Coloris- Chapter 2

[eraldaine]

Coloris co-write with ozgasmic 
Rating: R
Pairing: future JoshuaNeku and other various
Summary: A year has passed since the monumental Game and Neku Sakuraba's life is anything but interesting. At least, until Joshua lays out the cards and gives the teen the Ace of Hearts: a position in the Reaper's Game previously unknown to him. But what exactly does it all entail, and what prices will there be to pay? Nothing is ever free, especially entertainment.
Previous Chapters: Chapter One


Sitting in the middle of his bed, he rubbed his cheek absently as he stared down that the sheets of paper on which he'd copied the notes Sung earlier.  He'd had no trouble remembering them; they were burnt into his mind, far more than the burning sting on the side of his face.  He sighed and massaged his eyes, wondering if Joshua would show up like a bat out of hell if he tried to Sing using normal, boring paper and copied notes....but what Joshua wasn't around for wouldn't hurt him. The notes glowed much more faintly than before; an echo of the power that Joshua was capable of putting into them from the memories of his own Imagination, no doubt, but... they would work. That was the important thing.

So he touched them gently, repetitively; going over the same eight lines again and again until the tune reverberated in his mind and jumbled lyrics began to flutter from his mouth. And Neku could honestly say he had never felt so alive, as when he was working on something like this.

It kept him up till the sky glowed a faint blue before he admitted defeat and fell under his blankets with a satisfied exhaustion.

It was a few hours later that the door-bell rang.  Groaning, Neku cracked one eye open, then the other, slowly rolling himself till he fell off the bed, the small adrenalin from the motion making him groan and stand woozily on his feet. In his t-shirt and boxers, he stumbled to the door, attempting to open the lock for at least a minute before he actually managed to flip it over.

"Too early, " he mumbled, swinging the door open and resting against the opening instead. "Way too early." Sleep filled eyes stayed glued shut. Joshua stood on the other side of the door.  He had apparently just showered, considering his usually fluffy hair was clinging to his shoulders and for the most part, straight.  He was dressed in the usual Pegaso, and he seemed as if he had been wide awake for hours now.   When the sight of Neku greeted him, he gave a humorous wave with his free hand.  The hand that wasn't holding a single black-rose.

"Wake up and smell the roses," the Composer teased.  He brought his hand out and waved the dark flower under the boy's nose, back and forth a few times. It took a few moments for the smell to even pervade Neku's senses, but once it did he lazily opened his eyes to view the dark flower being waved under his nose -it was much too early to question the reality of such a flower, even though Neku was fairly sure black roses only existed in fantasy- then the man holding it towards him.

"That is so gay of you, Joshua." He yawned. Joshua accordingly giggled and twirled the flower around under his own chin.  His gaze remained fastened on Neku.

"But did it wake you up?"

"Mmm." Whether he was a agreeing or not, he wasn't sure. "As much as I hate the idea of giving you free reign in the house; I need to shower." He sighed, turning and walking back into the hallway. "Not like there's much to poke through; place is always fucking immaculate..."

"You haven't even showered yet?" Joshua probed and headed inside.  As he walked, the faint scent of vanilla and lavender followed him.     His gaze surveyed Neku's house, as if scrutinizing everything quietly to himself.   Or something along those lines.

The place was indeed immaculate, as Neku had so rudely implied. He wondered what Joshua noticed when he walked through the door; most likely the highly expensive antiques and Capris exclusive furniture which his mother had splurged upon. The whole place was rich, refined; everything Neku wasn't, since he couldn't stand the coldness of the place any more than he could stand the icy relationship between himself and his mother.

"It's not much." Was all he said, padding over to the linen closet and grabbing a towel. "But you're a big boy, right? I'm sure you can keep yourself entertained for fifteen minutes."

"Oh the possibilities," Joshua responded. The Composer leaned against a wall a few feet down from the closet Neku was currently rummaging through.  His eyes, for once not masked with fine, silvery curls, stuck out even more than usual.  Which was either an unnerving factoid or something revealing, because he did not appear quite as unapproachable.

"Let me guess ... you didn't sleep much?" he posed, waiting for Neku to look back at him. Neku glanced back at him and smiled sheepishly.

"Something like that." He agreed, slamming the door. "You can help yourself to some food if you want it; the cupboards are usually stocked with the type of crap you'd like." He tilted his head slightly, staring at the Composer's hair. "...it looks nice, straight. You should fix it like that sometime." Joshua was slightly caught off guard by the statement, but made no visible change.  Instead, he lightly tossed the black rose over at Neku.

"Quick lesson, heads up~" Neku almost didn't catch it; he did end up drop his towel though, which caused him to grumble under his breath as he reached down and snatched it off the floor.

"Be good." He intoned, glaring, before heading off to the bathroom and closing the door behind him with a sharp snap.

"I'll be an angel," Joshua said mockingly to the empty air when Neku left. When he was certain Neku was gone, he headed into the seating area and carefully sat himself.  The room was stiff - far more than to his liking.  It felt suffocating, confining...  The Composer wrinkled his nose and extended his hand.  Fingertips reached out and plucked a tangible staff of Music from the air - from out of nothing.  He examined it thoughtfully then let it go.  Music rang out through the room shortly after, resembling the Tune he had showed Neku the other day but it was slightly different and less lively.  Joshua exhaled deeply and dropped his head back against the couch.

"Of course..." he muttered, fingers reaching up to rub his temples in vexation. Neku jumped at the sudden blaring of Music, staring over at the door and biting his lip with consternation that Joshua couldn't just do as told for once.

"At least he isn't breaking anything," he muttered, resolving to clean faster. Now that he was almost awake he was beginning to remember why he hadn't liked the idea of Joshua being in his house.

Joshua grew bored of the living room and got to his feet.  Sitting in a room like that was nearly comparable to sitting outside on a scorching day without water for hours on end.   Slyly, he made a move down the hall.  He stopped short after a moment or two in front of a slightly ajar door.   The soft Music playing softly in the background was more than enough of a hint to whisper whose room it was.

Satisfied at his discovery, Joshua nudged the door open with his foot and headed inside.  Neku's room was how he expected it to be and a slight grin took form on his face.   He paced over to the window and leaned against it, scanning Neku's room in its entirety.  The Melody thrumming, almost silently, was reminiscent of its owner - of Neku.  A pleasant hum left Joshua and he closed his eyes again, almost lulled by the Song. Which was how Neku found him, walking into his room with a towel wrapped around his waist. He sighed internally -he should have expected this from Joshua, of all people- but it was almost...portrait worthy, the expression on his face.

And that was all well and good, except Neku wasn't getting dressed in front of him, nor did he want him to notice the innocent sheet of paper lying on the ground beside his bed. He wasn't sure if it would amuse Joshua, or piss him off; technically, writing your own lyrics did mess with the melody...

"Do you mind?" he asked eventually, hoping he looked bored, and not completely embarrassed and nerve-stricken.

Joshua's eyes slipped open and he met Neku's gaze.  He said nothing at first before moving his hands to grip the windowsill behind him.  Trailing downwards, he noticed the current state of undress that Neku was in.  Ah…

"Finally managed some muscles, Neku?" Well he hadn't been expecting that reaction. Neku blinked and looked away with a faint scowl, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly.

"Thank Masuoka; he liked making me lift lots of nice, heavy things." He answered sarcastically, stepping over to the chest of drawers; the opposite side of the bed than Joshua and close enough to the sheet of paper to slip it behind him and under the wooden drawers. "Could you get out, maybe?"

"I won't peek, promise," Joshua said.    He politely closed his eyes and instead opted to focus on the Melody in the room.  Something was off about, something not entirely Neku, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Neku figured that was as good as he was going to get out of the stubborn brat, but he kept an iron grip on his towel as he awkwardly shuffled through the drawers and got out something to wear.

"I'll just go back to the bathroom, then." Couldn't blame Joshua for wanting to stay in his room, after all. It was the only one that looked like someone lived in it, though he kept it fairly tidy. He darted out the door and down the hallway before Joshua could snipe at him for not getting his way. 'No peep shows for you, Josh.'

Because clearly Joshua was interested in sneaking a few looks at teenage boys with anger-issues. Nonetheless, the Composer remained in Neku's bedroom.  The silence of the room when Neku left was profound.  And just enough for him to figure out what was off.

Carefully, he knelt down and picked it up.  Joshua's knees met the back of the bed and he flopped down on it, holding the sheet up to the daylight to read it properly.

It was Music, most definitely.  A variation of Shibuya's own but with words.  Words that stirred further emotion than just melodies themselves.  Joshua quirked a brow before smirking, a dash precariously.

"Oh Neku..."

Neku walked back up the hallway, gears finally turning in his head as he opened his bedroom door, unannounced.

"Oh, shit." Joshua was sprawled out on his bed, pouring over the piece of paper intently. But his face gave away no expression. Was he really fucking angry? Likely, since leaving pieces of Shibuya's music lying around- changing it, even in such a small sense, was probably one of those big no's that he had tried to ask about yesterday.

Oh, to run, or not to run? He felt like a deer in the headlights, and knew the expression was probably pasted all over his face, as well. Joshua spared a look beyond the sheet of paper to the guest.  It wasn't hard to figure out what Neku was feeling - he was practically a radio station, blasting off different melodies all at once.  The Composer sighed and adjusted his frequency down, just a bit, so the Music was still present , but not as distracting.  Much better.

"It's cute," Joshua began. Neku simultaneously scowled and took a step backwards, infuriated that Joshua would classify his work so childishly but hesitant, since a single word didn't give off much in the sense of what the Composer was feeling.

"...I'll get rid of it," he said quietly, looking at the ground. It had been a bad idea to start with; but he'd been so inspired...

Joshua lifted a thin eyebrow and then broke into a fit of giggles.  He dropped the sheet momentarily and clutched his side, lips lifting and laughs spilling from them endlessly.

"Neku," he said between laughs, "your face... it's too priceless..." he cooed and tried to stifle the laughter. Neku whipped his head up and stared at the laughing figure in bemusement, stepping forwards cautiously, before moving up and snatching the paper away before Joshua got over himself.

"You are such an asshole," he muttered, gritting his teeth. He turned away to walk to the kitchen; their drain had a garbage disposal unit which he could use to shred the damn thing.

"Neku," Joshua managed to utter when his laughs finally died down.  "Neku, get back here, partner."  

Partner stopped him; his irritation vanishing in a puff of smoke. Becoming Joshua's Singer; they were partners again, weren't they?

He slowly turned around, keeping up the scowl, eyes unreadable.

"Finished?" he asked pointedly, crossing his arms and gripping the sheet of paper almost protectively. Joshua sat up and brushed back his drying hair, marveling at how different it felt when it was left to naturally dry.

"For now," he admitted with a snicker and patted the area on the bed beside him, "it's your room, after all."

And to further accommodate Neku, he shifted farther to the left almost protectively. Neku raised a brow, but sat down anyway, letting himself fall back from there with a soft 'whump!'. Damn, he was still tired. He turned his head from its position on the sheets, looking at Joshua as if to say 'speak'.

Joshua seemed to understand body-language quite well and did just that.  "For your first time, I'm impressed."  A pause and he passed a surveying look to the paper Neku held.  "...More so impressed you remembered that much of it."

"I told you; I'm taking a few lessons. My memory is fairly good, as well." He admitted, trying not to look too shocked or -heaven forbid- actually happy. Joshua, impressed? He had to be, if he was actually willing to compliment him on it. "I didn't want you to see it; it’s not perfect, and I didn't know if it was okay besides..."

"...That's adorable," Joshua mocked and settled back on the bed, accosting one of Neku's pillows to snuggle his face into, almost like a child.  "Where would you like me to start about your job?" Neku mused it over, turning his head back to the ceiling and sliding his arms up to rest behind his head. So many questions...

"Maybe the most important thing is what I'm not allowed to do, so I don't have to freak out over sheets of paper and the like." He smiled a little, laughing quietly at himself. "You had me worried that you were going to go off in a pout." 'To get your gun' he wanted to add, but left it unsaid, savoring the peace and quiet.

Joshua emitted another laugh, though this time, this one, was almost a bit melancholic.  "That's the thing.  There's no rules."

"…you're joking," Neku said, staring. "But then, what’s to stop me from pulling a Minamimoto and creating Taboo Noise, or killing you off? There's always got to be some kind of rule."

Joshua didn't make any physical movement at that.  No laugh, no shake of his head.  "There are no rules, Neku.  Once you accept the position formerly, there's no stopping you, really."

"You're making this sound like I'm as powerful as you." He mumbled, continuing before Joshua could agree, or worse, correct him. "Okay, no rules. What else does Singing involve, other than what you've actually shown me?"

"Well~  Apart from the Wings... you deal with RG affairs. Consider yourself a go-between for the Planes," Joshua murmured.   After a second, he shifted so that his face was now visible, remaining on his side, simply watching Neku.  "You fix things, as well."

"...Wings." Neku whispered, wide-eyed. 'Not sounding so human anymore, huh, Neku?' An inner voice said snidely. Neku ignored it in favor of staring back at Joshua, feeling much more in over his head than he had yesterday. "A-and a go between here and where? Fixing what?" He moved one of his arms round so he could rub his forehead. He got the nasty impression that a headache was forming.

"Oh you know...  Between me and Them," Joshua said and quickly went to explain, "Fixing little kinks in Music.  You know, from all that negativity floating around Shibuya."  A shrug.

"No Joshua, I don't know. Piddly little human, remember?" Neku sighed, blowing his bangs out of his face. "So my job is to stop Shibuya pulling a me; that's not ironic."

"That, and to keep the Angels satisfied."  And he smiled brilliantly at Neku.

"Angel's; lovely. Do I get to correspond with hell too, or are we already there?" He was doing this to irritate him, Neku would bet. Why explain in detail when you can have your partner play 20 Questions? "God, I don't even want to know." He would have rolled over and buried his face in his pillows, except Joshua was already there. He shifted restlessly. "When do I start?"

"When will your parents be home?" Joshua retorted in response.  "Wouldn't want them walking in on us."  How scandalous.

"My mother wouldn't bother looking in anyway; she might not be home at all, if she's got another business trip planned." Neku said indifferently, stretching out much like a cat. He didn't bother mentioning his father, and figured Joshua could take a hint when one was given. Joshua wasn't that dense.

"Then I'll give you your Wings and you'll be set to go," Joshua said and sat up, groggily rubbing at his eyes like a tired child.  "Mmm, fair warning.  It may feel a bit... different."

"I get them now?" Neku stopped stretching and sat up, looking apprehensive. "Is it going to hurt?" He asked, before he could help himself. 'Stop being such a baby!' he scolded internally.

"Hmm... not necessarily hurt..."  was Joshua's vague answer.  "Close your eyes, partner." 

Joshua extended a hand and gingerly touched his back.

Neku shut his eyes as bided and stiffened as Joshua's fingers met his back. Was a hand supposed to be so cold you could feel it instantly, even through a t-shirt. Shuddering slightly, he held his breath, waiting to see what would happen. It was like stumbling in the dark and trusting Joshua to guide him; not too hard but still nerve wracking.

Joshua watched Neku's expression heedfully.   His fingertips glided along the redhead's back before his fingers curled together.  Right hand joining his left, he did the same, and at the same time, pulled out into the cool air of Neku's bedroom, pulling with him black, lattice-structures that were undeniably wings. To Neku, it felt like ice was being dropped down onto his bare skin ad Joshua stroked along his back purposefully.

He cried out in absolute shock, however, when the Gothic styled structures were seemingly pulled from his Soul, striking him with a flash of heat and a bubbling pleasure that had him falling against Joshua bonelessly, hissing as his new, tender limbs rubbed against Joshua's shirt.

"Not...exactly what I was expecting." He croaked out, heart pounding furiously. He didn't bother to try and move just stayed still, as to not further irritate his new appendages. Joshua tipped his head down and giggled mercilessly into Neku's ear.

"No one ever does," he agreed and traced his fingers along the newly created structures.  Along points, arcs, arches, and tips. Neku gasped, arching back slightly as his new wings were so gently examined. Every stroke sent zaps of electricity down his spine; far too sensitive for what Joshua was doing.

"Stop t-that." He gasped out breathlessly, gripping the bed sheets as an anchor.

"It's protocol, you understand," Joshua breathed, purposely whispering against his Singer's ears, warm and slow.  "Almost done." His hands slid down to where the Wings began and, with a flick of his wrist, allowed the appendages to disappear back within Neku, as if poofing completely.

Just like the wings being pulled out had forced him to fall back, when they disappeared back within him Neku found himself bent over double, clutching his stomach. His skin tingled pleasantly; an after effect Joshua hadn't bothered to tell him about, no doubt.

"Does it feel like that every time?" He asked, swallowing before sitting back up, reaching a hand over his shoulder and feeling his back, in case there was a protrusion still showing on the middle of his upper spine.

"No," Joshua replied honestly and reached out to brush through Neku's hair, slightly amused at the teen's interest in it.  "Unless, of course, someone touches them but...."  A weak shrug and he leaned back against Neku's headboard. Neku ruffled his hair and shot Joshua a frown that was borderline pouting.

"You ass, you just wanted to stroke them to see what I'd do." He accused, stomach turning over. "I bet that counts as sexual assault." He added, quickly becoming irritated but not quite sure why. He slowly laid back down again, murmuring in discomfort when his back proved to still be the tenderest site on his body.

"Ass, " he repeated, rolling onto his stomach with a sigh. Joshua let loose another soft giggle.

"No, I was actually creating them as I went.  Sorry to disappoint you," the Composer explained and watched Neku.  He sighed at the Singer's actions. "Does it really hurt that much?" Curiously, he splayed a hand down on Neku's back, palm pressing lightly to the side of the Wings.  Not too hard, but definitely enough to feel. "I can't have you zoning out on me from the pain."

"Nnnghhh!" He slapped a hand over his mouth in embarrassment and shot Joshua a mortified glare. As soon as the Composer had pressed down his entire body had started quaking with the warm sensation that came with the touch. "Its not painful, it’s sensitive!" He yelled, reaching back in a fruitless attempt to bat the hand away.  "I'm conscious, zoned in! Back off!"

Joshua's look morphed into a mischievous leer.  "I'll keep that in mind," he cooed and, just for good measure, trailed his hand tediously along the area before pulling his hand back.

"Fucking pervert!" He shouted, sitting up and effectively falling off the bed. "Why is every day with you a bad day for my confidence?" he mumbled into the carpet. Joshua cocked his head, watching Neku as if he was a cartoon.  How precious...

"Who knows," he lilted and laced his hands under his chin, resting on his stomach, knees bent so that he could swing his feet around aimlessly in the air.   "You okay down there, partner?"

"Just great," He sighed, righting himself and shaking his head. His stomach gurgled, and he glanced down at it in surprise before looking up at the man taking up his bed. "Do you wanna have some food, first?"

"First?  Feeding me before seducing me?  Oh, I suppose~"  Joshua joked and reached out to poke the middle of Neku's forehead.  "We'll talk over breakfast."

"I think you're developing a bad habit there." Neku commented, pulling a face as he led the way to the kitchen. Another cold, isolated room, for a woman who didn't even stay here half the time. "We probably have something around that you like; unless you can handle some pancakes?" He raised a brow at Joshua, not altogether sure if his partner was a pancake sort of person.

"You make me sound picky."  Which Joshua truly was, but he didn't particularly care to admit it.  "Pancakes are fine." He took a seat at one of the fancy stools and passed a glance around the room.  His nose scrunched in disapproval.  "I feel like I'm in a magazine, not your house."

My mom's really big on appearances; the first few years we lived here she used to have clients over all the time, and when she started working abroad more often than not she didn't really care to change anything." Neku explained, rifling through the cupboards and letting out an 'ah!' of satisfaction every now and again as he found the items he was looking for. "I think now it’s more of a 'this is how rich I am; I can load my son off into a big fancy house by himself' than anything else." Finishing in the cupboards, he went over to the fridge and grabbed some milk, before starting on the batter. Joshua frowned.

"No wonder you're so antisocial," he noted and began tracing random shapes on to Neku's countertop.  "Hmmm..."  He looked up, amused at the fact that Neku, of all people, was cooking.  It was charming. "Say Neku...."

"Well, she helped quite a bit, I'm sure." Neku snorted, glancing over at Joshua as he pulled a pan from one of the drawers. "Yes?" Joshua said nothing, merely looking at him.  "Sing something for me." Neku blinked, caught off guard.

"I'm cooking," he said uneasily, glancing at the stove. "And don't you need to write something down, for me to do that?"

"Not exactly...."  The Composer closed his eyes, fingertips already drawing on the counter.  Which each note created, the melody entered the air.  Not as Music, no, but as a presence, begging to come to life - to be sounded. Neku found himself almost unconsciously humming along before he snapped out of it and frowned, turning towards the stove and concentrating on the cooking, the tenseness of his figure and his drumming fingers the only indication that he was still playing attention.

Joshua continued sending the redhead a few measures here and there, already having slid off the stool.  He lingered a few feet behind Neku, hands innocently laced behind his back, watching. Neku couldn't stop himself from whispering a few lines here and there; lyrics that popped into his mind milliseconds after hearing the beat. The measures repeated themselves, until he had words for every note and had taken to singing them softly under his breath, aware that the room seemed to be getting brighter, a curious shine to it that had nothing to do with how clean it was.

His Singing was affecting the atmosphere that the room had always contained; it almost felt...lively now, like a well loved area used by many people, not just the one with the odd women who came in once or twice every month, or the cleaning lady who visited every week, muttering under her breath about rich punks and their irresponsible parents. It was a very relaxing feeling, and he could almost feel himself melting into it, as tuned into the surrounding room as he was.

Joshua cracked a small smile at this.   Neku's voice, though slightly rough when he spoke normally, took on a beautiful, almost angelic, way to it when he sang.  And the Composer could only picture what it would sound like when it wasn't breathed under the boy's breath.

Joshua took a deliberate step closer, gazing over Neku's shoulder at breakfast, before humming a completely different tune, separate from the one he had tossed Neku's way.  It was slower, calmer, but forceful.  Like an old piece of Music ripped straight from the hands of Mozart.

Neku didn't even stop to think, just changed his voice so that he was humming a beat behind Joshua, relearning to a different curve before conjoining with a neurotic, displaced line of lyrics that went entirely too well with the sound. He saved the pancakes from the stove before they burned, and tuned out from his surroundings completely,  concentrating on Joshua's voice, and his own, and the dancing concerto which was pushing out the rest of the world.

If he had known, yesterday morning, that this was what he was going to be doing not just now, but for the rest of his life and possibly quite a bit of his afterlife, he doubted anything could have kept him away from Everyday Selects.

"Pretty," Joshua complimented, staying closer to his Singer, as if drawn in by the lyrics and the way Neku carried the beat.  His eyes remained guarded despite it all, but it really didn't matter, considering Neku wasn't really looking at him.

After a moment or two, he dropped his chin onto Neku's shoulder and murmured, "We need to visit Mr. H later, by the way."

"Why?" It calm out decidedly lilted, like he couldn't stop singing even now that the Songs were done. He tilted his head back, resting it on Joshua's collar bone and sighing distractedly.

Joshua watched Neku, somewhat entranced by how simply everything came to him, how caught up he was in the Music...  "He's going to need to know you're on our side now," he explained, eyes not removing themselves from Neku's.

"Hmm.." He gave out a gentle smile, feeling more peaceful than he had ever felt, really. "Your side now." He murmured, closing his eyes.

Joshua nearly chuckled.  He was acting like he was drunk or something of the like.  "Don't fall asleep now on me."  He hummed softly under his breath once again, the tune still present from moments ago.

"M'not, I'm just...happy." Neku scrunched up his nose slightly, debating whether he should say it or not. "...I wanted you to come sooner." He finally said, opening his eyes and watching carefully for his partner's reaction.

Joshua appeared honestly stunned for a moment.  "Is that so?" he questioned, resting a hand absently on the Singer's hip.  "Didn't seem all that excited to see me yesterday~"

"Yesterday wasn't exactly the best of days; I still would have reacted badly even if Masuoka hadn't reminded-" He cut himself off, glancing away uneasily. "I was still glad that you found me."

Because anyone else who'd found him in such a situation would have been brushed off until they figured out how to leave a ten mile gap between themselves and the teen, but Joshua wouldn't let himself be pushed away even if Neku tried.

And he actually didn't want to, much to his own surprise.

"You were my partner, Ne-ku," Joshua pointed out, staying closer to the redhead as he relaxed a bit more.  "Even if it was a slight breaking of the Game's rules, the pact was as legitimate as any."

"Then..." He swallowed thickly. "Why did you find it so easy to shoot me the second time?"

He knew it'd come down to this eventually.  "It was the only way to return you, really."

"Didn't even ask if I wanted to go." He said lowly, not really realizing that he was saying it out loud at all. He straightened slightly, taking his head from Joshua's shoulder and waiting for the Composer to let go.  "So breakfast, then Mr. H?"

"Mm....of course."  The Composer's eyes shimmered briefly, as if lighting alive.  Nonetheless, Joshua let go, voice slightly different. He pulled away and returned to his stool, humming softly under his breath.

"And stop humming." Neku ordered, giving him a plate and setting the pile between them. He began to eat, ignoring his emotions. Every time he Sang, they seemed to become less and less controllable, so it was best not to pay any attention to them at all.

"But Neku~"  Joshua pouted behind a piece of pancake he had stabbed, but obeyed.

He ate pleasantly, swirling a foot around in a circle as he did so.

*************

Joshua led Neku to Wildkat shortly after they finished their breakfast.  The sun was high in the sky and expectedly so, many people were out and about on the streets.  Women dressed in pin-stripe skirts, men decked out in suits, and the occasional rocker busting out a rhyme from a boom-box on the corner for some extra pocket money.

Wildkat was, thankfully, not too far from Neku's house, but the small distance it was allowed for some much needed fresh air.  The Composer carried himself that morning with a different step, a different beat.  As if he wasn't out to annoy every single being.

Nonetheless, that didn't stop him from opening the door of Wildkat and cheerfully cooing, "We're here~" in the most annoying voice he could muster.   Because that's what 'best friends did'.  Annoy the crap out of one another.

The scent of coffee and sweet assaulted Joshua's senses as he held the door open for his partner, mentally preparing for whatever was to come.

With Sanae, you never really knew what was to come next.  And perhaps that was why Joshua and he got along so well.

Neku had glanced around every so often, but most of his attention today was stuck on his partner, who seemed to be feeling rather chivalrous as he opened the door of the cafe for the one time proxy. Neku glanced his way with a small, upwards twitching of his lips before heading over to the counter, where Mr. H (CAT; how long had he fanboyed over the man until he'd found out who he really was?) was tinkering around with his coffee machine.

"You know, playing with it like that probably just makes the coffee even worse." He called out in greeting.

"…Insulting his coffee is nearly as bad as insulting his ego," Joshua murmured under his breath, letting the door to the cafe whoosh shut behind him.   He took residency next to Neku, hands shoved in his pockets.

When the barista did stop fiddling, he looked up, glasses almost falling off his nose, "J, what the hell do you mean 'we', and I told ya, to call before you -"  And then his gaze settled on Neku, and the fact that what had been spoken a few seconds prior was Neku, sank in.  And he laughed.  Long and hard in his own form of greeting.  "Phones!" he bellowed joyfully, heading away from the coffee to greet the pair from the other side of the counter.

"It's Neku," the teen replied with a smile and a dry look at Joshua, as if to say 'oh yeah, I'm so going to insult his coffee'. Around his bellowing, Sanae noted this little exchange with interest, as well as the fact that Joshua had opened the cafe door for his little 'toy' as he'd once called Sakuraba.

"Right right, I got it now, Phones." He grinned cheesily, placing a hand on his hip and looking down at the boy with genuine affection. "How you been?"

"Good," Neku replied, wincing slightly when he was called Phones, yet again. One day he'd walk around without them on just to see everybody’s' reactions...

Joshua watched the verbal exchange, courteously remaining silent until he found an opening.  And when it was discovered, he took a seat and propped his chin up.  "So you'll greet him warmly and not me?" he all but pouted.   And he pointedly ignored Neku.

"He's not a pain in the ass, J." Mr. H replied, swatting the seated teen over the head. "I thought I told you to call me- take a seat, Neku. I'll treat you to some coffee- only 680 yen."

"I'll pass," Neku replied, looking over at Joshua curiously before taking a seat, purposefully leaving a space between them. 'Well if that's how you want to be...' He refused to think that reacting this way meant that he was actually hurt by Joshua's snubbing.

Sanae was more than happy to view the whole picture, however.

"If you say so, Phones."

And he looked to Joshua with a quirked brow.  "So... what are you boys up to...?"

"I came here on professional matters, you understand," Joshua began again, having earlier awkwardly tried to bat away his Producer's hand.  And yes, he was still slightly pouting.  "I figured you'd want to know who was our new Singer, hm?"

A smirk and he deviously watched his Producer, awaiting a reaction.  Joshua was fully aware of what kind of bomb he was laying.

Sanae blinked, opened his mouth...then thought better of speaking and closed it again. He eyed Joshua, then Neku, then Joshua again, as if confirming what it was that the Composer was actually trying to say.

"Bullshit," he sputtered. "And Phone's just took the job like that? No fucking-"

"Actually, I did." Neku blushed as Mr. H's gaze moved back to him, shifting uncomfortably and refusing to look at Joshua. "Joshua showed me how to do it, and then I ended up trying it on my own again last night, and I..." He paused. Joshua had liked what he'd done, had joined him in Singing and had seemed so pleased with what Neku was capable of putting out. 'I want to help him.' "It feels right." He said finally, looking out the cafe window wistfully

"See?  He's a natural."  Joshua looked triumphantly at his Producer who was still wide-eyed, in disbelief.  Joshua frowned when their gazes met.  "What?  No guns involved this time, I promise."

"Josh...."

"What?" he muttered irritably.  "He just told you himself."

"Seriously, Phones....?"

"Stop asking me like it was supposed to be a difficult thing to accept." Neku said crossly, eyeing the man irritably. "I said I'll do it, and I will; next question."

Mr. H sputtered a little, then laughed, no less booming than it was wildly hysterical. Oh, was he going to have fun with these two, the next few months.

But then he did a double take; on how Joshua had positioned himself away from Neku and how Neku had followed suit after, and figured that maybe, it wouldn't be so fun. Not without a few little nudges, here and there.

"I don't see what's so funny...." Joshua murmured, acting like a child who was continuously not getting his way.  He folded his arms on the counter and stared blankly at the cafe owner.

" 's nothing, J.  Don't worry about it," Mr. Hanekoma answered when the laughter finally died down completely. Over black glasses, he gazed at Neku, "So, how does it feel workin' for J?"  A snort.

Neku shrugged, not really having an answer for that. Until a few minutes ago, he hadn't felt like he was working for him at all, but if this was the way Joshua was going to act whenever they were around someone else with ties to the UG...

"I'm starting to think its going to be harder than I thought," he muttered quietly. Mr.H was privately sympathetic.

The artist nudged a cup of coffee towards Joshua, hoping to gather his attention completely.  "You've been kinda out of it since you walked in here, boss.  Why so glum?"

Joshua stared at the offered cup.  "If it's going to cost me money, dear Producer, I - "

"The question, J."

Joshua scrunched his nose up, maybe just a bit, and huffed.  "I'm fine, thank you."

Mr. Hanekoma glanced at Neku.  "Geez, what'd you say to him, Phones?" he teased.

"Me?!" Neku sat up, startled. "I haven't said a thing! He's the one-" He bit his lip, figuring that Joshua wouldn't appreciate anything else that could have come out of his mouth. "I don't know." He shrugged.

"I'm the one?"  Joshua egged on, turning to finally spare a glance at his Singer.  "Go on, Neku.  No one's stopping you~"

Neku glared at him, not really caring if Joshua saw how hurt he was or not.

"I thought we were here for business, boss," he reminded him coldly.

Sanae merely watched on in fascination. The two had the most wonderful ability to get the other completely riled up, even if Neku missed it when he did. It might not be the fun he'd intended, but it certainly was interesting.

Joshua saw it, and was instantly intrigued by it.  "No need to be so blunt, Neku," he pressed on, slowly, tediously, obviously playing further into this oddity he had discovered.  The Composer was fully aware of how well he could anger Neku, but when there was something beyond that anger - it was worth investigating.  And he did love a good investigation.

Neku merely rolled his eyes and looked over at Mr. H, who whistled innocently despite the fact that he was hanging over the bar listening to every word.

"Do you know why he's dragged me here, or what?" He asked, a bit more snappishly than he would have usually spoken to his somewhat idol.

Joshua's face contorted into complete frustration.  No, Neku was supposed to respond to him. To bicker, to fluster, to throw his hands up in irrational madness ... Joshua huffed dramatically to himself.

"Hey, hey, don't drag me into this.  I'm more than happy to talk to ya both but not when you're ready to scratch each other's eyes out," he chuckled, uneasily rubbing the back of his neck.

Neku huffed. 'Thanks, Mr. H, nice save.'

"Later," he said to Joshua, narrowing his eyes. 'Never.' He thought.

There was static in the air - and Noise that had gathered around.  A presence most notably felt by Shibuya's Composer, even in the RG.  He felt the dark figures creeping closer, their shadows nearly tangible, even in the safety of this Plane.  With a sigh, he excused himself from the stool.

"I'll be in the back if you need me," he said , innocently waving to his Producer and Singer, before stalking off into the adjoining room, not bothering to have met either of their eyes.

Mr. Hanekoma frowned.  "....Uh...."

"Well I'm out," Neku mumbled, standing up and moving towards the entrance. "Sorry, Mr. H." He said, shooting the man a weary smile.

If he let Joshua get to him that easily, Shibuya's new Singer was going to be run ragged in no time. Sanae pursed his lips, not sure what he was supposed to say.

"I don't know if Joshua wanted to you to that just yet." He said weakly.

"I don't really care right now." The bell rang, and Neku dashed down the street, intent on getting home.

Hanekoma groaned aloud and watched Neku leave.  His attention turned to where Joshua had fled to.  With a sigh, and a mutter about how he was far too old for this, he headed inside.