Chapt. 4
Mello blinked.
"Shopping?"
"Yeah," Matt replied, grinning at him.
The blonde didn't know what to say. Here the prince was, telling him that they were going shopping; it wasn't very often that happened to anybody. Plus, Mello hadn't shopped for himself in AGES, usually just for groceries or essentials, and even then it was hardly 'shopping'.
"Why?" He finally spoke again, confusion tainting his tone.
"Well..." Now it was the redhead that was out of words. He honestly didn't really know why, he just understood that he wanted to help the blonde. Maybe it was because after seeing his house; it wasn't a home; and half the clothes he'd stuffed into the dirtied, old overnight bag, he sort of pitied him (though he would never tell Mello that). Or maybe, probably, there was a slight possibility that he wanted to see him happy. Maybe. But he would never tell Mello that either. "Uhm, I just think you...deserve it?" Matt eventually answered after a while of flipping through his mental dictionary.
Mello was confused; he didn't know what he had done to deserve anything from the prince. He probably owed the prince much more anyway, after saving his life and treating him so kindly. But, not wanting to question the redhead, he kept his puzzlement quiet, choosing instead to just look out of the window at the passing scenery.
They drove through the city before nearing a big steel gate. The gate opened and they entered a driveway leading up to a grand building that towered above them. It seemed to be made entirely of glass and Mello stared in awe as the vehicle slowed to a stop in front of its double glass doors. The car door was opened by yet another sturdy suited man in sunglasses, who bowed before stepping aside and letting the prince and the blonde out.
"Thank you, Mogi. We'll be out, uh, in a while," Matt informed the driver, who nodded in response, before shutting the door behind them. He wasn't actually sure how long they would take, but it was a ballpark value of sorts.
Meanwhile, still staring at the building, Mello gasped in amazement. "Where are we?" He asked, never once turning his eyes away. He'd never seen a building (except the castle) that was so majestic and...extravagant before.
"The royal mall," the redhead answered , scratching his head and leading them in through the sliding clear doors where even more guards stood. "Members of the royal family shop here; no one else is allowed. Unless granted special permission of course. But I hardly visit it anyway," Matt explained but by then, the blonde was hardly listening. He was too busy letting his eyes roam the place. If he thought the exterior was interesting, the interior was a sight to behold. It was like paradise, a shopper's paradise, where boutiques and famous branded stores lined the aisle.
And that was only the first level.
"Oh my God..." he breathed, unable to shut his eyes even to blink in fear that it might all disappear like a dream. It certainly felt like one.
"Pick any shop you want, Mello."
He was right, it was a dream.
"Really?"
Matt nodded.
Mello stepped forward slowly, looking around. He wanted to go into every fucking store, but his eyes settled on one that caught his attention.
"Can we go into that one?" He pointed to the shop. "Your highness," he added.
The redhead looked up at the shop Mello pointed out and almost laughed, not surprised at all. He had somewhat expected it.
"Sure."
The two guards outside the store bowed as they stepped in and a woman in a very stylish suit, hair pushed back into a bun, stepped forward, greeting them both.
"Good afternoon, your highness. How may I help you?"
"Just looking around, thank you," Matt answered.
"Alright. Just call me if you require anything. I'll get both of you some tea," and without waiting for a reply, she stepped away, leaving the two boys alone.
"Ok, Mello," he turned to his servant who was looking at him expectantly. "Start shopping."
Upon hearing those words, the blonde turned to look around the store. The most stylist leather garments he'd ever seen hung on the shelves, way better than the leather outfit he had which, judging by the looks of it, was a lot cheaper than everything this shop had.
He cautiously picked up a pair of pants and glanced at the price tag, already half expecting the high figure, but disappointed nonetheless. "Your highness..." he sighed, "I can't afford any of this."
"Oh, don't worry about that," the redhead waved his hand. "You don't have to pay for it."
"What? I can't do that…" Mello knew he wasn't rich, and there was no way in hell he'd ever be able to pay for any of the gorgeous clothing, but he didn't want to take advantage of the prince's kindness just like that. The redhead had, after all, done more than enough for him.
"Mello, please. We own this place, you don't have to feel like you owe something."
"But—"
Matt shot him a gentle but firm look that made him shut his mouth again, cutting him off.
"Fine," Mello replied after a short while, admitting defeat and turning back to the pants. They felt like gold in his arm, they were sure to feel even better on his legs.
"Go try it on," Matt said, noticing the longing look the blonde had on.
Said blonde hesitated slightly before nodding and rushing into the fancy changing room excitedly.
The prince smiled, loving how child-like and happy Mello was just over a pair of pants, though he knew it was more than just that. Shaking his head, he got himself comfortable on the leather seats and took his handheld out of his back pocket, beginning to indulge himself in his favorite pass time. He vaguely registered the woman coming back with two warm cups of tea and it wasn't until he heard a small cough that he looked up, finally tearing his eyes away from the small screen.
It proved to be worth it, though, very worth it, when he saw the sight in front of him.
Mello wasn't sure why he thought it would be necessary to show the prince how he looked like in the pants, but he decided he should since the prince was 'paying' for it and he did have the right to see what the money was being spent on. So, with a deep breath, he walked out of the dressing room, only to find the redhead engrossed in some sort of video game or other. He coughed awkwardly to get his attention only to smirk internally when Matt actually did look up.
"How does it look?" He murmured, looking down at himself.
Right then, Matt, for the life of him, could not find the perfect word to describe how Mello looked in that instant without it sounding too inadequate or perverse. The blonde looked...simply amazing.
The pants, laced up with corset strings up the side which joined together and tied at the front, was lean and tight, but just right and hugged the blonde's long legs at all the right places. When Mello turned around to face the mirror in the fitting room to look at himself one more time, Matt almost choked on air staring at how great his...behind looked.
God, I'm a pervert, he thought regretfully to himself, but who could blame him? Mello seemed to be perfect in every, every, way. Even some of the guards outside were peering in through their sunglasses staring at him. Matt suddenly felt annoyed that he had to share the view.
"Wow, you look great!" The woman appeared suddenly, checking Mello out from all directions, making him turn this way and that. "I've never seen anyone pull off leather this well before," she commented, grinning. The blonde smiled back modestly. "You know, I know some other items that would look wonderful on you," she said excitedly, running off to rummage through the shelves of clothes before said blonde could reject.
"You really do look great," Matt finally opened his mouth and stopped staring so intently.
Mello's smile widened. "Thanks, your highness."
The woman returned in a flash and stuffed an armful of clothes into the servant's arms, ushering him into the fitting room again.
"Is this really ok?" He asked the prince nervously.
"Of course!" Matt replied almost too eagerly.
And so, the next hour was intoxicating. The blonde tried on every outfit, showing them off to the redhead who was thanking every God and Saint out there for the fashion show. His nose even ached from the several times he almost had a nose bleed. Not to say he didn't feel like a major pervert blatantly ogling at his new servant, but Mello didn't seem to mind, or was perhaps already used to lecherous stares. Plus, he was practically asking for it, seeing the way he flaunted his figure in those tight leather vests, gorgeous legs wrapped snugly in the pants, and not to mention his...
Ok, stop, Matt warned himself internally before his mind wandered any further into the 'forbidden zone'.
Mello loved the way the prince's eyes never left him; though he knew exactly why; but that wasn't the point. He's had many stares before, no doubt, but the way Matt did it was different. His eyes gleamed, but with less lust and more appreciation. It made the blonde feel…special.
Ugh, how stupid, he thought in revulsion, almost scoffing outright at it. Just because the prince treated him nicely, took him shopping, and liked looking at him meant nothing, nothing at all.
"Mello, are you okay?" Matt asked, noticing the look of disdain on the servant's face. He hoped Mello wasn't getting annoyed or uncomfortable with his creepy staring…
"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Mello mentally slapped himself before turning back around, walking into the dressing room. He had already finished trying on all the outfits; there were a ton, by the way; and was ready to take the current one off so they could get a move on. Perhaps the prince might get annoyed if he kept him in here too long. Stripping off the leather, he wore his previous sweat pants and baggy shirt back on before walking out of the room with all the leather clothing dangling off his arm. The redhead had a look of disappointment descend upon his face when he looked up and noticed that the blonde was dressed back in the plain clothes.
"You're done?"
"Yes."
"Alright then," he replied, standing up awkwardly. "I'll get the shopkeeper to wrap all that up then."
"What?" the blonde's eyes widened. "All of it?"
"Don't you want all of it? I think you looked great in them…"
"That's not it, your highness. It's…"
Matt didn't even need to hear the end of that sentence to figure out what the problem was. "Mello, I told you—"
The lady appeared out of the blue right then, glancing at the pile of clothes in Mello's arms. "Shall I wrap all that up for you, your highness?"
There was a small silence after that in which Matt just stared at his servant before the blonde murmured a soft reply. "Yes, please," he responded while handing the items over to the lady's awaiting arms.
"Alright," smiling brightly, she trotted off, leaving the two boys alone.
"…Thank you."
The prince grinned. "Don't mention it."
They headed to the counter by the front where the clothes were already nicely packed and waiting for them. Mello took the bag and smiled appreciatively at the woman who nodded in return, bowing as they left the shop.
"Ok," Matt spoke once they were out. "Pick another shop."
"Another shop?" the blonde halted in favor of staring at the redhead in disbelief.
"What's wrong? You don't want to shop anymore? We've only gone into one shop."
"It's not—ok, fine," he responded hesitantly. He knew if he denied it, the prince would just make him accept the offer anyway, being as kindhearted as he is. "What about that one?"
The redhead grinned, looking delighted yet somewhat surprised at the same time that Mello hadn't (for once) refused his gracious gesture. "U-uh, sure. Yeah. Let's go," he answered back, following his servant into the store.
By the end of their 'shopping spree', Mello's forearms were covered in bags; some filled with clothes, some with shoes. He couldn't believe he had bought so much stuff. And all for himself too. He even managed to get chocolate which he devoured after ages of not having the addiction. A simple 'thank you' wouldn't have be enough to show his gratitude towards the prince. Sadly though, that was really all he could give.
They exited the building where the limousine was parked by the side and driven up to the driveway once Mogi spotted them. Piling into the car, Mello placed the bags to one side and settled down, stretching his tired legs.
"Ah," Matt sighed. "That was fun."
"It was."
There was a silence. The blonde didn't know what else to say and it seemed Matt didn't either, but the silence wasn't awkward or deafening, it was comfortable.
They reached the west wing of the palace in a matter of minutes considering the short distance and a guard opened the door, carrying Mello's overnight bag and multiple shopping bags out of the car after they got out.
Mello walked alongside Matt to the front door where the guard standing outside pushed it open for them. But as soon as they stepped it, a high pitched squeal resounded through the room.
"Hiiiii, your highness, Mello, you're back!" Misa ran up to them, bowing to the prince with a big smile on her face. "Ooooh, what's with all the bags? Did you two go shopping?" She commented, eyeing the bags the guard behind them was carrying.
"Yeah," Matt replied, smiling back at her. Despite her loud and somewhat annoying nature, he could never get irritated or angry with Misa. He never saw her like a maid or his worker, but as a sister. "We just went to the Royal mall for a bit."
"Can I see? Can I see?" she skipped over to the guard and casually peered into one of the bags. "Kyaa~these are so cute! Is it for Mello? Mello's got such good taste, and a great figure! Mello MUST try these on to show Misa Misa!" She babbled on, not leaving any room for anyone to get a word in, but Mello didn't mind and just flashed a smile, nodding. He didn't know why the maid was treating him like a girl, but he guessed she was just excited to have a new member in the palace.
"Yes, yes, Misa, Mello'll be sure to do that," Matt waved her off.
"Hmm, your highness is so indifferent to these adorable clothes, probably because you already got to see Mello model them out for you!"
Hearing that, the redhead blushed, replaying the image of Mello in all those sleek, tight clothing in his mind. Then he noticed the huge beam the blonde girl had on her face. "N-No! That's not true," he argued hurriedly, though he didn't sound the least bit convincing.
"Aww, you're blushing, your highness! How cute!" Misa squealed, clapping her hands in delight.
Mello looked over to the prince and noticed that he was blushing, hard, and couldn't help but smirk a little. It was pretty cute, and he quite liked that he was the one who was causing it, as full of himself as that sounded, but anyone would be happy over that.
"Well, Misa Misa has to get to her work now so I'll leave you two alone for now," Misa said suddenly, winking at Mello before bowing again and running off, not even giving Matt a chance to come up with an excuse as to why he was blushing.
"G-geez, that girl," the redhead sighed, rubbing his heated face with his hand. "Don't listen to her, Mello," he added in a haste.
"Don't worry," the blonde grinned slightly. "I won't."
But they both knew that was a lie.
Matt let Mello go up to his room after that to get his things settled in first before lunch. The blonde happily packed all his clothes, old and new, into the huge wardrobe in his room (he noticed his bed was made; the maids must have done it while they were out) before going into the bathroom for a shower. The warm water felt like heaven for his tense muscles. He didn't want to get out even after his fingers were pruney but he figured he should as he really did not want to keep the prince waiting for lunch. Though he still found it weird that he was having meals with the prince when he was just a measly servant, he wasn't complaining.
Regretfully, he exited the tub and dried himself off, walking out naked to dig through his wardrobe excitedly. He picked out a new outfit before slipping it on. He loved the way it felt so clean and smooth on his skin. Plus, he looked good.
The knock on the door startled him.
"Mello, it's me." he recognised the prince's voice. "Are you done? Or I could wait if you're not...no hurry."
The blonde pulled the door open, revealing Matt at the doorway.
"Oh no, I'm ready."
"G-great," the redhead's eyes scan his body appreciatively before settling on his face again. "Let's go."
They got seated once they entered the dining hall, Watari coming in with their food soon after. He placed it down on the set table in front of them before stepping back, his hands clasped at his front.
He glanced at Mello before turning to Matt.
"Young prince, please be reminded that Mr Yagami will be coming in tomorrow"
"Yes, Watari I know."
The blonde cocked a brow. "Mr Yagami?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, yeah. Light's his name. He's my teacher."
Ah, Mello thought. That made sense. They couldn't possibly allow the prince to go to a regular school, obviously he had some kind of home(palace) school teacher.
"Oh."
"Yeah...hey, if you don't mind, would you like to join me for lessons? I mean, you'll have nothing else to do and..."
"I would love to," The blonde replied without another thought.
Matt smiled. "T-that's great. Alright. Yeah."
And without another word, they both began to eat.