Hot Mello (Book 1)

Don't Look Away

I was in my apartment late one night when I heard screams from the hallway. I recognised my neighbour's voice telling someone to calm down and be quiet. The other voice sounded in pain so I opened my door to see if they needed help.

My neighbour was a redheaded young man called Matt, and he was dragging a blonde dressed in leather and covered in blood towards his apartment door. I instinctively rushed over to help carry his friend. Matt handed me a key and I opened his door for him and helped place the blonde on his double bed. The whole left side of the face was burned and bleeding badly.

"Y/N, I don't know what to do. He's an old friend, he called me for help, but what the fuck do I do? I can't get him medical attention because, uh for reasons I can't really say. I need to leave for work soon too, they're already about to fire me, I have to go in, what the hell should I do?"

"Whoa ok Matt, take deep breaths and calm down. You can't help anyone if you're panicked, though I understand. I'll take care of your friend as best I can."

"I can help for a few minutes."

He showed me his first aid cabinet, he hadn't got much so I ran into my apartment to grab some stuff too.

"Can you google how to treat bad burns? I'm used to treating cuts but nothing like this. Holy fuck."

I didn't ask what happened, that wasn't important right now. Matt helped me cool his friend's skin with wet towels, I washed the blood away and we bandaged up his face, neck and shoulder. He started to regain consciousness as Matt was leaving so I got him to drink some water and take painkillers.

I didn't know what else to do but stay with him. I realised I didn't even know his name. He didn't know me but he clung to me, so I lay beside him. He kept whispering that he couldn't breathe and was scared.

"Hey, you're breathing ok. You'll be ok. I'm here."

"Don't look at me! I must look hideous!" He half shouted, half cried.

"You don't but that doesn't matter right now anyway. What's your name? I'm Y/N."

"Don't leave me here alone." He clutched me tighter. "Mello, I'm Mello. I can't see or hear you properly. The explosion was too close to me, on my left."

"Ok Mello, can you hear me better if I speak into your right ear?" He nodded. "Can you see ok with your right eye?" He nodded again.

"Who are you and why are you helping me? Why do you care?" He asked.

"I just do." He lay his head on my chest and I put one arm around his right shoulder.

"Put your other arm around me too."

"No, I don't want to hurt you. But I'm here, I'll stay as long as you need me."

"Will you stay forever?" He murmured.

"Yes. You're beautiful by the way, not hideous at all. Not that I'm hitting on you right now, but I'm just saying..."

His whole body started shaking which alarmed me, until I realised he was laughing.

"Maybe you should get some sleep now." I suggested.

He stopped laughing. "No, I don't want to go asleep in case I wake up and you're gone."

"I'm not going anywhere. Matt is at work but he'll be back and I've no work to go to so I'm staying as long as you need me."

"Stay forever please." He whispered as he fell asleep.

I held him as he slept through the night. I stayed awake in case he needed anything. He really was beautiful, despite the burns and bandages. It was the strangest first meeting, but whoever the fuck he was, I wanted to keep him in my life.