A/N: Ya girl was going to just make this a super long chapter, but there's only so many pages I can go before I start running out of ways to say "smirk". Thanks to Lea for putting up with 3 days of us trying to come up with a million synonyms for "smile". So now this plot has been split into 2 chapters, and hopefully y'all get part 2 by tomorrow.

Chapter VII: Of Power Outages and Pink Tulips

2 Months Later

"I'm just saying," Yang raised her arms in mock surrender, backing away from the gallery wall on which she'd finished hanging a painting, "We've been calling Jaune and Pyrrha 'Arkos' for way too long, and it sounds stupid."

Pyrrha sighed from her spot at the desk, crossing her legs, "That's exactly why we can't change it now; you've called us Arkos for ages."

Nora raised her hand. "May I suggest," she enunciated, with a dramatic flourish of her hand, "Narc?"

Pyrrha scowled at her, before turning to Yang with a slight smirk. "Don't Ren and Nora need a name?"

Yang considered this, stroking an invisible beard, "Well, their last names combined seems off cuz he goes by his last name, anyway." She crossed her arms, "Valkyren is okay but doesn't have that cool of a ring to it."

Pyrrha shrugged, "Renora would work."

Yang grimaced, "Yeah, but that doesn't sound stupid, and we need either two stupid names or two good names."

Nora flushed bright red, interjecting, "We aren't even a couple yet."

"You've been dating for two months!" Yang groaned, a hand gripping her hair in exasperation.

"And neither of us has said we're boyfriend-girlfriend yet-"

"It's one of those things you don't really need to say out loud when it's been so long." Pyrrha said gently.

Nora huffed, casting her sketchbook aside. "Why do you two love grilling me when I'm trying to work?"

Pyrrha played with the ends of her hair, "I think we just don't want to watch you-"

"Pull an Arkos and force the rest of us to suffer with you," Yang interrupted with a frown.

Nora rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We'll get there when we get there." She crossed her arms and held her knees to her chest, making her appear similar to an angry hedgehog.

Yang grimaced at her, "You two and your dumb romances that take forever. One of these days, I'll be your bridesmaids, and my entire toast will be me thanking God it's finally over."

Pyrrha shot her a light glare, "Who told you you were going to be my bridesmaid?"

Yang replied with a devious grin, "I did, I call dibs."

"What if I made everyone but you my bridesmaid?" Nora asked, playfully raising an eyebrow.

Neither Pyrrha nor Nora could tell how much of the death stare Yang threw at her was genuine, but it was a death stare nonetheless. "I get bridesmaid, or I get jail for homicide."

Nora puffed out her chest, "Bold of you to assume I wouldn't murder you first."

Pyrrha quickly stood and held her hands out, calmly waving them through the air as though to say 'time out', "Okay, nobody is murdering anyone on my watch." She smiled, "Now, let's stop changing the subject and get back to the task at hand."

Nora made a gagging face, "Whatever, mom."

Pyrrha glowered at her. "You're lucky I'm not your mother, or you'd be grounded right now."

Yang barked a laugh, "That's the worst threat I've ever-"

"And you'd be in time out."

Yang blinked, "You can't put a twenty year old in timeout."

"I will drag you to the corner."

Nora tried to cover her smile, "It's really cute when you try to be threatening."

Pyrrha pressed her lips into a thin white line, "You're one to talk. You look like a human cupcake."

Nora scoffed, leaning back easily against her arms, "That's a compliment."

"One of the boring ones you get from the supermarket."

Nora shot up, "Hey!"

Pyrrha immediately shrunk. "Sorry, that was rude."

Yang's amused expression twisted into one of concern, erring towards pity, "You really are the least intimidating woman I've ever met. And you've seen my sister."

Pyrrha looked at the floor and shrugged, "I suppose I'll have to settle for being the embodiment of gentleness, then."

Nora stuck her tongue out. "You're kinda like a human chinchilla."

Pyrrha knit her brows, "I don't bathe in dirt."

Yang's concerned stare returned, "That's the only weird thing about- okay." She shook her head.

Pyrrha looked around her, examining the clock. "As lovely as this conversation has been ," she grabbed her purse, throwing it over her shoulder, "I have a date to keep." She paused once she got to the entryway, turning around with a grin.

"Nora?"

"Hmm?"

Pyrrha tossed her ponytail back behind her shoulder, leaning against the door. "I'm sure Ren would be grateful for an excuse to leave the apartment while I'm there."

Nora puffed a laugh, "Anyone would be grateful to leave whenever you and Jaune are hanging out."

Pyrrha shook her head, smirking, "Like you and Ren are any better."

With that, she walked out into the rain, leaving Yang and Nora alone in the tattoo shop.

Yang turned back to Nora, waggling her brows.

"What?" Nora giggled.

"Aren't you gonna call your boyfriend?" Yang stretched out the word, the pitch of her voice heightening.

Nora bristled, "I-"

Yang dramatically set the back of her hand to her forehead, sighing, "It's okay, go on without me; I'll just spend the rest of my time here, all alone. Go on. Let me languish here in my misery. Go ahead."

Nora stretched across the couch, pulling her backpack towards her, "I think I will, actually," she pulled out her phone.

Nora bounced on her couch, shifting sitting positions every few seconds, bubbling with anticipation. Spontaneously scheduling their dates had become a staple of their relationship, though the downside of this was that it would often take longer for one of them to show up- especially considering the weather.

When she finally heard the doorbell buzz, she sprang up out of her seat, throwing the door open and tackling him in a hug.

More than used to her antics by now, he quickly shifted so she wouldn't collide with the few flowers he held, and caught her just before they stumbled backwards into the hallway- Wrapping his free arm around her waist as he did so. His leather jacket made wet squeaking noises while they adjusted their balance.

She pulled away, glancing from the tulips to him and beaming, "I was worried you got caught in the storm. It's supposed to be worse than normal tonight."

Ren shrugged, his usual token smirk playing at his lips, "It's ruthless out there, but I'd much rather drive through sheet rain than listen to Pyrrha and Jaune."

Nora wrinkled her nose. "I love them, really, but if I ever have to hear him serenade her again, I'm throwing myself out the window."

He huffed, "You say serenade as though he can actually sing."

She cringed, "Somehow still less voice cracks than when her voice raises like three octaves any time he calls her a pet name."

He mirrored her expression. "Yeah, thanks for saving me from that."

She raised her shoulders and pushed the door back, letting him walk in, watching cheerfully as he set the tulips down on the entry table. "Anytime."

"Were these extra?" Her index finger brushed against the soft pink petals.

He unzipped his jacket, mouth quirking into an affectionate half smile. "No, I just like you."

She shrunk, blushing as she murmured a thanks.

As he shrugged his jacket off, the zipper caught in his hair, causing him to flinch. Untangling the mess, he scoffed, hanging his jacket on one of the hooks by her door. "I don't even know why I bother brushing it when it's just immediately going to be rained on."

She giggled, "The main perk of short hair is not having to worry about it getting so tangly." Her eyes widened. "Ooh!" Nora turned, posing slightly, "I meant to tell you, I didn't really have a plan for what we were gonna do, but I ordered pizza and figured we could just hang out. Maybe movie."

Ren smiled. "That works. So long as you ordered good pizza." He teased, nudging her shoulder.

Nora rolled her eyes, making her way to the little kitchen. "Pizza's already arrived, and I got two, so your fragile taste buds have nothing to worry about."

He followed her, crossing his arms and setting them on the counter. "It's not that my taste buds are sensitive, yours are just… terrible."

She stuck her tongue out, standing on her tiptoes to grab some plates. "Pineapple on pizza is delicious, and you're just weak."

"Pineapple on pizza is a sin, as is your insistence that it's not."

She shoved one of the boxes across the counter with her elbow. "That one is weakling pizza, for weaklings." She hmphed. "Whoever cut these did a shitty job."

He chuckled, "Whatever you s-"

He was cut off by the sudden shock of all the lights going out, Nora yelping in surprise at the same time Ren heard whatever silverware she'd grabbed clatter to the ground.

"You okay?" he asked, a slight edge of worry to his voice.

"Yeah, just dropped my knife." She sighed, "Looks like the power went out."

"Considering it looks like total darkness, I'd say that's a probable inference."