Chapter 1: Acceptance

"REN! REN! RENRENRENRENREN REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

The shouts of happiness echoed through the halls of Chancel Academy as Nora Valkyrie stormed through the halls, a boundless ball of energy clad in pink. Her face one huge smile, her arm waving an envelope in the air, she ran faster than the speed of sanity towards the locker of her longtime best friend – and, as everyone in the school but he knew, love interest – Lie Ren. As she skidded to a halt outside his locker, she couldn't help but smile at his stoic glance at her, not sure what to expect but trying to stay calm, cool, and collected.

A wry smile tugged across his mouth, pink eyes slanted in curiosity. "What is it now Nora?"

"Well, there I was, in my math class, which is, you know, really REALLY boring, so I was about to go to sleep when the mail student came by because well, it IS Thursday, and that's when we can get any mail from family or friends or pretty much anyone else that wants to talk to us, and so I got a letter and I was thinking 'Huh, I haven't gotten one of these in a while, I wonder who it's from', and I didn't have my letter opener with me, so I had to improvise with a pencil and - "

"Nora?"

"Yes Ren?"

"Just tell me."

That's what she liked about Ren. A lot of people told Nora to just be quiet or to stop talking, while Ren knew she went on and on because she was excited and had to get it all out. It had taken a while, but Nora knew Ren still thought the world of her and put up with her antics. But he wasn't superhuman; even the reserved lotus boy needed a break from the Nora-rants once in a while. Plus, the story's punchline was too good to lead up to.

She shoved the letter inches away from his nose, beaming happily. "I got accepted to my dream school, Beacon Academy!" She screamed happily, dancing around like the little kid she was, not caring about the eyes on her. Even her schoolmates who had known her for four years still weren't used to the hyperactive Valkyrie girl.

Ren said nothing. He merely nodded, giving his usual blank glazed look.

Nora put her hands on her hips, pouting playfully. "Oh Ren, is that it? No 'Congrats Nora' or 'I'm so happy for you?' I don't even get a hug?" She gasped suddenly. "OMIGOSH, today was Acceptance Day! No wonder all the seniors in my class got a letter too! You must have gotten one too! Or maybe you got more than one, you are a perfect student and all! Oh no, oh no, please say you got into Beacon, it wouldn't be the same if we weren't together1 But not together-together, not saying you aren't-"

This time Ren got her attention by silently pulling out his own acceptance letter from inside his jacket, stamped with the same coat of arms Nora's was.

Nor squealed, throwing her arms around Ren's neck, ignoring his awkward expression and initial rebuffs. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! YOU MADE IT! WE'RE GOING TO THE SAME SCHOOL AGAIN! YAAAAAY!" At this point she started jumping up and down, bringing snickers from the small group of students who had stopped to gawk at the energetic perky girl with the tall quiet boy.

"Nora, please," Ren said, having trouble breathing in his friend's vise like grip. "Put me down."

Nora blushed, letting Ren down with an embarrassed giggle. "Sorry Ren!" she said, twisting her hair between her fingers. "I did it again didn't I? Now people are going to think we're…"

"Together-together," he finished, nodding at her.

Nora smiled up at Ren again, this time softer and with less excitement. "Well, we're going to be buddies again this year, no need to worry about not being in different schools!" Her head snapped up, a clear sign she had an idea. "Oh! We need to start getting ready! I know I can go with the scholarships I got for my stint as the star quarterback for the all-girls football league! Remember that Ren? That was fun, too bad I was kicked off the team, some girls can't take a punch, huh? So anyways, I know your parent's can cover tuition with the bazillions and oodles of money they have, so we're set in the money department, but what about housing? I wonder how the dorms are. And how do we even get there, I heard it's across the sea on a magic island or something! Wouldn't that be fun, Ren? A magical island for a school? We could ride magic bears and sleep on magic beds, and you could make me magic pancakes…"

Nora didn't even notice it, but she and Ren were already walking down the hallways, heading outside and slowly making their way to their houses, side by side, Nora chatting away, Ren smiling and nodding along.

That night, the two families had a Beacon Academy party for the two young students. Mrs. Lie brought over her famous lotus flower cordials for the occasion, apologizing for Ren's father's absence. He was on business as usual, taking a very important trip to oversee one of the main branches of his publishing company. Mrs. Valkyrie made Nora's favorite chocolate cake with pink frosting, including both the families' symbols in the decorating. Everyone congratulated the two on their achievements this year, shared stories of the two growing up together, and shared what they knew of the legendary Beacon Academy. Mr. Valkyrie had graduated with high honors and a spot as one of the most revered hunters in Vale, before settling down with his old team mate, Mrs. Valkyrie, and starting a family. Mrs. Lie was a student for a while, and met her husband, Lie Xong, during initiation, staying partners until they decided to pursue other dreams of writing and family starting.

Nora smiled through all the stories, occasionally stealing a glance or two at Ren, who occupied himself with the sliver of cake that he managed to save from his pink-loving friend's appetite. Nora was definably glad to have Ren as a friend; and maybe their parent's stories of finding love fighting side by side were how she and Ren would end up.

The night progressed, and both families bid farewell before turning in for a good night's sleep. Both homes were wedged together along the street, cozy and comforting.

Even so, Nora couldn't sleep. She'd known Ren ever since they were kids in preschool, her running around with the other boys, pulling Ren into the fray when he first came to the school. They had bonded over the years, bouncing off each other and becoming connected through the little things: Ren helped Nora see that academics were just as important as fighting, Nora helped Ren deal with his problems instead of hiding them; even the pink streak in Ren's hair was Nora's fault. They had won contests, gotten in trouble, made discoveries, laughed, cried – all together.

But that could change, Nora thought as she slid her window up. Secondary school was one thing, but Beacon Academy is so much different and bigger, and we could change so much and not be friends anymore… Nora slid out her window, shivering in the late night chill as she ritualistically hopped to the ground, trying not to think about the stories she heard from her older cousins, and how they didn't see their old friends as much even on campus. Lifting the flower pot next to the fence, she picked up the key to the Lie household and scaled the fence, making sure not to make noise.

We may never see each other past graduation, Nora thought miserably, trying not to cry. She almost didn't make the jump to Ren's window, catching herself only by the rain gutter. What if we don't get to be on the same team, or what if we make different friends, or what if he falls in love and –

Stop it. Stop overthinking this, Nora thought to herself, slipping into Ren's room with well-practiced ease. That's Ren's job, and he can handle it for both of us. The thought made Nora smile. And it should stay his job, Nora mused, creeping up to her best friend's bed.

"Ren," she whispered, or at least tried to whisper. Ren didn't move. He was likely already asleep, or too tired to respond.

"Ren!"

"Mm." Good, he's at least a little awake, Nora thought, already excited and nervous at the same time.

"Are you awake?"

A pause. And then, "Nope." If you knew Ren well enough, you could almost hear the smile on his voice.

Nora laughed a little to herself, mostly at the fact that she was still the only one Ren could feel comfortable enough around to make a joke. "I can't sleep… again."

Ren didn't respond for a moment. Then, with a faint rustle, the blankets shifted open so there was room for the orange haired girl to climb into bed. As usual, he scooted over to the far left side of the bed, almost against the wall, for the girl to have room to sleep by herself. And as usual, Nora completely ignored that space and went for what she wanted.

Crashing gracefully (a feat not everyone can pull off) into the mattress, with Ren letting out an "Oomph" at the impact, Nora snuggled in close to the lean, muscular boy, her arms laced around his neck and her head in the crook of his shoulder. She felt him tense up, then slowly relax and drape his arms around her torso, giving her a light squeeze.

Nora, slowly calming down, turned him around ever so slightly so she was resting on top of him, moving with the rise and fall of his stomach, his heart beating next to hers. She snuggled in closer, feeling comforted in his arms and less afraid of what lay ahead. The Valkyrie girl had been coming to him for help sleeping ever since kindergarten and little had changed since. She wasn't sure if either of their parents knew, and if they did (which was likely the case) neither of them seemed to mind. When she didn't want the Grimm to come get her in kindergarten, she pulled her blanket over to his, laying down next to him for those scary ten minutes. When she was still afraid of the dark, eight year old Nora would spend the night every chance she could, just to lay next to him in bed. And when she turned twelve and her parents would fight about how their marriage was falling apart, she'd sneak over to Ren's house and huddle under the covers with him until they had worked out their differences and became a happy couple again.

Now, here she was, seventeen years old. She wasn't afraid of the dark, her parents were happy, and she wasn't worried about the Grimm. Neither one talked about Nora's sneaking over to his house; it had just become a natural thing. Ren just thought Nora had grown too big for sleeping with her parent's, or wanted to be kept warm, or felt good sleeping with someone to soothe her.

Nora leaned up. "Ren?"

"Hmm?"

Nora had so much she wanted to say. That she had had a small crush on him in first grade and secretly wished he had one on her too. That in sixth grade the reason she stopped hanging around those other pink loving girls wasn't because they were mean to her, but because they made fun of Ren. That she fell in love with her pink-eye boy in freshman year at Chancel and turned down every boy who asked her out. That the reason she kept coming to sleep with him was because she desperately wanted to learn if he had the same feeling for her.

"We're never going to stop being together, are we Ren?" Nora asked sweetly.

Ren took a breath to speak, but Nora interrupted him – again. "But not together-together, of course. Not saying you aren't handsome, because you are handsome, it's just – "

"Nora?"

"Yes Ren?"

"Go to sleep."

This time, Nora listened. She scooted a little lower, resting her head on his heart, her arms around his chest. Intertwining their legs for good measure, Nora slowed her breathing and felt her eyes getting heavy.

There was no way she was letting this boy run away.