Note: I'm really excited to share this fic with you, thank you for the reviews on first chapter, and please, please, please, if you have a little time, keep on reviewing, or make sure you do from now on (I'm looking at you followers and favoriters that didn't leave a review ;) ) because I really need feedback, it's extremely hard for me to write something that is not first person POV, and I feel like I'm not exactly doing it right... point out mistakes or what was confused or just badly written, it will be really helpful (and okay, if you loved it, I'm still glad to hear it of course!)

Sooo, who can that redhead be, we ALL have no idea of course XD

"Sit."

The redhead stopped, unable to go further without twisting Mello's arm - which was making a barrage at his mid-thighs - although he wouldn't really care about hurting that bastard. He looked downward at the singer, who had a sufficient smile plastered on his face, as if he was doing him a favor or something.

Like he cared: he wanted out, and now. There was no way he'd stay here, it was a stupid idea to begin with when his friends had subscribed him to the show, and even more stupid to take the bet. Okay, the daily wage was appealing and he could really use it since the company he worked for as a game beta had gone bankrupt the previous month, and he had been unable to find a new job since then. But he wasn't so sure why he had made it till now, till the mansion, persuaded at each step of the casting that he'd be out in no time, going to the next one out of sheer curiosity, and now he just felt out of place. What was he thinking anyway? It was obvious he wouldn't like it here, he was as social as a geek can be: close to zero. And the online mode of the PS3 didn't count. The only friends he had were from his high school years, with the exception of one that he knew from kindergarten.
And he had only searched in the game beta field anyway, he could always take a waiter or cashier job or something in the meanwhile. Yeah, better get out of here now...

"What, do I look like a dog or something?" he replied, still keeping his apparent confidence and smirk, standing right where he was, glancing down at the musician.

Mello laughed heartily. "I like the attitude. Choose someone to leave at your place, puppy."
The red haired boy ignored the nickname, but gave a puzzled look to the rockstar.
"Come on! You're staying, if that wasn't clear enough, and you even get to choose who's out instead of you. Hurry up, that's your chance." Mello winked at him.

The boy turned around, looking at the others, wondering if he really wanted to do that. It was useless to stay, he didn't care for the guy, he wasn't even a fan although he couldn't help but know Mind Pollution, they had been everywhere for the past years. Of course, Mello was handsome, he couldn't deny it now that he was seeing him from so close, but he wasn't his type. Mello might not do redheads, but himself didn't do fat heads. Or people mocking his hair color. So that was a dead end. Coming here for the money, what had gone through his mind? All this shit wasn't worth it.

The other boys started to express their disapproval, but Mello silenced them quickly.
"My show, my rules, shut up." he simply said, raising an assertive palm. "So, puppy?" he urged the redhead.

The boy knew he could always drop from the show later, all the contestants had a way out when they really wanted to leave, even if the production knew that most of them would never take that option, most being there for media exposure, dreaming of making it big. Which was pretty stupid, the redhead thought, since very few had ever made it big out of such a show. And among those, none had become famous over talent, it was pretty much the opposite.
So for the moment, he decided to comply just to piss off the others, he was the playful kind. Gamer, heh.

"The guy with the pink shirt." he designated a really handsome boy who was sitting on the couch, next to Lou.
"Why me?!" Pink Shirt complained, standing, looking at Mello for an explanation.
"Puppy?" Mello asked, glancing up at the redhead again.
"Just because."
Mello laughed out loud. He might not do redheads, but this one was refreshing. He wasn't sure why the boy was here since he obviously didn't give a fuck and didn't mind being out the first night, but that was all the more interesting compared to all those shoe-lickers. Maybe he was just playing hard to get, but Mello wasn't so sure, the unconcerned attitude seemed pretty natural, and the boy was taking a great risk, talking to him like that.

Just as Pink Shirt started to head for the door, the redhead felt a hand on his butt. He was still standing next to the armchair where the rockstar sat, and the arm that was previously blocking him at mid-thighs had crept up. He turned around slightly.
"Be careful, puppies can bite."

Slowly, he walked back to his stool, took the unattended beer back in hand, lit up a cigarette, and resumed not giving a fuck.
Mello brought his attention to the rest of the contestants, but his interest was piqued. Not that he would show it. But the moment the boy had started to walk to the door, the colour of his hair wasn't so much of a problem anymore compared to those deep blue eyes that were mocking him. It was rare enough for the singer to see it as a challenge, someone to put back at his place. And the eyes – and the rest – were to his likings. The redhead sure had nice features, if not for this crimson topping. Well, at least the song was in accordance with the plumage, with that bird. But as feline as Mello was, the bird wasn't scared of him, to say the least. Nice.

He tried, oh yes he tried. Mello knew he'd have to seemingly get to know each of them, so he gave himself five minutes with each of the boys during the night, trying not to punch any of those that tried to poke around and grab him for themselves while he was on a one on one with another. It was fair game but it irritated him to no end. He already knew who would be the next ones to leave, there were some nasty personalities in here, and not the entertaining kind of nasty, just downright boring, pretentious or simply stupid as fuck. No one was about to steal the show, Mello wasn't afraid of that particular aspect, he knew his value, media wise, but wannabe stars that counted on looks only... they were all pretty boys at that point and except the redhead who he wasn't sure about, he'd have no problem getting physical with any of them, so only their brain could save them at that point. If he was stuck here for days with them, he needed at least some keen retort, not just praise (although he loved a little bit of it... let's be honest).

Keeping the best for last, Mello finally let himself fall on a stool at the bar, where the redhead still was. He made sure to send the others further, tired of interacting with them, knowing the conversation would take a very different turn with the redhead. The seduction game was off limits obviously, and Mello had his curiosity to satisfy.

"Hey." Mello said, pulling the cigarette from the boy's lips, placing it between his and dragging on it.
"Hey yourself." the redhead replied, picking up another cigarette in his pack and lighting it up, not even looking at the musician, "I thought singers preserved their voice."
Mello ignored the comment. He wasn't a smoker, but he liked a cigarette sometimes. Especially when it could piss off the previous owner of the stick like now.
"You don't even like me, why are you here?" He asked the redhead. No need to beat around the bush, Mello was only stating the obvious, and he wanted his curiosity to stop itching.
"Money?" the redhead exhaled smoke, still looking straight ahead of him.
"That's a good reason." Mello gulped some more Jack Daniels, leaving the bottle on the counter, and turned his stool to face the boy, "Probably the best I heard tonight, not even talking about those I can guess even if they won't admit it." he chuckled.
"As if that was surprising." the redhead finally gave him a look sideways, briefly.
"They'll have their dreams crushed soon enough."'
"And you will take good care of that."
Mello laughed, standing up and fetching a bottle of water before sitting back on the stool.

"Is that your real hair colour?" he asked after a short silence.
"Will you ask me to prove it if I say yes?"
"Well, I don't do redheads, but I might change my mind if the goods are worth it." Mello smirked, winking at the redhead, who huffed at the gesture, irritated. "Ah, come on, don't tell me you'd decline a good fuck with me!" Mello exclaimed with a smirk.
"You don't do redheads but you sure are trying hard to." the boy retorted, dragging on his cigarette and exhaling through his nose.
Mello laughed. This guy would put the finger on every incoherence of his behaviour it seemed, he'd have to play finely around him... but he didn't mind.
"And here I was ready to change my ways and offering you the chance of your life, seems I'm getting old if I can't even get redheads into my bed..." There was no seduction game with the boy, but at least this one could get the humour, the others mostly took everything he said literally, too scared to make a faux-pas with him.
Except that he apparently didn't realise how insulting he had sounded.
"Did they cast me so I could be the black sheep you take as an outlet?"
Mello finally realised, but he didn't do sorry, and the boy was faster than he was to speak again, trying to find a way out without an excuse.
"Doesn't mean I care, so keep your excuses, I was just wondering why I'm here. On every level."
"On every level?"
"Why I made it until now, and why I even accepted. Money doesn't even make up for this shit. You have no intention of ending up with one of those guys, seriously I mean, and for one that is serious about it, all the others are only after fame. Like the guy with the pink shirt, he's all doe eye with you and yet he was feeling Lou's ass earlier. I get it that it's what people want to see on TV nowadays but I don't know, you don't fit here, I don't fit here, what the fuck?"

Mello had to admit that he was a little surprised that the obvious reason why the redhead had chosen Pink Shirt was because he had proof he was fake, it just didn't seem right. The boy didn't give a fuck about him or the show, and he knew that Mello was faking for the show's purpose as well, so why even account that particular display of cheating? It's not like it mattered, and if anything, if he was here for money, or for the wins, logic would be to keep the fakes over the honest ones in hope for them to be discovered, honest ones were a lot harder to get rid of.

"What tells you I don't fit here?"
The redhead gave him a sideways look, lighting a third cigarette. "You sure smoke a lot." the singer noted.
"You don't seem to be one to take somebody else's shit, and they're all full of it. And you don't need any more fame. If anything, that could bring you down. Well, I don't know what kind of fans you have, maybe they like that, but for someone whose band's name is Mind Pollution and brags about freedom, being batshit honest and all, that's quite the U-turn. Even I, not being a fan, know about your motto..."
"I hope you don't talk so much during sex." Mello winked at him, hopping off the stool.
The boy had a point, but he wouldn't admit it. He walked slowly to the place where all the boys had gathered and were chatting loudly.

"Hey Lou, my little finger told me someone laid his hands on you tonight that wasn't me?" the musician called out to the chestnut haired boy, who blushed deeply, ready to cry once again hearing that. "Come on Cry baby, I've got a territory to mark."

Mello took the boy's arm and pulled him to his private apartments, under the disbelieving look of the others, jealousy painted on their faces. The chosen one had a grin so wide it ate half of his face.

Danny left the corner where he was sat, apart from the rest, reaching Mello in no time, a finger on his bluetooth device. The production wasn't happy at all, Mello wasn't supposed to go that fast.
The show, unlike every show of the genre, wasn't entirely filmed and assembled to the production's likings, and then only broadcast. The footage and broadcast were partly live, especially for the evening parts, it was the condition under which Mello had agreed to do it. Danny perfectly knew why his boss had made it a non-removable clause of the contract, and now was proof that the production had been stupid enough to think it would go smoothly.
The whole show was only a fuck nest for the musician.

"Danny says goodnight too guys!" Mello threw to the rest of the boys, masking the little incident and disappearing in his apartments with Lou tiptoeing behind him, beaming.
The guys only grunted, unhappy. The party ended quickly after that and all the boys left for their rooms, only the redhead staying where he was for a moment, finishing his umpteenth cigarette before reaching one of the couches and pulling a PS Vita out of his back pocket. It was way too early for him, 1am had never been a reasonable time for gamers to go to sleep. And at least he had a friend named Rayman with him here. He didn't even remember who was in the bedroom with him, he had just taken the closest bed to the exit, so he could at least come and go at night without waking up his room mates.

Unfortunately, alone in the dark and very close to Mello's apartments, he ended up hearing everything.
Lou was obviously a vocal one, and even if the redhead didn't want to know who was top or bottom, Lou's praises and begs left no doubt about how much he was taking... and Mello did have quite the stamina because when the redhead finally went to take some rest around 3am, they were still at it.

It's only when he heard some shuffling in the corridor and then in his bedroom that the redhead realised that he was paired with Lou. Great. Rolling on his side, he looked at the wall clock which digits glowed in the darkness: 4:27am.
Obviously, the petite boy had been used and discarded.