A/N: Well, well, here we are with a small bit of a time skip. About time we got this ball a'rollin'. This one was super fun to write...almost made me second guess how much angst I could handle writing into future chapters and seriously reconsider a rather major event I had planned...but fear not, the angst will ensue, since I know you're all just dying for it.
Minor alcohol abuse here...sortanotreallyyet.
I do my best triple-checking for typos, but hey, I'm human.
Thanks for checking in and without further ado, enjoy!
. . .
"What are you suggesting, Qrow? That we all just drop our lives to chase her down?"
"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm telling you to stay here and raise your daughter. I'm going to find her."
"I'm coming with you, then."
"No, you're not, Summer. She's my pain in the ass sister, my problem. Besides, big guy over here is gonna need all the help he can get. I'd prefer to still have a niece when I come back dragging her kicking and screaming mother behind me."
"Just be careful, you ol' Scarecrow."
"And you better take care of my niece, ya cowardly Lion."
"Tch, what does that make me? Dorothy?"
"Sure, but only 'cause my sister fits the role of The Wicked Witch of the East so well."
They said their goodbyes, Qrow placing one final kiss on Yang's small forehead before heading out into the summer night, deciding where would be best to begin his search for Raven...
Qrow was not an easily intimidated man. He'd stared six ton beasts with tusks taller than his own body dead in the eye before mowing them down like common grass...but for the first time in his twenty-five years of existence, Qrow couldn't sense his twin's presence anywhere, no matter how far out he stretched...and that truly shook him.
. . . . . . . . . .
Eleven months.
That had been eleven months ago.
And he didn't have a damned thing to show for it.
Wherever Raven was, she had done a fine job covering her tracks, making it impossible for anyone to tail her. Qrow had trekked all over Remnant, gone as far as the outer rim of Menagerie before vexation and home sickness finally dragged his sorry ass back to Patch for good. He'd spent nearly the entire past year juggling standard missions along with his hunt for his sister, using whatever little time he had left to visit with the remaining members of STRQ and his rapidly growing niece. He'd already missed out on so much of Yang's first year hopelessly searching for her estranged mother; first smile, first time sitting up, first adventures in crawling. He wasn't about to miss her first birthday.
A knock at his front door caught his attention, moving from the kitchen bar he'd been sat at for a little over an hour now to stumble towards the interruption. Upon swinging the heavy door open, dark rubies met with vibrant sapphires.
"Yo, Qrow. Care for a visitor? No? Great! Thanks for the invite."
Taiyang unabashedly marched past the exhausted hunter as if he owned the place, Qrow wordlessly following him into the kitchen. The blonde assumed Qrow's earlier position at the bar counter, watching his friend carefully as he walked further into the open area, reaching into one of the above cupboards and pulling out a handle of Shawcross Specialty, some of the strongest bourbon on the market. Two glasses were then produced, filled, and one pushed his way. Such was commonplace, the two companions often sharing a drink in each other's homes or out in bars together. Being a recent subscriber to fatherhood, Tai had done well to cap his alcohol intake, only doing so whenever Qrow made his way back home and Yang had been put to bed for the evening. Qrow it seemed, however, had steadily increased his. Tai politely sipped on his liquor, frowning as the slimmer of the two tossed the amber liquid back as if it were nothing more than a measly shot. He chose to ignore it for the time being.
"So...where did you find yourself this time?"
Qrow groaned, rubbing his palm down his face and leaning back against another counter.
"Fuckin' outskirts of Vacuo. Nothing but a bunch of sand and trailer trash out there..."
Honestly, Vacuo was the last place he'd expected Raven to be, given her immense distaste for the heat and sun, but Qrow had exhausted every other lead he'd had. The desert bearing continent had truly been his last resort.
"Figured as much," Tai stated forlornly. His frown set in deeper when Qrow reached for the handle of hard liquor once more. Surely, this wasn't what he had been up to all day...He shook the concern from his head, deciding to go for a distraction.
"Yang's birthday is coming up fast, can you believe it? A whole year I've kept her alive!" He tried joking with his disgruntled friend who always seemed so concerned with Taiyang's competency as a father. Waiting for a reaction, he sipped on his whiskey, peering over the glass.
Qrow simply scowled at his own drink before taking a long gulp, but not finishing it off as he'd done with the previous. Swallowing harshly, the raven haired man set his glass down on the counter behind him, turning back to the blonde and shoving his hands in his pockets nonchalantly.
No verbal response. That intrigued Taiyang. If there was one thing that could slap a smile on Qrow's face as of late, it was the rambunctious soon-to-be one year old. Whenever he was actually able to hang around the Xiao Long household, Qrow made his best attempts to bond with his niece. More often than not, his visits resulted in him passing out on Tai's couch, fatigue finally catching up with him, with the pip squeak blonde sprawled out on top of him, equally at peace. Not that Taiyang minded in the least. He was grateful for Qrow's efforts to return their missing team member and his daughter's mother, but not at the expense of his own health. At least, under his roof, Taiyang knew his best friend was being taken care of and free from stress.
"Summer's got a whole shindig planned out. Three-tiered cake, bouncy house, clowns, the whole shebang."
Qrow snorted.
"That's stupid. What's a one year old gonna do with a bouncy house?"
Taiyang cracked a smile, finally able to break Qrow's silence.
"She said it was more so for us and the other guys to rough house in. 'Keep all you ursa contained and away from the civilized' as she so lovingly put it." He swirled his glass, taking another swig of his drink.
Qrow shook his head, shrugging his shoulders and releasing a deep sigh.
"Whatever, man. I'll be there." He reached into his back pocket for his flask, pulling it out and turning it over in his hands thoughtfully.
The leather was slightly worn, being just shy of five years old, but the design etched on the front remained relatively undamaged. Half of the Branwen crest, his half, stood out in stark contrast to the lighter aging leather that surrounded it. He ran his thumb over the emblem, the right wing of a bird in conjunction with a gear, made to depict the eyes of said bird when paired with it's mirrored counterpart. It had been a gift after graduating the academy...a special, well-thought out gift from his twin, the other half of the crest. There was a time when his sister had been softer around the edges, taking the time to be considerate of those she cared for, especially him. Despite the utter hell he'd been traversing in search for his wayward sibling, he couldn't help himself from retaining his protective older brother persona. Where was she right now and who with? Was she safe?
"Will you, though?"
Qrow's head snapped up, unable to remember what they had been discussing just seconds before.
"What's what?"
Taiyang raised an eyebrow at his friend's confused state. Maybe the alcohol was already taking effect, but last he checked, Qrow was a bit more of a heavy-weight than that.
"I asked if you were actually going to make it to Yang's birthday. Thought you might be heading back out on the hunt soon..." He made sure to keep his tone light and curious, devoid of accusations.
Qrow narrowed his eyes, casting his gaze back down to his flask. He considered his friend's words, staring a hole into the minimalistic yet well-crafted design, what it symbolized. The mentally drained warrior had made up his mind a while ago, before his brother's arrival.
"I'm done chasing her."
Solidifying his resolve, Qrow turned to set the leather and metal container on the far corner of his counter top, it's purpose now serving as ornamentation rather than that of necessity and utilization. The flask would remain in that spot for the next couple of years, filled with the happier memories of he and his sister, collecting dust.
. . . . . . . . . .
A month of well-deserved rest had come and gone when Qrow found himself in the open field that resided behind Taiyang's home, surrounded by streamers and balloons in an assortment of vivacious colors and equally vibrant party-goers. Summer really had outdone herself with this. Seriously. It was giving him a headache from all the racket. He silently thanked Oum for answering his prayers as she had backed out of the clown idea. Man, he hated those things.
A wet gurgle made its way to his ears. Qrow turned his head to the small child resting on his hip, a finger or two shoved flatteringly in her tiny mouth, drool dribbling down the tiny digits. He promptly removed them, wiping the mess up with his shirt, grimacing.
"Hey small fry, how 'bout we not try and devour our own hand, sound good?"
His only reply was a blank stare. Good. Message received.
Readjusting her to his left side, Qrow took another look around the makeshift "fairgrounds", as the party planner liked to call it. He preferred the term "zoo".
Having but one meager year of life experience under her belt, Yang didn't exactly have a large repertoire of contacts, leaving most of the guest list to be comprised of STRQ's friends, some who had met the birthday girl, others who had not and insisted on passing her around like a peace pipe, much to Qrow's distaste. It couldn't be helped he supposed, looking down at his niece in her party attire; a fru-fru-y yellow and black striped dress resembling a bumblebee that he, as a grown man, would never allow himself to admit that he actually liked, complete with a small black silk ribbon tied into a bow around a particularly stubborn cowlicked piece of hair atop her head.
She was adorable. And everyday she looked more and more like her mother, despite the color scheme she shared with her father. Qrow quickly shook that thought away before it could fester in his mind.
Back to examining the festivities, Qrow was quickly reminded why he felt inclined to refer to the party as a "zoo".
Littered across the field were dozens of adults, and he used the term very loosely, gallivanting around like unsupervised eight year olds in a toy store. There was a small handful of literal children, sons and daughters of their older friends, but for the most part, grown men and women occupied the snack table, bar (he and Tai both had petitioned for that one), and, as promised, the bouncy house. He spared a glance to the inflatable contraption made for toddlers that was currently occupied by respectable huntsmen, the loudest of the bunch being none other than the host, Taiyang. Judging by the violently absurd shaking and bobbing, he supposed it was only a matter of time before the damned thing popped, hopefully trapping the hooligans inside.
When it looked like it would finally burst, a lightning fast blur of white dashed past him, stopping before the entrance. Sensible Summer was in high gear, poking her head in and yelling at the occupants to settle down unless they wanted to pay for the damages to the rental. A deep, collective "Yes, ma'am" quickly followed. Qrow chuckled at the blatant authority she wielded over the group of men, which prompted the baby he still carried to laugh along simply because he was.
Still, he couldn't blame the attendees entirely for their childlike behaviors. The life of a hunstman or huntress was no walk in the sunshine. Any opportunity to unwind and enjoy another day of being alive was always welcomed. As he had predicted it would on this day a year ago, Yang's existence was bringing people together, giving them a reason to celebrate, whether she could comprehend it or not. Listening to her high-pitched laughter, though, he firmly believed she just might.
He smiled down at the still giggling birthday girl, scooping her up closer and attacking her face with kisses. Life had finally began to settle for the overworked hunter, and he couldn't be happier. His niece in one hand, a cold beer in the other, Qrow made his way to her father who had finally descended from his rubber castle.
. . . . . . . . . .
When the night finally approached and the mess had been dealt with, Qrow and Taiyang sat on the back porch, a tuckered out Yang resting against her father's chest, not completely asleep yet.
The back door opened, Summer smiling down at the two men, clearly pleased with herself.
"Oh yeah...one birthday down, only twelve more or so to go," she boasted, hands on hips and head held high, a pose that shouted 'I am Supermom, hear me roar'.
Taiyang applauded her efforts, Qrow choosing to lounge back further in his seat and raise his beer to her before taking a drink.
Being summertime, the air was still warm, if a little humid, and crickets chirped from all around, as far back as into the woods that surrounded the cabin. Above the ruckus, a barely audible yawn could be heard from the tiny birthday girl, utterly exhausted from her big day of being paraded around like a trophy. Summer immediately stepped forward to remove her from her father's hold, a chubby arm stretched out towards her eagerly.
"Alright Sunshine, I'm sorry. You should've been tucked in an hour ago. Say goodnight to Daddy and Uncle Qrow."
Yang put her head down on Summer's shoulder, lifting a pudgy hand to wave bye-bye to the two. Taiyang grabbed it, kissing the soft skin and cooed, "Sleep tight, Sunlight. Daddy loves you."
Qrow smiled warmly, ruffling her unkempt golden tresses even further. "Happy Birthday, sweet thing."
The two girls disappeared back into the house. A few more moments of silence before Qrow sighed, effectively breaking it.
"Thank Oum for Summer. Can you imagine either of us trying to put something like that together?" He grinned, placing his hands behind his head, leaning back.
"What, you don't think strippers and an open bar are appropriate first birthday activities?" Taiyang retorted.
Well, they had had a bar at this one, but the number of drinks had been limited for each guest. Last thing they needed was a field full of drunken combat trained warriors wielding cake knives and helium tanks.
Tai chuckled at the imaginary scenario before sobering, adding in a much more serious manner, "She really has been amazing. Not just today...this entire year. No offense, but with you being gone for most of it, I'm not sure how I would've made it past the first month without her, much less a year."
Qrow's jovial demeanor deflated slightly, guilt creeping up his spine. He had been absent for a long while, and despite his efforts to stay connected, the so-called "esteemed warrior" had been unsuccessful in every aspect. He hadn't been able to track his sister, never even came close, he'd missed out on crucial moments in his friend's and family's lives, and whenever he was able to see them, he usually ended up falling asleep on them. His grip tightened on his bottle, determined to fix things.
"About that...I'm..." Qrow hesitantly met his best friend's gaze. "I'm real sorry I couldn't bring her back, Tai."
A large hand found his shoulder, squeezing it in reassurance.
"Don't worry about it, brother. I'm just glad you finally gave up...let the past go."
Qrow didn't know how to take that, feeling slightly offended, but not sure if he had any right to. Deciding not to let it get to him, he simply nodded, finishing up his last beer for the night. He needed to be able to see straight to fly home in a bit.
"I'm gonna ask her to marry me...Summer, I mean."
Qrow sputtered up the last drops of his drink, wiping the liquid from his mouth with the back of his hand. His head whipped to look at Tai's face, amusement to his reaction written all over his smug grin.
"You what?"
Tai smiled sincerely this time, leaning on his knees, hands laced together. "You said it yourself. It's pretty obvious we're in love...and Yang, she loves her so much. My little girl needs a mother, Qrow...a whole family. Doesn't that sound nice? For her sake?"
Taiyang was aware of Qrow's reasoning for opposition. He didn't blame him either, but, he prayed his best friend could see his desires for his own daughter outweighed the desires of his own heart. He loved Summer, true, but he loved Yang more and wanted to give her the world, one with a mother to cherish her, braid her hair, sing her to sleep...all the things Summer was already doing for Yang.
Qrow looked at him sorely, not out of resentment or judgment, but disappointment. It seemed Taiyang was really ready to forget about his ex lover, Raven. He had long since moved past her betrayal, something Qrow wouldn't hold against him, but it still disappointed the thinner man a bit. Maybe he had been chasing fool's gold this entire time, selfish hopes of his twin returning, perhaps even marrying his best friend that he knew she loved, wanting that happier lifestyle for his sister rather than what she had been granted.
That isn't going to happen he drilled into his mind. Let it go. Let them be happy.
"It sounds like you're finally going to get the life you always wanted...I'm...happy for you. For both of you."
Taiyang looked at him steadily, searching for any signs of insincerity, finding none. He clapped a large hand on Qrow's back again, nodding firmly.
"That means everything coming from you, brother."
. . . . . . . . . .
As Qrow sauntered into his apartment that night, he reflected on the news.
Taiyang was going to propose.
Summer was going to say yes.
Yang was going to have a complete family.
Raven was going to be forgotten.
He was going to have another drink.
A/N: I just like the idea of super serious badass warriors frolicking around with ice cream and having epic balloon sword fights.
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