.
“Did you get rid of him?” Mello snarls as soon as Matt opens the door. He’s leaning against the hall’s wall, bouncing his leg impatiently.
Matt dramatically motions to the empty doorway. “Do you see him leaving?” Mello crosses his arms tightly. Matt can tell he’s grinding his teeth. “Oh, and I didn’t whack him out either, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I’m not talking to him,” Mello grunts. He turns away theatrically. His half-buttoned pajama shirt swooshes.
“Come on, he’s sick,” Matt tells him. Mello just gets more annoyed. Is anyone surprised?
“That’s even more of a reason not to go in there, he’s infecting all our stuff,” Mello complains. “We’re going to have to bleach everything,” He whines.
“Jesus Christ, relax, Mells,” Matt rolls his eyes. “He’s so pitifully forlorn, at least listen to what he wants to say.”
“Fuck no,” Mello hisses.
“You gave him a bloody nose last week, so I think you owe him,” Matt retorts. Mello spins around, incredulous.
“I DID NOT give him a bloody nose,” Mello shouts. Matt cringes. He doesn’t want to wake the whole dorm up.
“Shush,” Matt hushes. “It’s still the middle of the night.”
“Whatever,” Mello continues to bark loudly. “I smacked him and his nose happened to start bleeding around the same time,” That’s probably true. Mello only lightly slapped the side of his head, but Roger disagreed. “Any other narrative is wartime propaganda.”
“Wartime?” Matt raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I’m at war with that little bitch,” Mello pulls a mini Hershey’s bar from his pocket. He begins to unwrap it in a rage. Matt’s not going to ask why he was sleeping with it on his person.
“Okay, well, I think you violated the Geneva Convention,” Matt grabs his upper arm. “Time to face your sanctions,” He pulls Mello back into their bedroom, much to his dismay. He squirms, but Matt refuses to let go. He’s had enough practice dragging him off offending classmates.
“Fuck you,” Mello mutters. Matt’s not sure if it’s directed at him or Near.
Near opens his mouth to speak. “Mello-”
“Shut it, dork,” Mello snaps. He takes a bite of his chocolate. “Matt, what does he want?” He asks with his mouth full.
“All I know is that he wants to talk to you,” Matt says honestly. “He said doesn’t feel good, and he has a fever, his head hurts, he’s nauseous,” Matt lists. “So, extrapolate or ask him.”
“Fuck this,” Mello grumbles. He clenches his fists and steps forward. Matt grabs his wrist and shakes his head. Mello gives him an annoyed look, but he turns sharply to the left. He yanks his hand from Matt’s before stomping off into their bathroom. He slams the door loudly behind himself. Near jolts at the noise.
“Well, I warned you,” Matt shrugs. Near frowns ever so slightly. Matt exhales slowly. “He’s not the friendly type,” He sits back down, across from Near. “Do you want to go back to sleep? You look like you need some sleep.”
“I don’t believe I can return to sleeping,” Near’s leaning against the chair’s plastic armrest. He looks exhausted, unable to keep himself upright. “I am too uncomfortable to rest.”
“Well, how about you lie down and see what happens?” Matt decides instead. Hopefully Near will pass out as soon as his head hits the pillow. Matt usually sleeps through it when he’s sick. Although that might work better for migraines.
“I do not know if I am capable of walking back to my room,” Near mumbles. His words are starting to slur a bit. “It was difficult to arrive here in the first place.”
“Um…” Matt vaguely recalls Near’s room being somewhere around the game room with all the cards. That’s on the opposite end of the housing building. Not to mention, down two flights of stairs. Even if they took the elevator, which isn’t allowed without permission, it would still be quite the trek. Matt’s surprised at Near’s dedication to coming here specifically, but he probably shouldn’t be at this point. “How about you lay down here?”
“There are only two beds,” Near points out plainly. “One is yours, one is Mello’s.”
“Take my bed,” Matt offers. “I’m up now anyway,” He glances at the digital clock on the wall. It’s nearly three in the morning. Matt’s already doing better than a third of his nights, where he keeps himself awake through all of it with blue light and flashy games.
Near seems to be dipping into unawareness. He just hums softly. His eyelids are fluttering shut. Matt assumes it’s a noise acquiescence. It’s not like he’s going to fight back if it’s not.
Matt scoops him up easily. He doesn’t protest. He’s even lighter than Matt would’ve assumed he is. That’s probably cause for concern, but it can be discussed another time. Matt places him gently atop the sheets. He’s shivering and sweaty. Matt pulls the crumpled blanket from the foot of the bed up to Near’s shoulders, tucking him in as carefully as he can. Near’s already going limp. His eyes are closed.
As Matt begins to stand back up, something hard hits him in the back of his head with a rattle. “Ow,” He grunts, lifting his hand to feel the now tender spot.
“Give him one or two of those before he conks out,” Mello says crossly, pointing at the ground. Matt looks down. There’s a plastic bottle of chewable children’s Tylenol at his feet. “He’ll wake up feeling like shit if you don’t.”
“Thanks, Mells,” Matt smiles, bending down to pick up the medication. “You’re a good friend,” He teases.
“Shut the fuck up,” Mello mutters.
Matt laughs. He untwists the white cap. He portions out two tablets into his hand. “You have a heart of gold, Mello, a real kind soul.”