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Innocent Snow
current song: I Still Believe ~Tameiki
Near woke up to the sound of the wind thrashing against the dorm's window. He raised his arm to defend a stray of weak sunlight that seeped into the room. It was cold and his body was stiff. He shifted under the cover for warmth. After several moments he got up and yawned and went out the door to the boy's bathroom on the second floor. As he passed the grand staircase leading to the common room he saw a guard leaning on the banister, asleep.
-
Matt wasn't a morning person. No, he prefered to sleep through the whole afternoon and eat breakfast at four p.m if he had his way. And since this was the Christmas weekend when he could sleep however late he wanted, yet he woke up earlier than his whole life spent in the Wammy's House added together. He yawned and leaned on the wall, rubbing his left eye - it had been hurting the entire time yesterday while he had been trying to catch the damn legendary Pokemon. Matt sighed and heaved himself off the wall and out the door, to which he was to head to the bathroom.
-
He finished scrubbing his teeth and flushed water onto his face to wake him up. Near turned the tab off and stared at his reflection. He could see his own blank eyes staring back, the tips of his hair dripping water. Near turned and walked out.
-
He strolled into the bathroom and saw a drop of water trickling across the floor. This early in the morning yet someone was here before him...
-
"Near."
Near looked up from his newest patch of puzzles and into the blue eyes of Linda.
"Do you mind coming out with me?" she said and paused, then added, "'Cause the weather's nice and all..."
He looked over to the floor-to-ceiling French windows. Snow was twirling lazily and wind was shuddering the panes. Children outside were huddled together for warmth and one of their hats would sometimes fly. Linda followed his gaze.
"Um. You don't have to -"
"Sure, I'll come," interjected Near impassively, stacking his puzzles into a pile.
Linda looked flustered.
-
"Matt."
"Hm?"
"Let's go already."
"No, I have to catch this goddamn Pokemon."
Mello snatched a pillow and threw it at Matt, who was sitting on the sofa jabbing away at the screen. The redhead caught it in midair.
"Nice throw," he commented, attention slightly diverted but then dived back to the game.
"Argh..."
-
"C'mon!" Linda said excitedly, dragging Near over to a vacant spot where she propped down, waiting for him to do the same. "First we gather snow then pound it together to form a giant snowball,'kay?" she explained as Near took a seat.
He played with a lock of premature white hair and nodded.
-
Mello and Matt waited under the covers of the trees. A gang of bulky looking men appeared behind the courtyard gate. Mello crossed over to the gate and waved. As the leader entered, he shook hands with him. Matt ignited his cigarette as the procedures took place just as the blond had described it to him while pesturing him day and night.
"Did you bring it?" Mello asked eagerly though masking his excitement with a snarl.
"Of course," replied the leader, handing over a package to the blond. Mello peered inside and he looked livid.
"What's this supposed to be?" barked Mello so loudly that the children nearby dropped their snowballs. "I thought I told you to bring a PT111PRO? Why is it a Glock 23 Night Sight?"
-
Near watched the commotion taking place and frowned at Mello's shout.
PT111PRO?...
-
Matt sighed as the leader stuttered, stubbing the cigarette with the heel of his shoes. He was already getting bored with the event. His eyes roamed the surroundings, looking for anything of interest. Just then his eyes landed on a certain familiar white-haired genius. Matt was surprised that he bothered to come out since all he did during his leisure time was playing with his collections of puzzles. Although his back was turned, Matt could tell that he was busy paying attention to the conversation between Mello and the gang.
He nudged the blond, whose face was flushed with eight shades of red.
"What?" he scowled.
"Mind if I go and investigate for a bit?" said Matt.
"Huh -?" But then his attention was caught by the reluctant cough of a member of the group and he turned back, screaming some more nonsense. The leader looked ready to die, his hands closed around his ears.
-
"Near..." Linda mumbled, looking at the powdery mess in his hands. "Near, you're not doing it right."
His attention suddenly spun back to the present, and he looked at his hands. The snowball he had been working on earlier was no more than slush.
Just then footsteps tramping into the snow underneathe swallowed his attention. They were coming their way.
Near looked up.
"Yo."
-
Mello finally calmed down enough to turn to look at the spot where Matt was standing.
"What do you think?..."
He seemed really angry now.
-
"Near, rotate your hands instead of depending on the degrees and angles of forming the shape."
He expected to see Linda lecturing him again but instead was met with the steady gaze of Matt. Near looked at his hands and saw a perfectly formed snowball about the size of a basketball sitting on his palms. "Oh..."
Suddenly Linda stood up, dusting her clothes of snow. "Since we have exams coming up after the Christmas season I'll go and study. I'll leave the snowman to you guys. See ya," she said and turned her head sideways and winked at Matt before departing into the common room. She gave a last wave and they waved back, with Matt grinning. Near was eyeing her back suspiciously until she disappeared.
"...Well, let's get to work," said Matt.
Near nodded.
They took two hours to complete the snowman. When they finished they sat back to admire their work. The snowman had a crooked, half-bitten carrot for a nose and a rock for a mouth. Matt and Near had argued on which to use - carrot or rock - as the nose. Near said carrot, Matt wanted the rock. They settled it by "Rock-Paper-Scizzior-and-Shoo!"; Near had won. Matt labeled him a cheater because he used his left hand. Near retorted that it wasn't illegal. So after a few more bickerings they managed to complete the snowman with a scarf tied around its neck and a sweater for its upper body. There was also a tail for its behind which Near was granted the priviledge to make.
It was beginning to darken and snow was falling actively now. Most of the children had headed back to the common room, only a few remained.
"We should go in now," Near announced, but as he looked, the redhead had disappeared. A moment later something small and cold knocked into his back and he gasped. It hurt like hell. He looked up and saw Matt smirking, holding a second snowball in his hand.
"Bastard..." growled Near, ducking behind their snowman as another snowball whizzed past him. Quickly he smashed snow together and rotated it around for a moment before aiming it at the redhead streaking past. Before it landed Near scooped up a couple more snowballs and formed it into a giant circle. He gave a Chesire grin of satisfaction as it flew past a group of children and knock Matt onto the ground.
"...Brat..." Matt scowled, rubbing his back as he heaved himself up.
Near ducked and hid behind a random snowman as a snowball flew viciously pass him.
-
There were no one else in the common room except for them. Near lay sprawled on the carpeted floor holding a puzzle calculatively, playing with a strand of hair. Matt was leaning on the window pane watching the snowstorm. The fireplace was lit and warmth seeped from its light.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Matt asked.
"What about you?"
"I'm not tired."
"I'm not either."
Matt liked to sleep late and wake up late, but for Near it was the opposite. People hardly ever saw him wake up later than five a.m even when it was the weekend. But for Matt someone were always send to his dorm to force him awake. Yet it was the Christmas season when he could sleep however late he wanted and he woke up earlier than his whole lifetime spent in the Wammy's House added together.
"You're going to drop within six minutes if I stay silent," Near spoke up.
"Then don't."
"...Hm?"
"Then don't stay silent," Matt repeated with his back still facing him.
"I don't like to ramble."
"Then just talk."
"...You're going to sleep even faster now."
Matt chuckled and finally faced Near. "Mind if I sleep there?" he pointed at the long sofa with a spare blanket sitting on the seat which Near was leaning against.
"No."
He walked over and plopped down. Matt shifted his weight so that his arm dropped out from under the cover. He barely noticed his arm resting on Near's shoulder as he fell into a fitful sleep.
