"Drag Matt outside," Tori ordered.

Mello glanced at the defenceless body of the games addict. "Why?"

"Come on, Mello! It's payback!"

"Right."

He grabbed Matt's ankles while the girl grabbed his wrists and together they lifted the body up and placed him outside the apartment. Then the pair went back in and locked the doors and windows.

"Let's see if he can survive a night without video games…" Tori commented evilly. "What should we do now?"

"Nothing, I guess," he replied boringly.

"…Mello! MELLO!"

"What?"

She jumped up and down excitedly. "Guess what tomorrow is!"

"The thirteenth of December."

"Yeah, and…?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Monday."

"AND?"

"And that's it."

"YOUR BIRTHDAY!"

Mello leaned against the wall indifferently, taking a bite out of his chocolate bar. "I'm aware."

The excitement vanished from the Tori's eyes. "…Dude."

"What?"

"Be excited."

He shrugged. "It's nothing special."

"You don't know my birthday, do you?"

"Nope."

"What the… You could ask…? Do you even know how old I am?"

"Seventeen?" Mello guessed randomly.

"Okay, good. ...By the way, what kind of cake do you like?"

"Chocolate?"

"Okay! I'll be back!" With that said, she grabbed some of her belongings and dashed out of the door.

Tori returned thirty minutes later with a huge bag, instantly shooting out another order. "MELLO! GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

The blond-head's expression had a mixture of stubbornness and curiosity. "Why?"

"Just do it!"

"I want a reason."

"DO IT OR ELSE I WILL KILL MYSELF!" the girl yelled out of desperation.

Mello gave her a skeptical stare, but walked away to his room anyway.

"Heheh." Tori dropped the large bag and hid it in a place.

"Chirp chirp, I saw you!" A familiar yellow canary somehow flew into the apartment despite the windows being locked.

"SHUT UP, BIRD!" was the polite greeting.

The animal fluttered around obnoxiously, the sound of its flapping wings filling the room. Tori picked up a baseball bat, raising it in preparation for a strike.

"That's animal cruelty, chirp!" the bird tweeted, soaring out of reach.

"PISS OFF!"

"Okay!" The canary took the statement literally and took a dump on the sofa before flying away. "BAI BAI!"

"...Hm." Tori thought of a super evil plan and scribbled the following message on a note: "Kira's duty :)"

"MELLO, I-" She suddenly dropped onto the floor, feigning death.

Hearing the sound of his name, the chocoholic emerged from his room, only to see Tori lying on the floor. "...What happened?"

No response.

"Tori?" Then Mello finally saw the note sitting near the motionless body. He picked up the piece of paper. "Kira's duty?"

Complicated deducing and calculations began running through the prodigy's mind. "Why would Kira want to kill Tori?"

"KIRA MUST BE A FANGIRL!" the anonymous voice concluded.

"But Kira's male."

"THAT'S GAY!"

"Kira thinks of himself as justice, so he wouldn't kill someone for his personal interests."

"Maybe Kira is like you and Tori, and would kill anyone that's in his way!" the voice offered.

Mello ignored that possibility. "Besides, how did he even find out Tori's full name? Even I don't know her last name. That means he has an accomplice with shinigami eyes, most lik-"

"BOO!" Tori yelled, grabbing the male teenager by the collar.

"WHAT THE F-" He pushed the hand away instinctively and jumped onto his feet before realizing who the attacker was. "What the fuck, Tori!"

"HAHAHAHA!" She fell into a fit of giggles.

Mello just stared, clearly not amused.

"…I'll go away now."

Meanwhile, outside the apartment, Matt had just woken up. He squinted and surveyed his surroundings, noticing that he wasn't indoors. He banged his fist on the door. "Dude, what the hell?"

"What was that? Who's at the door?" Tori asked.

"Matt."

Bang bang bang. "Anybody there…?"

"Just leave him."

"Eh, okay."

Bang bang bang bang bang.

"SHUT UP, MATT!" Tori yelled.

"DUDE, LET ME IN!"

"I'M NOT A DUDE!"

"FINE, DUDETTE. LET ME IN!" the locked-out redhead wailed, kicking the door. He didn't have his DS with him, not to mention the chilly December weather.

"…No."

"Why not?"

"Revenge."

"…Come on, let me in! My Nitro-X game and DS are in there! I want to play it!"

Tori snickered. "Mello, let's play!"

The blond head glanced up, as if unaware of Matt's desperate pleas. "Play what?"

"Nitro-X, or whatever. Or maybe Black Ops."

"I'll pass. I've never had an interest in video games."

"…So? I don't either."

"Then what's the point?"

"To make Matt jealous."

Mello was still reluctant. "Eh."

"…Fine."

"Come on, just give me the game!" Matt continued on the other side of the door. "Please?"

"SHUT UP, MATT! I'M BUSY!" Tori responded unsympathetically, entering the kitchen with bags full of chocolate.

The gamer was silent for a few minutes, apart from the sound of a gun loading. Then there was a loud explosion-like noise and a high-pitched ping. And a swear word. "SHIT!"

Mello raised an eyebrow. "Matt, what the fuck are you doing?"

His best friend didn't answer the question. "Ouch, shit! Shiiiiiiiitttt!"

Tori came out of the kitchen with chocolate smeared on her face, annoyed by the huge racket. "SHUT UP, MATT! GODDAMN!"

A certain leather-clothed male stared.

"…Uh oh."

"FUCK FUCK FUCK!" Matt swore excessively.

"SHUT UP, MATT!"

"God damn it! Why did I do that?"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE A RETARD. NOW SHUT UP!"

"Great! This is just fucking great!" He didn't seem to have heard the girl's words. Then he feebly knocked on the door. "…Help?"

Tori returned to the kitchen, grumbling swear words.

"…Guys? Help?" Matt's voice went on weakly. "Please?"

"SMELL ME, MELLO!" the scent of chocolate said silently. "I'M WONDERFUL."

Mello walked into the kitchen, curious.

"MELLO! GET OUT!" Tori scolded, bashing his legs with a broom. "SHOO!"

"Ow!" He scowled, walking away. "Tch."

"Hehehe."

The redhead was still calling for help. "H-help? Someone?"

Matt had gone silent.

"I'm done!" Tori announced, walking out covered with chocolate stuff.

Mello glanced up. "Done with what?"

"Nothing. …DON'T EAT ME!"

He gave the girl a weird stare. "I'm not a cannibal."

Early in the next morning, Tori sneaked into the kitchen and pulled out the chocolate cake she had baked yesterday. She tiptoed into Mello's room, who was still asleep, and opened the window. Then she pulled out a gun, and pulled the tri-

BOOM.

"OWENQPIWNF!" Mello jumped out of his bed and aimed his gun at random directions frantically.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MELLO!" Tori yelled, holding the cake out towards him.

He lowered his gun slowly and stared.

…

"…Mello?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday?"

"…Thank you."

"…Let's try that again." The teenage girl went back into the living room and opened the front door cheerfully. "Hi Matt!"

The poor gamer had been outside in the freezing temperature for an entire night, with his face completely pale. And his right leg covered in blood. He reached out a numb hand shakily. "Help… me…"

"…Alrighty then!" She left the door open and walked back into Mello's room. "MER- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Mello raised an eyebrow. "Why are you saying it again?"

"You weren't happy the first time."

"I never said I wasn't?"

"I made the cake by myself!" The girl pulled out a lighter and set the candles on fire. "MAKE A WISH NOW!"

Mello blinked, staring.

"MAKE A FUCKING WISH!"

"A wish?"

"Yes, a wish."

He immediately blurted out his lifelong ambition that everyone already knows about, pointing at the sky dramatically, even if there's a ceiling in the way. "I'M GONNA BEAT NEAR AND BECOME NUMBER ONE!"

"…Uh, alright. Blow out the candle now," Tori said awkwardly to the chocoholic, who did so. "Yay, let's eat!"

The teenage girl took out a knife and began slicing the cake, while the ignored Matt had dragged himself into the living room, lying face-down on the ground.

"LOLOLOL!" the knife somehow laughed, slicing Tori's finger.

"OW!" She pulled away. "I JUST CUT MY FINGER! OWWW!"

Mello tossed random bandages to Tori, who wrapped up her finger carefully and resumed slicing the cake. "Cake's ready to eat! …WAIT, THIS ALSO MEANS… Time for Christmas shopping! And what happened to-" She glanced behind her. "MATT! GET IN HERE!"

Matt didn't move or respond.

"…We'll get him later."

His so-called BFF came out of his room and saw the gamer lying on the floor in a bloody mess. "Matt? What the hell?"

Tori followed behind. "MATT. MATT?"

The redhead was unconscious.

"…He had it coming."

"He'll recover." Mello dragged the body onto the couch.

"…OH MY GOD! THERE'S A VIDEO GAME CONVENTION OUTSIDE!" Tori yelled as an attempt to wake Matt up. "FREE VIDEO GAMES TO WINNERS!"

Didn't work.

The girl brought out towels that have been soaked in water form the bathroom. "Wash the blood off him…"

Mello did as he was told. "What now?"

"Leave him?" she shrugged. "My birthday's soon. Guess when it is!"

"...No idea?"

"GUESS!"

"January?"

Tori shook her head. "Nope."

"February, then?"

"February…? IT'S HOW OLD I'M TURNING!"

"Eighteenth."

"YAY! WATCHA GONNA GET ME?" she asked excitedly.

"...Why would I be telling you?"

"...I'm gonna find out eventually."

"But I'm not telling you now."

"Can we go Christmas shopping today?" Tori urged. "Before everything is sold out?"

"Yeah, sure."

Then she realized something. "MELLO! The car is somewhere… And you left your motorcycle there…"

"NEEDFORSPEEDNITRO-XOMFGDS?" There was a random outburst from Matt. He had jumped onto his injured leg and fell back down from the sudden sharp pain. "Ow, shit!"

The pair acted as if they didn't hear anything. "We'll have to walk, I guess."

"LET ME GET MY JACKET!" Tori declared, running out of the living room.

"Hey, Mello!" The return of the anonymous voice.

"You again?"

"Why don't you ask Tori out on a real date? ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU WANT?"

"Piss off!" Mello retorted rudely.

"What's the point of fake dating? Everyone already knows you two are perfect for each other! DATE FOR REAL!"

Tori came out in Mello's jacket, saving him from replying to the voice.

"…That's my jacket."

"I know."

"STILL HERE!" The voice pressed on. "ANSWER ME BEFORE I TELL TORI!"

Mello smacked his forehead in exasperation from the voice's persistence. "Seriously, fuck off."

The invisible person decided to approach a different method. "HEY MATT!"

"Huh?" Matt looked up from the game he had found a few minutes ago. "Hey."

"DON'T YOU THINK MELLO AND TORI SHOULD DATE?"

"…But they're already a couple?" Stripy-shirt still hadn't realized that the pair had pulled a prank on him back in chapter nine.

"SO YOU TOLD MATT?" The voice directed this towards Mello. "THAT YOU AND TORI ARE A COUPLE?"

"...Yeah?" he replied uncertainly.

"THEN WHY DON'T YOU DATE FOR REAL?"

Matt was just about to play on his DS again and did a double take. "Huh? For real?"

Mello face-palmed. Game over.

"YOU LIED!" The redhead jumped onto his left foot, balancing on his uninjured leg and pointing at the blond victoriously, which- Yeah, looked pretty stupid. "But that isn't too surprising, since you both refused to answer my questions right at the start!"

"…WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, MATT?" Tori yelled, impatient from waiting. She was unable to hear the voice. "WHY ARE YOU MAKING FACES AT THE AIR, MELLO?"

"We're talking to a figment of our imagination." Matt wobbled slightly, thrusting out his arms to improve his balance.

"Flipping hell!" she complained. "ANSWER ME PROPERLY!"

Neither of the male teenagers could explain.

"FINE, I'M IGNORED!" the girl snapped. "Excuse me while I go do drugs."

"You don't have drugs," Mello countered rather aimlessly.

"MELLO LOVES TORI! MELLO LOVES TORI!" the voice chanted in the background.

"…So? Can we go now?" Tori continued.

"MELLO IS IN LOVE WITH A BRIT!" the unseeable person taunted. "I'M GONNA TELL TORI!"

"NO, DAMN IT!" the chocoholic exploded.

"IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GO, JUST TELL ME!" The girl thought Mello was replying to her question. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL!"

"…I wasn't talking to you?" he answered, slightly apologetic for causing a misunderstanding. But it's still that voice's fault.

"LET'S JUST GO, MELLO!"

"What do we need to buy?" Mello glanced around the mall, unsure of what to do.

"Gifts? I like… chocolate, clothes, shoes and other crap!" Tori rambled on. "I also need a new jacket. Oh! And I like stuffed animals! Or a necklace. Then I can wear it! …What do you want?"

He shrugged. "I don't want anything, really."

"COME ON, MELLS! What do you waaant?"

"…Chocolate?"

"OKAY, BYE!" The girl took off running to a chocolate shop, picking up every bar, leaving Mello to stand there on his own. His phone began ringing after a few minutes.

He picked it up. "Yeah?"

"I'm done!" Tori reported.

"Okay?"

"BEEP! YOU MADE YOUR GIRLFRIEND FEEL AWKWARDZZZZ!" the phone informed Mello. Somehow.

"...So what now?" the girl asked.

"We go back?"

"What the f- MELLO?"

"Hm?"

On the other side of the phone, a gang had grabbed Tori. "WE R SO GANGSTAAHHHRRRSSS!"

"...What's going on?"

A/N: After around a week of procrastination, this is the chapter that is meant to be publish on Mello's birthday! Yay! And to explain what happened to Matt: Since he was locked outside, he shot the door lock with his gun, but the bullet deflected and hit him in the leg. Poor Mattie. ._.