Matt: For Those Who Care by Wobscure
Mello: Help Me by Alkaline Trio
Interlude: Red Light
"Hey, Mels, ahre you okay?"
Mello glanced over to find a worried looking Matt staring back at him. Of course he wasn't okay. What kind of ridiculous question was that? He licked his lower lip and swallowed thickly, pulling on the seatbelt and readjusting in the passenger's seat, trying to find some way to relax. "I, um, I'll be fine…"
"Really?" Matt questioned, raising an eyebrow at him, a smile tugging at his lips, "Because it looks like you're about ready to jump out of the cahr, run back to the apahrtment, and lock yourself in our room for the rest of forever."
He let out a short, disgruntled huff of air at what Matt was suggesting. He wasn't a coward. He'd agreed to do this, and he was going to do it…even if he did feel like doing exactly as Matt had just described. "I'm fine," he insisted, going back to staring out the side window at the cars rushing past them, but it didn't come out quite as strongly as he'd hoped.
"Mels…" Matt reached over, taking hold of Mello's hand. "You don't hafta do it if you don't want to."
"Yes, I do," he sighed, refusing to look back over at Matt as the car inched forward down the center turn lane. He couldn't back out now, not after everything they'd done already. They would go to the studio, record the vocal track, and it would be fine. As long as he didn't pass out on the way there first. "I want to do it," but he wasn't entirely sure if he was trying to convince Matt or himself. Although it really wasn't that he didn't want to do it; he just wanted it to be over with.
"Please…just try to-" Matt started, suddenly ripping his hand away from Mello's. The blond felt himself being forced into the seatbelt with a jerk and whipped his head around to see why Matt had slammed on the breaks. "Dammit… We could have made that light," Matt grumbled, running a hand through his hair.
A small smile came to Mello's lips. The car in front of them had decided not to run the yellow light, something Matt would have never so much as considered even though it would have undoubtedly turned red while they were still in the intersection. It wasn't that they were in any sort of hurry—they would get to the studio on time either way, and Mello certainly didn't want to get there early—it was just the way Matt drove. He tended to drive recklessly, aggressively, but it didn't worry Mello like it used to. He trusted Matt to get them from point A to point B in one piece.
"What?" Matt asked, seeing Mello's expression. His hand returned to Mello's as he relaxed back down into the seat.
"Nothing," Mello said, letting out a laugh.
"Now that's better," he smiled, but Mello only tensed again. For the briefest of moments, he'd forgotten what he was on his way to do before Matt had inadvertently reminded him. He looked down at his knees, trying not to think about it and, consequently, only thinking about it even more. "Really, it won't be that bad. Please try to calm down," Matt said gently, seeing the change in Mello's demeanor.
"Right. Calm down," he scoffed. Easy for Matt to say, sitting there, slouched down slightly in the driver's seat, perfectly relaxed, his left wrist resting lightly on the top of the steering wheel. Mello was the one who would be singing in front of people he didn't even know; Matt wouldn't have to do anything.
Matt let out a sigh. "Mello."
"What?" he mumbled.
"Mello, look at me." He looked up from his knees over at Matt, waiting for him to continue, but he never did.
"Matt, I-" he started, looking away.
"No. Just look at me. When you're in there, don't pay any attention to anythin' else. You're just singin' in front of me. No one else. Okay?"
Mello looked back to Matt, examining his concerned expression. "Okay," he smiled.
The car behind them honked its horn, and Matt jumped in his seat, glancing back over his shoulder at the car and then forward. "Shit," he mumbled, starting to pull forward. The light now displayed a green arrow, and the car in front of them had already turned, leaving them blocking traffic on the overly busy road.
They turned left onto the street which housed the recording studio, and Mello's heart started to quicken again. Seeing the studio ahead, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.
He was only singing for Matt. No one else mattered.
A/N: After writing the last chapter, I felt like I had to include something from the day they went to the studio, and this is what happened when I sat down to write. Hopefully you all enjoyed this little unplanned addition :)
A special thanks to the following reviewers:
CatatonicVanity, DarkAngelJudas, kiki1070, cupcakes4kendall, NessaYume, VeniVediVici, teB360, MyBeautifulBlackHeart, Don't Forget Hope, Meohy, TheKittenFiend, brightnight003, Lotta Devon