Ren and Nora watched Pyrrha follow their exponentially more high spirited leader out the door. They'd just finished encouraging Jaune yet again to pursue the Schnee Dust Company heiress, and he'd left in an excited flourish. Pyrrha followed a few minutes behind him, most likely needing a walk to clear her head of the conflicting emotions she was feeling. Ren sighed as he slowly reaching for his tunic again.

"Ha ha… I can't believe Jaune thought we were together together. Ha ha." Nora laughed a little forcefully, sliding the pink headphones off her ears. "Isn't that funny, Ren? You and me? Together together."

Ren didn't respond, having pulled his hand back to cover himself with his towel as Nora started to speak. He waited for her to finish before reaching again.

"You know, now that I think about it, Jaune might not be the only one who thinks we're together together, you know?" She laughed again, a shy, hollow laughter that Ren wasn't familiar with. He looked up at her curiously, his fuchsia eyes meeting her light turquoise.

"You know, I just think it's super duper funny, you know? We never really do anything that would make people think we're together together, I think. Like, we hardly ever hold hands unless mine are cold. And we hardly ever hug unless you're being extra quiet… or if I get really excited! Or if I'm a little sad and want a hug… W-well, we haven't kissed! Yeah, that's something only together together people do. We haven't done that! Haha…" She moved further up in her seat, fidgeting with her shirt as she tried to gather her thoughts.

When the silence returned, Ren waited a few moments, just to make sure the coast was clear. One beowolf, two beowolves, three beowolves. Slowly, he reached for his tunic-

"And another thing! Jaune and Pyrrha sometimes do together together things! It's just so silly for him to think that. I mean… do we really look like a," she looked around, checking to make sure the empty room was clear of any sloths that might overhear her, "a couple?" She let the word hang in the air for a few moments before laughing. "No way! We're just best friends! Right, Ren?"

Ren nodded, quietly adjusting the bright pink towel that clung to his damp body. It was a little cold in the room and he'd very much like to be fully clothed-

"Gosh, like, can you even imagine if we were together together? Like, wouldn't it be so weird? We already see each other every day! We're on the same team, we like the same stuff, we've been best friends forever… would we even really act differently? I mean… we'd be exactly the same, except maybe kisses."

Ren nodded, a small smile on his face. He also found it difficult to imagine exactly how their relationship would be different from what it was now. He enjoyed the closeness they shared, and it already felt more intimate than anything he'd felt in his life. Was it even possible to feel more for someone?

"Would kisses be fun?" The empty question hung in the air, more of a statement than an inquiry posed to the brunette. They both stared at each other for a long while, each expecting the other to speak. Nora fidgeted a while longer before she finally stood up, pacing their room. "I mean, what really are kisses anyway? You press your lips together and you kinda just suck? You see it all the time in movies and books and tons of other things. But like, parents give babies kisses- on the lips sometimes too! And brothers give sisters kisses. And nobody thinks those are really supposed to mean that the people are together together. So what would make a kiss between us different? … n-not that I don't think a kiss between us would be good, but, would it be like, a normal kiss? Or would it be a kiss?"

She continued to pace the room, the rhythm of her feet a fraction the speed of her racing thoughts. She turned on her heel, stopping to stare at Ren for a moment. He struggled to find the words to answer her.

"Uhh-"

"I mean, I haven't really kissed anybody. I mean, I've kissed you on the cheek a couple of times. And I guess my parents count. But I haven't really kissed anybody. I haven't done the smoochy-smooch at all, really. What about you, Ren?"

He shook his head. A yes or no question, he could answer with certainty.

"Yeah, I coulda guessed that, we spend so much time together... And I mean, if we both haven't kissed anyone before, it'd be pretty weird to practice kissing with each other! I mean, what if I'm not really good at it? I would totally be super nervous…"

"… umm…"

"Everyone thinks kissing is just so important. That's so weird. You're really just pressing your lips together, why does everyone like doing it so much? Unless lips are like magnets and when you press a different pair against your own, they make something cool happen? Hmm…" She rested her hand under her chin, thinking hard about the possibility.

"Uh-"

"Nah, that'd be silly. So what about kissing could even be that good? Ugh… I wish I could do it just to find out." Nora kicked at a pen that had been lying on the floor and sent it skittering across the room. She was really just trying to occupy herself. She wasn't really talking to Ren; more like voicing her opinions at him. He was used to this, she'd sometimes do this for hours, usually coming up with terrifically inspired ideas on how they should spend the day together. This time was different, the implications she made tugged at the back of his mind.

"It's just so silly. It's like if everyone told you that Schnee Cola tasted really good but you could never open one yourself. This is so unfair! What if kissing is really fun like ice skating or Ursa riding! What if I've been missing out on kissing this whole time! I mean, if everyone likes doing it so much, it has to be at least a little fun, right?" She bounced on the balls of her feet anxiously as she spoke, trying to come to terms with the possibility that she could be missing out on something so fun.

"Okay, fine, I could kiss one person once, just to see if I like it. But who would I ask? I don't think Pyrrha would mind, but I don't wanna bother her. I don't think Jaune would want to do it because he's so lovey dovey over Weiss. Ruby's kinda young… Weiss doesn't seem like someone who would agree to this… Blake's not in the best of moods lately… maybe Yang? Yeah, maybe I could ask Yang! She might say yes and maybe I could kiss her and see if it's good!" She jumped excitedly, finally having worked out her grand scheme. Ren watched silently, looking back over to his tunic that was still so close, just barely out of arm's reach.

"Wait… what if kissing girls is different?" Ren pulled his hand away from the closet, folding them back in his lap. "What if kissing girls is different than kissing boys? What if kissing boys is really fun but kissing girls is only kinda fun? Or the other way around! What if Yang tastes like bananas! I hate bananas, blech! Reeeeeen! What should I do?" She threw herself on his bed, defeated from every angle. She kept talking into the mattress, muffled words barely audible to Ren. He sighed and rolled her onto her side. She'd finish an entire conversation with her face buried in the sheets of a bed if he didn't adjust her.

"-have to kiss a boy and a girl just to make sure but what if I don't like either or I like them both too much? What if kissing is just really, really overrated and I end up being a lonely sloth forever! Or if I like kissing way too much and end up wanting to kiss everyone! I don't wanna kiss Cardin!"

He wiped a few strands of wet hair away from his face, extremely concerned for her. These were all valid points she was posing- points he'd never even considered. What if?

She looked up at him, ready to charge forward with more possibilities. But something was off about him, so much so it stopped her completely in her tracks. She looked up his chest and neck and jaws, trying to figure out what about him might be different. She'd seen him nearly every day for as long as she could remember. So what could've changed so drastically in the few seconds since she'd last seen him?

Ren looked down at her, surprised she'd stopped her lamentations so abruptly. Maybe she was expecting him to say something? "Uh-"

"Ren?" This is crazy, she thought.

"Yes, Nora?"

"… do you think maybe… we should kiss?" She sat up in his bed, looking at him for some reaction. Ren's stoic face held none. "Haha, yeah, no way, right Ren! Haha. That'd be waaaaay too weird. No, I think I'll just ask Yang and maybe Sun or Neptune might say yes. Yeah, that's a plan. Mhmm. Okay, good job, team! Water break!" She blew an imaginary whistle, stood up and marched to the bathroom, leaving Ren alone with his thoughts.

He watched her go and waited, unsure of what he should do. Is she o-

"REN!"

He jumped up, fists raised and ready to strike. Nora had slammed the door open so hard the knob had buried itself in the drywall. Her eyes burned with fierce intensity. "Do you think I'd be a good kisser?"

"…" He wasn't exactly sure how to answer that. How could he tell if anyone was a good kisser? He'd never actually kissed anyone himself, either.

"I mean, on a scale of one to ten. Like, a seven? Eight?" She waited desperately for his answer. Unsurprisingly, he had none.

"I think you'd be a great kisser… I'd bet a hundred million Lien you're an amazing kisser." She watched him as he reclaimed his seat on the bed, holding on to his bright pink towel.

"Can you kiss someone so they can tell me if I'm right? Or… no, no, that's silly." She laughed again, her fists clenched tight as she fidgeted even more. "I wouldn't want you to kiss anyone else anyway… unless it's Neptune. That'd be really hot… I mean, don't kiss people for me… I'd rather you kiss people for you. But not just people people. Like, friends. Like, people you know. If you wanted to kiss your best friend, I wouldn't mind that as much. At least they'd be your best friend that you'd have probably known them forever! Hmm… do you have any friends like that? … b-besides me I mean!" She blushed, trying to phrase her questions correctly. Well aware her rambling sometimes left her point far behind, she wasn't exactly sure she wasn't on point at that moment.

"Nora?" He looked up at her, finally having gathered the correct words. Where Nora worked in spontaneity in her conversations, Ren was cool and calculated and would never start until he had a clear path before him.

"Yeah, Ren?" She hugged herself tightly, trying to contain the overflowing emotions she was feeling.

"I don't think it'd be weird if we kissed. I think it might be kind of… nice." He watched her face go from shock and surprise, to the bright red of embarrassment.

"Oh… really?"

He nodded silently. They were simply stating hypotheticals, weren't they? "I think you'd be a good kisser as well."

"Oh…" She ran her fingers through her hair, playing with the orange strands. "Well… thank you, Renny." She sat on his bed in silence, hardly making eye contact. Ren watched her, unsure if he'd said something wrong to cause her to be so quiet.

"Do you… wanna maybe…" Her cheeks were ablaze with color. Looking down at the linens on his bed, she refused to look into his eyes, or even finish her question.

Slowly, comfortingly, Ren placed his hand on hers. The corners of his lips tugged upwards, the small smile odd on his normally expressionless face. He slid his fingers between hers, stroking her palm with his thumb.

Nora laughed again, looking down at their hands. They'd held hands hundreds of times before, usually whenever she was feeling sad. This, however, wasn't born of melancholy. It was born of mutual understanding. A kind that only they could share for one another.

Ren slowly pulled his hand away, folding them both in his lap. Nora moved closer, leaning her head on his shoulder. She brushed a stray lock of hair that had stuck to his cheek behind his ear, playfully twirling the wet strands around her finger before tucking them away. Humming quietly, she wrapped her arms around him, not caring that he was unclothed. She leaned up, quickly kissing his cheek.

"You're the best, Renny."

"… I think I'm the only Renny."

She pulled away from him, looking at him in shock and awe. "Did you just make a joke?!" She laughed loudly, "I'm so proud of you!" She threw her arms around him again excitedly, the motion such a habit after years of knowing one another. Sinking into the hug, she nuzzled into Ren's neck, sniffing out the flowery aroma where it was strongest. For minutes, she did nothing but breathe, his warmth and familiarity soothing her perpetually excited nerves. Looking up into his eyes again, she finally came to a decision.

"Ren?"

"…?"

"I want to kiss you." It was the most truthful statement she could ever make.

"…!" Even in his silence, she could read his emotions through his eyes as easily as anyone could a book.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" She ran her fingers through his hair, twirling the jet black strands between her digits.

Slowly, Ren nodded and gently squeezed her hand in his.

"Okay… here goes..." She paused for a moment, her face an inch away from his. She took in the contours of his cheekbones, the way the light scattered off his irises, reflecting the room in a vivid shade of pink. Pressing her lips against his, she quickly fell into the sensation.

Her lips tingled with electric current, her heart raced as if she were running a marathon. She could feel her breath catch and hear the blood rushing in her ears. Her lips tasted Ren's for the first time and he tasted so much like honey and tree sap. She closed her eyes, needing to brace herself against the millions of sensations vying for her attention.

Ren's free hand reached up, cupping her cheek in his palm. He couldn't close his eyes, watching the blood color Nora's cheeks was too much of a treat. He listened to the way her breath caught in her throat, only to come and go in ragged whimpers and gasps. Slowly, he brushed his thumb across the apple of her cheek, watching her eyelashes flutter as they fought to stay closed. She tasted of cinnamon and sugar and liquid sunshine, he pulled her in closer for a better taste.

Nora's tongue swiped against his lips and she felt her cheeks grow even warmer. She hadn't meant to do that. She tried to pull away, utterly embarrassed, and nearly jumped when Ren's tongue quickly found its way to her lips. Playfully, she flicked the muscle with her own, chasing it between his lips as it returned home. She ran her tongue along his lips, teeth and the roof of his mouth, studying every inch in feverish passion. Adjusting in the kiss, she moved to sit slightly higher, her tongue making its way deeper into his mouth. Finding his tongue, she ran her own alongside his, giggling softly at the odd sensation. Nora swirled her tongue around his playfully, finding his longer and flatter than her own.

Ren took it all in, the contact a bit too much to keep his towel from becoming a little tighter, but Nora didn't seem to mind. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug that attempted to make up for years of lost time.

And finally, with a last, ragged breath, they broke the kiss, Nora looking up into his eyes with newfound feelings for him.

"I… maybe we should try again? Just to make sure?" She smiled a crooked, mischievous smile that her childhood friend was unbelievably familiar with. He hesitated for just a moment, causing a wave of concern. "Wh-what's wrong? You didn't-"

"I'd really like to put on my pants…"

She thought for a long moment, not exactly sure if she wanted to see him clothed yet. "What if I took mine off?"