A/N: I'm warning all of you now. Mello is going to be a bit OOC...and by a bit, I mean very. It's that 'crack' humor, I guess, but I figured why not have a bit of fun with him? He's always so damn serious.

Also, I converted L's sugar addiction into another type of sugary addiction. Don't like it? You should read it anyway! Just kidding...
Read, Review, and Enjoy!

Looking back, I can't exactly figure out why L intrigued me or why I decided it was necessary to attend this rave. I never enjoyed dancing; in fact, I usually avoided any conventions or parties that dancing was a necessity. Misa used to beg me to join her at clubs and, as always, she promised to make it worth my while. Since the beginning of our relationship, sex was a form of currency. I rarely wanted it, but she would cry if I rejected her. No matter how crazy she drove me, I couldn't bear to watch her become weepy. Her face and cheeks swelled and her eyes nearly popped from her head; she just looked so pathetic.

L peered out the window as the town car slowed to a halt. He placed his hand on the handle, hesitating before lifting it again. "Hold on," he murmured as he pulled a small baggy from his pants. He perched the bag clouded with a white, sugary substance between two fingers, gazing intently at it. For a moment, I actually thought he carried around a bag of sugar. How naive I felt when he sprinkled a bit on his finger and snorted it.

He must have realized I was watching him. "Would you like some?"

"No."

"Suit yourself," he shrugged, cleaning his finger.

I slammed the car door behind me, trying not to gawk at the line that nearly wrapped around the corner. Normally I associated Brooklyn parties as dirty, grungy hideouts where punks and junkies punched each other until they toppled over. But neon and pastel colors painted the line. Plaid seemed to be a loved pattern, along with quirky shirts with stupid quotes. Living in the city granted me the advantage of truly understanding what 'hipster' meant, but I never realized they all gathered to some tiny, dank club in Brooklyn.

"Oh, L!" someone cried out in a sing-song voice.

L turned his head quickly, widening his eyes as a blond girl threw her arms around his shoulders. Leather pants hugged her muscular, cut hips, kissing her long, thing legs down to her black combat boots (which were huge, mind you). A leather vest strangled her oddly flat chest and a rosary hung right where a woman's cleavage would normally be. Her blond hair dangled a centimeter above her shoulders, pointing straight down to her perfect collar bones. Icy brown eyes caught my gaze as she planted her lips on L's cheek. Let me ask you something: Have you ever felt that pit in your stomach when someone really attractive bats their eyelashes at you? Yeah, neither have I. Until that moment.

Then I realized the person I was actually admiring a guy. A too pretty guy.

"Hey, Mello," he smirked, completely comfortable with the blond's arm dangling around his neck. I nearly squirmed as this Mello ran his eyes up and down my body. "This is Light."

"Well, Light," he purred. "I must have died and gone to heaven. Aren't you dreamy!"

I tried to answer but only, "eh-her-okay," rolled from my mouth.

"Come, come," Mello cried out, clutching my hand. His soft hands had a surprisingly tough grip. "You've got so many people to meet. Oh, don't you just love making new friends? It's absolutely my favorite thing in the world. Especially when those new friends happen to be super gorgeous!"

L chuckled softly, following close behind as Mello dragged me towards the line. "Alright, listen up. This is Light and he's never been to a raver before! So-are you listening to me? Oh my God, guys, listen!"

The group he was addressing all glanced towards him with huge smiles planted across their faces. I studied them carefully to ensure I wouldn't make the same mistake I had with Mello. I confirmed there were three girls and assumed one other guy, but his head was turned away from us as he chatted with one of the girls.

"So, this is Bell, Chelsea, and Leslie," he pointed down the line.

They were attractive, but not Misa beautiful. Bell's nose pointed a bit up, giving her a mousy effect. Her black hair ratted down to her hips. Chelsea constantly squinted, appearing as if something was stuck in her eyes. Leslie's tall figure and tiny waist threw me off for a moment. It gave the illusion that her looks radiated above the two other girl's, but at second glance, I realized her jaw jutted out a bit too much and her eyes took up half her face.

"And that's Matt," Mello grabbed Matt's shoulder. "Matt, can you shut up for like, one second? He's usually really nice, I promise, he's just being a little bitch."

I nearly sighed with relief that my assumption was correct. A combination of the new environment, the strange crowd, and the misjudgment of a man for a woman smothered my usual calm demeanor. I straightened my posture as Matt finally turned to greet me. A small smile crossed his lips as his eyes trailed from my chest up to my hair. I swallowed, holding back the laughter bubbling in my stomach. Maybe it was the tufts of red hair poking out from the orange tinted goggles perched on top of his head, or the furry vest enveloping his skinny torso, but he looked comical.

The strangest part was he actually looked good. Like he was meant to walk around in odd outfits with a half grin spread across his mouth.

"Hey," he nodded swiftly towards me. He pulled a cigarette from behind his ears, sticking it into his mouth. "Got a light? Mello lost mine in the subway."

"Get over it already, hun. That was like, thirty minutes ago."

"No. Sorry," I replied, still unable to comprehend how he could walk around with orange goggles on his head. He gazed at me for a moment, giving me a chance to examine his seemingly black eyes. Of course, now I know his pupils had completely invaded his iris.

The buildings surrounding us created tunnels and, as the minutes passed, the wind picked up. It clawed at my back, running it's icy fingers across the hairs standing up on my neck. For a moment I yearned to slip into a blazer, curl up on Misa's couch, and drink until I could no longer stand. The comfortable memory suddenly bothered me, though. Of course I would want something I was used to. Even though I lived in the city, I never stepped outside of the small box I created for myself. Everything outside of it's trimmed, polished walls frightened me to no extent.

I ignored the shivers creeping up my spine as we inched towards the club's door. The group's friendliness was foreign to me. Normally, the snobs I hung out with rarely welcomed new comers, or at least treated them well (unless they had something to gain, of course). I knew I morphed into one of them: unfriendly and pretentious. With the new group, though, I found my normal habits slipping through my fingers. I even laughed a few times-yes, really laughed. Much like L, their outward appearance hid their intelligence. Maybe it was just the thrill of a different crowd or their intriguing outlooks, but I found myself enthralled with them before we even reached the club.

"He's a good dancer, right?" Mello's lips grazed my ear as he purred the words. The sheer closeness left his voice echoing, pounding, slamming in my ear. A combination of this and the loud house music left my head spinning. I glanced towards Mello, who grinned widely.

"Who?" I shouted above the music

"Matt, of course! I saw you checking him out!"

I promise you, he completely misread my gaze. I wasn't necessarily watching Matt, or one person in general. Dancers waved with the music, creating a pulse through the entire crowd. Their rhythm mixed with the strobes and colored lights created a hypnotic scene that completely captivated my attention. I didn't want to move in fear the spell would be broken.

But some how, Mello's arm wrapped through mine and, somehow, I found myself on the dance floor, pushed against sweaty, moving bodies. At first, my own body remained stiff. I nodded my head to the music slightly, but that was all. L's fingers grazed against me as his arms and hips swayed perfectly to the music. His head lolled slightly until he caught my gaze. He shouted something incoherent.

"What?"

"I asked if you were having fun," he leaned close to my ear. "Light, you really need to let go. That's what this is all about-freedom of expression and movement."

Somehow, pushed between sweating people who nearly humped each other didn't sound like 'freedom of expression'. I shrugged slightly, clenching my fists. Social situations were never a problem for me, but this was far from anything I'd ever experienced. I never danced, and I certainly never rubbed up against other dancers. I took a step back, meaning to retreat to the bar. Instead, I bumped into a girl whose top was a bit too low. She giggled, running her slimy hand across my bare arm. I nearly jumped back to L.

He kept laughing, always dancing. The strobe lights reflected his pale skin to the point where I was sure he was a ghost. I glanced towards Mello, who was grinding against Chelsea. Their heads were tossed back as laughter escaped their lips. I couldn't let go like them, though, so I stood there like a dumbass. Stood there, staring, my face frozen to avoid illuminating any emotions.

Then I caught Matt's gaze. His hips swayed, harmonizing perfectly with the beat of the bass. He held one arm above his head, running his other hand through his thick, red hair. His goggled had fallen from the top of his head, completely shielding his eyes from view. Even through the orange barrier, I was sure he was watching me.

His head cocked and a small smile ran across his lips. He retrieved a little baggie from his pocket and dumped the small pill into his mouth. Before I knew it, he strode towards me. Even his steps matched the beat. As he got closer, a strange sensation yanked at my stomach. I nearly stumbled as he slinked his arms around my neck.

Then, he pressed his lips against mine. His tongue invaded my mouth, planting the pill delicately. I remained frozen in his arms, completely oblivious to the on lookers whistling and howling. I trembled as his lips retreated, gawking as he smiled wryly at me. The pill remained perched upon my tongue. Before I could spit it out or ask what it was, he place three delicate fingers on my lips.

"Swallow." Swallow what? Swallow an unknown pill with unknown effects? Swallow every ounce of pride I clung to as an Upper East Side snob? Swallow my suspicions and seriousness and finally let go? But go where-fall into oblivion? Or lift up towards heaven?

He waited patiently, studying my face as I made my choice. He wanted me to become one with the pulsating crowd, to let go.

So I did.

The effects gradually crept up on me. One minute, I remained stoic in my spot, watching as Matt pressed his body against Mello's. The music suddenly began to speak to me. It washed away my reservations and insecurities (Yes, I have insecurities-I'm not sure what they are, but I'm sure they exist. Somewhere.). The back of Chelsea's head rested on my shoulder as she pushed her body into mine. Her curves fit perfectly in my hands. I couldn't stop touching her. Suddenly, I wanted to touch everyone. I yearned to understand them, and I knew I would by just touching their skin.

The music sounded so perfect, everything was so goddamn perfect. I knew it was the drugs, but I didn't care. How can you ignore euphoria when it's dangling between your finger tips? I loved every moment of it.

I swayed with the hypnotic beats, trailing my fingers across the back of L's neck. He smiled so perfectly towards me, but returned to dancing before I could connect us fully. I bounced from one person to the next, entangling my fingers in theirs. Lips pressed against my neck, igniting some a match deep within me. I needed more.

Matt found his way to me, resting his hands so delicately on my chest. We didn't speak as he leaned towards me, his lips nearly touching my neck. Every hot, moist breath he took sent shivers from my toes up to my eyes. The colorful lights bounced off his goggles, nearly blinding me with beauty.

I let him kiss me. Hell, I kissed him back. He snaked one arm around my waist and the other yanked at my hair. Each time our lips touched, I pressed my body harder against his. I gripped the back of his shirt, hoping the moment would last forever. The music picked up, sending our bodies into heated furies. He stuck his tongue out, catching the sweat pouring from my cheeks. Salt spiced his tongue as he kissed me roughly, kneading my back with his knuckles.

"Come home with me tonight," he murmured in my ear. Even his voice electrocuted every molecule in my body.

How could I say no?