All right, so this is where shit starts hitting the fan. We're going full throttle into Atlas' culture, no holds barred. That means, from this point forward, themes and acts of sexism, misogyny, abuse, and so much more are going to happen. The things talked about the last few chapters are going to happen.
PLEASE take this is as your warning. I am throwing up a trigger warning for basically ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING after this point. Qrow's not gonna do anything to Winter (obviously), but anybody else? Yeah, the gloves are off. They don't care about how she feels or her autonomy.
There will be no more warnings after this. You've taken responsibility for proceeding. Any comments being upset about how things are written will be either ignored or deleted. You've had four chapters of in character trigger warnings and now several more paragraphs. You've had enough time to take heed of the content of this story.
Winter's eyebrow raised faintly at the knock on her door. Who would be bothering her at lunch? "Who is it?"
"Warrant Officer Harriet Bree. Permission to enter, Major Schnee?" What? Why? Sure, she vaguely knew the woman but why? They'd be meeting tomorrow evening. Was it really so important that it couldn't wait? She still had a lot of work to catch up on…
"…I suppose as long as it doesn't take too much time. I'm still behind on my work." Four weeks still wasn't enough. But she shoved the thought to the side as she rose and unlocked the door, looking down at the shorter woman.
After settling at her desk. she blinked at the lunch box shoved in her face. "Wha-?"
Harriet just grinned. "Everyone knows you work through lunch; I figured you could use a bit of a break." Winter just scowled. How preposterous: she didn't need a break. Sh- got the right amount of calories between breakfast and dinner; she made sure of it.
"While I appreciate the thought. Warrant Officer Bree. I'm still two weeks beh- "
"Look, can you just eat?" The woman's sharp tone made her tense a little and she sighed. Apparently she was going to be stubborn..
Winter sat her pen down and sighed, starting to eat. "I really see no point in this."
"You've been on edge even for you since General Ironwood left, and now something's come up that's obviously spooked you. Wanting to meet with all of us and Branwen tomorrow? I know Atlas doesn't exactly do' feelings' very well and you don't really do the 'friend' thing, but... I wanted to let you know I'm here for you." Harriet's expression softened with her tone and she shifted forward.
Winter just froze mid-bite. What? Worried? About her? She forced out a breath before shaking her head. "While the sentiment is received, it is unneeded.'' She'd gone through Schnee Manor's horrors by herself; she could get through this too. Gelé wouldn't win. She couldn't give into weakness. If she did, Weiss would forever remain under that madman's hand. 5he couldn't let that happen, not now when she'd reached the most critical juncture…
"…Right.'' Winter ignored Harriet's flat tone and fell silent. Holy Father, this was demeaning... Yes, she had Coco but that was different... Coco would help her break Weiss out... She didn't need anybody in the military; she had the general. Who more could she ever require for support...?
α
Winter let out a breath as she sat her keys down and tugged her shoes off.
It was already nine?
A frown formed on her lips.
No wonder she was starving.
An exasperated sigh came from her scroll, but she tried to ignore it.
"Don't ignore me, Wint. I know you like to work late, but this is overkill even for you."
"I'm starting on dinner now, Coco, so you don't need to nag me. Plus, Warrant Officer Bree brought me lunch today."
"That was eight hours ago!" Winter huffed and fell silent as she pulled the ingredients out of the cupboard. Seriously, it was no big deal. As long as she ate, that was what mattered. She'd already gone over her needed calories by quite a bit, though it hadn't been the worst thing in the world. The hour and a half of practice had been unexpected, but some teachers had needed her help…
The door handle started to rattle a little while later. A faint eyebrow raise led her to put the knife down. Just who the hell would be—
Her heart jumped into her throat at the slam against the door. What was going on? Who was trying to get in?!
A glance at her TV revealed the feed from a nearby security camera. Where had she—
No .
Those parties.
Before she'd left—
Her breaths shortened but she raised a hand, sealing the door with a Glyph.
No.
This couldn't be happening.
Nonononononono.
She tucked herself behind the entertainment stand, peeking out from behind it. "C-Coco… Q-Q- "
"Already on it. Don't worry."
One night.
It was only one night she'd been left alone since receiving the invitation.
She might not even make it to the first event if he got in.
Ω
Qrow stared listlessly at the ceiling. Atlas was the worst.
And now he had to stay sober for Winter's sake. He was the only sort of supports he had. Relegated to babysitter. What a pain in the—
"Qrow, incoming signal from Loco. Should I let her through?" He blinked and sat up, looking at his scroll. The hacker kid? Why would Winter not—
His blood turned to ice.
" Qrow !" Coco's voice rang out loud and clear in the room, breaths carrying through even the mic. He felt the blood drain from his face, insides more desolate than the Sol. tas tundra.
"You have to get to Winter's! A guy's trying to get into her apartment! How fast can you get there?!"
Damn it!
One night and this ?! He shouldn't have left her! He should've—
No, how wasn't the time for self-blame. "Gimme ten. Think you can get her to open a window?"
"I... can try but— "The audio freed cat and he saw her speak urgently. His heart pounded as the seconds ticked by.
Dammit dammit dammit.
How long would this take?! Coco looked at him after what felt like an eternity…then came the nod.
He clicked his scroll off before grabbing Harbinger and opening the window in a flurry of black feathers.
Ω
Even through the thick apartment walls. he could feel her pulsing aura. No higher thought; it was just fear for safety.
Without waiting for another moment, he drove his beak clear through the screen, rolling to his feet right in front other. Her glassy blue eyes stared not at him, but far beyond.
Damn it, she was so far gone…
But he had to use the compliance, wretched as it was.
"Winter, drop your Glyph. I'll take care of this." She just stared for a long moment before nodding, hand dropping listlessly. Her breaths remained short and shallow, but she simply did nothing more.
The pounding on the door started again and he wrenched the locks open, catching the asshole before slamming into the opposite wall with him tight in his grasp. "Look here, asshat, I'll say this once and only once, so listen good. If you ever attempt this sort of shit again, then nobody will find your body. I will castrate you first and then let you slowly bleed out. Is that clear?" he growled.
"She's mine and I'll do whatever I want to her," came the indignant response.
Qrow's grip just tightened and the boy grunted. "'How about we put it this way: I'm Qrow Branwen and, if you try this again, I will never take another mission for your family. And, despite my disgust with the SDC, I still do Gelé's work. So think about your actions before we meet again. Got it?"
He felt the whelp exhale... before spit hit his face. He flinched before releasing.
The boy just straightened his jacket and dusted it off, glaring at Qrow. "You'll be hearing from my lawyer for this, Branwen!" with that. he stormed off and Qrow rolled his eyes. Because any lawyer would be willing to try to sue the world's most infamous Hunter…
He headed back in and locked the door, glancing at winter, then th-feed with Coco. "…So how should I handle this? I don't want to make this wise." By the ancestors, this was terrible... A middle-aged man (or close enough) with a girl only almost a year over the age of majority… What a fucking mess... And if wouldn't take long for this to get out..
Now wasn't the time to think about this.
All he could see was Coco staring helplessly at her monitor. "I really don't know... I've never seen her like this before... Even while she was in the manor, this never happened."
This was a pain in the ass but he didn't have much choice. Thank the kamuy that he'd I handled so many shutdown people before.
"You'll vouch for me I didn't hurt her, right?" Leaving her would be unforgivable, but it'd still be better than her worrying she'd been raped after this.
Coco iast grinned, giving finger guns. "I'll just tell my teachers Wint's being stubborn again." How were these two friends? Such polar opposites yet this close... He and Raven had been like that. but they at least had the excuse of being twins…
People just made no sense..
Pushing those thoughts to the side, he went to the chair and knelt beside it, holding up his hands. "Hey, Winter, it's Qrow; can you hear me?" Definitely wasn't flashbacks with the energy flows... He'd become far too familiar with those through the years…
Silence.
Not so much as glance upward.
Fantastic. Just freaking fantastic. He closed his eyes before starting to recite poetry.
Moving her was way too much of a gamble. He couldn't afford to trigger her further. Even though Coco would vouch for him, it just felt like a bad idea. She was already terrified of men and being raped, so how much would it be if she came out of this and had moved. That position wasn't comfortable, but moving her without consent
No.
Absolutely no fucking way.
α
The sound of a distant voice cut through the. bleary world and she blinked.
Black first caught her attention beyond the entertainment stand. She tensed, gripping the wood. What... What was going—
…Qrow? What...?
Oh, right…
She'd asked Coco to call him here... He had come after all... She…hadn't moved... Nothing had happened to her, thank the Holy Father...
She gripped the entertainment stand tighter. but blinked when her legs refused to m. ve. What…?
"Hey Winter, you with us now?" She glanced at Qrow, giving a tiny nod. She willed herself to speak, to move but…she could only grip her hands and move her head. Damn it… It was like Schnee manor all over again… Just like when Gelé talked to her about—
"Snowy."
Her gaze fixed on Qrow, entire body shaking. When would this end? This abhorrent submission... She just…
Tears misted over her eyes but she couldn't even wipe them away.
"I'm gonna guess you aren't too keen on physical contact especially by a man, but can I get you over to the couch? It's been two and a half hours." she felt the blood ran from her cheeks and her head began to spin. Be touched…by a man that wasn't the general...? No... She couldn't but…her legs did hurt now that she thought about it...
The reluctant nod came. Now would be it. He hadn't hurt her before... She hadn't been responsive... Now that she was…
But he didn't move.
"Can I approach you?" What? What... Was this? Asking…about her comfort and opinion? This had to be some sort of trick, right? No man would ever…
There wasn't much choice though…
She gave another reluctant nod and he got on his knees from his own crouching position. He returned to the poetry until just a few feet from her and held up his hands. Her shaking increased and she just stared at him. What now? How long until he finally went for it?
But he just extended one hand, a soft smile on his lips. "Can you reach out yourself to take my hand?" What game was he playing? What was this? There had to be some sort of ulterior motive... He'd grab her then take her dow—
"Hey Wint, I know you're freaking out over there, but I can promise you he ain't gonna do anything. You were completely shut down for two hours and all he did was sit there and recite poetry to you. If he wanted to do anything, he would've by now." She managed to look at the TV and caught Coco's eye. Seriously"? He hadn't...?
She placed her trembling hand in his before closing her eyes. It was…warm. So unlike the Atlaassian men whom she'd danced with over the years and the one that had sired her. Even the general's good hand wasn't this warm…
"There you go. Now how about I close the rest of the way and wrap an arm around your shoulders?" How... How could he be so worried about her? Why was he going so out of his way to do this? It made no logical sense... People were so inherently evil...
The first contact made her breath catch in her chest, a small sound escaping her throat. Damn it. she was better than th—
"I know you're afraid. but you can't walk; I'll have to carry you over to the couch. Can I do a bridal curry?" A bridal...?
She inhaled sharply, eyes wide.
But he gently squeezed her shoulders, rubbing one of them. She shivered and shuddered. Holy Father, this was dangerous. "I know you're afraid, but it's the only way I can get you over there. I won't hurt you." He was right; it was the only way. After a long breath, she nodded and steeled herself. Her... muscles definitely hurt more now as she focused on them…
"I'm gonna shift your weight back against my arm then slide my other one under your knees, okay?" His tone... soft and gentle... It was so alien coming from anybody but the general... How could anybody be so kind? It had to be some sort of trick, right? Nobody could care about others without ulterior motives.
A breath banished the thoughts and she nodded. The sooner the better. Her trembling only increased while he controlled her body, but she clung to his shirt after she nested in his arms, earning a chuckle from him. "It's okay, snowy: it's just a few feet to the couch."
He situated her on her side and she closed her eyes, nestling into the blanket he laid over her. It'd been a long night... Far, far too long... And she still had to work in the morning…
Slumber tugged at her and swept over her like an owl's wing.
