Hello, my lovelies! This little beauty is a commission for D. KnightOfShadows, who wanted a four-chapter Arkos fic featuring a famous, single mother Pyrrha meeting a recently-graduated, trying-to-get-by Jaune when she moves into the same apartment building as him. Fluff will ensue, obviously.

Enjoy!

Disappointment was a common theme in Jaune Arc's life; disappointment, a lack of money, and never being the most important person in anyone's life. That was made perfectly clear when he was more or less forced to move out of his parents' house at the age of eighteen, making way for his younger sisters, who apparently needed the space and love more than he did.

He wasn't bitter toward his sisters, of course. It wasn't their fault. Little Silvia had actually cried when he left. He felt especially sorry for sixteen-year-old Sapphire, who would likely assume the mantel he had held as the oldest sibling still living at home. That meant acting as a third parent to their younger sisters.

Now, he was living in an apartment that was being partially paid for by his eldest sister, scraping by from paycheck to paycheck in a thankless job. College was a distant fantasy. His dreams of becoming a professional dancer faded into the monotony of slicing deli meats for customers who just weren't satisfied with the thickness of the cut, no matter how many times a poor, beleaguered worker adjusted it.

Five days a week, he came home smelling like processed cheese and lunchmeat. After showering, he would put on DVDs teaching advanced dance steps. His furniture was frequently piled on one side of the living space just for this purpose. For an hour each night, he would lose himself in the steps, imagining that he was on a stage somewhere, imagining that he had a full bank account, a full stomach, and maybe even a nice girlfriend to be happy about.

On weekends, he went to the gym, determined to keep himself fit just in case an opportunity arose to pursue his dream. He would walk home, staring wistfully at Vale's famous dance studio as he contemplated the many, many, many ways to prepare potatoes and ramen.

It was at the gym where he first heard about the new person who moved to the area. He learned it from Cardin, of all people.

"Heard she's a total bombshell with long red hair and curves I could definitely get a grip on," the arrogant meathead was saying as he walked by Jaune to put away a set of weights. "Gonna see if I can get me some of that action, if you know what I mean."

"Why are you even over here?" Jaune grumbled.

"What? I'm just talking about babes with my old high school buddy." Cardin pulled Jaune into what likely would have been a painful noogie if it wasn't for a timely interruption.

"Do I need to break his legs again, Jaune?" Nora's voice called over from one of the treadmills.

Cardin's face immediately paled and he hurried away.

When Jaune returned home that afternoon, he saw moving boxes being loaded into the empty-until-recently deluxe apartment across the hallway. He definitely envied whoever could afford to rent that place!

He was just taking his keys from his pocket when a sudden voice behind him caused him to jump and drop them.

"Hello- Oh, I'm sorry!"

Jaune quickly picked up the keys and turned around to see a tall woman with red hair, green eyes, and a very kind smile. Strapped to her front was a red-haired baby who was staring at Jaune with wide hazel eyes. "No problem. Are you guys moving in?" He grinned at the baby, who blinked before letting out an adorable laugh.

The woman's smile widened a bit at this exchange. "Yes. I'm Pyrrha Nikos, and this is Athena."

"Athena, huh?" Jaune bowed his head slightly at the baby. "Didn't realize I was in the presence of a goddess. I'm Jaune Arc." He held out his hand for Pyrrha to shake, feeling slightly surprised at how strong her grip was.

"A pleasure to meet you," Pyrrha said, and she meant it. She was a good judge of character and was able to quickly pick up that her new neighbor's friendliness was genuine, and not a mask he was putting on just to be polite (as was often the case with people she met). He also obviously didn't know who she was, which was a huge relief. She noticed his sweaty exercise clothes and asked: "Did you just come from the gym down the street?"

"Sure did," Jaune replied. "I gotta keep this body in shape if I want to be a pro dancer!"

Pyrrha's brows went up. "Dancing? That sounds grand." She almost let slip that she knew a few hip hop dancers, but managed to stop herself in time. You specifically came here because you don't want people to guess who you are, she sternly reminded herself. "Is this gym any good? I want to get an idea before I purchase a membership."

"Oh, yeah!" Jaune said. "They have a lot of good equipment, and the rate's pretty reasonable. There are also yoga classes every week."

"Perfect. I used to go to gyms regularly, but…" She gently rocked Athena, who made a happy burbling noise. "I hope to start again soon, if I can find a good daycare."

Out of pure habit from his time at home, Jaune almost said that he'd take care of Athena, but immediately shut himself up. This isn't your sister. This is a stranger's kid. You literally just met her! There's no way she'd trust you with her baby. Besides, did he want to be taking care of another kid so soon after leaving home?

Instead, he brought up something else he had just remembered. "Um, you should know that there are a few creeps at that gym. I've met them." He was remembering his conversation with Cardin. This Pyrrha woman was likely the "bombshell" that jerk had been referencing.

Pyrrha rolled her eyes, letting out a sigh. "Oh, I'm sure there are. It comes with the territory. Don't worry. I can defend myself."

At that moment, Athena's burbles started to sound more insistent, bordering on tiny cries. Pyrrha gently hushed her. "I'm sorry. I'd better see what she wants."

"Of course," Jaune said, smiling at the now-frowning baby. He knew that look. It was the face of a baby that was just starting to get tired and would start crying at higher pitches and frequencies if not put down for a nap soon. "Nice meeting you both."

"Likewise!" Pyrrha took Athena into the apartment where, thankfully, she had had the foresight earlier to unpack and set up the crib. With a grateful nod to the movers, she set about tucking her daughter in. Maybe, the baby would nap long enough for Pyrrha to actually get some of her possessions organized.

….

During the days that followed, Pyrrha hurried to unpack while trying to keep on top of everything she needed to do for Athena. The apartment was fully-furnished, so she only needed to worry about putting away the items she had brought with her. Most of the boxes held baby supplies, though there were plenty of clothes, makeup, and other items that would hopefully come in handy once she got back in shape.

The money I have won't last forever, she reasoned. Eventually, I'll need to start modeling again.

Pyrrha had always thought that her name and face were incredibly well-known, ever since her parents got her into the modeling business at the age of sixteen. The many companies she endorsed certainly seemed to think so. Yet, so far, no one in the area seemed to recognize her. That suited her just fine.

She paused in the act of putting away some books, glanced at Athena, who was currently sucking on the ear of her favorite teddy bear in her playpen, and took out her phone. There were a few texts from Pyrrha's agent, asking how the move-in process was going, and a few companies offering to sponsor her. She forwarded those to her agent. There was nothing from her parents.

A distinct crushing feeling appeared in her chest, which she tried to ignore. They made their choice, she thought firmly, closing her phone and looking once more at Athena. I've made mine.

That choice continued to weigh on her as she went through day after day of doing nothing but unpacking and taking care of her daughter. She knew she was fortunate to have enough money to be able to stay with her child all day rather than leaving her at a daycare before going to work for eight hours. Still, she could feel herself falling into the slump she had been in at her parents' house. The only difference was that her schedule now didn't include avoiding her mother's ashamed glares or ignoring her father grumbling about how he couldn't believe that his daughter was being so selfish and foolish.

Her brain was always set a few hours ahead as she planned out when she would feed Athena, what she would do to try and get Athena to start moving around more, ways to stimulate Athena and get her to start talking, because the internet said that would be coming soon…

She was so focused one evening while she was taking Athena for a walk in her stroller, that she didn't notice Jaune until he was right by her.

"Hey," Jaune greeted. He had just walked into the parking lot toward the back entrance to the building, tired from another annoying day at the deli.

"Oh!" Pyrrha jumped, then relaxed. "Oh, hello. I'm sorry. I was a bit preoccupied."

"No problem." Jaune smiled down at Athena. "Hey, kiddo."

Athena blinked up at him, looking incredibly bored.

"I was just taking her to the park," Pyrrha explained. "I heard that there's one nearby."

"Yeah, but the way isn't too obvious if you're going from here," Jaune noted. "The sidewalk leads to a small crosswalk that goes toward the nearest trail. That crosswalk hasn't been re-painted in ages, so it's easy to miss." He considered for a moment. "Actually, why don't I just show you where to go?"

"I couldn't do that," Pyrrha protested. "You obviously just got home from work. I'm sure you want to relax."

"For me, relaxing means not standing in one place, and getting the smell of bologna out of my nose," Jaune assured her. "It's cool if you just want me to tell you where to go, though," he hurried to add.

"Honestly, I wouldn't mind the company," Pyrrha admitted. "I love my daughter, but she's not much of a conversational companion yet. I just didn't want to take time out of your evening if you were tired."

"In that case, right this way," Jaune gestured toward the sidewalk.

The two walked in silence for a few minutes, punctuated with Athena squirming around in her stroller. She started whining irritably. Pyrrha paused to give her one of her smaller stuffed animals, which thankfully did the trick.

Jaune smiled nostalgically as he looked at Athena. "You know, my little sister Silvia was really into stuffed animals. She had this blanket/stuffed animal hybrid that looked like a giraffe. Went crazy if that thing went out of her sight for a second."

Pyrrha nodded. "Athena is the same way. She won't go to sleep without her bear."

"Gotta love the classic teddy bear. I had a bunny, myself." Jaune's cheeks flushed as he grinned jokingly. "Wait, we just met a few days ago. I don't' know if I should be telling you this."

Pyrrha chuckled. "If it helps, I had a unicorn."

"Ooh, fancy!"

"Yes, she even had sparkly fur. She whinnied when you squeezed her hoof." Pyrrha smiled. "Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this."

The two laughed as they continued on their way. The evening was peaceful and pleasant. Summer was ending, and the hot temperatures of July were gone, but the chill of fall still had yet to creep its way around the corner. Jaune took a deep breath, loving the smell of any air that wasn't saturated with supermarket air conditioning, meat fridges, and sanitizer.

"So, you mentioned when we first met that you were a dancer," Pyrrha commented. "What kind of dancing have you studied?"

"Well, I learned a bit of ballroom dancing as a kid," Jaune said. "Back when we could afford stuff like that. My best friend and I were in an after-school dance club. We mostly did pop and hip hop. It's funny. He's definitely better than me, but he doesn't want to go pro."

"Sometimes, it's nice to have something that's just a hobby." Pyrrha always enjoyed baking in her spare time, what little spare time she possessed, anyway.

"True. I know I want dancing to be more than a hobby. If I can't become a famous dancer on stage, I'd at least like to be an instructor." Jaune led Pyrrha down the most familiar of the trails. "So, what about you? Anyone helping you with Athena?" He knew that asking, even casually, if there was a Mister Nikos would be presumptuous and, depending on how nervous Pyrrha was, too creepy.

"Sadly, no," Pyrrha sighed. "I didn't know her father very well, and he was very quick to sign over full custody." She honestly couldn't blame him. The media circus that would have surrounded the poor man would have been legendary. It had been hard enough for Pyrrha to escape notice for this long.

"And my parents…didn't approve of me keeping her." Once again, Pyrrha pushed down painful memories that threatened to rear their ugly heads, memories of those awful months at home as she prepared to take her leave.

"That's terrible!" Jaune thought of his own parents. While he was still bitter about being essentially kicked out, he knew that his parents were trying their best, and that they would support him in whatever way they could if he somehow ended up with an unexpected child.

"Well, raising a kid is hard, even with help," Jaune pointed out. "You're doing pretty well, all things considered."

Something about Jaune's tone told Pyrrha that he was speaking from personal experience. "Are you a father?" she asked.

"Me? No way," Jaune laughed. "I just turned eighteen a little while ago, and my parents made sure I'd be too scared to do anything risky in high school. I'm from a big family and had to help raise my six younger sisters."

"Oh!" Pyrrha smiled. "Perhaps you could give me some advice."

"Ask the Jaune Encyclopedia, and you shall receive an answer," Jaune said with an exaggerated bow.

Pyrrha laughed before looking at Athena, who had just started to doze. "Athena is starting to move about on her own. She'll be crawling soon. I'd like to allow her to move around more, but I know what can happen if a baby is out of her pen and I turn away for even a second."

"Ah! Baby-proofing." Jaune nodded sagely. "Everyone's favorite way to redecorate. Tip number one: Get actual plastic covers for electrical outlets. Electric tape won't cut it."

Pyrrha's heart sank. She had actually bought electric tape for that very reason. "Anything else?"

"Get something soft to wrap up the lower parts of table legs," Jaune explained. "Mom actually knitted special covers after having me. Want me to ask her for them?"

"If she doesn't mind lending them, that would be incredibly helpful," Pyrrha admitted. "There are just so many things to take into account. Internet and book research can only do so much."

"I could give you apartment a look-over and write down what you'll want to do," Jaune offered. "I mean, if you want. I don't want to butt in, but I do have experience with this stuff."

"That would be grand," Pyrrha said empathetically. "I'll accept whatever help is offered."

"Omigosh!" a voice suddenly shouted from nearby. "I knew it! You're Pyrrha Nikos, aren't you?"

"It totally is! I can't believe it!" squealed another voice.

Pyrrha winced, using all of her self-control to keep from grimacing. Taking a deep breath, she turned to meet the two approaching teen girls with a friendly smile. "Hello."

The two teen girls nearly swooned when they saw her. "Wow," the blonde-haired one gasped. "I can't believe you're really here. I read that you were going to be leaving the spotlight after having your kid, but I didn't think it'd be here!"

"This is a nice town," Pyrrha replied. "Though, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell too many people that I'm here. I'd like to focus on raising my daughter."

The brunette cooed with adoration as she looked at Athena. "Oh! She's so cute! Can I hold her?"

"I'd rather you didn't," Pyrrha said nervously, edging closer to the stroller in case the teen tried to pick Athena up anyway.

"Can we take a picture with you?" the blonde asked. "Please?"

Pyrrha froze up. She was used to taking pictures with her fans, even when she wasn't actually feeling up to it. But she knew that these kids would post the picture online almost immediately, and she really didn't want to deal with the press so soon…

"No pictures, and can you lower your voices?" Jaune cut in. "We don't want to wake her up." He wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but he wasn't about to let a baby's picture end up online for the world to see. Besides, Pyrrha clearly wanted these two to go away.

The teens turned their attention on him. "Are you the dad?" the blonde asked, doubt and incredulity dripping from her tongue.

No need to sound so skeptical. I'm not that bad-looking! "No, I'm her lawyer," he said, thinking quickly. "Any other questions?"

Thankfully, the word "lawyer" was enough to send the girls away, though they were grumbling to each other under their breaths.

Pyrrha let out a breath of relief once they were gone. "Thank you so much!" she gasped. "I never know how to turn people away, but I knew I needed to do something because of Athena, but-"

"Hey, it's no problem!" Jaune cut in. "You have a right to your privacy, you and Athena."

"My life has never been very private," Pyrrha admitted, a little begrudgingly. "I suppose you have questions."

Jaune shrugged. "Not really. It seems simple enough: You're someone a lot of people know and you went underground for a bit so your daughter wouldn't get caught up in the media hype. At least now I know how you were able to afford the deluxe room! Are you on TV, or something?"

"Sometimes," Pyrrha said. "I'm a model." She glanced sadly down the path. "And it looks like I lost myself two fans."

"Nah. I know how teens are. They'll just blame it on the grumpy lawyer you were with," Jaune assured her. "They'll be all 'Oh, Pyrrha Nikos is so amazing! How did such a great person end up with a scrawny jerk like that as her lawyer? Not even letting her be in a photo. Ugh! Like, this is so totally unfair!'" He tossed his hair for good measure.

Pyrrha giggled at Jaune's spot-on impression of the obnoxious girls. "Thank you again. And I'm sorry for not telling you who I was."

Jaune shook his head. "You shouldn't have to tell anyone if you don't want to. It's not like I'm required to tell everyone I meet that I work at a deli counter. Though, once they smell the chipped ham on my shirt, they can probably guess…" He breathed a sigh. "I really hate that job."

"Have you applied for other jobs?" Pyrrha asked.

"I've sent some stuff out, but most of the jobs posted that I qualify for don't pay any more than I'm making now," Jaune explained. "A lot of the higher-paying ones require a college degree, but I can't even go to community college right now since I need to work full-time to pay for my apartment." He shook his head. "Right now, the biggest dream I can aim for is reaching a point when I can afford weekly dance lessons."

Pyrrha felt a pang of sympathy for this young man. It was easy to forget sometimes that there were people who had to worry about money in a way she never had, and who had futures that were so much more limited. She wished she could just give him some money to help him out, because she definitely had enough, but knew that such an offer would likely embarrass him.

"Perhaps, I could recommend you somewhere," Pyrrha suggested. "I'm sponsored by several big-name clothing brands, and there is a mall nearby. Even if you worked as a sales clerk, it would probably be better than slicing lunch meat for minimum wage."

Jaune's eyes lit up. "Really? Are you sure that wouldn't be too much trouble?"

"No more trouble than you helping me baby-proof my apartment," Pyrrha replied with a smile.

"When you put it that way…" Jaune held out his hand. "It's a deal!"

Pyrrha shook his hand gladly, just as Athena started to stir. She checked her phone. "Oh, we should probably go back. It's getting close to her dinner time, and I've been trying to keep her on a schedule."

"Starting her on solid foods, right?" Jaune asked. "That's always an interesting time."

"It certainly is!"

The two talked the rest of the way home and both found themselves wanting to talk more when they arrived at the building. Still, there were things to take care of, so they said their farewells and went into their respective apartments for the evening.

….

It didn't take long at all for Jaune and Pyrrha to truly become friends.

Soon after their conversation in the park, Jaune came to Pyrrha's apartment bearing an armful of table and chair leg-covers and a notebook. He quickly went through the apartment, tallying how many outlet covers and cupboard locks Pyrrha would need.

"You already have the detergent on the high shelves. That's good," he noted.

"Well, that's just common sense, isn't it?" Pyrrha asked.

"You would think, but the amount of kids who drink toxic stuff every year kinda makes me wonder," Jaune sighed. "You know, I saw a thing on the news a little while ago. You know how some parents leave their kids in hot cars?"

"Yes. Some people really shouldn't be parents."

"Yeah, including the people at the news station! They recommended putting something 'important' in the back seat, like a phone or wallet, so you don't forget your kid there."

"What's more important than your child?" Pyrrha gasped, her mind spinning at the idea of someone actually saying something like that. She knew that she'd never forget Athena anywhere, car or otherwise. She glanced over at her beloved daughter, who was sucking on a brightly-colored stim toy in her playpen. Her heart warmed at the sight.

"Exactly." Jaune handed her the notebook. "Okay, here's everything I noticed."

The two ended up sitting down for several hours, talking long after the baby-proofing plans had been made. They exchanged phone numbers and found themselves texting regularly.

Over the next week, Pyrrha contacted people at the various nearby clothing stores, and was happy to forward several interview and resume requests to Jaune. When, at her prompting, Jaune showed her his interview outfit, which included a rather tattered khaki jacket, Pyrrha quickly pulled some strings to get a discount on a new blazer and tie.

"Thanks, Pyrrha," Jaune said, staring at the blazer and wondering with some trepidation how much it has cost his neighbor. She doesn't need to be spending money on me! She's got a kid to worry about!

"It didn't cost me anything," Pyrrha lied, noticing the nervous look on Jaune's face. "I have sponsors, remember? Consider it payback for those table leg-covers, if you wish."

Those leg-covers ended up being a huge help, as Athena very quickly developed a liking for grabbing at table legs and trying to pull herself upright. She was nowhere close to succeeding, of course. When she was, Pyrrha would have something else to both worry and be joyful about.

The blazer ended up fitting perfectly, leaving Jaune much more confident about his interviews. Between work and submitting resumes, he found himself over at Pyrrha's apartment more often than not. He learned that his neighbor hadn't been allowed to play video games growing up and was quick to bring over his consoles, along with his copies of Smash Bros. and Mario Kart. Between levels, he'd watch Pyrrha take care of Athena and found himself helping out due to pure instinct.

"Old habits die hard, I guess," he murmured as he shook a rattle in front of Athena, who tried grabbing at it, her hazel eyes wide and shining.

"Is she anything like how your sisters were?" Pyrrha wondered as she opened a can of oatmeal/banana baby food for Athena's meal.

"She's way quieter," Jaune said, grinning at the mesmerized baby. "I wish Silvia had been this well-behaved."

"Do you think…you could look after her sometimes?" Pyrrha asked. She had been wanting to ask this for some time, but had made herself wait until she knew Jaune a little better. "I want to start going to the gym regularly, and it would be much simpler giving you a spare key than taking her to a daycare. I will pay you, of course."

"You don't have to pay me. I don't mind helping out. We're friends, right?" Jaune smiled as Athena reached past the rattle to grab his finger.

"I insist," Pyrrha said, her voice very firm. "It's one thing for us to do favors for each other as friends, but babysitting for an extended period of time is a service that should be paid for."

"I guess so." Jaune wasn't about to argue with a woman sounding that stern, though he might have tried if Pyrrha had been anything other than a rich model who could easily afford to pay him.

Despite being the one to offer, Pyrrha was more than a little nervous when she left her apartment to go to the gym a few days later. It wasn't that she thought Jaune wouldn't do a good job of taking care of Athena. She was more worried about the fact that she had hardly left Athena with anyone since she was born. I hope she doesn't miss me too much…

As she went into the gym, she marveled at the feeling of being somewhere and not having her daughter within arm's reach, not having to worry about having to soothe an oncoming tantrum or stop everything to feed a hungry baby. It was a liberating and guilty feeling.

After paying at the counter, Pyrrha approached the exercise machines, put her earbuds in, and tried to focus on the process of getting rid of the extra weight she had gained. It wasn't so much that she was self-conscious, but she knew that she'd have to be in shape for when she inevitably started modeling again.

Due to her earbuds, she didn't notice the stranger getting into her personal space until he was already tapping her shoulder.

Fighting against her instinctive response to elbow whoever was behind her, Pyrrha turned off her music, got off the pacer, and turned around. Immediately, she disliked the man standing before her. He had short brown hair, eyes that shined with a mocking light, and a smile that belonged on the face of the most entitled college frat boy.

"I'm sorry," she said calmly, flashing a neutral smile. "Were you waiting to use the machine?" It wasn't a real question, as there were plenty of other machines nearby.

"Nah, I was more interested in the person using it," the man replied with a cocky smirk. "Name's Cardin. You new in town?"

"I am," Pyrrha replied, pointedly not giving her name.

"You know, there are some sketchy parts in this area," Cardin said in what he surely thought was a smooth transition. "Maybe we could get a drink sometime, and I can give you a little guided tour afterward."

"No, thank you," Pyrrha said politely. "I have a pretty good feel for the area already. I appreciate the concern."

"Well, what about just a drink?"

"No, thank you," Pyrrha repeated.

Cardin's grin quickly turned to a scowl. "What, you already got a boyfriend?"

"No," Pyrrha replied, though it probably would have been simpler to say yes. She just didn't believe in the idea that a woman had to use a fake boyfriend/girlfriend excuse for her wishes to be respected. "I'm flattered by the offer, but I'd rather not."

Cardin folded his arms. "You're real quick to turn me down. You don't even know me!"

Before Pyrrha could reply, someone cleared her throat behind Cardin before whispering loudly: "Snappy, snappy!"

Cardin's eyes widened as he spun around to face the source of the voice. To Pyrrha's surprise, the speaker was a small woman less than half Cardin's size. However, size meant nothing in the face of the woman's glare, which could likely stop a charging bull cold.

"I-I'll see you later," Cardin stammered, trying to keep his back straight as he walked away.

The short woman rolled her eyes before turning to Pyrrha with a bright, friendly smile that completely transformed her face. "Some guys, right? Can't take no for an answer."

"I know the type," Pyrrha said, gladly returning the smile. "Thank you for your help. I'm Pyrrha."

"Nora!" The woman held out her hand. "Pyrrha, huh? You must be Jaune's new neighbor."

"Oh, you're Nora! Jaune mentioned you." Pyrrha gladly shook her hand. "May I ask why that man was so afraid of you?"

"I broke his legs in high school," Nora said in the same voice someone might say "I went to the store for some bread."

"You what?!" Pyrrha gaped. "Both of them?"

"Yeah. He kept pushing Jaune into lockers, and I got sick of it." Nora folded her arms. "If Jaune wasn't gonna stand up for himself, I decided it was my job! Totally worth the one-month suspension, by the way."

"He bullied Jaune?" Pyrrha's dislike for the brawny, entitled man immediately deepened.

"All the time," Nora grumbled. "Still tries to, but I'm always around to remind him of how I can 'accidentally' mangle his kneecaps." She winked quickly. "So, just call me if he gives you trouble again, okay?"

"Okay." The two ended up exercising together. "I can fight, but I don't wish to draw attention to myself," Pyrrha explained.

"Understandable. Since you're famous, everyone would jump on something like that." Nora slowly lifted a set of weights. "Jaune didn't tell me that, by the way. I just recognized your name. Congrats on the kid. Jaune says she's a total cutie."

"She really is." Pyrrha wondered what Athena was doing just then. Was she giving Jaune a hard time, or just napping peacefully?

Talking to Nora was the easiest thing in the world, as she seemed fully capable of carrying a conversation entirely by herself. Pyrrha listened with a smile as her new friend babbled on about work, her attempts to sign up for community college courses, her boyfriend's amazing animation and cooking skills, and a slew of other topics that made Pyrrha wish she was better friends with this energetic girl so she could experience just a bit of her life.

The two eventually parted ways and Pyrrha walked home. When she arrived at the apartment, she paused outside the door, realizing that she could hear Jaune's voice from inside.

"See, this is why werewolves are better. Check this out!" The sound of swords clashing and a beastly snarl came from inside. "Yeah! You won't see vampires eating hearts like that!"

Pyrrha opened the door to see Jaune sitting on the carpet, a game controller in his hand as he played Skyrim. Athena's play pen had been moved so that it was in front of the TV, and the baby within was staring intently at the computer-generated werewolf on the screen, sucking absentmindedly on her teddy bear's ear.

Jaune looked up. "Oh, hey! I just changed her a few minutes ago, and she ate all her food. Figured I'd educate her until you got back."

Pyrrha chuckled. "I can see that." She approached the play pen and picked up Athena, who burbled happily.

"Ma!" the baby said. "Ma…ma!"

Jaune's entire face lit up at the sound. "Well, look at that!"

Pyrrha's heart warmed as she felt her eyes filling with happy tears. She hugged her daughter close. In that moment, she had a very, very good feeling about her and Athena's future.

She had a good home, a nice town, and had already made two wonderful friends. The sky was the limit!

Jaune's bright, thrilled smile only seemed to reinforce that thought.

So, I know inspiration for this fic is going to be high because I finally started playing Dream Daddy for the first time. Guys, if you haven't played Dream Daddy, DO IT! The wholesome father/daughter interactions…the beauty that is Damien…the Dad Jokes… It's a freaking holy grail!

Anyway, this is obviously going to be a piece of fluffy goodness. Stay tuned for next chapter, when the mutual pining begins. You all love that, don't you?

If you like what you see and want to show extra support while earning sweet rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

Peace out!