#( ... finally........ )

   it’s weird knowing he died.    shit. it’s weird knowing he was walking around alive, too.

  for matt, that’s what he was struggling to come to terms with. well, between desperately wishing for a cigarette and a game to keep himself busy, that is. currently, he has neither— so, his thoughts couldn’t help but linger to everything he preferred not to dwell on. kira was one of those thoughts. screw 'em. whether this city was a weird version of heaven. or hell, for that matter. he didn’t put stock into that belief. if it were, he’d shrug it off. then there was... the moments leading up to his death? yeah. gonna stuff that one back.

  he stops along the quiet street, taking in a deep breath as he rubs the back of his head. fuck. and what happened to mello after all of this? did they win? if it was over, what was he doing now? he feels his mind starting to reel and forces himself to continue forward along the boulevard, hoping to find something along the way to get it to stop.

  as matt rounds the corner, his feet slow down and he finds himself stopping again, with the eerily familiar figure ahead being the cause. they seemed to be staring at the contents of a shop. contemplative. exhausted. a mess of blond hair, a defining scar on their face and an outfit that looked out of place for the cold. it had to be. as quick as his hope rises, so do the twists in his stomach.

  mello shouldn’t be here. right? maybe it was... just someone else? no. it’s him. there was no mistake. even so, the conflict within him was being outweighed by his quiet wish for happiness. for a small sense of peace. making sure not to startle, his approach is slow, but steady. pushing down the bundle of nerves, he flashes a genuine smile, followed by a light chuckle and a lazy wave of the hand.