Work Text:
Age 12
The creaking of the library’s large oak doors was loud enough to break Mello’s concentration. Irritated by the intrusion, he scowled and looked up from his notes. When the familiar outline of Matt’s head poked out from behind a bookshelf he dropped the frown in favor of rolling his eyes. He held his breath as he watched Matt carefully maneuver his way around the sea of notes that Mello had carefully arranged in a haphazard semi-circle on the floor in front of him. Silently, Matt stepped over the last stack of looseleaf papers and crouched down beside him, sparing a glance over his shoulder to identify what exactly he was working on.
Matt was close enough that Mello could feel the warmth emanating from his boney frame, and had to steel himself from shuddering at their close proximity. He pointedly ignored the way his heart rate picked up when Matt’s arm brushed against his as he moved a stack of papers beside him. Once Matt finally settled- managing to wedge himself in the small space between a bookcase and the other half of Mello’s beanbag chair- he sighed and turned on his Gameboy.
Mello resumed studying but was interrupted thirty minutes in when a loud rapping sound echoed through the small alcove of bookshelves. They both started then looked at each other as the sound of rain hitting against the old house’s exterior progressed. Matt turned, then got up again to look out of the large window behind them.
“Woah, it’s really coming down.”
Mello scoffed in response. The downpour didn’t come as much of a surprise, but he’d been dreading it ever since he first noticed the heavy clouds begin to form earlier in the morning. Rain as heavy as this always managed to flood the playing fields until they were reduced to nothing more than swampy pools of mud. It’d be weeks until they dried up and became suitable enough for Roger to allow them to back outside. Mello could already feel himself becoming restless at the mere thought of being cooped up inside the House’s dreary, damp halls day after day.
Matt must have picked up on his frustration because it didn’t take long for him to abandon his perch by the window and stand beside Mello’s crouched form. Before the blonde could snap at him to quit hovering, Matt placed a hand on his shoulder and stretched his index finger to poke at his chin. Mello’s face scrunched up at the protrusion, but he pretended to ignore the extended finger until Matt moved it to poke at his nose. Matt continued poking at different points on his face until Mello gave in and swatted his hand away.
“Quit it, I’m trying to study.”
“Yeah right, you’ve been staring at the same page for ten minutes.” Mello glared up at him, embarrassed that he’d been caught slacking off. Matt simply smiled back in response and extended his hand.
“C’mon, this is boring. Let’s do something fun.”
And just like that, he was on his feet letting Matt guide him out of the gloomy library. In times like this Mello often wondered if he was too permissive of Matt’s distractions. Lately, all it seemed to take was that goofy grin of his and Mello would be ready to drop whatever he was doing to join him. Not that this was a recent occurrence; by now they were both experts in finding new ways to pass the time between studies. However, this past week Mello had managed to definitively surpass Near in not one, but two of their classes and he was determined to keep the momentum going. He could guarantee that whatever Matt had in mind probably wouldn’t result in the most productive use of his time.
He was about to voice this sentiment, but Matt had stopped walking to slowly peek behind the final corner that opened into the entryway of one of the House’s backdoors. Mello gave the back of his head a questioning look before turning his attention to the window beside the door. The rain was coming down in heavy sheets that bathed the glass pane into a thick, watery lens, distorting the fields outside into abstract waves of frenzied green. But before Mello could mourn the loss of his outdoor freedom, Matt grabbed his hand and led him towards the door.
“What are you doing?”
“What’s it look like?” Matt shot back while producing a small key from his back pocket.
Mello leant against the opposite wall as Matt stretched to unlock the door’s deadbolt. He spared another glance down the hallway before slowly pushing the door open and stepping outside. Mello followed him out and together they eased the large door shut. There was a small awning shielding the doorframe, but it did little to protect them against the turbulent weather. Mello shivered and pulled his arms across his chest as they regarded the downpour. A second later, Matt bolted out from under the awning and raced through the shallow puddles that were already beginning to form in the muddy grass. Once he was a few meters away, he turned to face Mello and stretched his hands upwards to the sky.
Mello couldn’t help but laugh as his friend proceeded to spin around and wave his arms like a lunatic. He was already completely drenched with his pant legs covered in mud as he continued to prance around, but he faltered once he noticed Mello hadn’t moved. The blonde rolled his eyes as Matt began motioning toward himself with exaggerated gestures. Mello feigned disinterest by shaking his head and Matt responded by clutching his heart while dejectedly, and dramatically, collapsing onto the soaked grass.
What a dope, was all Mello could think before he caved and ran out onto the field amidst the rushing rain. As he made his way toward his friend, he marveled at the way the rain felt against his skin. It was thrilling being caught in the middle of a storm like this, with the wind howling and pushing heavy droplets in every direction. Matt was still lying in the mud by the time he caught up to him, so Mello didn’t hesitate to stomp in a puddle beside his head. He laughed again as Matt sputtered and wiped the mud from his face. Matt tried to retaliate by swiping at Mello’s legs, but the blonde had anticipated it and stepped over him with ease.
Eventually, Matt got up and stretched his arms up to the sky again. His smile was huge as he resumed his dorky rain dance and Mello could feel his heart rate pick up again at the sight of it.
“C’mon Mells, dance with me!”
Matt grabbed at his wrists and together they spun around at a fevered pace that mimicked the storm’s chaotic gusto. Mello allowed himself to become lost in the moment, stealing glimpses of Matt’s goofy and uninhibited grin. As they whirled around in the pulsing rain, it was as if they were the only two people on the entire planet.
“This is awesome!” Matt screamed, having to shout over the intense rainfall. Mello laughed along with him and nodded.
I like you! Mello wanted to scream back, scream it loud enough for the whole world to hear. I like you so much, my heart stops just thinking about it! The thought hit him all at once and stopped him dead in his tracks. His abrupt halt caused them to lose their momentum and sent them tumbling into the muddy grass. Matt howled with laughter and rolled over to lay beside Mello as the blonde shook his head and smiled back.
////
Age 20
The distant sound of thunder was loud enough to wake Mello from his doze. He let out a sleepy grumble and disentangled himself from Matt’s slumbering form to shut the open window. The faint outline of the city startled him for a moment; they’d been in Japan for nearly a week now, but Mello still hadn’t grown accustomed to the change in scenery. The stormy weather was startling in itself, he had become so acclimated to the LA droughts he could scarcely remember the last time he’d seen it rain so hard. He yawned once then shook his head, now determined to stay awake and get some work done.
Slowly, he scooted to the foot of their bed to retrieve the laptop he’d abandoned a few hours ago. Behind him, Matt murmured in his sleep and rolled over to the warm space Mello had once occupied. The blonde flushed as the blankets loosened around Matt’s waist and exposed his bare body, reminding him of exactly what they’d been doing before he dozed off.
A pleasant shiver ran up his spine as he reluctantly pushed the lewd memories away and turned back to his laptop. As he opened the document of their surveillance notes, he mentally chided himself for being so easily distracted. Now that they were in Japan, it was imperative they remain focused on their efforts to track down Kira. The more time he allowed to slip by would cost them the intel they desperately needed to revive his investigation.
An hour had passed by the time Matt began to stir from his nap. Mello hadn’t moved from his perch on the far end of the bed and remained focused on his work. He hadn’t been very successful beyond the point of reorganizing their list of leads, but he was determined to find something a little more substantial. Matt, oblivious to his concentration, pressed his toes against the small of Mello’s back and slid his foot up his spine. Mello ignored him and hoped he’d take the hint, but the redhead continued to poke at his sides with his perpetually cold feet. It wasn’t until Matt tried to slip his big toe past the waistband of his underwear that Mello turned around to face him.
“Knock it off.”
“Morning.” Mello felt his heart flutter at the sight of his tussled hair and relaxed smile.
“It’s four o’clock in the afternoon,” he corrected. Then added pointedly, “I’m working.”
He turned back to his laptop before he could be distracted by Matt’s adorably drowsy face. Mello heard him yawn, then turn to grab for his pack of cigarettes on the bedside table. Before he could snap at him to open a window, Matt let out a surprised gasp.
“Woah, it’s raining.”
The storm hadn’t let up in the slightest, and the heavy rains continued to pour down on the empty streets below them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Matt press his face against the window in complete awe.
“So what? It’s just some bad weather.”
“It never rained in LA dude. It’s been forever since I’ve seen it rain like this.”
Matt opened the window and lit his cigarette, content to stare at the rain while he smoked. Mello spared another glance at his profile, his sharp features and freshly dyed hair stuck out beautifully against the window’s gloomy backdrop. It took all of Mello’s willpower to bring his attention back down to his work, the disappointing results stared back, mocking him. He halfheartedly resumed reading through his list of leads, but it didn’t take long before Matt finished his cigarette and moved to peek over Mello’s shoulder. He felt his heart rate pick up again when Matt’s smokey breath brushed against his ear.
“Anything?” Matt murmured, nodding to the notes on the laptop.
Mello shook his head and shivered when Matt pressed a small kiss to his bare shoulder.
“Let’s do something fun then.”
“No. We’ve slacked off enough today.”
“C’mon Mel, give it time. Staring at the same information isn’t going to break the case.”
Matt brushed some of his hair away from the nape of his neck and pressed another kiss in its wake. The butterflies living in Mello’s stomach fluttered to life, indicating that it wouldn’t be long until his resolve broke and he’d give into whatever idea Matt had in mind. He supposed Matt had a point about overanalyzing what little intel they currently had. Besides, they were still waiting for Matt’s programming to spit out more background on some of the players Halle had suggested they look into, and he was confident that was bound to lead somewhere. He’d just have to accept that there was nothing to be done but wait. In the meantime, he figured he could let Matt distract him…again.
With a final sigh, Mello closed the laptop and turned to face his persuasive boyfriend. He was met with a smile, but instead of pulling him back into the sheets, Matt got up to look for his discarded clothes. Mello frowned, then arched a questioning eyebrow in the redhead’s direction. The only response he received was another smile along with a worn striped shirt thrown onto his lap.
“Get dressed dude, I don’t think our new neighbors will appreciate your hot bod as much as I do.”
“I beg to differ.”
He relished the sound of Matt’s laughter as he slipped on the shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Mello stood from the bed and stretched as he followed Matt out of their tiny bedroom. Together they stopped by the front door to slip their shoes on, and before Mello could ask him where they were going, Matt was already making his way outside. Mello took a few steps past the entryway of their apartment just in time to see Matt running down the rickety steps that led into the empty street below. He leant against the railing as he watched his boyfriend get soaked in the rain and jump through every puddle in his path. Once Matt reached the middle of the road, he turned back to Mello and waved at him to come down. The rain was crashing around him, but that didn’t stop Matt from jumping around and waving his hands like a moron. He stopped long enough to cup his hands around his mouth and shout up to him through the relentless rain.
“Are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna get your ass down here and be the Rachel McAdams of my dreams?”
Mello had no idea what he was talking about, but he figured a quick stint in the rain wouldn’t kill him. He made his way down the steps and onto the flooded street where Matt was waiting for him with open arms. Mello rolled his eyes, then ran the rest of the way towards him, intending to, quite literally, knock him off his feet. Clearly, Matt had been anticipating this because once Mello was close enough, he scooped him up into a massive bear hug, spinning the both of them around a few times. Then, quicker than the distant lightning, he leant in and kissed Mello in a way that made his brain explode. Mello kissed him back with everything he had. Which was apparently enough to make Matt forget about the laws of motion because before either of them could register what was happening, he toppled over and sent them both tumbling onto the blacktop.
Miraculously, both of them had managed to avoid getting hurt, but they remained laying beside each other on the road. Mello turned his head to let Matt know how much of an idiot he was, but the words escaped him as the redhead flashed him his trademark grin.
I love you. The thought echoed through his head loud enough to drown out the crashing rain. Mello wanted to say it so badly, but the words stung like bile in his throat. I love you so much, it makes me choke. Instead of professing his love and making a fool of himself, Mello simply smiled back at him and tucked the wet strands of hair away from Matt’s lovely face.
////
Age 25
Mello let out a frustrated sigh as he peered out the window for a second time. Of course, it had to start raining just before he was about to make a break for it. He checked his watch again and prayed that Matt had made it to the meetup point. He still had a few minutes before he’d be clear to make his dramatic exit, so he turned to face the mirror.
The white cocktail dress stared back at him in all its flowy, silky, glory. He resisted the urge to pick at the thin fabric and instead took a step back to fully regard himself. The dress was lovely, and he looked incredible, but its style was so far from his own that he was beginning to have some doubts. Usually, he would have asked Matt to give him a second opinion, one that would undoubtedly restore his confidence and leave him with a string of incomprehensibly horny complements. However, in the chaos of planning tonight they hadn’t had a moment to themselves before leaving for their mission.
They’d been working on this case for months now, and if everything continued to go smoothly tonight, it would finally come to a close. The two of them had been tracking down the kingpin of a massive prostitution ring and had finally revealed his identity to be that of a prominent, and wealthy, local politician. Tonight, their target was hosting a banquet for his campaign; the whole ordeal had been a dreadfully boring and stuffy affair that had only reaffirmed Mello’s hatred for American politics. He’d spent the evening mingling and silently keeping tabs on their mark while Matt worked behind the scenes, hacking away at the kingpin’s personal data reserves. Once the man of the hour had finished thanking his guests for their support, Mello had slipped away to change into something a bit more comfortable.
Although Matt was sure to find all sorts of damning evidence as he ripped through their mark’s private hard drives, Mello wanted to ensure that they’d be able to keep this guy pinned until the cops showed up. And Mello being Mello, had decided the best way to go about this was to end the evening with a bang. Well, he wasn’t exactly allowed to shoot the guy, but he at least hoped to humiliate him in his last few seconds of freedom. A beeping noise from his watch indicated that he had thirty seconds to get in position. He looked in the mirror again to double-check that his mascara hadn’t smudged, and allowed himself a brief smile. He looked damn good in the dress, and although his heels were killing him, he was confident that his plan would work.
Silently, he made his way to the door and opened it just enough that he could see down the hallway. A minute passed by before a tall shadow slowly made its way around the corner. Upon seeing it, Mello slipped out of the small bathroom just in time for the target to notice his elegant silhouette.
“Well, what have we here? Are you lost, sweetheart? Most of the guests are on their way out.”
“Oh my,” Mello uttered in a small, feminine voice, “I must have lost track of the time. Please excuse me.”
He cast a brief glance over his shoulder, and just as intended, his hair delicately brushed in front of his face to hide his scar. The man clearly liked what he saw because he didn’t even try to hide his enthusiasm as he made his way closer. Mello ducked his head and pretended to drunkenly stumble as he took a few steps away from the door. As expected, the mark took the bait and moved into his personal space.
“Woah there, sweetheart. Why don’t you come with me? My lounge is just down the hall, would you fancy a nightcap?”
Before Mello could respond, the man’s meaty palm had settled on the small of his back while his other hand closed in on his wrist. He had to suppress a shudder at the way the man’s grip naturally tightened around him. Instead, he simply nodded and allowed himself to be led down the other end of the hall. The man stopped before a large mahogany door and waved a small key in front of his face.
“Just a moment, sweetheart.”
As the man turned his back to unlock the door, Mello reached beneath his dress and released a handgun from his thigh holster. He kept it hidden behind his back as the target stepped inside and beckoned for him. Again, he turned his back to lock the door behind him, so Mello took his chance and loudly released the safety. The man’s head snapped up at the familiar sound, and he slowly turned to face Mello with his back to the locked door.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart,” Mello mocked. “Not what you expected?”
The man’s eyes bulged out of his skull, but before he could open his mouth, Mello waved the gun at him. Defeatedly, the man put his arms up in surrender; Mello could hardly believe how much of an idiot this guy had turned out to be.
“What do you want?” He demanded. Mello simply shook his head.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ve already won. Why don’t you have a seat on the couch, and I’ll explain everything.”
The man quickly sat on the couch and Mello didn’t waste another second. In a flash, he ambushed the man with a flurry of debilitating punches, knocking him out with a final blow to the back of his skull. Once the man slumped over, Mello reached beneath his dress again to detach a set of handcuffs from his garter. In a matter of seconds, their target was bound and unconscious. For good measure, he slipped the room key just out of reach and sent a picture of his work to their contact within the local police department.
At last, their case was complete. All he had to do was slip out of the gaudy mansion undetected, which would have been a snap if it hadn’t been for the rain. Begrudgingly, he opened the large veranda windows and stepped out onto the damp balcony. The rain was coming down so hard that it was impossible for him to see past the garden below, where Matt was hopefully waiting for him.
“Holy shit.” A familiar voice from below startled him.
“Christ. Matt, what the hell are you doing?”
“Holy fucking shit, am I dreaming? I’m dreaming, right? Oh my fucking god, you look so hot.”
Mello had to walk to the edge of the balcony and lean over the railing to see Matt’s drenched form staring up at him.
“What are you doing? Where’s the car?”
“What car?”
“Our getaway car!”
“Oh right, that car. I had to park it further down the drive, I couldn’t see anything with the rain. But, oh baby, am I glad I can see now.”
“Shut up,” Mello hissed in his direction. “Someone could hear you! Have you forgotten we’re in the middle of a top-secret mission?”
“Yeah, okay, I’ll shut up. I’ll do whatever you want, forever. Holy shit, this is the best day of my life.”
“Oh my god, just stay there, I think I can climb down.”
“Oh right. Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your golden hair! That was going to be my opening line, but I wasn’t expecting you to actually turn into a princess. A totally sexy knockout spy detective princess who’s also the love of my life. Oh my god, I love you so much.”
Mello carefully made his way down the balcony’s siding as Matt continued to drool and blather on. Once he reached the bottom of it, he looked down and was relieved to see it was only a six-foot drop to the sodden garden below. Matt positioned himself accordingly, and Mello let himself fall into his arms, feeling very much like a soggy princess being rescued by her moronic, and equally soaked prince.
Pleased that he’d managed to avoid getting completely muddy, Mello turned his head to give Matt a brief kiss before stepping out of his arms. Miraculously, his uncomfortable, and admittedly tacky, shoes survived the journey as well, so he took pleasure in ripping them off and chucking them in the nearby storm drain. Mello surveyed the area again, deeming it clear enough for them to walk away undetected. Before he could tell Matt they were good to go, the redhead grabbed his hand.
“May I have this dance?”
“What?”
“C’mon, Mel,” he said with a smile and gestured to the rain, “let’s dance.”
Mello was about to remind him for the second time that they were in the middle of closing an important case, but there was something about the way Matt was looking at him that made the words die in his throat. He spared another glance around the empty garden, then turned his attention back to Matt. The lights emanating from the streetlamps were distant enough to illuminate the steady rain and bathe the atmosphere in a beautiful, soft glow. Matt’s lovely auburn hair was roguishly disheveled, and his smile was a beatific beacon of mischief and adoration. Mello let out a small sigh and extended his hand to accept Matt’s outstretched palm. All thoughts of the mission disappeared to the back of his mind as he let go and allowed himself to be distracted by yet another one of Matt’s outlandish ideas.
Hand in hand, they ran through the incessant rain until they reached a vacant patch of greenery in the middle of the garden. Matt slid his hands down Mello’s sides, feeling him up through the thin fabric of the silky dress until his palms came to rest at the small of his back. Mello let out a tiny laugh as Matt pulled him in closer and began to sway along with the symphony of rushing rain and distant thunder. They slow danced for a few moments, enjoying their closeness and the intimacy of the calm evening. Mello tilted his head up to look into those emerald eyes he adored so much and leant in to kiss Matt’s soft and eager lips. They swayed and kissed until Mello pulled away to rest his forehead against Matt’s.
“I love you,” he whispered, just barely audible against the pattering rain.
Matt’s smile was brilliant in the darkness as he opened his mouth to reply. But before he had a chance to return the sentiment, the sound of police sirens wailed in the distance and broke them from their reverie. Together, they sprinted through the muddy garden, laughing uncontrollably with their hands clasped tight.