Note: Sorry for not posting this yesterday! My DSL box died and so I don't have an internet connexion anymore, but it should be solved on wednesday at worst, until I can go to the store and exchange the box.
It's a pity I have an Iphone and I am unable to transfer files from my laptop to it, since I have a connexion on the Iphone... Even bluetooth is against me, arg!
So I'm using my dad's connexion right now since I'm visiting my parents for Easter (800km way and back the same day, I'm gonna be dead tonight...) but I won't update in the next few days since I'll be back home tonight then.
Next chapter is probably the last chapter and believe me, the apparent calm of this one means nothing...
Mello dozed off most of the afternoon. At some point, Matt took his pulse as the blond was sound asleep. Maybe he had had the hand a bit too heavy on the dosage. After all, Mello had been on morphine until the previous day, and had taken a good amount of painkillers.
Matt knew pretty much about benzodiazepines and other anxiolytics since all Wammy's students had to take classes about drugs and all substances affecting human behaviour, going as far as to make the students test some of them to be able to recognize if they were being drugged.
So he knew the exact dosage he should give Mello to keep him in a semi sleepy state. This way, his boyfriend wouldn't think of going back to the Mafia, he would be unable to. But Mello's system probably still carried some of the previous medications he had been under and Matt had to be careful not to poison him.
Oh, Mello would have, in a normal state, noticed he was drugged, but after what he had just been through, he was unlikely to guess anything.
It was for his own good, Matt tried to convince himself, it was to keep him alive. And he couldn't feel any guilt for what he was doing, so it wasn't that bad, probably.
Mello woke up with a nausea. He had felt quite weird during the previous days, but had put that on the account of not enough food, since he was most of the time not hungry, but felt the need to drink water more than he usually did. His mouth felt constantly dry.
He could now stand up without difficulties, after a full week, his wounds had closed and were less fragile, so he could move without Matt's help. But he wasn't very steady on his feet and sometimes stumbled, or felt his legs shake slightly. Matt had gotten him a different kind of painkillers, a bit stronger than Advil, the redhead had said. Maybe it was that stuff that he prepared him twice a day that was too strong? He was still in pain, and would probably be for a long time, but as Matt had said, and he was right, Mello couldn't stay on morphine, the risk of addiction was too high. And Mello didn't want anything to control him, being under the influence of an addiction was not his thing.
The blond made his unsteady way to the bathroom just in time to throw up in the toilets. His empty stomach rejected only bile, making things even more painful than if his stomach had been full. But the sole idea of food wasn't appealing at all. Even the thought of chocolate made him sick.
He rinsed his mouth and almost crawled to bed, letting himself fall on the pillows, exhausted.
Matt stood up from the deskchair to check on his boyfriend. Mello was shifting uncomfortably to put the sheets away from him.
"I'm all itchy..." the blond complained, unable to bear the contact with the fabric and standing up again.
"It's normal, the burns are healing, it'll get better in a few days." Matt tried to reassure him.
"No, not the burns, I mean, not only the burns, it's my whole body... like an allergy or something."
Matt didn't show his discomfort, but he perfectly knew that it was one of the valium's side effects, along with the nausea. But these were better than to be killed by the Mafia, weren't they?
Dismissing the worry, he headed for the kitchen and prepared a tray for Mello.
"Eat, you'll feel better afterwards." He said softly, kissing Mello's temple as he bent to deposit the tray on the bed.
"I'm not hungry." Mello mumbled.
"Mello... you need to eat, I know you feel sick but it won't get any better if you starve yourself." Matt was trying to hurry Mello to accept the food. He needed to get back on his laptop to finish with what he was preparing, and it had to be done fast, or at least, he wanted it to be done fast, he would feel much better once he could move on with his plans.
"I know... I just hate feeling like this... Are you sure these new painkillers are good? Maybe I should stop..." The blond shifted to reach the glass containing the drug on the tray, staring at the liquid like it would give an answer.
"Please... Mello, eat. Maybe it's the painkillers, but it's only because you barely ate these last days, your system can't handle the medics with an empty stomach. Please." Matt tried hard not to show his impatience, "You can't stop the painkillers, you're already in a lot of pain with them, imagine what it would be without..." he tried to convince his boyfriend, who finally drank what the glass contained and began to pick at his food.
"I'm sorry Matt... I know it's not easy for you either... you're forced to do everything, to go out for groceries or medical supplies, to take care of my bandages, and I'm moody on top of that. I'm sorry..." Mello stared down at the food tray. He had put them in a really bad situation, he could have gotten Matt killed, or himself, leaving Matt alone, and he kept on complaining...
Matt cut him, cupping his cheek with his palm, forcing Mello to look at him: "Mello, stop that ok? I'm happy to do what I do, and happy that whatever happened, you came back and made it alive. I'd do even more if I could, so please, just take care of yourself and leave the rest to me. Eat, sleep, be your bitchy self, and stop apologising."
Mello stared in Matt's eyes, unused to see the redhead so self assured, and in charge. He was usually laid back and dependant, and it was weird to be the dependant one this time. But he smiled at the last comment.
Mello began to eat, more to please Matt than to fill his stomach, that was already protesting with the food intrusion. Swallowing hard, he willed the wave of nausea away, maybe if he could keep a bit of food, he would feel better in a few minutes.
The trunk was overloaded, as well as the passenger's seat and the floor space between the front and the back seats.
Once everything was in the Camaro, Matt came back in the almost empty apartment, and picked up Mello bridal style.
The blond was draped in a warm blanket, unconscious, and didn't move as Matt laid him on the back seat, making sure to place a pillow under his head, and adding one more blanket.
The apartment's door was still open, but he didn't care the least, after all, they would never come back, and he had put all their belongings in the Chevrolet, minus the furniture, that could as well rot here, for all he cared. No need for a crappy and creaking bed, an unsteady desk or a ripped out couch. Only their clothes and the few things they wouldn't leave behind were necessary: consoles and games, books, laptops, pictures and various souvenirs. Even the TV, DVD player and other multimedia devices were abandoned in the old apartment.
Mello wouldn't mind, Matt was sure of that, he wouldn't mind at all since the redhead had planned to replace everything with much better.
Looking around, Matt decided it was safe to leave, and, sitting on the driver's seat, he started the Camaro, lit a cigarette, checked on Mello still unconscious on the back seat, and exited the parking lot.
The sun was beginning to announce itself with shades of pink and gold, barely rising the outside temperature. There was just one thing that Matt regretted with this old Chevrolet model: air conditioning. The old style heaters could barely warm the compartment, and he could still see his and Mello's breath form a light white fog as they exhaled.
From time to time, he would stop, sliding a hand under Mello's blanket to verify his body temperature, but the blond was warm enough. Each time, Matt feared he would wake up because of the cold hand touching him, but Mello didn't make a move or a noise. This anaesthesic was useful, and could be handy later, in case Matt needed to do something like that again, he thought.
Matt had been a bit anxious at the idea of using it, at first, but even with valium, Mello would have been able to wake up, even if groggy, and it wouldn't have been easy to move quickly without arguing the situation.
The most difficult part had been to inject it. He had tried to get one that could be swallowed, but none was to be mixed with benzodiazepines, the risk of poisoning and heavy side effects couldn't be taken.
He had had to wait for Mello to be sleeping deeply, and had plunged the needle on the red spot where the intravenous had previously been placed when Mello was on morphine and other medics from the Mafia doctor. He hopefully hadn't missed the vein, and even if Mello had slightly awoken with the sting, the aenesthesic was fast enough to make him go back to sleep in less than three seconds. Maybe he would remember that when he would wake up, but Matt didn't care, and didn't worry. He had time to find an excuse or just let Mello see where this was going and appreciate the effort.
Matt did that for them to be safe, Jim had come roaming around the apartment complex two days ago, and even if he hadn't bothered entering, Matt knew that he had probably come to check for their presence.
Matt had cursed inwardly that day, realising as he saw Jim that he didn't even think of buying a gun to protect them. If the man decided to come in, Matt would never forgive himself for not being more far-sighted. Once the henchman gone, he had searched the whole apartment in case Mello had hidden a gun somewhere, but he found nothing. Knowing that Mello had probably one before, he couldn't have gone in the Mafia without, it was most likely lost somewhere near the place where Mello had got the burns.
That's when he had decided to leave the place, making sure that no one saw them leave, and he had also bought some nice fire arms that were now safely placed in the gloves compartment, ready to be used, just in case...
Matt felt at ease despite the cold. Maybe it was the fact that everything he needed was contained in the small space of the car compartment, between locked doors, and he could witness the world waking up, sun rising slowly, making the wet road glisten and giving back colours to the vegetation on the borders of the lane, without the world being able to actually reach him. Safe. Together.
It was a bit weird to him, to be driving for so long on such a long and deserted road. He was used to city traffic and short drives, but this time, he had to reach a place beyond the area he knew, several hours north of Winchester.
He had considered leaving the country, but it wouldn't have been easy to transport an unconscious Mello through the airport controls, and it was probably expected for someone who ran away to leave the country, so he had decided to stay in England, but in a safest place, a cosy apartment in Manchester's suburbs. They would be less noticed in a fairly crowded area than lost in the country.
The redhead spotted a Manchester sign around 8am and followed it, soon exiting the country road and reaching the fast lane. Half an hour later, he was parking in front of a fourteen floors building, a very modern construction that contrasted with the flowery little park on the other side of the street.
Just like on the pictures...he thought, as he glanced around him. He had found this apartment via the internet and presented himself as Mario Link to the caretaker, who gave him two sets of keys after Matt filled and signed some forms. The woman was polite, but not really concerned by the newcomer. She seemed to be the kind to do her job and nothing more.
He went back to the car, and parked it to the place he had been assigned by the caretaker, before picking up some cardboard boxes in the trunk. Mello was still unmoving and for now Matt didn't want to bring him in under the eyes of the woman, whose lodge window was giving straight on the parking and entrance of the building.
Fortunately, there was an elevator, so Mat decided he would bring everything in front of it, then put everything in and get all the stuff at the right floor at once. He barely had space for himself once all their belongings were in the elevator, and he prayed that no one would need to use it before he reached the fourteenth floor. He had chosen an apartment at the last floor for security reasons. Except the immediate neighbours, he and Mello wouldn't meet as much people as if they were on a lower floor, and the view from this apartment on the pictures seemed amazing, too.
Matt whistled as he pushed the door open. It was so much bigger and cleaner than their previous shithole!
Actually, the apartment was brand new, and still smelled of fresh pain and carpet glue. He chuckled at the thought that it would soon smell nothing more than cigarette smoke.
Quickly carrying the many boxes inside in a pile, he didn't linger too long: Mello was still in the car and could wake up anytime, or someone could see him and ask questions.
Matt locked the door behind him and came back down to the car. Carefully watching around him, he pulled Mello's still unconscious body out and, covering his head by pulling on the blanket he was draped in, slid one of the guns from the gloves compartment in one of the comforter's folds, so this way he had one in the car and one in the apartment, and, consciously turning his back to the caretaker's window, he carried his boyfriend inside. From the distance, he could as well have been carrying a rolled carpet.
Mello comfortably laid on the couch he had had delivered along with several other furnitures the day before, the caretaker accepting to open the apartment to the delivery staff of the online store for a little extra money, Matt surveyed the apartment, walking from room to room. It felt actually weird to have several rooms instead of only one.
The bed had been placed as he demanded in what would be the bedroom, the door giving on the living room would make it easier to keep an eye on Mello while he recovered.
Getting rid of the plastic protection of the bed and mattress, Matt made a ball and threw it in the corridor. There was a lot to do but for now he needed to make the bed ready, he had had few sleep the previous night with the long drive and wanted to install Mello, and rest a bit.
Rummaging in the box where all he had ordered online was put and inwardly thanking whoever had created online shopping, the best things for geeks like him ever, he stirred brand new sheets, comforter, pillows, mattress cover. He felt a bit like a chick when he was ordering this on the online store, but it would be so nice to sleep in a fully made bed with non itchy sheets and a duvet comforter, he had even gone so far as to choose the pattern: plain cream white cotton with gold english embroidery. He didn't know why, but he thought that it suited Mello. If it had been his tastes, he would probably have gone for the Kirbys on a blue background, but Mello would have hated that.
Placing the assorted curtains on the rod, Matt stared at the room: it was so beautiful, with the pure designs of the embroidery and the clear colors. The fake lamb skin carpet covering the wooden floor almost completely made the bed look like it was floating on a cloud. He smiled to himself, realising that he and Mello had never lived in such a beautiful place, and this time, they could have everything they wanted, the most expensive stuff. He felt a bit of nostalgia at the thought of the old apartment, after all, Mello had worked hard to be able to rent it at first, to take him out of Wammy's the day he turned 18. Now was his turn to offer the best to Mello, but of course, Mario Link had much more money than Mello had when they left the orphanage...
Pushing the chest of drawers against the wall facing the bed, he went back in the living room to find Mello sat on the couch, his head resting on his knees, silent.
"Mello? Are you ok?" he asked, knowing that Mello was probably very groggy.
"Mmh." was all Matt heard as a reply. Sitting beside Mello, he brushed a few strands of golden locks out of his boyfriend's face. Mello shifted and buried his face in Matt's chest, mumbling something incoherent.
"What?" Matt questioned, unable to understand a single word.
"Where... are... we?" the blond repeated, trying to articulate although it was clear that is was difficult for him.
"In our new apartment. I hope you like it." Matt replied softly, kissing the top of Mello's head.
Mello straightened and, with half lidded eyes, looked around him then at Matt, but he was mostly zoning out, unable to put his brain in action.
"'kay..." he slurred, snuggling against Matt to sleep.
"We have a bedroom now, and a comfortable bed, you know." Matt smiled although Mello couldn't see, standing up and picking up his boyfriend bridal style once again.
He carefully laid him on the bed, pushing the comforter open and undressed him from the many clothes he had dressed him in so he wouldn't be cold during the drive.
As he was pulling the comforter back on Mello, Matt suddenly felt a wave of lust. Mello's skin, barely contrasting with the color of the sheets, his hair as gold as the embroidery, the faint duvet on his legs and the few fair and curly hairs of his crotch, his hipbones slightly more visible since he barely ate lately, the part of his face that wasn't covered with gauze, long eyelashes and pale lips... Matt couldn't repress the possessiveness gaining him at the sight of his boyfriend, so weak and fragile looking.
"You're all mine Mello, I'll never let anyone harm you, never let you go..." he whispered as he slid naked under the comforter, moulding his chest against Mello's back, making sure not to touch the bandages as his hand reached for Mello's butt. Probing him, he didn't get any reaction from the blond but continued preparing him nonetheless.
He was bothered by the fact that Mello was too drugged to react, but he wanted him so bad, so bad...
Unable to refrain his need, Matt slid his painfully erected member inside of Mello, who barely groaned in his sleep.
Holding Mello's hip as he took him from behind, Matt buried his nose in the blond strands of hair, inhaling the faint scent of shampoo, panting and moaning as he felt his peak approach, exploding inside of Mello. He wanted to hold him, turn him, slam into him, but he still could keep a bit of control, the fear of hurting Mello being stronger.
Catching his breath, he felt tears roll on his face as he went down from his high. It wasn't rape, was it?