Vacation

Mello sighed, looking out the open window at the other kids who were all playing outside. That is, all except for him and Matt – and Near was probably wandering around somewhere or another, but Mello didn't particularly care to know where.

It was the first day of July, and therefore, the first day of the two-week vacation that the orphans were allowed. Unlike the rest of the kids in the world, the geniuses here supposedly didn't need to have that much time off. But for once, Mello decided to enjoy the time he was given, rather than complain about it.

With the window open, a book in his hands, and Matt leaning comfortably against Mello's knees, he was content.

Beach

Matt couldn't remember the last time he'd been to a beach. In fact, he couldn't remember if he'd ever been to a beach, but if he had, it certainly hadn't been within the past five years or so. And it was no wonder why. As soon as he stepped onto the L.A. sand and looked out at the ocean, he turned around and went back to his car. The color of the Pacific Ocean was too familiar, as was the color of the sun on the sand. But the worst part was the tide, and how the temperamental sea drew in close, only to pull away again in the end.

Fireworks

It was the fourth of July, which seemed to mean something here in L.A. Oh, Mello knew it was a holiday for Americans, he just didn't understand why most people seemed to cite the date rather than the actual name for the holiday. In any case, he and Matt had been hearing about it all day and had managed to pick up on the fact that there would be a fireworks display that would, conveniently enough, be viewable from the little balcony off the side of their apartment.

Mello had cursed the person who'd told them this because, of course, Matt would want to watch (he was like an excitable puppy in that way) and Mello really couldn't get much work done without Matt's help with the computer (it wasn't his area, okay?). That was why, come sundown, he was sitting outside waiting for the alleged fireworks.

Eventually, though, Mello got bored. Tired of waiting, he decided to amuse himself with the only thing close enough to use: Matt. By the time the fireworks started, they were too busy celebrating everything but independence to notice.

Bike

When Mello was a kid, he used to like to ride his bike around the orphanage, with Matt clinging on behind him. It was a motorcycle now but, well…some things never change.

Picnic

Mello didn't know whose idea it had been to take all of the kids in the orphanage for a picnic. Certainly it wasn't Roger's. There was no way Roger wanted to do this anymore than Near did – and that was saying something, for surely Near was having a positively miserable time sitting by himself without his toys, trying to find a tree to sit under in order to escape the sun. Mello chuckled cheerfully, lying down on the blanket that he was sharing with Matt.

Matt, who was lying on his stomach, fingers tapping away at the buttons on his DS, allowed himself a private, victorious smile. He'd thought that Mello might like to see Near outside of his comfort zone for a while, and it always made the blonde happy to think of Roger sputtering indignantly. And really, it hadn't been too difficult to hack into the system and forge an email from L suggesting that Roger take all of the kids out for a little fun in the sun – and, of course, that Near should leave the toys behind.

Thunderstorm

It wasn't that Mello was afraid of thunderstorms. He wasn't. He was nineteen years old, for Christ's sake. He owned a motorcycle, had a gun on him at all times, held a prominent position in a mafia ring in one of the biggest cities in the United States, and he walked around downtown with his pretty blonde hair and tight leather clothes – Mello wasn't afraid of anything. Mello wasn't afraid of shit.

So it wasn't that he was afraid of thunderstorms. He just didn't like them. Because around here, no one shuffled into his room late at night; around here, no one crawled quietly into his bed and wrapped their arm around his waist; around here the only redhead was Lonny, the Irish hit man that the don sometimes hired for special jobs; around here, no one used thunderstorms as an excuse to get that much closer, to be that much more aware of another person's scent or the way they breathed when they slept.

Mello just didn't like them – that was all.

Shade

The first thing that came to mind the first time Matt saw Mello after all those years was a memory from their days together at the orphanage. They'd been sitting together under a tree in the front yard (probably plotting something but Matt couldn't really remember) and the light was filtering through the tree in such a way that it cast one side of Mello's face into shadow.

He looked the same now, only this time it was permanent. This time a little gust of wind couldn't wipe away the darkness in his face. And, Matt thought as he wrapped an arm around his old friend, maybe that was okay. Maybe this was how Mello should always have looked, because now his outside appearance truly mirrored what Mello was. And Matt had never seen him look more beautiful.

Camping

Matt was excited. He'd never been camping before. Neither had Mello, of course, but he – unlike Matt, who was bouncing and chattering excitedly – failed to see how this even counted as camping. He fought the urge to tell Matt to shut up and act his age (because he was acting his age, technically – Mello sometimes forgot how young he and Matt really were), as he rolled out two sleeping bags on the floor of their apartment's living room. Matt gave him a chaste kiss to show his appreciation that Mello had gone along with his idea, and Mello rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Sometimes it was almost worth acting foolish, just to see Matt happy.

Sweat

Near entered the playroom with the intention of doing a puzzle, but then he saw that Matt and Mello were already in there. Matt was letting Mello win at some video game. Normally, Near would just have taken a puzzle and gone back to his room, but something about the image before him made him stay.

It was hot, and the air conditioner was broken, so both boys were sweating quite profusely, but neither of them seemed to care. Their hair was sticking to their foreheads and surely they must have smelled terrible. Yet they were sitting not two inches apart from each other. Something hit Near suddenly, a belief that he had always found ridiculous and naïve – that Mello and Matt were made for each other. He felt foolish thinking it, and yet, no one but Matt could distract Mello from Near's presence, and Matt would certainly never allow anyone but Mello beat him at video games. Eventually, Near turned and left the room, hoping that maybe someday he would meet someone who would let him win, and distract him from the unhappy things in his life, and sit next to him even when he was drenched in sweat.

Heat

Mello hated the heat. He always had. The heat melted everything that Mello loved. When he was six, he'd left his favorite crayons on the windowsill at the House in June – they were the last things he had left from his old life. When he'd gone to retrieve them the next day, they were melted together and useless.

The heat melted Mello's chocolate, causing clearly-defined squares to dissolve into little more than one big sticky puddle. The heat melted the computer system when he had to leave it on for an especially long job. The heat melted half of his fucking face.

But there was one thing that the heat did that Mello didn't mind so much. The heat melted Matt. On a hot day, Mello barely had to touch Matt and he was begging, squirming, willing to do anything Mello asked. It was during those moments that Mello thought maybe the heat wasn't so bad, that maybe it was okay if those few things he truly cared about were melted in the warmth.

Hello again! I hope you liked these. Near certainly made quite a few appearances this time around. I didn't plan that, it just sort of happened. Umm...oh, the holiday in "Fireworks," for those of you who don't know, is Independence Day. And I hope you understood "Beach." At first, my point was more obvious, but then I thought that it was too obvious, so I changed it a bit. I like it better this way, but I'm not sure if people will get it. Anyway, thank you very much Purplewolfstar35, Cammie-kuu, Jari-chan, OtherWeasleyTwins, Demon Hiei's Girl, and deikitty for commenting! It's very much appreciated. And yay! Only one more! I'm excited because fall is my favorite season. :)