Author's Note: Hey, Guys. So here we, at the final day. I'm sorry for how inconsistent I've been with the updates - especially this one - I just really wanted to get it right. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read, review, follow and like this story. You guys rock! Originally this wasn't going to be a romance but it ended up being one. Im sorry if anyone is annoyed by that but it's what felt right to me.

So this is actually pretty much my Christmas from 2015 put into words. It gets quite existential but hey what's new? XD The rendition of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' at the end is what inspired this tale. It came to me in a dream two years ago and now here we are. I could go into each tiny detail about parts of this that are close to me but I'll just let you all figure them out yourselves. I hope you all loved Christmas and continue to do so as I do. Happy Valentine's day too! I'm going to miss this. My first multi-chaptered story, even of they are sort of one-shots.

Disclaimer: I do not own The World Ends With You.

His eyes burst open. Breathing haggard, limbs shaking, tears spilling. Why? Why could he only hurt and destroy? Why was he so detestable? Why hadn't he been strong enough to save those he loved? Why was he still so pathetic? He sat up, pulling his legs to his chest, balling his hands, he clutched his head. He was weak, useless, pathetic, worthless. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Josh?" His head snapped to his right - Neku scowled sleepily back at him. He panicked: he'd just had a nightmare in front of Neku, he was crying in front of the ginger teen again, he was showing weakness again. Instincts kicking in, he scrambled from the bed. Landing with a thump, he attempted to retreat from the room. A hand grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Josh, calm down." He couldn't reply; unshed tears and restrained sobs robbed him of speech. He allowed the hand to lead him back to the bed where he promptly sat and curled up on his side facing away from the other. Neku pulled the blanket up over them both. "Talk." He shook his head. He couldn't, wouldn't tell. It was his fault, he was too weak. "I said talk, Joshua." Scrunching up his eyes he shook his head. A sigh came from behind him as his face was pulled to the side. Deep blue eyes were a matter of inches from his own - their breath mingled. The silverette found himself melt under the intense gaze until he could bear it no longer. He turned, burying his head in Neku's shoulder and allowed himself to cry. For a moment, the other became rigid, clearly shocked. Tentatively, warm arms encircled him, holding him close. "Let it out, I've got you" was all that was said, the other opting to silently hold the silverette. It wasn't healthy to hold back. Joshua shook as his pain reverberated through his body, taking control and flooding free. Heart heavy, he felt compelled to make his hatred airborne if only to escape it quicker, he muttered:

"It's my fault. It's my fault. I'm sorry." Sobs punctuated his words, a cruel juncture of pure emotion. "Too weak. Pathetic. Unworthy. My fault." Subconsciously, Neku's grip on him tightened though he didn't reply. He allowed the silverette to let out his frustration before addressing the issue. And eventually, his sobs did die down.

"You alright now?" He nodded, trying to squirm out of the arms around him, inhibitions having returned. Neku didn't let him go. "Listen to me now." Joshua stilled, eyes widening slightly in apprehension. His face was still laid on the other's shoulder, making it impossible for him to see the ginger teen's face. "You have done nothing wrong. Whoever you lost, it is not your fault. Yes, you may have made some mistakes and done some bad things but it's ok. No one blames you." Neku ran his fingers through silver hair as he glanced down at Joshua. "Do I blame you, do I let myself become weighed down and constrained by the past? Fucking, of course not. Then I'll never see the reality right here in my arms. Being caught in the past makes the mind heavy and the heart dull. Leave the past behind, else you'll make the same mistakes again." He hated seeing Joshua break down. The teen had always been so upbeat, full of confidence that even Neku had been in awe of him at times. Seeing him fall apart reminded the ginger of how cruel the world was. It reminded him of how fragile people were, how fragile he was too. "I won't promise you everything will be alright, because it won't. Bad things are going to happen and we all do things we regret; there's no avoiding that. But I will promise you that you will never be alone. You will never be alone again, I'll make sure of it. Even if it means I have to put a tracer on you for that to happen." Having nothing else to say, he slackened his grip a little; giving Joshua the chance to leave, should he wish to. But he didn't, instead he nestled closer to the ginger haired teen.

"Thank you, for not blaming me. I don't think you'll have to resort to tracking me." He chuckled humourlessly to himself.

"I can't say forgive yourself now, because nothing is ever that easy." Joshua didn't doubt that. "Let's get back to sleep, I won't have you lazing around all day." A lazy smile drifted on the silverette's lips as his eyes closed.

"Yes, dear." The ginger rolled his eyes, almost envious of the other's ability to fall straight to sleep. But as he laid his head down, he found sleep wasn't as difficult to find after all.

"Josh?" A pause, "Josh, are you awake?" Deft appendages dug into his shoulder. "Josh?" The poking persisted; becoming more insistent. He groaned, swatting lazily at the nuisance. "Josh, I know you're awake." Growling, he covered his eyes with his arm.

"That's because you're waking me up."

"Then you are awake." Of course he was, Neku was making it impossible to sleep. "So get up, lazy."

"Neku, it is..." Leaning over to check the time on his phone, he furrowed his brow and threw the device onto the floor. "Four a.m! No Neku, go back to sleep." A whine escaped the other and as Joshua's groggy eyes drifted over to observe the teen, he noticed an eager spark in the blue eyes above him.

"Please, Josh?" Why couldn't he say no to those eyes? He was sure it would become a problem soon enough.

"Fine, I'm up anyway." A small yip of glee left the ginger teen as he burrowed himself further in Joshua's arms; the silverette only then noticing how they had unconsciously cuddled together as they slept. Neither mentioned the issues Neku dragged a bedraggled and lethargic Joshua out of bed and downstairs. "Neku, the stockings are on the door upstairs: why didn't you just open that before you woke me?"

"Because I want to share all of it with you." Joshua felt a warmth envelope his heart and a smile grow on his lips.

"Go get them and we'll open them down here." The teen promptly scuttled off to retrieve the stockings, that were only a prelude for the day to come. Making himself a cup of tea, Joshua felt the early morning chill seep through him. Any other day, it would feel frightening, taunting him the ghosts of his past. But today was Christmas Day; Neku was on his way down to him and they were going to have a day of joy and merriment. Never had the cold felt so fresh and soothing.

"Ok, Josh - here you are." Neku trotted in, garish oversized socks in his grasp. Both tartan stockings were bulging - courtesy of Sanae, no doubt. Though the Producer would never admit it, he was glad to finally be able to embrace and share the Christmas season. Joshua chuckled as he thought that Mr H would make a great parent. Both boys took a seat at the counter and unceremoniously tore into the gifts. Neku made the occasional 'ooh' and 'ah' and even a 'what the hell'; each response causing the silverette to look over and snigger. The ginger had been given: new pens for his artwork, a new sketchbook that was signed by Cat himself and various other appropriate items. Joshua could only roll his eyes at Sanae's attempts: a yo-yo, a pink toothbrush, a pair of neon reindeer socks, an artificial rainbow quill pen and a bag of chocolate coins. At the bottom of the stocking was a slip of paper that, had it not fallen out along side the toothbrush, he would have missed. On the paper, it read: 'You alone, cannot change the world. But that is what makes this world so beautiful.' Glancing at Neku, Joshua understood what the man wanted from him. It was Christmas, who knew what would happen.

Just after 7 o'clock, Sanae descended the stairs and immediately spotted the two teens asleep at the counter. That's what they get for getting up so early, he thought to himself. He went about making a mug of coffee for himself and a new cup of tea for Joshua - the one the silverette made having gone cold sitting forgotten beside him as he slept.

"Mr H, what time is it?" Neku pawed at his eyes to remove the sleep that lingered there. A chuckle left the dark haired man as he noted how the teen unconsciously draped his arm over Joshua's shoulders.

"Around seven; you want a drink, Phones?" Nodding, the ginger teen picked up one of his markers, leering at Joshua with evil intent in his eyes. "I wouldn't do that."

"It'll be worth it." Sighing, Mr H rolled his eyes: it was too early to cover up a murder.

"No, it won't. Leave him be, Josh has had enough trouble finding sleep without you vandalising him." Seemingly on agreement, Neku recapped and put down his pen. He took the cup of coffee the man had finished making him. "He really likes you, Phones. Despite all that's gone on."

"I know. I like him too, more so now than ever. Seeing him so vulnerable, like he has been - I know it sounds cruel - but it's been nice. Nice, in the sense that it's nice that I'm not the only one who has issues. Nice, that he trusts me enough to let me see that. Nice, that for once he seems real; reachable, not the untouchable god he always appeared to be." The barista shook his head; teenagers made everything so difficult. Not that anything about life was easy in the first place.

"Now see here, Phones. Joshua has issues, but who doesn't? Of course he trusts you, you're his Partner. But, I don't think he meant for you to see anything that you did; he just couldn't keep it in any longer. He may be the Composer, but he's still human, more so now than he has been for years. And that's because of you." Staring down into the brown liquid of his coffee, the dark haired man sighed. "Remember Phones, if you hurt him, you'll have me to answer to."

"Really, Sanae? I can look after myself." Joshua's head rolled to the side, the hair obscuring his eyes slipping aside.

"Can you, boss?" With a giggle, the silverette shrugged.

"In a manner of speaking." With a flick of his wrist, a familiar cold, metallic revolver appeared in his grip. "Remember this, Neku?" Eyes wide with shock and apprehension, the teen's blue eyes were fixated on the gun. He didn't move; memories of the last few times he'd seen the gun rushed through his mind. The first in Udagawa. Joshua: foreign, frightening and facetious. The second in the Room of Reckoning. This time, Joshua was serious, serene and sanctimonious. Dramatic change caused by simply knowing each other. Joshua had shot him on both occasions; both whilst manic and manipulative. Shifting his sight to the silverette, Neku saw the change this time was even more drastic. Gone was the callous cackle from the first instance, so too was the celestial conviction of the second. Joshua was nothing other than Josh: his friend. Closing his eyes, a breathy laugh seeped from his lips.

"You won't shoot me, Josh." He knocked the gun away casually as if brushing off a pesky irritation. He was met with no resistance as the barrel withdrew from his vicinity.

"What makes you so sure?" Meeting the other's purple gaze, Neku smiled and reached over to sift a hand through silvery locks. Soon a small smile grew on Joshua's lips, needing no real words to answer his question. "Alright, maybe I won't shoot you. But I can make life very difficult for you."

"You do that anyway." The boys began arguing in the companionable way the usually do as Mr H checked the time. Furrowing his brow, he chugged down the remnants of his coffee.

"What time did you say the others were coming over?" Neku looked over, head cocked in thought.

"Seven-thirty, what time is it now?" It was seven-twenty. Panicked, they gulped down their drinks. Choking on the dregs of his tea, Joshua sprinted upstairs, only a few paces ahead of Neku. He made a beeline for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. "Damn, you Joshua." Thumping on the door, echoed through the building. Joshua only sniggered as he set about getting ready.

"Josh, have you seen my hair gel?" Dressed and ready, Joshua trotted into the bathroom where Neku was searching the cupboards. The teen was dressed but the room still clung to the humidity from his shower. As he stretched to see into the cupboards, Neku's shirt rose about two inches above it's usual height but to Joshua, Neku may well have been completely bare. The few centimetres of Neku's exposed skin was more tantalising than the acres of skin exposed by any enthusiast of D+B.

"No I haven't, dear." Neku closed the cupboard door and Joshua took a moment to take in the rare sight of the teen with his hair down. Free flowing in a soft halo around his head, the natural, un-styled hair made Neku look much younger and much less aggressive. "Couldn't you leave your hair down today, do it as a gift for me." An eyebrow raised in response, as if asking if Joshua was completely sane. Once more, the silverette made puppy eyes. He didn't expect them to work but the ginger dragged a hand through his gel-less hair and sighed.

"Fine, but you owe me. Now to attempt to brush this mop."

"I'll help." Blushing at his blatant eagerness, Joshua stuttered a little. Neku simply laughed, handing the brush to the silverette and sitting on the wash basket as means of a makeshift stool. Hyperventilating slightly, Joshua began gliding the brush through the ginger hair. There was the occasional knot but they quickly fell away - Joshua was almost jealous. "You're dressed fancy, well fancier than usual. You always dress fancy." The silverette looked down at himself: he wore a crisp red, button-up dress shirt that had gold cuffs, along with a pair of black dress pants with silver designs running up the outside of the leg. His feet were currently covered only with the neon socks he had been given but he was planning on putting on a pair of black loafers since his trainers were wet from the snow.

"I suppose I am. Don't you appreciate the effort I put into looking nice for you?" He saw Neku roll his eyes in the mirror, to which the silverette replied with a chuckle. Running the brush through the ginger tresses, he felt he had to ask: "Why would you spike up your hair when it's this lovely?" Neku chuckled, glancing at the other in the mirror.

"We're not all pretty boys like you, Josh." Joshua pouted as he pondered the statement. So many implications, so many possible meanings but one thing stood out: Neku thought he was pretty? "I spike it because I prefer it that way, it's out of my face and makes me look a bit more rough and ready. It makes people leave me alone." Looking into the mirror, he met the ginger's eye. Those beautiful crystalline eyes - what he wouldn't give to be looked at by those eyes; to truly be seen by this wondrous being and excepted for the cursed winged entity he was. Sorrow creeping up on him, he finished up his ministrations.

"Well, I think you're beautiful no matter what you do with your hair." He leant down and pressed a small kiss to the top of the teen's head before putting the brush down and making his way out into the hall. "You're welcome."

The time of reckoning was nigh. Congregated at the foot of the towering tinsel monstrosity, Rhyme and Beat as well as Shiki and Neku began distributing the purchased gifts. Mr H was preparing the dinner in the kitchen, grumbling about how the turkey would fit in the oven whether it wanted to or not. Joshua sat on a bar stool a few paces from the seated teens, feeling the need to give them some space in this most sacred of festivities. He felt so warmed by the whole day that he was practically purring. Sure, he still disliked Christmas and the hassle and pain that came with it, but so long as he could spend each and every one the same way, every one spent with the ones who made him feel human again, he could tolerate the season. Glancing at Neku, he felt a cunning smirk tug at his lips. Maybe it was the Christmas feeling or maybe it was the three whiskeys he'd had or maybe it was the knowledge that the ginger had seen his worst and still stood beside him; whatever it was, gave him the confidence to think of what it could be like if he courted Neku. He doubted it would be like the end of a fairytale when the pair live happily ever after, they were both too temperamental and their situation too conflictive for that to be possible. He hadn't read many trashy romance novels but hoped nothing like that ever happened, even on the off chance they did get together. Rolling his eyes, he wondered why he was comparing life to fiction, for they never really run parallel. Fiction was the symbolism and interpreted meaning of reality, feelings and experiences manipulated and conveyed into an understandable and openly relatable stream of events. But words, no matter how eloquent, can never replace or truly reflect reality. The word 'happy' does not convey how your pulse races and mind fixates and tongue slurs out anything it feels necessary regardless of the brain's intervention. The word 'hurt' does not iterate the coursing, rippling anguish or the pulsating, contorting hatred or the hollow, useless constricting sense harboured within. The word 'loneliness' could never come close to explaining how it feels to be hidden in plain sight, how it feels to scream and never be heard, how it feels to cry yourself to sleep every night knowing that with the next sunrise all that will come is more empty, deafening, unending silence.

"Joshua, what's the far off look for?" Slipping back to reality, he peered over and met Rhyme's gaze. The young girl had been very gracious for her gifts and was clearly enjoying herself. The fact made Joshua smile, Christmas was for the young after all.

"Nothing, I was just thinking." He was given an incredulous look from the girl but she did not retort. A groan came from Neku as he swatted at his hair, trying to fling it out of his face. Joshua laughed, knowing the ginger's plight all too well.

"Why's your hair not spiked, yo?"

"Yeah, I meant to ask you. Not that you don't look great, Neku." Blush dusting his cheeks, the teen avoided eye contact with those around him.

"I ran out of gel and Josh asked me to keep it down." Joshua was unable to prevent the smug look that grew on his face as Beat chortled and Rhyme giggled. Shiki simply rolled her eyes, Mr H took that moment to enter the room.

"You sure work fast, Boss. You've already got him whipped."

"He does not!" Face burning red, Neku leapt to his feet as he pointed an accusing finger at the barista. The ginger's outburst going ignored, Joshua shrugged; a coy grin toying on his lips.

"What can I say, I'm simply one deadly efficient Composer." Neku's face furrowed in anger or humiliation. He turned to scowl at the silverette.

"Are you delusional? I'm not whipped " Shiki pursed her lips as if weighing both arguments.

"I'm inclined to agree." Meeting Neku's eye, she could not hide her amusement. "With Joshua." Sinking to the ground once more, Neku buried his head in his hands.

"You wound me." A finger lifted his chin and he was faced with Joshua only a few inches away, breath dusting his face, warming him further.

"Come now, dear. This means you have access to perks that no other may experience."

"Like punching you in the face." Sensing the evil intent, Mr H took his cue to end the conversation.

"And with that, I shall announce that dinner is ready."

Seats were taken and feast assembled, it was time for the annual food-fest that was Christmas dinner. Shiki and Beat sat together opposite Rhyme and Neku, Joshua sat on Neku's other side with Sanae opposite him at the head of the table. A glass of grape juice was poured for those underage while Mr H and Joshua sipped at some Merlot. The fact that the silverette had been granted alcohol had been the source of great debate, especially with Beat who saw it as unjust and setting a bad example. Not that the objections stopped Joshua sipping at his wine, it was from his wine collection anyway.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Raising their glasses, they toasted to the meal with a chorus of: "Merry Christmas!" After drinking, they each dived into the food. Turkey took pride of place at the centre of the table with a number of condiments to accompany it: carrots, roast potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts - much to the distaste of many, leeks, sweet corn, peas, sage and onion stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, pigs in blankets (also known as bacon wrapped sausages) and Yorkshire pudding. It truly was a magnificent meal. Conversation hummed along the table; Rhyme laughing at one of Mr H's tales while Beat attempted to maintain a conversation with Shiki without stuttering or blushing. Joshua was beaming. Never had he thought any of this possible; he had always thought he would rot out his further existence in desolate solitude and yet here he was, surrounded by friends and having the most fun he had ever known.

"Josh, wanna pull this?" Confused, he looked over to the boy next to him: Neku held a cracker out to him, offering the end to him.

"I'd be honoured." Grabbing the cylindrical tube, he pulled. With a CRACK, the cracker split. Neku emerged victorious, rummaging through the tube to retrieve the thin, purple, paper hat that he placed proudly atop his brow. Neku had won a lot more than just a cracker that year, Joshua thought. He'd won a lot more than he potentially even knew. Also inside was a small figurine of an angel and a slip of paper containing the undoubtedly terrible joke. Holding up the figurine, the ginger teen scrutinised it then with a shrug, tucking it into his pocket.

"I think I prefer the real thing to a model one." Blushing slightly, Joshua shook his head as he rolled his eyes. Taking a sip of his drink, he gestured toward the forgotten joke. Begrudgingly, Neku picked up the paper and read it's inscription: "What are the most popular trousers at Christmas?" Bracing for the inevitable, Joshua shrugged.

"Lounge pants, pyjamas." He was unable to hide the light smirk that dusted his lips.

"Bell-bottoms." Unable to help himself, the silverette laughed as he covered his eyes. It was so bad that it was actually laughable. In the background other crackers went off, Beat grunting as he lost to Shiki then cheering as he won against Mr H. Rhyme donned a silver hat whilst Shiki's was green, Beat's was yellow and Mr H's was red. The only one uncrowned was Joshua and in that moment, he thought that things were as they should be; these people, these wonderful people, were all special and fantastic and worthy of more praise than any others. He was humbled in their presence.

"Joshua, would you like to join me?" The final cracker was extended toward the silverette by the unlikely party of Shiki Misaki. Bowing his head politely and smiling genuinely, he took ahold of the sparkle coated cracker. The CRACK announced Joshua's loss, the majority of the item presiding in the girl's grasp. "Here, merry Christmas." Handing over the bounty, Shiki smiled back at him. It was if there was no sourness remaining between them - only at Christmas could such a miracle occur. Retrieving the hat, he placed it on his head. It was a light fuchsia hue, the translucent material allowing the silvery colour of his hair to partly shine through. Reaching inside, he extracted the slip of paper. Clearing his throat in an overly dramatic manner, he recited the inevitably terrible gag.

"What did the Christmas tree excel at in school?" A series of shrugs came as his answer. "Needle point." Groans and face palms were elicited from the quality of comedic material only accepted at Christmas. Giggling slightly, he picked up the almost empty shell of the cracker. As he tipped out the contents, out fell a plastic ring. The band was a deep blue while the clear plastic gem on top refracted the light, as if capturing a rainbow within it. He rolled it in his palms for a moment before it was snatched from him.

"Well isn't this pretty, even if it is plastic. Shall I do the honours?" Before he could think to refuse, his pale hand was taken and the ring slid onto his second finger. Where engagement rings traditionally sat. Looking over into the other's blue eyes, he raised an eyebrow.

"You're quick to get me down the aisle, dear. You want to be my wife that badly, do you?" Now it was Neku's turn to blush and fluster. Around them the table erupted in laughter at the ginger teen's discomfort. Shiki raised her hand abruptly.

"I call maid of honour." Beat copied the action.

"Bagsy the best man, yo." Neku groaned, shoving his head in his hands.

"Why am I the wife, here?"

"Face it, Neku; you're just not a topper. I bet you couldn't even top Shiki." All eyes turned to stare wide eyed at Rhyme, who simply shrugged and continued digging in to her food.

"Girl has a point, Phones. You just aren't that dominant. There's nothing wrong with taking it..."

"Okay, can we just drop the subject. My ears are aching and I think I'm going to die."

"Don't exaggerate, dear. Besides, if we really did get married, it wouldn't be your ears that ached." Knowing any retort he attempted would be twisted to hinder him further, Neku retuned to his meal. A pale hand settled on his knee under the table. Meeting Joshua's eye, the silverette offered a smile that promised so much that Neku could hardly decipher it. Whatever lay ahead, he would welcome it all. Now all he had to do was tell him...

"Does anyone know where Neku is?" Everyone, par the ginger teen, was strewn on the floor of Wildkat - contentedly bloated after their hefty meal. Joshua had lie there for a large amount of time, plucking up the courage to talk to Neku. He needed to tell the teen how he felt, if only to know that he had aired his heart.

"He said he was going outside, apparently there was something he needed to do."

"I wonder what he's up to. I'm going to go check on him."Peeling himself from the floor, Joshua made his way outside. He found Neku fussing around with something that he couldn't quite see. Announcing his presence by clearing his throat made Neku jump around and conceal what he was doing.

"Joshua." Brow furrowed in confusion, Joshua tried peering around the teen. He dropped his gaze to the ground.

"I just came to see how you were." Worrying his fingers against the hem of his shirt, his eyes darted around as he looked anywhere except from into Neku's eyes. Joshua bit his lip, the impending catastrophe weighing heavy on his mind. He knew any attempt of humanity by himself was futile, though he was sick and tired of being left by the wayside.

"Josh, are you okay?" Neku stood with his hands behind his back. The ginger teen looked at Joshua with wide eyes. Bowing his head slightly, the silverette smiled a little.

"Of course, dear. Do I not look okay?" Pouting slightly, the smaller blond considered his reply.

"No, but you can never tell with you." Clutching his jacket closer to himself, the silverette frowned in a contemplative way. "You never let anyone see what you don't want them to." Joshua often wondered how Neku could see through him; it was an unnerving feeling, knowing that there was someone who could read him so easily, despite his best efforts. It was a fact that terrified the guarded boy. Upon noting the silver haired teen's pondering, Neku raised an eyebrow at him. In that look the silverette saw only the best intentions and omniscience, clearly the ginger teen wasn't as oblivious as many thought. Throwing no heed to his inhibitions, Joshua threw his arms around Neku, hugging the teen close. Taken aback by the contact, Neku froze a moment. Physical contact was not something he was used to, having come from a guarded, distant family. Apart from Beat and occasionally Shiki, he rarely was so close to another. Slowly he relaxed, wrapping his arms around the other. A chorus of sighs erupted; apparently the others had noticed the exchange.

"So cute!"

"Neku, looks like a crushing school girl!"

"Dude, it's about time!"

Joshua giggled as he stepped back. Mr h stepped up to them, smiling. He placed his hand on Neku's head, ruffling his hair in a supportive not condescending way. Grinning timidly, Neku's eyes suddenly grew wide.

"You might want to-" he was cut off by a large mass of snow flying through the air, smacking straight into the four stood in the doorway. "-move." Then they all turned to stare aghast at him. Behind him they spotted a contraption made of an old bike and various utensils, that served as a make shifter catapult. "Sorry, that was meant for Josh."

They shrugged and walked back inside grumbling. The whole thing made it seem as if they knew something that no one, not even Neku, knew - which left the ginger stumbling for thought. Joshua knew they had left to give him an opportunity. And he wasn't going to squander it.

"Neku, there is something I must say." Swallowing shallowly, he rubbed his fingertips together and his toes curled in his shoes. He was so nervous, so so nervous but he couldn't back down now. Dragging in breath, his words spilled out, tumbling together as he fought with his nerve to say them: "I've never really felt human. When I was alive, I could see things no one else could, I was an anomaly; unnatural. Then I was dead and almost cut off from reality. All I knew was the darkness of loss, the reluctance of compulsion and the loneliness of authority. I don't regret ending your life, for you have since become the soul star in the polluted skies surrounding me. I cannot fully convey nor comprehend how I feel, so I shall not attempt to fumble for words. The one thing I am certain of however, is that I cannot continue with the knowledge that I have not told you that I love you. I don't care if you don't reciprocate my feelings but I had to say it." Closing his eyes, he felt lighter as if a crushing burden had been lifted. "I love you, Neku Sakuraba." Now he could leave. He had to leave, lest Neku feel obliged to answer. He turned.

"Wait." His wrist was snagged. He stopped. "I can't string words into poetry like you, so I won't bother." What he did then was more powerful than any word in existence, Joshua thought that it was much more expressive yet bewildering too. Neku tugged on the wrist in his grasp, eliminating the distance between them. He lowered his lips and they met in a clash, for that was what they had always been: two rivalling sides looking to get one over the other. Opposing worlds, adjacent ideals, incomparable stories. But maybe that was why in that moment they clung to each other, as if nothing else truly existed outside of themselves. Warmth seethed through their bodies, breath twined and twisted together into a tender tornado in the chilly air. Salty drops slid down their cheeks, neither one knowing who had shed the tears - both savouring the promise within them. Drawing reluctantly apart, Neku's eyes were blurred, cloudy with the flurry of tears that robbed him of any words he could have conjured. Not that he needed them. With a soft smile and bat of glossy lashes, Joshua leant in to join their lips once more. They didn't need words, not when their meaning was so nondescript. They would make do with showing each other.

It was much more fun that way.

Gathered around the hearth, Joshua was positively glowing. He'd never felt more elated in all his (un)life. Mr h had gone to bed after one too many eggnog, Beat and Shiki were curled together on the sofa and Rhyme had taken Neku's temporary lodgings. He was bundled up under a blanket, watching the flames while he lay on the ginger teen's lap while fingers sifted through his wispy silver locks. "So Josh, was Christmas up to your standards?"

"Better than the other fifty I missed." The look of horror on. Neku's face made him laugh and push playfully at his shoulder. "I'm joking, I'm not that old. Don't bother asking my age dear, it's rude." Rolling over so he could gaze instead into deep blue eyes, he smiled as he thought of the past week. "Would you like to hear a song?" A shrug and encouraging smile came as his reply, so he began. "On the first day of Christmas; dear Neku gave to me: a chance to redeem myself." Already his eyes gleamed with sheer emotion. Looking back, it was hard to believe anything but fate had lead them back together. Whatever the reason, Joshua was glad. He doubted he would ever feel remotely as happy as he did right then, otherwise. "On the second day of Christmas; dear Neku gave to me: two special words and a chance to redeem myself." Those words had been so significant, so rare and special that they could have fuelled Joshua for a great many years. How lucky he was that now he had so much more than just words. He had hope.

"On the third day of Christmas; dear Neku gave to me: three new friends, two special words and a chance to redeem myself." The teens he now called friends were an inspiration to the rest of humanity, they were all that was right with the world.

"On the fourth day of Christmas; dear Neku gave to me: four marshmallows, three new friends, two special words and a chance to redeem myself." His sore back was a testament to that day; the day he nearly lost everything by running away.

"On the fifth day of Christmas; dear Neku gave to me: a great big hug, four marshmallows, three new friends, two special words and a chance to redeem myself." His lowest point. Neku had seen him crumpled, obliterated and useless. Yet he had stayed and pulled him back together; perhaps in time, the wounds would heal and he could forgive himself. But that was still a long ways off.

"On the sixth day of Christmas; dear Neku gave to me: a chance to be a lady, a great big hug, four marshmallows, three new friends, two special words and a chance to redeem myself." Neku pouted at the reminder. Meeting Neku's family had been an eye opener at how life could be and how Neku saw him. It had been belittling to be scrutinised so. His heart ached at the memory of Neku's tears that day, he had hated himself then and still did. Never would he let that happen again. Shifting so they laid down beside each other, Joshua watched Neku's eyes reluctantly flutter shut.

"On the seventh day of Christmas; dear Neku gave to me: a whole new life." Sighing as he smiled, cutting his verse short. The silver haired teen let his eyes flutter closed and welcomed sleep, knowing that when he awoke, he would find a new day and a new world. Part of him expected to wake up alone in the empty halls of the Room of Reckoning, but he couldn't find the heart to care as he cuddled close to the body beside him. He still hated himself, but that would probably never change. And whether he deserved it or not, this was what a happily ever after felt like. It was the best feeling in the world.

Once upon a time may be old, it may be obscene, it may be unbelievable. But beneath those exaggerated acts of chivalry and idealistic heroism, lies an undying and unwavering need to love. Why whisper what you can scream? Why frown when you can laugh? Why hide when you can live? Cliches exist for a reason, and what better time for a cliche romance than cliche Christmas?

The road is never easy, but each battle makes us who we are. Joshua finally understood that as he drifted off to sleep. For the first time in forever, he would not be woken by nightmarish memories. Instead he would greet the world with a smile on his lips and a glimmer of joy in his amethyst eyes.

And after that, they all lived happily ever after... well, sort of.