Enjoy the chapter.
Cover art by: Notgustiarp
Chapter 11
Stepping inside, he immediately noticed the tense atmosphere.
"Why does it smell like a brewery in here?"
Glancing around, he noted the stillness in the air and tensed up. But only one thing sprang to mind. "Jaune! Summer!" He'd have bolted for the stairs if the voice from the living room hadn't cut in.
"Man, were you all always this melodramatic?" The voice burped out. "Hard to remember…."
Deep and gravely, it brought back memories of his younger days, yet his worry kept him rooted in the present.
"Qrow?! When did you…."
All wasn't well with the guy. Slicked black hair and scruffy beard, he looked exactly like he did before disappearing. But it was easy to see he'd been drinking heavily—even without the heavy stench.
"What's it to ya?"
O-Okay, ignoring that bombshell for now—boy, was that tuff. He still was worried beyond belief. "Summer!?"
"In the kitchen!" Hearing her voice was a relief as he made his way over. Yet glancing into the kitchen had all that worry immediately return.
Pots and pans bashed around as the sink was filled with unwashed dishes, all seemingly caked in batter residue. The countertops all had a thin layer of the stuff, too. All the while, Summer ran around the space like she was putting out imaginary fires. Preoccupied with cleaning other messes, he watched for a second as she nervously scrubbed away at the inside of the oven.
She's wearing that apron I got her….
Forcing that thought aside, he concentrated on how frantic she looked yet so out of focus she seemed—like she was trying to put something off with busy work. How exactly like her.
"Sum, is everything alright?" She froze. In meeting her eyes, he could vividly see the underlying dread she was holding back.
"Y-yea, why wouldn't it be?"
"No reason. Just wondering about him…." He didn't have to mention the man's name, seeing as how Summer cringed at the mere allusion.
"O-oh um, yea him."
He could understand being shocked—Brothers, he was too. So much so that he doubted his brain had really caught up with reality.
But she's not just shocked. She's downright terrified about Qrow being here. Why…
All he could feel was shocked joy mixed with a deep sense of relief that his brother, in all but blood was safe.
"Did he ask you about…" She trailed off, and when he stood there confused, all she did was glance upwards. As if afraid to mention some sort of Goliath in the room.
"Something upstairs?" All he could think of was—He blurted out the instant he made the connection. "Is Jaune okay!?"
"Shhhh! Stop!" She pushed into him, trying to cover his mouth, but he wasn't having it.
"Summer, if something's wrong I have to know." He wasn't gonna be left in the dark. Not anymore.
Thankfully she seemed to realize that he wouldn't accept anything less than a straight answer. She sighed, pushing past him, and hugging the kitchen entranceway she glanced around it. Apparently satisfied, they locked eyes again.
"He's fine, just upstairs in his room. I wanted to deal with the issue when you got back, but I haven't finished cleaning…."
What?
"Summer, it's Qrow. I doubt he minds a bit of a mess. Is there a problem with him? If so, we gotta talk to him." He stated firmly.
"No, wait! You've seen his eyes, right? Somethings not right, and I'm worried he'll take it out on…." She trailed off again, not wanting to continue that line of thought for some reason.
"...Yea, I saw his eyes. Hollow—just like mine were. It's why we need to talk to him and find out what happened." He held her stare harder than he ever had before. "You and I both know what even just three years of hell can do to a person."
Done with his piece, he made his way out and back into the living room. Completely ignoring her attempts to stop him.
He'd do the same for us.
Pushing through the vile stench, he marched directly to the living room couch. He took a seat right beside the man he had called brother for his entire adult life.
"Qrow, It's been a while brother. How's everything been? You've got to tell me everything you've been up to!"
He didn't want to come off like he was interrogating the man, knowing exactly how that'd go down. So he tried to play it safe.
The man grunted at him.
That definitely took the wind outta his sale. After all these years, he didn't seem that pleased with being back with his family. They sat like this for a full minute, all the while Tai regretted not helping Summer finish up in the kitchen so they could tag team this.
Only when it seemed even Qrow couldn't deal with the awkward air did the drunk give him a response.
"Nice place ya got here. Different from Patch, ain't what I expected you'd both be bumming in. Way different from Beacon's faculty dorms, at least." Having slurred that out, he got the gist of what the man said—all except the next question, that is.
"So, where's it at?"
That one definitely confused him. "Where's what?"
Qrow's whole demeanor seemed to change when he didn't seem to read the guy's mind. It was like, in an instant he sobered up.
"You know what I mean man, c'mon."
He didn't, but that wouldn't stop him from feeling uncomfortable under the man's scrutinizing gaze.
"Sorry, but I still don't know what you mean?" His friend's eyes seemed to get harder and harder the longer he didn't answer.
"The. Room. Their room Tai where's it set up?"
Oh, brothers—how did he know about…
"I scoured the whole house, and I couldn't find it. Where'd y'all move it to?" His eyes didn't break contact even when he tried to avoid them. He could still feel their intensity.
His throat felt so dry that it became tougher to speak. "W-we took it down when we moved, and…we just didn't think it was a good idea to set it back up..."
The room felt colder all of a sudden.
"What?"
He couldn't meet the man's eyes anymore, instead he focused on fiddling with his hands. "...It wasn't good for anyone, Qrow. It just brought up terrible memories and awful feelings…."
"And when you find them? What then!"
"W-we'll we planned t-to—"
Qrow aggressively got his face, putrid breath now trailing over him, burning his nose. "Where will they go when they get home, Tai?! Answer me!"
He wanted so badly to shove him to the side but restrained himself before he escalated things. Things were finally looking up, and he couldn't be the one to ruin everything. Not again.
"T-There's no point in torturing ourselves anymore, Qrow. It only made us lose ourselves in the hunt—made us sloppy and unfocused. Besides, what good was it without them in it?"
His hands firmly rested on the man's shoulders, gently pushing him away. A few calming breaths seemingly brought him back to Remnant and back to being their old friend again.
"Y-yea, that makes…makes a lot of sense. My bad man, just on edge is all." He reached for his flask again and drank deeply. They both needed the break, it seemed.
"Don't worry about it man, I get it. Change is hard, but sometimes we gotta do what's best for us in the present. Besides, we needed the space, you know?" He just started rambling, still shaken up by his friend's unstable outburst. "One for us to sleep in, Summers study, and then Jaune's room." His eyes wandered to the kitchen again, hoping to see silver eyes peeking over.
But he didn't miss how the man froze at the mention of his boy.
"…course, I get it…." He answered wistfully.
After that, they sat in complete tense silence. The sounds of Summer rummaging around in the kitchen were the only thing keeping him sane.
Just gotta stall, I guess.
Initially, he started looking around to find something to break the awkward tension—until something actually caught his attention.
"Hey, Qrow. You mind putting that thing away?" He eyed Qrow's weapon—Harbinger warily as it was haphazardly tossed onto their coffee table.
He seemed to regain himself again. "Oh man, where are my manners?" He said sarcastically or at least as much as the drunk could muster. "By the way. The heck's your guy's weapons?" He actually started swiveling his head, searching for them.
"We don't keep them out anymore. It's not a good idea to have weapons lying around the place here…." He felt a little embarrassed by the way his friend gawked at him.
"You're telling me…in a Huntsman house. You don't have any weapons?" The more he talked, the more outraged he seemingly became, getting redder and redder.
"That's not what I said—"
"After what happened to us, you guys still make up dumb rules like that?!"
His knuckles ached with how tight he clenched them. He wouldn't act out, not when Qrow obviously needed him to be the mature one.
"We still have weapons here. They're just locked up in Summer's study." Most of them, at least—the only exception being Jaune's and Summer's wooden training swords. Even their kitchen knives were locked up in their own drawers.
"Besides, what do I need a weapon for? I can still put any guy through a wall if needs be…."
Qrow stared for a minute before devolving into a fit of drunken laughter. "Guess your right about that one! I didn't peg the kid as the clumsy type, though! But what do I know, huh?"
He didn't correct him. He didn't need to know exactly why they did it—nor who it was really for.
His eyes felt drawn to Harbinger's gleaming edge. It brought back uncomfortable memories.
His buddy seemed to notice but probably assumed it was just an unsubtle reminder. Picking up his blade, he moved it onto his lap, letting it rest there instead.
That's probably as good as I'm gonna get, ugh.
This was not going as planned. He glanced back to the kitchen, again hoping for some backup. When he didn't see any sign it was on its way, he threw caution to the wind and asked the big question.
"So, where we're you all this time?"
He tried to lock eyes, but the drunk was too busy indulging himself. He waited patiently as Qrow chugged that flask.
I can't tell if he's stalling or if he's really fallen this far in such a short amount of time.
Finally, after a near minute the drunk gave that flask a rest—or maybe it was out. Either way, the answer wasn't what he expected.
"Where do you think I was? I was out getting shit faced every night. I was just wasting time, I guess…." He mused wistfully.
"Qrow, I'm serious! Where we're you? You can't just disappear for three odd years and expect us not to ask. Especially when you show up unannounced!"
This wasn't supposed to escalate, but he couldn't deal with the man much longer. He had to stop himself before he got carried away.
Thankfully he wasn't alone anymore.
"Finally got the place cleaned up. S-so what are we talking about?"
"Oh, Sum! You're just in time. Bet you were wondering where I was too." He didn't trust that smile that Qrow grew. It was just so…so…smug.
Summer looked like a deer caught in headlights—instantly uncomfortable with how this conversation escalated.
"Well, if ya must know~ You can go ahead and mark the whole of Mistral as clear on your little map." He punctuated that with an obnoxious wave of his hands.
"How did you know about our map…." He mumbled out more in disbelief at what he had just heard.
How did he know about our map? Did he rummage through Summer's study too?
Come to think of it...he'd mentioned being unable to find that room too. Whatever questions he was gonna ask died on his lips as Qrow wasn't done just yet.
"Yep. All of it—the whole continent is clear! Not a trace of them anywhere." His heart dropped at that. The whole continent and they were still nowhere close to finding them.
No! We're closer now than ever. With this and our own searching, we've nearly got it. I'm sure of it!
He locked eyes with Summer next to him. A newfound hope blossomed between them after hearing the bittersweet news.
"Thank you so much, Qrow. We're so close now, I know it! With the three of us, I'm sure we can—"
"Ah ah ah, you guys got your answer. Now it's my turn to ask the questions. Only fair, right?" For some reason, that same smug smile had him feeling intensely uncomfortable.
"Y-yea, it's only fair. Shoot." With a slight tremble Summer replied, undoubtedly feeling the same thing.
That feeling turned to dread as the once jovial drunkard died along with the light that already had been barely present in the man's eyes.
"So, what's with the runt you picked off the streets?"
And like that, all the hope built up for reconciling with their long lost brother came crashing down around them.
As Qrow's eyes burrowed into them, that question replayed over in his head. It was like they were being interrogated—criminals in their own home.
"D-do you mean Jaune?" What a stupid question but one that sorta just tumbled out of him from sheer disbelief.
"What? You guys pick up any other strays while I was gone? Guess I couldn't put it past y'all." His eyes seemed only to grow colder. "Yes, I mean the kid."
Were those really the same eyes that watched his kids grow up? The same pair that shed tears when they lost them?
"Don't call him that. Don't ever..." Surprisingly, Summer spoke up first—showing more restraint than her own partner showed.
He wouldn't let her stand alone either. "His name's Jaune, and he's gone through more pain than any kid his age should ever experience."
"Really? Cause I think I know a pair of kids who can relate. But you know what's really messed up? Unlike Jaune, these kids ain't living a storybook ending where they get to live happily ever after. Do you know where they are, Tai?" He leaned further in his seat, staring daggers into his own.
Silence.
"Exactly. Yet here's the father grocery shopping while the mother bakes cookies. Torture, right?" He sported the worst shit eating grin as he leaned back into their couch like it was his castle.
"You bastard...don't go and just presume you know everything about us or our struggles!" His knuckles gripped so hard that even Summer's comforting hand didn't seem to wash away the anger.
"What about you, Qrow? How can we trust that you weren't out there drinking your problems away for three years, huh?" He slammed his hand down on their table, causing Summer to flinch. He'd have to remember to apologize later. "Maybe you just made it up in one of your drunk stupors—seems more likely. You damn dead beat."
The guy didn't even seem fazed at his outburst. On the contrary, he seemed pretty satisfied, all things considered. Like his goal was to get a rise out of him in the first place.
"Dead beat?" Looking mockingly puzzled by the accusation. "Well, I'm not the one trying to replace their kids. Am I?"
…
"Get out."
"Huh? What for—"Qrow seemed surprised when a hand gripped the front of his dress shirt, and he seemed even more surprised when he was ripped out of his seat.
"Get. Out."
He forced them to lock eyes, and while all he saw was a bewildered drunk, Qrow must have seen something much different.
"Ah, I see how it is." Gripping his arm, Qrow pushed closer to his face. "What? Guess throwing your kids away wasn't enough. You gotta do me like that too?"
Breath.
Don't do anything rash—he kept repeating to himself.
"We didn't throw anyone away, Qrow. We're still looking for them, and we even kept an eye out for you." Summer chimed in. However, they hadn't had much luck with either till now. Ignorance really was bliss, huh?
He'd hoped that confirmation that they hadn't forgotten about him would have helped calm Qrow down. Instead, it just left him cackling like a madman again.
"That's rich! I've seen that map of yours, you know. Is that really all the ground you guys covered in three years?!" He devolved that much further into an alcohol fueled fit.
His breathing technique stopped helping right about the same time.
How dare he?
Didn't he know the agony they went through to search three whole continents? Four entire kingdoms needed to be mapped out, not to mention the fifth kingdom they were forbidden to even enter for being human.
From black markets and trafficking rings to entire crime families they'd investigated and busted. Yet still, nothing.
It was a grueling slog that only got more exhausting the longer it went on. Still, they'd hoped that the next cesspool of degeneracy held their kid's prisoners. The whole time they persevered and searched on.
Except that'd be a lie, wouldn't it?
He'd given up. Lost the will to go on a little over a year or so in. It was why he hadn't flown off the handle entirely yet.
Because he's right…
His body began trembling as the chorus of laughter rang in his darkened mind. As if all the progress they made in the last year was for nothing.
At least until he felt an equally shaky hand brush against his back. He glanced over and saw a mirrored reaction in Summer with just the barest hint of a tremble shining through.
His mind blanked as he watched his wife struggle to hold composure—somehow worse off than even him.
"I mean, come on. I come back, and you're all here in your little pretend home with a whole made up family!"
He watched as the love of his life, the strongest woman he'd ever met, trembled before the man they considered family.
"Q-Qrow, please stop." She was begging him now to stop.
And his blood boiled.
"Surprised you guys didn't half ass this little game of yours too. You guys even picked up your very own street urchin." His brother couldn't even hold a glare as he howled with laughter. "But I mean, c'mon! How lucky could you guys be to find a kid who wanted to replace his family too?"
No one expected the fist that crashed into Qrow's jaw, not even himself. Yet still, his body flew back and collided with the furniture crashing further till it was embedded deep into the drywall.
The house rattled, but it couldn't match the visceral feel of the tremors that ran up his fist when clocking the guy. Cracking his knuckles, he gazed long and hard at the man he'd once called brother. Suspended dumbly by his head which buried itself in the dust and debris of their home.
"You okay, Sum?"
"Y-yeah, but…" They watched as the man slowly dragged his body from the hole the impact made. "…you shouldn't have done that, Tai."
She seemed startled, but he couldn't regret clocking the bastard. Even now, his blood just wouldn't stop boiling at what he said.
Nor did Qrow seem to mind.
"You used to hit harder." He said, wiping the blood from his lip, Aura shimmering in agitation.
"Guess I'm outta practice."
"Ya, guess you are." The drunk repeated, taking a threatening step closer after righting himself.
He'd have done the same if Summer hadn't stepped in. Locking eyes with her had a thousand words pass in an instant. It stilled him, at least.
She turned to their old teammate next. "You should leave Qrow." She said as calmly as he imagined she could, given the circumstances.
The bastard didn't even bother to look at her, still eyeing him up.
Not that I mind...
"We can talk later. When we meet with Ozpin—you've already told him your back, right?"
Seemed Ozpin's name was enough to get the man's attention—ever the lap dog, as Raven would say. "...Course. One of us has to be doing their damn jobs at least."
"Says the deadbeat teammate who disappeared for three years—"
"Tai!" Summer pushed on his chest. "Not. Now."
He knew he was being childish, but it wasn't him who started this mess. But she was right. He couldn't fathom what Jaune imagined was going on down here or how scared he might be.
That future meeting's gonna be a shit show.
Qrow must have realized that too and decided against pushing his luck here and now. Though it was obvious, he wasn't happy about it.
The bastard threw one last glare at him and an equally resentful glance upstairs on his way out—no doubt imaging who was occupying where that room would have been.
It made his blood boil just that much hotter. He'd have to talk to Jaune later—if not for the boy, then to calm himself down at least.
Author's Notes:
Just one last chapter before the official start of the main story! Don't worry; it's almost complete with nearly 3k words already typed up, and with some editing and revising, it'll be done within the month, definitely…probably…hopefully…
Hopefully, you guys aren't too upset about this portrayal of Qrow, as he's gone a little OOC here. Everyone handles grief differently, and it would stand to reason that a bit of infighting would occur given enough distance and time apart. Just saying that this is still the Qrow we all love, but it's also one that feels betrayed and forgotten by those he called family.
It doesn't excuse his words/actions but hey, he got some comeuppance in the end, right? This isn't the last well see of him either expect more from him later!
Just wanted to talk a bit about my writing style. One word has defined how I create stories, and that's theming. Every character I write and every event that occurs serves to reinforce/examine them. This isn't just random events I thought would be cool.
Every aspect of the narrative, I've tried to plan out how it'll tie into the story's overall themes or help highlight the different interpretations that characters have of overarching concepts like love, pain, the meaning of their lives, and continued existence.
This isn't meant to make me sound like a fantastic author or anything either. But do know that I strive to get better with each chapter as I love writing and planning out stories is my passion. Again I think my writing is kinda trash since I'm so new to this, but I love it all the same.
This chapter and the next one all go to examine some of the overarching themes presented. The biggest is the idea of healing oneself and how the very concept from a different perspective can be seen as selfish in nature. I won't go into any more detail as all of this is up to the reader's interpretation.
Note: There isn't a Short Story here as I've stated they won't be in every chapter I put out but do be aware that I might write up one in the future that I think might enhance the chapter, and thus ill just add it to chapters that don't have any. I will mention it in the AN of the newest chapter, just like I have with previous revisions of older chapters.
Date Published: 2022/04/01
