Second chapter! I know, it's been too long –again- but hey… I never (ever) said I'm punctual.

I really hope this one will eventually cover the basics so I can finally move on with the plot…

Enjoy, please.

"The Royal Pillow"

The sun was already starting to set behind the buildings, but inside the Golden Cup Mello and Matt were enjoying what seemed to be the third cup of flavored tea, sharing summaries of their lives as well as spoonfuls of honey. Only when Matt's tongue met with the empty bottom of his cup did he realize they had spent the entire afternoon sitting on the old-fashioned, wooden chairs of the teahouse.

"Look at the time!" he pointed at the clock, pinned on the wall above an old porcelain set of flower-decorated teacups. The hands were shakily moving towards the small number "4".

"Shit!" Mello cursed and slapped his forehead. "I totally forgot her!"

Matt raised a brow at him and chuckled. "I stood my roommate up too. Is yours really that bad?"

Mello smirked and his hair fell on the side of his face to playfully cover his left eye and the scar running around and below it. Matt noticed how the golden-tinted bistro-like windows guided the light on his new friend's face, making it glow with half a dozen colors. His tongue running over his teeth brought him back to reality as Mello winced. "You have no idea…". Fingers slowly caressing the lips of his teacup, he put it on the table. "But she's totally worth it." Mello mused and chuckled, still tasting the last few drops of orange-flavored tea on his palate.

"You're a lucky man." Matt whimpered at the thought of his roommate – who was trying to also be his companion. Last time he had stood her up, she had locked the door to his room and he had to spend the night in the bathtub.

"Indeed I am" the blond answered and left the bill on the table. "Wanna come with me? Virginia would love to meet the man who delayed me so much." He laughed a lighthearted laughter and his eyes, smiling, fell on Matt, whose mood immediately changed.

"Sure, if I'm no bother!" suddenly he felt like a child invited to a party. He wouldn't admit, but he was curious to meet that "Virginia" girl Mello looked so happy talking about, anticipating to be with. As Mello stood, Matt watched his figure stretching a bit taller than his, his eyes scanning the room, so unfitting and unsettling but at the same time so "there" as he would never be. He liked this man, as easy-going and acceptant as he was. It was the first time in months Matt felt relaxed around someone since he had left home.

Maybe, if had tried to give it more thought then, he would have realised Mello was the reason as to why he was feeling at home. BUt Matt was not the type of man to think much; he liked acting over thinking and, sometimes, acting without thinking.

As the door shut behind his back, a gentle breeze swept away the scent of tea and the sound of the tiny bell, bringing forth the disturbing sound of cars passing by.

"How…how is she like?" Matt asked fishing in his pocket for cigarettes. He tried to create he picture in his mind, but he knew nothing of Mello's taste in women. What would he deem as attractive? 'Some six foot five blonde model, I guess.' he bitterly thought, and the sharp smell of his lighter's gas pierced through his nose. Taking in the nicotine, he glanced towards Mello, walking beside him; his long legs, his toned arms. He guessed a firm torso under the simple t-shirt. Despite first impressions, Mello was not girly at all… 'Especially if you take a loot at his-' Matt cut off his thought as his cheeks blushed. He has been unconsciously eying Mello's lightly swaying hips.

"Oh, she's gorgeous…" His voice snapped Matt out of his daze, and he huffed.

"Of course she is."

…

"So, how do you like her?"

"She's… not what I expected."

Matt gave another look at Virginia, seated on Mello's lap, right next to him on the couch. She licked her lips –those lips that always looked as if curved in a mocking smirk- and purred despite his hand on her back.

"She's better, I hope." Mello whispered and ran a single finger along Virginia's spine. The cat closed her eyes, her ears fell flat on her head, and Matt felt weirdly relieved that she wasn't but a few inches tall. The end of her tail was chopped off, as if someone had chewed on it; the top half of her left ear as well, something Matt thought to be oddly fitting to her owner.

"Far, far better, actually!" Matt gave a huge sigh, and Virginia cracked a shiny yellow eye and fixed it on him. The redhead gulped and fell back on the couch; the cushions hissed.

"I rescued her half a year ago from a cat fight." Mello smiled down at the cat, and then looked up at Matt, whose heart flattered. Seeing him so happy made him-

"…Matt?"

"Y-yeah?" Matt blinked twice, staring into a pair of blue orbs. "I'm listening."

Mello smirked and his fingers lingered on Virginia's head, who purred and sneezed lightly.

"Of course you are."

…

"Can you open the door so we can at least talk?"

The very angry redhead leaned against the wooden door and tried to identify what of his belongings was being crushed, smashed and broken under thick heels.

"Go to Hell!"

Matt growled a curse and lightly pressed his forehead against the cool wood.

"For fuck's sake! It's my apartment!" he yelled, and heard something made out of glass crash against the wall and a hysterical laughter.

"I've been paying for it the past few months, you penniless prick!"

"Open the fucking door" Matt screamed and his fist collided with the door.

"You can go shove your pity-fucks up to that blonde's ass!"

Matt cringed and his nails scraped the frame. "It's a he" he barked.

The fuss and the crushing seized as if surprise stopped her hand mid-breaking. "You dumped me for a man?" Her voice dropped to a deadly hiss, muffled by the wood and the concrete walls, but still Matt pictured venom dripping from her tongue. He banged his head against the door and whined.

"You've got it all wrong, damn it!"

A dull thud shook the door as if a knife had been thrown on it. Matt was almost sure that was the case.

"Go to your precious blond if you wanna spend the night indoors, you faggot!"

And Matt cringed for the umpteenth time for that day.

…

Mello's dreams were hasty that night. Hasty, hazy and hot. Maybe it was for Virginia was curled in a ball of fur on his chest that he had been sweating the entire night. Maybe it was for his dreams and them alone, filled with fire and red colors; the red locks of a shadowy figure curling between his fingers. A pair of red lips, dripping blood, dragging along his neckline.

But his dreams had a dull, pompous echo of thundering drums, as if demons were dancing in the pits of Hell. A continuity of sharp claspings of heavy, clawed fingers against wood…

A banging that was coming closer and closer, giving a bewildered tempo to his heart that rushed on and on until-

"Shit!"

Breathless, panting, he jolted and jumped in his bed. An angry meowing escaped Virginia's lips and she hopped down on the floor, hissing at the blond. Mello sat up and threw the sheets to the side, still dizzy. The thundering of his heart continued, as well as the haunting echoes of the drums from Hell.

Only it was originating from his front door, and not from the pits of Hell.

"What the…" Mello ran a hand through his hair and growled deep in his throat when his feet met with the tiles. He hated the unsettling feeling of the cool floor against his toes. "I'm coming!" he screamed towards the door, and the banging seized.

Still swearing as soundlessly as he could, with the furry ball that was Virginia nuzzling and rubbing between, on and within his bare calves, he managed to slip in a pair of boxers (which were, to his dismay, tartan red) and rushed to the door.

"If you're the pizza boy, don't expect me to pay you! I ordered that pizza yesterday!" Mello said as he unlocked and opened the door. But on his doorstep stood a slender man with the most desperate eyes he'd ever seen; a far cry from any pizza boy you would want to see in the middle of the night, even in one of those extremely low-budget porn movies.

"I bring no pizza, but I could sure use some money right now, thanks."

…

Half an hour later, when almost everything had been explained over a half empty bottle of cheap beer, Matt sighed, huffed and puffed his cigarette. Virginia, fond of the smoke, was trying to chase the scented breaths and rings of nicotine, occasionally darting her tongue out to taste them.

Mello, on the other side, who hated the taste, scent and sight of smoke, glared the redhead and his extractions with a hint of annoyance. He crossed his arms on his chest and eyed Matt. The occasion called for a t-shirt rather than a toast, but he could still feel the flames of his dreams licking his body, and now his temperature was rising, as if he had been sun-kissed. "So" he said "she basically threw you out of your apartment."

"Actually" Matt retorted "She had been paying for it for the past…hmmm…" he used his fingers to count, glaring at the ceiling "…two and a half months." He finished, and gave Mello a small, sad smile. "She owns the place, if I want to be fair. Which I don't." Underlining his sentence with another gulp of beer, he apologetically looked at Mello, arms still crossed on his bare chest. Not only had he woken him up, he has also been drinking his beer. "I'm sorry.. I'll be off your back in a while. It's late, and you must have been sleeping…" he awkwardly glared the blond up and down, from his messy hair, the bags under his eyes, to his half naked body and the surprisingly colorful underwear.

Maybe it was the beer, but he welcomed a strange tingling of warmth caressing his fingers and the tip of his nose. Mello had rushed to the door almost naked.

Almost, if it hadn't been for the tartan red pair of boxers…

While Matt was trying to erase the tartan pair of boxers from his mind and, if possible, from his vision, Mello cared not for the beer, the inconvenience or the time of the visit. He could feel the wheels of his mind spinning, counting and processing. Matt needed a place to crush, possibly not for just the night, and he was the only one he knew in London. He gathered it must have been hard for him, a proud human being (although both of the above were under question) running around, practically homeless. And it would be even harder on his pride to ask for accommodations.

'One plus one equals two, indeed…' Mello thought and hoped he wouldn't regret what he was about to say anytime soon.

"You can stay here." Mello offered, covering his eyes with his hand. "I just hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch…" he yawned and then laughed. "Oh boy… this is going to be so much fun."

Matt looked up to him, a mixture of relief and doubt slowly taking over his features. "Are you sure? We just met!" he said, hoping deep inside that Mello wouldn't mind too much. They were just going to share the apartment, after all; and not for long. In his mind, he was already planning to gather up some money and…and…

"Don't sweat it. It'll be fine as long as you get along with her." Mello smiled and mused at Virginia who was now trying to climb up Matt's worn out jeans. "She's the queen here."

The queen purred and jumped, settling on the redhead's lap and started massaging his knees to make herself comfortable with an approving twinkle of her chopped-off ear .

"I think" Matt said in a serious tone "she made it very clear she's in need of a new royal pillow…"

…

That night was one of the many to come, although neither of them knew. They settled on the couch with Virginia as their guard and company for the night, peering through the darkness of the room. After another two good rounds of beer, Matt fell asleep blissful and ignorant of Mello's attempts to sleep seated, almost naked and in the presence of another male snoring lightly a few inches away from his crotch.

By the daybreak, Mello had made a few notes to himself on moving the drinking on his bed for more space and comfort. He was sure his neck and spine would thank him in advance.

Notice the dots? I love adding dots here and there! They signify the change of place and time in my stories! Keep that in mind and you will never have to wonder again!

Okay, this is getting seriously funny for me. I'm starting to like this story.

Check for updates within the next week! Now my semester exams are over I have lots of time (actually no, for I'm working, but oh well…)

Until my next chapter,

xxx

RazorLike