Warnings: lush!Joshua, obedient!Neku

Author's Notes: Here's another one. I have so much fun writing these things.

76: Broken Pieces

When Yoshiya Kiryu first started drinking, no one really knew why. He wasn't the type of guy to go and drown his sorrows in a bottle, nor allow anyone he knows to go down that route. But when Neku found his friend, slumped in the corner of the Dead God's Pad, a plethora of empty beer cans, bottles of alcohol and a tub of margarita mix, he knew things had become serious.

Neku dropped to his friend's side, shoving the empty bottles and cans away to make him a clear spot. Yoshiya just reeked of alcohol, his eyes were blood shot, his hair was mussed as if he spent the seconds between drinks, and once he started talking, he just wouldn' t stop.

"Josh," Neku began scooting closer to his friend hesitantly. He was afraid of that Yoshiya just might upchuck near him. "What's with all the alcohol?"

"N-Neku?" The once elegant Composer slurred, slumping over practically on top of the Proxy. "Whachu doin here...?"

"Checking on you, you idiot." Neku gingerly lifted Yoshiya's head from his shoulder before sliding out from underneath him. Neku stood and grabbed a nearby garbage can, cleaning up Yoshiya's mess. The Composer's head lolled to one side, his eyes fluttering as he watched Neku's blurry form bustle about.

The Composer hummed, tilted his head back and ignored the dull feeling of pain as his head knocked into the wall. He began to rub his eyes, not enjoying the stinging and itchy sensation they were currently giving him. "Any reason why you decided to crash my party?" He heard Neku scoff on the other side of the bar. "I was having so much fun."

Neku peered down at Yoshiya from over the counter, his headphones resting around his neck. "Really? It appears you're completely out of alcohol now." The boy gave a hum. "Which means you have to stock up before you can pull this stunt again."

"Oh come now," the Composer attempted to stand, heavily relying on the counter behind him and the wall nearby. Even while propped up, the guy seemed to sway and stumble slightly. He reached up to rub his eyes once more, and would have hit the ground hard had Neku not been right nearby. "This is my first time drinking in aeons." Neku helped Yoshiya stand up once more and had him lean against the bar for balance. "It's not like I do this frequently or anything."

Neku just hummed and nodded in agreement while he continued to clean up Yoshiya's mess.

"You see, Sanae decided he needed some extra bottles and such for his next project." Yoshiya would have smirked when he noticed Neku paused in cleaning up had he had better motor functions. "So I decided to help out."

"Couldn't you just," Neku made some odd hand gesture, "magic away the alcohol?"

"But that's some good alcohol right there," Yoshiya appeared to be pointing in the direction of some empty Grey Goose bottles. "I couldn't let it go to waste."

Neku couldn't help the smile cross his face at how predictable Yoshiya seemed to be at the moment. "Then couldn't you have at least gotten some assistance? Surely the thirty some odd bottles of alcohol was a bit much for your mortal form."

"Nonsense!" Yoshiya waved a hand about lazily, slowly tilting to the side the more he spoke to Neku. "This body has taken so much crap, I doubt the thirty bottles would affect it at all." Yoshiya slipped and fell to the floor with a thud, a small "ow" following.

Neku shrugged continuing to gather up the mess. He'd already filled one garbage bag and was halfway through his second. He made his way back to Yoshiya's side, chuckling at the image Yoshiya made. The Composer's hair was spread about him like a halo, and the positioning of his arms was like he was caught in the middle of making a snow angel. "You know I can't take you seriously drunk, right?"

Yoshiya giggled, the sound lilting oddly in his drunken state. "You take me seriously all the time... you need a break occasionally."

Neku rolled his eyes, giving a mock bow. "I appreciate your kindness, dear Composer." The Composer giggled again, grabbing a Grey Goose bottle and made a noise of happiness.

"Oooo, this one isn't completely empty yet." He was quick to bring it close to his chest, and practically hugged it, miraculously somehow not spilling it whatsoever in his dramatic movements.

"Josh," Neku dropped the garbage bag he was lugging around and knelt beside the Composer. He reached for the bottle and scowled when he realized Yoshiya wasn't exactly going to let him take it from him easily. "Hand it over, Mister Composer."

"I dun wanna." The Composer's eyes were not as bloodshot anymore, but they still had the look of one completely trashed.

"Josh."

"Neku~"

The proxy growled and tried to tug the bottle of vodka from his grip, unsuccessful in his efforts. Yoshiya laughed almost hysterically at the glare he received from Neku, the sound unsettling because Neku wasn't sure is he ever heard Joshua laugh before.

The Composer calmed down with a happy sigh, no longer appearing as smashed as earlier. "I don't think I could have picked a better proxy, my dear." Neku raised an eyebrow in response. "Who else would have stuck with me all these years?"

"Joshua, I've only known you for maybe a few months."

The Composer waved away Neku's comment again, his purple eyes no longer bloodshot, but he was still reluctant to give away the bottle of vodka. "That's beside the point, Neku." He gave another sigh and pulled Neku down beside him. Reluctantly the proxy laid on the tiled floor, staring up at the roof, still holding onto the vodka bottle alongside Yoshiya. "I just know..."

"You just... know." Neku closed his eyes, trying to ignore the chiming of the grandfather clock in the corner. He didn't want to know he'd been here for three hours already. He didn't want to know by Yoshiya's comment of just knowing...

Yoshiya sat up and leaned over Neku, resting his forehead against Neku's. "I just know. Just like how I just know you came here to check on me instead of going to Shiki's birthday party. Just like I know you told your parents you were going over to Beat's to work on a project." He nuzzled Neku, ignoring the way the younger squeaked and tensed up in a combination of embarrassment and anger.

"Yeah, well..." Neku really couldn't come up with a response, his silence only encouraging Yoshiya to smile brightly.

The Composer sat up, surprisingly not taking the opportunity to kiss his proxy or do anything remotely sexual. He was drunk, he could have easily blamed it on lowered inhibitions. Yoshiya stood up and offered Neku a hand up, still clutching that bottle of vodka. Neku took his hand and offered the older a small smile.

Yoshiya took a swig from the bottle, winking at Neku before pressing a kiss to his cheek. The proxy flushed brightly and shoved Yoshiya away, his embarrassment causing Joshua to jar the bottle against the side of the bar and the glass to shatter. The broken pieces littered the floor around their feet, a vodka puddle forming and Neku just sighed.

Yoshiya laughed once again, tugging Neku into a hug and nuzzling his neck. The proxy just sighed and returned the hug, enjoying the warmth the dead boy somehow gave off. "Guess Sanae is not getting that bottle."