Matt POV

Sitting on a black stool in the main kitchenette, I kicked my legs in rhythm to the Mario theme song that played in my head. Mello had pulled me from our room so suddenly that I hadn't had time to grab any gaming devices; I was hopelessly bored.

I glanced to my left where Mello sat on a stool identical to mine. In the ten minutes since Near had arrived, claiming that L would meet us here, Mello hadn't moved a muscle. He sat rigidly, eyes boring holes into Near's skull. Near paid him no heed, quietly playing with a robot on the counter top, sitting opposite of Mello. Mello's right hand twitched before curling into a loose fist. I knew he was craving chocolate. In his rush to get to lunch, he had forgotten to restock his pockets with chocolate, quite a rarity.

Considering his rant this morning, the source of his anxiety was clear. Near had yet to present to L his slightly demolished cake, and this impromptu lunch gathering was the perfect time to do it. Tension was radiating off of Mello, and I desperately wished Near would leave. I knew that the lack of Near's presence alone wouldn't sooth him, but if Near wasn't there, I could comfort the painfully wound up Mello. Unfortunately, in our current predicament, I could do nothing to help- not in front of Near. I sighed in frustration.

"Good afternoon Matt, Mello, Near," L nodded to each of us.

Roger appeared by his side, "L, Near has prepared a special surprise for your dining pleasure. He has worked very hard on it. Near, you may retrieve it."

Although clearly tense, Mello had plastered on his generic scowl and would appear stable and normal to most. Of course, most people wouldn't notice the raging emotions in the deep pools of his eyes, or notice the hand that firmly, almost painfully gripped mine under the table.

The contact made my heart thunder in my chest as I was overcome by the by the overwhelming relief and joy that he would reach out to me. I was chosen to comfort the Great Mello.

Still, I began to resent the hand that desperately clung to my own, or at least what it represented. The harder he squeezed, the more I could feel the torrent of unpleasant emotions coursing through his body- as if our hands were a bond, allowing us to transfer pain.

Although I usually strove to maintain relative neutrality on the rivalry between Wammy's top two students, in that moment, I hated Near. I hated his blank stare, so unlike the fiery gaze of Mello. I hated the way he sat, so similar to L's bizarre crouch. I hated his wild bleach-white hair, a reflection of L's black mop- lacking the golden sheen of Mello's smooth locks. And I hated the slight twitch in the corner of his mouth- begging to contort into a viscous, malicious smirk, mocking the anguish and humiliation he had purposefully inflicted upon my Mello. I stared intently at Mello until his eyes flickered over to meet my meaningful gaze.

It will be all right I tried to tell him Relax. Your still my number one.

His steal eyes seemed to soften slightly and I felt the blood rush into the tips of my restrained fingers. Even as L spoke, his eyes didn't deviate from my own.

"Near! What a wonderful surprise! How thoughtful of you to bake me a cake...but...hm...oh...Mello?"

Mello reluctantly tore his eyes away to glare defiantly at L. "Yes?" His voice sounded strained.

"There appears to be chunks of Near's generously crafted chocolate cake missing. I believe there is a 98% chance that you are the culprit."

Mello gave a sharp nod. His lips formed a hard line and I felt him wince ever so slightly, dreading L's wrath.

The tension in the air was almost palpable as L bit gently on his thumb whilst staring at the mildly abused cake, the cogs in his head evidently turning. We were all transfixed by the pondering detective, trying in vain to read his expression, to predict his verdict. The spell was broken by a rather loud and quite obviously purposeful coughing noise released by the Japanese man the detective was chained to.

"Are you ill, Light-kun?"

"For Gods sake L, it's just a cake!" Light glared at the spindly detective. He dramatically crossed his arms and popped out his hip.

L's cold black orbs seemed to warm slightly as he turned his full attention towards his suspect. "You should know by now, Light-kun, that from my perspective, a cake is never merely 'just a cake.'"

"It's not like you were going to eat the whole cake yourself, L. That would be rude, even for you."

"I resent that comment. I am well informed on polite mannerisms."

"I've never seen you apply that knowledge."

"That is because it is unnecessary in most circumstances."

Light threw up his hands in exasperation, "Clearly you don't know the first thing about politeness, because good manners are always necessary!"

"Tell me, Light-kun, do you view your behavior at this moment as polite?"

"Your impossible!"

I decided to intervene, "So, who wants cake?"

L gaped at me, most likely due to the fact that other than with Mello, I don't really talk.

After an awkward silence, Light began pointedly shifting through the contents of the cupboards, "My point exactly!"

L turned once again to the effeminate nineteen-year-old, "Please enlighten me, Light-kun, what exactly was your 'point.'"

Light scowled and ignored the confrontational remark, while he arranged plates, silverware, and napkins on the counter. L gave a satisfied snort and hopped onto his stool.

I glanced over at Mello. He was back to his usual cocky self, sporting a victorious smirk. The conversation had been diverted entirely from the results of Mello's chocolate addiction. Near seemed to realize this as well. His semi-smirk had been replaced by a small frown. Taking into account that this is in reference to Near's emotionless mask, he may as well have been dejectedly scowling.

Although I was relieved, I had to marvel at the bizarre circumstances. It was incredibly uncharacteristic of L to completely drop a train of thought. I couldn't help but wonder what could possibly have distracted the idolized detective.

I turned to Mello to see if he was having the same thoughts, only to find his attention was elsewhere. He was furtively glancing under the table, where our hands were still loosely entwined. Just then, his soft blue eyes met mine. They widened before darting away. He simultaneously snapped his hand away from mine. I looked away, hurt by the rejection. But honestly, what had I expected? There was no way Mello would willingly hold my hand, unless he was having some sort of emotional trauma. Which, of course, was induced by L.

The only person whose hand he'd hold is L's.

I snuck a peak at the beautiful blonde. He was violently tearing into the fluffy chocolate cake that had been placed before him. His cheeks were tinged a slight pink. He looked adorable, the pinnacle of innocence.

He's probably thinking about L.

"Hey Matt? Matt? That is your name, right?"

"Huh, oh, yah." Light was speaking to me.

"Do you want some cake?"

"No thank you, I don't really like sweets."

Light beamed, "See, L? There is someone else on this Earth who doesn't enjoy sweets!"

L shrugged. "Now there are only two."

Light rolled his eyes and turned back to me. "Hey, I found some sandwiches in the fridge- you know, real food?" He smirked. "Want one?"

I nodded and smiled gratefully at him. Light plopped a turkey sandwich on my plate. I picked it up and nibbled at the crust, deciding I wasn't truly hungry, but should eat a little nonetheless.

My eyes wandered back to Mello on their own accord, as if drawn by magnets. Mello was scraping his fork forcefully on his nearly cleaned plate, trying to salvage every drop of chocolate frosting that had stuck to the bottom of the plate. He was so intently focused on excavating the frosting from the plate that his mind couldn't possibly be wandering elsewhere.

That means he's not thinking about L.

I shook my head. Why should I care what he's thinking- or fantasizing- about? It's not like I wanted him to be thinking of anything- or anyone- in particular. It wasn't like I was jealous that I wasn't at the front of his mind. It's not like I had a right to be. I'm only his friend. His best friend, but still... friend. Not that there was anything wrong with that! I just thought it was weird that Mello should care so much about L's opinion, that's all. The value he put into impressing L went beyond that of someone looking up to their role model. But to like him in any way other than a role model is just... wrong. I mean, he's a decade older than us! And Mello's so immature! If anything, he should like someone younger than him- like by a year or so.

"MATT! Isn't that right?"

"Huh? Oh, yah. Sure."

Mello narrowed his eyes at me, "You weren't even listening, were you?"

All eyes were on me. I stared at my half eaten sandwich and pouted, "Sorry."

"Ugh, Matt, you never listen to me! I was saying that my mini rocket was better crafted than anyone else's! Right?"

"Despite the fact that you received a mere 96%," Near muttered.

"Shut up, Near! You know you only got a 100% because Dr Swift favors you!"

"Are our other professors struck by this unfair favoritism as well?" Near mocked.

"You should have seen it, L! It was way better than Near's. And it was painted black. I know you like that better than Near's ugly white." Mello leant across the table at L and flashed his beautiful smile. I felt sick to my stomach. Was he doing that on purpose? He looked back over his shoulder, "Right, Matt?"

Why did he need me to back up his claims? Would that make his achievements more attractive to L? I sighed. Speculating was useless. With Mello, there's only one possible answer.

"Yah. The black was amazing! I have a feeling that the teacher was being unfair. She took points off for presentability. I think it looked stunning. She must have been biased."

Mello's eyes flashed in joy before he turned back to L, eagerly waiting for the approval from the person that seemed to matter the most to him. He didn't seem so eager for my response.

"Both of your rockets sound well crafted. I will have to view them for myself. I presume such fine pieces will be on display in the science room. And Near, a 96% is not a low score, especially considering the average grade at Wammy's is currently at 80.41%. You should be proud of your achievements, Mello." Mello beamed. "Light-kun and myself shall retreat once again to our room, considering you have 13 minutes until 4th period. This has been an excellent treat. We will see you soon." L stalked off towards his room, a confused Light in tow.

Mello turned to me a smiled wickedly. "I won." He turned and strutted down the hallway, and I followed on a daze- as if I too were connected to my roommate by a chain.