Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Qrow has penned a letter for every mission since Ruby was five. Old enough to remember him but young enough that she would move on soon enough too.

But mission after mission he wrote those letters. Those little good-byes, the just in cases. In case he didn't make it back.

This time was the same. A difficult mission that Oz thought only he could do. It needed stealth, a good ear, and a drunk who wasn't drunk to lend an eye to things. So Qrow went, but not before penning that same old letter. Just with more things to say.
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I don't really know how to start this off except with I'm sorry. I'm gone and nothing is ever going to be the same as it once was. I'm sorry I won't be there to you get into Beacon or to beat Yang's butt when she takes your last cookie.

But you've grown and I couldn't be more prouder. To watch you grow, change into a young woman with all the courage of your mother. To have been your Uncle, a friend, and a confidant. I say thank you, Ruby. And that your mom and I are so proud of you too. She would have loved to have been here to see you grow into what you are now.
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The letter continues much the same. Talking about times when she was with him and they were happy. Then it ends with; Love, your father.

He slips it into the envelope, seals it, and hands it, like all the others to Tai, before the mission.

Tai has a few words for him. Words like "You should tell her. She'd understand. She's old enough to. She loves you." To words like, "be safe and good travel."

It's just a precaution he says. Just in case I don't make it back, that I can't tell her myself. Don't want her to worry.

Little does Qrow know that all those letters that he wrote are in a trunk in the attic of Tai's, collecting dust. Just in case.

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Another mission, another letter. They got more heartbreaking each time he left too. Not on purpose but...what if he never saw her again? Never got to hold her and ooh and ahh over her tiny toes, the way she babbled, or clung to him just like a little monkey? What if?

Here he was getting all sappy on himself now and the mission wasn’t even for another few days. Penning the words though always took time. Time to find the right ones. To say sorry for never telling her the truth, for not really spending time with her, he hoped she understood.

This time though the letter didn’t go to Tai. It went into the trunk that Qrow had placed in his room specifically for these letters. No use in letting Tai know he was worried he always knew anyways. That man was both a wizard and worrywart rolled into one. But Qrow guessed it came with being a dad and all.

“Qrow, what are you doing? Want to come help me get Ruby settled for the night?”

Hearing his wife’s voice always made Qrow smile. How was he, a thief and an outlaw, blessed not with just a wife but with a child too. One who took far too much after her mother as he liked to tease them both. With her red hair, silver eyes, and pale complexion Ruby hadn’t gotten any of his traits that he could see...yet. Guess it was just a matter of time before something of his kicked in. Even Yang, being a few years older of course, had gotten Raven’s red eyes when she became mad. He hoped Ruby never got those, he liked her silver eyes.

“Coming Sum.” He quickly penned the rest of the letter, ending it with a flourish and a hastily scrawled, “Love Dad,” before tucking it away in the trunk. He still had two days to spend with his lovely ladies and damned if he was going to spend it moping.

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So Qrow had lied to his best friend. He had lied before but this was probably just as bad as those last times too. To tell you the truth he hadn’t noticed telling Tai when he started those letters. He just started handing them to him before he left, knowing that somehow they’d end up in that dusty old trunk he had put up there after Summer died. That same old dusty trunk that he had stopped using for so long until Tai told him that he had found the letters. Then Qrow had started handing him the letters, knowing that it would end up in the trunk in the attic of the house they had built when their kids were little. Tai had done it before Ruby could remember her father. She had splotches of memories but she thought them Tai.

Once upon a time it had been four of them then five then six then five again. Sure they had, had sad times in the house and angry moments, fights and full on screaming matches, the house the four of them had built had been one that was never empty of love. And it stayed that way. Even after Summer died and Qrow went wandering a bit more than normal. Then it was just the girls and Tai. Then Ruby had gotten admitted to Beacon early and it had been just Tai.

But even with Ruby off to Beacon to learn under Ozpin’s watchful eye Qrow had never stopped penning those damn letters. It had just gotten worse with each passing year though and even Oz was starting to worry about him.

Watching his hand fly across the page and see that hasty scrawl before he flew out the door or window was a sight that Oz could have done without in all his lifetimes. Granted it was his own fault he had promised Qrow that he’d remain silent on the matter that he was Ruby’s father since she and Yang both believed it to be Tai but it made his already old soul feel older and Oz could feel the burden he had placed on Qrow’s shoulders growing too.

Standing behind the man he had called a friend since the day he graduated from this very school Ozpin put a hand on Qrow’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.
“Maybe you should tell her, Qrow,” he started to gently say before being interrupted with a cynical scoff.

“And tell her what, Oz? I’m sorry for lying to you for FIFTEEN years but I didn’t know how to raise you let alone know if I could. Yeah, that go over real smooth. Better to just keep it this way. Tell her after I die.”

Ozpin sighed and walked back to sit behind his glass desk and watch as his friend wrote himself into a frenzy all because of a fifteen year old secret.

Chapter Text

He can feel the poison coursing through his veins. Each breath felt wetter and wetter. His own body was betraying him. He didn’t know how to feel about it.

In the grand scheme of things he feels relieved. He was at least able to save the kids from that scorpion faunus and get them to safety. He's just irritated that it took him his life to do it. He had things to do, people to see; y'know, the usual.

He just doesn’t know if he should tell his daughter now or later.

Leaning against the tree by the fire one of the kids made - they were pretty handy even if they were alone before he came along - Qrow just laid there. He didn’t really have the energy for much more than that. Until they all started asking him questions about stuff.

Then he had to talk. Not even the whiskey had been able to dull the pain that he felt. That was bad considering it had been the highest shelf liquor possible too. But now his flask was dry, his side was throbbing, and his mind was, not really addled, but fractured in some way.

Then Ruby had asked a question and his thoughts had gone berserk.

“Why couldn’t you trust me?”

Even after telling them it was a long story he had sat back down and told them. Told them that some people were born unlucky and that he was just a bad luck charm that hurt people wherever he went. That was why he hadn’t been traveling with them.

Then Ruby had asked if there was anything else he’d like to tell them and Qrow just shook his head and said not right now before walking off. Where he was walking, he didn’t know. He just walked. The slice on his abdomen was burning with every step he took and he knew it was bad. Worse than what he had been hurt before on a job. This was bad.
Staggering back to sit against the tree Qrow felt the bubble of liquid slide up until he the urge to cough was overwhelming. So he did. Again and again. Nothing came up but he could feel it. It was there, just waiting to come up and choke him.

He dug through his pockets for paper at least, he knew he had a pen. He should probably just tell her, Ozpin was right. She was old enough to understand why he did. But call him scared or a coward he couldn’t stand to see the look of disappointment on her face. So much like her mother she was. A spitfire. And short to boot.

He chuckled at that thought and coughed, the first of many, bringing up purple liquid that he quickly scrubbed into the dirt. Didn’t need to frighten the kids yet. Maybe when he got worse.

Finding the pen he had grabbed from Ozpin’s desk on accident he uncapped it and started writing, the letters bleeding into each other in his haste and he made the conscious effort to slow down. He had to make it legible after all.

“Dear Kiddo, I don’t know how to tell you this but I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I kept this from you for so long but I just didn’t know how to tell you. I never wanted to hurt you, kid. At first it was easy to tell myself I was doing it because of my semblance, that I was doing it to keep you safe and out of harm’s way. If you were known as my daughter then anything could happen. You would be fair game. As it stands now you’re still fair game but for being Summer’s child and not mine.
Now I can’t lie to myself or to you anymore. I have to tell you. I’m your father Ruby. Summer and I got married two years after graduating Beacon ourselves. Your dad and Raven following soon after, Yang on the way a year after that. We, the four of us I mean, built the house that you and Yang grew up in. Summer and I would baby-sit her when Tai wanted to take Raven on dates.

I’m sorry that I waited fifteen years to come clean. I know you’ll have questions and I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer them so I’ll try to answer a few.
Summer and I had you two years after Tai and Raven had Yang. We didn’t want our kids to have too much of an age gap. Playmates were important.

Summer died after she took over one of my missions. I had gotten banged up pretty good from my last one and someone needed to go. She wasn’t able to use her silver eyes in time. I’m sorry kiddo. I miss her too. Her cookies were to die for.

I promise this isn’t all one big joke. Tai knows. I used to write you letters just like this one before every mission. Y’know the old trunk in the attic that never had a key. Ask your dad for the necklace he wears. When you read them though, just remember I’m sorry in advance.

Your mom would be proud of you. I am proud of you even when you called me uncle. I’m still proud of the girl young lady that I have witnessed grow up before me. The one who isn’t afraid to take charge and be herself though everyone around her is following a different path.

I know that there’ll be more questions than answers. I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer them all. But I love you kiddo, now and always. Watching you grow up into what you are today has been the single greatest joy in my life.

Love,
Your Father."

Qrow capped the pen and tried to slide it back into his pocket but his fingers fumbled as he did so. Dropping it next to him he knew that he couldn’t hold out for much longer. Looking at the tree and willing his semblance to actually work this time he smiled tiredly when the branch snapped and dropped to the ground. His eyes closed and he knew nothing more.

Chapter Text

To be honest Qrow didn’t remember much of anything after passing out under the tree. He remembered hearing voices, being put on something that jostled him far too much that he cared to admit, then nothing until he woke up in Haven with his daughter standing over him, hand holding the letter he had scrawled out hastily just before everything went dark.

Her face said it all. He felt terrible.

“Ruby, I -,” he tried to say, sitting up had been a mistake as it pulled his side. Lifting his head he saw she hadn’t moved from where she stood and counted the small blessings he still got.

Moving slower, she reached out a hand and she handed over the letter.

“Is it true? All of it. You’re my father.”

Her tiny voice reminded him so much of Summer when she had told him she was pregnant that he flinched back. He would prefer yelling but she was too much her mother’s daughter.

“It’s all true, kid. All of it that’s written here. Summer and I met at Beacon and hit it off quite well just like Raven and Tai did. Yang’s your cousin though and I’m your father.”

“Why do I not look like you? Yang’s eyes turn red when she’s mad like Raven’s. How come I don’t have something like that?”

Qrow shrugged. “Best anyone could guess it was because your mother’s genes, being a silver eyes and all, were too strong and took over. You did get something from me though.”

Ruby looked up now and Qrow could see she was crying. “What?”

“You could always tell which crow was me even before I transformed. No one knew how you did it but to some birds it’s instinctual.”

Now Ruby did cry. Fat tears rolled down her face and she gave a few hiccoughs. Flinging herself at her newly discovered Father she burrowed her face into his shoulder and cried. She was mad of course but also happy. She knew, deep down, that she wasn’t Taiyang Xiao Long’s daughter but never understood why she felt that way. Now she did.

After crying her eyes out she settled down. Pulling away from the embrace she had come to lean on growing up she asked a simple question. “Why?”

Qrow sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s a loaded question, kiddo. You mother and I were happy. Yang was about 2 when Summer had you and everything was fine for a while. Then Ozpin came knocking and said that there was a mission that he needed me on. I wrote you a letter just in case and took the mission. I came home from it but I was pretty banged up and the next time he came I couldn’t go. So your mother went in my place and the rest is history.”

“How old was I?”

“You had just turned one before Summer left. We thought it was an easy mission. Go in, kill the grimm, leave. We didn’t expect the ambush that was there. And when she couldn’t use her silver eyes in time well, you were left with an incompetent parent.”

“You’re not incompetent! You taught me to fight, to use my size against my opponent, to always be brave and how to be happy. You might not have completely raised me but I did learn things from you.”

Qrow smiled. His little girl was definitely a firecracker.

“You said letter? Did you write more?”

“Before every mission. I gave them to Tai to give to you in case I didn’t make it back. Part of me wanted to tell you but the other part won out. I was a coward Ruby, can you forgive me?”

The teen looked up at the person who had supported her entire dream of becoming a huntress, the person who had trained her on the gun and scythe she carried, and smiled through tears. “Yeah, Dad, I think I can.”

Giving his daughter a tight hug Qrow thought about how Summer would be laughing at them right now. She always told Qrow that things would work out in the end.

Feeling a hand brush his shoulder he thought he saw a quick glimpse of a white cloak and whispered a small, “Thank you.”

The scent of roses filled the room and he smiled, hugging his daughter tighter.