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

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[logical_red]

[He stops just a ways down the hallway from Mello, staring down at the fallen blond with a mix of worry and caution apparent on his face. Licking his lips, he takes a drag from the smoldering cigarette held calmly between two of the fingers of his right hand. Scratching the top of his bare left foot with the toenails of the other, Matt tilts his head, resisting the urge to come forward and poke at the man.]

You okay?

[logical_red]

[Matt stops at the bottom of the stairs, suppressing a groan. He hates when his own Mello does that, and here this one's gonna try it too? Like hell.]

Seriously. Out with it. I don't like guessing.

[mymellodrama]

"It isn't your business," Mello coughed, "Just know that I'm a salesperson of sorts, and Matt doesn't like the work I do. He knows how to piss me off, so tries to force me into quitting by flashing a bunch of girls around."

[logical_red]

[Matt isn't stupid; his mind instantly hangs onto what few facts Mello's given away, and the gears start whirring in overdrive as he leads the battered blond down the hallway; halfway down, they come to the door where Matt used to live, with Misa and his old Mello, from his world. Popping open the door, he jerks his head head for Mello to go on in ahead of him.]

So it's a job that has to do with either sex or company. And I really doubt that anyone would actually pay to have you around just to have you around. [He gives Mello a look.]

[mymellodrama]

"So maybe I sell sex," Mello snapped, quickly glancing around to make sure they were alone, "It doesn't matter. It's not like I'll do it here. It seems like things are stocked up enough so that I don't have to worry about it."

He huffed, looking away.

[logical_red]

[He backs away just a couple feet, hands raised in a defensive gesture.] Hey. Look, it's no big deal here. You'll figure out pretty quick that a lot of us have dirty little secrets. Hell, I'm a murderer. [Matt doesn't really care who knows it anymore; it's not like he's ashamed - though, no matter what his Mello says about self-defense, Matt is still smart enough to recognize that it was murder. He refuses to play the shame game, too.]

[mymellodrama]

"Matt isn't a mur--"

Mello shut his mouth quickly. This wasn't his Matt, nor was it somebody accusing his Matt. ... His Matt? He guessed that wasn't an affectionate term, just one to keep from getting confused. It made him feel butterflies and illness all at once.

"Too bad," he muttered, "I'd just rather not talk about it."

[logical_red]

[Matt actually frowns at that, a little stunned by Mello's words. So, he thought, The Matt in his world never got foisted with Harry Gold? He feels vindicated, in a way; at least another Matt managed to make it through life relatively sane.

After a moment or two of silence, Matt, still frowning, gestures to the bathroom door.] Shower's just in there.

[mymellodrama]

"Thanks," Mello replied, ignoring Matt's expressions; he slid into the bathroom and took his only clothing off-- his leather pants and a small, white towel.

He hoped that somewhere around here he could find some new clothes. He turned on the shower and adjusted the knobs. He called out to Matt, not wanting to be alone.

"So what's your Mello like?"

[logical_red]

[Matt leans against the wall beside the bathroom door, outside. He smiles, snickering lightly, at the question.]

He's strong. Secretive. Kinda neurotic. It's easy to piss him off. [He doesn't know the relationship this Mello has with his own Matt, but there are few of his doubles who haven't shared his feelings for their specific versions of the blond.] He's cool, though. Fun. We've had some good times, and I know he'll always have my back. [Mello's proven this to him time and time again in the mansion; the two've seen some crazy rooms.]

[mymellodrama]

Mello was irritated with how similar he was to another Mello. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, stepping under the water and letting it cascade over him. The smell of tabacco and sex was slowly washed away from his perpetually tanned skin.

"Sounds familiar," he mumbled, knowing that's how his own Matt would describe him... minus the fun part.

[logical_red]

[Matt sighs, his expression becoming far off as his mind wanders.]

Yeah. That happens here.

[mymellodrama]

"It's almost disheartening," Mello said, almost too quietly for Matt to hear.

He didn't like someone else being like him. He'd always thought of himself as his own entity. So much for that.

[logical_red]

[A sudden surge of frustration forcing its way through him, Matt slams the palm of his hand against the bathroom door.]

Dammit! Don't just sit in there and get depressed on me! [he shouts angrily.] You Mellos - everything always has to work out perfectly, or else you're this giant fuck-up. It's retarded, and you need t'just-

[He cuts himself off at that, realizing that he just went off at some random Mello for no reason at all.] Uh. Sorry. [Thankfully, no one's present to witness his intense flushing, and he backs away from the door.]

[mymellodrama]

Mello's eyes widened and he looked toward the door, blinking in surprise. He had never seen his own Matt act out like that and-- he almost liked it.

He swallowed nervously and chuckled weakly.

"Don't worry about it," he called back.

[logical_red]

[Relaxing again, Matt smiles, leaning against the wall.]

I've just gotten so used to being able to call my own Mello out all the time...

[He stays silent a moment, pondering.] Some things happened recently... So I don't get around too much anymore. [This seems a likely reason for so strong a reaction.]