A/N:: Less brain melting than in the last fic. Brand new style though. I'm seeing how this goes.

ANIME: Death note.

Pairing: MattxMello

DISCLAIMER: I do not own death note. I wish I did.

SPOILERS//: THIS REVEALS MELLO'S AND MATT'S REAL NAMES.

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PART ONE

Matt stares across the table at Mello. Mello doesn't look back. He just sits there, breaking off pieces of chocolate and sliding them into his mouth.

Bad ass, Matt thinks to himself.

Matt's gaze falls onto the floor. There is Near hunched over a white jigsaw puzzle.

It's playtime at the Wammy house, if one could call it that.

Matt jumps one of Mello's checker pieces. He picks it up and puts it in his pile.

"Bastard," Mello says, putting another piece of chocolate into his mouth.

"Asshole," replies Matt.

And playtime continues as such. An exchanging of foul words, until Mello gets irritated and knocks the board onto the ground, causing the pieces to scatter across the room.

"Miheal," Matt groans, "I hate you."

And to such, Mello replies, "And I hate you too."

It's a never ending cycle between these two. A constant exchange of insults. Bring the other one down. Show who's the boss. Because to give in is to be the weaker one. And to be weak is to follow in third place.

But Matt knows he's losing. He will always be third. Near will be first always, with Mello in second. And Matt will be third.

Now three hours have passed, and it's bedtime. Each room suits three children. As luck would have it, Mello, Matt and Near share a room. Matt and Mello share bunk beds, while Near has a small bed in the corner of the room.

Matt lays on his bed. Naturally, he has bottom bunk. It's all about the concept of ranking. First gets his own bed. Second gets the top bunk, and third is stuck on bottom.

"Hey Mello," Matt says just loud enough for Mello to hear.

"What do you want?"

Matt puts his hands behind his head and stares up at the bars that hold Mello above him.

"Why are we here?" questions Matt.

Mello lets out a sigh of irritation. "You're stupid, you know that? Why do you think we're here? To be L's successor. Now shut up and go to sleep."

Matt sighs. I have no reason to be here. Mello and Near are better than me. L has his successors. I'm wasting my time. Why stay? I'll be fine on my own.

And with that he rises off the bed and grabs a backpack. It has a fancy monogram M on it. He knows it's Mello's. Mello won't mind. He probably won't even notice it's gone.

Into the backpack, he tosses his Nintendo DS and all the games he can grab. He tosses in some clothes, about three outfits in total. He needs another bag, so he grabs his own messenger bag. Into this bag goes his lighter, a few packs of cigarettes, some snacks previously stolen out of the kitchen, and all the money he has to his name. Even if it is only seven dollars and fifty five cents.

Matt tosses the backpack over his back, and the bag goes over his shoulder. There's no need to change clothes. The way he sees it, his pajamas can be another outfit. Around his neck, he places his orange-tinted goggles. The pair he never goes anywhere without.

"Goodbye Mello," whispers Matt, climbing up the first few steps of the ladder. His eyes focus on the sleeping blond. He is so innocent when he's asleep. It was as if the entire bad-ass attitude melts away to reveal a sleeping angel. An angel that causes a smile to form on Matt's face. A smile that soon after fades when Matt realizes this may be the last time he ever sees Mello again. He runs his fingers through Matt's hair, pushing it away from his face.

"Goodbye," Matt repeats, climbing off the ladder.

Time to escape.

He opens up the window and looks at the ground that lies beneath him. He's three stories up. Three stories above freedom. At this point, he wishes Near played with jump ropes. At least then he could use them to climb down. But Near doesn't play with jump ropes. He plays with puzzles and dolls. And Mello doesn't play at all. So for the moment, Matt is stuck.

Dammit.

He pulls a cigarette from his messenger bag, opens the window, and lights up. The ashes get flickered out the window and scatter in the night time breeze. Matt adjusts himself, propping up in the window sill, staring out into the city. It's dim. Frankly, it's dirty. But for Matt, it's sweet freedom. If only he could get out of the window.

He could jump. And die? No thanks. He could sneak out the front door. No way. Roger is probably still awake. Doesn't that man ever sleep?

Matt is stuck. On the third floor of an orphanage full of people trying to be somebody they're not.

Trying to reason a way out of the orphanage, Matt squishes himself into L's famous sitting position. Maybe it will work.

It doesn't. Matt just feels uncomfortable and squished. Like he's trapped in a bx. How does L sit like that all the time?

He tosses his cigarette out the window and watches as it falls. It lands in the bushes in front of the building. If he jumped, he could land in them. Not going to happen.

If only I was one story lower. And for a moment, an idea flashes. The second story window. I could get down there and jump from that window. One hop then freedom. No wait, Matt, that's stupid. Climb down. Don't jump.

Matt takes a final look around his room. Near is curled up in a sideways L position, hugging his knees. Mello is sprawled out on his bed with the blanket hanging half off. His body is for the most part uncovered. Matt can see all of his torso, down to his skinny hip bones. Mello only slept in his underwear. For a moment, Matt wishes he could stare forever. But he can't. He's making his escape tonight. He's leaving. He's refusing to be third any longer. No more trying to be L. He wants to be Matt.

He sighs and opens the bedroom door. The hall is empty, except for his shadow on the hall floor. He walks quietly to the stairs.

They creak as he walks to the second floor. One flight and he's there. The window to freedom just a few steps away.

Matt pushes the window open. The building is old, so there's no state of the art security system. All remains quiet. First out the window goes the messenger bag. And then the backpack. Matt climbs into the window sill.

This is it, Matt, just climb down.

He takes a deep breath and begins to climb on the window below him. After a few minutes of climbing, he's on the ground.

I made it.

And with that, he grabs his bags and runs off, disappearing into the darkness.