Archive of Our Own ^beta

When Matt turns off at a random exit, he tries to ignore Mello’s groan of frustration. They’d been on the road for two days now and things were not panning out as Matt had originally hoped.

Mello had been in a sour mood ever since he’d received his newest assignment from his mob syndicate, and no matter what Matt did, his friend remained moody and distant. Matt supposes that he shouldn’t be surprised; Mello doesn’t love being told what to do, and he especially doesn’t like doing things that are a waste of his time.

Matt knows nothing about what the job actually involves, but he does know that it’s located in bumfuck nowhere Pennsylvania. To make matters worse -thanks to Mello’s rising paranoia about the Kira investigation- they were forbidden from using any mode of transportation that would leave a paper trail. Hence, Matt was being forced on a cross-country road trip with his not-so-ex-best friend, who wanted absolutely nothing to do with him or whatever job was waiting for them on the other side of America.

Still, Matt had to admit getting out of the city was nice. And despite his friend’s hostile temperament, he was happy to have some one-on-one time with him for once. Ever since he’d arrived in LA three months ago, things have been a bit awkward between them and Matt’s hoping some time on the road will help them work out…whatever it is they need to work out.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Mello snaps at him. “You’re going off route.”

Currently, they’re somewhere in Indiana, right by the Michigan boarder. Matt’s been dying to get a glimpse of Lake Michigan ever since they’d passed through Chicago, so he keeps driving despite the blonde’s protest.

“Sorry, dude. Just one quick pitstop and we’ll be back on track.”

“Absolutely not. Turn around.”

“It’ll take like five minutes.”

“I don’t give a shit! I’m not staying in this car a second longer than I have to. Turn around before I- oh.”

The blonde cut himself off with an awed gasp as they round the corner. Lake Michigan glimmers in the distance, vast and so blue that Matt lets out a small gasp of his own. Mello leans forward to get a better view as Matt drives closer to the water; all previous tension seems to vanish by the time they pull off into a small parking lot.

As they make their way towards the shoreline, Matt spares a glance at his friend. Mello’s expression is thoughtfully serene as he gazes at the rippling water in front of them. A wave of nostalgia washes over Matt as he recalls that very same expression years ago when they’d gone on a field trip to Portsmouth as children. Mello’s always been captivated by the water and Matt wishes he had the courage to ask him why, but for now he settles on enjoying the beautiful view.

They walk alongside the sandy beach, passing the occasional ice cream vendor or touristy shop the further they go. Eventually, Mello pauses to stand on a picnic table to get a better look, and as Matt glances up at him, he feels his heart flutter in his chest. The wind whips Mello’s golden blonde hair out of his face to reveal a small smile poking out on the corners of his lips. It’s the first time in years that Matt’s seen him this unguarded, and he can’t help but stare a little longer, completely captivated by his friend’s beauty.

When Mello eventually looks down at him, Matt reaches out his hand to help him off the picnic table. The blonde grins down at him and accepts, jumping from the bench to stand next to Matt again. The wind picks up just as Mello whispers something, so Matt leans in closer to hear him.

“We should get going,” Mello murmurs almost regretfully.

Matt nods, but before he can say anything, someone taps him on the shoulder. They both jump apart from one another, only just realizing their close proximity as a cheerful woman waves to them.

“Sorry! Didn’t, mean to startle you two. I was just wondering if you wanted me to take your picture?”

They both blink at her, dumbfounded.

“It’s just such a lovely setting, I thought the two of you might want a picture together.”

“Um…sure,” Matt replies dumbly and hands her his phone.

Mello looks at him as if he’s just sprouted another head, but says nothing as the woman motions for them to move in closer to one another. Once the pictures are taken, Matt thanks the woman who smiles and hands the phone back.

“You kids make such a cute couple. Enjoy the rest of your day!”

Matt’s mouth drops open as she scurries into the clothing boutique across from them at the same time Mello turns on his heel and begins stomping back towards the car. He watches his retreating friend for a moment, mind racing as he tries to piece together what the hell just happened before he sprints to catch up with him.

“Mel, I-“

“What the hell were you thinking!” Mello shouts as he whips around to face him.

Matt puts his hands up in surrender, but the blonde gets in his face anyway.

“Have you completely lost your mind?” He demands as he snatches the phone out of Matt’s hand. “We’re hunting Kira for fuck’s sake! Under no circumstances can we have any photo’s revealing our faces, you know this! You fucking idiot!”

Matt tries to fight his disappointment as Mello deletes the photos. Realistically, he knows it has to be done, but he would have at least liked to look at them before Mello erased them away forever. He doesn’t have much of an excuse for himself either; he’d been so caught up in their happy little moment that all thoughts of Kira had vanished from his mind when the woman approached them. He doubts Mello will accept this as an answer, so he remains silent as the blonde berates him for his stupidity.

By the time they’re in the car again, it’s as if the past half hour had never happened. Mello crosses his arms and turns his back to him as Matt starts the car and begins driving away from Lake Michigan.

---

As the third hour of silence rolls by, Mello’s guilt gets the better of him. He spares a glance out of the corner of his eye to look at Matt, but immediately turns away upon seeing his friend’s solemn demeanor. Deep down, he knows Matt didn’t mean any harm by letting that nosy bitch photograph them, but something about the whole encounter left him feeling…off. This feeling isn’t exactly new; it’s been lingering on the edge of his nerves ever since Matt had shown up at his front door.

Things were awkward between them, that much was clear, and it wasn’t lost on Mello that the majority of it was his fault. He hadn’t exactly been receptive to Matt when he’d first crash-landed back into his life, but now that enough time had passed he found himself grateful for the redhead’s arrival. Things with the mob were becoming complicated with the more progress they made, and Mello refused to trust a single person under his command. The grip he had on them was strong, but they were all just a bunch of moronic, selfish criminals at the end of the day.

Matt was different. Matt was familiar. Matt was…Matt.

And Mello had missed him terribly.

The truth of it all was, when Matt had shown up three months ago, Mello had been relieved. Not angry or annoyed as he’d acted, but fully and utterly relieved to see his familiar dopey face staring back at him. Not that Matt knew that, he probably thought Mello was displeased to have him around given the way he’d been treating him. But no, Mello was relieved. Because Matt was loyal, Matt was smart, and Matt clearly had nothing better to do than to follow him around; he would be the trick up his sleeve, his secret weapon, and his key to catching Kira in the long run. His mafia associates were nothing but pawns, destined to fall before him as he stepped over their rotting corpses on his way to the finish line. But Matt would prove to be very useful once he was ready to start making his big moves.

That’s what Mello told himself anyway.

However, as much as these excuses ran through his head, there was no denying the other reason he was relieved to have Matt around. That reason was so simple, and yet it was what Mello struggled with the most. He’d initially thought it was the relief of no longer being lonely. Because out of all the places he’s been and all the people he’s met over the years since he’d left the House, no one has ever come close to filling that void in his heart. The one that had appeared after he’d realized he’d left his best and only friend behind forever once he’d stepped through those tall iron gates. The loneliness was the one thing he hadn’t considered in all of his preparations for leaving the House, and it had been terrible. The transition from being inseparable to indefinitely separated from Matt had torn his heart in half, and he’d never been the same since.

Over the years it had faded but was always present, this maddening flurry of feelings he’d shoved so far down into his sub-conscience that it’d only creep back up during times of weakness. These feelings of yearning and missing and worry and guilt that would haunt him in the dead of night, floating through his being like a ghost from the past. Because no matter what he did, or who he fucked, or how hard he tried, he could never truly forget Matt.

And now here he was. They’d been reunited at last, and despite all of the relief and excitement he initially felt, Mello had still made things difficult. He simply refused to drudge up the past and remained aloof and distant, despite Matt’s multiple attempts as getting him to open up. He wasn’t sure what Matt had been expecting when he showed up, but this probably hadn’t been it.

To make matters worse, Mello was being forced on this Godforsaken insignificant bitch of a job, and Matt was the only one he trusted to get him there. He only wished he’d accounted for the level of extreme awkwardness that came hand and hand with this choice.

Mello lets out a frustrated sigh, trying to quell his rising nerves as the awkward silence threatens to suffocate him. Then he turns abruptly to face Matt again.

“Does your shitty car have a radio?”

Matt raises an eyebrow, then waves towards the incredibly visible radio in front of him. Mello jabs at the buttons until he finds something that doesn’t make his ears bleed before he settles back against his seat in a huff. He can feel Matt staring at him, but he doesn’t acknowledge him and busies himself with unwrapping a chocolate bar.

“You like Springsteen?” Matt asks him.

“What?”

“Uh...Bruce Springsteen? The guy on the radio?”

“Oh. I guess he’s okay…”

Matt nods, and Mello can sense another awkward silence coming their way, so he sighs and kicks his feet up on the dash.

“Do you like Bruce…um…Springfield?”

Matt lets out a small laugh, and Mello can feel his face burn, but before he can get too embarrassed, his friend nods good-naturedly.

“Sure, he’s alright. A little old school for my taste, but he’s got some good songs.”

“Well, what kind of music do you like then?”

“Man, that’s such a hard question to answer, but I’m not going to be one of those assholes that say, ‘anything but country.’ Lately, I’ve been on a pretty solid grunge kick; Nirvana, Bush, The Cranberries. But I’ve always been a fan of New Wave alternative, early British punk, and a few heavy metal artists. What about you?”

Mello realizes that this was possibly the worst topic for him to initiate given that he has absolutely no interest in modern music whatsoever. Matt might as well have been speaking to him in a foreign language for what little he was able to understand.

“I don’t typically listen to music...”

“Seriously? C’mon, you used to love jamming out to The Who! Remember that time we stole B’s boombox and-”

Matt cuts himself off abruptly, dropping the memory as if it had burned him. Mello watches silently as Matt shakes his head and palms nervously at the steering wheel.

“Never mind, I get it if music isn’t your thing.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty clueless about this stuff,” Mello says neutrally as he bites off another piece of chocolate.

“Wow.”

“What?” Mello snaps, suddenly defensive.

Matt chuckles softly and shakes his head.

“No, it’s stupid.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“It’s just that clueless isn’t a word I’d ever expect you to use to describe yourself. Never thought I’d live to see the day.”

Mello can feel his mouth drop open before he promptly shuts it and crosses his arms over his chest. He’s not used to this level of camaraderie, so he’s genuinely at a loss on how to respond to Matt’s jibe. 

“Being clueless about something so meaningless isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” he grumbles primly.

“Guess I spoke too soon,” Matt snickers at him.

“What’s so goddamn funny?”

“Nothing dude. I’m just picturing you as that blonde chick from the movie Clueless.”

“What the fuck? What does that even mean?”

Matt continues to laugh at him, so Mello rolls his eyes and throws his chocolate wrapper in the backseat.

“Yeah, laugh it up, asshole. You’re one to talk with your fucking Ronald McDonald hair.”

That makes the faux redhead laugh harder, and Mello has to turn away to mask the small smile threatening to form on his face. Matt’s laugh hasn’t changed at all, and Mello’s chest fills with warmth upon hearing it.  

This silence that follows is lighter, so Mello relaxes a little in his seat now that the awkwardness has eased. Pleased that things are no longer tense between them, he’s content to look out the window while Matt hums along to the various songs that play through the speakers.

---

It’s late by the time they roll through the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, so Matt pulls off at the first town they come across. Mello’s curled up against the car door when they pull into a hotel parking lot, so he leaves him half-dozing in the passenger seat as he goes to rent a room. When he comes back, Mello is significantly more awake, but his drowsy expression indicates how exhausted he is.

They shuffle into their hotel room, but before Matt has a chance to get through the door, Mello stops abruptly in front of him. Matt cautiously pokes his head through the threshold, curious as to what’s causing his friend’s sudden shift. When he spies the problem, his face immediately heats up in embarrassment. He spares a glance beside him to gauge his friend’s reaction, but the blonde’s face is infuriatingly vacant.

After a beat, Mello takes a few steps in and sets his bag down with a loud thud. Then he sits on the only bed in the room and arches an eyebrow at Matt, who’s still loitering by the door like an imbecile.

“Um,” Matt chokes on his words as he pulls the door shut behind him, ears still burning. “Uh, this wasn’t what I was expecting.”

“Oh really?”

Matt flinches at Mello’s dry suspicion and finally looks up to meet his eyes.

“Really! The dude at the front desk said they only had one room available, so I took it.”

“And you didn’t bother asking what kind of room it was?”

“No, really man, it was an honest mistake-“

“Whatever.”

Mello shrugs his jacket off with an annoyed huff as he appraises the rest of the room. When his eyes fall back on Matt, he gives him a strange and entirely unreadable look. Matt realizes this looks bad, but surely Mello knows that he wouldn’t deliberately pick a room with only one bed. Normally, Matt wouldn’t be so on edge about the situation, but with what happened earlier on the beach, and Mello’s habit of overanalyzing every little thing, he’s worried his friend may jump to the wrong conclusion. His stomach is in knots by the time Mello clears his throat to speak up again.

“Check the room for bugs and wiretaps, I need to make a call.”

And with that, the blonde walks past him with a final calculated look, leaving Matt alone in the dim hotel room.

---

By the time Mello returns, Matt is no longer in the room. The blonde tries to quell his immediate panic as his paranoia goes into hyperdrive, but after doing a quick check around the small room, nothing seems amiss. He waits for another ten minutes, then stomps out the door to find his moronic friend. When he pushes through the stairwell’s heavy door, he sees that the door leading outside is propped open with a brick and doesn’t hesitate to kick it open.

Matt lets out a startled yelp and drops his lighter when Mello crashes into his personal space, but the blonde’s in his face before he has a chance to collect himself.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He snaps at him, panic turning into fury.

Matt falters a few times before he holds up a lit cigarette and gives him a wan smile.

“Uh…smoke break?”

Mello feels his fingers ball up into fists, and wonders for the millionth time how someone so smart could be so careless. Before he can belt out his frustration, Matt shakes out another cigarette and offers it to him. The blonde rolls his eyes and leans against the cold brick wall behind them as he attempts to regulate his breathing. If it were anyone else, Mello wouldn’t have hesitated to rip them a new one, but he can’t bring himself to scream at Matt again. Instead, he accepts the cigarette and waits for Matt to retrieve his lighter. As the redhead scooches next to him and leans in to give him a light, Mello glares at him.

“You need to be more careful.”

“Yeah, I know. Next time I’ll double-check before I book the room-“

“Fuck the room, I’m talking about you running off without telling me.”

Matt’s surprisingly silent, so Mello turns to get a better look at his face. His friend’s expression is unreadable behind his goggles, but his lips have pulled together in a pensive frown.

“We’re hunting Kira for Christ’s sake,” Mello continues, despite Matt’s sullen behavior. “Not to mention, we’re on an important job. So, the next time you need a goddamn smoke break, fucking give me a heads-up before you disappear.”

To Mello’s surprise, Matt laughs in his face. It’s not a particularly pleasant laugh either, it comes out bitter and stilted, which shocks him further. Mello lets the cigarette burn in his hand as Matt shakes his head at him and looks away, mumbling something under his breath.

“What was that?” Mello asks, on edge. Matt shakes his head again before taking a long drag and releasing it into the chilly air.

“That’s a pretty ironic request, coming from you,” Matt replies smoothly, though Mello knows him well enough to pick up on the bitterness lacing his tone.

It takes him a moment to comprehend Matt’s response, but when he does, Mello looks away as his breath catches painfully in his lungs. For the first time in years, he’s left utterly speechless as Matt’s comment hangs in the air between them. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his friend shake his head for the third time and instantly feels nauseous.

This is the exact moment Mello had been dreading ever since their reunion. He’d half expected Matt to bring it up during that first week, but the months had passed on without a single acknowledgment, so Mello had gone on ignoring the elephant in the room. But now there was no use ignoring it any longer; he knows if he blows off the conversation, the consequences would be irreversible. He takes a quick drag from his cigarette as he tries to collect his racing thoughts.

“I regret disappearing like that,” he begins, though the words sound lame and far too formal coming out of his mouth.”

“No, you don’t,” Matt scoffs as he snuffs out his cigarette and lights another one.

Mello’s heart turns to cement and painfully sinks to the pit of his stomach as he attempts to amend his previous statement. Ultimately, he realizes that he’s not going to get through to Matt if he continues acting aloof, so he swallows some of his pride and takes a step closer to his friend. Their shoulders bump together, and it instantly sends a shockwave through Mello’s body. The sensation is far too familiar and not quite right all at once, but Mello tries to ignore the distorted nostalgia as he opens his mouth to speak again.

“I regret disappearing on you like that,” he finally manages to choke out. “I didn’t do it intentionally.”

“Sure, you just walked out of my life forever by accident.”

Mello deflates when his explanation is shot down again; previous exhaustion washes over him all at once and he can’t help but lean in closer to Matt’s steady frame.

“I never meant to hurt you, Matty,” he whispers, voice stripped of all its usual confident bravado.

He knows it’s a low blow to call Matt by his old nickname, but it had slipped out along with the rest of his pride. He feels Matt stiffen beside him and braces for the worst.

The redhead remains stubbornly silent as the minutes tick by, and Mello can do nothing but watch the smoke curl above his head as he works through his second cigarette. Eventually, Matt shakes his head again and turns to look at him.

“Do you want me to be here?”

Mello blinks back at him, completely caught off guard by the question.

“Yes.”

“No, don’t just tell me what you think I want to hear. Do you genuinely want me here with you? I mean in general, not just in this moment.”

“Of course, I want you to be here,” he tries again.

“Because I’m helping you with this job?”

“No, that’s not-”

“Right, you want me around to help you out with your investigation. Is that it?”

“Matt-“

“What is my role here exactly?”

“I don’t understand what you’re asking,” Mello responds as carefully as he can.

“Who am I to you?” Matt snaps at him, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. “A coworker? Getaway driver? Accompl-“

“You’re my best friend!” Mello shouts back, exhaustion replaced with an inexplicable feeling of defensiveness. “Not my driver, or my goddamn accomplice, if I needed someone like that I would’ve chosen one of the idiots I work with!”

“So you wanted me to come on this trip out of pity, is that it? Poor, pathetic Matt has nothing better to do with his life, so he may as well do something useful for you, right?”

Mello’s not used to this. He’s not used to being challenged like this, and he’s especially not used to Matt being so argumentative. Nothing he’s saying is coming out right, and he’s never been this emotionally spent in his entire life. So instead of stuttering out another lame response, he gives into exhaustion and slips down the wall until his ass hits the ground. The cigarette he’s been holding has long burned out, so he flicks it into the parking lot apathetically. He can feel Matt staring at him, but says nothing as he closes his eyes and drops his head in defeat. Eventually, Matt takes pity on him and slides down until they’re sitting side by side. Their knees press together, and he’s consumed by another wave of bitter nostalgia.

“You will never know how much I missed you,” Mello whispers, surprising himself.

“I think I have a pretty good idea,” Matt mutters, though most of the anger has left his voice.

At once, Mello understands Matt’s frustration. He’s not looking for excuses, and maybe not even an apology; what he wants is an acknowledgment, some kind of sign that Mello realizes what he put him through when he left him behind without so much as a goodbye. Perhaps there’s more to it, but for now, it’s enough for Mello.

“You want to know something?” Mello asks.

“You’ll probably tell me anyway,” Matt replies automatically. He really hasn’t changed at all.  

“For the first time in years, I finally feel as if I can breathe again,” Mello says as he turns to face him. “Do you know what I mean?”

Matt nods slightly, but doesn’t meet his eye.

“I know things may never be the same between us, and I’m sorry for that. But I honestly can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have by my side right now. Not because I need your brain or your skillset, but because I need you. You’re the only one who’s ever really understood me…” Mello trails off once he realizes he’s being a little too honest.

He silently hopes Matt doesn’t read into it too much and holds his breath as he waits for the redhead to respond.

“How do I know you’re not just going to leave me behind once we get back to LA?”

“I wouldn’t-“ Mello starts, then stops when Matt gives him a look. “I won’t. You have my word, Matt.”

As the next silence stretches on, Mello finally realizes what Matt’s been trying to say this whole time. He no longer trusts Mello, which is ironic given that he’s the only person on the planet who Mello will ever trust. Although he understands why that trust is broken, it does nothing but deepen the crater in his heart. Matt lights another cigarette and takes a drag while Mello marinades in his misery. Just as he’s about to rise to head back to their room, Matt passes him the cigarette and lets out a long sigh. When Mello accepts it, Matt finally meets his gaze.

“Okay,” comes his simple reply.

And just like that, it’s as if the conversation never occurred. Mello takes a drag and lets out a relieved sigh, then passes the cigarette back to his friend. They sit there smoking in the desolate parking lot for what seems like hours; both of them letting go of what little tension remains. Mello feels himself start to slide closer to Matt as the exhaustion from the day seeps into every pore of his body. When their shoulders connect, Matt chuckles and nudges him with his elbow.

“C’mon let’s go back to the room. We have a whole bed to ourselves if you wanna cuddle so bad.”

Mello’s heart stops even though he knows Matt’s only joking. To save face, he rolls his eyes and punches Matt in the shoulder as he helps him up.

---

When Matt wakes up the next morning, the first thing he notices is how warm he feels. Without opening his eyes, he burrows further beneath the sheets and reaches behind him to pull the comforter tighter around his shoulders. His heart stops when his hand hits warm skin instead of worn linen. He holds his breath as he slowly turns his head to confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, Mello is right there, spooning him from behind with his upper body plastered to Matt’s back.

Matt is fully awake now that his brain has shifted into Panic Mode™. He tries to run through all of the logical excuses he can think of as to how they ended up like this but comes up empty. Surely Mello did this by accident? Or maybe it was his weird way of trying to mend things after last night, though Matt’s confident they both walked away from that on much better terms…

Before he has a chance to fully process what’s happening, Mello’s phone blares to life on the bedside table. He feels the blonde immediately startle awake behind him, so Matt closes his eyes and pretends to be dead to the world, but Mello doesn’t seem to pay him any mind as he shoots out of bed and takes his phone into the bathroom. When the door slams shut behind him, Matt sits up, putting his head in his hands as he desperately tries to steady his nerves.

He barely manages to regulate his heart rate by the time Mello crashes out of the bathroom. The blonde stops short once he sees that Matt is up, expression morphing into something entirely unreadable.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

“Yeah, I heard the door slam,” Matt lies. “Everything alright?”

Mello gives him another long look before he sighs and throws his burner cell onto the bed.

“We have to switch hotels.”

“Why?”

“Our mark’s on the move. Get dressed.”

Matt stares at him dumbly as the blonde begins repacking his suitcase.

“Alright…uh, should I look for hotels in the area, or-“

“It’s already been taken care of,” Mello snaps, then waves his hand impatiently in Matt’s direction.

“Get up, we leave in ten minutes.”

---

When they pull up to the hotel, Matt is certain they’re at the wrong place. He pulls his attention away from the overly luxurious building long enough to face Mello.

“This is where we’re staying?” He confirms.

When Mello nods, Matt lets out a long whistle as he gazes back up at the ornate detailing and perfectly trimmed hedges lining the entrance.

“Man, I knew you were rich, but this is…”

“What makes you think I’m rich?” Mello snorts as Matt pulls over for valet parking.

“Well, your clothes for one thing.”

Mello raises an eyebrow at him, but doesn’t say anything as they exit the car and gather their belongings. When they walk through the ridiculously posh lobby, Mello motions for Matt to wait while he checks them in. Matt marvels at how fancy everything looks for a few moments, but starts to feel like a fish out of water and diverts his attention to the shelf of travel brochures lined neatly on the coffee table in front of him. He’s about to give up and join Mello at the reception desk when something catches his eye.

                                                  HERSHEY PARK CHOCOLATE TOWN U.S.A

                                                  GAMES RIDES AMUSEMENT CHOCOLATE

                                                          FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!!!

Matt stares in disbelief as he reads through the rest of the brochure, then tucks it into his jacket pocket as he hears Mello’s heavy footsteps approaching.

---                                             

“Get dressed, we’re going to dinner.”

“Uh, I am dressed,” Matt says, then looks down at his jeans to double-check.

Mello scoffs at him, then immediately turns away to root through his suitcase. Just as Matt looks back down at his DS, a pair of dark denim pants is thrown on top of him, followed by a navy button-up.

“Go change.”

Matt removes his shirt on his way to the bathroom, but stops before he opens the door.

“Why am I getting changed?” He asks suspiciously, peering down at the clothes in his hand.

“The hotel’s dining dress code is business casual.”

“Can’t we just grab a pizza or something?”

“Matt,” Mello hisses at him, well past the point of frustration. “Just get ready and meet me in the lobby in ten minutes.”

“Oh, is this like part of the job?”

“Possibly,” Mello mumbles, then averts his gaze away from Matt’s naked torso as he retreats into the bathroom.  

Truth be told, Mello doesn’t know what to expect this evening. Based on his intel, their mark was supposed to have checked into the hotel earlier this morning. But after hacking into the reservation system to confirm the timing, it appeared that the booking had been canceled two days ago. While his idiot subordinates back in LA scramble to find more recent intel, he has no choice but to do some investigating himself. On the off chance that the cancellation was a system error, he’s hoping that he can confirm their mark’s arrival tonight given that his dinner reservation is still scheduled for seven. It’s not lost on Mello that this plan is a complete shot in the dark, but it beats laying around doing nothing all night.

---

Mello immediately regrets his plan the second he steps into the restaurant. He tries not to balk at the sea of couples cozied up in various booths and tables in the dimly lit dining area. It’s a far more intimate setting than he’d been anticipating, and he cringes internally as the hostess leads them to a candlelit table adorned with red roses. He refuses to look in Matt’s direction as their waiter places a drink menu on their table and lists off the evening’s specials.

“Any dietary restrictions or allergies?” The server asks.

“Um, yeah,” Matt pipes up, to Mello’s surprise. “I’m vegetarian.”

Their waiter nods and replaces Matt’s menu with a list of vegetarian options before he leaves.

“Since when have you been vegetarian?” Mello asks, then shakes his head. “Wait, no you’re definitely not vegetarian, you’ve been eating hamburgers this entire trip.”

Matt laughs and shrugs at him and it’s only then that Mello realizes he’s taken his goggles off. He’s momentarily caught off guard at the sight of his striking features and almost doesn’t hear Matt’s reply.

“Nah, I’m not really vegetarian. Well, not anymore. I just thought it’d be fun to switch things up for our super stealthy undercover mission.”

Mello sighs in exasperation then begins flipping through the wine menu to distract himself.

“This isn’t an undercover mission, I’m just…trying to get more information.”

“Sure, I bet that’s what you say to all your dates.”

Mello drops the drink menu and whips his head up to face Matt, but before he can get too worked up, the redhead puts his hands up in surrender.

“Kidding! Just kidding,” he laughs; eyes crinkling as his smile widens.

“You took your goggles off,” Mello points out in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

“Yeah, it’s too dark in here. Plus, I don’t think they fall under business casual,” he mocks.

“I don’t think they fall under anything other than hideous wannabe-gamer headwear.”

“Hey!”

Mello’s initial apprehension begins to dwindle as they bicker, and by the time the waiter stops by to get their drink orders, he’s relaxed considerably. He orders a bottle of wine for the table and takes a moment to scan the room while the waiter tends to their empty glasses. He’s got a pretty decent vantage point, but as his eyes flit over each table, he’s able to confirm that their mark is not in the room. He shakes his head before turning back to Matt.

---

“So, you were vegetarian at one point?” Mello asks once their orders have been placed.

“Yeah, for a bit. I dated a vegetarian for a while, so it was easier just to go with it.”

“Oh?” Mello says, and Matt doesn’t miss the edge of surprise in his tone. “Girlfriend?”

“Yep, I met her when I moved to New York. We dated for most of the time I lived there.”

“And how long was that?”

“Almost two years.”

Mello falls silent, so Matt keeps talking to prevent things from getting too awkward.  

“We broke up before I left though. She dumped me for her best friend.”

“Wait, what? Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Matt says and looks away. “I mean, it’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s essentially how it ended. It was on good terms.”

“How so?”

Matt frowns, he hasn’t really thought of his life back in New York since he’d arrived in LA. He isn’t sure how much he wants to share, but feels compelled to tell Mello a few details anyway.

“You really want to know?”

“Sure, I always wondered what you got up to after you graduated from the House.”

“Oh, I never graduated. I ran away like a year after you did.”

Mello is stone silent as he processes this new information. Matt tries to subtly gauge his reaction, but his friend is completely unreadable in the lowly lit room. After a beat, Mello takes a sip of wine and leans in close again.

“So, what was her name?” He asks casually and the sudden change in topic makes Matt falter.

“Cassie.”

“Was she blonde?”

“Huh?” Matt sputters, ears turning red as Mello poorly conceals a grin behind his wineglass.

“Never mind, you just answered my question,” Mello replies as takes another sip, blue eyes boring into Matt’s face. “Anyway, why didn’t it work out between you two?”  

“We were better off as friends,” Matt admits thoughtfully. “Sure, we had some decent times together, but it was pretty obvious she had a thing for her friend.”

“What the fuck? Who does this bitch think she is?”  

Matt’s so startled by Mello’s genuine outrage that he can’t help but laugh at him.

“It’s not like that, dude. It was amicable.”

“How could something like that not bother you?”

“Well, I couldn’t exactly fault her for figuring out she was a lesbian. Besides, it may have bothered me more if I hadn’t been…preoccupied.”

“With?”

“Um…”

Matt clears his throat as he attempts to come up with a lie, but it’s impossible for him to focus with Mello staring at him like that. The blonde is unwavering as he waits patiently for his reply, and Matt can tell that he’s already worked out the rest; he’s just waiting for Matt to confirm his theory.

“I was looking for you,” he concedes.

It feels strange to admit it out loud, but Matt knows there’s no point in hiding it. It’s no secret that Mello’s been dying to know just how long it took for Matt to track him down. Hell, he’d barely been allowed into his apartment without somewhat of an explanation as to how he was able to pinpoint his location.  

But spelling it out so clearly like this made Matt feel a tad vulnerable, and briefly worries if this information was a little too telling. It takes a while for Matt to muster up the courage to meet Mello’s gaze, and when he does, his mind goes blank. Matt wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but remorse hadn’t even crossed his mind.

It’s there one moment and gone the next as Mello leans away and looks down at the table, though Matt can still see the corners of his mouth turned down in a heavy frown. His friend fidgets with the stem of his glass before he sighs and opens his mouth to bite the bullet.

“How long were you looking for me?”

Matt understands that now would be the perfect opportunity to tell a little white lie. However, there’s this small part of him that’s demanding he tell the truth, even if he isn’t sure how the conversation will end.

“Three years. It took almost a year to accept that you weren’t coming back for me, so when I finally did decide to track you down, I didn’t have much to go on. I got lucky with America after striking out in Japan, which is good because my next guess was Russia, and I knew that’d be a motherfucker to figure out.”

“How did you determine I was in America?”

“Man, it took forever. Japan was easy to rule out for a few reasons, but mainly because there was no way you’d be able to establish roots there while staying off Kira’s radar. Not if you wanted to be careful at least, which I knew you would be in the beginning. But America was more complicated; its public stance on Kira is basically a crapshoot depending on which part of the country you live in, so I figured you’d have a better shot at finding an anti-Kira crowd. A city was probably your best bet for staying hidden in plain sight, so I went through most of the major cities’ police records to see if anything jumped out. It took over a year, but I was able to narrow you down to New York, Chicago, or LA based on the pattern of non-Kira confirmed deaths involving criminals. I hit a bunch of dead ends though; I was almost positive you were in New York so you could keep a close eye on Near-“

He notices the way Mello tenses at the mention of his rival’s name and quickly moves on.

“But eventually you started making some big moves in LA, so it caught my attention. A few months later I managed to find one of your old addresses and moved on from there. I left New York that night, but it took me another week to find your current place and a few days to try and figure out what the hell you were up to.”

And another week to work up the courage to actually knock on his door, but Mello doesn’t need to know that.

“But you were too careful, so I gave up and just decided to ask you myself. So, um…yep. You know the rest.”

“Thanks for telling me…” Mello murmurs distantly, then snaps his attention back towards Matt. “Just one more question.”

“Uh…okay.”

“Which address did you find?”

“Oh, the one that was registered to Mr. Jonathan Lestat,” Matt replies, barely containing a laugh.

“How’d you know that was me?”

“C’mon Mel,” Matt can’t help the laughter this time. “Jonathan Lestat? As in Jonathan Harker and Lestat de Lioncourt? Those are the names of characters from your favorite books. Plus, I’m pretty sure you used that alias for one of our mock trials at Wammy’s.”

“Oh my God,” Mello lament’s as he moves to cover his face in shame. “How the fuck do you remember that shit?”

“It’s pretty hard to forget your Interview with a Vampire phase. You must have forced me to watch that weird 90s movie with you like twenty times.”

“Please, shut up now.”

“I haven’t been able to enjoy a Brad Pitt movie since. He’s just not the same without the fangs.”

“Oh my God,” Mello repeats, then downs the rest of his wine. “Like you were any better. I watched you drool over that stupid Lara Croft poster for almost a fucking decade.”

“Yeah,” Matt breathes out, almost wistfully. “But you have to admit my Howl obsession was way worse.”

“Jesus, we watched that movie so many times I could probably still quote it word for word,” Mello grumbles.

“Yeah right!”

Mello gives him a look before he leans in closer and clears his throat.

“I see no point in living if I can’t be beautiful.”

Matt throws his head back and cackles at Mello’s terrible impersonation.

“Man, that wasn’t even close,” he taunts and promptly receives a kick to the shin.

“Fine, maybe I don’t remember his voice that well, but I certainly remember you bursting into tears during that scene!”

“No, I didn’t!”

“Please, you were heartbroken when his pretty blonde hair disappeared. Don’t deny it!”   

“Well, sure, but I definitely didn’t cry about it!”

“I know what I saw.”

They’re too busy laughing to notice their waiter until he places a plate in front of Matt, snapping them back to the present. Mello clears his throat and looks around the room again as their meals are arranged on the table.

“How long have you two been together?” Their server asks causally, sending Matt a small smile.

“Um…uh, well,” Matt feels his face burn as his brain struggles to come up with a single lie.

“We’ve been friends for years, but only just started dating,” Mello cuts in easily, and Matt balks at how well his friend is able to lie through his teeth.

“Aw, congrats you guys! That’s so sweet.”

Matt chokes on his wine as the waiter gushes at them, and spares a glance in Mello’s direction. The blonde’s leaning forward with his chin resting primly on his fist as he politely appeases their excited server. When he shifts slightly to face him, Matt’s heart catches in his chest. Mello’s hair is bathed in a golden hue thanks to the candle’s warm glow and his wine-stained lips curl just slightly enough to reveal a small, but genuine smile. Matt smiles back dumbly as he fixates on the contour of Mello’s cheekbones, which are dusted with a hint of a flush.

The only word that his pathetic brain can manage to fixate on is radiant.

Even after the waiter has left and Mello begins tucking into his meal, Matt remains entranced by his friend’s beauty.

---

By the time they stumble into their hotel room, Mello knows he’s shitfaced. He hadn’t intended on drinking so much wine, but once he’d been able to confirm their mark was not on the premises, he’d decided to try and enjoy his evening for once.

And he had. He’d enjoyed their dinner greatly, and although a small voice in the back of his brain was screaming at him to focus and get back on track, he can’t help but giggle drunkenly as Matt trips and falls onto the bed across from him.

Mello watches his friend slide down the silky comforter until his ass thuds loudly against the carpeted floor. A few of his shirt buttons have come undone, and his hair messily curls away from his face at all angles to reveal his flushed and comically focused expression. Matt scoots down the carpet until he reaches his tattered backpack, then begins sloppily rooting through it. Mello takes a moment to check his phone and frowns at his empty inbox. He’d been expecting an update from his syndicate by now, but it appears the idiots still haven’t gotten a clue as to their target’s whereabouts. Before his brain has a chance to start jumping to paranoid conclusions, the mattress dips beside him as Matt dives on top of his bed.

Mello tosses his phone on the nightstand and turns to see Matt struggling to hoist himself up on the sleek bedding. He laughs as the redhead gives up on sitting and rolls around until he’s on his back looking up at Mello. He raises an eyebrow at Matt’s drunken fumbling, but before he can make fun of him, Matt twirls a joint between his fingers and offers it to him.

“Nightcap?”

“Sure, why not?” Mello says, and accepts the joint against his better judgment.

He lays down until his head is inches away from Matt’s; legs dangling off the edge of the mattress while Matt’s feet kick against the headboard and disrupt the decorative pillows he hadn’t bothered shoving off yet. They’re silent as they pass the joint back and forth until Matt starts snickering beside him.

“What’s so funny?” Mello demands, though each syllable is heavy as they pass through his lips.

“Nothing,” Matt says through another breathy laugh. “Just thinking about the first time we got stoned together.”

Mello groans as he recalls the absurdity of that night, though the memory makes him smile.

“Do you think Roger ever managed to figure out why we really got trapped on the roof?”

“No way dude, he totally bought by stargazing story.”

“Yeah right, he watched us like a hawk for the rest of the week. No way in hell he believed that crock of shit.”

“True,” Matt relents. “But only because you wouldn’t stop giggling like a schoolgirl when he escorted us back to our room. That definitely tipped him off.”

Mello can’t help the small giggle that escapes from his lips, and immediately feels Matt’s head turn to face him.

“Yeah, just like that!” Matt teases as he swats at the lingering smoke above their heads.

Mello declines when Matt offers him the dwindling roach and sighs through his nose as the thick high rolls through his body. The two of them fall into an easy silence for a few moments and Mello’s certain he hasn’t been this relaxed in his entire life. He takes a few paced breaths as he marvels at the steady calm.

“This is nice,” He whispers to himself, then shuts his mouth when he remembers Matt’s a few inches away.

“Yeah, I should’ve known it only takes a bottle of wine and half a joint to get you to finally chill the fuck out.”

“Fuck off,” Mello mumbles, swatting at Matt’s shoulder.

They fall into another serene silence, and Mello can feel himself sinking further and further into the plush mattress. He closes his eyes and feels fatigue settling in on the periphery of his subconscious. He’s pulled away from the tempting drowsiness when Matt shifts beside him and lets out a long sigh.  

“Man, I really fuckin missed you.”

Mello hums in agreement and tries not to let his emotions get the better of him; he’s still reeling from his vulnerability the night prior.  

“It’s not going to be like this when we get back to LA, is it?” Matt wonders aloud.

“No,” he confirms, and his heart sinks a little at the thought of it.

“Man, I wish we had more time. It’s nice when it’s just the two of us, y’know?”

Mello doesn’t know what to say to that, so he turns his head slightly to face Matt. They haven’t been this close to one another since they were fourteen, and Mello’s entire being aches as he’s reacquainted with every little detail on his friend’s face. His eyes follow the path of freckles along the bridge of Matt’s nose for a moment, then dip down to catch a glimpse of his cupid’s bow. He fixates on the left corner of his mouth for a while and wonders if there’s still a dimple hiding below the surface. Finally, despite his better judgment, his gaze travels back up the curve of Matt’s nose until all he can see is breathtaking green; a color so unique and beautiful that even his dreams had failed to capture it completely. Their eyes lock into one another despite the awkward angle, and Mello’s breath catches painfully in his throat.

“I wish we had more time too.” He murmurs, the words tumbling out all at once before he has a chance to snuff them out of his brain forever.

Matt gives him a small melancholic smile and quickly averts his gaze. Before Mello can begin to regret his lapse in control, Matt shuffles his body around until they’re laying shoulder to shoulder. The warmth that radiates off of him is intoxicating and Mello allows himself to give in to slumber as he rests his head on Matt’s shoulder.  

---

“Motherfucker!”

Matt startles awake as Mello screams obscenities into his burner phone. To Matt’s surprise, the blonde is perched at the end of his bed, wearing nothing but a towel. His freshly washed hair flings drops of water in every direction as he angrily shakes his head and continues his tirade. Mello’s back is turned to Matt, so the redhead remains as still as possible as he attempts to gain some context. After another five minutes of listening to Mello swearing, he gives up and tries to locate his abandoned goggles.

It’s only then that he realizes the other bed remains neatly undisturbed and blinks at it dumbly while his brain fights the haziness of an oncoming hangover. He can’t quite remember how the evening ended, but before he can begin to panic, Mello snaps his phone shut and propels off the bed in a flurry of anger.

Matt flushes beet red and averts his gaze as his friend drops his towel and begins getting dressed. When he pulls the comforter over his face, the sheets rustle noisily and capture Mello’s attention.

“Are you awake?” He demands, but Matt doesn’t move until he hears the faint zzzip of Mello’s pants fastening.

He sits up again just as Mello pulls a fitted tank top over his head, and waits as his friend fusses with his hair for a few moments.

“The jobs been delayed,” Mello bites out as he works some kind of product through his blonde roots.

“Oh. How come?”

“Apparently, our mark decided to extend his vacation in Fiji. He’s still scheduled to arrive here, thank God, but it’s going to be a few days.”

“That’s good for him, I guess.”

His comment causes Mello to whip around and glare at him.

“How?”

“Well, like…At least he can enjoy what little time he has left.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

The two of them squint at each other suspiciously before Matt relents and brings up the elephant in the room.

“Aren’t we here to kill this guy?”

The hair dryer Mello had been fussing with clatters to the counter as the blonde marches over to the bed and glares at him. Matt puts his hands up in surrender as Mello gingerly places his palms on the bed and leans forward.

“You’re an idiot.”

“Uh…”

“You seriously thought I dragged you across the country to kill someone?”

“Well, no- I mean yeah, but like…isn’t that what you do now?”

Mello’s expression is indecipherable as his eyes continue to bore holes through Matt’s face. Eventually, the blonde relents and drops the façade, then takes a seat on the foot of the bed.

“No. We’re not here to kill this guy. If I wanted him dead I would’ve sent someone else to do it; any shit-for-brains with a gun can pull off a job like that. I wouldn’t waste my time on something so…” Mello shakes his head and looks up at Matt again. “It’s below my pay grade, let’s put it at that.”

Matt nods then turns to grab his pack of smokes; he needs something to distract himself from Mello’s intensity.

“What’s the job then?” He asks around the filter of a cigarette but doesn’t light it at Mello’s pointed glare.

“I hope to employ this man, if all goes well.”

Matt feels the cigarette drop from his lips as he gapes at his friend.

“We drove through ten whole states just so you could interview some guy?”

“It’s not that simple!”

Matt lets out a long sigh, half-relieved that he no longer has to worry about becoming a potential murder accomplice, but mostly miffed that Mello led him to believe otherwise. He sinks back into the mattress as Mello rolls his eyes at him and crosses his arms over his chest defensively.

“I don’t see what the big deal is. You were the one who agreed to come with me.”

“I thought you needed my help hiding the body.”

“Why in the world would you sign up for that?”

“Because that’s what friends do.”

He can feel Mello staring at him again, and throws a blanket over his head for good measure. He’s not mad about the situation, in fact, he’s relieved that he won’t be an accessory to murder, but he can’t help but feel frustrated about being left in the dark for so long. Not to mention he’s a little embarrassed about revealing just how far he’ll go for Mello.  

Eventually, he feels the mattress shift as Mello gets up to resume his hair routine, but he remains in bed and attempts to fall back asleep.

---

Mello spends the next hour primping for absolutely no reason other than he has nothing better to do. He’s grateful for the silence as Matt slumbers across the room, he needs time to sort out…whatever it was that just happened.

The idea that Matt thought he’d brought him along for a hit wasn’t sitting with him well, and he couldn’t quite place why. At first, he’d been offended that Matt automatically assumed he was a cold-blooded killer. Which, frankly, was a ridiculous hang-up to have given that he’d killed people in the past, and most definitely would in the foreseeable future. All of that was meaningless to worry about anyway since Matt had just admitted he’d been willing to go along with murder without any explanation on Mello’s behalf. Which meant…

Which meant that…

Well, the end of that sentence was exactly what Mello has spent the past hour turning over in his head. What did it all mean? Mello just couldn’t parse together the meaning behind Matt’s blind devotion to a cause that he couldn’t care less about, and his insistence on helping Mello out despite being left in the dark for three months straight. It didn’t make any sense when he’d first shown up, and it certainly didn’t make any sense now.

Man, I really fuckin missed you…

Matt’s words from last night offer a simple explanation, but do little to ease Mello’s distress. If he continues down that train of thought for too long, he might just get his hopes up, and that’s just about the last thing he needs to be distracted with right now.

From across the room, Matt yawns and sits up, freeing Mello from his frenetic headspace. Mello turns to face him from his perch on the other bed and notices the way Matt blinks in surprise.

“You going somewhere?” He asks blearily, taking in Mello’s outfit change and immaculately styled hair.

“No. I got bored,” Mello admits trying to gauge whether or not Matt’s still upset with him.

“Oh, you look nice.”

Mello blinks at him and wonders if his friend is sleep-talking, but Matt shuffles out of bed and heads to the bathroom, looking very much awake. When he comes back, he sits next to Mello and runs a hand through his ragged locks.

“You still bored?”

“What?”

Mello hadn’t been expecting Matt to drop his frustration so easily, but then he remembers that his friend has always been like this. Annoyed one moment, then indifferent the next. When they were kids, Mello never understood how Matt was able to move on from one of their spats so quickly, but eventually, he learned that it was just in his nature. Matt wasn’t one to stress over things he couldn’t control, nor did he see the merit in rehashing the past.

Regardless, Mello’s relieved that Matt is no longer cross with him, and can’t help but grin back when the redhead shoots him a sly smile.

“Wanna go somewhere with me?”

“Where?”

“I dunno, anywhere’s better than sitting around here all day.”

Mello eyes him skeptically and Matt chuckles as he reaches for his keys.

“What? You got something better to do?” He teases, jingling his Bulbasaur keychain in front of his face.

“I guess not…” Mello surmises before shrugging. “Sure, why not.”

“Nice, let’s go!”

---

Mello starts getting impatient around the two-hour mark of their drive, which is one hour-and-thirty minutes longer than Matt was anticipating, so he simply shakes his head and smiles at him.

“Just another hour or so.”

“Oh my God, when you asked if I wanted to go somewhere, I thought we were going to grab lunch near the hotel. If I’d known-“

Matt flicks his attention off the road for a second as his friend falls silent, but he can’t see anything amiss.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Mello states, then slowly turns to give him another suspicious look.

Matt just happens to glimpse in the rearview mirror in time to see a giant billboard retreating behind them. Though he can’t tell what was being advertised, he’s 90% certain his surprise has been blown.

“Read anything interesting lately?” He jokes and Mello’s eyes narrow further.

“You’re not serious.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mel. You’ll have to be more specific.”

“You’re such an idiot.”

---

Mello can hardly contain his excitement as they mull through the admission line leading to the most ridiculous, and glorious, place he’s ever seen. Even the parking lot had been decorated with chocolate bars and animated candy people as far as the eye can see. His eyes flit in every direction as they get closer to the entrance, and he tries to peek at what’s waiting for them on the other side.

Mello can hardly believe such a place exists. When he’d read the words Hershey Park; Chocolate Town USA for the first time, he’d assumed it’d be one of many pointless American roadside attractions. But once they’d been able to make out the outline of a rather large theme park, Mello knew this place was the real deal.  

Though a Hershey bar wasn’t the most luxurious of chocolate bars, it was still pretty damned amazing, and he could hardly wait another second to get his hands on that sweet, sweet candy.

At last, they’re ushered through the front gate, and Mello doesn’t hesitate in pulling Matt eagerly through the park’s clearing.

“Okay, so what do you wanna check out first?” Matt asks as he unravels their park map. “There’s the Candymonium coaster or the-“

“There,” Mello says, pointing to a giant building with the words Chocolate World embedded in a massive candy bar sculpture. “We’re going there.”

“The candy store? Shouldn’t we do that last? We’ll have to carry all your chocolate on rides and stuff. Besides, won’t it all melt-“

Mello begins pulling on his arm, ignoring his pointless protest.

“Here’s the plan, Matty. We’re gonna go to Chocolate World, buy all the chocolate I can carry, and then I’m going to eat all that candy so we don’t have to lug it around. After that, we can ride as many rides as you’d like, but before we leave, we’re hitting Chocolate World again so I can score an even bigger haul. Understand?”

“Yep. You got it, boss,” Matt affirms, barely managing to stifle a laugh.  

---

Matt can’t help but gawk at his friend when he tears through his seventh king-sized chocolate bar. They’re just beginning to make their way through the next part of the park now that Mello’s ravaged his first fistful of sweets, and Matt’s beginning to have serious concerns about getting on a ride after what he’s just witnessed. Mello, oblivious to his apprehension, leads them toward a towering coaster that boasts not one, but two massive loops.

“Man, if you barf on me I’m gonna be so pissed.”

“Please, you really think I’m that weak?”

“I think you’re sorely overestimating the capabilities of a human stomach.”

Mello rolls his eyes at him and tosses his handful of wrappers into a waste bin as they’re directed to stand on the ride’s loading platform. Matt shakes his head when Mello pops a few Hershey kisses into his mouth as they climb into their seats. The ride starts before Matt can make fun of him again, and as they make their slow ascent towards the first slope, Mello flashes him a chocolate-covered smile.

Matt is forced to eat his words when the ride comes to a complete stop. Despite the antigravity and the 2 lbs of chocolate sitting in his stomach, Mello still looks like a supermodel as he stands and turns to pull Matt through the ride’s exit gate. The blonde gives him his best ‘I told you so’ look as he drags him to the next ride, so Matt keeps his mouth shut and hands over the bag containing the remainder of Mello’s chocolate haul.  

They spend the next few hours working their way through all of the exciting rides, only pausing long enough for Mello to purchase various chocolate abominations from the vendors they pass. Matt blinks in surprise when Mello offers him a bite of a soft pretzel that’s positively drenched in three different kinds of chocolate.

“You’re letting me have some? Are you feeling alright?”

“Shut up. Just eat the damn pretzel,” he grumbles, shoving a piece into Matt’s face.

“Gee, thanks mister!” Matt mocks before Mello forces the sickly-sweet treat past his lips.

Before he has a chance to finish chewing, Mello jams another piece against his face, causing Matt to sputter and shake his head. The blonde lets out a minaicle laugh and continues force-feeding him gooey pretzel bits until only a few remain in the box.

“Matt, what the fuck? You ate all of my chocolate pretzels!”

Matt can do nothing but groan and hold his stomach as Mello laughs at him and finishes the rest of his treat in less than five seconds.

“Chocolate makes you evil,” he whines as Mello uses all of the napkins to clean his cocoa-coated fingers.

The blonde’s reply dies on his lips as he looks up and laughs at Matt again.

“You have a little…”

Mello motions to the corners of his mouth in between giggles and Matt has to bite his lip from laughing along with him. He swipes at his face a few times, deliberately missing the obviously sticky spots along the edge of his mouth as Mello howls with laughter. Eventually, the blonde composes himself long enough to dab what’s left of his napkin mess into Matt’s water. Matt holds out his hand expectantly, but before he can blink, Mello leans in close and swipes his thumb against the corner of his lip. Matt feels his face heat up as he watches Mello’s chocolate-covered thumb peel away from his face and slip beneath the blonde’s tongue. His friend repeats this process a few times before Matt comes to his senses and snatches the wet napkin from his hand.

“You’re wasting good chocolate!” The blonde protests as Matt attepmts to cleanse himself.

The napkins do nothing but spread the stickiness, so he makes a beeline for the drinking fountains as Mello cackles behind him.

---

“How many?” The ticket taker asks as they step into the line for the Create Your Own Candy Bar Experience.

“Two,” Mello replies, waving his hand in Matt’s direction to indicate they’re together.

“Ah, excellent, would you two be interested in our Sweethearts deal? It’s our limited-time offer for couples visiting the park this week.”

He hears Matt let out strangled noise beside him but keeps his cool as the lady rattles on about the deal’s perks.

“Basically, you get to customize an additional candy bar for half the price. And we throw in a few Sweethearts vouchers to use around the park. Are you interested?”

“Yes,” Mello replies and feels a puff of air blow in his direction as Matt whips around to face him.

The woman gives them a look, so Mello grasps Matt’s arm and pulls him in closer.

“The Sweetheart deal sounds perfect, don’t you think, babe?”

Matt’s only response is a pathetic wheeze, but the woman hand’s them the heart-shaped vouchers anyway. He lets go of Matt’s arm once they pass the admission booth and finally meets his dumbfounded expression.

“Next time play along, you idiot!”

“But-“

“Matt, that nice dumb lady just offered us discounts to use on MORE chocolate. Of course, I’m going to take the deal!”

Matt gives him a strange look, but doesn’t get a chance to respond when the next employee greets them. They go through each step of the chocolate-making process silently, and Mello worries he may have overstepped a boundary. Once they finish picking out which mix-ins they’d like in their candy bars, the employee directs them to two separate booths and instructs them both to select their wrapper customizations. Mello spares a glance in Matt’s direction, but the redhead’s back is already turned as he hunches over the screen and begins poking through the different templates.

Mello ignores his rising panic long enough to select an all-black wrapper with animated crossbones and skulls lining the perimeter. He titles his bar with bold red text that reads: PROPERTY OF MELLO, then steps aside to wait for Matt. When the redhead joins him at the printing zone, Mello tries to gauge his temperament.

“So, what does your candy bar say?”

“You’ll see soon enough,” Matt quips evenly.

After a few minutes, another employee hands over their completed bars and ushers them to the exit. Matt takes the bag from her and hands Mello his bar, then hides the remaining two close to his chest.

“Well?” Mello demands as they smush together on a vacant bench.

Matt appraises his candy bars for a few agonizing seconds before he hands one over to him. Mello can’t help but throw his head back and laugh after he sees Matt’s wrapper. The red background is a bit of an eyesore, but it perfectly highlights the black font that reads: MELLO’S OTHER CHOCOLATE BAR

“Don’t forget about our extra bar, sweetheart,” Matt teases as he throws the remaining candy in Mello’s lap.

Mello can’t stop laughing as he reads the words: MELLO’S PRECIOUS CHOCO FUN BAR. NO TOUCHY!!! Unable to help himself, he slings an arm over Matt’s shoulders and pulls him in for a quick hug.

---

True to his word, Mello’s second Chocolate World haul is exponentially larger than his previous one, and Matt grunts in surprise as a weighty bag is placed in his outstretched palm. Mello slings the other two bags over his shoulder as they trudge through the parking lot and Matt estimates that they’re currently in possession of at least thirty pounds of chocolate goodies.

Matt feels an inexplicable wave of sadness wash over him as they pile into the Camaro and turn out of the parking lot. Reality sinks in as the rollercoasters fade in the distance behind them, and Matt can’t help but mourn the laughter and carefree nature of the day. He can feel Mello slowly slipping away from him as the blonde buries his nose in his phone, undoubtedly checking in on things back in LA.

“Hey…” he starts lamely, then realizes he has no idea what to say.

Mello doesn’t look up from his phone, so Matt gives up on trying to get his attention and focuses on the road in front of him.

The sun is just beginning to set between the trees as they reach the halfway point to their hotel, and Matt can’t help but marvel at the beautiful landscape in front of them. Mountains slope in every direction around them, casting shadows as the light dwindles in the distance. He spares a glance out of the corner of his eye and finds that Mello has put his phone down. His friend is leaning forward in his seat smiling serenely at the beauty around them, and Matt swerves slightly at the sight of it.

His stomach churns violently as Mello turns to him, and he barely manages to peel his eyes away from his friend’s captivating profile before the blonde catches him staring. He tries desperately to quell the flush that’s spreading down his neck as he feels Mello’s eyes boring into the side of his head.

In this moment, it’s painfully obvious to Matt just how in love with Mello he truly is. He’s known it for a while now, and this trip has done nothing but confirm just how deep his emotions run.

“What’s wrong?” Mello asks, cutting off his train of thought.

“Huh?”

“Are you alright? You’ve been…quiet.”

“So?”

“It’s just not like you. Usually, I can’t get you to shut up.”

Matt probably would have laughed at that under any other circumstance, but right now he’s too busy digesting the newly discovered fact of being in love with his best friend. His mind is going into full system panic mode as he tries to deny this information, and he’s unable to do anything but clear his throat awkwardly as he stares at the road.  

They round a corner, and before he can say anything to get Mello’s attention away from him, he lets out a small gasp at the sight in front of them. The view from the highway is incredible, and Matt’s previous panic is forgotten as he pulls over. The rolling landscape looks like something torn out of a nature book, and Matt sees Mello’s look of wonderment as they take a moment to observe the scenic outlook. The sun crests the tops of the trees in the distance and bathes the horizon in a breathtaking golden hue. While Mello’s attention is diverted, Matt spares a peek at his lovely face and physically aches with the need to reach out and touch him.

This time, when Mello turns to face him, Matt doesn’t flinch away.

They look into each other’s eyes for an embarrassingly long time as Matt works up the courage to say something he’ll most likely regret. But when he begins to open his mouth, Mello beats him to it.

“Matt,” he breathes out into the small space between them. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Matt’s eyes flit down to the curve of Mello’s perfect mouth, then slowly rise to meet his stunning blue irises again. His friend’s eyes widen slightly at his lapse in control, but he remains silent as he waits for Matt to say something.

“I shouldn’t,” he replies and then shakes his head, breaking their shared gaze.

Mello doesn’t let him get away with it and undoes his seatbelt so he can push in closer to Matt’s personal space. He slowly looks up and meets Mello’s beautiful, unrelenting eyes and feels his breath catch in his throat when his friend carefully places his hand on top of his.

“Tell me anyway.”

---

Every cell in Mello’s body is thrumming with anticipation as he watches Matt swallow and look down at their clasped palms. If he’s made the wrong assumption, he knows there won’t be any chance of repairing their already fragile friendship. But they’ve been teetering on the edge of something that goes beyond friendship for the entirety of this trip, and Mello doesn’t think he has it in him to go on ignoring the signs.

A small, rational part of his mind is screaming at him to end this madness now and forever. Matt deserves better than him, he knows it for a fact. He deserves a shot at a normal life, with a normal girl and a steady job; he deserves to feel safe and steady, and happy. Mello knows he won’t be able to give him any of that, yet he selfishly hopes that Matt will choose him anyway. Now that he’s been reminded of what life with Matt by his side feels like, he’s certain that any other alternative will make him far more miserable than he could ever imagine.  

“It’s easier…when we’re together, isn’t it?” Matt says, eyes still trained on their joined hands.

“What is?” Mello asks, even though he’s never been more certain of the answer.

“Everything.”

Mello feels the corners of his mouth lift in a small smile at the simplicity of his response. He’s right of course; everything seems so simple when it’s just the two of them. As if just being by Matt’s side eases the constant suffocating and maddening burden of life itself. In all the years of his miserable life, no one else in the world has ever made him laugh the way Matt so effortlessly does, nor has anyone ever made him feel safe in the way Matt can by simply existing in the space next to him. And he’s positively certain that there isn’t another soul in the entire universe that would put up with all of his bullshit the way Matt has.

“Yes,” he agrees, then leans in closer until he can feel Matt’s warm, hitched breath brush up against his cheek.

“Mel,“ Matt whispers, but then cuts himself off with another shake of his head.

Before he can pull away, Mello squeezes his palm and tilts his head a fraction.

“Just tell me what you’re thinking,” he whispers, and Mello almost doesn’t recognize the gentle tone of his own voice.

Matt huffs out a nervous laugh and finally meets his eye again, and Mello waits with bated breath as he prepares to speak.

“I’m thinking that…” Matt stops for a moment as the faintest of smiles settles atop his freckled cheeks, and Mello feels his face heat up as Matt leans in closer. “Even though I just spent the whole day watching you go on an insane chocolate rampage, I still can’t help but wonder what you’d taste like if I kissed you right now.”

Mello can’t stop the laugh that tumbles out of his mouth, and revels in the feeling of Matt’s smile pressing gently into his own. He swallows the remaining giggles as best he can as Matt’s fingers settle against the side of his face and tilt his head to deepen the kiss. When the laughter fades, and they’re finally able to get the angle right, Mello loses himself in the soft pull of Matt’s lips melting into his own. Each kiss envelops him in a burning wave of pure bliss, and Mello’s certain he’s never felt this type of hunger in his entire life.

He greedily kisses Matt back and uses the pure passion coursing through his veins to pull him in closer and deepen the kiss. Mello’s senses are flooded with nothing but Matt; his scent, his touch, his unwavering tenderness. Everything Mello’s ever known evaporates as he melts further and devours Matt in a frenzy of lips and teeth and tongue. He feels Matt moan into his mouth and prays for this moment to never end, but before he can finish the thought, the redhead’s lips pull away from his with an obscenely loud pop.

Mello’s hands remain rooted in wild auburn locks as they part and pant into each other’s faces. He can feel Matt’s hands anchored to the small of his back, and Mello shivers at the sensation of his fingers rubbing along the small strip of exposed skin just below the hem of his leather vest. He doesn’t remember when exactly Matt took his goggles off, but he’s entirely pleased to find his unguarded and dazed expression staring back at him. However, their charged gaze doesn’t last long when Matt lets out a final exhale and leans down to press his face into the curve of Mello’s neck.

Mello rakes his fingers through his dyed roots as Matt presses a few warm kisses against his skin, and tries to stifle the cacophony of doubtful thoughts threatening to tear him away from the blissful moment. Eventually, Matt lets up on his neck and turns his face until his nose brushes softly against the shell of his ear.  

“What are you thinking now?” Mello asks and tries to suppress another shiver when Matt’s breathy laughter tickles his skin.

“I think I finally understand why you love the taste of chocolate so much because that was-“

“Oh my God. You’re such an idiot.”  

“Well now I’m your idiot, so deal with it.” 

“Hey,” Mello snaps, and tugs on Matt’s hair until they’re facing one another. “Just because we’re dating now doesn’t mean you get to fucking tell me what to do.”

“Oh-um, yep. You got it, boss.”

Mello steels his face as Matt gets adorably flustered, then leans in closer.

“And if I ever catch you staring at some other blonde bitch I will fucking smother you in your sleep. Got it?”

“What the fu- wow. I did not see that one coming.”

“Last chance to back out,” Mello teases as he tugs on the ends of Matt’s hair again.  

“Fuck no.”

“Even after what you witnessed in Chocolate World today?”

“Honestly, I think it kind of sealed the deal.”

Mello’s laugh breaks the false intensity as he leans in to press their foreheads together.

“Wow, you must really like me then.”

Though he’d meant to tease him, the words come out a little too genuine, and all at once, he finds himself hoping that Matt will answer him seriously. He feels his lips press against the corner of his mouth for a fleeting moment before Matt leans back to look at him.

“Yeah, I think I always have.”