I'm sorry for the late update! I've been having to work a lot, and I'm still trying to sort stuff out with my college, so my life's been pretty busy.

Anyway, lame excuses aside, please read and enjoy, and tell me what you think =D

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Payment...?" Near asked, looking at Mello nervously.

"Yes, Near, payment. You'll understand soon enough."

Near glanced out the window on his right, his mind racing. If he were to jump out of the car, at this velocity, he had a 1 in 50 chance of surviving if he ducked and covered. Were his chances of living better if he stayed in the car, or if he left it?

"Matt, turn the child lock on. Near's looking a little antsy back there."

Matt obliged, flicking a switch as the lock disappeared beneath Near's grasp. Near internally bashed himself for not having reached a decision sooner, his hopes of escaping dashed.

"Just calm down. I promise I won't make you go through anything too bad..."

Matt laughed at that.

"Don't lie to him, Mello."

Near felt his insides twist in fear, and he noticed with unpleasant surprise that they were now pulling into an apartment complex. Several people waved to Matt as he drove through the parking lot, and Mello scoffed.

"Why don't you go hang out with them tonight, Matt? I don't need you lurking around while I deal with the marshmallow."

"Alright, if thats what you want..."

Matt parked the car in the far back corner of the parking lot and immediately stepped out, heading towards the group that had hailed him. Mello waited for Near to climb out, before grabbing the smaller man's wrist and pulling him towards a set of stairs that led to Matt and Mello's apartment. Near noted that their living space happened to be the very last one on the row of small apartments, giving them room to have their privacy.

'Looks like help isn't going to be available...' Near thought sardonically, gazing up at Mello through slightly narrowed eyes.

Mello took a second to unlock the door, giving Near a threatening glance that warned him not to move. As soon as the door was open, Mello pushed Near inside, slamming and locking the door again.

Near tried to take in as much of the small living room as he could, forced to peer through a thick layer of darkness before Mello flicked on the lights. The first thing that Near realized about the space was that apparently the two boys hadn't picked up any cleaning habits in the four years they had been gone from Wammy's.

"Go in there" Mello suddenly ordered, indicating a room to his left. "I'll be there in a minute."

Near complied, shuffling towards the bedroom with hesitancy. It looked even smaller than the living room, but thankfully, it wasn't as dirty. Near settled for sitting in Matt's computer chair, afraid of moving towards the bed.

Mello slipped into the room a few minutes later, clutching something and shielding it from Near's view. He walked over to Near, tilting Near's head up with his free hand.

"I want you to take this. Open your mouth"

Near looked down as Mello unfurled his hand, a small pill resting in the center. Near was going to object, his mouth forming words of protest, when Mello slipped the pill inside Near's mouth with a gloved finer.

"There. Now, then, I could make you put one of those outfits that Matt refuses to wear, but with that sour expression of yours, I don't think they would look very cute on you..." Mello smirked, Near resisting the urge to make his expression even more unpleasant. So it was payment of a sexual nature that Mello wanted? Well, the fact didn't really shock Near, but he didn't really expect it, either.

"So thats what you want from me, Mello? To indulge some sort of fantasy..?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised it took you so long to deduce that. Some genius you are..."

"I was always under the impression you didn't like me very much."

"Well, you were wrong, little man. You irritate the shit out of me, but that doesn't me I don't find you to be very...inviting."

Near's cheeks flushed slightly, and he shifted his gaze to the ground, avoiding Mello's eyes.

"I guess I can't object..."

"Good, because it wouldn't matter if you tried to, anyway. I'm going to get what I want, and you owe me..."

With that, Mello heaved Near up from the chair, pulling Near against himself. Near didn't have much time to ready himself, as his chin was once again forced upwards and Mello's lips crashed against them rather forcefully.

Perhaps it was the effects of whatever Mello had slipped him, but Near found himself quickly relaxing in Mello's arms. It didn't take very much time at all for him to allow Mello's tongue to explore the insides of his mouth, and he began to feel comfortable in the blond's hold.

When Mello finally felt that he had had enough, he pulled away rather suddenly. Near looked up at Mello with confusion, but quickly understood as he was led over to the bed and pushed on top of it.

Near fell against the bed, instinctively trying to cross his legs in an effort to keep Mello from proceeding any further. Mello ignored the attempt by Near to protect his virtue, and instead forcefully shoved Near's legs apart. Near melted under the look Mello gave him, and he didn't try to stop Mello when his pajama pants were pulled off and flung to the floor.

"See, Near? This isn't bad...look, you're already hard." Near's face flushed with embarrassment as Mello grasped the front of his boxers, the sensation sending a trill throughout his body.

A wicked grin spread across the blond's face as he gazed down at Near, enjoying the helpless expression there. He roughly grabbed the hem of Near's boxers, pulling them down and gazing appreciatively at the sight beneath them.

"Mello..." Near called softly, unsure himself whether it was a plea to stop or a plea to continue. Mello seemed to believe it was the latter, and he grasped Near with both hands, working at Near's erection slowly.

Near's hands curled around the sheets beneath him, small noises escaping from his lips despite his efforts to hold them in. Heat was spreading quickly throughout his body, and it was causing him to squirm and plead without his mind's consent.

Mello seemed to be satisfied with Near's reaction, and his hands began working faster on Near, urging him towards his peak. As Near's breathing became more ragged and his pleas became louder, Mello leaned across the albino's body to claim his lips possessively. Near moaned into Mello's mouth, his arms reaching up from the bed to pull Mello closer.

With each passing second, Mello felt his own need growing dangerously painful, and as soon as Near released into Mello's hands, the blond pulled back to remove his clothing.

Unfortunately for the both of them, it was at that moment that a loud pounding on the bedroom door ruined the moment.

"Mello!" Matt's voice called from the other side, his voice carrying a note of urgency.

"You've gotta get Near and get outta here, man! Those guys from the casino must have followed us here, because some creepy looking black car keeps coming by here every ten minutes!"

"Shit" Mello cursed under his breath, thoroughly dissatisfied with the sudden turn of events. He stood from the bed and tossed Near's pants back at him, throwing the door open and successfully scaring Matt with the expression on his face.

"I don't have time for this. Those assholes want to play? I'll play..." Mello growled, looking purposefully at the gun resting on the counter. Matt had to act quickly, grabbing Mello's arm and preventing him from snatching it up.

"Don't worry about them, me and Alex will take care of the situation. You just need to make sure you get Near out of here before it all goes down.."

Near emerged from the bedroom, his ruffled appearance immediately giving away what had been occurring in the bedroom moments ago. Matt grinned knowingly, adding to Near's embarrassment immensely.

"I guess I'll leave it to you two, then. But be careful, Matt. You never know how much back up these guys have."

"Don't worry. We have back up too. Its going to be alright. We'll just scare them off..."

Mello still appeared to be unhappy with the situation, but he realized there was no time to argue and headed over to the closet. He pulled out a pair of helmets, tossing one of them at Near.

"Put it on. We're going to take the motorcycle, and hopefully they won't notice us. If they do, though, the motorcycle is fast enough and small enough to get us out of a bind."

Near nodded, following Mello as he walked out the door. There were several of Matt's friends gathered outside, and they greeted Mello warmly.

"The car just passed by, Mello. You should be alright to head out now"

"Alright. Thanks, Alex."

Mello lead Near over to the motorcycle and helped Near up, before securing himself and pulling the helmet down over his head.

"Hold on tightly to me, Near. I don't want you falling off."

Near nodded, his arms snaking around Mello's sides as he pulled himself as close as the seat would allow. Mello then gunned the motorcycle to life, kicking up the side stand and taking off out of the parking lot.

The wind forced Near to bury against Mello's back, but Mello didn't seem to mind. They drove on for several minutes, before Mello finally asked Near where he was staying. Near had to yell back his answer, and was glad when he could return to nuzzling against Mello, the feeling of closeness and the vibrations of the motorcycle growing on him.

The ride ended too quickly for Near's tastes, and it was with a small frown that he took off the helmet. Mello stood from the bike, offering Near his hand as the albino climbed off from the seat.

"What's the matter, Near?"

"I don't want to go..."

Near was surprised he admitted to it so easily, the response slipping from him before he had time to think it over.

"I don't want you to go either, Near, but it's too dangerous to go back to the apartment"

"We could always go find somewhere else to stay...maybe we could go to another casino"

Near gave a small smile, just to make sure that Mello picked up on the sarcasm. Mello laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"No way. Although, the night is young. How about we find a nice, quiet hotel room...?"