Warning: Contains violence.

Matt

"Jake? Who's that?" I thought back hard. The name rang a bell, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. But I've never heard Mello mention him before, or anyone mentioning him before, in fact. So why did it sound so familiar?

Duncan's eyes darted from side to side. He must know something; he knew everything that happened in the school. "Jake is…well, this is definitely hard to explain…Jake is someone Mello had slept with a few months back." Oh, another victim of one of Mello's sex escapades. My face fell. "But I believe he developed some feelings for Mello after their encounter in bed."

"You mean…"

"Yes, Matt, I mean he has been quite obsessed with Mello ever since that night."

"Oh my God." I remember now! I remember why he sounded so familiar! He was that dude in the locker room, the guy who I witnessed pinning Mello up against my locker. I recalled how Mello had called his name with so much bitterness, how the tension had hung in the air and how Mello had not looked comfortable with him at all. "Wait, you SAW that Jake dude bring Mello somewhere?" I asked Duncan, my worry intensifying by the second.

"He was with a group of friends who, yes, seemed to be taking him somewhere. But Mello looked quite worried—"

I couldn't listen anymore; Mello was obviously in some pretty deep shit at the moment and we should be saving him instead of standing around talking. I grabbed his shoulder, cutting him off effectively. "Where did they go, Duncan? Where were they heading?"

Duncan's eyes widened, shocked by the sudden seriousness in my tone. He pointed in the direction behind us, towards the area out-of-downtown area where business consisted of small, family owned shop houses and was the most popular hangout for old people with too much time on their hands. That place was deserted this time of the night. That nagging feeling settled in the pit of my belly yet again as various thoughts started going through my mind. They could have invited him out for a little late night shopping, right? Or just to hang out or talk, right? Shit, who was I kidding. "I've got to go, Dunc, thanks for the help!" I called back while running off towards that direction. I left the dorm telling myself I would get Mello back to make my feelings known once and for all, and get him back I shall. There was no way I was going to let a few pumped up college boys take him away from me.

I kept running, breaking out a sweat. Looking for him was harder than I thought. The area was pretty big and pretty much isolated. There were a few strangers here and there but other than that, nothing. All the shops were closed and empty and the streetlights flickered eerily in the night. I shivered, picking up my speed. I was in desperate need of a hint as to where Mello was right now. But they couldn't have gotten far, could they? I stumbled down the street, glancing into every barren store, every empty alleyway. I was starting to lose serious hope by the time I was halfway through the avenue.

Starting to slow jog, I heard something. It sounded like mumbling coming from a nearby alleyway. Tch, probably just some pothead getting weed from his dealer. I paid no mind to it until I neared the alley, close enough to hear what was going on.

"I wanna try fucking you again, Mello," I heard a male voice say. My heart almost stopped. Mello? He DID say 'Mello', right? Making no attempt to be sneaky, I ran forward into the alleyway, prepared to tear Mello away from whichever prick he was talking to. The scene I saw the minute I stepped into the passage way shocked me, leaving me transfixed to the cemented ground. There was a brunette guy, who I assumed to be Jake, crouching down in front of Mello who was naked from his waist down. His hands were bound behind his back and his eyes swollen. A white substance coated his angelic face, some caught in his blonde strands. A group of guys were gathered around Jake and Mello, one ginger was currently hunched over a camcorder on the ground. I was confused beyond belief, but I could still deduce what had been going on in there.

All eyes were on my when I let out an audible gasp. "Mello!" I called, my body still rooted to the ground.

His eyes shone with hope when he saw me. "M—Matt."

"Hey, who is that?" Someone asked sternly.

"Get him out of here!" Another person demanded.

Like hell I was leaving anytime soon.

Jake stood up from his kneeling position and sauntered over with the air of someone who thought they were 'all that'. I glared at him as he stopped just a few steps in front of me, hands crossed across his chest.

"Heard that, lil' boy?" He made a sweeping motion with his hand. "Scoot."

My jaw clenched as I forced a menacing smirk onto my lips. "Get your head out of your ass, missy. I'm not leaving without Mello."

He cocked an eyebrow, stepping forward. "Really? Well, you're gonna have to wait a little longer, we're not done with him yet."

"Shut up you fucktard! Hand him over," I shouted, losing my cool. Seeing Mello lying there helplessly, having been abused so badly by these low-lives, brought my blood to a boil. I attempted to push past him to get to Mello when a punch I never saw coming was delivered to my chin. I staggered, losing my balance for a minute before regaining it again, straightening up and staring right at the asshole.

"Step away from him. This means war," he declared, waving the rest of the guys over. They drew together behind him, forming a wall in front of me.

I smirked, ready for the fight. I could take down these kids, no problem. "Six against one, that's not very fair, is it?" Without giving them time to reply, I lunged forward, kneeing Jake right in the stomach. He doubled over, hissing in pain. I was so caught up in my victory against him that I forgot about all his minions. Big mistake.

They attacked me all at once, one of them punching me in the gut while I received another kick in the leg. As soon as I felt the stabbing pain, I fought back. I gave one a straight blow across the cheek, yanking the hair of another and pulling him down. I was elbowed hard in the back, knocking me over. Falling onto the ground, all of them towered over me, sneering. Finding the right opportunity, I hooked my foot over a brunette's ankle and pulled, making him crash onto the floor beside me. I socked him in the face before getting up, wiping my chin while the minacious glares shot through me. They spared no moment before attacking me again, coming on twice as hard as before. I was starting to have trouble keeping up. I could hear Mello screaming my name in the background; I could tell he was crying. I was tossed about, slammed into walls, getting boxed and kicked. My fists swung in all directions as I desperately tried to cling onto my strength.

As I saw someone coming towards me from the corner of my eye, I used my body to bash him into the wall. "Holy—!" I cried when something sliced into my stomach. I fell to the ground agonizingly, rolling on it and wrapping an arm around my abdomen. The pain rippled through me, sending bolts of agony up my curled spine. Mello was shouting out my name, sobbing. The kid who just stabbed me stared at my bleeding form in horror, dropping the crimson stained knife onto the floor. He was shaking violently.

"Sorry…" he whispered, though it was no use. "I'm so sorry…"

"Whoo hoo, Mike!" His mates cheered, cautiously stepping over. "You brought him down all on your own!" They praised, but he didn't look happy at all.

"Hmm, not so cocky now are we?" Jake walked over, using his shoe to prod my bleeding side. I winced, willing the tears not to flow out.

"C—coming from…s—someone who—who wasn't even…helping h—his mates out…in the…fight," I stuttered, sputtering as a coughing fit broke out.

His eyes grew cold and narrow and I knew I had angered him. He spat, his saliva landing on my face. "Mike, hand me the knife." He reached out his arm. "I'll finish him off."

Mike trembled, obviously shaken. "W—what? Jake…"

"Shut the fuck up and hand me the knife!"

The knife was tossed to him almost immediately after. He held it up heroically, the blade shining in the moonlight.

"Jake, stop! Please, STOP!" Mello screamed from behind him, but he didn't waver. His smile stretched tight across his face as he kneeled down beside me, raising the blade high up, ready to bring it down upon me. I gulped, squeezing my eyes shut for what was to come. This is how I die, right? I didn't even get to find out what Mello thought about me, or tell him all the things I've ever wanted to say. I never got to apologize to Duncan, I never really fufilled anything and now I was about to get murdered without having yet achieved anything I set out to do. My blood almost ran cold as I waited for it to just end already.

But there was no pain, and there was no death. My breath hitched and I almost had a heart attack when a police siren echoed through the neighborhood, bringing all actions to a standstill. There was the sound of heavy footsteps as three policemen charged into the scene, holding everyone at gunpoint. Was I dreaming? How could pure coincidence turn out to be so lucky? Did the residence hear a fight going on and call the police?

"Keep your hands in the air and drop all weapons!" The policemen barked, eyeing up Jake. Jake obediently let the knife fall to the ground as everyone held their hands up. The police scanned the scene; it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what had been going on, with me writhing in misery and Mello half naked and tied up. The policemen rounded Jake and his gang up, leading them in the police car while they called for an ambulance for Mello and I.

They tried, to the best of their abilities, to help control the bleeding while awaiting the arrival of the paramedics. As I groaned in pain, biting my lips, someone emerged from the shadows. He stepped into the light, revealing a pale faced Duncan. He stumbled over to me, crouching down close, but keeping a space between us. He stared wide eyed at the blood, biting his lip.

"Duncan...? What are you doing...here?" I thought he had left after telling me Mello's whereabouts.

He frowned, brow furrowed. "I knew something bad was going to happen. I called the police." He called the police? Duncan was the on who saved us. He saved me, he saved Mello.

"Thank you," I muttered, reaching out my hand to him. He held it, squeezing it, smiling slightly. Just then, the ambulance arrived and the paramedics flowed out with a stretcher, quickly loading me on and wheeling me into the back of the vehicle. A policemen led Mello in as well soon after. He was dressed with a soft blue blanket wrapped around his body and a little cleaned up, but still snivelling like a child.

"Oh God, Matt," he breathed, stroking my cheek. Fresh tears sprung from his eyes as he stared at me. "Are…are you alright?"

I managed to chuckle softly. "Yeah, I'm just fine. Don't you worry about me; you got hurt too. I can't believe those pricks…I'm gonna kill—" Just then, I erupted into a fit of coughing.

"Matt…" Mello murmured, worry evident in his voice. Even more tears flowed out from his eyes as he buried his face in his hands. Mello was crying. He was crying for me. He felt something, I know he did. It was impossible that he didn't.

"Don't worry about me, silly…I'm perfectly fine…" I forced out, smiling.

"You idiot! You stupid idiot!" he cried, nudging me lightly. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why the hell did you jump in like that?"

Wasn't it obvious? He must've noticed it. Since the day I first arrived here, since the day I first met him, we were always fated to meet. This was destined to happened, and all because of one sole fact. "Because I love you." His sobbing stopped as he looked directly at me, eyes growing, his brilliant blue orbs glistening. "Yes, Mello... I love you. I'm not kidding... It's completely true." He remained silent, face growing pink. "Which is why I'm wondering, Mello, d-do you like me too? It doesn't have to be love. J-just anything..." My eyelids were growing heavy, voice fading slowly. "I just…want you to make it clear…" I could barely keep my eyes opened as I muttered out my last words. "Do you love…me…or not…"

My eyes drifted shut just then, before I could hear his answer, before I could say anything more. I blacked out cold but I could swear I saw him nod his head as he clasped his hand around mine… …

Author's note: OOOOOh the long awaited confession. I wonder what Mello will say? Sorry I had to let Matt get stabbed. Sorry, guys, truly. But things get better! Well, I'm going to be updating a lot faster now because I've got holidays! Whoo hoo for everyone! Quite excited for this story to end since it's my FIRST multi chapter fanfiction ever soyeah. New moment in history for me. But at the same time, I feel so attached to it. *sigh* you can't have it both ways, right? So, I'll just end here for tonight. Thank you for following me this far [20th chapter]! And for the people who have inquired, the pairing for my KnB one shot is AoKi! I haven't posted it yet though, just touching up here and there but feel free to check it out once it's out. Peace, I'm out.