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Ren layed on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with lifeless eyes. He felt empty. He felt numb. He felt as if nothing mattered. His arm still ached from his earlier altercation with his father. He'd been keeping an eye on the bruise, which had been continuously growing since the incident. Ren hypothesised that his wrist could be sprained.
The sound of the front door slamming reached his ears. His dad had come home from his rage induced bar visit.
"Why can't you keep quiet?! Do you even know what time it is?!" The raven haired boy heard his mother screech.
"Oh, shut up! I don't need you nagging me the moment I come in!" His father barked back.
"You've been drinking again, haven't you?! You reek of beer!"
"I can drink if I want to! Get off my back!"
Ren covered his ears as yet another argument broke out between his parents. He tried to ignore the shivering of his hands. Why did he have to be stuck with these two…? He wanted to go back to Tokyo so badly… Sojiro's offer had been going through his mind constantly over the past half year.
What time was it?
Ren sluggishly grabbed onto his phone and lifted it up to his face, squinting as the screen illuminated his room.
03:25AM
September 15th
A hopeful glimmer appeared in Ren's eyes as Sojiro's words echoed through his head.
"If you still feel unsafe around your parents on your eighteenth birthday, let me know. I'll clear out a room for you, okay?"
Morgana nudged Ren's cheek encouragingly, knowing exactly what Ren was thinking.
"It's your call. Just know I'll stick with you, no matter your choice." He assured his friend.
Ren smiled softly at the cat, patting his head before wincing as pain shot through his wrist. He took a deep breath to calm himself before dialling Sojiro's number and lifting his phone to his ear. All he could hear as the phone rang was his heartbeat pounding against his chest.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Sojiro… Sorry for calling you so early in the morning…" Ren whispered apologetically, worried that his parents would hear him over their screaming.
"It's okay, kiddo. Happy birthday."
"Heh… Thank you…" Ren let out a sad chuckle. "S-So… Um…"
"You wanna come back up here?"
"Yeah…"
"Okay. They haven't laid hands on you, have they?" Sojiro enquired, a sudden seriousness enveloping his voice.
"...Mm."
"Ren."
"... My dad did… A few times…"
A low sigh left Sojiro's mouth.
"Are you okay now?"
"My wrist's a little swollen… I think it's sprained…"
"Son of a bitch…" Ren heard Sojiro mutter under his breath.
"Alright. Pack your things and keep it light; only bring essentials and anything important to you. And get a train to Tokyo. That okay?" Sojiro laid out a basic plan for Ren.
"Yeah… Yeah, okay."
"You sure?"
"Yeah… I can do this…"
"It's gonna be okay, Ren."
"...I know."
"Stay safe."
"I will."
"Good, good… See you later, kid."
"Mm. See you later."
Ren let out a shaky breath after hanging up. He was really doing this, huh? It was weird… He tore through dangerous strongholds that were the hearts of twisted criminals and felt fine… Why was the idea of sneaking out of his own house so terrifying to him? He glanced down at Morgana who simply offered him a supportive smile, knowing that now wasn't the time for words.
Ren listened to his parents' argument. He was so familiar with this situation that he knew exactly how it was going to play out.
They were going to continue screaming at each other for another half an hour then his mother will declare it as a waste of time and storm upstairs, locking herself in their bedroom and blasting her favourite cd of the week while his dad will collapse on the sofa and eventually pass out until the afternoon.
That could work to his advantage… Ren carefully lowered his feet onto the floor, grabbing his glasses and slipping them onto his face as he tiptoed over to his wardrobe.
"You packing already?" Asked Morgana as Ren pulled out two large bags and began folding his clothes.
"Yeah… I'm leaving as soon as I can." Ren whispered. "Go find your bag and fill it with all my smaller stuff, would you?"
"Roger that!" Morgana agreed with no hesitation. Ren moved as quickly as he could, trying to fit as many clothes he could into one bag.
The sound of glass smashing made Ren freeze.
"You worthless pig!" His mother screamed.
"The hell, you crazy bitch?!" His father growled back. Ren bit his lip as he noticed his hands trembling again.
"Hey. It's okay. You just have to endure it for a little while longer." Morgana comforted him as he dropped all of Ren's photos into his bag.
"... You're right." Ren agreed, forcing himself to pack faster.
"You could listen to music to drown them out?" The cat suggested.
"No, I need to listen out, just in case they come to check on me." Ren refuted as he finished packing all of his clothes and moved onto packing his valuables.
"Right. Smart." Morgana agreed, pulling a pair of sneakers over to Ren. The raven haired teen raised a confused eyebrow.
"Get dressed now so you can leave as soon as possible." The cat explained.
"But my parents will-"
"You can lay under your duvet to hide them. It'll be fine."
"Right… Yeah. Great idea, Mona. Thanks." Ren mumbled quietly as he pulled his pyjama top over his head and slipped on a simple t-shirt and hoodie. He pulled off his pyjama trousers and put on a pair of jeans and then bundled his pyjamas into the bag. He decided to just ignore socks, he didn't have time for that and pulled the shoes onto his feet.
It only took a few minutes to finish packing everything. Ren hid the bags under his bed and lied back under the covers, plugging his phone on charge in preparation for his trip and then layed in wait. Morgana noticed the anxious look in the now legally an adult boy's eyes and padded over to him, snuggling against his chest in an attempt to soothe at least some of his worries.
The events of the argument went just as Ren predicted. His mother stormed upstairs, quickly peeking into his bedroom before flinging herself into her own room, locking the door and playing her music. Ren waited for a few minutes then carefully opened his door slightly, listening out for his signal. He heard his father snoring from the living room.
That was his signal. It was time. He slunk back into his room, shoving his phone and charger into his pockets and grabbing his large bags. Morgana jumped into his small bag as Ren slung the bags over his shoulders.
"It's go time, huh?" He asked with an excited smirk.
"Yeah. Let's get the fuck outta here." Ren whispered back as adrenaline began coursing through his veins.
He slid through the doorway and shuffled along the wall, avoiding the creaky floorboards. He glanced cautiously into the living room as he tiptoed down the stairs, grabbing onto the bags to make absolutely sure they wouldn't bang into the banister. He could see his father sprawled out on the sofa and a broken vase.
'So, that's what mum threw…' He realised as the overwhelming smell of alcohol burned his nostrils. His heart pounded as he snuck past the living room door and over to the front door. He slowly turned the lock.
Click!
He froze at the loud noise.
He heard his father stir.
He glanced back at the living room.
A cold sweat dripped down his chin.
His heartbeat sped up.
His father's snoring resumed.
Ren sighed in relief as he carefully pushed the handle down and pulled the door open. The bitter early morning wind sent a chill through his entire body. The raven haired boy took a deep breath…
And took his first step into his new life.
He carefully shut the door behind him, barely making a single sound and then tiptoed away from the house.
After he was absolutely sure that his parents wouldn't hear him, Ren sped up to a jog. The cold wind whizzed through his hair as he sped down the dark street, illuminated only by the streetlights.
"You did it, Ren! I'm so happy for you!" Morgana cheered, flashing a prideful smile at the brave boy.
"I did it…!" Ren gasped in disbelief as a huge grin spread across his face.
"Oh, Ren-kun! Good morning! It's unusual to see you up and about at this time." A kindly voice called out to him. Ren screeched to a halt and turned to look at the owner of the voice.
"O-Oh… Um… G-Good morning, Nakamura-san…" He anxiously greeted the old lady who was letting her dog outside to go pee. She glanced down at his bags with a knowing smile.
"Wait right there for a minute, okay?" She politely requested as she wandered back into her house.
Ren nervously tapped his foot against the sidewalk as he couldn't help but continuously glance over at his old home. What if they woke up? What if they already noticed he was gone? What if they came outside to drag him back?
He was dragged out of those thoughts by Nakamura exiting her house again and handing a small paper bag to Ren. He opened it to discover a toasted egg and bacon sandwich.
"Can't go jogging on an empty stomach." The old lady justified. She gently placed her wrinkled hands onto Ren's shoulders and gave him a sweet smile.
"Good luck."
Ren stared at her in surprise before smiling back at her with gratitude.
"Thank you, Nakamura-san… Take care." He whispered as he began walking away, waving goodbye.
"Same to you." The kindly old lady chuckled before turning around and shepherding her dog back inside the house. Ren sped back up to his jog, pulling out his phone and checking the time.
"Okay, if I keep running at this pace, I'll be able to make the 04:45 train and get to Tokyo at half six." He calculated before shoving his phone back into his pocket.
"Perfect! Let's get moving!" Morgana cheered as the two disappeared down the street.
A tired yawn left Ren's mouth as he finally made it onto the train. Only a handful of other people were on it.
It was peaceful. Exactly what Ren needed right now. He found a seat and lifted his large bags onto the carrier space before sitting down next to the window, placing the Mona bag next to his leg. Morgana happily popped out of the bag and smiled at Ren.
"Well done, Ren. The hard part's out the way, you can relax now." He said in a soothing voice.
Ren's tense shoulders slumped at those words. He was finally in the clear. The raven haired boy couldn't stop the relieved smile that forced its way onto his face.
"Train doors are now closing. Please stand back." The announcer's voice sounded out from the speakers.
This was it… This was it! Ren was going back to Tokyo! He giggled quietly to himself in excitement as he pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his phone until he found Sojiro's number.
[Ren: I'm on the train. Leaving the station now.
Sojiro: Alright. I'll meet you at the station.
Sojiro: See you later.
Ren: Yeah, see you later.]
Ren stared at his contacts with a thoughtful expression. He had an idea that he was pondering. After a while, he made up his mind. He selected his mother and father's contact info and then clicked on the trashcan icon.
[Are you sure you want to delete these contacts?]
Ren pressed yes.
He felt cleansed as they disappeared from his phone. He stared at all of the nicknames he had given all of his friends. The one that caught his attention was Sojiro's.
Coffee Dad.
It started as a joke after a conversation with Futaba but it eventually became a term of endearment. Although… It didn't feel quite right anymore… Ren clicked on 'Rename' and made one simple change. He erased the word Coffee and saved the changes. Yeah… That felt right.
As he smiled down at his phone, his stomach growled. He decided that now was the perfect time for some breakfast. He pulled out the paper bag and took a large bite of the sandwich. It was delicious. A contented sigh left his mouth as he chewed. He ripped off some pieces of bacon and handed them over to Morgana, thinking it only fair that the cat got some breakfast as well.
"Mmm! That's good!" Morgana cheered as he leapt on the meat, wolfing it down happily. The two ate in silence as they watched the scenery pass them by through the window. After finishing his food, Ren yawned and rubbed his eyes. This action didn't go unnoticed by Morgana.
"You've been awake most of the night. Get some sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there." He recommended. Ren yawned again.
"Yeah… I'll do that… Thanks, Mona…" Ren mumbled sleepily as he plugged his headphones in and turned on some relaxing music. Within mere minutes, he was leant against his seat and fast asleep. Morgana chuckled quietly to himself as he sat himself up to keep watch over his best friend.
"Ren, we're here… Wake up." Morgana softly called out, patting Ren's arm to get his attention. The raven haired boy moaned quietly as he stirred from his rest. After noticing the familiar station outside the window, he instantly perked up.
Just that hour and a half of sleep had helped him feel a little more refreshed as he leapt to his feet, shoving his phone back into his pocket and retrieving his bags. He hurriedly slung them over his shoulders, accidentally putting a little too much weight onto his wrist and almost dropping one of them. As he exited the train, he excitedly scanned the area for Sojiro.
"There he is!" Morgana exclaimed, pointing towards the nearby benches. Sure enough, the bearded man was there, waving to Ren as he began walking over to him. Ren ran over to him.
"Hey, kid-" Sojiro didn't even have time to finish his greeting before Ren flung himself towards him, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face into his chest to hide his silly grin. Sojiro chuckled softly as he ruffled Ren's hair.
"It's great to see you too." He muttered, rolling his eyes as he failed to hide his smile. The bearded man couldn't help but give Morgana a quick scratch on the chin as well. Ren pulled away as pain shot through his wrist again. Sojiro noticed the slight twinge in Ren's eyes.
"My car's out front, let's get going, yeah?" He suggested, taking the two heavy bags from Ren and carrying them himself.
"O-Oh, I can carry those myself!" Ren protested, surprised by Sojiro's actions.
"Nope. You've been carrying these all morning, you deserve a break." Sojiro shot back as he continued walking towards the exit.
"I-If you say so…" Mumbled Ren as he trailed close behind the coffee shop owner.
The bespectacled boy had to squint his eyes as he stepped outside. It was still dark outside before he had his nap, so seeing the sun caught him off guard. Sojiro shoved the two large bags onto the backseats of his car before opening the passenger door and gesturing for Ren to enter.
"Thank you." Ren politely uttered as he sat down and shut the door, waiting for Sojiro to enter.
"Oh yeah, on my way here, I stopped in at Takemi's clinic and got this for you." Sojiro spoke up as he shut the door and handed an ice pack to Ren. "It should help reduce the swelling."
"Oh! U-Um… Thanks, Sojiro." Ren mumbled in surprised. He hadn't expected that at all.
"Before you put it on, though… Can I have a quick look at your wrist?" The bearded man requested.
Ren fell silent and looked away.
After a while, he lifted his arm and extended it towards Sojiro. The man gingerly held it up as he pulled the hoodie sleeve out of the way. He couldn't help but hiss in sympathy at the sight of the huge bruise.
"Yeah, we'll definitely get Takemi to give it a look." He stated before looking up at the young adult. "... Can I ask how it happened?"
Ren grimaced slightly as he held the ice pack against his injury.
"We got into a stupid argument… My grades aren't as good as they were in Shujin… Dad kept calling me stupid and I tried to explain that my school wasn't helping… He lost his temper and shoved me into a wall. I landed on my wrist weird." Ren explained bluntly, avoiding eye contact.
"And what was your mother doing during all of this?"
"She doesn't care anymore… She just pretended that she didn't see anything…"
A dejected sigh left Sojiro's mouth at that revelation. He hated that Ren had to go through that for the last six months.
"Welp. That won't be happening anymore. Now, what do you say we head back to Leblanc and have some coffee?" He changed the subject, forcing a smile onto his face as he turned his keys. Ren smiled back as Morgana leapt out of the bag onto his lap.
"Yeah… I'd like that."
"Ahh, finally back. So, what'll it be?" Sojiro asked as they entered Leblanc, switching into barista mode. Ren giggled quietly in amusement.
"A house blend sounds pretty good right now."
"Comin' right up."
Ren carefully placed his bags down in one of the booths before taking a seat at the counter.
"So, is Futaba gonna be joining us for 'curry time' as she always puts it?" Ren asked, absent-mindedly stroking Morgana.
"You really think she'd be awake at this time?" Sojiro scoffed as he brewed the coffee.
"Hahaha!! Good point!" Ren laughed. He couldn't wait to see everyone again.
Now that he thought about it, did any of them know about the agreement he made with Sojiro? Although… The idea of surprising them did sound very, very tempting.
"Here you go: One house blend on the house. And…" Sojiro announced, placing the coffee in front of Ren and then quickly walking back into the kitchen.
"Hm?" Ren hummed curiously as Sojiro picked up a plate with a lid on top.
The bearded man placed the plate down in front of Ren, smirking in anticipation before lifting the lid. Ren's eyes widened at the sight. It was a cake, beautiful decorated with the Phantom Thieves' signature colour scheme and written on top was the words
"Happy 18th Birthday, Ren"
Ren stared at the cake in shock. A breathy laugh left his mouth as tears began streaming down his cheeks. His laughter grew slightly louder as he wiped away the years with a grateful smile on his face. When was the last time someone celebrated his birthday? Sojiro smiled down at the emotional boy.
"Welcome home, Ren."
Ren let out a few more breathy giggles as he managed to calm himself down slightly. He looked up at Sojiro and flashed a big, beaming smile.
"I'm home!"