You know who's awesome? You are! Thanks for taking the time to read this random story I came up with!
"Momma!" Yang pointed to Summer with a chocolate covered finger.
"Oh dear, Yang, you got your face all dirty again." Summer promptly wet a towel and wiped it across Yang's cheeks. "There, all better."
It's been several months since Qrow escaped death by the skin of his teeth. Since then Ozpin has let the duo rest and recover. Qrow resumed teaching while Summer stayed at home working as a full-time mom for Yang, neither were complaining about their new positions.
"Momma! Cookie!" Yang squealed at the new batch of steaming cookies sitting on the tray.
"You've had enough, young lady." Summer chided, though no anger could be detected in her voice. "These are for your dad and uncle Qrow."
"Poppa!" Yang clapped her hands excitedly at the mention of Tai. There was no doubt she'd be close to her father in the future.
Admittedly, it felt a bit strange for Yang to refer to Summer as momma, especially after her heartfelt confession to Qrow. Tai, however, doesn't seem to be too bothered with Summer's new maternal status, he seemed more content with Yang having a mother-figure to look up to.
Summer hummed to herself as she finished cleaning the rest of the dirty dishes. When she looked out the kitchen window she noticed a lone crow perched on one of the trees, it tilted its head once it noticed her looking. She grinned from ear to ear and turned her attention back to Yang.
"Okay, Yang, I think it's time for you to nap." She scooped the whining girl into her arms and carefully navigated back to her room.
Once she tucked Yang safely back to bed she jogged back to the kitchen and peered out the window, happy to still see the crow there. She threw the windows wide open and called out to the bird," she's safe in her room!"
The crow perked its head up at her voice and dove toward the window. She stepped aside for the bird to fly into the house.
"You're home awfully early today." She said, closing the windows.
"Geez, don't be too eager to welcome me back," Qrow said once he transformed back to his human form.
"Did some kid set the school on fire again?"
"Nah, I just got a bit of a freebie today." He locked his attention onto the cookies still cooling on the tray. "And I came home right on time."
"Wait, they're still-"
"Shit!" He pulled his hand back the instant it made contact with the tray.
"Hot..." Summer puffed her cheek with annoyance and slapped his arm. "How many times do I have to tell you to not swear in the house?"
"Sorry, it was an accident." He said, studying his burnt fingers.
She grabbed his hand and held it under the sink "What will you do without me?" She sighed, turning on the cold water.
"I'd probably be at a bar trying to hook up with a cute bartender."
Summer smashed her elbow into his stomach," you know there isn't anyone cuter than me."
"You got me there, shortcake." He whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
Even if he insisted they still were nothing more than friends it's been blatantly obvious that they've gotten very comfortable with each other. Though it was a different story when they were in public or when Tai was home, once they were alone; however, neither was shy from flirting and an occasional kiss. Maybe it was because they were now aware of each other's feelings or perhaps something is finally starting to bloom between them. Whatever the reason may be Summer was quite content with how things were going.
"Now how about I call you when the cookies are safe to approach, oh brave hunter?" Summer teased after she finished running his fingers in cold water.
"Very funny," he grunted.
"I do what I can to keep you safe," she pecked him on the cheek. "So what will you do for the rest of the day?"
"I'll be outside sharpening my sword, some damned kid decided to play around with it when I wasn't looking."
"You being away from your sword?" Summer arched her brow skeptically. "Now that's unusual."
"I wasn't expecting some brat to swing it around like a madman." He defended sharply. "Just yell out the window or something, I'll come flying in as usual. Oh, but make sure-"
"Yang is safe in her room." Summer finished, rolling her eyes. She'd heard him say that to her so many times it's been permanently engrained in her head. "You're gonna have to interact with her one day. If you stay away like this she's gonna think Uncle Qrow is some paranoid person we made up."
"I'll do that once she's old enough to run from danger." He answered while heading out. "And I'm not paranoid, just careful."
"Same thing." Summer called out just as the door clicked shut behind him.
With the house to herself again, Summer proceeded to finish her daily chores. When cookies were safe enough to retrieve out of the tray, she meticulously picked the four of the biggest cookies for Qrow. Instead of calling out to him from the window, she decided to hand deliver the sweets to him.
Fresh spring air greeted Summer as she stepped out from the cramped house. She cheerfully threaded her way to the back of the house where the team would usually fix up their weapons, the soft emerald grass tickled her bare feet with each step.
The sound of something slicing through thin air barely caught Summer's attention. She paused and like a dying flame, her blissful mood was extinguished. She held her breath and strained her ears to pick up on further sounds.
'Maybe it was just the wind.' She desperately tried to assure herself.
Another series of swings rippled through the air, each slice cutting a piece of Summer's hope down. She clenched her teeth and tiptoed the rest of her way toward the sounds. When she peeked out from behind the house she saw Qrow standing with his back facing her, his scythe held firmly in hand.
Oblivious to her presence he proceeded to slice through a made up enemy, his movements quick and precise.
She didn't need to see any more. Summer gingerly tiptoed back to the kitchen and threw the windows open.
"Breathe," she instructed to herself. Once she was sure she'd regained her composure she called out to Qrow as loud as she could.
Just as he promised, Qrow flew in from the window.
"You're looking awfully tired from something as easy as sharpening a sword." She noted nonchalantly. "Guess you're slowly losing your touch."
"Hey, it's not like teaching keeps me in shape or anything." He answered so genuinely it plunged the thorn deeper into Summer's heart.
"Still, it's not that extraneous to do." She recklessly blurted, though he didn't seem to catch the edge on her voice.
"You don't get to judge. I have to keep a giant sword and scythe in perfect condition." He grabbed one of the cookies on the plate and took a bite.
"Well, it's not like you need your scythe for anything right now so-"
"Yeah, yeah," he waved his hand dismissively. "The cookie tastes great by the way, although they are a bit cold."
"Sorry...I lost track of time while cleaning up."
"That's the worst part about teaching. Even if the kid is dumb as a pile of rocks you can't give them a good yelling. Like seriously, why do we have to be nice to so many dumb people?"
Tai was in the middle of ranting about his long day at work to Qrow and Summer over the dining table. Yang was asleep in bed so he was free to vent without having to worry about caring for his young daughter.
"If you hate it so much then why not just quit?" Qrow asked bluntly.
"I actually like teaching, unlike a certain someone." He pointed his finger accusingly at Qrow.
"Guilty as charged," he raised his hand up lazily. "Although speaking of quitting..."
Summer's hands balled into fists under the table. She forced herself to look over at him and arched her brow," you're not actually quitting, right?"
"Well...not exactly."
Summer found it harder and harder to breathe with each second that went by.
"You see I got a visitor today," he swallowed. "Oz specifically."
"Oh," Tai looked down at his hands. "Already, huh?"
"When?" Summer spoke up tightly.
"Tomorrow, it's a bit of an urgent mission. Seems like Salem might be acting up again."
Qrow got out of his seat and wordlessly filled a cup with water. Summer's jawline tightened and she dropped her gaze down on the table.
"I made some special arrangements this time around," Qrow added, taking a sip of tap water.
Tai perked his head up with interest while Summer dug her nails into her palms. She knew what was coming but she didn't want to hear it. If she heard it'd mean she would have to accept it as truth.
"Since Yang is still young we need someone here to help look after her." He took a bigger gulp of water. "I'll be going alone."
It took all of Summer's willpower to keep herself from screaming at him. He'd just recently escaped death and now he's practically volunteering to walk straight into the enemy's blade.
Tai's chair scraped against the floor. "What?! Have you lost some brain cells since you started teaching stupid people?" Tai snapped at his friend.
"Quiet, Tai, you don't want to wake Yang up." Qrow chided softly.
Tai fell back into his chair with a thump," facing Salem alone is suicide. Was Ozpin okay with this?"
"Not at first, but after explaining our circumstance he agreed to let me go."
"Then what about Summer? Does she even know about this?"
"No," Summer spoke before Qrow got the chance to. She looked up at him, glaring daggers.
He snapped his head away from the table and peered out the window," Summer, you'd absolutely be against this idea. That's why I didn't want to bring it up earlier."
"She has every right to know, Qrow. She also has the freedom to choose-"
"Look this isn't just about her, me or any of us." Qrow cut Tai off promptly. "This is about giving Yang a family to grow up with."
"For the love of—can you hear the words coming out of your mouth?" Tai shot up from his seat and was on the verge of shouting. "You're saying you want Summer and I to raise a child together? If anything I should be telling you two that."
"Use your god damn brain, Tai." Qrow stomped toward Tai. "You two may not be a thing but to Yang, Summer is her mother. And no one here wants to see that child lose another mom!"
Tai stared wide-eyed at Qrow. Summer also found herself speechless. What he said was true, but that didn't make it any less difficult to accept.
Tai ran his fingers through his hair," look, I'm not gonna discuss your relationship with Summer. I'll let you two sort it out. Right now I need to know why you're so desperate to throw yourself into danger. Can't you ask Oz to hire some other hunter to do this?"
"I can't just stand here and do nothing, not after all the things we've seen her make," Qrow answered as calmly as he could. "Besides, it'll be safer for everyone if I'm not around often."
Tai scratched his chin feverishly," so this is it? You're just gonna walk out on us like Raven did?"
"Don't compare me to my sister." Qrow warmed through closed teeth. "She abandoned us because she couldn't figure her own shit out."
"And you're abandoning us to pursue something you think is right, something that's worth more than keeping this team together. You two are ripping our family apart. I don't see a fucking difference."
"Are you saying that our fight with Salem isn't right?"
"No!" Tai slammed his hand on the table. "What I'm fucking saying is that-"
Yang's cries cut Tai off. Worry coloured his face," look, you can leave for all I fucking care." Tai hardened his expression once more. "But I hope you know who you're hurting."
With one last nasty look, he hurried to his daughter's side. A thick, heavy tension fell onto Qrow and Summer's shoulder. Neither of them wanted to meet each other's eyes, neither found the courage to do so.
It was Summer who broke the silence first," do you hate me that much?" Her voice was barely audible even to her.
"What?"
"I asked if you hate me," she elaborated, fists shaking by her side.
"Summer, I don't hate-"
"Then why do you keep torturing me like this?!" She screamed, prompting Yang to cry louder down the hall.
Qrow reluctantly took over Tai's seat," if Raven were here then maybe this would've gone down differently. Look...I'm sorry it has to come down to this, but this is the best choice for everyone."
Summer shyly peeked at him. He didn't seem angry anymore nor did he appear to be scared for his upcoming mission. He was just tired.
"Things are different now. Raven has chosen a different path, Tai has a child to look after, and you are a mom to that said child's eyes. Summer, it's time to settle down and live a safer life."
"And what about you?" She challenged. "Don't you want that too?"
"It's not my sort of thing." He shrugged. "I'd rather protect you guys from the battlefield. Isn't that something you said before? We put our lives in danger to protect the ones we care about—or something like that?"
"This isn't what I was referring to."
"Are you sure? 'Cause either way one or both of us will be busting our asses off to keep everyone safe. I'd prefer if it were just me." It felt nauseating to have her own words turn against her. Summer clenched her teeth and folded her arms, refusing to admit he was right. "Summer, you may not agree with it but I'll look after you in my own way. I'm doing this so you can be spared the burden of...everything."
"And how can I live a happy life if you die out there?" She was practically plunging a dagger into her own heart at this point. "H-how can you expect me to live knowing you got slaughtered and died alone...?"
"You grieve and then you move on. Either way, that last part is what you should strive for." She hated how he made it sound so simple. "If I do die, make sure to tell Yang and your future kid how awesome I was."
A ghostly smile stretched across her lips, though her bleeding heart could not share the same content. Summer got up from her seat and circled around to Qrow. He visibly froze when she dropped onto his lap.
"Umm-"
"Do you love me?" She asked, staring directly into his eyes.
"I thought we already went over this?" He slightly relaxed under the weight of his own confusion.
"That was before, I want to know how you feel now." She cupped his face with one hand. "So do you love me?"
Neither moved nor spoke for several seconds, further fuelling the tension between them. Summer; however, was determined to stay where she was until she got a definitive answer from him. Summer felt electricity shoot up her body when a pair of hands rested on her hips.
"Yeah," he said finally, planting a kiss on her forehead. "I still love you."
"You have a really funny way of showing it." She replied, planting a small kiss on his lips. "I still love you too."
"I hope that wasn't your attempt to bribe me to stay." He kissed her softly. "Although it's really tempting."
She giggled," I know you better than that, birdbrain."
"So...was that your way of saying you're not mad at me?"
"No, I'm quite angry with you at the moment." She snaked her hands behind his neck. "But I also don't want you to leave on a bad note. So—"she inched her face closer to his"—can we pretend everything is normal for just one night and love...without restraint?"
"Just this once," he whispered before meeting her lips with his.
Neither of them got any sleep that night. They both knew very well this could've been the last time they'd be together, possibly the last time they'd see one another alive. It was the only night their boundaries fell apart, the only time they could pretend the dangers outside didn't exist. It was a night neither could ever forget.
By the time the sun rose Summer was alone in bed with her heart torn in two.