A/N: O_o; This took longer than I expected, but here's the next chapter! Enjoy~
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story & Shixona. Credit to Jin goes to Milaya Milen Zeal, as well as all of Neku's portions!
The Guardian
Chapter 3
The next day had Joshua and Neku walking to the school again, meeting up with Shixona and Jin along the way. As they walked, Shixona noticed a slight difference in her friend. She couldn't quite place what it was yet, but she could tell it was something good. Whatever it was, she hoped it either stayed or got better for him. Finally, they reached the imposing building, where the two pairs split off for class. While in Math, Joshua didn't notice, due to writing his notes, but Neku was almost…checking him out.
It was hard to spot, given that Neku's bangs obscured his eyes most of the time if he tilted his head just right, and he used this to his advantage as he bit down on the back of his pen in thought.
Suddenly, the bell rang, and a majority of the class sighed in relief that they didn't have to write Sho's notes again until the next day. Joshua got up from his seat, stuffing his things in his bag before turning to Neku.
"Ready?" he asked his Guardian Angel.
"…Yeah," Neku said with a nod after packing his things, tossing his bag over his shoulder and walking out with Joshua. They made it to Psychology without incident this time, and took their seats in the back just like with Math. Again, it was more notes, but this time, MUCH more lax.
Neku spent most of his time either listening or glancing to Joshua again from under his bangs. He only occasionally wrote some things down in his notebook…though this seemed to be mostly after he had just glanced at Joshua.
Joshua was more focused on Kariya's notes, though, and didn't notice anything abnormal from Neku. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, but didn't answer it. He already knew it was Shixona, but he didn't want to get in trouble.
Neku turned his pen between his fingers, his attention shifting briefly to Joshua's pocket, before he went back to what he was doing. After class ended, they walked to their third class, art, where they met up with Shixona and Jin. When the silverette spotted them, he made a beeline for their table, and sat to her right, and Neku sat by Joshua. Their teacher, Higashizawa, entered the room right as the bell rang, and shut the door, signaling the beginning of class.
"Draw what you please," he rumbled, sitting at his desk. "Just nothing rude or inappropriate."
Shixona was quick to turn to Joshua. "Why didn't you answer my text?" she asked him with a pout.
"I was in class, and I didn't want to get in trouble," he huffed, glaring playfully at her.
"So, are you okay after yesterday's shit that went down?" she inquired, ignoring the look.
"Yeah, better now that Beat and his gang are expelled," he told her. "Thank you for yesterday, by the way."
"No problem! Right, Jin?" the brunette smiled, looking at her boyfriend.
"…hm…" was all the other brunette said in reply, not looking away from his work. Neku merely regarded Jin for a few minutes before he grabbed some paper and began drawing as well. Joshua began to draw like the others, but still conversed with Shixona.
"What did you text me about, anyway?"
"I wanted to know what you guys thought of Deadpool yesterday," she answered as she sketched something out in her sketchbook.
"How did you…?" Joshua frowned.
"It's my VUDU account, remember?" she reminded him with a smirk.
"Valid point," the silverette nodded. "You know I love that movie, though!" Neku didn't seem to pay much attention to the conversation, sketching away quietly.
"I know, but I want to know what Neku thought," the brunette girl replied, looking at said redhead.
"Hm?" At his name, Neku finally looked up. "…Oh, was okay, I suppose," he said with a small shrug, before turning back to his drawing. Shixona pouted at the lackluster response.
"Don't worry, Shixona, he was laughing," Joshua assured her, drawing out the tip of an ear on his paper.
"Okay, good," she smiled. "I remember I even got a laugh out of Jin during the movie. Even if it WAS when Deadpool got shot in the ass…"
"Still funny, though," the smaller teen pointed out.
"Agreed," Shixona giggled, and returned to her own work. The small group continued to work until the bell rang, and when it did, Joshua smiled in satisfaction at his drawing. It was a detailed sketch of a fennec fox with its large, pointed ears up and alert.
"…huh. That's pretty good," Neku said as he looked over.
"Yeah, they're my favorite animals. I'd love to have one as a pet, but I don't think it would do well as a pet," Joshua told him as he closed the sketchbook and tucked it into his bag.
"Why not? I think it's legal to have them as a pet…back when I was, well, you know," Neku said with a small shrug. "I'd have to look in on that."
"I just don't know if it would like being in the cold during the rainy seasons and the winter," the silverette murmured. "After all, they're used to desert climates."
"I suppose…"
"But they're very fun. I've watched some videos of them before, and they're so silly and excitable," Joshua smiled at the Angel. "I still remember seeing a video of one named Eevee running and bouncing around on a couch."
"Oh, I've seen that one!" Shixona chimed in. "Eevee is the cutest!"
"Yeah, she definitely is," the smaller teen agreed with a chuckle.
"Well, Jin and I have a free period now until lunch, what about you guys?" she inquired.
"Same here," Joshua answered.
"Want to go out and snag some lunch from Sunshine? We have the time. It'll be my treat!" the brunette girl suggested.
"Sounds good. What do you think, Neku?" the silverette asked the redhead.
"Heh. Sure, why not? Let's mosey."
"Awesome!" Shixona cheered, and then the group left for Sunshine to eat. As they walked through the hallways, Joshua felt the nasty looks some of the students were giving him and his friends, but he fell into step with Neku, walking close to him so that hopefully they wouldn't try anything. And no one did because of that. Granted, they still received dirty looks, but nobody dared to mess with them. Eventually, they reached Sunshine, and after they ordered and Shixona had paid, they headed to a booth to eat.
"I'll be right back, guys, gotta use the restroom," Shixona said apologetically, and headed off to use the restroom. The other three wait patiently for her in the meantime, and as she started to walk back to their booth, a large, muscular, older teen stopped her.
"Hey sweet thing, wanna join me?" he offered with a leer. The brunette wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"No chance in hell," she snorted, and tried to pass him, but he grabbed her upper arm tightly. "Hey!"
"No one turns me down," he growled. Shixona tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip on her. When she swung a fist at him, however, he grabbed her other arm in a similarly tight grip.
"Let go!" she yelled, quickly gaining Jin's attention. Joshua and Neku looked over as well to see what was going on, and the silverette became scared for his friend's safety. When he saw Jin's face, though, he knew things would be okay.
Jin regarded the teen that had just approached his girlfriend, and, for a moment, he didn't seem to care in the slightest. But after only a few moments, he scoffed icily and stood up, wordlessly walking toward his girlfriend. Joshua noticed Neku starting to get up as well, but he stopped the redhead.
"Just watch," he whispered with a smirk. The larger guy noticed Jin approaching, and glared at him.
"What do you want, loser?" he sneered.
Jin didn't say anything initially, but then he snarled icily, "Is that your hand on my girlfriend?" as his hand curled into a fist, the knuckles cracking menacingly.
"You're her boyfriend? Hah! Piss off, pussy," the other male scoffed. The moment he said that, Jin's hand clamped down on the teen's wrist and squeezed hard enough that his hand instinctively let go, after which Jin spun around and slammed his elbow into his face, throwing him backward. Shixona rubbed at her sore arm where she had been held, knowing there would be a bruise later.
"You little BITCH!" the larger teen roared, clutching his now-bleeding nose with one hand before getting up and storming over to Jin with his other hand curled into a fist, ready to strike. Jin caught the punch before it could hit him, spun around and then hauled the teen over him and then slammed him down into the ground back first. This drew a pained grunt from the jerk, and he went limp on the floor, obviously out cold.
Shixona huffed, and then kicked the dumbass in the groin for good measure before collecting their food and returning to the booth with Jin. Once seated, she smiled softly at her fellow brunette.
"Thanks, Jin," she murmured, kissing his cheek.
"…hm," was the only verbal response her boyfriend gave, though he did nod his head briefly.
"…huh. Impressive," Neku complimented.
"Told ya he's fiercely protective," Joshua chuckled, reaching for his food.
"Damn right he is," Shixona nodded with a laugh, passing everyone's food to them. "Though that asshole's got some strength to him. I'm probably gonna bruise…" she grumbled.
"…ch…should probably stop by the nurse's office before next class, then…" Jin mumbled absently before he took a bite from his burger.
"Nah, it'll be fine. I'll ice it after school," she shrugged, eating a few fries.
"…hmph."
Neku merely chuckled as he took a swig from his milkshake, though he did glance around the restaurant on occasion. The four teens ate in a comfortable quiet, Shixona and Joshua occasionally making idle chit chat, and then Joshua checked the time on his phone.
"Ah, shit!" he yelped.
"What?" Shixona frowned.
"We're gonna be late for fifth period if we don't take the rest of this to go," he answered, getting up and quickly grabbing his trash. Shixona quirked a brow, but looked at her phone for the time, too, and yelped as well.
"Dammit, Uzuki's gonna make us do laps if we're late!" she whined, grabbing her trash, too. The group then gathered their things and headed back to the school, hurrying off to gym. Joshua, Neku, and Jin headed for the boys' locker room, changing into their gym clothes while Shixona did the same in the girls' locker room. When they reunited again, Uzuki was getting ready to call names for attendance. They scrambled to be in line near her, and answered when their names were called. After she finished, Uzuki put her clipboard away.
"Okay, brats! Time to do laps!" she announced, making Joshua and Shixona cringe. Now, even though they could run well, they didn't exactly enjoy it. Neku and Jin didn't seem that bothered by that, as they began to do their laps silently. After ten minutes of this, Uzuki yelled at them to stop, and then told them they would be playing basketball and to divide into two teams. Joshua, Shixona, Neku, and Jin were quick to take one team, and some of their class had to go with them to make it even, based off of the irritated look Uzuki was giving them. She then tossed the basketball to Neku.
"All right, now play!" she shouted, and sat back to watch. Some of the other team immediately ran at the redhead to steal the ball. However, Neku was quick to toss the ball over to Jin, who managed to snag it with ease and immediately began dribbling the ball toward the opposing team's side. Joshua and Shixona followed, keeping their eyes on some of the more aggressive-looking players. They didn't want any of them to try and be rough about stealing the ball, after all.
As one of the other teens rushed at him, Jin tossed the ball over his head, toward Neku, who immediately caught it and rushed along the outer edges of the field before effortlessly dunking the ball. Joshua grinned, pleased that Neku had scored so easily. The other team stole the ball after the redhead had dunked it, and then the chase was on. Sadly, Jin and Neku were considerably faster, and Neku managed to snag the ball mid-dribble, spinning around the other team member, and swiftly tossing it to the nearest of their own team…which was Joshua.
Startled, Joshua acted on instinct, quickly dribbling the ball to the right basket and shooting the ball in perfectly, scoring their team another point. Neku smirked softly, before he swiftly started the chase for the ball again.
"Awesome job, Joshua!" Shixona praised as she ran beside him, catching Jin's pass to her. She was quick to score as well, and the chase started yet again. As the opposing team tried to score, Neku managed to block the shot and ricocheted it toward Jin, who swiftly started back the other way.
Joshua and Shixona followed Jin, and the silverette noticed as a larger teen pursued them, swiftly passing himself and Shixona and charging towards Jin. Shixona growled when she saw this, too, and sped up to catch up to him, slamming the larger teen to the floor.
"Don't you DARE try and tackle him! That's a dirty move!" she yelled at him as he glared at her. Jin snorted as he shot the ball at the hoop. Sadly, it teetered over the edge of the hoop, but before the other team could try to get it, Neku jumped for it and dunked it regardless. With one last glare at the large teen on the floor, Shixona sped after Neku, Joshua not far behind.
Eventually, the game ended when Uzuki called for them to stop and get changed. Joshua smiled at Neku as they headed to the locker room with Jin trailing behind them.
"I'm glad you and Jin are good at this, because Shixona and I would have been screwed without you two," Joshua told him as they walked.
Neku smirked casually as they headed for the showers, not really paying any attention to the angry glares from the opposing team. Joshua was quick to clean himself, just so he wouldn't be accused of anything, even though he only had eyes for Neku. Neku followed shortly after so that Joshua wasn't alone, but Jin chose to take his time. After the three boys were clean, dried, and dressed again, they headed out to see Shixona waiting for them.
"Geez, and I thought girls take longer than guys with getting ready," she teased.
"We're not all fast like you, Shixona," Joshua chuckled.
"Whatever," she giggled. "Now, let's head off to Konishi's class, or she'll put us in detention with Uzuki."
"Fair enough," the silverette nodded, and they left to Science class with Konishi. Neku hummed softly as he walked after the others, adjusting his bag over his shoulder. Jin didn't even say anything; he just walked after with his hands in his pockets. When they reached the classroom, the group sat in the back as usual. Konishi entered the room shortly after, and began to lecture them for their science class. Eventually, once class ended, the four headed out to the hall, where they looked at each other.
"Do you guys have class after this?" Shixona asked.
"No, we have a free period, so we can go home now," Joshua replied.
"Same here! Want to come over to our place? We can play some video games!" she offered.
"What do you think, Neku?" Joshua asked the redhead, looking at him.
"…do we actually have enough time for that?" Neku asked with a small frown. "Let alone, would they let us?"
"We don't normally ask. We just leave by climbing the fence," Shixona told him. "They never see us, and we don't have to ask."
"…I dunno…" Neku murmured, not seeming all that convinced yet.
"Everyone else that has no classes for the day does that same," she assured Neku.
"And I've gone with them before to hang out after classes," Joshua added. "Hence why I was able to avoid my dad some days."
"…alright, fine. But if something goes wrong, blame's on you guys." Shixona and Joshua laughed lightly at the remark, and then the four teens left the school grounds, climbing a fence to get away without being spotted. As they walked to Shixona and Jin's apartment, Joshua wondered what Neku was thinking, especially after what had happened the day before.
But whatever he was thinking, it didn't show on the redhead's face. He just followed after with his hands in his pockets. Once they reached Shixona and Jin's apartment, the group headed inside, Joshua being reminded of the spacious home, and how the two had managed this with their inheritance from their parents' deaths. It just reminded Joshua that he wouldn't gain much when his own dad eventually died, more than likely from a bar fight or from alcohol poisoning, so he'd be more than likely dependant on Neku unless he got a job.
"Well, here we are, home sweet home!" Shixona grinned. "Want anything to drink?"
"I'll take a water, thanks," Joshua murmured, slipping his shoes off and setting his bag by the front door.
"Same here…" Neku said, looking around silently, even as Jin dropped himself on the couch after ditching his shoes.
"Sounds good. Make yourselves at home," she smiled, and grabbed two bottled waters from the fridge. Once she gave them to Joshua and Neku, she curled up on the couch close to Jin while the two guests sat in a couple of arm chairs. "So, Neku, have you played any video games before?"
"A few… Never got too much into 'em…" Neku admitted as he sipped his water.
"Well, in that case, you can either watch or play," she told the Angel. "And if you want, you can certainly join in."
"What game did you have in mind?" Joshua asked her.
"I was thinking a multiplayer, so how about Super Smash Bros. Brawl?" she suggested.
Jin didn't respond verbally to the offer. However, he did smirk a little bit with a soft scoff. Neku noticed, before he snorted. "I'll pass, thanks anyway."
"No worries," Shixona grinned, and then started up the game, passing Joshua and Jin each a GameCube controller. "It's much easier to play like this," she explained to Neku. Once they were at the character selection screen, Shixona chose Kirby, and Joshua chose Pikachu. Jin waited for a moment, before he silently chose to go for Ganondorf. Once they were ready, Shixona quickly chose the Pokémon Stadium 2 arena.
When the fight began, she was quick to use Kirby to suck Pikachu up and copy his ability. When Pikachu recovered, he drew down a Thunder attack to electrocute Kirby and Ganondorf. Ganondorf, however, jumped back and out of the way, and during the brief moment that Pikachu was recovering, punched Pikachu halfway across the map. Joshua narrowed his eyes, and then had Pikachu prepare to use a Skull Bash attack on Ganondorf.
Ganondorf barely dodged the attack, before stomping down on the Pikachu and then kicking him away. In the meantime, Kirby swung his hammer right at Ganondorf while his back was turned, smashing him off the stage while Pikachu got back up. Jin snorted as he had Ganondorf use an uppercut to grab the ledge and climb back up, smacking Kirby to its face as he did.
Neku merely sat there and watched silently as the fight continued, before he glanced to Joshua. Feeling the redhead's gaze on him, Joshua looked at him, noticing that Neku seemed to look like he was left out. Frowning in concern, the silverette then looked at Shixona and Jin.
"Hey, do you guys mind if we head out, actually? I'm not really feeling it today…" he sighed, and Shixona paused the game.
"Are you sure?" she asked, concerned.
"Yeah, it's fine. We'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?" he smiled slightly, and got up from his seat. "Thanks for having us over for a bit, though."
"Of course! Feel better, okay?" the brunette girl told him, and Joshua nodded. Joshua and Neku slipped their shoes on and grabbed their bags before leaving, bidding their friends farewell as they left. The pair walked home in silence, and once they reached their apartment and were inside, Joshua turned to Neku as he took off his shoes.
"Are you okay?" he asked, worried about the Angel.
"…I'm fine," Neku murmured softly.
"No, you're not," Joshua sighed. "Neku, tell me what's going on, please? I care about you, I really do…"
"…" The Angel didn't reply immediately, as he merely stared ahead of him silently for a few moments. But, finally, he sighed softly as he turned to regard Joshua. "…Joshua… Do you even need me here…?" The silverette nearly whimpered at what Neku was saying.
"Neku… I never even thought I deserved a Guardian Angel, let alone thought I would get one…" Joshua whispered, tearing up. "Having you in my life has made me so much happier… But as they say, 'If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never meant to be.' Do you just want to leave, Neku?"
"No! No, absolutely not! That's not…" He paused to take a breather. "Ugh, look; of COURSE I don't want to leave, but…" Neku sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Just…with Shix and Jin…it gives the impression that I'm…not needed…"
"Neku, I DO need you…" Joshua mumbled, hugging the Angel. "I understand what you're saying, I really do… Just…I don't think I would be able to handle it if you did end up leaving…" Neku tensed in surprise, before he brought his arms around Joshua as well. "I told you already, I love you," the smaller teen breathed, shuddering as a sob escaped him. "I couldn't handle it if you did leave…"
"I'm not leaving… I promise, I'm not leaving…" Neku assured him softly. Joshua whimpered against the Angel, clinging to him desperately. "Sssshh…it's okay…it's okay…" Joshua took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm himself down as he inhaled Neku's soothing scent.
Neku continued to shush the shorter male, running a hand through his hair. "…c'mon…let's get something to eat, alright?" Joshua nodded quietly, allowing Neku to take him to the couch so they could eat there for once. Once Joshua was seated, Neku headed for the kitchen to start cooking quietly. As the silverette sat there, waiting for Neku's return, he texted Shixona.
'Hey, I think Neku and I are gonna take a break from school for a few days,' he tapped out on his phone before sending.
'Huh? Why?' she asked.
'Because I want to spend some quality time with him. I really like him, and I mean as more than a friend,' he explained.
'I know that, but will you be okay?' she sent back.
'Yeah, I'll be fine. Like I said, I want to be with him,' Joshua assured her.
'Okay, I'll tell everyone you guys caught a stomach bug,' she replied. 'Good luck, Josh!' And with that said, Joshua closed his phone right as Neku returned with dinner.
"…you alright?" Neku asked as he passed one plate to Joshua.
"I'm okay. I was just letting Shixona know that we're gonna take a break from school for a few days," the smaller teen answered, accepting the plate with a soft thanks.
"…why?" Neku asked as he sat down next to him. "School's important, yanno?"
"Yeah, I know… I just figured you and I need some time together without anyone else, especially after today," Joshua murmured. "I don't want you to feel like you're not needed, Neku, I really don't…"
"…that's not a sufficient reason to—"
"Neku, I don't care. I feel bad, and I want to spend time with you without anyone else around," Joshua insisted stubbornly.
"…" Neku regarded Joshua for a moment longer, before he sighed heavily. "…fine."
"You know school is pointless anyway. They hardly teach what things you REALLY need to know in life," the silverette chuckled before taking a bite of his dinner.
"Don't say that…" Neku sighed. "It DOES matter…maybe more than you think…." he murmured, before he focused on his own dinner.
Joshua shrugged. "Well, it's not like they teach you how to do your taxes and stuff."
"Unless you go to school specifically for that," Neku pointed out.
"Fair enough," the smaller teen relented with a laugh. After the pair finished eating and had cleaned up from dinner, they got ready for bed, Joshua beating the redhead under the covers. He curled up into a ball against Neku's chest when the Angel joined him, though, murmuring a sleepy goodnight to him. Shortly after, he fell asleep, a content smile curving his lips.