June grieves, then gets something unexpected. This one is a little shorter than I would have liked, but I was running out of time.
Jaune sighed, unclenching his fist. It had been doing that recently, often with him not noticing it until his hand was stinging as his muscles screamed for air. Like he had any right to complain about small things like that.
He could here Amy shouting gleefully in the room over, the sound accompanied by a plethora of giggles from Jaune's other sisters. It was strange to be back in such a cramped house, especially with Ren and Nora included, after spending so much time in a dorm room with just three other people.
"Keep it down girls!" His dad shouted, the racket dying immediately. It only lasted a second though, before Sidney shrieked in laughter.
Jaune could hear Nora's laughter mix in with his sisters' and he smiles. The smile didn't stay long though, not with the autumn leaves twirling their way around him.
He felt like an idiot, coming out to a place that would only remind him of her. The feeling wasn't anything new, but that didn't stop the ache, the hole in his chest he doesn't think will ever be filled.
His tears were spent though, so now he was left floundering, trying to find out what someone was supposed to do afterwards.
Ren and Nora were a comfort, because neither of them were people who shared their grief, Jaune knew they were all together in this. All of them had been hit hard by Pyrrha's… loss.
He still remembered their disastrous group talk session that had been timidly suggested by Jaune's parents. All of them had ended up a mess of tears and apologies, even Ren. Pyrrha was family to them, nothing could deny that.
One particularly brave maple leaf took the opportunity to float down by his feet. Idly, Jaune reached out to trace the edges, recalling green eyes and patient smile. His foot was crushing the leaf and sending it scattering in the winds before he knew what he was doing. He had a feeling that if Beacon was still around, this is the kind of thing he might be sent to the school therapist for.
"Jaune?" Ren's voice started Jaune, and he gave an undignified grunt as he fell to the floor. Nora helped him up with a giggle and a pat on the back that was a little harder than it needed to be.
"What?" Jaune zeroed in on the envelope resting in Ren's hand. Jaune didn't get mail now, with the CCT still down, none of them did really. The last letters June had gotten had been from the- the- the- N-Nikos'. Those letters were something he didn't want to think about right now.
"We got a letter!" Nora snatched the letter from Ren's hands and presented it to Jaune proudly.
"Ruby?"
Ren nodded in time to Jaune's question. "It is addressed to all of us."
Jaune looked at Ren and Nora, who sat down beside him in the dirt.
With careful, trembling fingers, Jaune opened the letter.