You guys wanted longer chapters... well here you go. This chapter though... whyyyyyyyyyy. Ihatethischaptersomuch.
You get it early and superlong cause I'm going out of town this weekend. So enjoy.
Mello awoke slowly, emerging from sleep like a swimmer struggling up from the bottom of a deep pool. The cold water felt soothing against his skin and… wait, water?
Mello's eyes snapped open. He was now fully awake and very aware that he was lying flat on his back in an empty parking lot that was quickly becoming wet with rain. He sat up quickly, shaking little rivulets of water from his face. His hair was a sodden, heavy mess, stray blonde strands sticking to his forehead and cheeks. Beside him, Matt slumbered on peacefully, slack-jawed and snoring slightly, apparently undisturbed by the rain.
"Matt," Mello hissed, tapping the sleeping boy lightly on the forehead. "Matt," he repeated loudly, and tapped him harder. The redhead's only response was to shift slightly and grumble something unintelligible under his breath.
"Christ," Mello muttered to himself before leaning over and shouting into Matt's ear. "Matt!"
"Wha-," Matt sat up suddenly, smacking the top of his head directly into Mello's face.
"Fuck!" Mello cried, grabbing his nose. His face was already bruised from being punched by Matt earlier that week and the hit battered the already tender flesh. The sudden, sharp pain in his nose sent a slow, throbbing ache through his head, spreading across his cheekbones and branching out into his skull. A sluggish trickle of blood leaked out between his fingers, only to be washed away by the rain that was beginning to fall harder now.
"Ughh," Matt groaned, rubbing the top of his head through his nearly-soaked, red tresses, "that hurt."
"Oh," Mello said scathingly, narrowing his eyes at the other boy. "So sorryif my face got in the way of your thick skull."
"Eh." Matt stopped rubbing his head and waved his hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure it could have happened to anyone. Just be more careful next time." He grinned.
Mello glared. "You don't understand sarcasm, do you?"
"No, I do. I simply choose to ignore it."
"Well that's just great," Mello replied. "And are you choosing to ignore the fact that we fell asleep out here like dumbasses, and it's fucking raining, and they've probably already called in some fucking alert for us, and oh god…" In the space of a few seconds he switched from annoyance and anger to full-on panic. "I swear to god, if this affects rank… Christ, what if it does? Fuck." He had put too much work into this to see it all end now, because of some stupid thing like this. Surely, they wouldn't kick them out? Matt probably not, but what about Mello? He had caused more than his fair share of trouble at Wammy's- trouble that he was now regretting, even though he'd never admit it to anyone.
"Whoa," Matt reached out and put a hand on either of Mello's shoulders. "Calm down, Mello." He caught the blonde's eye and held it with a steady, serious gaze. "Roger's not gonna take you down in the ranks or kick you out. So we fell asleep and missed curfew? Big deal; it's not the end of the world. I've done loads of stuff worse than this before… then again, I've never gotten caught."
"Well none of this would have happened if you hadn't-," Mello accused.
"Oh, what?" Matt removed his hands from Mello's shoulders and folded them angrily across his chest. "You gonna get mad at me now? Well, isn't that a big fucking surprise." He rolled his eyes.
"No."
"Huh?" Matt looked just as surprised as Mello felt saying it.
"No," Mello repeated, taking a deep breath. "No… I'm not going to get mad at you. It's… not your fault, I know that." He took another calming breath, fighting back a deep-rooted instinct to fully bitch Matt out and blame him for this whole fiasco. But intellectually, he knew it was true. It wasn't completely Matt's fault.
"Oh, well that's…," Matt scrambled for words to cover up his shock. "That's good. Um..let's get going, yeah?" He stood quickly, stretching out his lanky body, and taking an appraising look around. Mello joined him quietly.
"What time do you think it is?"
Matt took another look at the sky and scrunched his eyebrows. "Well," he said pointing, "I'd say we slept for awhile."
Mello looked in the direction of Matt's finger and winced. The sky was starting to lighten at the horizon in that direction. Deep, midnight blue giving way to pale turquoise, shot through with pink, although the whole thing seemed darker with the rain. "Shit," he muttered, "we screwed up."
"Nah," Matt shrugged. "We just gotta find a way to get back. We'll be fine."
"How do you propose we get back then, since you've apparently got this all figured out," Mello asked. Hey, just because he restrained himself from getting mad at Matt didn't mean he couldn't still give him a hard time. He was still Mello, after all.
Matt took one last look around. "We walk."
Mello stared at him incredulously. "You want to walk all the way back to Wammy's? It's miles! Not to mention I'm not even sure where we are!"
"Well, it's pretty much our only option." Matt shrugged. "David's probably gone looking for us and there's no way the buses are running at this hour. We could wait until the stores start to open and call then?" he offered.
"No," Mello said firmly. "That'll take hours. I just want to get back as quickly as possible… Just in case."
Matt rolled his eyes again. "I still say you're overreacting, but it's cool. It's important to you." his expression hardened and for a moment his gaze seemed far away. "I get what it's like to have something important to you, and to feel like, no matter what, you can never get it. Sort of like life keeps getting in the way and fucking everything up."
Then the moment vanished and Matt seemed to snap back into the present. "So…walk?"
Mello nodded and wordlessly fell into step beside Matt. "You got any clue where we're going?"
"That way." Matt pointed ahead of them with confidence.
"Good," Mello said quickly. It irked him to have to put his trust in someone else, to follow someone else's lead. But the weird thing was, it didn't annoy him quite as much as it normally would. But that definitely, he told himself fiercely, had nothing to do with Matt.
The rain continued in a steady downpour as they walked without speaking. The cold drops felt good against Mello's swollen nose, but that was it as far as the plus side went.
With every step, his feet squelched in his water-logged sneakers. His wet t-shirt clung to him like a second skin, and his jeans were heavy as lead. After what felt like the millionth time, he gave up on pushing the soaked hair from his face and just let it hang there, tickling his forehead.
Matt, he noted with some irritation, seemed just fine with the situation. Even though his own clothes had to be as cumbersome as Mello's- possibly even more because of his jacket- and his red hair was clinging to his face, he looked… if not happy, than at least slightly amused.
Matt had led them out of the empty lot, past the strip mall with the coffee shop and toy store, and out onto the side of the main road. There were no cars and the storefronts were dark and closed. The sky was still lightening off in one direction, but the rain cast a gray, melancholy wash over the world. It was almost peaceful- if not for the riotous thoughts that tumbled through Mello's head. From 'What if this affects my rank?' to 'Damnit, does Matt have to stand so close' to 'I will never get these shoes dry again'.
They had only been walking on the side of the road for a scant ten minutes when the rumbling of a car engine broke through the sound of the hammering rain.
"Hey," Matt said excitedly, "maybe we can get a ride." He turned around as the car drove up behind them, its headlights casting their shadows starkly against the pavement.
"Forget it," Mello said, keeping his gaze straight ahead. "The only people who would give us a ride at this hour are pedophiles and rapists."
"Or police," Matt said grimly. Mello whipped his head to look as the car pulled up beside them and slowed. The headlights blinded him momentarily. As the flash faded from his eyes, he made out the outline of a police car. The driver's side door opened an officer leaned out, shielding his face from the falling rain with one hand. "Are you boys named Matt and Mello?"
"Yes," they answered at the same time; Matt, hopefully, Mello, reluctantly.
Mello groaned inwardly. Deep down he had been holding onto the hope that maybe- maybe- they could get away with just sneaking back into Wammy's with as few people noticing as possible. But it didn't seem like that was a possibility now.
The officer was older and his uniform pulled tightly over an expanding belly. His brown hair was buzzed short, but he had a kind eyes and a mouth that looked like he smiled often. He gestured with a quick jerk of his head. "Go ahead, get in the back boys. I'll get you home."
The man started up the car after speaking into his radio, calling off the apparent search for them. Mello's face burned with embarrassment and he slid down in the seat as far as the seatbelt would allow him, arms crossed tightly across his chest.
"See?" Matt leaned across the small space between them and poked him playfully in the side. "It all worked out, didn't it? You just gotta trust me."
Mello sighed and leaned his head against the window, watching the water collect into heavy beads and trail down the glass. "Shut up, Matt."
Matt frowned and sat up straight, staring ahead. Mello flinched; he hadn't meant it to come out that harshly. "Sorry," he muttered. "I just…need to think."
And it was true. There was a thought nagging at him. It had started off small and quiet, but as they walked it turned into a cacophonous riot in his head; one that was only getting worse the closer they got to Wammy's.
He was worried what kind of trouble they were in, yes; but that didn't even begin to scratch the surface. He had never given much thought to what would happen if he didn't succeed L, but now, the first time his secession felt truly in peril, it was all he could imagine.
His entire life, as far back as he could remember, was about the secession. Looking forward, he didn't see a future- he saw only two possibilities. Either he would become the next L… or he would be nothing.
Because when it came down to it, what did he have to offer the world besides a bad attitude and some well-placed sarcasm? Near was cold, and indifferent, but people would follow him. Xanthe could get by on her musical talents alone. Linda had her art. Matt… well, there was no way Roger allowed all those computers unless was damn good at what he did. All the kids at Wammy's were exceptional. They were all brilliant.
But what could Mello do if he couldn't become L? If he wasn't L's successor, than he was just another spoiled, narcissistic brat. If he wasn't L… what was he? He had never put in quite those terms before but everything- everything- was riding on that one simple decision. Him or Near. A future… or nothing.
Mello felt as though his insides had been replaced with ice and his head throbbed in time to the beat of his heart. He was barely aware of reaching Wammy's and being sheperded inside by one of the teachers. His head was still swimming with his realizations. Only when the teacher ordered them to Roger's office straight away, did Mello regain the present.
"Can we at least go change?" Matt was asking, wringing out the hem of his jacket. A small puddle formed on the floor, the drops making loud splashes, as if to prove his point.
"I think you've both caused enough trouble for one night. Might as well get it over with," the man answered. His voice was stern and his small eyes were hard behind his rectangular glasses. Mello couldn't place him- one of the mathematics teachers maybe? Not that it mattered.
"I don't see why we can't just-," Matt argued.
"Go. Now," he said firmly.
Matt grumbled loudly as he started down the hallway, leaving a trail of watery footprints. "This is totally child abuse, just so you know."
Mello caught sight of a clock as they passed the empty rec room. IT was nearing six thirty in the morning; the House was just beginning to wake for the day. Far off sounds of banging pots and pans could be heard from the kitchens and a few early risers wandered the halls- or perhaps the ones that hadn't slept at all.
Roger was waiting for them outside of his office. He looked older and more tired than Mello had ever seen him- but perhaps it was a trick of the light because as they approached he seemed to straighten up and take on the familiar mantle of authority.
"Mello. Matt." His voice was firm but not angry. "You," he pointed at Matt. "In my office. You," Mello this time. "Wait out here."
Matt gave Mello a cheerful thumbs-up as he followed Roger into his office. Mello couldn't find it in himself to respond. As the door clicked shut behind them, Mello put his back against the wall next to the door, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. Even though the House was warm, his damp clothes still chilled him, and a steady pattering of water dripped from his hair onto the polished wooden floor. He was just wishing he had some dry clothes or at least a jacket when he heard Matt's voice raised from the inside Roger's office.
He scrambled to get closer, pressing his ear against the door. It was heavy and old; not very condusive to eavesdropping. Mello strauggled to make out what they were saying.
"…I didn't mean… just feel bad about all this… it's not…" Matt's voice; he sounded apologetic.
Whatever Roger replied, Mello couldn't hear. The older man's voice was deep and difficult to detect. "…have you leave this institution…" he finally heard.
Mello felt his blood run cold. Matt was wrong, and he had been right; it sounded like Roger was considering expulsion. He pressed his ear more firmly to the door, desperate for any bit of dialogue.
Another snippet of Roger's voice, "…sure you…reconsider?"
"No." Matt's voice was firm and loud on the reply. Mello concentrated, all his focus turned towards the door.
"Eavesdropping, Mello?" A feminine voice with an upwards lilt broke through his concentration. He turned in anger towards its source.
"What the hell do you want, Linda?"
The girl pressed a sketch book to her lips to stifle a laugh. She was tall- taller than even Matt- and had shoulder-length brown hair cut into messy layers. "Well I was getting up early to work on a project for art class, but then I overheard some of the teachers talking, and I had to come down and see for myself. Getting into some trouble, are we?"
"Overheard? Yeah, right," Mello snorted. "You've always been such a fucking snoop, Linda."
"So where were you guys?" Linda asked, a glint in her eye. "Or more importantly, how much trouble to you think you're in?"
"Hey Linda, here's an idea." Mello stood. "Why don't you come over here, and choke on my-"
"Mello!"
Roger's office door was open; the older man was escorting Matt out. "Get in my office, Mello," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose and squinting. "Linda, just go somewhere else."
Linda nodded to Roger, and gave a sly raise of the eyebrows to Mello as she ran off. He frowned; she had always annoyed him. Matt slid past him, not meeting his eyes. Whatever Roger had said to him, must have been bad.
Roger gestured to Mello to enter his office, and he did. Mello swallowed nervously as Roger seated himself carefully behind his desk and gestured to the empty chair in front of it.
"Sit down Mello. We need to have a talk."
What's going on? What were Roger and Matt talking about? Why is Linda such an ass? And most importantly... does anyone even care? Hahaha Let me know in a review. =]
