digitalelearning-blog

[stillresolved]

annie in most threads: *sweet, shy, if not a bit out of it, trying keep it together/act normal*

annie w/ taiyang ( @velvetineblue ): im gonna smack him, i don't care if he's shriveling on the ground 😤

[fire-the-headcanons]

Follow the Beacon Qrow—Thundersnow

[Link to Masterpost]

[Apparently I didn’t post the last few chapters on Tumblr? Use the masterpost to make sure you don’t miss anything]

[tw for sexual assault mention]

They all knew—everyone knew he was weak, that he wouldn't fight back—the crowd pressed in and he recoiled, curling away—one of them grabbed his arm and he choked back a scream—

"Qrow, Qrow, it's me, it's okay, it's me," Summer's voice cracked as the hand tightened and he dared to look out through his arms. Tears trickled across her cheeks as she stared down at him, wide-eyed.

Summer… Summer wouldn't hurt him.

"H-help."

"Okay. Okay, let's get out of here." She eased him back to his feet and the crowd let them through easily.

Gods, he wanted to throw up.

The main doors were at the other end of the hall, and she guided him into the shadow of the arch leading out to the balcony. "Are you okay?" she rasped, sitting next to him on the stone bench.

He really didn't want to open his mouth.

She wiped at her face, smearing the dark makeup on her cheek and hand. "I don't—I don't know how he could do that!"

His stomach rebelled and he pressed his hands against his mouth, fighting for control.

"What's—how do I help?"

Qrow leaned on her shoulder, the way she leaned on his when they both had nightmares, and she let go of his arm to pull him into a hug. When she didn't pull away, he held her back and waited for his stomach to stop churning and lungs to start working again.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?"

What good would that do? He shook his head.

"…Qrow… where you were… before… did someone ever…?"

He shook his head before she could finish. "N-not me. Or Raven."

"…But… others."

"I d-don't want to think about it."

Summer nodded and released him, standing before offering her hand with a bright, warm smile. "Dance with me."

"H-huh?"

"Distraction!" she declared, taking his hands and tugging him back to his feet. Her fingers tangled with his as her other hand reached for his bad shoulder—he flinched, expecting pain, but the touch was too light. She snatched her arm back anyway and her left hand tightened on his reassuringly. "Oh no, I'm so sorry—did I—"

"N-no—I just—you startled me."

She nodded, relieved, and placed her hand on his hip instead, mirroring him. Not exactly proper form, but she... it mattered to her. "Okay. Focus on your footwork. Left goes first."

"But I—"

"Just follow my lead," she said, stepping back and drawing him with her like being pulled by a current. Being right-handed, though, he stepped forward with his right foot and they immediately stumbled a half step before correcting with the ease of trained warriors. "Left right left, right left right, left right left, right left right, hey, you're not bad at this."

"Y-you say that like you're surprised," he mumbled through half a smile. She was right, the monotonous movement was helping. So was the fact that she wasn't pinning him against her and dragging him around the room with Semblance-enhanced strength.

Focus.

"No! I meant—I didn't expect you to know how to dance. Is that something a lot of farmhands do?"

"…Had to keep ourselves entertained somehow." Farmhands did, in fact, dance. Bandits usually did not. "But I learned from the man who trained us. He said it would improve our footwork while fighting."

Summer laughed. "My mom did too! It must be an Anima thing." She was almost as good as Bones, but of course she didn't have several stolen lifetimes of experience. And far better than Raven—his sister didn't have a strength Semblance but she tended to drag people around too.

She stepped back, bowing with a little flourish that he recognized, and responded in kind. When they pulled back together the steps were far more intricate, including the half-beats as well. They were clearly both rusty at the more complicated Mistrali dance but it was easy to adjust when one of them tripped up.

Flurries started to fall, but the balcony wasn't too icy yet.

"I'm pretty sure that's not traditional," Tai teased as they creatively returned to the correct rhythm, and they quickly slowed to a stop. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…" he swallowed. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

Tai blinked, his eyebrows knitting together. "…Why?"

"D-dan's your friend."

Both of them started at him, mouths hanging open. What—why weren't they mad until he—

"Not any-fucking-MORE," Summer screamed at a whisper.

"My friends don't treat anyone that way. Especially not my other friends."

"But I—"

"Repeat after me," she demanded, resting her fists against her hips in an eerily Professor Mesánychta-y way. "I. Deserve. To be. Treated. Better."

He swallowed another wave of nausea. "It doesn—"

"I. Deserve. To be. Treated. Better."

Raven poked her head around the column behind them, wide-eyed and knife half drawn. Summer and Tai followed his gaze, and she didn't quite manage to get it hidden in time.

"You're still carrying—" Summer buried her face in one hand. "Is that why you wanted long sleeves?"

"Yes," she said immediately, clearly relieved to have an excuse that had nothing to do with keeping her wrists covered, but Summer sighed deeply and she faltered. "…No?"

"Raven, I just got three months of detention for punching that shi—"

"If you stab somebody it'll be a lot worse!"

She leaned back defensively. "They have auras."

Summer gave another long-suffering sigh and beckoned her over. "Come on, group hug."

"I'm okay."

"That's an order from your team leader."

Raven had never disobeyed a direct order, and it was probably that habit that convinced her to join in the hug.

The world lit up white, followed by a muffled thump, and the four of them stared upwards at the snow.

"Is that lightning? In winter?" Raven asked as the sky flashed again.

"Thundersnow," Tai said, brushing snow from his bangs. "Only happens in Vale, something to do with warm air from the Emerald Forest. Isn't it pretty?"

Other students—especially ones from other Kingdoms—began to join them out on the balcony, all staring out at the storm together.

Qrow stared down at his feet. My friends don't treat anyone that way.

What would they do when they found out he was a murderer?

Next Chapter: Summer—Special Request