-Winter Pov-

Qrow Branwen was one of those people, who if you were a huntsman, you couldn't get too far without hearing about. He was as close as we got to having legends, or mythical figures, and he meant a lot of things to a lot of different people, simply by being who he was. To Taiyang Xiao Long, he was a best friend, and had been a source of comfort when Raven Branwen, and then later when Summer Rose had vanished without a trace. To Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long, he was the best uncle in the world, and one of the most important people to them, close enough to them that even if he had no blood relationship to Ruby Rose, he would always be her uncle no matter what happened. To Ozpin and Glynda, he was a friend, one of their oldest friends, and someone they could always count on for difficult missions and anything else in the world. To Ironwood, and many Atlas officials, he was a pain to deal with, but someone who always got the results we needed. To a generation of training huntsman, Qrow Branwen as a hero, a member of Team STRQ and someone they all looked up to.

So what was Qrow Branwen to me? To me, Qrow Branwen had been many things. At first, to me Qrow Branwen was someone I hated to be in the same room with. He could be so annoying to be around, with me being as formal as I like to be, and with how blunt and sarcastic he can be. The two of us clashed frequently, often coming to blows over the smallest altercation or incident. Of course, with the two of us being almost exactly evenly matched, our fights rarely reached a conclusion beyond the promise for a rematch.

As time went on, I came to respect him a little bit more, or at least his fighting ability and prowess, which even I was unable to deny. And for his part, I felt him start to respect me a little bit more with each passing fight we had, even if he would never admit it out loud because of who he was. When the two of us reached a level of mutual respect for each other, it became more common for the two of us to go on missions with each other, and have to rely one each other for help and support, often trusting each other with our lives.

After enough of those missions, the two of us came to have a little bit of an odd friendship. I can never forget when the two of us had been at the bar to celebrate a mission, when the two of us had our first conversation with each other, completely devoid of any insults, when he had offered me to drink with him. It was then when I found the two of us had more in common than I had thought initially, and the shared experiences we had with each other made it possible for us to connect in a way that few other people would be able to.

We had been friends for about a month when I realized that I was romantically attracted to Qrow Branwen. I don't mean in the same way many people would have meant that. One of the other things which Qrow Branwen meant to a lot of people was a celebrity crush. Over the years, I had seen him in magazines, in lists of eligible bachelors, and heard his name used in games such as ' Bed, wed or behead.' I had overheard conversations from people about the things they would do to Qrow, or the things they would want Qrow to them if they had the chance.

I noticed why a lot of people thought so upfront. While I may be a little more uptight than some others, I'm not blind, so of course I was one of those people who did consider Qrow attractive. He took care of himself physically for someone of his age, was strong, and easy on the eyes. And it wasn't just that, he could be funny when he wanted to be, and he was an amazing uncle to Ruby and Yang, which only made him more attractive in my eyes.

It was me who was the first to act on my attraction for him. I did the best I could to keep things professional for a little bit, so as not to jeopardize my reputation as a huntress. It was the small things at first, finding excuses to brush my hand against his, letting my gaze linger on him for a moment too long, or staring at his muscles for a second more than I should have been. Once I was sure he shared an attraction to me, when I had seen him watching my buttocks or breasts when I walked, when he brushed his hands against mine or when I had caught him staring into my eyes, I had decided to take a chance on him.

We went out and we had dinner with each other that night, and to my surprise, he was just as nervous about it as me. It was almost cute in a way, to see the great Qrow Branwen try to be polite and proper through an entire night for my sake, and seeing that side of him had only made me fall for him even harder. For my part, I did the best I could to be proper, but also let myself live a little bit, laughing at his jokes instead of stifling my laughter, and I let down my hair for once. It had been the best date of my entire life, and I couldn't wait until the two of us would be able to go on another date.

I was far from the stereotype of a 'girly girl.' But when I had been waiting to go on a second date with Qrow, I had let myself become one. I would stay up waiting for texts from him, and I would read our old text messages with a smile on my face. When he did agree to go out with me for a second time, I spent much more time than I care to admit applying my makeup, and picking the perfect dress to wear. That night had been one of the best nights of my life, and it had been when the two of us began to go out officially, as a couple. I couldn't have been happier, and the adorable way he asked me out had been something which stuck with me.

When the two of us got together, I began to learn about him, things you couldn't learn just by reading the information about Team STRQ you could find in textbooks. Rather, I learned the story of Qrow Branwen, and the events which had shaped him into the man he had become. I had learned about the bandit tribe he had grown up in, his favorite memories he had with STRQ, the fact he carried a picture of the team with him always, and then I had been one of the few people who had learned about the girl who had been the first love of Qrow Branwen's life, Summer Rose.

Hearing him talk about her, I have to admit hurt a little bit. Of course, I had heard all of the idle gossip people who knew him had made. If he had a wife who he kept hidden from the public, if he had been with Summer at any point in time, or if he was Ruby's real father, but I had never bought into any of it. But when he had told me about Summer, and what it had been like to be in love with her, it had hurt. I didn't think I could ever hope to measure up to what she had meant to him.

Qrow had been quick to assure me that I didn't have to measure up to who she had been, and he had promised me that he had made peace with his feelings for her, and for the fact that she was gone. I had been skeptical at first, but I was glad I had given him the benefit of the doubt, and he had come to show me how much I meant to him, and that he loved me more than he had ever loved her. It had warmed my heart, and it had been when I was willing to let him into my life fully, and admit to him that I was in love with him, with every part of me which was able to love.

As I'd said earlier, Qrow Branwen as a lot of things to me, and to a lot of people. But right now? He was my amazing boyfriend, and he was cuddling up to me, and I smiled as I held him close. I loved to cuddle with him, and to be held close to him. It made me feel safe and loved when he held me. But right now? Qrow was being clingy, as he could be from time to time. " Qrow, I need to get dressed. I have to get to Atlas in time to teach my next class in a few moments," I tell him gently, not wanting to leave myself, but needing to so I can set an example for the class and the cadets at Atlas.

" Five more minutes," Qrow says sleepily as he makes no effort to get up or get moving. He simply lays in the bed, his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around me. Before I can say anything, he cuts me off. " And I know I've already said that twice, I just like cuddling with you. Please...stay."

Sighing, I try to free myself from his grip, but I have neither the energy right now, nor the desire to do so. Still, I have been trapped in worse places than his embrace before, and so I sigh and lay down with him. " I really do need to get going Qrow. This weekend, the two of us can go somewhere with each other, but right now I need to do this. Can you make it a few hours without me? It's Friday Qrow. Just this one more day and then weekend will be here," I tell him softly.

Reluctantly, he nods and then let go of me. The two of us get dressed, and then give each other a kiss before the two of us head to our jobs, him teaching at Signal, and then me filing reports away at Atlas. Usually, the monotony of the job doesn't bother me that much, since I like the routine of it all. But without Qrow next to me, I find myself more bored than I usually am with the work and the job I then sigh and glance at the clock. I still have four more hours in my shift. Four whole hours of doing paper work before I can see Qrow again. As I go back to work, I hear a tapping sound. Looking up, I try to find the source of it, but I can't and so go back to working. A few moments later, I hear the same tapping sound again.

This time, I look for it a little more thoroughly and then I notice a bird sitting outside the window. Its beak taps against the glass every so often. Looking at the bird even more, I realize that it's not just any bird, it's a crow. More specifically, it's Qrow in his bird form. Sighing, while also smiling brightly, I open the window to let him in. Once he hops in, I step back a little bit and then he turns back into a human. I look at him for a moment. " Qrow? What are you doing here? I thought you had one more class to teach."

" Oh yeah, no I totally do," Qrow says with his signature shrug of dismissal. It used to drive me crazy, but now I find it more endearing than anything else. " But, I called in sick. I got some teacher to cover for me, and then I flew here." He then smiles and hugs me, holding me close to him. Due to the height difference between the two of us, my head rests comfortably on his chest. I wrap my arms around him to pull him closer to me, basking in his warmth.

" You flew all this way to see me? Atlas and Signal aren't exactly right next to each other. And in your bird form, it couldn't have been an easy flight. Are you okay," I asked concerned. Signal and Atlas are miles away from each other, and Atlas is amazingly cold. If he flew here, he could have gotten hurt. On top of that, the Atlas security system is so precise he could have gotten hurt by it by accident. If anything happened to Qrow, I don't know if I would be able to handle it. It would be a little too much for me.

" Heh. Yeah, it was one hell of a flight. It took me a long time to get here. But, I wanted to see you today Winter. Today isn't a day I wanted to be alone," he says as he looks into my eyes with a smile. It then suddenly clicks with me why he wanted to be with me today. Today was the day Raven had initially left to return back to the tribe. For Qrow, today is the day he lost his sister, best friend and realized that anyone could leave him.

When I realize this, I hug him closer to me. " I'm sorry Qrow. I didn't realize in the morning what this day had meant to you. If I did, I would never have left you by yourself. This weekend, and for the rest of today, I will stay by your side so you know I won't be going anywhere," I promise him, and then he nods and smiles. A moment passes with him in my arms, before he yawns. I realize how much effort he expanded to come to me today. I glance at the paperwork I still have, but without a second thought, I pick Qrow up bridal style.

I begin to walk out of the office, carrying him still. On the way, I ignore the glances from everyone, and then I eventually make it to my house in Atlas. Walking inside, I set him down on the bed, and tuck him in. I then lie down next to him, and wrap my arms around him, as he does to me as the two of us fall asleep. Qrow Branwen is a lot of things to a lot of people. But perhaps most importantly to me, Qrow Branwen is the one I love.

( Let me know what you thought. @HolographicAge, sorry for the wait)