#qrowinweek2019

ITS QROWIN FEST Y'ALL!!  Day 1 - Harmony - Loyalty - Trust or Sorrow - Depression - Cold

Day 1: First... Kiss

I got a headcanon that they met at the Vytal Festival and Qrow is a senior while Winter is a freshman from Atlas. Some circumstances led them to become each other's rival (or more than that) since then.

Is it day five already?

Qrowin Week Day Five: Purple

Wisdom, Honor, Devotion

Qrowin Week Bonus Day 2: Wedding Anniversary

Today was the day. Winter blinked awake to a cool morning. She knew she didn’t have very much time, but she let herself imagine that time was frozen. That she was stuck in the moment in-between. It was so quiet, so peaceful. By the end of today I’ll be a wife. She rolled over, staring at the white light of her window. By the end of today I’ll be Winter Branwen. She had tested the name on her lips several times. Even once or twice before Qrow had asked her to marry him.

          “Winter Branwen,” she whispered to the empty room. How did I end up here? If, a year ago, someone had said, “In a year, you’ll be marrying Qrow Branwen.” She would have laughed in their face. “Not on your life! I’d rather die.” Now, even the thought of being without him, made her ache. “I love him.” She beamed up at her ceiling. “I’ll always love him.”

          There was a tapping sound on her window. She glanced over with a frown. Not this. She tossed her blankets aside, and greeted the cool day, by swinging open her window and leaning over the edge. Qrow was below, with pebbles in hand.

          “Good morning, Ice Queen!” He beamed. She had never seen him look so happy.

          “Isn’t it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony?”

          “Are you in your dress?” Qrow frowned. Winter shook her head.

          “Pajamas.”

          “Then we’re safe. Besides,” he shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t believe in luck.”

          Winter laughed, shaking her head. “Come up here, Qrow.” Qrow slipped into bird form with a burst of feathers, and moments later, landed safely on her bedroom flower—human again. Winter immediately pulled him into a hug—breathing in his familiar scent, drawing in his warmth.

          “I believe in luck.” She said. “But only good luck.”

          “Yeah?” He asked, cupping her cheek with his hand.

          “I’m the luckiest woman in the world, to have finally snagged Qrow Branwen.”

          “You didn’t win the lottery,” he said with a frown. “There are probably dozens of guys who are better choices that I am—”

          “Stop,” Winter shook her head with a smile, “You know that you’re the only one I want.”

          “Gods, I love you,” he breathed, leaning over to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth. Winter smiled.

          “I love you too. But you can’t be here when the girls arrive.”

          “I know. Tai’s probably already at my place.” Qrow laughed. “He’ll be panicking. Thinking I decided to skip out on this whole marriage thing.”

          “That’s not really a funny joke.”

          “No, it’s not.” Qrow frowned.

          There was a knocking downstairs, at the front door. “The girls are here.” Winter said, biting her lip.

          “Okay. I’ll see you… at the ceremony.” He turned towards the window, but Winter grabbed his sleeve.

          “Kiss me.”

          Qrow leaned in, cupping the back of her head with one hand, and kissed her. She still hadn’t perfectly committed to memory the taste or the feel, but it was familiar, warm, comforting. She smiled.

          “I’ll see you at the ceremony.”

          “Don’t be late.”

Vacation and Mission:

“For the love of gods,” Qrow leaned back against his seat on the train, “Would you stop fidgeting?”

          “I’m not fidgeting!” Winter snapped, crossing her arms, “I’m adjusting my leggings, thank you very much. We have to look the part—” She was ready to question his lackadaisical attitude when someone shuffled by their seat on the train and Qrow leaned in real close with a sudden heartfelt laugh.

          “You’re so right, dear, we should get a couples massage.” Winter felt her pulse quicken. She could feel his breath on her neck. Her face flushed.

          “Of course, dar…” she coughed, or maybe gagged, “Darling.”

          Qrow smirked, leaning back towards the window. The other passenger was gone. They were alone again. “Who’s breaking character now?”

          “Shut up, Branwen,” Winter snarled, leaning over to fix her leggings again.

          “Hmm…” Qrow eyed her once before glancing out the window and falling silent. Winter watched him out of the corner of her eye. He looked happy—for once in his miserable life, she thought. And the way the smile twitched at the corner of his mouth made him look rather handsome—his hair swept back, his eyes following the scenery that was rushing past them as they sped their way towards their mission.

          Why did Ozpin and James pick the two of us for this mission? It seemed absurd. They had never really gotten along, and now they were supposed to pretend they were happy newlyweds. For one, very split, second Winter allowed herself to imagine being married to Qrow. And for one, very split, second it was a happy thought. She quickly regained her composure. Gross.

***

          They arrived in Mistral only five minutes late. And after Qrow lead them in circles because apparently the birdbrain couldn’t read maps, they finally found their hotel—a little hole-in-the-wall sort of place, in a good way. It was quaint, but high-end. Perfect for a honeymoon. When the man at the desk handed them the key to the “Romantic Get-away Couples Suite” Winter almost choked on her own tongue. Why did Ironwood and Ozpin assign the two of us to this job?!

          “Alright,” Qrow threw himself back on the plush king-sized bed. “Might as well enjoy it.” He patted the bed beside him. “Hey, Ice Queen, come try.”

          “Not on your life,” Winter sneered. “We have a mission to do, that’s all. Nothing more.”

          “You’re missing out. This bed’s pretty comfortable.” Qrow kicked off his shoes and leaned back with a sigh.

          “Are you incompetent? Didn’t you just hear what I said? We have a—”

          There was a knock at the door. Qrow’s eyes snapped open, Winter reached for her weapon—hidden away in their luggage. After a moment of silence Qrow rolled his eyes. “Would you relax for two seconds? Geez, this is the worst honeymoon ever.” Winter gritted his teeth as the huntsman swung his legs off the bed and went to see who was at the door. A moment later he swung the door wide open and a young woman in the hotel’s signature vest stepped in with an armful of brochures.

          “Good afternoon, you two, and congratulations!”

          Winter put on her best game face. I’m the happiest woman on earth. I’m the happiest woman on earth. “Thank you!” She gushed, reaching out to lean on Qrow’s arm. Branwen actually had the audacity to slip his hand around her waist, pulling her close. Winter bit her lip. Why did they choose the two of us?!

          “Well, you’re both in luck. I’m here to show you all the wonderful things we offer for couples, especially newlyweds.”

          We don’t have time for this. Winter pinched Qrow’s arm as hard as she could without drawing attention to it. Qrow glanced over at her with a sickly sweet smile. “Aw, honey, I know you wanted to spend all this time in bed, but we should at least do a couple things. After all, dad’s paying for it—isn’t he?”

          Winter gritted her teeth, trying to maintain her smile. Ironwood is paying for all this, yes. But these are supposed to be basic mission expenses. Not couples massages. This is totally against protocol. And yet Ironwood’s voice still echoed in her head, “You have to be professional, but it’s incredibly important you pull this off flawlessly. You’ll be undercover as a couple. It’s important you keep that cover alive, understand?”

          Winter mustered up her self-control and plastered on a smile. “It would be nice to do some special things together.” She leaned in close, and whispered under her breath. “Darling.”

          “W-well…” the young woman shuffled her feet awkwardly, “I’ll let you to be! I’m leaving these brochures here on the table. Congratulations again. I hope you enjoy your honeymoon!” She slipped out of the room, leaving them alone. Winter dropped her smile and peeled herself off of Qrow’s arm.

          “Damn, Ice Queen, I didn’t know you had it in you.” Qrow whistled.

          “Trust me, Branwen,” Winter gritted her teeth. “Two can play this game.”

***

          Bottles of champagne littered the hotel room floor. Afternoon light filtered in between thick drapes. Winter groaned. She had been awake for an hour, trying to remember what the hell happened after she had ordered the chocolate covered strawberries. Her mouth tasted like alcohol. Which one of them had ordered all this champagne? She put her head in her hands. Ironwood’s going to kill us. She remembered arguing with Qrow last night. They had turned the whole thing into an enormous competition. Who could make this the best honeymoon ever?

          “Here,” a soft whisper brought her back to reality, she blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light. Qrow was crouching next to her, one cup of coffee in each hand. Winter eyed the mug suspiciously. “Seriously?” Qrow grinned. “It’s just coffee.”

          “Thank you,” she breathed, taking the warm mug from his hand. Qrow plopped down on the floor next to her with a soft laugh. “You don’t handle alcohol very well, huh?”

          “We should have been focusing on the mission. You know that as well as I do.”

          Qrow chuckled, leaning back against the bedpost behind them. “Yeah. Well, this was much more fun.”

          “You’re insufferable, Qrow Branwen,” Winter groaned. “You give me a headache.” She paused, meeting his eyes for once. He was smiling. There was a gentleness there, and some sort of memory resurfaced from the night before. Her mouth tasted like alcohol. Now she wasn’t sure if it was the champagne or…

          “Qrow… we didn’t…?” Qrow leaned in close, coffee on his breath, a sweet smile on his lips.

          “You wish.”

          Winter blinked, and then glared, shoving him away. Coffee sloshed in their mugs. Qrow let out a barking laughing.

          “You’re making me gag,” Winter choked, jumping to her feet despite her raging headache. “We should focus on what we’re good at. We’ve got work to do.” She locked herself in the bathroom, Qrow was still chuckling outside. She could hear him through the door. Her cheeks burned, she set her coffee aside running her fingers through her disheveled hair. And then, staring at her flushed face in the mirror she pressed the tips of her fingers against her lips. Don’t think about it. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Maybe… Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad.

It was a cold night, but most nights were like that in Atlas. Winter was used to the chill. What she wasn’t used to was being trapped in this gods-forsaken house again. Now she better understood how Weiss felt. At least when they were children they had each other, but now… with Weiss somewhere in Mistral, Winter was all alone with only her brat of a brother and her emotionless father for company. She had escaped to her and Weiss’ secret place: a flat part of the mansion’s roof, shielded from the wind by the third story, just outside of Winter’s bedroom window. Not even Klein knew about it.

          She had been called back to the house upon her sister’s disappearance. And much to her disgust, the General had granted her leave. “As much as I disagree with your father, it could be dangerous for Weiss to be out there by herself. You and I both know it’s important that she be found.” She had protested. How can I help find her when I’m stuck here?! Ironwood had vaguely explained that he wanted her to keep an eye on her father. He had suspicions that Schnee was, in fact, not heeding the “closed borders” protection plan that was in place.

Besides, if Weiss did come back, she’d need someone to protect her from the wrath of their father. I can protect her. Winter balled her hands into fists, overlooking their family courtyards, which were still decked in the snow and ice of winter. I can protect her… I… I’m not afraid of him. Still, there was something deep inside that made her feel like maybe she was lying to herself.

          She hugged her legs, staring out into the mist beyond. In the distance a bird was fluttering through the thick clouds, dancing through the snowflakes that were just beginning to fall. Black feathers on white sky. Something about it was familiar. And something about his eyes…

          The sound of doors opening below startled her from her thoughts. Footsteps crunched on frozen snow. “Oh, Winter…” Whitley’s sing-song voice echoed through the silence. Winter rolled her eyes, and pressed herself back against the wall behind her, hoping that her little brother wouldn’t look up.

          The bird is closer. She recognized him now. Of course.

          He slipped back into human form as he landed next to her, his hair disheveled, but there was a small, crooked smile on his lips. “I didn’t expect to find you here, Ice Queen.”

          Winter narrowed her eyes. “Then what were you doing here, bird-brain?”

          “Ouch.” Qrow plopped down next to her on the frozen roof, stretching out his long legs and leaning back. “I came to spy on ‘Papa-Schnee.’ See what he’s up to.” He narrowed his eyes. “Now that we’re all here in Atlas, you can never be too careful. Your father never saw eye-to-eye with Ironwood or Ozpin.”

          “Who’s ‘we all?’” Winter said, glancing over at Qrow with a frown.

          “Me and a bunch of teenagers, mostly.” Qrow shrugged. “How long have you been here?”

          Winter didn’t answer. She was trying to remember the last time she had seen Qrow. Was it after their fight at Beacon? Her face grew warm at the thought. If anyone found out that she had met him afterward he reputation would be utterly destroyed. Qrow was older than she was. And a drunk! And a disrupter of the peace! And yet… her eyes found his again. And yet, every time she thought of him, she thought of those eyes—how she could drown in them for eternity and not have a care in the whole world.

          “I’ve been here since Weiss disappeared,” she whispered, glancing away, her cheeks burning.

          “Weiss?” Qrow smiled. That damn smile! “Weiss is safe. She’s been with us.”

          “What?!” Winter glanced up quickly, her heart pounding. “She’s been with you?”

          “Yeah. Didn’t I say I was with a bunch of teenagers?” Qrow frowned, as if trying to remember, but Winter couldn’t contain herself. She grabbed his collar and yanked him towards her, pressing her mouth against his. Qrow was rigid for only half a second before melting into her kiss, pulling her closer by her waist. And to her own surprise, she let him.

          Winter woke up, blinking away sleep. She was smiling, and for half a second she couldn’t remember why. But Qrow was warm against her. His chest was rising and falling, the blankets precariously draped across his arm, and onto the floor. Had they kicked them off in their sleep? Or before? Her cheeks flushed. She couldn’t remember. It was a little chilly, so she leaned over Qrow to pull the blankets up over them again. He stirred, blinking away sleep as she settled back down next to him, resting her head against his shoulder.

          “Good morning, Ice Queen.” His voice was hoarse, gravelly like it always was in the morning. She sighed, sitting up to look down at him, the blankets draped over her shoulders.

          “Good morning.” How long have we been doing this now? A week or two. It seemed like a daze. A happy daze. He grinned.

          “What? Haven’t had enough?”

“Just kiss me good morning, Branwen.” He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers.

“You don’t even have to ask. Now, come on, get back here.” He pulled her back down to the bed, collapsing back onto the pillows. Winter let herself laugh, dropping beside him.

          “How long do you think before the teens notice you’re missing?” Winter frowned.

          “They’ll probably think I’m at the bar or something.” Qrow shrugged.

          “At seven in the morning?”

          Qrow shrugged again. Winter shook her head. She was worried that they would be found out. Maybe that’s… stupid. She shifted, draping an arm over his chest, looking up at him. He was smiling. She had grown to love that smile, almost more than anything. Being with Qrow… She reached out, slipping her hand in his, entwining their fingers.

          “What?” Qrow said, glancing over at her. “What are you thinking about?”

          “You might not like it,” she warned.

          “Shoot,” Qrow sighed, “Better than bottling it up.”

          “What does this all mean? What we’re doing? What does it mean to you?”

          Qrow frowned, staring up at the ceiling. I knew it. He’s never even thought about it— “I care about you, Winter,” he said. “A lot more than I ever thought I could.” He offered her a genuine smile. “That’s what it means.”

          “Are we…?”

          “Dating?” Qrow asked.

          “I was going to say ‘in a relationship,’” Winter replied. Qrow frowned.

          “I dunno, that depends.”

          “On what?” Winter asked.

          “On what you say next.” Qrow squeezed her hand. “You want to go on a date with me?”

          Winter’s eyes widened. “What?”

          “It wouldn’t be anything fancy. Just… maybe dinner? I mean… nice dinner. I wouldn’t take you anywhere you wouldn’t like and I know you would like—” she shut him up by leaning over to kiss him.

          “Yeah, I’d like that.”

          Qrow laughed, “Hell, I never imagined you would ever say yes to that question.”

          Winter frowned, “Why?”

          “You always seemed worried about people finding out about the two of us.”

Just my luck. Qrow dropped his head against the table of the little café. Another exhausting day in Atlas, all in vain. The day before they had had their meeting with James. The relic was safe—supposedly. Qrow had woken up with Ruby practically jumping on his bed. “Can we go sight-seeing, Uncle Qrow? I’ve never been to Atlas before! Weiss can show us around! Please? Please?! Please?!”

          Now he was in a little café surrounded by teenagers. They were all ordering their hot chocolate and mochas. “Sir, would you like anything?”

          “Yeah,” Qrow groaned, “Three shots of whiskey.”

          “Um…” The cashier couldn’t be more than seventeen. “We don’t serve alcohol.”

          “That’s what I was afraid of.” Qrow pulled his flask out from pocket and turned away from the cashier to sit at a booth by himself. The kids were talking animatedly about everything they’d seen so far. He tried to shut out the noise, staring out the window at the falling snow. He hated Atlas. It was so damn cold.

          Someone passed by the window—someone familiar—and slipped into the café, cold air pushing her inside. She glanced once over at the teenagers. Weiss didn’t seem to notice her arrival yet. Surely she was here only to see her sister. But, to Qrow surprise, she slipped into the booth across from him. Now, the teens wouldn’t notice her at all. Qrow was sure the booth was far too tall for them to even see the top of his head, and Winter was shorter than he was.

          “Great.” He huffed, “Another person here to ruin my day.”

          “Another?”

          “That kid refused to serve me alcohol.”

          “This is a café, Qrow,” Winter frowned.

          Qrow grinned, “I know. What are you doing here anyways, Ice Queen? What, did I not do a good enough job taking care of your precious princess sister?”

          Winter took in a deep breath, straightening her thick white coat. “Actually… I came to thank you.”

          “You… what?” Qrow narrowed his eyes. “Is this a joke?”

          “I never joke.” Winter snapped. Okay, I’ll give her that one. “You surprise me, Qrow.” She looked down at her hands, “Taking care of these kids… Thank you.”

          “Umm… Is this the part where you start laughing and throw confetti in my face or something?”

          “I’m not joking!” Winter snapped, “You’re insufferable! I don’t know— Will you just let me finish what I’m trying to say?!”

          “That wasn’t the end?”

          “No!”

          “Okay, okay. Geez.”

          “I wanted to show you something.” She couldn’t look him in the eye. “It’s a place.” Her eyes flicked over his flask. “No alcohol allowed.”

          “Wow, sounds like a really party.” Qrow rolled his eyes.

          Winter gritted her teeth, “Are you coming or not?!”

          “I’ll come.” Qrow frowned. “But only if its not a trap.”

          Winter slammed her hands down on the table and stood. The whole café fell silent. Winter dropped her voice to a whisper, leaning in close, “It’s not a trap. But I might change my mind, you absolutely deranged bird.”

          “Alright, alright!” Qrow raised his hands in surrender.

          “Meet me in Central Square, by the fountain, tonight at seven.”

          “I’ll be there first,” Qrow grinned.

          “It’s not a competition!” Winter snapped, slipping out of the booth to greet her sister. It totally is a competition. Qrow grinned.

***

Qrow arrived at the fountain at six-thirty. Winter was already there, sitting on the edge. She was in casual clothes—black pants, and a thick white coat with a light blue scarf. Her arms were crossed.

          “Geez, how long have you been waiting—just to be the first one here?” Qrow grinned.

          “I, surprisingly, got off of work early,” Winter snapped.

          “Putting a lot of effort into getting me alone.”

          “Would you just relax?” Winter rolled her eyes, “I already told you, Qrow, this isn’t a trap. I’m not going to stab you in the back or anything.”

          “That wasn’t what I was implying.” Qrow smirked.

          Winter narrowed her eyes, “You are despicable,” she whispered, “I would rather get murdered in my sleep.” She spun around with a deep sigh, trying to compose herself. “Follow me.”

          Qrow followed her across the crowded square towards an old building with a tall bell tower. Winter had a few words with a man at the door and then the door was unlocked and they were let inside.

          “Where are we going?”

          “Up.” Winter said, not bothering to turn back and look at him. Qrow let out an exasperated sigh, but followed the specialist up flight after flight of stairs, until they emerged, breathless, at the top of the old tower.

          All four walls had windows opening up to the city. There was no longer a bell in the tower, but Qrow could see the huge hook where it once hung. He wondered how old the building was. It looked like it was being readied for demolition. Old makes way for new.

          Winter was tracing her fingers across the brick walls reverently, leading her directly to the window. She leaned out, letting the freezing Atlas breeze toss her hair in the wind. She glanced back over to him, the colors of the sunset casting gold specks in her blue eyes. Damn. She was smiling.

          “Come on, bird-brain. You can see the whole city from here.”

          Qrow joined her at the ledge. The freezing wind took his breath away for half a moment, but once he was used it he looked out over the city. Winter was right. From the tower you could see every street, every house. The sun was just sinking below the mountains, casting gold shadows on mounds of snow, and sending rainbows dancing through icicles. And Winter… when he glanced up at her again he couldn’t take his eyes off her. There was a shine in her eyes, something he had never seen before. She seemed so free, and so much more alive. She was beautiful.

          “Why are you showing this to me?” He frowned. I thought you hated me.

          “Don’t get so full of yourself,” Winter said, avoiding eye contact. “It’s just a thank you present.” She paused, clasping her hands together. “When Weiss and I were little we would beg father to take us up here so we could see the whole city. I imagined that I was free—free from the duties of an heiress. Free from my father’s watchful eye. I imagined I was a bird, drifting past the last buildings I could see, beyond the horizon, into the sun.” Qrow could see it now—her hands were shaking. He reached out, and set his own hand on top of hers.

          “You are free.” He whispered. “You can make your own choices. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met because of that.”

          “I can make my own choices,” Winter laughed humorlessly. “And what if… the choice I want to make isn’t the right one?”

          “That’s a question everyone asks themselves, I think. It’s part of life. Sometimes choices suck. But… I think you’re lucky. You’ll probably make better choices than I ever will.” Qrow glanced back over at her, trying to memorize her features. “Thanks for bringing me up here, Ice Queen. The view… is nice.”

          He slipped his hand away from hers and turned to make his way back to the stairs. Winter called out to him, “Qrow, wait.”

          He turned, and Winter clasped his hand, pulling him down to kiss his cheek. “Thank you. For everything.”

          Qrow felt his face grow warm, but he let out a laugh, “Now I’m really starting to think this is all a trap.”

          “Don’t tempt me.” Winter snapped, “And—we will never speak of this again.”

          “You got it,” Qrow saluted sloppily as Winter dashed down the stairs.