5. Jaune, Ren, Yang, Oscar, and Emerald had just made it back to the Schnee Manor. Hugs, “I missed you’s,” and “I’m so glad you’re okay’s” abounded - but Ren realized that someone was missing, and he felt his heart drop to his stomach. He looked around. “Where’s Nora?” Surely if something bad had happened to her, the group in Atlas would have told him when they’d finally gotten service again. Right? Or did they think he and Nora’s relationship was so damaged that he wouldn’t care? Didn’t they realize it was the opposite?
Weiss walked towards him, ready to explain - when May’s call and Ironwood’s announcement interrupted. He forced himself to stay quiet and patient during the initial cacophony that broke out, knowing things were serious - but he couldn’t find it in him to focus. Ren’s mind kept wandering to different grim scenarios of what had happened.
He jumped at the feeling of a hand landing on his shoulder. “They’ve decided to move into the dining room to discuss next steps,” Jaune said quietly. “I’m sure Weiss can tell us what’s going on now; Ruby will want to take the lead on anything to do with Penny so you and I aren’t necessary yet.” Ren nodded and motioned for Weiss to come over. “Where’s Nora?” he asked again. Weiss grimaced. “Okay, promise not to freak out.”
He did not promise, but he did listen to her explanation with fear jolting through his body at each new sentence.
When they finally reached Weiss’s room, Klein met them outside the door. They decided to move Penny to a different room so the team could have some privacy. Jaune, of course, volunteered to help. Ren felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest.
He let the rest of the group walk in first, trying to prepare himself.
“Jaune!” he heard in her bright voice.
Nora was alive. She was okay. He hadn’t let himself believe that she was truly okay until that moment. He felt the tension in his body release.
“No, no - don’t you dare get up, Miss! Rest is imperative to your healing.” Klein chided from in front of him.
Finally - Ren passed the doorframe. His eyes found her instantly, even in the huge room (seriously - how big could one bedroom be?!). Ren drank in the sight of Nora. Her fiery hair, her signature pink outfit, and - the bandages and scars. All over her. He did his best not to react. She met his eyes and her smile dimmed. “Ren.” He nodded at her. “I’m… glad you both made it back safely.” she said, looking towards Jaune who was picking Penny up.
“Be right back!” Jaune announced. Klein and Weiss followed with everything they were using to care for Penny.
“It’s… good to see you.” Ren ventured, attempting to break the ice. Nora nodded briefly and looked away.
Ren stood there in awkward silence while Nora looked out the window.
How had everything gone so wrong?
It wasn’t that he hadn’t been aware of how Nora felt about him. And it’s not that he wasn’t aware of how he felt about her.
“Well maybe one of them feels that way, but the other might be worried. … There’s a lot of things going on right now.”
That night at Robyn’s rally had felt like a warning sign. If he’d just been paying more attention, if he hadn’t been so caught up in Nora, maybe the night would’ve ended differently. That Ren thought he’d needed to bottle up all of his thoughts, emotions, everything, to be a better, focused huntsman.
It turns out he was wrong.
Jaune returned in what felt like an eternity later.
“Nora, oh my gods, how are you? Are you okay?” Jaune asked, rushing over to her side.
Nora shrugged. “I’m alive.”
Ren had never seen her so quiet. So broken.
“Well, we’re quite glad for that,” Ren said with a small smile, taking a seat at the foot of the bed.
“Okay, now tell us what happened while I try to boost your aura and get you feeling good again!” Jaune said, ever the optimist.
After Nora told them everything they’d missed, it had been quite a few minutes. And her scars weren’t looking any better.
“I’m… glad you’re alright.” Ren said.
Nora and Jaune both looked tired.
“Ah, sorry. No matter how much I boost you, they won’t go away.” Jaune explained.
Nora sat up, feeling better than she had in days, even if the scars of the event were still there.
“Don’t apologize. I got hurt doing what I always do, just another ditsy move from Nora.”
Ren’s thoughts screeched to a halt. Was that what she thought of herself? Is that how she thought… they saw her?
“That’s not true.”
Didn’t she see how incredible, brave, and selfless she was?
“How would you know?” she said. He’d never seen the anger in her eyes directed at him before. He never wanted to see it again. “We were supposed to be a team, but that didn't matter to you! When things went wrong, you pushed us away. You shove people out so you don’t have to feel things that are hard!”
“You’re right. I should be apologizing. To both of you.” Jaune looked up at him in surprise, but Ren kept talking. “When we lost Oscar and things got difficult, I said terrible things. I’ve been so… angry. At myself. For not being as good as the Ace-Ops, for what happened at Robyn’s rally, for losing the lamp. I thought if I just focused on working harder, getting stronger, that we… I, wouldn’t fail. But, my biggest failing was as a teammate and as a partner.”
Nora let out a tiny gasp, and he hoped that she could see how much he meant it in his eyes. Didn’t she understand that his problem had always been himself? Not her. Never Nora. She was his one constant, the one sure thing he had. She and Jaune were the only people he’d ever truly needed.
Jaune comically looked between the two of them, a look of realization dawning on his face. He jumped up.
“Ah. Ha ha! Uh...All water under the bridge, buddy! Ha ha! I’m uh...Gonna go see if Klein needs any help with Penny,” Jaune said while practically springing out of the room.
“Ren, I just wish… I mean… Why didn’t you say anything? So we failed as a team, but we succeed as a team too!”
“I was the one holding us back. Not Jaune, not you. Me.”
“Well, you’re wrong. All I do is make dumb jokes and smash things with a hammer.”
“What? That’s not true.” His body moved closer to her on instinct, not giving him a moment to second guess himself. Nora closed her eyes in frustration. “You put everything you have into what you do. You support everyone around you, you help without worrying about how it might hurt.” He couldn’t help it - he reached out to her new scars, reigning himself in before he actually touched her. It wasn’t a bad thing - he just felt the sudden urge to trace these new additions to her body, the physical manifestation of her love for her friends. “And that’s what I love about…” Nora’s eyes popped open, staring wide up at the ceiling. “That’s why I... I love you.”
She met his eyes and looked away. A moment of silence - a beat too long, turning it awkward. Suddenly, Ren realized that he’d jumped to a lot of conclusions before coming in here. He just assumed Nora would be glad that he’d gotten his feelings figured out, since she’d always been better at that stuff than him. But maybe he was wrong. His mind started searching for ways to dig himself out of this hole he’d gotten himself into, when -
“When my mom ran from the Grimm and left me behind, you found me. We became Ren and Nora. But I realized on this mission apart, I don’t know who ‘Just Nora’ is. And if I’m ever going to find out, then I have to do it alone. Because I’ve always loved you, Lie Ren, and that pretty head on your shoulders seems like it’s doing a lot better.”
Ren let out a chuckle, tears of relief tinging his eyes.
“But I still got to get mine sorted out before I can be the partner you need. Is that...okay?”
She genuinely looked afraid that he would say no. Didn’t she realize that she’d been waiting around on him for years for him to be ready for this? He could wait for her, too.
Ren’s new Semblance feature activated itself automatically. He saw the light pink pedals falling down around her. He didn’t know exactly what they meant, but he had a good idea.
She loved him.
He gave her a tentative smile, cautiously reaching forward to brush her hair back, cup her cheek in his hand, and brush her tears away. She looked at peace, and he felt at peace.
“It’s definitely okay.” He moved his hand from her cheek. Ren couldn’t be sure when “boop” had begun to mean “I love you,” but it only felt right to close out this moment in the most Nora way possible. Nora’s eyes lit up as she realized what was about to happen. Her eyes stayed trained on Ren’s finger as it made its way towards her nose. “Boop!”
She giggled and gave him the brightest smile he’d seen from her in a while. Nora smiled always brought him indescribable joy.
Ren returned his hand to her cheek, scootching in closer. Nora covered his hand with her own, and their foreheads met.
“So… what now?” He asked, eyes closed. “What do you need?”
She smiled at his sincerity. “I just need you to keep being yourself. I still need you in my life,” she explained. “I just… need some time for myself as well.”
“I can do that,” Ren nodded, bumping their foreheads together. Nora giggled, and Ren felt overwhelming affection for this fiery redhead.
He moved his lips towards her, but paused. “Is this… okay?” He asked, slightly breathless.
Nora put some space between them and thought for a moment. “I’m not sure about us kissing kissing again right now - I think our first time kind of traumatized us,” she joked, and Ren agreed with a nod and a forced laugh. “But… I am still okay with physical affection. You know how I love your cuddles.”
He kicked off his boots and snuggled into the bed next to her. “I can also do that.”
Nora let herself relax for the first time in days, closing her eyes.
Ren couldn’t help himself - he placed a chaste kiss on her temple, and watched her drift off with a smile on her face.
He could wait. For Nora, with Nora, he could do anything.
“The curious cat is watching everyone, not just those who enter his terrain.”
“The Ever After connects all things, through their struggles, towards fate…”
@renoraweek2023
Happy Renora week everyone! Motivation was unfortunately too low to write any full fanfics this time (😔) but that doesn’t mean I can’t participate! I don’t know why those two above lines came to me after I heard the prompt and made my moodboard, but they just did. They speak to me.
hah you thought this was going to be angst? hell naw get ready for some slightly overdramatic, pregnant!Nora fluff
“Ren Ren Ren Ren Ren!”
Ren jolted awake to Nora’s desperate yells, throwing the blankets off of them both and grabbing for his weapon on the nightstand. “What’s wrong?”
Nora took a deep breath, one hand on her swollen stomach. Her distressed face was lit by the moonlight streaming in through their window. “I need one of your green smoothies. Right now.”
Ren fell back against the pillow, calming his pounding heart. “You don’t even like them.”
“No, they’re disgusting. But the babies need them. Right now.”
“It’s 2:37 AM, Nora.”
“Which is now smoothie time.” She stuck out her bottom lip and rubbed both hands over her belly. “Pleaaase?”
“Mkay, c’mon,” he mumbled, swinging his feet out of bed and rubbing his eyes. “I don’t even know if we have the stuff for it, though.”
She lurched out of bed, taking a moment to balance her very pregnant stomach. “If we don’t, will you pleaaaaase go get it? I swear I feel like I’m gonna die if I don’t drink it soon. Please.”
“‘Course, lightning bug.”
“Yay!” She grabbed his hand and led her half-asleep hubby to the kitchen, waddling adorably. Ren bumped into the doorway to the kitchen, as his eyes were closed, letting Nora lead him.
Fortunately, they had the necessary ingredients, so Ren did not have to make a midnight run to try to find algae. He mixed it up, blended it, and poured it into a nice, tall cup -- and stuck a pink bendystraw into it. Nora snatched it from his hands and slurped it up happily, occasionally making a disgusted face. When finished, she flopped against him, humming happily.
“You saved me!” she cried out, reaching up to give him a kiss. “I was mere inches from death, and -- ooh!” She looked down at her stomach. “They kicked!”
Ren, a sleepy smile on his face, pressed a hand to her stomach -- only to have it fly off. “I think they got your strength.”
Nora giggled, and then a thought crossed her mind. “Hey Ren?”
“Yeah?”
“As long as we’re up, can we make pancakes?”
“Is this also life-and-death?” he chuckled, rubbing the last of the sleep out of his eyes.
“Maaaaybe,” she laughed. “Is that a yes?”
“When is it ever a no?” he chuckled, bending down to get a pan out of the cupboard.
“Boop~!” she sang, dancing over to get out the flour.
“Nora come on we need to hurry!” Ren yells over his shoulder. “I’m trying!” Nora yells as she runs as fast as she can. Ren couldn’t really get annoyed at her since they haven’t eaten more than half a loaf of bread in two days, and it didn’t go unnoticed that she gave him the bigger half. He stops quickly and turns towards her as he grabs her hand and pulls them forward. While they are running he looks up at the sky again.
Major dark storm clouds swirl above their heads and they could even hear the incoming storm a few miles off. Two small children in the middle of the woods not only fearing for their lives because of the grimm but now have to run from a natural disaster.
No more than a few seconds later he starts to feel a few drops of water and then it feels like a lake is being emptied right on top of them. The two slowed down since they could barely see farther than 2 feet ahead of them.
Trudging forward something big and dark catches Ren’s eyes. He squints putting a hand over his eyes trying to shield them from the onslaught of water. A smile creeps on his face as he realizes what it is.
“Come on Nora there is a cave up ahead!” He yells behind him. He sees her nod as the sky lights up with a yellow light and a sound that made the ground shake assaults their ears. Nora retracts her hand as she puts them over her ears and squeezes her eyes shut.
Ren quickly brings up his own hand and places it on top of Nora’s and gives her a soft smile. “It will be okay. Once we get in the cave it will be better.” Nora nods again as she lets him take her hand lead them to the cave. While on their mini trek lightning and thunder continue to materialize in the sky making them both flinch every time.
When the cave is just a few feet ahead of them Ren begins to run dragging Nora behind him.
Nora sees the cave and smiles in relief, but it quickly drops as soon as it appeared. She glances at the sky for a quick second only to see yellow light forming right over their heads.
Suddenly with a burst of adrenaline she sprints at Ren and pushes him into the cave right before the lightning strikes.
Ren’s knees hit the ground of the cave at the sudden extra force shoving him forward. He was about to ask Nora why she pushed him but he had to turn away and cover his ears as lightning connected to the floor right outside the cave temporarily blinding him.
As soon as it dissipates he rubs his eyes and looks around the cave realizing Nora isn’t with him. “Nora!” He screams fear slowly creeping in as he stands up and looks around. When his eyes lands on her his whole body freezes, completely petrified. There she is, laying unmoving, hair looking slightly scorched, right outside of the cave’s entrance, as the rain continues to poor on top of her. He finally forces himself to move as he drags her into the cave and looks her over.
Checking over her body he sees the subtle scorch marks here and there as his eyes widen with realization. She pushed him into the cave and got struck with lightning instead of him.
“No no no no no. Nora! Come on open your eyes! This isn’t a funny prank! Please Nora wake up! Don’t leave me!” He yells as tears fall from his eyes. “Nora! Nora wake up!” he continues to beg as more tears fall. He soon stops begging, unable to prevent the sobs from escaping his mouth.
However, he freezes in the middle of a sob as he hears groaning from the girl laying on the ground. He slowly crawls towards her with hope in his eyes wiping away his tears. “Nora?” He asks still not sure if he can believe what he is seeing. “Yah?” She says rubbing her head. Ren’s eyes immediately become twice their normal size as he lunges forward giving her a hug.
Nora doesn’t say anything as a small blush flourishes across her face. He lets her go and can’t stop smiling. “Are you okay? How are you okay? Why did you do that? And don’t you ever scare me like that again!” Ren scolds her but she can see the pure happiness glistening in his eyes.
“Yah I’m fine. I actually feel amazing!” She says smirking looking at her fist. Suddenly overcome with the urge she punches a wall of the cave causing a dent. Ren looks at the dented rock in astonishment; however, the strength soon leaves her as she slumps over trying to catch her breath. “Nora are you sure you're okay?” Ren asks concerned.
“Yah I just had a ton of energy, but now I just feel exhausted.” She explains. Ren thinks about what just happened for a second and his eyes suddenly light up. “Your semblance!” He suddenly blurts out. “What?” Nora asks. “Your semblance! You just found your semblance! You must get strong when you are hit with electricity!” Ren says excitedly. Nora’s face lights up as she looks at the entrance of the cave seeing the storm still going strong. She smirks as an idea crosse her mind.
“Let’s do it again!” She says excitedly. “No!” Ren yells.
