"Oh, for FUCK'S SAKE! Are you completely useless!?" Mello yells. He's stressed, Matt can tell, because that hair trigger's even finer than usual.
"Yep," he drawls around a cigarette. "And you don't know why you waste your time with me."
Mello huffs and shakes, and Matt wonders if he even remembers what he's mad about. So he just stands and stares at his orange-tinted friend and takes the cigarette out of his mouth long enough to exhale a stream of smoke.
He's obviously too mad, because he storms out of the room with only a string of expletives in his wake.
Matt just shrugs and sits down on the floor with his PSP and hits "continue," just in time for Mello to peek his head back in.
"TURN OFF THAT GODDAMN GAME AND GO DO WHAT I TOLD YOU."
Matt falls onto his back and takes a deep drag. "S'not like you pay me or anything. I'll do it when I do it."
Tossing the precious game onto the couch, he rolls over to avoid getting stomped on and stands to face his assailant.
"Here." He plucks the cigarette from his lips and places it between Mello's. "There, now, isn't that better?"
Mello takes the burning stick from his mouth and stares at for a moment before snubbing it out on Matt's sweater.
Matt remembers sneaking into Mello's room after-hours, doing nothing but playing the newest game while the blond worked on homework. Matt never really cared about grades or standing, but somehow managed to eke into the third spot behind Mello and Near.
The talk was slim pickings at best; mostly Mello bitching about the noise Matt's games would make. Matt would turn up the volume just to spite him, and sometimes get a book thrown at him for his insolence.
"Why do you care so much?" He'd asked once.
"Why don't you care at all?"
"I asked first." He pushed his goggles up to the top his head and paused the game to look at Mello directly.
Mello launched headfirst into his "I will be number one!" spiel. Matt just rolled his eyes, as he'd heard it enough times to recite it. Backwards, even.
"Whatever. I just don't get why you bother getting your panties in a bunch over it."
It's years later, and he still doesn't get it, so when the rest of the guys leave and it's just the two of them, he asks again. Mello's sprawled out on the couch, his legs draped over Matt's lap as he munches on some fancy-ass chocolate that probably cost as much as Matt's precious systems.
"I will be the best," Mello says, and Matt huffs.
"Not what I asked, dipshit."
Mello chews thoughtfully, before finally responding with a, "What does it matter?"
"You suck at this Q&A game, Mello."
A shrug, and Matt leans back into the couch, head resting against the back.
"So, if you're so interested in why I care-- you never told me why you don't."
"Being your shadow was always more interesting."
Mello whistles in appreciation the first time he sees Matt's car. Matt beams, and strokes the hood.
"Isn't she beautiful?"
"You break her in yet?" Mello asks, devilish grin spreading over his face.
Matt raises an eyebrow, clearly not understanding, when Mello pins him against the hood and kisses him. It almost knocks the wind out of the redhead, being thrown against the car like that, but soon enough he's groping and kissing back just as hard.
Mello pulls back suddenly and flings the back door open, grabs Matt by the jacket and practically tosses him onto the back seat. He doesn't complain, grabbing Mello by the vest and yanking him inside with him. They don't bother with closing the door just yet, not until Mello moves to straddle Matt's hips, and decides he might want a bit of privacy.
It takes a week of driving around with the windows down to completely air out the smell of sex from the car.
"Mello," Matt whines, "We need batteries."
"We don't need anything," Mello snorts. "We are perfectly happy with things like books and TV."
"You're cruel, you know that?"
"I've been told-- look, there's gotta be a TV station about video games; get your fix that way."
"It's not the same."
"Stop being a little bitch."
"See, I'd never do this to you. When you run out of your favorite candy, who always runs and gets you more? Even if it's a blizzard out--"
"--We're in L.A.. What blizzards--?"
"--Or raining, or three in the morning? I do. And you can't shell out five bucks for some batteries for me."
Mello rolls his eyes, but lifts his hips to dig in his pocket to pull out some money and throw it in Matt's general direction.
"Get me some Ghiradelli while you're out."
About an hour later, Matt walks in, video game in hand and bleeping away. Mello quickly snatches it from him.
"I see no chocolate."
"Slipped my mind," Matt says, and there's a hint of a smirk on his face.
Mello flips open the back of the system and smacks it once, twice, thrice, until the batteries are loose enough to pry out, and he tosses them out the window.
"HEY! I needed those!"
"Oh, right. Must've slipped my mind."
A/N: First attempt at both a Death Note fanfiction, and writing Mello or Matt.