Wildfire orange splashed against snow-white feathers, Neku cuddled close to him, hair a bright splotch of color the backdrop of Joshua's wings, wrapped around them. Neku's smiling, tracing over his skin, drawing out spirals on his back, zigzags on his chest, red dusting his cheeks as he leans in and kisses him on the nose.
Violet eyes wander, mapping out every inch of the boy before him, counting the freckles on his face, the curve of his lips as he smiles, the slight arch in his eyebrows, as Neku notices his exploratory gaze.
If Neku has questions, he doesn't ask them, the unbroken silence between them like a blanket of heavy air. Small drops of sound float between them, Neku's even breathes, the occasional shuffle of limbs, but his favorite was the tempo played out by Neku's heart. He could feel the steady beat pulsing against his skin, warmth spreading throughout his body, emanating from the contact points, only muffled by clothes.
In this moment, here with Neku curled up beside him on the couch, the penthouse felt a little less like a glamorous hotel, and more like a home. The smile dancing on his lips lacked the usual sting of sarcasm, opting to steal the breath from Neku's lungs instead.
The ringing of the school bell, dismissing them for lunch, jolts Josh from his daydream, and he sighs, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. The scene itself felt silky smooth, sliding through his brain, but one detail stuck out, cementing this as fantasy (as if the kissing didn't).
Slinging his backpack over his shoulder confirmed the obvious. There were no wings sticking out of his back, no extra appendages to house his Soul for all the world (or for a select few he'd choose) to see.
Exiting the classroom, Josh hums a small tune, heading for the cafeteria. When he reaches it, he spots Neku already at their usual table, and he heads over to his friend with a grin.
"Amazing, yet again you reached the lunch room first, despite this being my school. How do you do it?" he asks, plopping down on the ground by his friend.
"Ah, that's my secret, I guess you'll just have to be stuck wondering forever!" Neku grins back at him.
"Aw, you're no fun." Josh pouts at his friend. "I'd offer to sneak into your school sometime, but I have no clue what it's like at all, so that'd fail." He takes out his lunch, consisting of some Bouillabaisse soup in a thermos, a salad, and an apple.
"My school's boring, nothing exciting ever happens. Can I steal your apple?" Neku asks, already reaching for it as Josh grabs it and tosses it at him, which he almost doesn't catch.
"Sure, go right ahead. And yeah, your school is the most boringest ever, how do you stand it?"
"I stand it by sneaking out every day to come visit you, dweeb." Neku grins, poking Josh's shoulder with his free hand as he takes a bite of the apple.
Josh laughs, and no, leaning in to kiss Neku would not be a good idea right now, no matter what his heart has to say on the matter. He settles for poking back and taking a bite of salad so he can think before replying. "Aw, it's so sweet of you to admit that, Neku! I'm glad to know I make such dull and uninteresting days enjoyable, even if only for a little while."
"Yeah, well, you're my friend, hanging out with you is one of my favorite things to do." Neku's grin has softened, a sincere smile on his face.
"Mm, same with you," Josh says, smiling back. "You're easy to be around, like, other people exhaust me, drain my energy, but you don't."
"Glad to hear it." Neku pauses, looking at Josh for a moment. "Is today an okay-touch day, or a no-touch day?"
"It's an okay day for me," he says, after giving it a moment's thought.
Neku takes that as permission to scoot closer and lean on Josh. "I'm glad, because it's an okay-touch day for me too, and you're comfy."
"I may be comfy, but I'm also trying to eat. You leaning on my shoulder makes that harder, nerd." He sounds annoyed, but his words have no bite.
"You'll manage, I'm sure." Neku chuckles. "I'd nudge you right now, but you'd spill your soup, and then actually get mad at me."
"Wise decision. While soup tastes good, getting it all over my clothes would be sensory hell."
"Urgh, I don't know how you can stomach that stuff! The texture is weird and the tastes are all wrong." Neku wrinkles his nose in disgust, causing Josh to laugh.
"I kinda like the texture, I guess. The tastes are pretty good too, though I can see where you're coming from." He takes a bite, before speaking again. "I will say, it's a lot better fresh than it is stored in a thermos for like, 5 hours."
"Hah, probably. See, I don't gotta worry about that, because I get to leech food from you." To emphasize his point, Neku takes another bite from the apple.
"You could bring your own food for once, ya know?"
"Yeah yeah, I could, but why do that when your love for me lets me steal your food?" Neku grins as Josh has to put his spoon down so he can rub his face.
"Oh my god, you're horrible, you realize that, right?" He looks away, still rubbing at his face to hide the red tint. Neku does this all the time, and never once has he stopped to see how Josh bites his tongue to keep words he shouldn't say from spilling out.
"I am aware, you've told me many times. You still love me though, after all, we're best friends!"
Joshua refrains from sighing, from saying I love you in a different way too, instead opting to hide with a laugh, rolling his eyes. "Yeah yeah, of course, but my high school cafeteria isn't very high on the list of places to make a declaration of love."
"Okay then, what's a good place to make such declarations?" Neku smirks, raising an eyebrow.
"I dunno," he says, "I guess somewhere private. I don't get the appeal of flaunting it for the world to see, feels less personal and more like a show."
"You should keep that in mind when you get the nerve to confess to your crush. I'm sure you could find a nice, romantic way to woo them in private." Josh groans as Neku chuckles.
"I am going to fling my soup at you if you keep this up."
"Nah, you won't, you're too nice." Neku pokes him, before glancing at the clock on the opposite wall and sighing. "Besides, I need to hop out and head back to my school. Class resumes soon." With that he stands, giving a wave to Josh. "We're still meeting after school at Ramen Don, right?"
Josh hums, nodding. "Yep! See you there! And seriously, find a way to switch schools, this is so annoying."
Neku laughs, and slips out the nearest door, taking a moment to compose himself once he's out of sight.
A few hours later, and a few streets away, Neku shows up early to Ramen Don, plopping down at the counter and waving to Beat, who grins and waves back.
"Hey man, haven't seen ya in a while! Shoyu ramen as usual?"
Neku nods, letting out a sigh."Yeah, Shoyu sounds good, and sorry about that. It was a… long week."
"Well, don'tchu go forgettin' to eat. That was always ah, his, problem, ya know?" Beat says as he starts to cook up the ramen.
"Mhm, I know. I keep the place well-stocked with food. Oh also, Josh is heading here to hang out once he gets out of school, just a heads up."
"Sweet, it'll be cool to see Josh again, he hasn't swung by lately." Beat frowns. "He's doin' alright, right?"
Neku shrugs. "He's not doing horrible, but he's not the best right now either. The nightmares have gotten worse, I think, so he's getting less sleep and still doesn't remember what they're about."
"And tellin' him still ain't a good idea?" Beat asks, as he serves up Neku's ramen.
"He'll remember eventually, so waiting for that moment is the best course of action." Neku leans forward, starting to eat the ramen. "Just as good as usual!" he says, after the first bite.
"Glad t' hear it. An' hey, if wwe just gotta wait till he remembers, then we'll wait."
Neku nods. "He'll remember soon, I'm sure. We just have to have patience. "