Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, 'Unchained Melody,' or any of the other songs mentioned in this fic.

It's MxM, although there's not much actual contact. I don't write that 'hetero' stuff anymore, although this was dangerously close, let me tell you.

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I looked at the girl in front of me, smiling and stunning in her elaborate white dress, holding both my hands. She squeezed, and my smile increased. A small bunch of hair had escaped and was hanging over her ear. She had probably done that on purpose. Either way, it was cute.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

I met my... my wife's beautiful lips and kissed her sweetly, and all of our friends and (her) family applauded. Even the priest looked happy. My side of the church was noticeably smaller than hers, although most of Wammy's House showed up. It was the first time a graduate of Wammy's had actually gotten married. That says something about Wammy's House, in my opinion. Like, maybe they breed really screwed-up people. If Mello, Near, and I are anything to go by... and don't forget B...

Anyway. Wow. Married. Hadn't predicted that one. I mean... how often do gamers get the girl? Not often, let me tell you.

I held her hand tight as we walked down the aisle the other way this time, beaming, and lined up for the part where we hug everyone in the known universe. Mello, best man, looking uncomfortable in his tux but grinning and almost teary-eyed (wow, huh?!), hugged me hard. "Congratulations, Matt," he murmured, pulling back to look at me. "She's a great girl. You're gonna be so happy."

He let go, then hugged her much more gently, and I lost sight of him in the masses.

Unbidden, my mind snapped back to five years prior.

-

'Matt, you think you'll ever get married?'

The redhead smiled and replied, chuckling. 'Only if they make it legal.'

The blond rolled his eyes and kissed his companion quickly. 'But seriously.'

Matt frowned and sat up, pulling the sheets up with him to cover his naked lower body, leaving enough slack for the other to do the same. 'Mello, I am serious. I can't see me wanting anyone else but you. It's just... weird... when I try. I dunno.' He shrugged.

Mello sat up too and looked him straight in the eye. His piercing blue gaze burned through the younger male's flesh and ribcage and straight to his heart, which sped up.

'I love you,' he said simply.

'I love you too.'

He kissed him again and put a finger on the gamer's chin. He laid back down, drawing him after, and they lay on their sides, kissing tenderly, their lips moving together, perfect and in sync.

'So when you meet some girl and fall madly in love with her-'

Matt cut him off. 'Mello, it's not gonna happen. Especially not a girl. But... I'll always want you.'

Mello smiled a small, sad smile. 'Okay, Matt.'

Matt bumped him gently on the forehead with his own. 'I'm not lying.'

'I said okay,' the blond laughed quietly.

Matt open his mouth to protest further but Mello caught it with his own and silenced him.

-

I shuddered. I hadn't had thought about that in a long time. Well, Mello was always right.

I hugged my wife's old grandmother who looked like she would Keehl, I mean keel, over at any moment. I hugged all twenty of her neurotic cousins, and her uncle. I also hugged her uncle's boyfriend. When the line came to the Wammy's House people, the hugs got really odd really fast. Roger's was proper but not insincere. Near touched me like a breeze of wind. Linda clung onto my neck and sobbed for a good minute before I peeled her off, thanking her for coming. She clung to my wife after that, and the trooper clung right back until Linda let go. Totally backed up the line, though.

When they had passed, the line was finally done, and my wife laughed her beautiful, light laugh. "Matt, you have strange friends."

My eyes went wide and I nodded fervently in agreement. "Explains a lot, huh?" I grinned. She kissed me for being funny.

When she drew back, the fact that her hair wasn't bright yellow startled me.

What was going on?

We signed our papers, and finally we were able to join our guests at the reception.

We had rented a high-ceilinged place designed especially for this purpose, and it seemed to be going well. My new wife loved to dance, so we hit the dance floor immediately, generally making fools of ourselves. I can't dance. Big surprise. At least she thinks it's cute that I still try. Many of our guests danced as well, (three of her cousins got really drunk almost immediately and started dancing the YMCA to Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing') but, besides Linda who had attached herself to my wife's uncle's boyfriend (apparently she hadn't gotten the memo- my wife's uncle looked very amused), very few of them were from my side. But I didn't mind. I mean, seriously... picture Near dancing. No. I think I've only seen him even standing like... twice. Ever.

My wife informed me playfully that she would be dancing with her maid of honor for the next song and told me that I'd be required to dance with my best man. She had always been incredibly fond of Mello for reasons that neither Mello nor I could fully understand. She was also pretty into yaoi (adored her uncle), so I imagine that she just got off on the idea of me dancing with a man.

I don't think she saw me stiffen. But he was my best friend. He happened to be my ex, too, a fact I was acutely aware of at this particular moment, but she didn't know that and it was hardly relevant anyway. It totally didn't matter. And honestly I wouldn't have even felt uncomfortable about it if I hadn't had that flashback.

No, it would be fine.

She must have told Mello about this before she told me, because Mello walked up to me, grinning, and held out a hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked in his best British accent, which was actually really good because we had grown up in Winchester. Together.

I nodded, smiling despite my confusion, and automatically took the hand. The motion was easy, accustomed, habitual. Our hands fit together perfectly. Naturally the song my wife had chosen was a slow song (yaoi freak- I wondered if I should tell her I wouldn't mind kissing a guy for her). But it wasn't her fault. I had never told her any of it.

I would have believed that Mello had chosen the song, and on purpose, if I didn't know him and if I hadn't noticed his miniscule flinch when the all-too-familiar lyrics came on. Oh all the songs in the world...

'Oh, my love, my darling-'

-

'-I've hungered for your touch a long, lonely time...'

They were sitting, of all places, on the porch swing in the backyard of Wammy's House. Matt hadn't known there was a swing, to be honest. He didn't go outside more than was absolutely necessary.

It was necessary that day, though, because Mello had asked him if he wanted to, which meant that Mello wanted to, which meant that Matt would do it in a heartbeat.

Matt was in Mello's arms, now, and his head was over his heart. The older male was stroking his hair, the redhead's ever-present goggles around his neck. Where his ear was, pressed against the black cotton as its owner held him tight, he could hear him clearly as he sang, even though it was almost inaudible. '-And time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much-'

-

'Are you still mine?'

No, Mello would never have done that to me on purpose.

'I need your love, I need your love. Godspeed your love to me. Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea, to the open arms of the sea, yeah. Lonely rivers sigh, wait for me, wait for me, I'll be coming home, wait for me.'

When the chorus repeated and the song came to an end, neither of us was smiling. We were still dancing, and his presence was electrifying, and his arms around me and his hands on me felt much, much too right. We separated at the appropriate time and he strapped on the fakest grin I had ever seen from him in all the years I'd known him.

"Man Love moment," he joked.

I just nodded. I didn't trust my voice.

My bride chuckled and took my hands, and soon we were dancing, and Mello was hitting on my wife's sister, the maid of honor.

Like all things, the dancing eventually came to an end, and everyone began to leave when the attendants started pointedly stacking chairs.

-

She couldn't get the key to our hotel room to work, so she gave it to me. It responded instantly to me.

"That's my husband. God of all things technological."

I was still sensitive about that 'g' word, after all that Kira business. But she didn't know I had been involved in that.

...What had I told her?

She curled her fingers in with mine and drew me into our room. She closed the door with a foot and wrapped her arms around my neck.

She kissed me, as she had a thousand times before, but there was something different in it this time- baser. More sexual.

Her dress had been white, and it hadn't been a lie. She had wanted to wait until she was married.

And now we were.

Soon, the night saw me kissing her passionately in our room of the hotel, running my hands all over her soft, very feminine body, laying her gently on the bed, whispering nothings to her. She told me that she was going to slip into something more comfortable and I let her up, and she disappeared to the bathroom.

I sat down on the bed and let my feet rest on the floor. I was still wearing my tux so I slipped it off and tossed it aside. I put my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands.

-

Hands, lips, panting. Mello was over him, Mello was all around him, he could feel the humid breath on his face, and their bodies were moving together and they weren't quiet about it at all. Gasping and grunting and moaning and sighing; the older boy made them release together in a sticky-sweet orgasm that sent stars through Matt's corneas, and when it was over he lay right on top of the younger male, fighting for his oxygen, and Matt could feel his heartbeat and the slickness of his beautiful body and he could have cried for the love of him and-

'Matt,' he whispered. 'I never told you. My real name is Mihael.'

'Mail,' the redhead replied promptly.

'Yes, I'm male...' he said amusedly. 'As I would think you would be painfully aware.'

'No, I mean, my name is Mail. Like the postal service.'

'Seriously?'

'Yep.'

Mello burst out laughing and rolled off of him, clutching his gut. 'What were your parents thinking?!'

Matt shrugged and cuddled into him, but Mello couldn't stop laughing, and apologizing for laughing.

-

Had I told her my real name??

My wife came out in very small and very sexy pastel purple lingerie. I smiled at her and she walked to me smoothly, placing herself on my lap. She kissed me, and I could taste how much she loved me.

She pulled back. "Matt? What's wrong?" Apparently I hadn't. Told her my real name, I mean. A little late now.

She must have tasted my tears, unshed but barely, before I was aware that I was in danger of them. She really did love me.

I pulled her back to me and buried my face in her neck, stroking her hair, and finally I couldn't hold it back anymore.

I cried.

"Matt?" She repeated my 'name' over and over again, questioningly, soothingly, but I never answered her.

I cared for her. I did. Really. She was beautiful, she was gentle, she was fun, and she was kind. She was everything I had ever wanted in another person, and she loved me deeply. She was the perfect choice for me- for my best friend, for my lover, for my partner, for my wife. No, I hadn't made a mistake.

But damned if I didn't wish she were the one I loved.