The blond grinned at him. He stalked closer, his eyes staring manically, "Yes. I stabbed its owner and decapitated him, before skinning the flesh from his flesh with a hunting knife." Mello had reached the redhead now and licked his lips, before crouching quickly to sweep up a piece of cranium. "It's porcelain, freak."
Mello, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"I like how it's me who's the freak and not the person with a propensity for collecting skulls."
Matt, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"All Catholics are macabre. Haven't you seen our icons? We all walk around with miniature depictions of a man tortured to death for a start."
Mello, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"How can the same mind, that agonizes over the best water-color to hang in the living room, also conceive of all this?"
Matt, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"You thought Christianity was all flower-arranging and jumble sales? We have our dark side too, you know."
Mello, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"I will eat the flesh and drink the blood of my Savior and I will live forever." Mello's lips touched Matt's jugular and he sucked. "'I will rape you with my mouth and you will enjoy it.'"
"I refuse to believe that that was in the Bible." Matt whispered, but his head tilted to allow Mello access to his neck. "Not unless Bram Stoker added another gospel."
Mello and Matt, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"Oh, bless, you're quivering."
"It's a bit cold in..."
"You shudder at my touch and well you should."
Mello, Matt, Mello, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"Oh, my Mail, you would let me do whatever the Hell I liked to you. You will let me. You do." He dived back down to lick up all that had fallen since, sucking at the cuts themselves. His knife glided down to rest against Matt's belt. "You should learn to say your prayers, guapo."
Mello, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"Ok, I surrender. Your skulls aren't tacky. Fuck me."
Matt, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"Ok?" Matt gasped. "You cut me the fuck up, half-strip me off, knock me to the floor and then you just say, 'ok'?"
Matt, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"Mihael! You're a fucking maniac!"
Mello nodded, seeing nothing wrong with that statement. "I am."
Matt and Mello, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
Matt bobbed his tongue out. "That was pwnage, Mello. For the record."
Matt, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
Mello winked. "I think you're bleeding, Matt."
The redhead snorted. "Yes, I think it's safe to say I am."
Mello, Matt, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"I love how you stopped coming out with literature halfway through. Lost the ability to think, angel?"
Matt, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"And, Mell? You want any more help shifting furniture and you just ask. Ok? Ready, willing, any time. Oh yes. Any time."
Matt, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"Oh Matty." Mello smiled. "'You must thank your own worth for what I grew to be, for the demon lurked under the angel in me.'"
Matt traced the lines of Mello's lips with blood from his body. "Good." And he kissed him.
Mello and Matt, The Blooding-for Spoiled-Kitten
"L would be looking at the data and he would see me applying textbook casing, not just rushing in like a fool. That could hold me in good stead. He's bound to be impressed."
Mello, For A-Pseudonym
Not that the blond boy afforded much shelter if someone was to come.
For A-Pseudonym
Mello was like a soldier, no a general, plotting movements that would engender optimum benefit for himself, whilst disadvantaging the opposition.
For A-Pseudonym
"You just play Super Mario, don't worry about me." Mello marched to the door. "I'll risk everything to get my own ribena. On my own."
"'kay."
Mello and Matt, For A-Pseudonym
Mello was very good at conceiving of actions. He had a very strategic mind. He was actually at the kitchen door before he realized that he hadn't actually got a plan.
For A-Pseudonym
Though slight in build, Mello always had an advantage in combat. That was that he didn't shrink from inflicting serious damage. He would pummel, scratch, bite, punch and kick, aiming for the eyes, throat and anywhere else that others might avoid, if it gained him the victory.
For A-Pseudonym
The redhead had once found something on-line which stated, "A good friend is someone who will bail you out if you get arrested. A best friend is someone who would be sitting next to you in the cell saying, 'Wow! Dude! We really messed up this time'." Mello liked that. Matt had e-mailed it to him and Mello still had it saved in a folder. He liked the idea of Matt being the person in the cell next to him. His best friend. If he was honest, his only friend, but his best friend nonetheless.
For A-Pseudonym
The thing he hated most about Near's room was the abundance of toys over books. It was in stark contrast to Mello and Matt's room, which was piled high with papers, folders, books and project work, alongside the games and their consoles. But the latter was nothing to do with Mello and therefore didn't count.
For A-Pseudonym
Roger might technically be their superior, but Mello had learned years ago that standing firm and staring caused the old man to look away. Losing eye contact was the same as being submissive. Mello was never submissive.
For A-Pseudonym
Matt pointed at the screen and continued playing. It could be interpreted as his having been there all along or it could have been 'shut up I'm playing'.
For A-Pseudonym
"If I was going to frame someone, then I'd also do it based on their project. For example, I would use drugs to frame Matt, because that would provide a smokescreen of circumstantial evidence."
Mello, For A-Pseudonym
"I'm stating that it is entirely possible, It Matters. I know your mind on this matter too. It will be solely to make the situation go away as quickly as possible, so that you can return to your game. Do you concur?"
Roger, For A-Pseudonym
"If I lose my games, I am so not doing another thing for you for as long as we both live."
Matt, For A-Pseudonym
"Thank you for that concise and astute observation and for stating the blooming obvious!"
Mello, For A-Pseudonym
"Why are you here, Matty?"
"In it together. Let's get this over with."
Mello and Matt, For A-Pseudonym
"I will be number one, Near. Good luck tomorrow."
"I wish Mello all the best too." Near's finger rose to twirl a lock of white hair. "In class and in the new rankings."
Mello and Near, For A-Pseudonym
I lay, watching him, for the longest time. I felt melted inside, sappy and romantic, all those things that you can never admit to without laughing at yourself. So my mind pushed it away and thought instead of last night's sex.
Matt, For GuiltyOne
That he slept on now taught me about the exhaustion he must have been hiding, even as it warmed me to know that he trusted me enough to let go while I was here to watch his back. I left him to it. There are some angels whose slumber should never be disturbed. He was as like to take my head off than anything else involving head."
Matt, For GuiltyOne
The obvious violence of his new world made me feel like an innocent. I was the country bumpkin plucked from the picket-fence world of Winchester and circling out of my depth. It was almost like he was laughing at me, before he'd shed his skin and become my Mihael.
Matt, For GuiltyOne
I sat poised to move, to pounce onto the bed for a kiss or to make drinks, and it was in that frozen pose that I finally smelt myself. Sweat-drenched, skin on skin, hungry kisses and grasping hands, the sliding of him under me... I blinked. I needed a shower for more reasons than just the fact that the sweat had now dried.
Matt, For GuiltyOne
Ninjas had nothing on one of Mello's stealth attacks.
Matt, For GuiltyOne
Mello was like that. I wanted and I waited; he wanted and he came to take it.
Matt, For GuiltyOne
He grinned back, coquettish and pretty. I know that's a funny word for a man, but Mello was pretty. A pretty, little boy who had grown into a pretty, little man and so hot. Sex on legs. That was Mello.
Matt, For GuiltyOne
I gave no warning, leaning swiftly to claim a kiss, but he was like lightning, too quick in leaning backwards for me to touch him. My lips bereft, I just stood there savouring him with my eyes, stroking the back of his left hand with one finger.
Matt, ForGuiltyOne
"Can you..." Mello paused, his shoulders doing this little shimmy thing, like he was Marilyn Monroe or something, "do my back please?"
Mello, ForGuiltyOne
I'd follow him anywhere and hide in his shadows, waiting for his call. If I had to be his secret, then it would be enough. This - Matt! Matt! Oh! Mother of God! Matt! - was enough.
Matt, For GuiltyOne
It wasn't so much that Matt couldn't release himself, but that he wouldn't do so without damaging a lot of gaming equipment, that kept him still.
Matt, Mattgasm
He kept turning, fearfully, to survey the next balcony across. If their neighbour should even open his curtains, then Matt would certainly be seen. Mello had pointed this out, noting from the sudden blush and biting of lips that the redhead would not need a gag in order to keep silent. The thought of rousing their neighbour, from his armchair just the other side of the window and drawn curtains, would be humiliating enough to keep him from making a sound.
Not that it was easy to keep silent, when Mello seemed to punctuate the completion of each task on his To Do List with creeping over to stripe Matt's back again with a folded over USB cable.
Matt, Mattgasm
"The sun's come around this side of the building." He didn't precisely catch Mello's response, as a car started up and drove away beneath his feet, masking the words. He did notice a distinct lack of blond, sadistic gits untying him though. "Mell, you have spotted the red hair, haven't you?"
Across the way, a curtain twitched and Matt froze, staring with wide eyes. They weren't opened, even when Mello startled him splattering something cold upon his naked back. "Factor 50." That Slavic grin was soft and so amused. Matt just glared into it. "It should save your lily-white skin." Mello liberally rubbed it all over his torso, face and arms.
Matt, Mello, Mattgasm
Mello chuckled, biting off a square of the chocolate bar held in his free hand. "Why do we never come out here?"
"Give me a couple of minutes and I will be."
Mello, Matt, Mattgasm
"Jesus fucking Christ, Mell, you bastard piece of motherfucking..."
"And blaspheming is going to stop me punishing you, how?"
Matt, Mello, Mattgasm
Matt crouched down, realising that deep down he'd thought it would be over now. He would be untied and would rescue his gaming accessories, then would play with everything muted for the rest of the afternoon. Mello evidently had other ideas. Matt accordingly adjusted his game plan to 'the second I get free of this, I'm going to beat the crap out of that Slavic wanker', though he knew he never would. It was simply a comfort to imagine that he might.
Matt, Mattgasm
"I'm going back to work, though how I'm supposed to concentrate with the memory of that in my head, I don't know."
Mello, Mattgasm
Mello smirked, snapping off chocolate in the doorway. "I do love to be there at a good Mattgasm. Don't you?" He returned into the depths of their flat, from whence came the sound of tapping on a laptop. Then a snigger. "A Mattgasm. I crack myself up sometimes."
Mello, Mattgasm
From the balcony, Matt kept an eye on their neighbour's curtain through orange-tinted goggles and calmly smoked his cigarette. Sometimes surrender to the inevitability of things was the only way to go.
Matt, Mattgasm
"Straight ahead, into the bathroom. Don't ruin her carpet."
Mello, For TheRiffti
"Come on, Matt. This is a proper apartment with a proper shower, which is more than I can say about where we're holed up. Strip, boy!"
Mello, For TheRiffti
"Will you please stop looking like you're having so much fun?"
Matt, For TheRiffti
"You'll get much cleaner in there than you will standing there flashing to me."
Mello, For TheRiffti
He jabbed his clothing with a toe. The liquid around it was a murky brown. It was disconcerting to know that this was also in his hair, on his skin and in his system, after he'd swallowed a hefty gulp of it. The microscopic lifeforms could practically be seen darting around it.
Matt, For TheRiffti
"I'll deal with the clothes, you concentrate on getting yourself lathered up and..." He let the rest of the sentiment hang, as he turned on his heel and disappeared into the rest of the apartment
Mello, For TheRiffti
"There's a hot, sexy body in this shower and you really think I'm going to stand out there eating chocolate? Hell, no." Mello shimmied under the cascading water and wiped the soap from Matt's face. "Heh! A proper shower."
Mello, For TheRiffti
"We'll soon have you pampered and glorious again, princess."
Mello growled, darting forward to press Matt against the tiled wall. "What have I told you about calling me princess?"
"Well, if you weren't so fucking camp, I...." His words were cut off with a possessive kiss, tongue probing invasively to graze along the roof of his mouth.
Matt, Mello, Matt, For TheRiffti
There used to be a hairstyle here, but singed ends and the unspoken need to cover up facial scarring rendered it, in Matt's opinion, wonderfully messy.
Matt, For TheRiffti
He was treated to a sassy grin. "I thought we'd got past hair-washing and onto snogging up the wall."
Mello, For TheRiffti
Next came the shower gel, each washing the other with hands exploring every crease and crevice, curve of muscle and expanse of skin, as if was new territory. The temperature of the water remained the same, but the heat had definitely risen. "I like getting dirty, but I really love getting clean again."
"Whereas I," Mello winked above a libertine smirk, "am still hung up on the getting dirty."
Matt, Mello, For TheRiffti
"Shut up." Mello smirked, glancing back with sparkling eyes. "All in good time. Patience is a virtue."
"What the Hell do you know about patience?! Just...!" The redhead was silenced with a kiss, then teeth closing down on his lower lip.
Mello, Matt, For TheRiffti
Mello chuckled, licking down the length of Matt's spine, planting kisses in the small of his back. There was a spluttering and spitting as the blond's tongue came into contact with shower gel and he stood too quickly, nearly losing his balance on the slippery ceramic. Matt's arms were yanked down to arrest Mello's fall, the pain harsh on his shoulders. He shrieked and Mello stood. "I meant to do that."
Mello, For TheRiffti
"Yes! I want it, Mello! I want it!"
"Oh good." Mello responded absently, as if he couldn't care less what happened next, he was just humouring Matt.
Matt, Mello, For TheRiffti
"Mello, when I said that I didn't mind having you around, I did not mean that you could bring your pick-ups into my house and have sex with him in my shower!"
Hal, For TheRiffti
"Mello, you stood in my bathroom, while I was showering, and stared at the sink while talking about Near. Of course it's a male."
Hal, For TheRiffti
"Or maybe you would just like me to make a full report to Near? Mello turned up in my shower with some random redhead, obviously hard at work catching Kira. Oh yes."
Hal, For TheRiffti
"Heh." Mello grinned. "Are you a lesbian, Hal?"
"What?" She turned and stared at him. "What on earth makes you say that?"
"Only you're standing in your bathroom, where Matt's naked, and you're talking about Near."
Mello, Hal, Mello, For TheRiffti
"What?" Mello gushed, his mouth gaping with incredulity. He reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Electricity from the contact frissoned up and straight to his heart and groin. To his confusion, he realised that she might be his best hope against the sin of homosexuality. She could well be the creature that saved him from the seductive charms of Matt.
Mello, Matti-Sue
"Thank you." Matti-Sue allowed the tiniest smile to grace her lips, though inside she was thrilled at the compliment.
The Sue, Matti-Sue
The two men joined her to see and if their arms brushed her arms, then it wasn't entirely accidental. They listened as she talked them through her ideas, then laid out a strategy for capturing Kira, whom she now named as Yagami Raito. She had plenty of evidence to back up her claims. Her utter genius left both Mello and Matt speechless. "Did that make sense?"
The Sue, Matti-Sue
"Yes." Mello breathed. "Oh! Thank you so much! You know, I always thought that my pride would settle for nothing less than being number one and catching Kira myself, but for you I'll make an exception. Matti-Sue, I think I'm in love with you?"
"Orly?" Matti-Sue flushed, reaching for her cigarettes.
"Me too!" Matt gasped. "Mello, I always thought I was gay, but... I'm sorry, I know I'm supposed to be your private preserve, but I'm in love with her."
Mello, The Sue, Matt, Matti-Sue
For a moment it seemed like they would fight over her. Each of them produced guns from their clothing and pointed them menacingly at each other. Matti-Sue leapt into action. She used ninja skills to overpower both of them, until they lay moaning on the floor at either side of her. "Can't we all get on together?" She demanded.
The Sue, Matti-Sue
"Yes, sorry." Mello looked close to tears. "Please forgive us. It's just that you're so bewitching."
Mello, Matti-Sue
"Wow!" Mello sat up. "That makes so much more sense than Catholicism! How can I convert to witchcraft?"
Mello, Matti-Sue
Matti-Sue smiled sweetly. "Oh, boys, it's not an evangelist religion. If you are going to become Wiccans, you'll find your own path there." She zipped up her coat and lit a cigarette. "Good luck with catching Kira. You understand all that I've told you to do."
The Sue, Matti-Sue
Matt sniffed. "Will we see you again?"
"Oh." Matti-Sue kissed him. "I should think so." She turned her head to kiss Mello too. "I foresee a long future for us three, together." With that, she sauntered on out, into the passageway and the front door clicked shut behind her.
Matt, The Sue, Matti-Sue
Three things to know about Matt. The first was that he loved games. The second was that he was a masochist. The third was that, if he put his mind to it, he could be a fucking Houdini in escaping cuffs and unpicking locks. Two things to know about Mello. He was a sadist and he always mastered a challenge.
Matt and Mello, Edgeplay
The rules were simple. If Matt could extract himself from any situation he was placed into, then nothing similar could be tried again for one week. If he couldn't, then he stayed put dependent upon Mello's will. It was genius mind versus genius mind and one of the few occasions when Matt actually played the game in direct contest with Mello. (The other occasions had all involved digital games and so, to Mello's mind, didn't count.) That had been two years ago. Six months ago, a change had taken place best described as Total Power Exchange. Some might answer that Mello had won, but then they would have been asking the wrong question.
Matt and Mello, Edgeplay
Across the way, the dominatrix smiled faintly and ordered her twins to fuck each other on the floor at her feet. Mello frowned. He only had one slave. He couldn't compete and it rankled.
Mello, Edgeplay
The look that he gave his master was less than submissive, but Mello smiled, leaning in to kiss the neck he had abused. Matt's head went back to allow access and the blond bit at the sensitive skin there, holding the redhead close. It was animalistic, the alpha wolf grazing the skin of the lesser male; the subordinate trusting that his throat would not be ripped out, though placing himself in a position where it could be.
Matt and Mello, Edgeplay
Everywhere they looked, there seemed to be another carnival freakshow, the street theatre of the seriously warped. If they did nothing else, then standing back here and just watching would have occupied their fantasies for a week.
Matt and Mello, Edgeplay
Mello laughed. He leaned in and whispered, "I've never felt so underdressed before." Matt was not allowed to speak without permission, so he didn't, but his gaze dipped to his own lack of attire. He had communicated his sassy response well enough.
Mello and Matt, Edgeplay
Then Mello leaned down and took his own knife from his boot. This one was sharp. This one cut in a shallow, bloody line down Matt's naked chest. Mello bowed down, his tongue lapping along the laceration, sterilizing with saliva, licking the droplets from his lips. With bloodied teeth, he kissed the redhead hard, breaking away with a smirk.
Mello, Edgeplay
It was difficult to effectively wrench his slave towards him in the press of people around the stall, but Mello managed it. Matt careered closer with a startled expression, to be pushed against the metal framework of the canopy.
Mello and Matt, Edgeplay
He personally didn't get this, femininity as degradation, whereas he had always found such things to be empowering. People often confused Mello's gender, the blond, shoulder-length bob and his slender build emphasising the anima over the animus, until the testosterone kicked in and no-one was fooled anymore.
Mello, Edgeplay
He nearly spoke aloud, commenting to the redhead that these seemed a touch too 'girly' for Mello to contemplate wearing, but he was afraid that, despite everything and all the restrictions placed upon him, Matt might laugh.
Mello, Edgeplay
Mello propelled him out of the dress stall and into the aisle. Pushing him ahead and feeling how the redhead had started shivering with overheating; a remarkable feat in someone nearly naked.
Mello and Matt, Edgeplay
"You are such a fucking whore. The biggest slut I ever met." He smirked and turned to the vendor. "Bottle of water please."
Mello, Edgeplay
"You're going on that. Hey! It's practically Cyberpunk!"
Matt's head rose and he surveyed his immediate future. To his credit, he only blinked twice. His gaze slid sidewards towards Mello to ascertain if he was actually serious. He was.
Mello and Matt, Edgeplay
Mello tore his gaze away to see how they could know the shape of his lover's body. The owner was concentrating on a laptop, a grid mapping out Matt's body. Mello grinned and called. "Hax0red, Matt."
Mello, Edgeplay
"There is no way..." A woman proclaimed loudly from the front of the barrier, but at that moment the very top of the limb disappeared. A general tensing of Matt's muscles and the broadening of his eyes in shock told them that penetration had, indeed, taken place. Every tentacle vibrated, its humming filling the air, and for the first time in his life, Matt came without Mello's direct intervention.
Matt, Edgeplay
"I fucking hate you sometimes."
Matt, Edgeplay
"Might I remind you of a certain conversation we had? No safewords, no going back, no nothing. We had a trial, Matty. We passed the point of no return. You signed up for this! It was your fucking idea!"
Mello, Edgeplay
The gun travelled down, drawing goosebumps across the skin that it touched. But Mello's temper was boiling, there could be no sensuality in this frame of mind, because he was liable to cause serious damage.
Mello, Edgeplay
But it also took over his entire life, because he had the responsibility to ensure the mental and physical safety of them both. Moreover, though it had been anticipated, the theory had not prepared him for the reality. Mello had, in effect, lost his best friend and the only intelligent conversation currently in his world. It was fucking with his mind.
Mello, Edgeplay
The noise which erupted out of Mello was a cross between a roar and a scream. His own stupidity and failure and rage denoting into an anguished, "He's mine!"
Mello, Edgeplay
Mello felt their past flashing through his mind, in a jumble of images, charting a journey like a runaway steam train. The early, fumbling hand-jobs; his taking of Matt's virginity when the latter was still a month underage, though Mello himself was only legal by a couple of weeks; the spanking that had led to increased roughness and violence; then dominance and submission; full-blown S&M; Matt's tattoo, a stamp on his arse, which read simply, 'Property of Mello'; the explosion of sexual torture, which had led directly to where they were now. Matt raped in an alleyway, because Mello was too hot-headed to pay attention to details. Too drunk on his own power and too self-absorbed to ask precisely what happened in that place, before he left the man in his care like a sacrificial lamb to the vultures.
Mello, Edgeplay
There had never been tenderness in their relationship, except accidentally, occasionally, in the frightened aftermath of another violent escapade; but, as the blond calmed, there was tenderness now. Matt silently washing him, with soap and shampoo lathered and gentle strokes.
Mello and Matt, Edgeplay
The water fell, cleansing, calming and their embrace beneath it a reclaimation of some steadier ground.
Matt and Mello's shower, Edgeplay
"Next time, we go with my rules. Yours are too hard to maintain." His fingers stroked the soft, wet, red hair. "I'll tie you down and whip you until you're bloody, but afterwards we're going to discuss the intricacies of French post-mediaeval literature. I've missed your mind."
Mello, Edgeplay
"Whore." Mello tightened his grip in Matt's hair, pulling it cruelly as he bent his head back for another kiss. "Twisted, perverted, kinky whore. Love you."
Matt laughed. "Love you too."
Mello and Matt, Edgeplay
Some might answer that Matt had won, but then they would have been asking the wrong question.
Edgeplay
The tiny woman tightly closed her eyes, willing the strength for the birth, cursing Eve for her original sin that caused it to be the women who had to bear this burden.
Silvija Keehl, December 13th 1989
She wanted Mihael there to tell her that he was excited and he loved her. She wanted her husband to hold her hand through this ordeal. She wanted to tell him that he was never coming near her again, with a view to sex, if this agony was the result.
Silvija Keehl, December 13th 1989
Ana laughed softly. "Impatient thing. Upsetting its poor mother like this."
Ana, December 13th 1989
"No, Mama! I am going to the hospital. As soon as Mihael is back. He will take me."
Her mother gestured dismissively. "It's too late for that. You should have gone when I told you. Stubborn you are."
Silvija Keehl and Zlata Janakovac, December 13th 1989
"Shut up!" Silvija screamed, another wave of contractions biting. "Shut up! I don't care about the CY, Serbia, Milosevic, Washington, any of it! Just get this thing out of me!"
Silvija Keehl, December 13th 1989
"No. It will also be easier for her to resist then and she will end up having the baby on the living room floor." Their Mama led the way like a vanguard flagship, her bosom vast before her.
Zlata Janakovac, December 13th 1989
Her Mama shook her head, "It's too late for that. I'm not going to keep telling you, my dear. Lie down on the bed, I need to inspect you." Silvija's eyes widened. She looked at her sisters and aunties. Her mother sighed. "Every woman in this room has birthed at least one child. I've had fifteen of you and there is nothing you have under your skirt that we haven't got ourselves or had stretched as yours will be. On the bed, please."
Zlata Janakovac, December 13th 1989
"Thirty-six hours! Thirty-six hours I was in labour with my Dragan! Thirty-six hours! She bloody sneezes and it's out!"
Mirta, December 13th 1989
Many of the Janakovacs were blond and slightly built, in contrast to many of the heavy-set, dark-haired Slavs around them. Their eldest sister had once reported that a suitor had told her that she looked Scandanavian. This was back when their great-grandmother, Suzana Janakovac, was still alive. The elderly woman muttered enigmatically, 'there was that Dutch sailor'.
December 13th 1989
Her mother tied off the umbilical cord, then took him to clean. Silvija lay sobbing where she lay, though she couldn't pinpoint precisely the cause of her emotion. The birth, the pain, the reality, the exhaustion, the speed of delivery, the perfection of her child or the temporary loss of him. Her mind had spiralled around to another point by the time her mother was back. She glared furiously at her Mama. "You said it would be a long labour! You said my hips were too small!"
Silvija Keehl, December 13th 1989
His whole body was wrinkled and his head looked squashed, but he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He was perfect.
Silvija Keehl, December 13th 1989
There was a pause, then a shocked whisper. "What?" His hobnail boots thudded on the stairs as he raced up. "She's given birth?"
Mihael Keehl Sr., December 13th 1989
"It's a boy, Mihael. Our son." Silvija held the baby up to show him. Tears made tracks in the grime on his face as he gazed back. Then he kissed her. He left coal dust on her lips. His wife smiled proudly at him. "Look what we did." He looked and cried.
Silvija and Mihael Keehl Sr., December 13th 1989
Silvija nodded and announced to their audience. "Please meet Mihael Ezra Keehl. Mihael Jr. We'll call him Miho for short." She bowed her head to kiss her baby again. Her breast was aching in response to his demand for sustenance. "Welcome to the world, Miho. May Mother Mary guide and protect you. May the angels always watch over you. May you walk in the sight of God." Around the room, everyone crossed themselves. "You are so loved."
Silvija Keehl, December 13th 1989
Her mother shook her head and gestured impatiently. "You would have me lie to him? You have your idealistic view of the things, Silvija, but they can sing 'last rose of Croatia' all they like in Zagreb. It won't change things. If things change, it will be in blood, martyrs and weeping mothers. I won't lie to the boy. He was born a Slav. That's his blessing and his curse." She ignored the glare that her daughter was directing with laser precision at her. Instead, she kissed her grandson again. "Happiness and love. That's what I wish for you, Miho."
Zlata Janakovac, December 13th 1989
Silvija held out her hand and her mother took it. They hugged briefly, but profoundly for all that. Sentiment too deep for words passing across the generations, then her Mama too was gone from the room.
Silvija Keehl and Zlata Janakovac, December 13th 1989
He was a Janakovac, like a porcelain doll. He felt like he might break in her grasp. Silvija knew, with a rush of passionate feeling, that she would die to protect him. Her Miho.
Silvija Keehl, December 13th 1989
"He'll be alright, won't he, Mihael?"
"As long as we're around to protect him, of course he will." Her husband smiled reassurance. "And we're not going anywhere."
Silvija relaxed and closed her eyes. Her body had been too swamped with adrenaline to feel the pain that was starting now to make its presense felt. "You're right." She nodded. "You're right."
Silvija and Mihael Keehl Sr., December 13th 1989
"'kay." Matt continued clicking, his nose wrinkling up. He added, distantly, "I'll be sorry in a sec."
Matt, TY for 1000 Hits
"You can't even buy some cigarettes without fucking up. You're just an arsehole." From the other room, there was a faint 'yay'. Mello strode back in there and caught the look of triumph on his lover's face before it was wiped off into something neutral. "You're not even interested in what you've done!"
Matt bit his lip. "I'm really sorry and I'll do anything to make it up to you?"
Mello and Matt, TY for 1000 Hits
"You're more unsociable than I am. Don't get telling me you know her name!" Mello spat back.
"It's on her name badge."
Mello and Matt, TY for 1000 Hits
"A name the teddy-bear competition to raise money for a school for partially-sighted youngsters. How heart-warming!" Mello pursed his lips, dripping sarcasm in every word. "Which my half-witted, idiotic partner thought would be lovely to call 'Michael', so handed over his pound and put our house number down as his ID. Great! Just great, Matt!"
Mello, TY for 1000 Hits
"It's called romance, Mello. You were the one saying we needed a bit more of it."
Matt, TY for 1000 Hits
Mello reappeared with a delighted look on his face, picking foliage from a large, fluffy bear. The arm that reached around his lover's neck was mottled with stinging nettle marks. "That was really sweet of you. Thank you for being romantic."
Mello, TY for 1000 Hits
Mello deposited the teddy-bear into Matt's lap and danced away. "You keep him. It'll be nice to have a Michael to cuddle up to at night. I'll go and get your cigarettes."
"I don't think I could handle two of them in my bed. One's..." But Mello stopped him with a kiss. "Actually, you're right, this one might be more..." Matt was silenced with a kiss which held a promise of much more to come. "Or I could just settle with the one I've got."
Mello and Matt, TY for 1000 Hits
"Why are you looking depressed? Get back to being eye candy. I was enjoying that."
Matt, TY for 5000 Hits
It was only as the blond could be seen walking upstairs that Matt hurriedly returned to hacking (MangaBullet/Deviantart)… Matt frowned, concentrating on the screen. MRS Jeevas had just received 5000 pageviews and he took a screenshot, before realizing that she'd been too distracted by... whatever it was she did... to set a kiriban contest. Matt rolled his eyes and didn't bother saving opening Paint to save it.
Matt, TY for 5000 Hits
"There should have been bunting. We should have got a medal. We should have been invited to tea at the palace, while we got our knighthoods. The world should have known about us."
Mello, TY for 5000 Hits
"It would undo everything we've worked for. It would engender Kira copy-cats and endanger Near."
"Yeah." Matt agreed. "But then again, it would be really funny."
Mello and Matt, TY for 5000 Hits
"Sod it! Let's do it. It's about time I had my delayed adolescent rebellion."
"Delayed?" Matt shook his head in utter incredulity. "Mello, you joined the bleeding Mafia! How rebellious did you want your adolescence to be?"
Mello and Matt, TY for 5000 Hits
"It is against my civil rights!" Mello interupted fiercely. "I am a teenager and you never let me do anything!"
Mello, Christmas Eve 2002
Mello's quick mind was already racing through the context. He had had a rude awakening of his own, upon his first Christmas here, as a five year old. Firstly, nothing at all had happened on December 6th, when Sveti Nikola usually brought a present. Mello had polished his boots and left them out on the windowsill, but they were empty in the morning. Then December 25th had been celebrated very differently. Mello thought he knew who Sion Corn was. It was Djed Božic'njak. He smirked. "Century believes in Santa Claus!"
Mello, Christmas Eve 2002
"Ann!" Mello rushed forward. "Please? He's nearly thirteen and it's not his fault that he was born thirty-nine days too late. He's not going to get any more mature in that time. Trust me. It's unlikely. Plus we are playing this by the book. We could have sneaked out, but this is us being good." He pawed Ann's arm, peering into her eyes. "Please Ann. I promised you that I'd be good."
Mello, Christmas Eve 2002
"Erm, Mello, I think you'll find that's a girls' jacket."
"No. It's unisex." Mello responded breezily. "I'll have it."
Ann and Mello, Christmas Eve 2002
Matty, I need you to stay in this room until it's time for Mass. I'll nip down and get us something to eat and bring yours back up here."
"Why?"
"Because that way there's less chance of you being naughty and consequently being banned from coming with me." Mello pointed to the PlayStation. "You can play that."
Mello and Matt, Christmas Eve 2002
"Hugging?" Fenian stared at her. "Are you mad, woman?"
Fenian, Christmas Eve 2002
"Separately then." Matt wondered precisely how many years they would have to go through this charade. Every year, he put less and less thought into his part of the Revue and still he was expected to participate. It must be as excruciating for those watching as it was for him being there. Common sense ought to have prevailed by now. Mr Wammy should just have ordered Roger to take Matt off the bill for everyone's sakes. He was vaguely aware of Mello pacing and wasn't sure if his room-mate was thinking or just showing off his new jacket. "I might just go on stage with my Gameboy and play a level of Digimon and come off. At least one person in the room will be entertained, which is one up from every other year."
Matt, Christmas Eve 2002
Matt felt it was very wrong that he was being treated like a child, when Mello wasn't, when there was only a month and half difference in their ages. It was fine that Fenian and Jonny were held onto, because they were several months to a year younger. Ann didn't attempt to hold Matt's hand, but she had grabbed his arm as they crossed a road. He'd had to squirm until she let him go and then Mello had held the other arm instead. He'd dug his fingertips in until it hurt Matt's arm, but he didn't mind that. In a weird way, it made Matt feel wanted, but only when Mello did it.
Matt, Christmas Eve 2002
"You're not allowed to speak Welsh here. You are Welsh, aren't you, Century?" He stepped down, unhurried, yet giving the appearance of speed. "Eight years old and too stupid to cover your tracks. You're going to be hunted down and killed."
Mello, Christmas Day 2002
Mello flung back his covers and practically danced out of bed. He glanced out of the window before arriving at Matt's side. He bent down, his face so close that, for a horrified moment, Matt thought Mello was going to kiss him. Matt's eyes widened, as he surveyed the grinning blond. Mello whispered, "Merry Christmas, Mail."
Mello, Christmas Day 2002
"Mrs C says it's soda bread. She said it's no good for you and so I shouldn't have one."
Mello blinked. If Mrs Carnegie had said that, then it must be really good for them. It was basic reverse psychology. "I want one."
Matt and Mello, Christmas Day 2002
It was Salvo, Jonny, Mairoo and Mello by the finish, dancing around the stereo, screaming out the words at the top of their voices. There was nothing that Ann or any of the adults could do. It was a Christmas song! It was on the CD! And they sang, "You're a bum, you're a punk, you're an old slut on junk." Then a couple of bars later, "You scumbug, you maggot, you cheap, lousy faggot, merry Christmas, your arse, I pray God it's our last." It quickly became their favourite Christmas song ever.
Common Room, Christmas Day 2002
Mello scowled. "Century, you're eight years old, what do you know about history? Shut up."
Mello, Christmas Day 2002
Mello picked up the puzzle out of his cracker and attempted to solve it again. It was hard. 'Find the number of non-attacking queens necessary to cover a toroidal chess-board of 64 squares and prove that this number is minimal.' He put it back in his pocket and wondered if he could fit in just one more triple chocolate pudding. He decided that he probably couldn't. He reached across and picked up Matt's cracker puzzle instead. The redhead was busy with his game and barely glanced up. '10100101, 11110000, ????????, 11110000, 10100101.' Mello peered at him, "Are you going to do this?"
"No, you can have it."
Mello and Matt, Christmas Day 2002
"You're not fooling anybody, It Matters. I will think of a way to test your full potential. Your mind interests me."
L, Christmas Day 2002
Mello hugged him. Even Ann only ever touched Matt to pull him out of danger. Most people let him keep the space around him, because Matt had a variety of ways of punishing anyone who penetrated it. Mello had got away with a quick hug on several occasions, but nothing like this. He held him close, even when Matt squirmed, trying to get free. "Let me hug you." Mello demanded sternly. The redhead quietened, though his heart beat furiously against Mello's chest. "Let someone finally hug you."
Mello, Christmas Day 2002
As far as the rat was concerned, Milo was probably lunch. He just needed to evaluate whether it was a meal worth fighting for. Milo didn't give it time to decide. Despite the exchange of gunfire though the barricade, he slid out of the cupboard and hunted for a weapon. There was a fish-slice on the grimy kitchen floor, soiled and heavy with mould, Milo nevertheless grabbed it and glared at the opened cupboard door. The rat did not emerge.
Milo, February 1st 1993
"He strikes me as the sort of child who knows how to survive." Quillsh handed a silver spoon across the counter. L took it and pulled up a chair, before daintily eating from the cake. "I have some experience with genius children. Maybe a fresh perspective might assist?"
Quillsh Wammy, February 1st 1993
(Milo) had looked down into the sink and seen all of the little insects running around, filling the basin, alongside the glass and his hair. Mr Wammy had switched on the tap and all of the lice had drowned. Milo had watched them. Their tiny legs kicking. He had seen them trying to make for the edges and for salvation. Mr Wammy had flicked them back into the basin. "All gone now, Mail. They will never bother you again." Their tiny forms had floated, curled and still, like a crust on the top of the water.
Milo and Quillsh, February 1st 1993
There was a sudden fanfare of music and a small, metallic object was passed under the sheet. Milo looked at it. There was a little world under the screen. The figures in it moved around. Milo watched them for a while, but they didn't really go anywhere. He held it and it piqued his interest enough to peep out of the sheets. "There you are. If you press the buttons, you can control the characters. They have adventures, but only if you let them."
Milo and Quillsh, February 1st 1993
Raito raised his eyebrows. "Oh Mello. I'm yet to meet anyone from Wammy's House who is actually a good person. Competitive, back-stabbing warmongerers, yes. Compassionate saints, no."
Raito, The Killing Moon
"God, we're good."
"Yes, we are."
Mello caught his eye. A sudden smile brightened his features so much that it hardly seemed he was the same person who had just returned from murder. Raito couldn't help smiling back, an appraising eye taking in the blond man's slender form. Despite himself, Raito's stomach leapt. His loins twitching in physical memory of the sensations that his partner could tease from it. Mello laughed. "I said God, not Kami-sama."
"And I knew what you meant."
Mello and Raito, The Killing Moon
Matt shook his head. "Me and Philbrook had a chat. He's going to work properly now." To emphasise the point, he patted the toaster before switching it on. The appliance immediately rang out a grating buzz. Matt winced. "Sally witnessed it. It was a proper agreement."
Mello stared at him. He very slowly said, "Yes, Matt." Before striding past to investigate the contents of the fridge. After a couple of moments, he sighed. "Refresh my memory. Sally is the radiator, yes?"
"Yep."
"And did she sign anything to state that she'd witnessed this?"
Matt and Mello, For DessArtem
Matt rolled his eyes. "All radiators are called Sally. Idiot." He poured their drinks and peered anxiously into the top of the toaster. "Come on. You can do this." He caught Mello still smirking at him. "What? Sally? You don't just get one radiator, Mello. They're interconnected. Pipes and things. It's like one big interconnectedness."
Mello nodded. "So even the pipes with piranha flowers in them, that kill Mario, they are part of Sally too?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Matt scowled. "They are evil radiators. Sally disowned them years ago."
Matt and Mello, For DessArtem
There was another loud buzzing from Philbrook. Matt bit his lip and was about to reach out, when toast shot up from the top perfectly browned and edible. "Woot! Go Philbrook! You star!"
Mello stared. "Surprising."
Matt and Mello, For DessArtem
"Get up," said the blond, and Matt attempted the feat as best he could, only to end up with a leather-covered body slithering snake-like under him and positioning him in its lap. Mello grinned triumphantly up. "Now you can crush me in revenge, and I can use you as a blanket. Go back to playing your game." The blond settled down, his arms around his husband's waist.
Mello, Baby, It's Cold Outside
"It's fucking freezing!" Mello gushed. "Cuddle me."
"I know it's freezing, darling. I can feel it."
Mello and Matt, Baby, It's Cold Outside
Mello smirked at him, "You want to get me out of my leather?"
"Always."
Mello and Matt, Baby, It's Cold Outside
"Oh, but you got a shag and a high-speed chase out of it. Two of your favourite things."
Mello, Baby, It's Cold Outside