第４話

(Close)

.:.11 YEARS.:.

"Matt, Matt! You'll never believe this!" Mello nearly pushed the other boy down on the ground as he threw himself on Matt in his excitement.

"What is it?" Matt asked.

Mello shoved a piece of paper in his face as a reply. "Look!"

Matt took the paper, studied it for a minute, and then looked back at Mello. "I can't read German, remember?"

"Oh, right -" In his excitement, Mello had obviously forgotten this significant fact.

"Just tell me what it says!" Matt said impatiently.

"Okay – you know that private school I applied to?"

"Yeah..."

"Well..." Mello took a deep breath. "I got in!!" he cried, all but jumping up and down.

"Really? Mello, that's great! I knew you could do it!" Wait...why does my enthusiasm sound totally fake?

"I never thought I'd get in, but I did! I can't believe it!"

"You're smart, Mello. Of course you got in!" Matt managed a smile.

"The only thing that sucks is that we won't be going to the same school," Mello said.

"Oh, really? I wasn't even thinking about that..." Matt said, giving an unnatural laugh.

"Matt, that's all you've been thinking about since I applied to this school," Mello reminded him flatly.

"Oh, well...I'll admit that sucks, but I'm still really proud of you!" What a time to actually start CARING about your grades, Matt... he scolded himself.

"When do you start?" Matt asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Two weeks from today."

Plenty of time...

"What'd your father say?"

"What d'you think he said, he was proud!" Mello smiled. "I finally did something worthwhile!"

As always, Matt grew slightly irritated by this statement. You've always been doing things worthwhile. Your father just couldn't see that.

"And...we'll still get to see each other after school and on weekends," Mello assured him.

"Yeah..." But it won't be the same. "Why don't we go out to celebrate then?" Matt suggested, his face lighting up slightly. "We can go to the fair that's in town."

Actually, Mello thought, I really need to study. But... He smiled. "Of course. That sounds like fun, Matt."

The other boy returned the smile.

I don't always have to work after all...

That night, Matt sat in the middle of his bed, pouring over the textbooks scattered around him, forming the words on his lips and trying to make sense of what they said. Damn it all. Why couldn't my parents have chosen a country where I know the damn language? He thought irritably. I always have to rely on Mello to explain the lesson to me. The fact didn't even cross my mind that if he went off to that school, he wouldn't be around to help me. Though that's not my reason for doing this at all...

This was how he'd been sitting for the past three hours.

I have to work hard, I don't want to be left behind...

But everything seems so hopeless. I'm nowhere near as smart as Mello.

He gave a sigh and returned to the next book, trying to concentrate.

I have to do this. If I want to keep up with Mello, I have to do this...

I have to work harder, and...

"Mail, sweetie – wake up." A gentle hand shook Matt out of his deep sleep that morning. "It's time for school."

"Wha...?" Matt immediately sat bolt upright in bed, his face unsticking from a page of his textbook.

"You were studying hard last night, huh?" his mother smiled at him. "It's because Mihael got into that private school, isn't it?"

Matt blushed a littled as he averted his mother's gaze. "How'd you know about it?"

"His father told us as soon as it happened," she replied. "They're very proud of him."

"Yeah."

"Sweetie, I know you want to follow his pace, but don't try too hard, okay?" she said gently.

"I'm not," Matt replied defensively.

"Okay, okay. Get ready for school, alright?" she gave him a soft kiss on the forehead and headed from the room.

Once she had left, Matt slid off the bed and went over to the closet.

I'll do it. I'll get in too. I have to. I have to...

Mello was roughly jerked out of a sound sleep by a soft rapping on his window that night. Such a noise wasn't unnusual, but tonight it sounded more persistant and loud.

Giving an irritated sigh, he swung himself out of bed and ran a hand through his hair, yawning. Slowly, he trudged over to the window, and lazily pulled back the curtains.

Matt was on the other side of the glass, holding on tightly to the pipe that stretched down from the roof to the ground, his feet planted firmly on the flimsy fence attatched to the wall of the house.

"Matt...?" Mello unlocked the window and slid open the glass, puzzled by the site of the other boy so late at night – and, most of all, at his window.

Immediately as he opened the window, Matt let go of the pipe and latched on to Mello as the other boy pulled him inside, dropping him rather unceremoniously on the floor before relocking the windows.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mello hissed in a whisper, turning around to face the other boy. "What if my parents heard you?"

"...I..." Matt looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry...I just...couldn't sleep."

"You came all the way here because you couldn't sleep?" Mello repeated.

Matt was silent for a moment, and Mello suddenly understood.

"When did they say they'd be back?"

"They didn't," Matt replied softly. "I'm sorry, Mello. I hate being alone in that house..."

"I know..." Mello gave a sigh.

"You don't mind if I stay do you? I know I'm always bothering you..."

"It's no problem," Mello said.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Come on and get in bed," Mello replied, pulling the other boy up from the floor.

As they crawled under the covers, Matt immediately curled up against Mello, his arm wrapped tightly around the other boy's waist. Mello had always hated any physical contact from anyone, but for some reason Matt was always allowed to do this. He knew that he was the only one Mello ever let touch him at all – anyone else would have their hand slapped away.

Matt was the only one Mello ever let close.

Though why Matt wanted to be this physically close, anyway, he didn't know. But Mello didn't seem to mind, so Matt never stopped. Mello was also the only one Matt had ever had any physical contact with – as his parents had never usually shown him that sort of affection, so he savored the moments while he could.

"Mello?" he said softly, a few minutes later.

"Mm?" came the half-asleep reply.

"I lo..."

"Hm?"

"I..." Matt stopped in mid-sentence, shocked by what he had almost said. "N-nothing. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

第４話　－　終