[fic update] Caricature
Title: Caricature
Authors: feverish_love
Pairings: Joshua / Neku
Rating: R
Summary: After having lost a bet with Mr. Hanekoma, Joshua is forced to seek assistance from his ex-proxy. When Joshua informs Neku of his lost-bet, Neku hesitantly wonders what Joshua has to do. It comes as a large surprise to the ex-player that the prim and snarky Joshua has to cross-dress for an entire year at his school and get the student body to believe he is, in fact, a girl.
Earlier Chapters: Prologue
“So, how long is the walk to your school from here?”
“A good ten minutes,” Neku answered as he held his notebooks close to his chest. He had swiped his headphones from his dresser earlier and slung them around his neck, knowing full well that he may just need them in the future if Joshua was going to be around. As the red-head walked, he kept his gaze glued to the streets ahead, refusing to look over at his companion cross-dressing. There was just no possible way that he could survive this horror.
“Ten minutes? Oh well, at least it’s not too far,” the Composer sighed and began fiddling with his tank top, amused at the ruffles. “Are you going to introduce me to your friends, Neku?”
Neku winced at the mere thought and hurried his pace, refusing to make eye-contact. “Introduce you? As what? ‘Hi guys, this is my cross-dressing friend, Joshua. Pretend he’s a girl so he can fulfill his end of a bargain, okay? Ignore the fact that he’s a guy.’ ”
Joshua giggled at that and pushed his messy bangs behind his ear, the mascara already beginning to annoy him. “First off, calling me by the name Joshua won’t accomplish anything,” he cooed knowingly in a smug tone. “Refer to me as Josephina.” He watched in amusement as Neku cringed. “And secondly, having your friends know I’m a guy completely destroys my goal.”
“No one is going to fall for this, Josephina,” Neku deadpanned and reached up with his free hand to rub his temples. “I can’t believe Mr. H is making you do this. I’m torn between giving him a high-five or a punch to the face…”
“You’re not captivated by my body, Neku?” Joshua wondered, hand coming to rest on his hip as he purposely did a hair flip.
“No, I’m not,” Neku drawled and shook his head. “A guy wearing a skirt and makeup is just wrong.”
Joshua giggled and smiled knowingly at his red-haired ‘friend’. “We’ll see how many people ‘fall’ for it.”
“Yes, we’ll see,” Neku agreed and sighed loudly, hurrying his pace once more, hoping in the back of his mind that Joshua would fall behind due to his flip-flops. His prayers were left unanswered as Joshua strode up beside him once more in his giggling glory.
“At least you have the feminine giggle down pat,” Neku grumbled as he looked down at the sidewalk. “Are you ever going to tell me what you guys bet on? Or are you going to leave me in the dark, are you usually do when it comes to anything important.”
Joshua sighed dramatically and shrugged. “The bet doesn’t matter. And I haven’t left you in the dark, Neku. I told you I was the Composer.”
“I thought you were joking,” Neku growled and shook his head. “That doesn’t count as a confession. And then you told me, being serious, before you shot me. I don’t even know why I didn’t slam the door in your face and kick you out of my house. I think you’re imprinting me.”
“Oh no, Neku. You’d feel it. You’re such a bright Soul, you’d know if I was doing that,” Joshua informed him with a soft smirk before folding his arms over his chest.
“You’re so impossible,” Neku sighed and lowered his gaze further. “Just stay away from me at school, okay? I haven’t forgiven you and I just really want to live my own life.”
“But Neku, I thought you were going to be my lovely guide,” Joshua pouted and licked his lip-glossed lips. “Fine, I’ll avoid you unless the situation calls for our interaction.”
“Thank you,” Neku breathed in relief, hands flexing around his notebooks. “That goes for my friends as well. I don’t know what you did to them, but they don’t remember the last day and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“How would they figure it out if they think I’m a girl, Neku?” Joshua lilted and tilted his head to the side playfully.
“…Stop doing that, you’re creeping me out,” Neku complained and quickly averted his gaze again. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re lying and you dress up as a girl all the time. You really seem like the type, Josh.”
“How rude,” Joshua huffed dramatically and shook his head, messy hair landing on his back.
“But oh-so true,” Neku pointed out with a rolling of his eyes. He paused at the corner of the street and looked to Joshua disdainfully. “See that building on the right? The big grey one nestled between the parking lot and grassy lot?” Joshua nodded as Neku pointed. “That’s the school. I’m going on ahead. You go find your locker and classes and whatnot. I have to catch up with Shiki and Beat-I haven’t seen them for a week so I have a lot to tell them.”
“Sure thing, Neku,” Joshua hummed and gave a playful salute.
“…Goodbye, Joshua,” Neku groaned and trotted across the street to his school, glad to be without the Composer by his side. Now he was free to kick and kill things. Stupid Joshua. Stupid Composer. Stupid bets. Stupid, stupid irony.
--
“We have first block together, Neku!”
Shiki quickly glanced over Neku’s schedule a few times more as said teenager sorted his belongings in his locker. The teenage girl tilted her glasses off the bridge of her nose to skim over the fine print before presenting her best friend with the schedule once again. “We also have lunch, but that’s it. At least we have that together.”
“I know, thank god. I was dreading sociology. And I think Beat has lunch with us too, not sure. Does Eri?” Neku glanced up from his locker to look over at the cheerful brunet who was absently fiddling with her messenger bag and blouse.
“Eri has lunch with her other friends,” Shiki explained nonchalantly and offered a soft smile at Neku. “You know where sociology is, right? If not, I can show you. I was just there a minute ago talking to the professor.”
“Sure. I’ve never been down that part of the school before so why not,” Neku chuckled and closed his locker, holding his notebook and pen possessively. His gaze skimmed down the hallway, glad to not see his cross-dressing ex-partner meandering about. The last thing he needed was to start school off with something stupid like Joshua in a skirt harassing him.
“You okay, Neku? You kinda look pale,” Shiki noted, tilting her head. Her brown bangs fell in her eyes as she eyed her friend, lips nervously pursed.
“Huh?” Neku looked to her and blinked. “Oh, I’m fine. Just trying to figure out stuff.”
“Oh okay,” Shiki answered sheepishly and tucked her bangs behind her ear before pointing in the opposite direction. “Well, shall we head off?”
“Sure. Maybe we’ll run into Beat again,” Neku stated as the pair began their quiet walk through the bustling halls of the school. As they walked, they watched in amusement as freshmen fumbled about, eyes glued to their schedules, confused as hell. It was almost sad, in a way, to see them so confused and lost.
“You sure you’re okay, Neku? You seem a bit…edgy, or jumpy,” Shiki stated quietly as they turned a corner, headed towards sociology.
Neku shrugged. “Eh, just not used to being back in school, I guess.”
“Ah…” Shiki stated and nodding with understanding. “I suppose it is a big change. I never really minded it much.”
“This is my first year with actual friends,” Neku pointed out. “Last year I just got through the school-year with casual acquaintances. This year I have Beat, you, and Eri. It’s really different for me. I’m not amused to actually enjoying this place,” he chuckled and shook his head in amusement.
“Hm…maybe you’ll get a girlfriend this year too,” Shiki teased, her lips tweaking up into a grin. “First friends and then significant others.”
“…I highly doubt that,” Neku laughed and felt a soft blush appear on his face. “I’m not that good with commitment and that stuff. You know how distant I can be, Shiki.”
“Yep,” Shiki agreed and rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. “But maybe a few casual dates would do you good. You are a guy and guys do have hormones,” she hummed, eyes glimmering playfully behind her glasses.
“So do girls,” Neku responded with a shrug, trying not to laugh.
Shiki was about to respond with her own witty retort when a girl came up to the pair, seemingly about to talk to Neku. The brunette tilted her head curiously as the girl approached them nonchalantly, face indifferent as she neared them.
“Friend of yours, Neku?” Shiki asked under her breath with an arched brow.
“Oh god, let’s take another way to cl-” Neku began, grabbing Shiki’s arm. He was about to steer them back around the corner but before he could do such, his own arm was successfully seized. Neku gulped and shifted his gaze from his best friend to violet hues, meeting them with distaste and disdain.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you, silly”
Neku’s head throbbed in agony. “Hi Jos-”
Before Neku could finish, Joshua had turned to look at the befuddled Shiki. “Hi, I’m Neku’s friend, Josephina.”
Neku cringed at the name and at the fact that Joshua was still wearing makeup and that damn skirt. The red-head shifted uncomfortably, having dropped Shiki’s arm seconds earlier. He leaned back against the school wall instead, trying his best to keep his gaze off Joshua. The last thing he needed to do at this moment was blow up at his ex-partner. Or blow his cover. Then again, the prospect sounded inviting.
“Oh, hi!” Shiki stated and blushed darkly. “My name’s Shiki. I don’t think we’ve met before.”
“I don’t think so either, but it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Joshua stated politely and allowed his gaze to wander to the visibly uncomfortable Neku. He giggled quietly under his breath and took a step closer to the tense teen, letting his hand drift precariously close to Neku’s. He watched in utter amusement as Neku pulled his hand out of Joshua’s reach with a glower.
“What’s your schedule?” Shiki questioned curiously, her free hand coming to rest on her hip.
Joshua paused and pulled out a schedule, handing it to the brunette with a slight shimmer of mischief in his eyes. Neku caught this and coughed under his breath, allowing his gaze to return to the ceiling. Why couldn’t the damn warning bell go off already? He wanted to get away from Joshua before he punched the boy’s lights out.
“Neku, she has all the same classes as you,” Shiki declared and looked to her friend with a smile. “You won’t’ be lonely in your classes after all!”
Neku twitched. “…All the same classes?”
Joshua shot him a smug look that screamed ‘Im the Composer, why didn’t you expect me to be in all your classes, hm?’ “We do? That’s great, then,” he hummed.
“Shiki, we should really be heading off to sociology. I don’t want to be late the first day,” the teen grumbled as he held his books closer to his chest.
“We can all go together,” Shiki decided and smiled warmly at Joshua. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not,” Joshua cooed and tossed a mischievous look at his partner before beginning to walk with Shiki a few feet in front of the rather disgruntled Neku.
“…Asshole,” Neku muttered to himself and followed the two disdainfully, cursing the heavens and the UG for this unfortunate and horrible mess than had fallen before him. Stupid Joshua and his stupid quirks and skirt messing up his perfectly good day. He needed to get revenge, but he doubted that was possible. Oh what a mess.
--
To think I almost forgave that jerk. He’s a complete asshole...why did I even bother helping him?
Neku groaned to himself as he watched Shiki and Joshua in the lunch-line from across the room, chattering eagerly about something he couldn’t quite hear. The conversation was probably regarding clothing and whatnot. Joshua had always been the type to overstress on clothes, as demonstrated during Neku’s second week. The damn kid refused to walk by any clothes store without stopping in to take a gander about, which usually ended up in Joshua goading Neku into buying something for him, or a shopkeeper making odd moves on Neku that the red-head didn’t quite catch. All in all, clothes shopping with Joshua had always been the painful experience, and he was semi-glad that the boy now had someone actually interested in trends to talk to.
But…why didn’t Shiki remember Joshua, though? Hadn’t she seen him on their last day? The red-head shook his head, rubbing his temples. He remembered that every time he brought up ‘wanting to wait for a friend at Hachiko’, his friends would give him a blank stare and then proceed to smile and nod. Maybe they actually didn’t remember.
“Yo Phones, what’s shakin’?”
Neku lifted his gaze from his neglected sandwich up to the skater across the table. When had Beat arrived? “Hey Beat,” he stated and straightened up in his seat.
“Yous okay, man? You look wiped,” the blonde skater stated as he sat down and promptly lifted his feet onto his side of the table, reclining in his chair.
Instead of reprimanding the teen, Neku merely looked back across the expansive, crowded room to Shiki and Joshua. “I’m fine,” he murmured, hand coming to rest under his chin. “Just not used to school yet, that’s all.”
“Who is?” Beat chuckled loudly and folded his arms to his chest, rather comfortable. He paused, glancing over his shoulder to where Neku was so intently staring. A blonde eyebrow arched. “Yo, whuzzat with Shiki?”
“Oh…that’s Josh,” Neku mumbled distantly.
“…Josh?” Beat repeated, looking back to the red-haired teen. “Girl got a guy name?”
Neku blinked and then felt heat rise to his cheeks due to embarrassment. “Ah…her name is Josephina. She…likes to be called Josh?...”
“Oh, that’s cool man. Very tight,” Beat stated, his gaze returning to over his shoulder. A goofy grin remained plastered across his face all the while.
Neku groaned and hid his face in his hands as Shiki and Joshua approached them with trays of food. The reddish brunet kept his face hidden as he heard chairs move against the tile-floor, followed by Shiki’s purse hitting the ground, producing a ‘clink’, and finally proceeded by a warm welcome from both ‘girls’.
“Yo, nice to meetcha’ Josh!” Beat greeted as he extended his large hand across the table to the silver-haired teen who was sitting beside Neku.
Joshua blinked, arched a brow, and looked accusingly to his ex-partner. Neku stole a glance from behind his hand at Joshua, pathetically staring, before returning to hiding ignorantly. Joshua sighed and looked to Beat, forcing a fetching smile to form on his lips. “Heehee…you must be mistaken, my name is Josephina…”
“But Phones said that ya like to be called Josh,” Beat stated and rubbed the back of his head, eying the ceiling as Shiki pushed his feet off the table, scowling somewhat.
“…He did? Neku, are you spreading your pet-names for me to your friends?” the Composer giggled, rather affectionately playing with a lock of Neku’s hair.
Neku tensed and without delay batted away Joshua’s hand. “You told me to call you Josh.”
“Perhaps I just wanted you to call me it,” Joshua purred and teasingly winked at the boy next to him before letting his gaze wander back to Beat. “If you wish to call me that, go right ahead. It may sound…boyish, but I assure you I’m used to the nickname.”
“Cool wit’ me!” Beat declared and offered a bold smile across the table at Joshua.
“Beat, how many times do I have to tell you to keep your feet off the table?...People eat there, you know,” Shiki lectured, frowning a bit.
“Ya already shoved my feet off, Shiki,” Beat pointed out and looked to Joshua once more. “She always like this. Being the mother to all us.”
Joshua smiled back, though Neku could tell it was fake, even from his hiding place. “Your friends are so nice, Neku. Thank you for allowing me to meet them.”
“We’re glad to have a new addition to our group,” Shiki stated punctually and grinned boldly at Joshua.
Neku’s toes curled in his shoes, resisting the urge to punch the Composer straight across the face. Why was it that he was the only one that could detect the condescending tone in the smug bastard’s voice? Why did they think he was being sincere?!
“Oh! Josh, you don’t mind me calling you that, right? I have to get used to it myself, but…” Shiki trailed off and tucked her hair behind her ear before turning to look at the Composer once again. “Where did you get that skirt? I’ve never seen one like that before…it’s amazing…something Eri and I would totally want to make.”
Joshua blinked a few times, fingers holding a slice of pizza. “Neku gave it to me.”
“…He did? Neku, you went shopping for someone other than yourself?! …Excuse me for a moment, I need to take a few breaths so I don’t die of shock,” Shiki teased and then smirked. “So you’ll buy clothes for her but not me, hmm? I can’t even get you to go shopping with me.” She giggled afterwards.
“…I killed her cat, I felt bad,” Neku stated gruffly, lowering his hands in frustration.
“You…killed her cat?” Shiki and Beat echoed, blinking in confusion.
Neku winced. “Uh…well not exactly killed it but…I found it dead?...in the bathtub?...”
Joshua stared blankly at Neku before clearing his throat. “Mittens was old, Neku. I told you it wasn’t your fault. I know she didn’t like you, and the very sight of your spiky hair scared her old heart, but you didn’t kill her. She was bound to die shortly, anyhow.”
“…Wow,” was all Beat could utter as he scratched his neck. “Yah, Phones…don’t blame yourself. You had me and Shiki thinkin’ you were some sorta animal killer, hah…”
Neku groaned. Why do I have to have the stupidest lies?... “Well, I felt bad, okay? I blame myself a lot for things, I’m trying to get over that. And besides, the skirt was only five-hundred yen.”
Joshua rolled his eyes. “He enjoys clearance items. He’s a cheapstake.”
“Be glad I got you something,” Neku seethed, ignoring the strange looks his friends shot him.
“…Uh Phones…. Are you and Josh datin’?”
Neku paled and then scorched a hot red. “What?!” he sputtered, alarm filling him as Joshua’s giggle filled his senses. “Of course not! She’s…she’s not my type! And we don’t know each other that well and…and a whole bunch of stuff!”
“He’s in denial that he likes me,” Joshua explained, smiling knowingly at the other. “Oh, cheer up, grumpy-face,” he cooed, earning a laugh from Shiki. “If you keep frowning like that, your face is going to stay that way, and that’s not attractive at all.”
“Right…” Shiki trailed off, smiling intentionally to herself before looking to her red-faced friend. “Neku, are we still all meeting at Hachiko after class today? I haven’t seen Rhyme in weeks…and I don’t get to see Eri much during school.”
“Of course,” Neku stated, the first real smile during that lunch appearing on his face.
“Rhyme’s real excited,” Beat explained between mouthfuls of his curry that he had finally decided to start eating somewhere during Neku’s outburst. “She said she loved ‘dat dress you made her, Shiki.”
Shiki giggled quietly. “Eri was the one that designed it, I just sewed it,” she pointed out.
“Yah, but she could tell you had a hand in the design,” Beat retorted and resumed chowing down, his gaze dancing between his lunch and Joshua a few times, to which Neku noticed.
“I miss Rhyme,” Shiki sighed and proceeded to glance over at Neku and Joshua, noticing how close they were sitting for the first time. “Hey Neku, aren’t you going to invite Josh to our little get-together after school today?”
Neku bit his bottom lip and shrugged, gingerly poking at his meal. “Uh, I guess you can come if you’re bored?”
“Thank you, Neku,” Joshua hummed, the sarcasm dripping from his voice intolerable.
“…Whatever,” Neku murmured and proceeded to space out, his first day already appearing dreary and gloomy, and he barely had gone through half his classes. Stupid Joshua.
--
“So, are we just walking from the school to Hachiko, Neku?”
Neku tugged his headphones eagerly onto his ears, attempting to drown out the silver-haired nuisance who had been by his side all day. Thankfully, a few of his teachers had assigned seating, which got Neku away from Joshua for a few hours. But now the school-day was officially ending, chiming with a bell, and Neku wanted nothing more than to hang out with his friends peacefully, thus meaning without Joshua.
“I am, you’re not,” Neku stated sternly as he headed out of the building, followed by an impatient Joshua.
“But Neku, they seemed like they wanted me to go too,” Joshua cooed, dramatically placing a hand over his heart. “And besides, I have nothing else better to do.”
“…You run an entire city and you’re saying you have nothing to do? No wonder Shibuya is such a mess. You’re a horrible Composer,” Neku drawled and subconsciously rubbed his headphone, cursing the heavens above for having told Joshua his address during the game. To think he had wanted to get to know the boy once the game was over…bah.
“Oh Neku, so naïve,” Joshua giggled and continued walking alongside the other teen.
“You are annoying,” Neku ground out, holding his Physics book close to his chest. “You know what? After ‘we’ hang out with imy/i friends, you and I are going to Wildkat to sort out this mess. I’m going to get Mr. H to revoke your little bet because frankly, I can’t stand this, Josh.”
“Can’t stand seeing my attractive self in a skirt?” Joshua teased, twirling a strand of hair around on his finger.
“No, I just can’t stand you being an asshole, like you constantly are,” Neku complained and shook his head.
“Such harsh words,” Joshua sighed and placed a hand on his hip. “I thought we were friends, Neku.”
“We were, until you decided to shoot me,” Neku muttered and continued walking. “But seriously, why the hell would you want to be friends with me? You’re the Composer of Shibuya,” he grumbled under his breath, averting his gaze somewhat as they left school grounds and began their walk to Hachiko.
Joshua fell silent for a moment. “Why indeed.”
Neku arched a brow and stared at the Composer for a moment. “…Is this something new? Now that you’re a girl you’re going to have mood-swings?” he joked uneasily, uncomfortable due to the serious look Joshua was radiating.
Joshua shrugged absently and continued on, a few steps ahead of Neku this time. He said nothing more as he walked. Neku, though, couldn’t help but stare at his ex-partner in confusion and subtle interest. How Joshua managed to be skinnier than him was a mystery…and yet have such feminine hips. If he hadn’t met the teen prior, he would have concluded that the person in front of him was a very attractive and flirtatious girl who seemed to have taken a liking for him. Neku sighed and followed faithfully after Joshua, promising that he’d resist blowing up in past-anger at Joshua, just for the time-being, only because the look Joshua had given him moments before had not only startled him, but oddly scared him…
--
“Rhyme!”
Shiki squealed loudly and nearly trampled a few pedestrians as she bounded giddily up to the forming group. The brunette dropped her bag by her feet and tackled the young blonde with a hug. The girl’s glasses threatened to fall off her slim face as she smothered the younger in hugs and small squeals of happiness. Beat and Eri, who were casually leaning against the statue, watching in amusement, exchanged a few words as Joshua and Neku lingered a few feet behind Rhyme and Shiki.
“Yo Rhyme,” Beat stated once Shiki had relinquished her hold on Rhyme and returned to standing faithfully by Eri’s side, “I want ya to meet our new friend.”
“New friend?” Rhyme tilted her head innocently and turned around to smile warmly at Neku who gave her a gentle wave. Her gaze settled upon Joshua and she giggled. “Nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you too,” Joshua hummed, staying close to Neku.
“That’s Josephina,” Beat hummed as he pumped his chest, rather proud that he remembered the ‘girl’s’ name. “She’s a friend of Phones, so a friend of ours,” the skater stated with a grin, tossing Joshua a wide smirk.
Rhyme blinked a few times but said nothing and only smiled.
“Eri, did you meet Josh yet?” Neku asked as the red-haired teen flipped through her phone, obviously showing her partner something. The girl’s gaze lifted once Neku spoke.
“Hm?” she hummed and flipped it close. “Yeah. I met her in passing earlier today. I asked her where you were, after Shiki introduced us, and she said that you had stormed off.” The red-head giggled behind her hand, looking to Shiki with a laugh as well.
Neku groaned and looked away. “Yeah…”
Joshua wandered away from Neku for a moment, engaging in conversation with Beat, Shiki, and Eri. Rhyme, however, had wandered over to the headphone wearing teen, lightly tugging on his sleeve. Neku glanced down and arched a brow. “Hm?”
“Neku…why is that boy wearing a skirt?” she whispered up into his ear, her youthful voice fluttering into his ear.
Neku paled, cold sweat forming on the nape of his neck. “W-what?”
“Why does everyone think he’s a girl?” Rhyme questioned, her small fingers curling around Neku’s sleeve.
“Ah…uh…well, you see…” There was no point in lying to his friend. “How did you know?” he murmured under his breath at last, frowning deeply.
“The way he walked,” Rhyme explained and giggled somewhat. “It’s obvious that he’s a boy. He…plays the part of a girl well, though. But I could tell.” She let go of Neku’s sleeve and smiled up at the other. “So, why?”
“Lost a bet,” Neku muttered and shrugged. “Somehow I got tangled up into helping him.”
“Oh,” Rhyme responded and looked to the four with a soft look. “He seems to fit in…have you known him long?”
“…Too long,” Neku sighed. “I’m surprised he’s being so polite to everyone. He’s never polite to me.”
“Maybe you just don’t notice it?” Rhyme suggested, her hands lacing in front of her.
Neku pursed his lips. “No Rhyme, I just don’t think he has the ability to be nice to me. He enjoys making a fool out of me, that’s his goal in life.”
Rhyme eyed Neku for a moment before looking back to Joshua, her small bangs falling in her face. “Maybe you’re just looking at things right side up…”
“Huh?” Neku questioned and looked to Rhyme skeptically.
“Sometimes you need to turn things upside to truly see what’s there,” she explained and smiled helpfully up at Neku. “Like the missions…you have to look beyond the words to find their deeper meaning. Maybe you need to look at how he acts in a different way.”
Neku sighed. “I guess…”
Rhyme giggled and said nothing more before dragging Neku over to the group conversation, her blue eyes sparkling with youthful determination.
Author Note: Mind you, it's a slow start...but things pick up next chapter, promise!~
Authors: feverish_love
Pairings: Joshua / Neku
Rating: R
Summary: After having lost a bet with Mr. Hanekoma, Joshua is forced to seek assistance from his ex-proxy. When Joshua informs Neku of his lost-bet, Neku hesitantly wonders what Joshua has to do. It comes as a large surprise to the ex-player that the prim and snarky Joshua has to cross-dress for an entire year at his school and get the student body to believe he is, in fact, a girl.
Earlier Chapters: Prologue
“So, how long is the walk to your school from here?”
“A good ten minutes,” Neku answered as he held his notebooks close to his chest. He had swiped his headphones from his dresser earlier and slung them around his neck, knowing full well that he may just need them in the future if Joshua was going to be around. As the red-head walked, he kept his gaze glued to the streets ahead, refusing to look over at his companion cross-dressing. There was just no possible way that he could survive this horror.
“Ten minutes? Oh well, at least it’s not too far,” the Composer sighed and began fiddling with his tank top, amused at the ruffles. “Are you going to introduce me to your friends, Neku?”
Neku winced at the mere thought and hurried his pace, refusing to make eye-contact. “Introduce you? As what? ‘Hi guys, this is my cross-dressing friend, Joshua. Pretend he’s a girl so he can fulfill his end of a bargain, okay? Ignore the fact that he’s a guy.’ ”
Joshua giggled at that and pushed his messy bangs behind his ear, the mascara already beginning to annoy him. “First off, calling me by the name Joshua won’t accomplish anything,” he cooed knowingly in a smug tone. “Refer to me as Josephina.” He watched in amusement as Neku cringed. “And secondly, having your friends know I’m a guy completely destroys my goal.”
“No one is going to fall for this, Josephina,” Neku deadpanned and reached up with his free hand to rub his temples. “I can’t believe Mr. H is making you do this. I’m torn between giving him a high-five or a punch to the face…”
“You’re not captivated by my body, Neku?” Joshua wondered, hand coming to rest on his hip as he purposely did a hair flip.
“No, I’m not,” Neku drawled and shook his head. “A guy wearing a skirt and makeup is just wrong.”
Joshua giggled and smiled knowingly at his red-haired ‘friend’. “We’ll see how many people ‘fall’ for it.”
“Yes, we’ll see,” Neku agreed and sighed loudly, hurrying his pace once more, hoping in the back of his mind that Joshua would fall behind due to his flip-flops. His prayers were left unanswered as Joshua strode up beside him once more in his giggling glory.
“At least you have the feminine giggle down pat,” Neku grumbled as he looked down at the sidewalk. “Are you ever going to tell me what you guys bet on? Or are you going to leave me in the dark, are you usually do when it comes to anything important.”
Joshua sighed dramatically and shrugged. “The bet doesn’t matter. And I haven’t left you in the dark, Neku. I told you I was the Composer.”
“I thought you were joking,” Neku growled and shook his head. “That doesn’t count as a confession. And then you told me, being serious, before you shot me. I don’t even know why I didn’t slam the door in your face and kick you out of my house. I think you’re imprinting me.”
“Oh no, Neku. You’d feel it. You’re such a bright Soul, you’d know if I was doing that,” Joshua informed him with a soft smirk before folding his arms over his chest.
“You’re so impossible,” Neku sighed and lowered his gaze further. “Just stay away from me at school, okay? I haven’t forgiven you and I just really want to live my own life.”
“But Neku, I thought you were going to be my lovely guide,” Joshua pouted and licked his lip-glossed lips. “Fine, I’ll avoid you unless the situation calls for our interaction.”
“Thank you,” Neku breathed in relief, hands flexing around his notebooks. “That goes for my friends as well. I don’t know what you did to them, but they don’t remember the last day and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“How would they figure it out if they think I’m a girl, Neku?” Joshua lilted and tilted his head to the side playfully.
“…Stop doing that, you’re creeping me out,” Neku complained and quickly averted his gaze again. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re lying and you dress up as a girl all the time. You really seem like the type, Josh.”
“How rude,” Joshua huffed dramatically and shook his head, messy hair landing on his back.
“But oh-so true,” Neku pointed out with a rolling of his eyes. He paused at the corner of the street and looked to Joshua disdainfully. “See that building on the right? The big grey one nestled between the parking lot and grassy lot?” Joshua nodded as Neku pointed. “That’s the school. I’m going on ahead. You go find your locker and classes and whatnot. I have to catch up with Shiki and Beat-I haven’t seen them for a week so I have a lot to tell them.”
“Sure thing, Neku,” Joshua hummed and gave a playful salute.
“…Goodbye, Joshua,” Neku groaned and trotted across the street to his school, glad to be without the Composer by his side. Now he was free to kick and kill things. Stupid Joshua. Stupid Composer. Stupid bets. Stupid, stupid irony.
--
“We have first block together, Neku!”
Shiki quickly glanced over Neku’s schedule a few times more as said teenager sorted his belongings in his locker. The teenage girl tilted her glasses off the bridge of her nose to skim over the fine print before presenting her best friend with the schedule once again. “We also have lunch, but that’s it. At least we have that together.”
“I know, thank god. I was dreading sociology. And I think Beat has lunch with us too, not sure. Does Eri?” Neku glanced up from his locker to look over at the cheerful brunet who was absently fiddling with her messenger bag and blouse.
“Eri has lunch with her other friends,” Shiki explained nonchalantly and offered a soft smile at Neku. “You know where sociology is, right? If not, I can show you. I was just there a minute ago talking to the professor.”
“Sure. I’ve never been down that part of the school before so why not,” Neku chuckled and closed his locker, holding his notebook and pen possessively. His gaze skimmed down the hallway, glad to not see his cross-dressing ex-partner meandering about. The last thing he needed was to start school off with something stupid like Joshua in a skirt harassing him.
“You okay, Neku? You kinda look pale,” Shiki noted, tilting her head. Her brown bangs fell in her eyes as she eyed her friend, lips nervously pursed.
“Huh?” Neku looked to her and blinked. “Oh, I’m fine. Just trying to figure out stuff.”
“Oh okay,” Shiki answered sheepishly and tucked her bangs behind her ear before pointing in the opposite direction. “Well, shall we head off?”
“Sure. Maybe we’ll run into Beat again,” Neku stated as the pair began their quiet walk through the bustling halls of the school. As they walked, they watched in amusement as freshmen fumbled about, eyes glued to their schedules, confused as hell. It was almost sad, in a way, to see them so confused and lost.
“You sure you’re okay, Neku? You seem a bit…edgy, or jumpy,” Shiki stated quietly as they turned a corner, headed towards sociology.
Neku shrugged. “Eh, just not used to being back in school, I guess.”
“Ah…” Shiki stated and nodding with understanding. “I suppose it is a big change. I never really minded it much.”
“This is my first year with actual friends,” Neku pointed out. “Last year I just got through the school-year with casual acquaintances. This year I have Beat, you, and Eri. It’s really different for me. I’m not amused to actually enjoying this place,” he chuckled and shook his head in amusement.
“Hm…maybe you’ll get a girlfriend this year too,” Shiki teased, her lips tweaking up into a grin. “First friends and then significant others.”
“…I highly doubt that,” Neku laughed and felt a soft blush appear on his face. “I’m not that good with commitment and that stuff. You know how distant I can be, Shiki.”
“Yep,” Shiki agreed and rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. “But maybe a few casual dates would do you good. You are a guy and guys do have hormones,” she hummed, eyes glimmering playfully behind her glasses.
“So do girls,” Neku responded with a shrug, trying not to laugh.
Shiki was about to respond with her own witty retort when a girl came up to the pair, seemingly about to talk to Neku. The brunette tilted her head curiously as the girl approached them nonchalantly, face indifferent as she neared them.
“Friend of yours, Neku?” Shiki asked under her breath with an arched brow.
“Oh god, let’s take another way to cl-” Neku began, grabbing Shiki’s arm. He was about to steer them back around the corner but before he could do such, his own arm was successfully seized. Neku gulped and shifted his gaze from his best friend to violet hues, meeting them with distaste and disdain.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you, silly”
Neku’s head throbbed in agony. “Hi Jos-”
Before Neku could finish, Joshua had turned to look at the befuddled Shiki. “Hi, I’m Neku’s friend, Josephina.”
Neku cringed at the name and at the fact that Joshua was still wearing makeup and that damn skirt. The red-head shifted uncomfortably, having dropped Shiki’s arm seconds earlier. He leaned back against the school wall instead, trying his best to keep his gaze off Joshua. The last thing he needed to do at this moment was blow up at his ex-partner. Or blow his cover. Then again, the prospect sounded inviting.
“Oh, hi!” Shiki stated and blushed darkly. “My name’s Shiki. I don’t think we’ve met before.”
“I don’t think so either, but it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Joshua stated politely and allowed his gaze to wander to the visibly uncomfortable Neku. He giggled quietly under his breath and took a step closer to the tense teen, letting his hand drift precariously close to Neku’s. He watched in utter amusement as Neku pulled his hand out of Joshua’s reach with a glower.
“What’s your schedule?” Shiki questioned curiously, her free hand coming to rest on her hip.
Joshua paused and pulled out a schedule, handing it to the brunette with a slight shimmer of mischief in his eyes. Neku caught this and coughed under his breath, allowing his gaze to return to the ceiling. Why couldn’t the damn warning bell go off already? He wanted to get away from Joshua before he punched the boy’s lights out.
“Neku, she has all the same classes as you,” Shiki declared and looked to her friend with a smile. “You won’t’ be lonely in your classes after all!”
Neku twitched. “…All the same classes?”
Joshua shot him a smug look that screamed ‘Im the Composer, why didn’t you expect me to be in all your classes, hm?’ “We do? That’s great, then,” he hummed.
“Shiki, we should really be heading off to sociology. I don’t want to be late the first day,” the teen grumbled as he held his books closer to his chest.
“We can all go together,” Shiki decided and smiled warmly at Joshua. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not,” Joshua cooed and tossed a mischievous look at his partner before beginning to walk with Shiki a few feet in front of the rather disgruntled Neku.
“…Asshole,” Neku muttered to himself and followed the two disdainfully, cursing the heavens and the UG for this unfortunate and horrible mess than had fallen before him. Stupid Joshua and his stupid quirks and skirt messing up his perfectly good day. He needed to get revenge, but he doubted that was possible. Oh what a mess.
--
To think I almost forgave that jerk. He’s a complete asshole...why did I even bother helping him?
Neku groaned to himself as he watched Shiki and Joshua in the lunch-line from across the room, chattering eagerly about something he couldn’t quite hear. The conversation was probably regarding clothing and whatnot. Joshua had always been the type to overstress on clothes, as demonstrated during Neku’s second week. The damn kid refused to walk by any clothes store without stopping in to take a gander about, which usually ended up in Joshua goading Neku into buying something for him, or a shopkeeper making odd moves on Neku that the red-head didn’t quite catch. All in all, clothes shopping with Joshua had always been the painful experience, and he was semi-glad that the boy now had someone actually interested in trends to talk to.
But…why didn’t Shiki remember Joshua, though? Hadn’t she seen him on their last day? The red-head shook his head, rubbing his temples. He remembered that every time he brought up ‘wanting to wait for a friend at Hachiko’, his friends would give him a blank stare and then proceed to smile and nod. Maybe they actually didn’t remember.
“Yo Phones, what’s shakin’?”
Neku lifted his gaze from his neglected sandwich up to the skater across the table. When had Beat arrived? “Hey Beat,” he stated and straightened up in his seat.
“Yous okay, man? You look wiped,” the blonde skater stated as he sat down and promptly lifted his feet onto his side of the table, reclining in his chair.
Instead of reprimanding the teen, Neku merely looked back across the expansive, crowded room to Shiki and Joshua. “I’m fine,” he murmured, hand coming to rest under his chin. “Just not used to school yet, that’s all.”
“Who is?” Beat chuckled loudly and folded his arms to his chest, rather comfortable. He paused, glancing over his shoulder to where Neku was so intently staring. A blonde eyebrow arched. “Yo, whuzzat with Shiki?”
“Oh…that’s Josh,” Neku mumbled distantly.
“…Josh?” Beat repeated, looking back to the red-haired teen. “Girl got a guy name?”
Neku blinked and then felt heat rise to his cheeks due to embarrassment. “Ah…her name is Josephina. She…likes to be called Josh?...”
“Oh, that’s cool man. Very tight,” Beat stated, his gaze returning to over his shoulder. A goofy grin remained plastered across his face all the while.
Neku groaned and hid his face in his hands as Shiki and Joshua approached them with trays of food. The reddish brunet kept his face hidden as he heard chairs move against the tile-floor, followed by Shiki’s purse hitting the ground, producing a ‘clink’, and finally proceeded by a warm welcome from both ‘girls’.
“Yo, nice to meetcha’ Josh!” Beat greeted as he extended his large hand across the table to the silver-haired teen who was sitting beside Neku.
Joshua blinked, arched a brow, and looked accusingly to his ex-partner. Neku stole a glance from behind his hand at Joshua, pathetically staring, before returning to hiding ignorantly. Joshua sighed and looked to Beat, forcing a fetching smile to form on his lips. “Heehee…you must be mistaken, my name is Josephina…”
“But Phones said that ya like to be called Josh,” Beat stated and rubbed the back of his head, eying the ceiling as Shiki pushed his feet off the table, scowling somewhat.
“…He did? Neku, are you spreading your pet-names for me to your friends?” the Composer giggled, rather affectionately playing with a lock of Neku’s hair.
Neku tensed and without delay batted away Joshua’s hand. “You told me to call you Josh.”
“Perhaps I just wanted you to call me it,” Joshua purred and teasingly winked at the boy next to him before letting his gaze wander back to Beat. “If you wish to call me that, go right ahead. It may sound…boyish, but I assure you I’m used to the nickname.”
“Cool wit’ me!” Beat declared and offered a bold smile across the table at Joshua.
“Beat, how many times do I have to tell you to keep your feet off the table?...People eat there, you know,” Shiki lectured, frowning a bit.
“Ya already shoved my feet off, Shiki,” Beat pointed out and looked to Joshua once more. “She always like this. Being the mother to all us.”
Joshua smiled back, though Neku could tell it was fake, even from his hiding place. “Your friends are so nice, Neku. Thank you for allowing me to meet them.”
“We’re glad to have a new addition to our group,” Shiki stated punctually and grinned boldly at Joshua.
Neku’s toes curled in his shoes, resisting the urge to punch the Composer straight across the face. Why was it that he was the only one that could detect the condescending tone in the smug bastard’s voice? Why did they think he was being sincere?!
“Oh! Josh, you don’t mind me calling you that, right? I have to get used to it myself, but…” Shiki trailed off and tucked her hair behind her ear before turning to look at the Composer once again. “Where did you get that skirt? I’ve never seen one like that before…it’s amazing…something Eri and I would totally want to make.”
Joshua blinked a few times, fingers holding a slice of pizza. “Neku gave it to me.”
“…He did? Neku, you went shopping for someone other than yourself?! …Excuse me for a moment, I need to take a few breaths so I don’t die of shock,” Shiki teased and then smirked. “So you’ll buy clothes for her but not me, hmm? I can’t even get you to go shopping with me.” She giggled afterwards.
“…I killed her cat, I felt bad,” Neku stated gruffly, lowering his hands in frustration.
“You…killed her cat?” Shiki and Beat echoed, blinking in confusion.
Neku winced. “Uh…well not exactly killed it but…I found it dead?...in the bathtub?...”
Joshua stared blankly at Neku before clearing his throat. “Mittens was old, Neku. I told you it wasn’t your fault. I know she didn’t like you, and the very sight of your spiky hair scared her old heart, but you didn’t kill her. She was bound to die shortly, anyhow.”
“…Wow,” was all Beat could utter as he scratched his neck. “Yah, Phones…don’t blame yourself. You had me and Shiki thinkin’ you were some sorta animal killer, hah…”
Neku groaned. Why do I have to have the stupidest lies?... “Well, I felt bad, okay? I blame myself a lot for things, I’m trying to get over that. And besides, the skirt was only five-hundred yen.”
Joshua rolled his eyes. “He enjoys clearance items. He’s a cheapstake.”
“Be glad I got you something,” Neku seethed, ignoring the strange looks his friends shot him.
“…Uh Phones…. Are you and Josh datin’?”
Neku paled and then scorched a hot red. “What?!” he sputtered, alarm filling him as Joshua’s giggle filled his senses. “Of course not! She’s…she’s not my type! And we don’t know each other that well and…and a whole bunch of stuff!”
“He’s in denial that he likes me,” Joshua explained, smiling knowingly at the other. “Oh, cheer up, grumpy-face,” he cooed, earning a laugh from Shiki. “If you keep frowning like that, your face is going to stay that way, and that’s not attractive at all.”
“Right…” Shiki trailed off, smiling intentionally to herself before looking to her red-faced friend. “Neku, are we still all meeting at Hachiko after class today? I haven’t seen Rhyme in weeks…and I don’t get to see Eri much during school.”
“Of course,” Neku stated, the first real smile during that lunch appearing on his face.
“Rhyme’s real excited,” Beat explained between mouthfuls of his curry that he had finally decided to start eating somewhere during Neku’s outburst. “She said she loved ‘dat dress you made her, Shiki.”
Shiki giggled quietly. “Eri was the one that designed it, I just sewed it,” she pointed out.
“Yah, but she could tell you had a hand in the design,” Beat retorted and resumed chowing down, his gaze dancing between his lunch and Joshua a few times, to which Neku noticed.
“I miss Rhyme,” Shiki sighed and proceeded to glance over at Neku and Joshua, noticing how close they were sitting for the first time. “Hey Neku, aren’t you going to invite Josh to our little get-together after school today?”
Neku bit his bottom lip and shrugged, gingerly poking at his meal. “Uh, I guess you can come if you’re bored?”
“Thank you, Neku,” Joshua hummed, the sarcasm dripping from his voice intolerable.
“…Whatever,” Neku murmured and proceeded to space out, his first day already appearing dreary and gloomy, and he barely had gone through half his classes. Stupid Joshua.
--
“So, are we just walking from the school to Hachiko, Neku?”
Neku tugged his headphones eagerly onto his ears, attempting to drown out the silver-haired nuisance who had been by his side all day. Thankfully, a few of his teachers had assigned seating, which got Neku away from Joshua for a few hours. But now the school-day was officially ending, chiming with a bell, and Neku wanted nothing more than to hang out with his friends peacefully, thus meaning without Joshua.
“I am, you’re not,” Neku stated sternly as he headed out of the building, followed by an impatient Joshua.
“But Neku, they seemed like they wanted me to go too,” Joshua cooed, dramatically placing a hand over his heart. “And besides, I have nothing else better to do.”
“…You run an entire city and you’re saying you have nothing to do? No wonder Shibuya is such a mess. You’re a horrible Composer,” Neku drawled and subconsciously rubbed his headphone, cursing the heavens above for having told Joshua his address during the game. To think he had wanted to get to know the boy once the game was over…bah.
“Oh Neku, so naïve,” Joshua giggled and continued walking alongside the other teen.
“You are annoying,” Neku ground out, holding his Physics book close to his chest. “You know what? After ‘we’ hang out with imy/i friends, you and I are going to Wildkat to sort out this mess. I’m going to get Mr. H to revoke your little bet because frankly, I can’t stand this, Josh.”
“Can’t stand seeing my attractive self in a skirt?” Joshua teased, twirling a strand of hair around on his finger.
“No, I just can’t stand you being an asshole, like you constantly are,” Neku complained and shook his head.
“Such harsh words,” Joshua sighed and placed a hand on his hip. “I thought we were friends, Neku.”
“We were, until you decided to shoot me,” Neku muttered and continued walking. “But seriously, why the hell would you want to be friends with me? You’re the Composer of Shibuya,” he grumbled under his breath, averting his gaze somewhat as they left school grounds and began their walk to Hachiko.
Joshua fell silent for a moment. “Why indeed.”
Neku arched a brow and stared at the Composer for a moment. “…Is this something new? Now that you’re a girl you’re going to have mood-swings?” he joked uneasily, uncomfortable due to the serious look Joshua was radiating.
Joshua shrugged absently and continued on, a few steps ahead of Neku this time. He said nothing more as he walked. Neku, though, couldn’t help but stare at his ex-partner in confusion and subtle interest. How Joshua managed to be skinnier than him was a mystery…and yet have such feminine hips. If he hadn’t met the teen prior, he would have concluded that the person in front of him was a very attractive and flirtatious girl who seemed to have taken a liking for him. Neku sighed and followed faithfully after Joshua, promising that he’d resist blowing up in past-anger at Joshua, just for the time-being, only because the look Joshua had given him moments before had not only startled him, but oddly scared him…
--
“Rhyme!”
Shiki squealed loudly and nearly trampled a few pedestrians as she bounded giddily up to the forming group. The brunette dropped her bag by her feet and tackled the young blonde with a hug. The girl’s glasses threatened to fall off her slim face as she smothered the younger in hugs and small squeals of happiness. Beat and Eri, who were casually leaning against the statue, watching in amusement, exchanged a few words as Joshua and Neku lingered a few feet behind Rhyme and Shiki.
“Yo Rhyme,” Beat stated once Shiki had relinquished her hold on Rhyme and returned to standing faithfully by Eri’s side, “I want ya to meet our new friend.”
“New friend?” Rhyme tilted her head innocently and turned around to smile warmly at Neku who gave her a gentle wave. Her gaze settled upon Joshua and she giggled. “Nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you too,” Joshua hummed, staying close to Neku.
“That’s Josephina,” Beat hummed as he pumped his chest, rather proud that he remembered the ‘girl’s’ name. “She’s a friend of Phones, so a friend of ours,” the skater stated with a grin, tossing Joshua a wide smirk.
Rhyme blinked a few times but said nothing and only smiled.
“Eri, did you meet Josh yet?” Neku asked as the red-haired teen flipped through her phone, obviously showing her partner something. The girl’s gaze lifted once Neku spoke.
“Hm?” she hummed and flipped it close. “Yeah. I met her in passing earlier today. I asked her where you were, after Shiki introduced us, and she said that you had stormed off.” The red-head giggled behind her hand, looking to Shiki with a laugh as well.
Neku groaned and looked away. “Yeah…”
Joshua wandered away from Neku for a moment, engaging in conversation with Beat, Shiki, and Eri. Rhyme, however, had wandered over to the headphone wearing teen, lightly tugging on his sleeve. Neku glanced down and arched a brow. “Hm?”
“Neku…why is that boy wearing a skirt?” she whispered up into his ear, her youthful voice fluttering into his ear.
Neku paled, cold sweat forming on the nape of his neck. “W-what?”
“Why does everyone think he’s a girl?” Rhyme questioned, her small fingers curling around Neku’s sleeve.
“Ah…uh…well, you see…” There was no point in lying to his friend. “How did you know?” he murmured under his breath at last, frowning deeply.
“The way he walked,” Rhyme explained and giggled somewhat. “It’s obvious that he’s a boy. He…plays the part of a girl well, though. But I could tell.” She let go of Neku’s sleeve and smiled up at the other. “So, why?”
“Lost a bet,” Neku muttered and shrugged. “Somehow I got tangled up into helping him.”
“Oh,” Rhyme responded and looked to the four with a soft look. “He seems to fit in…have you known him long?”
“…Too long,” Neku sighed. “I’m surprised he’s being so polite to everyone. He’s never polite to me.”
“Maybe you just don’t notice it?” Rhyme suggested, her hands lacing in front of her.
Neku pursed his lips. “No Rhyme, I just don’t think he has the ability to be nice to me. He enjoys making a fool out of me, that’s his goal in life.”
Rhyme eyed Neku for a moment before looking back to Joshua, her small bangs falling in her face. “Maybe you’re just looking at things right side up…”
“Huh?” Neku questioned and looked to Rhyme skeptically.
“Sometimes you need to turn things upside to truly see what’s there,” she explained and smiled helpfully up at Neku. “Like the missions…you have to look beyond the words to find their deeper meaning. Maybe you need to look at how he acts in a different way.”
Neku sighed. “I guess…”
Rhyme giggled and said nothing more before dragging Neku over to the group conversation, her blue eyes sparkling with youthful determination.
Author Note: Mind you, it's a slow start...but things pick up next chapter, promise!~