The next morning, you wake up on the couch. Mind foggy, eyes gritty from the lack of sleep. Groaning, you sit up, and trudge into the bathroom, gaping at you disheveled self. Your (e/c) eyes are tinted red, and your hair is a mess. You carefully comb out the tangles, wash yourself up and dress yourself in a simple panda sweater (that uncle L gave to you), dark wash jeans and black Converse. You tiredly walk into the kitchen, only to find Matt and Mello sitting across from each other, around the small, round kitchen table, drinking coffee (well, Mello was actually sipping on his 20% coffee, 80% Nesquik chocolate syrup concoction). You plopped down on a seat at the left-hand side of Matt, with a ready-made cup of coffee right in front of you.

"See, I'm not as useless as you think, (f/n). I made you coffee!" Matt grinned his same-old goofy, childish grin.

A tiny smile inches its way across your face. "Thanks Matt!"

He wrapped an arm around your waist, drawing you closer. You decided to drop your usual moody self, and cuddle with him (because really, who couldn't resist Matt's cuteness). Mello just sat there rolling his eyes.

"Oh look, it's your "being a cute couple" shit again." He commented.

"Cheer up Mello, what's bringing you down?" You asked.

"What's bringing me down? It's the fact that I had to walk and bus at least twenty miles away from our apartment IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT to fetch your dammed motorcycle!" He answered through gritted teeth. (Talk about PMS-ing!)

"I'm sorry...." You apologized with a downcast expression. It's really your fault.

"Mello, what's your DEAL!? (f/n) clearly can't help having panic attacks, and you're just blaming her on something she just can't control?" Matt defended you. His grip tightened around your waist.

"Matt, it's okay." You reassured him.

But Matt ignored you. Knowing, that you are not okay.

"APOLOGIZE TO (f/n) THIS INSTANT!" He demanded Mello.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Jeez Matt, what's your deal?" He growled. Because no one wants to see Matt pissed off.

Mello has been like this ever since the Kira case was solved. I guess that his still wasn't happy that he had to team up with Near in the end but the kid saved his life, he should at least show some appreciation. Maybe, he was just traumatized by the case (just like everyone else), after seeing so many people die (or almost die) before his very eyes, having a near-death experience or just saddened by the death of L, like you are. Maybe it's all three of the reasons. Whatever it is, you don't know.

Mello strode to the cabinet and grabbed a bunch of chocolate bars and headed off to work at the FBI headquarters.

"I have to head off to work too." You quickly finish your coffee, and get up from your seat.

"Okay then, remember to bring your anxiety pills!" Reminded Matt.

You grabbed the tiny bottle of pills and stuffed them inside your jean pocket. Although, they don't really work. You lightly pecked Matt's cheek.

"Goodbye!"

Matt waved at you as you walked out the front door and headed off to work at the CIA headquarters, with Near. Matt shut the door behind him, and started on his job, as a beta tester for multiple companies. His job requires nothing more than just chilling on a couch, sipping on sodas and playing game levels for hundreds of times, checking out any errors, thus making him much better at video games than the average person. He sat on the couch with a pile of videogames placed on his lap just playing away.

As he was playing, he was concerning himself with your problems with anxiety and Mello's sudden moodiness. He knows Mello's feelings towards you as they fought over you on several occasions back at Wammy's house. Obviously, when you weren't present.

"Maybe that's been contributing to his moodiness." He thought.

With you, he's concerned that your panic attacks will hold you back and limit you in life. He had to admit-they were a pain. Before L died, his stories about all the cases he solved, all the places he's been to and all the people he had met calmed you down and stop the attacks for a prolonged period of time, somehow. But after he died, you attacks got more frequent and more deadly. Last night, you almost collapsed on the sidewalk. Matt missed those days when all four of the successors (Mello, Matt, Near and you) were all sprawled on his bed, listening intently to L, as his stories were weaving a web of peace and serenity among you guys. They even brought up Mello's mood and created a short window of peace between him and Near. Matt blinked, clearing his head, trying to focus at the task on hand, shooting zombies. Most people (including you) think that Matt doesn't care about the world at all, but he really does. You've gotten several glimpses of the caring side of him without realizing it.

"Oh well, I can't blame (f/n), I've been hiding that side of me way too much." Matt thought to himself.

Matt is growing restless, bored and distracted on these thoughts. He needs something to set his mind straight.

"I'm craving a cigarette right now. NO. I NEED ONE RIGHT NOW! But I shouldn't, I promised (f/n) to quit smoking. But on the other hand, nicotine sets my mind straight and calms me down from my ADHD restlessness." Matt debated with himself.

He drummed his fingers on the couch and tapped his left foot. He needs to constantly move, or else he just won't pay attention to the task on hand.

"You know what, SCREW IT, I'm getting my cigarettes."

Matt paused the game and headed for the kitchen cabinets. He rooted through the place, but there were no cigarettes to be found. Matt checked underneath the couch cushions, frantically searched through his bedroom drawers, his closet and underneath his mattress. He frantically scoured the house for that one pack of cancer sticks (as you would call them) . He eventually gave up, concluding that you and Mello had somehow gotten rid of his cigarettes.

"Dammit, (f/n) and Mello. They threw away my cigarettes, again! Well, I guess it's for my own good."

Matt sighed and slapped Nicotine patches on both of his wrists. He swallowed his ADHD pills (although, they don't help much) and made do with what he has.

Matt continued on with his job: several more kills; found a glitch; zombie won't die if shot; noted it down

Now, back to you:

You headed out the apartment lobby and to the underground parking lot, where your motorcycle was parked. You have to thank Mello for bringing it back even though, he was being really bitchy about it. You hopped on the two-wheeled vehicle and rode on, to the CIA headquarters, dreading to spend the day with the smart-ass kid who reeks of plastic.

"Why can't Mello work at the CIA instead?" You wondered.

"No. He can't. Or else, things will get too ugly." You concluded.

"Is there any way to make the two get along?"

You shake away these thoughts and started your motorcycle. The engine rumbles underneath you, making you feel alive for once. You rode until a familiar glass building comes to view; the CIA headquarters. You start to devise of ways to avoid Near's smart-ass comments that seem to make everyone feel insecure, turning their hearts inside out. Maybe that's why Mello resents Near so much. Mello wants to feel powerful, like he's on top of the world, but Near tears him down and reduces him to a crumbling mass of concrete or what's left of Mello's skyscraper. You consider the metaphor, and gave up devising. That's just who Near is, he wants to wear you down to your raw emotions, so be it. Your only strategy: Try to not let his remarks get to you like Mello.

You park your vehicle to the side of the building, and step inside the building, ready to seize the day and crumble it up in your own hands and toss it aside.