Ronin woke to Nod's sobbing and was sad to realize he wasn't even surprised by it anymore. He sat up in bed, gathering the boy in his arms and holding him close.

"It's alright chickadee," he cooed softly, "it was just a bad dream, everything's alright."

Nod buried his face against Ronin's chest and continued to cry. Ronin pulled the blankets up around him to keep him warm and hummed to him softly until his sobs has quieted.

"You want to tell me what your dream was about buddy?" Ronin asked gently.

"No!" Nod tightened his hold on Ronin's night shirt, pressing his face harder against him.

Ronin had asked a few times since Nod had started talking again what his nightmares were about, but Nod refused to tell him. He didn't want to upset the boy more by forcing the issue, but he wished he knew how to help.

"Okay," Ronin stroked his hair, "you don't have to, but if you ever want to, I'll listen."

The boy continued to sniffled for a few minutes before looking up at him.

"Ronin?" he asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" Ronin smoothed back the boy's hair from his flush face.

"Am I being bad when I wake you up?" Nod dropped his gaze away from Ronin.

"No," Ronin reassured him quickly, "I always want you to wake me up if you need anything at night."

"Really?" Nod asked uncertainly.

"Really," Ronin leaned down to press his forehead against the boy's, "it's okay to be scared. I have bad dreams too sometimes, and they scare me."

"You wake up sometimes," Nod played with the laces on Ronin's night shirt.

Ronin winced a little. He had been trying not to wake Nod up with his nightmares, but apparently he hadn't entirely succeeded.

"Yeah I do," Ronin said.

"What are your bad dreams about?" Nod asked.

Ronin wiped away the tears on Nod's cheeks with a corner of the blanket while he took a minute to think about the best way to answer. He didn't want to frighten Nod, and he didn't want Nod to get the idea in his head that the dreams were somehow his fault, but sharing them with Nod might encourage the boy to talk to Ronin about his own nightmares.

"My bad dreams are about losing you," Ronin gave the boy a squeeze, "and I'm really glad that when I wake up, you're here with me so I know you're safe."

Nod lifted his head to stare at him, clearly surprised, then wrapped his arms around Ronin's neck.

"Okay," the boy told him, "I'll stay with you then, and you won't have to be scared when you wake up."

Ronin blinked in surprise, automatically tightening his arms around the boy.

"I'd like that," he said softly, pressing a kiss to Nod's hair.

Nod yawned and rested his head on Ronin's shoulder, drifting back to sleep, but Ronin didn't lay him down right away. Nod was improving daily, but he still seemed so insecure and frightened. Ronin wished he could find a way to make Nod feel safe again, and secure in the knowledge that he wasn't going to be taken away the same way he had been before, even if he wasn't going to be staying with Ronin forever.

Maybe then, they would both get a good night's sleep.

"Hmm," Raze leaned his head on his hand, his brow creased thoughtfully, "does he have things that are designated as his in your apartment?"

Ronin had asked to meet with Nod's advocates to see if they had any thoughts on things that might help Nod recover more quickly. They worked with children in stressful circumstances daily, and they had a lot of experience in the best ways to help them cope with that. Jori had been working on another case and not able to make it, but Raze had been happy to meet with him.

"He has toys and books," Ronin said, "and sippy cups, although he doesn't really need them anymore. He still likes to use them when he's tired. He has a cupboard that we designated as his to put food in so he can get it whenever he wants, and he has caches of buttons and buckles hidden all over the apartment."

"So you have a little magpie on your hands then," Raze snickered.

"Yes," Ronin rolled his eyes, "but it makes him happy going back to where he hid them and seeing they're still there."

"Well, it's probably reassuring to him to find things where he left them," Raze grinned, "he doesn't have his own corner or bed or anything like that?"

"He sleeps with me; I probably wouldn't be able to get him to sleep anywhere else at night," Ronin explained.

"That's fine," Raze shrugged, "he likes sleeping there, and it probably helps him feel safer to know you're there, especially since he's still having nightmares."

"He used to have a blanket nest he built himself behind the couch," Ronin said thoughtfully, "he wasn't interested in rebuilding it after he came back home, but a few weeks ago he built himself one in the corner of my study."

"Well, that's a good sign," Raze nodded, "that probably means he's starting to settle in again and feel comfortable being there. It could just be he needs more time."

"I could give him his own room," Ronin mused, "I'm well below my housing grade, and I could put in a request for a larger living space, but I'm not sure I want to move him someplace new when he's just starting to settle back in."

"No," Raze agreed, "I wouldn't advise making a move like that. Based on the notes I have on him, I wouldn't want to make any major changes to his environment for a while."

"I could give him the study, I guess," Ronin said, "it's an inner room, so there's no windows, and it's not very big, but it would be big enough for a bedroom for him if I pulled all my things out. He probably wouldn't sleep there, but at least he would know it was his for as long as he stays with me."

"That could help," Raze nodded, "but do you need your study?"

"Not really," Ronin shrugged, "I've been using it a lot lately because I've been working from home, but I almost never used it before that, and I'm going to need to start going back to full days soon anyway. I can work around not having a study until then."

"That could be really good for him," Raze agreed, "and having a room he's already familiar with and considers his own will help when he's ready to start sleeping in his own bed, if he's still with you then, that is."

The twinge Ronin felt at the thought of Nod not being with him was starting to become familiar. It wasn't practical for him to keep Nod, and it wouldn't be best for the boy in the long run, but there were so many things Ronin would miss when he eventually went to a new family.

It would be better the next time though. They would be able to make the transition at Nod's pace, and he would be going to live with people who loved and wanted him.

Ronin thanked Raze for his help and left, his mind turning over the things he would need to turn his study into a room for Nod.