Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1-  

Qrow slipped into the room as silently as he could, desperate not to disturb anyone. It was late, he was late, and the last thing he wanted to do was wake anyone up. To his surprise, the room was mostly quiet and empty. He'd expected Taiyang sleeping next to Summer’s bedside, Yang curled into her side or running around the room and trying to climb into the cot where the little bundle lay.  

His newest niece.   

Summer’s silver eyes cracked open, a soft smile gracing her face at the sight of him.  

“Qrow, you made it.”  

“I came as soon as I got your message.” He’d dropped everything on his mission the second he got the notification and flown as quickly as possible to get to Patch, even if it had taken a full day, “No Tai?”  

“Yang has the flu; she’s been a real trooper but so so under the weather, stuck in bed with a fever. Oh Qrow, I've been too pregnant to even bend down and hug her, it’s been breaking my heart, nobody tells you about that part. Tai had to stay with her.”  

“You did this alone?”  

No Tai... no Raven...  

“Its ok, the nurses and doctors have been great. And Ruby didn’t cause me any real challenge.”  

Ruby. It was one of the names Summer had shortlisted, a strong and durable precious red gem. Little Ruby.  

“I wish you’d messaged sooner; I could have come and helped.”  

“Oz said you were on a comms blackout; we probably shouldn’t have even told you I was going to be induced.”  

“I’m glad you did. Wish I'd been able to help... want me to go swap out so he can come and see this precious thing?”  

“Eventually, if you don’t mind a toddler with the flu.”  

“Never when it’s my precious niece.”  

Even Yang with the flu was Yang, precious little wonderful, amazing Yang. Maybe she wasn’t feeling so bright or bubbly right now, but he’d take any time with her he could get. He was away from his family far too often as it was, and he wanted to be a part of these kids' lives. Even if that was reading bedtime stories to a kid with a fever.   

Plus, Tai deserved to be here with Summer and Ruby, wasn’t it the uncle's job to do a little babysitting.  

He couldn’t believe Raven had walked away from this, from them. She could have been here for this, she could have been standing by Summer’s side and holding her hand or taking the night shift so Tai could visit. Taking care of her own daughter, imagine that. He tried not to be bitter, his sister had made her choice, he couldn’t change that now. She walked away from her family, that was her loss.  

The nurse bustled in, wide smile on her face at the sight of him, then scooped the little baby up.  

“You must be dad.”  

“Oh, wait, no, I...”  

The nurse didn’t bother with his protests, slotting her into his arms. She fit just as perfectly as Yang had just a few years ago.  

He locked eyes with the little ones glinting up at him, slow sleepy blinks, and the rest of the world zoned out.   

She had Summer’s eyes, silvery and shiny, and the same resting smile. Ok, sure, babies weren’t really capable of looking or smiling or any of that yet, but it felt like she was. Little hand automatically grabbing onto things, followed by a wide yawn and those little eyes falling shut again, as she nuzzled into sleep. She looked so much like Summer, poor Tai’s genes seemed to have lost this time around, so small and fragile and perfect.  

Ruby Rose or Ruby Xiao Long he didn’t know, but right now he didn’t much care. It didn’t matter either way, she was a perfect kid with two fantastic parents and a firecracker of a sister and gods they were going to keep her safe.  

He was going to keep her safe. Just like he’d promised Yang the day she came into the world, curled into his arms in just the same way. He was going to protect them, do anything he had to do, his nieces. His wonderful nieces. He was going to keep them safe; he was going to make the world safe for them. Criminals, the grimm, Salem, he was going to fight and fight and fight and make the world safe for them both. They'd never know the sadness or fear or grief that he’d been forced through.  

They were both going to be happy, raised in a loving home, safe.  

He was going to keep this little girl safe.  

“...ow? Qrow?”  

His head shot up.  

“You zoned out a little there, Q. You good?”  

“Yeah, been a long few months, but she’s... do your nurses make a habit of bundling your baby into random people's arms?”  

~.~

2-  

Qrow hovered at the doorway, waiting for Yang’s teacher let him into her classroom. He wasn’t the teacher he’d met when he’d first come home to Patch after Summer... after they’d sent a message home to say Yang’s grades had dropped and she’d fallen behind.   

No shit she’d fallen behind, her mom had died, her dad had shut down and she’d been left trying to look after him and her sister. That was a hell of a lot to put on an eight-year old’s shoulders without also expecting her to keep on top of schoolwork. He wasn’t even sure why they were so insistent on grading kids her age anyway, though he’d never been to school before Beacon so maybe there was a reason he just didn’t understand. Still, her teacher then, a kind lady who’d since moved to central Vale with her wife for work, had asked him to come in and talk about helping get Yang back on track.  

It had been something that had been worrying him then, to be truthful. He'd had a long talk with her even, before getting the call from the school, about letting him take over the adult tasks. He would take care of her and Ruby, and take care of Tai, and make sure bills were paid and food was cooked and everything else they needed. All he asked her to focus on was herself, her own hobbies, her own homework, her own feelings. It had been a difficult conversation, and something she struggled with, but she had been more herself the longer he’d stayed in Patch. Slowly but surely returning to the bright girl she had been before.  

The teacher had suggested catchup sessions, help to cover all the homework she’d missed, the classes she’d zoned out on, the things she’d fallen behind from. He'd happily agreed, and helped where he could, and the school had continued it when her teacher changed. Now the school wanted him to come in again, and he honestly didn’t know what to think.   

The man smiled and welcomed him in, clearly recognising him from the morning drop-off and afternoon pickup. Yang was in the school library doing homework, and Ruby was ‘doing homework’ with her. He could pick them up once this was done.  

“Thank you for coming in. I'm Ochre, Yang’s teacher.”  

“Qrow.” He offered a hand to shake “Is everything alright?”  

“Oh, absolutely, I just thought we needed to catch up and discuss Yang’s progress. Please, take a seat.”  

He tried not to look too taken aback by the incredibly bright colours that covered the classroom, diagrams of plants and rivers and mountains, kids' art, all sorts. He tried not to let himself wonder what learning in a place like this might have been liked, with teachers and other kids, not just the Tribe’s elders and the Tribe’s kids in a tent and a hell of a lot of learning as you go and/or teaching yourself. Libraries had been a blessing when he’d been teaching himself about the world. Nothing like this. He couldn’t even imagine learning in a place like this.  

He'd half expected to be led to one of the too small chairs again, but instead he was guided to an adult sized one.  

“As you’re aware, her grades had slipped greatly a few months ago.”  

“Yeah, losing her mom...”  

“I’m aware, I saw the report. And I'm sorry for your loss.”  

“Thank you.”  

“Well, I’m pleased to say she’s taken to the catch-up sessions really well. In fact, she’s been excelling. Not only has she caught up with what she missed, she’s surpassed most of her class. She's become engaged in her work again, a much happier, bubblier child. I don’t think she’ll need to continue the classes any longer, so long as she keeps this up. You should be very proud of your daughter.”  

“I am. She's so strong.”  

It was true, she was incredibly strong. Stronger than she ever should have needed to be. She’d been so brave and worked so hard and he was so very proud of her.  

It wasn’t until he was half-way home, with Yang clinging to one hand and Ruby on his hip, that he realised the teacher had called Yang his daughter.  

He wasn’t these girls’ dad, but he’d do the job until Tai was back on his feet.  

He'd happily do the job for as long as they needed him.  

 ~.~

3-  

“Cute kids. Yours?”  

He realised he’d been sitting and looking at the photo for too long only when Shiro leant over his shoulder and asked.  

“Hmm? Oh, no.”  

“You sure? They both look like you.”  

“No, no, they’re my nieces, not my daughters.”  

“Sure.”  

He looked back at the photo.  

He missed his girls so much. Gods, so much.  

It had been almost nine months since he’d seen them, but it felt like a decade, made worse by the year he’d spent with them and looking after them before that, before Tai, before that last day...  

The bright joy on Yang’s face as she’d sprinted into the room with her first 100% maths paper ever, so proud that her hard work and their homework sessions had paid off. Mostly her hard work, harder than anyone else, running in with a grin splitting her face, the proof she understood that this was the result of her effort. Little Ruby had darted in right behind with the colouring she’d been doing in class, just as excited to show off what she’d done, trying to be just like her sister. They'd both sprinted right up to him to come and show him.  

They'd both sprinted right past Tai to come and show him.  

Tai had snapped.  

Qrow had managed to keep him from blowing up in front of the girls, but once they were in bed and asleep, Tai had, well, he’d made it exceptionally clear that Qrow was not their dad, and that it would be best he start taking missions again. So, that next morning, he’d told the girls that his boss had asked him to go back into the field, that he loved them very much and he’d visit as often as possible. Packed his bag, given them the biggest hugs he could, and walked back to Oz to take a mission, any mission.  

He missed them so much it hurt.  

But what else could he do.  

He wasn’t welcome, Tai didn’t want him around, and it was his home. His and Summer’s and Ravens, but Summer and Raven were gone, and he had to respect Tai’s wishes. Even if the girls had sobbed and clung to him when he had to leave, even when they’d made him promise he’d come back, when he’d had to hold in his own tears. It felt like such a betrayal, but it was for the best.  

Tai was right, stay too long and he’d curse them anyway. His semblance wasn’t made for him to be around people. Those kids were too precious for him to fuck up. They deserved better.  

“Don’t worry, Branwen. We’re almost done, then you can go and see your kids.”  

“They’re not my... oh whatever.”  

~.~  

4-  

“What’s that?”  

He looked back at Oz from where he’d been perched on the edge of his desk. They were waiting for General Felsic to arrive, having just welcomed new headmaster Leonardo Lionheart into the fold, into the truth. The truth about Oz, and Salem, and magic and relics, and frankly he’d taken it rather well. Better than some.  

“Hmm?”  

“The standing money coming out each month?”  

The stand... ah, that.  

Did Oz have to bring it up now? Here? Sure, they trusted the circle with a lot, but this was more his personal life than save the world stuff. Glynda and Leo were looking at him now too, ugh, fine.  

“Oh, it’s what I send back to Tai for the kids, to take care of them.”  

“You know I send Taiyang money each month,” what Summer would have earned had she still been with them, he knew, and he was incredibly grateful for it, “and that he works full time at the school.”  

“I know, but they’re my family, I want to contribute, and I can’t be around as much.”  

He tried to make it sound like leaving was just because the missions were important, he hadn’t told Oz about his no longer being welcome in the home on Patch. Not welcome home on Patch, not welcome around his family anymore. Not for more than a day or so anyway, before things got too tense and he was ‘politely’ reminded that he had places to be. That was personal business, and besides, Remnant needed him, the kids were fine. If Tai said the money was still needed for the girls, then he’d send it. Tai may not want him around, but he wasn't rejecting his contributions, so they must have been needed.  

That or in Tai’s mind he was paying child support on Raven’s behalf.  

No, just because Tai couldn’t stand him being around right now when they’d lost Raven and Summer didn’t mean he wasn’t family. He still let Qrow visit, still let him see the girls, call them, send money through. Things were just rough, that was all.  

Ozpin tilted his head in a slight nod, and turned to Glynda to ask if she had an update on their Atlesian entourage. Leonardo, on the other hand, came to him.  

“Your kids? Must be hard being away from them, doing all of this.”  

He had said the kids and his family, implied they were his. He had to stop doing that, Tai was right, they weren’t his kids. They were Tai’s kids, Summer’s kids, hell, Raven had more of a claim than he did and she’d abandoned them all a few days after Yang was born. They weren’t his kids, no matter how much he loved and cared for them, and he needed to remember that. No more slipups.  

“They’re not mine, Leo, but yeah, it is. It really is.”  

~.~  

5-   

“Those your kids fighting?”  

The bartender seemed to have noticed his interest was far more focused on this fight than the others. Ugh, bar staff could be incredibly perceptive sometimes, which was only useful half the time. Aka, when it benefitted him.  

They were his kids, but he wasn’t about to tell some bartender he’d never met before.  

He had too many enemies to trust any stranger like that.  

“Nah, just better than the others.”  

They were doing remarkably well, for first years anyway. A decent grasp on teamwork, and gods he was glad Ruby seemed to have come out of her hood a little, fluid and well-practiced combos, and potential. Lots and lots of potential. Once they got a little more experience under their belt, they’d go far.  

Oddly, it wasn’t Ruby or Yang that really caught his attemtion, though of course he’d caught their match. No, it was their teammate, Schnee.  

She reminded him so much of Willow it was scary, same face, same pulled back hair, same shining precise glyphs. It made sense, she was Willow’s younger daughter, the elder being Jimmy’s right hand, but how had she ended up at Beacon. From what he’d heard, Winter going to Atlas Academy like her mother had been a fairly large act of rebellion, but to get as far away as Beacon, that kid had Willow’s fighting spirit, or at least, the spirit she’d had back when he knew her.  

The smooth, confident Atlas student he’d befriended over the course of the tournament, Jimmy’s teammate. Who'd invited him for a spar, and later into her bed. Back when they’d been young and stupid and optimistic, but both weighed down by family pressures. He was sure it was part of what had drawn them together, even if he’d ended up dating Jim for a while after that instead. She had the responsibilities of the Schnee name, and he’d had his mother’s orders. Vytal had been a breath of fresh air for both of them.  

By the time he was licenced and free to visit Atlas she was married to Jacques, and then after that mission... he’d spent most of it by James’ bedside waiting for him to wake, listening to the doctors talk about potential prosthesis, trauma counselling, rehabilitation and physical therapy. He'd seen Willow at the funeral of their teammates, carrying a toddler, Winter, on her hip, a shadow of herself. That fateful mission had been her last mission, and she’d withdrawn after that.  

They'd lost contact.  

Had it really been so long ago now that her middle child was at Beacon, on a team with Yang and Ruby.  

Gods he was getting old.  

The bartender poured him another drink as the footage cut from the match just finished to a recap of the fights so far.  

He hoped he’d be able to catch a few more of their fights, if only to tell his girls how proud he was of them.  

Chapter Text

+1-

“Please, we need help.” 

The doctors rushed over as they hopped off the airship, and Ruby kept her eyes locked on her uncle as they carried his stretcher off. He was so pale, no longer mumbling, no longer cracking his eyes open the way he had been. She couldn’t lose him here, they couldn’t lose him here, not Qrow, not her Uncle Qrow. He was her mentor, her idol, he’d practically raised her and Yang... 

Gods, Yang wasn’t even here. 

She managed to grab his hand as they rushed into the building, Ren and Nora and Jaune flanking them as they passed through several doors and wound through corridors. The doctor rattled off words she only half acknowledged, and then there were hands on her shoulders as and Qrow’s hand slipped from hers. 

The doors fell shut in front of her. 

“Hey, kid, are you hurt?” 

“N...no I'm fine.” 

She was, her aura had healed any hits she’d taken against the nuckelavee, and she forced herself to focus as her friends were asked the same question.  

“Can we get his details?” 

“Huntsman Qrow Branwen, he was stung by a stinger, a faunus assassin, the poison has been in his system for almost a week, he’s been deteriorating.” 

“And how is he related to you?” 

“Our dad.” Ruby interjected, almost before the question was fully out. 

It wasn’t that she was scared the doctor wouldn’t let them in if it was discovered they were his niece and her friends, not his kids, that probably wouldn’t be a problem, but she didn’t want to take the risk. She wanted updates and to sit by his side and that could sometimes be immediate family only. The idea that they wouldn’t be told anything until he was awake and able to tell the doctors to let them in... 

“The doctors have him, kid, and they’ll look after him. Sit down, have something to eat, we’ll update you on your dad's condition when we have more news.” 

“Thank you, doctor.” 

Ruby slumped into one of the chairs they were shown and watched the rest of the team slump down with her. Everyone else seemed ok, and uncle Qrow was going to be ok. They were in Mistral, they’d made it to Mistal. She'd barely seen the city as they’d arrived, she’d been so focused on her uncle. Of course she had, he’d been dying, he’d been dying and there had been nothing he could do.  

He'd helped raise her, come home after mom had died and taken over from Yang who’d been trying so hard to look after them both and dad. He’d bought food and put them to bed, helped with cleaning and read them books and actually made dad get up. Made dinner and breakfast and actual packed lunches for school. She didn’t remember it as well, she’d only been six, but he’d swooped in and saved them. She remembered that Yang had been happier again and the food had been good again and that he was way better at voices in bedtime stories. He’d stayed for aaaaages and been, well, frankly, he’d been more of a dad than dad had back then. He’d been her hero ever since.

Plus, uncle Qrow never looked at her like he was being haunted by mom’s ghost.  

Dad and Yang... she needed to write them a letter, they needed to know. 

Well, Yang did.  

She didn’t know if dad would care, he hadn’t really managed to hide how tense things were between him and Uncle Qrow had been since mom had died. Uncle Qrow tried, they both tried, but the angry looks and weird comments and the way uncle Qrow never stayed more than a few days had always been telling. After Beacon fell had been the longest he’d stayed since that time after mom had died. Once, on the anniversary of mom’s death, she’d heard her dad tell Uncle Qrow that he wished Qrow had died instead of mom, but uncle Qrow hadn’t argued or brought it up again. Sometimes she wondered if he felt the same way, especially after all the thing’s he’d told them about Salem, and his missions. She got the feeling he didn’t always realise how much he meant to her and Yang.

Yang, she needed to write a letter to Yang. 

“Hey,” Jaune’s voice was soft, grounding, the dependable friend she’d come to rely on, “you ok?”

She glanced around. Nora and Ren were asleep against each other on the chairs across from her, but Jaune had come over to her side, with a cup of water held out for her.

She accepted it gladly.

“Yeah, just thinking about Yang, letting her know we made it. And... everything else.” 

“That’s a good idea. Plus, if we’re planning on staying here for a little bit, she can write us back, it’ll be good to know how she’s getting on.” 

It would be good to know, but a part of her was terrified. She was scared Yang wasn’t better, or that she’d blame herself for not being here to help them, which wasn’t fair because she was still recovering when Ruby left. Losing her arm, and Blake...  

She hoped Yang was feeling better.  

“Well alright kids, we’ve got him stable and settled.” 

“Thank you, so much. Can we see him?” 

“Of course. Your dad’s resting, and should be allowed to rest, but you can go and sit with him.” 

“Thanks.” 

He wasn’t technically her dad, but he was in every way that counted.

~.~

+2- 

Clover paced back and forth.  

This was one of the hardest thing’s he’d ever had to do. 

Ish. 

He wanted to ask Qrow to marry him, he desperately wanted to ask. It was probably moving slightly fast, but their partnership was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he’d never met anyone with a semblance like his before, and most importantly Qrow made him happy. So happy. Hard to believe it had taken this long to find someone who made him feel this way, but the past nine months had been the best of his life. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Qrow, and Qrow had said the same to him. 

But before asking Qrow to marry him, he needed to get permission, from the two most important people in Qrow’s life. 

His kids. 

But try as he might, he could not get the sisters alone.  

For weeks he’d been trying, in between missions and dates with Qrow and his duties as Captain of the Aces and the girl’s own missions and the threat of Salem and... well, he hadn’t had that many opportunities anyway, but even when he did, he could never catch just them.  

They were always surrounded by their team, though with how Qrow acted towards those kids, he probably needed all their blessings. Even if only two of them were actually his kids, he was clearly parenting the rest of them too, one of the many things that had him head over heels for Qrow. For someone who considered himself to be closed off and unlikable, those kids gravitated and looked up to him, and he didn’t hesitate to go above and beyond for them. Advice on anything from missions to dates, helping with training, the way they all immediately followed his lead when he was there. Complete and utter trust.  

Oddly, most of the other kids had given their blessings in one way or another. Nora and Ren had made comments on how good a match they were, Jaune had insisted their partnership was a big improvement on Qrow having to work alone, and that Qrow seemed happier, and Blake and Weiss had made a few offhand comments. Hell, Penny had asked to see the ring unprompted, and then insisted it was perfect, and every member of his own team had asked when they were finally going to sort themselves out.  

But Ruby and Yang were Qrows’ kids. 

Qrow’s actual kids. 

They were the ones he needed to ask, and the ones he couldn’t find time to talk to. 

Despite the physical similarities, there was no dark family secret that they were Qrow’s kids, but they were his kids. Between the things they’d said, and the things Qrow had said, anyone with eyes could see it. The way he loved and cared for them, the way they utterly adored him.  

Qrow’s sister had abandoned them, Summer had died, and Taiyang... 

Frankly, Clover had some choice words for Taiyang if he ever actually met the man.  

Seemed unlikely, given he’d let his kids and brother-in-law go all the way around the world to fight the forces of Salem without him. Stayed in Patch doing what the hell ever while his kids ran into the world's worst danger, a danger he knew about, instead of going to help them. How could the man call himself a huntsman then bow out of the fight? Especially since, according to Qrow, he’d claimed he couldn’t go after Ruby to protect her because Yang needed support, only to send Yang off after Ruby and Qrow alone.  

Combined with all the other things the kids had said, Qrow was far more a dad to them than that man, and they both clearly felt that way, whether they realised it or not. 

So yeah, if he was going to ask Qrow to marry him, he wanted the approval of his daughters. 

However, not being able to get them alone wasn’t why he was pacing.  

He was pacing because he’d vented some of this to Winter, who’d gone to Weiss, who’d decided she was dragging Yang and Ruby over to ‘get this whole silly mess sorted out'.  

There was a knock at the door.

Right, now or never.

The door slid open to reveal Yang and Ruby, not a Schnee in sight, and he welcomed them in  

“Is everything ok?”

”Fine, fine, I just… I wanted to talk to you both, about your uncle. You’re both aware that we’ve been dating, and I can’t express how happy he makes me, but I know you’re a package deal, so before I...” 

“You’re going to ask him to marry you? Finally.” 

Yang’s face burst into a bright smile with her words, and Ruby flung herself into him. 

“Eeeee, I'm so excited, he’s definitely going to say yes, and then you’ll be our uncle Clover.”

And then they’d be his kids, he had considered that. It was exciting, they were great huntresses and great people. They’d been raised well by a good parent, clearly. 

“What’s this?” 

Shit. 

“Qrow, hi, you’re back.” 

“I’m back, and you’re hugging my kids, who are smiling like they heard good news.” 

“I...” he searched Qrow’s face for a second, the slight smirk and the bright glint in his eyes and... damn, “You heard all that?” 

“I did, and that you wanted to ask my girls before asking me, just proves why you’re the man I want to spend my life with. So, want to ask me for real?”