Joshua suspects that wasn't entirely necessary, but at this moment, he can't quite bring himself to care. At least Neku seems to be handling himself well with the reapers; they like him, even if most of them'd shoot him the moment it became beneficial. Hopefully he understands that.

What a day. Ending games wasn't his favorite thing even when he only needed to do the clean-up; Sanae pulling that today really is tacky beyond all measure. It doesn't surprise him, exactly, but he is disappointed.

He shoots off a quick text to Kariya while keeping an eye on things, ready to intervene. `Get me a viper drink and a cappuccino, please.`

`Sure thing, boss,` he replies, and Joshua's not sure if he's pleased or disappointed that Kariya won't argue with him about it. Certainly it's more convenient this way, and at least Kariya rolls his eyes when repeating his order to the reaper tending the bar, a shared why is our boss so lazy.

Megumi was a very strange man, but not a bad one. By any standard, Joshua should have been thrilled to have a right-hand man who seemed incapable of resentment, insubordination, or even boredom. Much more useful than Kariya spitefully pausing to dump more sugar than can dissolve in his cappuccino before setting the tray in the dumbwaiter where Joshua can grab it.

He wasn't.

Joshua doesn't even like his coffee sweetened, and still Kariya is a more interesting assistant. Kariya for the menial and administrative work; Yashiro for the hands-on; and Joshua himself for anything hard to delegate. More hands-on than any other city composer Joshua knows of would tolerate, but surprisingly effective.

Sanae, Joshua has always known, is not much for surprises.

Neku makes his way out of reaper headquarters without incident and furiously dials into his phone. Joshua picks up right before it'd go to voice mail (not that he has voice mail) and -

"What the fucking fuck was that for!?" Neku yells, and Neku'd probably throw the phone at the wall if that wasn't too horrifying for either of them to contemplate.

Joshua tries and fails to stifle his giggles by drinking coffee. Totally worth it. Neku flips him off, and honestly, you'd think Neku'd appreciate that Joshua can get all these important details over the phone.

"Oh, you know," Joshua says vaguely. "I thought maybe you and the reapers could use a bonding moment."

"Joshuaaa-!" he wails, but seriously now, that was hilarious.

"You know," Joshua continues, "you should probably be grateful that you even get cell service down here." Courtesy of yours truly, of course.

Neku screeches, and it's probably a good thing the sewers and the lounge aren't physically near each other, because wouldn't that be embarrassing? (Joshua locks the door just in case; better not risk it.) Eventually he works off most of his frustrations, and says in a much more reasonable volume, "Joshua, now my clothes are gross from whatever Pi Face -"

"- Minamimoto -" he can't keep himself from correcting; the man thinks highly enough of Neku that Neku should learn his name.

"Fuck you, you know who I meant! - from what he rolled in and I can't go home to shower and all of my clothes are on campus and -" Neku pauses to breathe, and Joshua cuts in. Shit.

"Shh, shh," he soothes, "I can fix it."

"Of course you can," Neku replies tiredly, "but that's the thing, Joshua, you never think of what everyone else has to go through."

Joshua's quiet for a moment. "… sorry," he says, meaning it. He hasn't had to worry about these things for years, and even the reapers who still can get dirty don't need to worry about doing laundry; living people have it so complicated and he doesn't see how Neku can stand to deal with it. Not when he has the option not to. "I can teach you how to clean your clothes," he starts, but Neku cuts him off.

"That's great, but that's not the point," Neku says flatly, taking a deep breath. "I know you like pranks and being a total jerk, but you seriously need to remember that I? I am not a reaper!"

I could fix that, Joshua really really wants to quip, but wisely keeps his mouth shut. So not the time for it.

"I'm not as sturdy as you!" Neku continues. "I actually have to live in this world, and a lot of this shit? This shit is not nearly as funny to me. I can actually get injured falling a few feet, Joshua; you need to keep this shit in mind."

"Sorry," Joshua says again, cowed. Neku is Neku and he can't imagine anything mundane like that happening to him, but … he might be right, and either way he thinks that he's right.

"You'd better be," Neku mutters darkly, hunching up and leaning against the wall for a moment before realising that now he has sewer sludge on him in addition to whatever else and gagging exaggeratedly.

Joshua has to mute the phone for a few seconds to keep from laughing at him. Ah, yes, the what the hell did I just touch dance. 9/10; Neku's a natural.

He unmutes it and clears his throat. "Neku," he says quietly, "you're my only friend other than Sanae, and Sanae …."

"… is an even bigger asshole than you are," Neku finishes, even if that's not quite how he'd put it. It's true enough. "Right. So you're bad at this."

"You could say that."

Neku rolls his eyes and snorts. Joshua can't blame him. "Right. Okay. You're sorry; you're not going to do it again; you're going to try harder to remember what I can't do. Are we clear?" Joshua hums an affirmative. "Great. Now get me to your shower without me having to pass all your reapers smelling like a garbage heap."

"Aye aye, captain!" Joshua says, saluting even though Neku can't see it. It'd probably be best to rehook the doorway to the bathroom and shower instead of just teleporting him, wouldn't it …. "One moment," he says, sticking on some restful music for Neku's benefit.

Neku flips him off and mutes the phone. Joshua rebroadcasts it to the sewer itself. Neku sticks on his headphones. Joshua has his media player play it, too, then redirects his attention to the bathroom. Ah. Of course.

`You may want to find somewhere more private for this,` he informs 777, whose hands are currently gently caressing BJ's ass, and is gratified when they hit their heads on a towel rack as they go. What a wanton disregard of public property, and honestly now, they could have at least informed their other band member first. Kids these days.

He throws on a few finishing touches and stops the music. It's only on its second repeat; not bad for herding reapers. "Done," he chirps. "The door'll take you straight there."

"You're lucky I like that band," Neku snarls, and Joshua laughs.

Joshua doesn't quite twiddle his thumbs while waiting for Neku to clean up, but it's a near thing. Too tired to work on any of his smaller projects; not enough time to properly follow up on his larger ones. Another way Sanae's probably right that he should settle on someone else: it's not done, for a composer to have to mould their schedule around their conductor, and Joshua's painfully aware he can't push Neku without breaking what makes him useful.

He attaches his bedroom to the bathroom, just in case, and relocates himself so he can bury his head under his pillows. Not the wisest decision he's ever made - a clever reaper might be able to sneak in looking for a promotion, though it's rather unlikely - but he's hardly ever restored a victor without needing to rest, and without a conductor to lean on ….

Back in the lounge, Yashiro kicks the bathroom door. "Hey, assholes!" she yells. "Some of us actually use that thing!"

Ah, soundproofing. One of his better ideas, if he does say so himself. `I sent those miscreants home, actually,` he texts her, and she pales before she's even checked it. Perhaps he's becoming predictable.

"Sir?" she stage-whispers, apparently unaware of how much attention he pays within his own home. "I didn't mean -" she starts, then makes a face. "Wait, does this mean You -"

He glances at the rest of the thought. `If you intend to question the extent of My bodily functions, I suggest you desist.`

She flails her arms and backs up, though she isn't sure where to back up to. Clairvoyance sure is convenient that way. "Sorry, Sir -" she manages, but then the inevitable happens:

"Reaper sport number seventeen!" Minamimoto yells, and it isn't truly charades until you try to hit someone with a couch.

He's so glad he planned for the bathroom door breaking down.