"You're going to be a father?" Ren echoed.

Jaune sat in front of his teammate, his friend, the brother he always wanted.

Ren wasn't much of a talker. Hearing him repeat himself was new, scary even. Jaune inhaled as he twiddled his thumbs. Ren put the book he was reading down, offering his undivided attention. He then began to process the info, bewildered by the news. Jaune was happy Nora wasn't here right now, especially since she'd likely have an outburst of mixed emotions. He didn't need that much attention, especially in the library.

Not to mention he didn't think he could handle telling anyone else yet.

"And I take it the mother is...?"

"It's her," Jaune confirmed. "She told me about it not too long ago. We actually just got back from Vale, where she delivered the news."

"I see, so that's why she called you out all of a sudden..." Ren contemplated the book he set aside. "Do the others know of this yet?" Jaune shook his head. "Well, Jaune, I must admit I wasn't expecting to learn of something like this. Especially coming from you now. So let me ask, what do you intend to do?"

"Our first year here is almost done, Ren. With the Vytal Festival over and our exams coming up, I'll at least be able to get the credit for a whole year here."

"You mean-"

"I intend to leave Beacon once the child is born. I'm... going to be raising it by myself." Ren silently sat there for a few good moments before humming his acknowledgement. No doubt he felt conflicted about the situation. "Obviously, I told you first because I'm scared Nora would be rash and try to break her legs."

"I don't blame her. Not Nora," he clarified. "I know she must be scared about all this. Especially since you're both still young and still in school. And in this line of work..."

He trailed off. Something was dancing within his eyes.

"Do you intend to stand by this choice?" Ren asked.

"She was considering an abortion." Ren tensed. "I managed to convince her otherwise. I know there's other options, but I couldn't bear the idea of leaving my own kid at an orphanage. I know I'm overthinking things, but I know how rough it can be. My mother was on her own since she was born, you see. She told me her story about how she lived by herself, worked nonstop for enough lien to get by. And then she met Dad..."

Jaune smiled at the fond memory. It was nice to see a whole new layer to his parents.

"They were still young, Dad was still in school... He went here, actually. Yet they chose to keep my eldest sister. And they managed, but it was difficult. I suppose while I'm ready and willing to face the challenges, my former love wasn't ready for such a responsibility."

Ren's eyes narrowed. "You mean you two broke up?"

"We didn't explicitly say it, but I read between the lines." Jaune held up his hand when Ren tried to object. "We may have had a heated argument, but we kept talking after things died down a bit. I made myself clear: I was going to raise this kid. And she told me she wasn't going to. I don't blame her, but it does make me sad. I really thought the two of us had something." He shook his head and let out a weak, resigned laugh. "We were careless."

"You still have us, Jaune." Ren stood up and sat down in the chair beside Jaune. He placed his hand on his shoulder, offering whatever he could. "You've got us and your family."

Jaune's face darkened. "You guys are my family. I'm not entirely sure if anyone back home would be willing to welcome me back with open arms. They didn't exactly support my decision to come here," he explained. "You know the truth about me. I've learned so much thanks to you all, been through meaningful experiences... but this is something I could never have anticipated."

"You still haven't made up with them?"

"No. When the Vytal Festival was broadcasted, one of our fights had some highlights. My family saw it apparently, since my dad messaged me a simple message."

"What did he say?"

Jaune fished for his scroll and showed Ren the message.

"You never responded."

"I didn't want to. And I certainly don't think I can come home out of the blue like this. What am I supposed to say? That I got in by cheating and the moment I started to belong here, I had to quit? How am I going to explain they're grandparents? I haven't called once since I left, Ren."

"Don't tell me you plan to stay in Vale..."

"Opening up a coffee shop has been trending lately..." Jaune joked.

"There's no shame in going back to them." Ren's gaze hardened. "If not them, we're not going anywhere."

Jaune averted his gaze.

"Are you ashamed?" Ren asked. Jaune continued to look away. "I know for a fact the others will be surprised, but they wouldn't look at you differently. You're still Jaune to them, and I'm certain they'd all offer whatever support they could."

"That's what I said. But the more I think about it, the more I doubt myself. I'm scared, Ren..." Jaune felt himself growing more and more pathetic. Crying like this...? Being swayed so easily. "I lied, I'm not ready. It was a challenge to run away and come here to Beacon. But to live on my own with someone depending on me every second of my life? What if I don't raise my kid well? Will I be able to get a job? Am I ever going to see my family again...?"

"Jaune..."

"I just..." He grimaced. "I don't think-"

"Then we can-"

"I can't rely on everyone to solve my problems!"

Ren flinched when Jaune slammed his fist down, garnering the eyes and attention of other students in the library. Jaune took a deep breath and contemplated the books before him, refusing to look at Ren.

"Don't tell the others. Not yet. I need to figure things out first."

Ren sat there, unable to offer anything of worth.

"Okay."