A/N: Because nothing says "Happy birthday, Light!" like Matt and Mello. If this even counts. So enjoy. (:
Matt just had to tell somebody. And even if that somebody wasn't close to him, it was almost guaranteed that it wouldn't be repeated. As it was, his chest would likely explode if he kept holding his feelings inside, judging by the pressure building up.
After class, Matt stood by the door, letting familiar faces pass without a second glance as he searched for one in particular, the one who always waited for everyone else to leave before exiting himself. Before he could slip away from Matt—he walked fast; standing didn't suit him at all, so he wanted to get back to his room quickly—he peeled himself from the wall he leaned against.
"Matt? What are you doing?" Near asked as the redhead began to follow him. He still didn't stop.
"I have something to confess. Won't you let me?" He smiled at the boy, a sickeningly sweet expression to match his tone.
Near stopped in his tracks, sighing as he turned around to face Matt. "What is it?"
His voice had a hint of intrigue to it, shocking Matt; it was far different than his usual monotone, even if it was only slightly more emotional.
Matt's cockiness faded as he took a deep breath and shit his eyes for a moment to prepare to say his next words. What about this was so nerve-wracking?
"I love Mello."
It went without saying, to Matt, at least, that Near shouldn't tell; it was an unspoken agreement between children and preteens—and, hell, some shy teenagers, which was a category Matt was hurtling towards, as his teenage years neared—around the globe, that you don't tell when someone has a crush.
As soon as the words left Matt's mouth, calmness washed over him, and his anxiety vanished. A faint blush covered his cheeks, but it didn't matter for the moment.
Oblivious to Matt's relief—it wasn't his fault, really, when he likely had never loved anybody before—Near simply blinked once. "Okay."
Matt was more surprised by Near's lack of a reaction than Near was at Matt's confession.
"Th-that's it?" Mello was the only one he had even felt this way about, so this was the only time he'd been in this situation, but he was sure it wasn't supposed to go this way.
"That is all you have to say to me, correct?"
"Y-yeah…" Matt didn't appreciate being brushed off like this, but Near was the only person he could be sure wouldn't speak with Mello long enough to tell.
"Then our business is done." Near spun around and walked to his room, leaving Matt behind, gaping at him.
Mello passed by, just getting out of his own class, and Matt shut his mouth and stood straighter, trying to keep himself from blushing.
"Matt? What are you doing?"
He shook his head, trying to form a complete sentence from incomplete thoughts. "I was… Talking to Near, and he just walked away." He didn't seem as upset as he should have, but he was too embarrassed to care at the moment.
Mello groaned. "I told you he doesn't care. Don't tell him a damn thing! He doesn't know to keep secrets."
Matt winced, kicking himself for telling him, his heart pounding as he wondered if Mello would find out—from Near, the person he hated more than any other, of all people.
Matt wondered what would happen if he just pushed Mello up against the wall and kissed him, but he forced the thought away as he turned a deeper shade of red.
"Well, I have things to do," Mello said, without getting a response from Matt, giving him a smirk that implied, "I'm going to beat up Near," before he turned around and ran to Near's room—it was in the opposite direction of his room, and there was only one place he would go in that direction—leaving Matt behind, nervous and embarrassed, standing alone in the hallway.
Mello knocked harshly on the door, expecting to be let in immediately, even though they hated each other and Near had no reason to let him in.
Near stood at the door timidly as he opened it, knowing Mello would stand at the other side; he had no friends, so Mello was the only person who visited him.
"Mello."
"Near." This normally stood alone as a harsh, to-the-point greeting, but this time he had something to add. "What were you talking with Matt about earlier? He didn't seem like himself."
Near wasn't surprised that Mello already knew. He knew everything most of the orphans did, and kept an especially close eye on Matt. "Matt wanted to tell me something."
"I'm not stupid, unlike you; I knew that! What did he tell you?" He hated the way Near talked, knowing exactly what he meant, yet still taking the literal meaning of things.
In a calm voice, Near delivered the answer. "Matt says he loves you. He seemed frantic to tell me."
A faint blush covered Mello's cheeks, but he did his best to hide it, not making eye contact for once, letting his glare slip to the floor. For once, he was speechless.
Near understood Mello's silence. "Does Mello return Matt's feelings? You can confide in me."
Mello's tongue finally allowed him to form the words, though he had given up on his attempt to hide the now-darker blush on his cheeks. "N-no, I can't, because you'd tell if you knew."
"Would you not want him to know that you feel the same? You are very strange, Mello."
The words, and the way they were delivered—calmly, as always—enraged Mello. "I never said that I loved him! How dare you just assume—"
"It is a reasonable assumption to make, isn't it? Your face is red, and you're getting defensive. There's no need for this, really. The way you feel for him is obvious."
Mello couldn't keep talking to him any longer. If Matt was going to know that he loved him, he'd tell him himself, not through Near.
"Where are you going?" Near asked as Mello turned around, heading towards the door—but not after kicking him in the stomach, a typical way for him to say "Goodbye" to Near.
"Nowhere," Mello said, closing the door, his destination in mind.
The end could be better, but otherwise, I like it. (: Even if I wrote it while sleep-deprived, I think I did a pretty good job.