Day by Day
A/N: Renora happiness, done by commission. Been a while since I wrote the straights, but hey, I think I pulled it off. To arrange for your own commission, just email me at whatfield4 at gmail. Or you could get in-depth info on commissions on my tumblr, Chickengums.
There was a fine line between a close friendship and a relationship. The line that, once crossed, turned hanging out into a date, hugs into embracing your lover, and your best friend into your 'significant other.'
Which, frankly, she thought was a pretty dumb way of looking at it. After all, Ren was always her best friend, whether they were having fun fighting grimm, having fun playing video games, or having some real fun that had nothing to do with games or grimm.
Still... when had they really crossed that line?
She remembers when they'd 'officially' crossed it, of course, but when had their feelings actually started to blur?
It was an odd thing to worry about, Nora knew.
Especially when you held your child in your arms, with your husband humming a familiar tune to himself as he cooked breakfast.
Anyone who knew them cited them as the ultimate example of happily married, and swore that they never argued, that their life was the most domestic thing that could be safely witnessed.
Weiss, in particular, had claimed that being around them too long tended to make her sick, unable to stomach the sheer amount of lovey-dovey displays.
Well, Nora had paraphrased that a bit, but still.
Whenever she heard anyone claiming that she and Ren were the perfect couple, never arguing or disagreeing, she felt the need to roll her eyes and educate them, though she held back.
After all, her friends didn't have the most stable love lives, they needed something to reach for...
But claiming that she and Ren never argued was going a bit far. Sure, the arguments were usually less heated than others she'd witnessed, and they ended a lot sooner most of the time, but they did argue.
Sure, they were usually more of disagreements, as opposed to the shouting matches they'd heard some of the other couples they knew have, but still, they argued!
Such as... well, now, actually.
"It was the dance, for me." Ren said, turning the bacon. "That was when it clicked."
"Really?" Nora blurted, the sudden motion upsetting Lei. She stroked the baby's little tufts of hair, so much like her own, and she calmed enough to start feeding again.
"It actually took you that long?" She continued, at a more subdued tone. "Wait, to notice I liked you, or to realize you liked me?"
Ren let out a sort of awkward chuckle, shaking his head slightly. "How many eggs do you want?"
"Five, same as always, you know this." Nora leaned forward slightly, a haughty grin on her face that was offset only slightly by the hand cradling her baby's head. "Which was it?"
"Well..." Ren shook his head. "You ate seven when you were pregnant with Zi, it's not impossible that I forgot."
Nora shook her head. "Lei was hungry, what can I say? And answer the question already!"
Ren shook his head. "Zi is the prop-"
"Ren." Nora interrupted. "I love you. You know I do. But if you think for a second I'm going to call my daughter 'Zi' instead of 'Lei' just to fit in with your name, you're mistaken. I'd rather just start calling you Lie." She hmmed to herself. "Lei and Lie, it even sounds cute."
Ren rolled his eyes, though he wasn't able to hide his smile. "Let's not..."
Nora nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I think that might throw the others off, all things considered... So which was it?"
Ren's face became slightly pained, and her grin widened. "What, you thought I forgot? You, of all people, should know I'm not that empty-headed."
"I never said you were empty-headed." Ren interjected. "I wouldn't do anything like that..."
"Ren." Nora deadpanned. "Just answer the question."
Ren sighed. "I realized, at the dance, that I liked you, but-"
Nora huffed. "And you still kept me waiting for another year? Really?"
Ren shook his head, turning to her with her plate. "I didn't..." He sighed. "Well, to be entirely honest, I didn't think you... felt the same way. I'd thought you-"
"Really?" Nora asked, tilting her head. "I thought I made it pretty clear..."
"Well... you were always so affectionate with everyone... and you kept saying that we weren't together, and..." He shook his head. "I did pick up on it, eventually..."
It was Nora's turn to roll her eyes. "Ren, I think anyone would have picked up on it after... well, that. I use a warhammer with a built-in grenade launcher, and I think it was a bit overdone."
Ren just shook his head and set her plate down, Nora wasting no time, digging in immediately. "Well, yes, I suppose it wasn't subtle... but it got your point across, and I'm thankful you did..."
"I'm just thankful those two were so... enthusiastic to help." Nora quipped.
He squeezed her shoulder, then scooped Lei Zi into his arms. "We do have good friends... I'm going to go put her down for a nap, and then head back to bed myself... feel free to join me once you're done eating."
Nora grinned, thinking back to what, exactly she'd tried to do to make it sink in to Ren's head that she liked him, what they'd done afterward, and what she'd likely be doing again once she finished eating.
It was gonna be a good day.
/
Team JNPR's Dorm, The Day of the Incident
/
"Nora, don't you think that this might be a bit... excessive?" Pyrrha asked, pulling on her costume and grimacing.
"Absolutely!" Nora chirped, not turning away from her task of helping Blake straighten out her own costume. "That's kind of the point, really. There's no way for him to dodge or misinterpret this... either we'll get together, or reject me and we'll have to move on from that. Either way, it's better than not knowing, right?"
She bit her lip for a moment, then turned away from Blake. "Right?"
"Right!" Yang said, doing a quick fist pump, which really couldn't have been any more at odds with her current costume. "And if he still doesn't get it, I have a backup plan that'll definitely get your point across."
Nora turned to her, but was stopped by Jaune's hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure I can't switch with Yang?" He asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I mean, at least she's a girl, and-"
Nora shook her head. "Sorry, but Blake's costume won't fit Pyrrha, and I want there to be two tall people on each 'side'. You have to have an even number of backup dancers...and, you gotta admit, it's pretty funny to have you guys be me, since Ren's so much taller, and you guys are so much bigger than Blake and Yang."
"I dunno, I'm not sure I'd say Pyrrha's bigger... but she does look like it, since she's wearing such a tight shirt." Yang stage-whispered to Blake.
Pyrrha blushed, bringing her arms up to cross them over her chest.
"Jaune's legs look nice in the skirt, too." Blake added in a deadpan, rolling her eyes.
"Can I please-"
"No." Nora repeated, turning to them and huffing. "Honestly, the skirt isn't that big of an issue, I wear one all the time!"
"Yeah, but-"
The door swung open then, Ren letting himself in quietly... and promptly freezing at the sight in front of him.
Pyrrha's face was as red as her hair, and she was covering her chest with both arms. For some reason, she'd ditched her usual combat attire in favor of a tight white shirt and a pink skirt.
Which, honestly, wasn't that weird, he supposed. Everyone needed a change every once in a while...
Jaune wearing a matching outfit wasn't that odd either, come to think of it, but Blake and Yang seemed to be wearing his spare robes, and frankly that was a bit too far.
"What's going on?" He asked, looking to Nora for the voice of reason... which really just spoke volumes of how strange the situation was.
"I... was going to sing you a song." She started, her gaze firmly on her feet and her hand absently scratching the back of her neck. "And they were gonna be my backup dancers."
"Why... were you going to sing me a song?" He asked, barely able to keep from chuckling.
"Well..." Nora started, biting her lip. "
I wanted-"
Yang stepped forward, grabbed Pyrrha, and dipped her low enough that the end of her ponytail nearly touched the ground.
She grinned. "You see, she wanted something like this."
Pyrrha had time to blink and ask "What are you do-" before Yang's lips were on hers.
Yang tried to pull back quickly, but a strong hand curled itself in her hair and brought her down for another kiss.
Jaune shot Blake a hopeful look, but she just glared in response.
After a few moments filled with sounds that made them all wish for an awkward silence, Ren finally asked the question that'd been bouncing around his mind. "Ah, Nora... do you really-"
She nodded, and he smiled. "Would you like to go get lunch?"
Nora smiled back, her seemingly never-ending cheerfulness returning in that moment. "Of course! Especially to get away from those two."
Ren chuckled, opening the door, and they all filed out, leaving Yang and Pyrrha behind.
Blake and Jaune went to RWBY's room, where they were greeted by a quick, high peal of laughter that none of them had ever heard before... as well as Ruby's giggles.
Ren and Nora, on the other hand, headed to town.
They had a first date to get to, after all.
/
Nora hummed a familiar tune to herself as she washed breakfast's dishes, smiling as she thought back to that day so long ago.
She really did owe Yang for that... she'd been ready to cry, or back out when Ren had asked her... but Yang had easily diffused that.
Of course, she notes as she passes a picture of 'Auntie Pyr' holding Lei, things had worked out fairly well for her, as well.
She pushes the bedroom door open slowly, used to both her husband and her daughter taking the opportunity to sleep whenever it was presented, and she wasn't disappointed.
Lei was snoozing on the bed in her carseat, a pacifier in her mouth, and Ren was curled up beside it, the only sign of movement being the slow rise and fall of his chest.
She couldn't help but smile as she crawled into the bed, wriggling into Ren's arms and feeling a warm rush of affection and content when his arms tightened around her.
While cuddling up for a nap wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind when Ren had asked her to come back to bed, she wasn't going to complain.
She moved up to brush their lips together, and his eyes opened, catching her by surprise.
"Sorry." He yawned, pulling her closer. "I didn't mean to fall back asleep, I'm just kinda ti-mph"
He cut off with a pleasured gasp as Nora's lips pressed against his, and curled into a smile, his own doing the same after a moment.
"It's fine..." Nora mumbled, squeezing him slightly, the raw strength in her arms never failing to make him feel at-home and safe. "If I wasn't okay with you sleeping so much, I would have mentioned it in my vows. Besides, as long as I can cuddle, you can sleep all day and I wouldn't mind..."
Ren rolled his eyes, but chuckled. "Really?"
"Mm." Nora nuzzled into his neck, sighing contentedly... before whispering into his ear. "Because then I could keep you up all night to make up for it."
"Really? How do you know I wouldn't be the one keeping you up all night?" He asked, grinning.
Nora tilted her head, her eyes widening. "I don't think I have the right equipment..."
Ren's shocked spurt of laughter set Nora off, and soon they were holding each other and giggling, each thanking the powers that there were for letting them fall in love with their best friend.