I find myself in the most unbearably delectable and delectably unbearable situation that any Death Note fan would ever have the misfortune and luck to find himself in. I know that my Light Yagami cosplayer is unspeakably jealous of my position.
I'd trade it to her for simplicity if it weren't for the five thousand shades of beautiful, tragic love I'm feeling.
To reiterate my most recent post, my best friend Near is a psychological terrorist, sadist, and my absolute favorite person on the known planet. I've been angry at him for a month just for existing, but things have reached a head.
Misa introduced me to a friend of hers, whom we instantly decided was a dead-ringer for a Mello cosplay and thusly recruited to the Cosplay Task Force. He is unspeakably hot- six feet tall, lanky frame, broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes, and rarely goes anywhere without wearing his own particular brand of Black- a flowing black cloak. I developed a crush on him the instant I saw him. There was unspeakable passion in his eyes.
Someone tossed him a Rubik's Cube.
I nearly came all over myself watching him solve it in four minutes without breaking a sweat, hardly looking looking down at his hands, and it was at this moment that I understood he was truly a Wammy's Boy. Near and I were both slavering over him in secret.
He instantly earned a major cache of brownie points when I found out that he was bi. Made my heart leap a bit- "There's a chance for me, too..."
Misa called me a few days later and asked how I felt about him. I told her nonchalantly that I had developed a fat crush on him, understanding that this information would get around to him, the way that fangirls talk. What I didn't know what that he had called her a few moments previous requesting this information.
Long story short, before the week was out, I found myself hooked up with Mello. I'll have you know our first kiss was on Misa's couch, whilst Volume III of the Death Note DVD's played in the background. And, surprisingly, I couldn't tell you which episode on that disk. He is the first person to ever pull my attention away from my precious Death Note while it was playing. But L's voice from the speakers and Mello's teeth on my neck set the mood for a relationship that could only be described as passionately kinky.
Much madly hot buttsecks did ensue. I have a beautiful bruise in the shape of a bite mark on my inner thigh.
But enough examining the marks left on L's body, let's see where his mind has been bruised. I found myself bound, and terrified. Didn't want to be stuck with one person, and yet, falling inexplicably in love with the embodiment of flame at my side. And my feelings for Near continued to pick at the back of my mind. I didn't want to even be with him because of how much torture it put me through, being convinced that I was just another of his playthings. I knew I'd never have my feelings returned, and Mello begged my attention. So, with 300% of the fervor I'd previously wielded, I tackled the task of mentally rehardwiring myself to believe I didn't love Near at the same time as convincing myself that I really, really loved Mello, and that it did go deeper than the madly hot buttsecks. I told myself I loved him so many times that I began to believe it, and furthermore, I needed him to believe it for me to believe it- I used the word "love" much more lightly than I should have, for which I shall eternally be in regret. I shouldn't have been so careless with his feelings when I understood what a delicate foundation they were resting on, complicated by an abandonment complex- but I knew I'd never have to deal with abandoning him, because loving Near was safe. Near could never show love, and I would never have the harm of falling into a relationship with him.
Enter Matt, my other chaotic neutral beauty. This is where canon ceases to apply to this AU. Having an I.Q. as high as mine is often related closely with insanity, and unfortunately, I did not remain untouched by a most profound form thereof. Multiple personalities.
I wonder if L would have developed them himself if his parents had abused him instead of just dying and orphaning him. That's the difference between our upbringing.
One of my alters has been watching and attempting to court my Matt cosplayer, a most beautiful and strong woman, for a very long time. I've found IM conversations between the two. Thank god the alter involved is Katullus Lexus, a man of his honor, one deluded into being a Knight of Old, bound by the chivalric code. This is what I've pieced together- he is so straight that it's pitiful, and carries around with him a serious macho complex only aided and softened by his love of romance and roses and leading ladies of the court down wisteria graced pathways in the moonlight, held up by a strong backbone of honor, justice, truth, and a driving purpose to protect those weaker than him. While I, being more gay than straight, am not so interested in our Lady Matt, he's hopelessly devoted his heart to courting her. Therefore, through one means or another, using self-specifying verbiage in the lightest possible manner, I've become involved with all three leading Wammy's Boys.
Katullus, being bound to the good of the group, chose to stop courting her at the development of the Mello relationship, simply because he was devoted to keeping me happy, keeping the peace. It was a heartbreaking scene, apparently. Wish I'd seen it. He told her that he didn't want Mello to be unable to trust me by going around his and my backs, using my body to see Matt. He didn't think Mello would understand such things, that he'd think it was just an elaborate excuse to cheat on him (with a GIRL no less) and that it was just simpler for everyone this way. He put his own chance at love on the sacrifical altar of devotion L's state of sanity. It's quite tragic.
A couple days later.
Last week, Misa and I went to Near's house just to spend time, get Misa out of the house so she could stop obsessing over her boyfriend, and so forth. I'd effectively chosen not to love Near, and I was enclosed in a warm happy bubble of feeling that I was perfectly alright with only being friends with him, and perfectly in love with someone else. I established that I belonged to someone else so that he wouldn't have to worry about my advances anymore. Thought this would make him feel better.
And then, the little bastard made a section of my fanfiction to be self-prophesying. He came up behind me and bit me on the neck.
I have never been so unbearably turned on, livid, full of unspeakable wrath, ready to kill, and ready to rape someone's brains out as I was at that moment. He saw that his typical torture couldn't touch me, so he carried it further by doing the ONE thing that I have always widely advertised as the absolutely most erotic thing you can do to me. I've had him come up behind me before to pull my hair and found myself begging him to bite my neck, only to have his hands drop away cold and watch him walk from the room. And he did it right then because he knew I was taken and that I was fragile.
I told Misa, "Get your things together. We're leaving."
I passed him in the hall, and he reached out to me with the most somber look, presumably to apologize. I swatted his hands away, grabbed him by the shoulders, slammed him against the wall, and stopped myself inches from my face at the realization of the gaping Misa who would completely ruin this perfect moment by pulling me off him and screaming that I had a boyfriend. A long moment passed, and I shoved him aside.
I tore back down the hill to Misa's place in complete Mello mode, blasting Children of Bodem and screaming along at the top of my lungs. Made things better but I was pissed at him for a week.
Easter Sunday.
This morning Mello and I had a long talk about Katullus. Thank god that Mello has some personality complexes himself or he wouldn't have believed me. He said, "I know what you like, and what Katullus likes, and I don't care what you do with another girl, as long as I know about it first." Katullus and Matt received their blessing from Mello (and for Katullus, an invitation to play chess some day when he's out, to boot!) Apparently, he and Mello get along quite well and think the world of each other. So, that cleared up that romantic issue.
However, I'd bought Near's cosplay wig earlier that week, and I needed to take it to him and call a truce so I could have my Near cosplayer for Fanime Con. As Matt and I drove up the hill, it struck me just how much I truly missed my Near.
I collapsed into a mess of sobs for a duration of two minutes and forty seconds. Matt got started and would didn't stop for a half an hour after I returned to a state of placidity and euphoria at the knowledge that I just wanted to make amends with my old best friend. Near is one of Matt's best friends as well, and we were all thick as thieves before, and Matt was so depressed at seeing our delicate friendships collapse into the dust. She was so glad that I'd finally decided to try being friends one last time.
As we neared the 7-11 at the top of the hill just before his place, Matt said, as he had many times before:
"Fuck. I need a cigarette."
Keep in mind that Matt is 17, but usually just bums them off her big bro, or when he won't give them to her, gets them in other more devious ways. But I was feeling so euphoric and generous that I looked at her and said, "I'd get those for you." I went completely against my own morals and bought a pack of cigs for a minor.
She looked at me in awe. "Just how much of my existence do I now owe you?"
I pressed a thumb against my lips. "For that- only about 30%." I paused. "Actually, all of it, considering you're one of my successors and a Wammy's boy."
"Christ, you're right. I do."
Another moment passed.
"You're not gonna feel guilty about this afterwards, are you?"
I looked her unblinkingly in the eyes. "No. Why should I? I look at it this way. You're going to get them anyway, one way or the other. You've heard the lectures and you know what a health risk it is, so nothing I say or do is going to change that. I figure, if you are going to put yourself at risk, I might as well remove one risk factor by making sure you get them in a way that's not going to get you into trouble."
"Have I ever told you how cool you are, L?"
We sat out back behind the 7-11 on the curb. Matt lights up, and offers me one. I shake my head. "Asthma. You've heard my excuse before." Another pause. "Actually, I consider you close enough to let you in on this. The asthma thing is a total cop-out. I just don't want to deal with explaining why I really don't want to smoke. But you could put me in a forest fire with smoke thick as walls and my asthma wouldn't be affected. And for the record, I really love second hand smoke. It gives me good memories."
"Like what?"
I smile softly. "Jim's house, one of my mother's friends. His house always smelled of smoke so thickly, and when we were over there, my parents didn't hurt me. They acted like they loved me. It was all for appearance's sake, but I always felt safe there."
Another moment of silence.
"You really want one, don't you?'
"Yeah."
Easter Sunday 2008- I lit up for the first and last time. It was quite a celebration. I also made out with Matt for a good ten seconds on a whim, in spite of- or perhaps in celebration of- the fact that she felt more like a sister-in-law to me than a romantic interest. A very sexy sister in law. It was quite grand, just not caring for a few minutes.
I knew Near would kill me if he knew I'd smoked a cigarette. We chewed some Big Red. And then we jumped back in my van.
Matt said, "You know, I've always had the most badass image of rolling down the road and flicking a cigarette out of your car window."
I'd implemented a staunch "No Smoking in the EVOD (Epic Van of Doom)" rule. I made an amendment- "Nobody but Me is allowed to smoke in the EVOD-" because it was the avowed first and last time I'd let a cigarette touch these lips and therefore only applicable that night. Furthermore, I decided to let Matt break all the rules because I didn't give a shit anymore. I was getting just that reckless. Slipping back into Mello mode again. I threw some hard punk rock on and cranked it up to ear-bleed level. I realized I'd never maxed out my speakers before. It was a night of many firsts.
Just as the lyrics hit "One, two, THREE,
FOOURR!!!" I spun out of the parking lot. I fulfilled my wish. I tore up those 25 m.p.h. speed limit mountain roads like a stunt driver. Almost wanted to get in a wreck. I made Matt scared for about ten seconds. "JESUS CHRIST, TAKE IT EASY!!!"
"Fuck no!"
After that we screamed for the thrill ride element. Drifted around a hairpin curve onto Near's road screeching the tires, screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs, laughing out brains out, not caring.
I will never forget how cool it felt to flick my cigarette butt out of the window as my speakers blasted that it was "ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE!!!"
I pulled into Near's driveway, leapt out of the car with his wig, and screamed, "NEAR!!! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE! MELLO WANTS TO RAPE YOUR SOOOOUL!!!" I laughed my ass off running up the stairs to his living room, and found a very demure Near sitting on his couch folding laundry. He NEVER folds his own laundry. He looked pitiful. (And a little nervous. I guess it always scares him when his L freaks out and becomes inexplicably aggressive.)
I had to glomph him. I smacked an inexplicable kiss on his lip/chin area, and much to my surprise, he hardly reacted. I expected him to hit me. Matt began crying again, but I was still on a spin from the cig. Suddenly, everything was old times again.
We all tried to watch the latest episode of Death Note he'd recorded on DVR, but his recording device was wonky and refused to work. So we elected to pile downstairs and listen to music in the EVOD.
It was hardcore reminiscence in the dark. Conversation switched from the first party we'd ever done together to the best cake in the world to alternate dimensions in which all of us were straight and genderswitched to Raptor Jesus. But then, things had to get serious. It was inevitable. I said, "I need you for my cosplay task force. If we plan on staying friends until the convention, I need to set down some new ground rules."
Matt said, "I'm gonna go for a walk. You two hammer that out and I'll be back."
Silence after she left; and then: "I have a boyfriend now, Near."
"I know."
"Some of what you do isn't appropriate for that situation. Once upon a time, we set down some ground rules. Everything or nothing. I don't remember you ever trying to follow that principle. How do I know you'll follow these ones?"
Silence.
Near: "You know, you were right in your accusation. I am jealous."
"...you mean, jealous of me going out with with Mello?"
He nods.
A grin spreads over my face as I hatch an evil plot. "You know, conventions are crazy things. There are going to be fangirls requesting hot MelloxNear photo shoots. I could find one who'd blackmail Mello with money, and I'm sure he'd be willing to make out with you..." Images of MelloxNear yaoi run through my head.
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what?"
A pause.
"I've developed feelings for you, Kay."
My entire world exploded and crashed in on itself.