"Matt." An irritated groan was heard. "Matt get your lazy ass out of bed. You need to come downstairs with me." Matt mumbled into the pillow so Mello walked over, snatched it out of his hands, and hit him square in the face. "Now."

Matt complied, moving more like a zombie than a human but Mello was just glad he was moving at all. The blonde threw on his leather pants and matching vest and grabbed a piece of chocolate to snack on as they eventually made their way out the door. Mello talked at Matt the whole way down about how weird Roger had been acting and Matt occasionally would offer up a "sure" or "how weird". Truly not caring about the emotional health of the grumpy old man. They came up to the door and knocked, surprised that it was actually locked. Roger opened the door with a frown and motioned for Mello to come inside. Matt plopped down outside with his newest game and mashed away at the buttons for about a minute before hearing the blonde start shouting.

"No! No! Hell fucking no! No!" Matt paused his game curiously and pressed his ear to the door. He could hear Roger telling Mello to calm down and stop his cussing but to no avail.

"Miheal… You have been here long enough." A soft woman's voice just barely made it through the crack in the door.

"No way! You can't fucking do this to me! Roger! Say something you bastard!" Even from outside Matt could hear the sharp smack as clear as if it had happened to him. He stood up and knocked on the door.

"What? Don't like me fucking cussing? I'm fine Matt…" The first part was said rather harshly while his comment to Matt was casual. Matt heard another smack and a loud thud.

"Damn it! Roger open the damn door!" Matt yelled desperately trying to figure out what was happening on the other side of the cherry wood double doors. "Mello!"

"Matt I said I'm fine." Mello's voice was much softer this time however brave he was trying to be.

"Roger!" Matt was pounding on the door, knowing full well when his best friend was lying.

"Sir, Madam, excuse me for a moment. Mello would you please either let Matt in or tell him to quiet down." Footsteps were heard padding over to the door until Mello opened it with his head down.

"Matt… you can't keep making noise." Matt forced the blonde's chin up and saw the red print across his cheek. "Matt I'm fine. You know I have been through worse. Now please be quiet okay?" Mello was pleading and Matt was trying to fight his instincts to kill whoever had touched his friend.

"Miheal!" Mello jumped about a foot in the air and grabbed Matt's hand. Matt finally realized what was happening but found himself frozen to the spot as he stared at a tall, muscular man with eyes as hard as steel. "Is this why you have become so disrespectful? This redhead has influenced you?" Mello squeezed his hand and Matt gave a small squeeze back.

"No! Well, yes he has… but not like that!"

The door opened wider and Matt found himself looking at a woman with long blonde hair down her back. Her blue eyes were calm and much deeper than Mello's but they shared many similar features. "Miheal…" Her voice was soft yet surprisingly not timid which was the opposite of Mello's typically commanding tone. "God can only forgive so much."

"I know."

"I think your father should start taking you out with the boys again." Mello shook his head viciously.

"No way! I'm doing well here, I'm second in the school and in the most advanced classes. Roger can validate that." Mello argued as passionate as ever, even with the red mark still visible on his cheek. Roger tried to step in but was cut off before he even got the chance to speak.

"No I think your mother is right. A few nights with the guys should change your attitude."

"Dad!" Matt actually felt the tug when Mello was backhanded and knelt down beside him.

"Miheal! Manners!"

Mello was fighting back stinging tears and kept his head down. "Я сожалею, мастер." The blonde boy couldn't even bare to look at his friend feeling so ashamed. He squeezed his eyes tighter as someone's hand lightly touched his back and he quickly recognized it as Matt's. "Matt… I have to leave and go back to Russia." Matt turned to Roger who nodded solemnly.

"He still belongs to his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Keehl would you excuse us for a moment?" Roger asked politely. The two left without a word and Mello turned and wrapped himself around Matt, clinging for dear life as the tears flowed down his cheeks.

"But they just hit him! You just saw it."

"Matt if we kept Mello here it would be kidnapping which is a much larger charge. Finding Mello was as challenging as raising him and we had no proof of his home situation. Mello was here based solely on a deal made with his parents. Not that L and I weren't hoping they would forget until he turned eighteen." Roger sighed and Matt held him tighter.

"Then I am going with him!"

"No!" Both Mello and Roger shut down him instantaneously. Matt looked at Mello feeling hurt.

"You don't want me with you?"

"Matt I can't put you through that. I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Mello's tough façade was cracked and Matt could see the sincerity in his blue eyes.

"So there is nothing I can do? I just have to sit back and watch you leave, knowing I will never get to see you again? Bullshit." Matt huffed hating the position he was stuck in. "Roger isn't there any other solution?" Matt growled when the old man softly shook his head and snatched the blonde in his arms. "You'd better write to me every day. And call. And video call or whatever they have like that in Russia."

Mello laughed and kissed his cheek. "I will do my best. Keep an eye out for me alright?" Mello whispered softly so only Matt could hear. "The streets are always dangerous at night." He pulled away and looked the redhead in the eye as it clicked in the hacker's head. They hugged tightly and only separated when Mello's father walked back into the room. The tall man glared between the two boys, unsettled by the fire in his son's eyes while the redhead was suppressing a smirk.

"Miheal. Time to go." Mello took a deep breath staring him in the eye for a moment, challenging him.

"I understand." Mello nodded and everyone in the room could feel the tense rebellion as Mello grabbed Matt's wrist and crashed their lips together for the first time. It started off somewhat sweet but deepened quickly as they fought for dominance. Matt ran his hand up into Mello's hair and Mello lost the battle distracted by the pleasurable feeling it caused. Matt hoped that the kiss wasn't strictly an attempt to act out, that it meant more to the blonde. Mello's look as they broke for air confirmed his theory until the blonde turned to stare at his fuming father. "Yeah, we can go now." Mello's newfound sense of hope and his faith in Matt gave him a cockiness that Matt loved and Roger despised being on the receiving end of. But even Roger found a sense of pride at the sight of the young boy's foolish defiance.

"Out. Now." The large man literally growled and Mello stood his ground for a moment longer before heading out the grand double doors.

"Bye Mattie. Keep a stash for me okay?" He genuinely smiled and blew him a kiss as before he left his sight.

"See you later Mels. I'll make sure to give them all to Near." Matt laughed as Mello's pale hand appeared just to flip him off before disappearing again. Matt and Roger stared after him for a long while until Roger broke the silence by sitting down and straightening his papers. "He is in serious trouble, isn't he?"

"Yes Mail. Yes he is."


New charas! You can all hate me now, but the story isn't over yet!