I had 17 birthdays until now, and all of them, and I genuinely mean ALL of them, sucked. From celebrating them all alone to being forgotten, I'm used to spending the day not doing anything special for the occasion. Although, no previous birthday will suck as much as this year's, that I'm celebrating at a stake out with a cocky guy who doesn't even know what day it is tomorrow.

I'm not one of those people who like to be tied to a chair where someone can do whatever they want to me, or a masochist who likes being slapped at again and again, nor one who finds it exciting to have a gun pointed to your head. That, I believe, is enough to make my 18th birthday one of the three worst moments of my life.

It started all because Matt is a proud idiot.

"Matt, if you keep acting like the cocky guy you are, you'll mess this up."

He didn't seem to hear me. I threw an aluminium wrapper ball at his head. He grumbled and turned his head to me. "What?"

"Pay attention to each screen individually, for god's sake. We don't need you to write a girl's cup size instead of something that's actually important. Speaking of which, get out of those porn sites!"

He looked at me contemptuously and said, "you underestimate me as usual, asshole. And I'm sorry big breasts bother the gayness that you are." In response I threw a chocolate bar at his face. He yelped with pain and rubbed the spot I hit.

"I don't need you to mess this up, that's all. Is it too much to ask?" He sighed at me. "And I'm not gay, for the hundredth time!"

"Come on, blondie. You wear tight leather clothes and have a feather coat. I'm surprised you don't wear lipstick or something," then he added with a chuckle, "yet."

"First, being gay and feminine are two different things." I got up and walked to him, slapping the back of his head. "Second, you talk like a real ladies-man for a virgin."

"Ouuch..." He pouted, hands petting his head. "It's not like you had sex."

Ignoring that, I went to the kitchen and looked at the clock. "It's two a.m already. What the heck is taking you so long?"

Matt growled at me. "If you want, you can try searching for those things by yourself, smart guy."

I responded mocking him, "I'm smarter than you, third."

"And you still can't activate a simple computer, second." He spat the rank to me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Cleaning the mess of a homicide and hiding the evidence was just not worth it.

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep. Finish this quick, without making any mistakes, okay?"

He nodded in some sort of dismissal and continued typing rapidly.

Show-off.

I changed to sweatpants, looking at the mirror with a sulk. I want to see Matt tease me about my clothing now.

I woke up at the sound of the bedsprings squeak and felt the coldness of December's air brushed my skin as the blanket was pulled away from me.

"Don't get greedy, jerk," I complained and pulled the blanket back.

"Isn't it your turn to sleep on the couch?" He asked me.

"No, it's yours. Are you done with everything there, anyway?"

He sighed loudly as he got up. "Yes, stop worrying. You should trust me more, Mello. You know?"

I turned and looked at his back. "I've never trusted anyone in my life, and I don't see a reason to start now."

Matt turned his face towards me only halfway and looked at me from the corner of his eye. "You're gonna be stuck with me for a

while, so you should try and change it." He sounded mad, and I could sense a hint of sadness, too. I didn't have time to figure that out, because he left as fast as he typed and I quickly found my way back to sleep.

When I woke up, I was the only one in the hideout. Well, me and all the rats that roamed in here. I have to tell Matt to clean this shithole once in awhile. It was a one-room apartment in an abandoned building. There was only space for a bed, a couch, and a table with the computer on top, all cramped up. Matt liked sitting on the floor as he worked, back hunched while he typed and checked the several cameras he hacked into, analyzing and processing the scenes. Every so often I'd have to remind him to straighten his back, and he'd do so without complaining.

I looked at the laptop screen. It seems he got a hold of the security cameras inside the place we were planning to sneak in to. While looking at it, I noticed the date, small by the right corner of the screen. Just a day before my birthday. Before another suckish birthday. I wondered how it would go this time. About to look away and start searching for something to eat other than cereal, some movement in the screen caught my attention. The image was black and white, and blurred, but if there's one thing I'll always recognize is that stupid vest of his that not once was thrown on me and reeked of cigarettes.

"Idiot!" I blurted. I reached for the chest under the coffee table and opened it, getting my pistol out. I took my clothes, getting dressed on my way out, stuffing the gun in my leather pants and covering it under my tank top, closing my leather vest on top of that to keep the gun concealed.

The sun was hidden behind a mass of greyish black clouds, it was as dark as an early evening. Rushing through the almost-empty street, I made my turns and crossed streets, almost getting hit by a car twice that honked on me. I flipped the driver off, hearing him yell after me stuff I didn't even pay attention to. I was too nervous to think about anything other than the fact Matt is most likely in danger.

When I arrived to the big building, I pulled my gun out and walked in slowly. It was really silent. Maybe I was foolish for coming here after Matt. The guy was watching it for a whole week by now, he surely knows when it's safe to invade.

The corridors and rooms were empty, with no sign of activity. I almost decided the brunette had already gotten out of here when I heard one of his stupid replies: "Why won't you baldy get me the hell out of this ropes and confront me as a real man?"

I knew he's being careless again, I thought, taking one more step before blacking out.

"I see the sleeping princess decided to wake up," a familiar voice spoke. I was never as annoyed to hear it as right now.

"Shut up, stupidass." My voice was weak. I cleared my throat, grimacing at the pain at the back of my head. "What were you thinking coming here all alone, anyway?"

He shrugged and tried sitting straight. I tried moving my arms, just to feel the scratch of old rope against my skin. My wrists, arms and ankles were restrained, and Matt was in the same situation as me. We were tied to a chair.

I wanted to start yelling at him the many offensive things I thought about him, but the door opened and a small figure, followed by two bigger ones, entered the room. He looked at me and Matt. I had to hold back from cracking up. His bald head reflected the light and almost dazzled me. The brunette's lips at a tight line, and the way he looked at the man, made it clear he, too, was holding his laughter back.

"What do we have here?" He asked and looked at me. He grabbed my chin firmly with his thumb and index finger, moving it from side to side. "I see your girlfriend came here to rescue you. So nice. We should have more women who are this loyal to men. Don't you agree?" His small black eyes looked down from my face. "Just too bad the one you caught yourself is quite flat-chested."

I could hear Matt snort, almost letting his laughter out. I moved my head in an attempt to bite off that creep's fingers, but he quickly let go of me and instead slapped me with the back of his hand.

"You son of a bitch," I scowled, tensing and relaxing my jaw as it ached of pain.

"You sure have a weird taste in girls," he said with a sour face. I sent him a disgusted look.

"Oh, as much as Mello may appreciate that, I'm not dating him," Matt joked.

"Him? That explains everything." The small man scanned me from head to toe. "Everything but why he's wearing tight leather clothes and has such a long blond hair..."

I snarled at him. "At least I have hair."

He didn't seem to like my comment.

"Mello, you shouldn't say those stuff to the guy who can torture you ya know..."

I snarled at him, too. "Yeah, says the one that called him baldy. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be here!"

He wanted to respond before the man cut us off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. Cut your love bickering and let's get serious." I rolled my eyes, but Matt seemed somewhat uncomfortable suddenly. "What are you two cunts doing here?"

"I came here after that idiot," I said and tilted my head to the brunette's direction.

"And you?" Baldy asked him.

Matt tilted his head to my direction. "His fault."

"My fault? How the hell?!"

"You keep saying I'd fuck things up!"

"Ah, and guess what? I was freaking right!"

"Lovers fight? How cute."

We immediately stopped.

"Thank you. Now, what were you looking for in here?"

Once again I tilted my head to Matt's direction.

The bald man sighed. "And you?"

Matt, I hoped, wouldn't ruin things and reveal everything. He didn't. "You'll have to kiss me to find out," he said with a kinky smile. Too bad the man didn't find it funny. Instead, he commanded one of his guards to teach him.

I shut my eyes tightly when I heard Matt starting to scream, and I'm almost sure I heard a crack. When I opened my eyes again, the two bodyguards were behind baldy, and Matt bit his lower lip to not sob. His middle finger seemed twisted to the gang's direction. Horrible as it looked, it was pretty ironic.

"Sincere answers now."

Matt hissed at me, voice sore and pained. "It's all your fault, blondie."

"My fault? How the hell is it my fault that you were being stupid?"

"You aren't the only who doesn't like being underestimated, smartass!"

The bald guy seemed to get tired of our argument. He grunted loudly. "Make those two stop with this chit-chat! Take each to a different room, for god's sake. I'm going to have a drink..." He mumbled to himself that he was tired of handling 10 year olds as he swayed from side to side while walking away.

The two man blindfolded both of us. After five minutes, mine as taken off. Only Matt was taken away.

I hated how worried I was for him.

I was left alone for a while. I started looking around. Brown shelves with bread on it and bags of wheat on the ground. Two bags of grains lied on each shelf. Some fruits, like banana and oranges, creams and something that seemed like was in the middle of it's making. And an oven in the far corner of the room, only one was on and baking something. From here I could hardly see it, but it seemed like some sort of pastry. I kept looking and trying to figure out when I felt a tapping on my shoulder. I turned my head around.

"Hungry?" Baldy asked. I shook my head. "It's a cake if you were wondering."

I didn't answer.

"Birthday cake. We are making a birthday cake for someone in the staff." I don't think I looked interested for him to keep talking, but there was a thought that made me frown: 'Great. Someone who is supposed to be forgotten is actually remembered, and I'm nothing but air to people.'

"When is your birthday, blondie?" He asked me.

"First- no one, and I mean, no one, calls me blondie."

"The other guy does. you don't seem to mind it."

"Pfft. Hell yeah I do. He always pay for calling me like that." No, he doesn't. I never got mad at him for calling me blondie. Or I did in the start? Maybe I grew into it. We've known each other for so long, I must have gotten used to it. Yep. That's the reason.

"Second- my birthday is none of your business, OK?" He yawned. "And third- where is my friend?"

The bald man laughed. "Friend? Now that's progress in your relationship. Don't worry, I took care of him."

"What?!" I yelled, my immediate reaction of worry and the threat in my voice surprised even me.

"Don't worry, he's not dead," and then added under his breath, "yet."

"No! What the hell are you planning to do to him?"

"Calm down dear. You'll stay alive for sure. Probably as my accessory or something..."

"The only thing I'll be is the one killing you, asshole!"

"Oh, I'm shaking. Please, you don't know who you're dealing with. Or maybe you do, since you were spying on me."

I groaned. "What did the idiot tell you?"

"Nothing. No matter how hard he got hit, he didn't open his mouth. But you told me something now." I was about to protest when he turned around and walked away again. "Anyway, I'm going back to the other one. My men know what to do to you."

I didn't want to think what they were doing to Matt. The slightest thought about it made my stomach twist, the image of him beaten up, bloody and bruised, and alone, made me panicked. I had to take deep breaths to stay calm, to not throw a tantrum. Calm means rational. Means I can get us out of here. But the thought of Matt hurt... It didn't leave much room to being calm.

On the other hand, I had to stop worrying about Matt and start worrying about me.

"Hm. What shampoo do you use?" One of them asked me, lifting a few strands of my hair looking at it closely after sniffing.

"Stupid guard's blood, like you."

He wrinkled his nose and pulled my hair, a stinging sensation running through my scalp.

"Master told us to do as we please when you misbehave."

"Master?" I spat. "Are you already his little bitches?" I could see the wrinkle again just for a snap before receiving a slap. "I see you are..."

"You do not know what he did for us," they defended themselves.

"No, and I do not care. I just know if he'll ever get caught, you're going down with him."

They didn't answer nor talk, and neither did I. I just pierced them with my stare. I must have done a fantastic job, because one of them shivered and blindfolded me again.

"Ah, real mature!" I exclaimed.

Slap.

"Son of a bitch..." I whispered to myself.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought."

"Ha, surprised you're able to think."

Once again I felt the sharp pain on my cheek. I can't believe out of all Matt's good traits, I get his most stupid one. The trait of never knowing when to shut up.

"What were you doing here?" One of them asked.

"It will be too complicated for you to understand."

Damn it!

"How stupid do you think we are?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

I think my cheeks are going numb.

"Listen blondie, we are not here to play. If you won't talk..."

I heard a gunfire, soon assuming it was some sort of warning. When one of the guys let out a squeak in an attempt to speak, another gunshot, and then silence. I remained silent and motionless, trying to hear what was happening, trying to get some sense of the situation. So quiet I was sure I disappeared. I heard a rustle and the feeling of the ropes being loosening more and more until completely free. Soon after, the blindfold was removed. A cocky smile on a brunette's face greeted me.

"I'm not that bad after all, now, am I?"

I didn't reply, but my smile was gentle and thankful. He extended his arm to me, offering a hand. I took hold of it. I could feel his middle finger disordered shape. He really kept shut about pain, didn't he? Now for holding his hand... The feeling was weird. I never held his hand. I never touched him, other than when I hit him, and even that was nothing but a one-second touch. His hand was warm, holding mine firmly.

"What are you so red for?" He suddenly asked in a chuckle. I shook myself awake from the thoughts.

"Oh?"

"Come on, get up lazyass."

I did as I was told. When we passed the big heavy metal doors and finally got outside, the clock from the square outside striking 1am.

"There!" Someone from inside yelled. Even the two big-headed stupid guards could understand what was happening. Matt, still not letting go of my hand, pulled me towards a room. A Honda NR 750 motorcycle stood there silently, metallic color, reflecting the shine of the few street lamps that were around.

"Know how to drive those?"

I nodded.

Quickly he let go of me and got out of his vest pocket some stuff I could not recognize (Matt has the most simple stuff disguised as something no one knew existed) and started working on it. My hand felt painfully cold all of a sudden.

"Done," he said, smiling widely as the machine grunted and whined at being awoken of his sleep. He turned his head to me and smiled even wider, a smile I've never seen before. It was a happy one, fond and kind, and it made my heart flutter and my cheeks to heat up.

"Happy birthday, Mells."

I don't remember ever telling him when's my birthday.


I wanted to publish it yesterday, but delayed.. Well, in some parts of the world, it's still the 13! ^^

Happy National Cococa day everyone :D