AN: I've been so frustratingly busy lately that I haven't been able to read as many of other people's fanfictions as I would like. However, I did manage to read a few that I enjoyed thoroughly, and I discovered that I have a soft spot for first-time authors. They may not be brilliant at spelling or layout or so on, but the fact that they clearly love what they are doing shines through their writing. It's very sweet. Because of this, I have begun to consider becoming a beta-reader. :)

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I push through the doors to our makeshift hideout and crush my cigarette onto a waiting ash tray. Mello doesn't like the smoke, and we've learned it's best to indulge him.

The orderly room is almost empty, only a guy or two and Mello himself, who seems absorbed in some paperwork. I take a seat on the sofa and grab a newspaper and a lollipop from one of the many jars of them scattered around the place; an attempt of Mello's to ease the cravings for nicotine. He can be a sweet guy sometimes.

A few moments pass by in companionable silence until suddenly Mello stands up and comes to sit beside me. "Hand," he tells me, and without much thought I show him my palm. He flips it over and I'm momentarily surprised by the feel of cool metal on my skin.

I lower my newspaper and give him my attention, watching as he slides a silver band onto a very important finger. When finished, he slips another golden one onto his own.

"Uh, Mello," I say quietly. "What are you doing?"

His eyes meet mine, all innocence. "I'm marrying you."

"Of course." I suppose I should be shocked by his words, but in truth I'm just amused. "Any particular reason for doing that?"

He appears to consider my question before answering seriously. "I thought it would be nice."

"Ah. Right then." And with that I turn back to my newspaper.

Mello doesn't release my hand, he just keeps playing with it. When I find myself unable to turn the page I turn to him again, and see him staring at the ring on my finger like it's the most important thing in the world. He can be very cute sometimes, this guy. Very, very cute.

He notices my gaze and looks at me questioningly. Before I have a chance to ask him to help me, he spots the lollipop in my right hand, which I seem to have been fiddling with unconsciously. With a smile he reaches over and opens it easily. I'm on the verge of thanking him when he happily puts it into his own mouth.

"Hey, hey," I protest. "That's my lollipop, man."

"It tastes great," he assures me.

"Not the point here. That's my lollipop."

Mello just stares at me, sucking absently at the candy. "I'll tell you what. If you can find another cherry flavoured one, I'll give it back."

Curse our similar tastes! "You know as well as I do that's impossible. You must buy like one a week."

"Well then, you'll have to look hard."

A young man seats himself in the armchair across from us and shakes his head. "You two can't seriously be arguing over something like this."

"We got married. That's what we do now." Mello informs him.

Takeo is a new face in our gang, but he fits in well. He's got the instincts of a killer, incredible aim with a gun and is open-minded enough to feel comfortable around Mello and I at our weirdest. However, even he lifts an eyebrow at his boss' explanation.

"Congratulations?" he replies, giving me a puzzled look.

"Thankyou. It means a lot," Mello gives him a wide smile and wraps his arms around my neck, playing the blissful newlywed.

"I'm sure it does." The eyebrow is lowered, but Takeo still doesn't seem too sure whether to take Mello seriously or not. He turns to me and his tone changes. "Here, I happened to find one."

I reach out to take the cherry lollipop that he offers me with a grateful smile, but Mello gets it first. Unwrapping it quickly, he replaces the lollipop in his mouth with the new one. He holds out the half-finished one to me.

I just frown at him, and he pulls it back. "Ugh, such a brat," he mutters loudly. Picking up the disposed-of wrapper from his lap, he places it loosely on the lollipop and holds it out to me again.

I accept it and Takeo has the cheek to laugh when I carefully remove the wrapper and place it on the coffee table between us. Popping the sweet into my mouth, I give him a threatening glare, the effect of which is severely diminished by Mello kissing my cheek lightly.

My glare turns on him and I kiss him on the cheek with the intention of punishing him. He merely seems delighted, and kisses me on the cheek again. So begins a battle of who can show the most affection.

A nod to Takeo and he takes up the job of referee. He pulls the jar of lollipops closer to him and grabs a couple, using them as score markers.

Mello places a hand on the back of my neck, kissing my cheek again with deliberate slowness. When he pulls away there is a challenging glint in his eyes. "Point," Takeo announces and places a lollipop in front of Mello.

I slip my hand into his without breaking eye contact and lean in close. My lips brush his cheek and I whisper 'you're beautiful' into his skin before kissing him again and pulling away. Mello blushes slightly, something I hadn't anticipated. "Two points."

My opponent seems a little unnerved when he kisses me this time, but he plays it to his advantage. Slipping his arms around my shoulders he moves until our faces are inches apart, and looks up at me, his face flushed. When my eyes meet his gaze he lowers his own quickly, an action which undoubtedly gets him his points.

Mello's kiss is quick and uncertain this time, but when he pulls away he looks completely in control. He gives me a cocky smile when Takeo announces his score. "Four points."

My reputation is at stake here; I'll need to work harder to beat him. I realise what I will have to do and Mello falters when he sees the certainty with which I smile at him. I move closer, my right hand coming to rest at his waist and my left caressing his cheek gently. He shivers slightly, undoubtedly at the cold touch of my wedding ring.

For a moment he tries to escape, but his struggle weakens as my face draws closer. My lips touch his cheek, and then his lips, catching him by surprise. I am in complete control and both of us know it. Mello seems almost sad when I break the kiss and pull back.

Takeo doesn't respond right away, and I look his way only to see that he has picked up the jar of lollipops. I watch with satisfaction as he upturns the jar, sending a small flood of candy cascading onto the table in front of me. I turn back to Mello, who wears an uncharacteristically vulnerable expression, and wink. He looks away quickly and I revel in my victory.

Nobody speaks for some time; Takeo seems surprised by the apparent sincerity in my actions and Mello equally so, but their reactions don't really matter to me. I am much more interested in what lies on the other side of the newspaper page, which I am finally able to turn.

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AN: This isn't a oneshot! I finished and went, 'oh, this isn't a oneshot...there's still so much to do'. The second chapter is well underway and should appear online any day now. The story has no real plot, it's just a kind of light-hearted and hopefully enjoyable fanfiction about one of my favourite DN pairings. :)

On another note Takeo is, as you may have suspected, an original character. He was introduced purely because romantic comedy is terribly difficult without three people - it's a 'more the merrier' kind of genre. The name is one of my favourite Japanese male names; I think it looks great in hiragana (a form of Japanese script).