A/N: Yay for postitive Chappie 1 reviews. XD
I liked them so much I will give you Chapter 2!
Disclaimer: No own DN or la musica.
Love all of you!
Chapter Two: I Walk The Line
Matt's POV
I drummed my fingers against the alcohol-stained table, humming along with my songs. I sent Linda a sideways glance. "Hey Linda..." I turned my head and looked at her. "Do you still keyboard?"
She grinned. "I dabble. What is the reason for your inquiry?"
I ignored her question and asked my own. "Are you still in touch with the one called Near?" I tugged lightly on the lip ring that refused to evacuate the middle of my bottom lip and dealt stoically with the random cigarettes that it roomed with.
"I sure hope so, he's my fiance. What. Is. Up?" She smiled and poked my forehead with each word of her question, wanting to wiggle her way into the group of one that was privy to my plans.
"I'm going to call Light and Sayu." I glanced at her, lighting up an aforementioned glowing death stick. "I'll have Sayu talk to Matsuda, and see if he's available to work the media and control the crowd for us." I grinned. "Linda, I'm getting the band back together."
"Chairman Meow's Personal Army rises again!" She visibly brightened in the dim light. "This is going to be so AWESOME!" She beamed at me. "What are we going to be called now? I know you have ideas floating in that big brain of yours."
I flipped through the band notecards in my mind. "Kids Inside Rude Adults. Violent Squeaky Toyz- with a z. Great Hair and Evil Giggles. Together Walk Alone. Without a Writing Untensil. American Effort. Mattie and the Lords of Whammy's House. Arguing With Myself. Stuck in Math Class. Real-life Cartoon Characters. And, Silent Scream."
She thought a moment. "Kids Inside Rude Adults. K.I.R.A.," she hissed.
"I like it. I like it a lot."
"I'll call Near and make him come down."
I nodded. "I'll call Light and have him bring Sayu and Matsuda with him." I pulled out my cell and dialed him.
"Hello?"
"Hey Light."
"Matt! Long time no contact, buddy. How are you?"
"I'm good. And yourself?"
"Can't complain. Well... I could, but no one's listening. Hold on a sec." His next words were muted slightly. "Sayu, I'm on the phone."
"That's perfectly perfect, Light. Put me on speaker."
"Alright." There was a muffled click. "'Kay Matt. You're on."
"Hi, Sayu."
"Matt! Matsuda! Matt's on the phone!"
"Oh. Hello, Matt."
"Hey Matsuda. Glad we're all home. I have a-"
"Hey Matt! Good news."
"One second. What's up, Linda?"
"Near's on his way."
"Perfect. Thank ya much, Lin. Now back to what I was saying. I have a question for you."
"Go for it."
"How do you guys feel about... getting the band back together?"
"Sounds fun." I could hear the smile in Light's voice.
"Let's do it!" There was the vague slapping of Sayu's feet against the floor in the background.
"I'll call a record label and see if I can interest them in a sample of your work." Matsuda paused. "Are we still called Chairman Meow's Personal Army?"
Matt smiled at Matsuda's serious tone. "No. C.M.P.A. is done for good. Here's what Linda, Near- Near?" Matt looked at Linda for affirmation. She nodded. "Near, and I agreed on: Kids Inside Rude Adults."
Light purred, "K.I.R.A. I like it. It sounds sexy."
"K.I.R.A. Kids Inside Rude Adults. Got it. I'll set us up."
"'Kay. Linda and I are at Chinawhite, waiting for Near. Care to join us?"
"Be there in ten. Sayu, get dressed."
"Cool. Imma hop backstage and ask Mello if we can steal some stage time."
"'Kay. Have anything in mind?"
"Ben... Add, Mag, and... S.I.B.? We can add more if Mello gives us enough time."
"Sounds good. Make sure that Near has some properly sized drums, yeah?"
I gave a sideways glance to Linda. "Already on it. I'll call you back if there are any plot developments."
Light snorted. "Alrighty, buddy. We're gonna get ready. See you soon."
"Soon," I agreed, disconnecting the call. "Linda, how are you dressed?"
"Like a motherfucking rockstar, Mattie." We shared a grin.
Mello's voice from the stage returned us to the show. "Okay everyone. Let's all take a quick break, yeah? Back in five."
I stood up, hopping over the table with practiced skill, heading backstage. I bumped into Mello- literally- on my way to him. "Hey Mels-y."
He pulled me into his arms. What was going on with him today? "Hi Mattie." He pulled me into a deep, passionate kiss, surprising me. He pulled the hood from my head and stuffed my goggles into my pocket, allowing him to view what was revealed. "I wish you see your eyes, my beauty." I lifted an eyebrow as he lightly traced the scar over my left eye with his finger. "So beautiful."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing our foreheads together. "No. You're beautiful, Mels." I kissed him again. "So... can I ask you a favor?"
"Your wish is my command. I can't bring people back to life, kill people, or make them fall in love with you. Ask away."
"Oh, wise and powerful genie, can my band do a song or two tonight?" I smiled cutely at him.
His eyebrows disappeared under his bangs. "Chairman Meow's Personal Army is back together?"
I nodded. "Under a new name. Kids Inside Rude Adults."
Mello smiled. "K.I.R.A." Why is everyone calling it that? "That's great. Yeah. We can extend the show fifteen minutes, longer if need be." He smirked, saying, "What are you going to play for me, Mattie?" in a very, very sexy tone.
"Ben..." I smiled. "Surprise. Thank you, Mello."
He pouted. "I hate surprises." He then smiled sweetly at me. "Anything for you, love." He pressed his smooth, soft lips to mine. Suddenly he pulled away again, pouting. "That means that the sheep is going to be here, Mattie."
I grinned at his cute face, considering kissing the pout from his lips. "It'll be fine, Mels. I promise." A flash went off as I kissed his nose, followed by fangirl freak-out moments. I saw the dangerous gleam in his eye a second too late. He pulled me up into his arms, holding me bridal style. I wished that I didn't have such an intense phobia of heights so that I could pull up my hood and replace my goggles, followed shortly by lighting up a cylindrical, white stress-relief rod. As it was, my arms were locked around Mello's neck, hanging on for dear life. "M-Mels? P-please put me d-down." Mello laughed at my current predicament. "Mello-o, don't l-laugh at me-e."
"Come on, Mello." Misa punched her older brother in the arm. "Put Matt down and stop being such a meanie." Misa's tone and eyes were both very serious.
"Mello does know about Matt's extreme fear of heights, correct?" L looked sternly at Mello.
"I'm sure he does, twin." BB slapped Mello on the back, making Mello rock forward and me cry out."
"You're an ass," Naomi spit at him. She slipped her hand into my pocket, withdrawing my cancer sticks, lighting one, and placing it snugly between my lips. I smiled thankfully at her. "That's it, Mattie. Tar up your lungs and relax." She glared at Mello. "Put him down, you're being a bastard."
"Yes, Mello. Put our cowardly lead singer down before he vomits on your leather." Light strode up to Mello with a confidant smirk on his face. "Long time, no see, Two."
"You're still a son of a bitch, Light."
"Proudly." He looked at my face. "Seriously though, Mello. He looks like he's gonna spew."
I tucked my nose into Mello's shoulder, using his scent- chocolate, cinnamon, fire, and something distictly, sweetly Mello- to calm my stomach.
"Matt puzzles me like no other manages to. Why does he stay with a boyfriend who treats him so badly, when he could easily find another who treats him like a prince? Why does he torture himself by staying with someone who could care less and is gone six out of seven nights?"
Mello dropped me- unintentionally, I'd assume- and i landed on the club floor with an, "Oof. Thanks," and a thumbs up. I flicked my cigarette and exhaled smoke, standing up and dusting myself off.
Mello's fists were balled at his sides, shaking with fury. "Who asked you, Sheep?"
Near raised a single white eyebrow. "Who didn't?" Near barely reached Mello's shoulders, but he maintained steady eye contact with the larger, scarier boy. "We've debated the question for years around the fireplace as you walked out the front door, going God knows where doing God knows who or what, while Matt did your laundry, kept your half of the room livable, and didn't complain once as you yelled incoherently at him while you were drunk. While he'd clean you up and tuck you into bed on those nights, never once raising his voice or arguing with you. Only after sitting with you while you fell asleep would he leave and chainsmoke, shouting lyrics into the sky out by the garage, because he refuses to say something out of anger that he'll regret later. And you don't even realize that you're the one who made him start.
Near sighed. "He's even lightened up, only going through one pack a day versus the former three, because you don't like his tidy little habit. Why in the world would someone as bright as Matt stay with someone as ruthless, abusive, impulsive, rough, petty, and childish as you? Why would he be willing to do anything for you? Why would he put up with your bullshit?"
Linda spoke up. "Do you hold something over his head?"
"Does he just not care that you spend those oher six nights in the arms of other men?" Sayu asked.
"Does he think that you actually love him?" Matsuda chimed in, honling his Blackberry away from his face, covering the mouth piece with his fingers.
Light sent Mello a deathglare from hell. "Is he really selfless enough to keep your home clean and nice for you, and be there for you when your ass hits the ground? To bandage your ego, pick you up, dust you off, and send you on your merry fucking way? Is that just how he is? Is he willing to waste his life trying to keep you from throwing yours away?"
Near spoke again. "Is he waiting you out? Is he waiting for you to get past this phase in your life? Is he stupid enough to think that you could ever love anyone other than yourself? Is he just a glutton for punishment? We've thrown around all of these suggestions and more, trying to figure out how Matt- a fucking genius- would let you do this to him. And Matt is a genius, by the way. He's smarter than the two of us, Mello. He could have easily been number one in our year, but he didn't want to be. He didn't want to push you to three because you hated being two so much. Instead, he tried to help you get to one, while ignoring his own studies. He'd do anything for you, Mello, and you don't care! You treat him like shit and he puts up with it for some reason that five braniacs can't figure out for the life of them."
I rolled my eyes. "He doesn't hold anything over my head. There's a song or two for that. No. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes, I'm waiting for him to get his head out of his fucking ass. Quite possibly. A little abuse never hurt anyone." I shook my head. "But you've got one thing wrong: Mello doesn't love himself. He thinks he's a failurte, and that he'll never manage to be good enough. He doesn't respect himself enough to realize that no one cares about the goddamn rankings, and no one thinks less of himfor being two. So, he's convinced himself that he is a failure, and therefore he has to act like one, when he doesn't." I slapped him in the back of the head. "He's a Mind Trap nightmare. I have a list of Mind Traps that he suffers from."
"Care to share it?"
"The Self-Doubt Trap. The Feelings Are Foolish Trap. The Compare and Despair Trap. The You Flatter Me Trap. The I Blame Myself Trap. The Complacent Partner Trap." I rolled my eyes at that one. "The Searching For the Perfect Love Trap. The Less Intamacy, Less Pain Trap. The Better to Reject Than Be Rejected Trap. The Only Losers are Lonely Trap. The Great American Success Trap: After Success. The Perfectionism Trap. And the very Mello, The I'm Right and You're Wrong Trap. Thirteen, possibly fourteen. There are thirty-three possible."
Light whistled. "Damn."
"There's one thing that you didn't consider, though, from what I've heard," I pointed out. "As far as I know, you never considered that I might be the one to love him. I love him, so I want to keep him as safe as I can, because I really am very selfish and possessive of Mello. I want him to have a nice house to come home to."
I watched the five braniacs nod, mulling over my previous statement.
"Why? Why do you love me, Matt? I'm fucked up."
I looked over at Mello, surprised at his question. I saw tears streaming down his face and pulled him to me, wiping them away with my sleeve. "You can't help who you fall in love with, Mello. And frankly, I wouldn't want you any other way. Except maybe a little more hermit-y so that you'd stay home with me more. Besides," I said brightly, smiling. "You're a walking contridiction. You're an oxymoron, and you know how I love those. Now get your cute ass back on stage, and show the world what you're made of." I pulled a laser pointer-looking object from my pocket and set the range on it before pressing the button. "There. All videos have been erased. Do you have my laptop?"
"I was coming to give it to you." He handed me a black messenger bag. He threw his arms around me as soon as my bag was settled on my shoulder. "I-I love you, Mail." He whispered in my ear.
I smiled at the use of my birthname. "I love you too, Mihael. Now go give your fans a good show. Go!" I pushed him away from me. "I have some badass techie shit to do."
K.I.R.A. made its way back to the table where Linda made the grils she was hanging with leave. We sat down and I pulled out my laptop, where I was going to find my favorite picture of the four generations of top three Whammy kids. I connected the picture to the huge screen that showed the band closer up so that the people in the back- like me- could see. I did a quick check to make sure it would work properly, when the picture flashed on the screen, I took it right off.
I looked up at the stage to see Mello smiling at me. He spoke into the microphone, pointing at us. "Back there in that little corner, sits my epically sexy boyfriend, Matt." A spotlight lit up the booth. I waved at Mello. "And today is our annivarsary. How long has it been? Hmmm." He pretended to think for a moment. "Eleven years? Jesus, that's a long time."
"Shit," I growled. "Okay. So there's going to be some song swapping. I'll keep A and M.B., but... I'll add... Y.B.I.A.W., C.Y., and... D.O.T.B. And we'll close the show with N.T.K.Y., yeah?"
Light nodded. "Sounds good. I think Mello has something more to say."
"Eleven years is a long time to be in a relationship with someone, don't you think? Matt... He's just amazingly amazing. There's almost no other way to describe him. He always catches me when I fall and, he has stuck with me through some pretty tough times. He writes all of Death Note's hits without fail, because, as smart as my band is... rhyming is difficult. So, one day Matt walked up to me with a song. I looked it over and snatched it from him without a word. I've been working on the music for it with L, BB, Naomi, and Misa six of seven nights in a week for the last three years and finally got it done last night. So there, Sheep and friends! Do you know what I've realized in that time?" He smiled. "All work and no play makes Mels-y a dull boy. Here it goes." He maintained eyecontact with me as he sang.
I keep a close watch on this heart of mine.
I keep my eyes wide open all the time.
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds.
Because you're mine, I walk the line.
I find it very, very easy to be true.
I find myself alone when each day is through.
Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you.
Because you're mine, I walk the line.
I smiled, remembering the instance he was talking about, and the three weeks I spent alternating staring at the piece of paper and staring at Mello before I finally finished it. I couldn't believe that he'd worked for three years to get the music perfect. The doofus. He could have just asked me; I'd had chords in mind when I wrote it. As it was, I liked what he did with it.
As sure as night is dark and day is light.
I keep you on my mind both day and night.
And happiness I've known proves that it's right.
Because you're mine, I walk the line.
You've got a way to keep me on your side.
You give me cause for love that I can't hide.
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide.
Because you're mine, I walk the line.
I keep a close watch on this heart of mine.
I keep my eyes wide open all the time.
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds.
Because you're mine, I walk the line.
"I love you, Mattie." He then launched back into the scheduled playlist. A couple hours later, he said. "Alright people. My Mattie's band wants a try at the mic, and I agreed to let them come up. I hope you don't mind..."
As we stood to head up to the stage, I gave Mello a signal, telling him to stay on the stage. He gave me a thumbs up.
Here goes nothing.
A/N: I give you the longest chapter I've ever written! 4,000 words! It makes me happy that I finally achieved an acceptable length for at least two chapters. Those two are: this one, I Walk The Line, and chapter six of SJM, September.
Not so sure how I feel about this chappie.
How about you guys? Love it? Hate it? Want to throw it into a fiery abyss?
Song used in this chapter: I Walk The Line by Johnny Cash
I like him, okay?
I tried to update every night this week but... busy busy busy! Picnic, dad's thumb, Kayla's party, office party, work... blah blah blah, you don't care.
But, I got a paddle ball last night. :D My record- and the house record- is 24. Not bad~!
There was supposed to be more music in this chapter.
Ben is one of the ways that French people say, 'um...' Mattie is fluent, but not from France.
Is Chinawhite famous enough to have a big band like Death Note make an appearance? I live in the States so I have no idea.
Near ranting? WHAT? I like my Near with a bit of emotion. Just a little.
I'm a big supporter of Seme!Matt... My Matt, Gray, is my seme... I, McKale, aka Mello, am an uke... I am a firm believer in Uke!Mello... So why are both of my Mellos Seme!Mellos? It doesn't make sense! T^T Why does that keep happening? And my Gray thinks it's fucking hilarious... -_-
So... The first one to piece togheter the name of what Mello smells like is gets a preview... :) The first one to catch my Mortal Instruments reference also gets a preview. Same goes for the first one to get my Jeff Dunham reference. The Ally and AJ reference will also get you a preview. The South Park and The Shining parodies are included. You can only answer one. Can more than one person play the game this time? (Love you Rachie!)
I'll give out the answers in the next chapter's A/N.
I love all of my reviewers dearly, but this story has the same number of Reviews as my Fringe story Kryptonic Narcissim and that story only has 532 words. 0_0 So... Review please? *Bats eyelashes sweetly* You all get virtual paaaaddle balls, some of Mello's chocolate, and a hug from Matt...
Mello: Hey! Those are mine!
This A/N was all over the place. Sorry guys. :S
Much Love and Mello's Milk Chocolate,
Kale
