Omega

Eijiro- Writer's Block

Eijiro stared at the blinking lights of his computer.

He had to be strong.

He had to be a man.

He chewed on his lip, subconsciously hardening it when he tasted blood, and stared at the bright screen. Everything else was dark. The stove clock read 1:23 a.m. Denki's open journal lay on the kitchen table and a cold cup of coffee lay next to it. The remains of a stale bagel sat a few feet away from his idle hands.

Stifling a yawn, Eijiro glanced tiredly around Denki's quiet house. It was too quiet.

He grabbed another tissue from the almost empty Kleenex box to wipe his wet eyes and tossed it into the overflowing trashcan.

He stared at the empty computer screen.

Why did he agree to this?

"Yea I'll be fine writing a stupid funeral speech for tomorrow," he muttered angrily under his breath. "No problem. It's not like I'm planning the entire funeral, studying for final exams, and mourning the death of my friend." he sighed. "Why did I agree to this?" he reached for another tissue.

A soft tap resounded through the house, causing him to jump. Who the heck would be visiting so late at night.

With a reluctant sigh, he left his seat and peeked through a crack in the door. "Who is it?" he demanded.

Kyoka was waiting in the doorway, a thick coat wrapped around her to ward off the cold. "Eijiro?" she called. "Are you okay?"

Eijiro groaned and rested his head on the door. "Yea," he answered in a flat tone as more tears spilled out of his eyes. Crying wasn't manly. "Yea I'm fine."

There was a moment of silence. "You don't sound fine," Kyoka decided. "Can I come in?"

More tears fell. "No. I'm kinda busy and its late. The funeral is tomorrow you should get some rest."

"Eijiro," Kyoka sighed, "please let me in."

After a moment's hesitation, he opened the door.

Kyoka gasped slightly at her friend's haggard look but quickly softened. "Is it one of those nights?" she asked, referring to the countless nights Eijiro had spent in emotional turmoil.

He quickly shook his head with a sniff. "No," he responded in a curt tone. "I was just stuck on the speech I'm supposed to do tomorrow. I figured coming here would give me some inspiration." he quickly wiped away more tears.

Kyoka gently reached up to wrap her thin fingers around his wrist. "You miss him don't you?"

Eijiro shrugged as his lip quivered slightly and tears spilled down his cheeks. Crying was not manly. "Maybe," he responded with as little emotion as he could manage.

Kyoka smiled sympathetically and led him to the kitchen table sitting him down on the chair. "It's okay to cry," she told him, small tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "I miss him too."

Eijiro shrugged again as his voice cracked. "He...he used to make me laugh all the time..." he recalled as more tears spilled down his face. "I never thought he'd ever go...he was always the one running from danger...I never thought he'd run towards it and..." he broke off.

Kyoka smiled weakly and offered him yet another tissue. "Yea," she agreed, "he always had some sort of joke or pun up his sleeve when he wasn't trying to impress some girl," she laughed. "He was a good friend wasn't he?" she turned to Eijiro.

Eijiro turned away as barely contained sobs wracked his body.

He couldn't cry in front of Kyoka.

He had to be a man.

His heart stopped the moment he felt Jiro's hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay to cry," she heard him whisper in his ear. Small tears glistened on her pale cheeks as a smile lighted on her thin lips. "He was a good friend."

Eijiro nodded with a sniff as he pulled his computer onto his lap. He looked at Kyoka with tear-filled eyes and smiled. "Thank you," he told her before turning to his computer and writing the speech.

Kyoka smiled back. "You're welcome."