One Shots

everybody needs a friend

prompt: " when the characters while body hurts and lying still would make it better but they just can't stop moving..."
Is not exactly like the prompt but the idea of a prompt is to get you thinking, right? So I guess it's ok.
Yet another Hardzello, enjoy!

Joe had been working non-stop for the past few weeks. His eyes burned every time he blinked and it he'd when he didn't, his eyelids constantly threatening to close and keep him asleep for hours, something he couldn't afford to do. Not with all the work he still had to accomplish. His skin felt soggy and stretchy. No matter how many layers of clothes he wore, he was still cold and he still couldn't get away from himself.
Whenever he walked, his legs would drag behind him as if they were dead weight, unnecessary to keep around and unhelpful to survival.
But he had to keep going. Just until the end of the month. And then he could take a break.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
He was at his computer. At work. His eyes felt like they were on fire but he managed to keep them open only because of the fear of what would happen if he were to close them. All the lost time and unfinished work. He could never do something like that to himself. His vision was becoming blurry from lack of sleep, making work that much harder. He was reading the print on the creek half as fast as he normally would.
A knock on his office door snapped him out of the trance he was in.
"Yes?" he stated dryly "come in"
A blond boy came into his room, clearly flustered and mostly hidden by a stack of papers.
He must be new, he thought to himself. He knew that he hadn't seen the boy before because he would've remembered someone as extraordinary as him, even in the unhealthy state that he was in.
"Hi, um. Can I set these papers down somewhere?", the boy asked frantically.
"Yes, right here", Joe responded, pointing to a spot on his desk that was rid from anything else.
"Thank you" he said with a smile, "my name's Ben, by the way."
Joe extended his hand, smiling back at the blond and forgetting about his worries for a moment
"I'm Joe. It's nice to meet you."
The two shook hands and it didn't take long before they were deep in conversation, forgetting their duties and getting lost in the intricacies of the others' ideas.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Hours had passed and the two were still not bored with each other's company. It was a new experience for each of them, both strangers to close friends and instant connections.
What felt like half an hour turned out to be three hours, and the sky began to darken.
This, eventually, caught Joe's eye and he was pulled out of the fantasy world with Ben.
All of the stress and tiredness seeped back into his eyes and weighed his souls back down. He felt horrible. How could he let this happen? He was better than this, wasn't he? He couldn't believe himself. All of his responsibilities came crashing down upon him at once, and he stood up fast. Maybe a bit too fast, because he saw stars, then dots, then nothing but dots. And finally, nothing at all.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
He came to about a minute later, scaring the living hell out of Ben and causing him to pace around Joe's office, unaware of what to do. He had just come to the decision to call someone when he woke up.
"Jesus Christ, Joe!" He yelled, clearly very effected by the situation. "What the hell just happened man? I was so worried and I didn't know what to do! You scared me!"
Joe felt horrible even thought he knew Ben hadn't said all those things to make him feel guilty.
"I'm sorry. I'm not really sure what happened either. It must've been from standing up so fast. I haven't eaten in a while, and sleep is hardly an acquaintance to me. It's like I barely even know what sleep feels like anymore. I haven't dreamt in months, maybe even years. I can't even tell anymore. I've just been so busy with work..." he trailed off, not even sure what he was saying anymore. He was just stuck in his head again.
His thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a hug from Ben.
Wait
A hug from Ben?
He couldn't believe it, but before he knew it, he was hugging him back. And crying, too.
Crying?
I guess all the emotions he had been storing inside him had come pouring out of the dam in his mind. The gates were finally open and the water was pouring out from within. Tears of sadness, Joe was not sure. All he knew was that he needed a friend.

And that's what he had.