Chapter Text
“Lucky you.”
His sister poked at his squishy stomach, baby fat the Chief had called it, assuring that it’ll go away once the twins begin their training.
Qrow brushed the other’s hand away, tracing the two words etched into his skin.
Lucky you, the words of his soulmate.
It appeared overnight and Qrow only noticed when he tripped and fell into the river stream and needed a fresh tunic. Well as fresh as their salvaged bandit clothes can be.
Anyway, the little boy started scratching at it, alerting his sister who also thought it was a weird scab and all children in the tribe are obsessed with picking at their scabs no matter how many times the Chieftain scolds them.
That being said, the Chief totally found them and scolded them for fooling around but when their eyes caught sight of the words, the Chief lead them into the main tent for a story.
In a world of dangerous monsters, of ore with mystical powers, of people capable of daunting feats, there are invisible strings that bind people together.
Soulmates, a folklore that became tradition, wonderment, the hunt of a life time if a person wishes. Imagine a person who compliments your soul in a way no one else can ever do, a person who will change your perspective of the world, can make you believe in the impossible.
They’re out there in the world, the Chief assures, waiting for you but we all need a hint because we sure can be idiots.
And so, the gods or the fates mark a person with Words.
Soulmates Words, much like semblances, are personal and attuned to the individual.
They just appear one day, etched into the skin like a tattoo but no ink can compare to how the words feel. It can tug a person in the direction of their soulmate or burn or freeze with the other’s emotions. For most they are simply just words on skin. Sometimes the words are different colors or lengths, the location can vary around the body but one thing is for sure.
It is never a good thing to rush fate, for patience is rewarded.
Chief even lower their voice for spookiness, whispering how unhinged people tried to have dust tattoos replace or destroy Soul Words. The results are not good.
The words’ timing varies to people to people. For some it is their first meeting, others it happens after years of friendship or partnership. Sometimes it happens far too late, one mate chosen another or it could be a mate’s final words.
And even after the words are spoken, soulmates don’t promise romance or true happiness.
Sometimes the soulmate is a stranger that just needed to know you existed.
It is complicated, it is fate, and it is just something that you’ll understand when you’re older, the Chief told the twins.
Lucky you
Qrow traces the neatly written words seeped in a teal hue.
The twins are left with their curiosity over the natures of soulmates for the next few days.
“Hey are you listening to me?” Raven poked him again, a little harsher.
The younger twin huffed, pushing her arm away, “Nope.”
She rolled her eyes, “I just wanted to know if you’ll ever find them.”
Qrow blinked owlishly, “If?”
Raven nodded, not reacting to his wobbly lip, “Yes, if, because you’re probably not going to meet them. I heard from the other adults, they never found their soulmate because we don’t need them.”
“But the Chief said…”
He couldn’t dare finish not when Raven narrowed her red eyes at him.
“I don’t like what the Chief said,” her tone blunt in such a manner that only kids have, “I don’t want some stranger to change me or fate deciding who is my mate.”
Qrow mind was in a mess, on one hand he liked how their Chief talked about soulmates, it sounds so nice to meet someone who will like him and not hurt him. On the other hand, Raven’s distaste for soulmates is something he doesn’t quite understand.
It’s so strange to see her suddenly mad at soulmates. She looked just as mystified when they were told the story.
“Do you have your words?” He piped back up.
“No,” Raven said a little too quickly, too sternly. Qrow watched her scratch at her shoulder.
“Huh uh, sure you don’t.”
“Shut up, Qrow.”
“I think it would be cool,” he rattles out. “Soulmates will be a new friend. They’d be from a whole different world from us and still think I’m the one who is world changing. Also maybe they’re searching for me too.”
She rubs her chin, thinking really hard about his words.
Finally she says, “That does sound cool.”
Raven’s toothy smile goes big and wide, radiating sunshine from ear to ear.
That’s… that’s not Raven’s smile. Hers are small or hidden from the world, a rarity to even her brother.
This smile here is Tai’s.
Qrow blinks and those black locks become gold. Red eyes are lilac.
He blinks again and realizes it has been years since he and Raven were in their homeland’s lush forest. It’s been years since he and Raven talked. It’s been years since his sister decided to abandon her husband, her best friend, her brother, and her daughter.
Raven never thought what Qrow said was ‘cool’, she thought it was stupid. She must have that ingrained into her soul to ignore the concept of soulmates, just look how she treated her Taiyang.
Their five year old Yang is in front of Uncle Qrow, pondering about soulmates.
Yang smiles at the black words circling her right wrist.
We’re protecting each other
It’s the most heartwarming thing Qrow has ever heard. He can’t wait for Yang to see her soulmate speak those words.
“Do you think my soulmate is gonna be a hunter like you, Mom, and Dad?” Yang is vibrating with joy at the idea, “I can’t wait to fight off Grimm with them! We can do combo attacks and back flips!”
The child starts jumping on the couch, punching the air.
“Whoa, slow down firecracker,” Qrow urges, absolutely begging for his semblance to do nothing.
“Yang,” a stern voice from the kitchen calls, “what did I say about jumping on in the house?”
She sheepishly settles down, mumbling, “To not jump in the house.”
Qrow tuts at her, scooting closer to fix her frizzy pigtails, “Ooh, I think someone’s in trouble.”
“Nooo,” she whines.
“Your uncle may be right,” Summer Rose pokes her head out of the kitchen, “after all, someone said they’ll help me with the cookies.”
“He distracted me!” Yang points accusingly at Qrow and then is scrambling out of the living room, one pigtail still messy while the other was at least braided.
“No running,” Qrow warns only halfheartedly as Yang practically launchers herself to her mother.
“Cookie time!” The little dragon demands.
Summer rolls her eyes, “Fine, fine. Hey Qrow, go help Tai. Apparently he can’t handle this solo mission.”
Grinning, Qrow saunters over to see Tai laying in defeat before a toddler in a high chair. Mushy baby food smeared over his hands.
“Qrow save yourself,” the father bemoans, “I don’t know how you do this Summer.”
The mother in question shook her head in amusement. She shoves Qrow over to the fiasco that is Ruby refusing to eat her food.
Taking a napkin, Qrow gently cleans the goop stuck to Ruby’s forehead, “You brought the great Taiyang Xiao Long down. I am so proud of you.”
Still on the floor, Tai kicks Qrow’s foot.
It really does become a team effort between the two men to get Ruby to actually eat her food. They even did the whole ‘eating it and pretending it is good’ tactic they’ve seen Summer do. Yeah, they gag on the disgusting, too sweet mush.
Meanwhile Summer is adding a bag full of chocolate chips into the dough.
Damn these Roses and their sweet tooth.
This entire domestic bliss is something Qrow never imagined him having. Technically it still doesn’t have it. He’s just a part of the things that Raven Branwen left behind.
How in the world did Raven decided to leave this all?
Qrow never asked but he’s pretty damn sure that Tai is her soulmate. He saw a physical change in her on some day back in their academy years. Raven walked lighter, as if she wasn’t watching her back and expected enemies because Tai was nearby.
But one day, after some private conversation with Ozpin, that old, instinctive tension and fear was back on her shoulders. Qrow never figured out what Oz told her, at that point they already had shapeshifting magic.
She never did like authority figures. Maybe Oz said something similar to their old Chief.
Well her loss, she’s missing out on the best family Qrow could ever wish more. No soulmate needed here.
Yeah, Qrow should have known to keep his big mouth shut.
His family was never going to be safe with him around, not when he’s a drunken idiot, an omen of misfortune, a failure of a hero.
Summer is the real hero, the bringer of hope, the leader of STRQ and she… she…
She dies.
Qrow takes a drink. He tells Tai and they both share a drink. He watches Yang destroy her punching bag and he watches Ruby, barely able to say words, ask her dad, “Where’s Mommy?”
Qrow takes a drink, no, a whole bar and just consumes until his head is as numb as the useless Words on his stomach.
Lucky you
Fuck off.
He hates those words. Ever since he understood the magnitude of his semblance, those words were mocks and jeers from a stranger ready to spit in Qrow’s face.
One day, if he lives to it, Qrow will punch his soulmate so hard it knocks off their Words.
That’ll teach the universe a lesson in messing with a broken man.
Ozpin finds him like that some years later, kicked out of a bar with a reeking breath.
“You’re better than this,” the headmaster lecture.
Scoffing so hard that he almost pukes, Qrow mutters, “Nope, I’ll be worse.”
Pinching his nose bridge, Oz sighs and Qrow is ready to counter any sappy talk about quitting alcohol, prepared to fly out the closed window of Ozpin’s office if this man ever so guilt trips him.
Instead, Ozpin takes a deep breath and peers his eyes into Qrow’s soul, “I need you Qrow. I see your potential, your strength and skill and I know you’re the one of the only people on Remnant who can help me stop Salem.”
It should be a sense of duty that wakes Qrow up or the knowledge there is an ancient evil out there in the world that may one day hurt his remaining family.
But no, it’s this selfish part of him that preens under the phrase that someone as great as Ozpin needs Qrow Branwen.
After all, no one would ever want him.
The Tribe, his sister, was smart to know that.
He excuses the love and warmth from Summer, Tai, Yang, and Ruby as a pure thing that he doesn’t deserve but under Ozpin’s guidance maybe he’ll at least keep the world a little bit safer for the girls.
Qrow vowed to protect them but in the end, he’s nothing but bad luck.
Ruby was the last survivor to get rescued from Beacon. Qrow found her collapsed at the feet of the Grimm dragon. Its humongous form petrified.
Of course this is how she’ll trigger her powers. She’s the daughter of Summer Rose.
It’s a blur as Qrow carries her down the ruined clock tower, a masterpiece of Oz’s. He doesn’t want to get trapped in old memories of the ancient man but his cane is a weight attached to his belt.
He doesn’t realize tears are welling up in his eyes until James is at his side.
“The airship is up ahead,” the general leads. He knows Qrow well enough to not even ask to help him carry Ruby.
No one is going to pry his niece out of his shaking arms.
The walk through the damaged courtyard is silent, in the distance there are wails of Grimm and alarm sirens. It’s tragedies like these that make Qrow think, ‘hey, his semblance can’t possible make things worse.’
Because this?
This is Ozpin’s nightmare, or at least a glimpse of it.
Beacon fell, the Fall Maiden has the worst successor ever, and the children are forever changed.
Ruby is so light, filled with hope he’d joke, as he carries her onboard the airship. An emergency bed is already set up and he carefully secures her in, fluffing up the pillows like it’s her favorite pink ones in her bedroom.
Qrow joins Ironwood in the pilot seats, a lesson learned apparently.
The flight is quiet. The hum of the ship almost comforting but the moment Qrow hears the tiniest of groans from his niece he cracks, sobbing up Ruby’s name.
She was so small in his arms, as if years never passed by and she’ll blink up at him and make the cutest babbles. Then Yang would come over and demand his attention, asking for more braids in her ever growing hair.
Oh gods, Yang…
“Yang, she lost,” he chokes up, suddenly remembering how the medics carried her on a stretcher, “she lost, didn’t just lose her arm, James, she lost…”
Words.
Qrow can’t make himself say it, can’t make James relive the moment he lost not only the right side of his body but his words.
But the crumbling mess of his sentences sent the message. A flash of horror and despair reached into James’ eyes to take away any remaining light.
“I’ll call Pietro,” James said monotone, pretending to be emotionless in favor of a false sense of stability.
Qrow half expected to see the metal man have a bigger reaction but no, James would never let someone see him fall apart. James carries too much on his shoulders to act kindly.
The aftermath of Beacon is one of recovery.
His family is hurting and Qrow doesn’t know what to do.
Well, other than drink but that goes without saying at this point.
His drinking buddy is a cane, the oldest and oddest thing in the world.
Good news though, Ruby ain’t like Qrow, she has a plan. Albeit a stupid, reckless, adds more gray hair to that nest of his, plan but it’s a plan alright.
Travel to Haven Academy and get some answers or help.
…it takes only one second for Qrow to decide that he’s going after them.
A bunch of stuff happens.
That stuff includes fighting the most annoying killer ever and storytelling.
So maybe other people in Oz’s circle might not like the idea of telling kids about their secret war but hey, Qrow is miles away from them right now.
It does not help that the deranged servant of the witch was one nasty scorpion.
And it was just Qrow’s luck for that sharp tail to slash directly at his Words.
While the poison may burn through his skin, the sight of seeing the red line of blood dashing through Lucky you hurt more than any fatal injury Qrow has lived through.
Who knows, from the rate he’s coughing up blood, he might not live through this one.
There’s a bright side, his soulmate won’t ever find out how pathetic he is for damaging his Words.
Hah, only Qrow would have his Words scarred in half.
“Stop laughing,” chided Ren, currently on bird watching duty as they take a short rest.
Where the other kids are, Qrow doesn’t know nor bother to care as his feverish head clouds his judgement. All he can focus on is his fleeting memories that are much more painful than the throbbing fire and poison coursing throughout his system.
Ren is fruitlessly pressing a spare cloth over the wound, smudging red blood against teal words.
“What do the words mean?”
With great effort, Qrow opens one eye. Ren is staring at the words, curious and confused only storming in his pink eyes.
“It’s my Soul Words, from my soulmate,” Qrow rambles because he’s dying and his mind to mouth function is not taking his silent loner persona into account.
Ren quietly repeats, “Soulmates?”
It takes a long minute for Qrow to process the miniscule arch in Ren’s eyebrows.
“You… you don’t know?”
The long haired boy looked away, “I had no one to teach me about it.”
The huntsman may know little about Lie Ren but Qrow is picking up clues like it is being thrown at him.
Quiet and reserved, relies almost dependently on one person, lacks some social cues, and most importantly, has old tired eyes.
Right now, those eyes are young and new and begging for answers.
He looks exactly like Ruby when she pesters him about the words appearing on her back.
I always wanted bunkbeds as a kid
Qrow nearly giggled while Tai actually did giggle as little Ruby attempts to build a bunkbed for her soulmate. It was the most adorable thing they’ve ever seen.
Laughter bubbles up Qrow’s aching chest, “Adorable.”
His clouded head doesn’t commute Ren’s baffled face.
“Um,” Ren looks around, seeking someone else to take care of Qrow.
“Come on kid,” he weakly coughs, “tell a dying man what’s on your mind.”
Ren glares at him like an annoyed mother would but in reality he’s a teenager so he complies, “Nora and I, words just appeared on us one day. We didn’t know what it means and we never got the time to seek out answers. By the time we did get time, we forgotten about it. It didn’t matter because…”
Maybe Qrow shouldn’t finish that thought for him but his feverish head thought otherwise, “Because you two already found each other.”
The boy freezes and Qrow embraces the silence. Although he’ll bet that Ren is internally screaming.
Soulmates, yeah Qrow met a few people who actually meet their match.
They’re happy or content or made peace with whatever happens between them.
It’s a special kind of love Qrow believes he’ll never experience. He’s fine with that. His life is already one huge mess. He doesn’t need to add one more person to his list of people he disappoints.
Qrow’s mind is a foggy mess as time becomes meaningless as the Words he ruined.
Maybe there’s an epic fight going on?
He doesn’t know, his eyes are closed shut from how heavy and aching the universe is.
Next time he opens his eyes, he’s in Haven.
Huh, the kids actually did it.
There’s a swelling feeling in his chest as he realizes that these kids are smiling.
They think they’re no longer in danger.
No, don’t think like that, they are safe that’s it, let them be safe for one day more because Qrow will literally punch fate itself if his kids are in danger, gods damn it.
Kids, that includes Oscar Pine now that he politely, and a little uncertainly, asked for his cane back.
Yeah, so Qrow takes a few celebratory drinks.
Cheers! He did it! Ozpin is here!
Everything turning alright!
All he has to do now is recruit hunters for Leo’s plan or whatever. He’s kind of too drunk to remember the details.
In his drunken bliss, he belatedly sees how his luck takes control.
No one is around. Mistral is void of active hunters. They’re just gone or worse.
“Does he know where Mommy is?”
…Qrow doesn’t take a sip from his flask.
Maybe that was the right call because one moment later, Yang and Weiss step out of his sister’s portal.
Their reunion with Ruby is the something Qrow will cherish because for a brief second he saw three other people in the colors of yellow, red, and white.
After dinner, conversations for a lot more serious as Ozpin took the lead.
They talk about magic, the relics, him being a bird, yes Nora laugh all you want.
At this point Qrow thinks the universe is still laughing because Leo Lionheart and Raven sided with Cinder Fall, the woman with a grudge against all of his kids, who falls under the umbrella of Salem.
The Haven CCT tower becomes a giant mess that Qrow can’t control even if he tries, and tries he does.
Yelling at everyone to stop ain’t working, it never works, and having his sister watch his team crumble is a real pain too.
Raven knows, knows as much as Qrow knows, about how Salem does not care for humanity. So why did she cross this line?
His sister can’t have lost her humanity, Qrow refuses but he remembers all those years ago when Raven said she doesn’t believe in soulmates, that the Words on her skin has no say in her choices.
She scolded all of this the night before she fled from her family.
“We’re not family anymore,” Qrow snarls at her, holding up Harbinger against her Omen.
“Were we ever?” Is Raven’s retort, as if their years in the Tribe don’t matter, as if their time in Beacon didn’t matter, as if Tai and Raven and Yang didn’t matter?
His voice is unrecognizable, ragged from anger, “Your soulmates believed we all were.”
For once in their lives, Qrow catches Raven off guard. She always thought she was the cleverest person in the room, not realizing how she rubs both shoulders when she gazed at her two teammates.
Raven’s eyes dart to where his Words hide, “You know nothing about soulmates, little brother. They aren’t worth it.”
He knows that, he too believes that but only the part where Qrow is the unworthy one.
Whoever this Lucky you person is must be the most unfortunate person ever because right now Qrow feels lucky.
He barely fends off his sister, Hazel who is a wrecking ball, and Jaune unlocks his semblance just in time to save Weiss. The tides turn and he knows this time, Raven won’t be making any more dramatic entrances.
No she’s not dead, he’ll never wish for that but he’s not happy either. Yang didn’t look so chipper when she walked out of the vault with the relic.
After making sure all the kids are alright, Qrow looks for one last person.
He finds Leo’s body. Two black birds must have been a real death omen for the poor coward.
Qrow still can’t believe they won. It’s probably because his bad luck never touched Blake’s White Fang army.
The fight ends, the enemies flee, his kids are happy, but they all know the journey continues.
Off to Atlas.