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vannahfanfics · 1 year

Text

Asylum

Word Count: 1890

Romance, Fluff, Post-Canon

Summary: Neku's home. Finally.

It’s kind of amazing, Neku thought with a small smile. It’s been three years, yet Shibuya hasn’t changed a bit. He glanced over his shoulder, where a very familiar bronze statue of an Akita stoically stood guard over the Shibuya Station Square. Especially not you, Hachiko.

Neku smiled softly and reached out to gently rub the statue’s snout; he certainly wasn’t the first, as evidenced by the distinct golden sheen of the pooch’s nose compared to the burnished russet luster of the rest of its body. It seemed ages ago now—the day he’d stood here with Shiki, frantically rubbing the statue to reveal the Wolf Noise concealed beneath. Heh, but there’s no Noise to worry about now that we’re back in the RG, eh, boy? Neku said silently to the statue, smirking. No more Noise, no more Reapers, no more Games…

Just all of us here in Shibuya, living life to the fullest.

After giving it one last pat to the muzzle, he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket to check the time. Just as he did so, a frazzled voice floated out from the cacophonic din of the scramble crossing.

“Waaaaah! I’m sorry I’m late!”

Neku glanced up to see Shiki scurrying toward him, skirting this way and that to avoid the meandering pedestrians with small squeaks of “Excuse me!” and “Pardon me, please!” She looked so afluster, with her short brown hair bouncing around her flushed face and her cardigan flapping around with each frantic movement, that Neku couldn’t help but smile. Three years, and you haven’t changed a bit, either.

Shiki stumbled to a stop in front of him, then doubled over, her hand over her chest as she wheezily gulped down air.

“I’m—haaaah—so sorry! I—haah—the shop—haaaah—inventory—haah—disaster—!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Neku reassured her with a chuckle. “I wasn’t waiting long, and besides, I had Hachiko to keep me company,” he added with a small smirk toward the dog statue.

Shiki giggled. She took another moment or so to catch her breath, then slowly straightened up, her entire body slumping as she wearily exhaled. Her glasses were askew on her face, and sweaty flyaways stuck up from her hair in several places. She’d obviously run here in a full sprint, eager not to waste a single moment she had with Neku. He’d been back in the RG for several days now, but they had been a whirlwind, and he really hadn’t had a chance to really catch up with Shiki. He was glad to see that she was just as excited about it as he was.

A warm and fuzzy feeling started to spread through Neku’s body, and a smile tugged at his lips, making him reflexively try and tug up the collar of his coat to hide it.

“Still, I’m sorry you had to wait at all,” Shiki said with a regretful smile, then reached up to adjust her glasses. As she did so, she cast Hachiko a soft, contemplative look. “But he does keep good company, doesn’t he?”

The fuzzy feeling overtaking Neku swiftly evaporated, forced away by the sharp pang of guilt that pierced his heart. How could he forget? Shiki had spent the better part of the last three years in this very spot, waiting for hours on end in the hopes that it would be the day of his miraculous return. He averted his gaze, this time to try and conceal the mortified flush and pained grimace on his face. Of course, it did little good; he couldn’t hide anything, not from Shiki.

“Neku? You okay?”

“I-I’m fine,” he lied, though he still couldn’t force himself to meet her curious gaze. Frustrated with himself, he rubbed at the back of his neck and tilted his head up to look at the sky. “Anyway,” he said, desperate to change the subject, “why don’t we get something to drink? You ran all the way here; I’m sure your thirsty.”

“That sounds lovely! I could definitely go for an ice cream float from Hachiko Café right now.”

Neku peered down to see Shiki smiling pleasantly at him. It helped ease his nerves, and he relaxed, dropping his head back down to return her smile. She made to start walking, but he quickly stopped her by gently grasping her elbow and shaking his head.

“No, I’ll get it,” he insisted. “Why don’t you just rest for a moment?” He motioned with his chin at one of the nearby benches.

“O-okay, if you’re sure,” Shiki stammered bashfully. She gratefully bowed her head, but Neku didn’t miss the rosy blush coloring her cheeks or the giddy smile pulling across her face.

Cute, Neku thought. She really was adorable, getting so overwhelmingly happy at such a simple gesture. Of course, Neku wasn’t ignorant of the reality. Shiki wouldn’t get this happy over just anyone.

There was only one reason someone spent three years devotedly waiting for someone to return. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out; hell, even Beat comprehended the nuances of Neku and Shiki’s relationship—and that guy probably couldn’t even spell “nuance.” Point was, Neku wasn’t oblivious to the depth of Shiki’s feelings for him. He hadn’t called her out here just to catch up. No, it was three years overdue, but Neku was going to tell her how he felt, too.

But first, he needed some liquid courage. Neku hadn’t exactly spent the last three years brushing up on his communication skills. In fact, after having only Coco Atarashi for company, his social ineptitude was probably worse than ever. Nothing an iced cold brew wouldn’t fix… probably.

“It looks delicious! Thanks, Neku!” Shiki chirped when Neku sat down on the bench beside her and offered her the ice cream float. She took it gratefully, and Neku was so enchanted by the way her eyes sparkled like the carbonation fizzing in the watermelon soda that he momentarily forgot about his own drink. Shiki spooned several bites of the vanilla ice cream into her mouth before she took notice of Neku staring intently at her, and when she did, she flushed.

“Ah… Neku, is there something on my face or something?” she fretted and started patting around her mouth worriedly.

“What?” he blinked, so out of it that it took a moment for her question to register. When it did, he hastily shook his head. “Ah, no, sorry. I was just lost in thought.” He tried to wash down the embarrassment with a sip of his coffee, but it just seemed to energize the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He squirmed uncomfortably on the bench as they frantically flapped away inside of him, making his stomach twist and turn.

“I’m glad you haven’t changed, Neku.”

Neku turned to look at her again when she suddenly spoke up, and he found her staring wistfully into her cup. She idly swirled the spoon around in the mixture, making streams of vanilla ice cream slowly streak through the bubbly green soda.

“Did you think I would?” Neku asked, the smile pulling at his lips a little crooked.

“I don’t know,” Shiki answered with a small laugh. She nervously twisted a piece of her hair around her finger as she tilted her head to the side a little, looking a little bemused. “But I had a lot of time to think, you know. I wondered where you were, what you were doing, who you were with…” She breathed a quiet sigh, and Neku was sad to see the light in her eyes had dulled a little. “Three years is such a terribly long time. I guess deep down I was a little worried that you’d come back and…”

She was silent for several moments. After a bit, Neku narrowed his eyes and pressed, “And…?”

Shiki fidgeted uncomfortably, then glanced down at her drink again. Her thumbs moved back and forth over the plastic cup, smearing the dewy condensation into thick lines.

“And things wouldn’t be the same between us,” she finished finally, her voice small. “That… You hadn’t spent nearly as much time thinking about me as I’d spent thinking about you.”

“Shiki,” Neku said, swiftly setting his coffee down and turning toward her. She looked up at him, eyes watery and hopeful, and it broke his heart. “Shiki,” he repeated, earnestly. “There wasn’t a single day where I didn’t think about you.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he nodded. He was terribly self-conscious about what he was saying, and he ducked his head as the heat rose to his cheeks. Despite the overwhelming urge to clam up, he resisted, forcing himself to voice the feelings he’d clung to those three long, lonely years. “That whole time I was in Shinjuku… I knew that I had to solve the mystery of its erasure, but that’s not what kept me going.”

He peered up through his bangs at her. Shiki hung on to his every word, leaning forward, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. It made his heart stutter in his chest, and the storm of butterflies in his stomach were rapidly approaching the force of a whirlwind. But Neku had faced vicious Noise, merciless Reapers, even death itself. He could face this.

He took a deep breath. He reached out and took her hand, and intertwined their fingers. He gave Shiki’s hand a squeeze. Then, he looked straight into her eyes and said, “What kept me going was you. I wasn’t going to stop until I was home, because…” He stopped again, struggling with the right words to use. It seemed like none of them were good enough, would ever come close to conveying the depth of his feelings. He smiled apologetically to her and chuckled wanly, “Sorry. You know I’m not good with words.”

“Then don’t use words.”

Her bold statement took him aback. Shiki was staring at him intently, the shine in her dark brown eyes brighter than it had ever been. Once again, she was waiting for him, waiting for him with all-encompassing faith and unyielding conviction.

Don’t use words, she says, Neku thought wryly. All right, then. I won’t.

With his free hand, Neku cupped her cheek. She reflexively leaned into his touch, and he fleetingly marveled at how soft her skin felt against his palm. He could honestly sit there all day and just admire her, every single facet of her being—but Neku had kept her waiting for quite long enough. There wasn’t a moment to lose, not now of all times.

So Neku wasted no time in closing the distance between their faces and pressing his mouth to hers. He’d figured he’d get all in his head, worry about if he did it right; instead, he found all the thoughts washing out of his mind until the only thing left behind was her. The scent of her coconut shampoo wafting up his nose, the taste of vanilla and melon lingering on her lips, how perfectly their mouths seemed to fit together, like a long-lost puzzle piece finally clicking into place. A peace like Neku had never known enveloped him, and it finally clicked.

“I’m home,” he whispered against her mouth with a smile.

He felt Shiki’s lips move against his, mirroring his blissful grin.

“Welcome home, Neku.”

And he wasn’t going anywhere. Not this time. This time, he was here to stay.

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