A/N: This image refuses to leave my head, so here you go. Did I tear up while writing it? Maybe. You'll never know. This is inspired by the idea of Qrow and Ruby bonding over his crow form when she's a child, taken from a convo with WriterPatriot.
I hope you enjoy! Please review/PM me to let me know what you think, I'd love to hear it :D
Shadows of Summer
The house was dark. Empty. The man sighed, putting down his weapon by the door and shoving his hands in his pockets. The air was cold, the breeze brisk as evening set in, despite the sun still hanging in the sky, precious hours before sunset painting the world orange and pink and gold. The summertime was still lingering in Patch, the trees boasting green leaves and the earthy aromas that only the warmest August could bring.
But the darkness continued past the kitchen, no food simmering on the stove, the smell of cookies nowhere to be seen. There was no pitter-patter of little footsteps running about, no excited chatter nor light scolding in the air.
Qrow wasn't surprised that the house was hollowed out, nothing but an empty shell. After the ceremony, he had felt hollow, too. Now, however, he was just numb- weeks of constant missions, slaying Grimm, investigating decrepit areas of Remnant and gathering intel had blocked out the pain.
The alcohol had helped, too. The one scent that remained in the house wafted from bunches of dried roses, sprigs and petals littering the house despite having long since wilted. It flooded his senses, drawing back to mind memory after memory of a better time. It took all of his willpower to not reach into his blazer and pull out his flask to chase away that perfume, his clenched fist shaking in exertion.
Finally, his slow footsteps reached the master bedroom. He brought his hand up to the door- paused, furrowed his brow, pulled it away. Then, he gritted his teeth, stood up straight, and knocked gently on the oak. "Hey, Tai? You in there, buddy?"
There was no response.
"I'm… I'm coming in," the man grunted. His hand trembled as he turned the doorknob, slow and scared. He hadn't felt this much fear in weeks, his heart racing, sweat beading down his forehead.
At last, the door was wide open, and a shadowy figure sat hunched over on the bed. Blond hair stood up in all directions, and the normally maintained stubble had long turned into a scraggly, dirty blond beard and mustache. Gaunt eyes stared at clenched fists as the man sat motionless upon the edge of the bed, the gentle sunlight not reaching into the darkness flooding the room.
Qrow paused for a moment, steeling himself to cross the threshold. The scent of roses was so, so strong in here… it made him want to gag and cry all at once.
"Hey, Tai," Qrow finally murmured, pulling up a chair from the cluttered desk to sit in front of the other man. He paused, taking a look at what was strewn across the table- while Taiyang was ordinarily not the neatest man Qrow knew, he was indeed an organized father. It was normally never like this. Checking briefly over the contents of the papers, his heart sank to his stomach as he read the details of countless bills and paperwork. All of the money was paid, which was good… but some of the bills were from the funeral services. He reached over, quickly tucking those receipts underneath some ordinary CCT and Scroll bills. There was no need to look at those- not now.
An empty bottle of brandy stood on the corner of the desk, knocked over, as if to highlight the broken nature of this man. "I hope you didn't drink that by yourself," he tried joking, but the blond made no move to respond. "You know you're terrible with booze. Leave that stuff to the big boys, like me."
His eye then caught sight of the messy sheets upon the bed, and the unnatural scene behind it. Taiyang's side of the bed was unkempt, and his pillow was wet with what Qrow could only assume were tears. However, the pillow on the other side of the bed was serene, untouched- and upon it, a single black and red feather sat beside a vase, where a sweet, white rose sat in murky water, long having since wilted into death.
"It happened again," Taiyang whispered, voice hoarse and cracking from hours of sobbing. "I messed up again."
"Oh, Tai," Qrow whispered, pulling his chair closer to put his hands on his best friend's- his brother's- shoulders. "None of this is your damned fault, and you know that."
Taiyang raised his face to look Qrow in the eyes, cheeks stained with dried tears, eyes more red and swollen and puffy than the dark-haired man had ever seen them. It was even worse than when Raven had left, six years earlier.
"They both left me," Taiyang said bitterly, gripping the material of his shorts tightly. "Wha- what the actual fuck am I s-supposed to d-do now?"
Qrow sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. "I don't fucking know what to tell you, Tai," he whispered tiredly. "I wish I knew."
Suddenly, blue eyes flashed, rage gripping the man. "And where the fuck where you, huh, Qrow?" he snarled, reaching out to grip Qrow's collar with one hand. "Where have you been?"
"Wow, Tai, wait-" but the words were too late, and Taiyang's fist connected with Qrow's cheek, sending the other man flying across the room. He winced as his head hit the dresser, body slouched over for a moment before he willed himself to stand up once more. "Okay. I deserved that."
"You deserve a whole lot more, disappearing like that."
Qrow smiled ruefully, seeing the anger return some colour to his friend's gaunt cheeks. "I, uh… Oz sent me on some shit."
"I fucking hate that part of you, you know," Taiyang muttered, but the yelling clearly took all the energy out of him. He very quickly staggered backwards and collapsed back onto the bed, slowly returning to the same near-catatonic state Qrow had found him in- however, this time, his shoulders lifted up and down as his ragged breaths shook his core.
The dark-haired man walked back to him, picking up the knocked-over chair and pushing it back underneath the desk. "I'm an idiot. Punch me again when you have the energy," he muttered, briefly drawing the man's head against his chest in an uncharacteristic hug. "That wasn't nearly enough to beat the sense into me."
His eyes watered as he felt Taiyang exhale a long, shuddering breath against his chest, hiccupping.
"You didn't know this would happen, Tai," he repeated, keeping his voice low and gravelly to avoid showing how much his own body was trembling. "Raven made her own choices. I don't agree with them- it doesn't mean you were a bad partner. And she- Summer was strong. Really, really strong. No one could've known." And with that, he stood, reaching behind Taiyang's body to pick up the feather and the vase. With careful hands, he placed them upon the desk beside an old framed photograph- a photo of Team STRQ.
Taiyang didn't respond, body having settled down back into immobility. Qrow sighed again, brushing his bangs out of his eyes and squeezing the blond's shoulder. "I'm gonna go check out the house, okay?"
With no response behind him, Qrow stood, turned, and left the dark room behind, leaving the broken man to grieve.
Down the hall, he paused by another door. He rapped upon the door gently with his knuckles. "Yang, kiddo? It's your uncle."
With a small scream of anger, the young, high-pitched voice just as hoarse as her father's, Yang yelled, "Go away!"
She's not going to want to talk anytime soon, Qrow thought to himself. He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Get the anger out, kiddo. We love you."
"No you don't! You left! All of you- you always leave me!" The six-year-old's sobs broke his heart, but hesitation stopped him from reaching for the doorknob. Yang needed to calm down and breathe before they could talk- she knew what had happened to her parents. She knew why everything had gone wrong. No sweet words could fix that.
Before he left, however, a thought struck him. "Yang, where's Ruby?"
The girl didn't answer.
Panic began to grip his heart. "Yang Xiao Long, where is your sister?"
"I dunno," was the muffled reply, followed by another crash, another heartbreaking scream of pain.
Oh god. With that, Qrow bolted to the end of the hall, running down the stairs. "Ruby? Ruby? Kiddo, where are you?" She wasn't sitting in the living room, nor the entrance. His eyes, which were so naturally adjusted to the darkness thanks to his linked avian form, couldn't make out any tiny figure anywhere, no matter how hard he looked. She wasn't in the bathroom, wasn't in the storage closet, not in the hallway. His heart was pumping out of his chest, fear choking him, tying up his intestines from the inside. "Oh no, no, no, no, fuck-"
And then, he found her- a small form, sitting awkwardly at the dinner table in a chair still a little too tall for her. Chubby arms had knocked over the cookie jar, the lid cast aside. A few small cookies had rolled onto the tablecloth, crumbs scattered in a trail. The little girl had one cookie in her hands, nibbling it slightly. Chocolate stained her fingers. Beside the jar, a glass of milk stood, the surrounding cloth wet from where the girl had spilled it while pouring it.
"Hey, kiddo- whatcha up to?" Qrow asked softly, walking up to her with careful footsteps.
Ruby froze, silver eyes wide as she turned to face him. She looked down at the cookie in her hands, quickly hiding it behind her back. "Nothing, uncle," she whispered.
Qrow kneeled down in front of her, raising an eyebrow and looking up into her face. Her cheeks had lost its usual rosy red colour since he had seen her during the funeral, almost looking gaunt- nothing like the pudginess he had loved ever since he first laid eyes on her. There was no mischievous, excited sparkle in her eye, and her hair was tied in two extremely messy pigtails, knotted and clumsy.
Oh, Ruby, he thought, heart breaking as he looked at her.
"I see you poured yourself some milk, got some cookies. You're a big girl now, huh?" he murmured, wiping her cheeks with his thumb.
She smiled a little at that, puffing her chest up proudly. "Yup! I was hungwy, so I got some food," she explained. Her eyes, however, grew a little sad, and she pulled the cookie out from behind her back. "But it's not that yummy."
He frowned, gently taking the cookie out of her chubby fingers. The treat was stale, hard- clearly, it had been in the jar for weeks, turning rock hard over time. "Kiddo, these are old. They'll give you a tummy ache."
She nodded. "Okay."
"When's the last time you ate?"
Ruby hummed, thinking to herself. "Bread. Yang took some and gave me one."
"Did your dad give you anything?"
She shook her head. "Daddy made soup yesterday."
"Was it good?" he asked, doubtful of her answer.
She shook her head again, expression sad. "I dunno why, but it wasn't yummy. I didn't say it, though."
He stroked her head fondly. "Yeah? Why?"
"Because Daddy looked so sad."
Tears swam in Qrow's vision, and he had to blink them away before she noticed. She's just a kid, but she knows something's wrong.
During the funeral, Ruby hadn't understood what was happening, and no one had explained it to her. It had been too hard, after all- how does one explain to a little girl that her mother was never coming back? Taiyang had simply laughed tiredly, saying that she's too young to understand, but Qrow had always had his doubts, and this proved it. Children were more than capable of understanding. It wasn't fair, but it was the truth.
Clearing his throat at the sudden emotion overwhelming him, he asked, "So how long have you been down here in the dark, kiddo?"
"All day," she replied, crushing another little piece of his heart. It was evening, and Ruby had always been an early riser at her age. She's been down here this entire day by herself? "I was waiting."
"Waiting, huh?" Fuck. I didn't think about how they've been eating while Tai's been like that… And yet, he couldn't blame Taiyang, only himself. Why had he run away? Why had he cried to Ozpin to give him a mission, a task, anything to get him away from the cliff that held the body of one of his best friends, his sisters?
Why had caring for the children left behind, for Taiyang, been too hard of a mission to take on after Summer's death?
He let out a heavy sigh before bringing his hand up to play with Ruby's pigtails. "You tied this yourself, huh?"
She smiled shyly again, whispering, "It was hard."
"Want me to help you with it?"
The little girl nodded vigorously. "Do it like Mommy does it!"
Qrow wilted a little, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, your Uncle Qrow here ain't that good, kid. I can brush it, though. Maybe give you a little… floof."
Ruby giggled happily, hopping off the chair. "I'll go get my bwush!" she squealed, running off to the bathroom.
Qrow groaned, quietly cleaning up the table and replacing the tablecloth, tossing the other one in the hamper. He checked the date on the bottom of the jar, heart twinging when he saw Summer's familiar, nostalgic script on the label- she used to always make cookies for the girls and bottle it up as their treats. Normally, they'd be gone way before they went stale, but without Taiyang around to check the dates, of course Ruby wouldn't realize they weren't good anymore. Tai's been a zombie. Of course he'd totally lose focus of how to care for the girls- Summer was the one who was great with them. He clenched his fist, banging it on the table as a sudden wave of anger washed over him. And now that Summer's gone… after that idiot Rae, that's girl number two that left Tai behind.
A small whimper came from behind him, startling him. He spun around, looking at a terrified Ruby cowering from around the corner. "Uncle Qwow?" she asked timidly.
Immediately, he cursed himself for showing his anger. Putting on a soft smile, he took a seat at the dining table and held his arms out invitingly. "C'mon, kid, let Uncle fix your hair."
She smiled wide, and for the first time, he saw a gap in her teeth from a lost tooth. It hadn't been missing when he had seen her last. She's growing, he thought to himself as he scooped up the girl in his arms, settling her upon his lap. "Alright, let's go," he said soothingly.
She bounced happily upon his lap as he tried his best to remove the tangles from her hair. It had been a long time since it had been brushed, clearly- areas of her scalp were matted, knotted. However, he finally managed to get it done, tying it up into two low pigtails at the nape of her neck. "Does this hurt, kiddo?"
"Nope!" she beamed, twisting to hug him tight. "Thanks, Uncle Qwow."
He ruffled her short bangs. "Anytime, sweetie." With that, he picked her up under the armpits and set her back down onto the floor so he could stand.
A tight grip on his pants stopped him from moving anywhere. "Why is evewyone sad?" Ruby asked suddenly, clutching Qrow's pantleg. "Did… did I do something wrong?"
His eyes widened, panic turning his tongue thick. "Wha- no, no-"
"Yang won't play with me, and… Daddy doesn't answer when I talk, and, and… Mommy hasn't come back in a long time… is it 'cause I took cookies?" she questioned, eyes starting to shine with tears. "I'm sowwy if that was bad."
"You didn't do anything wrong," he said as he knelt down, removing her hands from his pantleg- but immediately, her tiny fingers began to crush his hand anxiously.
"Then," she whispered before could speak, "why is evewyone sad? Why is Daddy and Sis cwying all the time? Where's Mommy?" He stared, open-mouthed, gaping at her in shock as she put the final nail in the coffin. With a chubby, soft hand, she placed gentle fingers on his stubbly cheek. "Are you sad, too, Uncle Qwow?"
And with that, Qrow broke.
Without a word, he picked her up and held the little girl close, standing upright. She giggled from the sudden movement, but he buried his face into her hair, trying to blink back the tears that were openly running down his face no matter how hard he tried to avoid them, trying to shove down the bile which rose in his throat as he thought about what had happened over the last few weeks.
He had run away. He had been weak, Yang was just a child, and a part of Taiyang had died alongside his love.
And yet, Ruby was in his arms, laughing brightly, trying not to bother anyone. It had been this tiny, sweet, four-year-old girl who had shown more maturity than anyone, who had tried to scrape together what she knew of continuing a normal life, who had tried to keep living.
He didn't deserve this little girl's light in his life.
"Uncle Qwow, why are you cwying?" she asked, feeling his shoulders shake. "Uncle Qwow?" As she spoke, her voice became more tearful herself, her pitch raising higher and higher until she was openly sobbing with him. "Uncle Qwow, what's wrong?"
After a few moments, he wiped his tears and choked down the last few sobs that wracked his body painfully. "Hey, kiddo, don't cry with me," he croaked, trying his best to put a smile on his face. Unfortunately, the floodgates had opened, and Ruby was not in the mood to simply stop crying. He bounced her around, shushing her cries, but the little girl continued to wail in his arms.
Ugh, dammit. Fine. Qrow walked over to the front door, girl still sobbing in his arms, and stepped outside into the twilight glow. The sun was just about to set, the world eerily still before nightfall. It was soothing, feeling the breeze dry his cheeks, calming his soul.
Taking a few steps outside, he looked up to the windows of Yang and Taiyang's bedrooms. For both rooms, the curtains had recently been drawn closed, so there were no witnesses. Standing the crying girl up, he knelt down and whispered, "Want to see a magic trick?"
She paused, sniffling as she considered his offer. With eyes still watery and nose still running, she nodded, hiccupping as she tried to hold in her tears.
He let go of her hand, took a step back, and let his Aura fill his body from head to toe. It was dark, uncannily grey, boding ill- just like him, his Semblance of misfortune… and the feathers which began to sprout from his skin like wildfire.
Keeping his eyes closed, he allowed the transformation magic which Ozpin had granted him to rush through his veins, altering the very form of his blood, bone. The change always left ringing in his ears and the most nauseating sense of vertigo as his bones hollowed out, teeth extending and melding together, hair growing longer and clothes melting into his skin to become down.
And suddenly, with a pump of his wings, he was airborne in his crow form.
"Birdie!" Ruby squealed after the dust settled, waving her hands up to catch him.
He glided around her in circles, watching the tears drain from her eyes. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and began to run after him, laughter growing. The blush began returning to her cheeks, silver sparkling in the setting sun.
She was coming to life.
"Uncle Qwow, is that you?" she squealed excitedly.
Squawking, he perched upon a tree trunk in the front yard. Her eyes lit up.
"Wowie," she breathed. "Say yes if you're Uncle Qwow!"
Obediently, he squawked, relief setting into his heart as all her previous anguish slowly faded from her young face. She clapped her hands happily, amazed by the actual magic which was occurring before her eyes. "How are you a birdie, Uncle?" She gasped with a revelation. "Does that mean I'm a birdie, too?"
He hopped over to her and rubbed his head against her hand, making her giggle once more before initiating the reverse transformation. This time, however, he kept it short, almost instantaneously taking on his original form. Pausing momentarily to realign his senses as a human, he picked up the little girl again who was looking at him in absolute awe. Holding up a finger to his lips, he chuckled dryly, "It'll be our little secret, okay?"
She eagerly nodded, mimicking him with a finger to her lips. "Ssh," she whispered loudly.
He readjusted her in his arms, warmth filling his heart. Although Ozpin had always said to keep his skills a secret, he knew that Ruby would soon forget it or think it was a dream. She was too young – she was so pure. The happiness on her face was worth potentially destroying his secret identity.
After all, this was the happiness that Summer had died to protect.
"Wanna go say hello to your pops?" he asked, eliciting another eager, confident nod from the little girl. So, the two of them wandered back into the house, through the living room, up the wooden stairs, down the hall, and back into the master bedroom.
"Knock knock, Tai," Qrow called, practically kicking open the door. The sudden entrance clearly startled Taiyang, throwing the blond off balance.
Qrow put Ruby back down onto the ground. "Don't tell him our little secret, okay?" he stage-whispered, making Taiyang frown suspiciously. However, reminding her of what she had just seen only served to excite her. Her cheeks swelled, the little girl holding her breath as she anxiously looked between her uncle and her father.
Finally, when she could no longer take it, she asked, "Pwetty please?"
He loudly sighed and rolled his eyes, but it was all in good humour. "Okay," he conceded finally, bringing the most joyous smile to her face.
The little girl practically threw herself at her father, bursting with excitement. "Uncle Qwow is a birdie!" she screamed.
Taiyang's eyes shot wide open, looking up at Qrow in a panic- but the dark-haired man simply held a finger up to his lips, mouthing silently, "Play it off."
Dazed, Taiyang replied, "Um, yeah, sweetie, crows are totally a type of bird."
"Yup!" she chirped, bouncing with excitement.
Running his hand through his hair, he said, "Um… why don't you go tell your big sis about it?"
Ruby nodded vigorously and bolted out the door. The moment she was gone, Qrow strode over, grabbed Taiyang's shirt, and dragged him down the hallway after the little girl, following her into her sister's room.
Yang was sitting upon the windowsill, curtains drawn, face buried in a stuffed animal when the three entered her room. All her toys were thrown about, evidence of her angry rampage- but now, she was nothing but a tired, heartbroken little girl.
Yang knew what had happened, and unlike Ruby, Yang had had to suffer with that knowledge alone.
Ruby ran up to Yang's side, tugging on her shirt. "Sissy, sissy!" she cried, all joy and excitement as she threw chubby arms around Yang's waist. "Uncle Qwow is a birdie!"
"What do you want?" Yang said, muffled by the stuffed toy. "Go away!"
Not deterred by her isolation, Ruby repeated, "Uncle Qwow is a bird!"
This piqued the little girl's attention. "Just 'cause a crow is a bird, doesn't mean Uncle Qrow is," she responded slowly, pouting. But, the conversation was enough to have the little girl raise her head, showing the two adults her tear-streaked, haggard face, that was far, far too old to belong to a six-year-old.
As Ruby continued to insist on Qrow's avian counterpart, the dark-haired man pulled the blond back a bit. "Look at them," he whispered, pointing at the two girls. "They haven't been eating well. You haven't been eating well."
Taiyang didn't respond, eyes still transfixed upon his daughters.
Qrow continued, "None of you have been sleeping. When's the last time you gave Ruby and Yang a proper bath? Helped brush their teeth? Baked cookies with them? Brushed their hair?" Squeezing Taiyang's arm, he emphasized, "They're just little girls. They've lost their mother, even if Ruby doesn't quite understand it yet."
"But I-"
"But nothing," Qrow cut him off briskly, keeping his voice quiet so the girls couldn't hear. "Yang's been doing nothing but crying and screaming just like you. But Ruby- I found her trying to eat cookies because she was so hungry. She hasn't eaten anything else today." When the blond didn't respond, he growled, "Summer made those cookies before her last mission. They were fucking weeks old, Tai. Although Ruby doesn't get it, she knows she's gone, and she misses her mom, too."
"Well what do you want me to do?" Taiyang cried out, turning to face away from the girls. "How do I do this? I'm not strong enough on my own, Qrow! I can't-"
"But you can," Qrow said firmly. He turned Taiyang's shoulders to look at the little girls; the two of them had both brightened considerably as Ruby tried to physically imitate Qrow's transformation, the silly action eliciting giggles from the elder girl despite her tiredness. "You're their dad. Summer and Rae may have left them- but you haven't. If you miss them, look at your daughters. They're the fuckin' spitting image of those two idiots. And no matter what you think… your little girls love you."
And with that, Taiyang's blank stare, dazed movements, and haggard face melted away, tears flowing freely. Qrow released his arm as the blond leapt towards his daughters, gathering them both in his arms and holding them close.
"I've been so terrible," Taiyang sobbed, clutching them both to his shoulders tightly. "God, I've been so terrible, I'm so sorry. I ignored you two- how long have I been like this?" He pulled them back, cupping both their small faces in his hands. "Oh my god, you're both so much skinnier. Did I do this? Why?" Holding them tightly again, he cried, "Please, forgive me, girls. I'll… I'll do better. I'll fix it, don't worry."
Yang was the first to join her father in his tears, gripping her father's shirt tightly in balled fists. Ruby looked up at Qrow over Taiyang's shoulder, but as he smiled gently at her, she smiled back and returned the hug to her father. "It's okay, Daddy," she whispered. "I love you."
"I love you, Dad," Yang sobbed.
Taiyang trembled, whispering his thanks to the heavens beneath his breath as he held them close. They were still alive. They were his, they were by his side, and he'd protect them until the day he died in Summer's place.
In his pocket, Qrow's Scroll vibrated. It took a moment for him to tear his eyes away from the heartwarming scene, but still, he pulled out the device and opened up the message. It was from Ozpin.
"More intel on the Queen," the text read, followed by a set of coordinates.
He sighed, put the Scroll away, and walked to the happy trio before him. Ruffling Yang and Ruby's hair affectionately, he said, "Oz is calling. There's more to be done."
Taiyang sniffed loudly, scooping up the girls and standing with them in his arms so all three could look at him. "Already?"
"I… I didn't tell him I was coming here. I just wanted to check in, and…" he paused, looking at the glowing, ruddy faces of all three of them, he said, "I'm glad I did."
"Qrow, I-"
"Shut up, Tai," he groaned, running his fingers through his hair. "Go take care of the girls. You better all be okay when I get back, okay?"
"You… are coming back, right?" Yang whispered, fear clouding her eyes.
He softened, reaching out a hand to pinch her nose. "It's just recon, kid. That means nothing dangerous." It was a lie, but she didn't have to know- her face melted with relief back into a smile, and she nodded.
Turning to face Ruby, he held out a closed fist. "When I get back, how about we try your mom's cookie dough recipe?" he chuckled. Ruby practically squealed from excitement, almost shaking out of Taiyang's arms. He laughed aloud, then turned with one final, meaningful look at Taiyang. "You take care of them."
Gratitude shone from every pore as the blond looked lovingly at the two girls in his arms. "Thanks for the wake-up call, Qrow. I will."
Another buzz from his Scroll indicated that it was time to report. Without another word, Qrow jogged out of the house, picking up his scythe along the way, and transformed into a crow, flying off towards the next mission. He would ask Ozpin for a little vacation after this was done- it was time to learn how to be a baker, apparently.
Summer Rose had been one of the most important people in his life- and while it still shook him to visit her grave, he'd be damned if he let her daughters and his best friend fall apart without her again.
As the summertime faded, and the leaves turned golden and ruby red, the wind carried Qrow above the clouds, across the world- but that little cottage in Patch was always in his mind, those bright silver eyes never far out of mind.
I'll protect them, Summer. I'll do it somehow.
He didn't like making promises, but this one was one he'd keep. Forever.