Mello took a deep breath. "Wait, Matt. I've got another present for you. Sit down, close your eyes."

Matt raised an eyebrow, shrugging and sitting back on the bottom bunk. "What is it?" He shaded his eyes.

"Do you really think I'm going to tell you?" Mello snorted, shaking his head. He walked over to his chest of drawers and opened the top one slowly, staring down at the stapler and pencils and pens and paperclips that were neatly organized within. He closed the door again without taking anything out.

The blonde boy sat down on the bed and faced his newly fourteen-year-old best friend. His eyes darted between the redhead's lips and his closed eyelids, craning his neck at several angles to make sure they were actually closed. "Ready?"

"Mel, just shut up and give it to me already!" He laughed, grinning widely.

"Alright," Mello replied, holding his breath. He leaned in slowly.

Riiiiing riiiiiing!

Matt's eyes snapped open, jumping at how close Mello's face was to his own. His cell phone was ringing and vibrating loudly in his pocket. Both of the young boys' hearts set to thumping rapidly as Matt scrambled to reach his phone, mumbling, "I, uh, better get that. Hello?"

Mello's face slid down the gradient of light peach to pink to magenta to tomato. He crossed his legs, grabbed a pillow and stuffed his face in it. He wondered briefly just how long it might take to smother himself. Matt stood up to pace around the room as he listened to whoever was on the other line-probably Linda. The embarrassment inflated the blonde's stomach to the point when he thought he was going to be sick all over the pillow in his lap. His whole body began to tremble with the nerves.

Matt finally snapped his phone closed and tossed it onto the desk. He looked over at Mello, still hiding his head within the pillow. Stomach churning with the same butterflies in his best friend's stomach, Matt crouched down beside the edge of the bed, face-to-face with his roommate. "Hey, Mel?"

At first, the blonde didn't move.

"Mello, please look at me."

Sheepishly, Mel lifted his head.

Matt smiled, pale cheeks flushed as well. "May I kiss you?"

Mello's heart almost stopped. With the swelling of his throat, there was no way he could answer with words at the moment. He just managed a frail, faint nod.

The redhead smiled wider and gently touched his hand to his friend's cheek. Slowly, he pressed his lips against Mello's. For a moment, Mello was still, but then he began to kiss back. It deepened little by little, until Matt finally drew back gently. "I love you, Mello."

He just nodded, still trembling. "I-I love you t-too."

Matt left another small kiss on his best friend's lips. "Really. This was the best present you could have ever given to me," he murmured, blushing but beaming. "I'm sorry my phone rang on you. But I wouldn't trade this moment for anything, alright?"

Mello nodded again, kissing Matt back quickly. "I-I'm just sorry I'm so-" He waved his hands, gesturing to his whole body. "I shouldn't be shaking like this. I-I've known I liked you for-for months."

"And I've loved you for years. Mello, that's all that matters, okay?"

"Where did Matt go?" The blonde managed a sincere grin, pulling his roommate down onto the bed with him. "You're being awfully serious all of a sudden."

Matt blushed at Mel's electric touch. He cuddled in, laying on another kiss. "Why wouldn't I be serious at a time like this? I've been out since I was eleven. This is new for you. It's a big thing, and I don't want to fuck it up."

Mello just nodded, smile growing into an outright shining beam. "You could never do that. Not if you love me back."

"Which I do. So shhh, just kiss me, Goldilocks."

The blonde grinned at the nickname, leaning in for another kiss, and their hearts thumped hard against each other's chests. And there they remained, absent from supper that night. They were too busy with their own little birthday celebration for Matt's fourteenth birthday. As it would turn out, it would be the best birthday of his life, for the very blonde-haired reason laying before him. He kissed him again.

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting for so long! I have no real excuse except for school and AP US History. Hopefully, after next week and my AP tests are all over and done with, I'll be able to return to a regular updating schedule. Also hopefully there are people still interested in this story! I don't doubt it, but I still hope so. I'm so sorry for dropping off the face of the earth, but I'm back!

I hope you all enjoy this short and sweet chapter! Thank you for reading, and you all know that reviews make my day.

~Rachel