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The Crow and the Bees
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"Almost got it…" Yang concentrated with her tongue sticking out the side of her lips. "Almost~"
Her left hand carefully maneuvered the soldering iron. The hot end of its tip made small hissing sounds, while the girl applied pressure to the small circuit board inside her prosthetic arm. Just then, the airship gave a small buck.
"Agh! Do you mind?" Yang growled. "I almost fried the whole thing!"
The pilot only threw her a weary look.
"Kid, my vision's basically pitch black and Maria broke the damn autopilot. There's going to be turbulence," Qrow replied. "Not to mention, I'm running on three hours sleep into a seventeen hour stretch. Tonight, might not be the best night to fix your arm—just saying."
"And what are we supposed to do if we run into a flock of Grimm?"
"We'll handle it. Plus, chances of that are slim."
"Yeah, as long as we don't catch some bad luck on the way."
The edge of Qrow's lip twitched at the underlying barb.
"Sorry," Yang apologized. "Low blow."
It had been hours since they left Argus. Night fell, and deciding to give Maria some rest, Qrow took over as the ship's pilot. Their group thought it would be dangerous to leave the Huntsman alone, so to help stay awake, Yang joined the night shift as copilot.
"…I haven't exactly been…" Qrow started.
"Reliable? Dependable? Sober?"
"Myself," he snapped, "lately, so I guess I deserve some of the shade coming my way."
"Mhmm." Yang started busying herself with repairs again.
"Still, might be good that some of the shine's wearing off."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Qrow stared passively into the endless night ahead. He searched the dark clouds for any hidden threats. When he judged there were none for the next few miles, he sat back a bit more lazily.
"What I mean is, the stories of great Huntsmen and Huntresses are just that. They're stories, kiddo. You hear the best parts of us, the tall tales and the highlight reels. But we're people just like anybody else. The perfect 'heroes' you kids look up to, they don't exist…or they're already dead."
"…"
"The only ones leftover are all flawed. Maria, me, Tai, and don't get me started on my sister."
"Saves you the responsibility of having to walk straight in front of Ruby."
"…Yeah."
Qrow was about to take a swig of his canteen, when Yang snatched it out of his hands. A quick sniff, and she realized it was only just water. The girl handed it back with a paranoid glint to her eye.
"That's dumb, Uncle Qrow. Ruby still thinks the world of you. I don't think that'll ever change," she said.
"You sure about that? I mean, the other night—"
"The other night, she got fed up with your crappy attitude like the rest of us. Doesn't mean she stopped believing in you."
Qrow's brow narrowed. He took his eyes off their heading for a moment to watch Yang's continued repairs.
"You'll need two hands for that," he commented.
"Yeah, well. Seeing as you need to keep both hands on the stick, I might really have to give up on this."
"…How about you?"
"What about me?"
"You still believe in the heroic life of a Huntress?" he paused. "You still believe in someone like me?"
Yang stopped trying to fix her prosthetic, and thought for a moment.
A lot of things had gone down between them—things that started much earlier in the past year. Her Uncle not believing her, when Emerald hallucinated her into attacking Mercury during the Vytal tournament. Her Uncle not comforting her when she lost her arm. Even after reuniting again with Ruby and the others, the veteran Huntsman only gave Yang the cold shoulder.
"Yeah, but also no," she answered after a few moments.
"…"
"I definitely stopped looking up to you."
"…Yeah, guess that's no surprise."
"But you'll always be my Uncle, and you'll always be the one that saved me and Ruby when we were little. That never changes."
"Yang…"
"No one's perfect. No one's ever invincible." Yang glanced sideways to her missing limb. "Everybody gets discouraged."
"…"
"But that's when you need to pick yourself up, right?"
When Qrow turned to her, his niece was wearing a soft smile of understanding full of warmth. It was almost too much for him. He thought about reaching out to her, before the ship started tilting to one side.
He quickly readjusted his grip, and corrected the plane's axis.
"You're falling asleep at the wheel, old man," Yang stretched in her seat.
"Hey, what have I told you about calling me 'old'?"
"To say it soft enough so you can't hear it without your hearing aid?"
"Har. Har."
Qrow glanced again, and caught his niece still grinning. As quickly as that, the strained atmosphere eased. A semblance of their old relationship restored. And he thought, maybe sometimes it was all as simple as exchanging a few honest words.
"Hm," Qrow found himself grinning, as well. "You really remind me of her, you know?"
"Who?"
"Your mother."
"…Which one?"
"Both of 'em. You take after Summer in a lot of ways, more than you think."
"Well, she is the one who raised me, after all. Not like Raven was around."
"…My sister is…complicated."
"That's an understatement."
"But you also got her fire, Yang. That fight in you that never admits defeat—the one that paves a stubborn streak a mile long? That's Raven, a good part of her, anyway."
"…"
"Just don't make the same choices she made. That doesn't go just for you but Ruby and the rest of your team. Be better than we were. You brats disbanded once."
Qrow breathed a deep sigh before continuing.
"Don't do it again, or else, who knows if you'll get a third chance."
"Huh," Yang chewed on Qrow's words for a bit. "Any other advice?"
"Yeah, this one's from personal experience," her Uncle nodded his head to the back of the cockpit. "Let the ones you love in. It's easy to think it's better to push them away. But let them in, Yang. You don't have to suffer alone."
At the end of Qrow's words, Blake appeared through the cabin's doorway.
"Hi," she greeted awkwardly. "I couldn't sleep. Is this a bad time?"
"No, it's perfect," Qrow groaned. "Yang's been complaining nonstop about how she can't fix her prosthetic with only one hand."
Yang threw her Uncle a callous scowl, and saw him wink back at her. She rolled her eyes, and stood from the copilot's seat.
"I could use an extra pair of hands, I guess…"
"I'd be glad to help," Blake's ears perked up.
As the two disappeared from the cock pit, Qrow soaked in the newfound silence. His gaze went to the dark blue canvas encompassing everything in sight. And he swore, the stars at night shone just a little brighter.
…
…
"It's easy. You just melt that part," Yang pointed," and then, fuse it with this."
"Uh… okay," Blake replied uncertainly.
"And whatever you do, don't touch that part or the sides."
"Why? What happens if I do?"
"It might explode."
"Yang!"
"Just kidding, you'll do fine."
"Okay. I can do this," Blake said to herself, more than anyone.
The two sat across a large cargo container that they used as a makeshift table. Yang's prosthetic arm was splayed out between them. Blake continuously blinking at the complicated circuitry with a slightly trembling hand.
The girl began taking rapid deep breaths in and out. Yang couldn't help but think her partner was practicing birthing exercises. She began to wonder if this was too much for her.
"Y'know, I can just wait until Ruby wakes up," Yang suggested.
"No!"
Her partner said more forcefully than she intended, surprising Yang and herself.
"No…I want to be the one to do it…" she said, and then added more quietly, "and any other time after this."
Just then, Qrow's recent words echoed Yang's thoughts.
Let the ones you love in.
Yang scratched her cheek shyly, before moving around to Blake's side of the cargo container.
"Here."
She propped Blake up, and sat her on her lap. Her left hand wrapped around Blake's to guide it. She was thankful the girl couldn't see the blushing color on her face from this angle.
For some reason, Blake was able to make the repairs quickly with Yang's adjustments.
"And, done. Good as new. Well, as good as can be, I guess," Yang shrugged.
She expected Blake to shuffle off her lap now, but her partner didn't move an inch.
"Blake?"
The girl turned to her with a sorrowful expression. Her ears curled forward, giving more voice to her uncertainty. Finally, Blake's attention fell on Yang's absent limb.
"…I'm still sorry."
"Don't. No more apologies, Blake."
"I just wish I could do something—!"
"You already are!" Yang sighed, and then, gently brushed away the tear streaking down Blake's cheek. "You already are…"
She closed her eyes, and pressed her forehead to her partner's.
"This is all I needed. I didn't need you running away, I didn't need you trying to protect me, I just—All I needed was you here."
Blake sniffed. "Okay…" she muttered softly.
"And I'll be here when you need me."
"Okay…"
They slowly separated, while keeping a close distance. Their eyes opened, and they stared deeply into one another. Nothing, but the airship's engine resounded in the silence.
Only now, did Yang realize her arm was still wrapped around Blake. Their bodies so close, she wondered if the other could hear her heart about to pound out of her chest.
The airship gave a slight rumble, and the only source of light in the cargo hold went out. But even with the sudden blanket of darkness, Yang didn't feel Blake move. She could picture her partner still staring at her, and she couldn't bring herself to break away.
…
Yang felt a slight rustle on her lap.
Her partner's body leaned slightly closer.
She could feel Blake's hushed breath right above her lips.
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NOTE
As requested, a short bumbleby(ish) fic with some "let Qrow and Yang be okay again"-moments.
Thought it would be a nice little insertion after the last episode, between leaving Argus and arriving at Atlas.
As for the whole sinnamon spice/spicecream(whatever the Cinder and Neo ship name is called) the idea is interesting. I doubt I'll fulfill that request soon, but the idea is there. Some day.
Other than that, I got some stuff to do, and then it's back to continuing ENMY.
See ya, when I see ya.
-Nezz