"Well, someone's happy today," Mello said as I walked up to him just after the lunch bell rang. "You didn't sneak out and get high or something, did you?"

"Not unless high on life and happiness is an option, no," I answered.

"You're grinning like a fucking Cheshire Cat, though. What's got you so pleased?"

"Maybe the fact that history papers are due tomorrow," I replied.

"How's that something to be happy about?" the blond asked, worriedly. "You're only halfway done!"

"I know. But Henderson is allowing me to turn it in on Friday; everyone else has to turn their papers in tomorrow."

"How'd you manage to get on his good side?" Mello chuckled as we walked out to our usual table under the oak tree.

"That's where this gets so marvelous, Mel. I'm on Henderson's good side coz I'm the only one that's even started on the paper. I.e, he's pissed at the entire class for sitting on their lazy asses doing nothing."

"This has got to be the start of the best week of your life, huh?" he laughed.

"Yep. All's well now. But fuck, I need a smoke."

Mello rolled his eyes. "C'mon wouldn't that just ruin your good mood?"

"Not really," I said. "It would probably make it even better. Coz I have to deal with idiots in my next class."

"Oh, fine," the blond sighed. "I take it we'll be going on the roof again?"

"Yep."

OoOo

We made our way to the roof of the school building and sat down on the edge, letting our feet dangle over the side.

I pulled out my pack of cigarettes, shook one out, lit it, and put it between my lips taking a long drag off of it before I sighed.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Mello sighed. He lay his head on my shoulder. "Can I talk to you about something though?"

"Mel, you know you can talk to me about anything," I said. I didn't question why his head was on my shoulder; we'd figured out the hard way that asking to do certain things, or asking why they were done, only made them extremely awkward. So long as we didn't say a word, we were perfectly comfortable.

"Well, I didn't get any sleep last night for one," he explained, yawning widely.

"What happened?"

"Dad was bitching again. Wanting to know why I just up and left Saturday night. I told him I'd left so that I didn't do something I regretted and he flung his Bible at me. Stupid hardback piece of shit hit me in the stomach; it's bruising now."

I sighed. "Mel, why are you putting up with him? If he's abusing you or your mom, you two need to get out of there. It's not safe. Why not get B to help?"

"Matt, I'm not getting B to help me."

"Why not?" I countered. "He would help."

Mello pulled away angrily. "Matt, if I wanted Beyond's fucking help do you really think I would have asked you? I don't want his help. I don't want him around me. He acts like my damn mother sometimes."

"Mello, before this conversation goes any further, what exactly is Beyond Birthday to you? Because he told me he thinks of you as his friend."

"The fuck? Where's this coming from? And when the hell did you even talk to him?" the blond snapped.

"He texted me yesterday," I explained. "And he said that he's considered you to be his friend for a very long time, but you never saw it that way. I'm just not sure exactly what to believe here; you told me I was your first friend..."

"Oh my God," he breathed. "Oh my God. Do you really think I would LIE to you? Honestly? Is that really how little you think of me?" He sounded so...hurt.

I swallowed hard, closing my eyes. "I'm sorry, okay? Please don't be mad. I've just never really been good at trusting people, and-Gah!"

He wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me so hard I let out a squeak. "No, I...I'm not mad, okay?" he mumbled. "I just...I don't know. I've never really been good at trusting people either."

"Okay," I sighed. As long as he wasn't mad, I could live with it; for now at least. "But can you let go of me? It's kinda hard to breath."

"Oh! Yeah, sure."

"Thanks," I said. I took another drag off of my cigarette. "I would offer to let you stay with me but..."

"It's okay, really," Mello said. "I just wish there was a way I could talk to you whenever I was feeling lonely coz it sucks feeling like that at 3 am..."

"There may be a way I can fix that though," I said thoughtfully.

"Hmm? How so?" he replied, settling down on his side with his head in my lap.

"I might be able to get you a cellphone. If I can put a second phone on my bill, you would have a way to contact me whenever you needed to."

He smiled. "You'd really do that for me?"

"Of course I would, stupid. You're my best friend." I smiled softly. "I just wish I could do more."

"Oh, Matt. Now who's being stupid?" the blond laughed. "You're doing more than enough by just being my friend."

OoOo

That afternoon, I went to the store I got my phone from. The girl standing at the customer service counter looked so bored, I almost felt sorry for her.

"What can I do for you?" she sighed.

"I was hoping I could possibly get another phone on my plan," I said.

"Oh. Okay. Well, that will add the original price of the phone as well as twenty extra dollars every month for the second phone."

I shrugged. "Alright. I need to pay my bill today anyway, so can I just pay for all of that now?"

"Whatever."

I nodded and glanced over the selection. Mello needed something extremely basic, otherwise he'd probably get frustrated with it and smash it to bits. I chuckled to myself as I picked out a flip phone like mine. I'd have to teach him how to text. Oh, that would be a fun day for sure.

"Will this be all, sir?"

I nodded.

"That will be $167.59."

I handed over two hundred dollars and said, "Just keep the change," before I left.

The faster I taught Mello how to use this thing the better.

OoOo

I waited until the next afternoon to give the phone to him. "You'll want to let it charge about 14 hours before you actually start using it, alright?" I said.

Mello nodded. "So, I can call you whenever?"

"Duh. It's not like you'd be disturbing my parents, either. But, text might be easier. Especially during like school hours, or when I'm working," I explained.

"I don't know how to text," he protested though.

"I'm aware, Mel, that's why I'm gonna teach you. It might take a while, but I'm gonna teach you."

"Great. Thanks, Mattie," the blond replied, smiling.

"Don't mention it. Just don't tell your parents about it. This is our way of communication, okay?" I said.

Mello nodded. "Right. They'd probably just confiscate it anyway. Mind if I come over today?"

I shrugged. "I don't see why not. I don't have to work until tomorrow again, considering how long my shift was Sunday night." I handed him my phone. "Just make sure it's alright with your parents, of course."

"Right." He took my phone and walked a few feet away to make the call. A few seconds later he came back. "Mom says it's fine. I just have to be home by eight."

"Alright, let's go then."

OoOo

We came into my house to find it entirely empty, except for Winchester sitting patiently by the door, waiting as usual.

"Odd..." I said aloud.

"What?"

"They're not here. I haven't seen them since yesterday afternoon."

"Don't they randomly disappear for extended amounts of time though?" Mello said. "What's the longest they've ever consecutively been gone?"

"About a week and a half. And the only reason they weren't gone longer is because the police called me and asked me to come get them. I was never told what they'd done, nor do I ever want to know," I replied. "I'm not worried. Really, I don't care at all. If they never come back I'll be just fine."

"You're lying, and you know it," he said quietly.

That was all he would ever say on the matter. And, as much as I hated to admit it, he truly was right. I was lying when I said I didn't care. They were my parents, after all. The man and woman that not only brought me into this world, but also raised me for ten years of my life. I couldn't help but love them and care about them, even if they annoyed me...

Winchester nosed my leg gently.

"Hey, boy. You miss us?"

"And you call me crazy," Mello chuckled. "Of course he missed us. We're probably the only ones that even pay attention to him."

"We are the only ones, Mel. That's the horrible thing. Which is why he's so very protective of me; and you. He's smart; he's knows you're special to me. So, coz I'm special to him, you're also special to him. Make sense?"

"In a very weird way, yes," the blond said. "That makes perfect sense." He smiled. "We need to get to work, though."

I nodded. "I can make us a snack, if you like," I said.

"That sounds nice; what do you have?"

"Hmm, we could have some pizza rolls. Or, chicken nuggets. Those are quick and easy to fix," I answered.

"How about both?" Mello asked. "If it's not too much trouble, of course."

I laughed. "Mello, nothing is too much trouble when it comes to you, you know."

"Whatever," he shot back, and I could tell he was getting just the tiniest bit embarrassed. "I'll be in your room with Winchester, okay?"

"Right."

OoOo

Fifteen minutes later, I carried the two bowls, one full of pizza rolls and one full of chicken nuggets, into my room. I set them down on the floor by Mello, where he had some of his papers spread out around him.

"We can work on the site from your laptop, right?" he asked as he took a pizza roll from the bowl.

"Of course," I replied. "What do you want to drink? Tea?"

"Yeah, that'll be fine," he mumbled distractedly as he nibbled on the pizza roll. "Thanks, Matt."

"Don't mention it."

He was really stressing about that project. Not that he didn't stress about being the top in his other classes, but this was on a different level entirely. He was too worried that he was going to fail it, despite my help. There was really only so much that I could guide him with, though. I couldn't do the project for him.

I sighed. Oh well. I'd just have to help him as much as I could. I brought two glasses of tea back, one for him and one for myself. "Back," I said quietly.

"Wha? Oh, hey," he mumbled in response before going back to his notes.

I sighed and sat down beside him, pulling my laptop towards me and bringing up his in-progress website. "Give me the notes you have so far and focus on writing, okay?"

"Okay," he sighed, passing the papers to me.

Winchester whined suddenly.

"Mel, are you okay?" I said. He did look kind of pale.

"I'm just tired and stressed is all, Matt."

"Don't pull that shit with me. You of all people should know that I know how thin the line between just 'tired and stressed' and 'ill' is. Do you have a fever?" I ignored his protests as I pushed his bangs to the side and pressed the back of my hand to his forehead. "Well, you don't feel hot," I mumbled, feeling his cheek as well.

"I told you I'm fine," he grumbled.

"Like hell you are," I said.

He sent me a weak glare. "I'm fine," he insisted. "I have less than three days to finish this project. That's the only problem."

"Fine. But you better not be getting sick on me, idiot," I said, giving in. "Take a fucking nap though. Your paper's already three quarters of the way done, and the site's halfway complete. You can afford to take a break for a little while, you know."

"I- Fine, but I'm using you as my pillow," he grumbled, laying his head down in my lap.

"Right. And while you're resting, I'll work on my essays," I replied.

"Sounds good to me," he mumbled, already sounding sleepy.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as he shifted just a little to get comfortable. Maybe one of these days he'd learn not to push himself so damn hard. Until then, someone had to keep him from killing himself. But I'd be a hypocrite if I denied being the same way.

OoOo

I stifled a yawn as I glanced at my alarm clock. 6:40. Wonderful. Well, at the very least, my German essay was done. Only French and History left. I glanced down at Mello.

He was still sound asleep, curled up on his side with his head still resting on my lap. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep though. Like he didn't have a care in the world.

I wished I could make that possible. He put too much stress on himself, but his bastard of a dad really wasn't helping that either. Some people just couldn't be good with the techie things. Mello, sadly, just happened to be one of those people. He worked his ass off just to send a proper email, or type something in Word. HTML was almost entirely beyond him. Negron's class was only a semester long though; I had a bad feeling that Mello was already too far gone to save his grade in that class, even with my help.

I heard Mello yawn and then he sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "What time is it, Mattie?" he mumbled.

"About twenty till seven," I answered, grabbing a chicken nugget and popping it into my mouth.

"Oh." He took a few pizza rolls and re-situated himself against Winchester's side. "How are you coming?" he asked quietly after a few minutes, silently nibbling on the pizza roll. His eating habits were honestly starting to worry me.

"Well, I have my German essay done, and I'm working on my French one now," I replied.

"That's...good," he said, pausing midway through his sentence. The hell? He usually talked so fast that sometimes I had trouble properly understanding. Something was definitely up. Though, for now, he was more than likely right. It was probably just exhaustion making him act weird.

"Yep." I continued writing. One more page and I would hit the maximum Madam Amadieu had assigned. Then that just left Henderson's essay. Luckily, none of the teachers thought it necessary to give us extra homework when they'd already assigned essays. I continued writing in silence until Mello spoke again.

"Mattie? Do you think I'm stupid?"

I looked up at him in shock. He was the second smartest kid in our school and he was asking me if I thought he was stupid. I shook my head and went back to my essay. "No. Of course you're not stupid, Mels. Why would you ever think that?"

"...My dad thinks I am..."

"Well, your dad's wrong. You're not stupid; you're quite the opposite. You're one of the most intelligent people I've ever met in my life," I said. I'd kill that bastard one of these days; if he only knew what he put his own son through...

"But Dad says I'm stupid if I can't pass a basic class like Computer Programming," he protested dejectedly.

"Then your dad's a fucking idiot," I said fiercely. "Not everyone's good with computers, but just because you're not doesn't make you stupid. You're the second smartest kid in school."

"Yeah. Second smartest," he mumbled, putting a heavy emphasis on the word 'second'.

I stopped writing. Well, shit. The boy had a fucking inferiority complex. "Mello," I began slowly, trying to pick out my words carefully so that I could make him understand.

"You don't get it!" he cried. "If I'm not the smartest, I'm just a fucking idiot. If that's one thing Dad's taught me, it's that. If you're not first, you're last. If you're not the smartest, you're an idiot."

I snatched the front of his shirt and pulled him face to face with me. "Listen to me, dammit!" I said. "You are NOT an idiot; you're not stupid; and most importantly, you're not a fucking failure, alright?"

He opened his mouth to protest.

"I don't give a fuck what your dad says. You're not any of that. You're one of the smartest people I know, and you're a great person to be around. And don't you EVER let anyone tell you any different," I said firmly.

"Mattie, I..."

Before I knew it, he'd buried his face into my shirt, sobbing hard.

"Oh, jeez..." I sighed. He really was an emotional wreck, wasn't he. "Don't cry, Mel..."

"What the fuck am I supposed to then?" he snapped, pulling back and trying to dry his eyes. "Just keep it all bottled up until I can't take it anymore and..."

"Shh, that's not what I meant," I murmured gently, taking his hand in mine and pulling it away from his face, lightly brushing his tears away with my sleeve. "I just hate to see you cry over something so trivial."

"It's not-"

I put my finger over his lips gently. "Shh. I know, alright? Just don't beat yourself up about it, okay? You're wonderful just as you are. You don't need to change for anyone," I said. I took my finger away. "Please cheer up."

Mello nodded, swallowing hard. "I-I'll try," he mumbled. "But I wouldn't be able to if it wasn't for you. So, thank you, Matt. You're a good friend." He smiled. "The best."

"I'm not that good."

"Yeah. You are. If I'm not allowed to think poorly of myself then neither are you, silly," the blond insisted, poking my chest playfully. "It's only fair."

"You're right," I said, smiling as well. "It is only fair. Oof!"

He tackled me in a tight hug, burying his face against my shoulder.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around him tightly. Some things would never change. Not that I would ever want them to. I didn't care if people thought we were weird being so close, at least, not anymore. Besides, this side of Mello only came out when we were alone and I treasured the moments like that when he would just let everything out and bare his heart to me. It was something he'd never allowed anyone before me, nor would he probably never allow anyone after. And honestly? I fucking loved that.