Yes, a new story. I probably shouldn't start one, considering I have two that desperately need to be updated, but the idea won't leave me alone. This one will probably be relatively short, but hey, it's still Techen! God, I've missed this so much. But I think it'll be kinda depressing, just so you all know.

This is an AU. Everyone mentioned in this who was a Reaper in the game is alive. Just thought I should make this clear, because it would probably be weird if I didn't.

Disclaimer: I don't own The World Ends with You. Oh, and the title comes from a Green Day song with the same name, so I guess I don't own that either. Not a song-fic or anything though.

It was a sunny day. The temperature was above normal, forcing the Tech to wear a pair of shorts. He hated shorts, wishing to be in his normal pair of jeaned pants. But no, the humidity was against him, and he didn't have 777 around to tease him about it. Even if the singer was around, he probably wouldn't have bothered to mock him about it anyway.

No, it was for the best that 777 wasn't around. The Tech smiled, but it was forced, weary. These two months… there wasn't even a word to describe them. But tomorrow, everything would return to normal. His lover would be able to come back home, and they could start over; they could correct everything that went wrong. It would be their second chance.

That brought a genuine smile to the man's face. After tomorrow, he wouldn't have to sleep in an empty bed again. He wouldn't have to substitute 777's voice for the somber silence that had been engulfing the apartment. He would finally, finally feel whole again, not like the shattered being he had been in the aftermath of the most horrifying experience he ever had.

Anxiety was bubbling within him. Today was going to crawl by, he just knew it. He needed to be around someone, or he was going to go insane, and he couldn't let that happen. He had to remain stable, because he knew things were going to be difficult tomorrow. He had to be calm, supportive, or they would both crumble apart.

The apartment became too cramped to handle his sporadic emotions, so the Tech decided to take refuge within the chaotic energy of the city. It was easy to lose yourself in the bustling crowd of people who were too busy caught up in their own thoughts to pay attention to the world around them. He could only hope he could find solace in that. But standing around the Scramble Crossing did nothing to help him; it only proved that, despite being around masses of people, he felt more alone than ever.

Against his will, his feet began dragging him past the 104 Building, through Dogenzaka, and to his lover's sanctuary, the concert stage in A-East. He hadn't been there since that traumatic day two months ago, and neither had Tenho or BJ, as far as he knew. But surprisingly, he could see lights on inside, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Anyone could have been in there, but the Tech's curiosity was peaking, so he meandered inside. Amazingly, one of 777's best friends—hell, one of his best friends, after all this mess—was inside, Tenho.

"Hey," he called out, voice echoing, breaking the silence of the large building.

The other man jumped slightly. He didn't appear to be doing anything, but the Tech assumed that he had just been wrapped up in his thoughts.

"Hey Futoshi," he said back, giving him a small wave.

It appeared that the heat had been too much for Tenho as well. He was out of his red hoodie, which was even rarer than the Tech being in shorts.

"So how are you?" He asked the drummer once he hoisted himself onto the stage.

"Eh… you know. Nervous, I guess. You?"

"Same. Heard from BJ lately?"

"Nope, he's pretty much been AWOL for a few weeks. I haven't heard from him since he told me that he talked to 777."

Right, that disaster. The Tech had been trying to forget about that. He would never be able to figure out how 777 and BJ had been friends for so many years when they were constantly hurting each other. He had talked to the singer the day after that phone call had happened, and his lover didn't even bother to hide how troubled he was by it. Sadly, that was the last time he talked to him directly, but seeing him tomorrow would help him access his mental status.

"So what're you doing here?" The Tech questioned, wanting something to talk about.

"Oh, nothing. I just… missed the place. I dunno if Def March is really gonna be around anymore, so I thought I should just stop by again. You know, just in case."

He had a good point. It was something the Tech had not been thinking about. Seeing as he wasn't officially part of the band, that knowledge hadn't really been a priority, but he could see why Tenho would be wondering. It was his hobby and his job. It was probably even his life.

"Heh, we'll have to get 777 and BJ back together first," he couldn't help but joke, causing Tenho to chuckle. He grinned, happy to banish the morose air that surrounded them.

"This has all been so hard," Tenho sighed, ruining the Tech's work at lightening up the mood. "These have been the worst two months of my life."

"Same here," he said, unable to form a better response.

"God, everything's just been so screwed up. I mean… how did this even happen?" Tenho pondered, voice raising and cracking.

"I don't know." He had been asking himself that, several that. He had been asking everyonethat, the man sitting next to him, BJ, his own mother, whatever form of a higher deity that could possibly exist, everyone, but he had received no answer. This wasn't a situation that could be rationalized or logically explained. This was something that could only be answered by one person, and that person wasn't here right now. No, they were an hour away, hopefully recovering, or rather, fully recovered. The second one sounded far more promising, and the Tech needed that reassurance.

"How could this happen?" Tenho's voice lowered to a mumble, but the Tech could detect that tremble in it. "Futoshi, why couldn't we do anything?"

He felt tears prick his eyes, but he held them back, knowing that he had to be strong. He couldn't afford to fall apart, he had done that so much already. He fell apart the day he watched his lover break before him, and he wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Tenho… I don't think we can blame ourselves. I mean… it happened, and wishing we could fix it isn't going to help. The only thing we can do is help him now, not feel bad for not helping him then."

"Yeah… yeah, I guess you're right."

"I hope I am," he confessed, knowing that there was a good possibility that he wasn't. But he had suffered through many sleepless nights trying to figure it out, and while there was no real solution, that idea gave him a small feeling of peace, and whether that peace was true or not, he didn't care. He just needed the hope that things were going to get better, and if lying to himself was the only way to achieve that feeling, he had no problem doing that.

"No, I think you're right, Futoshi. I mean, you're going out with him, so you're probably right."

Yeah, I'm going out with him, and I missed all of this. Some boyfriend I am… But he didn't say any of that. He just nodded and stood up.

"I think we should find BJ," he said resolutely.

Tenho looked taken aback, but whether it was at the spontaneity of the statement or the determination in his voice, the Tech wasn't sure of. "Uh… why?"

"I don't know. Just need something to do. Plus, those two will need to talk to each other eventually, don't you think?"

"Yeah, that's true."

"Have any idea where he'd be?"

"Probably at his place, still sleeping. It's only like eleven, right?"

The Tech didn't have a watch, so he just shrugged. "So should we head over there?"

"Uh, sure."

A mini-adventure to make the day go by faster. The goal of the day: calm an enraged BJ down and get him to listen to reason. Possibility of that happening: Quite low.

But the Tech really just needed to think about something else. He needed to speed up time, or else he was going to start thinking about his lover, and he wasn't sure if he could handle anymore of that. So he would brave BJ, where the worst thing that could happen to him would either be a lot of yelling and/or being punched in the face.

… He would rather take the yelling and punching.

Confused? I hope so. I'm trying to make it somewhat suspenseful. And I apologize for the shortness, hopefully the rest of the chapters will be longer. Happy early Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it. To those who don't… uh, have a nice day? Oh, and please review!