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Jan 31st, 2013; 5:09 PM – 6 hours 51 minutes before Matt’s birthday
Mello was at the end of his goddamn rope. Sweat pooled uncomfortably down the small of his back and along the edge of his hairline as he let out another string of curses, throwing the heavy comforter against the wall in a final explosion of fury. It gently landed in a soft heap on the floor, and he glowered at it for a solid minute before apathetically collapsing on the bed. He wallowed for a few moments, accepting the fact that absolutely nothing was going according to plan, and he was quickly running out of time.
As the seconds ticked by, Mello could physically feel the dread spreading from the pit of his stomach to every single nerve ending in his body. He wanted tomorrow to be special, he wanted it to be perfect, and above all, he wanted Matt to have to the best birthday ever. But Mello was failing. Failing hard, as he always did.
It was his own stupid fault for leaving it all to the last possible minute. He hadn’t anticipated the case he’d been working on to stretch on for as long as it had. He’d barely seen Matt at all this past month due to the exponential amount of hours he had to dedicate closing the case. It had taken far too long, and Mello was determined to make up for all the missed time by giving Matt one hell of a birthday. However, as he was now beginning to realize, he was falling exceedingly short of his own expectations.
His initial plan had been to rent out the vintage arcade for the day, he knew Matt loved the place and would’ve been over the moon to spend the day playing games together. However, Mello hadn’t looked into it fast enough and the owner was unwilling to allow his request on such short notice, no matter how insistently Mello had tried to persuade him. He’d considered just taking Matt to the arcade anyway, but the idea of celebrating his twenty-third birthday in the company of a bunch of screaming children and bratty teenagers was less than ideal.
With that idea shot, Mello had spent the remainder of the day trying to come up with an equally decent plan and had utterly failed. The thing was, he knew Matt preferred to stay in for his birthday; he wasn’t exactly a party animal and was possibly the least sociable person Mello had ever met in his entire life. He knew that Matt would not be thrilled with a night out on the town, nor would he enjoy a scenario where he’d have to be perceived by the general public. Hell, it’d been pulling teeth just to convince him to run a few errands today so Mello could have time to brainstorm and setup what little he had planned for tomorrow. Therefore, going out appeared to be out of the question, which left Mello with the arduous task of going all out for Matt’s birthday in the limited space of the apartment.
To ease his nerves, he’d spent the day cleaning; hoping that as he went through tidying up each room it would give him some ideas as to how to make the day really special. It wasn’t until he reached the bedroom that he realized he was fucked. Matt would be home in the next few hours, and he had done nothing but set aside his favorite video games and make a list of his favorite snacks to get at the store.
Now that he’s given up on making the bed in favor of taking his aggression out on a blanket, he has nothing left to do but feel ashamed. As he’s coming to terms with the fact that he’s definitely the worst boyfriend on the planet, his phone rings.
Surprisingly, it’s not Matt, but Near. Naturally, he rejects the call; Near is the last person he wants around to witness his crisis. But of course, the phone rings again.
“What could you possibly want? I’m busy.”
“Mello.”
Mello resists the urge to chuck his phone out the window upon hearing Near’s infuriatingly calm tone.
“I said I’m busy, spit it out already.”
“It is Matt’s birthday tomorrow.”
“You don’t think I fucking know that?”
“There will be a package arriving tomorrow afternoon. Please see that he gets his gift before the day is over.”
Mello’s blood runs ice cold at the mention of a gift. In all of his worrying over how the day would go, he had completely forgotten the most important part.
“Mother fucker!” He can’t help but scream, he’s now moved on from wallowing to inconsolable anger. “Fucking piss shit, dammit! Идиот! Ебаная идиотская пизда-“
“Goodbye then.”
“Wait, don’t hang up.”
“I’m afraid I have more important things to do than to listen to you swear at me.”
“I wasn’t swearing at you, I was swearing at me.”
“Oh?”
Mello sighs and turns his face to muffle another scream into a pillow, then he stares at the ceiling and accepts his fate. As much as it pains him, he doesn’t have any other options. He’s going to need to ask Near for some help.
“What…what did you get Matt for his birthday?”
“Some Lego sets and a customized Elite controller.”
“What the hell is that?”
“A controller? For videogames…the thing with all the butto-“
“Okay, okay! I know what a damn controller is, God!”
“Well, you asked-“
“Shut up. I need your help.”
“Oh? Interesting…”
Mello resists the urge to scream again, he was most certainly going to regret this.
“Matt’s birthday is going to be a disaster. I totally dropped the ball with planning due to that fucking case you referred me to- thanks a lot by the way, it turned out to be a never-ending shitshow. Anyway, all of my ideas fell through and now I have nothing prepared. I didn’t even get him a gift. I forgot to buy my own fucking boyfriend a gift for his fucking birthday because I’m the worst shit stain to ever exist in this fucking cesspool of a-“
“Mello.”
“God, what? Would you quit interrupting me!”
“Oh, there’s more? I was just trying to save the conversation before you started swearing like a dockworker again.”
“No that’s it. Matt’s going to be miserably disappointed on his own fucking birthday. God, I hate mys-“
“Tell me, Mello. What is Matt’s favorite thing in the whole world?”
“I don’t know, videogames? Weed? Playing video games while smoking weed? Oh, and cigarettes-“
“Incorrect.”
“Inco- what the fuck? You don’t think I know-”
“It’s you. Matt’s favorite thing in this entire universe is you. Will you be present for his birthday tomorrow?”
“Of course I’ll b-“
“Good. Then it looks like Matt will have a wonderful birthday. Now if that’s all, I have some work to attend to.”
“But-“
“Don’t forget to give Matt my gift tomorrow. Ciao.”
“Annoying little shit…” Mello mutters to himself as he tosses his phone to join the pile of abandoned blankets on the floor.
As much as he hates to admit it, talking to Near did ease some of his dread. Matt doesn’t love to be fussed over, even if it is for a special occasion, but he does value spending time together. Mello takes a deep breath and accepts that there are other ways to make the day special that don’t involve grand gestures or spectacular plans. He stands up, finally snapping out of his self-loathing long enough to start making the bed again. As he gathers the discarded sheets, a plan begins to form in his head.
Jan 31st, 2013; 7:22 PM – 4 hours 37 minutes before Matt’s birthday
By the time he hears Matt shuffle through the front door, Mello’s satisfied with how quickly he’s been able to turn things around. He takes a few extra moments to make sure everything is in place then steps out of the bedroom, being sure to close the door behind him. He finds Matt on the couch, curled in on himself with his nose buried in his DS.
Mello silently makes his way behind the couch and bends down to ruffle his boyfriend’s unruly locks. Matt responds with an eloquent grunt, then tilts his head for Mello to scratch at the back of his neck. Mello’s not surprised by this reaction; Matt always needs time to decompress after spending a few hours outside of the apartment.
“Thanks for running those errands for me.”
Matt pauses his game long enough to smile up at him.
“I missed you.”
“Yeah, I missed you too.”
Matt’s smile widens as he pulls on Mello’s arm.
“Sit with me?”
Mello grins back, then makes his way around the couch until he’s able to squeeze into Matt’s personal space. The redhead settles against him and sighs happily, then resumes playing his game. Mello lets him have some time to decompress and contentedly presses a few kisses into the side of his face as his boyfriend focuses on his game. After a decent amount of time passes, Matt yawns, shuts off his DS, then faceplants into Mello’s chest. Mello wraps his arms around him as he presses another kiss to his forehead, concealing his grin beneath wild red curls.
“Are you excited for tomorrow?” he whispers into Matt’s temple.
“What’s tomorrow?”
“Ha, very funny.”
Matt lifts his head just enough to squint up at him.
“No really, what?”
“You’re joking.”
“No.”
Mello skeptically squints back, Matt’s so good at messing with him that it’s hard to tell if he’s being genuine or not.
“Quit fucking around, you know what tomorrow is.”
He’s met with a blank expression.
“Uh…oh shit am I forgetting one of our anniversaries?”
“One of- what? No. How many anniversaries do we even have?”
“Like seven.”
“Seven? That’s not how anniversaries work. We’re not even married so technically we don’t have any.”
Matt scoffs at him and rests his head back on Mello’s chest.
“Maybe not seven, but we have a lot. The anniversary of when we first met, but that was a few months ago. Our first kiss isn’t until March, then the anniversary of when you told me you like liked me is a few days after that. We just celebrated the anniversary of us getting back together in-
“Okay, okay, I get it. We have a lot of anniversaries- Jesus, you’re sentimental. But no, I wasn’t talking about any of those. Seriously, tell me what tomorrow is, this isn’t funny.”
All he gets in response is a small shrug.
“Okay…what’s today’s date?”
“The 30th I think, maybe the 31st.”
“Of what month.”
“January.”
“So, if it’s the 31st of January today, then tomorrow is...”
Mello has to refrain from getting frustrated. He’s still eighty percent sure that Matt’s messing with him, but on the off chance he isn’t Mello doesn’t want him to feel bad about forgetting his own birthday.
“February…oh…whoops.”
Mello sighs, then gently cards his fingers through Matt’s hair again. He supposes this reaction shouldn’t come as a surprise. Matt’s never really cared much for his birthday, but Mello had at least hoped he’d remember it this year.
“It’s your birthday tomorrow…”
“Right,” Matt nods into his chest then tilts his head up and shrugs. “Birthday shmirthday.”
“Uh-uh, no you don’t. Not this year.”
“Mel, it’s okay, really I don’t care. It’s just like any other day.”
“Too late, I’ve already made plans. You’re having a fun birthday whether you like it or not.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
His voice is soft and groggy, indicating that it won’t be long before nods off. Mello sighs again before pressing another kiss into the crown of Matt’s head. It only takes a few minutes until Matt begins to softly snore, so Mello takes the opportunity to slowly slip out of the embrace.
Jan 31st, 2013; 11:53 PM – 7 minutes before Matt’s birthday
Mello gradually eases open the front door of their apartment until he can poke his head through to peek into the living room. When he notices Matt still passed out on the couch, he slips inside and silently shuts the door behind him. As he tiptoes past the couch, he shakes his head fondly at the sight of Matt drooling on a throw pillow and slips down the hallway. When he opens the bedroom door, he breathes a sigh of relief seeing that everything managed to stay in place.
The elaborate blanket fort he’d constructed earlier manages to take up most of the room, so he’s careful not to disturb the heavy blankets hanging from the ceiling. Though it’d taken a hell of a long time to set up, he’s satisfied with the outcome.
He carefully appraises the full set up. Their bed is completely shrouded in various sheets and blankets that dangle precariously from the ceiling fan. The fort then extends just past the foot of their bed where he’d managed to shove a desk containing their tv monitor and a few of Matt’s game consoles. It’d been a bitch to rewire everything, but he knows Matt will be pleased having the ability to game under the comfort of their fort. As he finishes fussing with the final string of fairly lights, he’s surprised by the wave of nostalgia that washes over him. When they were kids, Matt used to love building elaborate forts with his bedding and the two of them had spent countless hours curled beneath their little hideouts.
Mello spends the next few minutes arranging Matt’s gifts and fretting over little details. Just as he starts convincing himself that his plan is ridiculously childish and lame, the bedroom door swings open to reveal his sleepy boyfriend.
“Happy birthday,” He murmurs as Matt blinks his eyes into focus.
“Holy shit,” Matt gasps and blearily stumbles into the room.
Mello waits nervously by the edge of their bed as Matt takes in their newly transformed bedroom. He can’t tell if the awed look on Matt’s face is residual drowsiness from his nap, or genuine disbelief over what he’s looking at. Mello opens his mouth to apologize for his stupid idea, but before he can get the words out Matt turns to him and smiles.
“This is awesome!”
“Really?”
“Um yeah, it looks so cozy! How long did this take you to build?”
“Not long…” Mello lies, Matt doesn’t need to know about the hours wasted wallowing in self-pity. “You really like it? I know it’s not much…”
“Are you kidding? This is so cool, dude. Reminds me of all the forts we used to build at the House.”
Mello smiles as Matt maneuvers his way through the fort’s opening. Before he settles on the bed, he pokes his head back out and extends his hand.
“Aren’t you coming?”
He quickly follows Matt through the small opening and revels in the sound of his boyfriend’s laughter as he takes in the accouterments lined neatly at the foot of the bed.
“Fuckin’ sick,” Matt exclaims, pointing to the video game set up and the collection of joints that spell out MATT along the edge of the desk.
Mello settles into the fort as Matt roots through the various movies and video games spread out on the bed. He breathes a small sigh of relief upon seeing Matt’s genuine delight and smiles to himself as the redhead’s excitement grows. After a few moments, Matt abruptly turns, then tackles Mello into the absurdly large collection of pillows he’d managed to stuff onto the bed. They wrestle as Mello squirms away from Matt’s onslaught of affection, but eventually, he gives in and lets Matt plant a few sloppy kisses along the left side of his face.
“I can’t believe you did all this,” Matt murmurs as he buries his face in the crook of Mello’s neck.
“Happy birthday, dummy.”
“Thank you, you really didn’t have to-“
“Of course I did. Now stop thanking me, we have a birthday to celebrate!”
Matt laughs into his skin before lifting his head to look at him.
“What should we do?”
“Whatever you want. You have my undivided attention for the next twenty-four hours.”
“Really? You’ll do anything I ask?”
Mello squints at him suspiciously before nodding.
“So that means you’re not going to complain if I say I want to have a Star Wars marathon?”
“Fine, as long as we don’t have to watch those shitty prequels.”
“No way! We gotta start at the beginning.”
Mello isn’t quick enough to stop the groan that falls from his lips. Matt laughs at him and places a kiss on his nose before turning around to set up the movie.
Feb 1st, 2013; 1:24 PM
The doorbell rings just as Mello finishes seasoning the boiling pot of broth on the stove. He chucks in the packet of dried ramen noodles before slipping out of the kitchen to retrieve Near’s gift. By the time he returns and sets the large box down on the kitchen table, he finds Matt hovering by the stove.
“Step away from the ramen,” Mello orders and goes to guard their lunch before Matt inadvertently sets the kitchen ablaze.
“Chill man, I was only admiring your noods”
“You just saw my nudes ten minutes ago,” Mello reminds him as he tugs at Matt’s shower-damp auburn locks.
“Hell yeah, I did,” Matt swoons, then makes his way over to the table. “What’s this?”
“Near sent you a birthday gift.”
“Aw, that was nice of him.”
Mello distracts himself with finishing up their meal as Matt fawns over his new gifts. Just as he’s about to retrieve the bowls from the cabinet, his cellphone rings. When he sees Near’s caller ID, he doesn’t bother picking up and hand’s the phone to Matt instead.
“Hey, man- yep, I just got your package. Thanks, so much! This Elite controller is sick, and…”
Matt’s voice fades as he wanders down the hall, so Mello busies himself with plating two heaping bowls of savory ramen as he waits for him to return. It doesn’t take long before Matt comes shuffling back into the kitchen mid-conversation.”
“I know right? It’s awesome in there, like the world’s coziest cave. Yeah. Yep. Oh, now? Yeah, we’re just about to have lunch. Hang on, let me show you Mello’s noods.”
Mello rolls his eyes, but can’t help but laugh when he hears Near’s emphatic No echoes through the phone’s speaker.
“Oh, I see. You meant noodles, thank goodness.”
“Not even in your wildest dreams…” Mello grumbles at Near’s audible relief.
“I should hope not,” Near snarks back at him, “though there was that one time when Matt left his laptop open-“
“O-okay,” Matt chokes as he fumbles the phone away from Mello’s reach.
“What is he talking about?” Mello demands, balling up his fists as Near’s distorted sniggering echoes from the receiver.
“I may have set a certain picture of you as my screen saver, and Near may have accidentally, and very briefly, seen said pic-“
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Matt move so quickly. It was quite the spectacle.”
Matt puts his hands up in surrender as Mello gapes at him, entirely unsure of how to react.
“Don’t be mad! It’s my birthday, so it’s kind of illegal to be mad at me. And for what it’s worth, it wasn’t technically a nude; the picture was very tasteful-”
“Oh my God, stop. You’re so fucking lucky it’s your birthday today.”
Matt nods and flashes him a radiant smile, but before he can rejoice for too long, Mello menacingly waves a wooden spoon in his direction.
“You better watch your back tomorrow, Jeevas.”
“Cool, cool, great,” he says casually before turning his attention back to the phone, “Thanks a lot, Near.”
“Do enjoy your birthday. It’s unfortunate that it will most likely be your last.”
“If he kills me tomorrow, you can take the Lego sets back. Complete them in my honor. Oh, and don’t let Roger come to my funeral.”
“Noted. Farewell, my friend. Oh- and Mello, one more thing. I told you so.”
Mello swears as the call disconnects and chooses to ignore Matt’s questioning look by slamming a bowl of food down in front of him.
“What did he mean by-“
“Nothing- I mean, how the hell am I supposed to know what the little twerp meant?”
“You’re really gonna keep secrets from me on my birthday?”
“It’s not a secret, it’s just- ugh. I was struggling with some logistics yesterday, and Near helped…put things in perspective.”
“Okay…that’s very cryptic, but it makes me happy you guys are getting along.”
“We are not.”
“Best birthday present ever,” Matt chirps as he begins stuffing noodles into his mouth.
“If you don’t shut up, I won’t hesitate to drown you in that bowl of ramen. Birthday be damned.”
Feb 1st, 2013; 6:57 PM
“Woahhh, those look fuckin sick dude!”
Mello can’t help but let out a small laugh as he watches Matt press his awestruck face against the glass oven door. They’d only put the brownies in minutes earlier, but the redhead was already buzzing with excitement as he watched the liquid chocolate bubble in the cast iron pan. The image of Matt curled in front of the oven would have been undeniably wholesome if it weren’t for the joint dangling between his fingertips and the line of hickeys snaking down his naked chest.
Mello’s grin widens as his stoned boyfriend struggles to contort his entire 6’2 frame to fit in the small floor space between the stove and the island counter he’s currently sitting on. After a few minutes of squirming, Matt manages to settle with his back to the linoleum; shoulders smushed tightly against the oven drawer and a cabinet just beneath Mello’s left foot. The blonde raises an eyebrow at Matt’s awkward position on the floor but is only met with a dopey smile and two thumbs up.
Unable to help himself thanks to the thick haze of his high, Mello lets out another round of giggles and stretches his leg until his big toe meets Matt’s left thumb. Matt’s smile grows as he fixates on Mello’s foot, switching between running his thumb along the bottom of it and gently pulling at his toes. Mello makes a face as Matt continues to touch his feet, and immediately jerks away when the redhead’s thumb brushes past a particularly sensitive part of his foot.
“Knock it off,” he murmurs, sending him a warning glare.
Matt pouts up at him and grabs at his other foot, pulling it closer to his chest in some half-baked attempt to hug it.
“But I’m having fun.”
Mello rolls his eyes but lets Matt hug his foot. The redhead thanks him with a few kisses along his ankle, then continues tracing nonsensical patterns along the bridge of his foot. With Matt happily distracted, Mello leans down to rescue the dwindling joint from the astray resting on his boyfriend’s thigh. He takes the final drag with a satisfied inhale, letting the smoke slowly slip away from his lips as he throws the roach into the sink behind him.
When he looks down at Matt again, it appears that he’s abandoned his bizarre foot worship in favor of longingly stroking at the oven’s glass.
“I can’t wait for my brownie friends to be born.”
Mello laughs again at Matt’s sincerity and moves from the countertop to sit in his lap. Matt lets out a pleased hum and slips a hand up the back of his t-shirt as he smushes into the small space. Mello relaxes and leans against the island’s cabinets as he rakes his fingers through Matt’s perpetually unruly mop of red locks.
“You’re stoned out of your mind.”
Matt pouts up at him and pokes his face.
“Like you aren’t. At least I’m making friends,” he emphasizes, gesturing to the oven.
“Do you make a habit of eating all of your friends?”
The moment the sentence escapes from his mouth, Mello knows he’ll regret the choice of wording. As if on cue, Matt sits up just enough to flash him his biggest shit-eating grin.
“Only my best friends.”
“Ah, so that’s what you and Near get up to during your dorky Lego nights. You cannibalize each other.”
“Oh definitely. I munch on his forearm, he takes a bite out of my shin. We build the Millennium Falcon. It’s a blast, you’re missing out man.”
Matt makes himself laugh at the absurd image he’s created and collapses back on the tiles in a fit of giggles. Mello watches him and can’t help but laugh along; Matt’s laughter is far more addictive than any drug could ever hope to be. Immediately after their laughter dies down, Matt’s stomach lets out a loud grumble.
“Hey Mels, when are the brownies gonna be ready?”
“In twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes!” Comes the redhead’s exasperated cry, “But it’s been hours.”
“It’s been exactly four minutes and twenty-eight seconds since we put the brownies in the oven you dope.”
“Ugh, I’m bored.”
“Okay, let’s get off the floor and do something then.”
Mello rises from his perch and steps out from behind the counter. But when he turns to face Matt, he finds his boyfriend struggling to dislodge himself from the cramped space.
“Mhh, I think I’m stuck.”
“Guess you’ll just have to live there now. It was nice knowing you.”
“You’re really dumping me now that I’m a floor person? That’s cold even for you Mel,” Matt grunts as he struggles to contort his elbow out from under him.
“I have standards,” Mello teases, bending down to help Matt free his arms.
It takes a bit more maneuvering, but Matt eventually manages to heave himself into a sitting position. With a final tug, Mello helps him to his feet and Matt uses the momentum to flop heavily against Mello’s body. He tries his best to steady his wobbly boyfriend, but before he can react, Matt envelops him in a bear hug and spins them around. Too stoned to put up much resistance, Mello laughs as Matt shuffles and whirls around the kitchen, occasionally bumping them into the hard edges of the kitchen table.
“Oh, I know what we can do,” Matt murmurs into his hair as they come to a staggering halt.
Before Mello can ask, Matt yanks his speaker off the counter and starts fussing with the settings. It isn’t long before a slow beat thrums throughout the kitchen, and Mello flushes and looks away when Matt extends a hand in his direction.
“C’mon, it’ll be fun,” Matt declares as he takes another step into Mello’s personal space.
When the night has come, and the land is dark…
Mello groans once he recognizes the song but doesn’t stop Matt when he grasps his wrist and slides a palm over his lower back.
“This song is so lame,” he grumbles as Matt starts clumsily guiding him around the linoleum floor.
“This song is a classic. Now quit pouting and stand by meee.”
Mello rolls his eyes as Matt sings along to the song, but smiles despite himself. Rather than fixate on how ridiculously cliche he feels, he allows himself to be swept up in the moment. Mello sighs happily as their eyes meet, and brings his arms up to rest loosely around Matt’s neck, swaying along with his boyfriend’s clumsy movements.
Feb 1st, 2013; 11:29 PM
“God. Fucking. Dammit!”
Mello swears vehemently as he watches his pixelated character drop dead for the umpteenth time. Matt sighs behind him and rests his chin on top of his head as his character runs toward the direction of Mello’s scattered inventory.
“This is why I told you to stick to chopping wood.”
“I was chopping wood.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m a certified genius or anything, but last time I checked trees don’t grow underground.” Matt jeers as his character carefully makes its way through the narrow cavern Mello perished in.
“Certified genius my-“
Mello yelps as Matt’s knees pinch firmly into his sides.
“Chopping wood is fucking boring,” he snipes. “This game is called Minecraft, not Woodcraft.”
“Baby, you can craft my wood any day.”
“That doesn’t even make any sense.”
“Okay, I’ll admit it wasn’t my best. Now stop bitching and help me collect your shit.”
“This game fucking sucks,” he groans after watching Matt slay the horde of zombies that murdered him with ease.
“It would probably suck a lot less if you just stuck to chopping wood and killing cows liked I asked.”
“Why the hell do you need this shit anyway? The house is practically finished.”
“Nuh-uh. We’re building our dream house, does that tiny cabin look like a dream house to you?”
“Christ, how long is this going to take?”
“You promised you wouldn’t complain!”
Mello yelps as Matt squeezes his thighs tighter around his midsection, then cranes his neck to make a face at him. Matt responds by sticking his tongue out and hugging him closer to his chest. Not to be outdone, Mello snakes an arm behind him and pinches at a soft spot just above Matt’s hipbone. The redhead jumps involuntarily, then tosses his controller to the side before he rolls them over, effectively pinning Mello to the bed. Mello forces his expression into a scowl and tries desperately not to crack as Matt blinks down at him with his stupidly charming face.
“Are you really not having fun?” Matt asks, inching his way closer to Mello.
Mello screws his lips shut as Matt’s nose bumps into his own, determined to hold on to his insolence.
“We can play something else if you want,” Matt offers, warm breath washing over Mello’s flushed cheeks.
“Just say the word and-“
Mello closes the scant distance between them with a searing kiss, laughing into the redhead’s mouth as he groans in excitement. He lets Matt deepen the kiss and loses himself in the heated tangle of lips and tongue. It’s warm beneath the canopy of the blanket fort, but Mello finds himself craving more of Matt’s heat as he drops down from his forearms and envelops Mello’s body with his own. Mello slides his hands beneath Matt’s baggy shirt, raking his manicured nails against the sensitive points along his spine. Matt shudders against him, responsive as ever.
Spurred on by his reaction, Mello continues caressing his back as they make out; gradually running his nails against the small of his back and sliding them up until they’re able to latch on to broad shoulders. The sensation must be too much for Matt because after a few moments, he abruptly breaks their kiss and tucks his chin, panting rapidly into the curve of Mello’s neck. With a final pull of his fingertips, Mello slips his hand from beneath Matt’s shirt and lifts them until his fingers thread their way through auburn curls.
Matt shivers again, then places a single kiss to Mello’s jaw as he slowly starts to rise. Mello watches as he sits, stretches, then pulls his shirt over his head and discards it. He bites his lip as he admires the slight flex in his abdominal muscles as Matt turns back to face him. Unable to help himself, Mello pokes him in the stomach and laughs when Matt flinches in surprise. The redhead swats at his wandering fingers before interlacing them with his own. He leans down slightly as he draws their clasped hands to his lips and kisses the back of Mello’s hand.
Mello smiles up at him and lifts his free hand to caress the side of Matt’s face, thumb sliding gently over a smattering of freckles along his right cheekbone. Matt’s grin widens the longer they gaze at each other, and Mello has to close his eyes for a moment to collect himself. He feels Matt kiss his hand again, lips sliding gently over his knuckles, then back down to the soft skin beneath his wrist. Mello hums happily when Matt leans forward to press their foreheads together.
“Hey, Mel?”
“Hm?”
“Thanks for today…it really, um, meant a lot to me.”
Mello opens his eyes upon hearing the rare vulnerability in Matt’s voice, and carefully brings his palms up to rest on either side of his boyfriend’s flushed face before he can turn away. Matt doesn’t meet his gaze at first, and Mello can feel him toying with a wayward lock of his blonde hair. He knows he could probably say something to ease the intensity of the moment, but instead of deflecting with humor, he pulls Matt closer and slots their mouths together. He lets Matt set the pace, toes curling with each gentle and agonizingly slow pull of their lips. When they part, Mello grins up at him and runs his hand along Matt’s chest until his palm rests firmly against his thrumming heart.
“Happy birthday, Matty.”