Flowers
Matt grinned nervously as Mello stared down at the small bouquet of flowers that Matt had just handed him. They were mostly daisies and some pink things that Matt didn't know the name of. He'd been walking around outside and they had reminded him of the color of Mello's cheeks when he got mad, so he decided to pick some and give them to his best (and only) friend. Of course, he'd known it was dangerous, which was why he was so nervous now. He'd never given Mello a gift before.
It seemed that Mello couldn't speak, or at the very least, he wouldn't. Eventually he just turned and walked away. For the next twelve hours, Matt was horrified that he'd driven Mello away, that he would never talk to him again. But the next day everything returned to normal and Mello seemed to pretend that nothing had happened, which was fine with Matt. But he noticed that night that Mello had stolen a little vase from the kitchen, and in it, right beside Mello's bed, were the flowers that Matt had picked for him.
Easter
"This is such a stupid fucking holiday," Mello grumbled as he ducked down to look under a chair. Something on his head hit the seat of the chair, prompting him to angrily reach up and rip off the bunny ears. "Why does Roger make us do this? It's degrading."
Matt couldn't help but laugh a little. You know you love it, Mello, he thought. This is one of the few things you always do better than Near. "He does it just because he likes to watch you crawl around on the floor, Mello," he said.
Mello gave him a punch to the arm, so hard that Matt squinted and almost missed the glimmer of triumph in Mello's eyes when his small hand closed around the plastic egg that was hidden under the chair.
Melting Snow
Mello sat in his leather clothes on his leather couch, licking dark chocolate off of his leather gloves. He wondered briefly how he'd ended up here, surrounded by thugs who were all more than twice his size, sitting in a large den that belonged to one of the most influential mafia rings in L.A. Not so many years ago he'd been surrounded by children who were all his own size, sitting in a small playroom that belonged to one of the most influential orphanages in Europe. Really, not much had changed. He'd been in a place for lost souls then, and he was in a place for lost souls now.
He thought of home – the place he still sometimes considered home anyway, even though he hadn't been there in years. The snow would be melting there now, giving the whole world a glittering appearance. An image came to him suddenly, of an old friend playing in that melting snow, the light bouncing off of his pale skin and making him glow and shine. Here the only thing that shined was the metal of his revolver. He thought of the past no more.
Daylight Savings
Matt would never forget the look of absolute panic on Mello's face when he reminded him that it was daylight savings time. "Remember?" he'd said casually, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Fall back, spring ahead?" The look of terror didn't leave Mello's face.
Finally, with a great deal of effort, Mello choked out, "You mean we're going to lose a whole hour?" Matt nodded slowly, knowing that Mello was thinking about Near, about Kira, about falling that much farther behind. He sighed sadly as he got to work setting all of the clocks one hour later, thinking that he would stop time for Mello, if only he could.
Baseball
"This sport is fucking stupid," Mello complained. "It's just a bunch of guys hitting a ball with a stick and running around in circles. I don't understand why so many people watch it here. This whole country is fucking stupid. They listen to bad music, watch bad TV, read bad books, and watch bad sports. Matt, will you change the fucking channel? Oh, Jesus, it's everywhere! America's fucking favorite pastime, my ass. I knew they were stupid, but if they like this game that much, they're even stupider than I thought. Why don't they recognize it for what it is? It's just an excuse to wear tight pants and act gay."
"You do that all the time," Matt piped in, terribly amused by Mello's rant.
"Yeah," Mello replied angrily, finally turning off the TV. "But I don't need an excuse."
Green
Green: the color of the leaves that were slowly growing in on the trees, of the grass that could now be seen in remote areas of the city, of the mold growing in the back corner of the apartment's kitchen, of the playful eyes that shown out from behind orange lenses.
Green: the color of the monster gnawing on Mello's insides whenever he saw Matt lavishing attention upon his new car.
Wedding
Matt saw the red light just in time and stopped his bike (well, he called it his bike, but Mello almost never let him drive it – this was a very rare occurrence, sitting here with Mello holding onto his waist, rather than the other way around). Upon looking around, he noticed that they were stopped across the street from a wedding. The happy bride and groom were walking out of the church to a chorus of cheers and laughter. For a split second Matt wondered what it must be like to get married, since he knew he would never know the feeling. Then the light turned green and Matt smiled a huge, happy smile because he had his bike and the wind in his hair, and he had Mello behind him, tightening his grip just slightly, and really, Matt didn't need anymore than that.
New Life
There were buds on the trees the day that Mello left. Tiny animals were scurrying around outside, searching for their mommies and daddies (a difficult task in the expansive countryside). Wedding bells were ringing somewhere off in the distance. Babies were being born all around the world. Matt watched him go and tried to think about what it might be like – his new life without Mello.
There were buds on the trees the day that Mello called. Dust and ash swirled through the air, searching for plant life to land on and suffocate (a difficult task in downtown L.A.). Wedding bells were ringing somewhere close by. Babies were being born in hospitals and zooming taxicabs. Matt helped him to the car and tried to think about what it might be like – his new life with Mello.
Garden
Mello knelt over his garden, the only life he cared about just as much as, if not more than, his own. Beautiful red and green filled this garden, a special flower that thrived when kept out of the sun. Mello moaned in appreciation. Using his fingers to open the hole, he happily planted his seed.
Rain
Mello had always liked the rain. Though no conscious part of him would admit it, he felt a sense of cleansing when it rained. He didn't think much about it, but whenever he heard the tiny tapping sound that the rain created, he would go to sit outside for a while, as long as he wasn't too busy.
Matt liked the rain, too. Whenever Mello went out, he would follow cheerfully, as he always did. And while Mello felt his worries and his sins wash away, Matt would watch the drops of water as they rolled off of Mello's leather clothes and maneuvered their way through the labyrinth of tissue that made up the left side of Mello's face.
Together they would sit: Mello forgetting about himself, and Matt remembering.
Hello! I hope you're enjoying these. I know I am. I have to say, I'm really quite proud of some of these and they are quite a lot of fun to write. I'm sorry if I offended any Americans with "Baseball" – I'm American, too, so please don't take it too hard. And I hope you understood "Garden." I really tried. XD
Comments and reviews are lovely, but believe me, I understand not wanting to write them. So if you're reading but not writing, thank you anyway!
