Chapter 1: Lost and Found

The peculiar stench of chocolate and cigarettes hangs heavily in the air, accompanied by the steady drone of various gaming sounds provided by a certain individual's drive to succeed in a virtual life within the realms of the television and provided by the continual feed on the X-box live. The other sits at a distance, staring dully at the gamer's health meter glowing on the upper-left hand side of the screen.

"Dammit!" curses Matt, breaking the silence and causing his voice to roll off the walls of the den.

"Careful there, Matt. You don't want your anger to overheat the TV--it's a flat screen plasma…" muses Mello, taking another substantial chunk off of his King Sized Hershey's chocolate bar.

Showing more determination than reserve, Matt switches off the X-box and saunters over to the blonde.

"Don't get all smart-ass on me, chocolate boy," he cautions.

Mello tosses aside his balled up foil—all that remains of his chocolate.

"Yeah, sure thing…" he says with a smirk. "So what level got you this time?"

Before the redhead has time to answer, he is knocked onto the floor in a friendly fight. The two boys laugh as they had when they were younger, rolling around and ducking from soft punches to the shoulders.

"Don't crush these hands," Matt chastises. "I need them to kick ass on Assassin's Creed later on."

At last the fight ceases and they both lie on their backs and stare at the ceiling, assessing the pattern of cracks with unwavering gazes. The silence however, is short-lived, due to a sudden grumbling sound originating from the depth of Matt's stomach. It is at this moment that the redhead realizes he hasn't yet eaten that day.

One word pounds over and over again through his head: food.

Food.

Food.

Food.

Food.

Food. Food. Food.

FOOD!!

"MATT!!"

The redhead snaps into awareness. He realizes Mello has him firmly by the shoulders and is shaking the living daylights out of him.

Matt instinctively pulls away.

"Hands off the merchandise!" Matt manages, from behind clenched teeth. He must, however, manage to keep a straight face, and this task ultimately proves futile, as his lips curve into a smile, and extend two inches more into a smirk, followed by a bellowing laugh.

This phrase, Mello suddenly remembers, comes from a sexual harassment informational video he and Matt had been forced to watch in their youth. Though at the time, the phrase had provided nothing short of confusion, presently, its reverberations around the den seemed to have a jovial air, accompanied by simple, laugh-out-load humor.

Both boys collapse in a heap of laughter and limbs onto the over-stuffed sofa, when Mello realizes coyly that his friend has planted him a peck on the cheek.

"I'm gonna order a pizza!" Matt comments, heading for the telephone. "I am famished." He concludes, picking up the phone and dialing a series of numbers accompanied by various 'beeps' coming from the little plastic handset. Mello hears voices on the other side, and decides to locate another chocolate bar.

Matt finishes his call and hangs up, then looks around to locate the blond.

Where'd he get to? Matt ponders, running his gloved hand through messy bangs. Just as he commences this mental debate, nature calls and Matt realizes no matter where Mello happens to be, he himself must find the quickest path possible to the restroom.

Breaking into a run, Matt locates his haven and thankfully closes the door behind him.

Thank God.

Meanwhile, Mello swims through a sea of various food items in the oversized, walk-in pantry, attempting to find a Hershey's bar.

WTF, Matt! What'd you do to the organization I instilled here!? Can't even find some sweets when I want them.

It is right then that he realizes, he always wants sweets, and clears his mind of these foolish thoughts.

At least there's enough light to see, he thinks to himself, grateful to find even the littlest bit of solace in this immensely stressful situation.

Suddenly, Mello notices a dramatic dimming of light in his previously able-to-see-stuff-in-this-light location. He turns, slowly, and notices the door of the panty is being closed by a familiar gloved hand, its body extending into the small, dark space.

"Matt…" Mello utters. He is half-whispering, as his heart seems to speed up inside his small chest.

Panic! Panic!

"What're you looking for?" Matt inquired in a casual, yet flirty tone.

"Ch-chocolate.." Mello begins, then continues, "anything sweet…" his voice trails off.

"Sweet, ne? Mello. Look closer, I think you've already found it…" the redhead takes a step closer to the leather clad figure now inches from him.

"Well, NO, I…you…can't find…I organized…" he wants to finish, but Matt's lips on his stop the words from getting anywhere further than his throat.

It is at this moment that Mello realizes the meaning of the redhead's statement he had made before this heavenly moment.

Sweet.

Mello feels his body become air and nothing else exists. The masterful work of Matt's mouth—his tongue—his lips—engulf Mello whole and he almost feels like he is flying. The only thing keeping him on the ground is Matt's steady hand and arm around his waist.

Suddenly the doorbell rings.

"Shit!" Matt breathes, pulling away a little too abruptly for Mello's current understanding.

"Pizza's here!" Mello realizes, planting a peck on Matt's cheek and running out of the pantry.

"I'll take care of it," Mello chimes.

Before Matt has time to pull himself together, Mello is gone, toward the front door, and the redhead is left stunned, but still standing on two feet. He smiles to himself and traces his own lips with his hand. He can taste chocolate.

Out of the corner of his eye, Matt spies a rectangular package. It reads is all caps "HERSHEY'S".

Matt picks up the chocolate, and a smile crosses his lips.

Mello will like this.