Yo, you guys! My second fanfic (RE-REVAMPED), imagine that! o.o I dunno how it happened, either. I'm really into these fluffy, hurt/comfort fics for some reason. XD And I just LOVE Matt and Mello. Particularly when Matt's all vulnerable and sweet… like now.

VERY fluffy one-shot, rated T for language and subtle BL. Appearances: Matt & Mello. Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any characters involved in any way, shape or form. Reviews are love!

I'm much nicer to Mello in this fic, don't know why I wasn't in the other. Mostly because I really, really wanted to do a fic that revealed Matt's nature (since the manga/anime doesn't), and you really can't have Matt without Mello, can you? Well, at least it was IC… I hope. _

Sooo, yeah… Reviews? Please? I really, really love critique. But please be tactful! Instead of, "You suck, bitch" how about give me some suggestions for improvement instead? Thanks so much, hope you love this as much as I loved writing it! 3

______________________________________________________________________________

"Matt?"

Mello's loud call echoed through the shitty-ass apartment he shared with the aforementioned Matt as he entered and kicked the door shut. He was tall, built, and outfitted entirely in buttery black leather that hugged his graceful form. Ragged blonde hair framed the face of a fallen seraph with a tattered-edged scar and sapphire eyes behind which flickered a brilliant flame.

There was no answer. Mello sighed, lowering the bar of chocolate he'd been previously gnawing on from his mouth.

"Ma-att!"

Still no reply.

Becoming impatient (and also slightly worried), the blonde finally gave up and full-out shouted.

"MATT!"

"… M-Mello?"

The feeble, raspy quality of the answering voice prompted Mello to charge full-tilt towards the bedroom where he'd heard it coming from.

"Oh, shit, Matt."

He looked horrible. Huddled beneath the threadbare comforter of a bed that sagged in the middle, the redhead in question shivered pathetically. The striped shirt draped over his thin form was lightly soaked in sweat, and his orange goggles hung around his neck. The usually hidden, bright green eyes gazed up at Mello piteously, begging for help.

Mello advanced at once, but Matt held up a trembling hand, coughing before protesting weakly, "No… don't want you to get sick…"

"Don't be stupid, Matt, you need help. Besides, when have I ever gotten sick?" The blonde snarled, sitting on the bed next to Matt. "One… time. At Wammy's. Long time ago," Matt mumbled, eyes slipping shut. Mello more or less ignored him as one of his large, but slender and graceful, hands darted quickly to the redhead's forehead, the other loosely taking his hand. "Dammit," Mello muttered. Matt was burning up.

The blonde stood, smiling gently as the redhead reached up his hand with a whimper, trying to make him stay. "It's okay, Matty. I'll just be a little while. Then I'll be back, and take care of you."

And with that, Mello dropped his lover's hand and wheeled, darting quickly from the apartment.

At the nearest pharmacy, the blonde impatiently stalked the aisles, gathering supplies and rather looking like he was preparing to start his own hospital.

Ten minutes later he burst back into the apartment and into Matt's room, clutching a plastic bag. He immediately put it on the dresser and began to rummage through it, Matt's soft snores punctuated by the occasional weak cough behind him.

Thermometer in hand, Mello turned and gripped the other's jaw, shaking him gently. "Matt. Wake up. C'mon, open up." He tapped his fingers against the other's lips to make his point. Eyes glazed and barely open, Matt complied.

As soon as he was sure that the thermometer wasn't about to fall out, Mello returned to the plastic bag and continued to rifle through it.

For perhaps thirty seconds Mello stared at the canned soup in his hand, completely dumbfounded. "Why the hell did I even get this?" Mello mumbled, shaking his head slightly. Feeling slightly stupid, he turned to the gamer and asked, "Matt, soup?" He held the can up. Matt just shook his head, eyes fixed on the sheets. "Right," Mello muttered to himself. "Well, if you're not eating in the next twenty-four hours, I will sit on you and make you eat something," he warned the redhead before leaving for the kitchen. Once there, he put the soup in a cupboard and opened the fridge, withdrawing a bottle of water, which he brought back to Matt's room. He also stopped and grabbed a fresh set of sheets from a tiny linen closet off the living room.

Matt had fallen asleep again, thermometer perched at a precarious angle from his mouth. Mello gently drew it from between the redhead's lips, tilting it into the light so that he could see the narrow gray line that marked the temperature. Holy shit. Matt's temperature was 103 degrees!

Shocked by this discovery and concerned beyond belief, Mello glanced at Matt quickly, to check for obvious signs of, like, death. Seeing none, he leaned over and gently scooped the redhead up into his arms. Matt continued to make small, cute snuffling noises in his sleep, too lost in his feverish slumber to respond. This worried Mello, but he was also glad not to have bothered the redhead.

After briefly hesitating at his lack of options, the blonde carefully lowered Matt to the floor of the bedroom. Moving quickly, he stripped off Matt's sheets and replaced them with the new set. Once this was accomplished, he retrieved the limp redhead and caringly tucked him back into the bed.

For a moment he just stood over his sick lover, gazing down at him, his expression somewhere between love and worry. His hand moved, almost automatically, to tenderly stroke Matt's silky, fiery hair away from his hot, clammy forehead. He sighed almost inaudibly, smiling when the redhead murmured a bit in his sleep and turned towards his caressing hand. "Jeez, Matty…"

Finally the blonde remembered Matt's worrisome temperature and almost leapt back towards the white grocery bag on the dresser, his searching frenzied. He drew out a bottle of pain reliever/fever reducer, and turned to Matt. He hadn't wanted to wake him up, but…

"Matt." No response. "Matt, honey. Wake up. You've got to take this." The redhead's face contracted slightly, and he moaned. "Don't… want to…"

"Too bad." Mello followed through on his threat from earlier, in a manner of speaking, when he straddled Matt's legs and forced his eyes open. "Maaaatt. C'mon, you have to take this." He repeated, holding up the white bottle. The redhead shook his head obstinately as Mello opened the childproof cap with no trouble, dumping two circular reddish brown tablets into his palm.

Mello sighed. "Matt, I'm going to ask you one more time. Please take these." He shook his palm slightly, causing the pair of pills to rattle in his hand. "No." Matt met his eye.

The blonde snorted. "Have it your way, then." He jumped Matt, forcing his jaw open with one twist of his thumb, and then forced the pills down the throat of the other, like one might a dog. When he withdrew, Matt was gasping, his face bright red and his eyes watering.

"Good boy, Matty," Mello cooed. Matt glared at the smirking blonde clambering off of his thighs.

"What the—fuck—was that for?" He demanded, slumping back against the pillows. Mello shrugged. "Your own fault for being so damn stubborn all the time. Jeez, why'd you have such a problem with taking 'em? They're supposed to help you, dumbass."

Matt just rolled his eyes, rolling over and closing his eyes wearily again. Mello felt himself melt into pity and a slight feeling of guilt as he gazed down at the boy. He bit his lip. Was Matt really angry at him?

There was only one way to find out. After closing the curtains and the door to Matt's room, Mello tiptoed over to the bed, kicking off his boots silently. In one swift, smooth movement, he slid into bed next to the redhead, arms snaking around his waist and pulling him snugly against his own chest. Matt's eyes popped open in shock somewhere between the grabbing and the pulling, and he struggled halfheartedly just for a moment before giving in. Mello's warmth and scent was comforting, and his embrace made Matt feel safe and—secretly—loved.

As he relaxed, he felt Mello chuckle softly against his hair. "Do you love me?" The blonde whispered into Matt's ear. "Yes," Matt breathed back, his energy almost spent. "How much do you love me, Matty?" "Mmh… a lot… and forever." Matt wasn't really sure of what he was saying anymore, the combination of fever and exhaustion slurring his words. "Thank you," Mello murmured, kissing Matt's cheek softly, one hand stroking his neck. "Y'welcome," the redhead mumbled, barely coherent. "Go to sleep, Matty," Mello breathed, sweet as singing. After snuggling briefly into the blonde's chest, the redhead complied, slipping into warm, safe blackness.