Disclaimer : I still don't own Death Note. Not that I wouldn't like to, though. =w=

Pairing : MattMello

Note : I really need to thank Shadow Dancer666 for giving me back the need to write, and also getting me back SOOO badly into MattMello with her so amazingly great stories. -s-sighs with happiness- Also! I'm not a native speaker, so there might still be mistakes here -let me know if you find any! Now, now, on to the MM love~

He had always thought that you had to live your life alone, and get out of this mess all by yourself. Constantly pushing people away, out of the way so that he could breathe, constantly running away from the ones who chased after him, constantly fighting to keep the blood theirs, never letting his be shed -and always failing.

Matt had never been told the rules of this game -he doubted anyone had ever been, really-, yet up until now, he had thought it was a one-player game. A sort of shooter in which you weren't given any single weapon and someone shoved you in, into this huge cave full of crawling creatures that were after you.

That was until he saw Mello's tiny back, not more than a few feet away from him, standing. It was unreal, totally unreal. Mello was so small, so weak -weaker than him, he knew this-, yet he was doing this. His voice didn't make any more sense to his mind, all that he was still sure of was that it was Mello's, that it really was him. It wasn't some sick trick his screwed up mind was playing on him. It wasn't any of those creepy dreams he had sometimes, to take his senses away from reality and dig himself farther away from this world. It wasn't just... Just someone putting a sort of... Big sign here, and painting Mello's back onto it. He was real. Real. A word he wasn't accustomed to.

"...-won't touch him! He's my friend, so go away, or... o-or I'll beat you up! Just leave him alone!"

It still took him a little while longer to figure out what was happening and come back to his senses, and he had to correct himself a little. This wasn't actually unreal, just... Just rather... Unrealistic. Reaching up with his hand, he felt something warm dripping down his nose, over his lips, and when he pulled back his fingers just a little bit, he saw the blood covering them. There wasn't much, but it was enough for Mello to get mad.

Out of the blue, startling everyone -including himself-, the little blond suddenly let out a roar of anger as he charged at the four little boys standing all around himself and Matt and squeezing his eyes shut, he started kicking and punching at them blindly. His voice was still so sweet, high-pitched and soaked in innocence, but to Matt, it was the manliest thing in the world.

Suddenly blinking, he seemed to understand something and ran for the little crowd of boys. He took a deep, deep breath, and... just like Mello, he screamed like a wild little monster, and he started fighting as well.

This wasn't a one-player game. Mello was his partner, his super hero, the Knight in his party, and he was the... The main character's best friend, the one who fought by his side and kicked people's asses along with him.

It wasn't until a few more minutes later that a teacher ran out to the gardens, alerted by the cries, to see just what those little devils had invented again and he blinked, seeing the fight. Instantly he was running for them, fighting to part them and catch the most dangerous one. That was undoubtedly Mello, who still hadn't opened his eyes nor stopped shouting but was obviously very determined to keep going until the enemy retreated.

As both he and his blond little friend were carried away from the battlefield, still struggling and screaming for victory, Matt couldn't help the odd yet so fantastic warmth that burnt in his little chest. He had never liked being the center of attention so much, a few meters behind the actual protagonists was far better if you asked him, and just naturally, Mello was perfect for this. For standing ahead of him, and fighting.

Matt sighed desperately for the eighty-second time as he laid back in the broad bed, way too huge for his small body. His nose had already been taken care of, his slightly bruised knees had been covered in band aids as well, yet he still had to spend the night here, in the big, creepy nursery. There even was one of those huge curtains set all around him, hiding him away from anyone who might come in, yet he was convinced deep down that this was rather a way to punish him for getting in trouble with other kids again. It was nighttime after all. Who would come into the infirmary at night?

He hadn't even been allowed to keep his games with him (though the nurse had promised to have some teacher come and take his DS back to his room so that it wouldn't get stolen or broken by anyone. That was still a sort of consolation, he guessed.) And the door had been locked, preventing him quite efficiently from disobeying and running to his room as soon as everyone had their backs turned.

It was unfair, really, and he hadn't even been the one who had started it. It was those bastards' fault. They had said fucking nasty things about his mom, so of course he ha-

"Mattie?"

The soft voice, along with the tiny figure suddenly appearing in front of him made him jump and almost fall off the bed, and had he not squeezed his mouth shut with both hands, he would have probably shrieked in a very unknightly way.

Carefully pulling the curtains back closed behind him, Mello glanced around carefully, as though someone could have heard him and then swiftly climbed onto the bed. Once he had made sure that no one had noticed his presence here and settled down some more, the small blond turned his head towards Matt and flashed him the brightest smile he had ever seen. The poor boy instantly forgot everything that wasn't Mello's sweet smile, including the question that was burning his lips and which was mostly put like this: How the Hell had he managed to get in?!

"Whoa, sorry I took so long!" Mello exclaimed in the most cheerful tone, keeping his voice quiet though, not to get any unwanted attention from anyone and wiping any thought process off Matt's mind. "Old Roger kept calling for me in his office to scold me. I think he knew I wanted to come, so he kept bugging me."

Matt couldn't help but chuckle a little at his friend's pout -and man, that was Roger. The sound seemed to please Mello though because his smile widened even more, and without any warning, he pulled the blanket off his redheaded friend before crawling under it and putting it back in place all nicely. Matt was a bit startled as he saw how easily the blond could share such closeness yet it didn't bother him so much- not quite as much as the boy's cold legs suddenly tangled up with his as he snuggled into his side.

"M-Mello! You're freezing!" he exclaimed, meaning it as a reproach really, but Mello seemed to mistake his intentions and took this for a permission for him to snuggle even closer and seek warmth into the redhead's large sweatshirt. Matt wondered if he should say something, for his own sake, but he decided to let it go. Instead, he just pulled the blanket a bit higher over them both and tried his best to repress the happy infectious grin that was threatening to take over his lips.

"Mel... um, I...thank you for helping me. Earlier, you know?" He added when the other gave him a curious look, then smiled a bit sleepily, shaking his head softly.

"It's okay, Mattie." The blond mumbled with one of those innocent and so sweet smiles of his. "that's what best friends do right? H-helping each other..." He murmured, and Matt noticed a bit of hope in his voice, he didn't really know why. He was his Knight after all, and he was right, best friends alwa-

"Knight?"

Matt's eyes widened and he looked down to the other boy, who was currently staring at him, looking very interested even in his totally sleepy state. Had he really said that out loud?

...Matt hesitated. Mello wasn't used to video games, so it would take a while to explain to him, but then again, Mello was very smart... Biting his lips a little, the redhead pulled his goggles up a little.

"Yeah... You see, i-in a game... you would be the Knight, since... since you protected me and... and since you fight at the front, and I'd be-"

''You'd be the princess then?" Mello suddenly exclaimed, forgetting to keep his voice down, and covering his mouth when he noticed his mistake. He started giggling through his fingers though when Matt started blushing so much even his ears burnt.

"N-No, that's not- I'm not a girl! I-I'd be the hero's best friend, you know, I'd be-"

But it was useless. Mello was still giggling and hugging him a bit tighter now, not really listening. He was exhausted, he had fought like a lion after all -all the little scratches and bandaids on his limbs were here to show it- and a few minutes later, he had already slipped into slumber.

Matt just watched him, torn between just happy and still a little irritated -h-he had called him a princess after all!-, but happy eventually won and he wiggled a little to make himself more comfortable. Curling up on his side, he pressed himself back into Mello and waited for the magic to operate and sleep to take over him.

A two-player game.

Life couldn't be described more beautifully.