Another afternoon, another day to spend talking with Mr. H. Neku visited Wild Kat frequently, never missing a week without coming to the less populated café. Though, Neku never saw Him there. It was odd, he seemed to be comfortable at Wild Kat with Mr. H. Why wasn't He there? Yeah, Neku didn't quite forgive him yet and he really disliked being around him for very long, at least that's what he thought, turning the corner of Cat Street from Miyashita Park. But, today was odd, Neku noticed that some things he passed by changed colors or size. He passed by his neighbor's house, a dog, and a big one at that, would poke his head out of the fence when he would walk by or anyone really. But today, it was half it's size, he almost thought it was another dog entirely. Next, on his way here, he saw that some thing that looked like it was more at home in a freak show. It was a cat but it was rainbow colored! Like ROY G. BIV and everything, man! Neku had to check his temperature and pulse to make he was alive and not in the UG again. Nope, still alive. Good, he was just going insane.
He looked down the street to see the open café's railing closed down over the entrance, only a small space open. In the gap, Neku could see a black pant legs of the famous artist. Neku smiled, yeah, it was odd that the door was down but, he could at least pop in and say hi right? Even a month after the Game between Him and his Conductor, he was still on the high of finding out Mr. H was CAT, his idol, just a little bit inside. He stuffed his hands into the wide pockets of his shorts. He half bent over, on his way down to peek underneath to see what was going on until the gate started to raise quickly from a hand pushing it back up, making Neku straight and go rigid in surprise.
"But, Sanae, you can't leave me here like this!!", a prissy voice whined to the Producer. "I need bedside company in my time of need!", the voice sniffled from the counter, a hot cup of soup in one hand with tissues in the other. Mr. H was putting on his coat, looking at Shibuya's Composer who seemed even paler than usual if that was possible. His silvery colored head dropped onto the counter top in a sickly groan.
"I'm sorry, Boss, but I got stuff to do so I can keep feeding you and puttin' a roof over ya head!", the barista spoke back. Joshua , turned to see the merciless Mr. Hanekoma leave, hoping to glare him back here to take care of him when he was obviously sick, but his blood shot eyes grew open as he spotted Neku there. Sanae, wondering what Josh was looking at, turned in that direction and a smile grew on his face. "Phones! Perfect, you're just on time!"
"I am…?", Neku entered cautiously, he had a feeling he was in for something he'd much rather not be doing. Mr. H. grabbed him by the front of his purple shirt and jerked him forwards to the two, Neku pulling his collar up over his mouth and nose to make sure whatever Joshua had, he didn't catch. Knowing him, making Neku suffer along with his sickness would be expected.
"Look, I've gotta head outta here and take care of some things but Boss is sick. I need ya to do me a favor and watch him for me, 'kay?", he spoke almost quickly so Neku couldn't refuse, smiling at him.
"Hey, I don't even forgive him, let alone should I be his nurse!"
"You shouldn't but would you? Pretty please, Neku, dear?", Joshua smiled but the fact he was sick as a dog didn't help persuade him.
"No way, you can go sneeze your brains out for all I care!!"
"Phones, come on, please, you don't have to forgive him but could you at least baby sit him?!
"Baby sit?!", the two boys spoke in unison, one less excited about the prospect than the other. Yeah, Neku'd be taking care of the all mighty Composer like a little kid, ha, what a laugh! Neku snickered away from Joshua's eyes but he caught the sound anyways and scoffed as he rolled his eyes before they met Sanae's dark black eyes.
"I'm Shibuya's fucking Composer, I don't need anyone to take care of me, especially Neku!!", Joshua yelled, raising his scratchy voice to his Producer. He coughed, a tissue covering his mouth. God, he was messed up. Neku watched as the Composer, slide his way off the counter stool before his feet, hit the tile. Neku hadn't noticed until now but Joshua was in a power blue bathrobe, and slippers, a button up pajama shirt underneath and long pants with feathers blowing from one pant leg to another below the knees. Joshua held the cup of soup in his hand and gently slurped it on his way behind the corner to snag another box of tissues, not the crap napkins you'd get on your table but fancier ones. The ill Composer tried to make his way upstairs. He could just barely stand up, let alone go upstairs to rest, he'd fall before he made it all the way up.
"Okay, I guess I could stay for a while but please, come back soon.", Neku murmured to him as Sanae nodded with a chuckle before leaving the shop, shutting the large steel gate behind him. He heard a set of keys jingling on the outside… Wait a second, he was locking him in here with him!! Damn you, CAT, damn you to hell!! Neku sighed.
"Great, I'm stuck with him in here and to top, he's sick.", Neku groaned before seeing Joshua turn back and look at him. It wasn't particularly a glare but he wasn't exactly happy with Neku's attitude. "Here, I'll help you up the stairs.", Neku held out his hand so he could do as such but Joshua merely swatted it away.
"I'm fine and I think I can walk up a couple stairs, Neku.", he turned away, almost defiantly of him before moving away towards the stairs again, making the first few steps until he coughed and nearly lost his balance, needing to flail and catch himself on whatever wasn't the stairs. He grabbed two things, dropping the tissue box and his mug on the way there. The first was the hand railing, thank Himself he caught that. The other, he wasn't so grateful as he latched onto Neku's shoulder. He had been following him the way up to make sure something like that didn't happen. Joshua took his hand off of his Proxy, bent over only to grab his tissues before heading all the way upstairs. Neku glanced around, he'd never been up here before. Usually, he stayed downstairs but today, he had to take care of the Composer brat, Joshua. He wasn't forgiving him but the least he could do for his friend and ex-partner was to take care of him when he was sick, right? He saw said partner turn into a bedroom, quickly following him, it was white, grey, and black, reminiscent of the Room of Reckoning, Joshua's throne room. A bed with white sheets lay in the middle, a nightstand to the left, a small window to the right side. A dresser against the wall across from the bed held a small TV set. A desk with a computer set up on it sat on the other side of the bed. The walls painted in serpents, slithering their way up the walls, there was one on Josh's door too. It looked so well done, Neku reached out to it and before he made any contact with it, the reptile shifted away, moving like a real one to the ceiling which made all the others shift and shuffle around the walls.
"W-What the hell!? Josh, what's with your wallpaper?!", Neku was shocked, wide eyed as he came inside, Joshua was already sitting under his thick comforter sheets in his bed. He seemed to smile at Neku, not telling something like that on purpose.
"Don't touch, they like to bite. Hee hee… Nurse Neku, go fetch me some water?", it was a question but it came out more as a command without a choice of saying 'no'.
"I'm here to watch you, not be your servant, Joshua.", Neku spoke, crossing his arms, stealing himself a tissue to put over his mouth until he could find surgical masks around here if Mr. H. ever wore them when he was sick. W-Wait, how could the Composer get sick, isn't he higher than mortal diseases or some crap like that. "Hey, Josh…"
"If you're wondering why I'm ill, its simple. My life is the exact same of yours only the years are stretched out much, much farther in Composer years. Every once in a while, I'll get sick with the cold too, see? Now, my water?", he smiled, cutting him off, almost like he was to wait on him hand and foot. Like Hell, was he gonna do that!
"No, go get it yourself or with your Composer powers or something!"
"Ooh, how cruel Neku, refusing my illness and telling me something like that…", he faked a sob, and damn, was that convincing if he was an actor. However, Neku knew better than that to believe anything he'd say. "Oh, come on, please? I'm asking nicely, Neku.", Joshua frowned, not getting through with that one. Neku turned away, just as defiantly as the Composer had downstairs.
"N-Neku…", Joshua took in a gasp before he choked forwards suddenly, coughing violently, much more than what he had downstairs. His paler hands clutched at his chest through the fabric of his shirt. Neku panicked and ran down stairs for a glass, coming back up quickly, almost slipping on what remained of Joshua's soup as he climbed the flight of stairs. He rushed into the room, handing him the glass, his heartbeat was quick, and his breathe hitched, trying to catch it. Joshua looked up at him, from his slumped over position, a hand still to the point of tearing the front of his shirt off but it relaxed and felt to his lap as the other one took the glass from Neku's near shaking hand. "Oh, thank you, my dear Proxy, I was completely parched and had to take my medicine. Hee hee…", he turned towards his nightstand opposite of the Composer's other side and grabbed the two capsules of cold medicine before popping them into his mouth and drinking down the glass of water in one shot, mostly because he wanted to, also because if he didn't, Neku'd splash it in his face.
"… Joshua… You bastard, I thought you were seriously choking!!", Neku yelled, so much so, the dragons on the walls and ceiling flinched unlike the Composer. Neku just watched as he smiled at him.
"Yes, but just look at it this way. Now that I've taken my medicine and I've gotten plenty of fluids as doctor's orders, I'll be just better in no time and the sooner I'm better, the sooner you'll never have to see my face again!", Joshua had a point, once he was better, he didn't have to see him anymore. His fist clenched as he stormed off to find a surgical mask to keep away from Joshua's virus in the bathroom across the hallway. Digging through underneath the sink to find one. He snapped it over his nose and mouth before coming back inside, being careful of Joshua's wall serpents. Neku went over to the computer desk and stole the rolling chair there and took a seat, helping himself, finding not a single reason to ask permission.
"Why don't you just go to sleep, you need the rest.", he figured if he could convince him to sleep, Neku could try to find a back door out of here. Joshua just set the glass on the nightstand and looked at him with the cocky little smirk, even sick he had that insufferable attitude.
"No, I'll be fine. Besides, it seems that we've got a little visitor at my window.", Joshua's bloodshot dark violet eyes moved to the window where Neku saw something scratching at the glass, sitting on the windowsill. It was that cat, the weird rainbow colored one! "Neku, could you please let him in? He's dreadfully lonely.", Joshua asked and it actually sounded like a request. Why not, if it was his cat. Wait, since when did Joshua have a cat?! Neku wouldn't trust him with a goldfish, let alone anything with fur! Neku stood up from his chair, it rolled back a bit as he walked towards the window, pulling the black drapes away before unlatching the window and pulling it up. The colorful feline jumped in at the moment the space was big enough for him to squeeze through, getting a running start to hop up onto Joshua's lap. It was still so weird looking, with the kitten's nose a bright red, to orange ears, the yellow scruff of his neck, turning into a green color. From the green, it was blue, to indigo, and the tip of his tail was violet fur.
"Your cat's rainbow colored, Josh…", Neku stated the obvious though Josh didn't exactly mind. A hand passing from the top of the cat's head to the tip of his tail.
"Yeah, I know, that's because I'm sick. Shibuya's minor things, like size, shape, and color, tend to change whenever I'm sick, usually when I sneeze and lose my grip on Shibuya. A matter I'll fix when I'm better.", he answered him, the multi colored cat laying down on the Composer's lap, Neku could hear it purring as Joshua's fingers curled underneath his chin.
"But, why don't you fix it now? I mean, why would you be comfortable petting your cat when he's all… flashy?", Neku asked, pulling the window back down and locking it again before going back to his seat. He put a hand into his pocket, eyes drawn to the odd sight.
"But I'm still sick, I know I'll be sneezing still, why fix something that you know is going to break again? Besides, how many people can say their cat's all the colors of the rainbow? Hee hee…", he leaned back onto his pillow, the kitten crawling up onto his chest, looking at him before making a mewling sound.
"What's his name?", Neku asked curious as the cat looked up at his with bright yellow eyes.
"Neku Jr.", Joshua smirked as a giggle escaped his lips as Neku frowned. Neku Jr. ? He named it after him? "Why, you don't like it, he looks so much like you normally. Orange fur, and he's so affectionate, aren't you, Neku, dear?", the cat meowed at his owner's question, answering him. At least that Neku was happy being called 'dear'. Junior looked up at Neku with nearly the same expression as he had looking at the cat, which was less than happy but not exactly angry at anything. "See the resemblance? He's like our little baby.", Neku gave a gasp at the comment.
"Excuse me?! Since when?!", Neku had reeled back, nearly tipping himself backwards on the chair and hitting his head against the wall or the floor. Luckily, he didn't but the noise seemed to startle Neku Jr. and the serpents as they shifted away, collecting on the ceiling. The rainbow tabby dug his tiny sharp claws into Joshua's chest and stomach, tearing the fabric away before jumping off and going to hide underneath his bed which knocked the wind out of him, causing a cough. Once the commotion ended and everything was calm, Neku was the only thing worrying. "J-Josh, sorry, I…", Neku apologized, he shouldn't have made such a loud noise like that and scared Neku Jr. Joshua held his sleeve to his mouth as he cleared his throat.
"Don't yell, now Neku Junior's hidden under the bed and the serpents are snippy. Don't get close to the walls if you know what's good for you.", Joshua sighed, Neku felt bad, just because he wasn't forgiving Joshua, doesn't mean he should make him feel any worse, especially when he was sick! He ran a hand over his torso where the cat jumped off of. Was he in pain? "Neku, go and get me another shirt, in my dresser, this one's ruined.", Neku still felt a little guilty, the least he could do was get him another shirt. He stood, seeing the Composer's cat's violet tail, stiff with its fur sticking up, still partly shocked and trying to calm down.
"Y-Yeah, sure… Top drawer, right?", Neku walked over to the dresser, going into the top drawer. Neku's cheeks went red as he slammed it shut, earning a giggle from the boy behind him, obviously knowing what was in there.
"Oh, my Neku, taking a peek into my underwear drawer, how naughty of you…"
"S-Shut up, you didn't tell me where the hell your underpants were!", Neku spoke in almost an angry whisper. Hoping not to scare anything on the walls or under the bed. Joshua didn't raised or lower his voice at all as he faked that flirty tone. A perfected art of the Composer.
"If you wanted them, you could have just asked, with a little begging of course. Hee hee…", Joshua lifted his arms over his head, pulling off what was left of his poor shirt, left in tatters as he tossed it off into a waste basket that was half full of discarded tissues by his bed. Neku pulled through several different drawers until he found Joshua's shirts, tossing him whatever was closest to his hand, a white button up shirt like the first. Was that all he wore? Neku really had no say, seeing as he wore similar outfits a lot too. It landed in his hand as he glanced at it then Neku. He swore, another word and he was going to burst a blood vessel and die all over again! He glared at Joshua, hoping with enough thought, he'd drop dead. Joshua just grinned towards his proxy. Here it comes…
"Just put the shirt on…", he spoke through his gritted teeth.
"As much as I'd love to, I'd appreciate it if you'd not stare at me with your mind in the gutter.", he flashed that smirk, long fingers undoing the buttons before spilling it on and redoing them again. Just like him to overcomplicate things, rather than pulling it over his head. Once he left the last two buttons on the top alone, he sighed. "Looking at me, wanting my underwear, thinking those kinds of thing about me, you should be ashamed, Neku.", he giggled that horrible, insane giggle of his.
"Must… Resist… Homicidal… Impulse…" , Neku was about to kill him if he hadn't promised Mr. H. Then again… No, he'd much rather not go to jail. Neku resisted whatever decision to hurt Joshua and calmed, to some degree. "I don't want your boxers, you bastard! Jeez, what's wrong with you?!", Neku spoke louder, though still hushed, though still angry beyond his understanding.
"Well, let's see, a sore throat, a bit of a cough, runny nose, and the sniffles. Not to mention these…", he answered, pointing to his chest, tiny scratches on his chest and stomach from Junior's claws. It looked like it hurt. Or at least was a slight inconvenience, a snarky grin over his deathly pale face. Neku grit his teeth and tried to endure, Mr. H owed him so much for this… Joshua was basically pounding his head into concrete! Neku saw some bandages in the bathroom getting the surgical mask. That and some disinfectant next to it. May as well, though he was doing it himself, Neku wasn't dressing his wounds for him, Hell no.
"Fine, hang on, I'll be right back…", the orange haired teen left the room to the bathroom across the hall, going down to the bottom shelves to find them. Ah ha! A couple rolls of bandages and the disinfectant spray! He stood up, with the two in hand before coming back into the Composer's bedroom, using his foot to close the door half way out of habit. Joshua was surprised, inside, his smirk on his lips. He didn't expect Neku to come back with dressings for such tiny little scratches. He could say something like 'aw, how sweet of you, my dear proxy!' but no. He'd hold off, give him a break. Just this once though. "Here. Do it yourself, I'm not going anywhere near you, let alone with a cold!", he tossed both the bottle and the bandages onto the Composer's lap and crossed his arms, on head going to adjust the mask on his face first before meeting with the inside of his elbow.
"Alright, if you insist. You need to do better, some nurse you are. Hee hee…", Neku could be heard scoffing at the comment. He wasn't his nurse, nor was he going to be once he was better and Mr. H. came back to unlock the door. Joshua used the disinfectant first before wrapping the bandages himself, though, he need help holding onto one end which Neku was forced to at least, still ticked off at… everything. "There we go. All done.", he grinned, not bothering with a 'thank you' for helping.
"Sleep. Now.", he spoke through his seething and balled fists, ready to punch his lights out to get his rest if Neku needed to, or not.
"Whatever you say, Nurse Neku! Hee hee…", he let out one more giggle before pulling the sheets over his shoulder and snuggling into his overstuffed pillow. Within a few minutes, Joshua was fast asleep. Neku seated again, yeah, he could have gone back downstairs but, a part of him, just a tiny, tiny bit missed that snarky attitude of his. Why? A month of Hell and back through his hometown. Three games, watching people be erased, watching his friends suffer for a bet that would determine the very existence of Shibuya itself. His murderer, sick with a common cold, who'd brought him into the Reaper's Game, shot him in cold, cold blood. He never had a single bit of remorse, did he? He… Never even… Apologi…
"…", Neku had eventually fallen asleep, his head fell backwards on the spine of the chair, horrible position unless you wanted a stiff neck in the morning but Neku had had a hard time sleeping lately. Probably all the crap from the Game. Joshua's violet eyes opened, to see that Neku was sleeping. Clumsily and failing at it completely, looking like he was going to fall off the chair any second now. The Composer couldn't help but let out a snicker as Neku began to mumble something.
"… J-Joshua… Don't…kill me… Please…", Joshua felt a tug at his deeply buried heartstrings. He sat up, propping himself with one hand. A nightmare. Not a particularly good one either. He lifted himself from bed, slipping his light blue fuzzy slippers on his feet before going up to the sleeping Neku. He looked at his face, worried and scared without seeing his eyes. Joshua could do something about it… If he wanted to.
"Hmm, stuck at a crossroads, indeed…", Joshua muttered to himself. Fine, just as thanks for helping while he was sick. Joshua placed a silent gentle kiss to Neku's forehead and smiled as the mumbling faded to quiet sleeping breaths.
The Next Morning
Neku was at home, Mr. H. had come back earlier that morning and let him out. Joshua was feeling 'oh so much better all thanks to Nurse Neku'. That night with him, he slept pretty well, unlike lately. He was so glad to be out of there, it sucked waiting on Josh left and right, even worse was--
"Achoo! Ugh…", Neku sneezed. Apparently, he'd caught Joshua's cold somehow. But how? He barely touched him! Ugh… Neku felt terrible. Shiki had called earlier and asked for him to go see a movie with her, Eri, Beat, and Rhyme but he had to obviously decline. The bland young lady even offered to come over and take care of him, he heard the other three chip their two cents in too. Eri wanting to try a recipe for colds that she learned from her grandmother, Beat wanted him to stop making excuses and get his ass over to the theater, Rhyme told him that Neku was telling the truth and that he felt really bad and needed to get rest and then spouted off some saying to keep plenty of rest. Like he didn't know that but it was nice to her to say. Neku sneezed again and ended with a short coughing fit. His head was pounded and tissues littered his floor and bed spread. He was bent over a vaporizer, head under a towel to catch the steam to open his sinuses. It didn't work very well though. He'd already taken a dose of Tylenol for colds but it wasn't working fast enough and he still felt like shit! He could hear his mother downstairs, making him some soup to drink until the door bell rang. He heard his mom answer it downstairs and heard a familiar, highly unexpected and unwanted voice.
"I heard from Shiki that Neku was sick and I wanted to give him some company."
"Oh, Neku's just upstairs, the first door to the right. But, how do you know my son?"
"We met in Udagawa when he was staring at CAT's work. We just hit it off like the best of friends. Hee hee…", Neku's mother could be heard saying 'Oh' in understanding before leading him to the stairs and going back to the kitchen to tend to the pot. Approaching footsteps… Getting louder as they came up the stairs… No. No. No!! The door clicked open as the knob turned.
"He wouldn't dare…", Neku thought, screaming it in his throbbing head. He pulled he towel off his head, gripping it in his fingers.
"Hey, Neku!"
"Get away, you prissy little snot!!", Neku yelled, moving backwards on his bed before he fell from it, landing on his back, the towel drifting its way onto his face.
"Get well soon. Hee hee."
