"Okay… so this is the section of red. The lighter ones are up here it looks like and they go down to darker." Mello gestured to a wall of different colors and shades of hair dye, trying to channel his distracted friend's attention towards the reddish options. "This is the one you got last time, I think." He informed as he leaned forewords and tapped the top of a box.

"Yeah okay, sounds cool. Just get that one." Matt said distractedly, slowly starting to wander away from the wall and in the general direction of where the check-out lanes were. Choosing hair dye in a big store with everyone staring at him always made him feel awkward and he'd like to get back home as soon as possible. Besides, the new games on his phone were much more entertaining. Mello paused when he heard the familiar apathetic tone in Matt's voice and turned to look at him.

"Matt." He walked over to the taller boy and just watched for a moment as he was blatantly ignored. "Matt." He waited for a moment more, then snatched the phone from his hands and held onto it tightly, turning back to the different dyes. "Just come pick a fucking color so we can leave."

With a soft grunt, Matt tried to hold onto his phone but frowned when the blonde easily worked it from his fingers. "Oh my fucking God Mello, I don't even care what shade of fucking red it is. I just want red and not orange or some shit." He sighed and looked at the boxes of dye, trying to quickly come up with a few that he liked. After a moment he picked up three different boxes and thrust them towards Mello. "Here. You pick which one of these you like most and I'll dye it that, okay? You're the only one who's really gonna see it anyways."

Mello paused and looked at the boxes. "Well… I was thinking blonde, so we could be twins." He stated innocently, though joking.

"Just pick a color. I'm not doing blonde… I'll look like such a fag with blonde hair."

"I was joking, jeeze Matt. Chill the fuck out." He said defensively, taking the boxes from Matt's hands and looking them over, quickly ruling out the lighter red and focusing on the two that remained. He really liked the red wine… almost maroon color but liked the more vibrant red almost as much. It reminded him of fall.

"Hm…" he verbally mused as he examined both of the boxes, soon becoming frustrated and furrowing his brow. "Whatever, I'm just gonna buy both of them and experiment." Matt sighed and followed him to one of the self-checkout lines, running one of his hands through his thick, messy hair. After watching the blonde scan the boxes, an idea crossed his mind. He made sure that the other was distracted as he subtly slipped a bar of chocolate into his vest pocket. He'd give it to Mello as a little gift later on, he decided. Stealing chocolate for him was cute, right…? Speaking of cute, the red head's eyes kept traveling south down the back the shorter blonde's body in front of him. It was like he purposely bought pants that made his lack of ass and thin legs look amazing. Perhaps he could do another 'test' now. With a casual smile he moved in close behind Mello, sliding one of his broad hands along one side of the blonde's ass, giving it a soft pinch. Matt braced himself for an attack, but still grunted in pain when a sharp elbow was driven into his chest. Surprise struck him though when he felt that same pretty ass press into him as his friend openly leaned back against him, though it lasted no longer than about two seconds before he pulled away. Talk about mixed signals… he thought as he watched the blonde go back to paying for the dye, acting as if nothing happened. Matt paused to contemplate his next action before he firmly slapped Mello's ass. He dodged the elbow though that time, a ridiculous grin plastered on his face as he laughed in response to the light-hearted glare he was given.

"Stop it."

Matt smiled and shrugged, casually putting his hands in his vest pockets and making his way towards the door. Apparently there was a 'look but don't touch' rule, or something. Thinking for a moment, he decided to try a 'cute' approach next. Key word being try. Matt was a terribly awkward person and he knew that very well.

"So, I think I'll mix the two colors. Like different layers or something." Mello suggested with a shrug, pushing his sunglasses back to their appropriate place on his nose as he looked at the two boxes, fitting together a multitude of different possible combinations in his head.

"Sounds cool to me. I mean, it's pretty much whatever you wanna do." Matt stated. He then stopped the blonde when they got to his car. "Hey, wait. I have something." Mello paused and gave him a look of interest, standing motionless in one spot as he watched Matt's hand disappear into the vest pocket. When he saw the chocolate bar emerge, his eyes lit up with surprise and he had to hold himself back from grinning like an idiot. He got chocolate for me?

"Here. I snuck this out for you." Matt said a bit softly as he held the candy out to him, unable to hide a small smile from creeping onto his face. Mello took the chocolate from him and took off the paper wrapping so that he could peel off the foil from a corner. He stopped abruptly though when he felt the fleeting soft kiss on his cheek, it causing a warm shiver to run through his nerves. Matt smiled casually as he strolled around to the driver's side of his car, unlocking the doors and sitting inside. Looks like 'cute' had been a success.

Piece of shit little bitch. Mello thought to himself even though he completely enjoyed Matt's little stunt. Now he looked like an idiot just standing where he was, dumbfounded by the fact that Matt had even tried to do something like this. He'd have to get him back. Maybe he could even get him to blush. With that thought, Mello took his seat within the car, biting off the corner of his chocolate bar. "I hate you."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Sit down and I'll start mixing this stuff."

Matt complied with a soft sigh and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tapping one out. He set it between his lips and frisked his pockets, then looked around the bathroom, spotting his lighter on the counter.

"Hey can you hand me my lighter?" he asked as he turned on his DS that he'd brought in with him, continuing one of his games from earlier on.

"Yeah." Mello reached across the countertop and picked up the lighter, turning to hand it to Matt but then noticed his current state and decided it'd be better to help him out a little. He leaned down towards him and lit the flame, holding it close to the end of the red head's cigarette, watching as he leaned forewords to light it. "Thanks" he said with a soft smile, the cigarette dancing between his lips when they moved. The blonde put the lighter on the counter again and turned back to his previous actions, mixing together the components for the hair dye. Matt's hair is gonna be so soft after this… he thought to himself, holding back a little smirk. It'd be hard for him to keep his hands out of the ruby locks tonight. Maybe… he could convince the little gamer to sleep with him tonight. Mello glanced over his shoulder, watching his focused friend play whatever game it was that he'd been so addicted to lately. Hmh.

"Okay Matt, turn sideways so I have more room. Oh, and take off your goggles too." The blonde said as he pushed back the shower curtain more, making it easier for him to get behind Matt when he needed to. With a blank expression he watched as the red head turned slowly, but made no attempt to take off his goggles like Mello had asked. With a sigh he reached a hand down, taking hold of the elastic strap that was buried beneath thick layers of hair and pulled the goggles off of his friend's head. He set them down and then ran his hands smoothly through the faded red locks of hair, working out any small tangles. Of course, though, he took this moment to fully enjoy every touch he could get of his friend's soft hair, his fingers occasionally wandering to feel the tender skin of his ears as well.

Matt stayed focused on his game, his eyes fluttering every now and then from the soothing feel of his friend's hands in his hair. That was the one thing he loved about dying his hair; it was like a massage. Pausing his game for a second, he brought his fingers up to his lips and pulled the cigarette out, tapping ashes into the bathtub. Mello was gonna bitch at him later for that, but right now Matt didn't care too much. He coughed a few times, then put the cigarette back between his lips and set down his cherished game.

"Hold on a sec, lemme take this off." The red head mumbled, unzipping his thick vest and sliding it off. He didn't want to get any dye on the white fur around his neck and besides, it was getting hot in there. "Okay, now we're good." He stated with a smile, pushing his sleeves up to his elbows and picking up his DS again, resuming his play. Mello regretfully withdrew his hands from the gamer's hair and picked up the bottle of dye, applying it quickly to Matt's scalp and massaging it through his hair. He was careful to cover every inch so that no spots would be missed, scratching Matt's scalp gently and soothingly every now and then as he continued to apply the dye. Matt enjoyed the scratching very much. In fact, there were times when he had trouble keeping his eyes open from the sheer relaxation Mello's fingers brought to him.

"Are you just making it all one color?" he asked, keeping his eyes focused on the game that he held in his hands.

"Yeah, I don't feel like trying to do all that extra shit. We'll just save that box for when you need to re dye again."

Matt nodded as he understood, then asked, "What color did you pick?"

"The lighter, redder one."

"Okay." Matt breathed in deeply through his finished cigarette before taking it out of his mouth, flicking the butt into the bathtub. "How long do I have to have this in my hair?"

"I'd say thirty minutes?" Mello shrugged, rubbing his fingers along Matt's hairline, making sure all of the roots were covered. Matt gave a half-nod and continued to play his game, shifting his sitting position slightly to make himself more comfortable. Secretly, he worried about how his hair would look. Mello would do a good job, he knew that, but he hoped the color would look okay… Eh, whatever. It wasn't like he went outside for anyone to see him on a regular basis anyways.

After a while of rubbing and mixing, Mello slicked all of Matt's hair back away from his face, then withdrew his hands and immediately put them into the sink to wash them off. I guess I should have worn gloves. He thought as he realized that his hands were stained a rusty reddish color. Oh well. He turned back to Matt and slipped a dry towel over his shoulders, keeping his firm hands in place atop the red head's shoulders. "Hey Matt, you're done. I'm gonna go heat up that Chinese food. You want any?" he asked, leaning down a little over his shoulder. The distracted red head grunted softly, hardly paying attention to what his friend had said to him. Mello sighed slightly and pushed his friend forewords a little in annoyance, walking out of the bathroom to heat up the left over food.

Wait. Mello said something. Matt noticed, pausing his game and turning his head to look over his shoulder at the half-open bathroom door. Mello had been out of the room for almost five minutes, but it wasn't until then that he actually realized that the blonde had left. Goddamnit… He thought. Focusing attention wasn't something that he was very good at when he had a game in his hands… he needed to work on that.

"Mello?" he called out as he wandered from the bathroom to find his friend. "Where are you?"

The blonde in question glanced towards the sound of Matt's voice, holding a plate full of various kinds of Chinese food. "Yeah?" He pulled a fork from one of the top drawers and ate a bit of the rice, leaning back against the counter afterwards. Soon enough, his in-the-process-red-headed friend appeared in the doorway. He looked kind of cute with his hair back like that… it really showed the attractive edges of his face nicely.

"You want any of this?" Mello asked, holding up his plate slightly. Matt turned his attention to the food and nodded. "Yeah sure." With a lazy sigh he shut his DS off and set it down onto the table, making his way over to the boxes of Chinese food on the counter. As he made his plate he occasionally glanced at the blonde to talk to him.

"When can I wash this out again? It kind of itches."

Mello looked up at him as he ate his food, checked the clock, and then looked back to him. "About twenty minutes." He stared at Matt, watching his movements with a focused expression. Matt sometimes got uncomfortable with Mello's staring habit. What with the blonde always watching everything he does to the tiniest details… it made him feel self conscious and awkward. Though, he'd gotten fairly used to it by now and hardly noticed Mello's staring when he looked back over at him.

"So are we just gonna hang out here after I wash this out? Or did you have other plans or something."

Mello focused his eyes onto Matt's, chewing on his food a bit slowly. Was Matt going to suggest they go out and do something? Or was it just a curious question… Mello just looked at him for a couple moments, thinking of what to say.

"I was thinking of going to buy a gun." He answered, drawing his eyes away from his friend and looking down at his food again. Matt paused and then furrowed his brows slightly. A gun?

"Why?"

"A couple people owe me some things." He said with a serious tone. Matt paused, then took a bite of his food and nodded as he understood.

"Alright."

Of course he worried for his friend. He always did whenever the blonde went out to do things like this. In all honesty, Matt would have been completely fine with not doing illegal and dangerous things in his free time, but, his friend needed his help and he wouldn't be that unreliable douche friend. Besides, it could be fun sometimes.

"Do you want me to help with anything?"

Mello looked back up at his friend, staring into his cool green eyes. "Not this time; these guys are idiots." He said with a small smile, receiving a smile in return from the gamer. He was glad that Matt was always willing to help him but he really hated putting him in danger so much. If he were to die because of him, he'd probably never forgive himself. However, there would be no need for that tonight. He'd go in, demand his things at gun-point, then leave. Simple as that.

"I should be back right after I'm done. If I'm not back by tomorrow morning and haven't called, call me. If I don't answer, then come and find me. I'll leave the locations for you before I leave." Matt nodded and ate more of his food, a small piece of hair falling down onto his forehead. These must not be overly dangerous people since Mello had faith in his abilities to get past their defenses. He didn't worry about that, though. He knew that Mello would be fine.

Once the two of them finished eating, Mello turned to Matt and put a hand softly onto his chest. "You can wash that out now." The red head looked down at Mello's hand and thought for a moment, then brought his own hand up to rest on top of it and hold it softly. He softly slid his thin fingers between the blonde's, keeping their hands pressed against his chest.

"Okay cool." He smiled and leaned in close to Mello, giving him a chaste kiss before pulling away completely and walking towards the bathroom. "I just use that special conditioner right? No shampoo?"

Mello smiled lightly when he was kissed, his eyes following the other as they left the room. "Yeah." He sighed contently when he heard the door click and ran the tip of his tongue over his lower lip, biting onto it afterwards as he washed their dirty dishes. Matt thought he was sooooo cute by kissing me. He thought with a small, happy smile. Flutters did go through him, though, each time the stupid gamer kissed him. Dick… one day he'll learn that too and then do it more often just because he thought it was cute or something. If he didn't already, that is.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Matt stepped out of the shower, the droplets of water rolling down every inch of his slim form. Before grabbing a towel to dry himself off, he stepped towards the mirror and rubbed away the steam to reveal his reflection so that he could examine his hair. "Hmh." He shook his head from side to side, his damp hair fanning out more and water flying everywhere. Looks pretty good… I guess I'll have to dry it first though before I really know. He thought as he tugged a white towel off of the rack and ran it along his body, drying himself off. After he was mostly dry he slipped on his boxers, leaving them low slung. He left the bathroom to find Mello in the living room, standing in his usual leather attire as he counted the money he'd need for the gun. Matt was a bit unsure why he was buying a new gun though; he was sure they had almost four in the bedroom. He figured Mello got some sort of joy out of owning weapons. Weird.

"You leaving now?"

Mello turned his head to the sound of his friend's voice, hiding the money away in a pocket of his tight leather pants. "Yeah. Hey, your hair looks really good." Matt smiled and shrugged softly, running one of his hands through his bangs to get them out of his face. "Thanks."

Mello nodded casually, then walked over to the door and took his heavy, hooded coat off of a hook and tugged it on. "I'll be back in a few hours. I left the addresses on the counter."

"Kay." Matt walked over to the counter and found the paper, reading over the locations with a furrowed brow. Mello really needed to work on his handwriting skills. "I'll be waiting for you." With a smirk Mello nodded once, leaving the apartment confidently. This shouldn't take more than three or four hours, considering the hideouts weren't that far away and he'd easily be able to overcome any resistances.

Matt watched him go and then flopped down on the couch, propping his head up on one of the throw pillows as he reached around for his cigarettes. Where were they—aha. He pulled the carton over and fished one out, holding it between his knuckles while he reached for his lighter. Once he'd gotten a hold of it he lit his addiction and took a long, slow drag, sighing out with content. He then opened his mouth, letting a bit of the smoke slowly drift from his throat to exit through his mouth before blowing out the remaining. Next mission: find the TV remote.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Mello grunted as he shoved the door open and stumbled in, his breathing a bit short and uneven as pain shot through his leg. His assault had gone just as he'd expected… time wise. A few unexpected things happened along the way and apparently those guys had more balls than he'd thought. The blonde let out a few more pained grunts, pushing the door closed and then limped towards the couch. Matt awoke from his light sleep when he heard the distressed sounds coming from across the room, raising his sleepy head and turning towards the unusual sounds.

"Mmh.. Mello—fuck." Matt grunted and launched himself from the couch, making it to his friend's side within a few quick strides. Fucking, how the… shit shit shit…

…..

I'm starting to really enjoy this story. XD The funny part though… is that my initial intention when I started this was for it to be a cute little one-shot. Looks like that changed. Anywho, reviews please! I'll update as soon as I can.