A/N: Welcome back! This chapter is a bit longer, although I can't say yet whether or not you should expect many more of this length in the future. This one was particularly easy to write and it just seemed to get away from me. Like I said, this story isn't fully mapped out yet, but hopefully I have enough ideas rattling around that I can produce longer content like this for y'all every time! We have a few new introductions this time around, most notably baby Yang, but Tai and Summer also debut, however they'll be involved more next chapter.
No warnings to be given for this one, save for the swearing (but hey, this is Qrow we're dealing with, people.)
I do my best triple-checking for typos, but hey, I'm human.
Thanks for checking in and without further ado, enjoy!
It had been five hours since Raven had first gone into labor, three since he had been shoved out into the waiting room by a pushy nurse with a bad perm, and two since his sister had finally began to push.
Where the fuck are Taiyang and Summer?
Qrow ran a clammy palm over his face. This kid was not going to wait much longer. From what little dialogue he could make out from behind the door, tuning out his ever-so-elegant sister's colorful language, the baby was crowning. He heard something about yellow hair, courtesy of the father, no doubt. It wouldn't be long now.
Come on, Tai...
Twenty more minutes passed...Still no father-to-be in sight.
What happened next sent a flood of mixed emotions coursing through his body. There was a deafening final shriek, recognizably from the mouth of his twin sister, then a brief pause of silence, followed by another cry, only much softer. The tiny wails reverberated out into the hall where Qrow now sat stiff as a board, signaling the arrival of the latest addition to the Branwen bloodline. Whether it was a boy or girl was still anybody's guess. Despite the protests of her team, Raven had firmly insisted on not knowing the gender.
A few more moments passed before Qrow finally had to stand up, pacing the walkway in front of the delivery room and trying to reign in this abrupt onslaught of feelings. Everything from relief, joy, and excitement to fatigue, frustration, and disappointment; it all hit him at once. The majority of negative emotions he aimed at his best friend for missing out on the birth of his own firstborn, although he knew it was unfair to do so. Taiyang and Summer's mission had been last minute and declared a state of emergency. The new father's absence couldn't be helped. Resting on his faith in his blonde teammate to arrive soon, Qrow decided to allow the more positive emotions to take over. His sister was a mother. His best friend was a father. He was an uncle.
"Uncle Qrow," he muttered to himself, testing the name out for the first time. It had a good ring to it. Definitely not dorky, he thought, although the narcissist in him had always considered his name to be pretty badass.
Breaking his trance-like state, the same nurse that had first ushered Qrow out of the delivery room now stood at the entrance, door firmly shut behind her. She wore a miffed expression, which slightly concerned the younger man.
"You're the brother of Miss Branwen, right?" she asked, or demanded, rather.
Already put off by her treatment of him mere hours ago, Qrow threw her an equally annoyed look, shoving his hands in his pockets and rising to his full height. "I am. Has my banishment been lifted or am I still forbidden from seeing my sister?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She didn't seem to appreciate his witty remark, judging by the raise of her own brow, but she wisely chose to keep down any retorts that she might have. Her voice was clipped, though, as she continued, completely ignoring his inquiry, "Right. Well, your sister has given birth to a healthy baby girl."
So I have a niece and not a nephew, Qrow allowed himself to think for a short moment. Part of him had secretly been hoping for a boy, mostly for Taiyang's sake. He needed someone he could rough house with. Girls tended to be fragile and required delicate handling, more often than not. Tai possessed all the delicacy of a Goliath on stilts. Summer was going to be absolutely unbearable with a little girl to spoil, though.
His musings were interrupted when the nurse spoke once more. She lifted her head, sticking her chin out haughtily and peering at Qrow from down the bridge of her crooked nose. "The only issues we've encountered have come from the mother, not the infant."
"What do you mean? Is Raven okay?" he demanded of the woman. She was really testing his patience now.
"Aside from her rather uncouth treatment of our staff, she's just right physically. I tell ya, though, there's something off with her mentally," the crotchety nurse declared crossly, shaking her head. "Honestly, I ain't never seen anything like it in all my years; a mother who absolutely refuses to hold her own baby. Won't even give the poor thing a name."
Confusion evident on his features, Qrow quickly brushed past the older woman, paying no mind to her ramblings about "youth these days" and how she was "worried for the future generations".
As he entered the room, the scene laid out before him was puzzling. The walls were blindingly white and bare, devoid of the obnoxious bright colors one might expect from a place that literally brought children into the world. The main overhead light had been turned off, the only light source available coming from a long fluorescent bulb installed a couple feet above the headrest of the bed. Directly beneath that lay his sister, looking like she'd just single-handedly fought a war, with her head turned away from the small hospital bassinet placed against the wall. She appeared to be sleeping, and the dimly lit surroundings mixed with the quiet atmosphere certainly would have suggested so, but Qrow knew better. It had only been maybe fifteen minutes since she had finally given birth. You don't fall right to sleep all hunky-dory after a battle like the one Raven had been fighting.
Which brought him to his next question, where was the kid...or the doctor for that matter? The delivery room was empty, as was the bassinet, the only two breathing creatures in the vicinity being him and the brand new mother. Before he could open his mouth to expose and interrogate his obviously faking sister, he heard the click of a door being opened from across the room that he had previously overlooked. In came the doctor whom Qrow assumed had been in charge of the delivery, given the amount of questionable substances staining his uniform. The doctor gave Raven a brief one over, before smiling kindly, and approaching Qrow himself. When he spoke, his voice was hushed, and Qrow had to fight to keep from rolling his eyes...if this guy seriously believed his sister's little act...
"I take it you're the brother?" he started casually, smile still intact. Qrow simply nodded, arms crossed, eyes boring a hole into his sister's "sleeping" form.
"Congratulations on becoming on uncle," he exclaimed as brightly as one could while attempting to remain quiet. "Still no sign from the father?"
Qrow turned his attention to the middle-aged man, shaking his head. "His partner messaged me earlier. Said they were finished and on their way, but the mission was a good ways from the city," he murmured.
"I see. Well, when he does make it, he'll have one pretty little lady waiting for him, ready to meet her daddy," the doctor encouraged.
For a split second, Qrow swore he saw his sister stir.
"And what about the mommy...?" he asked pointedly, making sure he emphasized the last word, knowing full well Raven could hear him.
The doctor's smile faltered ever so slightly. "Ah, I'm guessing Mrs. Nesbitt informed you of our little situation," he whispered.
"You could say that," Qrow deadpanned. Mrs. Nesbitt, huh? A miserable name for a miserable woman.
Catching on to Qrow's sarcasm, the older man gave a polite chuckle. "You'll have to excuse her. She's been in the business since the olden days and somehow had never come across anything like this." He placed his hands on his hips, reassuring smile back in place. "Rest assured, though, your sister is perfectly fine. It's not that uncommon for first time mothers to experience these kinds of emotions. We call them 'baby blues'. Anxiety, reluctance, frustration, all can be caused the stress that comes with motherhood. She'll come around soon enough."
That did little to ease Qrow's growing list of concerns, but he nodded anyway, having decided it was best not to delve too far into it. His mind now settled on one thought; his niece.
"Doc, mind telling me where the little one is?" he inquired as casually as possible while glancing towards the empty baby bed, trying his best to keep the anxiousness he felt from showing. It didn't seem to help much because the doctor cast him a knowing grin.
"The staff have her back in the nursery, getting all bundled and dolled up for her big reveal. They're really having a field day with this one. She's precious as can be. Shouldn't be much longer now. You're more than welcome to sit with your sister until the others arrive."
Tch...as if anyone was gonna be kicking him out of here again, Qrow thought begrudgingly. He moved to sit in the chair placed next to the bed, and let out a light, "Thanks for everything, Doc." And with that, the doctor nodded, returning through the door from which he entered.
Finally alone in the room with his sister, Qrow gave it a couple seconds before he blurted out, "Cut the crap, Raven."
The accused acknowledged his words with a disgruntled noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan, but she still did not open her eyes to look at him.
"How ya feeling, lil' sis?"
"I just spent seven agonizing hours in the most tormenting pain of my life...how do you think I feel, jackass?"
Qrow couldn't control himself. "Like you're already a bitter mother, complaining about your kids stealing the best years of your life."
Finally opening her eyes, Raven responded, "I think you mistake me for someone else."
Her brother cracked a crooked smile. "Yeah, I was having flashbacks of dear old Mom, too."
He reached to give Raven's hand a small squeeze before letting go once more. "I would've been in here, Raven, but that short one's got a temper on her that could give even Glynda a run for her money."
Raven snorted. "Yeah, she was a real bitch."
Qrow contemplated asking Raven out right about her recent change in attitude, but figured that if the doctor was right, and this really was just a simple case of 'baby blues' or whatever, his pestering nature and questioning would only further deter Raven's eagerness to begin motherhood. However, he remained adamant about asking her one important detail.
"So...it's a girl. I know you were hellbent on not knowing the gender beforehand, but surely you had some idea of what you were going to name it if it turned out to be a girl..."
His sister didn't respond immediately. For a second, he thought she really had spent nine months unprepared for this outcome, that she put absolutely zero thought into this kid at all. Hell, Summer had been the one to even begin preparations for the new arrival, helping Raven move her things into Tai's place in spite of her protests, setting up a nursery all decked out in yellow because it was gender neutral, and buying ungodly amounts of clothing in the same color. The only objection Raven ever really enforced was to Summer's attempts at hosting a baby shower, to which the former threatened to mutilate the shorter woman's prized possession, her pristine hooded cape. Other than that, Raven saw to it that she had been involved as little as possible in any decision making for the duration of her pregnancy.
"Yang."
God, how he hoped he had heard wrong.
"Come again?"
"Yang Xiao Long," she clarified, much to Qrow's distaste.
"Let me get this straight...you want to name your daughter after Tai...? Raven, have you even thought this over?" The stoic hunter wasn't sure how he felt about his niece's namesake coming from his barbarian of a partner, but if that's what Raven really wanted...
"Her name is Yang. My decision stands," her voice was iron, firm in it's resolve.
Qrow sighed. "Yang it is." It was kinda cute, he guessed. He'd definitely have to work out a nickname for her, though. Something about his thus far innocent baby niece's name being so closely related to her not-so-innocent father's still didn't sit right with him.
She turned away from her brother, looking around the empty room. "Have Summer and Taiyang not made it back yet?" her voice held a trace of underlying concern, obviously wary of her teammates' conditions.
Qrow took a brief moment to examine his twin's current state. There were visible dark, sagging bags beneath her eyes and whereas her pupils normally burned bright crimson, they now shone a deep, muted scarlet. Her jet black mane was still somewhat matted around the crown with leftover hints of perspiration. His younger sister really did look like she'd traveled to Hell and back, he noted. Qrow wanted to ease some of her worries, so he chose his words carefully.
"Tai and Summer are alive and kicking. Summer reported in about an hour and a half ago so they're gonna arrive soon...knowing Summer, probably on the wings of a goddamn Nevermore," he joked. Raven didn't laugh, but she did visibly relax, sighing and turning her head to face the ceiling. Maybe it was best she really did try and get some rest before the others got here and the excitement kicked back up.
"You look like shit. Go to sleep...for real this time, yeah?" Qrow suggested snarkily. There was a small, offended growl from his counterpart, but he chose to ignore it like always. "Go ahead. I'll wake you when the gang's all here." She didn't respond. Instead she just rolled over, facing the wall opposite from where he was perched beside her. He'd gotten his way for now.
Qrow sat in silence for nearly fifteen more minutes, listening to both the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall and his sister's steady breathing patterns, fully asleep this time. Head bobbing downwards, he had nearly begun to fall asleep as well, but his impending slumber was interrupted by another click from a door. Jolted awake by the thought of his team's long awaited arrival, Qrow jumped up, ready to give the pair an ear full on being punctual to these kinda things, but the door leading out to the hallway hadn't moved since he had first entered the room. Perplexed, the man switched his focus over to the only other entrance and the sight he was greeted with, although not the one he had initially been hoping for, was still a very much welcomed one.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I was informed that the family of Miss Branwen had arrived."
There was a young nurse standing in the doorway, a very attractive one, the more juvenile male half of his brain noted, but he couldn't dwell on her looks at the moment. What he was most interested in, she currently held securely in her arms, wrapped snugly in a pink fleece blanket. He knew that he was coming across as a total creep, silently standing in the middle of a room of a sleeping woman while staring at an infant, but he couldn't help but gaze in adoration at the arrival of his new family member. Fearing she might retreat with the baby, Qrow quickly spoke up, "Well, you're not wrong. I'm the uncle of that little girl you got there."
She smiled warmly at that. Pretty, Qrow mused distractedly before a little voice silenced him. No. Bad Qrow. Focus on the baby, not babes.
"Well, in that case, would you like to finally meet your niece, sir?"
Qrow hesitated shortly, suddenly unreasonably unsure of himself, but finally nodded his head once.
The nurse stepped in his direction and prompted him to open his arms to receive the child, mimicking her holding position. She placed the baby in his waiting arms, and took a step back, taking in the sweet picture of the gruff, battle-hardened hunter now cradling a delicate newborn swaddled in pastel pink, the tell-tale signs of love already written all over his masculine features. It was one of her favorite perks of her job, watching little moments like these unfold. Lost in his own little world, Qrow never even noticed her slip back through the door and shut it firmly.
His niece was utterly perfect. Golden tresses adorned her round head, unquestionably marking her as Taiyang's offspring, while her nose was petite, slightly upturned, and her mouth bore a strong cupid's bow, a trademark of her mother. The hospital staff had place a thin pink headband with a small white daisy attached to it around her crown, and Qrow noticed how her blonde curls stuck out both underneath and over the band in a wild, untamed fashion, also much like her mother. The macho-man within him would never allow such words to be spoken aloud, but she was so damned cute. How could his sister not want to spend every waking moment just staring at her?
After a spending several minutes lost in admiration, Qrow finally realized the other woman had made her exit, leaving him with sole custody of the tiny human. His immediate reaction was paralyzing fear. He was alone with a baby that he knew next to nothing about taking care of, while the mother, the one actually responsible for the kid's life, currently lay in bed conked out with 'baby blues', refusing to have anything to do with said child. Who the hell thought this was a good idea? What if he dropped it? Or it started wailing?
Qrow sighed and sat back down in the chair, still cradling the infant. Now, the new uncle wished more than anything he could just wake his sibling up and force her to take her kid, but he knew her condition sounded serious, and out of concern for both of his family members' well beings, he sucked up his insecurities and let her stay sleeping.
Arms growing tired, Qrow placed Yang on his lap, laying her so her tiny feet were nestled against him and her head rest on his knees. He gazed down at her, his timing impeccable as she did the most awe inducing thing; she opened her eyes, revealing two sparkling amethyst orbs, peering up at him. He knew it was a ridiculous thought, but he liked to think she was engraving his portrait in her mind, that she would remember this encounter years from now like he knew he would. The hunter couldn't ever recall a time in his life where he had felt more at peace.
All previous feelings of anxiety now effectively forgotten, Qrow hunched over his sister and best friend's child protectively, keeping his arms on either side of her, ready to catch her if she were to get rowdy and rock off his lap. Having another thought, Qrow made a promise then and there; should his niece ever fall at any point in her life, he swore he would be there to catch her, just like he was in the first few hours of her life.
There was a sudden clamor at the door way, breaking Qrow out of his reverie. He whipped his head in the direction of the offending intrusion. Had he not been holding Yang, the dusty haired man would've immediately come out of his seat to finally welcome his team, after having waited hours on end for their return.
Taiyang was first to barge in at speeds that rivaled a boarbatusk in full attack mode, panting heavily. "I...made...it...please...tell me...I made it," came his struggled words, one hand on his knee, the other placed on the door frame, using it for much needed support.
Summer's entrance followed right after, equally as out of breath, but exasperation contorting her petite features. "Tai!...you can't just...kick little old ladies...in wheelchairs...out of elevators!"
The corner of Qrow's mouth quirked at his team's antics. Taiyang finally found the energy it seemed to look around the room, briefly pausing to question Raven's status, before finding Qrow sitting behind the bed. He assumed the baby was out of Tai's line of sight, because the burly man threw him a look that said "Well?!"
Qrow's only response was a finger placed to his lips, signaling the new arrivals to keep their voices down. With a silent jerk of his head, he motioned for the pair to walk over to where he held the object of desire.
Their reactions were more or less the same as his had been; a mixture of awe, brief anxiety, love, and infatuation. Summer was in tears, as Qrow had expected, her being the 'sentimental' one of the quartet. However, Qrow was not expecting to see the small pools forming in his best friend turned brother's own eyes, not that he faulted the man in any way. This was his daughter, after all. Feeling as if he was unjustly withholding something precious from the gentle giant, Qrow took the little girl from his lap and carefully offered her to the newly minted father.
With his offspring securely within his grasp, Tai and Summer began talking back and forth both between each other and at the child, who obviously understood none of it. Qrow took their current distractedness as an opportunity to check up on his sister. He wasn't sure when, but at some point Raven had rolled her head back in his direction. Thinking nothing of it, he started to wake her as promised, but before he had moved a centimeter, one of her ruby irises cracked open. She silently shook her head with as little movement as possible, so as not to draw attention to herself. Dumbstruck, Qrow nodded in the same manner, allowing his twin to close her eyes once more.
That's odd. Why would Raven not want to greet the others all of a sudden? He would definitely have to have a serious sit down with his sister once they returned home. But for now, he pushed the notion to the back of his mind, focusing once more on the pair still cooing at Yang, completely unaware of the exchange between the Branwen siblings.
"Tai, I give you your daughter, Yang," he declared, gripping the larger man on the shoulder, then added as an afterthought, "I know it's a bit of a mouthful but try not to get your names mixed up too much, big guy."
Despite his friend's words, Taiyang did, in fact, look very much confused. "Her name is Yang? Why would Raven name her after me?" he asked incredulously.
Qrow simply shrugged. "Honestly, you should know by now not to ask me why my sister does anything that she does. I'm just the messenger," he offered, holding his hands up in mock defeat.
"I think it's sweet," Summer's melodious voice piped in. "You should be honored, Tai. It's like saying Raven wishes for your daughter to grow up to be big and strong, just like her daddy."
Taiyang's response wasn't verbal, but everyone in the room, including Yang probably, could see how he puffed up with pride at the comment.
Qrow scoffed. Summer really was a piece of work, sometimes.
Tai eventually did speak, but when he did, Qrow nearly slapped him upside his big, blonde head. "With any luck, she be graceful like you, Sum, not reckless and aggressive like her mom and me."
Were these two seriously flirting right now? Did they even realize Raven was five feet away from them? Sure, they didn't know she was actually awake, but still, Taiyang hadn't even questioned the health of the mother of his child. Qrow frowned deeply, crossing his arms.
"With any luck, she'll be half the woman her mother is." He didn't attempt to conceal the condescension apparent in his tone. "Raven's fine by the way, if you were curious. Just been passed out for the last hour after spending seven in brutal labor."
So maybe he was exaggerating a bit, but his fuse was short when it came to this type of behavior. Although Raven's announcement of her pregnancy had put an end to the possibility of a relationship between his other teammates, it didn't dowse the flames completely. Summer had backed out of confessing her love for the blonde, realizing what a complicated mess it would make of things, and instead chose to support her best friend in one of her most trying times, while Taiyang had done the responsible thing by swearing up, down, left and right that he was going to be there for both Raven and their child. But Qrow knew as well as his sister did, unfortunately, that there were still underlying and unspoken feelings between the two. They weren't exactly putting up their best efforts in concealing them. Maybe that was Raven's reason for not wanting to deal with the two just yet...
Summer was first to chime in this time, wearing an expression of guilt. "Well, now I just feel like a crappy friend," she admitted. "Poor thing must be exhausted."
"That's putting it lightly," he muttered, aggravation still evident.
It was Tai's turn to speak. "Raven's a tough egg...stronger than even me. She just needs some well deserved rest. Then, I'm finally taking both of my beautiful girls home." Taiyang smiled warmly over at the woman in question and then down to his little mini-me. His voice was full of admiration, enough so that Qrow couldn't find it in him to remain upset with his oldest pal. The big guy had a lot of emotions to sort through, he knew.
Qrow looked between the pair, sighed, and then nodded, releasing his forearms and shoving his hands into his pockets. Things within his team would sort themselves out as they always had. And now, with this new addition to their little close-knit family, he was even more sure of it. Yang's birth and been accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of love and sense of protection, not only for her but for each other. She would be the glue that kept them from falling apart at the edges.
Or so he had hoped.
A/N: "Mrs. Nesbitt" ahhh...props to anyone who caught that Toy Story reference. That movie happened to be playing in the background during my writing and this is the outcome.
Also, there's a bit of a parallel drawn between Summer and Ruby at a certain point in this chapter. If you can pick it out, drop it in your review! Just a fun lil' easter egg ;)
Leave a quick review, if you would! It helps me immensely in the writing process!
Find me on Tumblr- gauntletstopgreaves