Chapter 24:
People Don't Change
An hour and a half later, I was still sitting in the attic by myself. Either they were still talking or they knew I'd want to be alone for a while after they'd heard of Near's master plan. No matter what the situation, my phone was almost dead and I was getting bored. I glanced outside. At least the snow had finally stopped. Had it continued, we probably would've been snowed in for the night or something. Would that be so bad, though? Actually, yeah. It probably would be.
I snapped my head up from its resting position against the window when a knock came to the door. I sighed in thought. Knowing the way I am and how I acted before storming off, I could pretty much figure out who would be looking for me. Matt could possibly be the one climbing the stairs, given being back home has made me a little more sentimental. It could very well be Tease. She could level with me on the sympathy thing of the dangerous plan. It could also equally be Mello. He'd always find me when we were younger, so why wouldn't he come get me now?
I bit the inside of my cheek as Mello's blonde hair came into view. He paused when he saw me. Beside him two more heads popped up. Matt and Tease carefully eyed me over before the trio approached.
"Leave." I mumbled my command.
"No. Not until we talk about this as a group." Matt leaned against the window so I couldn't distract myself with the outdoors.
"What's the point? I already know you two agreed to it."
"And how do you know that, exactly?" Mello smirked, obviously trying to lift my mood. It failed miserably. I turned to him, glaring with a scowl.
"…Because I know you. And because I know how dedicated my brother is to you. He'd die for you if you asked. Oh, wait," I gave a sharp, spiteful chuckle before growling out, "you have."
If it hadn't been for my foul mood and the seriousness of what they wanted to talk about, I would've laughed at the looks on their faces. Yes, Mello and I have yelled at each other before, but never have I actually growled something out at him. All of three of them had comically wide eyes to show their shock. I stared down at the wooden floorboards while their shock settled and faded. Mello closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He waved his free hand at Matt and Tease, wanting them to leave. They did, of course.
He kneeled in front of me. "Envy, you know as well as we do that this plan…it has no flaws. It's the only way to-"
"Please, Mello, don't start that. It's not the only way. It can't be the only way to catch Kira." I crossed my arms like a stubborn child would.
"But it is. Whether you want to face it or not, Matt and I have to do this."
"Why? Why do you have to do it?" Crap. My voice cracked. The tears are building up.
"Because we're two of five working on this case. Near's too much of a coward, staying behind his damn computers and all, to do any part of his own plan, and you and Tease are girls." He brushed my bangs behind my ears. "None of us guys wanted either of you put in the danger."
I held his gaze. I couldn't detect anything tricky in his eyes. Yet, the anger and fear were building up in me. They were ready to burst from the seams. I closed my eyes as tears fell, exhaling from my nose. I opened my eyes again.
"I don't want either of you to do it. I can't…"
"You can't what? Tell me, Envy. Why can't we do it?" His eyes found mine, searching for something deep within. He had a look of almost…desperation. I sighed, shaking my head.
"I just can't lose you guys, alright? Let's leave it at that." I was void of any emotion in my voice by this point. He hung his head, standing straight. He offered a hand out to me.
"Will you at least come out of the attic?"
"Yeah…" I slid my hand into his, allowing him to lead me back downstairs to the living room. Roger was sitting in his chair, just like when I had left. On the couch Tease was curled up against Matt, eyes red and puffy. She's been crying. I shuffled to the love seat with Mello, curling up next to him while he threw his arm around the back. Silence lingered in the room, suffocating us all. Roger abruptly stood up.
"It's time for this old man to go to bed. Help yourselves to anything you'd like tonight. Goodnight." He nodded politely like the gentleman he's always been, leaving the room.
I shifted in my seat, placing my head on Mello's shoulder. His arm draped around me in response.
"Should we go back to Japan, then?" I quietly asked.
"Yes. We still have a while before the plan needs to take action, though. We can spend another day here." Mello answered as he played with my hair.
We all stopped talking after that. As the minutes ticked by, Tease slowly fell asleep against Matt. Matt eventually picked her up, taking her to bed. Mello and I stayed in the living room. I placed my hand on his leather jeans, the feeling of them calming me a fraction. He played with my hair while I drew designs with my finger on his knee. I don't know how long we stayed like that. All I was aware of was how sleepy I was getting. He must've sensed a change in my breathing when he spoke up.
"Are you getting tired?"
I nodded.
"Do you want to go to bed?"
I nodded. I felt his chest rumble as he chuckled at me. He firmly held my shoulder as he slid his other arm under my knees and lifted me up as he stood. The last thing I remember before drifting off was him climbing the stairs.
oOoOo!HeyLookALineBreak!oOoOo
"I love you…" I panted out again. I locked eyes with him. I pushed his bangs away from his sweaty forehead.
"I love you, too." He replied again, his breathing was just as heavy. He bent down, kissing my neck.
"I don't want to lose you." I moaned as he bit down and sucked the sweet spot on my neck.
"You won't…lose me. I'm about to…be yours…forever." He mumbled against my skin between each kiss to my neck. He raised his head, the love in his eyes overwhelming. "Are you ready?"
"I've been ready."
I felt my nails digging into Mello's back as he slowly thrust into me.
I woke with a jolt. My breathing was heavy, sweat was rolling down my temple, I felt an usual amount of heat…down there, and I felt dizzy. What in the hell possessed me to have a dream like that? I had never had any sort of sex dream before. When I finally do have one, it has to be about him while he's lying next to me. Oh shit. He's lying next to me! Please, please don't be awake!
I glanced at him. He was still dead to the world, sleeping peacefully. Thank goodness. I rested my head on the pillow again, focusing on evening my breathing. Seriously, though. What made me dream something like that?
You're about to lose him. It's me telling you to tell him about your feelings! The little voice in my head screamed at me. I got close to telling him in the attic today, but I chickened out. That annoying little voice is right. I have to tell him. I felt the odd heat in between my legs again. And tell him soon. I closed my eyes, turned my back to him, and forced myself back to sleep.
"En." A voice whispered to me.
I groaned in response.
"En, wake up." The voice was accompanied with a gentle shake.
"Don't wanna." I groaned, pulling the blankets over my head. I heard Mello laugh quietly. Before my tired mind could register what was happening, he was under the blanket with me. I peeked my eyes open at him as he hovered over me.
"What are you doing?" I groaned.
"Waking you. Come on, get up." There was excitement in his voice.
"What time is it? And why do you sound so excited?"
"It's eight. And that's a surprise. Just get up, Envy."
"Goodness gracious. I haven't seen you this excited since the last time L visited us and spoke directly to you." I smirked when his smile fell.
"I'm sorry my idol made me happy. Now. Get. Up." He placed a quick kiss on my cheek before finally getting off of me. He took the blankets with him so I'd definitely get up. He was right at the doorframe when I sat up.
"Coming back here has brought out your inner child, Mello!" I rubbed my eyes.
"My inner child never left. He's just been buried for a while." He smiled up at me, a twinkle in his eyes. "People never change, En. Even if they do, it's for a shitty reason and they'll be back to normal soon enough."
I smiled back at him. "You want me to go somewhere with you, right? Get out and let me change, then."
He smiled even more, dropping the blankets and leaving the room. I rolled my eyes happily, moving to the dresser. I grabbed a simple pair of jeans, boots, and a mossy green hoodie. I tossed my hair up in sloppy ponytail before leaving the room. I could care less about wearing make-up today. I had gotten half way down the hall when I ran into Mello. He looked me over quickly, taking my hand in his.
"You look beautiful today, En." His voice was filled with such sincerity. The butterflies in my stomach woke up.
"Thanks. Um, can I know where you want to take me yet?"
"Nope." He smirked. He pulled me past Matt and the others, telling them we'd be back later. They looked at me, questioning him. I could only shrug with a smile.
Outside, Mello's motorcycle was waiting. He put his helmet on me before tying his hair back. I giggled, playing with the small ponytail. He playfully glared at me, swiftly picking me up and placing me on the back of the two-wheeled beast. He climbed on in front, starting it up. He waited for me to grab hold of him to take off.
I watched as our surroundings zoomed past us. Partially melted snow was everywhere. Dark clouds still loomed in the sky, threatening to attack us with snow once more. I held myself closer to Mello as he continued to speed down the streets. Feeling his warmth brought memories of the dream that woke me last night. I blushed to myself, backing off a little.
We finally came to a stop outside of a pet shop. I began taking off the helmet while Mello turned off the motorcycle. He took the helmet from me, helping me off. I eyed him over curiously as he took my hand and led me inside the building.
I looked around, noticing the building was larger than it appeared. I was caught up in gazing at everything as I blindly followed Mello toward the back of the building. When I felt we had stopped, I look ahead. There was a huge display set up around several tanks containing turtles. A sign above them said "Brand New" in bright colors. I smiled, biting my lip, as I watched all of the little reptiles swim around.
"I talked to Matt about this. We both agreed that since you love animals so much, getting you a turtle wouldn't harm much of anything. They could stay with Roger when we go back to Japan, then you and Tease could come back and get them." Mello said from behind me. I turned to look at him. He still had the excited look of a little boy on his face.
"That's you were so excited when you woke me?"
"Yeah." He ducked his head. "I knew it would make you happy, and seeing you happy, um-"
I cut him off by pulling him into a tight hug. He responded immediately, his arms wrapping around my waist.
"You don't have to say it, Mel. I get it. Thank you." I whispered against his neck.
"Don't mention it. Let's get one of those people to get one of those things." He got himself out of my grasp. He flagged down one of the employees, getting them to help me. The guy looked up, showing a dazzling smile to us. His shook his shaggy, dark blonde hair from his eyes, walking over toward us.
"Hello, my name is Beck." The dirty blonde said, holding out a hand. I took it, smiling at his British accent. Mello placed his arm around my shoulder, standing straight.
"How may I help you two today?" His smile never fell.
"Could you fish out one of these cute little turtles for me, please?" I asked.
"Simply one?" He asked, reaching for a large net and a container to put one in. "These turtles can get rather lonely if they don't have a friend to keep them company."
"Oh..? What a pity." I pouted. My love for animals kicked in. I felt a stab of guilt for only getting one.
"Get a second one, then." Mello said, looking down at me. I bit my lip.
"Really? It's alright?"
"Yeah. I know how you get with animals." He looked up at Beck. "Get her a second one. Please." He added as an afterthought.
"Yes, sir." He smiled again. We watched as he added some water to the container. He looked around, seeing two off by themselves. He caught them in the same net with a victorious smile, gently placing them down in the container. He told me what they were called (Yellow Belly Sliders), how to care for them, what genders they were (a girl and a boy), how to much to feed them and how many times a day. He led us to another aisle, showing us the small tanks that would be perfect for the tiny creatures. Mello grabbed one of them for me, following behind as Beck led us to a checkout counter.
"Will that be all for you today, sir?, Ma'am?" He smiled at me as Mello got his wallet out.
"Yes, thank you." I smiled back. Such a gentleman. Mello paid him, picking up the tank and separate bag while I carried the turtles. I watched them as we left the store. I remembered how we got there.
"Wait, how are we going to get home?"
"We're actually not too far away. We can walk back. If you'd rather, I can call a cab."
"No, no. Walking is fine." I smiled up at him.
We walked at a casual pace, talking about the most random of things. Even when we got back, we kept up our random topics. We talked about Misa as we set up the tank. I actually kind of missed her. I was wondering how she was doing with Light, and if she knew about his relationship with Takada. She probably had a clue about it, but was turning a blind eye to the idea. She had a way with believing only what she wanted to.
"Does it matter? She'll go to jail as an accessory to murder, anyway." He shrugged.
"Jail bound or not, she doesn't deserved to be played. No one does." I placed one of the turtles in the tank.
"You have a point." He agreed, putting the other one in.
We leaned together, watching as the two creatures slowly poked their heads out of their shells, hesitantly moving around their new home.
"What will you name them?" Mello softly asked. I thought to myself for a moment.
"He will be Romeo." I pointed to the boy as he swam toward us.
"Let me guess. She'll be Juliet."
"No." I shook my head in disgust.
"Why not?"
"The story of Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. I don't want my turtles named after two hormonal teenagers whose 'love' killed six people in the end."
He laughed. "Alright, what will you name her, then?"
"Hmm…how about Cinderella? She had a happy ending, according to Disney."
"Romeo and Cinderella…sounds good enough." He smiled, turning to leave. I rushed ahead of him, blocking his exit. He gazed down at me, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Thank you. For today. It was very kind of you."
"No problem. May I go get my bike now?"
"After I do this." I leaned up, catching his cheek in swift kiss. I smiled at his flabbergasted look. Then, out of the blue, it was there. The familiar pull that forced us to kiss the last few time filled the air between us. He took a small step forward, catching my chin between his index and chin. His other hand planted itself by my head. As I was leaning up, he was bending down. Our lips were an inch away from each other.
"Oh!"
I yelped when the door was opened from behind me. I fell back onto the hard wood on my bum. Matt was over me, laughing so hard he was doubled over. Tease was the same way. Mello leaned against the doorframe, face in his hand. I glared at my brother and friend for not only ruining a moment with Mello, but making my ass hurt. Mello reached down to help me up. The second I was on my feet, he spun me against his chest, his hands on my shoulders.
"Are you guys done laughing yet?" I snapped. They slowly stood up, wiping their tears away. "What did you want?"
"To see your turtles." Tease slid past us, going to their tank. Matt followed her. I rolled my eyes with a loud sigh. Mello leaned down, whispering to me he'd be back later.
"I'm going to get the bike. I won't be long."
I followed him out into the hall. I shut the door softly, turning back to him with a smile.
"It was good to see you smiling today. I haven't seen you that excited in…well, years."
"Yeah, well…" He ran a hand through his hair, "you were happy about the turtles, and I like seeing you that way, so…"
"I know."
"…I'm going to get the bike. I'll be back in a few minutes." He grazed my cheek with his fingertips, heading toward the stairs.
"Okay. Wear your helmet this time!"
"We'll see." He waved his hand dismissively above his head as he went down the stairs.
I smiled to myself as I watched his vanish. He was right. People don't just change. Even if they do, it's not for too long of a time. He's living proof of that. I sighed again, going back to my room to talk with Tease and Matt for a while.
.::~Author's Note~::.
This chapter is kind of…random. I really didn't have anything planned for this chapter, so I put in random stuff. Hope it's not too bad.
I just simply want to thank three certain people in this Author's note. I give thanks to mysteri0s, Forever-Buckskin, and an anonymous reviewer who went by "Able to Relate" for encouraging me to continue this, and not care about others opinions. Reading those three reviews made me smile and realize that only my opinion of myself is the only one that matters. This story will not be put off. I will see it through 'til the end!
That being said, updates for this will be slower. I've gotten really into Hetalia and have begun writing one-shots and a small story for it. I still wish you all will follow this, though. Please, and thank you :]