A/N; Late chapter is late. And long. But... I don't care I just lost another full day of vacation from obscure relative death. *sad face* Rest in peace, Aunt Vada.
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Chapter Ten
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Friday rolled around faster than Rhyme expected, and as she carefully slid her homework into her little black bag and tripped out into the hallway, a thin arm wound itself around her waist.
"Rhyyyyyme," Joshua sang in a low voice into her neck, the ends of his wavy steel shaded hair tickling her skin and bringing a little flush to her cheeks, "Come with me."
Planting her feet almost halfheartedly as the older boy started to pull her down the hallway, she protested. "But I promised Mr. H I'd help him clean WildKat for tonight."
"We won't take long," he insisted, pushing her along the slippery floor to an abandoned hallway. "You're hurting my feelings. Don't you want to be around me?" he finished, tilting his head to the side with a transparently hurt look; his natural mischief showing through quite clearly.
"Of course I do," she soothed him, her naturally people pleasing nature overriding the typical shyness that took over around Joshua, "But I think I need to-"
"You do that a lot, don't you?"
Rhyme blinked, flicking her blue eyes up to see his cold smirk. "What do you mean?"
"Help people. What a waste of your time," he added; flicking his silvery bangs out of his eyes. "You're just enabling that lazy, self absorbed attitude I can't stand."
The girl turned her gaze to the lockers, scowling with thought for a moment. "But if I didn't help other people, wouldn't I be self absorbed as well? Those who have never seen kindness cannot show it to others."
"That's assuming those you help go on to help others. Chances are they'll keep on living like they always did."
"If I help one hundred people and just one of them go on to help someone else, I've still done something. Besides," she added, squirming under the intensity of his gaze, "All that matters to me is that I've made someone happier."
Joshua watched her from behind narrowed eyelids, and then giggled. "Ah, Rhyme, you're so cute. Would you really do anything to make someone happier?"
"...Um, well..." She resisted the urge to step away; his gaze had become intense and unsettling. "...There's a limit to everything, but-"
Suddenly, Joshua swept her into the wall, pinning her to the cold metal surface with strength that belied his slight body. His breath was hot as he whispered into the crook of her neck.
"Do you trust me?"
She shivered, more from apprehension than temperature, and chewed on his question for a long time. Do I trust him?
His actions may be a little... suspicious, but I think underneath it all...
"Yes," she breathed, and he pressed her closer to the wall, smirking against the tender skin on her neck.
"Good. At some point in time, I'm going to ask you to do something very... important to me. Do you think you will do it?"
Her heart was beating so fast, she was shocked he hadn't commented on it. "I d-don't... know. I'll try?"
"That's a good girl," he chuckled, sweeping his lips up the side of her neck and drawing a faint gasp from his captive. "All right, then," he beamed, stepping backward and resuming the clandestine gentleman escort act, leading her back to the main group with a casual smile and vanishing in the crowds.
Rhyme stood there in a daze for quite some time, lost to time and space as she tried to wrestle with her conflicting emotions. Joshua... scared her, quite frankly, in a very similar way to riding on Beat's shoulders as he did tricks on his skateboard. It was an energizing kind of fear; that repelled and drew her in at the same kind.
Someone bumped into her suddenly, jarring the blonde out of her thoughts. "Oh, I'm so sorry, am I in your way?" was her automatic reaction, backing out of the middle of the hall.
The redhead smiled sheepishly back, brushing a silky lock of hair out of her face as she flashed a fashion magazine. "No, I wasn't looking where I was going, that's all." She was skinny and tall, with thigh high socks and a tiny miniskirt setting her sailor suit apart from Rhyme's more modest variation. Pretty brown eyes were enhanced by a brush of makeup, and Rhyme took her to be a senior.
Rhyme bowed out of habit anyway. "Um... okay."
"Hey," the senior asked as she pulled out a stylish black cap and settled it on at a jaunty angle, "You're friends with Shiki, aren't you?"
"Mm-hmm."
"That's... good." Her warm brown eyes dropped to the floor. "Shiki's really shy and a bit of a ditz, so she needs nice people around her to protect her like that." The girl flipped open her bright pink phone and glanced at it for a moment, then clicked it shut and flashed a bright smile to Rhyme. "Well, I've got to get to 104, so bye!"
"Bye! Oh, I'm Rhyme, what's your name?" The blonde called to the skinny figure as she clacked down the hallway.
"Eri!"
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"Mr. H? We're here!" Rhyme called as Beat shoved the door open roughly for his little sister, rubbing the back of his neck.
The dark-haired barista poked his head around the corner, flashing them a smile behind his habitual sunglasses. "Good to see you two. There's not much to do, actually. Neku beat you here."
Familiar orange spikes of hair emerged from the shadows of the back room, and their bearer leaned in the doorway, still wearing a slightly frilly white apron.
Beat snickered. "Nice clothes, yo."
"Shut up."
Rhyme turned to Hanekoma as the two friends started bickering. "Is there anything I can do?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Neku dropped by right after school and got to work. I wonder if he and Shiki got in a fight or something. Let's ask. Hey, Phones!"
Neku glanced up from preparing to crack Beat over the head with a mop. "'Sup?"
"You didn't get in a fight with the young lady, did you?"
"No. Why?"
"Oh, just curious." Hanekoma waved his hand dismissively. "Woulda made things kinda interesting."
Even as he spoke, Joshua was shoving the door open with his hips, laughing as Shiki flushed and glanced up to lock eyes with her student. A silence fell between the tow as Neku's eyes narrowed; an awkward one of action without reaction as Joshua passed right on by and leaned casually on Hanekoma.
"One geeky seamstress tutor, paid for and delivered."
"I can see that. Thanks, Josh," the man noted as Rhyme stepped forward and did her default action in these instances.
"Glad you're here," she sighed, wrapping her slender arms around the boney frame of the other girl. "I hope you have fun tonight with us."
"She's staying?" Neku shook Hanekoma a shocked, and rather pissed, look; one that clearly felt betrayed. The designer blinked, playing the innocent.
"You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course I-" He shot a glance at Shiki; she took a step backward, breaking free from Rhyme's hug. "Do whatever you want," he muttered, stalking back into the shadows and at last remembering to tear off his apron.
The dark haired girl glanced down, hiding behind her short bangs as a wave of guilt pinned Rhyme to where she stood. A thick, uncomfortable air filled the shop; Joshua, however, seemed almost pleased.
This is my fault, my idea... I have to try and fix it. Oh, why didn't I think of telling Neku?
"Shiki, you should stay."
The younger Bito had opened her mouth, but it was her brother who had spoken. Either oblivious to the tense state, or didn't care, he was addressing the girl on the verge of running. "We want ya here. Phones is kinda pissy sometimes, but don' take it to heart, yo." He smiled then, and pulled her backpack out of her grasp. "I'mma put this with the rest of our stuff."
"Oh, I'll go with you," she lamely added, pattering off after him with her respect in him renewed. Once they were out of sight, she pressed her cheek against his upper arm.
"Thank you for that, Beat. I... wanted to say something, but I just... felt so bad that it was all my fault-"
"Don't do that, sis," he cut her off. "Don't blame yourself fer everything. You woulda said something way better, I know it. You're smart like that."
"But wisdom is nothing without the courage to act upon it and the power to make an impact-"
He wrapped one arm around her, hugging her to his broad chest as he tossed Shiki's bag and his own in the back corner of the room, behind the futon. "Then I'm lucky t' have a sis like you. We make a great team, yo!"
Together, they hauled the futon into the center of the room, so that it sat before the modest TV and speakers that Hanekoma had bought for them. Bare, paint stained concrete floors had been covered haphazardly with an old but soft rug that curled up in the corners from storage, and the walls were a modest grey covered with all of the promotional posters in the history of CAT, along with several of his old and new graffiti design sketches. To Rhyme, it was one of the most comfortable places in the world.
Neku emerged from wherever black hole he had been hiding in, and took a seat just as Joshua swooped in and plunked himself in the very center of the couch, smirking as he cuddled up to the other boy.
"Don't worry, Neku. If you get scared you can hold my hand."
"Bite me," was the eloquent response, as Rhyme settled herself down carefully on the silver-haired students other side and Beat flopped down between his sister and the couch arm. Of course, this left their newest group member only one place left.
"Joshua, can you scoot down," the younger Bito whispered as Shiki stood awkwardly in the doorway, avoiding eye contact with the prickly introvert. Her companion shook his head, instead shoving Neku away and patting the freed space beside him suggestively.
"The same offer goes to you as well, my dear Miss Misaki-"
Neku sat up and reclaimed his spot, shoving Joshua roughly with his shoulder. As his tutor was still dithering shyly, he snorted.
"Sit."
Quickly, and almost tripping on the carpet, Shiki obeyed, nestling down as close to the futon edge as she could.
"Comfortable?" he noted, with the sort of caustic sarcasm he used as his default tone. She swallowed and nodded; he crossed his arms and leaned back. "Whatever."
The movie was one Rhyme had seen before, of time travels and alternate universes and high school romances, so she spent most of her time people watching out of the corner of her eye. Beat was in his typical good humor, a grin cracking his features for most of the movie, outright laughing in many places as well. Joshua, however, seemed to share a similar mindset as herself, and was intent on closing the tiny but noticeable gap between student and tutor.
"Scoot over," he whined, about twenty minutes in.
"You're fine."
Joshua huffed, sulking for a moment. Then, a delighted and evil grin split his face, and before Neku could move out of the way, gave him a long, sloppy lick on the neck.
"What the fu- you're disgusting," he snapped, scooting over and closing the less than two inch space between them. Satisfied, Joshua settled deeper into the cushions.
Near the end of the movie, when the nerd was standing up to the bully to win the heart of the girl, Shiki gasped and drew in closer for just a moment to her student. He coughed and she quickly leaned away, but Rhyme noticed his ears flood with color.
"Cute, isn't it?" Joshua whispered as the onscreen couple kissed, though the younger student knew what he was referring to.
"Of course," she nodded, and behind Joshua's back Neku shot her a suspicious look. Soon, though the credits rolled, and Joshua and Rhyme both got up to set the futon back into the bed position. Beat was out cold, snoring very quietly through his nose, and Neku sat absolutely still, to their surprise, until he cocked his head to where Shiki slept beside him, her head on his shoulder.
"Awwwww," Joshua cooed, and the orange-haired boy growled; the combination of which was enough to wake her. Neku practically jumped to his feet, and took up his place beside Joshua to help lay the back of the futon down.
He's right. They are cute together. But it'll take more than looking good to make any kind of relationship to work, she mused, as she curled up next to her older brother. "Good night," she whispered as Neku flipped off the lights.
"Sleep tight," he echoed.
"Don't let the Neku-bugs bite," Joshua quipped as he propped his legs up on the mattress.
"Oh, screw you," the other boy muttered as he draped a blanket over all four of them on the bed.
"No goodnight kiss, then?"
Neku snorted and slid carefully between his couch mates. "Shut up and go to sleep, Joshua."
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Super special awesome thanks to DivineWolfe for getting this beta'd as I slept. *snuggles*