- - -
Yang headed for the Bastinda Memorial Gardens, a picturesque little garden framed by white colonnades with rectangular pools and flowerbeds of red and yellow poppies. It felt a little too... Expensive for Yang, despite the fact they were old ruins. Like goofing off would bring vengeful spirits or something. So Yang didn't come here often.
Jaune's parents had insisted they meet and talk here, and Jaune had gone along with it. It was pretty deserted around this time of day on the weekend.
Definitely a good thing, judging from the loud, angry voices she heard as she approached the center of the garden.
She kept herself behind columns as she approached the Arcs: All three were sitting around a stone table. Jaune was on one side, his mother on the other. His father sat between them, and had his hands up as his wife and his son argued.
"I'm sure she didn't mean it like that-" Nick Arc said, but Jaune glared heatedly at him.
"Of course she did! And so did you!" He shot back, with more venom than Yang had ever heard in his voice before.
Isabel was clearly trying to control her temper, but the calm and collected woman from before was clearly on edge.
"Jaune, I just meant... We just meant that if you failed, you would always have a place at home-"
"No, you said when I fail," Jaune retorted, "When. You never had any faith in me at all!"
"We gave you money, didn't we?!" Isabel demanded. "We supported you-!"
"I made most of the money! I worked hard for it!" Jaune retaliated. Isabel bit her tongue, and was glaring heatedly at her son.
"We would have given you all the support you needed if you'd just gone to be a doctor-!"
"I didn't want to be a doctor! I wanted to be a Huntsman! A hero! Like you both were!" Jaune yelled, leaning forward. Nick set a hand on his shoulder, and Jaune turned to glare at his father.
"Don't yell at your mother," Nick stated firmly, "She doesn't deserve that treatment-"
"She never let me have any say in my own life, Dad! And you just went along with it!" Jaune stated angrily. He pulled back from his father's touch, letting his hand fall to the table. "I had to do everything myself if I was going to achieve my dream!"
"And now you're a teenaged father," Isabel stated flatly. She shook her head. "How are you going to support yourselves?"
"I will do odds jobs, I will graduate, and we'll do it that way!" Jaune stated. "I'll do whatever it takes for Yang and our baby!"
Again, Yang flushed deeply and felt gooey and warm inside. It was just the way he said it...
"You could do more if you just came back home and became a doctor," Isabel pointed out. "You could work at the hospital, we could get you a house, you don't have to risk your lives-!"
"I've saved people's lives, Mom," Jaune retorted, "If I hadn't gotten involved, they would be dead! Would you stand on the sidelines, if you could save someone in trouble?!"
"Of course I wouldn't!" Isabel practically screeched, "But we did all that so you and your sisters wouldn't have to!"
Isabel took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Nick turned back to his son, his expression grave.
"Son... We were afraid you had a romantic view of the Hunter's life," he said. He sighed. "We both have had friends die. We have both seen incredible pain and misery. We have both been witness to tragedies we can't forget, and we couldn't prevent."
Nick stared into his son's eyes.
"We won the peace for you, so you and your sisters wouldn't have to go through that-"
"And people have to keep winning the peace, or it falls apart," Jaune insisted. He glared at them both. "I want to protect that peace. I want to make life better for people. So does Yang. I'm not going to just quit if she won't!"
"When you have children at home who will become orphans if you risk your life, your viewpoint will change," Isabel stated, sounding calmer but still tense. "You can still do good even without being a Hunter! More good in fact!"
"I don't see it that way," Jaune stated firmly.
"Why can't you just see reason, Jaune?!" Isabel demanded. "After the childhood you had-You just can't do this! You have to stop being selfish!"
"My sisters all got to choose what they wanted to do with their lives!" Jaune retorted. "Why can't I?!"
"Because they didn't spend half their childhood on the edge of death!"
Isabel again took deep breaths, and looked away. Yang could see tears in her eyes. Jaune flinched but didn't back down.
"It's my life though... And I choose to live it this way." He shook his head. "You don't have to be in it if you don't want to. After all," he glared at his parents, "If you're so sure I'll fail, why bother?!"
Nick was stone faced. Isabel sniffled and wiped her eyes with her handkerchief. Nick then slowly nodded.
"Ozpin offered to give me a job as a part-time combat instructor," he said quietly. "I'll be coming down on the weekends to provide extra training. I'll expect you to be in those classes."
Jaune nodded firmly.
"I will. Every single one."
"I won't go easy on you," Nick stated, "That's what you want, right?"
"Yes."
"Nick!" Isabel hissed. Nick shook his head.
"It's what he wants, Isabel," he said quietly, "And if he fails, he'll come home."
Isabel scowled at her husband. He stared back, perfectly composed. Isabel sighed deeply and shut her eyes for a moment. She reopened them and looked back at her son.
"... I'll be visiting too," she said, "To check on Yang. Nurse Tsune has some experience with obstetrics but not a lot. I can help train her and any other medics on the weekends too."
Jaune slowly nodded.
"All right," he said. He got up and turned, walking away.
"Jaune," Isabel called out, "Please... We do love you. We just want what's best for you."
Jaune turned and glared back over his shoulder.
"I know. But I want to choose what's best for me."
He turned and resumed walking. Yang stayed silent, then began to follow him once she was sure his parents weren't looking.
She caught up to him in the main courtyard of Beacon and cleared her throat. He turned and stared at her.
"Hey," she greeted.
"Hey," Jaune replied. He sighed.
"You uh... How much did you see?" He asked.
Yang blinked.
"Eh? I wasn't-?"
"Ruby told me what you look like when you're guilty and trying to hide it," Jaune stated. Yang cringed.
"Ah... That little sneak..." She shook her head. She held out a hand, and he took it. She led him over to a bench near a fountain and they sat down together. He sighed.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"For what?" Yang asked. Jaune shrugged.
"Just... I dunno..." He shook his head. "I just feel like I have to apologize. I-I want to, to them, but..."
"I get it," Yang said softly. She squeezed his hand. "Qrow and my Dad told me plenty of horror stories about how hard it was to be a Hunter. They tried to discourage me, too."
"Yeah, but at least they believed in you," Jaune grumbled. Yang smiled softly.
"They wanted you to become a doctor?"
"My mom was a combat medic, and got her doctorate," Jaune sighed, "In between having me and my sisters. My dad was a Hunter too, but retired after a bad injury."
"Injury?" Yang asked. Jaune nodded.
"His foot is artificial. A Grimm bit it off, just above his ankle."
Yang winced.
"I did wonder about his gait," she admitted, "It was a bit off."
Jaune nodded.
"Yeah... He runs Radian's militia now. Trains locals, manages the defenses, and a few other things."
"And you?" Yang asked quietly. "Your childhood?"
Jaune looked away.
"I was born very premature," he stated, "And with a lot of issues. Spent half my childhood in the hospital."
He quickly looked into Yang's hands, taking her hand between both of his.
"It's not genetic, I swear Yang," he insisted, "Our baby will be fine, I promise. And-And my mom invented all sorts of therapies that let me grow up just fine-!"
"I'm not worried, though that's good to hear," Yang said gently, "But I guess because she's a doctor and your mom, she uh...?"
Jaune nodded.
"Yeah. I wasn't the youngest but I got treated like the baby," he sighed. He shook his head. "I love my parents, I really do... But they told me that... That they expected me to fail."
"And that's shitty," Yang growled. She grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Hell, you've gone from an untrained civilian idiot to a guy who can decapitate Ursas with one blow in a few months! You have any idea how insane that is?!"
Jaune stared at her in shock.
"It-It is?! Pyrrha told me I was making progress, but I-I just didn't-!"
"It is fucking amazing, Jaune!" Yang insisted. "Seriously! You're absolutely crazy, but you're doing so well! How many civilians do you think could survive training like Pyrrha freaking Nikos?!"
Jaune gaped, then closed his mouth, then opened it again.
"But I-!"
"Jaune," Yang stated firmly, "You do have potential. You're still insane for going through all this, but you could be a great Huntsman, all right? You have to believe that."
Jaune winced.
"Did I mention I faked my transcripts, too?"
"WHAT?!" Yang shouted. Jaune coughed, and squirmed.
"I-I mean... I was being forced to study for medical school and couldn't really-!"
Yang held him with one arm and punched him in the face. He gaped at her in disbelief.
"Y-Yang, I-!"
She laughed, and then hugged him.
"You're just... You're just unbelievable, you idiot," she giggled. "I thought I was a juvenile delinquent!" She shook her head. "I guess I'm just attracted to bad boys."
Jaune blushed, and looked off to the side.
"Er... I also jaywalk a lot, if that helps?"
"Dork," Yang snickered. She hugged him again. "Look Jaune. You've got issues and so do your parents. So. What? Everyone does! Hell... Me..." She shook her head. "My bio mom abandoned me when I was a toddler, Summer, who I consider my real mom, died when I was seven, my dad just shut down so I had to raise Ruby until Uncle Qrow straightened him out..."
Yang shook his head again.
"Point is... We're both pretty fucked up," she said, "But we're... We're both willing to keep going, no matter how shitty things are. Okay?"
Jaune nodded back, a small smile on his face.
"Okay."
"And, just to make things clear," Yang emphasized, "I'm not going to run out on you, either. I swear."
Jaune hugged her back, pulling her tightly into his embrace. She sighed softly, leaning into his warmth.
"I know," Jaune murmured.
She burst into tears and hugged him tightly. A huge sense of gratitude surged inside of her.
"J-Jaune...!" She sobbed. Jaune started, and stroked her hair.
"Hey, hey, it's all right, Yang, it's all right," he murmured softly into her ear, "It's okay... I'm here. I'll always be here."
Which just made her cry harder.
"I'm sorry I hit you," she whimpered.
Jaune chuckled and nuzzled her.
"It's fine. It'll help toughen me up."
She kissed him. She barely remembered the kisses from that night, just heated glimpses largely shrouded by alcohol, but now? It felt amazing.
He kissed her back, stroking her hair and back gently. Yang sighed happily into his mouth and pressed herself more tightly against him.
Heat burned in her body, and her kisses became greedier-
An explosion rang out, and they broke to look up at Beacon. Nora sailed through the air, riding a rocking horse while swinging Magnhild.
"FLY PATRICK, FLYYYYY~!"
Jaune sighed heavily. Yang coughed, averting her eyes.
"Ah, um... Maybe we should take care of that," she giggled nervously.
"Uh, um, y-yeah," Jaune said with a nod, "Definitely."
He got up and ran after Nora. Yang lingered a bit, still blushing bright red.
Geez... I gotta get these hormones under control, she thought, Gotta keep them under control, don't want to just jump Jaune and-
Her eyes locked onto his rear as he ran. She licked her lips.
On the other hand... I can't get any more pregnant, now can I~?
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