Well, it's only been, oh, a few years since I've updated this. But here it is! I was suddenly overcome with motivation after going through three used computers and losing my work multiple times. All of Radio's original readers are probably long gone from the fanfiction world by now, but if anyone's still with this, you're a doll.

This chapter's songs are "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap and "Let Go" by Frou Frou (also Imogen Heap actually), but imagine that the latter is a cover by Cass Lowe (you can find it on YouTube, it's brilliant).

"Kana…I'm really not so sure about all this," Matt said feebly to his friend over Saturday breakfast. "I mean, this kid appears out of nowhere, and he wears leather and has a crazy life and rides a motorcycle at age-fucking-sixteen and suddenly I'm a homosexual or something and breasts are weird and it's all happening so fast and I don't even—"

"Oh chill your tits, Matty," Kana interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Can't you just go with it for once? It's obvious that Mello likes you, why can't you accept it?"

"Because! Because…there's absolutely nothing to like about me, and he's like…gorgeous, right?"

"Matt, shut up, you're being silly." Kana shook her head and patted Matt's shoulder across her kitchen table. She was about to begin a tirade about how great the distressed redhead was when he interjected surprisingly,

"No! No, Kana, really. Why on Earth would he want me? We've known each other barely a week and I've kissed him already, and on top of that he's male, but he's somehow seduced me into being okay with his mood swings and illegal motorcycle and, and…but, why? I've never attracted any attention before, not from anyone and not ever in a…romantic way. Why him? He even said he wanted to get to know me better, and we went for coffee, and he was so...interesting and I'm really so boring and there must be something wrong, right?" Matt's thoughts from the past week were finally pouring out in the most comprehensible way they could, which was, objectively, rather incomprehensible. His awkwardness continued to give way to a persistent stream of words that caused even the speed-talking Kana to contort her face in concentration, attempting to understand. She strained to give him comforting looks now and then, but it was a challenge to both do so and hear what Matt was saying.

Matt finally paused for breath and Kana held up her hand, signaling her friend to shut his face, if only for a moment. "Matty. You can just talk to him, you know, or if that's too difficult, relax. You know, inhale, exhale, read a book, or," she couldn't help herself from giggling and adding, "hook up with your new sexy boyfriend—"

Matt cut her off with a look and left. He wanted desperately to be able to accept himself and his new situation, but it didn't feel right just yet. Mello's instant interest in him could have been described as chemistry, but Matt was more suspicious. He couldn't think of any ulterior motive, anything that would make trying to be close with someone like himself gratifying. Self-confidence never had been his strong point.

School on Monday started with a slap on the behind, from none other than Mello. Matt yelped and whipped around to see a certain devilish blonde grinning at him.

"Mello! It's school! It's a hallway! There are people, and, er, security cameras, maybe."

"Well good morning to you too, then," Mello responded and winked. "I'm well-aware there are people, but you should know by now, they don't care." Mello added with an inaudible mumble, "…because they're terrified of me, of course." He saw Matt's expression of mixed concern and displeasure and said, "Really, what's wrong this time?" Matt simply raised his eyebrows incredulously. "Come on, talk to me." The redhead was again caught off-guard by this fluctuation between devious miscreant and caring…friend? (Of course, all of Mello's actions were still toned with something that sounded vaguely like a waiting smirk.)

Matt resigned with a sigh. "All right, can we talk at lunch?"

"Of course," Mello replied. And, to Matt's annoyance, the androgynous-looking blonde pecked him on the cheek before heading to his locker for books.

Lunch took its time approaching, but when it did come, it brought a surprise. As Matt drew closer to his usual spot, he thought perhaps some other students had taken the table that day, but a few steps closer showed Mello and Kana sitting across from each other, engaged in apparently very entertaining conversation. Kana reached over and flicked Mello's bangs playfully; he grabbed her hand out of the air and put it back on the table in his own. Something surged up in Matt. He wasn't sure if it was jealousy, because he didn't believe Mello even liked him much, but there was a definite tinge of betrayal. Filled with something like perplexed rage and unsure what to think at all, Matt turned to leave. When Mello finally glanced up in search of him, he was already headed back inside the school. The blonde looked stricken, realization dawning on him about how the little scene must have looked. Shitshitshitshitshit….Was all he could think as he bolted from the courtyard. JustasIthoughthewasgettingcomfortablewithme,justasIwasstartingtoconvincemyselfIwasdoingitrightforonce… He found Matt slumped against his own locker, staring up with his vibrant jade eyes as if looking into the face of a deadly assailant, and sat down next to him in the empty hallway.

"What was that?" he asked with half-hearted anger that came out more like awkward despair.

"Nothing, it was really nothing, Matt… But I've made a mistake. I believe I've left out a…hm. A bit of an important detail about my arrival here."

"What's that got to do with you and Kana holding hands like…like…"

"Like a girl and her very gay cousin?" Mello sighed at Matt's sideways-aimed baffled look. "Kana and I are cousins; we've been in contact for a few years now. I wouldn't have even come to the country if I didn't have more than one relative here, my parents did want me to be near family. That middle-aged distant relative with no life is actually Kana's aunt, and when I became bored with Los Angeles during the summer, we all decided it might be nice if Kana and I were around each other more…even though she's the most ridiculous person anyone's ever met. So, here I am. She and I were just talking about you, actually."

Matt was still at a loss and quite apprehensive. "Right, right, okay, and while that sinks in, assuming you're not just pulling this out of thin air, you can tell me," he raised his voice, "why didn't I know any of this before? Why would Kana, my best friend, lie to me about not knowing you, and not even…not even knowing what gender you were?"

"Matt, this is actually really embarrassing, but…" Mello's usual confidence was nowhere to be found. "She'd been going on about you non-stop since I mentioned possibly moving here. She really wanted us to be friends, or more, but she knew that if she pushed me on you, you'd think she was setting you up. Which, well, she essentially was doing. But regardless—"

"So that's it," Matt interjected, talking to the floor. He'd never stood up for himself to this degree, never had such an emotional flare. "That's why you're even pretending to be interested, to make her happy? So that she could feel proud that she was the one responsible for me having friends? It's all just pity. And you were just, what, making fun of me casually before I got to lunch? I knew I wasn't worth anything, there really is no reason to actually like me, I don't even know why Kana sticks around—"

"Matt!" The redhead finally looked over in time for the blonde to cut off his rampage with a kiss. Matt backed away and stormed off in a less-than-ideal response. Unfortunately for Mello, his number-one boy-reassuring tactic had failed. He spent the remainder of the school day trying to hold Matt's glance long enough to trap him into conversation, but the hurt redhead would have none of that.

A firm knock sounded on Matt's bedroom door. Woken from his nap, he stumbled out of bed and tripped, crumbling, almost tipping completely over. He opened the door to Mello.

"Mello-this-is-absolutely-ridiculous-please-go-away," Matt tried, but Mello brushed him aside and entered the room. "How did you even get in my house?" he demanded.

"I opened the door. Now listen," Mello said firmly and sat down on the carpet, dragging Matt with him. "You. Are. So. Dense." Matt opened his mouth to protest, but Mello continued. "Do you honestly think I'd pursue you just for Kana? I wouldn't kiss a boy I didn't like, nor would I carry him up the stairs at a party because he was too drunk to move, and I certainly wouldn't bother chasing him down to explain and apologize for everything." Matt couldn't meet his eyes. "I actually like you, Matt, I thought you'd realized. It was stupid and immature and honestly totally pointless of Kana and me to lie like that, I don't know what was going through our heads. You'd have to find out eventually, right? We should've known your opinion of me wouldn't be that different if you'd thought she was setting us up, I came on to you instantly regardless. It's true, sometimes I do go after people rather quickly just for fun," —Matt glanced up to give Mello a dirty look— "but not with you." The look softened. "I felt like I already knew you because Kana told me so much. I'm smart, most of the time, but I really was being an idiot prat being so careless with you. You're intelligent, and adorable, really, you don't know how cute it is that you're so awkward, and you're actually nice and really sincere, not just a cocky wanker like every other guy out there, like me…" Mello paused to think, and Matt took the opportunity to whisper,

"Just shut up. It's…I get it." While Mello and Kana's rationale for lying was utterly ridiculous, it did fit with Kana's usual nature of unnecessary plotting. Out of her character, though, was how seamlessly the two pulled off the façade. Matt still wasn't terribly happy, but Mello's ramble was convincing enough for now.

Mello sighed, looking uncharacteristically conquered. Out of the blue, he asked, "Do you have a CD player?" Matt nodded towards his computer, and Mello produced a disc from inside his leather jacket. When he rejoined the defeated-looking redhead, Imogen Heap's smooth voice started radiating out of the speakers.

Where are we… What the hell… is going on…

Mello gently took Matt's hand in his own and coaxed him into lying back on the floor with him. They lay there in a comfortable silence, listening to the calming music, hands clasped together, Matt's head leaning towards Mello's shoulder.

Mmm whatcha say… Mm that you only meant well, well of course you did, mm whatcha say… Mm that it's all for the best, of course it is…

"Matt…I'm really sorry." Mello hadn't apologized for anything so sincerely in years.

Matt finally smiled slightly and after a bit of tugging effort dragged Mello's slim form on top of himself. "I think that's all I wanted to hear," he said quietly before leaning up and shyly kissing the blonde boy, just briefly. Mello grinned, a genuine, smirkless grin, and kissed back, barely able to stop smiling long enough to move beyond anything but lingering pecks. Matt slid his hands down Mello's slender torso and wrapped his arms around the narrow waist settled over his own.

The next song began, and a thought dawned on Matt. "Mello, why did you bring a mix CD to my house?"

"Er…"

"Am I that predictable?"

"Well, no," Mello said hesitantly, a blush appearing on his pale face, "I was being optimistic."

Drink up baby down, mm are you in or are you out… Leave your things behind, 'cause it's all going off without you…

"Matt, you're actually quite unpredictable. Unless there are video games involved I suppose. But…" Mello didn't finish his sentence but instead dipped his head to Matt's neck and brushed his lips along the curve, curling his fingers around the redhead's ribcage. Matt suddenly noticed the tingling heat pooling in his stomach and froze.

So let go, let go, just get in, oh well whatcha waiting for, it's all right, 'cause there's beauty in the breakdown…

"Mello, I um, I have homework, so you, er, yeah should probably go home but I'll see you at school and stuff, right, yep," Matt managed to say.

"Oh, I see," Mello mumbled against pale skin, "you're getting a bit too excited for your own liking just now." The blonde chuckled and ground his hips down once before kissing Matt swiftly on the cheek and disappearing out the door, leaving a hot-and-bothered redhead staring after him.

Matt squirmed on his carpet, hard-on straining against jeans. "There wasn't even tongue," he said to himself.

Sorry, that wasn't exactly a funny chapter, and its quality is questionable, but it just sort of happened. If you didn't look up Cass Lowe's "Let Go" cover, you should probably do that. Thank you millions upon millions for reading this chronologically-challenged story… I'm really, honestly planning to finish it.