Okay, so I first posted this in AO3 and I also thought of posting it here in FF but I keep forgetting and stuff. So now it's finally here! Also, this is still not edited yet. It's basically just the same in AO3 but I will try to edit the whole thing once the story is complete, so please bear with the many mistakes I made sorry! Anyways, I planned to have seven chapters in this short-ish story. Enjoy!

Good Night's Rest

Part one of Good Night, Dear

Ray worries a lot. Ever since he found out the truth by himself about what really happens to the children once they're "adopted", he's been working nonstop on finding a way he could escape – how he, Norman, and Emma will escape when the day comes. He can't worry about the other kids since it seems almost completely impossible to take them with him in his breakout from this prison sometime in the future, so he settled with taking his two closest friends with him. But thinking of an escape plan that leads them to possibilities of finally breaking out of this hellhole was difficult. For that, he worries.

He worries much, but he doesn't show it. On the outside, he makes sure he would look calm and collected, always engrossed to a book and caring less on his environment, but that's just a mask. In the inside, he has his brain working nonstop for plans he could conjure up to guide him for a possible escape, also thinking simultaneously of what to do to control Mama and not get caught.

With those worries in mind, he has trouble sleeping at night. No one knows of his sleeping problems because he had always been good at hiding anyways. Even though it is like that, he still wishes for at least one night where he can have a good night's sleep, even for just an hour.

But I'll only deserve that kind of peace once the nightmare ends, Ray thinks this, hoping it'd someday happen.

One night, he wanted a change of scenery since this was one of those usual sleepless nights of his. Ray lies on the grass in the middle of the field, watching the clouds slowly pass by the big, bright moon, emitting a blue glow around the big light of the evening. The night was calm, the wind making sure the temperature never rises, but also never going too low for comfort. Ray usually likes it, but there's so much in his mind right now. He plans that soon enough, he will make Emma and Norman "accidentally" discover what happens to children who leave, considering that Conny is next to be shipped—

His heart then felt as if his heart was being squeezed painfully. He's a terrible monster for letting other kids go ahead to their deaths, but care only for Emma and Norman.

He scowled to himself. It wasn't like he could help them anyways for there was no other alternative to save them. So why does his heart hurt as their smiling faces flash before his eyes . . .

Ray instantly let one arm fly up to his eyes, shielding the sight of the moon and stars of seeing him hold back tears, and his other arm went to his mouth, muffling the angry scream that was erupting from his throat.

He is indeed a monster.

No . . .

He is even as terrible as everyone in the headquarters who allows children to be eaten by those Demons.

No! I'm not . . .

He might even be worse than them.

I'm doing this for Emma and Norman! They don't deserve such a fate!

But so does the other poor children who share the same fate—

Another cry was then muffled by his arm. Ray squeezes his eyes shut, and the arm covering his eyes was pressed hard to him.

There's no time for mourning, nor regrets! He has to do this. He has to save his two best friends. He can't stop now. He has to make sure they receive happiness. He has to—

"Ray?"

The boy sat up suddenly, turning back to see someone a few steps away from his spot. Her hair flowing slightly to the dance of the cool night air, with the long hair strand that always stood out than the rest of her hair joining to the dance as well.

Emma.

Shit! He hopes that his eyes does not look either puffy or red, as well as hoping that it's too dark for her to see his face clearly. With his best effort to not betray any emotions he had in him a while ago showing on his expression, he waved a hand at her.

"Yo," he simply said.

Any hopes of Emma not noticing were thrown out of the window when she gives a concerned look, pressing her lips together. It's the face she makes whenever she is worried for someone. She slowly walked towards him, choosing to sit near him in a way she's at his eight o'clock.

"Are you okay, Ray? Why are you not inside?"

He turned his face away from her, hoping that action alone would send her the message to "shut up", but he can never expect her to obey that wordless command anyway, for her heart is big when it comes to other's well-being.

Emma scoots a bit closer to him and rests her hand on his, causing him to look back at her with an eyebrow raised.

"What's wrong, Ray? Please. I want to help."

He doesn't know if it's because of the most sincere look in her eyes that reflect the glow of the moon on them, or if it's his ever thumping heart that is being manipulated by her to have the ever-growing desire to lay open to her.

Ray bursts out laughing, causing Emma to be startled at the sudden change of emotion, and Ray pinches the bridge of his nose as he tries to stop his chuckling. There's definitely something wrong with him tonight.

"Okay, okay, you got me," he turns to look at the moon to avoid looking at her, though he wasn't sure why he doesn't want to face her at all. "I just came here because I couldn't sleep at all. Thought being here would help though."

He gives an annoyed sigh as he plops down on the grass, seeing Emma at the corner of his eyes.

"You have been having trouble sleeping?" Emma asks, and he gives a slight nod with his head.

"Yup."

He turned his head to look her straight in the eyes. "And you? Why are you out here?"

Emma bit the inside of her cheek before trying to hold back the hair that keeps hitting her eyes as a slightly strong gust of wind blasted at her.

"I saw you sneak out of your room earlier. I got curious of why you would be awake at this hour, so I followed you. I've been observing you for a while and thought of joining you."

Ray gave another nod. "Makes sense. I did feel like I was being watched, but I expected someone else who would be watching me."

Mama, specifically, but he kept that thought to himself.

The night was quiet as both of them turned back to watch the night sky, watching the clouds slowly cover up few of the stars, one-by-one.

Like how the Demons take away children from the house.

Ray quickly dismissed the imagination of that, not wanting to let the horrific images invade his mind. It's not my fault. I can't save them. There was no other way—

He must have made quite a frown because he so happened to see Emma, again, giving him a concerned look. What he saw next was her settling herself to be lying down beside him, scooting nearer to him so that they were just inches away from one another. "What are you doing?" He threw her a confused look, with a hint of suspicion.

She gives him a soft smile, which makes him feel a bit warm in the inside. Then she moved her hand to reach for his, catching it in her grasp and holding it in a way it was tight but gentle at the same time.

"Back when I had nightmares, I would be terrified of going back to sleep, making it hard for me to rest," she said softly as she moved his hand towards her mouth, her warm breath tickling it. "So I went to Mama, telling her I had a nightmare. So what Mama did to make me go back to sleep . . . she allowed me to sleep beside her. And it worked! She explained that sleeping beside someone sometimes gives comfort to them, enough for them to feel safe to go back to sleep. Seeing that you're having trouble sleeping, too, I would want to sleep with you tonight, so that you can feel safe to face those bad dreams again."

Ray was silent as he fills his field of vision of her face and nothing else. The idea of sleeping beside Mama horrifies him than any other kind of nightmare he could think of, but the way Emma mentions she would want to be there by his side as he sleeps gives him the same warm feeling he felt earlier. That very feeling coursed through his veins, spreading from his chest then out of his fingertips and toes.

Huh, weird . . .

He exhaled from his nose and turned to face the sky again. "Fine. Just don't do anything funny while I try to sleep." He didn't need to look at Emma to know she was grinning widely with that idiotic smile she always wears on her face when so happy.

But that smile never failed to make him happy, too. As if it was contagious. So, for a second, he allowed himself to smile with her.

"Good night, Ray!"

"Yeah, you too."

Both kids slept under the cool embrace of the moon, letting the stars twinkle above them, the clouds slowly dispersing and allowing the full beauty of the sky show. It was like every fear and worry in Ray's mind that has been haunting him since the discovery of every secret was just casted away. All because of one girl who smiled in her sleep as she never let go of his hand, providing him all her support even when unconscious.

Thinking about it . . . it made him happy. Not sure why, but he felt at peace . . .

For once, he had a good night's rest.

The next morning, the children were surprised to see a sleeping Ray and Emma in the middle of the field, still holding hands.