CHAPTER 1- THE JOURNEY BEGINS
It was precisely midday in Winchester, England. The sun was high in the center of an azure sky as a pair of boys made their way across the horizon. There was a large expanse of land surrounding Wammy's House, a few acres or so long. The two walked down a long, dusty dirt road, large rectangles of grass on either side. The path seemed to go on forever, appearing to end where the sky met with the earth.
The younger of the two boys, Matt, shifted the packed suitcase in his grasp, switching it from his left to right hand. He looked over to his companion, Mello, who possessed a firm stare on the path before them.
"Mello?" the redhead finally questioned, dragging his sneaker-covered feet to a halt.
Mello paused in his stride, stopping and turning towards Matt. "Yeah?"
"You have a plan...right?" Matt came to stop, depositing his luggage beside himself, resting upon it.
The blonde placed his own case near the points of his boots, propping one leg at the side of the handle. "Of course I do!" he replied. "Did you think I'd storm out of there without having one?" Mello's tone suggested his relaxing friend took him for an idiot. He grunted, his intelligence having been insulted.
Rolling his eyes unconsciously, Matt shrugged. "I dunno..." Emerald eyes closed and reopened a few times before continuing. "I never know what you're thinking," he said, raising his hand to scratch at his scalp.
"Well, I have a plan," the blonde grinned, removing his foot and returning the suitcase to dangle from his right hand, against the shoulder blade. "C'mon!" he said, gesturing for his friend to rise from his position. "I'll tell you all about it."
Matt relaxed at his partner's comforting words, rising from his spot, clasping the case between his fingers.
The two padded down the dirt path as Mello began his explanation.
"Well first, we need to get somewhere to stay," Mello began, fishing his jean jacket pocket for a small folded paper. Unfurling it, the blonde handed it to his companion. The paper listed a small apartment in Winchester.
'1 bedroom flat for £550 per month (Author's Note: about $870). Contains a shared kitchen and dining area.'
£550? No way... thought the redhead.Matt didn't have that kind of money. Currently he had 10 pound note and a few pence in his jeans pocket. He'd stolen what he could from Roger's desk before the two had set out, in the fear that Mello had no plan. At the very least, they could get a bite to eat and return to the orphanage, utterly defeated, but full. He looked to Mello, perplexed. "£550...per month?"
Mello nodded with certainty. "You're doubting me again, Matt." He placed his free hand on the suitcase, patting it with his palm twice. "I have £1,600 in here."
Matt's eyes widened, resembling saucers. "No way..." Could he have stolen from Roger too? No, there was no way Mello would have been able to land that kind of cash from their caretaker. Roger wouldn't leave that kind of money laying around for one of the children to snag. It was just by luck that the old man had left his office unoccupied a few pounds for Matt to take. "Where the hell did you get that kinda money?"
Mello snorted, trying to control the obvious laughter in his throat, placing a hand over his mouth. "Matt, you play that Game Boy of yours too much. Have you already forgotten the money we have at Wammy's house?"
Face contorted in contemplation as Matt searched for what his friend was talking about. Realization sank into his features as a small grin came to his face. "Oh yeaaah..I forgot all about that."
In addition to all that Wammy's did for their orphans, the orphanage had set up small accounts for each of the children. Were some situation to arise, then there would be money for that child.
Matt began to assess the initial totals for both his account and Mello's accounts of money, assuming Mello had withdrawn from both. He added in the totals of interest per month, coming to a number close to £1,600. "You're right...But when did you get the time to withdraw the money?"
"Roger pulled me aside before I started packing and gave it to me. Saved me the effort of asking him for it. It was part of my plan, but it just made it easier on me."
The grin fell from Matt's face as he began to put two and two together. So that's why Roger wasn't in his office he thought with nervous amusement. It seemed the youth hadn't had to steal after all. It didn't matter at this point, he reasoned. If they possessed that kind of money, they would be on their own for about 2 months time. £550 for 2 months was £1,100. Factoring in food and other small expenses meant they had just enough to survive for about 60 days. But it also meant the money would run out after that time. And then what?
"I'm guessing you've figured some of my plan out, judging from your silence," Mello said, bringing the redhead out of his thoughts.
"Oh, heh, yeah." Regaining his contemplation, Matt added, "You plan to get a place for 2 months, right?"
"Exactly 2 months."
"What about...after that?"
Mello grinned. "After that, we'll be saving some money to get a better place. In the two months we're there, we'll be searching for jobs." 2 months should be enough thought Mello. Just enough time to get something and start saving. We're already at a disadvantage in the Kira case to that big-headed Near. So Matt and I need to work fast.
Matt shook his head slightly. It seemed unrealistic to him that the two could both land jobs and save enough money to maintain the rent. Both of them were 14; what possible jobs could they get at their ages? He reasoned that Mello's plan was good in theory, but it probably didn't have a chance of success.
However, he decided to place his full faith in his friend's plan and try it. The odds were probably against them, but at least they possessed a little severance money. Little...Matt thought. £1,600 is a good amount for two punk kids, his mind chuckled. "Alright, Mello. Let's do it."
Confusion came into Mello's features. "Do it?" He laughed with an arrogant grin. "Like you had a choice in the first place!"
Matt shot him an irritated glare, sticking his tongue out. "Shut up..." The gamer mulled over the entire plan. First, they would have to visit their future apartment. "So we're going to the apartment first right?"
The blonde shook his head. "That's tomorrow. It'd take us too long to get there today. We'll crash at a motel today and go tomorrow." Letting out a soft yawn, the chocolate fiend continued. "Besides, I'm getting tired..."
The redheaded youth laughed, staring up at the sky. He hadn't realized that the sun was already starting to set. Oranges, pinks and light purples made up the palette of clouds splayed around the sun. He glanced at the path behind them. Wammy's house was already far out of sight, so far that it wasn't even a spec on the horizon.
Mello joined him, turning to face the path they had just traveled. "We're not going back." He paused in thought a moment. "But...we'll be fine," he reassured, continuing down the dirt road. Matt followed.
o O o O o O o
Not before long, the two found themselves in a populated part of the city. Buildings were constructed close and neatly next to one another. Cars spend by on the paved streets and people littered the sidewalks.
Matt followed closely behind Mello, unsure which direction to go. He hadn't been out of the orphanage in so long; seeing a place this busy with people moving about made him feel a little uncomfortable.
He observed Mello, who looked calm and focused. Secretly, Matt wished he had felt the same way Mello looked: confident and unwavering. A quivering hand found its way Mello's jacket and attached itself there, pulling Matt close to the blonde as they continued through the city. His other hand rested at the silver goggles around his neck, rubbing the elastic band between his thumb and index finger.
About an hour or so later Mello had located the motel he had spoken of previous and paid for one night. He had lied terribly, informing the man in the lobby that the two had just turned 18. Luckily, no one had asked for identification. Either the place was poorly managed or the workers had simply looked the other way, greedy for the boys' money. It was nice to have the beginnings of their plan to run smoothly, no matter what the reason had been.
Before retiring for the night, the pair had visited a convenience store, buying a few snacks with Matt's stolen money. Of course, Matt hadn't informed Mello of where he got the money, and luckily didn't ask.
They entered their tiny motel room, dropping their belongings on the one bed that occupied the small space. Mello jumped onto the bed, laying face down in the sheets. He kicked off his thin black boots clumsily before pulling his legs into himself, curled in a fetal position.
Matt sighed, eyes rolling a few times. He pulled each suitcase off the bed, placing them in a corner. The gamer then crawled onto the bed sitting Indian-style next to the tired blonde, sorting out their food. He tossed Mello's snacks into the blonde's lap, and unwrapped his own rations, devouring the contents hungrily.
After several minutes, the redhead had consumed half of his food. He looked over at Mello, noticing that his friend hadn't touched his own pile of food. "Mello?" He poked the blonde in the shoulder twice.
A particularly nasal snore escaped Mello as he turned away from the redhead, groaning softly.
"Oh," Matt chuckled gently. "Sorry."
The gamer continued to eat his food; he left Mello to himself as he reviewed the plan explained to him earlier. Matt feared the variables in the equation, of what could go wrong and would go wrong.
Jobs...what kind of jobs could we get? It would prove to be difficult. They already had to lie to get the motel room. Would they have to do the same for their apartment? What about for jobs, if they could get jobs for that matter. The redhead's mind swirled around with all these thoughts; it was almost too much for him to think about. He started to worry a little, wondering if Mello had really thought this plan through.
An uneasy feeling began to churn in his lower stomach just as Mello snored loudly, jarring the gamer from his thoughts. Matt looked at the digital watch on his wrist, noticing it was quite late. "Mello..." he asked quietly, poking the blonde in the shoulder as he had before with a little added force.
The chocolate addict batted at the hand poking him, groaning out a response. "Whaaat?" he said, tone low and irritated. "I'm sleeping here..."
"Well if you get off the covers, I can go to sleep, too," said Matt, pulling at the sheets.
The groggy blonde rose from his warm spot, moving his unopened food to the floor. He muttered quietly under his breath that he would eat it later. Mello stood hovering over the bed, removing his jacket, pants and socks, depositing them next to his food.
The redhead chuckled as he watched Mello crawl into bed, deciding he should do the same. He didn't want to remove his warm black hoodie, but decided sleeping in his shirt was most comfortable and stripped down to his shirt and boxers. He threw the clothes carelessly to the floor, slipping into bed quickly after.
Matt sighed as he relaxed against the cool sheets of the bed, feeling his fears lift from his mind as his body relaxed. He lay on his back as his friend resumed his earlier position. Not before long, Matt found himself yawning once, twice, then three times in a row, deciding to turn over and prepare to sleep. He would leave his thoughts until later. Now, he felt he needed to calm his mind and allow sleep to claim him.
Mello, however, began to think intently as he was plagued with thoughts after being roused from his slumber. He appeared to be comfortably snoozing, but in reality he was mulling over his own plans. I wonder...will there be enough money to do all this? We just spent about £75 on the room. And thanks to Matt, we didn't have to spend our savings on food just yet. Hm, I wonder where Matt got that money...he usually spends it all on video games or something stupid. The blonde glanced quickly at his friends' sleeping face. Maybe he'll be better at managing our money than I thought...
With those thoughts in mind, Mello came to the conclusion there was no reason to think any harder about his plans that night. It was best to get a good night's rest for his brain to be at its best tomorrow. Yet, he couldn't seem to shake his own feelings of doubt.
He stole a glance at Matt again, wondering if the redhead was asleep. Sapphire eyes looked over his partner, studying his breathing. Matt was most likely in a light slumber by now. Mello swallowed, chewing at his lower lip. He had been hoping to talk with Matt to relieve his worries some, whether it would solve any problems or not. But he didn't want to wake Matt.
Suddenly, Mello had an idea to relieve his stress. Whenever he used to feel this way, he would curl into Matt's side and sleep next to him. Yet now, once they had left Wammy's and were in a different environment, it didn't feel...right anymore. He was 14 now, almost 15. He had to start growing up and act like a man. He should be strong, or act strong at least.
But...
Slowly, he turned onto his opposite side, inching towards Matt's sleeping figure. He draped his arm gently over the other's chest. Once he realized that Matt was still asleep, he did the same with one leg, resting it over both of the redhead's thighs. The blonde placed his head on Matt's shoulder, closing his eyes with a soft sigh.
"Mello..." whispered Matt through his sleeping haze.
Cerulean eyes snapped opened, darting towards the gamer's face. His partner was thankfully still fast asleep. Idiot... the blonde smiled before his eyelids grew heavy, allowing sleep to claim him.
For now, the two would rest and leave their worries for another time.
o O o O o O o
Warm...
Matt groaned as sunlight filtered though his heavy eyelids. He didn't want this warm, comfortable feeling to leave him just yet. He kept his eyes tightly shut, fearing that if he opened them the sensation would drift away.
"I saw you twitch, dummy."
Matt grimaced, turning away from the light and voice that had roused him. "I'm sleeping...go away," he replied tiredly.
"Quit being a baby and get up," said Mello. He sat cross-legged next to Matt, fully dressed and eating his breakfast from a foil wrapper. "Here," he said, tossing one of his own snacks at Matt's head, hitting him with an audible 'clonk'. "Eat it, since I know you already ate all your food last night."
Matt shot out of bed, gripping the food furiously. "That hurt, asshole!"
Mello stared at him, unmoved by the yelling. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just eat it already."
A grimace stayed plastered to the redhead's features as he took the food, looking it over. It was a Cadbury Chocolate bar, covered in a purple wrapper. Eyes squinted skeptically as he looked over at Mello, who was licking another chocolate bar slowly. The chocolate was becoming a melted lump against his tongue, hardly resembling a bar any longer.
"...You know I don't like chocolate."
"Yeah, and?"
"And I don't like it..."
"Eat it before I do. You'll complain all day about being hungry and I'm not gonna listen to it."
"I don't want it."
Mello crumpled his own snack in two, tossing it to the floor to tackle his friend, taking the unopened bar into his hands. "Eat it!" The blonde unwrapped the bar, exposing the sweet smelling treat. He pressed a corner of it to Matt's lips. "Eat it, jackass!"
"No, get off!" Matt struggled, drowsiness depleting his reaction time.
"You'll eat it and like it!"
"I don't want it...smells like shit."
Mello's eyes raised a fraction before narrowing in irritation. "EAT IT!" He pried Matt's lips apart, forcing a section of the bar into his mouth, breaking a portion off with leverage from Matt's teeth, and then shutting his lips forcibly. He held the redhead's mouth closed with his hand, biting off a piece for himself, chewing and quickly swallowing.
Matt gave in as the confection met his tongue, melting slightly. He chewed angrily, swallowing. "There..." he replied. "You happy now, you prick?"
"Yes, very happy, Mattie." Mello grinned, enthused by his victory over the gamer. "Now eat the rest." Crawling off his partner, the blonde tossed the bar at Matt's chest, going back to his own fallen treat on the floor. "Check out's in 10 minutes, so we have to get a move on."
Hesitantly, Matt picked up the snack, taking in a few more bites. It's actually good...damn him.
Mello simply smiled at the irritated redhead consumed the remnants of the chocolate bar.
o O o O o O o
Another sunny day graced the two as they made their way through the city of Winchester. It was a little past midday now, Mello noted, as the sidewalks were littered with school children heading home.
The blonde walked in front, making his way down one long sidewalk as Matt lagged behind. Mello read over a small sheet of paper in one hand, the other holding tight to his suitcase.
Let's see...he thought, looking up from the crumpled document, scanning his surroundings. The pair had been walking for little over 3 hours, finally coming up to the street of their goal: Andover Rd.
Mello gaped at the neighborhood, noting every detail of the landscape. It was an ordinary neighborhood. Quaint buildings of reddish and cream brick were packed in tightly next to one another. Parked cars occupied only one side of the street, making it easy for moving traffic to proceed.
Each house was divided from its neighboring structures by either brick fences or oblong shrubbery. And though small, every individual dwelling included either a miniature tree, potted plants, bushes or any combination of the three.
Trees nearest the streets were spaced equidistance apart, each bare and spindly, reminding Mello of the wintry season. Snow had yet to grace this town, as it was unusually warm this December. The two boys wore a spring jacket, but nothing nearly warm enough to weather the snow. This was another lucky break for them.
Mello shook his head a few times, pulling himself back into the real world. He began his search again, checking the address of each building passed, making sure to locate the correct combination of numbers.
Matt lagged behind, engrossed in one of his many video games. Today he was playing Pokémon Fire Red. It was quite a spectacle to see him playing his game with one hand, the other balancing his own suitcase in his palm. As Matt began a battle with another trainer, he lost track of the distance between Mello and himself, dropping his suitcase and falling headfirst into the blonde's backside.
"What's wrong with you, Matt?" Mello had managed to keep his balance and everything in hand, watching as Matt reclaimed his suitcase.
Matt regained his balance before earning a swift kick from his partner. The gamer dodged the kick, stepping to the left, showing better agility than he had moments ago. "Nooo, Jigglypuff! Don't die!" He yelled at the game screen.
The blonde slammed his palm against his forehead, letting the hand fall carelessly off his face. "Would you look up and pay attention already?"
"Dammit...back to the Pokémon Center again..."The redhead held up an index finger, urging Mello to wait as he saved his game, turned off the console before returning the electronic to his pocket. "What?"
"We're here..." Mello grumbled softly, pointing to his right, indicating a small, cramped looking structure with a black door.
The building itself was a tall, rectangular structure with a window and door at the bottom and two windows above. The dwelling itself looked much like a condominium complex where each individual apartment was tall and thin.
"Is that where we'll be living?" asked Matt, pocketing his hands into his jacket. He looked about the complex, noting each flat looked similar in size and construction.
"Yeah. The one on the corner here." The sound of crumpling paper could be heard as Mello put away the sheet, turning to Matt. "C'mon," he said walking up the concrete path to the wooden ebony door.
The two boys stood awkwardly close on the small stoop outside as Mello took the golden knocker into his hand, pulling it down three times then waiting, hand coming back to his side.
Muffled footsteps and creaking hinges sounded after a few moments as the front door swung open. An older man appearing in his late 50's or 60's stood by the door jab, one hand grasping the knob. He scratched at his scalp a few times which was arranged in random patches of snowy hair and bald spots. His face, full of wrinkles and liver spots, bore a tired, uninterested expression. "Can I help you?" he answered wryly.
"Uh hello." Mello felt his mouth go slightly dry, the man's demeanor jarring his own. He quickly fished his pocket for the crumpled paper, reminding himself of the man's name. "Mr. Peterson," he said with more enthusiasm. "I spoke with you the other day on the-"
Mr. Peterson cleared his throat, making a ghastly hacking noise as he swallowed a lump of something. "I don't remember talking to some...kid."
Eyebrows turned down as Mello found himself irritated by his future landlord's behavior. He reaffirmed his tone, stern yet polite. "Sir, I spoke to you the other day about renting this place-"
"Listen, kid," the older man interrupted again. "I wouldn't rent this place to some pesky kids. What the hell are you two thinking, anyways? Go back to your parents already..." Without another word the door was shut in the boys' faces.
Mello sighed indignantly, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Dammit..." he said, turning towards Matt.
The redhead was yards away, sitting at the curb next to his suitcase. Matt was completely silent as he resumed playing his Game Boy instantly.
Mello let out a breath, coming next to his companion. He plopped onto the curb, resting his own bag near Matt's. The blonde pushed his annoyance to the back of him mind, allowing a gentler expression to grace his features. "Don't listen to him," said the blonde, his tone soft and brotherly.
The gamer didn't move, didn't give any inclination that he heard Mello's words. Whenever Matt experienced a confrontation or a mention of his parents, he would shut down completely, find one of his many games and play. He would tune out the world around him, attempting to escape the harsh realities and circumstances that resulted in becoming an orphan.
A direct trigger, such as the argument from earlier, would put Matt into such a state. It didn't matter if the fight was physical or verbal, or if it was a mention of his own parents, or even something as small as a disagreement; any such triggers would send Matt into catatonic state where he would escape to a fantasy world in his video games.
Mello knew all about the matter. He thought idly of the past, reminding himself that Matt was actually better than he used to be about dealing with stress. It's not like it used to be... he thought as his cerulean eyes fixated on the redhead.
Mello remembered all too well how Matt used to cope. A shiver ran through him then as he recalled a night terror Matt had experienced years ago. Screaming and shouting, the redhead bolted out of bed, pleading for his father to stop...
The older boy shook his head back and forth, bringing himself back to the present. He nudged Matt with his shoulder, hoping his following sentences would be heard. "Mattie..." Mello continued in his gentle tone.
Green eyes shifted to the side, looking at Mello's boots.
Mello grinned. He's always a sucker for that pet name...
Letting a sigh go, Matt lowered his Game Boy to his lap. He stayed this way for a few short moments, eyes returning to the LCD screen of his game console, the arrow cursor remaining stagnant.
Mello sighed, reviewing his next move. Before he could do anything more, the blonde found himself face to face with Matt's green eyes. He looked so scared and helpless, much like a lost child. "What are we gonna do..?"
Mello had all but forgotten about the current issue, having been concerned with Matt's feelings. He felt, as the oldest, it was his obligation to look over Matt and Near...the latter no longer his concern.
Going over the last few minutes, the blonde was reminded of why they were on the curb in the first place: they were here to rent an apartment. A fire began to burn within the almost 15 year old as he stood.
"Mello?" Before Matt could react he had been pulled up by one arm, dropping his Nintendo DS. He now stood on the flats of his feet, erected at a 90 degree angle from his sidewalk. It had all happened so fast that Matt had hardly realized he was no longer sitting.
The younger boy struggled to bend forward, one arm still in Mello's grasp, reaching for his fallen Game Boy. As soon as he had reached the game console, he had been whisked away back to the stoop of that apartment, leaving their bags were they lay on the ground.
No longer polite, Mello stomped once on the small porch and pounded a fist into the wooden door several times.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" said Mr. Peterson from behind the door. He looked frazzled as the door reopened, revealing the same older man stood before the two, fumbling to adjust his glasses. Once his eyes were focused, he assumed a scowl. "You again?" He raised a hand to his face, middle and index finger massaging between his eyebrows. "Look...what is it that you kids want from me? Just go back home already..."
Mello didn't let his guard down. He kept a tight grasp on Matt, not letting him escape this time. It was Matt's retreat that had ultimately broken Mello's concentration. This time, he wouldn't take no for an answer. "Sir, we have no home."
One corner of the older man's lip twitched as he continued listening, shifting his weight from one foot to another, sighing deeply.
"We're orphans. We've been living at a place called Wammy's House until yesterday."
"Well...why don't you go back there, then?"
"Because we're old enough to live on our own." A bit calmer now, Mello let go of Matt, whispering to him to gather their suitcases up.
"Do you even know how much a place like this'll run you?"
Matt returned with both cases, tapping one of Mello's hands with the suitcase handle until the blonde took it in his grasp.
"As I said before, I'm the one who talked to you on the phone the other day. I have enough money in here for 2 months rent." Mello indicated the suitcase in his grasp. "£550 per calendar month for 2 months is £1100. We have enough for other living expenses, too. In the meantime we'll both be looking for jobs." He made a point to look the older man square in the eyes, his gaze firm.
Mr. Peterson cleared his throat, a little softer than he had previously. He sighed a few times, contemplating any way to get out of this situation and refuse the offer, finding no reason to decline. Defeated, he replied, "Dammit, I'm too nice..."
Mello grinned.
"You two had better be on the ball with your payments. You miss one, you're out."
Mello gave a sideways glance to Matt, whose expression hand drastically changed from gloomy to cheerful.
"Don't you worry about that, Mr. Peterson."
"Right, right." He turned, beckoning the two to enter the dwelling. "C'mon, lemme at least show you around first."
o O o O o O o
It was now Friday, a few days since Mello and Matt had met Mr. Peterson, their landlord, and rented a new apartment. The pair was currently making their way through a wholesale shop, purchasing some necessary items.
What a week...thought Mello, remembering everything that had happened in the last couple of days. His present thoughts were of the apartment's condition itself. It was a small place, only a one level apartment. The upstairs was vacant, but currently on the market to be rented. But as small as their flat was, it contained everything an apartment needed: a small living and dining room, bedroom with adjoining bathroom, kitchen and a washroom for doing laundry.
Mello had expected the interior to be vacant, and cringed at the thought of having to buy at least a mattress for the two to sleep. Luckily, the previous tenants had left some of their old furniture which included a couch, coffee table, dining table and chairs, a floor lamp, a bedroom mattress and frame, bedroom dresser, some kitchen supplies such as cutting board and some old flatware, an old wash tub for cleaning clothes and a wall clock. By chance they even had an old stove, not much to look at, but it worked nonetheless. The blonde had sighed many times at that fact; luckily to know the one thing he had not factored into his plan, the mattress, would not become a costly mistake.
But after all the negotiations and payment, Matt and Mello had been left to themselves, jumping up and down hugging one another. It had been a monumental victory for the two, and they toasted off the first night in their place with a few cans of soda.
They discussed new plans, deciding to clean their apartment that Thursday and then on Friday go shopping for some much needed supplies. Matt learned fast that he would not be allowed to treat the apartment as he had his own bedroom back at Wammy's. He'd been caught littering in their bedroom that week and quickly reprimanded by Mello.
He's such an idiot sometimes...thought Mello. But he'll learn. I'll leave him to the housework while I go looking for jobs. I have the best people skills, and I really don't want to leave Matt by himself in the city. I can take care of myself... Perhaps Matt would become better with people as he grew up. For now, he had far too many issues that would prevent him from being completely on his own.
This left Mello with a dilemma of finding Matt any sort of out-of-house job. I guess I'll ask him to look for some online job. At least he's good at computers and stuff.
"Mello...Meeeeelloooo..."
I guess I'll tell him about that later tonight. Wow, I still have a lot I need to share with him. Nodding, the blonde reaffirmed his thoughts. One thing at a time...
"Mello Yello!"
The feisty blonde was brought out of his thoughts, staring angrily at Matt who was pushing a shopping cart. "What Matt?"
"What's next on the list?" He gave a bored stare towards Mello, attempting not to laugh at the angry expression staring back at him. "Oh just give it to me," he added, snatching the paper out of Mello's hands, pushing the cart down another aisle. He let out a snicker, which informed Mello to search and destroy the redhead.
"Maaaatie..." Mello assumed a low tone, darting after the gamer.
The pair came to a stop in front of shelves of shampoo, where Matt grabbed a few bottles and placed them in the cart.
Mello, forgetting his anger, gazed over the cart. "Matt..." he said in a lowly, removing a few items from the trolley. "These things weren't on the list..."
"So what?"
Sighing, the blonde realized he hadn't told Matt about their expenses. "Mattie...we can only afford the basics right now. Sorry, I didn't tell you."
Matt looked down at the floor, then to the items in Mello's arms. A can of Pringles, 3 bags of chips, frozen Pizza Rolls...even the stack of chocolate bars that Mello adored. The redhead frowned. We must not have a lot if he's even giving those up... "Sorry..."
"It's alright. Just get what's on the list, alright? Cheapest you can find."
Green eyes returned to the floor tiles, staring at the tops of his shoes.
There was a silence between the two, showing that the mood had lowered significantly.
"I'm going to go put these back, ok? You stay here." Without letting Matt reply, Mello had left.
The redhead looked up and down the aisle, realizing he was all by himself. He sighed deeply, uneasily. Matt didn't like being left alone; however he had been trying to work on that phobia ever since the day they'd left Wammy's.
It was something that he'd have to get over sooner or later, and the gamer thought when better to start than now. He stifled his emotions by assuming a bored look. Matt pillowed his arms on the handle of the shopping cart, and then rested his chin on his wrist.
Chocolate bars...thought Matt, returning to the matter of money and groceries. You're denying yourself those? He began to calculate their current expenses, attempting to fill in the holes of his thoughts. I believe Mello said we had £1,600 at the very beginning of all of this. We paid for the motel and spent £75 and then for the first month's rent so that leaves... £975. I also have to factor in that we'll be paying for another month's rent with that money leaving about...no exactly £425.
Matt shook his head, questionable about the expenses. I've paid for all the food so far, so that hasn't dipped into our savings yet. But still...If after all necessary expenses they still had £425 (Author's Note: about $680), then why were they only buying the bare minimum?
Matt looked over the list. '2 blankets, 2 pillows, 3 bottles of laundry detergent, 3 tubes of toothpaste, 5 bars of soap, 4 bottles of shampoo, 5 towels, 4 big packs of toilet paper & paper towels...' What a boring list... Certainly not all of that would cost £425, especially considering that they were shopping at a bulk store. If they were shopping at Tesco or Sainsbury's (Author's Note: English supermarkets equivalent to Meijer and K-mart) then maybe they'd be spending a lot more. But really...something wasn't adding up here.
Before long, Mello had returned with a handful of towels and a few blankets, placing them in the cart. "Thought I'd grab these..."
"Mello...I've got a question..."
He looked to Matt. "Yes?"
"I went through most of the calculations in my head. If we have £425 left, then why are we only buying toilet paper and stuff?"
Mello chuckled. "Good to know you're putting your brain to use."
The redhead quirked an eyebrow. "I do...I just chose not to use it all the time."
"But you're forgetting something, Matt. Didn't you notice that there's no food on the list?"
Blinking, Matt looked down at the contents in the cart, then to the paper list. Low and behold, there was no food. "Wait a minute...so the rest of the money is for food?"
Mello nodded. "£425. Until either of us has a job, we'll be living off that for almost 2 months." He looked over the trolley, noting every item in it. "We need all this stuff. I estimate it will be about £145 for this and a few other things we'll really need. That leaves £280 for food until January 31st."
Matt let all the facts add up. After a moment, he replied, "That's only... £5 a day for food." (Author's Note: about $8)
"Yeah for the both of us," added Mello, morbidly. "So you can see...we can only buy a few things." Mello smiled at his partner sadly, turning his back to him. "C'mon. We have a few more things to get."
Everything was starting to set in on Matt. At first, it seemed like they had a lot of cash, enough to live on their own for a bit. But Matt soon realized it was foolish to believe that the money wouldn't run out.
Mello had really put thought into his plans, planning out where every pound would be spent.
£5 for food per day...The next few months were going to be rough.
Matt could feel a small amount of fear, and hunger, pass over him. He rubbed at his stomach with one palm, sighing. Guess I'll have to get used to that feeling...he thought, his stomach growling softly.
But...I believe in Mello's plan.
Looking up, he noticed that Mello was already a few yards ahead of him. Placing his hands on the handle of the trolley, he flew down the aisle. "Hey Mello, wait up!"
o O o O o O o
It was now December 13th, just another boring day to the feisty, now chocolate-deprived blonde. A nightly snow storm had left most of Winchester covered in a few inches of snow, adding to Mello's luck that day; that fact hadn't improved his mood any. He wandered aimlessly around the town, from one business to another unable to find work for himself or for Matt.
He sighed, attempting to think of happier thoughts, deciding to look back on the last eight days. A lot had happened since the two had left Wammy's house, and, in that time they had rented the cheapest apartment they could find. Nothing had proved to be easy so far, especially reasoning with Mr. Peterson; he had given the two boys hell for appearing as irresponsible children.
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. He'd guessed Matt would be accompanying him and made sure to give him the gamer's funds as well.
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 thin black slip-on boots, that weren't made for winter. His feet felt like blocks of ice as he made his way through the town, desperately searching for work, but to no avail. Mello checked the digital watch on his wrist. It read '5:00 PM'. He chuckled. At least Matt comes in handy for something...he thought, staring at Matt's watch on his hand.
It was now 5pm which meant Mello was done job-hunting 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, cold, wet and tired. 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 armrest of the couch, landing face first onto a cushion. It was the most awkward way to lie upon the furniture, but the action seemed to fit the mood for Mello. 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. But he wouldn't be giving in this early in the game; he would be victorious and accept nothing else.
Turning onto his back, the blonde soon realized that he had not seen Matt yet. He paused in thought, scanning the living room for his partner. "Matt?" he questioned tiredly, 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, appearing somewhat concentrated and embarrassed with himself. "Matt...what are you doing?"
The gamer shook in surprise, 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 back..."
Mello looked confused, unsure what his friend was talking about.
Moving to the left, Matt revealed a round cake, half frosted. Shoulders fell hunched as he fidgeted with a spoon and a butter knife in his hands. "I'm really not good at this stuff..." he chuckled, placing the dirty utensils on the counter by the cake dish. "Heh...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 now 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 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 to place in his mouth.
Opening his eyes, Matt looked at his companion, shocked to see that he had not been berated for creating such a mess.
"It's good," said Mello with a small smile. The lump of smooth chocolate melted in his mouth. Oooh...I've missed this taste... The chocolate fiend felt a wave of euphoria come over him. He hadn't had chocolate in a week.
"R-Really? It's good?" 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 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." In actuality, Mello had never been too fond of his birthday. But he would save such details for another time.
Matt closed the gap between the two, giving Mello a defiant 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.
Taken back, Mello showed his shock with widened blue eyes. He could tell that Matt was terribly embarrassed; speaking in third person had been the indication.
But his thoughts quickly dropped that matter. 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 about him. He smiled, attempting to hold back the tears that were sure to form otherwise.
Wait...thought Mello, looking over at the cake again. How did he buy all this stuff? It was one thing if Matt had somehow purchased a store-bought cake for the occasion. But from the mess in the kitchen it was quite obvious that Matt had made the cake from a box. That included such things as cake mix, frosting, eggs, milk, oil and cake pans...things that neither of the two had money to buy.
Suddenly it was all starting to make sense. Until that moment, Mello couldn't understand why Matt looked a little thinner and complained more so about being hungry in the last few days. He had to have saved his food money in order to buy everything for that cake.
With £5 a day, it was already hard to eat three meals. There was no fridge to store food, so it was decided they would buy food the same day they would eat it. Every morning Mello would go out and buy their rations for the day. But recently Matt had shown a bit of courage and told the blonde that he would go out and buy lunch and dinner on his own. Mello hadn't thought long about the proposal, believing Matt was getting over his fear of going outside by himself, and agreed to the idea. He gave Matt his share of their food money for the day, then went out to search for jobs. Coming home, he would find that his partner had 'already eaten'. But now...it was all so clear what Matt had been doing.
Mello was sure he would cry now, and, for good measure, he turned towards Matt and hugged him, burying his face in the crook of the redhead's neck.
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."
There was a short silence between them before a large growl came from Matt's belly, causing Mello to jump backwards out of surprise.
A deep crimson flushed the gamer's cheeks as he looked away. "Um...if you don't mind. Can Matt eat some of this now?"
Blinking a few times and then laughing terribly, Mello smiled. "Yeah, of course, Mattie."
o O o O o O o
It had now been over a month since moving into their apartment. Living together, tending to housework, making way through snow in thin clothing and eating very little each day were becoming commonplace to the two youths.
Mello would wake up and leave around 10am to purchase breakfast and lunch. Since Mello's birthday, he insisted on handling all the food money to make sure that Matt didn't go hungry. As much as he appreciated the gesture on his birthday, he wanted to make sure Matt was as healthy as their finances would allow.
But with such a small budget for food a day, it was anything but healthy. Mello was left choosing between chips and different candies which were the cheapest at the local convenience store.
As Mello was out, Matt would stay behind, make their bed, and begin washing yesterday's dirty clothes. It had been easy for Matt to learn how to wash clothing, to the blonde's surprise. As consequence, it became one of the gamer's daily chores.
Laundry had to be done once a day. With all the snow and dirt Mello trekked through each day, it was necessary for the blonde to have freshly laundered clothes.
The couple had so few clothes to begin with, so it didn't take long for Matt to wash, rinse and hang the clothing up to dry.
Matt had a few stripped shirts, one of which, a black and red one, he was already wearing. Along with that he had one pair of jeans, a black hoodie, and few pairs of socks and underwear.
Mello didn't possess much more that his redheaded companion. He usually wore a black long sleeved shirt, black pants ratted at the bottoms and his light denim jean jacket. He had one other black t-shirt, along with socks and underwear. As consequence, he had to rotate his clothes rather quickly.
Just as Matt would begin to hang the rinsed clothes on a small indoor clothesline, Mello would return home with food. He would give Matt his rations lunch while eating his own breakfast. The blonde would pocket his lunch for later, consuming it as he searched for jobs around the city.
After eating, the redhead would start a hot bath for Mello, who would sit in the tub and soak up as much warmth as possible before he would have to go out and look for jobs. Matt would wait to bathe himself until after Mello left. In the meantime, the gamer would dry his partner's clothing over the heater so they would be as dry as possible for Mello's second trip of the day.
As soon as Mello finished, he would switch places with Matt, sharing the still warm bath water in lieu of drawing another bath altogether. Mello would then dress and head out to look for jobs.
After bathing, Matt would dry off and dress, and then sit in front of his laptop for hours. No, this was not because he was playing an online RPG, not that he didn't want to; but, on the contrary.
While Mello scoured local businesses for work, Matt would search the far recesses of the internet for jobs. In recent days Matt became better with household tasks of cleaning and maintenance, but at the end of the day he was a computer geek. The best suited job for him was anything computer-related.
After long hours of searching and coming up with nothing, Matt would give up and begin playing on his Game Boy until Mello came through the door with dinner.
Today, however, Mello didn't come home right away.
Typically the blonde would return home between 5:15 and 5:45, depending on how far he had ventured into the city. He usually gave up around 5 o'clock, because most local businesses closed up shop around that time.
But now, it was already 6:17. Matt stared at the clock on his computer, then to the front door and back again. He began to feel a little nervous. It really wasn't like Mello to be out so long. Perhaps he'd caught a break and found work and had to stay late as a consequence. Even so, Matt had a heavy feeling come over him. Something didn't feel right about it. It would have made Matt feel better if Mello had a cell phone. He could have called him now to see what had been going on. But they didn't have that kind of money...
Matt looked back at the clock which read 6:18. Counting the minutes was getting him nowhere. He returned to his game, Final Fantasy VI Advanced. Before long he had entered battle with the final boss, completely engrossed in his game, nerves relaxing.
A loud slam of the front door jarred the gamer out of his thoughts, causing him to drop his game to the floor, which fell with a loud thud. He cursed under his breath, combing his bangs to the side with one hand. "Dammit Mello, I was in a battle with Kefka and you..." He looked up to lock eyes with his companion, who was nowhere in sight.
Matt sat up from his spot in the dining room, coming over to the front door. He found Mello slumped to the floor, his soggy clothes clinging to his body. Even his shoes were still on his feet.
Next to him was a bag from the local food mart: their dinner. As hungry as Matt was at the time, he couldn't help but forget the pangs in his stomach, focused solely on his friend."Mello?"
The blonde sat against the wall, knees bent and forearms rested against those knees. Eyes stared blankly at the floor at his feet. Those eyes, usually vibrant cobalt were now a dull gray.
That heavy, sinking feeling from before crept upon Matt again. He tried to conceal his shock, appearing as calm as possible. He sat next to Mello on the floor. "Mello. Mello...what's wrong?"
Nothing seemed to be getting through to him.
"Mello...hey Mello!" Matt was starting to get really worried, forgetting to be calm and instead yelling at the side of Mello's face. "Mello!" Enough was enough. Matt raised a hand, slapping his partner across the left cheek. The smack was audile and echoed in the room a moment before Mello came to his senses.
Blue eyes regained their hue as large tears filled them, streaming down one pale and one red marked cheek. Mello turned towards Matt, burying his face in the black and red striped shirt.
"Me-Mello...I'm sorry!" Arms came to rest around Mello's shoulders as Matt apologized.
A few moments passed, and soon the redhead realizing his actions were not the reason for his friend's outburst of emotion. He relaxed into the wall, rubbing along the older boy's spine slowly.
He decided it was best for Mello to cry himself out. Once he was done, he would ask what had happened.
God, what's wrong with me? Thought Mello. I've been in such a bad mood all day, worrying about everything. And now I come home and start crying like a baby...in front of Matt no less. Mello wanted to hide so much right now. He feared retreated even, because he would have to show Matt his tears again, again show his vulnerability to another.
I haven't cried like this in a long time...not since...Not since Mello's 6th birthday had he cried like this.
Last time it had been in front of L.
L...
The thought of his late mentor only produced more tears. He grabbed hold of Matt's shirt tightly, sobbing loudly into his friend's chest.
L had been his first friend, the only one to ever show him any form of care and love. His own parents had disregarded him, treated him like furniture or a wall. No, even less than that; they treated him like he wasn't even there.
But when Mello had been taken into child services, it was L who came and met with him. He extended a hand to the young Mello. 'Let's go home,' he said, whisking him away to Wammy's House...his new home.
L gave him a home, gave him a sense of family. He also gave him a purpose in life, something to strive to become. Even now he was trying to attain that dream, to become even a tenth of what L had been. He wouldn't share that with Near, he couldn't. He and only he would be the one to be L's number two.
That stupid Near...he doesn't even care to begin with...
Mello decided this was not a time to hate Near. It wasn't Near who had put Mello and Matt in this rut.
There were no jobs to be had, and the money was running out fast. In a week the rent would be due for February. There was no money to pay for it...Mello had realized this fact the moment he had woken up. Something told him that today was going to be bad, and he couldn't help but cling to the rosary around his neck that morning, playing with the red beads idly.
He'd looked at the watch on wrist at 5pm that day, not too fond of going home. It hadn't been Matt's fault; Mello just wanted to be alone in his gloom. He had wandered the streets of Winchester, thinking of their situation and of L's death. The combination of both subjects left him empty and hopeless, and he had lost track of time.
At 6 he decided enough and headed back home. The moment Mello had come through the door, the weight of everything had fallen upon his shoulders and he slid to the floor.
He didn't want to face reality and found himself locked into a loop between money woes and the death of his mentor. It was the slap across the face that reminded the blonde that he had to face facts. And before he knew it, he was clinging to Matt like a 5 year old, sobbing.
There was nothing Mello could do about L's death. But his own situation...there was no Plan B to his plan. If he and Matt were to fail, there would be nothing left to do but return to Wammy's.
But that met admitting defeat.
Meaning he'd failed himself.
Meaning he had failed L.
Mello's tears were beginning to dry up as he felt a nose and lips on the top of his head. Matt. Matt was here, asking no questions, idly petting his back.
At the very least, Mello didn't have to go through this alone. And L had not been his only family, Matt was, too.
Somehow, things would turn out for the better. Somehow, Mello had to believe in this, that his and Matt's efforts weren't for naught.
Somehow, they would keep moving forward.