Hello again everyone! This is the first official chapter :3 eeee so happy! Comments are loved, I need to know if anyone wants me to continue. As always (polite) critique welcomed, no flames please! Like I said last time, theres yaoi don't like don't read, but if you do like it read on! Lol, this chapter is mostly lots of soft yaoi you kind of have to squint for.
Disclaimer: I don't own Deathnote, Matt, Mello, or Near.
Chapter One: Acknowledged
I suppose you would like to know how this all started. Well, I shall tell you. In fact, I will also do one better and tell you the whole story, up to the point we are at. If you like, I may even continue to write my future observations, which will then be the present point in this… incident.
I suppose it all started that day in the playroom at Wammy's. Well, maybe that's not the best description. It was always inevitable; the way things were bound to, are and will, happen in this specific instance. Maybe I should say when we first noticed it existed. None the less, the realization was in the playroom at Wammy's. I was playing with my legos, making a control tower for optimus prime, my favorite transformer action figure. Mello was leaning against the wall opposite of me, snapping off pieces of his chocolate bar to suck on. All of the other children were playing amongst themselves with their own puzzles and toys. No one ever dared come within the vicinity of Mello or I. Numbers two and one at Wammy's. Mello was simply busy studying most of the time, and always seemed to have a cold look on his face. The hate in his ice blue eyes may have been more intense that that of dry ice. Children were simply frightened of him. As for me, I was just quiet. My personality did not frighten the children, just didn't interest them. They didn't play with me because they thought I was weird. Therefore Mello and I stayed on one side of the room on opposite walls and corners from one another (Mello didn't like me because I was first smartest, and he second. He wanted to be first.) and the other children stayed on the other. That's when the intercom came on.
"Mello and Near, please report to Roger's office. Mello and Near." A sigh was emitted. "Why do I even work here? I do dislike children… maybe I should get another job that pays more so I can buy more bugs 'to talk to' for my 'freaky bug collection'. Why is insulting me the only thing those brats can do without fighting... HOLY FUDGE OH DEAR LORD IS THIS THING STILL ON?!" There was a frantic sounding click and then laughter from all of the other children. Even Mello and I couldn't help but smile and chuckle a bit. It was true; the one time we agreed on something was when Roger was lecturing us on being anti-social. Both of us were tired of the onslaught of rambling and Mello looked at me as if to say "don't-get-used-to-this-but-for-now-truce" temporarily before saying "All of this coming from an old hermit with a freaky bug collection." I followed up with "Bet he talks to it too…" We took the opportunity to calmly exit the room during his period of shock. We were never lectured on that matter again.
As the good memory subsided Mello looked at me in confusion. We had not fought recently, how could we be in trouble? As if sensing my uncertainty as well he simply turned and began to walk to the office. I followed his example. Once we had made it to the door he opened it and we both walked in. Roger was sitting at his desk, looking flustered and embarrassed from his earlier blunder, but not angry at us. We both gave him a questioning look. "Mello, Near, as you know L wanted three possible successors for his title. Near, you are still first in line, Mello, you are still second. However, L has chosen his third." Mello visibly stiffened. My insides fluttered a bit. That's odd, they never did that… "Mello, Near, this is Matt, the third successor." He says. A thin, pale complexioned, boy with orange tinted goggles, dark chocolate-brown hair (maybe this is what drew Mello to Matt first) and a red game boy stepped forward when encouraged by Roger. This was Matt. This was inevitable. This acknowledged everything. "Matt is talented in the field of technological science, psychology and spatial skills." What this translated to is the kid's strengths are computers, understanding the pathetic human race, and he must have skills understanding the visual world. Matt did not look up. Mello stayed stiff, as did I. Who was this boy? What made L like him so much…? The room was tense as if Matt's presence was foreign, and it was. Roger cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Mello, you and Matt will be sharing a room." Now came a moment that made Mello famous for being the exact opposite of his name's sake. "WHAT?! ROGER WHAT THE HELL! You know I don't 'play well with others'! " Roger winced at Mello's loudness. Matt might have tensed a little, but I couldn't tell. That was when I first noticed how tense he was, under his calm charade. Was he frightened? Did he feel unwelcome? He must have, the poor child. Looking back I should have offered something, anything to ease his pain. I didn't. Too late now though. It was always too late.
"Mello, I am sorry, but this was not in my control. Please don't make things harder than they have to be." The old man groveled. Mello huffed. "Whatever." That was the word that ended this famous Mello outburst. I now wonder if he only agreed this time to show Matt that if you begged him he would show mercy. Why though? Did he want Matt to submit to him from the start? It is a possibility. Mello crossed the room to get to Matt. There was a tense silence. Matt did not look up. "Matt." Mello's voice rang through the room. This seemed to prompt his to look up at Mello. Before anything else could be said, Mello's hand clamped down around Matt's wrist and began pulling him. "We're going." He offered, maybe just a bit more gently than earlier. Matt moved with him, quickly grabbing a suitcase I suppose was his. Then they both exited the room. I stayed stationary for a minute, taking everything in. Finally I took my leave a minute later.
Mello and I are in the same corridor, separated from the other children like in the playroom. It is because we are on top. Now Matt is too. Mello stopped at his door and was silent before turning to Matt. "This one is our room. Whatever you do, DO NOT mistake it for the room down the hall. That one is Near's room." Matt looks at him, clearly a little confused. "There are only two rooms in this entire corridor. One is ours one is Near's. Honestly, I wouldn't wish getting stuck with Near on you. That would be a horrible way to go." Mello confirms, chuckling. Matt looks around the hall to find that yes, there are only two rooms. He then looks at Mello. "Mello…so… you don't hate me?" He murmurs quietly. Mello. The first word uttered in our presence. To this day, I regret it hadn't been Near. Mello cocks his head. 'Hate you? I don't even know you yet! That would be stupid." He finally seems to sense Matt's uneasiness, and softens. "Matt, look, I was a little freaked out. Roger knows I don't really like people so I thought it was odd he stuck you with me. You though, you're… different. I don't know Matt, you don't seem like 'people'. You're obviously smarter if you're here. You're not like them." I wonder how he noticed so early when I look back… Matt looks at Mello and asks "Them?" Mello sits down against the wall and gestures for Matt to come next to him. He does. 'Every other idiotic brat here, every other idiotic person out there, that's them. We-" at we, Mello throws an arm over Matt's shoulders "are-" at are, he points at the himself and Matt "not-" at not he takes his free hand and throws it out in front of him in a lose fist "them." He points outward. Everything not Matt and Mello is them. Everything not Matt and Mello is… idiotic.
Matt seems to relax a little. "Yes." He agrees. Mello smiles. "Matt… If we are going to be we, you're with me. Kinda like best friends, Always. You wanna do that?" Matt looks at Mello almost sadly, and says "You're sealing your fate, you know. No one ever stays-" Mello cuts him off. "No, Matt. That's a lie. You…" he points at Matt. "are sealing…" he gestures to himself, "yours… as well." He smirks now before saying "Also, I will stay. If that's sealing my fate..." He cups Matt's chin, forcing their eyes to stay locked " Consider it sealed." Matt may have been blushing. His face was pink. Mello's arm is still around Matt as they sit in the silence. They say they just sealed their fate. However, you can't seal something that already is, has been, and will be. Mello pulls out a chocolate bar, and bites. Matt looks over to see Mello offering him some chocolate. He takes a bite. "You like chocolate too?" Mello more declares than asks. Matt nods. "M and Ms." He laughs. "Yea." Matt once again agrees, smiling this time. He throws both arms around Mello. Mello returns the gesture. They stay like that for a bit until Mello looks up and sees me. He glares, and I wonder if he knew I had been watching the whole thing. "Matt." He says, meeting the other's eyes. "Let's go inside." Matt reluctantly releases his grip and nods, picking up the forgotten suitcase. Mello keeps one arm on the doorway and one around Matt as if to trap him in, and Matt submits, walking further inside as Mello guides him. It was as if he was trying to protect Matt from 'them' by sheltering him in his arms. Maybe he was trying to show possession to me too, but I'll never know. Mello glared at me the whole time. "Voyeur." He spat under his breath so softly I practically missed it, walking in after him. I am not a voyeur. No, I am not a voyeur. I'm just never far away from these events, yet never quite involved. I'm just… acknowledged.
