Title: northern downpour
Author: doctorfemur (Hanners Serket)
Theme: #8 misery loves company
Fandom: The World Ends With You
Pairing: Neku Sakuraba/Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu
Summary: it always rains when you'd really rather it didn't.
Disclaimer: The World Ends With You belongs to Square Enix and is not mine. Unfortunately.
Author's Note:lyrics don't really fit but whatever it's a pretty song (and anyway the fic barely fits the prompt)
i am bad at writing good twewy fanfic.

oh dammit this would be genfic if it weren't for the ending and barely-there hints...IT KEEPS HAPPENING.
(i warned you about genfic bro
i told you dog)

Halfway through writing this, I forgot what tense I was writing in. Don't you just hate when that happens?

bluh i gotta upload this to lj but i can't tonight i hope i don't forget ugh

"If all our life is but a dream
Fantastic posing greed
Then we should feed our jewelry to the sea
For diamonds do appear to be
Just like broken glass to me.

And then she says she can't believe
Genius only comes along in storms of fabled foreign tongues
Tripping eyes and flooded lungs
The northern downpour sends its love."
~Northern Downpour, Panic! At The Disco

Neku looks up at the overcast sky and hopes it doesn't rain. He hates when it rains.

Joshua sighs and rests his head on his hand. He watches Neku and he watches the sky. He's almost anticipating the inevitable downpour.

It comforts him, somehow.

When a drop of rain hits Neku's nose, he scurries into the nearby Sunshine. The fluorescent lights seem brighter than normal.

All he can do now is sit by the window and wait for the sun. He hates to walk home in the rain.

Joshua hides in the Underground; he's not supposed to contact Neku. Or watch him, really, but nothing could keep him away for good.

Today's sort of a funny day, though. Maybe now's a good day to break some rules.

It rained the first few days after the Game. Just rained nonstop. Neku knows he isn't God, not really, but he can't help thinking Joshua made it happen.

The rain is just sort of unpleasant in general, really.

Speak of the devil. He spots someone in the faint reflection in the window. Neku doesn't even have to turn around to see Joshua walking up behind him with his frilly little parasol in hand.

"What's the matter, Neku?" he asks. He isn't smirking for once, which Neku finds strange.

Neku considers ignoring him, but he knows that Josh will just follow him home or something. Instead, he settles for something dry and generic.

"Long time no see," he mumbles, keeping his gaze on the window. Please, he thinks, just leave me the hell alone.

"Why should I?" Joshua counters, sitting beside him.

Yep. Neku figured Joshua would be reading his thoughts.

Joshua giggles lightly and rests his free arm on Neku's shoulder. Normally, he'd shrug it off, but tonight the gesture is strangely comforting.

"Now." Joshua sets his parasol down and turns Neku's head to face him. "Tell me what's wrong."

Something about his voice is deceptively kind. Joshua doesn't care. He never cares. What the hell?

Neku just shrugs.

Joshua sighs. "Fine. Whatever. Don't care."

"Go away, Josh."

"What is it they say? Misery loves company?"

"That applies to pretty much everyone but me."

"Come on, admit it." Joshua leans a bit closer to him. "You're happy to see me."

"You're delusional," Neku scoffs. "Why would I be happy to see you?"

"I'm hurt." Joshua places a hand over his chest, then smirks. "I missed you too, dear."

Neku snorts. "Right. Whatever. I'm so sure."

Joshua giggles again. "Well, would you like me to walk you home? Unless you'd rather wait for the rain to stop."

"I wouldn't be caught dead with you and your stupid frickin' parasol."

"Fine then." Joshua stands up. "Hope you don't mind waiting 'till morning."

"What?" Neku looks up to shoot a bewildered look at Josh. "Morning?"

Joshua smirks and heads for the exit. "Yep. Have a good night, Nekky!"

Before Neku can come up with a response, Joshua's already outside and heading towards Scramble Crossing.

"Wait!" Neku stands up and shouts at the window, forgetting Joshua can't hear him.

"Wait..."

What is it about this asshole that has Neku running through the rain to find him?

Why does Neku feel compelled to keep him close?

Joshua can just barely hear Neku's voice coming from behind. He ignores it and continues walking.

"Hey, wait up!"

Joshua stops this time. Neku slips and crashes into him, knocking both boys to the ground.

"Howdy," Joshua says, giggling.

"Jackass," Neku mutters, too tired to say much else. He collapses onto a bench, breathing heavily.

For a moment, Neku wonders why it was so important that he catch up with Joshua. He doesn't spend too much time worrying about it; he's sure the issue will keep him from sleeping tonight either way.

Suddenly, he realizes the rain isn't hitting him anymore.

Neku looks up at the other boy, who just stands there with a hand in his pocket and a hint of a smile on his face. His parasol is tilted so that it covers Neku.

"So where were you going?" he asks.

Joshua shrugs. "I have no idea. I was just...going."

"Huh." Neku raises an eyebrow. "That's...strange."

"What else is there to do?" Joshua asks.

Neku ignores the question, unsure if he can come up a suitable answer.

"Didn't you have somewhere you needed to be?"

"Oh...yeah." But Neku's not in much of a hurry to get going now.

He stands and looks at Joshua hesitantly. Josh swiftly kisses his cheek and Neku scurries off, blushing.

Joshua sits with his legs crossed, parasol blocking the rain, and he smirks. Good to know he's not completely alone, in any case.