Faithless Servant
Fandom: TWEWY
Pairing: Joshua/Neku (I know, shocker)
Summary: Aspiring songwriter and composer Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryuu hates the fact he has to do an office job to keep himself alive. So when Beat informs him that his place of employment is looking for a musician to entertain their boss, he jumps at the chance. If only he knew…
Note: This is a gift-fic for Night-the-Dragon, coz she's been going through some rough times lately. So here you go, girl; enjoy.
"Ugh…" Joshua groaned as he dropped his suitcase on the ground and then lifelessly flopped down on the bed. "Finally…" he mumbled into his pillow. "I thought the day would never end…"
This was certainly not what he had studied for so diligently over the years, but he didn't have much of a choice; there was just no real need for real musicians anymore when all music was basically produced by computer, anyway. This left him at a small office job that barely paid the rent, meaning he had to take like three extra jobs on the side in order to make ends meet.
After sighing into his pillow, Joshua stood up and headed for his kitchen to fix dinner. He didn't have a lot of food left, he knew; he'd have to go shopping soon. Shaking the matter off, he took out some pasta leftovers from the day before, scooped out like half of the tub and into a plate, and then stuffed into the microwave to heat up for a few minutes.
And then his phone rang.
"Oh for Christ's sake…" Joshua mumbled, before mentally slapping himself. He hated referencing his own (or more specifically his parents') religion, mostly because of everything that was going on nowadays. After shaking the thought away again, he picked up his cellphone and picked up without looking who was calling and putting it to his ear. "Kiryuu."
"Yo, Josh! 'Sup, man?"
"Beat…" Somehow he wasn't surprised. "Nothing really new; just the same old, same old. Yourself?"
Truthfully, he couldn't give a damn about his old schoolmate, but he supposed it was only fair to ask.
"Doin' arrite. Was jus' gettin' ready for work when I realized I had ta ask ya somethin', yo."
"…Wait. Getting ready for work? Beat, it's now…" Pause to pull his phone away and check the time. "20:36. You're only just going to work?!"
"Well… I got what you'd call 'graveyard shift', yanno… but anyway! Look, the big boss here's been really… well, annoyed, lately… See, he's lookin' for someone ta play him a few classic tunes during work, so I thought, hey, yanno, I know someone fer that!"
"…Classic tunes?"
"Yeah! Yanno… on piano and all that jazz, yo!"
That sounded almost too good to be true… If what Beat was saying was correct then that would mean he could actually spend his days doing what he wanted instead of what he had to.
"Anyway, I told the brass I was gonna ask ya to come by tonight but I forgot… heheh…"
Go figure; that was typically Beat. He was actually tempted to just not go and get Beat in a load of trouble because of it, but…
"Sigh… Fine, fine… I'll be ready in about twenty minutes. Just make sure you're here by then."
"Arrite! Ya won't regret this, yo!"
"Better not…" he mumbled, before hanging up without giving Beat the chance to say anything else.
Once the situation had sunk in, though, Joshua sighed again.
"Guess I better tidy up…"
By the time Joshua had finished dinner, freshened up, Beat had picked him up, and they had gotten to Beat's workplace, it was well past sundown and Joshua was a little bit tired, though he was sure a cup of coffee would fix that soon enough. All in all, Beat's workplace wasn't that bad; he had a lot of half-decent colleagues, and a handful of better ones, according to the blonde himself, and the barista giving away coffee (whom everyone simply called "Mr. H") was pleasant enough to talk to. It was definitely a place he could grow to like.
"Bossman ain't here, yet, yo," Beat said after he came back from looking for his "boss" to discuss Joshua's potential recruitment. "Nothin' new there, heh. He's like a vamp; always comin' out after sundown and all that."
Joshua didn't respond to that one; he wasn't about to inform his friend that he actually had a pathological fear of vampires, regardless of whether they were real or not. It was the concept alone that terrified him. There was just something terrifying about creatures that drank your blood and could either turn you into one of them or into a ghoul. He definitely did not want to end up that way. And while he supposed it didn't really matter since vampires didn't really exist, the idea alone sent shivers down his spine.
"Oh! There he is! Yoooo! Bossman! Over here, yo!"
Joshua winced as he rubbed his ear from the shout, while he stared at Beat for being so casual with his employer. If he did that with his own employer, he'd be fired immediately. Once his ears had stopped ringing, he turned around to face Beat's "boss".
Shockingly, the pale man approaching them was roughly their own age, around Joshua's height with red hair that was styled back (with gel, he assumed) and dark sapphire eyes that seemed to regard the world with a sense of eternal indifference. He wore a very classy, though somewhat old-fashion business suit, complete with cravat and gloves, which gave him an air of authority.
'Damn, he is hot!' Joshua found himself thinking, and he had to greatly resist the urge to hungrily lick his lips. No one was supposed to know he was into men, after all, and the last thing he needed to do was to lust after a (potential) employer. And that was another reason why he hated brining up his religion; many in that circle seemed to hold a bad view of same-sex relations of any kind.
The man regarded Joshua quietly, and his blue eyes moved over his face, and it made the silverette a bit uncomfortable; it was like he was being checked out even though his eyes did not stray from his face.
"So here he is!" Beat said with a bright grin as he slapped Joshua's shoulder, much to the shorter's chagrin. "This here's J and-"
"If you don't mind, Beat, I can handle my own introduction, thank you," Joshua said as he slipped Beat's hand off. After a moment of collecting his thoughts, he turned to the redhead with a small smile (that he hoped didn't come off as too cheeky) and said as he held out his hand: "Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Yoshiya Kiryuu, but Mother and Father call me Joshua."
The man regarded Joshua for a few moments, before he quietly lifted his hand and shook Joshua's. "…Neku Sakuraba," he said solemnly, and Joshua noticed that he barely opened his mouth when he spoke.
Joshua allowed his smile to expand a little bit, but not overly much. Didn't want to give off the wrong impression, after all.
"Arrite, I'll get back to work then, yo," Beat said suddenly, and then he practically bolted for what Joshua assumed was his place.
"…typical…"
Joshua blinked and turned to look to Neku, who had a hand on his hip now, his eyes shut as he turned a lock of hair in between his fingers. He had to make a big effort to not try and reach for his hair and move the hair away, so he quickly stuffed his hands in his back pockets.
After the redhead sighed softly and finally turned back to Joshua. "…this way…" he said with a slight tilt of his head, before he walked off.
"Yes sir," Joshua chuckled as he walked after, doing his best to not look down at the man's ass.
"…here," Neku said as he opened the door to an office room, and then walked in, shortly followed by Joshua.
As Joshua stepped into the room, his gaze immediately fell on the grand piano that sat in the back of the room and he actually felt his heart speed up anxiously. It was beautiful and he could tell it had been well taken care of, and it made his fingers twitch with the desire to play it.
Suddenly there was a touch to his chin and his jaw was lifted so that his teeth clacked together, followed by a soft voice saying: "…you're catching flies."
As the words registered, Joshua blushed lightly, which he tried to mask by ducking his head down. After quickly clearing his throat, he said: "My apologies. I've just… not seen such a…" He hesitated there, not sure how it would be taken, before he decided honesty was the best route in the long run. "…such a beautiful piano in an office. I mean no offense, sir, but it is… rather surprising, to be fair…"
"…I guess…" Neku admitted with a small shrug. "So… you play a bit?"
Joshua thought the man came off as just a little bit unsure there, but that could just be him. "Yes, I do. …may I?"
Okay, now he sounded unsure, but he had a legitimate reason to; you don't just get behind someone else's piano to play it. That was just rude.
"…sure."
Joshua tried to contain his giddiness, but it definitely wasn't easy. He was able to walk to the piano calmly enough, but once he sat down, his fingers were almost trembling from his ever-growing desire to play. He hadn't touched a piano in over 4 years, but the urge to play it had never dissipated, and now that it was within his reach, he felt almost like a child on Christmas morning.
As he let his fingers rest upon the ivory keys, he almost shuddered at the familiar feeling. He tried to suppress it, he really did, but finally he could no longer help himself as a smile played over his face and he shut his eyes, before he pressed down.
His fingers moved on their own accord, and as a familiar tune filled his mind, he let his fingers glide across the ivory. He didn't even know what song he was playing and he really didn't care; he just played whatever came to mind.
When he finally stopped, he almost jumped out of his skin when Neku began to clap his hands in applause, which made him more acutely aware of what he'd been doing. Somehow he was able to suppress an embarrassed blush as he turned to the redhead with a small cheeky smile and a bow from his waist without getting up from his seat.
"…impressive," Neku murmured, again without opening his mouth more than he really had to.
Joshua allowed a chuckle. "Glad to know my skills haven't diminished over time."
Neku only hummed in response.
When the man offered no other conversation, Joshua decided to risk it. "So… do I pass?"
"…" Neku stared him down for a moment more, before he shrugged absently. "I suppose so…"
It wasn't what he had been hoping to hear, but it was close enough, and Joshua could not have been happier.
Working at the company "Senbonzakura" took a lot more adjusting than Joshua would've thought; like Beat, he had to work the nightshift, as he was only there to keep the big boss's mood up with his playing. Not that he didn't like playing the piano, but he had to give up his other job in order to "work" there full-time. He wasn't complaining, of course, but again, it took some time to get used to.
He often got requests from Neku to play particular songs, but other times the man actually allowed him to play his own songs and just compose as he worked. In the end, it seemed he didn't mind what kind of music was playing in the background, as long as there was some form of background noise. At least, that was the impression that Joshua was getting from the redhead.
The longer he worked there, though, the more he began to realize why everyone joked that Neku was a vampire, though.
Not only was Neku almost deathly pale, he showed no desire to go out and do something about it; any requests from his employers and "close friends" to go to town after work were shot down almost immediately. On top of that, he only worked after sundown until a few hours before daybreak, with his office dead center in the building without a single window, leaving him in some sort of small box. Joshua had also never seen him eat anything; usually he only drank a cup of coffee that Mr. H brought by on occasion.
It all made Joshua more and more curious about his new boss… and with that curiosity came the expected attraction.
Neku was attractive, there was really no way around that one, but Joshua had to keep his feelings locked up for fear of retribution from those around him. Even if most people were actually okay with his sexual orientation, the thought of being scrutinized for something, anything, really, made him retreat into a shell, hiding from the world even if he kept up his cheery appearance.
On top of that, despite their close… 'friendship', he supposed, Neku had not shown any interest in any sort of relation with Joshua (or anyone) in the slightest, which made him even more unsure of himself…
He resisted the urge to sigh at his predicament. He wanted to have a normal life (as much as possible, anyway), but at the same time he wanted to have a good, healthy relationship with a person he loved…
Unfortunately, that latter was leaning more and more toward Neku, which could endanger the former very much so…
What was he supposed to do?
"Mornin', J," Mr. H called out as he approached. "You're early."
"Morning, Mr. H," Joshua returned with a nod and a wave. "Yeah, as you know, there's the meeting in a few minutes, so I figured I may's well help in getting all the drinks ready."
"Ah. Well, I appreciate it; this one might be important, and the Boss's been really looking down 'bout something or another… may's well try to keep his mood up, eh?"
It was no secret that, while the company was doing quite well, Neku had been looking almost worried whenever someone spoke about future plans for it. It made people question things and worry for their jobs, for despite the odd hours at which some people worked, they still loved their jobs there. Even Joshua felt the pressure looming overhead, and while he was able to keep it mostly hidden, he really didn't want to give his job there up.
"…Hey, Mr. H?" Joshua asked suddenly as they worked on the coffee and tea.
"Hm?"
"You've heard the rumors, right? About Sakuraba-san?"
While he and Neku were on a first name basis behind closed doors, Joshua still made sure to be polite outside of the office, lest people get the wrong idea.
"About him being a vampire, ya mean?" Mr. H asked back with a small chuckle. "Yeah, I've heard. It's a silly little rumor, which is prolly why the Boss sees no reason to disprove it."
"I suppose so…"
"Heh… worried for your neck there?"
"Oh please," Joshua chuckled, despite how his hand itched to reach for his neck to guard it from… whatever. "I'm just curious why people seem to believe it so firmly."
"Oh, I don't think they really believe it…" Mr. H pointed out. "They might just take the whole thing as a joke and nothing more."
"Probably. And it's not like they can prove he is a vampire, hm?"
"…Maybe not… and maybe they can."
"Hm?"
"Isn't it obvious? All you'd have to do is mix some blood in his drink."
"Excuse me?!"
"Haha. Easy, kiddo, I'm joking."
Joshua wasn't so sure… Mr. H was sometimes VERY difficult to read, and it was hard to tell when he was kidding and when he was serious. Of course, when he was really serious, it was easy to tell.
And he could've been wrong… but for a split second, he had actually looked serious.
Joshua, for a long moment, considered the cups he carried on the tray. The ones he carried now were all for the higher ranked people, and one of them was for Neku (easily distinguishable by the CAT design mug).
The longer he thought back on Mr. H's words, the more and more tempting it was to follow through with his idea. Why, he didn't even know, because of course, vampires don't exist, but it would be so easy, really… just cut yourself and drop some blood into the cup. Even if it was a few drops, a real vampire would notice it. And if he wasn't, then nothing would change…
Joshua bit his lip, before he sighed and moved to the side, setting his tray on a nearby table. After he made sure that no one was around, he pulled out a piece of paper and brought it to his finger. He took a moment to breathe in, and then snapped the paper across his finger, resisting the urge to cry out as the paper tore through the skin.
A thin line of red formed, and then a drop of blood escaped the cut. For a moment longer, Joshua actually hesitated, but, finally, he held his finger over Neku's cup and squeezed his own finger, making the drop fall from his finger and into the brown liquid, followed by several more.
'Well… no going back now…' Joshua thought to himself as he put his finger to his mouth to lick the injury and prevent it from bleeding further. 'Not like it'll do anything, but oh well.'
After picking up the tray again, Joshua moved to the meeting room. He briefly (and carefully) balanced the tray against his hip so he could knock and open the door, before he walked in with a polite "Pardon the intrusion."
Thankfully, Mr. H had put small labels at the bottom of each cup so Joshua knew who had which coffee without having to interrupt anyone. He didn't know everyone by name yet, especially those higher up on the ladder, but based on the few he did know he was able to figure out the ones he didn't know. He did save Neku's for last, though; not just because of what he'd done, but also because he was at the far end of the table.
Neku gave him a small nod upon receiving his mug and said very little else. Which Joshua had kind of expected, as that was usually how they acted when other people were around.
With how withdrawn Neku sometimes acted, Joshua just couldn't resist trying to coax some sort of reaction out of the redhead, even though the man was his superior. This left him with very limited options on trying to get Neku out of his shell without crossing the line. Still, he liked to believe they were developing a good enough bond together, if only because Joshua's music seemed to greatly calm Neku down during the day.
Joshua liked to believe that he knew Neku a little better than most others.
Once everyone had had their coffee or tea, Joshua bowed politely and headed for the door. But as he went, he glanced over from the corner of his eyes, as Neku brought his cup to his mouth and blew away the steam. Against his will, his stomach twisted itself into knots as Neku placed the cup to his mouth and then tilted it back, but he swiftly shook it off and took hold of the doorknob.
"…Joshua."
The silverette froze in alarm when he heard his name being called, before he turned around, trying to look as cool as usual. "Yes, sir?" he chirped, giving his familiar, cheeky smile at the redhead.
"…did Mr. H put something in the coffee?" he asked solemnly, regarding Joshua through half-shut eyes.
"Hm? Nnnooo, I don't think so… I didn't see him do it, anyway. Why? Does it taste weird?" Joshua asked innocently, even though his heart was pounding against his chest and the rapid flow of blood was making his paper cut pulse as the blood tried to come out through the thin separation of his skin again. To prevent it, he quickly curled his fingers into a fist and tucking his hand in his back pocket.
"…hm…"
That was all the answer Neku seemed prepared to give as he instead went back to his coffee, taking slow, leisurely sips.
"…Alright; I'll just be off then."
And as Joshua closed the door behind him, the ashen-haired male released a heavy sigh and reached up to his forehead to wipe the forming sweat away. 'Damn… of course he'd notice something was different… anyone would…'
After a moment of just breathing, Joshua headed back toward Neku's office. He'd be expected there before long, after all.
"Yoo! J!"
Joshua blinked, before he stopped and turned to Beat as the blonde hurried over. "Hm? Something wrong, Beat?"
"Well… maybe… I dunno… thing is… uh…" Beat hesitated for a moment before he let out a cry of frustration and decided to just come to the point. "Look, can ya talk to the Boss 'bout… yanno… keeping the company? If he actually DOES sell things and breaks the company up.."
"I know… hundreds of people will be out of work…" Joshua sighed.
The rumor had been going around for a while now; despite how the company was doing well, it seemed to be becoming too much for Neku to handle and there were serious plans to simply sell all of the company's stocks for what they were and just rip the company apart from the inside. And with the shitty economy these days, hundreds of people would be out of a job.
"Yeah… look, the Boss likes you… so try and get him to reconsider, a'ight yo?"
"…Yeah… I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks, man! Do your best, yo!"
'Why do I feel like I'm going to have to make a HUGE sacrifice to make things work out?'
Joshua hummed softly as he leafed through the various scores he had brought, considering which one to play next, though he kept a close eye from under his bangs on Neku, who was hard at work, one hand to his chin as the other flipped through some files. The man hadn't said a word upon his return from the meeting and he'd gone straight back to work, and Joshua hadn't wanted to disturb him too much.
The silence, however, was starting to get to him, and he had to break it, and soon.
He took a small breath and prepared to open his mouth…
"…Joshua."
"…! Ah… yes?"
"…are you married?"
Joshua froze in surprise. That was sudden…
"Um… n-no, I'm not married," he replied finally, looking down at his music sheets to hide how much the question bothered him.
His social status wasn't for lack of trying; the problem was because of his sexual orientation and his parents' dislike for the very fact that it was even accepted by anyone now. Even now, when his father (the one most against same-gender relations) was gone, he was still hesitant to come out to his family, as little as it was by now.
"…girlfriend?"
"Ah… no."
"…boyfriend?"
Joshua choked on his own saliva and he coughed several times before he could speak again. "Um uh… n-no… no boyfriend, either."
"…I see…"
Joshua took a deep breath once he was able to breathe properly again, he gulped and decided to continue the conversation, despite feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"What about yourself? Are you married?"
"…not anymore…"
"Oh… My apologies. …divorce?" The following silence was enough of an answer to the question. "…I see… my condolences…"
"…hm…"
Though he was a bit surprised that Neku had been married before, he supposed it wasn't really so strange when he thought about it. With the rapid decline of marriages (and consequently the swift decline in births) mostly due to people being unable to take a break from work in order to date with anyone, it wasn't so strange to see a couple of arranged marriages, even in this day and age. Neku's might've been one of those…
"…Do you have children?" Joshua asked after a while, genuinely curious.
"…no…"
The silverette wanted to continue the conversation, but wasn't sure how. He bit his lip in thought, shifting his song sheets.
"…do you have family?"
"Ah…! Um, just my mother now. She moved to Shinjuku a few years ago."
…Why was he telling his boss that?
"…I see… are you close?"
"We've… been closer, I suppose… I still care for her… but we've, I suppose grown apart is the best term for it."
"…hm…"
"What of yourself? Do you have family living nearby?"
"…no…"
"…no? Not even your parents?"
"…I have no one…"
"…no one? What about friends?"
"…"
"I… I'm sorry…"
Joshua wasn't sure what pushed him to do it, but he stood up from his seat, walked over to Neku's, and then wrapped his arms around his shoulders from behind. He felt the man tense up in surprise, but he didn't pull away, so Joshua decided not to do so, either.
After a long moment of silence, though…
"…you cut yourself?"
"Hm?" Joshua moved his hand and realized he had actually cut his finger (likely on the music sheets) yet again, and it was beginning to bleed quite badly. "Ah, I suppose so… Sorry, I'll just-"
But before he could pull away, Neku suddenly took hold of his hand and then, without warning, put Joshua's cut finger between his lips, and then (unashamedly) ran his tongue along the bleeding cut. The silverette's jaw dropped as his boss' tongue then proceeded to curl around his finger in a way that was almost erotic, as his lips closed around the single digit and the hand holding his own pushed it further in.
Joshua's other hand instinctively curled into the fabric of Neku's jacket, as the soft material of the man's gloves smoothed over the skin of his hand, as if to reassure him that this was alright. He wanted to pull away, yet at the same time, he wanted to prolong it for as long as possible. Worst off was that this was affecting him in a way that was likely considered to be very inappropriate… especially with his boss.
After what felt like forever, Neku slowly - so slowly - pulled Joshua's finger back out, lapping at the cut one more time before he released it from between those devilishly heavenly lips, and he raised his head silently to face Joshua, his expression as distant as ever. And Joshua, for the life of him, couldn't bring himself to say anything in response.
Thankfully, he was saved from having to say anything, as there was a sudden knock on the door, drawing Neku's attention and letting Joshua snap his arms away and move back to the piano, facing away from the door so that whoever was coming in couldn't see he was in any way uncomfortable.
It did take him about five minutes to realize he was holding the music sheets upside-down, though.
"Dammit…" Joshua mumbled, running a hand through his hair as he walked through the underground garage to his car. 'I didn't get a chance to talk to Neku about the company today… I can't leave it for long…'
As he sighed and pushed his hands in his pockets, he tried to ignore the memory of what had happened before, but the more he tried not to, the more he did think of it. He bit his lip as his brain made up what could have happened, which mostly revolved around him spinning his boss's chair around, after which he would climb on his lap to replace his finger with his tongue as he wrapped his arms firmly around his shoulders, as Neku's hands settled on his hips and helped him to move them.
"Goddammit!" he hissed as he slapped himself to his forehead. "I must be way too tired… urgh…"
As he reached for his keys, though, a soft touch to his arm had him yowling in alarm and whirling around. "Oh for…! Ah… Neku… s-sorry… I didn't… I didn't hear you there."
What was his boss even doing down in the garage? This was the first time he'd ever run into him down here…
Neku's expression was the same as usual in the limited lighting of the garage… but there was something there that Joshua didn't recognize. It was as if… as if his eyes were somehow much brighter than he remembered them to be barely a few hours ago.
"…Joshua… you were bleeding when you brought the coffee… weren't you?"
The silverette tensed in alarm at the words. 'Wait… don' tell me…!'
"I might've…" he spoke casually, trying to weasel his way out of the conversation. "Paper cuts can be quite an annoyance when you deal with a lot of papers. Is that why you wear gloves at work, hm?"
"…you bled into the coffee… didn't you?"
"…!" Joshua's expression cracked a fraction just then, and he had to clamp his mouth shut before he said something stupid. "…Why… do you believe that, sir?"
Neku didn't speak in response, but as he stepped forward, Joshua instinctively stepped back, hitting the car parked behind him. His heart hammered in his chest as Neku stepped up even closer, almost trapping him there.
"…I really enjoyed your blood, Joshua…" Neku whispered suddenly, as he placed one hand against the car, and reached up with the other to move some of Joshua's bangs out of his eyes.
The words froze Joshua's being, as Neku's mouth actually curved up into a slow, almost lazy smile. There was just something… off, about it… "I-I… e-excuse me…?"
Neku's fingers gently caressed his cheek, as the other hand moved to Joshua's hip, as his smile turned into a soft smirk. "Your blood…" he breathed out, and it wasn't until the words had been said, Joshua realized that his mouth actually opened further than it ever had. "It's warm…" he murmured, as his fingers trailed down from Joshua's cheek to his jawline, "and very… delicious."
Joshua's eyes widened and his breath almost stopped as Neku's lips curled up then to accommodate the smirk. Because peeking over the lower lip… was a pair of fangs…
And then, as Neku tilted his head up softly, Joshua's entire being froze as the redhead whispered: "May I have more?"
Fear flowed through every inch of Joshua's frame, and sweat broke out over his body, unable to look away from the two sharp incisors that his mind told him were primed for his throat. His pulse was racing, and his breath was getting shorter as his fear began to take him over entirely. He tried to speak, but he could barely get a single syllable out.
"Why are you so afraid?" Neku murmured softly, as he stepped up even further and nearly crushed Joshua against the car with his own body, and Joshua's body shuddered as the man's leg gently but firmly pressed up against his crotch. "You seemed to be very willing earlier…"
Joshua wasn't entirely sure what Neku was referring to, but his body was already beginning to react to his boss's presence, and he had to make a big effort to not make a noise. Neku's fingers on his hip were now gently massaging his flesh through the material of his shirt, as the other hand tugged lightly on his tie, loosening it and gradually baring his throat. He pushed even closer then, and Joshua could feel the other's hot breath ghosting over his skin, and his body shuddered in a combination of anticipation and fear.
'This… this can't be… no… no no no… this… this is…!'
"Joshua… eyes up here," the man murmured then, and Joshua - obediently - lifted his eyes back to Neku's, which now seemed to almost radiate a gorgeous sea-blue that almost immediately calmed his frazzled nerves. "Why do you cry?" he breathed softly, as his gloved fingers smoothed over his skin, and it wasn't until then that he realized he'd been crying, as well. "Why are you so afraid?"
Joshua tried to move his jaw, tried to speak, but his fear was still holding him in its grip, even though Neku's calming gaze had taken out most of it.
Finally, a sound escaped his mouth…
"…v… va… vam…"
It was all he could get out, but it seemed to be enough for the redhead. His smirk dropped for a moment, before it returned as a soft smile. "Ah… is that it?" he murmured, as he reached up and tugged Joshua's chin back down again. "Then… perhaps this will ease your poor nerves…"
'W-wait… i-is he…? Oh god please tell me…'
Joshua never got the chance to finish the thought, as Neku then tugged his chin forward, and then their lips were touching and Joshua was in heaven. Soft, warm pressure against his mouth, a slippery but equally warm tongue playing along his lips and a soft hum urged him to open his mouth and come out and play. He moaned appreciatively as he let his mouth open and slipped his tongue out, meeting the redhead's and entangling with it as his hands lifted slowly and then curled into Neku's jacket for support, and as Neku pushed his leg more against his crotch, he whimpered wantonly.
Neku finally moved back again, and then began to gently lap his way across Joshua's jaw and then gradually down his throat. Joshua groaned softly, as Neku nipped at his throat in a way that was almost tenderly. He'd actually completely forgotten why he'd been so terrified earlier, until…
"Just relax…"
And then there was a sudden jab of pain along his throat and Joshua choked.
'Wh-wha…!? N… n-no…! I-I…!'
And then he couldn't even think as the pain faded away as swiftly as it had come and left behind a strange sense of contentment, followed by a wave of pleasure that shot down from his neck all the way down to his toes and the tips of his fingers. He might've whimpered, he might've groaned, but he really didn't know, and he found that he didn't even care.
Neku's warm tongue gently lapped across his neck one more time, before he slowly moved back with a satisfied moan, a content smile on his face as he reached for Joshua's face, making him face the redhead again. Joshua was breathing heavily now, and his gaze was almost glassy, as shudders overtook his body. Neku smiled at him then, and moved his hand from the silverette's cheek and into his hair, before once again pulling him in for a deep kiss, and Joshua could feel himself moaning in appreciation as his eyes fell shut and his hands moved up to the other man's shoulders for support.
After what felt like a short eternity that seemed to wrap Joshua in a blanket of warmth and utter bliss, Neku pulled away and stepped back, and Joshua heard himself whimper a wordless complaint. Neku merely smiled in response and took hold of Joshua's hand tenderly. "Come home with me…"
"…Yes…" Joshua breathed out, his fingers curling around Neku's softly… but just as suddenly, he seemed to almost snap awake and the entire situation came crashing down on him and he ripped his hand loose. "W-wait…! N-no…! I-I…!"
And then he ran.
He didn't know if Neku was following, but he didn't dare to stop and check, or even just look over his shoulder. He reached his car, but rather than get in, he ducked between his car and the next, and just breathed, hand to his heart in a desperate attempt to calm down. He swallowed heavily, and pressed his cheek to the cold metal, as his sweat beaded down his body.
When he was certain no one was following him, he opened the car door and clambered inside, and only once he'd shut and locked the door did he allow his thoughts to go back on what had happened.
'H-how…? How is this…?' Joshua trembled as he clutched the wheel and rested his forehead against it. 'This isn't… this shouldn't be happening… am… am I dreaming? I have to be… this has to be a bad dream… has to be… please…! Please let me wake up…! I want to wake up! Please!'
But no matter how long he remained there, he didn't "wake up", and he could still feel everything, from his own clammy hands clutching the steering wheel to his madly beating heart to his horribly trembling form. The sight of Neku's lips curling away to reveal a pair of fangs just wouldn't let him go, and his words echoed through his head continuously, and he squeezed his eyes shut to try and banish both, but found it to be impossible.
'I can't… I… why? Why?'
Joshua wasn't sure how he had come home, but he had, and the moment he had, he had gone straight to bed, shaking and terrified as he curled up under the blankets, wishing and praying for sleep to come and be dreamless, but he doubted it would be. For years he had convinced himself that his fear of vampires had been unfounded and unnecessary, as they were supposed to be made-up figures originally designed by Bram Stoker, but this… this…
He breathed in the familiar scent of his pillows and shut his eyes, willing himself to just go to sleep. And he prayed softly that, when he awoke, things would be better…
Soft breaths in his ear woke him, but he kept his eyes shut for a little while longer, though he smiled as he was gently rolled onto his back, remaining immobile before a gentle touch to his mouth urged him to move. He raised his hands and ran his hands along those warm, bared shoulders, tugging down and pressing his chest up against his lover's, his hands playing across the expanse of bare skin. He let his hands explore and then slip down further, pulling his lover closer as he suckled on his love's lower lip, enjoying the pleased moan this got him.
He moaned softly as his love's hips began to roll against his, and he reached down to fondle that lovely ass as he rolled his own hips upward, greatly enjoying the answering moan this got him. He smiled softly, almost cheekily, pulling way and moving to his lover's neck, gently nipping and suckling and enjoying the pleased noises so very much.
He wished for this to never end…
"Feel the people hear the voice
They are reaching out to catch you
Feel the rhythms hear the noises
You are beating all the visions"
Joshua groaned tiredly, pulling the pillow over his head and instinctively curling up. However, the song kept on going, and quickly shattered the remains of sleep, and he whimpered softly in annoyance. But even with the sleep chased away, Joshua found that he was still tired, as if he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. He tried to weakly reach for the source of the noise, but he was just too tired to reach it.
'Ugh… what's wrong with me?' Joshua moaned pitifully as he held his head in both hands as the noise finally stopped. 'Feel… like my head's full of cobwebs…' Wearily, he pushed up and looked around, barely able to keep his eyes open. He could barely see anything. 'Nrgh… almost like… withdrawal symptoms…'
Joshua fumbled around and finally found his phone. After squinting at it for a few minutes, he saw he'd missed five calls, and just as he went to look, he got a new message.
"Dude where are you?! It's midnight! You gotta get over here ASAP! Boss just demanded all the numbers! He's gonna tear us apart, dude!"
'Midnight… I… overslept…' Joshua whimpered as he clambered to his feet and then stumbled to the bathroom. 'What… what's wrong with me?' He turned on the shower as he undressed, before he stepped in, where he proceeded to lean against the wall, letting the water cascade down his back, soaking him throughout. 'I… I feel like shit… I feel… like I'm yearning for something very… very badly… but… I don't know what… but I need it…'
He stayed in the shower until the water turned cold, but even as he shut the water off, he didn't feel any better. In fact, he only seemed to be feeling worse than before. And a glance into the mirror confirmed as much; he looked like crap. He was pale, sweaty (despite the shower), his hair was messy and he had huge bags under his eyes.
He purposefully did not look to his throat; he didn't want to see what he feared he would find.
After briefly drying off, Joshua moved back and got dressed, though not in his suit. Instead, he grabbed his casual jeans and a pale blue button-up shirt, white ankle socks and his casual sneakers. He didn't know why he decided to wear casual clothes, but by the time he realized he had, he was already fully dressed with his car keys in hand.
It was probably a stupid idea to try driving in his state, but how else was he supposed to get to work?
He climbed into his car, spent a few moments wallowing in his own self-pity, before he started the car and silently drove off. It was dark out (with it being sometime after midnight, that was a given), and there were barely any cars out, so he didn't have to worry so much about accidentally hitting someone, but he still knew it was far from a smart idea to do.
'…wait…' Joshua frowned a bit wearily. 'Was that… the exit for work…?'
A second look confirmed that yes, it had been. He sighed softly, realizing he had to be more tired than he had expected, and made a mental note to take the next exit to fix his course.
…and he found himself passing that one by, too…
'What… what am I doing…?' he wondered in confusion as he found himself taking the fifth exit. 'Where am I going…?'
Joshua found himself blindly turning into the parking lot of what he believed to be a hotel, from his initial glance, at least. He parked his car, grabbed his keys, and mindlessly stepped out, walking up to the entrance as if drawn there by some strange, invisible force.
Once inside, he looked around the hall, unsure of what to do now, but after a moment of just standing there, he found himself walking up to the receptionist, a young brunette lady in what he believed to be the hotel's uniform, with a silver dragon pendant hanging around her neck.
When she noticed him approaching, she dropped her work and turned to him. "Hello. Can I help you?" she asked politely.
Joshua tried to speak, but when he did, he realized that he had no idea what to say, or even why he was there. He resisted the urge to groan as he brought his hand to his temples. "I'm… not sure…" he admitted finally. "I just… I just… ended up here and I…"
"Oh! Right!" the woman interrupted, ducking suddenly as she rummaged around in a drawer. As she straightened up again, she held out a keycard with a key attached to it by a chain. "Here you go. Just turn the key in the elevator and it'll take you up to the penthouse."
"…?"
Despite his confusion, Joshua nodded and took the keycard and key from her and began to move for the elevator. Once he got into the elevator, he quickly spotted the keyhole the receptionist had mentioned, and while he was somewhat uncertain, he put the key in and turned it anyway.
And then the elevator went up.
As Joshua waited for the elevator to reach the "penthouse", he reached for his head and wiped his bangs away. He breathed softly, trying to wake up a little more, but finding it to be almost impossible.
Ding
Joshua tensed as the elevator stopped, before he, without thinking twice about it, stepped toward the door and walked through as it slipped open.
The room was very luxurious, and had all the comforts that one would expect from anyone who just had too much money to spare and didn't know what else to do with it, and it made Joshua wonder who could be staying here.
"Welcome."
And in an instant, all cobwebs in his head were gone, as if he had just woken up.
"Y-you…!"
'Neku Sakuraba…!'
Joshua could barely breathe as he realized that the redhead was out of his suit as well, and instead wore some classy but still very loose pants, and an easy button-up shirt of his own, with only the middle button secured, showing off the man's bare, hairless chest to all who were to look at him. He was also not wearing his gloves, which revealed that he had five rings on each finger of his left hand, thumb included, with each one being different.
The look on Neku's face was the same as the one he had had back in the garage the day before, and it made Joshua's body tremble anxiously.
"You… you put a spell on me…!" Joshua breathed as the man walked up to him.
He remembered something he'd read once then; older vampires could manipulate their victims via mind control, even if they were nowhere near. It was one of the few things he had actually remembered from the little amount of movies and books about vampires he'd seen and read.
Neku's smile didn't even falter as he shrugged his shoulder once. "I suppose I did," he admitted unashamedly, before he reached out and gently took Joshua's hand. "Come walk with me," he murmured, and then tugged the silverette after him, who merely stumbled after him listlessly.
"W-wait…!" Joshua choked out, trying to pull his hand loose as he stumbled after. "Y-you can't just…! You can't just do whatever you want like that!"
"Can I not?" was Neku's immediate, bemused response. "Well, you must forgive me then… I may've slept through that ruling then…" At this point, Neku paused to look back at Joshua with a small smirk. "I am still used to having to train mortals to sit and beg."
Joshua froze in alarm, and he tried to speak, but his voice just wouldn't work. He knew he was shaking, there was no way he couldn't be shaking after what he'd just heard. He tried to speak, but nothing would come out.
But it turned out he didn't need to.
"No," Neku said as his smirk faded and his expression became neutral, "I didn't bring you here to teach you to 'beg'."
Those words made breathing easier, and he was able to calm his nerves somewhat. And then, finally, he was able to find his voice again. "Then… then why…?"
"I want you as my confidant, my link to the mortal realm; an agent, if you will…" Neku explained with a serious expression, before a warm smile played on his face that had Joshua's heart's pounding out of his chest and his head spinning on its axis, as he finished with: "…and my lover."
It was everything Joshua had ever wanted to hear, yet at the same time the context in which the words were said hurt and it dumped a bucket of ice water into his gut. As much as he wanted to accept the position he was being offered, he couldn't accept it… not like this…
With pain and difficulty, Joshua forced himself to say: "I can't be any of those things to you…"
Neku's expression dropped again, but he didn't respond right away. But when he did, he spoke only two words. "Then go."
The words came as a relief, yet they also hurt, when he realized that Neku didn't seem the least bit compelled to try and convince him to stay. His heart felt like it was about to break in half, and he feared he would burst out crying (oddly enough, as Joshua wasn't prone to crying, usually). Had he really fallen so far for his boss, already?
Trying to ignore the pain in his heart, he looked up to the redhead and demanded (or tried to, anyway): "Let go of me."
Neku regarded him for a moment in silence, his expression never changing. However, after almost 10 minutes of simply staring at each other, Neku allowed an almost cocky smirk. "You're the one clinging to me."
"…!"
Upon looking down, Joshua realized that the man was correct; Neku's hand was now clutched tightly in Joshua's, instead of it being the other way around as it had been earlier. He couldn't for the life of him remember when he had done so, but the very fact that he had was shocking.
"Hear me out," Neku suddenly said, as his hand came up and forced Joshua to turn to look him in the eye. The expression on the man's face was serious, yet also kind. "I will never make you do anything against your will. Just tell me 'stop', and I will."
The redhead ran the back of his fingers along Joshua's cheek, and this made the silverette shiver at the tender touch. It was so tempting to just give in, but his fear still held him back. He just couldn't do it, no matter how much his body wanted to.
But…
"Why… why me?" he breathed out weakly. "You… you could have… a-anyone… why…?"
Neku lightly tilted his head, confusion playing over his face for a brief moment, before his soft, kind smile returned. "I don't want just anyone," he said softly, bringing up his hand again and running the fingers through Joshua's hair, and the silverette moaned instinctively. "I want you, Yoshiya."
The use of his birth name almost had Joshua whimpering; the redhead made the word sound so sexy… but he tried desperately to ignore the shudder it caused. He could feel that the vampire was still bewitching him, making it virtually impossible to say no to him.
"N-no… I-I can't…" he choked put, turning his face away to not have to look into Neku's eyes any longer. However, the other man forced him to look back again anyway.
The red-haired male stepped up closer then, until their chests were almost touching, their breaths mingling as he spoke in a soft, gentle whisper. "I dislike being without a familiar…" he spoke as his fingers curled through Joshua's silvery hair and massaged his scalp, making Joshua's breath pick up gradually, "This is due to my own insecurity, I admit… It's your own folly that you're such a striking individual. And then you displayed all the qualities I so desire in a companion…" Neku pulled him forward then, and Joshua moaned as their lips met softly. It lasted for only a few moments, but when they broke apart, Neku spoke gently. "Your nature doomed yourself to me, Yoshiya."
Again, his own name had him whimpering like a child, as Neku's fingers played through his hair, still. Just as suddenly, though, Neku removed his hand and shoved Joshua to his chest, making him stumble back in surprise - before his shins hit the bed behind him and he fell backwards on the red, silken sheets.
"Now…" Neku breathed softly, as he moved in over the silverette, his hands moving to Joshua's hips, "you can spend the rest of your life in a cloudy haze trying to resist my power…" he murmured as he began to slip his thumbs under the fabric of the pale blue shirt, "or you can succumb and enjoy yourself properly…"
"A-ah…n-no wait! L-listen to me!" Joshua choked out as he tried to keep Neku from undressing him by pushing his hands away. And surprisingly, the man actually listened and moved back, his expression turning blank and tilting his head to the side slightly. "I… I can be your assistant if you… if you really want me to… b-but… not this… please…"
Neku regarded him quietly, his expression unchanging, before a soft smile played over his face and he moved in again, tipping Joshua's head up with only a single finger. "I can hear your thoughts," he purred, and Joshua had to make a great effort to keep silent, "you're yearning for me."
Joshua's breathing picked up; another clear sign that what Neku had said was true… in a way.
"Y… you're making me feel this way…"
Neku's response before he claimed the other's lips again was only two words long, but it immediately ended all of Joshua's fruitless efforts to make him stop;
"So what?"
'Oh fuck it all…' Joshua moaned as he raised his arms and wrapped them around his bedmate, letting his mouth move back firmly against the redhead's as the pleasure began to overwhelm him entirely. 'Just… fuck everything…'
He no longer cared if Neku was a vampire… all he cared about just then was fulfilling the craving in his soul. Fuck the fact that Neku was effectively robbing him of all of his firsts… he just didn't care anymore.
Neku's hands glided up and down his sides, teasing him with promises of what he wanted to do, making him break away from the kiss with a moan.
And as those nimble fingers began working on the buttons of his shirt, starting from the bottom, Joshua's competitive streak began to kick in. Not to be outdone by the redhead, he slipped his fingers back around and neatly undid the single button holding Neku's own shirt in place. The pleased hum from the man above him as he began to trace his fingers along the bared skin almost had him groaning in pleasure.
As his own buttons came undone, Neku's fingers began to mirror his own in their motions and made Joshua moan softly. If only to silence the sounds slipping out, he moved his mouth to Neku's pale throat, nipping softly with his much shorter teeth at the skin before placing his lips against it and beginning to suckle gently. This made the redhead moan appreciatively, even as he let his fingers circle Joshua's hardening nipples before pinching them, almost making Joshua break away with a startled yelp/moan.
The smirk on Neku's face was nothing short of cheeky, as he lowered himself firmly against the silverette, and Joshua couldn't help but groan as he felt his manhood pressing up against Neku's through the far too many layers of clothing. Reflexively, Joshua's hands immediately went from Neku's chest to his ass, pulling him down harder and making them both groan from the pressure.
If Joshua's mouth hadn't been otherwise occupied, he might've been swearing, but as it was, he was a little preoccupied with nibbling along Neku's bare throat, even letting his tongue slide along the underside of his chin. And, much to Joshua's surprise, the other male let him do so, and rather than say or do anything to stop him, he merely rolled Joshua's nipples between his fingers, and occasionally flicking them in any random direction that he felt like at that time.
Not that Joshua was complaining, mind you…
The haze of Neku's spell was still there, he could tell, and yet he could move just as he wished against the vampire… or so he believed anyway; it was getting more and more difficult to tell. However, this thought was begging to be tested, and so he took a deep breath of preparation - though he almost moaned at the man's scent filling his nostrils - and then, as fast as he could and dared to, he spun them around, pushing Neku down against the sheets instead.
The sudden collision with the bed had Neku letting out a brief grunt, but nothing else as he looked with a small, cocky smile. "…finally woke up, huh?" he chuckled out softly.
"…you… you're just… are you just going to… let me do this?"
"…did I not say so, earlier?" Neku asked as he reached up and curled his hand in the silver locks. "I do not intend to make you do things against your will."
He didn't give Joshua the chance to reply to those words, as he pulled his face down and abruptly locked their mouths together again, while simultaneously moving his leg up to rub firmly against Joshua's cock. And this combination had Joshua whimpering and thinking simply: 'Ah fuck it…'
After swiftly pinning Neku's legs to the bed with his own, Joshua began leisurely running his fingers along the man's bared sides, enjoying the pleased hums and moans this got him. Of course, Neku wasn't about to just let him do so without a form of retaliation, as proven by the fact that Neku's own hands slipped down and once more began playing along Joshua's chest. Joshua, in turn, groaned briefly, before he pulled away and shoved at Neku's shirt, forcing it down his arms and to his elbows, effectively trapping his arms by his sides.
This seemed to startle Neku for a whole five seconds, before he just chuckled and let himself lay there, unmoving even as Joshua began assaulting his bared chest with his mouth, even though he did arch up into the silverette's touch with a pleased moan. Joshua allowed a bemused chuckle at this, before he closed his teeth around Neku's right nipple while flicking at the left, drawing a soft gasp/moan from his lover.
As he continued to tease the hardened buds with his lips and fingers, Joshua let his free hand slide along the redhead's side before settling upon his hip, where he proceeded to simply massage the bare skin with his thumb. Neku let out a groan as he slipped it teasingly past the material, and Joshua allowed a small, cheeky smirk as he lavished the man's nipples with his tongue. His wanted the man to beg for it, but his own pent up sexual frustration was beginning to catch up to him (plus Neku's veil had yet to fully dissipate), so he made quick work of the man's button and zipper, before beginning to slip the article of clothing off…
And then he paused.
"…no underwear?" he asked with a small, lecherous smirk.
A small snort/moan was his response. "I do not enjoy feeling… constrained…"
"Fair enough," Joshua purred as he ran his fingers along the other's bare sides while never looking away from his lover's manhood.
He hungrily licked his lips, letting his fingers play along the hardened flesh. While he had never actually been close enough with anyone, he had definitely looked up some porn (without his parents knowing, of course) to try and prepare himself for when he would get the chance. But now that he had finally gotten there, he found himself at a loss for words and unsure how to proceed for a few brief moments. Neku was definitely very well-endowed, and Joshua tried to not compare, as he was sure it would only make him even more uncertain. After a brief moment more, he took a deep breath of preparation, before he moved in slowly, opening his mouth.
Joshua let his tongue play along the other man's head, and he might've moaned at the delicious taste that he knew was solely Neku, but he was sure the other man did. A small smile played along his face as he let his tongue swirl around the head, before he took a deep breath and wrapped his lips around his lover's need, before he took in as much as he could.
Neku let out what sounded like a strangled gasp, as his hips instinctively thrust up into Joshua's mouth, though he was clearly trying to hold as still as possible. Joshua hummed softly from the back of his throat as he began to bob his head in a way that was almost lazy, letting his tongue curl around the head on every upstroke, with one hand curling around the base and the other hand moving over to fondle the man's balls, drawing a pleased moan from the redhead's throat.
Finally, as he felt the by now familiar veil pushing against his mind, Joshua moved back, and tugged off his shirt, tossing it aside to be forgotten on the ground somewhere. His heart was beating rapidly in his throat, as he tried to get enough air in his lungs. Breathing slowly to try and get himself under control, he moved in and tilted Neku's face up to kiss him again, burying his hands into the man's hair while at the same time rolling his hips against Neku's, swallowing both Neku's and his own pleasured groan at the contact.
After almost five minutes, Joshua finally pulled away, and regarded his lover quietly. The man's breath was only slightly heavier than normal, but it was heavy enough that his fangs were perfectly visible, and, Joshua could be mistaking, but it was almost as if his sapphire eyes were glowing. He eventually decided to blame the latter on the lighting in the room, as he moved in to kiss his way down the man's throat, enjoying the pleased moans that slipped from his mouth whenever he teased at a sensitive spot.
"Fuck… you're… do you have any idea…" Joshua breathed out, pausing to lick along the man's collarbone, drawing a soft moan from him, "just how sexy you look right now?"
"Mmmhh!" Neku hummed/moaned out in response, before he breathed out, his tone cheeky and challenging: "Really? I wouldn't have guessed with your very soul thrumming with need… Yo~shi~ya."
'Fuck…! He's doing that on purpose!'
Joshua moaned at the sound of his birth name yet again and he cursed himself for being so easy to read… though perhaps, to the vampire, it was only natural. And in all honesty, as Neku thrust his hips up to roll them against Joshua's, the silverette found he couldn't give a shit.
"Ah fuck…" he hissed softly, as he instinctively rolled his hips to meet Neku's, his hands slipping along the man's sides to settle on his hips. "You… you're an ass… you know that?"
"Takes one to know one… ne?" was the immediate response as Neku rolled his hips yet again, and Joshua groaned, though he also chuckled in amusement.
"Oh fuck you…"
Suddenly, Neku snapped his arms up and out of his shirt with such ease that Joshua began to seriously wonder just how trapped the man had really been, but he had no time to question it for long as those hands grabbed his face and pulled him up to Neku's eye level. And now Joshua was sure his eyes were glowing; no way could the light make them sparkle such a gorgeous, deep blue.
And then Neku spoke, right before pulling him into a soul-searing kiss, and Joshua's final piece of resistance shattered…
"Then what are you waiting for? Fuck me."
Joshua wasn't sure if it was due to the spell Neku had put on him or if he had simply been moving faster than he had thought, but the next thing he was acutely aware of was that they were both fully undressed, he was on his knees and leaning over the redhead, two fingers coated in lube and gingerly stretching out the man's entrance, while Neku was busy deep-throating him with a deep, rumbling purr that made Joshua want to cum then and there, but he found his release to be restrained (which he blamed on Neku's spell). Not to be outdone by his lover, Joshua ducked his head down and began to lazily lick and suckle on the other's cock, moaning in appreciation as Neku's deep groan vibrated through him in response. He then slipped in the third finger, and Neku's nails bit down briefly on his hip where the hand was placed, but only for a brief moment.
When he was certain he'd not be able to withstand any more of this torture, Joshua pulled away, and positioned himself between Neku's legs, with the redhead coiling his arms around his back, gently massaging the tense muscles in his shoulders. There were no further words exchanged; they weren't necessary.
Joshua took hold of his straining need in one hand and slowly, teasingly, pushed past Neku's entrance, and if the raw pleasure surging through him as he did would have allowed him, he would've smirked at the delicious moan that his lover released. As it was, however, Joshua instead groaned before he grabbed hold of Neku's hips and pushed in all at once, eliciting cries of pleasure from both himself and Neku as he settled.
'Oh… fuck…' Joshua could barely think straight as he braced himself on the bed before he began a steady rhythm without waiting for Neku to give the okay to move; the pleasure surging through him was simply too much. 'This… this feels so good…!' He was already gasping for breath, and Neku's fingers dug into his back, as he mumbled incoherently under his breath. 'Had I not been under his spell… would I still do this?' he wondered as he adjusted his position so that he could raise one of the man's legs over his elbow. 'I…I couldn't imagine… not reacting this way to him… it's just… so good…'
And Neku continued to mumble amidst his labored gasps, and for a long time, Joshua had no idea what was being said, but as he moved in to kiss him, he recognized it; Latin.
"Hah… hah… et conlidam… in caelo… q-quasi me-…! Media… et conlidam… in fi-fide vesssstra… con…fringes… Deus vester… fregit omnes…"
Joshua's knowledge of Latin was, unfortunately, minimum, but he did hear the word "God" in there somewhere. However, in the end it didn't matter as Neku suddenly snapped his only free leg up and coiled it around his back, drawing him in and making him moan pathetically.
But in the brief span that Joshua stopped moving, Neku's hand suddenly slammed into his shoulder and threw him back with a startled exclamation. Once Joshua realized that he was now the one on his back with the other hovering over him, he actually panicked slightly, until Neku moved further over him and, effortlessly, let the silverette's cock slip back into him as he settled on top of his lover, a pleased moan rumbling from his throat. Through his veil-clouded mind, Joshua realized what was happening and he almost whimpered - actually, maybe he did… - as he let his hands slide along Neku's legs to settle on his hips.
And then Neku moved and Joshua knew he moaned, then, and quite loudly.
More Latin tumbled off of Neku's lips in a way that Joshua would swear was like a song, but he had no idea what meaning the words being sung held. However, much like when he would listen to some silly catchy K-Pop songs from Korea, he really couldn't give a shit.
"Relegant… c…caelum… Pellat… Deus vester… Pellat… tuos o Ama…lech… Auertere omnia…" Neku moaned out amidst his labored breathing as he rolled his hips in circles once, twice, before he let his hands play at Joshua's hardened nipples again, making the silverette mewl in response. "Tradat tibi… attachia…menta ad… c-credendum… religio… fidem… Tradetque… eam omnes…"
Not about to be outdone, Joshua brought up one hand and pulled Neku down by his arm, swiftly latching his mouth one to the other man's nipple as his hand teased its twin. Neku, in response, actually stumbled over his words then as his entire body shuddered visibly. The vampire had to pause to collect his thoughts, at which he was failing miserably, much to Joshua's amusement. Especially so when his other hand moved from the man's hip to his neglected cock, making Neku cry out from pleasure.
When Neku was no longer able to keep moving because of the onslaught of pleasure and merely sat shuddering on top of him, Joshua immediately seized his chance and flipped their positions once more. He didn't give the other very long to get his bearings back, though, as he pulled up his leg over his shoulder before he pushed back in, causing the man to let out something like a strangled cry/moan. Only once Joshua had collected his breath did he move again, in, out, in, out…
And Neku could only moan and gasp almost frantically for breath, as his hands clawed at the sheets for any form of support. And when Joshua reached out with the hand not keeping his leg secured to the redhead's need, the man let put a choked, half-formed scream.
And yet while he was gasping for breath, still, he still struggled to speak in Latin
"U…usque ad… te…nebras… petit te…" he was able to gasp out, before he had to pause as a pleased whimper fell from his mouth at a particularly hard thrust. "Loqua…mini mihi… anima tua…" As he finished saying that, though, a hazy veil came over Joshua, though not as bad as before. However, it did make him move in and lock his lips with Neku's, at which point the man's arm came up and held him in place, uncaring about how his own leg was almost pushed flat against his own chest. And then, as he finally allowed Joshua to pull away to catch his breath, he breathed: "Omnis amor teneat…"
And Joshua found he could no longer hold back then, and he choked on a groan, before h let out a half-gargled scream as his release hit him. He vaguely heard his lover release a scream of his own, but only for a moment as the darkness claimed him.
"Gah… what the heck, yo?" Beat grumbled as he swiftly downed a cup of coffee to try and settle his frazzled nerves.
Joshua hadn't come to work at all last night, and Neku had clocked out early, too, after demanding all the numbers of their company's assets. Everyone dreaded what was going to happen now, and most of them were anxiously counting the few precious minutes of work they likely had left. They'd seen it coming for a while now, and it seemed that now it was finally happening…
And it hurt…
"Dammit… Why'd that prissy boy not show up, yo?!" he grumbled to himself as he almost crushed his plastic cup in his hand. "Does he not care 'bout the rest of us at all, yo?"
Just then, there was a soft, but startled gasp from one of the other employees, and the moment he looked over, he understood why; Neku had just arrived.
Though, oddly enough, he wasn't alone; Joshua followed only half a step behind him, wearing a suit that was almost similar to Neku's, only less old-fashioned. Added to that was the fact that the look on his face seemed, almost, dreamy. The silver-haired man seemed to not care about the stares they were clearly getting, which was very out of character for the man.
Neku paused in his steps for a moment to regard everyone watching them, before he nodded once and said simply: "You're doing good work. Continue as you were," before he solemnly walked off, with Joshua right behind him.
However, as he walked by Beat, Joshua turned to look at the blonde for a moment, his expression going blank for a moment. After a moment more, though, Joshua gave him a small smirk and brief nod, before he hurried to catch up to Neku.
'Whuh…? What just happened?' Beat thought in confusion, rubbing the back of his neck. 'Am I missing something here?'
But as the week progressed, the company remained as it was; nothing was sold off, no one was fired, and, if anything, they were doing better than ever before, and then Beat understood, finally, the sacrifice that Joshua likely made in order to keep the company in one piece.
"…Neku?" Joshua asked as he closed the door to Neku's office behind them.
Despite how he knew that he was, technically, under Neku's control because of the bite to his neck, the vampire refused to accept the title "Master", which was what Joshua had assumed would be expected of him. The man insisted on Joshua calling him by his name, still, same as he had before then. Joshua didn't understand why, even a week after that initial night, but he saw no reason to question him.
However, there was one thing he did question…
"…hm?"
"…can I… ask you something…?"
"…you just did… but sure."
Joshua took a deep breath, trying desperately to keep calm, despite how his heart was racing. And Neku probably knew…
"I… how… how much… how much of my… feelings… ha-have you…?"
He couldn't say it… he just couldn't… he didn't want to know what the answer was, really… it was probably for the best not to know…
However, it didn't seem to be necessary for him to finish, as Neku was suddenly right in front of him, his hand moving the silverette's face up to face him properly. Joshua didn't want to look him in the eye, but the hazy veil was back along his mind, not allowing him to look away.
"…I did not change anything…" Neku whispered suddenly, and Joshua knew he had to be staring, because Neku smirked then, his fangs poking over his lip. "All I've done… is make you more honest with them… I've allowed you freedom…"
Joshua had no time to reply, nor did he want to as Neku tugged him in for a hot, passionate kiss, resisting the urge to moan in response. As the vampire pulled away, Joshua became aware of the man's fingers curled around his cravat, and the smirk and quirked eyebrow immediately told him what he wanted.
With a small smile, Joshua tilted his head to the side, shutting his eyes solemnly.
And Neku took the offer almost immediately, bearing the silverette's throat and then bringing his fangs down to the skin. The pain was brief, and the pleasure following it almost made Joshua's knees buckle under him as he breathed out a half-sigh half-moan.
For a brief moment, he actually wondered what his family would say if they knew… but the thought was tossed aside just as quickly.
Screw faith and whatnot… if being a mindless servant lacking any form of faith meant he could experience such pleasure every day, as he had been granted this past week, he'd welcome his life of servitude happily.
Okay, so my Latin is even WORSE than either my Japanese or Chinese, so I looked up a literal Latin translator. If someone's studied the lingo and spotted something I put wrong, let me know.
Here's what Neku was supposed to be saying;
Et conlidam in caelo quasi media … et conlidam in fide vestra… confringes Deus vester… fregit omnes…
Shatter heaven… shatter your faith… shatter your God… shatter it all…
Relegant caelum… Pellat Deus vester… Pellat tuos o Amalech… Auertere omnia…
Banish the heaven…Banish your God… Banish your kin… Banish it all…
Tradat tibi attachiamenta ad credendum… religio… fidem… Tradetque eam omnes
Give up your attachment to belief… religion… faith… Give it all up…
Usque ad tenebras petit te… Loquamini mihi anima tua… Omnis amor teneat…
Until the darkness claims you… Present me with your soul… And all the love it holds…