[Mello stills as though a knife had just been shoved into his spine; L knows him all too well despite their distance.]
[Profiling is all it is, he tells himself. L is profiling him like a fucking criminal. He orders another, the same, and regards L with wary eyes before he speaks. This isn't the man he would've fallen to his knees for; this is a man who holds him in great contempt. Whether or not that can be repaired seems grim, but Mello's never been one to give up so easily.]
Both, [He responds with an air to his words. He's always been quite the actor.]
no subject
[Profiling is all it is, he tells himself. L is profiling him like a fucking criminal. He orders another, the same, and regards L with wary eyes before he speaks. This isn't the man he would've fallen to his knees for; this is a man who holds him in great contempt. Whether or not that can be repaired seems grim, but Mello's never been one to give up so easily.]
Both, [He responds with an air to his words. He's always been quite the actor.]
I'd prefer to begin with us. [Squint.]
Since we're here.