Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. However, the prank with the food coloring is all mine, hehehe.

A/N: I originally intended for this to be a oneshot, but I realized belatedly that I really didn't explain myself very well in some respects. Also, someone called for vengeance, and I can never say no to a good prank.

"Hey, Mello, could you help me with something?"

The blond didn't even look up from his history book. "With what?"

I flopped down on the bed across from him. "I need to get back at Near for framing me."

That got his attention. He looked up from his book and a grin spread across his face. "Hell yes!"

Sometimes having a best friend bent on the destruction of a mostly innocent – if annoying – kid came in handy.

That was how we found ourselves in Near's room that night during dinner. "Remind me why I have sewing supplies in my pocket," I mumbled, looking around to make sure there was no sign of the sheep lurking.

"Because we're short-sheeting his bed," Mello said. "And I want to make sure it stays that way. Give me the thread and watch the door, make sure he doesn't come back while I'm doing this."

I forked over the needle and thread, then left the room again. If it had just been short-sheeting I wouldn't have asked for help, but there was another part of the plan, which involved a homemade whoopee cushion and food coloring. Mello and I had argued about what color to use – he wanted yellow – but he settled for green when I threatened to rig his bed the next time he was out. I wanted to get payback from Near, not utterly humiliate him.

After five minutes of lurking outside the door (it may have been longer, but time does strange things when I'm playing games), Mello cautiously opened the door. I paused the game and nodded, and he slipped out the door, closing it carefully behind him. "He'll never know what hit him," he said, grinning nastily.

I grinned and nodded, turning my game back on and following him down the hall.

We were about to go through the doors to dinner when Mello stopped. "Of all the damn stupid things to do," he snarled.

I paused my game again and followed his gaze. "Huh? Oh." Someone had hung mistletoe above the dining room doors. "Never saw the point of that stuff." I stared at it for a minute, then something began to dawn on me. "It's Christmas in two days!"

Mello nodded, then grabbed my arm and dragged me through the doors. "If you're going to state the obvious, don't stand under the mistletoe, you imbecile. That's practically inviting someone to walk up and kiss you."

"Eew."

"Yeah."

That was when it hit me what I had somehow managed to forget. "I haven't done my Christmas shopping!"

Mello snorted. "Took you long enough to remember."

I stowed my game in my pocket and grabbed a plate. "You could've reminded me."

"It was more fun to watch you get confused," he said, grinning. "There's still tomorrow. You wouldn't have gone until then anyway."

He had a point there.

* * *

Roger didn't hunt us down until the next morning. Unfortunately, that meant that he came banging on our door at six in the morning. "Mello! Matt! I have something to discuss with you!"

"Shuddup," I muttered, not moving. Mello, however, got up and dropped my goggles on my head, then opened the door.

When I got my goggles on and rolled out of bed, Roger was standing in the open doorway, a very serious expression on his face. Mello was looking at him like the picture of innocence.

"Boys, this latest incident of sabotage – "

"Has crossed a serious line," I hissed under my breath along with him.

"I am putting you both on laundry duty for two weeks," he informed us. "If something like this happens again – "

"The consequences will become more serious," I muttered.

Putting us on laundry duty, however, wasn't his best idea ever. He got full marks on matching the punishment to the crime, but seeing the green-stained sheets and clothes made it all worth it. Even more satisfying was the fact that Near had been unable to get all the coloring out of his skin, which meant that every time he walked by, Mello smothered laughter, and I would occasionally hum O Christmas Tree, which would promptly send him into hysterics.

Revenge was so, so sweet.