Author's Note: Merry Christmas everyone! You get your present a day earlier than I had planned because my lovely beta is absolutely wonderful. Enjoy the yaoi hotness ;)

Unconventional

Matt smashed the butt of his cigarette in the ash tray and pushed his chair back from the small wooden table. He lifted his goggles up to rub his eyes before replacing them, tinting the world orange once again. After five straight hours of staring into the screen of his laptop, his eyes were starting to burn. He glanced at the small digital clock in the lower right hand corner of the screen. Six o'clock pm. No wonder he was hungry; he hadn't eaten since 10:30 that morning when he had gotten up. But unfortunately, there was no food in the run-down little hotel room he was currently in.

His stomach growled loudly. I wish I was still as Wammy's House. He could still taste the feast that was always made for them on Christmas. But there was no way he could ever go back, not after leaving to help Mello.

With each passing day, he was regretting this decision more and more. Especially now. Matt had expected some sort of day off since it was Christmas, but of course that wasn't acceptable to the tyrannical, bossy, demanding Mello. Well I suppose sitting in here hacking into government databases is better than going out into the cold. Monitoring Misa was Mello's job today…only because he wasn't good with computers.

Upon Mello's departure, Matt had considered just slacking off all day. He felt like he had been working awfully hard lately and deserved a day off. Of course he could never tell this to Mello. There would be a fight starting with Mello yelling at him about how lazy he was and ending with Matt staying in the hotel room working anyway. And if he didn't made any progress while Mello was away, a similar fight would occur when he returned. So, he had done what Mello had told him to do. Like he always did.

Matt sighed deeply. Mello had changed dramatically since he had left Wammy's. Sure, he was always bossy and arrogant, but he had never acted so cold towards Matt before. When Mello had contacted him, Matt had been ecstatic; he had missed Mello terribly and could only imagine what it would be like to be able to hang out with his best friend again.

But whatever he had imagined was nothing like what actually had came to pass. From the moment he met Mello at the designated location they had agreed upon, he knew things would be different. The first thing he noticed was the angry red burn scar that covered the right side of his face, still very raw and not fully healed yet. He had asked Mello what had happened but had received no further explanation than "An explosion." followed by a "Come on. We have work to do."

The more time Matt spent with him, the more he noticed that was different. Mello had always had an affinity for black clothing but never black leather clothing. And he hadn't seen him smile once, not really. Despite its semblance to a smile, a smirk did not count. Matt understood that catching Kira before Near did was important to Mello, but it was as if he was completely consumed by this desire. Everything they did had to do with the Kira case with no time left over to simply hang out like they used to.

Matt fished his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out an old, very worn photograph. He unfolded it, staring down at a younger version of himself and Mello. It was summer in the picture. They were standing out in the field behind Wammy's, Mello's arm placed lightly around Matt's shoulder. He remembered that day clearly despite the fact that he had only been seven when it had happened.

It had been the first beautiful day after a week of damp, rainy weather. Everyone had been tired of being stuck inside and so they had jumped at the chance of being let outside to play. He and Mello, as well as a couple of the other boys their age, had ventured out into the field in search of bugs. Matt had found a fat worm and decided the best place to put it would be atop Linda's head. The pigtailed girl had let out a loud screech when she felt the slimy creature squirm in her hair. All the boys had thought it was hilarious, but one of the girls told Roger and Matt ended up getting in trouble. But Roger wasn't told until much later in the day.

After the worm incident, Matt had returned to catching bugs, the most exciting of which was a large grasshopper. Mello, however, in his constant endeavor to be the best, had proclaimed that he could do better and set out to catch a spider. Matt had had his doubts; he knew that Mello was afraid of spiders, but hadn't said anything.

Soon Mello had returned with a large brown spider in hand. The excitement in his voice as he called to Matt informing him "I found one!" had not matched the worried look on his face. The spider evidently had not like being bounced around in Mello's hand as he ran, because before he could even reach Matt, Mello had let out a cry of pain and stopped dead in his tracks.

Matt had came forward to see what was the matter as Mello had shaken the spider from his hand to the ground. Before the spider could scurry away, Matt had stomped on in for injuring his best friend. Mello had clenched his small fist to his chest, tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes. He had reluctantly let Matt pry his fingers open to look at the palm of his hand; a bright red splotch sat near the center.

Matt had insisted that they go to the nurse's office despite Mello's pleas not to. At that point he had been trying to hide the fact that he was crying from the pain and didn't want to draw more attention to himself. But Matt had been worried about his friend and so dragged Mello to see the nurse.

That's the Mello I remember; the one that acts cocky but really isn't all that brave. Matt looked down the picture in his hand and sighed. Seven-year-old Mello smiled up at him, proudly displaying his missing front tooth. He missed Mello's smile.

Matt heard the door open and quickly shoved the picture back into his wallet. His attention went back to the computer screen in an attempt to appear as if he was working.

"Make much progress?" were the first words out of Mello's mouth.

Not caring enough to make the effort to turn around, he responded to the computer screen, "Yep." A pleasant smell greeted his nose as his stomach let out another very audible growl. Is that Chinese food? He turned around with sudden motivation and saw Mello set down a large brown paper bag before taking his leather jacket off and throwing it to the nearest of the two beds.

Matt sprang from his chair and pushed past Mello to get to the food awaiting him. He picked up the first take-out box, not caring what it was, and opened it; pieces of chicken laid out on a lettuce leaf greeted him. He sat down on the edge of the bed and started eating it happily, not waiting for any sort of eating utensil.

"Who said that was for you?" Mello said, seemingly annoyed. Or at least, Matt thought that he was annoyed. He would have thought that he was joking, but this new Mello didn't seem to joke around.

"You want some?" Matt said though a mouthful of food, holding the take-out container up towards Mello. A small smile came to Mello's lips. A real smile, not the smirk that he had replaced his old smile with. Matt stopped eating and looked up at him, surprised.

"Yeah. Sure." Mello took a piece of the chicken and ate it before taking the rest of the containers of food out of the bag to sit on the nightstand. Matt looked over at the small feast of food laid out before him; it wasn't the Christmas feast at Wammy's, but he would take it. "I'm sorry I've been such an ass lately."

Was that Mello apologizing? Matt couldn't believe his ears. "What?" he asked not convinced that he had heard right.

"You know what I said. I'm not going to say it again." Matt looked over at Mello who was staring down into the container of chow mein he was eating from. "And we're taking the rest of the day off."

"What happened to you?" Matt said, still looking at the blond sitting next to him.

"I give you the rest of the day off and you ask me what happened to me?" Mello exclaimed, his voice rising. "You could at least be a little grateful."

"No, I don't think you know what I mean." Mello looked up from his food. "You…you used to be different. You've changed, Mels." He hadn't used Mello's nickname in so long that it almost seemed wrong to use it, especially since it no longer seemed to apply to the person sitting next to him.

"People change. Did you honestly think I would be the exact same as when I left?" Mello's voice was gentler than he had heard it in a long time.

"No, but I expected you to at least resemble the person you used to be. I don't even recognize you anymore."

"Sorry I got half my face blown off," Mello responded sarcastically.

"You know that's not what I mean."

"Then tell me. What exactly do you mean?" It was clear that Mello was getting tired of this. Matt hesitated before responding, worried about how Mello would take what he was about to say.

"You're…different…"

"Yeah, I got that."

"Give me a second to finish." When it appeared that Mello wouldn't interrupt him this time, Matt continued. "You used to be more carefree, you used to smile more…you were bossy and arrogant and you still are, but it's not the same. It's not an act anymore; it's like you see everyone else as beneath you. You…used to be my friend." Mello got up and sat the take out box of chow mein on the bed.

"And you think I'm not now? Is that what you're saying? Because I trust you with my life, Matt. I wouldn't have asked you for help if I didn't." Any calm that had entered his voice previously had now abandoned it. "Well I suppose if we aren't friends than I shouldn't have gotten you this," he said, taking a small wrapped box out of the pocket of his leather jacket which still lay on the bed and threw it at Matt. "Merry Christmas," he grumbled, storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

Matt had not meant to offend Mello in any way and felt terrible for doing so. He briefly considered trying to go after Mello but decided against it. His actions would probably only end up making Mello even angrier and would likely leave Matt with a black eye. Instead, he picked up the small gift that had fallen to the bed beside him and unwrapped it. With the green paper discarded to the floor, he opened the top of the small box. He was surprised to find a Game Boy game cartridge sitting inside and was even more shocked when he saw what it was.

The year Pokémon Yellow had been released, Matt could talk of little else. He wanted it more than he had ever wanted a game before, but at ten years old, he had no real source of income. So he had waited for Christmas, hoping that someone, anyone, would get it for him. Of course all the other orphans had no way of buying such an expensive present for him, so his last hope was L who always sent each of them a Christmas present. But L hadn't visited Wammy's in so long that there was no way for him to know the exact game that Matt wanted. He had sent a video game, but looking back on that Christmas, Matt couldn't even remember what it was.

When Matt had returned to their room that night, Mello had given him his present; it was a Pikachu stuffed animal. He had told Matt that was the best he could do, but as soon as he had the money, he would get the game for him.

Matt looked down on the small game cartridge that sat in the palm of his hand. I can't believe he actually remembered. Feeling the paper taped to the back, he flipped it over:

Because I couldn't get if for you then.

~Mello

This only made him feel worse about upsetting Mello than he did before. Matt gently sat the game down on the nightstand and got up to go search for Mello. He threw open the door and ran for the elevator.

"I'm over here, you idiot." Hearing Mello's voice, Matt turned around. The blond was leaning against the wall, eating a bar of chocolate.

"I thought you left," Matt said as he walked over to Mello.

"Why bother. I knew you would come running as soon as you saw your gift. You're like a puppy, Mattie. It doesn't matter how many times I hurt you, you always come running back… I am sorry though…about how I treated you." He looked to Matt for forgiveness.

Matt didn't say anything but stepped forward to hug his best friend. Because at that moment, Mello was his best friend again; he was the carefree kid in the picture smiling from ear to ear.

"Okay, Matt, that's enough." Mello said, trying to squirm away from the redhead's grip.

"Nope, sorry. You're finally back to you're old self. I'm not letting go; you might change back." His joking manner did nothing to appease Mello.

"Come on. This is getting awkward."

"What's awkward are the leather pants you're wearing. Seriously, how can you even move in those things?"

"At least I'm not some goggle wearing freak! Matt, get off!" In his attempt to pull away, Mello fell backwards, pulling Matt down on top of him.

Matt looked down at Mello. Is it just my imagination or does he look nervous? He had the sudden urge to kiss him. No, no, no, no, no. I can't do that! He's my best friend, and he's a guy. I can't, I just… No, I can't do that. He could feel heat rise to his face, becoming even more self-conscious now that he was certain that he must be blushing. But his lips look so soft… And one kiss couldn't hurt, right? Despite his brain's original protests, his want to kiss the man lying under him won.

Matt started to lean down but stopped part way to make sure that Mello wouldn't try to halt his advancements. With no evident protests, Matt continued his descent, placing one chaste kiss on his friend's lips. He pulled back slowly, afraid of what Mello would do next.

Mello looked up at him, eyes wide, face flushed. "Matt?" His voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Yes?"

"We're still in the hall." Matt looked up, somewhat astonished by this.

"So we are."

"Why are we doing this here?"

Matt didn't have an answer; it's not like he had planned on this happening. He got up from the floor and held out his hand to Mello to help him up. As they returned to the hotel room, he wondered how this happened. He swore that not even an hour before, he almost hated Mello. Matt shut the door behind them. "So what does this-" But before he could finish his sentence, Mello cut him off.

"Shut up."

"Wha-" Suddenly, Mello had him pushed up against the door, his tongue forcing its way into Matt's partially open mouth. He tensed, not expecting the intrusion but soon relaxed as he became more used to Mello's touch.

Unexpectedly, his arms came up to pull Mello closer. He was astounded by how much he wanted this, wondering how long these emotions had been present but unanswered. Matt snaked his tongue into Mello's mouth and rolled him around so that he was now the one whose back was pressed to the door.

Mello suddenly shoved Matt off of him, causing him to stumble backwards, falling onto the bed. The force from Matt's landing caused the forgotten carton of chow mein, which still sat precariously near the edge of the bed, to topple to the floor. Neither one of them seemed to notice.

Mello traversed the distance between them and came to lean Matt down to lie on the bed. He kicked his boots off before pulling the black and white striped shirt over Matt's head. Matt reached up to unzip Mello's leather vest. The second it was removed, Matt forced an unexpecting Mello to roll under him, flipping their positions. He was not going to let Mello top without putting up a fight.

He sucked at Mello's collar bone as he attempted to loosen the lacing of his leather pants. Matt once again wondered how Mello could move in them, but now it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was getting them out of the way. It took a little longer than he would have liked, but Matt finally claimed victory over the pants and threw them to the floor. He was a little surprised to find a completely naked Mello lying under him, but decided that he should have expected it. There was literally no room to put anything extra under those pants.

Seeing Mello's growing erection, the front of Matt's own pants started to tighten. He fumbled with the belt but managed to remove them much faster than he did Mello's. He mentally cursed himself when he saw that he was wearing a pair of old, worn out boxers; not that he could have possibly known that he would be getting laid that night when he had put them on this morning.

Mello flipped their positions once more, instructing Matt to "Stay." In one swift motion, he removed the ragged boxers from Matt's body, leaving him completely exposed. Matt considered trying to fight for top again, but as Mello rubbed his member against his, he didn't care anymore. He needed Mello and would take what he could get.

Having never been with another man before, Matt wondered what it would be like. He didn't have to wait long to find out. Mello suddenly hooked Matt's legs over his shoulders and pushed into him, no preparation whatsoever. Matt cried out in pain. Oh my God! I should have fought harder for top.

"Damn, you're tight. Try to loosen up, will ya?" Mello said, evidently not paying attention to the pain Matt was in. Not knowing how he could possibly loosen the tight rings of muscle when it felt like they were going to be torn apart, he only grimaced.

Matt was starting to think this was a bad idea when Mello thrust in again, this time causing Matt to cry out in pleasure. Mello pulled out completely, leaving the tip at Matt's orifice, and paused. Matt wanted more, but he wasn't going to get it for free.

"I want to hear you beg, Mattie," Mello said with a smirk.

"Stop joking around." Matt did not like this game. He remembered playing it when they were little anytime Mello had something that he wanted.

"Beg." Mello ran a finger up the underside of Matt's shaft. He paused and then gripped it, thumbing the tip roughly.

"Nnnghh. Okay, okay. Please, Mello. Please. I need it," he panted.

"If you insist." Mello slammed back into him with no refrain. With his sweet spot hit again, another wave of ecstasy coursed through Matt's body. I wonder if he's done this kind of thing before. He seems to know what he's doing. This was going too far; his thoughts were starting to interfere with his ability to enjoy this experience. Shut up Jeevas and stop thinking so much.

Taking his own advice, he put all his focus on the physical satisfaction he was receiving. Mello pounded into him repeatedly, each time sending a certain delight up Matt's spine. With his last forceful entrance, Matt bucked his hips upward in an attempt to push Mello farther in. The combined action sent them both over the edge. They came almost simultaneously.

Mello rolled off of Matt to the space on the bed next to him. Matt stared up at the ceiling, panting, the front of his torso covered with a sticky mixture of sweat and cum. Never had he imagined this would be how he'd be spending his Christmas.

No tree, no decorations, no singing Christmas carols like they used to at Wammy's. This was a most unconventional Christmas to say the least. But it only seemed right. An unconventional Christmas to match their unconventional friendship. Friendship? Are we still friends, or…? Whatever. We can figure it out in the morning.

A/N: So, I wrote this with the intention of it just being some cute Christmas oneshot, probably rated K+ at the most. And I actually wrote it like I had planned…then I edited it, completely changed the ending, and this is what happened… After I wrote the new ending, all I could think was how does an innocent little Christmas-y thing change into PWP? Oh well. I like this ending better. Review please?