Summary: The reason why Ren has no energy during the day.

Insomnia

RWBY

There is a saying that 'one should never stick your dick in crazy', but for Ren he made the fatal mistake of befriending one who was crazy.

Ren sat in a stiff chair, on a table across from Nora. Nora herself fiddled with small little pills of various shapes and colors - each one etched with a different serial number.

"This one is for sleeping… this one is for when I have too much energy… and this one for when I have too little…"

Ren sat quietly, listening to Nora smile to herself. She had a habit of organizing her pills this time of night. She would arrange them in various ways: by color, size, how they match, when she eats them, by taste, by feel, whether they looked like Jaune's head or not. It was a game she'd play to keep her mind occupied.

"Ah, Ren Ren… did I tell you about my dream?"

"Is it a new one?"

"Yes! I'm dreaming it right now…"

That's a lie. Nora doesn't dream.

"What is it?"

"Well… we're taking a walk in a forest-"

"All your dreams are of us walking through the forest."

"Well this one's different!"

"We're attacked by ten Ursine?"

"Twenty!"

"Same different," Ren sighed. Nora chuckled to herself as she rested her head on the table.

"Ren…"

"Nora?"

"I'm scared to go to sleep."

"Is it because it's too dark?" Night lights and candles were set around, illuminating the room in a pale orange. Glow-in-the-dark stars were pasted to the ceiling, resembling the night sky.

"No. It's not that. It's just-... just…"

Ren stood up and sat on bed. He pulled open the covers. Nora, realizing the movement, leapt from the table and ducked under the covers.

"Ren! Don't go to sleep! Please!"

"I'm not," Ren yawned. "I'll try not to."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me a story."

"I've told you a thousand stories already."

"Tell me a thousand and one more then!"

"Okay okay… so here goes… there was a little valkyrie walking through the forest when she ran into a pack of ursine…"

And so, the night drifted on.

As the tale came to the close, Nora cuddled up closer to Ren.

"Ren, I'm still scared."

"Sleeping isn't so scary."

"I'm not scared to sleep… I'm scared of waking up."

"Why?"

"That you won't be there… that maybe… you hate me so much you want to leave me."

"Nora, I don't hate you."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

Nora motioned for the pills and a glass of water. Ren grabbed the glass and new tablets from the bottle by the nightstand. With a few popped into her mouth and a generous gulp of water, the pills went down the hatch.

"Ren," Nora said drowsily. "Thank you."

Ren yawned. "No problem…"

"Promise… you'll… be there… in the mo-mo-morning?" Nora yawned.

"Yeah. Go to sleep."

"Ren…" Nora's head plopped onto Ren's lap. The covers were over her. The night outside was cold and black. It was wasted. Ren thought as he looked down at Nora, sleeping pleasantly and resting well.

His hands encircled her neck.

If only he had the will to snap it.

The woman resting before him who had stolen his night's and youth and sleep…

Ren's fingers traced her throat. Applying sufficient pressure there would deny air passage to the brain allowing for a relatively painless ending.

Nora snoozed along.

Nora snoozed along with a smile on her lips.

Ren thought to the promise he made to her. He would be there in the morning alright...

Ren buried his head into his pillow.

He grabbed a handful of Nora's sleeping pills. Chugged some water.

And slept.

Insomnia Fin