A/N: Hey guys! Yeah, I know I'm a mean, horrible person for making you wait so long for this pathetic little chapter. -laugh- But here it is, finally.
Matt champed irritably at the end of his cigarette. He was already more than halfway through a pack and it was just now two o' clock. He never smoked that much, unless under great stress. And Mello leaving was certainly a cause of great stress. He whipped out his phone and dialed Mello's number, beginning to pace. He hung up and threw the phone at the wall after a ring and a half. In the five days since his lover had walked out, Matt had attempted to call him thirty-two times, only to hang up before the blonde had even the slightest chance of picking up. Mentally, he kicked himself for being such a coward. He missed Mello dreadfully and longed to make things right, but he wasn't quite ready to face the blonde's wrath yet. Still pacing, he ran a hand through his messy blood-red hair. "Oh god, Mello, what have I done?" Stopping in the middle of the living room floor, he glanced uncertainly at the door. He chomped down on the cigarette in his indecision, so hard he bit the end clean off. He watched it fall to the ground, leaving a nasty little gray ash burn on the cream carpet. Annoyed, and his mind made up, he spat the other end at the carpet and dashed for the door, grabbing his coat, and after a moment's hesitation, his gun, and ran out of the apartment.
--
Matt kicked at a stone viciously, watching with grim satisfaction as it skittered out into the road and was crushed to dust by an oncoming car. He had searched all of his and Mello's favorite haunts, talked to several friends, and still had found no trace of the spunky, sexy blonde. Hell, he had even stuck his head in the local chocolate store. The redhead was beginning to get discouraged. A sudden thought struck him, and he stopped short. Of course! Where better to go after a fight (breakup? Matt hoped to god not) than a bar? Though he sincerely hoped Mello wasn't still there after almost a week, he had no other leads, so it was worth a shot.
--
The redhead hesitated outside of one of the many bars that he and Mello frequented and took a deep breath. What would he do if he actually found Mello inside? What if Mello didn't want to come home? God, he hadn't thought of that. What if he never wanted to see Matt again? He didn't know if he could handle that. The gamer took another deep breath. He couldn't bear to go another day without the fiery blonde. He had to at least try. He swung the door open and stood on the threshold for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the bar. There were approximately three people in the bar: an oddly colored lump of a man passed out on the bar, the frighteningly large bartender whose bald head showed off the crisscross of scars running from his temples back across his head to his ears, and the man he had come looking for. Matt's heart nearly broke all over again to see his once-beautiful lover in such a state. "Oh, Mello…" he gasped. Even from the doorway, Mello was easily recognizable. Shoulder length golden locks in tangled disarray, face pale, and eyes bloodshot and ringed in dark. That, along with his tight, ultra low-rise leather pants, and short, equally tight leather vest, (was that lipstick on his cheek?) made Mello look like a prostitute that had had a rough night. Matt wondered with a slight twinge of anger what exactly Mello had been up to. But the ache in his chest was greater, and he hesitantly approached the blonde, who was perched somewhat unsteadily on a bar stool. "Mells?" Matt said quietly, touching his shoulder.
Mello spun around, eyes narrowed in silent fury. "You! What are you doing here, you asswipe?"
Matt took a step back, startled by Mello's ferocity. "Mello, I…I came to—"
"I don't care what the hell you came for, Matt, get out!" the blonde slurred angrily.
Matt sighed and pushed his goggles onto the top of his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Mello, you're drunk."
Mello laughed brokenly, leaning back onto the bar and looking up at Matt with his bloodshot blue eyes. "No shit I am, why the hell d'you think I'm here?"
Matt put an arm around his waist. "Let me take you home."
Mello punched him in the face. Matt staggered back with the force of the blow. He rubbed his cheek ruefully as Mello stared him down defiantly.
"Well, that will definitely bruise," the redhead said with a wry smirk. "Mells, you're flipping out."
"Flipping out?" Mello rose from his seat. "Flipping out? You think I'm flipping out?!" The blonde's voice had suddenly jumped several octaves. "You want flipping out, Matt? I'll show you flipping out!"
Matt barely had time to blink before he found himself staring down the barrel of Mello's handgun. He swallowed hard. "That's definitely flipping out."
Mello was trembling from head to toe, but his aim was true. "Matt," he said slowly, "Go away."
"Me-e-e-e-llo-o-o…" Matt drew out the blonde's name carefully. "Put it away."
Mello was shaking harder, but jaw was clenched so hard his muscles twitched in protest.
"Mells," Matt whispered tenderly. "You know what I'm gonna say, don't you?"
Mello shook his head furiously, tears brimming in his eyes. "Don't," he said brokenly. "If you don't mean it, please, don't!" He went to take a step forward, but he staggered, and blue eyes rolling back into his head, fainted clean away, gun clattering harmlessly to the floor. Matt caught him effortlessly, scooping the blonde into his arms bridal style. "I love you," the redhead breathed in Mello's ear, bending to pick up the gun. Matt wrinkled his nose slightly at the stench of alcohol emanating from his unconscious lover. "You're gonna have one hell of a hangover tomorrow, my friend."
--
Matt readjusted his grip on Mello so that the blonde's head was resting on his shoulder, rather than hanging out of his arms. "Don't expect to make a habit of this, Mello," Matt grunted. "You're heavier than you look." By now, the sky was almost completely black, and from what Matt remembered, he still had a ways to go. He sighed heavily, his breath ruffling Mello's hair gently. "Oh Mells, I hope I'm doing the right thing"
--
"Hey, you! Get out of here!"
Matt approached the two men guarding the door of the warehouse-looking building fearlessly. He nodded at the unconscious blonde in his arms. "I've got someone to see Near."
The mountain-sized men scowled and stepped towards him, but the door swung open, revealing a tall, elegant woman with ash-blonde hair. "Mello has not been to visit for quite some time. Near will be most pleased to see him. Come." She turned on a shiny, black heel and disappeared back into shadowy doorway. Matt followed after a moment of hesitation, and he just couldn't resist making a face at the two guards as he breezed past.
The hallway was pitch black except for dim, floor-level lighting, and Matt's eyes adjusted slowly. It was totally silent as well, except for the sharp click-click-click of the woman's heels on the floor.
"Is he injured?"
Matt jumped, the woman's question quite suddenly shattering the oppressive silence.
"Mello? Nah, just wasted."
The woman stopped by a door so abruptly that Matt nearly ran into her. She opened it, and in the sudden rush of light that made the redhead squint, he could see she was smiling.
"You can put him in here. Near will be informed, and I will escort you out."
Matt gave her a suspicious look before ducking into the disturbingly white room and laying his charge on the bed. Matt smoothed Mello's hair, traced the perimeter of his scar with his fingertips, and kissed his forehead. "Please don't hate me for this," the redhead murmured. "I know you don't get along too well with Near sometimes, but I think some time with an old friend is better for you right now than time with me." Matt placed a final kiss on Mello's forehead before turning on his heel and walking out of the room without looking back.
--
"What are you to him?"
Matt gave the woman a funny look. "I fail to see how that's any of your concern."
She fidgeted uncomfortably. "Just curiosity. Please don't take offense."
Matt was quiet for a long moment, letting the silent darkness of the long hallway close in around them. "His lover," he snapped eventually, but turned his eyes to the floor in a sudden rush of guilt.
"You had a fight," the woman said softly.
Matt looked up at her, startled. "Yes. How…?"
She smiled briefly. "Call it a woman's intuition."
A few more steps and they stopped, reaching the door at long last. The woman hesitated, looking as if she wanted to say something, but not sure what to say. On sudden impulse, Matt thrust his hand at her with a lopsided smile. "Matt."
Surprised, the woman accepted his hand and shook it with a matching, though much more dignified, smile. "Hal."
The redhead's expression became serious, and he gripped Hal's hand firmly, his emerald eyes piercing into hers. "Take care of him," he told her sternly.
"I will," she whispered. He nodded sharply, accepting her answer, then walked out the door.
Hal watched him vanish into the night. "I promise."
A/N: Hey, guess what? I'm gonna let you guys in on a little secret. -whispers- I have up to chapter five finished. So review, review! All you people that read and don't review, I know who your are! The little hit counter keeps track of you!
