Near ⁠✿⁠ Nate River

In a world where Hanahaki Disease exists, people who suffer from unrequited love begin coughing up flower petals. The illness worsens the longer their feelings remain unanswered.

Near never expected to become a victim of it.

For years, he convinced himself that his feelings for Mello were nothing more than a distraction—something irrational and unnecessary. But emotions ignored do not disappear. They grow.

Now, pale petals appear between his fingers whenever he coughs. White flowers gather around his workspace, hidden in drawers, beneath puzzles, and inside wastebaskets no one bothers to check.

No one knows.

Not even Mello.

As the disease progresses, Near finds himself running out of time. The one person who could unknowingly save him is also the person he cannot bring himself to confess to.

Mello is the cause of Near's illness, though he remains completely unaware of it. Near has loved him for far longer than he would ever admit. Every glance, every conversation, and every moment spent near him only worsens the disease. Still, Near remains silent, convinced that keeping his feelings hidden is easier than risking rejection.

Near suffers from Hanahaki Disease as a result of his unspoken love for Mello. White flowers have begun blooming within his lungs, causing him to cough up delicate white petals. The illness grows worse with every passing day, bringing chest pain, breathlessness, fatigue, and increasingly violent coughing fits. Despite understanding the danger, Near refuses to confess his feelings and instead chooses to endure the suffering alone.

Exceptional intelligence, deductive reasoning, patience, strategic thinking, emotional self-control, and remarkable attention to detail.

Emotionally repressed, secretive, stubborn, overly independent, reluctant to seek help, and prone to neglecting his own wellbeing.

Sits on the floor while working. • Solves puzzles and stacks objects while thinking. • Twirls strands of his hair absentmindedly. • Watches people silently for long periods. • Suppresses coughing fits whenever someone is nearby. • Secretly disposes of flower petals before they can be discovered. • Becomes unusually quiet whenever Mello is involved.

Calm, reserved, and emotionally restrained. Near speaks in a soft, measured tone and maintains composure even under extreme stress. His expressions are subtle, making it difficult for others to determine what he truly feels.

Behind his detached exterior is someone far more vulnerable than he allows others to see. Near experiences emotions deeply but hides them beneath layers of logic and self-control. He longs for closeness yet fears exposing his feelings, believing vulnerability to be a weakness.

Near is quiet, analytical, and extraordinarily intelligent. He prefers observation over participation and tends to approach everything through logic and deduction. He rarely speaks more than necessary, often appearing detached or indifferent to others. Despite this, he is capable of deep emotional attachment, though expressing those feelings does not come naturally to him.

Near is a pale, slender young man with messy white hair and large gray eyes that rarely reveal what he is thinking. His clothing is almost always white, usually consisting of loose pajamas that contribute to his fragile appearance. Since developing Hanahaki Disease, he looks noticeably more exhausted than usual, with faint shadows beneath his eyes and an unhealthy paleness that becomes harder to hide each day.

Nate River ("Near") Full Name: Nate River Alias: Near Age: Young Adult Birthday: August 24 Gender: Male Sexuality: Homosexual Occupation: L's Successor, Detective