Work Text:
reassurances
The mission was a failure.
Qrow's eyes blurred together, the world turning upside-down-inside-out over and over again, until suddenly, his body slumped against a cold wooden door with a heavy thud. He paused, sliding his cheek down the smooth wood, slowly feeling chuckles erupting from within his very core.
I fell. Huh. It doesn't hurt. Oops.
Closing his eyes, he let out a haggard sigh, scrabbling blindly for the door handle. Finally, he found it. With a gleeful grin, he gave it one firm victorious twist, only for the door to open up under him, letting his body crash to the floor.
"I'm okay!" he called to the dark room within.
Suddenly, footsteps crashed down the stairs, followed by a scandalized gasp. "Uncle Qrow, what happened?!" Ruby squeaked, sprinting towards him. She grabbed his arms, and he giggled stupidly, letting his head loll back and forth as she stumbled under his weight, guiding him to the sofa.
Finally, she had him situated on the couch with a glass of liquid in hand. "Drink this, uncle," she urged.
He grinned wide, baring his teeth excitedly. Leave it to his favourite little niece (but ssh, don't tell Yang that, she'd get angry) to bring him a little treat after the shittiest day possible! What would it be- whiskey? Bourbon? Rum? Gin? The possibilities were endless! He brought the cup up to his lips, then gagged.
"Sweetheart. Ruby. Child." He beckoned her over, and she complied, sitting beside him. He held the cup of water under her nose. "This is not what you gotta give an… adult…" he paused, then shook his head, remembering what he wanted to say, "an adult, when they've come back from a mission. You give 'em booze, kid. Let 'em celebrate."
"Oh…" Ruby glanced down, shifting closer. She was quiet for a moment. "I'm not getting you any alcohol."
Qrow placed the glass on top of the table, taking far too much time with it. He was just making sure it was really, really on the table- he couldn't tell, since the world was spinning a little too much. "Look, kid," he sighed, "don't be like that. What're you, Glyn-Glyn-" he hiccupped, "Glynda?!"
He felt Ruby shift, leaning against his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" she whispered. Even in his state, he sobered up a little, hearing the hurt and fear in her voice.
He glanced down. His blazer was really, really red. "Maybe I got… a little bit hurt, haha," and he pinched his thumb and forefinger together to show just how much pain he had felt. He couldn't really see the distance between the appendages- everything was far too dark and blurry for that- but he was sure it conveyed the right message. "I don't feel it anymore." And he didn't. Whether that was due to his regenerated Aura healing his wounds, or the fact that he had drunken enough liquor that night to tranquilize lesser men, he didn't know.
"What happened?"
Even though he had been drinking for hours, the image of the mangled bodies he had found- many of them belonging to children and teens, kids Ruby's age- re-entered his mind.
It was just supposed to have been a normal intel mission, nothing more. He wasn't supposed to have found one of Salem's lackeys there. He wasn't supposed to have fought hundreds upon hundreds of Grimm in a destroyed town, forced to look at the remains of people he was too late to save.
He wasn't supposed to have watched so many people die.
But it happened anyways.
The bar had been good for a while after reporting back to Ozpin, after telling him of the horrors he had seen. Oz hadn't blamed him. Oz never blamed him- the man always only looked… sad. Qrow shuddered, thinking back on the man's sad expression. Seeing him upset was almost worse than if Oz had called him incompetent, like he deserved.
The bar hadn't asked questions- they'd just refilled his glass, as long as he had Lien to spare. The bartenders were long used to seeing him stumble in, wounded and broken, inside and out.
But now, he blinked, focusing on the ten-year-old's wide, nervous silver eyes, watery and scared as she looked up at him. "Ruby," he breathed.
"Don't blame yourself, Uncle," she whispered, pressing her face against his shoulder. "Whatever happened, you did your best, right?"
Yeah. Reaching into his blazer pocket, his pulled out his own flask, uncapping it. "How'dya know somethin' happened, huh?"
"'Cause you don't drink like this unless something really bad happened."
And his heart fell into his shoes. He could still remember, over a decade earlier, when Summer used to scold him the same way.
He sighed, wrapping one arm clumsily around Ruby's shoulders, drawing her close. "And how would you know that, huh kiddo?"
Suddenly, he felt her shoulders heave in his arms, a tiny, wheezing whine slipping past her lips. In his haze, he shuffled to lean down, lifting up her chin clumsily. "Hey, kiddo, why the tears?" he whispered as succinctly as possible. It was hard to enunciate in his state, but damn he tried.
The girl sniffled as she looked up at him. "I know you go on missions and they're dangerous and something bad happened, but you're still the best Huntsman ever," she squeaked quietly. "You're strong and you're the best. And I'm sorry whatever happened happened. I'm sorry I can't help."
And his heart broke, the alcohol and the dizziness and the ridiculousness of the whole situation hitting him so hard that he was lost for words. How did she know? How could she figure it out so easily? She was just a kid, but she knew how to read him. What could he say?
Finally, he whispered, "You caught me. How… did you end up so smart, huh?"
She smiled, resting her head against his chest, squeezing her arms around his torso. "I was taught by the best."
And Qrow closed his eyes, dropping his flask with a clatter on the floor. With trembling hands, he wrapped his arms around Ruby's head, holding her against him.
If she noticed how he shuddered and shook, breath hitching as teardrops fell onto her hair, she said nothing. She just held on tighter, whispering "I love you, Uncle Qrow," under her breath as she patted his back. She was such a damn treasure. No wonder he kept going back into the field. No wonder he'd report back to Oz for his next mission the following day when he was sober enough to fly again.
He had to make the world safe for Ruby. After all, he had the best niece in the world. He needed to do right by her.
-fin-