The laughs and tears of joy were just a picture that Mello left behind when he left the orphanage. The last kiss he'd planted on Matt- he'd forgotten that too. Mello was eighteen, barely a child, but inside he was the six-year old he remembered himself to be. The night he'd woken up screaming, almost afraid of himself, Matt had been there. Deep inside him, that six-year old wanted to cry out to Matt, but the disturbed eighteen-year old overpowered the child and stayed silent. The child burned Mello's skin, but it never spoke. Had he given himself time to think, Mello would have stayed at Wammy's house.
I'm almost fifteen, Roger. I doubt any of you would miss me anyway. I'll be fine on my own.
Mello had been wrong, standing in Roger's office that night. Because smoking with his back against a tree was Matt, and he watched his best friend leave. He didn't cry, but that was just something Matt never did. What he did do, without warning, was let his addictions take over him entirely. He was beginning to use his lighter more often to light yet another one of his cigarettes. He was almost sure he was becoming fond of tasting smoke. Roger had realized that Matt had begun smoking by now, but he was far too late to stop Matt. He only requested that Matt didn't share his cigarettes with others or smoke in front of the children. To be able to agree to that, Matt had to stay outside each day, usually staying behind the bushes until night.
Mello, halfway on the other side of the world, wasn't such a depressive being. He may have been, but he didn't show it on the outside. Mello had, in the rage of the Kira case, joined the Mafia. He was determined to find Kira before Near and he was willing to kill anyone in his way. Other than that, he was up for anything and was quick to agree. He was often quiet nowadays, which was to be expected. It could have been that Matt took all the words from him, but he just didn't know.
The Mafia seemed like a lot safer of a habitat to Mello, though in reality, that wasn't the case. Light Yagami—Kira, was on his tail. All the remaining members of the Mafia had been killed, and Mello only survived because he was without name or face to the public. Without all that pressure, his life would continue being the competition it once was.
After the death of the Mafia members, included frontman of the group, Mello had burned down the Mafia hideout. With burning the building, he also damaged himself also, both inside and out. Most of the visible pain was shown in the form of a burn, running from the left side of his face and onto his shoulder. It was intensely painful, but much worse pain was swarming inside him.
He wasn't sure how he went to sleep at night. Most of his dreams became nightmares, but this once he allowed himself to let everything go.
-
"Mello."
That name was his own, but the voice was what finally sent him into sleep.
It was the night he'd left Wammy's, three and a half years ago. His eyes were focused on nothing in particular and his arms lay over Matt's shoulders. They looked almost like lovers, so close and intimate. It was almost cute how Matt blushed when Mello did such things, though he continued to play his DS. Mello grabbed it from him for a quick kiss which Matt agreed to without a fight. It was strange how Mello had become Matt's addiction. He was worth more than the games Matt played, or the cigarettes he'd smoked. Mello was Matt's everything, as unbelievable as that sounds. Had Mello stayed with Matt…he'd get to relive that moment over and over. He would go to the fires of Hell and back just to hear Matt say "I Love You" one last time.
As much as he would have loved his dream to last, he woke in tears. Some things just never lasted in the world, but Mello was reluctant to let this one go. He would contact Matt. Somehow. Whatever way it took.
-
"Good evening, Matt," Roger said, intruding on Matt.
Matt glanced at Roger for a quick second before returning it to his laptop. He smiled a bit, just enough for Roger to see.
"You have a message," Roger continued, "It's-."
"Roger. I'm…kinda busy, can you, uh, come by later?" Matt murmured, not looking up from his laptop.
"It's Mello."
That caught Matt's attention completely. "M-Mello?"
Roger nodded and handed the phone to Matt. Matt took it and eagerly said Mello's name.
