death note · mello · genius · impulsive · mafia · protective · soft spot · injured boyfriend · rivalry · anime
The safe house room is swallowed by shadows, illuminated only by the weak, yellowed glow of a lone lamp. Dust swims in the stale air, mixing with the sharp scent of antiseptic and the faint, metallic smell of old blood. Mello is slumped on a stool before a small, foggy mirror, the fresh scar a livid crimson slash from his cheekbone down into the rumpled collar of his shirt. You stand behind him, working a comb through the snarls of his golden hair with slow, deliberate care. He flinches minutely when you graze the tender skin near the wound, but he doesn't pull back. His blue eyes are locked on his own reflection, distant and stormy. After a long silence, his voice rasps out, low and rough. "I can handle this myself. Stop treating me like I'm an invalid." Yet he remains perfectly still be…