Disclaimer: I do not own or make money from the anime Death Note

AN: to start off with .o. means the start of a flashback and .o.o. Means the flashback has ended. If things become too confusing let me know and I will put the "flashback"s back in, ok? This chapter only has one of them but they increase later on, and you will see why ;)

Flashbacks will also be centered.

I

He waited silently as the lights were adjusted, the sound checks and whatever else they needed to do was completed before they started. He had actually been through makeup. Even though they let him wear what he usually did, apparently they felt the need to spruce him up. As if a little touch up here and there would make a difference to their viewers who would either be too fascinated by his story or at least by the stripes and goggles he wore. He supposed in the whole scheme of things, it really did not matter. It was a passing thought. And when the media socialite Kiyomi Takada finally sat down in front of him―a shark's cunning hidden behind a thinly veiled and very much forced smile―he knew it was time to begin. To tell whomever would watch this just how his life had gone from days on end of gaming in the dark, eating only noodle cups, to spiraling completely out of control.

From what he gathered, she would be asking him questions to prompt his story, though her voice may not even appear in the show, much less her person. She was a journalist and would end up scriptingthis―and many other―story into a new book and online feature for the show. Something about keeping up with the times.

"Mail-"

He winced. His given name was special, one that had only ever sounded meaningful out of one person's lips. It was painful to hear her say it.

"I'm sorry, Matt," at least she noticed, "please tell us how everything began. How did you meet him? And most importantly, who he is." She smiled encouragingly at him, eager to get this going. With a brief closing of his eyes, Matt recalled the events that led to him meeting the only person he had ever loved, married, and nearly been destroyed by.

"It had been a hot day in my home city of Los Angeles when I met Mello..."

.o.

Matt groaned as he opened his door. It was like being slapped in the face; it was so disgustingly hot out, and if not for the fact he absolutely had to get something, he would have slammed the door shut again. As it was, the new release of the Kingdom Hearts saga was out as well as COD, so there was no way he was missing his pre-orders. He had even called to make certain they were still there. You know how grabby those losers who forgot about the games until the last second could be…

The weather was not conductive to his attire: long sleeved shirt with black and red stripes, dark jeans, combat boots, and orange goggles. It was not the smartest thing to wear, but he burned easily and was also not going to compromise his personal taste simply because he lived in Hell.

Walking briskly down the sidewalk, he tried to make the trip a short one. He would have loved to take the Camaro out with some air conditioning, but traffic was a bitch at this time. He never would have made it back in time to actually play anything before dark.

The streets were a hodgepodge of tourists and locals, some milling about and others in a rush like he was. It was not a long walk by any means, yet he was still red-faced and a little sweaty by the time he got to the shop. He probably looked like he had run all the way there. Oh well.

He told the cashier his name and waited for his purchases. "You are in luck, last copies here," the cashier―with her bubblegum pink hair―told him as she rang the two games up and took his money. There would have been Hell to pay had they not been there. He had been waiting months.

"Thanks," he muttered and regretfully stepped back into weather that was only fit for the truly damned. Fuck if he knew why he still lived there.

The walk back to the apartment dragged on and on like one of those endless hallways you can see the end of but can never quite get to. By the time he spotted the familiar building, he was ready to swear off going outside ever again. At least until he ran out of cigarettes.

Once inside the building he headed for 103, or he attempted to. He watched―half amused―as a blond cursed loudly and threw something at the wall. There was loud muttering about useless landlords and keys. A quick glance told Matt that it was the blond's apartment key that had been thrown. It was broken in half. Matt was willing to bet the other half was either in the lock or had broken off beforehand. The place wasn't half bad to live in, but the maintenance was a joke and the room's keys predated ancient times. They, and most of the spares, snapped all the time. The only way to avoid it was to have your own set made. However, most new residents came in without this knowledge and had to learn the hard way.

The blond had to have just moved in, as no one had been in 102 for weeks.

Matt glanced at the plastic bag clenched in his fist and back to the blond. He was itching to get into the games, yet he knew how much of a hassle those damn locks were―he'd had to break into his own place more than once. "Fuck me," he muttered and walked over.

"I see you are having trouble," his gaze turned from the blond to the door that he crouched by. The hole was clear of the other key half. "Usually you can use a quarter or a bobby pin to turn the lock if it gets stuck, but your best bet is buying a new set." Matt pulled some change from his pocket and didn't think twice about using it to pick the stranger's lock for him. The door popped open with ease after a few seconds of fiddling. Matt turned to see the stranger smiling at him and only then thought of the brilliancy of his actions. Most people would not be comforted in someone knowing how to break into their apartment.

"How many times has this happened to you?" The blond's anger seemed to have dimmed to just the slightest tightening around his eyes.

"More than I would like to admit. I'm Matt by the way. I live next door in 103." Matt was not a touchy feely person, but when the stranger held out his hand to shake, Matt felt compelled to do the same.

"My name's Mello. It's good to meet you." Charm oozed off of Mello in waves, and it was a little unsettling to Matt, but by the time he registered it, he was already inside Mello's apartment with the promise of a few drinks as a thanks.

.o.o.

"So Mello was a smooth talker?" Takada sat forward, hands folded to the side as she stared.

"Oh yes, with a few words he could both put you at ease and fluster you at the same time. He seemed really genuine too. The perfect kind of stranger you would want to accidentally meet." It was a little harder to talk about those times than Matt had thought it would be. The beginning, when he barely knew Mello and knew nothing of how it would end up.

"Tell us more. How did it happen? I mean―how did you fall in love with him?"

.o.

The doorbell rang, and Matt poked his tongue out. "Door's open," there was no way he was pausing the middle of a battle. His fingers crushed the buttons, and his torso twisted with each attack―because it so totally made the attack better. He did not look away as someone came to stand behind him or even as something smelling of Chinese food was dangled beside him.

"Just a sec," he was so close. Just a quarter health bar left, and he had beaten this boss. "Almost...come on―Yes!" He smirked widely as the boss faded into a black smoke. He saved the game after the cut scene. When he finally looked over at Mello, he had set up the coffee table with food and was smiling softly at him.

"You are such a geek," Mello told him, yet it was said with fondness. Mello was not into games like he was, or technology for that matter. Mello actually failed at both. At the same time, however, he was very generous with allowing Matt to spend some of their time together utilizing both. Matt appreciated it in times like this.

"Thanks for waiting, Mello," he flashed a smile and sat beside Mello on the couch. At least once a week, they had dinner in one of their apartments and usually a few drinks with a movie. Matt often worked from home with special approval from the company he was affiliated with, and Mello―well, Matt had no idea what he did, but he was sometimes gone for days at a time. He was never bothered enough to ask, and Mello never said.

"Matt, pass me the curry chicken?"

Matt grabbed the only unopened container and, with greasy fingers, handed it over to Mello. Electricity jolted his body as their fingers brushed, and he felt a slight tugging at his groin. What. The. Fuck. Was. That?

Matt swallowed hard. There really was no rationalizing that reaction, was there? He could say it was nerves. A freak accident. But really, it wasn't.

It was around then that Matt began to wonder if maybe there was something more than just friendship lingering underneath the surface. And the thought was more than a little terrifying.

He glanced at Mello from the corner of his eye, watching him gracefully use a pair of disposablechopsticks to pick at his food.

At the same time...the thought was thrilling.

-End 1-

AN: So here was the first part (and preview) of Who the Bleep...

Now all four preview fics are up and posted, so if you would like, you can go vote on my profile poll which one you want posted once Radio Nowhere is completely posted.

Review?