~Author's Nonsense~ One of my more evolved fanfics for sure. Read and Review please. I tried to stay as canon as possible, you know. (:

Will update!

The bell of Wammy's House started ringing and the students packed their bags, leaving their classrooms for lunch. The blonde long-haired boy sitting in the hall stood up and rolled his eyes at the teacher coming to chide him for his bad behavior. The teacher sighed as she handed him the classwork he'd missed. The boy turned to leave, but she stopped him by the shoulder. "Mello, Roger would like to see you in his office," she told him.

"What?" he barked. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

She shook her head and headed for the cafeteria. "I don't know what it's about, he just said he wanted to see you," she called over her shoulder. Mello rolled his eyes again as he snatched his books off the floor and made his way to the staircase. He threw his books in his room and continued up to the top floor of Wammy's, sauntering all the way to the end of the hall to stop at a door that read: Wammy's House Caretaker Roger Ruvie. Mello frowned and burst through the door without knocking. He glared at the old man sitting behind the large desk and hardly noticed the slim boy huddled beside him with what appeared to be strange blood-red hair.

"M-Mello," Roger stuttered. "How many times must I ask you to knock? And I know you know how to use a doorknob for goodness's sake!"

The blonde huffed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, whatever, Roger. What do you want so I can leave?"

Roger sighed. "Mello, you've already gotten into trouble today. Can't I just have one day of peace? Just one?" Mello kept silent and stared at the ceiling. "Sit down Mello please." He dropped into a chair, crossing his legs and glaring.

"This is Matt," Roger announced, gesturing toward the lanky boy at his side. "This is his first day here."

"So?" Mello replied.

Roger frowned. "So, I want you to show him around and help him get settled in."

Mello started. "What? Why!"

"Because he's your new roommate."

Mello jumped out of his chair and slammed his hands down on the desk. "What!" Matt jumped and stepped back against the wall. "You can't be serious! The higher-ups never have roommates!" Mello screamed. "How am I supposed to study with some scrawny little kid constantly following me around? Why can't you put him with Near!"

"That's enough!" Roger shouted. "I don't care about what you want Mello, only what Matt needs. You've got a double room and he needs a bed. Someone has to look after him and I can't do that."

"But-"

"But nothing! L was very clear that Matt is to be treated kindly, especially by you and Near. He'll be in your classes and you'd better not harm him in any way."

Mello scoffed. "Or what?"

"Or," Roger answered, "you may just be taken out of the running for L's successor." Mello stared at him in silence. Roger nodded and nudged Matt forward. Mello stood up without a word and headed for the door.

He waited for Matt to follow and stormed down the stairs just slow enough for him to keep up. Mello burst into their (his!) room and grabbed his books from the floor, placing them on the large desk across the room. Matt closed the door gently behind him and stood in the middle of the room holding his one bag. Mello rolled his eyes again and pushed his stuff off of the extra bed. Matt dropped his bag on the bed and sat next to it, looking at the floor.

Mello jumped on his bed and took a better look at his new… roommate. He was wearing a long-sleeved striped shirt with skinny jeans and boots. His face was hidden by a large pair of orange goggles, for some odd reason. "Okay look, if you're going to stay here there are some rules we need to lay down first. Rule number one, look at me when I'm talking to you. The damn floor isn't nearly as attractive." Matt's head snapped up and the goggles turned level with Mello's face. Mello nodded his approval and continued. "Rule number two, don't touch my stuff. Even though it's a mess in here I know exactly where everything is and I'll know if anything is missing. If I lose anything it's on your head, understand?"

Matt nodded. "Oh, and if I ask you a question I expect you to answer it." He bit his lip while thinking of anything else. "You can't use the computer unless you ask me first, and I always get first dibs on the bathroom, even if you get up before me." Matt nodded once more and put the DS lite in his hands on the sheets.

"It's lunch now, do you need to eat?" Matt shook his head. "I'm guessing you don't eat much, looking at how skinny you are." Mello shrugged and went to sit at the desk. "I'm gonna finish my homework so keep quiet. You don't have to go to classes until tomorrow so you can do whatever just don't bug me, okay?" Matt nodded and picked up his DS, turning off the volume and laying down on his stomach. Mello shook his head and turned to his work.

Mello closed his Calculus book and leaned back in his chair with a satisfied grin. He checked his watch and stood up, grabbing the rest of his books and heading for the door. Matt looked up from his game for the first time since he'd started playing. "I'm going to class now. There're three classes before lunch and three after, then we're free until dinner. You'll get the schedule later." He nodded and Mello left, closing the door with his foot.

Matt sighed and stuck the gameboy in his pocket, walking over to the computer on the desk. He cracked his glove-covered knuckles and his fingers flew over the keys. He smirked slightly when he hacked into the computer's mainframe and went all the way into the camera systems and found the map of the entire building. He wanted to know where everything was, but he didn't really feel like going out himself. He found the bedrooms, the classrooms, the library, and the kitchen; the cafeteria, the upstairs offices, and even the infirmary. There were bathrooms at the end of each hall, boys and girls. Apparently they were all to share them with each other, except for the single rooms and the top students, because they had bathrooms attached to their bedrooms.

He logged out and shut the computer down, moving to unpack what little he had brought with him. There was a note on the top of his bag when he unzipped it:

Matt, I hope you enjoy the orphanage, I know you'll fit in once you find your place. Just be yourself and try to make some friends. And don't let Mello scare you, he's not as bad as he first appears, I promise. Roger will help you if you have any problems at all, but I have the utmost faith in you and your abilities. L says he looks forward to meeting you. I took the liberty of buying some clothes that I daresay will appeal to your tastes, along with some of the essentials as well. Wammy's will provide you with anything else you need. Try to have some fun and enjoy yourself here. I'll see you soon.

-W

Matt rolled his eyes with the slightest smile and moved the paper off to the side. The whole suitcase was filled with different colored striped shirts and jeans. He smirked and dug underneath to find a toothbrush with toothpaste, and other things he had neglected to bring himself. Since his new roommate hadn't cleared out a drawer for him, he left the clothes in the bag and slid it under his bed, then put his toothbrush on the bathroom counter and his shampoo under the sink. Mello's things were scattered, even in there. He was careful not to touch anything as he went back into their room, laying down on his bed and resting his head on the pillow. At least the bed was soft. He sat up after a while and decided to take a shower, since he had nothing else to do.

He folded his shirt and pants on the counter with his gloves and boxers beside them and his goggles on top. He turned on the shower and stepped in, letting the hot water beat against the tense muscles of his back and shoulders. His wet crimson hair stuck to the sides of his face and he massaged his head with shampoo, taking in the strong scent of strawberries. When he had soaped and rinsed his slim body he leaned against the wall of the shower and slid to the floor, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around his legs. He stayed in the shower until the water turned cold, then he got out and tied a towel around his waist. He opened the door and blinked into Mello's bright blue eyes.