pinkisforlove (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pinkisforlove) wrote2014-01-28 10:35 pm
pinkisforlove) wrote2014-01-28 10:35 pm
Entry tags:
Open for Neku
There were too many goddamn heroes in this city.
To be honest, it was enough to make Joshua sick--or, at least, extremely, extremely bored. All over a few measly dinosaurs? Please. Joshua had seen Noise scarier than that in his life (and afterlife, for that matter), a million times over.
And yet, that was what exactly Joshua's darling proxy had decided to waste his time with. It'd been years since he'd seen the boy--who'd grown into quite the apathetic-looking teenager, to be honest--and he was already a disappointment. Truly, indistinguishable from all of the other wannabe heroes that plagued this city--Joshua's city--and wasn't that just laughable?
Well, it wasn't anything that Joshua hadn't expected from Neku, to tell the truth; he contented himself to merely watch the ensuing battle, casually sipping from his iced green tea while the surrounding onlookers screamed in terror at the rampaging dinosaurs. He supposed it couldn't have helped to blend in with them, what with the running and screaming and all, but that would have taken so much effort, and really, he didn't like to sweat.
And naturally, when Neku was finished, the normally anti-social kid stopped to chat with some girl. Hmph. Joshua merely contented himself to follow the other, staying as stealthy as possible.
He didn't exactly blend in, though; Joshua never had. The Asian-American boy had white hair that fell in waves and curled behind his ear, eyes that were a peculiar shade of lilac; furthermore, he didn't exactly match the current styles among youth, what with his propensity for expensive button-down shirts and black skinny jeans. He assumed it was only a matter of time before Neku confronted him, and, as Joshua followed--cell phone in hand and thumbs texting away--he figured that all he had to do was wait.
To be honest, it was enough to make Joshua sick--or, at least, extremely, extremely bored. All over a few measly dinosaurs? Please. Joshua had seen Noise scarier than that in his life (and afterlife, for that matter), a million times over.
And yet, that was what exactly Joshua's darling proxy had decided to waste his time with. It'd been years since he'd seen the boy--who'd grown into quite the apathetic-looking teenager, to be honest--and he was already a disappointment. Truly, indistinguishable from all of the other wannabe heroes that plagued this city--Joshua's city--and wasn't that just laughable?
Well, it wasn't anything that Joshua hadn't expected from Neku, to tell the truth; he contented himself to merely watch the ensuing battle, casually sipping from his iced green tea while the surrounding onlookers screamed in terror at the rampaging dinosaurs. He supposed it couldn't have helped to blend in with them, what with the running and screaming and all, but that would have taken so much effort, and really, he didn't like to sweat.
And naturally, when Neku was finished, the normally anti-social kid stopped to chat with some girl. Hmph. Joshua merely contented himself to follow the other, staying as stealthy as possible.
He didn't exactly blend in, though; Joshua never had. The Asian-American boy had white hair that fell in waves and curled behind his ear, eyes that were a peculiar shade of lilac; furthermore, he didn't exactly match the current styles among youth, what with his propensity for expensive button-down shirts and black skinny jeans. He assumed it was only a matter of time before Neku confronted him, and, as Joshua followed--cell phone in hand and thumbs texting away--he figured that all he had to do was wait.
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What the hell was he thinking? He hadn't wanted to get involved with the whole Jurassic Park freak-show in the first place; he'd just happened to be walking by at the time and then all of a sudden everything went to shit and he'd fully intended to just KEEP ON WALKING.... and then he'd acted on ONE impulse and the next thing he knew he was getting scuffed up and clawed by dinosaurs. Isn't that exactly why he decided against using his powers? How the hell is he going to explain this to his dad (if even bothers to ask), he's got scrapes on his legs and face and his left arm has fucking bite marks on it....
Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. He's no hero and he doesn't know why some tiny part of him tried so damn hard to prove otherwise. He's not even remotely responsible for anyone else in this damn city, he expects nothing from them and they should expect nothing from him in return, that's the most basic rule and he went and fucking broke it. And then there was that girl--
Hold up.
As he cuts a right down a back alley (which is his usual method for getting home since it provides at least some relief from the obnoxious crowds), the hair on the back of his neck practically stands on end and he suddenly feels a prickle of anxiety, acutely aware of the sensation that he's being... followed? If that's the case how did he not pick up on a vibe- and that's when he realizes that there is no vibe and now he's really spooked. He does his best not to show his awareness of the situation though; a childhood of running around some of the more unsavory streets of LA unattended has taught him how to at least outwardly keep his cool in such a situation.
He keeps up the same pace for a few more feet, and then all at once whirls around, posture tense and defensive, ready to fight off an assailant if necessary, and then he realizes that his stalker is actually what appears to be an utter ponce. What?
His eyes widen in surprise just for a hair of a second before he resumes staring daggers at individual across from him. The guy might not look like much, but Neku is mindful of the fact that he also saw a girl half his size summon massive hell birds from another plane of existence just earlier today so he's definitely not about to count this kid out as a potential threat. Ignoring the ominous feeling in his gut he queries brusquely: "Can I help you with something??"
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Ha. Well, wasn't that just rich? Joshua thought of several retorts, just then, none of which were particularly wise to say--
Why, yes, Neku, I'm holding out for a hero...would you care to convince me from completely obliterating this wreck of a city? Yes, thank you very kindly, dear, it was nice to finally see you after all of these years....
Or maybe--
You can help me with a great many things, Neku dear, the least of them being getting yourself out of that ridiculous excuse for an outfit and into something that more accurately resembles clothing.
Joshua smirked the tiniest bit at the last option, almost imperceptibly, though the astute observer might have seen the smallest quirk at the side of his mouth and the sparkle in his odd, almond-shaped lilac eyes. Joshua walked a little further, even as Neku stopped, leaning against a nearby wall nonchalantly.
(He shuddered internally, contemplating the grime that would surely makes its way towards corrupting his outfit as a result, but it wouldn't do to show discomfort in front of Neku so early, especially over something so base.)
Easily, he slipped his phone into the pocket of his skinny jeans, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. The motion was fluid, graceful--and, after all, his motions so often were. Joshua flipped his hair a bit, giving Neku his most sincere, innocent, devil-may-care smile.
It came out more like a smirk, to be honest.
"Why, hang on there, dear," Joshua said, his tone light and airy. "Who's to say I want anything from you? Well, perhaps your number..."
He giggled a little, eyes lighting up with something close to mischief and not too far removed from malice. Neku was so very human, emotional and angry and weak, and Joshua was not so wrapped up in his smug little power trip that he was unable to recall the very same looks reflected in his own expression, back when he had been alive.
It was almost perfect, or poetic, or something that he would have studied (and aced) in some boring class before his death; two parallels, right? A current hateful teenager, and an ascended one. Why, the beautiful symmetry was almost enough to make Joshua want to pull the trigger and destroy LA now, but a game was a game, and rules were rules!
(Not that he really had an issue with breaking rules.)
He pushed himself off of the wall, striving for friendly; and as composed as Joshua was with his emotions, he wasn't unable to simply hide the condescension that exuded from his every smooth action, the imperiousness that dripped from his voice. Joshua was better, and he knew it.
His smile turned playful and a little more sincere, though the hint of a smirk was still present.
He held out his hand for Neku to shake.
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Then the response came and Neku knew immediately, from that moment, without a shadow of a doubt that he did not like this kid.
(Not that he liked much of anyone, ever. But there was something about this guy that just.... grated.)
He bristles noticeably at the proffered limb, his posture still stiff and unfriendly; he's basically radiating agitation, still spooked by the fact that even when he's actively searching for it he still can't pick up ANY sort of emotional vibe from this kid, and that just makes him trust him even less.
He declines offering a hand in return and instead locks eyes with Joshua, expression slightly quizzical underneath the classic jaded teenager glare.
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"My, no handshake?" He inquired, lazily letting his outstretched hand fall back to his side. "How rude...I'm crushed, truly. I simply wanted to get to know you--I was truly astounded by your heroism back there, and I simply had to get to know you, ah--I suppose you could call me a fan. I'm quite interested in the superheroes that this city has to offer, you see...though you seem, ah, more accessible than the usual hero."
Joshua's tone dripped with something that wasn't quite sarcasm, but drew close to it. His gaze scanned Neku's face, calculating.
"I'm Yoshiya. Yoshiya Kiryu. Though, Mother and Father call me Joshua...you can call me Joshua, if you'd like. I'd actually prefer it." Joshua giggled, pausing. His face grew serious, though his eyes didn't lose their somewhat mischevious light. He met Neku's gaze evenly.
(Hello, Proxy. Nice to finally see you, after all these years. Do you remember me...? Heehee...)
"And you, Hero? What are you called?"
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Neku really doesn't like the tone he's taking when he says any of that, but really he has no choice but to take the kid at his word. He relaxes just ever so slightly as Joshua withdraws his hand, but he's still very much on guard. Still no way of knowing if this kid is a super powered psychopath or not, after all. He sits through the introduction with his blue eyes burning with hostility, gaze locked with Joshua's.
He snorts derisively as the kid finishes wraps up the explanation, shoving his hands back in his pockets and scuffing at the ground a bit with one worn out sneaker. "Playing superhero? You must not have been watching very closely if that's what you got from all of that." Being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and happening to have super powers was probably the more accurate description of the whole thing.
If only he actually knew just how familiar Joshua was with his tendency to do that.
He pauses for another moment, conceding in a dry tone: "It's Neku."
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He had to adhere to the rules of his own game, after all.
Joshua already had a story fabricated; one that he thought was quite clever, in fact. It suited him and his motives well, after all. Joshua fished the antiquated, light blue cell phone from his pocket, flipping it open in one fluid motion. He pressed several buttons in quick succession, and a thin beam of light appeared, firing in Neku’s direction. It didn’t come close to hitting, of course—Joshua wasn’t stupid--and he immediately clapped his hand over his mouth, letting a giggle that he hoped sounded nervous escape.
“I’m supposedly gifted, myself,” he said airily. “As you could see. I’ve been looking for an—ah, a partner, if you will. Neku. You’re better at fighting than I am.”
Lies, lies, lies. All lies. Joshua smirked to himself, though without an emotional register…it would be impossible for Neku to sense the other’s internal pride.
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Neku had been fully prepared to at least begrudgingly offer a handshake in return just to get the guy off his back, and then... Well at least he'd been right to be suspicious of there being super powers involved.
His reaction to the sudden blast was, frankly, somewhat embarrassing; yelping and hover dashing to one side and landing again he immediately went back into a defensive stance, standing on his toes and looking for all the world like an extremely startled cat, eyes wide in alarm.
"What... the HELL was that?!?!?" He wasn't going to even dignify that request for a team up with a response until he got some proper answers out of this kid.
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“Why, Neku, I do apologize. I wasn’t aiming for you…it’s a recently new development, you see,” he explained smoothly, “I was just trying to show you why I was interesting. Your response was adorable, though, Neku…truly. Were you really so sad, after facing off with those horrible dinosaurs…?”
Joshua grinned, offered his hand again, striding towards Neku confidently. The imperious air practically exuded from him, despite the fake modesty lacing his words.
“So, Partner? I need someone to help me out, hm, and I don’t think it’d be so bad for you to have someone to watch out for you, yourself. I can be quite useful, given the proper…ah, persuasion”
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He pointedly crosses his arms, yet again ignoring the offered hand shake for a moment. This kid is positively oozing self-superiority and pisses him right the fuck off. Not to mention the condescending pet names that keep oozing out of his smug mouth every other sentence.
... But on the other hand, he's really not in the mood to pick a fight as it is.... groaning inwardly he offers a quick, curt handshake, eager to get the formal contact out of the way and over with.
Neku continues to stare, though his expression is reading less outwardly hostile and more just irritated. This kid is obviously lying, but to what end he can't really figure out; Neku KNOWS that he's not even remotely impressive fighter, as little practice as he has with his powers. And what the hell does he mean by *persuasion*?
"Ugh.... Look, I'm just not in to the whole hero scene. I don't just go around *helping people*. So nice try, but if it's all the same to you, I'm just going to just forget this ever happened and move on with my life."
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“Oh, but Neku dear,” Joshua almost whines, placing the back of his hand against his head dramatically. “I was so very inspired by your show of heroism…among other things, of course.”
He giggles, searching Neku’s face for signs of irritation. As doomed as this mission was, it would be fun.
“Besides, I’m all alone here. It’s so sad for a small, little slip of a boy like me, alone and unregistered with superpowers…I’m not exactly a proficient fighter, dear, and you could imagine the sorts of trouble that might befall a pretty little thing like me,” Joshua simpers, making his eyes grow wide and round. Lies, lies, all lies, but he needs an excuse to stay with Neku.
If that happens to come off like he's hitting on the other boy, well, that would simply just be some…ah, collateral damage. A less than fortunate but entirely bearable side effect, if you will, and oh, did Joshua find it amusing to see Neku squirm…
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Snorting derisively, he looks Josh in the eye, gaze harsh once more. "If you're so worried about being unregistered then don't use your powers. That's what I do. Easy."
He turns around once more and starts scuffing his way back down the alley, hand absentmindedly reaching for his torn up arm. He really needed to get the damn thing bandaged up. "Find someone else to be your babysitter, I'm not interested."