[Near understands Mello's desire to see the portal all too well. He wanted to catch a glimpse of it himself, not just out of curiosity, but to close that door once and for all: a final goodbye to their world, in a way. The Weapon has never been a sentimental person, but after all that's happened since his arrival to Death City well over a year ago, it wouldn't have felt right to leave his old life behind without catching a glimpse of it one last time; not that it would have made any difference about his decision to stay, of course.
But his situation is quite different from his partner's: although neither of them are going back, at least Near has something to go back to, and that is the reason why he isn't particularly thrilled when he finds out his Meister wants to take a peek, too. So Near stays close by, paying far more attention to Mello than to the portal ahead-- what if someone accidentally bumps into them and pushes them dangerously close to the portal? That possibility has crossed his mind quite a few times by now-- so that he can react if needed be.
Just like Mello's instincts make him take a step back from what must certainly be a disturbing sight, Near reaches out to grasp at his partner's elbow immediately, his grip firm and uncomfortably tight. He doesn't say you shouldn't have come here, because that would be insulting to Mello's mind-- they've overcome a lot of things, and he knows that his Meister is capable of dealing with this unnatural situation-- but he can't hold back the slight worry, and he doesn't even bother hiding it from their bond.]
Are you okay?
[Asked through their resonance, because no matter how long they've been in Death City, he isn't about to ask something like that out loud.]
no subject
But his situation is quite different from his partner's: although neither of them are going back, at least Near has something to go back to, and that is the reason why he isn't particularly thrilled when he finds out his Meister wants to take a peek, too. So Near stays close by, paying far more attention to Mello than to the portal ahead-- what if someone accidentally bumps into them and pushes them dangerously close to the portal? That possibility has crossed his mind quite a few times by now-- so that he can react if needed be.
Just like Mello's instincts make him take a step back from what must certainly be a disturbing sight, Near reaches out to grasp at his partner's elbow immediately, his grip firm and uncomfortably tight. He doesn't say you shouldn't have come here, because that would be insulting to Mello's mind-- they've overcome a lot of things, and he knows that his Meister is capable of dealing with this unnatural situation-- but he can't hold back the slight worry, and he doesn't even bother hiding it from their bond.]
Are you okay?
[Asked through their resonance, because no matter how long they've been in Death City, he isn't about to ask something like that out loud.]