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It started small, as things tend to start. Nora, having come to be close friends with Pyrrha for a good few months, began to open up to her in earnest. Nora told her just about everything… all the way back to her days as an abandoned baby in Kuroyuri. “I just… sometimes wish I had a mom,” she’d admitted, before brushing it off and downplaying what she’d just admitted in typical Nora fashion.
But their conversation, and that sentence in particular, had stuck with Pyrrha. She made a vow to herself that she’d become as good a mother as she could. Without being, you know, weird about it. From that day on, Pyrrha gravitated to Nora more often than not. She listened intently to whatever her friend had to say, made her little treats when they studied together, and in any way she could, made sure Nora was cared for and loved. The day Nora accidentally called Pyrrha “Mom,” neither of them blinked for even a moment.
And then, one cold and rainy night, things got a little too real. Or maybe just real enough.
~
It seemed ridiculous, given her Semblance, but Nora Valkyrie had never liked the sound of thunder. Maybe it was something that happened in her childhood, or something more instinctual, but either way, she never, ever got the appeal of having it as a soundtrack to falling asleep. Oh, if only Ren were here. Just having her oldest and closest friend in the same room put Nora at ease. Unfortunately, both he and Jaune were out that night helping Team RWBY with something, leaving the girls all alone.
She turned over into bed to look at Pyrrha. Sound asleep on her side, with one arm outside of the covers, fingers spread. The biggest smile was on her face, and the dream she was having caused her mouth to move like she was whispering. From the right perspective, it almost looked like she was…
As Nora’s gaze fixated on the taller redhead, and her mind filled in the gaps she saw, the gears in her mind began turning. Maybe, she thought to herself with a smile, it was time to take this special friendship they’d cultivated to a new level. Besides, it’s not like Pyrrha of all people would turn down having an extra warm body under her blanket.
~
Pyrrha was gently roused from her sleep by the feeling of something crawling into bed with her. Her dream had been lovely, and she wanted to get back to it as soon as she could, but this seemed to demand her attention. She rubbed her eye, and after a brief yawn, looked down at her blanket to see a human form curled up around halfway down the bed. A quick glance at the rest of the beds in the dorm revealed who this was. “Nora?” she asked, a little surprised. “What are you doing in there?”
The bulge in her sheets shifted a little, and she could hear her friend giggling softly. “I’m being your baby for tonight.”
Pyrrha thought the blankets had garbled Nora’s reply, so she lifted up the covers just enough to peek at Nora, who looked up with a smile. “You’re doing what?”
Nora wasn’t one to reserve her emotions, so seeing her become slightly bashful in the face of this rather pointed question was a bit of a surprise. “I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but I’m kinda scared of thunderstorms, which I know is weird because of my Semblance, but I thought since you’re kinda being my mom lately, which I really do appreciate, I thought we could snuggle up for tonight, and then I thought, well, how much closer can a mom and her kid be than… than…” Nora’s trademark whirlwind explanation fizzled out with those few words, and her face retreated into Pyrrha’s chest. “So here I am. In your… blanket.”
Pyrrha had gotten used to the way in which Nora conveyed information, and upon realizing what the girl was trying to say, she smiled gently. “So you’re in there because you want to pretend to be my unborn baby.”
Nora nodded, rubbing her face on Pyrrha’s skin in the process. “Th-That’s the one. I know it seems really weird, but… I just really feel like I need it for some reason. And you can say no if you want. I understand.”
Pyrrha shook her head, tucking the covers back over Nora, and putting a hand on the blanket bulge. “How could I ever say no to my favorite daughter?”
She could hear Nora gasp, even under the thick comforter. Nora let out a soft squeal of joy, one that made Pyrrha’s heart melt all over again, and began squirming around a little more, pressing her back against Pyrrha’s hand.
Pyrrha giggled softly, rubbing over the section of the bedspread that had just been unofficially designated as her “belly.” “Oh! You’re quite active tonight, aren’t you, Nora?”
Nora let out a soft giggle of her own, tumbling around inside of the soft, warm “womb.” Every word Pyrrha said seemed to wrap her core up in another layer of warmth.
“It won’t be long now, Nora,” Pyrrha cooed, mentally placing herself somewhere in her third trimester. “Then I’ll finally get to meet you. But I know you’d like to stay in my belly for now.” She leaned down, placing a soft kiss on the comforter. “And that’s okay. You can stay as long as you want.”
Nora put her hand on Pyrrha’s, before she yawned and finally fell asleep, wrapped up in her sort-of mother’s warmth.
Pyrrha, keeping her arm on top of Nora, laid her head against the pillow and followed her dear friend into dreamland. “Goodnight, Nora…”
~
From that night on, Nora found herself crawling under Pyrrha’s covers every now and then. For the first time since she met Ren, she felt like there was somewhere and someone she could go to and feel totally, unbelievably safe.