Chapter Text
It starts as most things do.
There's a party- which isn't new. College students are infamous for having parties. But this is one Tai manages to drag her to. Hordes of bodies fill up every crevice of the house, the bass from the speakers sending an uncomfortable thrum through her core. Someone splashes beer from a cup, uncaring of where it lands, and she pities whoever will clean this all up.
Tai says something to her, words lost over the music. Something about finding a friend, so she nods without thinking much of it. She regrets not going with him once the pressure of his hand leaves her wrist.
It takes a bit of dodging and sticking to the sides, but she finally finds her way outside, in a corner of the garden where no one has gotten into yet. The night air traces its cold fingers across her collar. She pulls her cardigan closer around herself, breathes in the frozen fragrance of grass and jasmines.
She thinks she sees someone out on the road, a flash of red, but it's gone quicker than she can pore over it.
Sitting on the pavement, she shoots Tai a text.
i'm out in the back garden.
His reply is instantaneous.
gotcha! :)
Not a minute later, she hears him approach, footsteps mixed with another pair, "Summer!" She gets up, fingers smoothing down her skirt from the back as she stands, leans her weight on one foot.
He grins at her, big and filled with something she can't quite place until she sees who he's dragging with him and oh no wonder.
The guy towers over them both, shirt draped over a slender frame and hands stuffed into his pockets. His hair is dark, pushed back from his forehead aside from a few strands that refuse to obey.
"Hey," He greets, voice a rasp, an air of indifference about him.
"Hi," She looks to Tai, standing between them. Tai raises an eyebrow, but then seems to remember that he has yet to introduce them, so he steps forward, grabbing Summer's hand.
"Qrow, this is my best friend, Summer!"
"Nice to finally meet you," Summer offers a smile, a hand, "He talks way too much about you."
Qrow laughs as he takes out a hand to grab hers, "Well, yeah, I'd say the same about myself."
A smirk pulls at her lips, "That you talk too much about yourself?"
"Oh, I like you," He grins, and she laughs.
Tai looks between the two, smiling all the while. He claps his hands together, and she thinks she understands his delight. The alleviation that his best friend gets along with the person he likes. It's not that she would've given him a hard time if she hadn't approved of whoever he chose, but they'd known each other since they first learnt how to read.
It is simply an old habit, looking out for each other, she supposes.
Qrow turns his gaze to him then, a smile playing on his mouth and it's softer than anything else he's done so far, smoothing out his gaunt features under the moonlight. A curtain falls around them then, made of stars and she's intruding on something personal now, something sacred that even the night hushes around it, creating a bubble for just them.
"I'll head home now," She speaks up, before they decide they want to do something else with their faces,
Tai's head snaps to her suddenly, eyebrows furrowing, "Are you sure?"
"This place is… really not my scene." A half hearted shrug accompanies the last part, and the two nod in understanding.
"How are you gonna get back though?" Tai asks. He seems to be at ease now, knowing that he'd done what he brought her here for.
"I'll walk back, it's not that far." Clearly that snaps him out of whatever daze he's in, and his face twists.
"You can't do that! Take a cab!"
"I'll be fine!" She hisses back, keeping her voice hushed.
Qrow stares on, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He rubs at his chin, "I can ask my sister to drop you?"
"No no!" She waves her hands in front of herself, eyes wide, "It's okay, truly."
"Really, she's probably doing nothing right now," And he has his phone out, so she acquieses.
The night has delved into the fleeting moments where its darkness is not comforting, and Tai looks worried as well, so maybe it's better if she doesn't walk home by herself. And if there's a little bit of company, who is she to say no to that?
After a series of texts, between which he promptly asks her address, Qrow clicks it shut, sliding it into his pocket as he nods at them, "She'll be here soon- she's kinda hard to miss, honestly. Will you be okay?"
"Thanks," It's genuine, and he waves a hand, "Hey, no problem."
Tai wraps her in a hug- she misses the warmth when he pulls back, frowning at her, "Text me when you're back, yeah?"
Summer's hand comes up, flicks his nose and he glares at her.
"Stop being a mother hen."
There's another round of goodbyes, and then the boys head back inside, leaving her in silence..
The tap tap tap of her boots on the concrete mingles with the noise, the sounds of the city muffled through rows of buildings. The dew still taints the air, along with the usual flora and fauna. Her skirt flutters with the wind, and she pulls at the hem to keep it down with one hand, phone clutched in the other.
A growl reaches her ears, low and mechanical, a headlight coming into view. It's almost blinding against the dark and she shields her eyes before it shuts off. There's a screech as a bike pulls up by the pavement, only a couple of metres away.
It's a black, sleek thing- blends in perfectly with the ink of night if not for the glaring red accents all over. The rider herself is clad in similar colors, red shirt paired with black shorts, and a pair of boots coming all the way up to her knees, silver studs lining the sides. Dark hair tumbles down her back, wild and loose as she pulls off the helmet.
Dangerous is her first thought as she eyes the hard lines visible through the leather jacket, the long fingers as they curl over the sides of the helmet. Her second thought is how she'd like those arms and hands doing something much different.
The latter, she decides, is a problem for future Summer to deal with.
The girl settles her eyes on her, "Summer, right?"
Summer nods, tucking back the side pieces of her hair, almost knocking out the flower hair pin, "You're Qrow's sister?"
"Raven," She flicks her head towards the back of her motorcycle once, "Get on, I'll take you home."
Raven, she files it gently, encases it in glass and puts a ribbon around it. Seating herself on the back seat isn't too difficult, although at the way Raven lets out a snort, she figures she's hit far off the mark.
"Never been on a motorcycle, have you?" Amusement lilts her voice, and Summer huffs, hands placed in front of her on the bike.
Raven twists around slightly, helmet stretched out towards her, "Put this on first." She tries not to think about the lightning around her fingers, how it sparks under her own skin as she takes the offered object.
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine," Raven waves a hand, dismissive. Summer would inquire more, but she seems to be sure of herself, so she accepts it reluctantly. The straps fall over her neck as she slides it on, the edges touching her clavicle. A hand reaches out to help as she's securing them, and maybe she's imagining it, but the fingertips linger on her chin longer than necessary(the lightning is still there, and this time it travels to her cheeks, paints them red.)
She kicks the stand shut, and the sudden movement makes Summer almost fall off. Her hands clutch at the seat, an undignified yelp escaping her.
"Lean forward," Raven instructs. It's obvious she's trying not to laugh, "Hold onto my waist." Hoping the helmet obscures the red on her cheeks, she scoots closer, moving her arms around the other girl's waist while touching her as minimum as possible, keeping them just shy of it.
That don't touch rule lasts for as long as the motorcycle is stationary.
The moment it whirs on, her arms tighten of their own accord, only tightening more as it starts to drive, but the rush of panic fades after a minute, and the breeze whipping around her legs starts to feel a little good. It twists the ends of her hair peeking out from beneath the helmet, hems of her cardigan floating up gently.
It's enough for her to notice the muscles under her arms, and the ones she has her entire self pressed against tightly. She's too comfortable to be flustered anymore, so the heat under her skin doesn't affect her much.
Lights trail by as they drive through the streets, words and neon melting into each other and fading across the night. Air whooshes past her ears, shielded from the cold by the helmet. Raven's hair tickles her chin so she tucks the thick strands into her shoulder instead, eyes flitting around in attempts to take everything in. The hum of the machine reaches to her core, thrums quietly inside her veins.
Warmth seeps into her despite the night's chill, and they reach her apartment building far sooner than she likes. She's still clinging onto Raven when they pull up at the entrance, the engine thrumming down before it shuts off.
"We're here," Her voice is significantly lower than earlier, an unidentifiable thread lacing it. Summer's lip sticks out in a pout as she pulls herself back, the mush part of her brain screaming at her to go back. She tips her head back once, eyes closed against the sky before she tugs the helmet off.
She doesn't feel the eyes on her as she does so, edged with intent so thick it could cut through metal, not even as she runs her fingers through her hair to straighten it out. Throwing her legs over to one side, careful not to hit Raven, she gets off.
Her skirt is all ridden up, and she smooths it down over her thighs. When she looks back up, Raven's gaze is lingering on her legs. It means something, she knows immediately, blaming the color on her cheeks on the cold air, a promise of something more tainting the air around them.
Her eyes are bright, glint red under the moonlight as she looks back up to her face, "Aren't you cold in that?"
Summer's lips turn into a scowl, and she grumbles, "It was cute." Her irritation isn't intended to come off as endearing, but if Raven's chuckle is anything to go by, she supposes she'll take it.
Heaven knows what possesses her to do it, but her hands move of their own will, and she unclips the flower barrette from her hair. The steps she takes are calculated, each heavy with meaning as she stops right in front of the other girl.
At this proximity, Raven has to tilt her head up to maintain eye contact. Summer ignores the pale lines of her neck that the moon paints silver as she reaches out to pin the clip in her hair, right above her ear. Her hand brushes the bangs that frames her jawline, and she places her hands on Raven's shoulder as she admires her handiwork.
It looks ridiculous, out of place- an innocuous white daisy against her ensemble that screams do not cross. But it's also hers, and maybe it's too early to be this assertive, but she doesn't think Raven minds. Not with the way her fingers trace the edges of the petals, eyes not leaving hers for a second.
Something flashes behind them, dark and like steel, as they flick down once to Summer’s lips. Summer smiles at her, and her voice is a little hoarse when she speaks.
“A souvenir,” She emphasises it with a light poke at the flower.
Raven’s lips quirk up slightly, “Can’t say I’ve ever gotten one of those before.” She rolls her eyes, and drops her hands to her sides. Stepping away feels like a rip in the fabric of space, threads wrapping around them and tangling with each other like webs.
She raises a hand, tentative, “I’ll see you around?”
There’s a smile, then, crimson and soft, paired with a small wave, “See you around.” Summer grins, finally willing her legs to go into her apartment building. She looks over her shoulder once to find her watching, even with the helmet pulled on she can tell, and almost invites her up.
It’s restrained- barely so- to a wave. The motorcycle drives off once she’s inside.
The elevator is somewhere up the seventh floor, so she takes the stairs instead- hers is on the second floor anyway. Besides, a little walking might help clear her head after all that.
It does not, as she hoped, clears her head. It only gives her enough time to pore over the events that took place in what- the last hour or so? It feels longer than that, she thinks, a little wistful as she unlocks her apartment.
She changes quickly, not bothering to place the clothes back in her closet just yet. The bed’s more than inviting when she jumps onto it, the sheets soft around her bare legs. Moonlight streams in through the sliver between the curtains, painting the floor silver, the only illumination since her fairy lights are off from where they hang over her headboard.
Grabbing her phone from the nightstand, pillow curled into her chest, she opens Tai’s chat screen.
ask him if his sister’s single
:o
qrow asks if u want her num too???
no, i think i’ll get that myself
And if her dreams that night feature more black and crimson than usual, well, that’s a secret she’ll be taking to her grave.