Disclaimer: I do not own or make money from the anime Death Note.

Suggested Listening: From Now On We Are Enemies by Fall out boy

Part 2:

Mello hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. His mind just would not stop racing and picking over every detail of the reunion. It hadn't gone anything like what he had expected. Mello had expected an angry, hurt, and possibly explosive Matt-hell, even an apathetic one would have been normal. But Matt was sarcastic and dangerous. And in a wheelchair.

Mello wasn't certain how to handle him. He scrubbed a hand over his face and stood up, stumbling into the bathroom to freshen up and hopefully get rid of those bloodshot eyes.

.

Mello arrived at the apartment around nine am, trying and failing to wait any longer. He had just been sitting around the hotel room, staring at the television that was playing some God-awful daytime drama for who knew how long, before he simply couldn't take it anymore.

He realized Matt could have been up all night gaming like he used to but didn't particularly care as he banged on the door. There wasn't an answer, and Mello was about to 'knock' again when the lock and chain were undone and a blurry eyed redhead opened the door. Mello smelt coffee and was certain he hadn't woken him.

"Damn, you actually came back." Matt groaned and wheeled away into what Mello presumed was the kitchen. If Matt returned with a shot gun, it would be too much like a bad movie. He had not; however Mello did hear the not so whispered curses and grumblings from the other room.

"If you are so adverse to me coming in, then why didn't you leave me locked out?" he asked whilst shutting the door. The place was almost exactly as he had seen it the day before, save for the mini-trashcan, which had been emptied. It felt as though it were too tidy for someone to actually live there. He followed Matt's path and watched him make two set of coffee. Mello wondered if one of them was poisoned.

"You said it yourself; you are in the mafia. Your lot kicks in doors. I've seen it. I don't know if you've noticed yet or not, but I'm not exactly in the best position to be fixing a broken door," Matt said in a tone of voice that had almost a bitter tint to the words.

"It's called hired help. Have someone fix it for you." Mello didn't know why they were conversing about a hypothetical broken door, but it was a start. Everything had to start small, didn't it?

"And let them think I'm a pushover just because I'm in a chair? No thanks."

The way Matt said that... it was like he expected to be in it for the rest of his life, or at least a long while. It wasn't something Mello was really prepared to think about. Matt had always been a few inches shorter than him, but to constantly look down at him like this was a little unsettling.

He really wanted to know what happened, but he didn't want to push Matt. He understood that Matt's hospitality ended at letting him through the door, and with his name in the other's mind, he didn't really want to test how little it would take for Matt to sell him out. Matt might not have done something like that in the past, but Mello had seen it in his eyes the day before.

He would have done it.

Mello didn't know what had stopped him, but he was grateful. He didn't think he had the heart to kill Matt or even hurt him as he was. But his name... Matt held all the cards, even if he professed not to.

This new Matt...Mello didn't like him.

"I'll even close my eyes when you choose," Matt commented and motioned to the coffee, both made the same way. Mello stiffened. He was being too obvious, if Matt was reading him. Mello didn't take him up on his offer and, instead, took the closest one to him. He sniffed it but knew that not all additives gave off a smell. He supposed he would find out soon enough, if there was something wrong with it.

Matt grinned at him as he sipped his own, and after a few minutes of nothing happening, Mello supposed he would be fine. "So suspicious," Matt commented, smirk widening.

Mello ignored the jab and continued to sip the bitter coffee. Not enough sugar to mask the taste and not enough cream to make it truly drinkable. Mello wondered if the coffee was similar to Matt's new attitude.

It really made him wonder what had gone on in the last five years, besides the obvious.

Matt eventually wheeled into the living room and switched on the TV, though he didn't really watch anything. He kept glancing at his laptop as though he was itching to go on it but didn't want to chance Mello seeing the contents.

Mello felt generous enough that he seated himself on the small zebra striped loveseat that sat to the right of the TV, where he would no longer be able to view the contents of the laptop. The loveseat was the only real piece of furniture in the place. And it was leather.

Matt sighed heavily, obviously having hoped Mello would simply leave, but he did place the laptop on his legs and wheeled carefully to face Mello, the screen obscured from view. Matt would have time to close things out before Mello could get to him.

Mello leaned back and watched Matt, who sometimes glanced over at him.

"Do you ever leave?" Mello found himself asking.

"I'm wheelchair bound, not useless." Mello sensed that it was a rather touchy subject and threw his hands up in the traditional surrender sign.

"I didn't say you were, nor did I imply that. I was just asking a question."

"I go out for certain things." And that was the end of the conversation. Matt was obviously not going to expand on it, and Mello was not going to ask.

Mello was seeing that there were potentially a lot of 'landmine' conversational topics to be avoided, and he had a feeling that he was going to step on most of them before catching on. Mello had no idea what Matt had gone through the last few years; alternatively, Matt didn't know about him, but Mello wanted him to. It just seemed there was a lot of baggage that came with that request.

Mello was stubborn if nothing else. He wanted to know why Matt was the way he was now. He was curious and nothing would stop him. Not even Matt, who was annoyingly closed off.

It became apparent that no more conversation would be had for that visit, so Mello hefted himself from the couch. How long it would take before Matt gave in and actually talked to him without the sarcasm?

"I'll see you tomorrow, Matt. Thanks for the coffee." Matt looked up at him but didn't say a word. It was still early, hardly after twelve, and Mello suspected Matt had thought he would stay later.

Mello knew the value of giving someone breathing room...too bad it seemed Matt would be needing a lot of it.

Mello closed the door behind him as he left, feeling Matt's eyes on him the entire way.

-End Part 2-

AN: See...a timely update? Right?

Special thanks to reviewers: brightnight003, un-start, mxmsupporter, xXmini-chibiXx, Keono, issagokurosaki, Deadly Nightshade1395

.

Review?