"Do you think it would be ok if we stopped by my place?" Winter asked Qrow, looking up at him as they sailed through the twisting halls of the hospital, the smell of antiseptic was heavy in the air and Winter was glad to finally be leaving.
"Maybe if you'd said please, but since you didn't I'm not sure we can fit it into the schedule," Qrow heckled lightly, his hand reached out and found a comfortable place on Winter's shoulder. Winter appreciated the gesture, but his arm was awfully close to the sour faced nurse who was pushing her wheelchair.
"I was almost abducted and in a car crash, I don't have to say please," snickered Winter as they got in the elevator, the sickly sweet smell of medicine disappeared only to be replaced by an odd damp odor that smells like wet dog and was permeating from somewhere in the elevator, but Winter had no idea where.
As the elevator descended, Winter looked down at her legs and took stock of what she was wearing. After she and Qrow told the doctor they were leaving, this sour nurse burst into her room pushing a wheelchair and thrusting a bundle of clothes into Winter's arms that she'd never seen before in her life.
She was wearing an old pair of sweatpants that seemed to be two sizes too big for her, because after every few steps she took in them she had to stop and pull them up. She learned that after giving a woman who had been talking to a nurse an eyeful of her underwear…
Winter also had on a blue shirt with a sports logo on it that was about three times too big for her. Winter had no idea what the team's name was or even what sport they played, but she at least hoped they were good.
Winter had a striking suspicion that the nurse had grabbed an armful of random clothes from the lost and found for her. But judging from how the woman seemed only able to communicate through unhappy grunts, Winter was glad she'd gotten this much.
The dress that Winter had been wearing was still somehow in one piece, but she didn't exactly feel comfortable wearing something that revealing while leaving the hospital. Instead, it was sitting in a plastic bag that was around Qrows wrist, getting thrown around like it was a toy, and getting God knows how many wrinkles in it. But it was sort of fun watching him throw it around. Maybe she should ask for a turn…
The elevator door opened and the three of them set out down the back halls of the hospital to the back exit. These halls were nearly abandoned, but still had the occasional nurse quickly walking with charts and medicine in hand.
Winters had forgotten the dress and was now gazing happily at Qrows messy hair, with more than a little satisfaction, when a thought struck her so hard it knocked her jaw to the floor, "Wait, Qrow, how are we supposed to get anywhere when we don't have a car?" Winter cried out in a panic, looking around as if there might be a car sitting in the halls that they could take.
"You didn't tell her how you're getting home? Great job," The sour nurse remarked, her tone annoyed and sharply sarcastic. Qrow looked annoyed and ready to give her a verbal beatdown, but Winter met his eyes and gave him a pleading look. The two of them had a silent conversation in a moment, ending in Qrow backing down and relaxing. Not to say that Winter wasn't miffed, but she really didn't want the nurse 'accidentally' throwing her out of the wheelchair.
"No, it hadn't really come up before now," Qrow said slowly and deeply, clearly wanting to say a lot worse and a lot more to the nurse. "But you don't have to worry, Snowflake. I made a few calls and everything's been taken care of,"
"Really? Who'd you call?" Winter wondered as they came closer and closer to the exit, a handful of faces coming to mind.
Qrow didn't say anything, but he did walk ahead of them so he could open up the door for her, letting in a huge gust of wind that forced her to squint her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but outside of the hospital, she could make out three figures. There was a tall one and two shorter ones, with one of the shorter ones having blonde hair and the other red. When Winter saw the red, her heart soared, knowing exactly who was standing there.
The bombastic redhead surged towards her like a cannonball, throwing her arms around Winter with enough force that the wheelchair would have tipped over if not for the nurse.
"We were so worried about you! You didn't come back for so long, then we heard those sirens and got so scared! Then the party ended but you still hadn't come back! We all tried to call you a million freaking times but you never picked up, so James called Qrow, and eventually, he got through, but God! That must've been so scary! Are you ok?" balled Amy, tears spilling down her face like the rain in a tsunami, getting Winters's new shirt wet. Not that Winter noticed, who was too busy wrapping her arms around Amy, crying almost as hard as the redhead.
"You really know how to make people worry about you, that's for sure," Glynda chuckled as she walked over, reaching out and wrapping Winter in a deceptively firm hug that left her feeling warm and light after. The three of them hung there, warmth flowing between them, as the boys looked at them unsure of what to say or do, but feeling happy anyway.
"I expect you'll be taking some time off after this little incident to recover? What was that? A whole week? Wow, I never thought you'd ever agree to something like that, Winter!" James said after the three girls calmed down a bit, separating and drying their tears.
"James, I don't really think I need-"
"Wow, you wanna take another week off? Well, if you insist, then how could I say no?" He asked sternly, a glint of amusement in his eyes as he watched her struggle to find a way to fight him.
"Alright, you made your point," Winter submitted sadly, admitting defeat against her mentor.
"Glad to hear it. I'm also glad you're safe and sound. Not sure what I would've done with myself if something happened to you," He said standing in front of her, holding his hand out, almost like he was asking for a dance.
Winter looked around to the three friends around her and felt her heart flip in her chest, and would have felt more tears at the edges of her eyes if she hadn't just cried her eyes out.
"Thanks for worrying about me, guys," Winter grinned with a trembling bottom lip and red blotchy eyes as she reached out and grabbed James' hand. The tremors and shakes had long since died away, but her muscles were still weak and sore and refused to cooperate. Winter fought and forced herself to her feet. She swayed in the cold wind, like old branches in a storm, but she stayed standing.
The cranky nurse took the wheelchair and left after that, complaining about the cold or something else, but Winter failed to catch what.
James looked at her with pride, and Winter saw him reach out, almost as if he was going to hug her. Winter understood what he was doing, but she didn't care. She wanted a hug from him damn it, so she dropped his hand and wrapped her arms around him and squeezed with everything she had.
He was stiff for a moment but relaxed ever so slightly after a moment. He wrapped his hands around her back and held her gently. "I know I already said this, but thanks for everything," Winter tried to whisper to him, but she was pretty sure everyone else had heard her.
"I just helped you along, you did all the big stuff yourself," He told her warmly. A hug was a small gesture, and maybe it meant nothing at all to him, but it meant the world to Winter, more than she could ever express with words.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them had separated and were standing a foot apart, almost awkwardly, but not quiet. Something was stronger between the two of them now, and they both knew it, and they were both glad for it.
It was about this time that Winter noticed Amy looking at Qrow intensely, her eyes aggressively scanning him up and down.
"Amy, you alright?" Winter asked curiously while Qrow tried his best to ignore her piercing gazes.
"... So this guy is Qrow?" Amy questioned, pointing her thumb accusingly at Qrow.
"I am. Nice to meet ya," He said with fake confidence as he held out his hand for her to shake. Amy looked at it for a second, then into Qrows eyes. He didn't turn away from her, instead, he matched her stare and stood firmly against her.
Amy did the next logical thing and hit Qrows arm as hard as she could.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?" He cried out, Rubbing the spot a big bruise would surely pop up in a few hours.
"That's for making my friend so sad! Jerk!," fumed Amy as she crossed her arms and walked away from Qrow and over to Winter, grabbing her arm possessively.
"Come on, Winter, let's leave this nimrod alone. If he wants to break your heart then that's fine, you don't need him! Qrow already told us you need a place to stay, so you're coming home with me," Amy explained, dragging Winter along for a few steps before Winter dug her heels into the snow and ground them to a halt.
"Actually, Amy, we talked about it, and I'm…" Winter stopped talking, her face suddenly felt a lot warmer than it had a few moments earlier, "I'm gonna be staying with Qrow," She said happily, a smile growing on her lips before she knew what was happening.
Amy stopped and turned around, her eyes going from Winter to Qrow, who was still rubbing his arm. Amy's face twisted into a smile and her eyes shimmered in the moonlight as she walked over to Winter and leaned in close to her ear, whispering so softly Winter hardly heard her, "Seems like you're gonna be enjoying your two weeks off,"
Winter was confused, but when realization dawned on her, she turned into a stuttering mess. Sounds came out of Winters's mouth as she tried to explain how she'd never do such things, they almost sounded like words, but they came out more like a bunch of unintelligible nonsense mixed with animal calls.
"He's really cute though," Amy winked at Winter as she sauntered over to Qrow happily. Qrow took a step away from her and put up his hands as a defense, but Winter knew even a trained soldier didn't stand a chance against Amy when she was pissed off.
"Just so you know, if you hurt her, I'll end you," Amy said cheerfully, holding out her hand for him to take, "But until that happens, you're ok in my book,"
Qrow eyed her down carefully, making sure there wasn't any sign of a trap. But after he gave the all clear, his shoulders relaxed, and his eyes became softer. The shadows of a smile was even on his face. "Thanks. From what I've heard, you're a pretty great friend. Good to meet ya," Qrow said happily as he took hold of her hand. Amy took his back, and all was well. But then a darkness came over her face, and Winter flinched, thinking she heard Qrows fingers snap.
"I'm a pretty great friend, but I'm an even worse enemy. Don't mess with my girl, and we'll be fine though, 'kay?" Amy chirped as she let go of Qrows hand, which was a good few shades redder now.
Qrow touched his hand gingerly, nodding. "Don't worry, if I messed this up I deserve the worst you have to give me and more," He laughed, forgetting his hand for a moment. Amy looked at him and smiled honestly. Winter knew then he'd earned at least some Amy's approval.
"First your landlord and now her, your friends have some crazy grip strength," Qrow whispered to Winter, making her snort as she tried to hold in her laughter.
"So now that we're all caught up, where's Harbinger, Jimmy?" Qrow asked, walking over to Winters's side and setting his hand on her waist. It made Winter feel a little embarrassed, but it also made her feel warmed and cared for. Pictures of what Amy had said flashed in her mind, and suddenly his hand felt low on her waist…
"Harbin-What? Wait, the car? Oh, right, how could I forget, Harbinger," James sighed, clearly not amused with the name.
"Right? I told him it sounds like a high school Sophomore named it," Winter chuckled as they made their way across the parking lot after James.
"Can't say I disagree," James laughed, his hand now mixed with Glyndas.
They reached the slick black car soon enough, and Winter heard Qrow let out a breath of relief as James dropped the keys into his hand. "She handles like a dream," He said, patting Qrows shoulder.
"Trust me, I know. I'm just glad you didn't crash it," He smiled at James, who looked annoyed but unsurprised at Qrows words.
"You really had faith in me, huh?" James told him sarcastically.
"Nope. I know how you drive Jimmy, I could've sworn you'd crash into something on the way here," Qrow laughed as he unlocked the car and helped Winter into her seat.
"Qrow, that was a long time, I've gotten much better since then. Haven't I, Glynda?" He asked his wife hopefully.
Glynda turned away from him and started whistling quietly to herself, not saying a word. James looked at her shocked and broken before turning to Qrow, defeated. "It seems even my very own sweet, loving wife agrees with you…" He sighed, broken, before turning and looking at Winter with a bit more hope, "Amy took your car back to your apartment, so you don't have to worry about a thing," He smiled at her while Glynda came over and wrapped her arm around his waist lovingly. After he noticed her he returned the favor with pleasure.
"Make sure you keep us updated, I wanna know the second anything happens," Glynda said sternly and lovingly, exactly like her mom used to. Winter nodded to her, happy.
"Text me his address, I'll come visit soon!" Amy shouted, grabbing Winter's hand through the window.
"I'll see you guys soon, thanks so much for everything," Winter smiled at them, looking Amy, Glynda, and James in the eyes, hoping they could see exactly how much she appreciated everything they did for her. In a way, they care about her more than some of her real family does, and she couldn't have been more grateful for them.
Qrow started the engine, drawing her attention away from her friends as she turned to him. He had a gleeful smile on his face as his hands grabbed the wheel tightly, clearly antsy to get going and to drive his baby.
Amy, Glynda, and James waved goodbye to her, each of them trying to say some kind of goodbye to her, but she couldn't catch any of the words. She knew that whatever they were saying was filled with love though, and that was more than enough. Winter wanted to say something back to them, but nothing came to mind. So she waved at them and smiled, glad to have them in her life.
Qrow turned out of the parking lot and drove quickly, but not at the absurd speeds he did the last time he'd driven her somewhere. Whether that was because he was becoming a safer driver or because of the snow, Winter had no idea, and she was too afraid to ask. She'd know for sure when the spring came.
The moment that thought came to her head she felt a whirlwind of butterflies in her belly and a huge unstoppable smile on her face. They had a future together, and that was… That was an amazing thought.
Now that she was letting herself think of their future, something she'd never given herself the luxury of doing before, she was bombarded with countless visions of what might come. Trips they'd take in the summer, holiday parties, Yangs boxing matches, playing dumb games with Ruby and Qrow, and even lazy Sundays together. It all sounded too good to be true.
Almost to prove to herself that the past few hours hadn't been some sort of dream, she reached out and touched Qrows shoulder. His eyes flicked to her, flashing her one of his signature smiles before he looked back to the road.
"You're really beautiful," Qrow told her out of the blue, catching Winter more than a little off guard.
"Really?" Winter asked him sheepishly, the butterflies were stronger than ever now.
"I've thought that since the day we found you sleeping on the highway. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I've never really had a chance to tell you that before, so there it is I guess," He blushed, his eyes glued to the road, either too focused on the road or too nervous to look at her.
Winter leaned over and planted a small kiss on his cheek, grinning when she pulled away, proud of herself. "You're pretty good looking yourself," She said coyly and with more confidence than she really felt.
They talked about this and that, a relaxing energy in the air as they drove. Winter felt awkward in the car after the crash, but she wasn't scared. It didn't hurt that she was with Qrow either. They pulled into the parking lot of her building after a few more minutes.
Winter got out of the car slowly and with a lot of effort and a little help from Qrow when her own muscles couldn't do the job. They walked into the building hand in hand, ignoring the light snowfall that surrounded them.
Sitting at the front table, with his feet on the table and the crossword book open over his snoring chest, sat Earl. Winter walked over to him with Qrow standing a few feet back, doing his best to give them a little privacy. She shook him lightly until he opened his eyes and smiled at her.
"Well someones back late, can I take it that everything went well?" Earl asked before a long and deep yawn escaped from his lips and he stretched his arms high over his head. Winter thought about explaining everything to him now, but now wasn't the time for that. But she would, soon.
"It did, actually. Qrows here now, and I'm gonna go stay with him for a while. I'll be back in a few days, so don't forget about me, ok?" She told him happily, looking over at Qrow.
Earl nodded contently, his eyes less than half open now. "I'm glad to hear that, kid. Go have fun with him, he seems like a nice guy. Just not too much fun, ok?" He chuckled before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes, leaving Winter a blushing mess.
"Earl, it's not like- Well it is, but you don't have to say it like that!" Earl laughed lightly before the only thing coming from his lips was snores. Winter sighed, but couldn't help but smile at him. Her cheeks were actually starting to hurt from how much smiling she was doing, and she had to wonder if Yang and Ruby ever felt the same way.
She and Qrow walked over to the elevator, which opened right up for them. They stood in the elevator, not needing to say anything as they held hands. The door opened before they knew it and soon they were back in her apartment.
"Did I ever tell you how much I love this place? So quiet, and nice, and quiet," Qrow told her as he tossed her dress on the kitchen table before he jumped onto her couch. He laid down with his hands behind his head looking relaxed.
"Really? Well, maybe we should bring Ruby and Yang over next time," Winter joked.
"If you're ok with two kids running around and breaking everything, be my guest," He hummed, his eyes closed now.
"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing, this place needs a bit more life," Winter smiled, realizing how nice that actually sounded. She left Qrow by himself and walked into her room, grabbing a backpack and packing anything she might need over the next couple days.
She also grabbed a few… Extra things with a cheeky grin, making sure they were well hidden in her backpack. She moved in a daze through her room, grabbing shirts, pants, toothbrushes, combs, socks, and a handful of other odds and ends that she probably wouldn't need.
It was twenty minutes before Winter came out of her room with a heavy backpack on her shoulder, swaying as her eyes started to close on their own. she was dressed in her Firestarters shirt and a pair of black basketball shorts, glad to finally be in something that was actually hers. As she walked into the room, she had the urge to do something odd that she couldn't really explain.
For the first time in… well, she had no idea how long, Winter let her hair free and didn't try to tie it down with anything. She didn't try and put it in a bun, have one lockout, and she didn't even want it in a ponytail. No, Winter wanted her hair to be itself for once. It went most of the way down her back and got in the way a lot more often than it didn't, and Winter always felt self conscious about it, and like everyone around her judged her. So, she kept it up.
But now that she knew Qrow, knew herself, she didn't really care about having her hair down anymore. Heck, she might even let it down more often now.
Winter saw Qrow breathing lightly on her couch, fast asleep. She looked at him and felt… Something warm, and caring inside of her that made her want to reach out and hold him. When she walked over to him though, Winter felt her exhaustion hit her like a train. She didn't wanna sleep yet but knew that there wasn't any fighting it anymore.
In her last real moments of thinking, she pulled out her phone and set an alarm for a few hours before dropping it on the ground without a second thought.
Winter slowly and delicately crawled onto the couch with Qrow, trying to find a position she felt wasn't crushing him. She ended up in an odd position with one leg over both of his while her right arm rested on his chest, feeling his strong and steady heartbeat. Her left arm was above her head at an odd angle that felt weird, but it let her fingers play with his hair, so she kept it where it was.
She leaned her head onto Qrows chest and took a deep breath, enjoying the sweet scent of oil and his aftershave. Two breaths in and her muscles were relaxed and her eyes were heavier than they'd ever been. As the fog of sleep started to take over her, she felt Qrows arm wrap around her and pull her closer.
The last thing Winter felt before falling over the edge of consciousness was how warm Qrow was and how safe he made her feel, how happy he made her. Then she fell hard and went into the deepest sleep she'd ever experienced. She welcomed it with open arms, glad that of all the ways her day could have ended, it ended with her sleeping in Qrows arms.
For the first time in her life, Winter knew that this was exactly where she was supposed to be.