Finding Serenity

Please Don't Leave

Kei quickly rounded the corner and saw Rena sitting on the curb with her arms around her knees, head down, sobbing quietly. He slowly walked over to her and quietly sat down. She didn't move a muscle as she continued to release her emotions.

Kei wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her in. As he did, she looked up and met his gaze through her watery eyes. She moved her arms to wrap around his waist, and he pulled her into his chest. He gently rubbed his hand up and down her back, letting her know he was there. He wasn't sure what to say, so they just stayed quiet until Rena calmed down.

"K-Kei..." she whispered through her sniffles.

"Yes, my dove?" he whispered back.

"Do... Do you think he's really..." she tried to ask but couldn't bring herself to finish.

Kei didn't want to give her false hope, but he knew what MIA meant. It's very rare for a missing agent to be found, let alone found alive. He didn't know the details of the case or why Clark was even undercover in the first place, but what could he say? He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want her to be burdened with any more hurtful information.

"You know Clark, he's stubborn as hell. If... If he is out there somewhere, I'm sure he's fighting to get back to you." Kei tried to sound confident, but he wasn't. He was a bit heartbroken at his own words. His little crush on Rena might be a little stronger than he thought, but if Clark was her happiness, then he'd let her go. It'd hurt like hell, but he knew Clark and he knew Rena. They were both his best friends, and they both deserved all the happiness in the world.

Kei's phone pinged, alerting him to a message.

FireFuck: Saw the old man. He's sending me the files. There's more you need to hear.

BirdBitch: Tomorrow. Little busy at the moment.

FireFuck: She might be in danger. Stay with her, not that you wouldn't take up the opportunity anyway. 😏

BirdBitch: What kind of danger!? And shut up. 😑

FireFuck: I'll tell you tomorrow once I get the files. Take care of your little ~dove~.

Kei felt a surge of worry about what danger Rena could be in. There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered, but right now she needed comfort. Someone to be there for her, someone who understands.

"Hey, dove? Let's get you home, okay? I'll drive you. We can pick your car up later," he said, leaning back to give her space to collect herself.

She didn't say anything as she wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. Kei stood up and reached his hand out to help her up. She grabbed it and stood up, but she didn't let go like he thought she would. He held her hand as they walked to his car. Just before they reached it, one of her coworkers appeared from around the corner.

"Hey, wait man. Is everything alright? What's going on with Rena?" Grayson asked.

"She's not feeling the best. I'm taking her home. Can you let them know she's taking the rest of the night and likely tomorrow off? Thanks, man," Kei said as he helped Rena get in the passenger seat.

"Uh, sure I guess. Make sure she gets home safe," Grayson replied as he turned to go back inside.

Once Rena was in the car, Kei got in the driver's seat and began to back up. Rena was just staring ahead, her eyes unfocused. He had never seen her like this. It was starting to worry him.

They arrived at Rena's apartment, and Kei helped her inside. He led her to her room, noticing she seemed to be in a daze. Not wanting to seem creepy but knowing she needed to get out of her work clothes, he guided her to the bed.