A/N: Hmm, not completely satisfied with this...but oh well!! It does it's little transition-y job. And there's some fluff!! :D Yay! And pretty much my favorite date idea ever. And at least one really good innuendo. Maybe two. Or three. ;) Props if you can find them all.

Chapter 2

To say that the silence in the stair well was stifling was an extraordinary understatement. Mello was still staring at the closed door to the apartment complex, and his mouth was hanging open in a way that mothers the world over have warned will catch flies. Unfortunately, Mello never had a mother figure to tell him not to gape. Matt, who had been staring at Mello staring at the door, had the passing thought that Mello looked rather like a fish in a blond wig. Albeit a rather attractive fish. And certainly better smelling.

Well, Matt was never one to let himself be embarrassed for more than a few minutes. With a small huff, he picked up the boxes of cigarettes sitting on the landing and headed up the stairs. When Mello failed to follow him, he rolled his eyes and called over his shoulder, "Hey, Mello, stop catching flies and let's get this stuff upstairs". Matt apparently had a mother for at least a few years.

Mello finally managed to tear his eyes away from where Lena had departed, hooking one finger through each chocolate milk jug handle to lug the things up to the apartment. He couldn't seem to get the ridiculous notion that he and Matt were a couple out of his head. The idea was just so…so…preposterous. They were best friends, and, well, it would just be awkward. Mello glanced up at Matt's backside ascending the stairs ahead of him. Oh yeah. Awkwardness galore.

Finally getting to the apartment, Matt unlocked the door and shuffled inside, plopping down in one of the under-filled bean bag chairs that served as replacements for the couch he'd lit on fire with a careless cigarette. Mello had sure ridden his ass about that one. Whoa now, not that way. Matt sighed, pushing the power button on his Playstation with the toe of his sneaker. Stupid personal shopper lady. Now everything was going to be a fucking innuendo. Damn it.

For his part, Mello leaned against the fridge, drinking chocolate milk straight from the jug. He'd found that his chocolate intake was significantly faster and more efficient in liquid form. But…well, he was getting bored. All he and Matt ever did was track Kira, hack computer programs, play video games…heck, they never even left the apartment. And Mello hated being bored. He'd never been one to just sit around and do nothing. And maybe it was just the chocolate milk affecting his thought process, or maybe it was that personal shopper lady's comments, or maybe…

Mello finished off his milk, rinsed it out and tossed the jug in the recycling bin. He figured it was the least he could do to counteract the ill effects of his leather wearing habits on the environment. Crossing the short distance from the fridge to the living room, he sat down in one of the bean bags next to Matt, pulling up his legs and wrapping his arms around his knees. He did his best to look nervous and demure, a tough act for Mello, but he pulled it off.

Allowing his hair to fall over the side of his face like a curtain between him and Matt, Mello let out a loud, dissatisfied sigh. Matt didn't even glance over. Mello glanced through the blond strands. "Matty?" He said softly, sounding for all the world like a shy thirteen year-old girl. Matt paused his game and spared Mello a glance. "Hm?". Mello couldn't help a devious smile as he batted his eyelashes. "Go out with me?" "…Mello, I seriously think all that chocolate is starting to affect your brain cells." "Oh come on Matty…", Mello turned on the innocence again, glancing nervously at the carpet and biting his lower lip, "please? Just one date."

To his surprise, Matt unpaused his game and turned back to the screen with a "Whatever". "So…that means yes?" In his shock, Mello dropped the act entirely, his voice taking on its normal tone. "As long as it's not something lame, like dinner and a movie". Mello grinned. "Oh trust me, it won't be".

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"Bowling?!" Mello had to admit, Matt was kind of sexy when he was being incredulous. "Yeah, I love bowling. Plus, it's one of the top suggestions on Wiki How to Plan a Good Date." And then Mello absolutely had to burst out laughing. Matt's face was twisted into a look of horror, disbelief, and just a bit of amusement. "Well, okay, let's get this over with".

Mello beasted Matt at bowling. It wasn't even a contest. But Matt did console himself with the fact that Mello looked absurd in leather pants mixed with hideous green and red bowling shoes, whereas he himself looked rather dashing. His hair matched half of his shoes, at least, and the neon lights reflected nicely on his goggles. The white stripes in his shirt even glowed under the blacklight. He'd tried to flirt with one of the girls behind the counter, but Mello had fixed him with such a look that he'd backed down immediately. Apparently the blond didn't like his dates being stolen, even if they were fake.

Because that's how Matt thought of this. How he had to think of it. There was no way Mello could be serious. This was just a diversion; break up the monotony of their lives a little bit. He slid onto the back of the motorcycle behind Mello as they left the bowling alley, knowing that he'd never be allowed to drive the beautiful machine. Mello was much too protective of it. But Matt refused to wrap his arms around Mello's waist. He'd rather fall off to his doom than cling to his best friend like a trollop.

Matt had expected Mello to take them back to the apartment now that their 'date' was over, so he was confused when Mello pulled into a local park and cut the bike's engine. The blonde slithered from his seat and took off his helmet, shaking out his hair. He wordlessly smiled back at Matt and grabbed his wrist, dragging him towards a bench overlooking the river and settling them both down. Matt understood Mello's need for comfort and contact, so he let him lean his blond head on Matt's shoulder, and didn't try and unclasp their hands. This kind of physical contact had happened before, when Mello was feeling scared or lonely but didn't want to admit it. When that happened, Mello would come to Matt, looking so crestfallen and sad that Matt couldn't help but envelope him in a tender hug, holding him for as long as it took until he felt better.

So when he heard Mello snuffling, and felt drops of water wetting his shirt, Matt knew that it was better to not say anything, and simply lifted his arm and lay it around Mello's shoulders, giving what comfort he could. He knew that Mello had been stressed lately, what with the Kira case and all, and he was only surprised that this hadn't happened sooner. However, he was surprised when Mello tilted his head and looked up, fixing him with watery blue eyes, filled with shyness and uncertainty that, this time, wasn't an act. And then Mello kissed him. At first Matt was too stunned to do anything, and then he gently kissed Mello back. To say that there were fireworks would have been a bit of an overstatement, it felt more like several puzzle pieces had suddenly fallen into place.

And then Mello started to move his lips…those lips…and his hands pushed Matt's goggles back off his eyes, trailing through his hair…and suddenly fireworks was a severe understatement of the feelings Matt had coursing through him. Pulling back, Matt looked Mello in the eye, trying to determine if this was all a joke. "Matty, please don't stop. Please." And Matt, although he knew that tomorrow this was all going to be very complicated, couldn't resist. He brushed a lingering tear from Mello's cheek with his thumb, and leaned in to try his best at kissing the fear, pain, and loneliness away, if only for one night.

A/N: Get prepared for some snuggly warm morning goodness next chapter! :)