Dark blue eyes of Matt stared at the small bouquet of flowers in his hand as he placed it in a vase, glancing through his goggles at the cake that sat on the dining room table as he set it perfectly in the middle. His cigarette was hanging loosely on his lips, yet it was unlit. Candles were lit and placed on the table, freshly lit just minutes ago. His mind was deep in thought and he was feeling a little anxious, a characteristic that was foreign to someone like him. He looked at the time – it was almost twelve – before sighing. He was waiting expectantly for Neru to come in, since he texted her saying he wanted to ask her something important and to meet him in the dining room of the apartment. At the moment, she was out doing something – he did not know and she did not tell him – and he was busy waiting for her to come home. She had not been gone for long, at least an hour, but it was enough to get everything set up perfectly just for her.

Through his goggles, he spotted a tiny velvet box hiding behind the cake, Neru's favorite treat, and making sure it was hidden perfectly behind it. When he was sure, he placed his hand on it and opened it, revealing a magnificent diamond ring kept safely in white silk. He smiled; he knew it would suit her, especially since he spent so much time looking for the perfect engagement ring. As surprising as it was, Matt was very particular when it came to finding a good enough gift that would be for her. He, honestly, felt anxious about asking the infamous four sentence question even though they had been together for quite some time – about a year and a half to two years now. Still, the fact that he was going forward with the plan of taking the relationship to the next level was really odd for him. He did love her; more than he ever thought was imaginable to love another. Maybe the thought of asking her was just making him antsy, that taking it to the next level was something he should think about more before actually going through with such an important step.

The gamer's eyes narrowed behind his goggles, removing the unlit cigarette from his lips. No, he told himself, no, I won't chicken out of this. He already thought about all of this, especially to Mello, who thought it was a good idea and it would be best for Matt. He knew he loved her to no end, and asking her to marry him would only prove his point.

The sound of the door opening was heard, grabbing Matt's attention. He quickly closed the box and stood back up, playing it cool and making it seem like it was just a little gift that he put together just for her. A loud sigh was heard from the familiar voice of Neru entered the apartment. She sounded a little fatigued, that or relieved about something. He was not entirely sure, but at the moment he was more focused on what was going to happen very soon, something that would change both his life and Neru's life forever.

"Matt!" She called out to him. "I'm back! Where are you?"

"Didn't you get my message?" He asked her.

"Um..." He could tell that she was shifting her eyes. "…No?"

He smiled and shook his head; why was he not surprised by her answer?

"I'm in the dining room." He called her.

Moments later, the familiar dark hair that belonged to Neru entered the location that Matt was in, her brown eyes looking over him and sending him a sweet smile. She was glad to see him after whatever it was that she was doing, but he was she was going to be even happier when she spotted the familiar treat on the table. Then, they fell upon the cake, flowers and candles set up on the table.

"Wha…" She started, looking over everything a second time before looking at Matt. "What…is all this…?"

He shrugged and replied, "Well, it's cake, flowers and candles." He gave her a cocky look. "I thought you knew what it was."

She gave him a look, one that called him a smartass for his comment.

"I know what it is," she stated, "but I'm asking what it's for?"

He chuckled as he took a step forward.

"I thought I should do something nice for you for a change." He explained. "Seeing as how cake is your favorite, I thought I would get it for you."

She looked at him curiously as she made her way over to him; realizing that he was still standing near the location of the ring, he made his way forward and met her halfway. He did not want her seeing it just yet, but more as a surprise.

"What's the occasion, Matt?" She questioned, brown eyes looking over the cake as if she just won a fat stack of cash and became the richest person in the world. "You never do something like this for me unless it's really important."

He smiled as his hands fell on her hips, pulling her closer to him, as he answered, "There is something I want to tell you, but how about that cake first?"

Her face brightened at his words before she kissed his lips and ran into the kitchen. It was as if she was waiting for him to give her permission to leave for the plates and eat her cake. He smiled and shook his head at how fast she sprinted out of the room. He loved the way her eyes lit up over the littlest things, especially when it was about the things she loved the most. It reminded him of the days back at Wammy's Orphanage; she was so innocent and childlike…when she was not causing trouble and messing with Mello and his chocolate. He loved that innocent look that filled in her eyes. It was one of the many reasons why he loved her as much as he did. His lips pursed. He assumed it was also one of the reasons that convinced him to take the next step. He adored everything about her; her sweet smile, brown eyes, and a personality that was all her own. He held a lot of respect for her, especially since she had been so helpful during the Kira investigation.

His eyes fell down to the ring, his gloved hand reaching over to pick it up. The anxiety that once latched onto him moments before she arrived had completely vanished from him. He no longer felt afraid to ask her the desired question, one that he had thought about for many months. Instead, he felt…expectant; he anticipated this moment. Of course, he wanted the moment to be just right so she can remember it many years from now. Granted, it may not be the fanciest idea for remembering the day someone proposed, but it certainly was better than just proposing in any old place. As mentioned before, Matt wanted this moment to be extra special, and it was all for Neru. He smile fell on his lips as he pocketed the ring. Pretty soon, the moment would arise for when he would ask that question, hoping that she would, indeed, say yes.

Looking back over to the kitchen, he watched silently as Neru returned with the plates and utensils in hand. Her smile was wide as she handed one off to him, to which he accepted.

"So tell me, Matt," she said, cutting herself a piece. Even though she handed him a plate, Matt opted against taking one; it was hers after all. "What is all this for?"

"I already told you," he replied, setting down the empty plate. "I thought I should do something nice for you."

"Mmhmm…" She answered as she took a bite of cake – it just so happened to be chocolate, which was one of her many favorites. She looked at him after swallowing the piece. "I know you're planning something because you rarely do stuff like this." She set her own plate down and turned to look at him. "So what gives?"

His eyes shifted behind his orange goggles, swallowing the lump in his throat. This is it… He told himself as his hand slipped into his pocket unnoticed. It's not or never.

"Well," he slowly started taking a step toward her. "There's something that's been on my mind for…a really long time." She raised an eyebrow. "It's been…bothering me a lot, and I came to the decision to just…let it out." She blinked, waiting for the question to come up. He inhaled as he gripped the box in his hand. "Neru…" He started.

SLAM!

"MATT!" He cringed at the sound of his name being shouted before turning around to spot an enraged looking Mello storming up to him. "Where the Hell is it?!"

His brows furrowed, yet he remained calm.

"Where's what?" He questioned, though he had a feeling he knew what it was.

"My damn stash of chocolate!" Yup, he knew it. "You left a note saying you stashed it, and I'm about ready to kick your ass if you don't tell me where it is!"

Before Matt had the chance to answer him, Neru suddenly burst out into laughter. When he looked at her, he noticed her holding her stomach and using the table for support. He noticed some of the tears of laughter falling from her eyes. Matt frowned; that was something else he anticipated.

"Neru," he spoke. "What did you do?"

When her laughter ceased, she looked at him, wiping away the tears that formed with her sleeve. Her face was flushed from all of the laughing she did.

"R-remember when I s-said that I was going out to do something?" She asked. Matt kept staring at her, though he could tell Mello was about ready to explode. She snickered and said, "Well, I went to the hideout…a-and I stole Mello's chocolate and hid them. Then, I wrote a n-note that said you did it!"

She started to laugh again, only this time she laughed so much she fell to the floor, holding her stomach and laughing hysterically. Matt simply watched her for a moment before looking at his best friend, who looked at him around the same time. How could they have fallen for this trick…again? Matt never was a sweets person to begin with, and Mello knew better than to blame him. Then again, it was hard when one is as addicted to chocolates as Matt is to video games. Besides, Neru had forged his handwriting and made it seem as though it was Matt. However, he knew her handwriting all too well; her handwriting was much more elegant and…well, feminine for it to be Matt's handwriting. He was surprised Mello actually fell for such a thing the way he did. Maybe it was his emotions that clouded his mind so much that he did not even notice.

After a moment, and while Neru continued to laugh, Mello looked over at everything that was there, taking a good look at it before looking back at Matt.

"What's all this for?" He questioned, his once pissed off demeanor a thing of the past. Matt did not reply; his face remained straight as if he was ticked off. Instead, he glanced at the still laughing Neru before looking back at him. Then, he pulled out the box that held the engagement ring and showed it to him. It did not take long for it to click in Mello's mind and figure out what was going on. He was silent for a long moment before looking back at his best friend, who quickly pocketed the ring before she saw it. Then, after another moment of near silence, his eyes shifted and only one word left his lips: "Oops…"