Dark and Light

Chapter 12

Four minutes and two blocks later, there it was.

The docks.

The water was a grayish blue, with stormy clouds overhead and salty breezes, Near felt alive. He inhaled, taking in as much as he could, staring hard at the ocean, committing this scenery to his memory.

He could hear the sailors shouting to each other on the port, frantically loading their masses of wood with cargo. Mello observed Near the entire time, not noticing anything else. Just watching the pale little boys platinum eyes sparkle and his enthusiastic smile.

"What do you think?" His voice was as soft as silk, as if he were addressing a newborn baby.

"I think it is..." Near struggled for words,"Wonderful."

"You know we can sit on the docks too." Mello chuckled and Near spun around to face him,"Really?" His voice was high and filled with excitement.

"Really." Mello nodded and confirmed, then he took Near's tiny hand and led him to the boardwalk where they sat extremely close, thighs and arms touching.

After a while of silence Near spoke up,"When... I was younger maybe around the age of seven, the ocean fascinated me. See my-my mother she would constantly tell me endless stories of the sea. She made it sound like the most amazing place in this world." He smiled sadly,"But she could never take me."

"And why not?" Mello inquired.

"My father was constantly out on business trips and without him my mother wouldn't even dare to step out into the front yard. So it just... Never happened."

"Can I ask you something Near?" His voice was careful and even, as if his next question were a bomb and at any moment it could explode in his face.

"As long as it is in my place to answer you, why not." Near's tone was strained. His grey eyes locked on the water.

"How did you get into Wammy's?"

"Oh." Near replied,"I-I ran away from home and I somehow ended up at Wammy's doorsteps." He winced and pulled his knees to his chest, resting his chin on his kneecap.

"Can I ask why you ran away?"

"They-they didn't want me." Near said bitterly,"I wasn't the son they wanted. Or at least in my fathers standards, he would have found a way to get rid of me one way or another... And my mother." His expression was tight,"What could she do but support him?"

"They are absolute idiots! How could they not want you? You're one of a kind, intelligent, and adorable, you're the complete package!" Mello fiercely hissed.

"Mello, they are my parents. As much as they were unsatisfied with my physical appearances and mentality, I cannot allow you to disrespect them in my defense." Mello swore he saw Near's eyes water. The blue eyed boy softened and answered,"They can be called parents, but being a mom and dad is more than giving birth to a child. It's more than signing documents legally claiming the child yours. It's being there for your kid, accepting them for who they are and who they want to be. Loving and seeing the best in them, sacrificing it all just to see them happy and successful. That's what being a parent is."

Near's eyes were as big as saucers and he was rapidly blinking, looking up and avoiding contact with his orbs of gray.

"They're still my parents." He whispered. "How did you g-get to the orphanage?" Near took a deep breath and asked Mello.

"That's a long story. It's boring and we could probably sit here the rest of the day and not get through half of it."

"I can do that. Please, Mello I want to know."

The blond groaned,"Alright, alright. I got here two years ago... My dad, he wasn't the best dad, but who is. Hardly home, part of some major gang God knows where. My mother was a whore. In the nicest of ways, she was. Going out Friday nights while dad was away, bringing back strangers to her bed. I grew up alone mostly, rarely ever interacting with any other kids my age. At school, I was special." His cerulean eyes gleamed,"I was different. Even the teachers could tell and most students respected me. School was better than being home and alone, hearing the screams of my parents. And for a long time, they didn't get along very well. Dad had an extreme case of jealousy and suspected my mom of cheating on him but she would always deny. Deny, deny, deny. And every Sunday, we would go to church, dressed in our best outfits and received communion, playing the perfect family act. But as long as no one knew what was going on within the walls of our home, we were okay."