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Mello stared up from his laptop, eyeing the busy redhead, who was in the middle of a secret project, no doubt for Valentine’s Day. Since when did girls become a priority for either one of them? And more importantly, why didn’t he feel the need to follow suit? Sure, Mello had an interest in girls, perhaps even a love for them, particularly the ones who appeared on a certain fuzzy channel late at night.
Yet, even Matt of all people had been oddly influenced by the approaching holiday. Nerdy, gamer, Matt- his Matt.
Wait. What?
Over and over, the word his replayed in his thoughts. Sure, Matt was his best friend, so technically by default that was ownership, right? Somehow, that his felt somehow different. Was it possible that he felt something deeper for Matt, beyond mere friendship? No, no—absolutely not. Their bond was built on mischief and mayhem. Or it was simply that they were the only ones able to tolerate each other.
“Whatcha think?” Matt turned to him. With shining confidence, he showed Mello the finished product- A HEART! Not just any heart, but one decorated with tiny details and embellishments. “Think she’ll like it?” He smiled.
There it was. Mello sighed. What was it about that seemingly innocent smile that recently stirred butterflies in his stomach? Reflecting upon it, he found himself becoming increasingly perplexed; the more he thought about it, the more confusing things seemed to feel."Looks great," Mello responded, displaying minimal excitement as he focused back on his laptop’s screen. A sudden twinge of jealousy rushed through him. "Stupid redhead," he grumbled. Meanwhile, the redhead remained completely oblivious to what was reeling inside his head.
.
.
.
The following morning, Mello rolled over, and the giant chocolate bar that had been quietly placed on his pillow earlier that morning smacked him in the face. It was presented with a black bow, and as he looked closer, he noticed little red skulls within the predominantly monochromatic space. Mello laughed. Oh, Matt knew him so well.
Sitting up with a smile, Mello glanced over at Matt’s bed and found it empty. Had he already gone downstairs? Immediately, he felt it- like a punch in the gut. He had hoped to see him before Matt left on his- whatever it was, he was going to do. At that moment, Mello heard the faucet in the bathroom turn on and off. He waited a few minutes, and finally Matt walked out dressed in a striped button-down and new jeans. Mello sat, staring in disbelief.
“How do I look?” Matt asked as he fretted with the collar of his shirt.
Weirded out by this behavior, Mello laughed. “Who are you? And what have you done with my best friend?”
Matt scoffed. “ Dude, I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
After a few more minutes of preening, Matt took one last look at himself in the mirror. “Okay, wish me luck.”
“If you wait a minute, we can walk together,” Mello exclaimed, right before Matt shot him a look that he was not accustomed to. “Oooh, excuse me, loverboy. Don’t let me hold you back.” He said, a bit over-dramatic.
Despite everything, Matt waited.
As they made their way down the stairs, Mello came to a halt mid-step when Matt reached out his arm. He tried to catch a glimpse of this mystery girl who had his best friend acting so unlike himself, but instead, all he could see were clusters of laughing girls scurrying about, distributing their little trinkets.
Abruptly, Matt turned to him, “I’ll catch you later?”
“Yep,” Mello said with a strained smile. As Matt strolled away, he cracked a joke about how quickly they seem to grow up.
“And you suck!” Matt, hearing him, laughed.
Mello continued down the stairs to the library- a place where he could hopefully escape the insanity of this whole plague. After a while of looking, Mello eventually came across the book he had been searching for and sat down in his favorite spot. “Fuck,” he said, realizing he forgot his laptop on his desk.
On his way back to the room, Mello rounded a corner and saw Linda sitting next to two of her friends, laughing. In her hand were torn pieces of paper that resembled the heart Matt had made the night before. Without thinking, he stormed over to them.“Where is he?” Snapping at the mousy, brown-headed girl.
"Who cares?" she shot back, locking her gaze with his, almost daring him to respond. With a flick of her wrist, the pieces fluttered onto the tile floor before him. Then she strolled off, chuckling as if she had achieved something significant.
“Suka,” Mello muttered to himself. Oh, he had never felt such an urge to punch a girl as he did right then. "You know, you could have simply said no." He called out, adding that she didn’t need to hurt him like that. Bending down, he gathered the scattered pieces. As he rose to his feet, he remembered all the time and effort Matt had dedicated to making it look perfect. Mello had an idea. He raced back to their room, where he meticulously reassembled the heart, using the utmost care. Once finished, Mello beamed ear to ear with pride and then promptly set out on his quest to find his best friend.
He searched for hours. Matt was nowhere to be found in any of the recreation rooms or in the vicinity of the courtyards. Where could he be, damn it? Mello had asked every person he came across whether they had seen Matt—absolutely nothing.
Thinking more, Could he have gone there? Mello contemplated, heading off in the direction of their secret hideaway.
Minutes later, he stood outside a small stone structure that was tucked away in the wisteria grove on the northern lawn. Upon entering, he discovered Matt sitting alone with his head resting against the wall.
Mello settled beside his best friend. "Hey." He huffed, casting a glance at the other with a resigned smile.
"Go ahead, laugh," Matt muttered, revealing a rare moment of vulnerability as he leaned his head against the wall behind him. “Ugh, I feel so stupid!” Staring at the stone pattern on the other side of the room. Unable to look at the other.
“Don’t,” Mello retorted. “She’s a bitch, anyway.”
Time drifted by in comfortable silence until Mello suddenly remembered that he had something to give to him. “Umm, here,” he said, extending his arm in the direction of the other.
Matt rolled his head to the side and looked at the blonde. “What’s that?” He asked, before realizing it was the Valentine he had made- no longer in pieces.
Smiling at his best friend, all Mello wanted to see was Matt happy. “It’s your heart.” The normally bold blonde exclaimed in a cute and rather reserved voice as the redhead took the heart from his hand. “I fixed it.”