Author's Note: The creator's of Death Note are in no way affiliated with this work. It was created by a fan for other fans' enjoyment.
I wrote this as a birthday present for myself a few months ago and hadn't decided to put it up until now. Review if you'd like, I'm curious if the writing style is coherent. ^^
Chilly December night air lightly tossles Matt's hair and rests on the tips of his ears. He leans halfway out the window of his apartment. A cigarette loosely hangs from his lips. With a sigh, smoke blows out of his nostrils like twin chimneys.
Tomorrow is Mello's birthday.
No, even worse. Tomorrow is Mello's birthday, and Matt still doesn't have a gift for him.
Another sigh while Matt stamps out the burning mixture of nicotine, menthol, and paper. He closes the window. Pulling his goggles around his neck, he looks around the semi-cluttered living-room and kitchen, thinking.
It's not that Mello is hard to shop for. Actually, the gamer has never found someone so easily satisfied gift-wise.
It's not that Matt hasn't already gone out multiple times the past week and bought copious amounts of chocolate. He counted even. There are six boxes of gourmet chocolate truffles and five bars of Lindt dark chocolate, Mello's favorite kind. He stashed the gifts inside the Xbox 360 box he never got around to throwing out.
He knows Mello will like them. The mafia member isn't the kind of person to bring up his own birthday in the first place, so technically Matt doesn't have to get anything. He will though, and Mello does the same. Although Matt likes to countdown until his birthday and pretends to get pouty when Mello pretends he didn't get him anything. It's kinda fun, y'know, if they were a couple...
The gamer wanders around the apartment, idly picking up the mess he'd made throughout the day. Mello always gets super pissy when he comes home and there are clothes or dishes strewn about. It's stupid when it's Matt's apartment, but for some reason he always finds himself doing it anyway. Probably because it makes his best friend happy, and dealing with the mafia and catching Kira puts a lot of strain on him. Sure, Matt is stressed out too, but mostly about Mello. The blonde can be reckless, the new scar on his face is proof enough. Matt wouldn't be in Los Angeles if he wasn't worried about him.
If I didn't love him.
Another sigh.
Looking at the clock on the oven, the red-head utters a curse under his breath. It's already eleven o'clock, and Matt doesn't have a gift. It'll be chocolate again this year. Just like last year and every year before that. He'd been fiddling with the idea, but he wanted to get Mello something special this time. This year he wanted to confess to him. The thought was that his best friend might be more willing to accept if he had some amazing gift in his hands. Not anymore though, he can already hear Mello on the stairs.
Shuffling into the kitchen, he puts the dirty dishes into the sink, and re-enters the living room. He slumps onto the couch and turns on his PSP. The lock clicks a greeting as Mello enters the apartment, dog tired as usual.
The two are silent as the leather clad genius puts his keys away. He looks through the bills momentarily before making his way to his bedroom to change into some pajamas. Matt waits for the door to click shut before rolling off the couch and opening the box of chocolate. Should he give Mello all of it at once?
The gamer sighs for the umpteenth time that night and flops on his back. It's so disappointing. He really wanted this year to be special, but it's probably for the better. Mello's a guy, and their relationship has always been described as a "bromance." Telling the chocoholic he loved him would make Mello uncomfortable and most likely ruin their friendship. He is, afterall, a very faithful Catholic. Matt should be happy and quit trying to screw with things.
"Hey Matt, is that for me?" The blonde approaches the technological genius and sits next to him on the floor, dressed comfortably in black pajama pants and one of Matt's striped shirts; having been to lazy to look for his own shirt, wedged deep within the closet's depths.
"Yeah," he replies, never moving from the floor, eyes glued to the roof. "Happy Birthday Mells."
"What's up with you?" Mello looks to his friend before dumping out the box's contents. He's unable to keep the smile from breaking on his face as he sees just how much Matt got him. The gamer though, is too preoccupied with the blotches of mildew growing on the roof to notice it.
Without warning, Matt feels Mello climbing on top of him. Straddling his lap at first, he choses to shift so he can lay his head on his chest. The younger of the two stiffens up. Mello hardly ever does anything like this. Soft and cuddly just isn't his thing, even if he wasn't in charge of the mafia.
"Mello? Do you like your present?" He moves his chin so he can see the top of Mello's head, unsure if he should hug him back or not, but choosing to nonetheless.
Silence falls between them again, long enough for Mello to make an important decision. Pulling away from Matt without getting off of him, he sits up.
"What's up with-"
Mello kisses him. His lips are chapped, and they're only pressed to Matt's for a second, but it's long enough for them to realize the other tastes like chocolate and menthol cigarettes respectively.
Pretty sure his face matches his hair, the gamer stares up at his grinning friend with a dumbfounded look. It's Mello who speaks first.
"I've been thinking about it for awhile," he pauses, making sure Matt is listening.
"Y-yeah?" He manages to choke out.
"I love you, and I'm pretty sure you love me too," Mello looks down for assurance that this claim in correct. Getting no arguments otherwise, he continues, "so I figured I may as well come out first, y'know?"
"I..." Matt squeaks, totally blindsided by the sudden confession.
Mello smiles at the red-head with a false look of angelic patience on his face,"Yes?"
"I-uh-I..."
"I l-love you too!" Matt wheezes out. He had pictured a much different scene for this. Mello is supposed to be the shocked one. Matt imagined he would be cool, collect, and maybe even play it off as a joke once Mello rejected him. This though, this is completely wrong. Mello loves him!
He loves me!
On second thought, none of this is wrong at all. Mello and Matt have always been partners. They're best friends and even more now. Matt's going be happy. There's no way he'll screw with something like this.