Work Text:
Everything that could go wrong...had gone wrong, in the past couple of days.
The authorities hadn’t bothered to explain why the group of teens and young adults they had been working with as little as a day ago were now going directly against them and their orders, but to be fair, the people of Mantle were terrified of General Ironwood, whether they wanted to admit it or not. And who could blame them? He didn’t care about anyone’s safety down in Mantle, he only cared about his city and himself.
Between all of the evacuations in Mantle, and all the small Grimm attacks that were taking place, Ruby and the rest of her mismatched group barely had any time to lay low and simply relax.
How could they? Even if they did get some time to themselves, the stress and fear in Salem’s presence was overwhelming. And no one wanted to admit it. They wanted to stay strong. Or at least, they wanted to appear as if they were holding it together, but, in reality, they were all horrified. Scared of what Salem could do, and how they had no chance against her, and the army she would soon send to take down the city in the sky, and Mantle along with it.
♢
Their hideout was quiet at this time of day. Usually, The people in his group would either be out fighting and protecting the city from the few Grimm that got away from the main group in the sky huddled around that giant … thing, or they’d be foraging for more resources to help upgrade their gear or upgrade the defences around the crater, where all the citizens of Mantle were being evacuated to.
But, now that Oscar was...gone, it was different. Ruby and her team had been sent to Amity to prepare for the launch, but no one had heard back from them yet. And the rest of this team had gone out with the rest of the Happy Huntresses to scout out that giant creature they presumed Salem was in, plotting her next move.
Jaune sighed, as he ran a rag over his sword, rubbing away excess Grimm dust that had been stuck to the blade. He had been lost in thought for quite awhile. As jaune glanced down at his sword to see his progress, he saw his own reflection in the metal. He must’ve been so distracted he hadn’t even noticed his task was already completed. Jaune let out a small chuckle under his breath, as he placed his sword next to his shield, both leaning against the counter of the restaurant they had been hiding in since everything went wrong.
When Jaune heard footsteps behind him, he quickly reached for his sword and pointed it directly behind him, heavy breaths escaping from his mouth, only for his heart rate to drop to a normal level when he realised it had been Qrow that had approached him. Jaune smiled at the older huntsmen, before giving him an apologetic look, placing his sword back to where it had been before.
Qrow had arrived this morning with Robyn and the rest of the happy huntresses, though he hadn’t exactly said much to the group, only saying how glad he was that Ruby and Yang were safe, as soon as he laid his eyes on the two. Robyn had told the group that Qrow would possibly need some time to himself, ‘a lot of shit had gone down recently’ had been her exact words, and she wanted to wait for Qrow himself to open up and explain what she had been talking about.
Though, even after having some time to himself, Qrow had still looked the same. Empty eyes to match his empty gaze, as if he wasn’t even there. Like he had been replaced. Like his soul wasn’t even inside his body; a mindless husk.
“Sorry about that-- I’ve been really on edge recently. Though...can you really blame me?” Jaune explained, sadly, his attempt to lighten the mood had failed. The older man simply nodded, before walking right past him and sitting at one of the many tables scattered around the restaurant, immediately getting out his scroll and checking the news; it was chaos, everywhere. And yet, people still found time to write about what was happening.
“It’s been...harsh out there, ever since Salem got a hold of Oscar she’s been sending more and more Grimm out to attack some of the unevacuated parts of Mantle...do you think she got Ozpin to talk?” Jaune asked, curious for Qrow’s opinion. Qrow didn’t even budge, he just continued looking at his scroll. Jaune was surprised he still had the thing, because all he and his group knew about what Robyn and Qrow had gone through recently was that they had been arrested, only for both of them to escape a couple of hours afterwards...somehow.
“I know it isn’t really my place...we haven't talked much, since that fight back in Kuroyuri with Tyrian, but--” Qrow flinched after Jaune mentioned Tyrian. Jaune huffed out a worried sigh, extending his hand to rest it on Qrow’s shoulder as he approached the older huntsman.
“Are you...okay? You don’t…” Jaune paused for a second, trying to figure out how to continue his sentence, “You don’t look okay. And we’re all really worried about you.” Jaune went to sit down in the chair directly opposite to Qrow, staring at the crimson eyed man dead in the eyes, it was as if Qrow could look straight through him. Jaune got the chills from that thought.
“Please just...if you can’t tell Ruby and Yang what happened, you can tell me. I don’t even need to tell the others, if you...if you don’t want me to. I just want to help you.” Qrow remained silent. Jaune contemplated how he should phrase what he wanted to say, resting his arms on the table in front of him, he continued.
“Y’know I...didn’t exactly like you, or Ironwood, or...Ozpin or, well, anyone, that was involved with what happened with Pyrrha for... for awhile. But, after seeing how much you genuinely cared about the people around you, how much you cared about...your nieces, and even us...seeing you like this hurts. This isn’t the Uncle Qrow we all know and love.” Jaune’s tone was understanding, he had a feeling he knew what Qrow was going through, he just hoped he wasn’t right. But the way he was acting was exactly how he acted for … awhile, after he learnt about what had happened to Pyrrha. Jaune’s hand shook for a moment.
“That’s...where you’re wrong, kiddo.” Jaune’s expression was filled with shock for a brief second as he heard Qrow finally speak after hours of not saying...anything. Though, his blank expression still hadn’t changed, and his voice was very quiet.
“I…” Qrow sighed, closing his eyes as he stayed silent for a moment. He looked deep in thought for a while. “Jaune the way I act, the way I treat all of you. That isn’t...that isn’t me. At least, not anymore. It’s as if I put on a mask when I’m with you all. When really I'm like…” He gestured to himself. “...Like this, now..." Jaune's expression turned despondent for a brief moment. This couldn't have been true, could it? Had Qrow really put his own mental health on the line to just make the others- to make us- happy? He couldn't have. He should've known that we'd love him whether or not he was still trying to fix himself and...heal.
"Qrow I haven't exactly wanted to point it out but...whenever anyone has mentioned the Ace Ops...Clover specifically, or Tyrian you...look terrified. As if you're seeing or reliving something. It's the only time you've shown some sort of emotion since you came back. I just want to know what happened. So I- we, can help." Jaune gave Qrow a reassuring smile, hoping it'd make the older man feel a bit more comfortable with the situation.
"You can...trust me."
"I wanted to trust you."
Qrow gasped, as he stared directly at the younger huntsman, his expression filled with so many different things; sadness, grief, shock...it was as if he had seen a ghost. Qrow took heavy breaths, before stabilizing himself, his hands still shaking as he closed his eyes, opening them again later, only for Jaune to see some tears beginning to build up. Jaune surely hadn't expected a reaction like that, but it only made him even more worried about what Qrow had gone through...what he had seen .
"I don't...I don't really wanna get into the specifics but...Clover and I...fought. For...fucking dumb reasons. Clover wanted to follow orders, and I didn't want to get taken down like that. I can't really remember all of it...it's all kind of a blur, but...I lost track of Harbinger at some point during the fight, and when we weren't paying attention, Tyrian he... he--" Qrow covered his mouth, as he tried to keep himself together. Jaune listened cautiously, making sure he didn't make Qrow share anything he didn't want to share, simply because he felt like he had to.
"Clovers...gone. Because of my actions. Because of my...curse, my...my damn semblance. It...hurts like hell. More than I thought it would. Because we were just...partners on the field, nothing more. But it...felt like he was genuinely a friend. Someone I could care about that wasn't my family or you kids...someone I could even l-" Qrow stopped himself, not wanting to continue, instead, the man in question reached into his pocket and got out a pin; Clovers pin, that would always be resting on the front of the mans vest. It had some dried blood on it that Qrow might not have been able to wash off..or he hadn't wanted to wash off. He placed the pin on the table that stood between the two huntsmen. Qrow stared at it for a while in silence, before he continued.
"I've held onto his pin ever since. It's the only...it's the only piece of him I have left." Qrow glanced down at his rings, Jaune followed his gaze. "These rings, too...one of them was a ring me and my team got when we all graduated, promising to always stay together...we were so naive back then." Qrow chuckled emptily, Jaune looked at his other ring that he hadn't pointed out yet.
"What about that one?" Jaune asked.
"Huh?"
"Your...other ring."
Qrow sighed, as he twisted the ring in question around his finger, only to take it off afterwards, Jaune looked at the ring curiously.
"This one was from mine and my sister's tribe. It was...a tradition of sorts. When the youngest of the tribe began their training, they'd wear this ring to signify that they were learning how to fight, so they would often be the ones to go out hunting with the older members. I don't exactly like thinking about my...'home', but...it's the only piece I have of the Raven that genuinely felt like my...sister, before she became the woman she is now."
Jaune and Qrow both sat in silence for a moment.
As Qrow put the ring back on his finger, Jaune tried to think about how he could respond to all of what Qrow had told him. Qrow himself seemed like he was anxious for Jaune to respond, as if he was expecting judgement, which, of course, Jaune would not do. Clover was...gone. Tyrian had ...gods. That's why Qrow would react so badly to any mention of the psycho. And Clover...he and Qrow had been really close before everything...happened. He could tell why Qrow was torn up over it.
"It isn't your fault, y'know." Jaune said, his tone reassuring, and soft. Not wanting to risk any big reactions from the older man.
"But-"
"Qrow, just..listen." Jaune sighed. "I know why you feel the way you do. And i'm...sorry you had to go through all that. I can't imagine how much you're hurting right now, and how much you were already hurting beforehand. But...i've been through this before. I blamed myself for...only the gods know how long. Believe me, Qrow, I know what it's like to lose the person you love the most." Jaune looked down at the red sash tied around his waist. “Trust me.”
Qrow glanced up at Jaune, then he looked down at the familiar pin on the table once again, and sighed.
“I’ve gone through loss countless times. And usually it has never hurt like this. Losing people is just...a part of the job. The last time it hurt this much was when Ruby’s mum, Summer, didn’t come back from her mission. But that was because she was family. Why does it…” Tears started to form at Qrow’s eyes once again, he choked back a sob. “Why does it hurt...so much?”
Qrow looked back up at Jaune and kept his gaze on the younger man this time, he wiped away the tears from his face and went to stand up, turning away from the blond haired boy.
“I shouldn’t be talking about all of this with you. You have your own problems, I have mine. And to be honest, I should just be able to deal with it on my own.” Qrow said, his tone sharp, unwavering. He glanced over his shoulder at the blue eyed huntsman that remained seated at the table he sat at moments ago. “Thank you for...trying to help, but...this is something I should work out by myself, kiddo.”
No.
Jaune had gone through this process before. Distancing yourself from others would mean your thoughts would wander into dark...dark places. And they had all been through enough to go through something like mourning alone. Especially Qrow...only the gods knew how much shit he had seen because of his career. The younger huntsman quickly stood and grabbed Qrow's hand well he was walking away, causing the man in question to look back at the boy, tear marks evident on his face. He could feel Qrow trying to escape his grip, though it was very slight.
"Qrow. I've been through this exact process. You might have distanced yourself after ... after that woman you mentioned, but it isn't a good way to process death. It...only makes it hurt more. I'd know, before Ruby had asked us to go to Haven with her, I didn't speak to anyone, not even my family. It made it harder than it originally should've been." Jaune let his grip on Qrow losen, and Qrow immediately took his hand back, but he didn't leave, he just sighed, and walked closer to the younger man. Jaune didn't move, he just continued.
"Look. I know you want to...be strong for us, and I know you'd rather do this alone, but I won't allow you to suffer in silence, whether you like it or not." Jaune said, offering an encouraging smile to the older huntsman.Qrow didn't respond for awhile, he just stood, staring at Jaune as if he was in awe. But then, a sudden movement from the crimson eyed man brought Jaunes focus back, as he felt Qrow pull him into a tight yet comforting hug. Jaune chuckled a bit, before Qrow backed out of the hug and looked down at the younger boy.
"What did I do to deserve you brats?" Qrow mumbled, his eyes still on Jaune. Jaune simply smiled at that.
"Heh, I knew I could get to you, old man."
"I'm not that old."
"Oh sure, and i'm not blonde."
Qrow smiled at that.
And this time it was genuine.
♢