Nursing on Destruction

Like a Matt drawn to a flame

The room faded in and out with candlelight, lighting and shading over their once-happy faces.

Mello made no effort to change the atmosphere, but Matt was used to being the one to make things a bit better, say that things could be okay. Even when his parents threw glass bottles and everything in their path at him, he still tried to hug them and comfort them, as if they were the ones that were the most traumatized. Unfortunately, that is why he was so attracted to Mello in particular. He was a brat that constantly needed reassurance and someone to push around that would still promise to love him, no matter how monstrous he became. He had two faces, the cheerful child that would always be by your side, even when everyone said you two were less than worthless, then the warped adult that didn't know the difference between nurturing and destroying. To be honest, they both blurred now.

"Heyyy, Mello-Jello..." Matt's raspy voice called in Mello's left ear. Before, he used to say it in such a sweeter tone, not so concerned.  The redhead wrapped his gloved arms around his grumpy loved one's shoulders. There was a silence. A void. As if there was no emotion left to them. It was pretty much one sided by now, but Matt didn't want to accept that. He couldn't let it happen. He dragged his soft lips across the tip of the gangster's cold ear.

"Whatcha thinkin' about in that pretty blond head of yours?" He tapped his finger's on the other's noggin. He could tell Mello had something on his mind that was bothering him. 

No response.
Uh oh, that wasn't a good sign.

"Hello, hello? Earth to Mello?" this was his pitiful attempt at trying to be silly and lighthearted still.

Mello pushed him away and went off to sit in a leather chair in the far corner near the Christmas tree. 

Matt pulled out his trusty pack of cigarettes and lit one up. His eyes glazed over, looking into the faerie lights twirled around the tree as he let himself dive deep into the past. Why he did this was for a distraction, and a reminder that once things were happy. Once upon a time, they were so much closer, and so much more interesting to each other.

It was their first Christmas at Whammy's, their first Christmas spent away from their now-dead parents. 
Matt, dressed up in a ridiculous holiday gown that all the other children wore, too. Why did Watori even do that? Did he think it would make them feel united somehow? They may have all been extremely gifted, smart children, but they were all separate, stuck in their own minds.   
They all giggled in unison, brought together by the silliness of their forced attire.
"Children, children! Shush!"

They fell silent, knowing that sass was not welcome.

Children gathered around the giant tree, holding hands. 

"It is time for the announcement." Roger, Quillish's assistant, read off each child's ranking. Why they did this at holidays, no one really understood. Mello guessed it was to teach the kids that they didn't deserve happiness or gifts unless they tried their hardest, and then even harder, to be the smartest one. The best of the best. No one could ever be L, though.

No one.

Especially not Matt or Mello.

Those that ranked highest cheered and jumped, finally allowed to be proud of themselves. Others were just blank, like a certain sheep haired child, and some random kid no one would ever remember.

It was time for Mihael and Mails' results.

"Mello, high intelligence, terrible temperament, quite determined, but it's not enough. Class C."