Inspired the song I hate you, I love you by Gnash and Olivia O'Brien.
The first time they met, there were fireworks. Or sparks. Depends on who was telling the story. And how drunk they were at the time. No matter the circumstances though, Winter Schnee and Qrow Branwen would always end the story the same way.
"It was a mistake, but knowing everything that I do now, there is nothing in the world I wouldn't give to make the same mistake again."
The first time Qrow met Winter Schnee, it was in the middle of a blizzard. Not a normal blizzard, no this blizzard was from Atlas, the frozen Kingdom of the North. Even in the summertime, Atlas could suffer chilling cold and snowstorms, but this blizzard was unnaturally rough, and at the worst time. Temperatures plummeted, gale-force winds lifted people from their feet only to drop them like stone, and the unlucky traveler caught outside would find themselves dead from frostbite within minutes without the proper gear.
There had been a sharp rise in the number of high-level Grimm amassing at the base of one of Atlas' many mountain ridges, specifically one bordering the edge of the famous trade hub Arendelle, so the Atlas military sent a unit of prospective Atlas Academy huntsmen to clear them out. Winter had only recently joined the Atlas Academy with plans to become a Specialist in the military, with only a couple of months under her belt, but she had already risen to the top of her unit through a show of sheer tenacity and skill. She helped lead the unit against the waves of Grimm, and the battle would have been short-lived had a blizzard not swept in from nowhere and scattered their forces like leaves. Some died, most found shelter in a nearby abandoned base, but Winter herself was thrown off a cliff and into the snow banks below.
She survived with only a sprained ankle and a broken scroll to show for it, and for three days, she spent what time she could exploring the land in the middle of blizzard to find her unit. She might have found them eventually, but a stranger found her first. Qrow Branwen, skilled Huntsman and notorious drunk, stumbled upon her cave after running through what seemed to be portal into hell, if the sounds of explosions and fire were anything to go on. Just as he stepped out, one particular explosion lit up the wall of the cave, sending lights glittering across their faces. It would have been a magical moment, if Qrow hadn't practically passed out drunk afterwards. When asked why he was out in the fringes of Atlas in nothing but a cape wrapped around some light tunic and slacks, he chuckled, and replied with mirth in his eyes,
"I'm hiding from family. My sister took offense to me last time we met, and trust me, I am safer in the middle of nowhere than somewhere she could be."
Winter could only laugh at the strange man, who found solace in some unknown part of the deadliest locations known to man. It was a rare feeling for her, and laughter bubbled out of her like a spring as they continued to talk over the warmth of a fire. They shared stories of their youths, of their families, and of their worries. To them, this was just a stranger who they would never have to see again in their life, someone they could confide in without worrying about positions or status or manners or responsibilities.
In no rush, the two eventually found a way up the side of the cliff and back to town. Despite the relatively short period they had spent together, they had become close friends, enough for Qrow to share from his secret cape-flask and Winter enough to accept (She learned of her mistake the moment the drink hit her, but she had no choice to ride out the ensuing buzz for the next week). They stayed in contact, and even met up a couple of times, but it was always as close friends. It was never anything more. Until Summer died.
Qrow barely remembers the time right after Summer's death, only that he would remember more than Tai, and that it was one of the only times he ever ran from a problem. He had loved her, and by some weird circumstances they were family, but he had long ago settled into his role as Uncle and friend, if only for the sake of her happiness, and through it, his. Now she was gone, Tai was shattered, and he was left to pick up the pieces by himself. But he couldn't handle it on his own. He ran, a man ran and Winter found a wreck in his place. A force of nature reduced to a quibbling mess that could be toppled by a stiff breeze. And she saved him.
The first few nights, she kept him sober (much to his dismay) and kept him inside, sitting with him and doing everything she could to bring him back to some semblance of consciousness. One night, when he found himself unable to sleep without another nightmare shocking him back into the waking world, she laid down beside him and they held each in a firm embrace. The nightmares were still there, but with each passing night they grew lesser, just as the embrace grew closer. Neither remembered when they crossed the line from friends to lovers, but Ruby and Yang would remember it as the time Qrow re-entered their lives. At the same time, though she would deny even the mere mention of it, many would remember it as the period in which "Winter smiled".
Unfortunately, Winter was soon transferred to General Ironwood's command, and Qrow, having recovered, returned to his duties as Ozpin's agent across Remnant. What time they had dwindled, and their respective jobs took a toll on them. It was Qrow who broke it off, but Winter had burned the bridge between them; what had started as a off-handed remark had been blown out of proportions and made into a head-on fight. Loyalties were brought up, each challenging one another's loyalties to one's nation, to family, to lovers…The last one was what ended the argument. Qrow was too shocked to reply, and could only leave, but Winter was too horrified for suggesting it, and she could only watch him.
They broke up and communication ceased. A hatred grew between them, a competition to get in the other's way if only to spite them, but the love never went away. It never would.
And nothing confused them more.
This story was inspired by a song and done from beginning to end in 30 min. I write this now because I am bored, but I like the idea of Qrow and Winter having a past together, so hey, what's one more story? I may come back and improve on this, but for now, I like it as is.