Chapter Text
Taiyang’s scroll has been pinging non-stop for nearly ten minutes. Inter-kingdom communications were restored for a mere few moments, but it was enough for all of the messages and calls he hadn’t received to be delivered, and he’s getting an individual notification for every single one.
He expected a few texts, a couple calls. For a while Tai was getting letters in the mail fairly regularly from the girls, even a few from Qrow, so he hadn’t expected much communication digitally.
He was apparently very wrong.
Finally, after letting his scroll sit and buzz away on the kitchen table, it falls silent. Tai stands from his spot leaning against the counter and picks the device up, flicking it open to see the final count.
[13] Unread Messages from Yang
[4] Missed Calls from Yang
[27] Unread Messages from Ruby
[3] Missed Calls from Ruby
That is not nearly enough new notifications to account for the cacophony his scroll was making. He scrolls a bit further down and—
[87] Unread Messages from Birdbrain
[6] Missed Calls from Birdbrain
That’s—
Huh.
Tai’s brow furrows. Qrow has never been much of a texter, especially to Tai. He knows the girls would talk to Qrow regularly but it wasn’t usually him initiating, just responding.
He scrolls back up to the top and opens Yang’s chat first. He’s able to read through the handful of short messages and images quickly.
Yang: hi dad. I know you won’t get this yet but I got to Haven and met up with everyone.
Yang: Raven was a bitch btw :/
Tai can’t help but laugh. That’s Yang alright.
Yang: just sent you a letter. I hope you get it
He did, he cried like a baby.
Yang: Ruby caught me up on everything I missed
Yang: what a load of bs
Tai feels a pang of sympathy. He can only imagine what she could be talking about.
Yang: put another letter in the mail. hope you are getting them
He didn’t cry that time, but it was a close call.
Yang: we made it to Atlas :)
Following that are all photos.
A couple showing off her new outfit. One of a training room scoreboard boasting the setting of a new record along with the caption ‘Too easy ;)’. An image of Yang and her teammate Blake taken from a high angle, making the pair look up at the camera. The background appears to be a tundra, he can also see a few of the other kids further off in the white mass if he zooms in. A few more of various daily happenings around Atlas.
It brings an easy smile to his face, even if it hurts a bit.
Taiyang: Looks great, Little Dragon. Show those Atlas snobs what you’ve got. I love you.
He knows it will probably take a long time to go through, if it ever does, but he tries anyway.
He swipes out of their messages and opens Ruby’s next. Hers are longer, but mostly repeats of what she wrote in her letters. Qrow joining the kids and promptly being mortally wounded, arriving in Haven, Yang and the Schnee girl reuniting with everyone.
He must not have gotten a few newer letters yet, because everything is unfamiliar from their arrival in Solitas forward.
Ruby: Hi dad!! We made it to Mantle, don’t ask how haha. Penny is okay and I’m so excited!! I’ll tell you all about it in the next letter. We also met some of the General’s operatives, they’re really nice! General Ironwood is letting us stay in the upperclassmen dorms and they’re soooo fancy!! Love you miss you
Attached is a similar photo to the one Yang sent, showing off Ruby’s new clothing and haircut.
Ruby: WE GOT OUR LICENSES!!!! Love you wish you could be here
Ruby: We get to work with the Ace Ops on missions, it’s so cool watching them work together!! Uncle Qrow got partnered with the captain, I think they’re getting along :^)
Ruby: It’s so cold here!! I miss trees and grass and the SUN! Love you
Ruby: I can’t tell you too much but we’re working on a super secret special project and if it works you should get this message
Well, it worked for a bit.
Ruby: Things are really weird in Atlas and Mantle right now, I hope it gets better soon :(
Ruby: This sucks!! I hope things are quiet in Patch and you and Zwei are doing ok
Tai looks down at the corgi leaning against his leg, panting up at him curiously. He reaches down to give Zwei a scratch behind the ear.
Taiyang: Congratulations, you earned that license! Sorry things aren’t going very well right now. Zwei and I are hanging in there, all is quiet in Patch. I wish I could be there too. Love you.
He closes the chat, chest aching.
His finger hovers over the [87] notifications. Tai almost closes his Scroll without opening them. Frankly, he has no clue what he could find in there and he isn’t sure if he has the energy. He sighs and opens it anyway.
Birdbrain: I didn’t kick the bucket, if you’re wondering. Not sure if Ruby included that in her letter.
She did, but thanks for the clarification Qrow.
Birdbrain: I can almost feel how pissed you are at me from here.
Tai scoffs.
The gap between the last message and the next is long.
Birdbrain: Things are so much more fucked up than I thought. I wish I could kick Oz’s ass into the stupid moon but he’s hiding in the head of a child.
Birdbrain: Tai I am going to lose it.
Tai cringes. This is not off to a great start. The blond can’t begin to guess how drunk Qrow got in order to send messages like that.
In a dramatic shift from the previous content, up next is a video of the kids being granted their licenses and some photos of the following celebration.
There’s one that was clearly taken by one of the kids (probably Ruby) against Qrow’s will. The man is standing with his arms crossed and the ghost of a smile on his lips. There’s a party hat balanced precariously on his head that looks moments from falling. The hand that placed the hat there is caught in motion still retreating out of frame. The whole thing is a little blurry, but clearly shows off an updated outfit. Qrow has been wearing the same thing for over 20 years, so the change is a bit jarring.
Birdbrain: Jimmy pulled a few strings and got all the kiddos licensed. Did my best to document. Sorry if they’re shaky.
To make things all the more confusing, the remaining messages seem to be mostly videos and a handful of photos.
The first video opens to black, there is some clattering as the Scroll is set down. Finally the perspective flips and Qrow is revealed, he’s leaning forward with his arms crossed on the counter. He’s wearing simple sleep clothes instead of what was shown in the previous photo. He looks a little sickly.
“Ugh, I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.” His gruff voice plays from the small speaker. He scrubs a hand down his face.
“Hey Tai. You probably won’t ever get these. That might be better, honestly.” Qrow shrugs. “Jim has me seeing a shrink and the guy thought this might help. Something about accountability or whatever.”
Qrow is seeing a therapist? How did Ironwood make that happen?
“Brothers, what am I supposed to say again?” His head droops until he’s leaning forward enough for his forehead to rest on the countertop. “Set goals and um— take a first step?”
Qrow stands up, backing away from the counter to lean against the island behind him with his arms crossed. Tai can see the space a bit more clearly now; it looks fancy, a bit too sterile.
“My goals are to stop being such a dick to myself and get sober.” He scratches at overgrown stubble. “I think that’s it?”
‘That’s it’ like those aren’t two world-altering statements.
“First step— hold on.” He walks out of frame for a few moments but his rustling is still clear. He returns with his flask in hand. It looks like he’s physically in pain just looking at the thing. “I’m at sixteen hours right now, I took the last drink before I walked into the therapist’s office. I was just going to slow down bit by bit, but I guess I’m doing cold turkey now.”
He unscrews the cap and reaches out to pick the scroll up. He fiddles with it for a moment before the perspective flips again to show the sink.
“Here goes nothing, I guess.”
Qrow upends the flask and stands in silence as amber liquid runs down the drain. Once the flow slows to a drip he turns on the faucet and rinses it out the rest of the way. He replaces the cap awkwardly with one hand.
“And I’ll just—” He opens a high cabinet and tosses the flask so it lands on the top shelf towards the back and shuts it. Still reachable, but requires active thought to get to it.
Another moment of adjusting and the video returns to Qrow leaning back on the island.
“I’m supposed to send daily check-ins, more frequently if I think I need it. You’ll be able to see how successful this is from how many I send you. So, future Tai, did I do it?”
Considering Tai has another 70+ videos and photos to go through, he’s going to go out on a limb and say something went right.
The first video ends.
He starts the next one immediately.
Qrow is sitting on the floor with his back against a couch. He’s wearing the new clothes minus the vest.
“Hi, Tai. You’re propped up against the ugliest coffee table decoration I’ve ever seen.”
Tai snorts.
“It’s been almost exactly a full day since the last video. I feel like garbage, but I’m hanging on.” He lifts a hand into frame, showing off the shakes. “I haven’t told the girls I stopped yet, in case I relapse, but I think they’ve already figured it out on their own.”
He pauses, blinking at the camera.
“Does that count as being a dick to myself?”
He shakes his head and continues.
“I know this is only the start, but I really think I can do this, y’know? The doctor said the worst of it should pass within a week. This is technically day two, so another five to go? Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow. Or— you’ll see me? Whatever. Bye, Tai.”
The video cuts.
The timestamp shows the next video is twelve minutes long. There’s a message with this one, ‘Almost didn’t send this, but I guess the ugly parts are important too’.
It’s Qrow, sitting on the floor of a bathroom. Based on the angle the Scroll is set up against the opposite wall. Tai can see tears filling his eyes. He opens his mouth to start talking, but a sob comes out instead. He doesn’t try to stop it, just curls in on himself and buries his face in his knees. Tai flips through the rest of the video, he doesn’t move until the last minute or so when he picks up the Scroll to stop the recording.
The following video is timestamped from later the same day. It’s shorter, only a couple minutes long. It’s the same perspective as the first clip, in the kitchen.
“Hi, sorry about the last one. I had a bad morning, but I’m doing better now. Shocker, I feel like shit. I can’t really eat but I’m trying. Jimmy is being really accommodating and making sure all of my medical stuff is paid for. I can’t imagine how much all of this costs.” Qrow sighs. “The girls still haven’t said anything, but they keep looking at me funny. I’ll tell them when the week is up, I think. Bye.”
Tai decides to move to the couch. Zwei follows on his heels, settling in his lap.
The next few days are much the same; feeling like shit, wishing the week would be over. There’s visible progress in each one, even if it’s small. The way he stands, his skin isn’t quite as ghastly, his eyes are brighter.
“I told the girls today. They already knew, but they were glad I told them officially. I tried not to cry but that didn’t last long. I don’t feel completely fine, but a shit ton better than the first couple days. I can eat without getting sick, the sun isn’t my mortal enemy anymore. I still want a drink really bad, I don’t know if I’ll ever stop craving it, but I don’t feel like I need it anymore, if that makes sense?”
Qrow looks like he wants to say something, but doesn’t.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Tai Tai.”
The next one is in an unfamiliar location, but Tai can hear the wind whistling. The background behind Qrow is pure white.
“Before you ask, I’m sitting on top of the academy. I wanted to go for a fly but the wind picked up so I figured I’d take a break up here and do my thing.” He fiddles with his rings, looking off into the distance instead of at the camera. “Still not a hundred percent, about the same as yesterday. I had a joint appointment today, therapy and a medical check up. Therapy went fine, I showed him I was keeping up with the videos and doing the ‘affirmations exercises’ he assigned.” Qrow airquotes. “The self-worth and being nice to myself thing isn’t going as well as the sobriety, surprisingly. It’s more than just looking in the mirror and saying ‘you’re not a worthless burden’. That is part of it, but there’s a lot more fundamentally changing the way I think and react than I expected. I’ll get there eventually. By some insane stroke of luck— don’t you dare, Taiyang— my body is doing pretty well with the whole recovering from alcohol dependency thing. My liver could be doing better, and my stomach is a little screwed up, but nothing that shouldn’t heal over time. That’s everything, I think? See you tomorrow.”
Tai watches a few more before realizing the sun is going down. As much as he wants to continue, he gets up to throw together dinner for himself, feeds Zwei, and takes the corgi for a walk. The entire time everything he just watched plays over in his head.
Qrow is actually doing it. Sure, Tai isn’t even a third of the way through the backlog, but the guy is off to a hell of a start. Tai wishes he could crush him in a hug and shout from the rooftops how proud he is. The pair haven’t been as close as they were in school, but Tai still loves Qrow like a brother, a bratty little shit, but still his brother.
Tai tries to go to bed, but he can’t stop thinking about all of the messages waiting to be watched. Sighing at the clock that tells him he’s been tossing and turning for about an hour, Tai throws his covers off and walks back down to the kitchen. He unplugs his Scroll from where it lays charging on the counter and pads into the living room to settle back into the sofa.
The screen is too bright in the moonlit house.
“Hi, Tai Tai.” Qrow is sitting on the floor against the couch. “I completely forgot to tell you, but I’m working with a partner again. Jimmy is having me work with the captain of his Ace Operatives.”
The ones Ruby mentioned before, Tai recalls.
“I was scared shitless at the start. I haven’t worked with anyone closely or regularly since Summer. I wasn’t sure how my Semblance would act up once I stopped drinking or how the withdrawal would impact my performance. I didn’t want to completely embarrass myself in front of Atlas’ supposed best. Nothing went horribly wrong, but I definitely had my moments. Nothing like throwing up on your new partner's shoes in the back of a transport on your third mission together. Clover was way too nice about it.”
Clover, eh? He thinks back to Ruby’s messages again, ‘Uncle Qrow got partnered with the captain, I think they’re getting along :^)’. This Clover lady must really be something.
“Otherwise, I’m doing okay.” He leans forward, pinching his own cheek. “Putting on some weight, it feels weird not being freezing all the time. I knew I was skinny, but I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten.” He settles back. “I’m thinking about doing a bit of a makeover. Shaving properly, getting a professional haircut, all that stuff. Not sure if I want to cover the greys or keep it, I might see if the kiddos have an opinion. Who knows, maybe you’ll open one of these and I’ll be a whole new man?” Qrow chuckles to himself, smiling. “See ya later, Tai.”
Sure enough, three updates later, Tai almost jumps at the difference.
He’s clean shaven. His hair is a bit shorter and styled less aggressively to let some of his natural curl show through while still maintaining his usual silhouette, most of the grey strands have been dyed darker but a few of the more prominent stripes were left alone. There’s eyeliner smudged in his waterline.
He looks ten years younger.
“So,” Qrow grins. “Wha’d’ya think? Jimmy had to look back like five times, it was hilarious.” He turns his head, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear to reveal fresh piercings with silver jewelry. “The girls talked me into getting a few of my piercings redone. Just the two on my lobes and the helix for now, but I might add more if these heal okay. Don’t freak, but I might have also let the girls get theirs done. Just the one!”
Tai decides it’s acceptable.
“I feel great, Tai. I would say I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner, but I really don’t think I could have. Not without the girls— all of the kids really, everything Jimmy has been doing, Clover. And my therapist, obviously. I know in the end it’s all up to me to keep on track but the support has really helped. I don’t feel alone anymore. I have actual friends that I hang out with outside of missions. I kicked Elm’s, she’s one of the other Ace Ops, ass at darts.”
That makes Tai wince. All of these years he was indifferent at best and antagonistic at worst about Qrow’s issues. It prickles in the back of his mind if this transformation could have happened a decade ago if Tai, if some of the Vale and Signal Hunter community, had been there for Qrow to lean on instead of brushing him off as a lost cause and simply putting up with his antics. No one needed to be responsible for him, that wouldn’t be fair on anyone. Like Qrow said, in the end it’s his fight, but a few supporting hands when he was drowning but didn’t know how to ask for help might have made all the difference. Instead they made bets on how many hours he’d last when he swore he’d get clean this time or gave him expensive bottles of whiskey for holidays.
“I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Qrow smiles more as the videos continue. He stops just sitting there or standing still with his arms crossed. He walks around, gesturing animatedly while telling Tai about what he did that day, how therapy is going, news from the doctors. He talks about the girls, his friends, he mentions Clover offhandedly a lot. It’s heartwarming.
Tai is closing in on the halfway point when the thumbnail of the next video makes dread puddle in his stomach. Qrow is sitting in that bathroom again looking miserable. It’s only a couple of minutes long, so likely not another cry session. He presses play and braces.
“Hey Tai.” His voice is wobbly. There are tears in his eyes, staining his cheeks. “Don’t worry, nothing bad happened. I just woke up feeling like shit and haven’t been able to stop crying for like, six hours. I feel okay physically, it’s just up here.” He pokes his forehead. “I’m almost at thirty days. I think I’m just freaked that I’ll relapse and fuck up all of my progress before I reach it.” He scrubs his face in a failed attempt to dry it. “Positive stuff, what’s the positive stuff? Uh, the super secret project Ruby tried to tell you about is going well. If it keeps up you might even get to see all of these.” He laughs wetly. “Oh! Clover and I are going on a date this weekend. Somewhere fancy and probably way too expensive. I don’t know what I’m going to wear and I’m worried I might be awkward. I haven’t been on a real date in forever. I’m really excited though.”
He smiles for a fleeting moment but the waterworks pick up again.
“Sorry, sorry. I need to call Doctor Lowen.”
Not as rough as he was expecting, but still a doozy. Qrow going on a date is interesting. This Clover character is still mostly a mystery despite how frequently Qrow brings the Ace Operative up. Hopefully that will change soon, Tai would really like to put a face to the name of someone who has had such a positive impact on Qrow.
The next clip is only a few seconds. According to the timestamp of the message it was sent a mere 2 hours after the previous. Qrow isn’t even in frame, the camera just shows a white ceiling and part of a light fixture.
“Feeling better. Sorry.” His voice is still thick with emotion, but from the sound of it the active crying has stopped.
Tai feels a little bad, but he only half pays attention to the next few entries. It’s back to the usual formula of a couple stories and a general update on his health, both physical and mental.
“So the date is tonight.” Finally, what he’s been waiting for. “I’m meeting Clover soon. I looked up the restaurant the reservation is at. I don’t think I have the money to even breathe in the direction of the building, but Cloves said it’s worth every Lien.” Qrow shrugs. “Oh! Here’s what I decided to wear.”
He backs up further from the Scroll. It’s a fitted black dress shirt, unbuttoned to a tasteful degree. A matching vest with an embroidered design that Tai can’t make out through the video compression and pressed dress pants. His hair is a little more styled than it has been recently. A little heavier on the makeup, cleaner liner and a hint of red shimmer on his eyelids.
“Ruby helped with the makeup and Yang fussed over my hair for an hour. I think they’re more excited than I am. I’ll let you know how it goes. Bye.”
The next video was sent far too early in the morning.
“Hi Tai.” Qrow has the biggest, face splitting grin on his face. He’s walking while he talks. Tai can’t quite make out the background in the dark but it seems to be outside.“Sorry I didn’t send you anything last night. I was a little busy, if you know what I mean.” The asshole wiggles his eyebrows. “I had a really good time. We’re going out again in a few days. We talked for hours and the food was incredible. We only left because the restaurant was closing. I’m sure you can use your imagination for what happened next.” He’s giggling. “Brothers, I feel like a stupid teenager. I have to be up for a meeting in a couple hours, there’s no way I can sleep. I’ll just load up on caffeine and hope Jimmy doesn’t want me to do anything crazy. See you tonight.”
A handful of clips later takes place in another new location. It looks like a lounge; Tai can see a few people milling in the background. He’s standing a few paces away from the camera, so he’s visible from the waist up.
“Hey Tai. This isn’t my check in for the day, but there’s someone I want you to meet.” Qrow turns to look at someone next to him out of range of the camera. He holds a hand out and makes a grabby motion. “Cloves, come say hi to Tai.”
Another hand enters the frame and takes hold of Qrow’s before someone steps into view. Clover is tall, a couple inches more so than Qrow, with short auburn hair styled neatly up to military standard, and insanely green eyes. The Atlas uniform is obnoxiously bright and irritatingly sleeveless, showing off impressive arms.
Clover is also very much a man.
Tai wonders for a moment if the ambiguity when speaking about Clover had been purposeful. As long as Taiyang has known Qrow he’s always gone for women. Tai honestly can’t think of another instance of Qrow going for men. Had he always swung both ways and just hid it? Is this an entirely new development? Was he worried Tai wouldn’t approve?
“Hello, Taiyang.” Clover’s voice is smooth. “I hope we get to meet officially one day. Between you and me, I would love to hear any embarrassing stories you have about this one.” He gently shakes the hand holding Qrow’s. He ignores Qrow’s offended ‘Hey!’ and leans in to plant a kiss on the other man’s cheek. All of the Huntsman’s annoyance drains away. Instead, he looks at Clover like he’s the most beautiful thing Qrow has ever laid eyes on.
“They’re being gross again!” Ruby shouts in the distance.
“Shush!” Qrow admonishes, turning to glare at Ruby off camera who only giggles.
It’s Clover’s turn to gaze, looking Qrow up and down slowly like he’s appreciating fine art. Tai can see his grip on Qrow’s hand squeezing.
Qrow turns back to look at the camera, looking more bashful than in the beginning of the clip.
“So yeah, this is him. I figured you might like to know who I keep going on about. Talk to you later.”
He steps forward, one hand still entwined with Clover’s, and stops the recording.
It doesn’t change anything, Qrow dating a man. All that matters is that he’s happy and safe. Taiyang can only hope that Qrow knows that. He doesn’t know what kind of stuff he was told as a kid in the tribe. The twins used to say a lot of concerning things like it was all completely normal. Neither of them had ever been shy in expressing themselves, he knows Raven and Summer fooled around a bit before Raven and Tai started dating. But who didn’t experiment a bit in their school days? Tai certainly did, he just wasn’t very… chatty about it. Was it a tribe thing and Raven just never gave a shit? Or was Qrow just worried about Tai’s reaction? Clearly he wasn’t afraid to tell the kids and he’s ogling his boyfriend in the middle of a public space, so it’s not like he’s hiding it otherwise.
He continues to watch and scroll, ignoring that it has gotten incredibly late. The blond listens to how their second and third dates go. Clover doesn’t make any more guest appearances, but having a face to imagine alongside the stories is nice. At some point the videos stop being daily, more like every other or every third composed of multiple short clips each time instead of one long check in. More and more images get mixed in. Tai flips through a set of photos of the gaggle of kids asleep in one of the climate controlled academy courtyards. He’ll definitely have to ask about the story behind those.
One video towards the end catches Taiyang’s attention. Qrow looks nervous, even in the preview.
“Hey Tai Tai.” He’s wringing his hands. “Things might get a little intense around here soon. The election is coming up and everything that can go wrong has. Brothers, it’s all crumbling so fast. Jim is starting to talk crazy and I’m not sure if I can knock any sense into his head. Everyone is working double overtime to get things back on track. We’re trying to fast track the last few steps of the big project without Jimmy knowing. He’s been with us every step of the way but he made a complete change of plan at the last minute.” Qrow sighs. “Talk to you later.”
Another video a couple of days later. Tai can’t place where Qrow is standing, but it’s indoors.
“No one has had a real break for days, but we’re making good progress. Everything should be ready soon. We’re going to try for a test to see if it’s possible before the real thing. Jimmy will definitely notice, but hopefully he’s too occupied by everything else going on to intervene. I’m exhausted, but doing okay otherwise. Bye, Tai.”
The last message was sent not long before it was actually delivered, only a few hours difference.
Qrow is in the back of a transport. Tai can see supply cases and hear the rumble of the engine. He’s whispering.
“Hey Tai. With any luck you should be seeing this in a few hours. We’ll be heading your way next. Everyone could use a break while we figure out what to do next. See you soon.”
The camera flips and pans around the back of the truck to show the group of kids in various states of asleep or about to be. Clover is there too, sitting up at attention. He gives the camera a gentle smile and a wave before it cuts to black abruptly.
His Scroll blares with an emergency alert in his hands. The television turns itself on, lighting up the room. The video flicks to a live feed, it’s Ruby.
“My name is Ruby Rose, I am a Huntress—”
Tai stares, barely hearing the words filtering through the speakers.
‘With any luck you should be seeing this in a few hours. We’ll be heading your way next.’
Tai laughs, hysterical. They really did it.
All he can do now is wait.