A/N: This update is all thanks to MisreadSoul. She sent me a wonderful PM that inspired me to write for you all. Send her a PM of thanks!

Never before had time seemed to pass so slowly. Without emotion the centuries had never seemed boring and time had slipped like a ribbon quickly through his fingers. Now he could feel anxiousness, boredom, and restlessness all striving to make every minute feel like an hour. He began to look forward to bringing Matt his daily meal, if only because it provided a distraction. No fits or tears would call his lover back to him and he tried to lock his feelings back where they had hidden for so long.

Though remorse was beyond his reach, Matt still seemed to mind what happened to him and often fussed over him. Mello could tell he was trying to be as animated as possible to ease the pain and he tried to appreciate the level of care that took for the redhead. As they settled into a routine the weeks began to pass quicker, each day spent trying to think about anything at all. Some nights he felt as if the whole day had slipped by without him noticing. With nothing to look forward to he hardly wanted to leave the comfort of their bed.

Matt seemed content to stay and he had less drive to do anything than even Mello had when emotionless. At least he had traveled and collected, if only for something to do, but the redhead would easily lie between the sheets against him for eternity if allowed. He was clearly purposeless, left drifting without any direction. He was still sore and Mello massaged him daily to work out the burn still lingering deep in his muscles.

It was exactly three weeks before L visited again, though neither gave his presence much acknowledgement. Mello allowed him to enter and offered him something sweet before wandering to another room and leaving L to sit on the couch. Matt sat in the chair across from him and barely spared him a nod before going back to his gaming.

"I hope your change has gone well. It must be difficult with a housemate so overrun with emotion."

At this the gamer glanced up and responded blankly. "He hasn't shown much at all, and my change is fine. You don't need to have a conversation with me to see that."

L knew he was right; he had all the information he needed when he first walked though the door. Mello was subdued and Matt was a normal new vampire. He couldn't help but want to study them though since this was the first case he knew of where the human had been changed. Not wanting to overstay his welcome he quickly finished his cake and left, not bothering to find Mello to say goodbye.

When Mello returned to the living room several hours later Matt hadn't moved. The blond stood still and watched him play, trying to imagine that he enjoyed it and didn't do so only to fill the time. He hadn't gone out for food, too upset by L's visit, but Matt was old enough to slow down his meals and Mello had lost his appetite entirely.

Deciding there was really no reason to be up he approached Matt and held out his hand. Pulling him up, he led his redhead to the bedroom and curled around him from behind on the bed, watching him play as he fell asleep.

The following days were spent much the same and each day Mello only ventured out to bring back a meal for Matt, if he went out at all. The redhead had taken note and stayed close to him as much as he could. If he wasn't curled against his maker's side then he was within eyesight. There was nothing he could do to comfort the blond but he didn't want to be the source of more unhappiness than he already was.

Five more days passed and Mello stopped sleeping. He would lie next to Matt until he was asleep then watch him or get up to sit on the balcony alone until morning. To Matt he almost seemed restless but he tried to ignore the faint voice telling him something was wrong.

It took another week before the redhead could see the sleep wasn't the only thing Mello was neglecting. He was dropping weight, his thin frame making the missing pounds obvious. Not wanting the confront him, Matt began offering sips of his own meals but the blond only shook his head and assured him he was full. It was clear what was happening and though he couldn't muster the proper guilt he knew it was his fault. Mello needed his help and he knew only one thing would snap him from his depression.