AUTHOR'S NOTES: So this is actually two days late, but it's dedicated to Mello for his birthday. Originally this story wasn't going to be for his birthday. It was going to be an anniversary fluff story. I started on it sometime last month. But then I realized Mello's birthday was coming up, so I turned it into a birthday fiction! (Not to mention, I totally needed to write something Mello to make up for the wig fan-fiction! XD) So happy late birthday, Mello! And, uhm, happy one day late birthday, Matsuda! I love you and all, but I'm not writing anything for you. XD No inspiration for a Matsuda story really. Enjoy some MxM fluff!
DISCLAIMER: I made brownies the day I started writing this, but I don't own Death Note. XD


It had around two in the afternoon when Mello woke up. He stretched out, shocked at amount of room he had in the bed. Feeling blindly amidst the covers, he searched out the form of his lover, only to discover that he wasn't there. The blond sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. A tired yawn escaped his lips. Why had he slept so late? There was so much work to do. There was a Kira to catch, a Near to beat. A world to scream 'fuck you, I'm here' at. Suddenly, Mello was tired just thinking about it. He fell backwards, sprawling out on the bed once more.

There was a slight noise in the kitchen. It sounded like something hitting a pan. But that wasn't right because the only person that could be making the noise was Matt. And, simply put, Matt didn't willingly cook. The only time he cooked was when Mello made him. And even then, Matt did it grudgingly with a faint scowl on his face. Anything that got him away from video games, Mello figured. Only that was a lie because Mello got Matt away from video games. And Matt liked Mello very much.

So what was causing that noise? Mello decided to investigate. He rose from the bed, stretching his arms out and searching the floor for his jeans. A bundle of black fabric laying by the bed had to be his. He scooped them up and slid them over his thin frame. They hung loosely around his hips, one of his normal pairs of jeans. He didn't bother to search for a shirt or shoes.

The sounds from the kitchen hadn't ceased yet. There was constant constant rattling and shuffling. Maybe Matt was cleaning the kitchen, which led Mello to wonder what the gamer had done. Another thing Matt, or Mello for that matter, didn't like to do was clean. Their apartment stayed a constant wreck. Papers and video games were strewn about. Tangles of wires weaved walking paths on the floor. Jackets and clothes were scattered like hills in various parts of the house. Mello kicked through the mess as he made his way to the kitchen.

Much to the blond's surprise, Matt was indeed cooking. Or at least it looked like that's what he was trying to do. An apron was draped over his torso and tied loosely around his waist. His long striped sleeves were pushed up past his elbows, and a green bandanna held back the strands of auburn red hair. His googles hung uselessly around his neck. In one hand, he held an electric mixer. Mello had forgotten they even owned one of those. In the gamer's other hand was a bowl. The bowl contained some kind of brown gooey looking substance. The blond leaned against the refrigerator and observed the gamer quietly.

Matt's tongue slid out of the side of his mouth just slightly as he finished mixing the substance. He lifted the bowl and turned around, his eyes falling instantly on Mello. The gamer startled, almost dropping the bowl on the ground. "God damn, Mello, do you think you're some kind of ninja now?"

Mello just shrugged his shoulders and stared down at the bowl. He tilted his head. The scent of chocolate filled the air just enough for Mello to realize what it was. A small, content smirk came across his face.

"Yeah, Mel, I'm making brownies," the gamer said, pouring the contents of the bowl into a pan.

He left almost a brownies worth of batter clinging to the inside of the bowl and put the rest in the oven. Setting the bowl on the table, he grabbed quickly for the mixers. The stirrers popped off at the push of the button, and the gamer held one out to Mello. "Lick?"

Mello grabbed one, licking the chocolate batter from the mixer slowly. He worked his tongue between the bits of metal that made up the mixer. Matt licked at his mixer happily, content that the batter tasted remotely like chocolate. He had been paranoid that something would have gone wrong. Mello would have scolded him for using the last eggs and for making a mess of the kitchen. He was pulled from his thoughts by Mello's mixer clonking into the sink. Matt's mixer followed shortly. The red head scooped up the bowl and swiped some of the batter onto his finger. Extending his finger out, he glanced up at the blond. But he didn't have time to ask anything because Mello seized the opportunity to lick the batter from Matt's fingers. Before Matt had time to think, he felt Mello sucking gently at the digit. He bit back a sigh.

Mello swiped his own finger off the side of the bowl and brought it towards his lips. Just as he was about to happily lick the chocolate from his finger, Matt's hand wrapped around his own. The blond looked up at the red head, as if to say 'give me back my hand.' But Matt did nothing of the such, instead he quickly licked the chocolate from Mello's finger.

"Matt," the older began, only to be silenced by Matt's fingers intertwining with his.

Mello was beginning to wonder why Matt was being so strange. It was outside of his usual strangeness. Matt didn't cook, and he certainly didn't take chocolate away from Mello of all people. That was almost like asking for certain death. But with their fingers intertwined the way they were, it was hard for the shooter to feel angry about the loss of his teeny bit of chocolate. Besides there was a bowl of the goo now sitting on the counter, and a pan of brownies baking in the oven.

"You're being awfully strange," stated Mello, pulling his hand away and folding his arms loosely over his chest. "What'd you do? How much is it going to cost us to fix it? And did it belong to me?"

Matt knew where Mello was going with this. Mello thought that he had busted something. Matt had been known to suck up sometimes when he had done something that would have made Mello unhappy. But this time was different. There was nothing busted, no money needed to fix it, but it did, in some way, belong to Mello.

In response to Mello, the red head just shrugged his shoulders. He figured he'd explain it to Mello once the brownies were done. "Don't worry about it, Mels."

Mello rolled his eyes, moving to sit on the counter. His legs hung over the side, swinging just a bit. His thoughts were racing too fast for him to really pay attention one particular thing. But that was how it always was. Unless he absolutely needed to focus, he didn't. When he wasn't focused on one thing, his mind was thinking of ten other things. How to beat Near, how to catch Kira. All things that he considered important. Matt, however, didn't want Mello to think so much. At least not today.

The gamer scooped up a bit of the remaining batter and pushed it towards Mello's mouth. "Stop thinking so much," he muttered, as Mello licked at the spoon.

"Can't help it," replied the blond in between licks, "there's so much to do. So much to get done. Wires to tap, surveillance to set up. We're losing time just sitting here."
"So?"

For a moment, Mello wanted to smack the gamer across the face. He knew how important it was to catch Kira, and all he could reply with was so. He couldn't believe how lightly Matt was taking this, how lightly Matt took everything. And he was just about to tell the gamer that, when he felt a pair of thin arms slink around his waist and Matt's head resting against his torso. In that split moment, all his agitation towards the gamer drained from his body. Matt was funny like that. He was the only person on the earth that could do that to Mello. And although he didn't admit it much, Mello was thankful for this.

Absentmindedly, Mello ran his fingers through the back portion Matt's hair, briefly content to just forget everything. A few minutes passed, and Mello had forgot he was doing anything. Then Matt tugged at the blond's arm and pulled him away from counter. He led him towards the living room, which was half-heartedly cleaned. Mello allowed himself to be pushed gently on the couch, and he made no effort to protest when Matt started kissing along his jaw-line. Matt's hand ran over Mello's chest, as he crashed his lips against Mello's. Mello reached up to thread his fingers through Matt's hair. The bandanna came into contact with his fingers, but it was quickly discarded. Matt's apron and shirt soon followed.

Just as Mello was working on getting the gamer out of his jeans, the timer to the oven went off.

"Brownies are done," breathed Matt, wiggling out from underneath the blond.

"Yeah, so?" Mello replied, reaching out for Matt and trying to pull him back down, to no avail.

All he got in reply was an 'it's important.' Mello stayed on the couch, frustrated. He did everything in his power to not think about it. It didn't take much. The blond always did have strong will power.

A while later, Matt returned, carrying a silver tray in his hands. He sat down on the couch, holding the tray in front of Mello's face. The tray had brownies in it that individually spelled out 'Happy B-Day, Mel!' It was short form, but Matt couldn't cook enough brownies to spell it all out.

Blue eyes stared down at the surprise, widening at the thought. He had forgotten it was his birthday. It was endearing that Matt hadn't. Even with everything they were dealing with, Matt somehow managed to remembered something as meaningless as a birthday. Placing the tray on the table, Mello leaned forward and hugged Matt tightly.

"Happy birthday, Mello," whispered the gamer.

"Thanks. Hey Matt?"

"Yeah?"

In one quick movement, the younger was pinned on the couch, Mello holding his wrists above his head. An odd spark flashed in Mello's eyes as he beamed down at Matt.

"You owe me for walking away earlier," he smirked.

Matt nodded, his own smile turning devious, "Wouldn't have it any other way."

AUTHOR'S NOTES END: Something about Mello in a pair of jeans that hang slightly off his hips (not sagging, that's tacky) is just really attractive. And Matt's bandanna is based off a fan art I saw? XD So yeah there you go! Read and review please!