Note: Sorry, this update is late, I really didn't know where to cut it yesterday, nothing felt right, and I ended up adding stuff today so in the end it was easier to cut and I can finally deliver this new chapter :)
BIG revelations inside, and I just realised that I forgot to proofread so if you notice typos, let me know! I'm way too tired to re-read it now and I don't want to postpone the chapter to tomorrow.

If you want to get notices about chapters, delays and stuff regarding my fics, don't forget that I have a Facebook page you can like where I give some news (link on my profile or just type xxbeyondxbirthdayxx in the Facebook search bar).

DAY NINE – 6 contestants / 1 to be eliminated (PART 3)

Matt couldn't go with Mello to the hospital, and he reluctantly went back to his room upstairs. He didn't have to share it with anyone anymore, that was his sole relief.

He stood up and walked to the railing when he heard the front door open and close. His eyes almost popped out of his skull when he saw Lou where he had expected to see Mello.
"I'm back bitches!" the petite boy yelled, his face radiating joy and disdain at the same time when he spotted the redhead, and the other guys coming out of their rooms as well after hearing Lou's voice.
"No way!" Tribal Tattoo exclaimed, disappointed to see the contestant back in the game.
"That's right, Mello wanted me back, losers!" Lou stuck his tongue out, climbing the stairs and throwing his bag on the bed he had occupied before Mello had wanted him out of the show.

Danny followed Lou a few seconds later, just as the sound of the back door resounded. Mello was apparently back as well, and considering how he had slammed the door to his apartments, he was obviously not happy at all.
The tall man sighed, giving a look in the direction of the noise before focusing back on the contestants.
"Okay guys, since lunch was a mess and nothing was aired yet, we're going to film dinner tonight with your exes again. The production don't want the public to see what happened since last night for obvious reasons so consider Lou never left the show, the cleaning part will be kept, and they will mix up parts of the lunch recordings with tonight's dinner to make it as one single event, so your exes won't be questioned a second time except for Matt's. Matt, can you come downstairs please?"

Matt could feel his legs shake as he joined Danny in the main room, following him to the kitchen, out of hearing reach from the others.
"First, the production wants to apologize for the big fuck up with Chris, they had no idea what was going on or that he had a restraining order. I know this is a lot to ask, but they want to have another one of your exes come to the show and be questioned by Mello. So far there was only one besides Chris that accepted, and I want to check with you that you're okay with him coming here."
Danny explained more in details the upcoming dinner, to which Matt agreed. Reluctantly, but at least he had no problem with this ex of his. It was the last guy he had dated and they had broken up last year. Or more precisely, Matt had been dumped, but he had no ill feeling toward the guy, they didn't contact each other much since then, they saw each other sometimes at parties since they had a common friend, but they were sort of friends themselves.
Lou and his ex would be filmed as well since they hadn't taken part to the lunch, and elimination would be filmed right after they all came back from the bar.

"How's Mello?" Matt finally asked once him and Danny had surveyed everything.
"Not happy, as could be expected with Lou coming back, the production ignoring the law and-" Danny stopped cold.
Had he continued to speak, Matt might not have given attention to his choice of words or thought that he was talking about a different issue that he wasn't aware of, but the man had given himself away and he was only realising it.
"Danny, tell me the truth. They knew about Chris, right?"
"They knew," Mello's voice surprised both of them, as the blond entered the kitchen, sitting next to Matt, "Enough with the bullshit Danny, I know they told you to cover it, but first, I don't want you to lie for them bastards, Matt deserves a lot more respect than they do, and second, they shouldn't get away with it. It's your choice Matt, but you had the right to know. It's not a small issue, and I'm not taking part in what they're doing."

Matt looked back and forth from Mello to Danny, unable to process what was happening. Not only did he just had confirmation that the production was going to extreme lengths to make the show sensational, but Mello was being responsible and this alone was surprising. Or maybe it was a new side of Mello that Matt was discovering, but he liked it. Especially since Mello was probably very aware that if Matt sued the production, it would also be detrimental to his career, and yet he still presented him the truth and the possibility to file a complain.
Parts of the show now belonged to Mello's label, and so it would have to partly hold the baby, should Matt file and win his complain. And it could as well ruin the label, who would pressure their milking cow to resurface, making of Mello their slave since Mind Pollution was their best selling band.

"I'm not a procedural person so let's forget it." Matt simply replied. Of course he wanted the production to pay for that, but weighing pros and cons was a quick thing, there was no way he'd put Mello's career at stake. It wouldn't change what had happened, and resentment was not a feeling he wanted to dwell in anyway.
Mello looked a little surprised and he exchanged a look with Matt, his expression turning to a slight smile to which the other responded.
Danny observed, but said nothing. This Matt had something for sure, and there seemed to be a lot going on between the two, although he had no idea how they managed to get along with such personalities, especially Mello's. But it was certainly a good thing that Mello seemed to genuinely care for Matt.

"If you want to change rooms don't hesitate, I guess that sharing one with Lou is not what you want right now..." Mello offered, standing up.
"I'll do with it, he would follow me just to brag about his come back anyway." Matt chuckled, the petite boy's presence not so annoying anymore now that his mood had been lifted by Mello's concern toward him.
"He won't brag for too long." the musician winked.
"Mello..." Danny intervened, sighing.
"I know, I know, I shouldn't be talking about my plans to contestants, clause nine page four." Mello chuckled, waving his hand to Matt before going back to his apartments. He then turned around halfway to face the redhead who was still standing in the middle of the common room, obviously waiting for something.
"Oh right," Mello began, "I'll keep my promise, but we don't have time right now, but I haven't forgotten."
For once, Matt knew that Mello wasn't buying himself time, and he simply smiled before going back to his own room.

Laying on his bed, Matt reviewed the latest events in his mind, but somehow, he was at peace with them, sort of. He was still pretty shaken each time he thought of Chris, but from what Danny had said, the guy was far away and they had paid him a good amount of money for him to shut up, which Matt knew was enough to get rid of him, Chris, besides being a violent freak, was a greedy bastard as well and would sell mother and father for wealth.

He had briefly seen Mello's hands. The plaster was back on his broken hand, but the other was just covered in bandages. He had been alarmed when Mello had finally admitted that he was in pain, because since the plaster had been broken during the fight with Chris, Matt was able to see the awful shape Mello's hand was in, and it wasn't pretty. He hoped that it wouldn't lengthen the healing process, Mello was a guitarist and not being able to play was certainly hard for him. But at least he hadn't broken his other hand, which was a miracle considering how had he had hit Matt's ex. It was probably bruised and swollen, he didn't even remember, too focused that he was on the broken one.

A couple hours later, they were all called downstairs to film Lou's and Matt's exes arrival so it could be mixed with the previous recording. It seemed a little odd to Matt that they could do that without the public noticing, but he supposed that they would choose images carefully.
Lou's ex was surprisingly old, around forty, his hair grey in places, and apparently pretty well-off considering the tailor-made suit he was wearing. Even Mello opened wide eyes at the sight of the man.
Matt simply smiled to his ex when he entered, the other waving a hand and lining up with the others in silence after greeting the singer. This time he knew things would go well and he was feeling relieved.

Once in the bar, they replayed the event with the same table placement except that Matt was facing another one of his exes, and Lou was at the far end of the table with his.
Mello began with Matt's ex, curious to know if he would learn anything more about the redhead, although he doubted it.
"I'm sorry I think I forgot your name." Mello was a little confused with so many names and exes, and he was browsing through his notes helplessly.
"Near."
"Oh, right." Mello finally stirred the correct sheet from the bunch in his hand. It was starting to be difficult with a plaster and a bandage, "So you dated last year, right?"
"Yes."
The guy wasn't talkative for sure...
"Tell me more?"
"It was his, and my longest relationship, but it wasn't meant to last, I know that at the time Matt didn't see it, that's why I broke up with him, he would never have left without a little push."
"What do you mean?"
"He was confused and broken when we met. He was out of an abusive relationship, and I had just lost a relative that committed suicide. It was like we needed each other to heal, I needed to know that I could take care of someone and pull them out of the dark place they were in, and he needed to trust again, and that lasted as long as we needed each other, but we eventually healed, and I realised that nothing was holding us together now that we didn't need an emotional crutch anymore. We really had nothing in common after that, so I ended it. It wasn't love, and although Matt wanted us to go on, it wouldn't have been fair so I dumped him. He understood a few weeks later though, and we've stayed friends since then."
"I see." Mello simply said, noticing that Near was giving facts in a way that completely lacked emotion. It was a little unsettling.
"What would you say are his worst traits, and his qualities?"
"This is really subjective, but I'd say that the worst thing about him is that he's loyal to the point that he can act in a way that is detrimental to himself, and I guess it's his best trait as well."
"Do you say that because of his abusive ex?"
"Not only that... well, it's true that for what I know, he took a long time before he finally left the guy, because he thought that he was responsible for what the other did to him, but I suppose that you know the thought process, you're familiar with it."
"Did you actually research about me?" Mello laughed, Near obviously aware of the singer's activities outside his music career.
"Yes." the answer was flat.
"Okay, let's go back with the others." Mello hopped off his stool. Matt and Near had obviously had a normal relationship except for the emotional healing process they had brought each other, but he wouldn't learn much more and the guy was a bit freaky and Mello didn't like talking to him much.

They ate before Mello went back to the bar to have a discussion with Lou's ex.
"I'll be straightforward: how old are you?" Mello asked right away. The guy looked so much older than the petite stripper, it screamed sugar daddy to him.
"I'm thirty-two" the man replied.
"Bullshit."
"Fine, I'm forty-nine, but can you cut that at editing?"
"Sure." Mello lied. The production could do what they wanted, he didn't give a shit.
"I know what you think, I could be his father-"
"How did you two meet? At the club where he works, right?"
"Yes, but it's not what you think-"
"It's exactly what I think, but I don't really care, you both do what you want. It's not as if I didn't know what he does for a living already." Mello was bored. Boring story, boring Lou, boring old man. There was not much more to be said that could entertain him at that point so the singer was about to end the conversation, but the other went on.
"He started to dance in front of me more than other customers, and I just couldn't resist, he's cute enough, and he's low maintenance, I bought him clothes and other things sometimes, I was generous on tips, and he'd go down on me when I wanted, you can't blame a man for falling for a youthful boy like him..."
"I really don't care, seriously, I don't even think you count as an ex, you're just a regular to him, nothing more."
"Oh, but we dated! I took him out, we spent holidays together, but he left me a few weeks ago saying he had met someone else... now I know it was you, and I know I can't compete, I didn't understand at the time when he wouldn't stop babbling about you, I even bought him tickets to your concerts... I'm fine with it, really, I'm old enough to know he was too young for us to last as a couple, and to be honest, the fact that he's not legal was taking a toll on me, I was constantly worrying that I'd get caught, and it would have ruined my life so it's probably better this way."

Mello opened wide eyes.
"What?!"
"What what?" the man looked at him, puzzled.
"How old is Lou?" Mello could feel a cold sweat run down his back.
"He's sixteen, didn't you know it?"
"We're done." Mello left the counter, and Danny followed the singer apart from the others on his silent demand, the tall man used to decipher Mello's looks.

"Call the production. Lou's sixteen and you know what it means. If I'm calling them myself, hell, I'll probably just show up at their office and beat the crap out of them... call them and sort this shit out. If they air anything related to Lou's age, they will regret it. I'll stop my career, I'll leave the band, I'll break every contract that's tying me to them, and I don't fucking care if they ruin me because they'll fall with me with all the shit they've raised during the show."
Danny nodded, hiding his surprise with difficulty. Lou looked young, but contestants were supposed to be twenty-one at least, and there was no way that the production had not spotted a fake ID or researched about the contestants beforehand. They had done enough until now so there was no doubt that they had known about Lou's real age from the beginning.

Mello then went back to the table and acted as if nothing had happened.
The rest of the dinner was eventless, and everyone went back to the mansion afterwards. The elimination ceremony was about to begin, and all the contestants went to the room where it was filmed, placing themselves on the small stage while Mello faced them, Danny holding the passes.
The singer called Joshua, David, then Tribal Tattoo who breathed of relief when his turn came and Mello hung a pass to his neck.
"Charly, I'm not mad at you for lying about the reason of your presence here, I completely understand that a father can go to such lengths for his kid, and for some reason, it makes me want to know you more, so I'm keeping you here for now. Come here. Will you stay on this ride with me?"
Charly was as surprised as the others as he strode down the stage to receive his pass.
"One more day, more money." Mello whispered to him as he bent slightly to hand the pass to Charly's neck. The latter smiled. He understood that Mello wasn't interested the slightest in him, and he was thankful that the singer made his best so he would get more money for his daughter.

"Matt, I'm sorry..." Mello began.
Lou was grinning from ear to ear beside the redhead.
"...that I can't play Rocksmith with you anymore, but there's a game you're still on right now, and it's this show. Come take your pass Mattie." The blond was smiling, "Will you stay on this ride with me?"
"Hell yes."

Lou couldn't believe it, and was looking dumbfoundedly at Mello.
The latter still had to say a few words to conclude the elimination, and he was trying hard not to spit what he really thought of Lou to the boy's face.
"Lou, I'm sorry, but you're too emotionally fragile, and I need someone tough in my life. It was nice meeting you, but your ride ends here."
There, not too harsh. Not that it prevented Lou's tears from falling, but he was out quickly, Danny making sure he wouldn't make a fuss.

The contestants drank a beer with Mello before going back to their rooms, everyone being exhausted since the day had been quite long, and they had gone through a thorough cleaning of the mansion, two events and an elimination.
"Matt, follow me." Mello said before the redhead headed for the stairs.

Once in Mello's room, they both sat on the bed.
"So I guess that's the big moment." the singer chuckled.
"I am quite shocked that you're actually keeping your promise." Matt teased him.
"I rarely make promises, but when I do, I keep them. Sort of."
Matt stared at Mello. The two last words didn't bode well.
"Don't tell me you found a way out of it?" he asked.
"Not exactly. Well, I know I'm supposed to tell you how I feel, but that's not something I'm ready to do right now. Actually, there's something you need to know about me before I admit the nature of my feelings." Mello explained.
"You're trading a revelation for another?"
"Yes."
"I suppose that it's fair, I guess that you don't want to risk having your freshly admitted feelings rejected once I'll know more about you..."
"Exactly."
"At least you make sense this time." Matt smiled, "So, what's the big secret?"

Mello sighed. He was nervous. Matt put his hand over the blond's forearm, pressing it reassuringly.
"Mello, I'm still here after all the shit that happened, and although the production was responsible for a good share of it, you were too, so don't be so afraid, it can't be that bad that I'll run away screaming murder."
"Kiss me."
"Huh?"
"Matt, kiss me. It might be the last time, that's all I ask and I'll tell you. Please." Mello seemed really scared, and Matt's heart wrung suddenly.

Bringing his hand to Mello's cheek, he tilted his head, and pecked at the blond's lips softly, deepening the kiss slowly, embracing the other. He could feel Mello give in. Give up, even, as if he was persuaded that it was the end.
"I have autism."
Matt stayed silent for a few seconds, his arms still around Mello's shoulders. Mello's forehead had fallen against his chest, limp, waiting for Matt to end the embrace like he thought he would.
"Fuck, I'm in love with Rain Man." Matt chuckled, Mello lifting his head to look at him.
"I'm not sure if I'm offended that you called me Rain Man, or shocked that you just said you're in love with me." the blond stated, staring at Matt.
Matt froze for a second.
"You were supposed to admit your feelings, and here I am blurting mines out, great." he chuckled.
"One revelation for one revelation." Mello chuckled as well.
"I'm out of secrets, sorry."
"Then I guess that it's the end of disclosure time." the singer smirked.
"You will have to tell me a little more about your autism though, because I don't know much about that except the big lines."
Mello bent toward his nightstand to fetch a book.
"I actually bought that not long ago and just finished reading it, I wanted to give it to Danny but you can have it first since he still doesn't know. It's not long, and it explains what I have really well, better than everything I could say, well, if you want to read it that is..."
"Of course I want to." Matt took the book from Mello's hands, "I'll read it right now even, while you get some sleep, you're falling apart."

It was true, Mello looked awfully exhausted. Matt was tired as well, but he was way too eager to understand Mello, and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep before reading the book.
He stood up, and started to walk to the door.
"Matt." The blond had followed him. He grabbed Matt's neck with his arm to bring him closer, as the other turned around upon hearing his name, and kissed him.
"I love you. Now you owe me one." he winked, before letting the stunned redhead go.

Note: So, did you expect any of this? Is that up to your expectations? :)
That's all there will be about Near I'm afraid, he's more like doing a cameo than anything else, but you know I don't like him much so that was already a lot for me to make him a nice guy here lol
There's still Linda coming though! Who will she be? :D