Whoops! I totally forgot that this was a "Five Summers" week. And this is such an important chapter, too. Here it is, folks! Sorry about that.
Summer. Ren: Age 17. Nora: Age 16.
Calming breaths and words
Prepare yourself without fear
For your heart's desire
"OH MY GOD IT'S ABOUT FREAKING TIME!"
Ren held his phone away from his face, rubbing his ear before bringing it close again. "Could you speak up, Jaune? I think I still have some hearing left in my right ear."
It was the day before Ren was planning to tell Nora how he felt. It turned out that it was a good thing that they had decided on meeting up the following day. It was ninety degrees, and the plan he was thinking of involved being outside. He had impulsively sent Nora a text reminding her to drink a lot of water while at track practice.
Her familiar reply of "Yes, Dad. Whatever you say, Dad." had made him chuckle in spite of his ongoing nervousness. Jaune's hyperness over the phone, however, wasn't helping in the slightest.
"Sorry," Jaune said sheepishly. "I'm just really excited. I mean, I've been waiting for this basically since I first met you two?"
"It seems that everyone has," Ren muttered.
"Including Nora. I guarantee it!"
"Has she…said anything to you?" Ren wondered. Blake had told him repeatedly how obvious it was that Nora liked him, but it was hard for him to tell. Nora had always acted the same toward him ever since they first met: chipper, happy, a little clingy, and always looking out for him. Was Blake really right? If so, Ren was either incredibly oblivious to changes in behavior, or Nora had just always had feelings for him. The thought of that made his cheeks flush more than the heat ever could.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Jaune said. Ren could almost hear his smirk through the phone. "I'm not doing your work for you. Besides, that's girl talk. I'm never included in that. Pyrrha wouldn't tell me anything even if I asked, just like I won't tell any of them about our talk right now. Until after you confess to Nora and finally get with her, anyway."
Ren rolled his eyes, though he was touched by Jaune's determination to keep to quote-on-quote "bro-code." "I was thinking of taking her to the field where we would watch fireflies when we were younger. She took me there during one of these summers to help get my inspiration back. To be honest…it wasn't the fireflies that inspired me."
"Aww!" Jaune exclaimed. "Man, what I wouldn't give to be a firefly in that field tomorrow. I'll need details. I hope you realize this."
Ren chuckled a little. "Okay. Thank you, Jaune."
The two talked for a little while longer before Jaune had to eat dinner. Ren closed his phone and leaned back on the bench he was sitting on. Since he had a little time before bed, he decided to look at some of the critiques on his haikus.
To his surprise, the first page he looked at actually had some helpful tips. Against his better judgment, he had decided to submit one of his older haikus from when he had first moved to Vale. It was one that he had shown to Nora during his first summer at the workshop.
Fleeing from nothing
Wingbeats stir the heartless air
A cold sun rises
Comments like "Good job depicting a sense of hopelessness," were encouraging. Listed below, he saw some alternatives to his use of "cold sun," which included "dank moon" and "bleak sun." He found that he liked bleak better than cold and circled the comment. Glancing at the signature at the bottom, he saw that this one was from Glynda Goodwitch.
No surprises there, he thought. He flipped through other critiques and was surprised to find other helpful comments. Maybe having Goodwitch as a teacher was helping to show the other students how to critique other works. If she plans on coming back, I should tell Blake to sign up next summer.
He looked at the old haiku again, sighing as he remembered his state of mind when he had written it. It had been another lonely, dull day in Vale. Nora hadn't been able to come to the phone that night. He had been staring out his window when a pigeon flew by. Its face had seemed every bit as listless as Ren had felt. His hand had gone to his pen, and a new haiku had been born.
He didn't feel that way anymore. His parents had remarked on how much happier he was after that first summer. He owed a lot of that to Blake and Yang, of course, but he owed the most to Nora. She had been the one to see the heart of his problems. She hadn't judged. She had simply advised him on what to do while promising to keep being there for him.
That was one thing that had always been a constant in his life: Nora's support. It had come to mean so much to him. Ren knew that, no matter what happened, she would always drop everything to help him.
In that moment, a sense of clarity overcame everything else. He could do this. He could tell her how he felt. He was suddenly surer of that than of anything. Even if Blake, Jaune, and everyone else were wrong and Nora didn't love Ren in the same way, she still loved him as a friend and always would. Telling her wouldn't cause the sky to explode, and her rejecting him wouldn't be the end of the world. It would just mean that they'd keep going on as they always had. Ren could definitely think of worse fates.
…..
Fall. Ren: Age 11. Nora: Age 10 and a half.
Black eyes and black thoughts
Wish for new realities
Home in one kind voice
Ren blinked dully at the ceiling of his room. The posters hanging up there provided no comfort. With one hand, he held an ice pack to his right eye, trying not to start crying again.
It had finally happened. He had been treated to what it was like having bullies after him without Nora to protect him. And he had been every bit as weak and cowardly as he knew he was.
He wondered if he could just fake being sick for the rest of the year. Maybe his eye would be permanently damaged, and his parents would realize that Vale was a horrible place and that they needed to go home to Oniyuri right away.
Fat chance… Ren sniffled a little. The coldness of the ice was making his nose runny.
A knock on his door barely caused him to look up. "Yeah, Mom?"
"Sweetie, it's for you. It's Nora."
Ren sat up immediately, opening the door. "Thanks."
"How's your eye?" His mother gently touched his face. "Oh, it's looking better already. I'm ordering Chinese for dinner. Do you want your usual?"
The prospect of Chinese food did cause Ren to smile a little. "Can I have extra rangoons this time?"
His mother chuckled. "Of course you can. Go talk to Nora. I'll tell you when the food gets here."
"Thanks, Mom." Ren closed the door after she left and brought the phone to his ear. "Hey, Nora."
"I AM GOING TO BREAK THEIR LEGS!" Nora shouted, her voice causing the landline to make static sounds.
"I guess Mom told you what happened today," Ren said, holding the phone away from his face.
"Yeah, she did! I can't believe- The nerve of- UGH!" Ren imagined her plopping down on her bed and scowling at the wall. "I wanna come down there right now!"
"I wish you could," Ren replied honestly. Hearing her voice was doing him wonders. Even the prospect of crab rangoons and dumplings for dinner couldn't compare.
"Well, I could take a bus or hitchhike." Nora's voice took on a thoughtful tone.
"Don't you dare!" Ren said immediately. "You'd get kidnapped!"
"I'd kick anyone's butt if they tried," Nora snorted, though her tone turned uncertain. "But, busses suck, so I won't try that anyway."
"Good," Ren sighed. "Best friends aren't easy to find. I can't have mine getting taken away."
"Well, I can't have mine getting damaged!" Nora snapped. "Try finding someone who can look out for you, or maybe learn how to fight."
"I did kick the bully after he got my face. Got his knees and made him fall to the ground."
"That's my Ren!" Nora crowed proudly. "Show 'em who's boss. Did the teachers yell at you?"
"Of course," Ren sighed. "Thankfully, the principal is actually reasonable. He looked at the hallway cameras and saw that I didn't start the fight."
"Why didn't any of our principals ever do that?"
"Oniyuri is too poor for cameras, Nora," Ren reminded her. "This is a big city school."
"Good point. Still."
The two talked for another half hour, when Ren was called for dinner. "I gotta go. Talk to you later."
"Bye, Ren! Boop!" There was the sound of something tapping the phone before the click.
Ren hung up on his end and walked down stairs, not realizing that his easy smile had returned until his parents pointed it out over the dinner table.
….
Summer. Ren: Age 17. Nora: Age 16.
Fireflies shine once more
Whispers drift through evening grass
A touch like soft wings
The evening was pleasantly cool, which Ren was immensely grateful for. He had been worried that tonight would be as muggy and sticky as the previous night, which would have ruined the mood terribly.
Of course, nothing could ruin his mood when Nora bounded into the camp and hugged him tightly, lifting him up. "I survived the Track Practice from Hell! Rejoice!"
Ren chuckled as she put him down. "I'm glad. I was worried you'd fall on the track and they'd have to peel you off."
"I swear, that almost happened to one guy!" Nora gasped. "If he had stayed down, he would've been fried!" She hugged her friend's arm. "So, what are we doing? Are we looking for poem inspiration?"
"No," Ren replied. "I think I'm going to have plenty of that soon. At least, I hope so." He swallowed nervously.
Nora noticed and frowned. "You were acting a little weird before. Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Ren assured her. "Just… There's something I want to tell you. I promise it's not bad. It's important, but not bad." He swore that he felt her grip on him tighten a little when he said that. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing?
"Okay." Nora's voice was very quiet all of a sudden. Did she already know what Ren was going to say? Had she somehow gotten it out of Jaune or Blake?
Focus, Ren! Don't overthink it, or you'll lose your nerve! Resolutely, he led the way through the park to the firefly field. The sun was sinking lower, and a few of the early fireflies were starting to shed their tiny lights on the dry grass.
They found the same old log they had sat on before. It was slightly rotted on one side, but still stable. Ren sat down first, and Nora sat next to him, close enough for their sides to be touching.
Deciding to take that as an encouraging sign, Ren hesitantly brushed his fingertips against her wrist. He felt her stiffen beside him, then felt her hand shakily slip into his. He then knew without a doubt that Nora knew what was going to happen. He just hoped that the nervousness she was showing was the excited kind rather than the bad kind.
"Nora," he started, electing to look at the fireflies instead of her face for the time being. If he looked at her for too long, he'd forget how to talk. "We've been friends for a long time."
Nora giggled a little. "That's the understatement of the century." At the same time, she squeezed his hand, urging him to continue.
"True," Ren chuckled. "You've been more than a friend to me. You've been my first line of support whenever anything went wrong. You were my protector when I couldn't defend myself. You always knew how to make me happy when I was feeling sad. You understand me in a way no one else does." He realized that he had started stroking her wrist with his thumb in a nervous gesture. She didn't seem to mind.
"You mean a lot to me too, Ren," Nora replied. There was a softness to her voice that was strangely familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
In that moment, Ren found the courage to look at her. She was already staring up at him. He could see the flush on her cheeks, as well as a shine in her turquoise eyes that had nothing to do with the ever-increasing fireflies. He felt his heart tighten in his chest as the words started coming on their own.
"You remember when we promised that we wouldn't date anyone, because we wanted to be the most important people in each other's lives?"
Nora nodded, and Ren could see her cheeks darkening just a little.
"Well, nothing has changed. You're still the most important person in my life, and I don't want to be with anyone else…" He trailed off, realizing that Nora was a lot closer.
"D-Do you know what I'm saying, Nora?" His voice was barely a whisper now.
He caught a glimpse of her radiant smile as she replied, now mere millimeters away from him. "Sure do."
Then, their lips touched and anything else Ren had been planning on saying faded into irrelevance. He closed his eyes, pressing closer to her. Her lips were chapped and incredibly warm. He gripped her hand tightly while bringing his other hand up to touch her burning cheek. His heart was pounding like crazy, but his mind was oddly calm. There were no mental fireworks, no emotional highs. There was just a sense of overwhelming rightness, as if everything about this moment was as perfect as it could possibly be. And it was. Ren knew that it was.
When they drew back, their grasped hands were sweaty, prompting them to let go. Nora leaned against Ren's side, sighing contentedly. "I was gonna tell you first, but you beat me to it," she complained.
Ren pecked the top of her head. "Tell me what?"
Nora groaned, punching his shoulder. "Don't embarrass me! You know exactly what!"
Ren's smile turned to a full grin. He felt lighter than air. "Come on," he teased. "I want to hear you say it."
"You first!" Nora drew back, sticking her tongue out at him.
"That's not fair. I started this whole conversation."
"Yeah, but I actually made the move and kissed you first." Nora folded her arms. "That counts for more points."
"What points?" Ren laughed. "You're making this up!"
"Am not!" Nora huffed. "Besides, I've been saying it for years. It's your turn."
"Wait, what?" Ren raised an eyebrow. "When did you say it? I feel like I would've remembered something like that."
Nora glanced to the side, suddenly looking very shy. After a moment, she scooted close again and tapped Ren's nose. "Boop."
Ren blinked in confusion. What…? Then, his eyes widened as realization hit him. "Wait, so… Whenever you… You were actually…" He thought back to the thousands of nose boops over the years and felt a little dizzy.
Nora shrugged, staring at her feet. "I've always felt this way toward you, Ren. I just figured you saw me as more of a sister, so I didn't say anything."
Ren touched her shoulder, smiling gently at her. "It's the same for me, though I didn't actually realize it until recently. Even when I did, I was worried. I didn't want to mess up our friendship."
Nora giggled quietly. "I guess we were both pretty clueless, huh?"
"I guess so." Ren brushed his lips against hers again. "I'm still a little worried," he admitted. "I've seen so many couples end badly."
"It won't be like that for us," Nora said adamantly. "Those people are idiots who declared their love after only knowing each other for, like, a week! Besides, we're best friends. That'll always be more important. That's the difference. If we stay friends first, boyfriend/girlfriend second, we don't have to worry, right?"
Ren smiled. "That's what Blake and Yang told me."
"See?" Nora snuggled against his side. "Nothing to worry about." She looked up at him. "So, wanna hit Books n' Brews tomorrow for our first official date-date?"
Ren nodded. The idea of an actual date with Nora made him feel a little giddy. "Sounds good to me."
The two were quiet then as the fireflies continued their show. Hundreds of flickering pinpricks of gold made the field look like a fairyland.
"Hey, Nora?"
"Yes, Ren?"
Ren turned to face her, lightly kissing the tip of her nose. "Boop."
Nora gaped up at him, then hid her face against his chest with an embarrassed squeak.
Ren's heart warmed as he rested his head on top of hers. He thought he heard three muffled words against his shirt, but didn't bother asking for clarification. He already knew.
If I die of a fluff overdose due to writing about these two, it will be worth it. I knew that their confession had to be as adorakable as I could make it. Awkward teens, ahoy! I hope I was successful! ^_^
If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun. This fic is complete on there, if you need some extra incentive.
Peace out!
