#69 Water

A/N: heehee, 69. I have the mental age of a fourteen-year-old. XD

The case was over. It was over and somehow, some way, they'd made it out alive. God alone knew how they'd been so lucky.

Well, lucky, plus Matt's skill behind the wheel was second to none (he told Mello all those Grand theft auto games would be handy one day). Plus Kiyomi Takada had misspelled Mello's name.

They'd found one another again outside the burning church where Mello left Takada. He'd been lucky, he'd stepped out to get some air before something sparked in the van and started the fire that would have killed them both.

They'd sat together for hours afterwards, parked up in Matt's car behind a nearby patch of greenery, watching the fire brigade do their best to put it out. For a long time into the night the fire was the only light they needed.

Somewhere in the darkness, Matt muttered. "We're alive."

Mello nodded. "I know. Scary, huh?"

Matt laughed, then replied, "Lets get out of here." As he reached to start up the car.

For once, Mello didn't have any objections; he just sank back into the cool leather of the seat and mumbled, "Find us a nice hotel, Mail. Or failing that, a crappy one with a well-stocked bar."

Now it was either very late at night or early in the morning, Matt wasn't sure, and didn't care. Both of them were pleasantly drunk, laughing at how unbelievable it was that they were actually alive, debating how exactly Near was going to hand Light Yagami's ass to him, and wondering where, exactly, they would go now.

They made a strange pair, laying there on the rooftop of their chosen hotel, both in their boxer shorts, admiring the steam coming from the heated pool and jacuzzi and throwing back their drinks.

Mello sipped his and stared at the starlit sky. "Well I know one thing, we're not going back to Wammy's. Forget the whole goddamn L legacy, he's been avenged, that's what matters, right?"

Matt beamed, "So…so you're really giving it up? No more over-competitiveness with Near?"

Mello giggled to himself, "Yanno what? F*ck Near. F*ck Near right in his albino ear." He raised his glass as if to toast this idea, then had second thoughts and drank it instead, shaking off the burn of the alcohol. "We can go anywhere Matty, I'm serious, you name the place and I'll make it happen."

Matt felt a blush creeping across his freckled skin, "Really? Anywhere?"

Mello nodded, lost his balance, and slipped off his sun-lounger, laughing to himself.

Matt, less drunk than Mello, patted his friend's arm, "I wanna find us a little tropical island, buy us a nice house and just live there forever. I can hack for a living and stuff."

Mello nodded from his place on the floor, "Ask and you shall receive." He mumbled, stumbling over some of his words.

Matt gulped. There was something else he wanted, he'd wanted for a long time. Never yet had the courage to tell Mello though. He was pretty much convinced they'd be dead by now though.

Did he really want to say it now? Tell Mello the truth of why he'd always done what the blonde asked without question? Risk their perfect friendship?

But come on, Mello was supposed to be a genius, surely he had a few suspicions, right? And it wasn't as if Matt hadn't told him before how attractive he was, Mello had always just laughed it off though.

With alcohol fuelling his courage, Matt gulped and stood up, walking to the edge of the pool and staring down at his reflection.

"Matty! Matty!" Mello called from the floor, "Come see how far I can bend my arm! Ow!"

Matt sighed. "Mello, I-"

And then he went sprawling into the water. He twisted underwater and surfaced, glaring through his goggles at the laughing blonde. "Mello! That wasn't funny!"

"Yeah it was!!" Mello yelled back, before Matt pulled him in too.

What followed was five minutes of very warm, wet, wrestling and splashing as the two of them played like little kids in the pool.

Somehow, Matt ended up pinned to the side of the pool, Mello's arms either side of his head, Mello's face grinning maniacally at him.

"Heheh, I win." Mello purred.

Matt nodded, "Yeah, you win Mells." He answered with a smile.

Mello's expression changed suddenly. It softened, and so did he, suddenly he leant closer to Matt's chest, closing his eyes to nuzzle at his neck. Matt wondered if he'd passed out and this was some weird drunken fantasy.

"Mmm…" Mello hummed. "I totally love you Mail."

Matt's face flushed as red as his hair. "Mello, you're drunk."

Mello pulled back, a frown on his face, his fine hair dishevelled. "Not THAT drunk, Matt. Ya think I'd say somethin like that and not mean it?"

Matt blinked. "You do mean it then?"

When his best friend nodded, he pulled the blonde back against his chest, nuzzling into that hair that now smelled of chlorine and chocolate. He thanked the gods of luck for giving him all that he'd needed that day.

"I love you too Mells." He mumbled, just for his friend to hear.