This was so not happening.

Neku tried to pull his headphones over his ears, but ended up reaching at air as he realized that number one, Shiki had specifically told him to take them off, and number two, he was going to have to listen to this brat now that she had done that. Stupid Shiki. It was all her fault to begin with.

oOo

"A date?" Neku repeated slowly, a frown on his face. "With whom?"

"Yes, a date," Shiki giggled back. "And as to who it is, I'm not going to tell you. You're going to have to find that out on your own."

"No. Find someone else."

"But Neku," Shiki said, her tone taking a serious and somehow menacing tone, "I've already asked them to come. I know you're rude," -which earned a 'hey!' from Neku—"but even you aren't this rude."

"But…I don't do dates," Neku feebly protested, knowing in the back of his mind that he was utterly defenseless as the brunette continued to glare at him menacingly.

"No buts! Be at my house at 11 o'clock sharp tomorrow! And please, try to dress…appropriately," Shiki said with a small frown, waving his protests off as she left him at Hachiko with a sense of impending doom.

The time had passed, and Neku found out of curiosity alone that he was ringing the doorbell to Shiki's apartment at exactly 11:04.

"Come on in!" he heard, and entered the apartment warily.

"You're late," was the first thing Shiki said to him when he arrived in her living room. She scowled. "And…what, exactly, is that?" She gestured to his clothes.

Neku had been wearing his usual attire, a blue shirt with the collar pulled up and his same white, baggy pants.

He looked at himself and shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong."

"Neku," Shiki groaned. "You're supposed to dress up for a date, not wear what you always wear!"

"I told you, I don't do dates," Neku retorted. He really didn't see what was the matter with his clothing choices. It's not like this was anything special, this date.

"Ugh," Shiki sighed, "I guess I'll have to do everything myself. C'mere."

With that, she dragged Neku to her closet and opened the door. Neku had never really had a chance to see her closet before, but man, was it huge! But wait a minute…

"Shiki?" Neku started, "I can't wear girl's clothing."

Shiki had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well, I would have to argue that, but there's simply no time." She glanced around, obviously searching for something. "Aha! There it is!"

Shiki pulled out a mysterious outfit that was obviously for men. Neku took one look at this and immediately asked, "How did you get that?"

To which Shiki replied, "I sewed it myself. I didn't know your size but," she glanced him over, "I'm sure it'll fit you. I do have an eye for these things, you know!"

Neku was taken aback. "But Shiki, I can't wear this! I don't want to ruin it!"

"No buts," Shiki simply stated. "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. Just trust me, Neku."

Neku fumbled as she gave him the outfit, trying not to ruin anything.

"It's okay, Neku," Shiki giggled, "It's not going to fall apart that easily. After all, I sewed it just for you. So take this chance and" –she pushed him into her bathroom—"try it on!"

Neku blinked as the door closed on him. Well, it wouldn't hurt to at least try it on. Shiki did make it for him, after all.

When he came out of the bathroom, Shiki gasped. She stared, shocked at him for a second before regaining her composure. She giggled. "I knew it would look good on you!"

And Neku—even though he knew so little fashion—had to agree with her. He wore a tight-fitting navy blue turtle-neck (he was at least glad to have something covering up his neck) and a pair of simple, blue pants that flared out at the ends a bit (he noticed with some satisfaction a little brainy-cat at the bottom of the pants). Overall, the outfit hugged where it needed to, and the fabric was pleasantly comfortable and light. He noticed with a small smile that she did have an eye for sewing, as it was tailored impeccably. How she got his size, he still didn't know, but hell if he was going to let that dampen his mood.

"Now, the hair," Shiki giggled, pulling out a few items out of the bag she now suddenly had with a look that screamed 'complain if you dare'.

Neku sighed, resigned to his fate. He let her brush out his orange locks, taming them down to something at least manageable. He noticed with a start that when his hair was down, he looked more befitting of his eighteen years of age. Since when had his hair gotten that long? He was too busy thinking when Shiki pulled at a lock sharply. "Ow!"

All he got was a sigh. "I'm sorry, but really, Neku. You should brush your hair sometimes. Besides, I'm almost done."

After she was finished with his hair, Shiki circled around him slowly, nodding to herself and eyeing him critically. Neku felt a bit ridiculous. "Hey, you're starting to make me dizzy."

Shiki stopped and giggled. "Sorry. But there's just one tiny thing I have to do." And with that, she reached up without a word and put something in his hair.

"…Really, Shiki? A hair clip?" Neku groaned.

Shiki puffed. "It's not just any hairclip, Neku. It's my good luck hairclip. I always wear it for luck. I think you'll need it, what with this being your first date."

Neku ignored the last part, deciding that some battles weren't worth it. "…At least it's not pink," he grumbled, touching the purple butterfly cautiously.

"All done!" Shiki exclaimed, waiting anxiously for his approval.

"It's not…bad," Neku said, surprised. At first, Neku had come in wary, but he soon realized that she did know what she was doing. This was Shiki, after all. She had transformed him from…whatever he was to a somehow handsome man-or more mature at least. He briefly wondered who the person she was getting him so dolled up for was, but she had been pretty tight-lipped on that particular tidbit of information. He reached for his headphones, but Shiki stole them away from him.

"Nuh-uh! It's just plain rude to tune out people on your first date!" she reprimanded. Neku sighed. She had caught him. Oh, well.

"Are we set?" Shiki asked.

"…Yes…"

"Good. Now, you better not ruin this image I've worked so hard to achieve! The date's at noon, and it's at Wildkat, so don't be late! Be home by ten, no sex on the first date, and please," Shiki looked up at him, suddenly serious, "take good care of him."

With that, she shoved Neku out of her house, and into the hallway. Neku found himself looking at a door for the second time tonight. "Well, shit." Not only had she embarrassed him (though luckily, no one was around), she had also said that he was going out with a guy. Well, Shiki did know him pretty well, so she had to have figured out that he was gay, or at least bi, or something. Or just liked guys, in general. Hell, he was confusing himself on an already confusing subject.

Grudgingly, he entered Wildkat. He wasn't surprised that it was totally empty—empty, that is, except for one person.

"Oh…hell no."

"Hello there, Neku dear~. Surprised to see me?"

OoO

That brings us back to now. Well, shit, Neku sighed for the umpteenth time. This is not going well at all. His hands itched for his headphones, earbuds, anything to drown out that childish, egotistical, annoying, and impossibly sexy voice that Joshua had.

"Hmm, missing something, are we?" The boy in question smirked, his eyes on Neku's twitching hands.

"You just…shut up," Neku grumbled.

"Oh, just admit it—you missed handsome lil' old me," his companion drawled, sipping on his House Blend coffee.

"No way!" Neku growled, fuming. However, he did have to admit that he had missed the boy. "No way I'd miss an ass like you!"

"What's that? You miss my ass? Oh, Neku, do behave," the Composer said innocently, his façade broken when he giggled.

Neku had to admit, he had missed the little bastard. Well, not-so-little anymore. The silver-haired boy certainly looked much older, stronger and—Neku noted with a flush—more handsome. His silver hair was longer, reaching his shoulders a bit more than before, and he looked a bit more muscular. However—Neku noticed with pure glee—Joshua's face, while older, hadn't lost its' boyish looks. He also was wearing something more fitting of his "age", a gray sweater, gray jeans, and a…purple scarf. How annoyingly girly. But still, the Composer still seemed handsome, sipping on his coffee and looking at Neku thoughtfully.

He wondered vaguely how old the Composer was, but decided that the Composer just might fry him for asking, so instead he settled for, "I thought you didn't age."

"Why, see something you like, Neku?" the Composer grinned, pausing a bit to take in Neku's flush. "Well, to be honest, it would be a bit…strange if I appeared to you in my fifteen-year-old body. You could've gone to jail, or worse." His smirk was ever-present on his face, and only grinned wider at the last part of his sentence.

"W-worse?" Neku gulped audibly, trying not to imagine the implications in Joshua's voice. He hardly knew what was worse than jail, but knowing Joshua, he'd come up with something.

"Oh, come on, Neku, lighten up!" Joshua grinned, slapping a hand on Neku's back. "We are on a date after all."

"And whose bright idea was that?" Neku wondered aloud.

"Why, that'd hafta be mine, Phones."

Neku gaped at the barista who had just walked in, looking calm and serene as if he hadn't been suggesting at all what Neku thought he was. "But Mr. H…I…don't do dates."

"I've noticed," came the cool remark of Joshua, a hint of a smile playing at his lips.

"Oh, come on, Phones! Like the boss was sayin', lighten up! After all, what's the worst that could happen?"

"What's to say he won't shoot me again?" Neku ground out, looking pointedly at Joshua, who smirked. Sure, he had forgiven him and all that (after a long and hard soul searching, mind you), and he trusted him, but he didn't trust the Composer that much.

Hanekoma's voice brought him out of his reverie. "Well, what's to say he won't?"

"Huh?" Neku looked dumbfounded. "Hey, I'm not taking that chance with this kid, he—"

"He killed you, shot you, yada yada yada. We get the point. But sometimes you have to take a chance, or else you never change," Hanekoma said thoughtfully, then shrugged. "Well, I'll get back to the back. Dishes to clean and whatnot. See ya, boss. Phones."

"Take a chance…to change," Neku mumbled, absentmindedly rubbing his old Player Pin in his pocket. He had kept that old thing, not only as a reminder of what he had almost lost, but also of what he had most certainly gained. Friends, life…love. He looked up at his ex-partner, a faint blush on his cheeks. Trust your partner. Well, maybe just this once, it wouldn't be so bad if we got along. Shiki's words came back to him. Please…take care of him.

Neku stood up suddenly, mind settled. Joshua looked up with a start, clearly not expecting Neku's reaction. "I've decided."

"Decided, hm?" Joshua drawled, smirk set back into place. "And what would that be, my dear proxy?"

"You, are an asshole," Neku started, earning a fake, 'who, me?' from the silver-haired boy, "but I guess I have to trust you, regardless. So I'll let you take me out on this…date. But you better not be expecting anything!" And for emphasis he raised a fist threateningly.

To his credit, Joshua actually looked surprised. For about three seconds. And then it was back to his smirk, with something in his eyes that Neku decidedly didn't want to know about. "Well, then. We have the whole day ahead of us. Let's get going, shall we dear~?" He even stuck out his arm, much to Neku's chagrin.

Neku pointedly glared at him and walked past the smirking silvret. Oh, this was going to be fun. Not.

oOo

This…is actually fun, Neku thought, shocked. It was just their luck that a carnival had decided to pull into town for that day only, and they had decided to go.

He looked at the silver-haired boy sitting beside him, who was currently trying (and failing) to catch a goldfish. A pile of broken nets rested neatly beside him as evidence of his futile efforts.

Neku chuckled. "You know, for being the master of games and whatnot, you sure do suck at this."

The silver-haired teen grumbled, "I most certainly do not 'suck at this'." He huffed and flicked a sweaty silver strand of hair out of his face. "And I am not the master of games, I simply like them. And furthermore, this is a silly game invented by fools. It is obviously rigged."

At this Neku laughed. "Here, let me have a go at it."

The boy beside him gave a decidedly un-girly grunt, but moved over to make room. Neku deftly paid the fee and received the net. As soon as he stuck it in, a fish swam up to it, and he yanked out the net. Surprisingly, it didn't break. Neku grinned.

Joshua narrowed his eyes. "Any fool could see that it was beginner's luck."

"Beginner's luck, eh?" Neku grinned.

"Of course," Joshua said, smirking. "I bet you a cone of cotton candy that you couldn't do it again."

"Oh, watch me," Neku growled, accepting the challenge.

oOo

600 yen and fifteen goldfish later, Neku was happily bouncing along beside a very irritated Joshua, huge bag of goldfish in one hand, and a bright blue cone of cotton candy in the other. It didn't even dampen his mood that the suspicious booth owner had kicked him out—Neku was on a high not only from one-upping Joshua, but fifteen-upping him.

"Just luck," Joshua was mumbling to himself, pouting.

"What's that?" Neku sang happily, cupping his hand to his ear. Great. Now the sugar had made him unbearably hyper. Or maybe you're just happy? A voice inside him rang out, maybe you're just happy to be with him finally? He frowned, good mood slightly dampened but not entirely gone. The thought sobered him up, at least.

"Look, mommy! Look at all those fish!" came a voice, and both Joshua and Neku looked over at it's source. A young boy, probably about six or so, bounced up and down on his heels a few feet away.

"Eh…these?" Neku asked, holding up his bag of goldfish.

Apparently the kid took it as an invitation to walk up to them, his mother in tow. "Wow, they're so pretty! Didja get them at the goldfish booth?"

"Uh…yeah," Neku shrugged, looking for an exit strategy. He had never been good with kids.

"I've always wanted to have one, but I was never any good at them…" the boy frowned, looking down at his toes.

Neku looked at the bag. Just what was he going to do with all of these fish? He sighed and gave the kid the bag. "Um, you can have them…if you want."

"Wow, mister, thanks!" the kid said, staring in awe at his new treasures. "You're so nice!"

His mother looked irritated, but didn't have a chance to say anything as her son dragged her yet again, off on some new shiny thing, Neku figured. He caught a faint, "But we don't have that kind of room," before they faded from sight. He smiled slightly. Kids might not be so bad after all.

He didn't notice Joshua smirking at him until he turned around. "What?"

Joshua chuckled amusedly. "Oh, nothing. It just pulls at my heartstrings to see that touching sight. Really, Neku, you're so…nice."

Neku was left in confusion as to whether to take it as an insult or a compliment, but he figured that he didn't want to ruin the somewhat successful outing with any of his usual remarks. He just settled for blushing and looking away. "Whatever."

The rest of the day went much like that, and the boys had settled into a peaceful (or as peaceful as it could get, because really, this is Joshua) mood by the time night rolled around. The only thing that remained was to find a place to see the fireworks, as promised by the park.

"Ugh, I can't see properly here," Neku complained, craning his neck. "The crowd's too thick."

"Well," Joshua said thoughtfully, for he too was having issues, being still shorter than Neku, "let's remedy that situation." And without so much as a thank-you-please he grabbed Neku's hand and began leading him to some destination.

He better not be taking me to a makeout spot, Neku thought, and blushed as the accompanying image to go with those thoughts appeared in his head. Oh god, he better not. It was his first date and all, and he sure as hell hadn't been kissed yet to his knowledge. So pathetic, he grumbled, being a virgin at eighteen. He looked over to Joshua, who was leading him to god-knows-where. I'll bet he's probably done it with loads of people by now, he thought sourly, the bastard that he is.

Neku was jolted out of his thoughts when Joshua stopped suddenly, Neku managing barely to save himself from a face-plant. "Hey, what gives—Oh no. Oh hell no."

"Hm, something the matter, dear?" Joshua observed, flicking a hair behind his head.

"It's a…Ferris wheel…"

"Yes, and?"

"I…don't do Ferris wheels," Neku said faintly, looking up at the massive wheel in front of him.

"Well, I thought you said you didn't do dates, and now look where we are, hmm?" Joshua smirked, grabbing his hand. "Come on, let's go." He was surprised when he felt a force pulling him back. He furrowed his brows, irritated. "Neku, what are you—"

Neku had taken one look at the Ferris wheel and stood frozen to the spot. He couldn't keep his eyes off of it. It was just so big and…high. He gulped. Noise, fine. Reapers, fine. Psychos intent on destroying Shibuya, his lifelong home? Also fine. But heights… undoubtedly not fine.

"My, my, are you…scared, Neku?" came the slightly surprised but still annoyingly smug voice. Neku didn't have to look at him to know that he was smirking. "Oh, I never knew."

"Save it, Josh," Neku snapped warningly, the old nickname slipping out of his mouth before he had a chance to catch it. Oh well, his pride be damned. This was important. "You can make fun of me for anything else, anything, just please don't do it for this. Heights and me have just…never gotten along. It's just been that way for my whole life. I'm not going to get over it now." He had started off angry, but felt his anger slowly turn into tiredness that felt so draining after the pleasant day they had. It was going so well, too.

"I wouldn't let you fall."

It was so soft he almost didn't hear it. Neku turned to face his ex-partner and was shocked to see a soft expression on the boy's face. However, it was gone as soon as it came, and back came that annoying smirk. "I mean, with my godly powers, I could just lift you up into the air if you fell, hmm?"

Neku frowned. Damn that bastard. Though… He looked up at the imposing ride again. Joshua was right, he knew, and he would probably safest with the Composer anyways. And that look on Joshua's face…he wondered at that. Whether it was curiosity or just plain masochistic tendencies he didn't know, but he simply said, "Okay, but only if you promise not to do anything…you."

Joshua smirked. "Whatever do you mean?"

Neku glared. "You know what I mean. Now promise."

Joshua sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I promise. Now shut up and walk, dear~"

Neku grumbled but obeyed, turning to walk away. Unbeknownst to him, he missed the small smile on the Composer's face.

Neku shakily stepped into the car, willing his feet to move and gulping as the car rocked from his sudden weight. Joshua followed, ready to get on the same side, but Neku said sharply, "On the other side! You're going to unbalance it!" Part of that was true, but part of him really didn't want the paler boy so close to him. Being scared of heights was enough; he didn't know what he'd do if Joshua was right next to him.

His companion just shrugged. "Suit yourself."

The ride started with a big lurch, and Neku found himself in a death grip with the bars that separated him from the air. Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down.

"You know, Neku," his companion observed, "those bars aren't the safest of contraptions. They look a bit…flimsy to me."

"Shut up, asshole." Don't look down. Don't look down. Dontlookdown—oh shit. And Neku suddenly found himself looking down. He noted with a gulp that they were right at the top of the Ferris wheel. What luck.

Briefly he heard the paler boy mumble something that sounded a bit like, "oh, really, must I do everything myself?"

In the next five seconds, three things happened. First, a sudden wind blew, knocking into the cabin with tremendous force. Second, Neku yelped and dove for the first thing available. As for the last thing, well, Neku heard an airy chuckle above him as he realized that not only did he land on Joshua in his haste, but also that his head was currently buried in said boy's chest and his hands had latched onto the other boy's shirt.

He debated the turn of events and figured that jumping off and rocking the cabin again would only lead to further embarrassment and the eventual return to Joshua's body, which would only prove Joshua's point even further. So he settled for hiding his now-scarlet face in the folds of Joshua's sweater, muttering dirty words incoherently under his breath.

Joshua gazed down at Neku in amusement. Even though this had gone according to plan, he hadn't expected the redhead to just stay there unasked. Well, wasn't he cute? Joshua chuckled lightly and decided for once not to press his luck, as his proxy was irritable as it is, and it was somewhat of a miracle that Neku hadn't loudly voiced his complaint by now. So he just settled for wrapping an arm around the slightly shaking boy and humming thoughtfully to himself.

Neku lifted up his head a bit at the loud pop as the fireworks lit up the night sky. Oh well, since he was here, he might as well enjoy it. He wondered briefly why they were at the top for so long, and he realized that there weren't any people in line for the ride when they were on the ground. Oh well, it was probably Joshua's doing. Neku felt the edges of his lips turn up. Knowing Joshua, it probably was him.

"Are you sure you don't want to see this?" Joshua teased lightly, absentmindedly running his hands through the strands of Neku's hair. They were surprisingly soft. He really should thank that girl…Shiki? Yes, that was her name. He really should thank her once he got the chance. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice his hand slipping slightly lower.

Neku had been enjoying the ministrations, relaxing into the rare moment he was having with the Composer. Wow, this feels really good… he thought, relaxing into the shorter man's body when—"Aah!"

One hand came to clamp over his mouth and one to cover his neck when Neku shot straight up, eyes wide open. Thankfully, it didn't rock the cabin too much, he noted in the back of his mind, but he was more concerned about his new status as a cherry tomato and decidedly not looking at the composer.

"Wha—Neku I…" Horror registered in Neku's eyes as Joshua got it. And get it he did, for his shocked expression was filled with something incredibly more…evil. "Neku, come back over here."

"N-no…" Neku protested. Fear of heights forgotten, Neku scooted further away from Joshua on instinct.

"Come here." Playful.

"No." A few inches back.

"Neku…" Warningly.

"No!" Dammit, he couldn't back up anymore! Stupid wall!

"Neku, come here!" Joshua hissed, all his playfulness gone as he became frustrated.

"NO!" Neku flattened himself up against the wall.

"Oh, for god's sakes Neku!" Without so much as a warning, Joshua leaned over and kissed the redhead.

All coherent thoughts left Neku at that moment as he reveled in firstly how soft those lips were that kissed him, and secondly, how good it felt to be finally kissing Joshua. He let himself be drawn into the kiss and sighed, tangling his hands in the Composer's silky locks. It felt so good, and so right, and so—

"A-ah!" came Neku's shaky moan as he realized that Joshua's fingers had found that spot on his neck and that bastard, he—

Meanwhile, Joshua had taken this oh-so-delectable opportunity to slip his tongue into Neku's now open mouth, and now any thought Neku had was promptly replaced with the thought of Joshua's tongue and how it moved so deftly against his own, admittedly clumsier one.

When they broke away, both boys were panting.

"My, my, Neku, you seem to have a weak spot," Joshua smirked, though his voice came out a bit shaky.

Neku stared. "Y-you!"

"Yeess?" Joshua drawled, regaining his composure more quickly than Neku.

"Y-you tricked me!" Neku bristled. "You bastard! And to think that I had so willingly let you—"

"Let me what, hm?" The Composer smirked, and looked like he was going to say more when—

SLAP!

Followed by a: "You bastard, take me down!"

Joshua held a hand to his cheek, staring Neku in shock. "N-Neku, I-"

"I said take me down from this thing!" Neku yelled, glaring daggers at the paler boy.

Joshua sighed, waving a hand. The Ferris wheel slowly lowered itself, finally coming to a stop at the bottom. Neku wasted no time rushing out and into the dark night. Joshua scowled. "Oh, great." Now he had somehow ruined the evening. "What a bother."

oOo

Neku wasn't sure how long he ran, or even where he was going, just that he was going somewhere. The routes that he had traveled so well in the Game were just a blur to him now as his feet took him to his destination. He smelled the coffee before he even entered the street, and found himself standing in front of Wildkat. Catching his breath, he collected his thoughts.

How had that evening go so wrong? he wondered. For once, they were having fun. And it's all that bastard's fault.

No… his mind reminded him, it's your fault. He scowled at nothing. He knew he had overreacted to such a simple thing, but the way Joshua had toyed with him afterwards made him feel so used, like he was just a toy. Neku had never really thought of it before, but he had to admit that the Composer was skilled. Just how many "proxies" does that bastard have, anyways? He suddenly felt very tired. Very tired, and very drained.

He turned on the handle and surprisingly found it unlocked. He's still open at this hour? How does he stay in business?

Hanekoma looked shocked to see him this late at night. "Phones?"

Neku just sighed. "Hey, Mr. H."

"Trouble in paradise, huh?" the observant barista asked.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not really feeling up to talking at the moment, Mr. H…" Neku feebly said. Knowing he was being quite rude, but not really caring at this moment, he asked, "Hey, do you have a place to sleep?" He didn't want to go to Shiki's, and he sure didn't want to go home.

"Yeah, it's in the back. Blanket's in the closet. Help yourself."

"Thanks, Mr. H," Neku said wearily, pushing away the guilt that was eating away at him. He had time to deal with that later. For now, he made his way to the back room and plopped down on the surprisingly comfy bed, not even bothering with taking his shoes off. "Hope he doesn't mind the mud," was the last thing he mumbled before falling into a fitful sleep.

oOo

"Neku…"

"Go away…"

"Neku."

He was briefly aware of being shaken.

"M' trying to sleep."

"That's fine, I just have one question."

"…Shoot."

"Would you mind it at all if I left?"

What a strange dream this was.

"Wha' kind of stupid question izzat?"

"Just answer it, Neku."

Was that…Joshua's voice?

"Of cours' I would mind."

"But you'd be happier without me."

"Not really…you're my partner after all…"

A giggle.

"So I take it you want me to stay?"

"What kind of question izzat? Jesus, why can't I have a normal dream for once? Get out of my dreams, asshole."

oOo

Neku groaned as he woke up, trying to stretch and realizing that something big and soft was blocking his arms. "Tha' hell?" Soft was not what he usually woke up to. And bed wasn't usually this warm. And…did his bed just move?

He wearily blinked open his eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them. He met with purple eyes staring owlishly at him. "Oh, it's you," he mumbled wearily, too tired to even pretend to be surprised. He shifted his gaze away, not wanting to look at those hauntingly beautiful orbs staring at him. "What do you want?"

"Hm, what indeed," Joshua murmured to himself, and Neku saw the Composer frown out of the corner of his eyes. It was then that he noticed that his head was on Joshua's chest—which was rather comfortable, once he thought about it—and that it was very apparent that he had slept like for most of the night. He also noticed that Joshua's arm was hanging lazily around Neku's shoulders. So that was the soft thing.

Neku sighed, emotions settling into place and he suddenly felt guilty. "Look, I'm sorry I overreacted. You just…infuriate me so much sometimes, whether you mean it or not."

"That I do," Joshua agreed, and Neku surprisingly didn't hear any sort of teasing in his voice. So he figured he'd keep going.

"And you humiliate me, time after time. And molest me in every single sense of the word. You tease me constantly, even when I'm trying really hard to be serious. You call me all those stupid names, and always stare at me. Always with the staring. You're such a freak for that. And…you killed me," at this Neku took a more serious tone, swallowing hard. "And then you walk back into my life like nothing happened." Neku was aware that his voice was breaking, but continued on. "And finally when I'm getting used to seeing you again, and I think that maybe things will be okay, you have to go and use me, just like you always have, just to fulfill some demented urge, and I know that I probably shouldn't get so excited, because you probably have had lots of proxies, and I'm just one of them but I don't care because it really. fucking. hurts," Neku finished with a sob. Oh, great, now he was crying, like a child.

Warm arms wrapped hesitantly around Neku's shivering form, and he leaned into those arms and thought that once, maybe just once, he would enjoy their warmth, so he just sat there and cried, and cried, and cried. He just laid there, in those arms as sobs turning into weak cries, cries turning into whimpers, and those turning into angry hiccups and finally into sniffles. He sighed as he felt tired, oh so tired.

He didn't even notice Joshua was saying anything until he felt the lips move against his.

"…What?" Neku asked, his voice hoarse.

"I said…" Joshua whispered, "would it be better if you didn't know me?"

"What…do you mean?" Neku asked, staring into Joshua's shirt, as he knew he couldn't look up at the man himself.

"I mean exactly what I said. I can make you forget me. Forget the Game. I can erase all of your memories, every last one, as much as you wanted. Your friends', too," Joshua murmured against his hair, voice suddenly sounding sad and far away.

Neku thought for a moment. If it could all go away that easily…would he take the chance? Would he do it? He had wished for it for so long, after all. To get rid of all of the memories of the Game, to forget all that ever happened to him…could it be that easy?

"No," Neku found himself saying. "No, I wouldn't want that."

"But why not?" the Composer asked him. "If it hurts you that much, then wouldn't you want to be rid of it once and for all?"

"Because I wouldn't be the same," Neku realized aloud. "If it wasn't for the Game, I'd never have learned all the things that I did. About people, about life, about Shibuya. I wouldn't have met Shiki, or Beat, or Rhyme. I wouldn't have had all that. I would just be stuck, thinking so little of the world, not really going anywhere. It took me three weeks to realize all that. And…I wouldn't have met you. And that would be worse than anything," Neku finished, blushing.

"But after all that…" Joshua furrowed his brows, thinking. He sighed. "…You humans simply cease to amaze me."

"We can sometimes do that," Neku joked half-heartedly.

"You know, there wasn't any other."

"Huh?" Neku asked, confused. Dammit, why was he always this confused around people? Especially him. His vague answers didn't help any, either.

"Another…proxy. Human. Person. Whatever you want to call it," the Composer said gently. "…There was only you."

Joshua sounded sad and-for the first time since Neku could remember-lonely. Neku looked up into the pale boy's eyes, and found that Joshua was gazing gently at him, and he saw what the Composer couldn't speak in an instant. He didn't really know how he knew it; it just seemed to pop into his head, and he figured he'd do something because this was Joshua we were talking about, and he never really spoke what you wanted to hear, and you had to just kind of go with it. And he did do something, and that something was kissing his partner straight on the lips.

It was better than the first, and he poured his heart and soul into it and knew that the other boy was doing it too, and that it still felt so right and warm and happy. And when he pulled away he found himself laughing, and he felt the other boy join in as they just laughed and laughed and laughed for a good long while, just relishing the moment.

"You're such a bastard," Neku breathed out, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. "And that's why I love you."

"And you're a stubborn idiot," the other chuckled. "But a cute one nonetheless. You'd have to be one to make a Composer fall for you, hm?"

"So does this mean we're...uh...dating?" Neku asked sheepishly.

"Well, it's more of an 'I own you for eternity sort of thing'," and here Joshua paused to take relish in Neku's indignant sputtering, "…but I guess, yes, you could call it dating."

"Oh…okay," Neku said simply.

And Neku just pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him and grinned, because he knew everything was going to be okay.

oOo

"Dating?" Shiki asked as they all gathered at Hachiko a few days later.

"Uh…yeah," Neku scratched the back of his head, blushing. "…If that's what you want to call it."

"Well, whatever you want to call it…I think it's good for you," Shiki mused, smiling. "Oh, and Joshua?"

"Yes?"

"You take care of him. If you don't, you'll have to answer to Mr. Mew and I, and you really don't want that," Shiki said, holding up Mr. Mew and shaking his fist semi-threateningly.

"Yes, ma'am," Joshua giggled, not missing a beat. "I'll be sure to take good care of him, hehe~."

Shiki grinned, placing a hand on her hip. "Good boy. And you!" Neku froze like a deer in headlights. Her voice softened. "You do the same, hm? Gods know you're so rude most of the time, anyways."

"Hey!"

"Yo', Phones, I didn't even know you swung dat way, man," Beat had said, "But I guess if it's him, it'd be aight."

"So glad you agree, Beat…" Neku had sighed, relieved that the rambunctious teen wasn't making this a big deal.

But it was a big deal. He had just told his best friends the news of his life and they had accepted him. Accepted Joshua, as well. He grinned. Maybe he could get used to this after all.

And then Rhyme had so casually wondered aloud, "So which one is the top?"

"I am," Joshua replied coolly before Neku could even blink.

"Shut up! We haven't even gotten to that part yet!" Neku exclaimed, sputtering indignantly and reaffirming his status as a cherry tomato.

"See? He's not even denying it," Joshua giggled, smirking. "He knows his place."

"My place? You bastard, I'll—"

"Neku!" Shiki cried, grabbing his attention. "Be nice!"

Neku huffed, indignant. He pointed to Joshua. "Look at him before you look at me!"

"Now, now, it's rude to point fingers at people," Joshua giggled.

"I agree. This isn't the proper way to treat your boyfriend," Shiki admonished.

"You seem to know him well enough. Want to trade secrets?" Joshua grinned, eyes gleaming.

"Well, he's really ticklish," Shiki's voice dropped conspiratorially, "especially on his stomach."

"Shiki, don't—"

"Oh, I see. I like you, young lady. I think that this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

"Wha—how-oh no…" Neku stuttered, a feeling of foreboding welling up in the pit of his stomach. "Oh, hell no."

Watching the teens' antics from afar, Hanekoma felt a small smile tugging at his lips. "Nice pick, boss. You better treat him well. Gods know he deserves it." A flutter of wings, and he was gone.