Chapter Seven
"That guy is a beast !" Misa yelled at her boyfriend.
"It's no big deal, really" Matt said sitting in front of her in the cafeteria.
"No big deal, Matt ?" Misa screamed again "You should sue him !"
"Calm down already" Matt put his hand on hers "I kind of deserved it."
"Did he punch you in the head ?" Misa exclaimed "Who deserves to be strangled by a stranger ?"
"Let's just say that now, we're even." Matt stated in a concluding tone and resumed eating.
Misa took the hint. She bit on her diet sandwich that her manager, Matsuda, had bought for her.
Matt was relieved she dropped the matter.
"You know what ?" Misa spoke a few minutes later. "Your attacker, Mihael Keehl, I know him."
Matt shewed on his sandwich nervously, but did not speak.
I want to know more about him.
"It seems that he's the best student in the literature department."
The best ? Well, he is the studious type.
"The son of some big-shot German writer or something." Misa asserted.
So that's what his father do.
"I've met him on my first day in this university. Matsuda-san had noticed him and asked if he was interested in a model career."
Mello a model ? With that body of his he sure can make a good model. And judging by the way he dresses, he must be interested in fashion.
Misa's face glommed "You know what that stupid prick had answered ?"
"What did he say ?" Matt immediately answered as he realized this was the first conversation they shared where he didn't zone out.
Misa tried to imitate Mello's voice "If you are looking for an empty-headed half-wit blond marionette, you already have one."
Matt almost fell off his chair from laughter. "He- ha-ha" He desperately tried to stop his convulsive crackle " He said that ?"
Misa grabbed her drink and stood up.
"Hey, wait up !" Matt hurried after her. "That was not funny, now was it ?"
"You think that too, don't you ?" Misa asked not turning back.
"You know I'd never say that" Matt tried to catch up to her in the mass of students striding the hall at lunch time. How can a girl walk that fast in hight heels ?
"See ! You're not even denying it, Matt" Misa continued her rushing.
"Alright, I'm sorry." Matt yelled "Would you please stop running away. You'll end up bumping into someone in-"
Sure enough, Misa did bump into someone. The ice-tea goblet spilled all over the person's laptop and pants.
"Oh ! I'm awfully sorry" Misa apologized looking at the person sitting on the bench "I kinda stumbled -" She cut off her words "It's-it's YOU !"
Matt silently cursed the doomed day. From all the people Misa could collide with it had to be Mello.
"I take that back." Misa took a step away from the blond who was still trying to understand what just happened.
"I'm not sorry. You're the one who owes us an apology, you beast !" Misa grabbed Matt from his arm protectively.
"M-Misa" Matt stuttered "That was not a very nice thing to say."
Mello glared at the two for a few seconds then started to examine his laptop which screen had turned black.
"Who said I was trying to be nice ?" Misa yelled at her boyfriend. "This guy almost killed you twice !"
Matt pleaded for her to shut up. "Come on Misa. You're exaggerating !"
"He had also insulted me, Matt !" Misa clung to him further but Matt didn't reply.
"It's won't restart" Mello stated as he pushed the power button of his laptop repeatedly.
"We don't care." Misa answered. "It's pay-back for your evil deeds !"
"Fuck !" Mello yelled at his laptop "My whole project is saved on it !" He shook the electronic devise with frustration "Damn it !"
"Karma is a bitch !" Misa mocked.
Mello put the computer back on his socked lap "Karma, hun ?" He said with a smirk "Is that your name ?"
Misa's eyes widened "How-How dare you ! You insolent prick !"
Mello slid his laptop into his bag and rose up from the bench. "I have better things to do." He said moving away.
"Don't think you can just walk away, you beast !"
"Is the abusive use of inappropriate qualifiers all you two have in common ?" Mello asked them both with genuine curiosity.
"What-" Misa started.
"Misa, please cut it out !" Matt conjured again "Don't you have a photo-shooting at 2. You should get going !" He tried to gently push her away.
"You're right." Misa walked towards the gates "I shouldn't be waisting my time with a disrespectful brute and a worthless boyfriend."
"I guess so" Mello rolled his eyes then realized that Matt was still eying him with a reluctant look. "Is there something you want ?"
Matt snapped back to reality. "I'm a programming and electronic specialist." He blurted out "I-I mean I can take a look at your laptop and see if I can fix it."
"Don't bother ! I'll find someone else." Mello rejected.
"I don't mind. I don't have classes this afternoon and It was partially my fault too." Matt insisted.
Mello was perplexed. He silently pulled his laptop out and handed it over to the redhead. "I need my project for tomorrow morning."
"I'll check if the hard disk can be rescued." Matt examined the sticky object between his gloved hands. "But my equipment is in my room"
"Just forget about it" Mello grabbed his laptop.
"No. I insist." Matt pulled it back to him "You can come by later, I'll have it fixed before then."
"Alright. My classes end at 6. We'll meet back here"
"It would be easier if you dropped by at my house." Matt offered absent mindedly.
"Are you sure about inviting a fag to your house ?"
Matt cringed "About that, I wanted to tell you-"
"Never mind !" Mello interrupted. "I have to go now"
"But, I didn't give you my address."
"I already have it."
Matt laid down on his bed, massaging his eyes. Extracting the data from Mello's computer was quite a task. But no electronic device could resist the gamer's skilled hands for too long.
The mother-card could not be rescued, though . Matt only succeeded in copying the files on his extern hard disk and link it to his own laptop.
He was now browsing into Mello's personal data. Well, 'personal' is too big of a word for it, since all Matt found was studies related.
Let's take a look at his musical tastes.
Rammstein appears to be Mello's favorite band, along with Radiohead, Metallica, System of a Down, ACDC... Only heavy Hard Rock Bands.
Matt clicked on some random Rammstein songs. It was all in German. He didn't understand a word but he liked the sound of it.
Especially a song that he repeated twice.
Mann gegen Mann.
Matt decided to look for a translation on the net.
As the song restarted he read the translated lyrics.
"Destiny smiled on me
and gave me a present
Threw me on a warm star
So close to the skin, so far from the eye
I take my destiny in my own hands
My desire is manned"
Wait ! what ?
"Where the fresh water dies
because it taints itself in salt
I keep the Little Prince in mind
A king without a queen
When a woman is mistaken about me
then the bright world is confused"
"Man against man
My skin belongs to the gentlemen
Man against man
Birds of a feather flock together
Man against man
I am the servant of two masters
Man against man
Birds of a feather flock together"
Never thought that Rammstein was a gay band ! Gays are everywhere !
"I am the corner of all rooms
I am the shadow of all trees
No link is missing in my chain
when lust pulls from behind"
From behind ? Erk !
"My family calls me a traitor
I am the nightmare of all fathers"
I wonder if Mello's family knows. Must be tough.
"Man against man
My skin belongs to the gentlemen
Man against man
Birds of a feather flock together
Man against man
But my heart freezes on some days
Man against man
Cold tongues that beat there"
Cold tongues ?
"Fagot-ah !"
Jesus fucking Christ !
"I'm not interested in balance
The sun shines in my face
But my heart freezes on some days
Cold tongues that beat there
Fagot-ah"
I guess I'm one of those cold tongues.
"Man gay-for man"
The song died out but it kept reasoning in Matt's head. He continued looking through the songs for a minute before he noticed there were other protected files.
Why would he protect those ?
Matt spent an hour working on them, before he succeeded in hacking his way into the files.
There was different folders with numbers attached to them. Pictures of people who are not looking to the objective as if they weren't aware of the person taking the photos.
Matt clicked on the most recent one under the name of 'Case2830'. There was pictures of Takada the famous journalist who was recently arrested, with the pictures of some other men he didn't recognize.
Is he a private detective or something ?
Matt continued to scroll down the page until he saw a picture of man he'd seen before. He was the driver of that black SUV that crashed into Mello's bike.
Was the accident related to the Takada case ?
Matt decided he shouldn't meddle with any of this. He was about to shut the computer when he saw the last picture.
It was a picture of Matt, probably a few days after the accident. Matt considered if he should click on the linked document. He hesitantly read the comment section.
The file contained details about him, his family, his studies, his personal life.
This is outrageous !
Matt moved down to the last part of the document and read :
Today, I confirmed that the suspect, Mail Jeevas, was not connected to the case2830. Therefore any investigation about him is suspended.
Matt looked at the date of last update. It was the day I insulted him.
Matt rested his head on his pillow and tried to proceed to information he had at hand. Mello must be a detective working on the Kira case.
Takada was the famous journalist who got arrested because of her open support for a serial killer who has been executing criminals in the UK for the last four months.
It had made the headlights everywhere and even attracted international attention. That man, also known as Kira, was very man dangerous who had already shot more than twenty persons, execution style.
He must be the one behind the accident as well, if he had figured out Mello was investigating him.
It was only normal for Mello to investigate Matt's whereabouts and make sure he would not be a source of concern.
So he was watching me too ?
The thought filled Matt with sweet, comforting relief.
"Mail !"
Matt looked to the doorway where his mother was standing. "Mail, I've been calling you"
"Ow, sorry mother. I was revising something"
The red-haired woman smiled tenderly "Your friend is waiting for you downstairs."
My friend ? Mello "Alright, I'm coming"
As he entered the living room Matt saw Mello sitting down on the edge of the couch fleeing his16 year-old sister's attack.
"Men who wear leather and ride bikes are so sexy !" The teenager said while admiring him with owe.
Mello was impassive to her flirting, completely absorbed in exploring the collection of classical literature books on the shelf.
The young girl placed her hand on his thigh. "Are you more interested in books than me ?"
For some reason, Matt felt highly irritated from the sight. "Cut it out Jennifer !"
"Oh Matty ! Your friend is so Cool !" The hyper girl jumped from the couch and hugged her older brother.
"You can come up to my room" Matt told the blond pushing his sister away.
"Okay" The brunette said following the two.
"Not you Jenny !" Matt ordered "You stay here !"
"You're so mean Matty !" She said with a pout.
As he closed his room's door, Matt sighed with relief.
"So did you manage to fix it, Matty ?" Mello asked mimicking Jennifer's voice.
Matt found Mello's expression adorable. "You need a new mother-card." Matt explained "But your data is saved."
Mello sat down on the desk's chair. "Great !" He frowned looking at his damaged computer "The project is a powerpoint file. How the hell am I supposed to present it on a non functioning screen ?"
"If it's only a matter of a few hours, I can lent you mine." Matt sat down on his bed facing Mello.
The blond seemed to be heavily thinking for a few seconds, his haze fixed to Matt. The redhead realized he was resting on his hands behind his back and his legs widely parted.
He immediately adopted a less compromising position.
"You've already done plenty." Mello said looking away. "I'll ask Ryuzaki for one of his."
Matt remembered the weird guy from the other day. Mello and Professor Yagami had referred to him as Ryuzaki. I haven't even thanked him. He saved my fucking life.
"You have a nice room" Mello remarked looking around at the posters "Although your taste in music sucks"
"What's wrong with Muse, Placebo or Green Day ?" Matt asked with fake indignation.
"It's all alternative or soft Rock." Mello smiled "But it's still Rock, so it's not that bad."
"You like hard Rock ?" Matt pretended not to know.
"Yeah, I do. The harder the better." Mello replied with a wink.
Matt smiled back. He was starting to get familiar with Mello's mind-set "You always manage to bring sex into any conversation, don't you ?"
"I don't bring it. It's already there." Mello replied.
"You're just too perverted, that's all."
"You're pretty spoiled yourself"
"Still, you're the one who exposed his shag to a stranger"
"And you're the one who peeped into other people's intimacy"
They looked each other in the eyes for a moment and with a simultaneous sigh they decided to let it go.
"About last time, I didn't mean what I said." Matt said his hand nervously squeezing his knee "At least, not all of it."
Mello smirked "You mean you really are a fag."
"Not that part." Matt repudiated his face turning tomato red "I mean you really are a pervert. But I shouldn't have called you sick or a f- that"
Mello laughed. Not that malicious chuckling, Matt was used to hear. But a sincere laugh from the heart.
He really is beautiful behind that smirk.
"What is it ?" Matt asked when the blond calmed down.
"I was thinking that you look cute when you're embarrassed." Mello smiled again "And by the way, I am a sick pervert. You got that right"
"So you only strangled me because of one word ?" Matt asked incredulous.
"Admitting it myself and having someone else yell it at me are two different matters."
"Yeah, I guess." Matt agreed.
"Plus, I'm not gay"
There was a pause.
Matt was startled before he said, still astound "You know you can't make such a joke to me of all people."
Mello's face turned serious "I'm not attracted to a person based on gender." He honestly admitted "I don't care if it's a man or a woman as long as I am satisfied with the relationship."
Matt couldn't quite understand what Mello was saying "You mean you've slept with women?"
"Yeah. Is it that hard to believe ?"
Hell yes ! "So you're what ? A bi ?"
"I don't need to put a name on it" Mello yawned stretching his body.
Matt admired the slender body of the blond on his chair, his skin fitting jacket was pulled up revealing well-defined abs and a smooth hip line.
That was Mello; a toxic mixture of femininity and manliness.
"You're right." Matt said inattentively, his eyes still on the blond's hips. "You don't need to put a name on it."
The redhead swallowed hard, as the blond crouched down to unplug the EHD from the computer. I would love to put my name on that !
Mello turned around "I'm taking your EHD. I'll return it tomorrow if you have any classes, or else I'll bring it back to your house."
"Yeah, right" Matt shook his head.
"Right what ? Which is it ?" Mello asked with a smirk.
Damn ! He noticed I was staring at his ass and didn't hear a thing he said.
Mello decided to pull him out of his embarrassment "I'll bring it back to your place, then."
Matt smiled nervously and followed the blond down to the main door.
Jennifer came running from her room "Mello ! You're leaving already ?" She asked hugging his arm.
Matt pulled her away and stood defensively between the two.
"You might stay for dinner" Susan suggested.
"I'm afraid I can't accept your generous proposition. However, I heartily thank you for your warm welcome." Mello said with an eloquence Matt didn't know the blond possessed.
"It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs Jeevas" he added with a quick bow before exiting the house.
"Oh ! He's so cool, Matty" Jennifer squalled tugging him from his jacket.
It's just an act people ! Don't fall for it !
"In deed, Mello is a very charming and polite young man." Susan agreed returning to the kitchen "I'm happy you have such a friend, Mail"
Not you too, mother !