[fanfic] Another Break Part 3
Title: Another Break [3/?]
Author: twilightschemer
Genre: Various
Rating: T+. Foul language, and eventually... *cough* the lover-boys "enjoying the moment" more than society says they should.
Pairings: Eventual futureJosh/Neku.
Summary: It's been three years since the week of the Reaper's Game that Neku and Joshua were partners. Neku was getting over it, until the feeling of being stalked overwhelms him once again as he visits the place of his first death once more...
Other Notes: ...May need to raise it to R due to violence.
"Well, here we are," Joshua said, pulling one of the earpieces from his ex-Proxy's ear to be sure he was heard. He almost laughed at Neku jumping at the action. Almost. The shudder that followed told him it would be best not to go further beyond that as he opened the door.
Neku nervously pulled his headphones down to around his neck, blinking at the brightness of the building's interior. This was... Joshua's home? Well, it certainly did reflect his loftiness. The dick. He almost felt guilty when a few drops of blood fell on the pale grey tile. "...Nice place," he muttered as they kicked off their shoes and replaced them with slippers. Neku was surprised, however, when he realized the ones from his house were here. ... Well, at least that partially explained the mischevious glint in Joshua's eyes. "Picked up thievery as well?"
Joshua chuckled, wandering further into the house. "Possibly~" he cooed, flashing Neku a catty grin as he ducked into the kitchen. Neku's little outburst had cost them a meal, after all. "Just thought you'd be more comfortable. Is that really a crime?"
'Not as bad as the other one, maybe...' Neku thought bitterly, following the Composer with his hands buried deep in his pockets. To be honest, he was a little surprised by how much more lively this place seemed to be; he'd expected something...different. He merely shrugged, watching Joshua fill a pan with water from the other side of the island. Joshua cooking. Sure, it made sense, but...
Joshua smirked, picking up on that as he placed the pan on the lit stove. "Neku, take off your shirt and let me take a look."
"W-what?!"
Neku had jumped back a step in surprise, which earned him an annoyed look from Mr. Prim and Proper. "I may be able to read minds, but I can't see through clothes," Joshua explained, turning to face the red-head and taking a few steps closer. "Take the shirt off so I can take a look at the wounds."
He hesitated, lightly tugging at the collar. 'I don't believe you, but...' Did he trust him? Ugh, he'd probably kick Mr. H. for drilling this into his head later. Groaning, he pulled the blood-stained shirt off of him and tried not to grimace.
Joshua grimaced for him as came to stand in front of the boy. The front didn't seem so bad, and there were the two scars from the bullets. The corner of his lips twitched a bit in satisfaction for that, but immediately frowned at the pattern the cuts along Neku's arms and back as the boy turned around. ...Someone seemed to have an affinity for carving pentagrams into flesh. Ignoring the anxious strings the red-head's Soul played the best he could, Joshua placed a faintly glowing hand over the small of his back and slowly moved up. The angry red marks slowly faded into faint scars as the hand traced up and along them, but the look of disdain remained etched on the Composer's face. How he loathed it when someone harmed a person he'd already claimed... Using Imagination in such a repulsive manner only added insult to injury. "Care to tell me what in your right mind caused you to let this happen...?"
"My..." Neku hesitated, resting clenched fists into the refrigerator door. "...If you think I was conscious for this, you're fucking insane," he hissed through clenched teeth. At first the sensation of whatever Joshua was doing felt like his skin was burning, but as it continued... Oh god, why-?
He raised a pale eyebrow as the red-head began snickering. Well, this would be interesting. Joshua smirked deviously and leaned closer in to Neku, letting a small breath tickle the other boy's neck. "Ticklish, hmm?" he whispered, a faint purr trailing at the end. He giggled at the shudder as Neku tried pulling away. Too bad Neku had practically pinned himself to the refrigerator~
Neku shuddered, feeling his headphones being telekenetically removed from around his neck. If it weren't for one hand hovering over his shoulder and another resting on the other side, and stifling laughter, he'd have tried to bolt for the front door. "J-Josh...?" Much more of this and he'd be on the floor in hysterics...
Joshua chuckled in Neku's ear, switching hands and starting at the base of the neck. "Almost done, partner~ Though, I'll still have to heal your left arm." He trailed one finger down one of the marking, smirking as a small laugh escaped his ex-Proxy's lips.
Neku's willpower ebbed away as the first laugh escaped his lips. Dammit, Joshua. Why'd he always find his weak points when he worked so hard to hide them? "J-Joshua, stop it!" Neku laughed, sliding down towards the floor a bit. Luckily for his dignity Joshua was soon finished. Though, he couldn't help but shudder when Joshua nipped playfully at his ear. "What the hell-?"
Joshua chuckled, backing off and tending to the dinner. "See? That snapped you out of it quickly enough." He smirked as fresh vegetables slid themselves out from the refrigerator once Neku had moved back to leaning against the counter. They seemed to slice themselves and float into the pot along with noodles--when had they gotten in there?--as the water boiled. Neku watched with curiosity, wondering why the hell he was still here after being sexually harassed just now. What the hell was with that nip...and why was his face red?
...Ugh, he'd accidentally seen too many of Shiki's "magazines" while they were dating.
Joshua chuckled, pulling out the bowls and the appropriate utensils from the cabinets and placing them on the island counter across from Neku as the pot seemed to float over to the surface. The yakitori practically served itself. ... For some reason, Neku wasn't too phased by all of this. "Though it isn't as good as what they serve at Ramen Don..." Joshua mused, one of the bowls sliding in Neku's direction. "-at least I don't burn it."
"...You saw that?" Neku raised an eyebrow as he began eating. It was just that one time, dammit. Joshua's smirk was all the answer he needed.
"Kind of hard not to notice the scent of burning noodles when you're passing by~" he teased, taking a slurp of the noodles. Hnn... Perhaps a few too many peas.
Neku frowned, shaking his head. Typical Josh, taking a cordial conversation and adding in insults. "Not bad, by the way," he added, trying to push the conversation away from his one failure at cooking. He wasn't so fortunate, however, when the conversation persisted as the two ate. After a few minutes of the insult contest, he was almost relieved when the phone in his pocket vibrated. He discreetly pulled it out, flipping it open to read the incoming message. Oh, was he grateful that Shiki remembered.
Are you two getting along alright? And are you still alive?
Neku almost snorted; almost. He replied quickly, ignoring Joshua's raised eyebrow until the message was sent and the phone was safely in his pocket again. "Shiki. Wanted to know if I still had a pulse," he said with a faint shrug as he pushed aside the now empty bowl. ...Why'd he suddenly feel so tired?
Joshua giggled, taking the bowls and placed them within the confines of the sink. "I have no intentions of shooting you a third time, if that's what you're worried about~ Too cliche what with the 'third time's the charm.'" He smirked faintly as he looked over his shoulder at the red-head, noticing the sleepiness. "There's a guest bed if you want to use it over the couch."
'But I didn't bring any spare clothes...' Wait, why was he even contemplating accepting the suggestion? He didn't even realize he was following Joshua to the other side of the penthouse until Joshua spoke again. All he caught, however, was that it'd once belonged to Megumi. Megumi...? Oh, right. The Conductor that got Erased right in front of him. Why was Joshua being so nonchalant about this?
Before he realized it, Neku was fast asleep. Oh, sweet knockout...
_______________
Joshua chuckled quietly, feeling the weight of his ex-Proxy falling against his back. My, someone was exhausted. It made the Composer wonder just how long it had been since Neku had a decent night's rest. Thanks to the close contact he felt Neku's phone vibrate. Shaking his head, the pale 'boy' shifted slightly, mostly telekenetically placing Neku on the bed before retrieving his ex-partner's phone. Another text message. Hnn... To read it or not to read it.
He shook his head, limiting the urge to just checking who the sender was. Of course; it was Shiki. Joshua smirked, copying the number into his own phone before sending a message to her. "Yes, he's fine. Neku just passed out from exhaustion." He was curious, though... Did the teen's first Partner ever know about the abuse? He was going to send another message as he walked out, having placed Neku's phone and other possessions on the table next to the bed when he heard Neku talking in his sleep. Hnn...
"N-no... Don't."
Don't what, Joshua wondered, stopping at the doorway. Neku's expression had faded from the calm demeanor sleep was supposed to bring, now controted in agony. He shook his head, seeing Neku turn onto his side and curl up on himself as a hand clenched the sheets tightly. So much for taking a video and sending it to Shiki for confirmation.
"Please... Not the-"
Joshua shook his head, shoving back his anger at whomever scarred this boy so much. He walked back over and sat on the edge of the bed, tucking a few strands of orange-red locks behind Neku's ear. "Oh, Neku... What am I going to do with you." Well, at least that simple touch seemed to calm the sleeping teen down. Joshua yawned. Dammit, why did it have to be so tempting...?
Good thing he was a shameless flirt.
______________
Neku squinted his eyes closed at the light coming through the window. He'd fallen asleep...? Ergh, well this was just lovely. He nuzzled into the pillow, not wanting to really wake up. That was, before he realized said "pillow" was firm. ...Ohshit.
His eyes snapped open, blearily staring at the figure next to him...and kind of in his arms. If it wasn't for the arm around his back, he'd have- Oh, screw that. Neku pushed away from the Composer's smirking form, causing them both to roll over each other and fall out of the bed. It wasn't until then he realized that he had been reduced to his boxers in the middle of the night. "What the hell...?!"
"Morning to you too, partner..." Joshua grumbled, smirking up at the body that had landed on top of him. "You had some cuts on your legs that began bleeding again last night," he informed the teen, lightly pushing him off enough that he could sit up. "Must've fallen asleep..."
"No shit," Neku glared, grabbing a pillow and backing off. Too much physical contact. Way too much contact... He shuddered from the memories, hugging himself and the pillow. "Where are my clothes...?"
Joshua rolled his eyes, pulling himself from the floor and combing a hand through his hair. "The laundry, I expect. You can borrow something of mine if you like-" He chuckled at the mortified look on the former Proxy's face. "Oh, come now, Neku. It isn't like my closet's full of dresses."
'Liar...' The teen stared up at the Composer, incredulous. "Riiiight. And you tried getting me in a dress that one time...why?"
Okay, Joshua had to admit that amused him. He giggled, walking to the door. "There's towels in the bathroom if you want to shower while breakfast is being made." He paused, a faint smirk playing across his lips. "Pancakes?"
Neku grumbled under his breath. Stupid Joshua and his ways of getting him to do whatever. "...Sure," he replied, staring at the floor as he tried waking himself up before looking around for his phone. Finding it on the nightstand, he checked the time. 10:45? ... Well, at least it was the weekend. Neku groaned, picking himself up from the ground and headed for the bathroom. Just like Josh said, there was a towel on the counter. He rolled his eyes, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. ...Was he always this pale? 'Must be the lighting,' he thought to himself, before realizing why he looked so pale. 'Wait... the cuts are gone.'
That explained so much; like why he hadn't felt the need to punch Joshua in the face again to give him matching eyes.
______________
Joshua chuckled as he heard the water turn on in the bathroom, going through his closet. Hnn... He and Neku were the same size now. Was that because he wasn't eating well? He did seem more like skin and bones than when he'd first killed him. Sighing, he selected an outfit for Neku--and thinking about his former Partner's sanity instead of his own amusement, he opted for something not pink nor a dress...this time--and one for himself. Slipping into the bathroom to place the clothes in next to the towel, he quietly closed the door and changed in his own room before returning to the kitchen. One of the many pluses to being the Composer: ingredients just seemed to get themselves out with just a thought.
Joshua smirked, preparing the batter as the surface heated as the water turned off. This was going to be an interesting day.
Author: twilightschemer
Genre: Various
Rating: T+. Foul language, and eventually... *cough* the lover-boys "enjoying the moment" more than society says they should.
Pairings: Eventual futureJosh/Neku.
Summary: It's been three years since the week of the Reaper's Game that Neku and Joshua were partners. Neku was getting over it, until the feeling of being stalked overwhelms him once again as he visits the place of his first death once more...
Other Notes: ...May need to raise it to R due to violence.
"Well, here we are," Joshua said, pulling one of the earpieces from his ex-Proxy's ear to be sure he was heard. He almost laughed at Neku jumping at the action. Almost. The shudder that followed told him it would be best not to go further beyond that as he opened the door.
Neku nervously pulled his headphones down to around his neck, blinking at the brightness of the building's interior. This was... Joshua's home? Well, it certainly did reflect his loftiness. The dick. He almost felt guilty when a few drops of blood fell on the pale grey tile. "...Nice place," he muttered as they kicked off their shoes and replaced them with slippers. Neku was surprised, however, when he realized the ones from his house were here. ... Well, at least that partially explained the mischevious glint in Joshua's eyes. "Picked up thievery as well?"
Joshua chuckled, wandering further into the house. "Possibly~" he cooed, flashing Neku a catty grin as he ducked into the kitchen. Neku's little outburst had cost them a meal, after all. "Just thought you'd be more comfortable. Is that really a crime?"
'Not as bad as the other one, maybe...' Neku thought bitterly, following the Composer with his hands buried deep in his pockets. To be honest, he was a little surprised by how much more lively this place seemed to be; he'd expected something...different. He merely shrugged, watching Joshua fill a pan with water from the other side of the island. Joshua cooking. Sure, it made sense, but...
Joshua smirked, picking up on that as he placed the pan on the lit stove. "Neku, take off your shirt and let me take a look."
"W-what?!"
Neku had jumped back a step in surprise, which earned him an annoyed look from Mr. Prim and Proper. "I may be able to read minds, but I can't see through clothes," Joshua explained, turning to face the red-head and taking a few steps closer. "Take the shirt off so I can take a look at the wounds."
He hesitated, lightly tugging at the collar. 'I don't believe you, but...' Did he trust him? Ugh, he'd probably kick Mr. H. for drilling this into his head later. Groaning, he pulled the blood-stained shirt off of him and tried not to grimace.
Joshua grimaced for him as came to stand in front of the boy. The front didn't seem so bad, and there were the two scars from the bullets. The corner of his lips twitched a bit in satisfaction for that, but immediately frowned at the pattern the cuts along Neku's arms and back as the boy turned around. ...Someone seemed to have an affinity for carving pentagrams into flesh. Ignoring the anxious strings the red-head's Soul played the best he could, Joshua placed a faintly glowing hand over the small of his back and slowly moved up. The angry red marks slowly faded into faint scars as the hand traced up and along them, but the look of disdain remained etched on the Composer's face. How he loathed it when someone harmed a person he'd already claimed... Using Imagination in such a repulsive manner only added insult to injury. "Care to tell me what in your right mind caused you to let this happen...?"
"My..." Neku hesitated, resting clenched fists into the refrigerator door. "...If you think I was conscious for this, you're fucking insane," he hissed through clenched teeth. At first the sensation of whatever Joshua was doing felt like his skin was burning, but as it continued... Oh god, why-?
He raised a pale eyebrow as the red-head began snickering. Well, this would be interesting. Joshua smirked deviously and leaned closer in to Neku, letting a small breath tickle the other boy's neck. "Ticklish, hmm?" he whispered, a faint purr trailing at the end. He giggled at the shudder as Neku tried pulling away. Too bad Neku had practically pinned himself to the refrigerator~
Neku shuddered, feeling his headphones being telekenetically removed from around his neck. If it weren't for one hand hovering over his shoulder and another resting on the other side, and stifling laughter, he'd have tried to bolt for the front door. "J-Josh...?" Much more of this and he'd be on the floor in hysterics...
Joshua chuckled in Neku's ear, switching hands and starting at the base of the neck. "Almost done, partner~ Though, I'll still have to heal your left arm." He trailed one finger down one of the marking, smirking as a small laugh escaped his ex-Proxy's lips.
Neku's willpower ebbed away as the first laugh escaped his lips. Dammit, Joshua. Why'd he always find his weak points when he worked so hard to hide them? "J-Joshua, stop it!" Neku laughed, sliding down towards the floor a bit. Luckily for his dignity Joshua was soon finished. Though, he couldn't help but shudder when Joshua nipped playfully at his ear. "What the hell-?"
Joshua chuckled, backing off and tending to the dinner. "See? That snapped you out of it quickly enough." He smirked as fresh vegetables slid themselves out from the refrigerator once Neku had moved back to leaning against the counter. They seemed to slice themselves and float into the pot along with noodles--when had they gotten in there?--as the water boiled. Neku watched with curiosity, wondering why the hell he was still here after being sexually harassed just now. What the hell was with that nip...and why was his face red?
...Ugh, he'd accidentally seen too many of Shiki's "magazines" while they were dating.
Joshua chuckled, pulling out the bowls and the appropriate utensils from the cabinets and placing them on the island counter across from Neku as the pot seemed to float over to the surface. The yakitori practically served itself. ... For some reason, Neku wasn't too phased by all of this. "Though it isn't as good as what they serve at Ramen Don..." Joshua mused, one of the bowls sliding in Neku's direction. "-at least I don't burn it."
"...You saw that?" Neku raised an eyebrow as he began eating. It was just that one time, dammit. Joshua's smirk was all the answer he needed.
"Kind of hard not to notice the scent of burning noodles when you're passing by~" he teased, taking a slurp of the noodles. Hnn... Perhaps a few too many peas.
Neku frowned, shaking his head. Typical Josh, taking a cordial conversation and adding in insults. "Not bad, by the way," he added, trying to push the conversation away from his one failure at cooking. He wasn't so fortunate, however, when the conversation persisted as the two ate. After a few minutes of the insult contest, he was almost relieved when the phone in his pocket vibrated. He discreetly pulled it out, flipping it open to read the incoming message. Oh, was he grateful that Shiki remembered.
Are you two getting along alright? And are you still alive?
Neku almost snorted; almost. He replied quickly, ignoring Joshua's raised eyebrow until the message was sent and the phone was safely in his pocket again. "Shiki. Wanted to know if I still had a pulse," he said with a faint shrug as he pushed aside the now empty bowl. ...Why'd he suddenly feel so tired?
Joshua giggled, taking the bowls and placed them within the confines of the sink. "I have no intentions of shooting you a third time, if that's what you're worried about~ Too cliche what with the 'third time's the charm.'" He smirked faintly as he looked over his shoulder at the red-head, noticing the sleepiness. "There's a guest bed if you want to use it over the couch."
'But I didn't bring any spare clothes...' Wait, why was he even contemplating accepting the suggestion? He didn't even realize he was following Joshua to the other side of the penthouse until Joshua spoke again. All he caught, however, was that it'd once belonged to Megumi. Megumi...? Oh, right. The Conductor that got Erased right in front of him. Why was Joshua being so nonchalant about this?
Before he realized it, Neku was fast asleep. Oh, sweet knockout...
_______________
Joshua chuckled quietly, feeling the weight of his ex-Proxy falling against his back. My, someone was exhausted. It made the Composer wonder just how long it had been since Neku had a decent night's rest. Thanks to the close contact he felt Neku's phone vibrate. Shaking his head, the pale 'boy' shifted slightly, mostly telekenetically placing Neku on the bed before retrieving his ex-partner's phone. Another text message. Hnn... To read it or not to read it.
He shook his head, limiting the urge to just checking who the sender was. Of course; it was Shiki. Joshua smirked, copying the number into his own phone before sending a message to her. "Yes, he's fine. Neku just passed out from exhaustion." He was curious, though... Did the teen's first Partner ever know about the abuse? He was going to send another message as he walked out, having placed Neku's phone and other possessions on the table next to the bed when he heard Neku talking in his sleep. Hnn...
"N-no... Don't."
Don't what, Joshua wondered, stopping at the doorway. Neku's expression had faded from the calm demeanor sleep was supposed to bring, now controted in agony. He shook his head, seeing Neku turn onto his side and curl up on himself as a hand clenched the sheets tightly. So much for taking a video and sending it to Shiki for confirmation.
"Please... Not the-"
Joshua shook his head, shoving back his anger at whomever scarred this boy so much. He walked back over and sat on the edge of the bed, tucking a few strands of orange-red locks behind Neku's ear. "Oh, Neku... What am I going to do with you." Well, at least that simple touch seemed to calm the sleeping teen down. Joshua yawned. Dammit, why did it have to be so tempting...?
Good thing he was a shameless flirt.
______________
Neku squinted his eyes closed at the light coming through the window. He'd fallen asleep...? Ergh, well this was just lovely. He nuzzled into the pillow, not wanting to really wake up. That was, before he realized said "pillow" was firm. ...Ohshit.
His eyes snapped open, blearily staring at the figure next to him...and kind of in his arms. If it wasn't for the arm around his back, he'd have- Oh, screw that. Neku pushed away from the Composer's smirking form, causing them both to roll over each other and fall out of the bed. It wasn't until then he realized that he had been reduced to his boxers in the middle of the night. "What the hell...?!"
"Morning to you too, partner..." Joshua grumbled, smirking up at the body that had landed on top of him. "You had some cuts on your legs that began bleeding again last night," he informed the teen, lightly pushing him off enough that he could sit up. "Must've fallen asleep..."
"No shit," Neku glared, grabbing a pillow and backing off. Too much physical contact. Way too much contact... He shuddered from the memories, hugging himself and the pillow. "Where are my clothes...?"
Joshua rolled his eyes, pulling himself from the floor and combing a hand through his hair. "The laundry, I expect. You can borrow something of mine if you like-" He chuckled at the mortified look on the former Proxy's face. "Oh, come now, Neku. It isn't like my closet's full of dresses."
'Liar...' The teen stared up at the Composer, incredulous. "Riiiight. And you tried getting me in a dress that one time...why?"
Okay, Joshua had to admit that amused him. He giggled, walking to the door. "There's towels in the bathroom if you want to shower while breakfast is being made." He paused, a faint smirk playing across his lips. "Pancakes?"
Neku grumbled under his breath. Stupid Joshua and his ways of getting him to do whatever. "...Sure," he replied, staring at the floor as he tried waking himself up before looking around for his phone. Finding it on the nightstand, he checked the time. 10:45? ... Well, at least it was the weekend. Neku groaned, picking himself up from the ground and headed for the bathroom. Just like Josh said, there was a towel on the counter. He rolled his eyes, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. ...Was he always this pale? 'Must be the lighting,' he thought to himself, before realizing why he looked so pale. 'Wait... the cuts are gone.'
That explained so much; like why he hadn't felt the need to punch Joshua in the face again to give him matching eyes.
______________
Joshua chuckled as he heard the water turn on in the bathroom, going through his closet. Hnn... He and Neku were the same size now. Was that because he wasn't eating well? He did seem more like skin and bones than when he'd first killed him. Sighing, he selected an outfit for Neku--and thinking about his former Partner's sanity instead of his own amusement, he opted for something not pink nor a dress...this time--and one for himself. Slipping into the bathroom to place the clothes in next to the towel, he quietly closed the door and changed in his own room before returning to the kitchen. One of the many pluses to being the Composer: ingredients just seemed to get themselves out with just a thought.
Joshua smirked, preparing the batter as the surface heated as the water turned off. This was going to be an interesting day.