Work Text:
“This…this place is…”
“Hm? What ‘bout it?”
No reply comes.
“Mells? Hey, Mells.”
Muffled; everything around Mello is suddenly distant, almost soundless. Children’s squeals from a nearby playscape, birds that caw overhead, and especially Matt’s words are muted, and practically incomprehensible.
Mello stands at the edge of the sidewalk, peering down the sloped land where the playground dwells. Above is the usual haze, reminiscent of London’s fog, enveloping all blue within the skyline. An unseasonably bitter gust tosses blonde locks about, yet, Mello doesn’t bother to adjust his coiffure.
His eyes are transfixed upon a child, no more than 5 years of age, merrily bounding toward their parents on a nearby bench. Smiles are exchanged between family members, after which the three depart.
The tender display awakens long buried feelings in Mello. The first to resurface is anger, which coils through his chest like a raging cobra. Second is sadness, that weighs like lead in the pit of his stomach. And third is fear, effectively paralyzing him.
The cocktail of emotions causes his heart to race. Then his chest constricts, squeezing the breath out of him.
Eyes widen.
Mind goes blank.
Limbs become unreasonably heavy.
Mello wonders if the world before him is real or not; perhaps it is just an amalgam of his past, assembled with random puzzle pieces of a time that should have been forgotten. For all he knew, this was another one of his many night terrors, spinning the recurrent tale of a broken child, cast into an unforgiving world by their own kin.
But then, a soft hand encompasses Mello’s. It’s a cool touch that not only soothes him, but grounds him in the present. That gesture releases Mello from his frozen state and the commotion of the world comes rushing back. For a time, Mello is overwhelmed by the clamor, but resists covering both ears.
“Hey,” Matt gently utters, “you alright?”
“Oh, I, uh…”
“Really, Mells, if this is too much for ya, we don’t hafta--”
“No, no. It’s fine…really.” Uncomfortably, Mello swallows. “It’s just…this place, it’s…it’s where she abandoned me…”