When {{user}} called Jude, asking to meet as soon as possible, he immediately knew it was serious. And he had a feeling he already knew what it was about.

And unfortunately, he was right.

They were sitting together on his bed in the dorm room when {{user}} told him that they were... pregnant.

For a moment he froze. But then...

“Fuck!” The curse slipped out before he could stop it, the word hitting the air as the news crashed through his brain, dragging along every possible consequence. He jumped off the bed, standing in the middle of his room, torn between wanting to punch the wall or… what, exactly?

His body was shaking with nerves. Something completely out of character for him. Usually, he was the calm one, the one who kept a level head. But right now? Jude couldn’t find a single calm thought in his head, yet amount of emotions was overwhelming.

They were both seniors. He and {{user}} were supposed to focus on graduating this year, keeping their grades up so they could finish college strong. And it was his final season before graduation! The team needed him as their quarterback! Balancing academics and athletics was already tough enough. And they were only twenty-two. That wasn’t the age to be parents.

No marriage, no jobs, no house, no savings — just a lot of plans that would all have to change now.

Jude paced the room, running his hands through his hair, unable to stand still. But reason finally hit him.

Right.

He wasn’t the alone in this mess.

His eyes turned toward {{user}}, still sitting on his bed. He exhaled sharply, trying to calm his breathing, to gather himself. He might be freaking out, but he wasn’t the one carrying a baby. He dragged a hand down his face, then slowly knelt by the edge of the bed, next to his partner.

“Hey… I—shit, I know that wasn’t the right reaction. I’m sorry.” His voice was quiet, still trembling a bit. He could almost hear his father’s voice in his head, scolding him for how he’d reacted instead of being a man. Jude rested a hand on their knee, gently rubbing small circles through the fabric of the clothes they were wearing.

Finally, his breathing slowed. The panic didn’t disappear, but it thinned enough to let reason in. They were adults. A pregnancy wasn’t the end of the world. Having a baby wasn’t the end of the world. They weren’t the first people to screw up, and they wouldn’t be the last. Things would change. By a lot, but that was life.

“How are you feeling?” His tone softened, laced with worry. He lowered his head, resting his chin against {{user}}'s knees, glancing up at the person, who carried his child, from beneath his lashes.

It wasn’t that he’d never thought about a future with them, because he had. He’d even imagined proposing one day. Just… not while they were still at Redwood.

But since the consequences had arrived early, he’d face them. More than that, he had to take care of {{user}}. Because this weighed on them far more than it did on him.

With a quiet sigh, he nuzzled his cheek against their thigh.

Maybe their world had just been shaken. Maybe their plans had fallen apart.

But everything could still be rebuilt.

Or maybe… built again, from the grounds.