Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"

Near (blank_puzzle) wrote,
@ 2008-01-21 23:23:00

o15.
[[Continued from here.]]

"There may be one or two of you in my collection," Near said airily, scooting his duck out of the way of Mello's to avoid another attack, trying to circle around behind it for a sneak attack.

He gave Mello a little grin before butting his duck into Mello's again.

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burnt_chocolate
2008-01-22 12:57 am UTC (link)

Mello paused, straightening-up his posture just a bit at that revelation, and though his eyes remained firmly locked on combating motorized duckies he thought, privately, that that was a little strangely flirtatious, and not as entirely unpleasant as he thought it damn well should be. Maybe it was because Near wasn't so hateful, and because Near could be rather funny, and because Near, though definitely a brat who he would never think of like that, wasn't terribly un-cute if you looked at him in certain lighting-

"I hope that you don't do anything insidious with those puppets..." He replied flatly, breaching contract without any eloquence whatsoever.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-22 01:08 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-22 01:28 am UTC (link)

Mello looked down at Near, eyes widening minutely at the impish grin he was being given before his eyes returned to their ducks, and the artful display of apparent motorized duckie rape made him flinch just slightly. Near could be a terrible tease, couldn't< he? And a weirdly perverted little flirt. For whatever reason, Mello just felt weird about it now and drove his duckie back against Near's, then away quickly, shaking him off and rounding the kiddy pool quickly, more trying to get away from Near's duck than strike back just yet.

"You're kind of a pervert, ah?" Mello kept his tone down, sounding annoyed as he spoke between just the two of them for now, frowning crookedly.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-22 01:31 am UTC

You forum very nice nmbd - (Anonymous), 2008-10-05 05:13 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-22 01:41 am UTC (link)

"I get that idea," Mello maneuvered his duckie around in a tight pattern in the water, whirling on Near's and driving them directly into each other, a plastic clacking noise issuing from between them. "From your duck being a little to friendly with mine."

He bumped the duckies together, the water sloshing as they motored around in the pool, and even if this whole affair was kind of questionable and strange and disconcerting to say the least... Mello found that it was also fun. Weirdly fun.

"Then again, you're just going to say something like 'of course the ducks will be touching, Mello, we're playing bumper-ducks and that's just part of the game.' And you'd be right, so I can't even continue to argue my point."

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-22 01:54 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-22 02:21 am UTC (link)

Mello had always had very keen senses when it came to spotting a victory and now, with Near's words halting and his eyes still wide from the initial mouth-gaping shock, he knew that he had won. At least a little.

"Valid point or not, you're still a tease." Mello bumped back, his duck pushing Near's for another moment before it turned slightly on its side and the two ducks ended up in a strange deadlock, hooked together by their necks and spinning around in the water, his own splashing-up water spectacularly.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-22 02:25 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-22 02:38 am UTC (link)

Mello put his controller down, his duck's motor ceasing so that he could reach out and free the necks of the two combating duckies, frowning deeply as he set them in the water correctly. After all, he didn't want one of them splashing Near... that would have put the two of them onto an entirely different playing field.

"Are you saying that you intend to follow-through, then?" He settled himself back down and shook-off his wet fingertips before taking up the controller again, not once looking in Near's direction. Then, as a separate point, but most too closely related to the first to be as much a one-two-punch as Near's commentary: "Your duck never really got going to begin with, did it? Come on, let's continue."

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-22 02:50 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-22 03:03 am UTC (link)

For a moment, Mello was convinced that that had to have been a Freudian slip, or that it must have been a misinterpretation on his part... but then he realized that it wasn't. That Near had MEANT it, and that near was very very proud of himself for it. And, that was pretty much it. He swallowed thickly to get past any commentary or feelings on the subject, tried his best to ignore its very existence...

Aw, hell.

"You haven't had the pleasure to find out, have you?" A rhetorical question he had no business making. NO business whatsoever, but the little jerk was being cute with him and it was funny and somehow, cosmically, he needed to pay for that. For the first time in his troubled existence, deep down within his most hidden sentiments... Mello quietly wished that he could just convince himself to back down.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-22 03:07 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-22 03:27 am UTC (link)

Mello curled his lip at that comment, crashing his duck into Near on one of his rotations and bumping him through the water, skittering on the water's surface for a moment.

"Is it that my duck's not being of adequate service, or that your duck's just playing hard to get?" Much to his surprise and... intense confusion too, actually, Mello was not mad at Near for his commentary. He was amused by it, and just a little-- well, 'excited' would never have been the right word for this. Nope. It was just... fun, that was all. Near was fun.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-22 04:09 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-22 04:34 am UTC (link)

Mello huffed slightly, then laughed outright at the comment and the sly look that Near shot his way, driving his duck around the kiddy pool and, as he bumped it into Near's duck in a strange sort of sideways tailspin through the water, he bumped his arm into Near's, and for a second he felt like they were kids and he was just jostling Near in that strange, friendship kinda' way that little boys did. And that was unnatural, that was weird, but that was also bizarrely comfortable. He'd never in a million years have imagined himself doing this with Near of all people. Hadn't threatening him at gunpoint been completely acceptable not a few days ago...?

...Maybe the change was too drastic. Too sickly-weird, and Mello should be wary of the warped nature of his feelings... but he just wasn't finding the capacity within him to hate Near like he used to. He was still sore that Near was number one, but even that felt like the dull ache of something from ages ago.

"Maybe it just comes naturally, hm?"

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-22 04:45 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-22 04:53 am UTC (link)

"If you say so." Mello replied easily, putting all of his thoughts into the splashing collisions of their ducks in the water, smiling faintly to himself at their strange little camaraderie, here. Wasn't this a spectacle now?

Still... it was fine by him, and he was completely at-ease with playing these games now. It occurred to him that maybe they'd felt-out enough of one-another's boundaries that they would operate more smoothly as a team now, which was especially important with Kira's attack ready to come at any time. There could be nothing wrong with reinforcing a unified front.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-22 01:03 pm UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-23 02:13 am UTC (link)

Mello flinched away from the errant splash of water, frowning as the chilly liquid landed in part on one leather-clad leg. Though treated leather was always going to be pretty good at keeping you dry, the coldness of the water and a touch of moisture penetrated the material, so shifting his seating position and moving himself out of the water puddle was definitely necessary.

He decided to shift away from Near rather than closer to him, when given a choice between the two. But that was mostly because he wouldn't have minded either way, and Mello wanted to do at least a little to separate their bodies if he was accidentally bumping Near (especially given the flirtation. Doing it physically and verbally would have made it a little too real, he thought).

"If we're waiting to see something, I'd really rather show you than tell you what I think." He wasn't sure, really, what he was talking about anymore... but still. He didn't like not having the last word. He drove his ducky against Near's, but after a moment's consideration... decided to drive hit hard past the edge of the pool, making a splash like Near's had: not a really big one, just as a reasonable payback.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-23 10:14 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-23 09:43 pm UTC (link)

Mello frowned a little bit as Near got to his feet abruptly, his pajama pants clinging against his knee and down his shin to his equally wet sock. Sure, water to pajama cotton was gonna' cause more of a reaction than water to leather pants... but still. Mello felt a little strange at the suggestion that Near was off to change and that he had considered, briefly, getting up and following him. THAT was clearly not what he wanted, no no no...

But he glanced, briefly, in the direction of the surveillance screens, curling his lip at the dim but present view of Near's room... now that would be really, really uncomfortable to have in the same room with him.

"I-..." Mello hesitated, then sighed and got to his feet abruptly, leaving his control on the ground beside Near's. "I think I'll get more chocolate out of my room." That seemed like a good enough excuse to get himself out of the surveillance room.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-23 10:46 pm UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-23 11:11 pm UTC (link)

Unaware of Near's return to the surveillance room, Mello was in his own bedroom at the moment, fresh chocolate clenched tightly between his teeth as he made his bed. He knew how to make beds, obviously, but it had been a few years since he'd bothered to do it himself and, frankly, it felt a little odd making a bed after all this time. Was there even any guarantee that he'd be sleeping in this bed tomorrow?

Well... Mello straightened-up and sighed, pulling his chocolate bar from his mouth and chewing on what was left behind in his mouth, eyelids lowering in thought. Maybe he'd try to sleep again tonight... nothing excessive, he doubted he could manage a full night's sleep unless he was absolutely crashing from exhaustion at this point... but sleep would be good. Sleep would be doable here, too... at least Near could be trusted to have his back if something happened in the night. Paid lackeys were never as trustworthy, in that respect.

Satisfied that his bed was about as made as he had ever made them and that near would have to have pants on again by now, Mello turned and walked out of his bedroom and down the stairs to the surveillance room. He bit into his chocolate as he descended, other hand in his pants' pocket as he eyed Near where he sat, trying to gauge what that distant expression was saying.

Mello opened his mouth to speak, but realized that making a remark about how playing by himself must not be so fun after playing with a partner would probably carry certain meanings other than the one he intended. So he clamped his mouth shut and sat down beside Near with a little huff, lifting up his controller again.

"-Back."

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-24 07:29 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-25 02:06 am UTC (link)

"I'm not displeased." Mello corrected with a rather impressive lack of temper, glancing over at Near as he lifted-up his controller, then back at the kiddy pool as Near's duck made patient little circles around his own in the water.

Near had waited for him, it seemed. Or at least was waiting for him now... and that was something very interesting to take note of. He fiddled with his controller and ran his duck in a wide circle after Near's, sighing and twitching a slight smile as he watched them circle in the waters.

"But you, actually, look please. Did you miss me?"

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-25 02:12 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-26 04:30 am UTC (link)

Mello made a short sound that may have been the introduction to a chuckle, racing his duck after Near's and then diving it across to try and cut Near's off in the middle of another rotation.

"Naturally." Mello shrugged, transferring his controller to one hand as he grabbed the chocolate bar neatly balanced on his knee and planted the end of it between his teeth, snapping off a sizeable chunk before, after a little pause, holding it over slightly towards Near in offering. There was no reason for this, no matter how fine they were with one-another, as chocolate supplies would have to run-down if Kira didn't get here soon enough, and he almost considered pulling his hand back and retracting the offer- but he rather wanted Near to share, not just so that Near would have to play one-handed and consent to a similar gaming handicap.

"I wonder how you'll manage getting back into your old routine after you've gotten used to having me around." There was his accent again, thicker thanks to the thing between his teeth, but still mild enough that he was understandable. "I can't imagine stacking dice all day after you've figured-out how fun War can be."

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-26 06:08 pm UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-26 08:28 pm UTC (link)

The comment had not been meant as a declaration, really... If he were to be pressed on the matter and asked about his intentions, something which Near didn't seem like he would be up to doing so long as he wanted to remain silent, Mello would have put on all sorts of airs before eventually admitting to the fact that he had meant that as a little test. Though he still maintained at least a little bit of teetering on the fence over this issue... truly, he had already figured-out that partnership with Near would be a pretty good idea. A great idea, even...

And Near thought the same, obviously, but it seemed to Mello that maybe Near was more than a little emotionally invested in the idea now. Or else, Mello figured, he would have gotten a proper, intellectual, very annoyed talking-to... which he was not. Near was a bit of a talker, admittedly, and in the short time they'd been partners so-far Mello had already figured-out that silent treatment from Near usually indicated that he was genuinely upset about something.

In lieu of speaking for the moment, Mello just drove his duck after Near's and frowned slightly to himself, eyelids lowering slightly.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-26 08:47 pm UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-26 09:00 pm UTC (link)

Mello steered his duck through the water, finially managing to smack it into Near's though, really, he got very little enjoyment out of it and didn't even crack the vaguest smile. The silence was kind of uncomfortably tense, and he was becoming much too aware of the inches between them as they sat side-by-side, as if the small space carried some vague electric charge that made his skin creep. It didn't help that it was his burned side, and that the skin barely felt much of anything that subtle so it definitely had to be psychological...

Of course, Mello would have taken the initiative in easing this weirdness even if Near had had the inclination to do it himself. And, of course, he did it in his own all-elbows, completely graceless kind of way.

"Don't be sore about it, shortie, I like playing with you too y'know."

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-26 09:10 pm UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-26 09:27 pm UTC (link)

Mello pursed his lips together and moved his teeth against one-another slowly... not grinding, really, just a quiet clicking as if he meant for chocolate to be in his mouth and the teeth contact was entirely necessary for information processing. He heaved a faint breath through his nose, glancing over at Near and at his attentive, cautious expression which Mello clocked at being surprisingly hopeful and, honestly, he felt a weird tug that told him not to disappoint that hopeful face.

Which made no sense, by the way, so he'd just answer truthfully and get on with it so that he didn't have that expression nagging at him anymore.

"As stupid and boring as your games of choice tend to be, which they are-... Yes."

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-26 09:56 pm UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-26 10:31 pm UTC (link)

"Even if I'm the one choosing the games, that won't help how limited your selection is in the first place." Mello grumbled, clashing their ducks together again. The water splashed, but the two of them stayed well out of range of the water and remained safe and dry.

"It doesn't really matter what we play, though. You're entertaining me just fine... I don't think I run much risk of going stir-crazy before Kira gets here." Mello looked over at Near with a calm, aloof sort of frown on his lips. "Just... don't shut your mouth and keep to yourself, alright? That's annoying."

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-26 11:16 pm UTC

	burnt_chocolate 2008-01-26 11:35 pm UTC (link)
	Satisfied that they had reached a funny sort of understanding again, Mello only snorted and grinned ever so slightly, trying his best to evade Near's duck as they raced through the waters. "Feel free. I think I can handle you being annoyingly talkative over you being annoyingly quiet." (Reply to this) (Thread)

blank_puzzle, 2008-01-26 11:41 pm UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-27 12:00 am UTC (link)

"Those topics are only forbidden," Mello began to correct, in a curt and decisive tone that perfectly matched the serious glare he turned in Near's general direction. "Because we have a tendency to get way past the flirty stuff and into insulting each other."

Which was the truth. He didn't press the issue, though, just hrottling his duck through the water and hoping to evade Near and, perhaps, tackle him back.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-27 12:03 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-27 12:19 am UTC (link)

"I never once said that you talking was annoying... You're much, MUCH worse when you keep your mouth shut." Mello was quick to take advantage of Near's duck slowing down, his own tackling Near's and sending them both bobbing underwater briefly before they re-emerged, his duck stranded on the back of Near's, propellers running but not kicking up any water. Mello paused, staring at the utterly ridiculous visual... and then frowned deeply, turning his head and looking at Near as if the entire fiasco was his fault.

"Even if it's weird flirtatious things. I don't have any trouble taking that or dishing it out in return."

Somewhere in the room, Gevanni sighed quietly and passed an article of paper money discreetly to Hal, shaking his head slowly at the ridiculous amounts of give and take going on here as Mello and Near throttled through bet after bet going between himself and the blond woman.

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-27 12:28 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-27 01:02 am UTC (link)

"You get rather excited when you're offered the prospect of flirting with me, aren't you?" Mello watched as his duck was dislodged and set back in the water before speeding it away from Near's small hands, idly propelling it to 'safety' in the kiddypool.

"Whatever happened to your embarassment when I first called you on your flirting, hm? Or was that sentimental 'Dear Mello' message part of your scheme all along?"

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-27 01:05 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-27 01:25 am UTC (link)

"Oh?" Mello frowned at that, waiting for Near's duck to take-up the pursuit for only a moment longer before simply diving his duck across the kiddy pool, taking the initiative in a blitzkrieg attack. "Well, it's good that I'm entertaining, then..."

He huffed faintly. "And I can't speak to whether or not you should be embarassed around me. All I can say is that I'm not fazed by a single thing you do-- and don't pretend you're not flirting." He reached for his chocolate, taking a bite of it so that he had something to crush with his teeth. "You can't take back your own term for what you've been doing. Whether you're good or bad at it, overt sexual innuendo falls firmly into the boundaries of 'flirtation.'"

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-27 01:36 am UTC

burnt_chocolate
2008-01-27 01:53 am UTC (link)

Mello made a short, 'tch' kind of noise and pressed the dials to make his duck accelerate, chasing after Near's like this was a race for just about every last sliver of his immense pride.

"I should have expected you to say something like that..." He leaned slightly towards Near, bumping him very intentionally in the arm with his own. "You're not just a tease, you're a terrible tease."

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blank_puzzle, 2008-01-27 01:56 am UTC

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(no subject) - blank_puzzle, 2008-01-27 02:05 am UTC