A/N: Hello everyone! This is Stripes, and I've brought you a new little oneshot to read! And yes, it's another MelloxMatt. Do we write anything else? Why, yes we do, but they are one of the most interesting pairings (and, quite frankly, one of the sexiest) we've encountered, we love them, so there you go.

I, Stripes, wrote this story entirely by myself for Leather. We'd been running through ideas for another possible story, and in it, we alluded to a scene that had taken place back at Wammy's in the library. So I wrote it. I'm extremely happy with it, and hopefully you all will enjoy it, too.

See? I'm a productive poster when I'm sick.

I hope you enjoy this, Leather. It's all for you!

Love,

Stripes

.:The Library:.

A gift for Leather, from Stripes

xxx

The small blond rested his head on the warm glass of the window. His eyes lazily drifted over the sprawling lawn below, littered with children running and laughing. A small pang tugged at his chest, wanting to join them. Wanting nothing more than to never have to think about that albino freak of nature again.

But he couldn't let Near beat him again. Never again.

From his window sill, Mello felt as though he were in his seat of power, overlooking his loyal subjects and followers. It was silly, and he could admit that, but it was comforting, none the less. He felt…important and in control of something for once.

His loyal dog sitting at his feet.

A shaggy mop of red hair shifted slightly, the head leaning back to rest gingerly against Mello's leg. The touch almost startled Mello out of his requiem, his gaze dropping to the boy on the floor next to him, content to sit at his feet. The thought of the redhead as a lap dog made him smile and Mello returned to the book in his hand, thoroughly amused.

He raised his hand, fingers about to brush the red locks, when he stopped himself. Mello frowned, inwardly cursing himself for even considering the simple touch. He had almost lost himself in his idle day dream again. He had no right to touch the boy.

Matt was too perfect for that.

As if sensing the discomfort of the other boy, Matt craned his neck, looking up at the blond above him. "Ya say something, Mel?"

"No," the hand dropped to the page in the book, long forgotten in Mello's lap. "I was just thinking."

"Well, stop thinking so damn loud, it's messing with my concentration," the redhead's face split in a grin, and Mello had to look away, the tugging in his chest returning in full force. He had to look away because, Christ Almighty, if he stared, he might do something stupid.

"I'll try to keep it down," the blond offered a smile, staring at his book, comprehending nothing.

And apparently that wasn't good enough for the redhead, "Really though. You okay, Mel? You look like someone just spit on your coco puffs."

"I'm fine, Matt. I was just thinking, that's all."

"About what?" Matt stretched, pulling his goggles from his eyes and letting them fall around his neck.

He stared intently at the book, seeing that beautiful expanse of pale skin out of the corner of his eye. God was cruel to toy with him like this. To throw this boy at his feet and to create the abomination that is puberty. Letting out a small sigh, Mello shrugged, "Just stuff."

"What kinda stuff?"

"I dunno, Matt. Guy stuff."

"Well, I'm kind of a guy too, Mello, in case you hadn't noticed."

He had noticed. That was part of the problem. "It's nothing, Matt, seriously."

After a long pause, the gamer turned back to his game with a shrug. And Mello let out a breath he hadn't realize he'd been holding in. Thank God, he just could not think if those eyes were watching-

"So what's her name?"

The sudden voice startled Mello more than it should have. "Excuse me?"

"This girl you can't stop thinking about. What's her name?"

"Matt, shut up."

"Oh, give me a break, Mel. I'm not stupid!" he turned again, green eyes excited and bright. "You have to tell me. There are only so many people here, and believe me, I will frickin' ask EVERYONE until I find out."

Oh God, why was he still staring at him? "There isn't anyone, I'm just thinking."

"Then do you always want to make out with your textbooks?"

At that, Mello's eyes narrowed, a flush brushing over his cheeks.

"I mean, really. You're doing that…that thing with your mouth."

"What thing?"

Matt sighed, scratching at his head, "Like, when you really, really want chocolate, you do this thing. You lick at your bottom lip and kinda chew on it."

Well, this was certainly news to Mello. "I just want chocolate."

"You're eating chocolate."

Blue eyes shot to the forgotten bar next to him on the sill. Shit. "I got distracted by my reading and I-"

"Bullshit, Mel," Matt perked up, turning and sitting on his knees in front of the blond. "Just give me an initial."

"Matt."

"I'm serious! Come on!" he scooted himself forward, resting his chin on Mello's thigh, "Just an itty, bitty super tiny hint."

God dammit, why wouldn't the gamer move. Even that small touch was sending shock waves throughout his body, and he couldn't deal with that right now. "I'm serious, too, stop it."

"We're friends, Mello. Why can't you just indulge my twisted little brain for one second and let me believe that I'm not the only one holding myself back from humping everything I come into contact with."

That certainly caught Mello off guard. "Wait, what?"

The freckles dusted over Matt's cheeks glowed crimson at the sudden realization of what he'd said. "I…I don't know."

"No, you can't do that," Mello stared at the redhead now, a slender brow quirking upward, "You just hounded me over nothing, so don't you dare make this nothing when it's completely something! What the hell are you talking about?"

The gamer sunk closer to the floor, "You know what I mean, Mello…"

"Do I?" Good Lord, he knew.

"Yes! Yes, I can see it in your eyes! Just….shit, don't make me say it…" slender fingers gripped at red strands of hair in exasperation.

"Matt."

"No. No, I won't say it."

"Matt…"

"Urges, Mello. I have fucking urges!" the gamer yelped, falling back on the ground, desperately trying to cover his face. "God, it shouldn't be humanly possible to jack off as much as I do!"

It was Mello's turn to blush. "You can shut up now, Matt."

"I mean, I'll be sitting in class and…fuck, Linda is adorable. Those little pigtails that she always wears…" he trailed off, a small guttural sound leaving his lips.

"Matt, shut up."

"You wanted to know! Don't pussy out now, Mel," Matt sat up, raking his fingers through his hair. "Shit, I think a kiss would kill me where I stand."

A kiss. The pang was back in Mello's chest, finger's flexing on the spine of his book. He made a small noise in agreement, refusing to look up from his book.

"Just one. Fuck, I'd like to have one before I get out of here."

The words didn't sound like they belonged to Mello, and he could not figure out why he even said anything until the words hung oddly in the air. "You haven't been kissed?"

Matt shrugged, gazing at the carpet absently. "Nah. Like I said, there are only so many people here," he sighed as though repressing a deep ache. "What about you?" the green eyes were back on Mello, watching carefully.

"What about me."

"Have you kissed anyone?"

"That's none of your business."

"You haven't, have you?" Matt beamed, feeling on par with his best friend once more.

"I never said that.."

"You didn't have to," the boy continued grinning, still staring contently at the blond. "I thought you would have by now."

Blue eyes met green. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing," Matt raised his hands in forfeiting manner, "you're just…you."

A puzzled look crossed Mello's eyes, "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well like…you're cute. Like…" the hand was back, abusing red locks, "like girls would think you're cute, so I just thought that…yeah."

And just like that, Mello felt heat on his cheeks. "You're so full of shit."

"I am not! It's an observation! L would be proud," he grinned, face still flushed. "So…who do you think you'd want to kiss?"

You. "No one."

"What do you mean 'no one'? Mel, you've got you think someone's cute."

You. "I have more important things to think about."

"This is important," he laughed, crawling back toward the window sill, "and I know you've thought about it."

Mello willed himself to look away, to look anywhere but the gamer. His eyes stared out the window without seeing anything, his fingers nearly shaking on the book in his lap. "And what if I have?"

"Well, I wanna know who."

"What about you?" Mello bit his lip, turning back to the other boy. "Who have you…thought about?"

"Just…people."

"People?"

"Yeah. No one in particular. Mainly like…Natalie Portman."

"I meant realistically, Matt."

Matt's face was quickly approaching the color of his hair. "Does it really matter?"

"You seem to think it does," a small smile tugged at Mello's lips.

"Well like…I don't want to suck or anything. For Natalie, I mean…so..I dunno, I was thinking that…well, like, maybe I could kiss someone here and…to know what I'm doing, you know?" the blush was creeping down the gamer's neck.

"Who?"

"I…I dunno, I want to at least like the person. And…" he looked around nervously, as though afraid a wild banshee would swoop in and steal his first kiss away, "well, I like you more than anyone here because we're friends, and…"

The color instantly drained from Mello's face. His mouth fell open slightly, eyes locked onto Matt's face. God, he couldn't speak.

"I mean, it would just be for practice. Like….if we get the first kiss over with, then we won't have to think about it again, and we can just go on with our lives and not have to stress about it," the sentence was muttered quickly, eyes downcast and searching for…something. Some sort of way to make this easier and not so damn awkward. "You know what I mean?"

"I guess so," Mello didn't realize he'd said anything, and the sound of his voice almost made him jump. He couldn't think, he couldn't move, and he certainly couldn't run away from the redhead, standing up and taking a few steps closer to the blond. Shit.

God was being a real bastard right now.

"Wh…what are you doing?" he mumbled, staring wide eyed at the redhead.

"I…" he paused, licking at the corner of his mouth. Mello had noticed the habit emerge after Matt had started stealing cigarettes. And, he had to admit, it was nothing short of adorable. "Maybe we should just get it over with.."

"Now?"

"Yeah, why not? I mean," he glanced around, "we're alone and…we could just do it."

There was a lot that Mello wanted to 'just do'.

"Fine." He stood slowly, setting his book down on the sill, inwardly screaming at himself for standing, for playing into Matt's little game.

But, Father forgive, he wanted to play so bad.

"Just to get it over with."

"You already said that."

"Oh…" Matt paused, taking a step closer and looking down nervously. "Um, should we just…?"

"Just what?" Mello marveled at his ability to speak.

"Just…lean in?"

Matt looked up then, face flushed, eyes betraying everything. His tongue darted out slightly, and Mello could do little other than stand there. He was conscious of the fact that he nodded, and more conscious still that Matt was getting closer. Hesitantly, green eyes fluttered shut, and Mello could have died right there. That look alone was enough to kill him. Lord, he was so close…

It was soft at first. Just a gentle brush of skin that sent the blond's mind reeling. And then it changed, and Mello couldn't decide if it was for better or worse, but Christ, he couldn't breathe.

Matt's lips were soft, pressing forward, silently hoping that Mello's would do the same, and when they did, the blond could do little more than hold back everything that was trying to burst through. His eyes clamped shut, hands clenching the sides of his pants for fear of grabbing the gamer and throwing him to the ground. And when Matt's chapped lips parted ever so slightly under his own, he knew he was done for. He knew that he could never be happy possessing anything other than this. Anything other than his gamer.

Mello held back a small sound threatening to escape from his throat, lips parting against the other's. And then he was moving, tilting his head, wanting something more. Something deeper.

And Matt didn't pull away.

He wouldn't allow himself to touch the redhead, fingers twitching at his sides and wanting nothing more than to grip the other boy as an anchor to this moment that shouldn't be happening.

He felt the ache in his chest deepen as tentative fingers brushed his hip, hovering over the cotton, but they were still there. They still wanted to touch him, to grab a hold of the small blond. And the thought nearly killed Mello. The touch was real, the heat from Matt's fingers enough to burn. In a moment of weakness, Mello let a small sound escape into the kiss, lips parting further.

And in that moment of weakness, Matt's finger's smoothed carefully over the blond's hip, hesitant and shy, his tongue meeting Mello's briefly.

Christ, it was too much. That small touch was too much for Mello to handle, his nails digging harshly into his thighs. After a lingering moment, their lips parted.

And Mello dared to open his eyes.

His breath came quicker as he watched Matt, cheeks flushed, lips wonderfully pink. Green eyes stared into bright blue, and Mello wanted to look away but could not for the life of him.

"Mel.."

"Yeah?"

The redhead was quiet, mouth and mind working to formulate a coherent sentence, but nothing came. He continued to stare, tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip.

Good Lord, those eyes.

A small smile spread across the gamer's lips, "That…that was…um…"

"Yeah."

"It was…you know, science and all that. Good…um, experiment."

"Of course, yeah," Mello felt a blush creeping over his cheeks, eyes trying desperately to look away. "At least we got that over with.."

"Yeah. Yeah, now we don't have to um…" Matt held his breath for a moment, freckles glowing on his skin, "we don't have to worry about it anymore."

"Exactly. It just happened."

"It did."

Good Lord, it did happen, didn't it.

"That's it then."

"Yeah. Yeah, at least um…yeah, with Natalie."

"Yeah. It happened. That's…that's it then."

"You already said that, Matt."

"Oh…right. Well," he finally looked away, the blush deepening. "Well, should we go…eat?"

"Sure," Mello allowed a smile, chest aching terribly and needing anything but food. He knew what he needed. But…maybe this was enough for now. "Let's go downstairs."

"Alright sweet," Matt grinned, scooping his handheld off the floor and walking to the door. "Come on, slow poke!"

"Hold on, let me get my book. Go ahead," the blond laughed, "just save me some food."

"Will do, Boss!" he beamed, disappearing through the doorway.

Mello stared after the redhead for a few moments before turning back to his windowsill. Gingerly picking up the book and his forgotten bar of chocolate, the blond looked out over the lawn, the other children slowly filtering back inside the building. Unconsciously, he brought a hand to his lips, fingers brushing over the skin.

He sighed, looking out over his domain.

This would have to be enough for now.

xxx