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Matt wasn’t sure where he’d gotten the idea.
Perhaps he’d heard some other kids talking about it in passing, or perhaps he’d read it in a book somewhere. Heck, maybe it had even been mentioned in one of his games.
In the end it didn’t really matter where he’d gotten it from, all that mattered was that the idea had gotten stuck in his head, and now he needed to convince Mello.
‘Let’s have a sleepover.’ Matt told him casually one rainy afternoon.
Mello had been reading for some time now, not moving from the same spot on his bed while the stacks of books and papers around him grew messier by the hour, while Matt had been playing on his Gameboy across from him for about just as long. Comfortable as it was to share a space while they each did their own thing, it was also a clear indication they had nothing better to do. Matt found himself growing a little bored, even.
Instead of the excitement or enthusiasm he had hoped for at the suggestion though, Mello looked at him as if he’d just suggested they should volunteer to do the dishes for an entire week for fun or something.
‘You want to invite other kids over to our room?’ Mello scoffed, his face scrunching up in disgust or displeasure.
And honestly, fair enough. The thought of bringing other kids into their room didn’t appeal to Matt either, so he kind of understood Mello’s reaction. If he assumed that’s what Matt meant, then it was no wonder he’d respond like that. Perhaps he was more open to the idea if he understood properly.
‘No, I meant just the two of us.’ Matt clarified, his tone hopeful.
Now, Mello just looked puzzled.
‘You want to have a sleepover.’ he said.
‘Yeah.’
‘With just the two of us.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Matt, we’re roommates.’
At this, Matt couldn’t help but pout a little. What did that have to do with anything?
‘So?’ he huffed. ‘I just thought it’d be fun.’
‘That’s not how sleepovers work.’ Mello told him matter-of-factly. He then shut his book and shoved the piles and stacks around him away, so he could get up from his bed and stand in front of Matt with his arms crossed like some disappointed teacher.
‘Well then how do they work, genius?’ Matt asked him, glaring up at him through his goggles. He hated when Mello got like this, all condescending and smartass. Sure, he enjoyed it just fine when it was directed at others, but not at him. He was supposed to be Mello’s smart friend. The one who understood him.
‘You seriously don’t know how sleepovers work?’
‘So what if I don’t?’
‘What are you, like five?’ Mello asked him, his tone bordering on cruel. To him, this was probably just some game, some silly banter to kill the time, but to Matt, it was much more than that. ‘Everyone knows how sleepovers work.’
‘Yeah well, not me.’ Matt snarled. He suddenly didn’t feel like having a sleepover at all anymore. If this was how Mello was going to act, then he’d rather not know at all.
Mello caught on sooner than Matt had expected him to however, his eyes widening slightly as he realised he’d genuinely upset him with his words.
‘Matt, I didn’t mean—’
‘Must be nice to have parents who let you have sleepovers whenever you want.’ Matt spat at him, because regardless of whether Mello had realised his mistake or not, letting his anger vanish into thin air just like that felt like an impossible feat. ‘My mom never let me have any friends over, so no, I don’t know what sleepovers are like. Not that I knew anyone I could have invited anyway, but…’
He honestly wasn’t sure why he’d mentioned that last part. They rarely spoke of their time before Wammy’s House, and the last thing Matt wanted was Mello’s pity. He just wanted his friendship, and to do things friends normally did together, but this way, all he’d accomplish was for Mello to think him pathetic.
‘Forget it.’ Matt murmured, right before pulling his knees to his chest and avoiding Mello’s gaze by laser-focussing on the screen of his Gameboy instead. ‘I don’t want some stupid sleepover anyway.’
It remained quiet for a while, and for a brief moment, Matt thought perhaps Mello might give up and leave him be. At this point, he wasn’t sure if he’d prefer that or not.
Except giving up was not a concept Mello was familiar with, the words unknown to him despite his extensive vocabulary, so instead of giving up, he dove right back in with renewed vigour. Instead of retreating to his own side of the room, he started tugging at Matt’s blankets – with Matt still on them, mind you – in an attempt to get them off, causing Matt to let out a surprised yelp.
‘What the heck are you doing?!’
‘We’re making a blanket fort.’ Mello proclaimed, not ceasing his tugging and pulling, until finally Matt decided to give in and stand up to make the whole thing easier. And perhaps more importantly, to stop himself from tumbling to the floor alongside his blanket. ‘Because we’re having that sleepover whether you like it or not.’
‘But you said—’
‘And once we’re done with that, we’re raiding the kitchen for snacks.’ Mello added, giving him no room to object.
‘Won’t we get in trouble?’ Matt brought out.
‘Only if we get caught.’ Mello replied, shit-eating grin on his face and all.
A small smile made its way onto Matt’s face without his permission, if only because he was being reminded of the fact that this was the Mello he’d become friends with. This was the Mello he knew, and had grown to care about. The one who would get up to mischief for all the right reasons, and who didn’t hesitate to break rules just to make him feel better.
This time, Matt did feel the anger from before gradually leaving his body.
‘So this is what normal kids do at sleepovers?’ Matt asked him, his excitement about the whole thing slowly returning.
‘Yeah, totally.’ Mello replied. ‘For as far as we can be considered normal, anyway.’
To anyone who didn’t know Mello as well as Matt did, him quickly spinning around and moving to put up the first blanket for their blanket fort would just seem like him being eager to get started. To Matt, however, it was a clear attempt at avoiding eye contact, which was not something Mello usually did.
Matt blinked at him, eyeing Mello warily as he attempted to attach the blanket to something, and the gears turned in his head until he arrived at a certain mind-blowing conclusion.
‘Mello.’
‘Hmm?’
‘…you’ve never had a sleepover before either, have you?’
The blanket Mello had been holding came tumbling down as he lost his grip on its corner, and Mello stomped on the floor angrily afterwards. Whether that was in reply to Matt’s question or the blanket failing him remained a mystery, though.
‘I’m a sleepover expert.’ Mello huffed, crossing his arms in frustration but still not looking at Matt.
‘From real life experience, though?’ Matt asked him, trying not to make his tone sound too teasing and failing miserably. ‘Books and TV shows don’t count.’
When Mello didn’t respond for a while, that was all the answer Matt needed to put two and two together. Despite what he’d said earlier, Mello hadn’t actually had a sleepover before either. Perhaps that’s why he’d been so defensive about the whole thing; he didn’t want to acknowledge there were things he wasn’t perfect at.
Unbeknownst to him though, the fact Mello hadn’t had a sleepover before either actually made Matt feel a little better. A little more normal. And a little less alone, maybe.
‘Hey, it’s okay, I like it that way.’ Matt reassured him. ‘We can figure it out together, right?’
It took a few seconds for Mello to respond to that, but once he did, there was an unmistakable flush on his cheeks that Matt thought looked adorable.
‘Are you going to help me put up this blanket or not?’ Mello huffed, though it lacked its usual bite. He just sounded embarrassed.
‘Of course, Mells.’ Matt replied with a grin, before reaching for the other corner of the blanket. ‘We’re going to make the best blanket fort anyone’s ever seen.’
And even if neither of them had any other blanket forts to compare it to, Matt would say their blanket fort had turned out pretty damn neat.