It was a cool Sunday winter afternoon. Everyone had chosen to spend the rest of their daily activities in HOMRA. Kusanagi stood behind the bar with a clip board in hand counting inventory as he usually did at the beginning of the week while Mikoto sat on a bar stool on the other side, the two having light conversation while he smoked his cigarette.

"That doesn't make any sense! How would that even work?" Dewa cried from the space in front of the television.

"Trust me, it works. I've done it myself lots of times!" Yata exclaimed from the spot on the edge of the couch. He sat next to Ren who was seated comfortable in the middle between him and Chitose. Both had their attention on the screen. "Right, Ren?"

"Hmm?" Ren swiveled her head to the side and looked at the chestnut-haired boy next to her. "I'm sorry, what were you referring to?"

"Tch, never mind."

Ren gave him an apologetic smile before he turned away to continue his conversation with Dewa. Light footsteps were heard coming down the stairs and she glanced over her shoulder to find Anna making her way towards Mikoto. Ren turned back to the screen, but didn't bother to pay too much attention to it. Instead, she let her ears wander around the sounds of the room. Despite the bar being filled with noisy chatter from the clansmen Ren felt a kind of peace underneath it all. It was nice to have everyone in the same room with talks about things other than anything SCEPTER 4 related, or gangs roaming around and doing unwanted business on their territory. It was a peaceful Sunday afternoon and she enjoyed it fully.

"Izumo," Rin heard Anna whisper from the bar. She had hopped onto the stool next Mikoto and wordlessly lifted the hem of the outer skirt of her Lolita dress.

"Oh, no. That's a bit of a problem." Izumo placed the clipboard on the counter to examine the fabric between her little hands.

"Can you fix it?" Anna asked, her red globes shining with hope.

"I'm afraid I don't know how to." Izumo frowned at the little girl when he saw her face fell just barely.

Anna turned to face the redheaded man beside her and looked up to him with an asking face.

"Hmm?" Mikoto grunted. He peeked at her with one eye, lazily dragging on the cigarette between his lips. "Don't look at me." He replied, and blew out a puff of smoke.

Dejected, Anna relinquished her gaze and hopped down from the stool.

"What's going on here?" Anna looked up and saw Ren make her way to the counter. Her eyes followed her face as the woman crouched down to her level. "What cha got there, Anna-chan?"

Anna lifted the hem of her skirt to reveal a hole. "Oh no." Ren gently took the hem from the young strain's hands and examined it carefully. "Hmm, it doesn't look too bad. Why don't you get out of this dress and meet me back down here with the skirt. Let's see what we can do about that hole."

Anna's eyes widen in surprise and hope, she nodded her head and went upstairs to her room. Ren got up and walked behind the bar next to where Kusanagi was standing. Two pairs of watchful eyes followed her as she crouched down below the counter. She opened one of the cabinets and started rummaging through the contents. "Ren-chan, what are you doing?" Kusanagi asked from above.

"I stashed something here a while ago but I can't seem to- ah ha!" Ren picked up a tin container the size of a Frisbee. Little clanks could be heard from the items rolling about in the container. She opened it up to check the contents, making sure everything was still there.

"A sewing kit?" Kusanagi asked from over her shoulder.

"Yep," Ren replied with a pop of her lips. Before Kusanagi could ask any more questions she headed back over to her spot on the couch. The light pitter patter of footsteps alerted her of Anna's arrival and she shooed Yata away so she could make room for young girl. Ren watched endearingly as the alabaster haired girl hopped on the couch and made herself comfortable before handing her the dress.

"Alright, let's see what we got." She turned the skirt of the dress around on her fingers until they found the hole. Lightly, Ren brushed the pad of her finger over the seams which have come undone. "Here's your problem." She leaned over towards the young strain. "Your seams have come undone. Usually this happens when the thread has been broken." Anna gave a hum in understanding. "May I ask you a question, Anna-chan?" Anna looked up with questioning eyes. "Judging by the length it seems to me that this thread has been torn several times. Has this been cut at all?"

Anna stole a quick glance back at the bar towards Kusanagi and Mikoto; it didn't go unnoticed by Ren. "Yes," she replied in a quiet voice. "Whenever the thread got loose Izumo would break it so it wouldn't get snagged."

Ren shot Kusanagi a knowing look and Mikoto could have sworn he heard a small yelp escape the blond's lips. "I see." Her eyes slid back to the matter at hand. "Well, lucky for us this is fixable. You see, Anna-chan," she laid the dress neatly across her lap and reached over to the tin box to grab a seam ripper and continued to undo the rest of the seam, "the thread stitched at the hem is what keeps things like this lace attached to the dress. When there's a stray hanging like this," she lifted the part of the hem she was working on and showed Anna a piece of loose thread dangling from the seam, "it means that the thread has broken and needs to be fixed or replaced before it causes the rest of the seam to come undone, or in this case, the lace to detach from your pretty dress."

Ren watched Anna's face as it fell to a frown but she nodded in understanding. Ren paused in her seam ripping and gave her the softest of smiles, "But that doesn't mean we can't start over."

All around the room eyes slid to the area where the two sole females of the group sat. The room slowly began to quiet down from the rambunctious laughter and rough housing to merely whispered talk.

The change of atmosphere and noise level went unnoticed by the women; Ren continued to thread the needle. "Though sometimes it's easier to fix things as they are; covering up the hole or using a new thread to stitch it without fixing the rest of the seam, there will be moments when the damage that has been done is too great." Ren lined the hem of the dress with the lace and poked the first hole sliding the new piece of thread through. "It may seem daunting at first, sometimes you'll get tangled up along the way, or -ouch." Ren lifted a finger and saw she had pricked herself with the needle. A tiny dot of blood grew on the pad of her index finger; she stuck the finger in her mouth before it could get any bigger.

"Or you might even get hurt." She giggled and showed Anna her finger when she saw the concerned look on the young strain's face. "No biggie." Anna features relaxed as she sat more comfortably into the couch, watching Ren weave the needle in and out. She watched her tug on the thread every now and then, the hole was closing up. "I was going to say, before I pricked myself, that despite the pain and obstacles you come across, the end results may be in your favor."

Ren slowed down her stitching; a forlorn look adorned her face as if she was reminiscing. "Even if you're not very good and your progress is a little sloppy don't let that deter you from finishing it. Others may judge you when they see it, but it isn't what they think that matters. As long as you're happy and you've tried your very best you can wear it with unwavering pride." Ren tied the end of the thread, finishing the stitch, and bit off the rest.

"All done, I hope it looks okay." Ren handed Anna the dress. The young strain stood up and lifted it up against her shoulders, looking down at Ren's handy work.

"It looks like it was never torn in the first place."

"That was the look I was going for." Ren gave her a wink and went to put her sewing supplies away when Yata blocked her. Ren looked up from her seat and gave him a worried look. "Misaki-kun, Is everything okay?"

Yata was looking down at his hands; he was wringing his beanie between them. Ren watched him bite his lower lip and waited for him to talk. With reluctance, he shoved the beanie into her arms. Ren leaned back in surprised and clutched it to her chest. He mumbled something under his breath. "I'm sorry?" Ren leaned closer to the boy.

"I said it has a tear on it." The words rushed from his mouth as he tried to hide the blush of embarrassment by turning the other direction.

Ren took a look at the beanie and indeed found a gaping hole at the very top. "I see." She examined it a little further and found that all the seams that met at the top had torn, and through his continued use had stretched the fabric making it worse. "I think this is fixable. I'll get started right away."

"R-really?" Misaki exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

"Of course, that is if you don't mind the wait. I'm still practicing."

"N-no, take your time. Thanks." Ren gave him the warmest of smiles as he returned to his spot at the table. She didn't miss the flaring color of red that stained his cheeks.

Ren turned back getting comfortable in her seat. She was just about to dig through her tin for the right color of thread until another pair of legs had blocked her way. It was Bando this time with Dewa right next to him. Both were holding an article of clothing each. Bando scratched the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. "Umm..."

Ren giggled at the sheepishness of the man before her. "Give 'em here." She held out a hand and both handed her their torn items.

"Uhh, Ren?" The woman turned to her left and two more members of the red clan held out more random articles. She rolled her eyes and laughed, pointing to the spot on the couch where she had laid Bando's and Dewa's clothes.

Soon after the rest of the men had laid their pieces of ripped clothing and Ren had ended up with a pile of laundry, the bar had returned to its usual noise of arguing and rough housing.

She was working on stitching Misaki's beanie when Kusanagi spoke up from behind the bar. "Looks like you got your work cut out for you."

Ren threw a smile over her shoulder and shrugged. "They keep me on my toes."

Kusanagi went back to wiping down his glasses leaving the woman to her work. Mikoto, however, couldn't stop himself from looking at the back of her head.

Anna came back from her room after she had changed back into her dress. She took her seat next to Ren and watched her stitched the rest of the clothing. Mikoto watched as the older one of the only two women in the bar strike up a conversation. Anna nodded here and there, but it was obviously a one sided conversation. Ren didn't seem to mind though; the company was enough for her. He took an extra long drag of his cigarette when he saw her laughing, probably from a lame pun she just came up with; nonetheless it had made his heart stop for the slightest moment. Being so close to Kusanagi he covered up the flutter in his chest behind nicotine induced smoke, but his efforts were futile, nothing escaped the sharp eye of the bar tender. Kusanagi pretended he didn't see anything and went back to minding his business.

Kusanagi was finishing up some closing duties and went to shut off the lights. Everyone had made their way back to their homes and Anna and Mikoto retired to their rooms for the night.

Right before he made his way to the door he took one last glance at the woman sitting on the couch, a single lamp illuminating her amidst the darkness of the room. "Don't forget to turn off the lights when you're done." He called.

"Yep." was her short reply. Ren was working on the last piece which happens to be Dewa's shirt. There was a tear in the collar and she had to undo a good chunk in order to re-stitch it.

Kusanagi gave small smile shutting the door behind him.

Ren tore the remainder of the thread and held the shirt out examining her handy work. She smiles in triumphant knowing that despite her being a novice in the world of sewing she was quite adequate.

Ren lowered her arms and immediately her view was replace with a familiar hand, extended and holding on to a white shirt. Her eyes followed the arm up to the owner and stared into his amber eyes. She paused for a moment before a small smile graced her lips and she reached out to grab the article, but as soon as she laid her palm upon the fabric the large hand grasped her's in a soft but firm grip. Ren looked up in confusion, the emotion clearly showing in the scrunch of her eyebrows.

"Not tonight." was all he said before pulling her up to her feet.

Mikoto let go of her hand and opted to stuff both of them into his pockets. He walked towards the steps leading to the bedrooms upstairs, "Come to bed."

His words made Ren blush the slightest shade of pink. Leaving her sewing kit behind she walked over to the lamp to turn it off. The fiery red head waited for her at the top of the steps and made sure she followed from behind before turning around to head for his room once more.

As Ren climbed the stairs she took the time to look at his shirt that she still had in her hands. Upon further inspection she found that it was just fine. No tears, no holes, no seams sticking out- a perfectly normal shirt. Confused, once again (when had he ever not confuse her), Ren made the last steps into the Red King's room and quietly shut the door behind her. She found him already making himself comfortable on the bed with his legs crossed, arms behind his head, and a lit cigarette between his lips.

"There isn't anything wrong with the shirt."

He blew out a puff of smoke, "Why would there be?" he asked without looking at her.

Now he's done it. The woman dropped her hand, giving a look of mild exasperation. "Well, didn't you want me to fix something? Isn't that why you gave me this?" she held out the white shirt, asking for confirmation.

Mikoto didn't answer right away and instead he turned away from her onto his side and grunted. After a moment's pause Ren just about gave up and was about to put the shirt back into the dresser when she heard the low grumble of his voice.

"Thought you would like something to change into for the night."

"W-what!" Ren exclaimed, a little louder than she should have been.

Mikoto grunted again at the tone of her voice. "Don't wear it if you don't want to. Just keep it quiet."

She looked down at the shirt in her hands and then back at Mikoto, her heart pounding just a tad bit louder and faster than it had been a few seconds ago, "W-what about pants?"

"Huh?" Mikoto leaned slightly to peek an eye over his shoulder.

"Pants. I don't have any other pair than these." she indicated with a slim finger to the jeans she had been wearing on and off for the past almost week.

Boredom dawned his face and he leaned back onto his side no longer facing her. "Who said you need pants to sleep." was more of a statement than a question.

If Misaki's red face was ever an indication of him practically dying from embarrassment, then Ren had beat him to the grave. Red flooded her features from the top of her shoulders to the tip of her ears. The only words that were able to leave her came out in a high pitched squeak, "What?"

Mikoto let out a groan and flipped onto this stomach. The cigarette he had been smoking earlier was nowhere to be seen. When did he finish it?

Ren watched him from her spot in front of the door and didn't budge. An amber eye opened and stared at her from the comfort of the pillow and in a tone that only a king could voice a demand, "Sleep." Mikoto closed his eye and she knew that was the end of their conversation.

The fatigue started to kick in and Ren no longer felt like fighting the situation. Reluctantly, she walked over to the switch to turn off the light and quickly undress. The shirt fell to her mid-thigh. The length would have to do; she would just have to make sure the shirt didn't try to hike up any higher in her sleep.

Ren walked over to the other side of the bed and lay as close to the edge as possible with her back turned to her king. Seconds passed and she couldn't find it in herself to close her eyes. She felt too exposed even with her under the blanket and Mikoto lying on top of it. It was going to a long night that she was sure.

Mikoto opened an eye to peek at the woman next to him. Even after all these months she still couldn't allow herself to relax around him when he had made bold moves telling her that he didn't mind her at all.

He gave a deep sigh into his pillow before extending an arm and laying it across the side of her waist. He felt her stiffen at the contact but after a few moments her body relaxed into the bed and he watched her shift slightly to get more comfortable.

Mikoto found himself staring at the back of head once more, a stoic expression gracing his hard-worn features. How fortunate were they that he and his clan were given this strong embodiment of courageous optimism that came in the form one petite woman. Since she had appeared before him, ragged and torn, and left to the dogs of society to pick on, Mikoto had never in his entire life witnessed such determination and strength come from one person. Within just a few months Ren had completely taken the clan in her thin arms, arms that could break and snap with a simple punch, and protected them giving them a sense of familiarity. She herself had become the home all those men had unknowingly searched for. Sure, Mikoto was their king and though he was the one that had brought them under one roof it was the frail woman underneath his arm that had kept them together.

No amount of time would be enough for Mikoto to learn just how exactly she was able to do what she did. And no amount of explanations could explain why he was so fortunate that this amazing woman was lying next to him.

Ren's shoulders raised and fell in a steady rhythm. Seems that despite the predicament he had purposely placed her in she was able to relax in his somewhat embrace and fall asleep. Mikoto was starting to feel the droop in his eyes as well and as he drifted off into slumber he thought about how, despite recent events, things couldn't have gone any better.

The thread that had held them together, strong and willing, and she was all his.

please leave a review and let me know how this went. I may or may not think about turning this into a story. Maybe it's better left as a one shot. We'll see. Thanks for reading!