{| NEARxOC: Near isn't my character, but Willow is all mine. |}
He rested his cheek on his palm and stared at the small figurine in front of him.
Willow.
He reached over and brushed his finger over its cheek affectionately, smiling to himself. He wished he could do the same with the actual Willow. Then, realizing what he was doing and thinking, he abruptly snatched his finger away, like the toy had just caught fire.
He was still in his denial stage. He never wanted or intended to fall in love with her, his best friend. Love was completely fictional for him. Until now, that is. That still doesn't mean he liked it one bit. Maybe he would've appreciated it more if he didn't fall in love without her.
The door burst open and he quickly grabbed the doll and stashed it in his pocket. In record time too, because in came a sweaty and panicked Willow. That was a bit too close.
"What's wrong, Willow?" He asked. "You look like you've just seen Kira."
She crouched down in front of him and grabbed him by the shoulders, worry obvious in her eyes. Now she was face-to-face with him. He almost shrieked with the sudden closeness. He tried his hardest to suppress his emotions, but heat was quickly rushing through his whole body now. He felt his face burn. Willow seemed too manic to notice though.
"Matt," She said, tears streaming down her face now. "he's just been announced dead."
"He's dead? But how? And when?" He asked, eyes widening. He shakily wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "Who killed him? Was it Kira? That would be questionable--"
"No, it was Takada's bodyguards," she said frantically, cutting him short. "They said it was atonement for going against their beloved Kira-sama." Her voice turned disdainful at the last three words.
"Fools," Near said. "I'll contact L, you just stay here and stay calm, okay?"
She nodded. He patted her shoulder, not knowing how to comfort people. This only seemed to make her feel worse though. She buried her face in her hands and started sobbing louder. Near couldn't leave her like this. He knew Willow had been romantically attached to Matt, so it must hurt. A lot.
He slowly wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back. "Just let it out, Willow, let it out," he whispered. She buried her face on his shoulder. He could feel her tears going through the thin fabric.
"Mello," she said, "what's going to happen to Mello?"
Near was about to state his hypothesis, but stopped himself. It would only make things worse.
"Nothing is certain, Willow," he replied, sighing. "I should go contact L now."
"Right," Willow said, pulling away. "You should."
He stood up and walked out of the room. Just as he was about to head out the door, Willow spoke.
"I'm sorry, Near," she said. "For having to see me like this."
"It's no problem," he said, turning his head slightly. "For what it's worth, you still look nice."
Before stepping outside the room, he could've sworn he caught her smiling.