Archive of Our Own ^beta

"You can't be serious."

Neku crossed his arms against the buffeting force that was Misaki Shiki. They chilled in the seating at a Shibuya movie theater before the film began, "they" being the usual suspects: Beat, Rhyme, Shiki, and Neku. The latter-most tried his very best to recall why Shiki was angry this time.

"I don't get what the big deal is," Neku said, only slightly standoffish.

"Don't--? Neku, you're wearing your headphones in a movie theater! It's ridiculous," Shiki said. "How will you even hear the movie?"

"I seem to hear you just fine. Unfortunately."

Shiki just groaned in righteous frustration. She seemed this close to throwing up her hands in defeat. Beat leaned over to toss a confused look around Neku to Shiki, then back to him.

"Yo, I thought we was past all that. I's like Mr. Coffee said. Open up, Neku! Let the Anjers awesome in."

Neku scowled, roiling a deep sound in his throat. Yeah, I'm sure a dead guy making junior high kids broke with his coffee prices is such a big Avengers fan, he thought to himself. After finding out the hand Mr. H had in the Game and his involvement in the Taboo Noise, Neku still wasn't sure what to think of him. He hasn't even gone to Cat Street since.

On the far side of Shiki, Rhyme sighed. She wasn't aware of the reasons, but she could feel Neku's discomfort. She didn't want to push him too hard.

The four of them had come to see the Japanese dub of the newest Marvel film. Apparently it involved robots, which was happily not one of the group's many new fears well-earned from the Reaper's Game. They may have fought tattoo-monster wolves and penguins and jellyfish and friggin' wooly mammoths to win back their lives, but they had not yet been traumatized by robots. Perhaps that would change.

Neku just wished the movie would start already.

"Fine. Whatever." Shiki clutched her stuffed cat to her chest and sulked.

Neku's sigh was in harmony with Rhyme's. He gripped the armrest between he and Shiki and turned to her. "What is your problem?" He didn't mean to make it sound accusatory, but his frustration brought venom to his tone.

Shiki's chin tilted up in defiance, as she did when she was frustrated and trying not to cry. Right then would be a stupid time to cry, and it was a stupid argument. She knew this, but she couldn't drop this. It was too important. "Why are you still blocking me out?!"

The accusation in her tone and a quick glance past Neku finished her question for her. You're more open with Beat than you are with me!

Truthfully, she was right. But she hadn't been there for that third week, or even the second. Shiki had been the one to coax Neku out of his shell. She and Mr. H taught him to trust. Joshua picked and prodded at Neku with a fire poker until he fought back and cared. Joshua made Neku see people. Joshua helped Neku learn to trust. Beat reminded Neku what having a friend was like. Beat coaxed out the truth.

And all of them coaxed Neku out of his headphones. Briefly.

Shiki and Neku's bond was strong, but Neku was still finding out how to comfortably treat her like a friend. The fond teasing and arguing came easier. Afterall, they would never have been friends without the Game. Their personalities were too razor-edged when casually placed side-by-side. It was better when they clashed.

At least, that's what Neku thought. Apparently Shiki didn't. Why are you still blocking me out?! Neku didn't have an answer for her.

When it was clear Neku wasn't going to speak, Rhyme, bless her, came to his rescue. She laid a warm hand on Shiki's arm. " We're all still trying to figure out how to be friends outside o' the Game. But we'll get there. You know what they say!" Here, she smiled sweetly, warming Shiki's heart. "Birds of a feather flock together! In any weather."

Although she wanted to, Rhyme didn't say I'm sure Neku doesn't mean to block you out. Because she didn't know if it was the truth.

Shiki smiled wryly at her younger friend. "You just made that last part up."

"Yes," Rhyme admitted, raising a coy hand to her lips. "But that doesn't make it untrue!"

"I . . ." Neku started, raising a hand to his 'phones. He felt strengthened by Rhyme's proverb, even though it was completely lame. Maybe his own admission would be less lame in comparison. "It's just easier to focus on you guys than hear all of Shibuya. It's like scanning every street at once. So . . ." He cast an askance glance at Shiki, mumbling, "I'm not trying to block you out. I am listening."

Shiki's lower lip trembled. She ducked her head shyly. "So . . . will they ever come off?"

"For good?"

Neku thought about it, looking ahead at the dark screen. Blue eyes shifted to the ridiculously energetic guy beside him, and his equally ridiculous rapper clothes. Beat was occupying himself by tossing popcorn up into the air and trying to catch it in his mouth. So much energy, so much determination, and yet nowhere for it to go. Still no dreams. If Neku could call anyone his best friend, it would probably be Beat. They had the easiest dynamic, and bros were bros.

He let his eyes skip over to Rhyme, who was making it a point to not meet his eyes, though she could feel his on her. She probably didn't want to put any pressure on him. Rhyme was wise beyond her twelve years. Despite her being a first year, she was okay to hang around with. Somehow, Rhyme always knew what to say to diffuse a tense situation. She clearly cared a lot. Although she hadn't yet remade new dreams after the Game robbed her of her old ones, she pressed studiously on. Neku felt protective of her. Even though he was an only child, if he were to call anyone a sibling, Rhyme would probably be his little sister.

Neku did his best to not look to Shiki, but he could see her in his head. The true Shiki. Quiet, loud, self-conscious, caring, loyal Shiki. She had been Neku's first friend since . . . well. Three lifetimes ago. He and Shiki were close. They were Partners, and they always would be. He didn't know what else to call them.

And Joshua. Kiryu fucking Joshua. There was nowhere for Neku to cast his eyes to see him, so he rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Whenever Neku thought of him, conflicting emotions whirled about his gut in a torrential storm, a whirlpool of bitterness and relief and regret and anger and love and trust. He could never forgive Joshua for how he hurt Neku, but he had earned the rest. It was rare that Joshua showed up to hang out, so when he did, Neku leapt upon the opportunity. They would fight, they would clash, and there was no semblance of normality. But it was their lack of normality. He still hadn't thanked him for looking out for Shibuya, for all of them, in the end. He wasn't sure he needed to. Afterall, it would only earn a sarcastic, teasing remark from the prickly porcupine. Joshua was a little shit, a punk, and a bastard. He boiled Neku's blood. He made his mind fuzzy, sometimes. At others, he sharpened and cleared it by asking just the right question. The prod to get him thinking.

Neku was still angry at Joshua. But of all of them, Neku had felt the closest connection to him. He thought they could be friends before he was sure Shiki and Beat were his friends.

Beat was probably Neku's best friend because he wasn't entirely sure what to call Kiryu Yoshiya. Joshua was just . . . Joshua.

Neku's world was still small, but it had grown bigger. Wider. Warmer. He turned to Shiki. She must have thought he dropped the subject and blown her off, staring off into space like he was, because her head and mouth were turned down. But instead of throwing up her Eri mask, she was quietly chatting with Rhyme.

He hesitated, then prodded Shiki. She turned to him with a question in her frown. She was pissed. But mostly, Neku noticed, she was self-conscious.

"You asked if they'd ever come off."

Shiki's brow furrowed uncertainly. "And?"

"Well." Neku shifted anxiously, briefly tugging a strand of his orange bangs out of his face. "I was thinking of going shopping. For some ear buds. You wanna come?"

It was quiet. It was slow. But a warm smile inched its way across Shiki's cheeks. "Okay." She then burst into a sly grin, which promptly hid behind a dainty hand. "I know some great designer ear buds I can show you at 104. Mus Rattus and Sheep Heavenly have the best designs, but D+B is pretty good, too. Mus Rattus even has mouse ears on theirs!"

Neku immediately regretted everything. "Ugh. Pass."

Rhyme and Shiki giggled. Beat looked over with a, "Huh?" which meant a popcorn kernel bounced off his head and into Neku's messy hair. Rhyme and Shiki laughed at their expense.

"BWAAAAHHHH?! C'mon, don't be laughin' at me!" Beat shouted, flailing dramatically. He gripped his thick shoulder seriously before grinning a moment later. "Y'know a man only look fly with food in 'is hair, yo. I'm only helpin' a bro out!"

"What?" Neku asked, incredulous. "Since when is manliness based on wearing your food?"

"Since the dawn o' time, man! Like in . . . the uh-duh era! Or was it the merry . . ."

"Dude. It's the Edo and the Meiji eras. And the universe started thousands of years before that."

"Whatever, yo! I ain't no historian. They deal with ol' dead peeps."

A corner of Neku's lips quirked toward the sky. "You mean like we were a couple weeks ago?"

"BWAAAAHHHH! Don't remind me . . ." Beat whined.

The lights faded out.

"Hey, shhh!" Shiki said. "It's starting!"

Their laughter settled down, and the opening credits began. Beat stretched out an arm across the back of Neku's seat, getting comfortable. He was always quick to bounce back from dramatics. Shiki nudged her elbow into Rhyme's arm and pointed at the screen, a little excited about the action flick she had been making fun of beforehand. Rhyme smiled, leaning toward her.

Neku leaned back, relaxing. He could feel the backs of his spikes tickling Beat's arm, but his friend just knocked his forearm against Neku's head, then stayed there. Neku let his head fall back.

This was good. This was great.

Neku shifted the right side of his headphones off his ear, just a little.