This was inspired by a prompt I saw on OTPPrompts on Tumblr a while back:

"Imagine one part of your OTP is standing at a bus stop really late at night trying to catch the last bus. Then, when the bus finally comes, they just go right past and don't stop at all! Now they are stranded. But the other half of your OTP was driving by just then and saw it happen. They stop and offer a ride…"

So...obviously this is kind of AU-ish as this is the first time they meet here. I was kind of planning on making this a multi-chapter fic where they get to know each other more but honestly I think it works perfectly fine as a oneshot. Reviews appreciated!

The bus was due at this stop at 10:45, and it was now 10:49. The buses in LA had a habit of being up to twenty minutes late, Mello knew that, and usually he didn't have to deal with the hell that was the public transit system.

But his motorcycle had broken down and he hadn't quite gotten the money together to get it repaired. So for the last week he'd been forced to take the bus.

Finally, in the distance, he saw the oncoming bus. As it got closer to the stop where he was standing, he stood up to flag it down, to make sure he was seen. The driver about half a block away and was not slowing down. In fact, it seemed to pick up speed, and it passed Mello entirely.

Shit. Now he was stuck almost halfway across town with no way home. He sat down on the bus stop bench, quietly seething and trying to come up with another option. There was always walking, he thought. It wasn't ideal, but he'd walked farther distances before. And if someone were to try and mug him he was armed.

The blond sighed and started to head down the street when he noticed a pair of headlights pointed at him from behind. He looked to his left and a red sports car pulled to a stop next to him. The hairs on the back of Mello's neck stood up when the window rolled down and he reached for his gun in case he needed it.

"Hey," said the driver of the vehicle. "I happened to see that bus pass you by, and, well...would you like a ride?"

Mello looked at the stranger. He wasn't bad looking, he noticed immediately; but then he did always have a thing for redheads. He also noticed that he didn't look like much of a threat; if the need arose he could easily overpower him.

"Um...well, if you're going that way..." he said.

"Even if I'm not going your way it's fine," the other man said. He reached over and opened the passenger door. "Get in."

Still a little wary, but with a firm grip on the pistol still concealed in his coat pocket, Mello got in the car. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"No problem, uh..." the driver hesitated. "I didn't catch your name. I'm Matt."

"Mello," the blond replied, looking at Matt out of the corner of his eye, watching for any sudden suspicious movements. He saw the redhead reach into his own pocket and he started to pull out his gun, but then he saw that Matt was only reaching for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter and he left the firearm where it was. "This, uh...this is a pretty nice car you have. What is it?"

"Camaro," Matt said simply, putting a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it. "And thanks, I try to take good care of her." Then he noticed the look Mello was giving him. "What's with that look?"

"I, uh..."

"Trust me, if I had any intention of doing anything other than giving you a ride home, I'd have done it already," the redhead said matter-of-factly. "I keep a gun in the glove box. You know, for protection of course."

This caught Mello off guard, but at the same time he found it oddly reassuring. "Oh, um...thanks I guess?"

Matt laughed. He offered the cigarette pack to Mello. "Here, you seem like you've had a hell of a day, I'm sure you could use one of these."

"I actually don't smoke, but thanks anyway," Mello replied, becoming more comfortable with the stranger. "You're right about me having a hell of a day though. I'm more than ready to just go home and crash..."

"So where am I taking you then Mello?" Matt asked. Mello gave him his address and he nodded. "That's actually not far from where I live. Guess you lucked out, huh?"

Mello smiled. "Yeah...I guess I did."

The pair sat mostly in silence for the rest of the ride back to Mello's apartment. Finally the Camaro made it to its destination.

"Thanks again for the ride," Mello said. "If there's anything I can do to return the favor, just say the word."

Matt shook his head. "No, it's fine, I told you it was on my way home anyway. A simple thanks is fine."

"Matt, I insist. I really appreciate it. You could have just as easily passed me up but you stopped to help."

The redhead sighed and thought for a moment. "Well, if you insist...how about a date?"

Mello blushed, but nodded. "Sounds good to me."

The other man blinked, a little surprised at the answer. "All right, it's settled then," he said. He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to Mello. "Here, put your number in and I'll call you tomorrow."

Mello did as he was instructed, thanked Matt again and got out of the car. He waved at the redhead and watched as he drove away before going inside his apartment. When he got inside, the exhausted blond collapsed on his couch and immediately fell asleep with a smile on his face, awaiting a phone call the next day from a certain sexy redhead with an equally sexy car.