The first thing that Lie Ren noticed as his eyes fluttered slowly open was the overwhelming silence that came with morning. He winced as he sat up and caught the glint of sunlight coming through a small crack in the curtains that shrouded his team's dorm room in darkness. Ren let out a yawn, stretching his arms over his head, and let out a signature yawn that only further demonstrated his fatigued demeanor. Smacking his lips, he turned to his right, bracing himself lightly as the typical 'Nora Rampage' was sure to follow as the morning proceeded.

But none came.

Alarm was the first emotion that flooded Ren's facial features, as nothing keeps Nora from waking him up in the morning, often earlier than he would ever enjoy. The two were used to spending nearly every waking moment of their lives together, with Nora's bubbly and loud morning routine being the first thing Ren woke up to. Often it was the pink powerhouse herself jumping onto Ren and shaking him awake the moment her eyes opened. Today did not proceed as such, and realizing this made Ren worry.

Ren slowly threw his legs over the side of his bed and stood himself up, pausing to reach over and touch his toes as he began his morning stretches and forms. Reaching an arm across his opposite shoulder, he glanced over to his teammates collective beds, finding empty sheets where he expected bodies; another peculiar variance in his morning routines. Finishing with a deep breath Ren strode lightly over to the other beds to find a note scrawled hastily in his leader's handwriting. It read:

Pyrrha got me up early for a supply run and some early morning training. You two seemed like you needed the rest after Goodwitch's class yesterday so we let you sleep in. Let us know if you guys need anything, we'll be back in the afternoon.

Jaune

Putting the note back on the foot of Jaune's bed, Lie Ren sauntered over to the sleeping body of his teammate's sleeping form to try and determine the reasoning behind today's abnormal late start. Her head peeked out from under her bundle of covers, her body trapped under the "pancake wrap" that Nora often had Ren perform for her as he tucked her into bed. Her face had a clear red tinge to it and beads of sweat were prominent on her brow. Sighing lightly, Ren believed he knew what the issue today was, but nonetheless he reached his left hand down to her forehead, placing his right hand on his own.

Yup, that's a fever alright. As Ren pulled his hand back he was surprised to find Nora's hand had shot out from beneath her blankets to grasp his firmly, trapping him in place.

"Re-en, I don't feel too go-od," she whined. Her eyes slowly began to open, adjusting to the low lighting throughout most of the room. Ren smiled lightly and looked down at her, adjusting Nora's grip so he was holding her hand gently.

"You're sick," Ren stated plainly, eliciting another groan from his partner.

"Guh, I don't wanna be sick Renny. Fix it!" She moaned to him. Ren said nothing, but released her head, put an extra pillow under her head and set out to work.

After quickly changing into casual clothes and grabbing his apron, Ren set out to the kitchens near the cafeteria. The stoic young man had built up quite a reputation among the school chefs, and they often let him come and go as he pleased to use the kitchen, so long as he didn't get in the way during busier times of the day. Before setting to work he sent a quick message to Jaune asking him to pick up a small vial of cold medicine while he and Pyrrha were shopping in Vale. He grabbed the few things he would need to make Nora's favorite dish, quickly preheating the pan, and preparing the mix. As he got everything together, one of the older chefs entered the kitchen, walking over to Ren.

"Must be a special occasion that has you working so early young man," the older woman chided. Her eyes peered at him suspiciously before she broke out in a grin, ushering Ren to come in for a hug.

"Nora's sick Chef Tatou; I'm afraid I may need access to your syrup reserves again," Ren said contentedly.

"Only for you are all my wares empty dear boy. Especially since I can always send you to get more! Take as much as you need," she laughed. With a quick pat on the shoulder, she made her way to the back of the kitchen to begin preparing for other students. Ren made haste with his cooking, and once a sizable stack of pancakes toward him he cleaned up and began to head back to the dorm.

The smell of his fresh cooking attracted many other students to his side like moths to a flame, but he quickly shooed them away, insisting they were made specifically for a "special case". After finally arriving back at the dorm, he pushed his way into the dorm to find Nora exactly where he left her. Normally, the smell alone would've had Nora sprinting across campus to the exact spot Ren was with his delicious treats, but in her current state she could do little more than smile widely and let out a tired cough. Ren's lips curled at the edges as he announced himself to her.

"I've brought something to make you feel better. Though soups and herbal blends would have a better effect on your natural chemistry, I know a big plate of these would be enough to bring your energy back," Ren said to his partner. He sat on the edge of her bed and helped her sit up before handing her the plate of pancakes along with a fork and knife. Her eyes widened like a child's in a candy store as she inhaled the scent of freshly cooked breakfast.

"You're the best Renny. Boop" She lightly tapped the end of Ren's nose with her first finger. As an extra bonus, Ren plopped down a crate of syrup bottles next to the Valkyrie.

"I pulled a few strings for all of this, so you'd best enjoy it," Ren teased. Nora was soon devouring the pancakes, as though a vacuum inhaling dust. In only a few moments the plate had been cleaned and Nora let out a satisfied belch, muttering a quick "'scuse me" as she settled back down into bed. Clearing her dishes, Ren took one last look at his partner as her eyes began to droop yet again. He slowly began to make his way out of the room to let her rest as her voice once again cracked open the contented slience.

"Ren…? Can we sleep like we did… when we were kids?" Nora pleaded lightly. "I want you to help me through my cold." Her sleepy puppy dog eyes worked instant magic on the lotus boy. He walked over to his bed and pushed it lightly against Nora's, creating a super-sized mattress-y area tha Nora was happy to sprawl out over. "Yay!" Nora cheered sleepily. Ren slowly joined her on the beds and propped himself up against the headboards with a few pillows for support. He picked up a book on meditation and breathing he had been reading and got himself comfortable. Nora slowly crawled her way over to where Ren was propped up, leaning deeply into his chest, a hand coming up to rest just over his heart. Ren could feel his cheeks heat up lightly at the closeness, with Nora's breaths being light puffs against his shirt. Instinctually he wrapped an arm around her form, eliciting a satisfied hum from his contented partner.

Letting out one final yawn, Nora snuggled deeper into Ren, her breath becoming more even as she began to fall asleep. Before she could fall completely, she sighed and let out one last sentence to the boy taking care of her.

"I love you Renny".

Maybe it was just the fever talking, or maybe it was the truth, but Ren didn't care as his eyes widened and he glanced down at Nora's now-sleeping form. The previous heat in his cheeks returned, though he took a deep breath to center himself. Still looking down at her, he reached down and pressed a finger to the tip of her nose and responded.

"I love you too Nora."

AN: So I'm kinda back. Been lurking for a while and after finding a healthy lack of Renora fics I decided to add to the pile. As for my other stories, they're still kinda on hold as I try to figure out how I want to come back to writing. For now, enjoy this stuff and more will come later down the road. ~ Akai