Ray Oneshot Book [The Promised Neverland]

Night Terrors

Ray x Terrified!Reader

[Borderline Angst/Fluff]

Requested by: BrokenAndWoken

It was all a terrible accident, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You didn't mean to drop one of the soccer balls down the stairs, if you haven't chased it down the hallway, perhaps you wouldn't have overheard Mama's angry shouting. You just happened to stop the ball right in front of the closed door, leaning curiously against the door when you heard her swear out of frustration.

It was similar to a lightbulb being switched on after decades of not being used, in turn, there was a wailing siren going off in your head. The air seemed to be knocked out of you as you gripped the soccer ball for comfort, tears pricked at your dilated eyes. The mention of Connie's name throws you into a dark place, you suddenly felt trapped, imprisoned in this house.

The world, your reality, began to slowly fall apart. As if Mama's words took a hammer and began to break that innocent brain of yours, all you could feel was fear. You couldn't even bring yourself to help out with cleaning, it was neverending, you kept staring at the floor with a hopeless expression on your face.

All you understood was Conny's departure for tomorrow, her 6th birthday. Mama ranting about scores and the identification numbers did not connect to who Conny's family will be. There was no mention of a mother or father, it was as if the child was being sent away for the sake of it. What did she mean by regular quality?

You have always wondered about the city outside the gate, you imagined there to be a long dirt road that leads to the downtown area. Are there other houses like Gracefield? Are there more trees out there, hills, lakes? Are there any other adults?

However, Mama's answers were different, that's why you couldn't bring yourself to even touch today's dinner. With your fork, you pushed around the rice grains on your plate, staring aimlessly around the dining room.  Your eyes land on Ray and the black-haired boy happened to glance your direction at the same time.

Tilting your head to the side, your gaze falls to the plate, your food was starting to get cold. There was a sullen expression on your face, you were good at hiding your feelings but today was different. This house is not what it seems and Mama knew something you didn't.

"You're not eating, [Y/N]," Ray scolds you with a smirk, pointing the fork at you lazily. "It's not good to skip dinner 'cause I'll eat your leftovers."

"Do you want to?" You pushed the plate forward, staring down at the table. Trying to look natural, you forced a crooked smile on your face and played with the silver fork twirling in your fingers. "I lost my appetite from playing too much."

His lips parted from your response, staring at you to see if you were playing some sort of trick. Ray studies your movements; your shoulders were tense, your hands trembled, your bright eyes were dull with an emotion he hasn't seen before. The boy places his utensils down and furrows his eyebrows in thought.

"Aw [Y/N], did Don beat you at soccer today? If so, declare a rematch!" Emma says with hope, clenching her fist playfully. "You'll win next time for sure!"

Norman wipes the corners of his mouth and smiles softly, "That's right, there's no need to skip dinner if you're upset about some game."

"Is that so?" You chuckled lightly and shut your eyes to avoid looking at them. "Well, I suppose it was a pity win. I went easy on him...!"

There were a series of giggles following after what you had said. Gilda and Anna also stifled their laughter as Nat's elbows the tanned male's arm. The athletically inclined kids groaned jokingly for the incoming argument, they all know how heated things get when it comes to competition.