A silent breakfast, as usual. Pale, pungent smoke curled around Matt's head as he read the funnies in the Sunday paper, nothing unusual. The TV glares on Mello's face as he scans the news headlines, a bowl of cereal perched on his lap, typical. Nothing is out of ordinary, a pigeon coos outside the window, people call in the streets below, and the small apartment that serves as home for Matt and Mello hangs, suspended in time. "Kira and Near." Mello states, seemingly out of the blue.
"What about them?" Matt asks, chuckling slightly at that day's Far Side. "Wouldn't it be funny if God drew a happy face on the uvula of Great White Sharks so when you were attacked, the last thing you'd see was the universal symbol for happiness?" he asked Mello, paraphrasing the comic he'd just read.
"They both need to die slow, painful deaths." Mello said matter-of-factly, in reference to Near and Kira. He ignored Matt's comment about sharks, but a faint smile twitched at his lips for just a second at the joke. Mello shovels another bite of Cheerios into his mouth again and glares at the TV, which has begun to flash alerts about a rerun of Kira's Kingdom.
Matt sighs. "You need to get out more, this whole Kira thing has gone to your head. Wanna go somewhere today?"
"No. I have work and you should too." Mello said in a monotone, never breaking eye contact with the glowing screen in front of him.
"But it's so nice out!" Matt pleaded. Mello completely tuned him out, pulling out his iPod and pulling his oversized headphones over his ears. "Stubborn ass." Matt muttered, snatching the newspaper off the table, turning to the Astrology column. He scanned the prediction for Mello's sign, then grinned triumphantly, his cigarette still clenched between his teeth. "The stars say you need to spend time outside!" he said in a singsong voice.
"Fuck the stars. I'm busy." Mello turned up the volume of his music till Mat could hear it clearly from across the room.
Matt furrowed his brow, then strode over to Mello, thrusting the paper in his face. "Today is a good day for you. Love and happiness are yours. It's beautiful, so make time to stop and smell the flowers. In other words, get off your fat ass!!!" Matt quoted, shaking the paper under Mello's nose.
"Newspapers don't cuss." The blonde replied in the same annoying monotone, grabbing that day's news and flipping to the front page. KIRA CONTINUES KILLING OVERSEAS it reads. Matt just sighed and plopped onto the couch next to his friend and boss.
Mello continued to eat, staring at the paper with a glazed stare while Matt flipped through the TV for something to watch. "Oh, Henry, how could you? She's my si—and then we take the sautéed vegetables, smothering them in delicious, tangy sau—Hey, kiddies! Do you wanna be my friend while we learn about colo—today has got to be the pleasantest day New York has seen all month, with balmy breezes and low cloud cover, with the thermometer sitting at a lovely 72. Later tonight we may see--" Matt whimpered and turned off the TV, sinking low into his seat.
"Did you hear that? It's absolutely perfect outside!" he whined at Mello. "And I'm booooooored!!"
"If you're so fucking restless, get up and do the dishes." Mello snapped, holding out his empty bowl and spoon for Matt. "If that doesn't help, go take a walk or something."
Matt grudgingly snatched Mello's dirty dishes and meandered over to the sink, sighing as he cast a glance out the open window. When he'd finished, he threw on a sweater, grabbed his wallet and keys and wandered slowly to the door. "I'll be in Central Park if you want me. All alone. Just wandering around, feeding the birds. Without a certain workaholic I know named Me-"
"Just shut up and go, will you?" Mello snapped irritably and crossed his legs on the coffee table. Matt gave him one last glare and walked out the door.
Matt stalked down the street, muttering at Mello's OC behavior about his work. "Stupid idiot wouldn't know a good opportunity if it slapped him in the face. He's so stiff I bet he walks around with a broom up his ass all day." He snuck onto the bus with a crowd, managing to avoid paying for his ride, hopping off at a grocery store on Madison Ave. He grabbed a loaf of Wonder Bread and began slowly making his way towards the park. Once there, he found a bench by the Pond and sat down heavily, staring up at the pale blue sky and listening to sparrows chirping in the trees. The leaves had just started to turn, and the tang of fall was prominent in the air.
Matt opened up the bread he'd bought, tearing off a chunk and tossing it to a greedy-eyed sparrow. Almost instantly, birds of all kinds flocked around the redhead, squawking and flapping their wings for a bite to eat. Matt found a strange enjoyment in watching the small creatures fight for every crumb he tossed. It's like cock fighting, only legal he thought, smiling. If Mello were here, they'd probably be betting on which bird would get the bread.
Mello...Matt sighed and tossed the last of his bread to a fat, angry pigeon. He was so stubborn and pissy all the time, but on the rare occasions when he opened himself to the world, Matt could see how much he really cared. Mello tried to be the toughest and the best at everything, and this ruthless pursuit of perfection often got him into trouble. The scar covering his left side was proof of that. Mello was dangerous, to himself and Matt. The gamer often had trouble coming up with reasons why he continued to follow a batshit insane Mafia leader around like a puppy, but he still did...
Matt gazed at the water of the Pond, getting lost inside its shimmering half-illusions. He really liked Mello, though he hated to admit it. Admitting to enjoying the company of other people had always been hard for him, he preferred computers to live interaction. But he and Mello fit perfectly together in every way, and Mello was the only person he could stand to be around without being reminded of how much he hated everything. Being around the moody blonde made Matt feel happy, like maybe the world wasn't all that bad a place to be. He sighed and threw the rest of the loaf to a large crow on the outskirts of the pigeon mob. Matt then leaned his head back, closing his eyes and drifting into a half-wakeful catnap.
Moments later, he was jerked into wakefulness by the familiar click of a gun alarmingly close to his head. Almost instinctively, he reached behind him, finding a grip on his assailant's forearm and hurling them over the bench and onto their back in front of him. He pulled out the switchblade he always kept on his person and knelt over the figure, digging the metal into their throat. It took Matt a few seconds to realize that the person he had been about to kill was none other than Mello. The blonde lay swearing as he shoved Matt's now limp arm away from his jugular. "What the hell was that for you idiot?" he snapped, getting up and giving Matt a venomous glare.
"Why were you aiming a shotgun at me?" Matt retorted, standing up to his full height, about 2 inches taller than Mello.
"Thought you'd get a kick out of it." Mello replied, drawing himself up a little taller.
"You scared the shit outta me!" Matt said, plopping himself back down on the bench and narrowing his eyes at Mello. His heart was still racing. "Why are you here, anyways?!" he demanded.
"You know me too damn well, Matt. I hate how you get under my skin so easily!"
Matt could tell Mello was going to go onto one of his rants if he didn't interfere. "No I don't. You're about as responsive as a cucumber whenever I try to talk to you." He said.
"No! Every fucking thing you say either makes me feel like shit about myself or makes me wanna just-" Mello trailed off.
"Just what? Throw something at me? I know that's how I feel sometimes..." Matt said, then realizing he was ranting more than Mello, he trailed off into silence.
"Are you gay?" Mello asked.
"What?!" Matt was completely taken aback by this completely random question from Mello. He never really thought much about his sexuality... He had always seen girls as hot, but certain guys were also pretty good looking. Come to think of it, Mello was one of those guys, and Matt suddenly realized why he liked Mello in leather pants better than the jeans he wore around the house. "Hell...I dunno...are you?" he asked, still unsure of Mello's out of character question, and whether or not he should be completely truthful when answering it.
"Only for you." Mello said. Before Matt had time to realize what Mello had said, his partner in crime was leaning over the bench, impossibly close to Matt's face. The blonde's features melted into a blur in front of Matt's eyes, and he barely had time to gasp before Mello closed the gap between the two.
Matt barely felt the kiss Mello gave him, nerves were firing in his mind so fast he only caught snippets of thought and pleasure between repetitive screams of Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Oh. My. GOD! The clearest of these random thoughts was something along the lines of I can't remember for how long I've wanted this... When Mello pulled away for breath, Matt did nothing but stare at the man. "...the fuck was that, Mel?" he finally asked.
Mello scowled. "Bastard." He snapped, sitting down in a huff beside his friend. Matt looked at him questioningly, resisting the urge to feel his lips where Mello had kissed him, and the even more powerful urge to pounce on him for another one. "I finally tell you how much I fucking care and you swear at me."
"You're the one swearing." Matt pointed out. "And you took me by surprise; of course I was gonna be a bit shocked! You kissed me!" Now that his initial stun had worn off, he was feeling a bit pissed at Mello. True, he hadn't realized his feelings for Mello fully till a few minutes ago, but the son of a bitch had taken his first kiss!
"If you didn't want me to make out with you, you shouldn't have given me that look." Mello said, crossing his arms and glaring out over the water of the Pond.
Matt was confused. "What look?"
"The look you give me whenever you want something from me. It makes me feel like I just need to do whatever you want or I won't be able to stop thinking about it." Mello said. "It's that look that makes me wanna make you happy, and you give it to me all the time..."
Matt nodded. He could feel an awkward silence creeping over the conversation. "I want to make you happy too, Mel..." he half whispered. He sighed, that seemed like too much of a love confession to him. Kisses were one thing, but love...
"I've loved you since the year before L died, back when we were at Whammy's." Mello said. Matt was beginning to get used to these incredibly out of character bursts, so he leaned forward, casting a glance at his friend. "But I'm not queer. It's just you. You're too damn great for your own good."
Matt smiled. He'd never heard Mello praise him before in any way, it felt good. He knew he should say something, make this whole conversation seem a bit less awkward, but he couldn't think of anything to say that fit the feeling of relief mingled with contentment he felt. In all the years he'd known Mello, he never dreamed they'd share this moment, and he felt words would only ruin it. Years of fighting like a married couple, years of waking up to the same routine, of doing everything together, and here was Mello, actually breaking down one of his walls and... Matt snuggled into the blonde's chest, relishing the feeling of closeness between them like the best dessert.
"If you're gonna turn all cute and cuddly on me now, I'm gonna kick you out of the apartment." Mello snapped, scooting away.
Same old Mello... Matt smiled and inched closer. "No. I know where you keep all the spare keys." He mumbled into Mello's vest. Above him, the sun beat down with quiet warmth, a soft breeze ruffled his hair, and the gamer couldn't think of anything that would be better than this.
"Asshole. I told you, you know me too damn well." Matt could tell Mello was frowning, yet the man wrapped an arm around the redhead's shoulders, pulling him closer.
But I don't know you nearly well enough... Matt thought. He sat up abruptly, grinning at Mello. "Since you came all the way out of your hidey-hole, we could get more bread and watch pigeons rip each other apart." He smiled.
Mello stood up slowly, scowling at Matt. "As long as you're not hugging me the whole time, I'm betting on the fat son of a bitch by that tree with the messed up feathers to win." He said, pointing to a bedraggled looking pigeon about five feet away. Matt nodded and reached forward to lace his fingers with Mello's to drag him to the convenience store, only to have his hand swatted away. "You don't know me that well, Matt. Not yet, anyways..." Mello grinned wryly.
Random one shot... But it's actually NOT angsty and depressed! Rejoice, for Viole.n.t has written something HAPPY! 8D Dunno where this came from... *shrug* Was listening to the Reason (Hoobastank) for 2 hours straight while writing this. That song's gonna be stuck in my head into next month... ;_;
Thanks to spazmoid for Beta-ing this! And for making me laugh by calling Mello Matt-sexual... ouo