Mello and Matt no11 -Contest-

PG-13 for Some Mature Themes
Untitled

          The sounds of morning in a big busy city began to be heard through the slightly frosted window of the small motel room. The first beams of sunlight poured through the glass, into the bedroom, painting the dull walls more playful shades. The room was filled with an aroma that was musty, but with a sweet cocoa scent and a hint of tobacco. The busy streets outside contrasted nicely with the peaceful, cozy setting inside.
          Matt slid his hand across the bed. He opened one eye and looked over beside him to find that Mello wasn’t there. He closed his eyes again and pretended he still was there. Thoughts of the previous night flooded his mind as the sunshine flooded the room and melted the frost. Everything was different. He could almost taste the bitter-sweetness of the situation like he could smell the bitter-sweetness of the air. Everything...was different.
          After a few minutes, Matt sat up. He immediately squinted and began rubbing his eyes. The light felt especially bright today. He placed his goggles on his head and shielded his straining eyes. He then sat there, motionless, consumed in deep thought once again. Tonight, everything changes. Tonight may be the happiest night of my life, or it may be the night I lose my life...
          A motorcycle engine was heard from outside. Matt bolted towards the window and looked down. Mello. His heart pounded harder in his chest. After last night, you look different too. Or maybe my perception has just changed...
          A few moments later, Mello stormed in as he usually did through the front door. He yelled something about how stupid cashiers were, but when he entered the bedroom his face lost all hints of anger. He looked straight at Matt without saying a word or moving a muscle. Matt knew, Mello saw him differently now too, and it made perfect sense.
          “Go get ready, we’re going out”, said Mello decidedly.
          “’Kay”.

* * *
          The two young men got into Mello’s car.
          “So can you tell me now where we’re going?”
          “We’re going to a park”, replied Mello without looking at him. Matt wasn’t sure whether or not to be surprised. On a normal day, Mello would never suggest going to a park, and on a normal day, Matt would never agree to going, but today, everything was different.
          They took off on the streets of the city they barely knew. After a long series of red lights, they made it on to the expressway. It seemed to be that everyone was headed in the other direction. Everyone was following their daily ritual, their never-ending routine. It was the last thing these two young hearts wanted to do. Mello opened the roof of the convertible and played “Highway Star” on max volume.
          They cruised down the road while the other side was jammed and barely moving. Mello sang out loud to the song but luckily, the volume drowned out his voice. Matt lit a cigarette and leaned back on his seat feeling the wind against his face and through his hair. He felt good. I’m not going to treat this day as if something might happen to me later. I’m going to enjoy it as much as I possibly can.
          About an hour later, somewhere on the outskirts of the Tokyo metropolitan area, Mello parked. They stepped out of the car and looked around at the scenery. Trees. They were surrounded by trees of all sorts. Ginkgos and Maples stood barren and leafless – but beautiful against the background of conifers. A crane’s call was heard in the distance. There were no car engines, voices, screeching bus breaks, just nature.
          Mello began to walk into the woods and naturally, Matt followed. They didn’t say a word as they walked through the damp ground, listening to every single crackle beneath their feet and smelling the crisp piny air.
          Eventually, they came across an opening. There was something peculiar about it; in the centre of the clearance stood a small tree. Though its branches were bare like many of the other trees, it was a different – maybe even foreign. The two men stood gazing at its fragile beauty.
          “Someone must’ve planted it, not too long ago, maybe about ten years”, Matt spoke. Mello continued to stare at the small piece of nature. The sun came out from behind a big cloud and poured through the clearing and directly onto the tree. It appeared to glisten in the light. The surrounding circle of trees were dull and lifeless, but the little tree in the middle danced in the sunbeams.
          Mello brought his hand to Matt’s and held it in a tight grip. He brought him slowly towards the tree and then looked up at him, into his eyes.
          “Matt, I want the truth. Nothing but the truth, okay?” Matt felt the adrenaline fill his body.
          “I won’t lie to you, Mello”.
          “Do you...feel...” Mello dug into his pocket and took something out. Matt stood nervously looking at him. “Do you feel, or have you ever felt...” he pressed the small button on his switchblade. Matt eyed the knife uneasily. Mello spun it around in his hand. “Yesterday...did you...” the blade reflected the sunlight. Suddenly, Mello swung his arm and stuck the knife in the tree. “Matt, do you have any feelings for me?” he blurted as he turned a deep shade of red.
          Matt was filled with a sense of relief. He eyed the handle of the switchblade as he replied, “I do. I wasn’t sure about it before, but after last night...” he turned the same shade as Mello “...I can say yeah, I do”.
          The blond looked towards the tree again, and took out the blade from the thin bark. He then began to carve letters into the trunk. Matt stared half-astonished, half-warm and fuzzy. Slowly, a precisely carved “Mihael + Mail” formed on the little tree.
          “I never realized it, but that rhymes!” exclaimed Matt. Mello paused for a second, looked towards him, and smiled.
          “I knew that”, he beamed.
          When he was finished, they gazed at the tree once again. The sun continued to pour only on the little tree, while everything else remained in the shade. It was like a holy symbol – or a new scientific discovery – or something from a child’s dream.
          Mello spoke, “If I were to spray that on any street or building in the city, it would eventually be removed, or re-paved, or covered. But on this tree, it may remain for over a hundred years”. The beam of light vanished. “Or at least after we’re gone”.
          They began walking again. The ground was now at a steady incline and they could feel small pebbles beneath their feet. The air grew colder and sharper, but they kept walking.
          Eventually, they reached a point where the forest ended, and there was a hill not far beyond them. The grass was covered in a light frost. Mello looked over at Matt.
          “Let’s dash to the top”. He smiled. Matt nodded and smiled back. They ran towards the top of the hill as the chilly air rushed past them refreshing their body and mind.
          The view from the top was breathtaking. The city stretched out for as far as they could see, to the left, to the right, and towards the horizon. Below them they could see a sparkling lake and trees of all varieties. It was remarkable, even in the most desolate season of the year. A strong gust of wind blew towards them and rippled the water in the small lake.
          They sat down and looked towards the vast city.
          “Soon this city...soon the whole world may be rid of Kira”, said Mello.
          “Soon things will finally be different”, Matt confirmed. He took a deep breath, “but will they be better?” Mello glanced at him but he seemed to understand.
          “The world was in a horrible shape before Kira, but now, everyone lives in fear, and that’s even worse. Kira came and taught some people a lesson, but it’s no longer about the well-being of society, but a selfish desire of control”.
          “And how are people supposed to develop a sense of justice when their reason for not doing something is so that ‘Kira won’t kill me’ instead of something deeper than that?” added Matt.
          Mello nodded and looked up at the greying clouds.
          “I can’t wait for this shit to be over. I want to live life my own way”.
          “Our own way”, Matt corrected him as he put his arm around Mello’s waist.
          A small snowflake landed on Mello’s nose. More followed slowly and gently from the sky. The snow reminded the boys of their childhood back at Wammy’s.
          “Remember that time we actually made Near cry?” grinned Mello.
          Matt chuckled. “Yeah! But he was hiding it so well”.
          “Calling him ‘autistic albino’ didn’t do anything but apparently telling him his mother was mentally retarded really did something to him”. He laughed. “Maybe she actually was, and that’s why she couldn’t take care of him and gave him up for adoption”. His expression became more serious. “Wait...shit”.
          “Ohh...remember when we stole Linda’s sketchbook and told her we burned it?” Matt cried out.
          “She wouldn’t talk to us, and when she found it in Near’s room a week later, we made fun of her for being there in the first place. That was great”, Mello smirked.
          “Oh and...I have to admit, when I left the orphanage, I was actually looking for you”.
          Mello’s eyes widened, then he smirked again. “You secretly loved me all along didn’t you Matty?”
          Matt ignored the question. “We had some good times in LA too. Like the time you came home drunk, and high on E, and almost raped the couch”. He tried hard not to burst out laughing.
          “WHAT?” yelled a shocked Mello. “When the hell did I do that?” Matt beamed as Mello turned a slight shade of pink. “So, what about the time you tried to pick up a girl by asking her if she’s into Mario games, and then going back ten minutes later to ask if she’s more of a Final Fantasy girl”.
          “She looked like a gamer!” Matt tried to defend himself. Mello grinned. Matt snuggled up closer to him. The snow peacefully fell around them.
          “Now you be honest, Mel”, Matt started. “Do you like...” he blushed. “You know, do you like it when we...?” Mello looked at him and slowly brought his lips to his in a gentle kiss.
          “No, you’re horrible in bed, sorry”, he waited for Matt to get a disappointed look on his face before he grinned and said, “To be perfectly honest, it’s amazing. I used to secretly hope we would have sex more often. There was always so much passion and feeling involved”, he paused. “Oh and I never told you this, but I’m bi”.
          Matt nodded. “I figured. Well...I guess I’d be considered that too if I liked it”. He grinned.
          The snow soon stopped and the sun came out, tinting the city gold and warming the two men’s noses. It was inevitable; the movement of the fiery yellow ball towards the Western horizon. It was a natural clock, with ticking so silent, you wouldn’t even notice the flow of time...until it hit you.
          Matt reached for his pocket, but Mello grabbed his arm.
          “Wait, I have something for you”. Matt slightly raised an eyebrow as Mello reached into his own pocket and took out a small gift-wrapped box. “I guess it’s kind of like an early birthday gift, but you won’t like it”.
          “Mello, seriously, you didn’t have to...I won’t like it?” he said as he began unwrapping the gift. He could make out “NicoDerm” on the box.
          “Promise me, if we survive tonight, and we start a new life together, you will try to quit”.
          Matt looked at the box with uncertainty, and then looked up at Mello’s blue eyes. He could see a rare compassion in them, and he was assured that Mello really cared about him.
          “I promise”, he said. “But until then...” he took out a cigarette and lit it. Mello smacked him on the head and they both smiled.
          “Only a few hours until dusk”, he spoke solemnly. Matt leaned his head on Mello’s shoulder. They could feel each other’s heartbeats, they could read each other’s minds. The silent clock kept moving forward, but the two young men would do anything right now to keep it standing still. Soon the tension would fill their hearts and the worries would fill their minds, and they would return to the noisy world they had temporarily escaped from.
          “I love you”.
          Those words. They had never escaped Mello’s lips in that sequence. They were a powerful force of sincerity and emotion that shook Matt to the bone and brought tears to his eyes. He felt himself grabbing Mello’s head and bringing his lips tightly to his, then lowering him to the cold ground and moving onto him while they kissed.
          “I love you”, he echoed back as his goggles began to fog up.
          It was confirmed. What was to follow would be the first – and last time as a couple, that the two would make love. Then they would walk back down the hill, past the tree, through the woods, across the highway, and to the city, exchange a few final instructions, and one final kiss, before parting ways forever.