Chapter One: A Quiet Morning
It was a pleasantly cool September morning when Qrow awoke, sprawled out on his bed in his basement bedroom. Feet pounded overhead, revealing the time before he even checked the clock – just passed seven-thirty. He smiled and rolled out of bed, snagging his phone off the end table and stuffing it into the back pocket of his sleep pants.
Yawning, Qrow stretched, getting up onto his toes with his fingertips almost brushing the ceiling. He rubbed at his eyes and smacked his lips, grimacing at the taste of morning breath lingering on his tongue.
Another morning in the STR household. Yang and Ruby were up, getting ready for school; Summer and Taiyang were probably getting ready for work, and Raven was probably making breakfast and lunches for everyone.
With a quiet smile, Qrow shuffled into his downstairs bathroom. He took care of what he needed, brushed his teeth, and washed his face. By then, the noise had lessened to more of a gentle murmur.
He shuffled up the stairs, yawning again, and scrubbed his fingers through his hair, which was slightly damp. When he got to the top of the stairs, he found the door already open and the kitchen filled with the whole family.
Yang and Ruby were at the breakfast table, eating cereal. Yang's was fruit loops by the look of it, and Ruby was eating some chocolate monstrosity that Qrow was gonna steal a bowl of later. Summer was sipping coffee, already deep into reading her weekly schedule on her tablet. Taiyang was slumped half against the counter, yawning as he sipped at his coffee, and Raven was leaning against the open backdoor, watching Zwei run around the backyard.
"Unca Qrow!" cheered Ruby, throwing her hands into the air. Her spoon went flying, smacking off the window before clattering to the floor. She winced. "Oops."
Raven sighed and grabbed the spoon off the floor, tossing it back to Ruby.
"Raven! It's dirty," said Summer, furrowing her brow and frowning. "Grab her a new one."
Raven rolled her eyes and made a point of watching Ruby, who wasn't listening, go back to eating her cereal with the spoon.
"The floor's fine," said Raven, shrugging. "I'd eat off it." She leaned over and pressed a kiss to Ruby's hair. "Besides, she's five. She doesn't care."
Yang wrinkled her nose. "Ew. That's what plates are for!" she protested. Raven chuckled and leaned over to ruffle Yang's hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail this morning. Yang pouted and swatted at Raven's hands, but Raven simply stepped back, out of her reach.
"Too slow, little dragon," said Raven, winking. Yang rolled her eyes and went back to her cereal. Raven chuckled and turned her gaze to Qrow, an easy, crooked smile on her face. "Hey, little brother. Didn't get enough beauty sleep, I see."
Qrow rolled his eyes and crossed the room to lightly swat at her shoulder. "Thirteen minutes," he replied. Raven snorted and flicked his shoulder. Qrow just kept going and grabbed the coffee pot to pour himself a cup. "Besides, we both know I'm the better-looking twin."
"Says the single twin to his sister with two partners," replied Raven. Qrow cast a glance over his shoulder and smiled at Raven. She chuckled and winked at him. The whole bit was rehearsed, repeated every week or so to remind each other of their domestic lives. It was just another piece of an already peaceful morning and routine.
"Mama?" called Ruby, swinging her legs in her chair. Raven turned and raised her eyebrows at Ruby, who giggled. "We gotta pick my clothes!" She hopped out of the chair, dropping the few inches to the ground, and half-ran to Raven, hugging her around the legs. "Help?"
Raven chuckled and ruffled Ruby's hair. "Sure thing, baby girl. Let's get you dressed." Ruby cheered and grabbed Raven's hand, dragging her out of the kitchen and toward the stairs.
Yang dropped her own spoon and whined, wiggling her yellow, metal fingers on her right hand. "Daaaaaaddy," she called, pouting at him. "My elbow hurts."
Taiyang nodded and straightened up, yawning. "Sure thing, sweetie. Let me grab my tools and we'll get you all fixed up."
Yang whined again and slid down further in her chair, scowling at her metal fingers. "It hurts," she mumbled into the collar of her nightshirt. "Why does it hurt?"
Summer crossed the room and kneeled in front of Yang, gently taking her metal fingers and pressing a kiss to each one. "You just need a little elbow grease, sweetie," said Summer, before pressing a kiss to the back of Yang's hand. "But we'll make the pain go away, I promise."
Yang sniffled, her big, purple eyes filling up with tears. "Do you think Uncle James could help?" she asked, staring up at Summer.
Summer cast a glance to Qrow, who pulled his phone out of his pocket and started texting James. He nodded to her and she nodded back.
"Of course. Uncle James knows all about prosthetics. He can come over and double check everything after your Daddy helps," she said. She soothed Yang's hair, gently stroking the top of her head. "We'll make sure you're all better." Summer hesitated a moment and pressed her lips together. "What do you think about school, today?"
Yang shrugged with her left shoulder, then reached out with her left hand to rub at her right elbow. Her cheeks were a dark pink, the flush spreading further as she rubbed at her arm. "I dunno. I hurt really bad."
Summer kissed Yang's forehead. "Okay, sweetie. If you need to stay home with Mama, you can. Okay?" Yang nodded and rubbed at her teary eyes.
"Okay," she mumbled.
"Good girl," whispered Summer. She pressed another kiss to Yang's forehead and got to her feet just as Taiyang came back into the room. He approached Yang with soft words and a softer smile, kneeling down to her height before setting down his toolbox.
Qrow followed Summer out of the room, sending off another text – James wasn't answering, probably busy with some work thing or something – as Taiyang helped Yang take off her shirt so he could get better access to her arm.
"Busy morning," commented Qrow, shoving his phone back into his pocket. He looked at Summer, who sighed and leaned back against the wall of the living room, her eyes closing. "You all right?"
"Raven's having nightmares again." Summer reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yang's arm needs to be adjusted because she's grown another inch, and if she grows any further, we're going to need a completely new arm." She shook her head, the let it fall forward so that her chin was pressed almost into her chest. "It's a lot to handle, especially with both of them dealing with their own demons."
Both of them meant Taiyang was having a time too, but wasn't saying anything. Probably nightmares about the accident. Probably more guilt.
Not that it was anything Raven and Tai couldn't handle, especially with the supports they had in and out of the house, but it always took them some time to get a handle on their own heads. And, until they did, Yang and Ruby's problems, small as they might be, leaned into Summer, rather than Raven and Taiyang.
The stress of five people, herself included, plus a full-time job that required at-home work. Qrow didn't envy Summer, but he did worry about her. Hopefully he could help her out in whatever ways he could.
"I've got nothing going on today, I can stick around with her, too," said Qrow. "And I can pick up Ruby after school if you need me to."
Summer smiled. "Thank you, Qrow." She tugged at a strand of hair, which was long enough now that he figured she'd cut it soon – closer to her shoulders than her chin. "It's not as if it's the end of the world. All of the problems are small and manageable. It's just that there's a lot of them."
"I get it," said Qrow. Before he could say anything else, his phone went off, buzzing against his butt. He pulled it out and swiped open the texts.
'I can be over in five. I want to talk to you as well, after everyone's gone, if that's all right with you.'
Qrow cocked his head at the text, frowning. Whatever it was, James sounded pretty serious. He shrugged.
'Alright, I'll be here. Thanks.'
Summer sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, grimacing. "Speaking of problems, I need to see an optometrist soon. I think I need glasses. Add that to the list of things I don't have time for."
Qrow slipped an arm around Summer's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "Deep breaths. Tai's getting his anxiety meds upped, plus he's seeing the counsellor twice a week now, and Raven just switched her meds to something stronger, plus she's got the whole CBT going on. Give them a week and they'll be fine, maybe two, tops. Plus, Raven is happy to do the driving you and I can't." He pressed a kiss to her hair and smiled at her. "Until then, you got me, and James, if you need him."
With a weary smile, Summer nodded to him. "That's true. Thank you." She cast a glance to the kitchen, a frown pinching her face. "I'm not sure what we'd do without 'Uncle James'. Since Yang's accident…" Summer trailed off, looking at the floor. "I don't know how we would have managed…"
"Speaking of nightmares," murmured Qrow, pulling Summer into a tight hug. "Deep breaths, Summer, like I said. Deep breaths. You've got supports. Reach out and talk to them. Get Raven to drive you to work, I'm sure that'll help."
Summer nodded. "Yeah, thanks Qrow. I'm just tired. You know how I get." She shrugged, as if that explained everything. It didn't. They'd all been through a lot in the last few months. But hey, things were getting better all the time.
That was what was important.
"I do," said Qrow, he patted her shoulder. "Now, go help your daughter. I'll unlock the door for James."
Summer laughed, some of her lightness returning to her. "I don't know what we're going to do when that man finds a husband. He's not exactly going to be our house handyman anymore."
Qrow snorted. "If you think I'll let any man come between me and James, you're crazy."
Summer grinned, turning to face Qrow as she walked backward toward the kitchen. "You could always marry him," she teased.
"Pretty sure if I was gonna fall for the guy, I would'a done it in the last eight years," said Qrow, drily. He rolled his eyes. "If you want a love story, read a book."
"I'm just teasing," said Summer, still smiling. Qrow smiled back. Yeah, he knew. It was their routine, the teasing. He was Uncle Qrow, James was Uncle James, to the kids. That meant some funny jokes, seeing as James was family through his friendship with Qrow. Although, he was pretty damn close to all of them and had been for years. Especially the kids. James would tear down the world for Yang and Ruby.
"Yeah, yeah," said Qrow. "I know." He yawned and shuffled off to the door, listening to Summer's voice as it switched from Sister-In-Law tone to Mom tone. A cute switch, barely noticeable, with lots of little encouraging noises.
Qrow smiled, stuffing his thumbs into the waistband of his pants, and moved through the living room and into the foyer. He reached it just as James did, visible through the window in the door, and pulled it open for him. In the background, Zwei barked and Ruby squealed in laughter, still upstairs.
"Morning, Jim," said Qrow. He stepped back and let James take the lead into the house. "She's in the kitchen."
"Morning, and I figured. Thanks," said James. Despite the cool morning, he didn't wear a jacket and the sleeves of his button-down were rolled up to just below his elbows, leaving his arms, one flesh and blood and one silver and metal, exposed to the elements.
James had polished the casing of his prosthetics, recently. It shone more brightly than usual under the lights of the foyer. Qrow preferred this casing to the old one. The old one had been bulky and inhuman, this one was solid and seamed, designed to be a perfect, metal mirror to the bulk and shape of his left arm. His own prosthetics weren't as new or human-like as Yang's, but James had always said he preferred it that way.
Besides, changing them was literal hell.
Qrow followed after James, not thinking until the last moment that Yang was probably still shirtless and might have wanted her privacy.
He reached out to call James back, but the kitchen door swung open and then they were both in it.
Thankfully, Yang had thrown on one of Tai's tank tops, leaving her arms exposed but herself covered. Qrow sighed. Not that there was anything wrong with a seven-year-old running around shirtless, but James wasn't one of her parents, and it was always nice to let her know and have a choice.
"Good morning, Yang," said James in a soft voice. He knelt in front of Yang, resting his metal hand on her knee. "I hear you're having some trouble with your arm."
Yang reached up and rubbed at her prosthetic elbow with her left hand. She frowned, her hair out of its ponytail and now hanging in her face. "It hurts really bad," she mumbled, her face scrunching up into a wince and tears pricking her eyes again. "I dunno why."
James frowned and gave a little hum. "Well, is it all right if I check it out?" Yang nodded, and James gently took her arm in one hand, studying it closely.
Qrow watched, not wanting to get in the way, as James undid the panels around her elbow and exposed all the mechanics inside. He had his own tools, though he kept Taiyang's close as well, and chose from them as he worked, murmuring soft words to Yang that Qrow couldn't quite make out.
After a few minutes, Taiyang shuffled over to Qrow, his arms folded across his chest, his shoulders tense, and his face marred by a worried look made of knit brows, pursed lips, and soft eyes.
"Thank God for James," murmured Taiyang, his voice low enough that Yang and James didn't react.
Qrow nodded. "She'll be fine." His own words were soft, more meant for reassurance than anything else. Of course, Yang would be fine. But Taiyang was her dad, and after the car crash last year, the very thing which made Taiyang refuse to get behind the wheel of a car again and made getting Yang to school in the morning an entire endeavour (though no one blamed her, really), he'd become more overprotective than he'd already been.
At least Ruby was still upstairs. She always hated seeing Yang like this: exposed, vulnerable, and terrified. Qrow knew the feeling. He and Raven were twins, but it'd worked the same way for them as kids. If Raven was fine, everything was fine, if Raven wasn't fine, then the world was ending.
No wonder Raven so readily kept Ruby, energetic and shrieking as she was, upstairs until she was given the all-clear. She understood it. They all did.
They'd had months to figure it out, after all.
God, he was just glad they weren't all trading off who was camping out in the hospital room anymore. That had been something he never wanted to repeat. He couldn't imagine what it had done to Ruby.
"All right," came James' voice, several minutes later, and loud enough now for them both to hear. Taiyang and Qrow's heads swung around in unison, focus returning to James and Yang. "How does it feel now?" He'd put everything back into place, making it look like he'd never touched her arm.
Yang moved her arm with slow and careful motions, her eyebrows pinched together over her wrinkled nose. She winced as she bent her elbow a few times, but the expression faded to something more tired after a moment.
"Okay, I guess," said Yang, still pouting. She wiggled her fingers and dropped her head, hair hiding her eyes. "I don't wanna go to school."
Taiyang took over, shifting to kneel next to James. "Is it the pain or is it something else?"
"Pain," mumbled Yang. "I can't play when I hurt, and it sucks." She stared at Taiyang with big eyes. "Can I stay home? Please?"
Taiyang sighed and reached out to brush her hair away from her face. "Of course, sweetie. Mama and Uncle Qrow are gonna be home today, so they'll make sure you're okay, all right?"
Yang nodded and slid off her chair, shuffling toward the stairs. "I'm gonna go tell Mama." She didn't lift her head as she walked, nor did she acknowledge Qrow as she walked by him. "Thank you, Uncle James."
The three men watched her go, each wearing a different expression. After a moment, Taiyang sighed, his shoulders slumping and his entire body seemingly drooping as he got to his feet. He said nothing and stared at the floor, his hands quivering.
Qrow crossed the few steps between them and pulled Taiyang into a hug, pressing a kiss just above his ear on the side of his head. "She'll be okay," he whispered into Taiyang's ear. "So will you. Everyone has off days, you know that."
"He's right," said James, shifting to rest a hand on Taiyang's shoulder. "You're both doing well – much better than I was, in fact."
Taiyang nodded and stepped back from Qrow, sniffling and swiping at his eyes. "Yeah," he agreed, "she just needs time. I know. Thanks, guys." He set to work on clearing the breakfast plates.
James and Qrow's eyes met and James nodded toward the open backdoor of the house. Qrow nodded and slipped on the flip flops he kept at the door for picking up Zwei poop, and followed James out to the little bench under the tree in the back corner.
"So, what's up?" asked Qrow, leaning back in the bench with his arms folded behind his head. "You seem tense."
James sighed, looking from the tree, to the house, to Zwei prancing around the yard – anywhere but at Qrow.
"Jim," said Qrow, reaching out and resting a hand on his knee. "Come on, you know you can't hide anything from me. Talk."
James shifted toward Qrow, clasping his hands together, and took a deep breath.
"Will you marry me?"