Note: I will update this fic every Wednesday, and Dream Scented Soldiers every Sunday, seems a good schedule to me :)
DAY NINE – 6 contestants / 1 to be eliminated
Matt woke up in a start as he heard a door slam, realising all too late that he had fallen asleep shirtless on the couch in the main room, that Lou was storming out of Mello's apartments with only briefs on, his clothes in his arms, the latter following him stark naked, and that both had seen him.
The day was barely rising, the room lit up just enough so there was no way Matt could miss the view on the singer's junk. Mello didn't seem to be the least uneasy, although Matt couldn't tell if it was because Mello was much too focused on running after Lou to care. Mello wasn't that self-conscious anyway, for what the redhead had seen until now.
From the look on Lou's face, and the anger on Mello's, what was obvious was that something was going on between the two, though, and Matt regretted bitterly not being in his bedroom right now. Well, he was curious to know what was happening, because the not-so-sane part of him was still after clues, signs from Mello, and the musician fighting with Lou meant that it wasn't going that well between them, but still, the way Lou looked at him right now really was unsettling, as if Matt was responsible for their quarrel.
"If you want him that bad, why don't you fuck him?!" Lou spat at Mello, Matt opening wide eyes when he heard that.
"You should consider yourself lucky that I didn't throw your ass out of here already, if it wasn't for the sex, you'd be game over by now, do you think I don't know what you're here for? You use me, I use you, what is there to cry about, seriously?" Mello replied, not even blinking. He was standing there in all his naked glory, his back to the wall, arms crossed, unfazed, his voice even, contrasting with Lou's whining. The anger was gone from his face, he just looked utterly bored.
Lou's lip was quivering dangerously, but even as he was arguing with Mello, he kept his voice down enough not to wake the others. Somehow, and Matt knew it, Lou was aware that bringing the other boys' attention to what was happening downstairs would be the end of his stay here, Mello would have none of that. Which, to the redhead's opinion, meant that Lou was not completely sincere, because it took a good amount of role playing to be angry and still control the situation to that level.
"I love you Mello, I do everything you want, and you call me by his name! And it's not even the first time, do you know what it feels like?"
If Matt's eyes had been open wide before, now they were saucers.
"Obviously not, I've never been called by anyone else's name, people know who's fucking them when they're with me." Mello was hurtful on purpose, but for some reason it made Matt smile, because it was just so typically Mello. But it was wrong, so very wrong, even if Lou was a nasty little bitch, he didn't deserve to be treated that way.
"And don't talk about love," Mello added, "You're insulting my intelligence if you think for one second that I don't see through you. And there are no cameras so stop it with your little display."
Matt, feeling a little bad that he was enjoying this, stood up to leave the living room. He shouldn't be there anyway, and witnessing this conversation wasn't something he wanted right now. Lou was trying to stir feelings out of someone who would never have them, and Mello was pulling Lou down even more than he was, so it couldn't end well.
And Mello had said his name while fucking Lou, which was enough to lift his spirits, so he didn't need to hear more.
"Where are you going? It's all your fault and you walk away from the mess you created? You're full of shit!" Lou called to Matt as he was close to the stairs.
The latter turned around, taken aback. What was that for?
"Leaving you two some privacy, I suppose." he replied, ignoring the rest, because there was not much he could answer to such an irrational rant. Lou was either losing it or playing him, and Matt wasn't going to play the game. As Mello had said, there were no cameras recording at the moment, so Lou was now showing his true face, which meant that indeed, it wouldn't be pretty.
"You're always between us even when you're not there anyway..." Lou's voice was a mere whisper this time, but it held so much venom that Mello intervened.
"Enough with that, you're out, your sweet ass is not good enough for me to put up with that shi-" the blond was cut short by the clicking of a lock.
All three heads turned to the door as it opened, Danny entering the mansion. The tall man stopped cold as he saw three pairs of eyes on him, and he knew immediately that he was back to work right away with a problem to solve.
He sighed, leaving his bag at the door, and walked to the three boys.
"What's going on here?"
Danny didn't seem particularly bothered by the fact that his boss had no clothes on, but he did seem really annoyed that he had to deal with Mello's antics as soon as he was back.
Mello pushed himself from the wall, pointing at Lou with his chin: "I'm tired of this little slut, send him back home, I've had enough."
Danny looked at Lou who was very close to crying, but the shock of being thrown out of the show was enough that tears weren't spilling yet. He was looking from Mello to Danny, mouth hanging open, probably hoping that Danny would persuade Mello to keep him.
Matt felt a bit of pity for the kid, but not enough to say anything in his favour. Lou being out meant a lot less drama, and a room all for himself, so acting like a good Samaritan was out of the question this time.
To everyone's surprise, Danny didn't object and sent Lou upstairs. But the boy retaliated this time. Danny was fast enough to put a hand on his mouth before Lou had the chance to wake up the others.
"Listen kiddo, you only have two options here. Either you get eliminated tonight and face the shame of being out by Mello's will publicly, or you leave by yourself now and preserve your pride, what do you prefer?"
Lou was quick to choose the second option, and twenty minutes later, his bags were packed, thrown in a car's trunk and Danny drove him to the airport. Lou had lost the prize, but he wasn't close to accept to lose it in front of the cameras.
During those long minutes, Mello stayed his back against the wall once again, Matt waiting next to him downstairs, leaving room for Lou to pack. He didn't want to be anywhere close to the petite boy in a moment like that.
When the door closed on Lou and Danny, Matt finally moved to go to bed for the few remaining hours before everyone would wake up. He was about to take the first step of the stairs when two arms encircled his chest from behind.
"Wait." Mello mumbled, his lips on Matt's nape, sending shivers to the redhead.
Matt stopped cold, not even knowing where to start. Mello's hands were on him, well, one hand and a plaster... and even if the singer wasn't even attempting anything right now, their sole presence on his skin was enough to mess with his thoughts. Which wasn't helped at all by Mello's junk against his butt. Mello wasn't hard and was obviously not holding Matt in a sexual way, but still... that part of Mello's anatomy, and all the rest of him, were uncovered and very close to him, and that was enough to send his senses to overdrive.
"Mello, care to tell me what this is all about? You're using Lou as a cum bucket, you apparently called him by my name during the act, but on the other hand, you act as if I was invisible most of the time, so, I still have my helmet on, but I'd like to know where this ride is heading, don't you think you owe me that at least, after asking me to hold on? I'm not staying here so you can play me, so be honest. What do you want from me?"
Matt decided to be straightforward, hoping to get a sincere reply from Mello this time.
His body reacted so badly to the touch, it was crazy. It was not just from sex deprivation, Mello really had an insane sex appeal that, whether he used it to his advantage or not, made Matt worried for his self control. And if he lost it, he's just be one more pawn in the show, and all his reasons for staying would fly out of the window, and whatever he had tried to build with Mello would be forgotten.
Or maybe he was just being delusional? Maybe there had never been anything sincere?
Turning around to face Mello, grabbing the musician's arms to put them to the latter's sides, away from himself, Matt attempted to retrieve a bit of control.
"Mello, please, you know you have that effect on me, so stop molesting me and answer me."
"I wasn't molesting you, and to be honest, I've had my share with Lou, I'm quite beat right now."
Matt couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Mello's little smirk.
"Oh, so your legendary stamina has its limits, that's quite the news!"
Mello laughed softly, "I suppose I could find a bit of it left just for you, if you insist."
Matt wanted to kiss Mello pretty badly at that moment, but he refrained. It wasn't the right moment, no matter how much this laughter meant. He was realising that he could tell when Mello wasn't playing anymore, and right now, the connection they had was obvious. Matt wasn't delusional, it was really there.
But it didn't mean that Mello would give in, and Matt knew it. Mello was unpredictable, there was obviously behavioural problems involved, and the production was apparently pressuring the singer. Well, the issue of the show wasn't much of a problem, Matt's focus was more on how he'd get Mello to explain himself and admit that they had this connection. From there, winning of losing didn't mean much. Appearances were just a façade, Matt wanted the backstage part of Mello.
"So?" Matt pushed Mello to reply.
"So, you obviously have nothing to fear for tonight's elimination since Lou is out."
"That was not exactly the answer I was waiting for."
"I'm afraid that if you're looking for a safety net, I'm the wrong person for you."
Matt wasn't surprised by the statement, he perfectly knew that. But Mello was beating around the bush and by now, the redhead could tell that it was just a way for Mello not to say the meaningful stuff that was burning his tongue.
"You're the one holding on to your safety net for dear life right now."
Mello looked at Matt, a faint smile on his lips.
"You know that I hate you for that, don't you?"
Matt chuckled, "I know."
He wasn't anywhere near getting a straightforward answer from Mello in this conversation. The blond was cornered, knew it, and would keep digging for an escape rather than let Matt have his way.
"Okay, Mister Elusive, I guess I'll catch some sleep while you disentangle yourself from your so-called safety net. You don't seem to be ready to test my own, but something tells me that you know it's there so I'll do with that for now."
Matt headed for the stairs.
"You could at least kiss me goodnight." Mello teased him.
The redhead descended the three steps he had climbed, laughing softly at Mello's poor attempt at stretching their time together. The singer was a master in the art of stepping forward and backward with him but Matt was ready to put up with that.
Facing Mello, he was about to deposit a chaste kiss on his lips. But he stopped just as their mouths were about to join.
"That wouldn't be just a kiss."
Stepping backward, Matt left the room for good. Not only because it was right, he wouldn't stop at a kiss this time, but Mello's slightly trembling sigh in his back told him that he wasn't the only one on edge at that moment. As frustrated as Matt was, he knew it was a little victory.
The morning arrived too fast to Matt's likings, the Mind Pollution tune resounding in the main room at full volume.
"TEN MINUTES TO GET READY GUYS!" Danny's voice covered the music.
It was lucky that there were only five contestants left now, it was making things a lot easier in the bathroom since there were only four showers. It had been quite the nightmare since the beginning of the show, and with the regular fanfare wake up calls, not having to wait for a spot was appreciable.
Matt lined up with the four other boys in the living room, Danny waiting for them patiently, Mello nowhere in sight. He was more than certainly still sleeping, catching up on what he had missed the night before, Matt thought.
Lucky bastard...
"Mello has special guests coming today, so he wants you to clean the place because this is a mess. You'll find everything you need in the courtyard, so please vacuum, dust, do your laundry or at least pick up the clothes scattered everywhere, wash the dishes, make this place as clean as when you arrived the first day. You wouldn't want a guest finding one of your dirty socks. You have twenty minutes for breakfast and then I want to see everyone busy."
Great. Matt wasn't too enthralled by the idea, mostly because the contestants that had already left the show were also responsible for the state the mansion was in, but they were only five remaining to clean it. That wasn't fair.
But it couldn't be helped, so he swallowed a cup of coffee and ate a croissant quickly before going outside.
He'd rather be first on the supplies so he could at least choose his torture. The vacuum, that was a good one.
A few minutes later, the laundry machine was on, Joshua gathering all the clothes that needed a wash before he began to clean the bathroom and toilets. The boy with the tribal tattoo dusted the whole place, Charly took charge of the kitchen, throwing away old food, cleaning counters, washing the dishes and mopping the floor, and David helped here and there, carrying trash bags outside, making sure nothing was left under the couch or in a corner, and two hours later, clothes were drying on a rack, the mansion smelling fresh and looking as if out of a home magazine.
"Good job booooys!" Mello's voice resounded in the main room, bringing the contestants to the railing above, "The mansion looks good, but unfortunately, you look like shit, you have half an hour to get ready, guest will be arriving so hurry up!"
On those words, Mello plopped in a fuzzy armchair, crossing his legs. Danny left with the limo, but the singer had apparently decided to just wait there for the boys to be ready.
None of the contestants thought much of guests coming to the mansion. Most thought that it was probably the rest of the band, or friends of Mello to the least. Mello had said nothing about it, but his satisfied smirk when the boys lined up, facing the door, ready to welcome the visitors, told Matt that Mello wanted to have his little fun, and he suddenly worried. Lou was already out so elimination would offer no surprise, all the five remaining boys were staying, so it was obvious that Mello would entertain himself another way.
The door finally opened, Danny entering first and closing it behind him. The suspense was starting to make Matt really uneasy.
"Boys, I really wanted to know more about you and your ability to entertain a relationship with me, so what was best than asking the ones that had one with you at some point? I hope you're ready to face your past, because I invited your exes and they agreed to tell me your dirty little secrets!"
Joshua and David didn't seem to be bothered by the idea, but the three others started to look a bit worried.
Matt hated the idea, but it was mostly because he had no clue which one of his exes would be there. He hoped there would be only one of them, though, he wasn't even sure with Mello. Well, most of his relationships had ended on mutual agreement, so there was not much drama to dig in, but that didn't mean he wanted to see his exes again. There was also that guy who had dumped him last year, and it had been the most serious relationship Matt had had in his whole life, which probably counted as his worst romantic failure, but he was over it and he doubted that the guy was enough of a cunt to badmouth him.
The exes came in one by one, and Matt breathed a little at the realisation that it was indeed just one for each contestant.
It's only when his turn came and Mello called a guy he had dated two years ago that Matt realised that he had forgotten one person in his mental list though, mostly because that person had a restrictive order and shouldn't be approaching him within less than a ten miles radius, and so Matt would have never thought he would face him today.
"Hi Matt." the large, athletic, brown haired guy that had just passed the door said, a smirk on his lips. Matt looked from Mello to his ex, feeling cold sweat start to drip down his back.
Mello grinned. Matt looked like he was freaking out at the sight of his ex, and that meant only one thing to him: the redhead had something he wanted to hide, that the ex most certainly knew. That was going to be fun. Part of him was disappointed that the seemingly drama-free boy was not so drama-free in the end, but his curiosity and playful side took the best of him.