The party was small.
Tai's daughter, Yang, had come over a few hours earlier to help decorate and make the place presentable. They were winding up a set of streamers when the first knock on the door came.
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby was balanced on a step stool. "Can you get that, please?"
"Yeah, yeah." He pulled himself up from the chair. "Sure thing, Kiddo." Qrow pulled the door open.
The two girls blinked, looking at him.
"I told you this wasn't the right address." The one with the white side ponytail whispered.
The other girl, black hair with a bow, punched her arm. "Does Ruby live here?"
"She does. You two must be Weiss and Blake." He smiled. "I'm Qrow." He stepped aside, letting them in.
"Guys!" Ruby nearly fell off the stool, giggling as she taped the last of the streamers. "You came!"
"Of course, we did." Weiss rolled her eyes, setting down a white box on the table. "It's your birthday, you dolt."
"Happy Birthday, Ruby." The dark haired one, Blake, smiled and set down a black bag on the table."
Several other teenagers started showing up at the house, all a little confused when Qrow answered the door, but excited when they realized they were in the right place. Qrow had a little trouble keeping track of all of them: Yang was pretty easy, he already knew her. He'd seen pictures of Blake and Weiss before. And then there was Jaune, Ren, Nora, Pyrrha, Penny, Oscar, Neptune, Velvet, and Sun (who Qrow could not tell apart at all, because several of them had arrived in groups).
Tai arrived last.
Qrow opened the door, one hand in his pocket. Tai was holding a white box with a pink ribbon running across the top.
"Hey, Tai."
"Qrow." He looked down. "It's nice of you to throw this party for Ruby."
"From what I remember, sixteen is an important birthday for a young lady." He smiled. "What do you have there?"
"Cake." Tai looked down. "Yang said you hadn't figured one out yet…"
Qrow smiled. "Well, come in. I'm sure Ruby will be happy to see you." Qrow slid the cake form his hands before taking it into the kitchen and setting it on the table.
"Uncle Tai!" Ruby jumped up from her chair, laughing and throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I didn't think you'd be here!"
Tai laughed, setting her down. "Happy Birthday."
"Tai." Qrow looked over. "You didn't happen to bring candles, did you?"
"Um…"
"I got it." Yang reached into her pocket, producing a box of black candles and a matchbook.
Weiss arranged sixteen candles in the cake, four evenly on each side, before Yang lit the candles.
"Alright, Birthday Girl." Blake guided Ruby to a chair while another—maybe Jaune—switched off the lights. "Take a seat."
Everyone started in a slightly off key rendition of "Happy Birthday". Qrow leaned against the wall, watching. He'd even found a camera for the occasion—he'd forgotten that he had one—and decided to take a picture or two. He watched as she swung her feet, smiling in a humble awkwardness that everyone seemed to possess on their birthday. As the last line happened, she looked up at the photo of her and her mom on the wall. She smiled, managing half a laugh in attempt not to cry before she blew out the candles and everyone clapped.
Penny—maybe that was who it was—flipped back on all the lights.
"Okay, okay." Weiss held out her arms. "Let's cut the cake and then we can do presents."
Everyone laughed in their own little circles, talking while they ate their slices of cake. Qrow came behind Ruby, setting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, smiling.
"Everything okay, Kiddo?"
"Yeah." She nodded, leaning back into him a little. "I just wish Mom was here."
They looked up at her photograph together before he ruffled her hair. "I know."
The round of presents went smoothly. Ruby smiled, thanking everyone as she opened the presents. After everyone left, Ruby was helping Qrow do dishes when he looked at the clock.
"Wait here for a second, kiddo?"
She nodded, drying the last of the plates and wiping her hands on a towel. After a moment, Qrow returned with a gift wrapped messily in newspaper.
"What's that?"
He smiled. "Your birthday present, silly." He slid it into her hands.
She turned it over. "Uncle Qrow, you already gave me a present."
"I know, but I wanted to give you another one."
She shrugged, tearing open the paper. It was a picture frame. Then she turned it over.
"Uncle Qrow…"
It was a picture of Qrow, Summer, Tai, and Raven, Yang's mom, from back when they were still in Beacon High School together.
"I know it's weird with her being gone." He sat his hand on her head. "And one day I'll tell you how close she and I used to be, but for now I thought I could just give you this."
She looked up at him with teary, moon eyes before she threw her arms around his neck in a hug, feet coming off the floor.
"Thank you."
He rubbed her back, setting her down gently. "No problem, kiddo."