(no subject)
Who: Neku and Rhyme
What: A conversation and a confession
When: Last night, whatever that was
Neku paced nerviously around the empty foyer of the house, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Why was he so nervous about this? It wasn't like Rhyme was gonna judge him or anything.
All the same, he was quite fidgety, and extremely glad joshua wasn't around.
Rhyme hurried through the streets--the old lady she and Beat had been staying with had been reluctant to let her go out without her brother, but he wasn't anywhere to be found these days. Rhyme was worried about him. And Neku, sometimes. She knocked on the door of the new house, wondering just what was going on.
Neku opened the door when he heard knocking, and upon seeing Rhyme on the stoop, smiled a little. "Hey, come on in," he said, stepping aside to let her in.
"Thank you," Rhyme responded, smiling. She held out the small guest gift she'd gotten on the way over, a vase full of tropical flowers. "Here. A new house can always use some flowers."
Neku blinked at the flowers, his y chromosome briefly unsure of what to do with them - he hadn't even considered flowers. "O-oh, thanks!" he said, accepting them and placing them on the currently bare side table. Rhyme was right, they really did brighten the room. "Um... can I get you anything?"
"Oh, no thanks. What's wrong, Neku? You're acting so nervous." Just what had he wanted to talk to her about that was making him so jumpy?
Neku briefly chafed the back of his neck, and figeted. "Well, uh... I. I asked Joshua and the jerk didn't give me a straight answer, so I uh... thought I might ask someone who would."
"Yeah, he really isn't the type to give a real answer, is he?" Rhyme laughed lightly. She didn't know Joshua well, but you didn't need to know him well to understand that. "Go ahead."
Neku could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. "Er..." and then the words just tumbled out of his mouth. "How do you know if you like someone?" he blurted.
Rhyme frowned, but not in disapproval--she was thinking. After all, she didn't exactly have a lot of experience with that kind of thing. "I think only you really know that. How do you feel around him?"
Well Neku's face was definitely red now. How the hell did Rhyme see through that one? "Wh-who said I meant Joshua?" he asked, trying to deflect her suspicions
"If you meant Shiki, you wouldn't want to ask her, too," Rhyme pointed out placidly.
Everyone in Rivelata officially thought Neku was gay. Great. He hunched into the collar of his shirt, and wishing for his life that his headphones were on his head and not upstairs on the bed with the rest of his stuff. "Er."
"Then I just guessed. And you started blushing." Rhyme smiled. "I don't think it's anything bad."
"Argggh," Neku growled, turning and thunking his head once into the door frame that lead to the kitchen. "Why'd it have to be HIM?"
Maybe Rhyme knowing wasn't so bad. That's why he'd asked her, after all.
"'We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.'" Rhyme shrugged. "Only you know 'why him.'"
Neku turned to look at Rhyme, steadily. Maybe Beat didn't always get her adages, but he did. There was a long pause, before he swallowed, and smiled softly. "Thanks, Rhyme."
Rhyme smiled brightly. "You're welcome. Shiki might be a bit more help than I am, but if you don't try, you can never succeed!"
Neku sighed, relieved to at least have SOMEONE in the know. "Okay."
"Well, now that we've talked about that, did you want me to help you clean up in here? I promised Obaasan that I wouldn't try going back home alone."
"oh, um... no, I think I'm good for now." And sure, even though the house was sparsely furnished, it was clean. "I could walk you home, though."
"I'd appreciate that...I would have made Beat walk me over here, but...I don't know where he is. He's always going off without telling me...and I haven't heard from him in weeks." Rhyme sounded worried, and afraid. She didn't want to lose her brother.
Neku nodded. He was worried about Beat too. "Well... he's probably out charging through something and trying to kick its ass. I'm sure he's okay." Of course, Neku wasn't really sure, but.
"Yeah, but...It's a lot more dangerous here than in Shibuya. I wish he'd come home." But she smiled anyway, pushing away the doubts. "You're right though."
Neku smiled, and nodded towards the door. "Thanks for coming over. Wanna grab some ramen on the way back?"
"That sounds good," Rhyme agreed. "Thanks, Neku."
What: A conversation and a confession
When: Last night, whatever that was
Neku paced nerviously around the empty foyer of the house, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Why was he so nervous about this? It wasn't like Rhyme was gonna judge him or anything.
All the same, he was quite fidgety, and extremely glad joshua wasn't around.
Rhyme hurried through the streets--the old lady she and Beat had been staying with had been reluctant to let her go out without her brother, but he wasn't anywhere to be found these days. Rhyme was worried about him. And Neku, sometimes. She knocked on the door of the new house, wondering just what was going on.
Neku opened the door when he heard knocking, and upon seeing Rhyme on the stoop, smiled a little. "Hey, come on in," he said, stepping aside to let her in.
"Thank you," Rhyme responded, smiling. She held out the small guest gift she'd gotten on the way over, a vase full of tropical flowers. "Here. A new house can always use some flowers."
Neku blinked at the flowers, his y chromosome briefly unsure of what to do with them - he hadn't even considered flowers. "O-oh, thanks!" he said, accepting them and placing them on the currently bare side table. Rhyme was right, they really did brighten the room. "Um... can I get you anything?"
"Oh, no thanks. What's wrong, Neku? You're acting so nervous." Just what had he wanted to talk to her about that was making him so jumpy?
Neku briefly chafed the back of his neck, and figeted. "Well, uh... I. I asked Joshua and the jerk didn't give me a straight answer, so I uh... thought I might ask someone who would."
"Yeah, he really isn't the type to give a real answer, is he?" Rhyme laughed lightly. She didn't know Joshua well, but you didn't need to know him well to understand that. "Go ahead."
Neku could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. "Er..." and then the words just tumbled out of his mouth. "How do you know if you like someone?" he blurted.
Rhyme frowned, but not in disapproval--she was thinking. After all, she didn't exactly have a lot of experience with that kind of thing. "I think only you really know that. How do you feel around him?"
Well Neku's face was definitely red now. How the hell did Rhyme see through that one? "Wh-who said I meant Joshua?" he asked, trying to deflect her suspicions
"If you meant Shiki, you wouldn't want to ask her, too," Rhyme pointed out placidly.
Everyone in Rivelata officially thought Neku was gay. Great. He hunched into the collar of his shirt, and wishing for his life that his headphones were on his head and not upstairs on the bed with the rest of his stuff. "Er."
"Then I just guessed. And you started blushing." Rhyme smiled. "I don't think it's anything bad."
"Argggh," Neku growled, turning and thunking his head once into the door frame that lead to the kitchen. "Why'd it have to be HIM?"
Maybe Rhyme knowing wasn't so bad. That's why he'd asked her, after all.
"'We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.'" Rhyme shrugged. "Only you know 'why him.'"
Neku turned to look at Rhyme, steadily. Maybe Beat didn't always get her adages, but he did. There was a long pause, before he swallowed, and smiled softly. "Thanks, Rhyme."
Rhyme smiled brightly. "You're welcome. Shiki might be a bit more help than I am, but if you don't try, you can never succeed!"
Neku sighed, relieved to at least have SOMEONE in the know. "Okay."
"Well, now that we've talked about that, did you want me to help you clean up in here? I promised Obaasan that I wouldn't try going back home alone."
"oh, um... no, I think I'm good for now." And sure, even though the house was sparsely furnished, it was clean. "I could walk you home, though."
"I'd appreciate that...I would have made Beat walk me over here, but...I don't know where he is. He's always going off without telling me...and I haven't heard from him in weeks." Rhyme sounded worried, and afraid. She didn't want to lose her brother.
Neku nodded. He was worried about Beat too. "Well... he's probably out charging through something and trying to kick its ass. I'm sure he's okay." Of course, Neku wasn't really sure, but.
"Yeah, but...It's a lot more dangerous here than in Shibuya. I wish he'd come home." But she smiled anyway, pushing away the doubts. "You're right though."
Neku smiled, and nodded towards the door. "Thanks for coming over. Wanna grab some ramen on the way back?"
"That sounds good," Rhyme agreed. "Thanks, Neku."