"Guess whooooo!" Two small, but strong hands covered Ren's eyes and his vision was enveloped in darkness. He sighed.
"Nora." There was a squeal of excitement moments before the redhead tackled him in a hug from behind. "What are you doing here anyways? You didn't come to read…?" Ren asked, trying to suppress the smile that Nora's hugs always seemed to give him.
"The Headmaster of Haven Academy is making an announcement in the pavilion. It took me aaageesss to find you, so we probably missed it!"
"Nora!" Ren quickly shut his book and stood. "We have to go!"
"I have an idea!" Nora grabbed Ren's hand, leading him away. Ren groaned, but followed his friend willingly.
Nora led Ren out of the library, and then across the courtyard at top speed. They would make the last few seconds of the Headmaster's speech, she was sure. She skidded to a halt at the top of the hill overlooking the pavilion and let out a happy squeal.
"Ren! Fireworks!" She pointed excitedly to the explosions of blue and red above the pavilion. They were absolutely beautiful and she was immediately enraptured. Ren turned to some of the other students on the hill to ask what the headmaster's announcement was about but Nora wasn't paying attention. "Ren! They're beautiful!" She grabbed his arm excitedly, hugging it tightly, and bouncing up and down a little. "Sit!" She plopped down on the grass, looking up at her friend expectantly. He sighed, and then smiled a little, sitting down next to her and taking her hand. She grinned over at him and then hesitantly rested her head on his shoulder before looking up at the fireworks with a sigh. "It's been so long since…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. It made her think of Pyrrha and everyone else they lost at Beacon, and it made her feel sick. She felt Ren shift next to her.
"Nora… It's alright now."
"I know." She said, pressing her forehead against his neck, "It's just… what if… what if it had been you?" She felt Ren stiffen.
"It wasn't."
"But, Ren, what if it had been?" Nora felt tears at the corners of her eyes, and she tried to hide them, clutching Ren's hand tightly. "We've been together for a long, long, long, long time and… I can't even imagine a world without you." There was a long moment before Ren answered.
"I… I couldn't imagine one without you." He paused, hesitating before putting an arm around her shoulders. "But, Nora, we're both fine. It's going to be okay. We still have each other."
"I know." She let herself smile a little, looking up at the brilliant colors exploding above them. "Don't ever leave me, Ren. Pinky Promise?" She held out her pinky. Ren smiled, holding out his free hand to make the promise.
"I promise." He shook their entwined pinkies, and then released her hand. Nora smiled, gently tapping his nose.
"Boop…" They sat there for a long moment, Nora resting her head on Ren's shoulder, and Ren's arm wrapped around her. The fireworks were coming to their final act, seeming to blossom over every inch of Haven Academy's sky. Nora dared to speak finally, "When this is all over, Ren, can we buy a house? We'll have a guest room for each of our friends. Every one of them. And a big kitchen for pancakes, of course."
"Of course." Ren smiled.
"Then maybe we can light off our own fireworks. That would be sooo fun!"
"What kind of fireworks?" Ren asked.
"All of the kinds!" Another student approached the two of them, with a bright smile.
"I have to say, you two are really cute together!" She said, with a little hop.
"Oh!" Nora laughed, her face feeling hot. "But Ren and I aren't together-together. Isn't that right, Ren?" She laughed again, hoping her face didn't look as red as it felt it was.
"Not yet." Nora's face burned, and for a moment she was afraid she didn't hear her friend correctly, she turned to look at him with wide blue eyes. Ren's cheeks were a soft red, and he was smiling down at her with his bright, magenta eyes.
"Ren!" She gasped. "Ren, you… I never…"
A million thoughts were swirling through her mind, as she held onto Ren tightly. Am I going insane? Is this happening? I can't believe it! I never thought… Ren and I?! Her stomach was doing flip-flops, and she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She carefully released Ren, looking up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
"Ren, what are you saying?" There was a long moment before her partner looked up with a small smile and kissed her nose,
"Boop."