(A/N): Hi there, Foolsgold Fenrir here. This is another collab between Takaluca and I and we first started writing this after Don't You Fore-Get About Me first aired (or rather, when we got the link to the episode since it aired in the UK first iirc). It's a short little one-shot and we wanted to try writing about characters we usually don't write about - Lori and Leni. I think we got them in-character, I sure hope so. Loreni is a neat ship though and I think it would be one of the more wholesome pairings. Anyway I hope you enjoy it, I'm currently working on other things between the collab smutfic with Omega Ultra and Ghost S, and chapter 4 of that Lindsey And The Twinsies sequel.

It was the end of the afternoon of one chilly Saturday. The sun was slowly disappearing behind buildings and cliffs that surrounded the small city of Royal Woods. Inside a very famous house in Royal Woods, Leni was alone in her bedroom, passing her eyes over the many pieces of cloth spread across the area. She was trying to find inspiration for some new piece, but nothing came to her. She wasn't exactly in the mood to do any crafting.

She sat on her bed, laying both her arms on her knees, and curved forward. She sighed, and looked to the side, as she saw a small portrait she kept in her nightstand. It was a selfie she took with Lori one day when they were at the beach. She herself made the frame in which it was being held. She picked the thing up, and just stared at it.

"Oh, is it any use waiting for her now? I bet she's gonna be busy all night…" Leni sighed to herself and put it back. She flopped back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling with a glum look on her face. "Maybe she forgot about me… wait, she wouldn't do that. We're best friends, we've been best friends even when I was still in Mom's tummy! But would she?" Leni had a habit of thinking out loud quite often, and it wasn't something she could just stop herself from doing either.

"Oh Lori, did you forget?"

"Did I forget what?" Leni heard Lori's voice invading her ears.

"Huh?" Leni raised the picture up to eye level. "Picture Lori, you can talk?"

"No, but the real Lori can." Lori answered, as she took a seat right beside her younger sister. "Is everything okay?"

Leni faltered for a moment, tempted to lie and say that she was. This was Lori, though, the one person she really trusted with anything and everything going on with her. "No… not really."

"What's going on in my best friend's heart?" Lori asked, as she rubbed her back a bit. "Is it about me leaving?"

"Yeah. It's just… I know that you're going to have a great time there and I want you to. And I know that we'll still keep in touch with texting and phone calls. But it just won't be the same when I can't see you in front of me!"

"I can see what you mean." Lori gave her a soft smile. "I will miss being around you. But I won't be that far away. You know I'll be within driving distance of you, and I will visit as much as I can."

"I know that too, but I'm used to being with you everyday. You've been with me every step of the way for my whole life. You know I'm not the best at getting used to things when they change." Leni leapt off the bed and wrapped her arms around Lori into a tight hug.

"Aww, Leni, I told you, you're not the only one who'll have to adapt. I need you just as much as you need me." Lori assured. "I know it won't be easy, or that it will not always be okay, but we can get through this together. Trust me?"

"Of course. Always." Leni said, without letting her go.

"I'll tell you what, what if we did a girls night out? Just the two of us?"

Leni let her go to put her hands on her cheeks instead, her jaw dropping in a starry-eyed smile as she gasped. "That would be totes awesome, Lori! It's been waaaay too long since we last did a girls' night out!"

"I know, we totally should enjoy the most we can." Lori said. "But wait, maybe the others might want to come as well. You know how they are."

"Yeah, I mean we all love you the same. But what if we just did something together, just you and me? Maybe wait until everyone else is done?"

"Hmm, I don't know. That might take too long to wait. We could try to sneak our way out, or maybe they'll be reasonable and let us go just the two of us."

"We could try asking really nicely, I guess."

"Okay, let's go with your plan. But you do the asking."

"What? Why me? I don't know, I'm not very convincing…" Leni asked

"Well, no one can resist your puppy eyes." Lori said, grabbing her hand. "Now come on, let's go."

Lori and Leni cautiously tiptoed out of the room and across the hall. On the way, they encountered Luna and Luan who were making their way downstairs.

"Oh, hi you two! Just the gals I wanted to see right around now." Leni greeted them.

"Oh, hey Leni!" Luan cheerfully replied.

"What's up?" Luna asked.

"Well… Lori and I were planning on going on a girls' night out but just for the two of us, you know, it's her last day here before she goes off to Fairway University. And I don't think I'll get another chance before she goes away. Soooo, please don't go after us, is what I'm trying to ask." Leni then gave them the widest pleading grin and the most tearful puppy-dog eyes. "Pretty pleaaaaase with sugar on top?"

"Uh… sure, I guess?" Luna said, looking at Luan, who also seemed a bit confused. "You two deserve some last time together."

"Yeah. Don't be away for too long though. We don't wanna miss you two for Lori's last night."

"Yesss. You were right Lori! It really worked!"

"Yeah, yeah, it did." Lori said, pushing Leni forward. "Luna, can you make sure the house does not catch fire?"

"I'll try sis, but you know how I am." Luna grinned.

"Just remember that once I'm gone the house is your responsibility after mom and dad." Lori said, as both she and Leni began going downstairs. "Leni, next time, just don't talk unless they talk to you."

By the time that Vanzilla pulled over near one of the cliffs near the edge of Royal Woods, night time had already set in. It was a beautiful and starry night with a full moon hanging over, slightly obscured by hazy clouds. Lori and Leni could feel a slight breeze through the open windows, chilling the normally hot and humid air that daytime typically left over.

"Well, we're here." Lori announced. "So, why did you want to come here specifically?"

"Just to see the pretty view here, and have some peace and quiet together. The house just gets so noisy all the time."

"You have a good point there. I think I'll miss all that agitation though. You just get used to it after a while." Lori confessed.

"It is kind of hard to think without the noise out here, but we have enough time to try, don't we?"

"We do." Lori admitted. "You know, sometimes it's just funny how things look like they'll never end… but then they actually do… it feels weird."

"It feels like ages ago when you were just talking about where you wanted to possibly go when it would be time to go to college. And now you're actually going to college, and you're gonna live there, away from the house. Time really does fly."

"Yeah… what about you though? I mean, everyone thinks college isn't exactly your thing… and that applies to at least half of our siblings." Lori giggled a bit. "But what do you want to do? I mean, you won't live home forever, if you know what I mean."

"Well… I dunno. I totes wanna be a fashion designer when I grow up. I've wanted to ever since I was little! But we both know that my grades are nothing spectacular even when I try my best with them and even with Lisa's help." Leni sighed sadly and sunk into the passenger's seat. "I'm just not meant to go to college the way you are. I'll probably just work in retail for the rest of my life."

"Hey, don't say that. You don't have to go to college to be successful. You can have a great job, maybe even have your own company, even if you don't get a degree."

"If that's the case, why are you going to college?" Leni asked.

Lori remained silent for a few seconds. While most people might think Leni's head is completely empty, sometimes she could trick you with her questions.

"Well… the difference between you and I is that you have a very natural talent with clothing, and woodwork, and crafting in general. I don't have a great talent, nor a specific great skill, like you or our sisters. I'm just… one more out there. But you, you are different, you are better than most in something."

"But you're really great at golf, that's how you got your scholarship in the first place."

"So is Lynn, even though for some reason she says it's not a real sport. Which is funny coming from the girl that once tried to claim that 'competitive sleeping' was not only a sport, but an extreme sport."

"And you're also really ass… asser… what was the word again?"

"Assertive?"

"Assertive! You're really assertive and you know how to keep things in order. That's why mom and dad always let you babysit, and you're the reason our house is still standing."

"They left me babysitting because no one would be crazy enough to handle all of us together." Lori explained. "And besides, that might be a useful skill, but not exactly a talent."

"But you're so great at it. And you're so smart. You're always helping me with so much stuff I just don't understand." Leni replied. "You're not just another person, you're important."

"Well… I guess we've all seen what happens without the Queen of No." Lori chuckled, remembering the nickname that had been bestowed upon her by her indignant siblings some time ago. "But still, you guys will do fine without me. Not saying it won't be weird, or hard, but… you will be able to do it."

"I… I sure hope so. I feel like that, like, even with so many other people in the house, I'm gonna feel real lonely without you."

"Well, I guess it makes sense. With all of our gossip sessions and magazine tests, I will feel a bit lonely in college too. I mean, at least you have Lola. If she doesn't gossip about us to someone else, that is." Lori argued. "I will miss you. As a sister and as my BFF."

"Well, yeah I guess she's around. But it's just not the same. It's not the same one bit." Leni bit her lip while staring at Lori's own pair of luscious lips. "Hey, Lori?"

"Yeah?" Lori replied, unaware of Leni eyeballing her the way she did.

"Do you… do you love me?" Leni asked, with her cheeks gaining a slightly red tone.

"Of course I do. You know that."

"Yeah, but like… do you really love me?" Leni asked again.

"Uh… Leni, where exactly are you going?" Lori got a bit confused. She hasn't seen Leni acting that weird since… well, Leni usually did quite some weird stuff due to her brain not being exactly the best. Still, this was a different kind of weird. "I care for you almost more than anyone else, if that's what you're asking."

"No, I mean like… it's hard to explain. Can I just show you what I mean?"

"Uhh, sure, I guess?" Now Lori was really confused. And that didn't change when Leni suddenly held her face up and locked their lips together. It wasn't a small kiss either, they stayed like that for at least five seconds. And for a girl as innocent as Leni, she went quite aggressive into it, basically invading Lori's mouth with her tongue. Lori was caught too much in shock to even react properly.

Leni pulled away from her, panting heavily and blushing. "L-like that."

Lori remained silent for almost a minute, barely moving at all. Her mouth was moving like she was trying to find the right words, but her brain was almost certain that there weren't a lot of right words to be said in that situation. It got to the point Leni had to wave her hand in front of Lori's eyes to be sure she was still alive and not in some sort of vegetative state.

"Lori? Are you okay?"

"What in the god damm fuck was that?!" Lori exclaimed, angrily. That was the best she could think of for a proper answer.

"See, I told you it was hard to explain! I-I've felt this way for years now, and… you'll always be my bestest friend and sister ever! No question about that! But for some reason, when I look at you, I get all funny inside. It feels like there's butterflies in my tummy, you know?" Leni fumbled for an explanation as she fumbled with her hands, shrinking in her seat a bit from Lori's sudden shift in tone. Then again, she would have been more surprised had Lori not reacted the way she did. "I know it's wrong, but…" Leni trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence or find a way to really explain herself.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me." Lori murmured to herself, and faced Leni. She was almost trying to sink inside of the car seat. And while she was definitely shocked and somewhat annoyed, she couldn't keep that emotion on Leni for too long. She sighed, trying to figure out what to say. Leni wasn't the brightest around, and she probably doesn't know the difference about love as a couple and love as a family. "You are aware that this is not okay, are you?"

"Yeah. Like I said, I know it's wrong. But I can't really help it, I've tried. I've tried, but it just keeps coming back, over and over and over!" Leni looked up at her, eyes glimmering with emotion. "At least tell me, though - did you like the kiss? Because I did."

"It was… surprising, I guess." Lori wasn't exactly sure how to reply. While Leni was quite the amateur in the topic of kissing compared to Lori (she practiced it a lot during her dating years), she couldn't say it was totally bad. Almost like Leni was practicing for this moment. "And I guess it wasn't that bad."

Leni smiled warmly. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time. And well, I'm sorry it got so sudden like this. But… since you're gonna be leaving tomorrow, and I know I'd probably never get another chance like this again. So, I took a chance."

"Well, I guess you got a point. But you better know that there's no chance of us being a 'thing', like in those romantic movies." Lori explained. "I care for you Leni, but this isn't right. I can help you with this, and I won't tell anyone about it, but it just won't work like that. You understand?"

Leni was saddened, and stared at the floor. Yet, she understood. While it was well known that she wasn't the brightest tool in the shed, there was more than just air in her head. She wished more people acknowledged that, and she knew that Lori was one of the people that did. That was one reason behind her attraction to Lori, she figured.

"I understand." She said softly.

"Good." Lori said, quietly, as she faced forward. While the dark sky shining with the light of the stars was somewhat peaceful, the tension in the air could be felt by the two teens inside the van. None of them were exactly sure on what to say. The silence of their surroundings made them both feel slightly awkward.

"I still love you, okay?" Lori asked, giving Leni a small smile. "Just… not in that way."

"I love you too." Leni said earnestly. "Honestly, I'd be more surprised if it was in that way. I just hate keeping secrets from you for so long, so, I guess tonight was the final night for me to tell you the truth. Well, in person anyway. And it would be a lot weirder if it happened after not seeing you, I guess. And-" The fashionista was about to continue rambling on before Lori put a finger to Leni's lips and stopped her.

"It's okay Leni. You don't have to explain it." Lori said. "I get it. Some things are just hard to put out, you're scared of what others might think. This whole thing might be weird, but I promise that I'll always be with you, and help you, with this or anything else."

"Thanks, Lori." Leni unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned in to give Lori a hug. "Is this too awkward for you?" She asked.

"Not at all." Lori stated, even though that was quite a lie in that moment. "Just… don't get more personal than this." She said, returning the hug.

Leni broke the hug and went back to her seat. "I won't. Anyway, what time is it?"

Lori picked up her cellphone from her pocket and pulled it out. "Well, looks like we're going to be late for dinner if we hang here much longer."

"We should go back then, we don't wanna keep the fam waiting too long. Still, it was nice coming out here. In more ways than one." Leni gave her older sister a cheeky smile.

"Don't get too excited about it." Lori said, as she turned on the vehicle. "But even with all this, I enjoyed spending these last moments with you." She admitted.

"Me too."

With that, Lori started driving back home. And on that drive, she had quite a lot to think about. Not just about those five seconds where her own sister kissed her. There was so much more to it, and Lori wasn't sure if she was even ready to unpack it all.