"You're... pregnant?" Jaune coughed. He took a sip of his water in a futile attempt to clear his throat and calm his nerves. He tried to steady his breath as he looked across the table into the anxious eyes of his girlfriend. "That's wonderful news! I always... I mean, not that I expected to be a dad this soon."
Jaune ran his hand through his hair and slicked it back. His heart began to race as a large smile grew on his lips. "Of course, I'll support you though! Sure, we might have to adjust to these circumstances. Oh, and we haven't even met each other's parents yet! I should-"
"I don't wish to keep it," she blurted. She averted her gaze, but it didn't hide her face which was plastered with guilt and shame. "I'm sorry, Jaune..."
A weight he never experienced before made his stomach sink. It felt like something had pierced straight through his chest and took his heart away. The ambient music of the deserted restaurant they were in dissipated as his ears began to ring. His lips quivered a bit as he tried to force words to come out.
"I... what...?" he whispered. "Why don't you-"
"We're not ready, Jaune!" Her head fell into her hands as her elbows hit the table. "I'm sorry. My mind's been focused on this for days now. I've barely gotten any sleep... The others tried to convince me-"
"Wait, you told the others before you told me?" he realized.
Her head shot up, eyes wide.
"I didn't..." She couldn't keep herself from tearing up. "I needed someone to talk to-"
"You could have talked to me!" He stood up and kneeled before her, taking her hands into his. "We're partners, silly. You can confide in me about big things like this. There's no need to keep such secrets from me."
"Jaune..." She shook her head. "We've yet to even graduate Beacon. Bringing a child into this, especially when we've only been dating for a few months. It's just... we can't be students and parents simultaneously."
"Don't say such things..." Jaune couldn't help but look at her with a heartbroken expression. "There's sure to be programs for this sort of thing. We have our friends! Heck, they're practically our family! They can... they can..."
He began to trail off as he noticed her crying. He had to resist the urge to hurl when realization sank in.
"What... do you plan on doing with it?"
She couldn't look at him.
"No-" Jaune reached for her shoulders, making her snap her gaze towards him with wide eyes. "Please don't tell me you're getting rid of it!"
"Think of our careers, Jaune!" She stood from her chair and looked down at him. "We can't afford to have such a responsibility now! You said it yourself. You didn't plan for this. And I certainly didn't. There's still so much I wish to do before I settle down with kids. I can't afford to delay graduating and risk losing my team. We can't balance being huntsmen and parents already-"
"I'll quit," he firmly said.
She stopped. It took a moment for the information to sink in for the two of them. Jaune didn't even realize what he had said right away. As his... partner slowly lowered herself back into her seat.
"I'll quit Beacon if it means you'll let our child be born."
"Jaune-"
"Adoption, my sisters, or even myself alone if necessary. I refuse to..." He shook his head. "Please... I don't want to resort to that. You're formidable in the field. And I know you're smart enough to handle the material. I'll do all I can to support you. You won't lag behind the others. I just... Please let me take care of our child for us if it comes to that."
She closed her eyes, deep in thought.
"What will you do if you quit?"
"I'll find a new career path. We'll need money, so I'll start looking into jobs that'll help me support our kid..." He took her hands and squeezed. "Please..."
She took a deep breath. "Okay..." She didn't look entirely convinced. "I'll... I'll go through with having it. I just... I'm sorry, but-"
"When our child's born, you won't have to worry. I'll be there for them, no matter what."
The next few words came off as more malicious than he intended. They just... slipped out.
"But after that... we're done."
It's been quite a while.
I couldn't sleep one night and happened to get nostalgic. I happened to run into my old fanfiction account and thought about how I wished I finished this story. So I decided to do so. But since I wasn't entirely happy with how I executed this story the first time, I'll be doing a remaster of sorts. This time, I'll be exploring more that I wish I touched upon in the old version.
For those of you who have read the old version, welcome back. I hope we can experience a better journey together now that I have some inspiration. The mother has not changed, I'll confirm that now. But please don't spoil any new readers. I hope I'll do a better job building up to that, as well as the plot points after Jaune's child has grown up.
While I intend to finish this story with a weekly update schedule, there may be times I won't be able to write due to my new job. I want to tell the story I started years ago, so here's to a fresh start. This is a tale of a single father's trials. I wish to explore this polished version.
Until next time. Cheers.
Next Chapter: March 3rd
-Colure