Graffiti 3 by blackdragonflower

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Matt and Mello laughed, their hearts light as they plopped down in the alleyway. "This use to be where I came to cool off..." Mello admitted, "when the other guys and girls pissed me off."

"Girls were apart of your gang?!" Matt questioned openmouthed. He'd never known there was girls in the other gang.

"Yeah, damn tough ones too! You have to be tough living on the streets, but you know that. My mom smuggled the gang supplies, at least..." Mello's voice became lost, "at least until she was killed. We searched everywhere... I found her..." Mello's fist was clenched tightly, the knuckles white. The happiness was gone, Matt could only wonder what exactly Mello had found of his mother.

Matt didn't know what to do, he'd only known Mello for about a week and a half. "Yeah?"

"Forget it. I'm not talking about it." The blonde growled throwing a nearby stone at the brick wall. He was still sore about his mother's death, that much Matt could figure out. There was a sound of something around the corner and Mello stood, his voice a snarl. "Who's there?" Matt got up, curious. A boy poked his head around the corner a headband around his forehead. His hair was mangled and oily. "Who are you?"

"Josh?" Matt voiced. The boy's face brightened.

"Matt! It really is you! We wondered... where you dissapeared to... thought the cops got you... Who's... that?" Josh couldn't distinguish wether Mello was a girl or a boy. He walked a little closer, but still mantained a careful distance.

"They did." Matt rubbed the back of his head guilty looking. "So, how's everybody?"

"Sad. Especially Crytal..." Josh rubbed his toe in the dirt.

"Crystal?" Mello eyed Matt, eyes narrowed. Matt chuckled guiltily, his grin wide across his face.

"Yeah... Crystal's like... my adopted mom... just not... legal ya know?"

"Uh huh." Mello rolled his eyes. Josh sprung forward and grabbed onto Matt's hand.

"You have to come back Matt! Tell everyone you're okay! Come back to the hideout!" Matt bit his lip.

"I... I can't Josh..." The kid looked at him then, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why? Why can't you come home?"

"Because... I have a home now..." Matt admitted looking at Mello.

"Oh yeah? With this person? You left us huh?" Josh kicked an empty spray can so it scattered across the alley. "I see. You left your family for a new one..."

Matt tried to reason with the boy his age. "It's not like that Josh..."

"Ya know, you're real stupid kid."

The hair on the back of Josh's neck bristled. "What you say?"

"You're real stupid." Mello repeated. "If you knew your so called friend better you'd know he'd tried escaping. I'm the only reason he didn't."

"So you're the one who took him away from all of us!" The boy yelled, his brown eyes flickering with rage.

Mello laughed then quit, the amused smirk turning to a frown. "What's he to you? A tool for the gang to use until he's no more use? Heh, you're hopeless kid. Get lost." Matt looked back and forth between Josh and Mello. This situation was making him ansty. The gamer's skin was covered in little groupings of goosebumps. A chill ran up his spine.

"Stop it." Both boys looked at Matt. "Stop it right now. This is dumb, fighting... I'll go with you Josh... but only if Mello can come too." The blonde's eyes narrowed at the idea but he said nothing.

"He can't come Matt... he's not apart of us... apart of the gang."

"If he doesn't go, neither do I." Matt stated, his resolve firm. Josh bit his lip then gave in.

"Fine... he can come. Come on... we moved again..." Josh turned his back on Matt and Mello and began to walk away. Mello followed, and Matt scampered to walk beside the blonde.

"Matt... I don't think this is a good idea. For either of us." With that Mello became silent. He was on edge, Matt could tell, and usually nothing put Mello on edge like this. He was nervous, and that alone was enough to make the redhead gulp, anxiety crawling its way underneath his flesh.