Ren groaned as he brought a hand to his head. His dreams tormented by hazy figures of the police officers getting closer and closer, their voices spitting threats and the area growing darker and darker. He hadn't been able to get a decent night sleep since he'd come back to LeBlanc and he desperately needed it. Thankfully, Morgana slept like a rock so Ren could pace in piece as he fought the fear and haunting memories away. At least this way Morgana didn't hound him to go back to bed and question him for not doing so. When mornings came he would 'wake' up when Morgana did, but he was unable to go outside so instead he remained in and entertained himself in whatever ways he could. His friends had been kind enough to keep messaging him, to which he was grateful for.

"Hey!" Called the gruff voice of Sojiro from below. "Futaba's here!" Ren yawned and wiped his eyes as he rose from his bed. Futaba rushed upstairs, carrying a large stack of games and movies while clinging to a comically large bag of chips between her teeth. Ren rushed over, plucked the bag from her and offered a soft smile as he put it down on the table.

"Ah, thanks!" She grinned and hurried past him, putting the games down on the sofa. They spilled from the pile and spread out while Futaba turned and put her hands on her hips. "We are going to play video games all day today, no chickening out!" Ren had no plans to. He had come to get to know Futaba in the time he'd helped her. She was like a little sister to him now and he enjoyed her company. He gave her a thumbs up and knelt down in front of the sofa, shuffling through the games she'd brought. He could feel her eyes on him. She was worried, he knew that. He also knew she might not address it right away.

"How about this one?" Ren asked, holding up a co-op shooter that he hadn't played before. "I haven't played this one yet." Futaba looked horrified, like the reaper himself had emerged from the depths and settled itself right behind him.

"What?!" She exclaimed, staring at him. "You're serious? But this game came out three years ago!" Ren chuckled and adjusted his glasses with a playful smirk.

"So, we have a deal?" He asked. Futaba smirked back and copied his action with her own glasses.

"We literally do not have a choice. You're so on." She snatched the game and began putting it in the game console. "But you better not drag me down, Joker." She laughed and tossed him a controller. Morgana watched the two play for a while but excused himself in favour of taking a walk around the area. He didn't like being cooped up inside all the time. The game stretched into hours but felt like only minutes to the two players.

"Wow looks like we beat it already. That game was pretty short." Ren commented, blinking in surprise as the main menu came into view.

"Uh-uh," Futaba said, waving her finger. "It went by so fast because we're so good. Not bad for a rookie." She said and nudged him. He breathed a laugh and set the controller down and reaching for another crisp. "Hey, uhm… I've been meaning to ask… are you really okay?" Ah… there it was. Ren looked at her and smiled. "Don't do that!" She huffed. A blink. Silence.

"Huh?" Ren asked through a mouthful of food. Futaba crossed her arms.

"Don't just smile and pretend it's fine, it's super annoying. Not the same kind of annoying as Inari but still super annoying." She pouted. "I was worried. We all were… You've seen all my fears and insecurities… I got back in touch with my old friend thanks to you." She turned to him now, eyes shining with unshed tears. "So why won't you open up to me back? When're you gonna take off that mask in this world?" Ren stared at her and swallowed the food in his mouth. A… mask? Was that really what he had been doing? Now that he thought about it, it was true that he'd seen all of his friends' insecurities and while it was true he did share his own past problems… he never really opened up too much when he was suffering.

"I… don't want to worry any of you more than I have done already." He eventually decided on, eyes anywhere but her.

"Tough." She said and scooted over, so she was in front of him. She put her hands on his arms. "Of course we're going to worry because we know you're not okay, but you won't talk to us. So, if we don't know how you're really feeling how are we supposed to not worry, you idiot?" Maybe she was right. Whenever he noticed his friends weren't doing well he always questioned them on it and if they didn't answer honestly it made him all the more concerned.

"Futaba…" Before he could continue she rolled up his sleeves to see the bruises placed there by the officers, including the thick bruises around his wrists from the shackles. Her expression melted to soft concern as she gently touch them, noticing right away when Ren flinched. Slowly she rolled his sleeves back down and leaned forward, pulling him into a hug. She was careful. She didn't launch her hug at him like usual, she didn't hold too hard… Maybe he should have just told her honestly.

"We're here for you." She said softly. Ren closed his eyes and hugged her back, taking a deep breath.

"I… didn't get much sleep last night… or most nights, really." He said. Maybe it was easier that he wasn't looking right at her concerned eyes when he said this. She rubbed his back comfortingly, wordlessly encouraging him to continue. "I-I just keep seeing those officers… hearing their voices… sometimes I'm afraid I'll wake up back there. That the drugs are still messing with me. I was… relieved when you came today." His voice became strained and he stopped speaking. That was enough for now, he didn't want his voice to betray him. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to let all of his emotions out in one burst right now.

The hug ended, and Ren leaned back in his kneeling position on the floor. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't cried yet, though he had come close. He was grateful for Futaba's support. He didn't know that he needed to explain his nightmare to someone, didn't know that it'd give him a sense of relief to know that someone else was aware of his pain. After all, once he'd explained, that person could be more accommodating. He looked back up at her and smiled. She smiled back to him and got up, ruffling his hair with a laugh.

"How about a movie this time?" She asked. "We can relax a little." That sounded nice. Ren nodded.

"Yeah, sounds good." He watched her get up and bring the selection towards him. He didn't feel weird or weak for opening up like he thought he would. That was… comforting. Maybe he could get used to doing this more. At a slow pace. "Oh… Futaba…" She looked at him and tilted her head. "Thank you… I really needed this." A grin spread across her face and she leapt to her feat, ruffling his hair.

"Damn right, you're so stubborn!" She teased.

AN: Glad to see the favourites and follows! Please leave reviews as it's encouraging and helps me see what people like about the work. Hope you enjoyed!