Dollar bills in hand...

[mymellodrama]

Mello walked down the long hallway, counting the green bills that had been crushed into his hand when all was said and done. His blonde, sweaty locks hung over his paled face and he growled in dissatisfaction when he realized that the amount was less than he'd been expecting. Embarrassed, he shoved the money into his leather-clad pocket and huffed

Comments

[chilichoc]

*Mel hasn't seen a boy version of herself around for a while, and this one's either new or fresh from a traumatic room. Either way, she knows better than to offer to help him up. She stops a little distance away and tips her head at him.*

Hey.

[chilichoc]

What things?

*She makes a token effort to keep it from sounding like a challenge. He is her, after all, and it must have been important.*

[mymellodrama]

"Things that couldn't be helped," Mello muttered, "I ran away to Los Angeles after I left Wammy's and got mixed up with some people I shouldn't have. But I needed cash and I ended up being stuck where I was."

[chilichoc]

*Interesting. Mel has known versions of herself who've taken paths that were unorthodox, to say the least, but those versions usually come from worlds that lack Wammy's, Kira, or both.*

You'll be wanting some chocolate about now, won't you?

I went to LA, too. The same age you did, probably. *She huffs a little unamused laugh.* It fucking sucked for a while.

[mymellodrama]

"Definitely," Mello said, immediately craving it the moment the word left Mel's lips.

"I was almost fifteen," the blonde replied, "It does fucking suck."

[chilichoc]

I was about a week from fifteen.

*She starts toward the closest kitchen.*

I didn't know what else to do. *She glances back at him.* I couldn't stand staying there anymore.

[mymellodrama]

Mello followed her, figuring that she was leading him to the chocolate.

"Me neither," he muttered coldly, "How could I stay there when I knew L would never come back... the only things there for me were Near and Matt. Near, I could've killed him. And Matt-- I could go without him."

[chilichoc]

*Mel glances over at him as she walks. That mirrors, almost exactly, her own feelings when she left. She knew she'd have to go places and do things she didn't want Matt to be part of.*

And you knew the Mafia wanted Kira's head on a platter as much as you did... *She trails off at the end to encourage him to pick up the story.*

[mymellodrama]

"Mafia?"

Mello looked at her in confusion. He wasn't sure about the mafia-- he'd gone to Los Angeles and he'd heard about the crime syndicate business that went on there, but he'd never been involved.

"I didn't know that."

[chilichoc]

*That's a twist. Mel pushes the door to the kitchen a little bit open, and verifies that it is, in fact, a kitchen, before going in, holding the door for her male counterpart.*

I made some contacts in New York who put me in touch with the LA organization. Chocolate's usually in that cabinet. *She points.* What happened instead, for you?

[mymellodrama]

Mello walked in, nodding a 'thanks' for her opening the door for him. He walked over to the cabinet, opening it and marveling at the vast amount of candy bars.

"I uh... got mixed up with other sorts of people," the blonde explained, "I racked up some debts and then ended up having to pay them off in the worst of ways."

He prayed that she'd leave it alone from there.

[chilichoc]

*She studies him for a beat, then looks away.*

One of the first friends I made here was a version of us. Something like that happened to him.

[mymellodrama]

Mello wondered if he had a similar predicament-- closer than Mel may have known.

"Oh," he said, "Is he still around...?"

[chilichoc]

No, it's been ages since I saw him. He was one of my favorite versions.

*Maybe that'll convince Mello he can fess up about whatever it is. Mel's pretty sure she could guess at this point.*

[mymellodrama]

"Hm," Mello quickly forced himself to lose interest, turning away from her, "That's too bad."

[chilichoc]

I'm not the sort of person who judges anyone for the things they've had to do. That'd make me the worst kind of hypocrite.

*She gives him a shrug and a little smile, and goes to hunt for her favorite kind of chocolate in the cabinet.*