AN: Yes! Woohoo for fast updating! No! Do not get used to it! You can all thank -x-X'Amethystte'X-x- who made a deal with me. I am absolutely in LOVE with her adorable story, Stuck in The Middle: Why Me? After a few death threats, we came to an agreement. She will update her fic and relieve us of a horrible cliffie, if I do the same with this story! And well... I sort of did that. It's still kind of a cliff-hanger at the end, but the shrill voice from the end of the last chapter will be revealed! So sit back, read, enjoy, review (what? who said that?). Also be sure to check out Stuck in The Middle: Why Me?, and also my fic, Living Justice, which also received an early update today. YAYZ! ^.^

Matt POV

I was mindlessly playing Pokemon on my bed as streams of light flooded into our room, announcing the gallant arrival of the morning after a sleepless night. I didn't really mind, I had pulled all nighters before, and now some of my Pokemon are at level 200!

Yes, I spent all night playing Pokemon. No, it wasn't because I was plagued with thoughts of Mello or anything. Of course not! With the my constant gaming, I hadn't even had time to think of the blonde, his painful story, his steady breathing, how silky smooth his baby fine hair is, how much he trusts me, his real name- Mihael Keehl, or the fact that I am his best friend. Nope, no time to dwell on any of that... much.

I looked over at the blonde who was not constantly on my mind since yesterday afternoon as I heard the soft rustling of bed sheets and a muffled groan. "Morning sunshine!" I called.

"Shu' u' Ma,'" he told his pillow. "Wha' 'ime is i'?"

"Six-ish"

"Shit," Mello sat up in bed and lazily rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. His bed-head made him look utterly ridiculous, with his usually flawless hair sticking up in twenty directions. The whole image made him appear innocent and surprisingly small. I had the strangest urge to hug the cherubic creature. "I missed my afternoon classes. I'm hungry, let's go to dinner."

"Mels, it's six-twenty-four AM. You slept all afternoon and all night."

"Damn it, Matt, why the Hell didn't you wake me up?" He sloppily thrust himself out of bed, staggering slightly.

"You looked like you could use the sleep. You still kinda do."

"Shut up," he snapped, ripping my DS out of my hands.

"Hey! I was playing that!" I lunged at him.

"Just let me check something," he muttered, pushing away my head with one hand, effectively keeping my grasping hands and flailing limbs away from him with embarrassing ease. "Level 200! Just as I thought! You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?"

I fell back onto my bed to escape his grasp, "No! I worked up to that point over a period of time!"

"A period of time that started yesterday, when you opened this game! Don't lie, I saw you!"

"Shit, why do you have to notice things?"

He smiled down at me victoriously, "Because who else is going to whip your sorry ass when you don't sleep?"

"You slept enough for the both of us."

"Only because you didn't wake me up!" I clamped my mouth shut to stifle the giggle that was bubbling in my chest. "What? What's so funny?" he crossed his arms over his chest in a way that bordered on self conscious.

"N-nothing. It's just that this is where our argument started, you were yelling at me for not waking you up. I like it when we have pointless arguments."

"That's stupid," he scoffed, though his smile clearly said me too.

"Come on Mihael," I emphasized, the sound of his name on my lips filling me with gleed, "let's get food."

"Hey!" he fixed his furious gaze on me, "Who said you could use that name?"

"Well you did tell me your name..."

"Someone might hear you!"

"I'm not going to say it in public! I'm not an idiot!"

"Look, just- just only say it when you mean it, okay? Like, if you have something really serious to say, I'll know because you used my real name... or something."

"Me too."

"You too?"

"I mean only say my name when it's really important."

"Kay," he nodded. I smiled to myself, quite pleased with this arrangement. For some reason, the knowledge of eachother's names seemed much more intimate. Something you don't joke about between friends. It was something serious... like a bond between soul mates. Soul mates... I blushed, grateful I hadn't spoken my thoughts out loud. I needed my game back, my thoughts were growing lamer and more hackneyed by the second.

"Matt?" I jumped when he snapped in my face. "Jeez, man, stop spacing out. You really should have slept last night."

"That has nothing to do with nothing," I muttered.

He grabbed my wrist and yanked me to my feet, looking down on me with an incredulous look. "My, point exactly. Let's get food. I'm hungry as fuck."

"You know, your sentences aren't making much sense either."

"Oh, Matt," he teasingly patted my head, "You can say whatever the fuck you want when your swearing, and it's still as intimidating as fuck."

"That didn't-"

"Why aren't you intimidated?!"

"You swear all the time, Mello. It loses it's sting after a while."

"Let's go," he grumbled pulling me further across the room.

"But, Mels," I whined, staring distractedly at the gaming device still clasped in his hand. "Breakfast hasn't opened yet."

"So we're sneaking in. We do this all the time, Matt! What's wrong with you? God, Matt," he rolled his eyes, "You want your damn game back don't you?" I nodded, following my DS with my eyes as he swung it back and forth in front of my face. He snorted, "You're such a nerd."

"It's not my fault! It's like a drug!" He laughed, assuming I was over-exaggerating, but I kept my expression dead serious. It wasn't always like this, but after playing consecutively for the past twelve-odd hours, I needed the mind numbing effects of meticulously leveling up my Pokemon. Without it, there was simply too much Mello. Honest to god, after so long with him unconscious, his overwhelming presence was a shock to my system. I had no control over my mind or my mouth and I was afraid, no, terrified, that I would think, or worse, say something rather... outlandish.

"I'm always your enabler," he teased, struggling to cover his grin with a scowl, in effect, planting an adorable pout in his lips.

"And who steals chocolate for you when you get cut off?"

"That's different!" he tossed me my game with unnecessary force, and I gasped when in thumped into my chest. "Let's go," he grumbled.

I followed him obediently, unable to help the grin that slithered onto my face as I loaded my game. This was bliss. Following Mello on an early morning kitchen raid while pulverizing a Starme with my thundershock. Don't send out a water Pokemon against my Pikachu, retard.

"Matt!" Mello squealed, in his excitement forgetting both that he was irritated with me, and that he was a guy. "They have chocolate cupcakes today!" he cheered, dancing around the kitchen clutching a tupperware full of his favorite form of confectionary drug. I laughed along with him, feeding off of the palpable humor in the air.

It was rare seeing him so utterly carefree and gleeful. It's especially strange considering the occurrences of last night. I had figured that a trip into his past would depress him, and send him into an aggravating state of melancholy for a few days. Instead, he seemed happy. He didn't even need the cupcakes; he was already high off of life. I wonder... if it had anything to do with me?

No! Damn mind! I looked down at my dormant game. Leave it to Mello to distract me from my game which was trying to distract me from him.

"Matt! I have a brilliant idea!"

"Have you ever had an idea that wasn't dubbed brilliant?"

"Nope," Mello ignored my sarcasm. "And this one is too!"

"So what are we doing this time Mello?" There's no use waiting to agree to his plots until after I know what they are. I always end up partaking in his devious ploys in the end. I can only hope I won't get my games confiscated again.

"Well, you know how L loves cake?"

"Uh... yeah?" Perhaps I misinterpreted Mello's gleeful babbling. It was practically sacrilege to pull a prank on L.

"I bet he'll love cupcakes even more!"

"So... you just want to offer him cupcakes?" I clarified.

"Yup!" he chirped.

I instantly had the overwhelming urge to wipe that stupid adorable smile off of his obsessive little face. Mello doesn't serve anyone. And now he's jumping at the chance to deliver cupcakes? What about L makes him so damn special? What does he have that I don't? Okay, scratch that thought, I know the Great Detective L practically defies physics with his awesomeness, but shouldn't I still preside over him in Mello's eyes? Mihael Keehl... he told me his name! Wait... I grit my teeth in fury... I bet L already knew Mello's true name.

"Ma-att!" Mello broke my out of my fuming stupor. "Come on, man! Let's go give them to him right now!" He practically skipped out of the kitchen. I quickly saved my game and pocketed my DS, afraid I might damage the buttons with my enraged clicking.

I balled my hands into fists and plodded after the blonde. He was practically bouncing off the walls. Whenever I asked Mello to hand me something, he always hucked it at me! But Mello was oh so fucking happy to run across the orphanage for L.

"This is his room, Matt! Wait." he turned to me with eager eyes. "Do you think he's still asleep?"

"Of course not. Marvelous L doesn't need sleep to function," I grumbled.

"Duh!" Mello shook his head. "How could I forget?" Mello would only be so flustered when it came to L.

Without further preamble, he whipped open the door.

SLAM

"L! I-" he babbled. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

Mello yelling at L! This I had to see! I stepped up behind Mello to peer into the room.

Hm. No wonder Mello was upset. L was practically making out with his cuff-buddy up against a wall. My mouth contorted into a malicious grin. Now Mello would have to give up on L...