STRQ (A RWBY fanfiction) [Book 1]

Chapter 16

Raven and Tai kept a close eye on me. Qrow on the other hand, seemed to be getting more and more distant. He hardly spoke to me now and never seemed to ask how I was doing. He would often leave our dorm for hours at a time and only seemed to return when it was super late. I wanted to talk with him desperately, but my frequent headaches kept me from leaving my bed. Not to mention my constant body aches. One day, as he was walking towards the door, I decided to confront him.

"Qrow... where are you going?" I asked.

He glared at me. "Out."

"You've been leaving a lot lately. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine. Will you leave me alone?!" he snapped.

"You hardly eat and you never seem to sleep. Something is clearly wrong," Raven said.

"Nothing is wrong alright?! I just need time for myself!"

With that, Qrow slammed the door, causing my head to ache even more. I pressed my fingers to my temples in an attempt to ease it.

Raven sat next to me. "You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Is he usually this distant and angry?"

"He can be. He probably just needs some time to cool off. He's still stressed out about what happened during our last mission. He cares a lot about you, you know."

I sighed. "It doesn't seem like it."

I stood to my feet shakily and started walking towards to door.
Raven quickly ran to my side and put her hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"Where are you going? I don't think you should be going out right now."

"I'm going to find Qrow. Maybe I can talk to him better if we are alone."

Raven tightened her grip a little.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Summer."

"Please... I just want to talk to him. I'll be careful. I know how to take care of myself," I insisted.

Raven hesitated before slowly loosening her grip. "Okay... just make sure you don't stay out too late. And if you're not feeling good, return here immediately."

I nodded. "Of course. I'll be back."

I left the dorm room and headed outside. I saw no sign of Qrow. I continued to walk around campus and spotted Qrow sitting alone against a wall. I slowly made my way toward him.

"Hello," I said.

Qrow looked up at me. "What are you doing here?"

I sat next to him. "Checking on you. You don't seem like yourself these days."

Qrow looked down at the ground.
"I haven't been. It's my fault that you almost got hurt. I don't even know why I'm a part of this team. I should just leave. Maybe your luck will be better."

"Qrow, you don't need to beat yourself up about this. I don't want you to leave the team. It wouldn't be team STRQ without you."

Qrow just sighed and stood to his feet. "You don't get it, Summer. The more I'm around you, the worse your fortune gets. You're going to end up dead because of my semblance. Trust me, you're better off staying away."

I stood to my feet. My head was hurting like crazy, but I didn't care. I was on the verge of loosing my teammate. I couldn't allow that to happen. I wouldn't.

"What about what you said to me the other day? You said you would protect me no matter what. How is staying away doing any of that?!"

"Just... go away Summer!" Qrow yelled.

I shook my head. "No. I want to know why you want to protect me so badly. Why am I so important to you? I'm just your leader. I'm not special!"

Qrow turned to face me.
"Isn't it obvious Summer?! I love you!"

My mouth flew open as I stood there trying to comprehend what just happened. Qrow... loved me?

Qrow looked just as shocked as I was. His face turned bright red and he looked away.

I regained my composure after a few minutes.
"So... when were you going to tell me?" I asked.

"I... I don't know. I wasn't ever planning on telling you. It would just complicate things. It's not like you feel the same way about me anyway."

"Actually... I do. I didn't know how to tell you how I felt, so I kept quiet," I whispered.

"R-really?" he asked, shocked.

I nodded. "Qrow... I don't want you to be distant from me. That's not how a team is supposed to work. We need to stay together. As teammates... and as a couple."

Qrow looked at me. "We're... dating now?"

I blushed. "If you want. We could remain friends, but I think that would be quite difficult. Especially after what you just told me."

Qrow beamed brightly. "I would love to."

I smiled and took his hand. I stood there in silence for a few moments before Qrow looked down at me with loved filled eyes.

Before I could do anything, I felt his lips press against mine gently.
Oh my gods. Qrow was kissing me. I felt my heart skip beats as the kiss prolonged. Then I started to feel dizzy and staggered back, ending the kiss.

"Dammit," I mumbled.

Qrow put his arm around me to help keep me steady.
"You okay? The kiss wasn't bad, was it?"

My eyes widened. "No! It was really nice. And gentle too. I'm just starting to feel dizzy. Probably from staying out too long."

Qrow smiled and kissed my head. "We should get you back inside then."

We got back around early evening. Raven and Tai were waiting for us.

"Look who's back," Tai said.

I nodded. "Yeah. Me and Qrow had a talk and sorted things out."

Raven smiled. "Good. How's your head feeling?"

"I'm feeling a bit dizzy right now. I'm thinking about going to see Ozpin tomorrow. We've kept him waiting long enough I think."

Qrow looked worried. "Are you sure? You can always get more rest if you need it."

"I'll be fine. I'll have you after all."

Qrow blushed. "Summer!"

Raven and Tai just stared at us.

"Did... we miss something. What happened during your talk?" Tai asked.

Raven smiled. "Qrow doesn't blush like that for no reason. So... what happened you two?"

I blushed and looked down.
"Well—"

"I confessed my feelings to Summer," Qrow said.

"Oh... my... GODS!!!" Raven screamed.

"Wait... seriously? Are you guys dating now?" Tai asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

"That's so cute!" Raven squealed.

"It's about time, Qrow. You've been gushing over Summer ever since we were put on a team," Tai said.

"Tai... shut up," Qrow replied.

Tai laughed. "I'm happy for you two. You look great together."

I smiled. "Thanks, Tai."

"We better get some rest. Since we're seeing Ozpin tomorrow, it'll be important. We'll want to be fully energized and ready beforehand," Raven said.

"Of course. Night everyone."

"Goodnight, love birds," Tai said.

I threw a pillow at him before climbing into my own bed and falling asleep.