FIC: Fuel

[ficwize]

Title: Fuel
Fandom: Death Note
Prompt: Unrequited Love as requested by indeliblefancy.
Warnings: I've not written these characters (much) before. And this is unbetaed.
Rating: Gen
Summary: Mello moved through any given space like fire.
Pairings: slight Mello/Matt
Length: 500 words exactly!
Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. I'm not that smart.
A/N: Written for June!challenge Day 4 at fic_on_demand. Also written for darkluna who expressed a wish for some awkward!Matt/oblivious!Mello. I hope you enjoy this, hon! *smooshes*

As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated.

*************



Mello moved through any given space like fire. When he first entered a room, his size and stature didn't mark him out from the crowd. But once he started to act... he blazed - all liquid heat and so dangerous at times that he threatened to consume everyone and everything in his path.

Being Mello's friend was like a drug addiction, Matt thought privately. Better than cigarettes, better than chocolate... probably not better than sex, although he didn't know that for sure.

Everything about Mello called to Matt, until he knew that he was hopelessly and helplessly obsessed. The other boy was a mass of contradictions. Mello spoke like a sailor - coarse and vulgar - but Matt thought he moved like a dancer - gracefully light on his feet. Matt only wished that Mello spent even a quarter of the time thinking about him as the blonde spent obsessing about Near.

"That little freak has to be cheating." Mello sneered, pacing behind the beanbag chair where Matt lay playing video games. "There is no way that he can be that smart."

No way he can be smarter than me. Mello's unspoken sentence hung between them and Matt grunted even as he gutted the zombie on the screen. He wasn't expecting Mello to grab his hair, but he wasn't exactly surprised by it either. "Do you disagree?" Mello demanded, his voice calm, but the fingers scraping through Matt's hair warned differently.

"No." Matt craned his neck to keep Mello's face in his gaze, even as the blonde released him and began storming back and forth again. Matt could almost see the flicker of embers in Mello's eyes and he didn't dare look away again. He nearly held his breath, feeling the familiar cravings begin to twist through his gut. Instead, he stood up slowly. Mello watched him the way a hunter watches its prey. "No, I don't think he's smarter than you."

It wasn't the question that Mello had asked, but Matt's answer seemed to please him and he smiled. He leaned forward and smoothed Matt's hair back down, and this time Matt did hold his breath, leaning forward slightly as Mello's fingers trailed through the red strands of hair. After a second, he dropped his hand and Matt had to fight to stop himself from looking disappointed.

"I don't think he is either." Mello replied, apparently oblivious to Matt's reaction to him. When he turned away, Matt almost gasped for breath. "He can't be." Mello returned to his favorite rant, comparing himself to Near and pointing out all of the other boy's flaws and failings.

Matt spoke his part from rote memory, his skin smoldering from Mello's intensity. Reaching into his back pocket, Matt retrieved his cigarettes and lighter and slowly lit one, inhaling the smoke deep into his lungs. Blowing out tendrils of gray, Matt swallowed back the words that threatened to spill out.

Instead, he simply added fuel to the fire and let Mello continue to burn.

Comments

[twentyfiveraven.livejournal.com]

-exhales slowly- That was good.
Yes, yes extended metaphors, oh beautiful.
Your Mello is so angry.
I feel so bad for Matt (that sentence is uttered way too much). He's very moth-like in this--drawn and spurned.
Love, absolutely love your final line.
Very well done.

[ficwize.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I'm glad you enjoyed it - complete with extended metaphor. *grins*

Mello always did strike me as angry. I'm not sure why he's so angry, but he always did seem to be furious at the world.

As for Matt - He's very moth-like in this - I didn't even think about that, but you're right. He's not really capable of turning away, even if he wants to.

Thank you so much!

[darkluna.livejournal.com]

Yessss, come to the dark side! We have chocolate. And cigarettes. And robots. :D

I love this. It's so sharp and vivid, and oh, the last two lines. I continue to be impressed by how well you write the whole tangled-up-ness of the Mello-Matt-Near dynamic. Thanks so much for writing this! ♥ And I am buckling down hard on my LxLight story right this very minute.

[ficwize.livejournal.com]

Chocolate eh? *ponders* But my side has candy! And handcuffs.

I'm really glad you enjoyed it. It was very rushed and not really all that polished, but it was fun to write. I am increasingly fascinated with the dynamic between Mello and Matt (and Near!). It's a safe bet I'll try them again at some point.

And this wasn't meant to make you feel pressured, but Yay!!! I can't wait to read what you're writing! Yay!!!

[ficwize.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm gald you liked it. :D