"living in an orphanage is like living in a house of adults. a house full of children who've had their innocence snatched by death, who can't help but see the world through pessimistic eyes, who'll never be able to be truly care-free for as long as they live. it's a house full of children, yes.
but when it's also a house full of geniuses, and broken hearts, and pessimists, it may as well be a house full of adults." – Grace, on Wammy's.
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Upon first glance, the children that filled Wammy's to the brim with laughter would seem happy. But that's merely because they're geniuses, and geniuses know how to put on a good show.
The halls may ring with laughter, but it's rarely real. Smiles may dance on their faces, but it rarely reaches their eyes. They may pretend to be innocent, and care-free and happy, but it's only to stop the adults worrying.
So, yes, Wammy's may appear a happy place at first. But, really, it's a house full of actors and actresses, and masks, and hiding and pretending.
Matt knows this better than most.
Not because he has more to hide. If anything, he has less. He has no tragic past; at least, not one he can remember. He's relatively trauma-free, and, as far as anyone can tell, he's perfectly sane.
No, he knows Wammy's the best, if you will, because he watches.
To everyone else, bar a select few, it seems that when he walks around clutching his gameboy, that he's doing just that; playing games. And yes, he is. But Matt has a secret; he's the best multi-tasker Wammy's has seen. He could take a verbal test whilst playing Super Mario and listening to music, and still ace the test and beat the game.
His games are just a cover, albeit an enjoyable one he's got to be rather good at. Because if he were to sit in the corner of the room empty-handed, seemingly doing nothing, he would attract attention. Attention he'd rather do without; people act differently when they know they're being watched. They say what they think you want them to say, do what they think you'll want them to do. They won't act natural, and unless Matt is observing the other children themselves, there's no point in him watching at all.
So he uses his games, and his goggles, as a cover. And he spends his days sitting in the corner, quietly watching everyone else, and noting down their mannerisms, personalities and general behaviour.
And that is how he first met Near.
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A/N: i need to stop writing so many damn epilogues, and finish what i've started...
i'll post this, but it'll be on the back burner. not the centre of my attention. i shall focus on letters to no one and untitled and all those oneshots i keep starting and forgetting about.
damn you, commitment. damn you to hell.