“…What makes you think I don’t have them?” He leaned back on his hands, crossing a leg over the other at the same time. “I just don’t get a lot of sleep. That’s all.” So there really wasn’t much time for nightmares. Not to mention, in the rare hours he did manage to get sleep, somebody else was coming into his room with their own problems. “…Also, …no. That’s a myth. But the other things in sugary foods can cause restless sleep, and in turn, nightmares.”
It was a surprise that Nagisa had nightmares too. Though he knew he was awake now and that none of it had been real, he still couldn’t shake this tense feeling, stomach in a knot, heart in his throat. Masaru tried to swallow it back down. Nagisa wasn’t stressed and upset, so why should he be? He bristled up, buried his face in his knees and tried to rock himself.
“Do you ever see your parents?” He did all he could to force his voice to stay firm and steady. For a boy his age, he was well practised at it. It was almost convincing. Almost. “It doesn’t feel like he’s really gone. I keep... I feel like...” He hugged his legs tighter to himself, bought a little time to steady himself again. “Like he’s gonna find me, and he’s gonna be really mad at me, and at you guys. I’m not scared of monsters or Demons or anything like that, but...” The words snagged on his teeth. He couldn’t admit what he was scared of, for risk of his voice giving out and eyes blurring over. “... I know it’s not real. I-It’s just a bad dream.”
