[Near had thought as much. While he has never been an expert in relationships, he is an expert in human psychology, and Genesis had always made his affection for that woman clear for him to see.
It’s one thing they have in common, and sometimes Near forgets about it: losing a Meister who they shared an important bond with, but with a clear difference: Near didn’t have that sort of relationship with the Mello who was here before.
(That didn’t make it any easier to lose him, but if Mello leaving the first time felt like a part of him had been left incomplete, he is completely sure that, if Mello were to leave now, it would feel like having a part of him be physically ripped out, over and over again, with the reminder that if Mello ever came back, he would have certainly forgotten what they had.)
He doesn’t know if he and Mello have that sort of relationship, now, but--
lov•er noun 1. a person who is in love with another. 2. a person who has a sexual or romantic relationship with another.
--they really don’t fit the definition of it at all.]
I see.
[There’s a tray somewhere in the kitchen, so Near digs around for it, and adds what he has seen people place on tea trays throughout his life. When the tea is ready, he brings everything to the table and sits down, pulling a knee up against his chest immediately.
He seems hesitant about something, as if afraid to push Genesis too far or to reveal too much about his own thoughts, but in the end, Near ends up making his question, his voice slightly quieter than before.]
Were you gentle with her?
[Genesis seems like the type to do it, whereas Carmine seemed more like the type to consume him entirely without worrying about gentleness.]
[action]
It’s one thing they have in common, and sometimes Near forgets about it: losing a Meister who they shared an important bond with, but with a clear difference: Near didn’t have that sort of relationship with the Mello who was here before.
(That didn’t make it any easier to lose him, but if Mello leaving the first time felt like a part of him had been left incomplete, he is completely sure that, if Mello were to leave now, it would feel like having a part of him be physically ripped out, over and over again, with the reminder that if Mello ever came back, he would have certainly forgotten what they had.)
He doesn’t know if he and Mello have that sort of relationship, now, but--
lov•er
noun
1. a person who is in love with another.
2. a person who has a sexual or romantic relationship with another.
--they really don’t fit the definition of it at all.]
I see.
[There’s a tray somewhere in the kitchen, so Near digs around for it, and adds what he has seen people place on tea trays throughout his life. When the tea is ready, he brings everything to the table and sits down, pulling a knee up against his chest immediately.
He seems hesitant about something, as if afraid to push Genesis too far or to reveal too much about his own thoughts, but in the end, Near ends up making his question, his voice slightly quieter than before.]
Were you gentle with her?
[Genesis seems like the type to do it, whereas Carmine seemed more like the type to consume him entirely without worrying about gentleness.]