Lie Ren had been sitting on a park bench for nearly two hours, patiently waiting for his date to arrive. She'd been mindful enough to call ahead to say she was running late, however the warm afternoon sun was quickly setting, and the day turning to a breezy dusk as his watch ticked the minutes away. Lotus blossoms bloomed at the edge of the large pond his bench overlooked, and the occasional turtle or duck would approach the wide flower before swimming off. The scenery was peaceful, but not exactly how he'd been planning on spending his evening.

Patience was a virtue Ren had long since mastered, however as the sun touched the horizon, he began to wonder if his date had somehow forgotten him. Leaning forward, he ran his hand through his hair, deciding to wait another twenty minutes before he checked his Scroll again to find out where she was. He was so focused he didn't hear the footsteps approach him from behind, only alerted to the presence of his date when warm, calloused hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who!" The voice was feminine and a little ragged, like whoever it belonged to had just run a marathon to get to him.

"I'm hoping it's my girlfriend, Miss Xiao Long," he said with a smirk. Yang smiled in return and wrapped her arms around his chest from behind, hugging him tightly.

"I am so sorry I'm late. I got caught up helping Ruby and Zwei, they needed my help and-"

Ren turned around quickly in his seat to silence her with a quick kiss. Yang didn't need to say a word, all was forgiven.

"I owe you one, Ren. Dinner's on me." Yang vaulted over the bench and sat down next to him before wrapping an arm around his shoulder and playfully nuzzling into the crook of his neck. She was just so happy to be with him, and beyond grateful that he wasn't upset at her lateness.

"I'd prefer to pay," he mumbled softly. His usual monotone held an ounce of firmness in it, the subject obviously something he felt strong about to speak at all. Yang had needed to get really good at reading through the tiny variations in his demeanor that meant he was happy or sad or anxious. He spoke more with his body than with his lips, but it was a body Yang loved to at he and she'd quickly picked up on the tells of his moods.

"Sorry, bud. This is non-negotiable. Either I pay or you don't get your… you know." Her lilac eyes brightened as she watched him wrestle with the idea. She watched his cheeks glow several shades of embarrassed as the implication hung in the air.

"So what did you have planned for us today? Hmm?" The buxom blonde leaned closer to her date, watching his stoic facade slowly melt away.

"I thought we could spend the day here. At the park." He turned to her, fuchsia eyes meeting her lilac. Their intensity always caught Yang off guard. It was as if they were looking into the very Aura of her soul.

"At the park? What are we, some old couple?" She laughed hollowly, watching his reaction. She was always so confused by Ren. It almost seemed as if he wasn't interested in her…

"Sorry… I thought you might like a chance to relax…" He tried to hide the hint of defeat in his tone. Yang smirked, gently punching him in the shoulder.

"Come on. I was joking. Let's spend some time at the park."

Ren stood, offering her a hand which she hesitantly took. Ren was… not the kind of guy she normally dated. Yang Xiao Long was infamous in her neighborhood for her quick, fast, no-strings-attached relationships. They'd go Dutch on dinner and a movie- they hardly ever watched the movie- aggressive make-outs, and, if her partner were lucky, a quick handjob or fingering ended the night. Sometimes even the entire relationship.

But not Lie Ren. He'd paid in full for their first dinner date and hadn't even attempted to kiss her. She'd gone back to her dorm slightly offended. Was she not attractive enough for him? She'd nearly gone to bed in a huff before she opened her scroll, a short, unexpected text lighting pinging to her Scroll, "Thank you for tonight. Breakfast tomorrow? 9 am?"

And still, every opportunity she afforded him, he refused to capitalize on it. He filled the friendly atmosphere with small talk, flowers and questions about her and her past. She'd all but snapped on their fourth date, needing to understand why.

"Dust dammit, Lie Ren! Are you scared or just dumb," she hissed, slamming her hands down on the table, smoke on her breath and flames in her hair.

"Hmm," he asked softly, never even flinching from her. In just the short time he'd known her, he'd learned to trust her completely- she'd never intentionally hurt anyone.

"We've been dating a week! You haven't even tried to kiss me yet! We haven't done anything but talk! You think this is funny? Stringing me along on these 'dates'? What the hell do you want?!" She slammed her fists on the table again, eyes shining scarlet even as her voice cracked like the splintered wood under her hands.

Ren did nothing but smile, placing a hand on her tense fist, slowly calming the tense muscles. He entwined his fingers in hers, his graceful and slender in her own calloused and battered hands. He looked up into her eyes, tilting his head as he studied her face.

"I want to get to know you…"

"… that's pretty dumb."

"I don't think so… I think I'm going to be glad I took the time out to get to know who you are." His normally piercing gaze was so soft as he spoke, his gentle tone took the edge off, her shoulders relaxing and the scarlet shade in her eyes changing back to violet. She'd never had anyone offer something so intimate. Yang narrowed her eyes at him, pulling her hand away and crossing her arms.

"I swear if this is some kind of mind trick to get into my pants-"

He leaned across the table, lips brushing against hers. The kiss was short, sweet and inviting. In those few seconds of contact, she felt her heart race and her stomach flip- she'd heard about it from friends and read about it in books but she'd never felt it for herself before that day.

"I don't think I'd really need to trick you to get in your pants, anyway" he whispered, tugging her towards him by her belt, pressing a final kiss to her jawline before pulling away. This time it was her cheeks that burned scarlet as she buried her face in her hands.

She'd reached for his hand first on their walk back to Beacon, holding him tightly and stiffly. Glaring at everyone they passed, she dared anyone to say a word about this foreign form of intimacy she was so blatantly sharing in public. She'd get used to it.

And now, as they took off their shoes and socks and walked on the bare grass towards the pond, she was more relaxed than she'd ever been. He was right, again. She had needed to take a break, even if she hadn't realized it herself. Dipping their toes into the cool water as they sat, Yang smiled happily. She sat closer to her date, breathing in his flowery aroma.

"This was a good idea," she sighed.

"Thank you…" He smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist. At the beginning of this… experiment, Yang would often flinch away from any contact he initiated like this, but she was quickly growing more and more used to having someone be intimate with her in ways that didn't involve thrusting or grinding. They could just… be.

They watched the sun set on the day, slowly substituting the birdsong and car horns for frog croaks and cricket chirps. The air was cool as it brushed against their backs- Yang could tell as Ren shivered, breathing into his cupped hands to warm himself.

"Here, gimme." Yang took his hands in hers and sat on his lap. She placed his palms against the tight, warm skin of her stomach, covering them with her brown jacket. Leaning back against him, she could tell he was nervous. His hands never moved from where she'd placed them, as if they were magically bound to that singular spot of the universe.

"It's warmer further up, y'know," she teased, watching his face as she guided his hands up the chiseled canyons of her abs to rest against the soft warmth of her breasts.

The blonde stole a kiss along her boyfriend's jaw as she watched him swallow his flustered emotions. Ren was so fun to tease and fluster, but he was no pushover- he'd often turn the tables on her in other ways. But this- these small touches and lewd jokes- was something Yang had practiced her whole life. And judging from the warmth growing in his pants she could tell he was liking them just as much as she was.

They sat like that for another hour, enjoying each other's company and bodies until the blue sky finally turned to black and the shattered moon filled the night sky.

"How about that dinner, hmm?" She took her shoes and quickly jumped to her feet, offering him a hand.

"Um… you're going to have to give me a second," he said sheepishly, and a pleased smile lit up her face.

"Should've brought us somewhere more secluded, I could've handled that for you."