Hit Where It Hurts
Mello couldn't believe his eyes. Mail was here. Mail was here before him, smiling. Before he could stop himself he pulled Mail into a hug and peppered him with kisses.
"Mail…" This had to be a dream. Mail was dead. But he was here! Mail blushed and Mello just wanted to kiss him more.
He nuzzled the red-head's hair, inhaled, and stiffened. There was something missing. This wasn't Mail. The smell was wrong. No matter what Mail always had a hint of cigarette smoke on him. Always; because the red-head was a hopeless nicotine addict. So the smell of smoke should be there, it always was, but it wasn't there.
Leaning back, the prince tried to look the other teen in the eyes but his view was obstructed by a pair of orange goggles.
"You're not Mail?" Mello said stepping back and letting his fingers slip from silken wine colored hair. The boy shook his head.
His whole being was screaming "Mail" but his mind was telling him that this boy—this imposter—was not his Mail.
"Who are you?" he snapped and the red-head flinched back toward L.
"L named me Matt, master." Matt said from his place behind the raven-haired man. L glanced over his shoulder at him before leveling his wide eyes at Mello
"You're being a jerk Mello." Near said giving Mello the same look L was.
Mello's shoulders stiffened. "This was your fucking idea wasn't it? You sick little bastard, I'm not a piece in your game. Does it make you happy to see me upset you little creep." Mello shouted advancing toward the albino boy.
When the blonde raised his hand Near didn't flinch, just stared him straight in the eyes.
SMACK!
Matt gasped and held his reddening cheek. He had run forward when he saw that Mello was going to hit Near. Near was a friend.
His goggles clattered against the floor and Matt instinctively closed his eyes, covering them with his hands.
Mello looked from his hand to Matt who was kneeling protectively in front of Near.
"Near is a friend; please don't hurt him master." Matt pleaded and Mello felt his heart clench. The red-head was mortified that he had interrupted his master's punishment but he couldn't watch Near get hurt. However even as he internally justified his actions he also readied himself for his punishments. Slaves did not defy their masters. Ever.
Near reached down and picked up the goggles and pushed them against Matt's hands. Matt lowered a hand from his face and took the goggles before slipping them back on. He blinked his eyes opened and the world was once more a comforting gold.
"I'm not your master, stop calling me that." Mello said.
"I gave him to you as a gift Mello. You are his master whether you like it or not." L told him and Mello felt like screaming.
"I don't want him." He snapped at his older brother while pointing at the red-head.
"Fine, I'll send him back and give you the refund as a birthday present. I'm sure BB will be happy that he gets him since you don't want him." L said and pulled on Matt's leash, the gold chains and gemstones clinking and shining in the hall's light.
"What do you mean BB will be happy?" Mello asked feeling his anger dissolve and stone cold fear froze his insides.
"Exactly what I said, brother. BB was willing to pay three hundred thousand dollars for him but I paid more because I thought you would like him, would treat him better." L told him and Mello felt like a five year old throwing a tantrum.
He looked over at Matt and sighed. He reached out to stroke the boy's hurt cheek and frowned as Matt flinched back.
"It seems I'm not the only one that thinks you are an asshole." Near said in his normal flat tone.
Mello narrowed his eyes at the albino. "Shut it Near."
L sighed. "Come along Near." He handed Mello Matt's chain and pulled Near down the hall.
"Hopefully Matt can help Mello's heart mend. " Near said.
"I was under the impression that you disliked Mello." L said looking over at his youngest brother.
"I do dislike him but he is still my older brother and I dislike seeing him in pain even more. Maybe Matt will take away that pain."
L felt the corners of his mouth twitch toward a half smile. "Hopefully; Mail would want him happy."
No matter how hard Mello tried to concentrate on writing his coronation speech he found his attention irrevocably drawn to Matt who was lying on his bed, chin on his crossed arms. Every once in a while he would look over at Mello and the blonde's eyes would be drawn by the movement and he would be stuck staring at his lover's doppelganger before he mentally slapped his mind back on track.
As for Matt, he was bored out of his mind but didn't want to bother Mello to ask for something to do. So he just stayed on the bed and looked around. Mello's room was luxurious without being extravagant.
A desk was positioned under the window across from the door leading out into the hall. Along the same wall were two other doors, one opening into a large bathroom and the other a walk in closet that was easily larger than some of the rooms that Matt had stayed in before. Along the wall directly in front of the bed was a door that Mello had informed him led to Mail's room.
Not for the first time Matt found himself wondering about this Mail person. It was obvious that his master cared for Mail greatly but when Mello had seen him for the first time there was a glimmer of pain in the prince's eyes.
Who was this person that caused Mello pain but also held his heart? Matt had never been kissed the way Mello had kissed him. Sure he had been kissed lightly before, he had even been kissed with desperate need, but he had never ever been kissed with the amount of feeling and love Mello had expressed.
And it was all because Mello had thought he was someone else. Matt felt a new emotion then but brushed it aside. Slaves didn't have motions, they didn't need to. His job was to serve Mello not feel. Matt didn't realize that the emotion he was feeling was jealousy. It wasn't an envious type of jealously though, more like a longing. A longing for what Mail had; a longing for Mello.
He got gracefully and kneeled beside Mello, looking at what the prince was writing. Mello glanced over at him and then looked back down at the paper. And then looked back over at Matt. Dammit; he was never going to get this speech written.
"What are you doing?" he asked Matt.
"…I w-was watching you write." The red-head replied softly, not looking his master in the eyes. He had learned that lesson the hard way.
"Why? Don't you have something better to do?" the blonde asked irritably. His head was starting to hurt.
"You haven't given me anything to do master." Matt winced expecting a blow for his forwardness. It never came.
"I told you not to call me that. My name is Mello. You can call by that name except when in public; then I am your highness." Mello told him.
"Yes…M-mello." Matt said and Mello smiled.
"Good enough. Now what do you want to do?"
Matt thought about his answer for a ling moment. There were so many things he could do… He smiled as a perfect option popped into his head.
"D-do you have any video games?" Matt asked him. It was strange how with Mello he forgot that slaves didn't ask things from their master. His last Master had told him to speak his mind no matter what. Linda had been the kindest mater he'd had throughout his time as a slave. He would need to straighten his attitude. This was not Linda.
Mello blinked. Video games? "No, but I can get some delivered within the next five minutes." Mello said and picked up the phone on the desk.
Sure enough five minutes later a cart was wheeled in with every game system from a dual NES to the Xbox 720 (which wasn't even available in stores yet). Behind the cart two TVs were wheeled in and when Matt looked through the game cart he found a 17.5" HP laptop.
Matt decided he was in heaven. Setting up the TV's and slipping on his head set he plopped on the bed, laptop lying beside him, ready for use if need be.
Mello watched, amused as Matt submerged himself in his video games and turned back to his speech. After an hour of nibbling on his pencil and staring at the half-written paper in front of him Mello called it a night and hopped on the bed.
It was large enough that Mello could sleep peacefully without disturbing Matt even if he moved in his sleep, which he did.
Mello sighed happily and snuggled closer to the warm person next to him. It had been a long time since he had someone to share his bed with so he wanted to relish the sensation.
The smell of Neroli filled the air and he inhaled searching for the other scent that was always coiling beneath the smell of the flower. The smell that wasn't there.
Mello sat up straight and almost fell off the bed as he turned to look at the red-head that he had previously been cuddling with. Matt didn't stir, just laid curled on his side, the lightest of snores drifting into the air.
For an incomprehensible moment Mello felt the urge to brush the wine colored hair away and kiss the teens ivory cheek.
He mentally slapped himself. This wasn't Mail. This person didn't deserve the love that he kept only for his deceased lover.
Leaving the boy in his bed he went to the bathroom and took a shower, letting out a contented sigh as hot water cascaded over him.
Things were fucked up. That was the only way he could describe his situation. On the day of his birth, the day of his lover's death, L gives him Mail's begoggled equivalent of a twin as a gift. That was cruel. Mello felt an empty smile grace his features. When had life ever been nice to him?
Once he was done he turned the water off and went to his closet. Minutes later he emerged, decked out in his usual leathers to find his room empty. The gamer was nowhere to be found. He swept errant strands of hair out of his face until his bob was back in place.
The slave was none of his concern to begin with. Besides it wasn't as if he wanted the boy following him around, stuttering and asking questions.
L looked over at Light and left a rare smile grace his face. The brunette was cute when he slept. Of course the he would never say that out loud to his lover unless he wanted to get punched. Sometimes he missed the fights they used to get into. Call him a masochist but there was logic behind the strange thought.
Light had never liked L really. Well at least not in the beginning. Light's sights were set on Naomi, their sister, but she had married an FBI agent by the name of Raye Pember. It had been by chance that they had met really. L had been busy with a case when Light came to stay in the palace, missing the initial introductions. All he had known was that a young lord had come to ask for his sister's hand.
Just another lust struck man who would get rejected by his beautiful, somewhat dense sister. That was in no way implying that Naomi was dumb. In fact Naomi was pretty smart, just like all the other Royal heirs. She just tended to not notice the fact that men drooled over her when she walked past. L considered her lucky in that aspect.
When L had wrapped up the case he had come home rather late and immediately went to the kitchens to request that a tray of cheesecake and tea be brought to his rooms. He hadn't expected that he would get coffee spilled all over himself by a brown haired boy who obviously wasn't watching where he was going.
That had been the beginning of their rather strange relationship. He couldn't remember what he had said that caused Light to punch him that first time. He, in all manners, wasn't an instigator, just a person that stated facts as they occurred.
It was a fact that coffee was hot. It was also a fact that he could drop kick considerably well. He chuckled as he recalled Light startled expression as the detective's foot connected with the brunette's jaw.
As Light's stay lengthened their fights had lessened and they had even had rather lengthy conversation about various things that interested them at the time. Light had turned out to be remarkably smart and rather gifted in the area of deductive work. And L soon found that he craved and enjoyed the other man's presence more than any other person before.
It was an odd yet welcome development.
The raven haired detective was shocked from his thought as his phone started to sing "All Fall Down" by One Republic. He opened it and held it slightly away from his ear with his thumb and index finger.
"Hello?"
"Good morning your highness, I hope I haven't disturbed your sleep." Replied the caller.
"Not at all Watari, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?" L replied.
It wasn't as if he had been sleeping. He tilted his head and pushed on his bottom lip in a thoughtful gesture that on anyone else would look absurd. When was the last time he had actually slept?
"Another case has opened up that I believe you would find interest in. Chief Yagami sent me the files yesterday."
L listened as Watari explained the basics of the case before nodding slightly. "Thank you Watari. Please alert the chief that I'll take the case from here. Also get as much information on the victims as possible and send the files to my computer. I'll be in touch shortly."
The detective snapped the phone shut and nibbled on his thumb nail. Two victims so far. It was rather strange for him to be called in for such a small case but something about the description of the case scratched at his mind yelling "look at me".
"Mariah Jevonick and Mickey Jast. MJ…" He cast one more look at the brunette next to him before getting up and throwing on a long sleeved white shirt and jeans. He would need to visit Near.
Well that was chapter two. I felt like I did a good job handling L's thoughts. Mello and Matt are still off though. *frowns*Matt strikes me as someone who speaks his mind which is extremely out of context for a slave. It will certainly be a challenge building Matt's character from what I've gathered from the manga.
Alright explaination time. Mello is tghe crown prince, even if he's second oldest. (That'll be explained later) Naomi, Near, and L are all blood related. Light is L's friend/lover, Misa is Light's sister. Cheif Yagami is not Light's dad in this one. BB...well BB is BB and that's all the information I can give in that area. Watari still [lays the same role as he did in canon with the exception of bringing L food. L has servants for that now. Linda was Matt's previous master and well that's it I guess.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always reviews are appreciated. They keep me writing.