It was another day, just like any other. A nightly snow storm had left most of Winchester covered in multiple inches of snow, adding to Mello's luck that day. He wandered around the town, from one business to another unable to find work for himself or for Matt.
It had only been eight days since the two had left Wammy's house. In that time they had purchased the cheapest apartment they could find. Nothing had proved to be easy so far, especially not purchasing the apartment from that old landlord; he had given the two boys hell because they were quote, 'Too young for such responsibilities.'
Bullshit...whispered Mello's mind, padding around another corner on the street. He watched as more snow glistened down the path, covering the footprints he left behind him.
He paused in his stride, adjusting the ratted scarf around his neck, staring at the material indignantly. If only he and Matt had a job...one job. Then perhaps he wouldn't have to wear such an awful hand-me-down from Roger.
Roger had proven to be a useful caretaker. Having realized Mello would not listen to any other reasoning; he pulled the youth aside and gave him the lump sum of money that had been slowly accumulating interests since Mello had arrived at the orphanage.
That money, all £1,600 (about $2515), was now rent money being used to pay for their cheap apartment. With that they would be able to last until the end of January, a few days shy of Matt's 15th birthday.
In addition to the money, Roger had handed over a few winter clothes to the blonde, reminding Mello that the first frost was soon approaching. And damn, had he been right. About 4-5 inches of the white stuff had blanketed most of Winchester, only proving to rub Mello the wrong way.
He had no snow boots, only a pair of worn out sneakers. His feet felt like blocks of ice as he made his way through the town, desperately searching for work, but to no avail.
It was now 5pm and Mello was just about to give up for the day. Most of the businesses on this street were going to be closed soon and no one would be willing to listen to his sob story by now, certainly not with the promise of going home after a hard day of work. Deciding to stop until the next day, Mello headed for their apartment, his only place to call home.
About 20 minutes later the youth made his way through the door, stopping at the threshold to kick off his damp sneakers. He closed the door, removing his scarf and thin coat, placing the two on a nail by the doorway. He kicked his shoes at the foot of the wall there, a small puddle of melting snow already forming.
Mello wearily climbed onto the couch face first onto a cushion. He was happy to be home. Home...he thought miserably. This is my home now...But for how long would this be his home? Another few weeks and their money would run out. Already admitting defeat was unlike Mello. However, he strove to see results and would take nothing else.
Turning onto his back, the blonde soon realized that he had not seen Matt yet. He paused in thought, scanning the room for his partner. "Matt?" he questioned softly, but no reply came.
He rose to sit, moving off the couch in search of the redhead. He found his partner hunched over a filled dish in the kitchen, appearing somewhat concentrated and distraught. "Matt...what are you doing?"
The gamer shook in surprised, brought out of his contemplative state by the query spoken to him. He looked up at Mello, shaking his head in dismay. "Aw dammit..." he replied dejectedly. "I was hoping to get this done before you got home..."
Mello looked confused, unsure what his friend was talking about.
Moving to the left, Matt revealed a round cake, half frosted. Shoulders fell hunched around himself, fidgeting with a spoon and a butter knife in his hands. "I'm really not good at this stuff..." he chuckled sadly, placing the dirty utensils on the counter by the cake dish.
"Heh..." chuckled Matt again. "Not even Roger was really good at this stuff. Linda was the one to bake all the birthday cakes and cookies and stuff. She's so good at stuff like that, like she's a mom or something. But..." The redhead trailed off, lowering his head. "But she's not here. So I made it..."
Mello was awestruck. A cake...a birthday cake. Had he been so blind to forget his own birthday? Rent and jobs had been on his mind since the day the two had left...little more than a week ago. He had thought only about his age as the promise of being older, the promise of being 15, almost a man, and not 14 any longer; perhaps giving him a better shot at finding a job, any job at all. But no, he hadn't really thought about his birthday.
Mello looked at the cake which appeared to be a huge mess. It was a one layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, obviously Mello's favorite. The frosting looked as if it had been melted then spread over the surface, causing the top layer of cake to become tangled and clumped, creating a new mixture.
Matt was obviously not good at such tasks, and rightfully so. He played video games all the time, tinkered with computers, too. He hardly cleaned his room, hardly threw away his trash correctly. He'd never done a task such as this in his entire life. Well...at least not until today.
The condition of the cake made Mello want to laugh. Out of sympathy for his friend he held back his laughter, instead grateful to Matt. Mello's face was blank, giving no indication of the happiness welling within him. He raised a hand which Matt quickly moved away from, scooping up a lump of frosting from the confection to place in his mouth.
Opening his eyes, Matt looked at his companion, shocked to see that he had not be berated for creating such a mess.
"It's good," said Mello, revealing a small smile.
"R-Really?" Matt's eyes were large as saucers, making him look like a frantically excited puppy.
Once free of frosting, Mello rubbed his moist finger over his shirt then placed it on the top of Matt's goggled head, petting him three times. "I forgot about my birthday...thanks for reminding me."
"Y-You forgot? How can Mello forget such things?"
"I dunno...I've been really busy."
Matt closed the gap between the two, giving Mello a concerned expression. "But Mello is always supposed to remember his birthday." The boy raised a few fingers to his friend's nose, flicking it softly. "But if Mello doesn't remember, Matt will always be here to remind him," he said, smiling warmly.
Taken back, Mello showed his shock with widened blue eyes. Matt...his only friend now, his only companion. The promise of coming home to Matt every night was all that had kept him going out every day, only to be scolded by adults.
'Where are your parents? Go home already!' was a popular phrase uttered by the business owners Mello had spoken to. It only reminded him of the pain of being an orphan. No parents, no home; that is what having a home meant to the world. But who needed parents? Mello had a home. He had Matt here, waiting for him every night.
A home...thought Mello, looking to Matt's smiling face. Whether he had a home, an apartment or not he had a home. His home was here where Matt was, wherever he and Matt were.
A lump formed in the back of Mello's throat, choking a bit of oxygen out of him. He silenced this by breathing in deeply, not fond of the idea of letting Matt know only to worry over him. He smiled, attempting to hold back the tears that were sure to form otherwise.
For good measure, Mello turned towards his friend, his only family, embracing him, burying his face into the short auburn hair.
Shocked by this action, Matt stood frozen, hands outstretched before him.
"Thank you, Matt..." said Mello quietly.
Seemingly understanding what Mello was feeling, Matt raised his dominant hand to Mello's hair, petting it gently. "Happy 15th Birthday, Mello."