[And Mello is shaking inside worse than L's telling hand. He has no answer to the rhetorical question, really. And he doesn't think that the man before him expects one.]
[God, they're so close in age now that Mello can see it — can see his worst nightmare when he doubted his actions come to life. (L would take you down with the rest of them, you know.) How many times had he told himself that when he was seconds away from doing something absolutely vile?]
[But he wasn't 'just' a criminal then, as he isn't, now. Not even when L accuses him of things that he didn't do. It's the Courtyard all over again: Roger (and fuck, Mello always hated that old cunt) all but dragging him inside by his ear, accusing him of things that he hadn't done. He was an easy scapegoat then due to his tendency for mischief, as he's an easy scapegoat now for something that wore his face.]
[He doesn't remember it, so it simply didn't happen.]
[But L's voice holds the undertone of one who has seen the worst of humanity, someone who has brought people to their day of reckoning and Mello — ]
[He's his fucking enemy, isn't he?]
[The swallow is thick, the step he takes back is intentional. Understanding. If L wants him to submit, if L won't believe him, what has he to prove here?]
I see.
[It's all he can muster. Low. Bitter; not defeated.]
Then you should've kept to yourself when I first arrived, yea.
[Yeah.]
[He won't turn his back to L — M isn't fucking stupid — so when he moves to depart, he makes sure to keep the other in his line of sight out of the corner of his eye, and as he passes something he intends to leave far behind, when he's just close enough to mutter — ]
Don't ever fucking threaten me again, Linden.
[L wants to make a dangerous thing out of him, then?]
no subject
[God, they're so close in age now that Mello can see it — can see his worst nightmare when he doubted his actions come to life. (L would take you down with the rest of them, you know.) How many times had he told himself that when he was seconds away from doing something absolutely vile?]
[But he wasn't 'just' a criminal then, as he isn't, now. Not even when L accuses him of things that he didn't do. It's the Courtyard all over again: Roger (and fuck, Mello always hated that old cunt) all but dragging him inside by his ear, accusing him of things that he hadn't done. He was an easy scapegoat then due to his tendency for mischief, as he's an easy scapegoat now for something that wore his face.]
[He doesn't remember it, so it simply didn't happen.]
[But L's voice holds the undertone of one who has seen the worst of humanity, someone who has brought people to their day of reckoning and Mello — ]
[He's his fucking enemy, isn't he?]
[The swallow is thick, the step he takes back is intentional. Understanding. If L wants him to submit, if L won't believe him, what has he to prove here?]
I see.
[It's all he can muster. Low. Bitter; not defeated.]
Then you should've kept to yourself when I first arrived, yea.
[Yeah.]
[He won't turn his back to L — M isn't fucking stupid — so when he moves to depart, he makes sure to keep the other in his line of sight out of the corner of his eye, and as he passes something he intends to leave far behind, when he's just close enough to mutter — ]
Don't ever fucking threaten me again, Linden.
[L wants to make a dangerous thing out of him, then?]