Graffiti chapter thirteen: Lockdown by blackdragonflower

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"Three... fucking... days!" Mello gripped. "We get back and they put us in fucking lockdown!"

"..." Matt tried to concentrate on his gameboy, tried to get his mind off everything that had been going on. So far his bruises and bite marks and gone unnoticed. Mello glared death at his stitched up leg with a growl. With the blonde ranting on and on about their situation it was impossible however to ignore what had happened.

"Fucking Roger locks us up in our fucking room... Can't even go to the damn bathroom without being supervised. Damn perverts!" Mello tucked his thumbs into the edge of his waistband. "If they want to see something I'll give 'em somethin..."

"Stop... Just... stop." Matt finally mumbled flipping off his game giving up on it. "Complaining won't change anything... Angel's Lies are the ones who dumped us here..."

"..." Mello plopped down on his bed arms crossed over his chest. One leg crossed instinctively over the other and the whole stance screamed a defiant 'screw off'. Matt crawled under his covers to take yet another nap. It was what the redhead did now, slept, tried playing videogames (which only lasted about ten minutes before he got sick of playing), and doing the homework the teachers gave them in class that day. Mello ranted about their situation, ate all the chocolate he could get his hands on, and hardly slept at all if any. Matt was being an introvert, Mello an extrovert. But there was one thing both shared in common. They were both always checking for messages on the cell phone they had smuggled in given to them by Dante. There was nothing, no news of Rulebreaker's movements, what Angel's Lies was up to, or most importantly at the moment to the boys, if Stripes had been found yet.

They were beginning to loose what little hope they had left.

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Rulebreaker's Holding Cell

"He's still not talking?"

"What a stubborn ass..." A shadow muttered prodding the beaten punk male's side with the tip of his foot.

"Fucking nothing to go on... We might as well dispose of him."

"... I know where they might be..."

A deep growl. "Why didn't you fucking tell me sooner!?"

"You were busy and wouldn't listen to me at the time..."

"So... spill."

"They're at a place called Wammy's House orphanage, both Matt and his new friend Mello."

"..." 'Wammy's House...'

Stripes opened a bruised and swollen eyelid weakly. His stomach growled yearning for sustenance to fill the emptiness. He groaned softly his multicolored hair sticking to his face in the smatterings of caking blood and some still wet and dripping down his forehead. "..." A large gash in his side was oozing a bright yellow pus from infection. Stripes bit his lip as Moska put the tip of a knife against his shoulder and made a few quick slashes deep enough to hurt and send blood bubbling up to the surface.

"Let's give Matt a message about what happens to traitors shall we?"

A devious smirk. Stripes squeezed his eyes tightly shut to keep tears of pain from falling into dust. 'Matt... Mello... Wammy's House... Why... can't I... remember... them?'

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Wammy House

Mello groaned bored and frustrated and flopped back onto his bed. He stared at the bare ceiling as he lay. Matt was sleeping once again and now the blonde had absolutely nothing to do. He heard a soft tapping on the door. "Who is it?"

"...Can I come in?"

Mello could barely register the words as they were spoken so soft. "What?" Near opened the door and stepped inside closing it behind him. "... What the hell do you want Near?"

"To see how you and Matt were doing."

"Pft... and you don't have any ulterior motive?"

"..." Near frowned holding a stuffed panda bear in his hands that much resembled their idol in a sort of way. "I have no ulterior motive as to why I came Mello."

"Yeah right. Probably looking for dirt on how you can beat me more... Come to rub it in my face? God, you're already fucking number one Near... Go away!" Mello snapped.

"How is Matt?"

"Um... sleeping duh?" The blonde rolled his eyes.

"No. I mean how is he? His mental stability hasn't been the same lately... and he's been acting different."

"Different? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Surely you must have noticed it..." Near scratched his toy between its ears. "You are either being completely dense or know what's going on and refuse to tell me or anyone else. But, from your personality I can conclude you are just refusing to tell since you are stubborn. Also, I believe you to be smarter than you act sometimes." Mello growled. He just wanted to punch Near's face in, maybe screw up a couple of his teeth.

"Get the hell out of my room!" Mello yelled angrily getting up from his bed and stomping his foot. "Get out!"

The albino didn't seem threatened, just reached into his pocket and pulled out a box of strawberry flavored pocky and a chocolate bar. "I figured you'd both enjoy them..." Near put the food on the floor. "since Matt's favorite food is strawberries I figured he'd like strawberry pocky... and you speak very much for yourself. Goodbye Mello... Please tell Matt I hope he feels better soon." The toy-loving boy left quietly. Mello glared at the door for about ten minutes after Near had closed it as if he could burn the albino with something like heat vision. The thought of Near randomly combusting made Mello smirk. He slid off his bed and went to the presents left on the floor. The chocolate was a Hershey bar, his favorite. He carefully unwrapped it and took a bite. It melted on his tongue giving him clearer thoughts. Mello placed the strawberry pocky on the nightstand between his and Matt's bed.

He took a deep sigh. Just how long would he have to live with lying, the disappearance of Stripes, his anger and anxiety, and the damn lockdown?