[ Joshua, meanwhile, is still fighting a war against his own body. The unconsciousness doesn't stop Neku's Music, but it does dampen it. Still, he's already taken a very large portion for himself.
It's not as drastic, or as clear, as it was the last time. But slowly, slowly he can feel the panic and the pain leaking away. He doesn't let go of Neku, doesn't stop holding him close until he's completely sure he's not going to relapse. The feeling of his shirt sticking to his back creeps back into his awareness, as does the feeling of the cold around him. He pulls himself back a bit and listens to his own Music. It's weak, it's unsteady, it's still broken in a few places but it's still fixable, it's still something he can recover from as long as he rests.
He's not dead. He's shivering and shaking and lightheaded but he's not dead. Hopefully, Shibuya isn't either.
Joshua tries to move away, and startles a little when Neku moves with him. ]
--Neku?
[ For a moment, he goes cold. Now that he's paying attention, he can tell just how weak Neku's Music has gotten. Just how faint it is. Neku's skin seems even colder than his, and just because he's still breathing doesn't mean he will be for long.
But Joshua isn't in any state to help him. He can barely help himself.
Still with raised vibe, he settles Neku on his bed and gets in with him, then tucks them both in. At the very least, for the moment they can share some body heat.
Joshua at least sleeps for the rest of the day. When he wakes, he's more than a bit relieved to find the body next to him hasn't become a corpse. When he's not dozing off, he spends the rest of the time playing what he can of Shibuya's melody on a violin with unsteady hands, as if that would somehow help both of them.
Now to see if Neku would wake up, or just slowly die. ]
[ action ]
It's not as drastic, or as clear, as it was the last time. But slowly, slowly he can feel the panic and the pain leaking away. He doesn't let go of Neku, doesn't stop holding him close until he's completely sure he's not going to relapse. The feeling of his shirt sticking to his back creeps back into his awareness, as does the feeling of the cold around him. He pulls himself back a bit and listens to his own Music. It's weak, it's unsteady, it's still broken in a few places but it's still fixable, it's still something he can recover from as long as he rests.
He's not dead. He's shivering and shaking and lightheaded but he's not dead. Hopefully, Shibuya isn't either.
Joshua tries to move away, and startles a little when Neku moves with him. ]
--Neku?
[ For a moment, he goes cold. Now that he's paying attention, he can tell just how weak Neku's Music has gotten. Just how faint it is. Neku's skin seems even colder than his, and just because he's still breathing doesn't mean he will be for long.
But Joshua isn't in any state to help him. He can barely help himself.
Still with raised vibe, he settles Neku on his bed and gets in with him, then tucks them both in. At the very least, for the moment they can share some body heat.
Joshua at least sleeps for the rest of the day. When he wakes, he's more than a bit relieved to find the body next to him hasn't become a corpse. When he's not dozing off, he spends the rest of the time playing what he can of Shibuya's melody on a violin with unsteady hands, as if that would somehow help both of them.
Now to see if Neku would wake up, or just slowly die. ]