For The Riffti

"What is this place?" Matt shivered, dripping beside the door, as Mello picked the lock. They had climbed several flights of stairs to reach this landing. The redhead stood now underneath the Art Deco grating of an arched doorway. The lamp in its coving appeared to be 1930s original.

Mello's features creased in concentration. There was a deadlock bolted which rendered breaking in more problematic than usual. "It's Hal Lidner's place. She won't mind." He flashed a smile of triumph as the front door slid open, then extended his arm in an exaggerated bow, as Matt slinked by. "Straight ahead, into the bathroom. Don't ruin her carpet." Matt sped up, crossing onto the white tiles, where the puddles he was creating could be more easily cleaned up. Behind him, Mello had a final glance into the landing to check that they hadn't been spotted. They were fine. He closed the door and joined the redhead. "Strip for me, Matty."

"What if she comes back? I don't know her. She might..."

"She's working and shush, this place might still be bugged. The bathroom is clean though." Mello smirked. "If you will go messing around on the edge of quaysides, then you have to be prepared to take the consequences." He suppressed another laugh at the memory of the river surging up and over the redhead, as he'd clung to a metal ladder trying to examine a boat that had caught his eye. Though it had been quite shocking at the time, when Mello had momentarily believed Matt washed away, it had quickly become hilarious when it transpired that he was merely drenched to the bone. "Come on, Matt. This is a proper apartment with a proper shower, which is more than I can say about where we're holed up. Strip, boy!"

With a wary expression directed towards the door, Matt did as he was told. His fluffy vest jacket, striped top and elbow-length leather gloves were peeled away and dropped into a sodden pile oozing out a pool of the Hudson River. He unzipped his boots with distaste, upending water into the shower, then gratefully eased off his jeans and boxer shorts. All of this Mello watched in endless glee, leaning up against the wall, munching happily on a chocolate bar. Matt sighed. "Will you please stop looking like you're having so much fun?"

Mello sniggered and pulled out his phone to send a text message. 'Did u put cmras in ur apt?' He pointed to the shower. "You'll get much cleaner in there than you will standing there flashing to me."

"Shouldn't I do something with this lot first?" He jabbed his clothing with a toe. The liquid around it was a murky brown. It was disconcerting to know that this was also in his hair, on his skin and in his system, after he'd swallowed a hefty gulp of it. The microscopic lifeforms could practically be seen darting around it.

There was an answering text, 'No, why?' Mello grinned. "I'll deal with the clothes, you concentrate on getting yourself lathered up and..." He let the rest of the sentiment hang, as he turned on his heel and disappeared into the rest of the apartment. He returned a few moments later with a bin-bag, collecting the garments into it with a smirk at Matt. The redhead flashed him a dirty look and pulled the shower curtain closed. The goggles lay disgarded and filthy in the sink. Mello left to reacquaint himself with the facilities, using yesterday's 'New York Times' to pad the boots and deciding, in a last minute display of kindness and compassion, to complete the load in the washing machine with Hal's own soiled laundry.

Back in the bathroom, Matt was washing his hair for the second time and the water had finally stopped running black into the plug-hole. There were suds over his face, momentarily blinding him, as the curtain rustled and a finger ran down his back. Matt shrieked. "What the...?"

"There's a hot, sexy body in this shower and you really think I'm going to stand out there eating chocolate? Hell, no." Mello shimmied under the cascading water and wiped the soap from Matt's face. "Heh! A proper shower."

Matt grinned, squirting shampoo into the blond locks and reaching up to lather it in. Mello's hair hadn't shone since the explosion, but then he was mostly washing it in cold water in a sink. "There's conditioner too. We'll soon have you pampered and glorious again, princess."

Mello growled, darting forward to press Matt against the tiled wall. "What have I told you about calling me princess?"

"Well, if you weren't so fucking camp, I...." His words were cut off with a possessive kiss, tongue probing invasively to graze along the roof of his mouth. Matt moaned gathering the blond into his arms, hands gliding over Mello's arse.

Mello, meanwhile, had Matt's head in both of his hands, raking his scalp and causing droplets of soapy water to fly away in all directions. He pulled away, "God! Matt, you taste of river and cigarettes. The latter I can live with. The former makes my skin crawl. Hold on." He hopped out of the bath, suds dripping down his body causing rivelets of cleanliness amidst the grime. Mello hunted under the sink until he found a pack of new toothbrushes still in their plastic wrappers. "Hal won't mind." He called back, squeezing on the toothpaste and returning to the shower with them. "Here." They paused amidst much brushing and scraping before Mello threw the toothbrushes into the sink and stepped back into the bath. "Where were we?"

"I was washing your hair." Matt grinned, his fingers entwining themselves again into the blond unruly mass. There used to be a hairstyle here, but singed ends and the unspoken need to cover up facial scarring rendered it, in Matt's opinion, wonderfully messy. "You're so pretty, Mello."

He was treated to a sassy grin. "I thought we'd got past hair-washing and onto snogging up the wall."

"You're the boss." Matt added conditioner, teasing it into every strand of Mello's hair, massaging the scalp. The blond practically purred in contentment. Next came the shower gel, each washing the other with hands exploring every crease and crevice, curve of muscle and expanse of skin, as if was new territory. The temperature of the water remained the same, but the heat had definitely risen. "I like getting dirty, but I really love getting clean again."

"Whereas I," Mello winked above a libertine smirk, "am still hung up on the getting dirty." He maintained eye contact, blue eyes gleaming, as he reached for another dollop of shower gel and advanced on the redhead. "Really dirty." One hand shot up to collect Matt's wrist and to pin it against the tiles, the other reached behind him, smearing gel along the crack of his arse and inside, carried on probing fingers. Mello's lips pressed against Matt's, opening for another of those kisses which communicated more of ownership than love. Matt bucked against him as more fingers found their way inside his rectum, twisting and scissoring; as Mello's tongue licked the inside of his mouth. Both of them rubbed their hard members against the other, their need descending into pure lust.

Matt groaned, "Wow! Mello, have me already!" His hand traced the wiry muscles of Mello's arm, trying to force him deeper. Mello responded by inclining his head to muzzle at Matt's neck, kissing, sucking and biting at the soft flesh there. He continued off along a shoulder, the water still washing down upon them. "Mello. Mello. Mello."

"Shut up." Mello smirked, glancing back with sparkling eyes. "All in good time. Patience is a virtue."

"What the Hell do you know about patience?! Just...!" The redhead was silenced with a kiss, then teeth closing down on his lower lip. He moaned, the sound captured in Mello's mouth and was turned, smacked up the tiles. Mello removed his fingers and caught both of Matt's hands. His arms were bent over the top of his head, kisses gnawed at the top of his spine and up his neck. "God, Mello! You nearly broke my bloody nose."

Mello chuckled, licking down the length of Matt's spine, planting kisses in the small of his back. There was a spluttering and spitting as the blond's tongue came into contact with shower gel and he stood too quickly, nearly losing his balance on the slippery ceramic. Matt's arms were yanked down to arrest Mello's fall, the pain harsh on his shoulders. He shrieked and Mello stood. "I meant to do that." The blond commented primly and returned to nibbling along Matt's shoulderblades. "Do you want me, Matty?"

"Fuck, yes!" The redhead gushed, as Mello released an arm to snake his own around Matt's waist. Butterfly soft touches trailed down to enclose around Matt's balls. There the gentleness stopped, as they were roughly groped. "Oh! Christ!" He could feel the tip of Mello's sex against him, sliding down the crack of his arse cheeks, hovering with pre-cum dripping at his entrance. "Yes! I want it, Mello! I want it!"

"Oh good." Mello responded absently, as if he couldn't care less what happened next, he was just humouring Matt. The pressing need of his erection proved him a liar, as Matt pushed back against him and the shower caused a waterfall down Mello's shoulders. With a loud groan, the blond skimmed the edges and then he was inside, forcing where resistance was met. Matt gasped, slapping the wall with outstretched palms, as Mello grabbed his hips and penetrated all the way. "Wow, Matt, you sexy, fucking whore! Wow! Give it to me, baby."

Matt braced himself, cursing Hal's lack of a shower mat, legs splayed, knees rigid despite their urgent need to buckle under the sensation of Mello's hardness slamming his prostrate. Mello, of course, held onto Matt, hardly seeming to care that either of them slipping now might end in stitches. Matt's fingers clawed the tiles, then switched tactic to just trying to hold onto a sheer, wet surface and he melted into Mello's rough handling; the blond's body anchoring him to the spot.

"Yes! Mell, just like that! Just like... oh God! Yes! Definitely like that!" Matt moaned and Mello laughed at him. Sharp teeth burrowed into the mass of red hair to find an ear. He licked the ridges of it and chewed on the lobe. Mello's breath hot and ragged against him. "Oh! God! God!"

"You wanton... fucking.... sexy... yeah..." Mello responded as coherently as he could, but he was travelling now on the engulfing wave of senses tingling and rushing feeling. His thrusts gained pace and violence; his fingers gripped harder, leaving bruises. Then one hand left, destabilizing their precarious balance, to clasp Matt's member again, stroking in hard, fluid movements. They came almost simultaneously, which was a feat they had never quite managed before. "Oh wow! Matt! Matt! Matt! Matt! Matt! Matt! Matt!"

"Mello." Matt released a deep breath, sinking back into the blond's arms. "That was..." He didn't have the words and didn't care to think of them at that precise moment in time. Mello took his weight with one arm pressed against the tiles, still kissing every bit of flesh he could find, as he eased himself out. The redhead slithered around and they became drawn in a tight embrace, mouths locked together. It was love now; all encompassing respect and love.

The crashing back of the door startled them both, clinging onto each other in shocked turning. Then Mello half-pulled away, his fist clenching as he realised he hadn't brought his gun into the shower with them. Hal screamed out, "Come out with your hands above your..." She stopped, then snapped with adrenaline still bursting through her system. "Mello? Is that you? Your rosary is on my floor!"

Matt covered his face with his hand, while Mello's shoulders hunched up until his neck totally disappeared. The blond stared at the shower curtain and the form of the FBI agent behind it. He bit his lip and, watching him, it occurred to Matt that Mello was a little bit scared of this woman. It was an alarming thought, because the ex-Mafioso had never seemed so much as nervous of anyone before. It was Matt's arm tightening in support that spurred Mello into response. "It's me, Hal."

"Mello, when I said that I didn't mind having you around, I did not mean that you could bring your pick-ups into my house and have sex with him in my shower!" She turned and stamped out of the bathroom into the depths of the apartment.

Mello called after her. "He's not my pick-up!" He stepped out of the shower, scooping up his gun and grabbing a towel to tie around his waist. He marched after her. "What makes you think it's a he anyway?"

"Mello, you stood in my bathroom, while I was showering, and stared at the sink while talking about Near. Of course it's a male."

"Oh! Don't flatter yourself that..."

"Oh, don't try that one on me. You're as gay as they come!" Her voice rose in pitch. "Stop pointing that gun at me! You break into my house! Again!" She noticed something else. "You use my washing machine! Did you make yourself right at home?"

In the bathroom, Matt cringed and turned off the water. An inspection of the room revealed only a small towel, a packet of cigarettes (which had replaced those ruined in the river), a slime covered Gameboy Advanced, goggles, Mello's rosary and a bar of chocolate. None of which actually constituted something to adequately cover himself up with. He glanced at the shower curtain, wondering how much more trouble they could possibly get into if he used it as some kind of toga. Before he could do a thing, the argument and heavy footsteps approached again and Matt froze, staring in horror at the door.

"Mello, if you don't put that thing away, I will be forced to shoot you." Hal waved a hand behind her, appearing in the doorway. Matt had turned, but she still got a full view of his naked backside. "Or maybe you would just like me to make a full report to Near? Mello turned up in my shower with some random redhead, obviously hard at work catching Kira. Oh yes."

"I thought you were on my side!" Mello came into view, cocking the trigger and pushing the barrel of his gun inches from Hal's head.

"If I've told you once, I've told you twenty times, I'm on neither side! You prolong your childish feud if you like, but I just want to catch Kira. I will work with anyone who is going to make that happen. You, Near, anyone."

"Heh." Mello grinned. "Are you a lesbian, Hal?"

"What?" She turned and stared at him. "What on earth makes you say that?"

"Only you're standing in your bathroom, where Matt's naked, and you're talking about Near." He sniggered and lowered his gun.

Hal glared. "I swear you are the most impossible man I have ever met in my life." She pushed past him, back into her living room, calling back, "Ok! You can wait until your clothes are done and if you manage not to threaten me with a gun again in that time, I might not even mention this to Near."

Mello smirked and walked back into the bathroom. He reached behind Matt and picked up the chocolate. With the gun stashed into the waistband of his towel, Mello leaned back against the wall. "See, I told you she'd wouldn't mind." He snapped off a square of chocolate and munched on it happily.