Thin as Rice Paper 2
Disclaimers: I don't own WK
By Nix Winter
The coffee went untouched. He'd meant to drink it. Omi was studying in the back and Ken was at his second job, a coaching job, and there were customers. Youji just didn't have much for appetite. He smiled. He sold flowers. He wished for that moment when he'd felt alive, the moment when Aya had kissed him.
It wasn't like a whole life could settle around one moment. He picked up the glass cleaner and sprayed the cooler. Yes, a life could center around one moment. For the longest time his life had centered on Asuka's death, then Neu. So Aya had kissed him. That didn't mean the red head loved him.
He reached behind him, patted his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. It had been that coffee, really, that made him not want to die. Or maybe he hadn't really wanted to die, he'd just lacked sufficient will to live? "Omi!"
"Youji?" The younger man stuck his head out the door, a milk moustache on his lip, of all things.
"I'm going out. Watch the shop." He stood his ground, uncomfortably aware of how unlike his old self he sounded like, how he didn't fill out his sweater the way he used to. He could see himself passing through a club unnoticed now, just some skinny blond man with no meaning.
"Where are you going?"
And there it was, this little bit of worry and pity that Youji had sensed with the coffee. So it had been five days since he'd eaten. It wasn't like that had made huge changes in his appearance. Maybe it had just peaked what had been a slow slide. He crossed to Omi, leaned a little so he was looking right into his friend's eyes. "I'm alright. Not great, but I'm okay. Thank you for the coffee, Omi-kun."
Omi stepped into the shop, closing the door behind him. "Youji, I want to listen to you whenever you'd like to talk."
"I know, Omi-kun," Youji said, and he did know that, but there were things one couldn't even talk about, even if one wanted to. One couldn't really say that a moment a go I wanted to die, thanks for the coffee. "I'm just going out to think for a while. Walk a little. I'll be back."
"Okay, Youji-kun," Omi said, both hands on the doorknob behind him. It wasn't like one could say, you look like Death is leaning on your shoulder. Why didn't you drink the coffee?