Chapter 29

Surprise! -grins-

"Matt, you should go back to sleep." The bed dipped as Mello sat at the edge of the bed beside him. Firm hands pushed him onto his back. No. He didn't need anymore sleep. He was fine. And besides, he had a role to play. If Mello was going to that Ball then he had to go as the unsuspecting human girl. Mello was not going to go by himself. Matt would not allow it.

"No, Mello." The redhead struggled to sit up once more but the vampire kept him still. "No!" He finally shouted in frustration. "You can't just go on your own, you idiot! I won't sit here and wonder whether you'll come back!" Matt's breathing was a little strained now. Ugh, his body was so not cooperating today. "I'm coming with you."

When it was obvious that Mello wasn't going to respond, Near stepped in. "Are you sure you're well enough?"

Beside him, Matt heard Mello snort in annoyance that Near was actually asking him that. "I'll live."

"Right. Lets get you ready then."

Two seconds, and then. "Agh! Fine!" The cold hands that had been placed against his chest to keep him still, vanished. There were heavy footsteps and the sound of breaking glass before the bathroom door opened and slammed shut.

As the room was still dark, he couldn't see what Mello had broken in his passing. Why was he so mad? This had been his idea! And...did he really expect him to just sit back, while Mello went off to swim with the sharks? No! Impossible! He hadn't realized that he was crying until he felt Near wiping his tears away.

"Don't worry, Matt. He's just having trouble coping with the current situation." A short pause. "That, and he feels like a monster for having given you all your...injuries. He does not want you to come with him because he wants you to rest. But I agree with you. Having you just wait around will not be good for either of you. Mello will be worrying about whether you're okay here with me..." His voice trailed off with a soft amused laugh. "And you will be worrying about whether or not he will be coming back alive with all those vampires attending.

"Now, let me ease your worries." Near settled himself beside Matt so that their sides were touching. "The vampires attending this Ball are all very civilized. They care for the human race, not try to keep it at their feet. They recognize the important role the humans play in their immortal lives. They are our life source. Without them we would starve to death...or have to settle for animal blood, which by the way, is not as delicious.

"So you see. You need not worry about Mello and these vampires. But, as I'm sure you will still want to go with him I won't tell you to sit out the way he wishes you to do so. I know he'll feel a lot better with you at his side. I' m sure of it." With this Near leaned in and pressed his cold lips to Matt's cheek. They lingered there, then slowly trailed lower and across the redheads jaw line. Then, their lips met.

Matt's eyes went wide in shock but he didn't make a sound, nor did he try to pull away for he knew it was useless. Near was stronger than him, and the vampire now had an iron grip on the back of his head. So, he submitted. A warm tongue parted his lips and he didn't object. What brought this on all of a sudden? This wasn't like Near. Not at all.

The kiss was broken when Near finally pulled away, slowly, almost as if trying to savor the redheads lips. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I don't know what came over me." The bed dipped as Near scooted off the bed and after a few seconds, the lights came on.

Matt's eyes shut tight a low groan rising in his throat. "Shit, no, turn them off! I'd rather have them off!" God, his head was killing him. This felt more like a hang over than just a regular morning after. God had a sense of humor.

"You'll be fine." Near's tone was still a little embarrassed. "Can you stand? I need to get you dressed."

Grimacing and mumbling about how much he wanted to chuck the light bulbs out the window, Matt carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed and shakily got to his feet. There was a moment of sharp pain, and then there was only the annoying numbing feeling that ran up his spine. His hands were over his eyes in an effort to block out as much of the light as possible.

"Any pain?"

"Minimal..." Matt replied truthfully. Kiss now forgotten.

"Right...Um, well, sit back down. I don't see why Mello didn't bother dressing you."

"What?..." The redhead pulled his hands away from his eyes, and blinking immensely, found himself staring down at his very naked self. With a groan, Matt sat himself back down. Great, now Near had seen him in all his naked glory. Geez. "Sorry, Near. Didn't think about covering up."

Near chuckled. "Nothing to be sorry about. Don't move, I'll fetch your clothes."

Matt did as he was told. Now, he was very confused. Near had kissed him out of nowhere and he was damn sure that Mello would be able to see it in Near's thoughts. Christ, did this make him a whore? Well...it's not like he had initiated the kiss. Oh, but he did nothing to stop it either! Not that he could...shit, for being so small Near had mad strength. A vampire thing, he guessed. For sure. Oh well...

Looking down, his eyes caught the cuts on his wrists and forearms and his eyes went a little wide. Had Mello done that? Or?... Oh wow. The room was spinning. Just thinking about all the blood was making him feel sick.

"Don't worry. The gloves I have purchased for you will cover those up nicely."

When Matt turned, Near was already there, setting down a large box on the bed along with a few bags as well. The box was white and fancy looking, the kind you would get at an expensive boutique. The bags had a label on them indicating the name of the shop they were from. Matt swore he saw something that looked like "Victorias Secret" and he shuddered.

"Hey, Near. What's Mello doing? Y-you know, in the bathroom." Matt bit his lip thoughtfully. As scary as the thought of getting into a dress was, he was a little more concerned about Mello.

Silence before Near blinked and replied. "Thinking. Analyzing the situation. Composing himself..." The last was said in a hushed, guilty whisper. Probably due to the surprise kiss he had planted on the blond vampires boyfriend. "He's fine."

Matt nodded. "Ow!"

"Sorry,"

The redhead groaned as he shifted so as to get into a more comfortable position. Near could have warned him before shoving him over like that. "S'okay.."

"Right." Near cleared his throat. In his right hand he was holding some black lacey material that could only be panties. Matt whined but the vampire ignored this. The damn things were expensive and Matt was going to wear them god damn it. He slid Matt's feet into the proper places and then proceeded to slide the material up the redheads thighs. "Lift your hips." Was the strained demand.

Matt did as he was told though he looked away from Near; cheeks flushing a deep red. Geez. Modesty was so overrated right now, but he was still blushing like some virgin. God, Near was a guy! They had the same...stuff. After the under garments were done with, and Matt had his boobies on, Near then went to the large box.

"This is your dress- please don't make that face, Matt. Would you rather stay here?"

Matt quickly shook his head.

"Right." Near lifted the lid off the white box and set it down. From inside, he pulled out a gown of rich gold fabric. He held it out at arms length and let it unfold itself elegantly. "What do you think?" The fabric seemed to almost sparkle under the artificial light, like real gold.

Wow. It was gorgeous really and had it been forced to be worn on someone else than he would of appreciated it a little more, but...eh. "Its pretty, Near." The dress was long, with small, tastefully ruffled short sleeves. At the waist the gold opened up at the sides, like curtains, revealing pleated white material. It looked a lot like the dress Cinderella wore in the movie, only gold of course, but it still had that sense of not of this age design.

"Pretty," The silver haired vampire scoffed in annoyance. "Pretty, Matt? Really? I made the design and then had Oscar De La Renta(1) himself put it together, and you just think its pretty?"

Matt's eyes went a little wide. Holy snot, Near had designed this? "You did?...Wait, Oscar De La-who?" Obviously the vampire wanted a little more feedback for his efforts. Ugh, and now Matt felt ungrateful.

"Renta." Near replied curtly. "He's a designer." Gently, he laid the dress onto the bed and then produced a pair of matching gold gloves. He set those on the dresser. Next came a pair of very Cinderella like heels and the redhead eyed them fearfully.

"Please tell me those are not really glass..."

"Matt," The vampire said in a tone that suggested he thought the teen was an idiot. "They're fake."

"Oh..."

It seemed like ages before Matt was finally in his Cinderella inspired dress, heels, and now elegantly styled wig. It was up in a loose, messy bun. Red bangs brushed to one side so that his eyes were a lot easier to see. The make-up took even longer to do. Ugh...but it was done. Eyeliner, eyeshadow, blush, lipstick, everything. And now, Matt was staring at his reflection in the mirror thinking about how he could so pull off becoming a female model.

Near stood behind him, head bent as he tightened the laces at the back of the dress. "You look beautiful," He whispered, and in his mind he heard Mello growl, but he ignored it. He couldn't help it. Why lie?

"Thanks." Matt replied. "These heels are a lot more comfortable than the other ones." He commented in an off handed tone.

Near looked up and met Matt's green eyes in the mirror. He smiled. "I'll be right back." And he was gone, just like that, disappearing into the sitting room that Matt still had yet to see.

Matt sighed and closed his eyes. For some reason, he couldn't bear to look at his reflection any more. He was so confused! It was all too much to take! No matter how many times he told himself that things were fine; that everything would work out and that Mello wasn't really mad at him, he was just upset about their situation and about having hurt him and oh...he felt so unsure of everything. He felt...like something was just waiting in the dark for them to let their guard down to strike.

Why? He didn't want to feel this way. Was a little peace of mind too much to fuckin' ask for?

"Matt?"

"Shit!" His eyes snapped open and they met Mello's in the mirror. The blond was standing behind him, arms wrapped around his waist. "Don't do that!"

Mello smiled a warm smile before kissing the redheads blushing cheek. "Sorry," And then the smile was gone. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier, and also for...um, well...you know." He took a deep shuddering breath. "I'm really sorry, Matt. I let myself get carried away, and I ended up hurting you." Mello took one of the redheads wrists in his gloved hand and turned it over so the scars were facing up. "I'm a monster...I-I promise this will never happen again."

Matt yanked his wrist out of Mello's grip, turned, and then flung himself into the blond's arms. "Shut up. You're not a monster. And as for your behavior earlier, Well, don't you dare walk away from me again. I'll fuckin' cry. No joke."

And Mello laughed as he held his redhead to himself. "I won't. I'm sorry." Then. "Near kissed you." He sighed.

Matt stiffened a little. Oh...that. He had completely forgotten about it for a second. "Oh, well...y-yeah, don't get mad at him, Mello. He apologized and-"

"Shh," Mello lifted the redheads chin and silenced him with a kiss of his own. Matt kissed back for all he was worth. Mello wasn't mad at him for that. God, he was so thankful. When Mello finally decided that Matt needed air, he pulled away and continued. "You're just too tempting for your own good. I don't blame Near."

Matt blushed. "Shoot, I got lip stick on you." he reached up and wiped at Mello's lips. "Ugh...sorry."

Mello laughed. "Don't worry about it." Another peck to Matt's lips. "You look amazing."

"Thanks."

"Alright, here are the masks." Near said as he flitted into the room with two small white boxes. More fancy stuff...woo.

Mello let go of Matt and went to pluck the gold gloves from the dresser. "Put those on," His eyes didn't rest long on the cuts as he handed them to Matt.

Matt slipped them on before taking the box Near was handing to him. He took the lid off and gently took the fragile looking mask from inside. It was gold, like the gown. Small, only meant to go over the eyes in a very 'Zorro' way. At the top it had short squiggles of the same gold. Matt knew what it was. It was suppose to be the sun. He slid it on over his face, and Near helped him move his hair out of the way so it wouldn't get caught in the masks' strap.

"The sun?" Matt said as he adjusted it comfortably. When Near nodded, he turned to get Mello's opinion and was surprised to see the blond already in his mask. Wow, he hadn't really took in what Mello had been wearing until now. He looked so handsome.

Mello wore a very Victorian style three piece, swallow tail suit. The jacket was black, as was the waist coat underneath. The shirt underneath that was collared; crisp and white. The front of the jacket, along the buttons was embroidered in silver accents. Same at the cuffs. His leather gloves were still over his hands, as well as his usual pair of dark boots.

Matt had to admit that Mello looked a little...not himself with out all his leather, but hey, he didn't look bad either. Mello's blond hair was even tied back into a neat, low pony tail with a black silk ribbon. His bangs fell over the right side of his face, just barely covering his eye. On the left side, was the mask Near had gotten for him. It covered the whole left side of his face, only leaving a slit for his eye of course. It was in the shape of a crescent moon. Its silver color, sparkled.

Mello looked like a prince right out of a fairly tale. Matt found himself gawking. Near had out done himself with the costumes. The masks matched their outfits, and well...the fact that they were suppose to represent the sun and moon was pretty romantic in Matt's eyes. Damn Near for making him feel like such a girl!

"You two look perfect." Near commented. He looked to the digital clock sitting on one of the bedside tables and licked his pale lips. "Time to get moving. I'll be here waiting." There was something in his eyes that made the redhead feel uneasy. There was a little bit of unease in Near's eyes as well. Why was everything so damn confusing?

They say its fine, and then they act other wise! Matt snorted and looked away from both Vampires. How frustrating. He wished he could be a vampire just so he could read their minds. He was sick and tired of being left in the dark while they could see everything so clearly.

'Don't leave this room, Near.' (2)

'I won't. You be careful.'

'Everything should work out smoothly. Once we get back I'll let you go feed.'

'Thank you.' He really was hungry.

"Come on, Matt. Let's get going." Mello's eyes blinked once before he took the redheads gloved hand in his and lead him to the door.

"Near..." Matt stopped Mello before walking out. "Mello, I don't feel comfortable leaving him alone." He shook his head as he looked to Mello. "What if something goes wrong? You know something isn't right and you won't tell me. Please can't he come with us?"

"I'll be fine, Matt. I need to stay here to make sure no ones followed me this far." Near smiled. "Try to relax."

Matt's bottom lip trembled. He had come to care for Near just as much as he cared for Mello. If something were to happen to him...But he nodded and kept the tears that threatened to fall at bay. Near would kill him if he messed up his make-up right now. "Okay. I'll see you later?"

"You will." Near chuckled. "Go on, Matt."

Mello's eyes were a little unsure as well. Was there something they weren't seeing? No. That was impossible. He was just working himself up. "Till later." Mello wrapped an arm around Matt's waist and lead him out into the hall, while Near came to stand in the door way to watch them leave.

People in the hall were "Oohing" and "Awwing" at them, asking to themselves whether they were actors, or whether they were going to some costume party. Near stood there in the doorway until the two rounded the corner at the end of the hall and vanished. Only then did he close the door.

Then, he stood there, watching. Waiting.

He hadn't told Mello this, and he had tried his best to keep it out of his thoughts so as to not alert the blond, but something was indeed wrong. And he had wanted them gone and out of the room so that he could finally break down.

Someone had followed him from New York.

A/N: DUN DUN DUN!- Alright, I'll shut up. I updated so soon because, well I had it and last chapter sucked so yeah. So yes, Near, you sneaky little thing, you haha. Anyways, more drama? You bet. We see our story coming to a close soon. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. Team Mello all the way, kiddies.

1. Oscar De La Renta is an awesome designer! Gosh.

2. The whole Italic thing means they're reading each others thoughts. -coughs- 'case it wasn't obvious.

Reviews let me know you're interested.

~ Matt.