Je Ne Regrette Rien

AN: Well.... this started out as a slightly fluffy idea..... and well.... this is what came of it. Obviously this takes place after the epilogue..... but it is a oneshot, so time skips should be expected.....


AND IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT THIS: I have decided that if JNRR breaks 200 reviews(on my "fanfiction.net" account), I will write a sequel to it like more than a few of you would like. (the only reason i'm even entertaining the idea of writing another is because i've had plenty of reviewers saying they would like a sequel, however due to me working on numerous other things as well as actual work my time is limited. Thus the review thing on "fanfiction.net". I am "not" however, asking you to review for it. I'm just "stating" a fact.)


Suggested Listening: You Always Believed by In This Moment; Lost In You by Three Days Grace; The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot by Brand New

-Final Piece-

Matt had just stepped out of the shower and grabbed for his towel, only to see that there was something sitting on the counter along with it. Puzzled, he picked it up with barely dry hands.

It was... a game cartridge?

What the hell was it doing in the bathroom....?

“Mello.” Matt whispered. His lip quirked up slightly before going into a small smile. If Mello was trying to get him back into games like he'd done with his stripes, proof being the black and white shirt sitting atop his clean clothes, then it meant Mello was starting to climb out of the hole his depression had put him in.

Matt's smile fell as he thought of the blonde. Mello really had been through so much, too much. The loss of his left hand and the added scars on his body had hit him hard. It had taken so long to convince Mello that he wasn't going to leave him, and that he didn't care about his missing appendage.

Mello had gotten better with that as well, he was able to do a lot of things by himself now that he knew his limitations. Though Matt could see the pain in his blue eyes every time he had to ask for help.

As much as Matt wanted it too, he doubted that pain would ever really go away.

Sighing, Matt set the small piece of plastic back on the counter and dried himself off. Once he was finished dressing himself he pocketed the small cartridge and walked out into the cool apartment. He could hear faint sounds coming from the kitchen and wondered what Mello was doing, but knew that going to check on him wouldn't be a good thing.

At least not in Mello's eyes.

Tossing his dirty clothes in the hamper he entered their room in search of his laptop. Upon finding it, along with another game cartridge, he decided to look at any new cases until Mello decided to bother him. Not that it was ever really bothering him.

A while later, as he was reading up on a serial murder case, he heard soft footsteps on the wood floor and looked up. Mello stood in the doorway, in a black t-shirt and sweatpants, with what looked like flour spattered across his shirt.

“Should I even ask?”

Mello's eyes narrowed for a split second before he relaxed against the doorframe. “I was attempting to make brownies...” he muttered.

“Didn't turn out well? Or you just want me to clean?” Matt knew Mello didn't like asking for help, but sometimes it felt like pulling teeth with him. Like if he didn't direct the conversation, it wouldn't happen.

“I got the mix done, and it's in the oven.” so he needed help cleaning.

Matt withheld a sigh and stood up; it would be so much easier if he would just tell him what he wanted. He knew it was hard for the blonde but... sometimes it was hard on him too.

Though he would never show it.

He stopped in front of Mello and leaned in with a smirk before licking a smudge of batter off his cheek that Mello probably didn't even know was there. Blue eyes widened a fraction. “What was that for?”

“I was helping you get clean, you're very messy, you know?” while Mello was still in this rare good mood, as sometimes Mello would scowl and move away, he leaned in and stole a kiss.

“And that was because I love you.” he smiled at the soft look those normally pained eyes took on.

“Shall we?” Mello nodded and followed Matt from the room. Matt had expected the kitchen to be a complete disaster, as it usually was after Mello had used it, but it wasn't that bad. Just a lot of bowls to wash, as well as the counter, which Mello couldn't quite do. Granted the floor also looked like it had been snowed on, but a mop and some water could easily fix that powdery problem.

“Sorry I dropped the flour, I didn’t have a good grip on it...” there was that look again. The look Matt hated. So. Damn. Much. It wasn't like Mello did those things on purpose; it wasn't like he could help things like that. Matt was so sick of Mello feeling guilty over stupid things like that. But its seemed that no matter how many times he told Mello, it never sunk in.

Eyeing the carton of eggs on the counter he picked it up, waited until Mello was watching him, and dropped it on the floor. “What the hell Matt?!”

“Sorry I 'dropped' the eggs. My fingers slipped.” he shrugged a shoulder but from the look on Mello's face he'd gotten the message. If the slightly happy glint in his eyes was anything to go by.

Mello always had done better with practical application. Maybe Matt would just have to do things like that more often…

It took around a half hour to get the kitchen done, and another twenty minutes of waiting to take the brownies out, but finally all the cooking was done. “Want me to join you in the shower?” Matt asked as Mello headed into the bedroom.

“No... maybe tomorrow...” Matt shook his head, but was happy. Usually it was a flat out no. Mello now had a thing about Matt seeing his body, because of the scars, but they were working on that. Slowly.

Knowing that Mello would shout if he needed help, Matt went to make a pot of coffee only to have a small pile of games fly out at him when he opened the cabinet. Well... four games.

“At least they weren't in the coffee pot.” Matt, as he said this, checked the coffee pot. He wondered how long Mello was going to keep this up; he already had six games. Not that he would really complain about getting free games.

He had kind of missed his games. He already had his goggles and his stripes back. The games were the last on the list. If doing this was easing Mello's stress, even a little, then he could handle games popping up all around the apartment. So long as they didn't take the place of his cigarettes... then there might be an issue.

Moving those games to his pocket as well, he finished setting up the coffee and sat down to wait for it.

It would take a long time to get Mello back to how he was before, and even then Matt doubted he would be completely the same. Not with the way Mello felt about his missing hand. He missed the blonde, and it sucked that he could say that with Mello actually in the apartment.

Lighting up a cigarette, despite knowing Mello didn't like him to smoke inside, he resigned himself to another night of tense and awkward silences that seemed to plague them. They slept in the same bed, but they may as well have been in separate rooms…

Matt woke up to find another game cartridge, this time on Mello's pillow, where the blonde's head should have been. Matt sighed, another early morning then. Sometimes Mello could sleep, sometimes he couldn't.

The tension from the day before had eased off somewhat, and over the next two days, somehow disappeared completely.

Now four days since Matt had found the first game cartridge, now totaling up to fifteen, he had to wonder when this twisted Easter egg hunt would end. Not that he minded finding the little pieces of plastic everywhere, but he didn't have anything to play them on...

Did Mello even notice that little bit of information? Well, technically, he had too seeing as Matt had yet to do anything with them.

Rolling his shoulders to ease the tension that had built from hunching over his laptop, he crossed the apartment and into the kitchen. He smiled softly at the sight of the coffee pot already on, just recently from the looks of it, and a bag of his favorite coffee sitting beside it.

Mello must have been out of his usual stuff if he was using something different. Or he was lying when he claimed not to like his coffee. Either was possible.

Seeing that Mello's cup was still in the dish drain Matt pulled it as well as another cup free to sit on the counter. Mello only ever drank coffee out of one cup, which happened to be the one he'd gotten made for him. He didn't know why Mello had even kept it...

Rifling through the refrigerator he pulled free the creamer and two bars of chocolate. Fixing up both cups he pocketed the extra bar and tossed the empty wrapper. Figuring he would surprise Mello with a cup of coffee, made his way with a bar of chocolate and nothing else to ‘taint’ it, he carried both into the living room where Mello was sitting on the arm chair reading.

“Hey.” Mello looked up, startled. “You brought me coffee. Did you-”

“Yes I put a bar of your addiction in it.” Mello nodded and accepted the cup while Matt went to sit on the couch a few feet away. He had just taken a sip of the steaming brew when he noticed something odd sitting on the table.

He was only just able to hide his smirk.

Setting down the coffee Matt picked up the Gameboy color, an older model handheld but enjoyable nonetheless, and flipped the power switch after loading a random game cartridge. He saw Mello watching him out of the corner of his eyes.

He could see the small quirk of the blonde’s lips, and knew Mello was happy. Maybe now Mello would finally stop blaming himself for his departure all those years ago, as he seemed to be trying to make up for, as well as begin to heal from the latest ordeal.

But if Mello was going to all this, just to make him happy, perhaps Matt could try a little harder as well. Pausing the game he did something he hadn't done since Mello had been rescued, despite how much Mello's eyes pleaded where is voice wouldn't.

Settling the cigarette in his mouth, Matt pulled his goggles off to hang around his neck and took the chance to look directly at Mello, with a grin.

The smile he was rewarded with made his heart flop pleasantly. Matt decided that he could perhaps... loose his goggles on occasion, if for nothing more than to see that smile.

-End-

AN: yeah I know this was odd and all. But I love the idea of Mello, of all people, leaving around games and stuff like that for Matt.

So here it finally is. The last chapter. See you guys in my new fic “Choices”, which I will be posting either today or tomorrow.