Matt didn't wake up until that evening, and even then it wasn't of his own accord. He groaned, rolled over and grabbed his phone off the bedside table. The high pitched ringing was only a nuisance now that his hangover was gone, but it didn't make him want to answer it any more. Well, that is until he saw who was calling.
Matt sat up so fast he almost fell out of bed. Though Linda had already gone, he was still sleeping on the very edge of the bed. Once he steadied himself, he stared at the phone, hardly daring to believe it. Then, realizing that the person on the other end might hang up, he flipped open his phone and, hand shaking, raised it to one ear.
"…Hello?" he said uncertainly.
"…Matt?" The voice on the other end was weak. It sounded pained, but there was no mistaking it. Matt knew that voice. He would know it anywhere.
"M… Mell?" he choked.
"I… I need you. There's been… an incident…"
Matt blinked his sudden tears away and forced himself to stand. He starting fumbling around for his shoes and pulled them on in the dark. "Where are you?"
"In um… in Los Angeles… I know you're not-"
"Shut the fuck up. Of course I'm in L.A.! I meant where?"
Mello chuckled. "Never thought… you'd talk to me… like that…"
Mello's voice was getting softer. It sounded like he was in a lot of trouble. Matt could faintly hear shouting in the background.
"Where are you Mell?" he demanded, grabbing a shirt from the floor and forcing it over his head. He maneuvered himself so the phone was only away from his ear for half a second. He grabbed his keys from the table and waited. As soon as Mello had told him, Matt couldn't help but smile. "Ok. I'll be there real soon. I promise."
xXx
Matt didn't even look at the speedometer as he raced his car down the highway. Once he got close, the location wasn't even hard to spot. Flame were everywhere and the smoke had created a pillar at least a mile high. It had been an explosion alright. Matt shook his head. Some things Mello was really gonna have to learn to change one of these days.
He threw his cigarette butt out of the window as he pulled in to a back alley near the warehouse. Mello had told him exactly where to go and he hadn't forgotten a word.
He slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the car, not even bothering to lock the doors. He ran down the service ramp and turned the corner, then stopped dead in his tracks. There were at least twenty different alleys here and any one of them could be hiding Mello.
Matt walked slowly toward them, not really ready to see whatever it was he was about to find.
His phone started ringing, making him jump slightly, but he picked it up before the second ring.
"…I heard you…"
"Where are you?" Matt asked. Instead of getting a response, he got a dial tone. Starting to panic, he yelled, "Where are you?!"
He got no response right away, then something went flying through the air. Matt didn't even watch the shoe hit the ground before he was at the mouth of the alley it had come from. He turned to face Mello, but found himself completely unprepared for what he saw.
Burns. Covering at least 10% of Mello's body. His clothes were torn, one of his shoes now missing, his hair was singed and his eyes were closed. One hand was clenched around the now dead cell phone and the other was…
Matt looked away and blinked very rapidly to clear his eyes of tears. Then, forcing a smile on his face, walked forward.
"I thought you said you weren't Catholic," he commented lightly, nodded at the red rosary beads in Mello's injured left hand.
Mello looked up and Matt saw more clearly the burns that covered half of his beloved's face. His smile didn't waver at all.
"I thought… you said… you'd get here quickly…" Mello retorted, attempting a smile as well. He coughed hard, trying to get the smoke out of his lungs.
Matt's smile left his face. "Come on then," he said, crouching down beside Mello. "It's time for me to fix another of your damn mistakes."
Mello chuckled weakly, but it ended in a cough.
Carefully, very carefully, Matt gathered the injured boy into his arms. He did his best not to tough the burns on Mello's left side, but it was a difficult thing to do. He knew Mello was in a lot of pain already and hated to cause him more, but he couldn't treat him here. It was too dangerous. The building could actually explode at any time if there was even the tiniest gas leak somewhere or, worse, the cops could find them.
"I'll take you to a hospital, Mell, and-" But he stopped speaking the moment Mello started to shake his head.
"No… idiot… cops are… lookin' for me… no hospital… got it?" His voice was barely louder than a whisper, making it almost impossible to hear over the roar of the nearby flames, but Matt had heard every word. He had strained his ears to hear like his life had depended on it.
He took Mello to the car and gently laid him in the back seat. "This one's gonna be tough, but since this was your choice you're gonna have to trust me, ok?"
Mello just laughed again and Matt climbed into the front seat.
While driving back, after Mello had passed out from the pain, it took all the strength Matt had in him not to burst into tears.
xXx
A/N: Sorry! That's all you're getting today. I want to finish, but my eyes are protesting. I think I'm getting sick, which explains why I'm so exhausted all the time. I'll try to update soon, I promise.
Thanks for reading. Please review! Mello finally came back, after all!
Arigato!
-E.H.
