A/N: Chapter 10, chicas! *does a happy little dance* My compy just recovered from a nasty virus, but did I let that slow me down?... Of course not!

Not too much conflict/plot in this chappie, but it's good for character development. *shrugs* Nice fluffy chapter for ya! Written in Spanish II and Geometry; edited in SAT/ACT Prep: Math.

Read, enjoy, review. :-)

Warnings: Mild language, shounen-ai.

Disclaimers: I do not own any part of Death Note. 'Cause, if I did, at some point Mello would sic a sheepdog on Near… Get it, 'cause he looks like a sheep?... Yeah, I know that was a lame joke. Get over it. It was supposed to be lame.

Side Note: There's an Easter egg hidden in this chapter! I'll give you a hint: pay attention to numbers. Reward: first person to find it (send me a PM or post it in a review!) will receive a one-shot involving the DN couple of their choice (within reason). Hurry up, before someone else finds it! 8D

The next morning after breakfast and a quick shower, Mello brought Matt to his apartment to pick up his few belongings. They decided that Matt would live in the residence that Mello was to be provided with, but that that arrangement would be kept a secret.

Mello let the redhead drive because he did not know how to work a stick shift, but soon realized the bonus to this: Matt looked sexy while he was driving. One arm draped carelessly over the wheel of the burgundy muscle car that matched his hair, the other laid lightly around the blonde's shoulders, an unlit cigarette (he had quickly realized Mello's distaste for the habit, and resolved to indulge his vice in his presence as little as possible) dangling precariously from his rather tempting-looking lips, his hair glistening as it was mussed by the cool but sun-kissed air coming in through the open window… Oh, yes, definitely.

In order to keep himself from ogling the man that he had thought of as nothing more than his best friend for years, Mello occupied himself with considering the meager scenery flashing past his window faster than the legal speed limit.

The short drive there was comfortably quiet save for Mello's directions and the husky growl of the engine within the powerful car that Matt drove with confidence.

When the pair finally pulled into the parking lot of a respectable, but generic apartment complex, the blonde quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out, then leaned back into the car and said, "I'll only be a minute. You can come if you want to," he added casually over his shoulder. The redhead hesitated only for a moment before following. When he heard the other's car door slam, the blonde turned back briefly, a teasing smirk stretching across his face.

Damn, Matt thought as the pair ascended the deserted stairs. He has got great hips. "Stop checking me out," Mello admonished the redhead in a bored tone without turning around. Holy crap, Matt grumbled internally. How did he do that? "Easy. I could feel your big, perverted eyes all over me," the blonde answered his thought with a laugh.

This half-of-a-conversation was interrupted by their arrival at Mello's apartment, number 1213. Mello pulled a shiny silver key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, pulling Matt inside by his color and kissing him, harder than before. As his arms subconsciously wound tightly around the eager blonde against him, the redhead kicked the door shut behind them and skillfully maneuvered the other against the off-white wall opposite the door. One hand twisted into Mello's hair and the other sliding down to hook curious, teasing fingers through one of Mello's belt loops, Matt pinned those slender, curvy hips to the wall with his own. "Mm-whoa," the blonde moaned against the redhead's feverishly insistent lips.

Despite his weak-as-water will screaming at him to continue, Matt knew that now wasn't exactly the time. "M-maybe—hahh—maybe we'd better stop," he asserted breathlessly, pulling away reluctantly. Mello made an endearing little whining noise in protest and tried in vain to keep him there, but Matt easily caught his restraining hands and used them like a leash to pull the unwilling blonde further into the apartment.

Though only slightly larger than his own, it was definitely nicer, Matt quickly decided. He examined the rooms as Mello, now back on task though still slightly flushed, hurried around, cramming clothes and other belongings into a large black duffel bag. The rooms were all sort of blank-feeling, and there wasn't much furniture, like a hotel room. Compared to his own cluttered, messy space, the place hardly looked lived in.

Interrupted from these thoughts, Matt jumped violently when a certain mischievous blonde crept up silently behind him and grabbed him. Turning quickly, he tackled the other and replaced his smug chuckles with giggly shrieks, tickling his ribs mercilessly.

"Uncle, uncle!" Mello finally gave in, face bright red and eyes watering. This was uncharacteristic of him, but as always, something in Matt disarmed him, brought him down to a more human level. He was not as reckless, and he found that he liked being taken care of.

Matt helped him up and, still laughing, asked him if he was ready to go. "Yup," Mello replied, pointing to his back, packed and ready and sitting next to the front door. "Alright," the redhead nodded, "let's go."

The pair left the apartment and, after Mello dropped off the key, left the building, got into the car, and drove back to Matt's place, where Mello began to help Matt pack.
"Damn, Matt," the blonde bellowed from Matt's room (the redhead was currently sitting in the living room surrounded by dozens of components), "why do you have so much junk?" Seconds later, the blonde appeared in the doorway, laden heavily with an armload of clothes. "And don't you ever wear anything besides stripes?"

"Don't you ever wear anything besides leather?" The redhead replied automatically without looking up. This was a fair argument. The blonde had complained more than once about wearing Matt's clothes, and had scrambled into the tight, revealing material he had packed as soon as they arrived back at Matt's apartment, a fact that sped the redhead's heartbeat just by looking at him.

"Yeah, but the leather's hot and you know it," the blonde said with a smirk. "Well, I like stripes," Matt replied, reaching up to adjust his orange goggles before turning his attention back to the delicate bits of machinery in front of him.

"God, Matt, Mario boxers? Are you serious?" Mello made a face as he lifted the offending garment he had dug out of the pile of laundry between thumb and forefinger before slingshotting them playfully at Matt. "Yup," the redhead replied unabashedly, dodging the flying underwear.

"Such a nerd," the blonde chuckled affectionately.

"Yeah, well," Matt offered along with the easy, lopsided grin he knew the other loved, "you love this nerd, and you know it." Mello laughed. "True," he conceded amusedly, leaning in for a kiss.