Beacon Academy – The Dorms
The evening air was crisp as the students of Beacon Academy settled in after a long day. Inside Team RWBY and Team JNPR's shared lounge, laughter and chatter filled the room. Hemera sat comfortably on Ruby's lap while Yang playfully messed with her hair, much to the little girl's giggling delight.
Onyx leaned against the wall nearby, arms crossed, silently observing the scene. His amethyst eyes softened as he watched his daughter so easily bond with his friends.
A knock at the door broke the moment.
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Are we expecting anyone?"
Blake shook her head, closing her book. "Not that I know of."
"I'll get it!" Jaune offered as he moved toward the door. He twisted the knob and pulled it open—
Only to be greeted by the sight of a tall, scruffy man with a red cape draped over his shoulders, a flask lazily twirling in his fingers. His crimson eyes lazily scanned the room before landing on Onyx.
"Well, well," the man drawled with a smirk. "Didn't expect to find you playing house, kid."
Onyx sighed. "Qrow."
The room fell silent.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then—
"UNCLE QROW?!" Ruby and Yang shouted in unison, their eyes wide in shock.
Hemera gasped excitedly and leaped off Ruby's lap, dashing across the room before jumping into Qrow's arms. "Grandpa Qrow!"
Qrow chuckled as he caught her with ease, lifting her up. "Hey there, squirt." He ruffled her hair before glancing back at Onyx with a knowing smirk. "She still eating you out of house and home?"
Onyx rolled his eyes. "You have no idea."
Meanwhile, the rest of the room was frozen in sheer disbelief.
Weiss blinked. "Wait—Uncle Qrow? Grandpa Qrow?" She pointed at him in confusion. "You mean, as in your uncle? That Qrow?"
Ruby turned to her team, still stunned. "Uh… yeah?"
Blake's golden eyes narrowed. "Not what I was expecting."
Qrow feigned hurt, placing a hand over his heart. "Ouch, that one stings." He smirked. "The name's Qrow Branwen. Huntsman. Bad luck magnet. And, apparently, a mystery to most of you kids."
Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora exchanged glances.
"You mean you're Ruby and Yang's uncle?" Pyrrha asked, eyes widening.
Yang groaned. "Oh, come on, how do you guys not know this?! He's literally the only Branwen worth mentioning!"
"Hey," Qrow interjected. "I take offense to that."
Weiss crossed her arms, looking at Ruby and Yang suspiciously. "And you never thought to mention that your uncle was a professional Huntsman?"
Ruby rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I mean… it just never came up?"
"Never came up?!" Weiss repeated in disbelief.
Jaune's eyes flickered between Qrow and Onyx before he frowned in realization. "Wait a minute… how do you two know each other?"
Qrow chuckled, still holding Hemera in one arm. "Oh, that's a long story."
"Short version," Onyx said, stepping forward. "Qrow trained me when I was younger."
The room collectively reacted with varying degrees of shock.
"WHAT?!"
Nora practically jumped in the air. "You mean the guy who taught Ruby how to scythe-fu also trained you?!"
Qrow smirked, taking a sip from his flask. "Damn right I did."
Blake narrowed her eyes at Onyx. "And you never told us?"
Onyx shrugged. "You never asked."
Weiss groaned. "That's not how this works!"
Ren, ever the composed one, folded his arms. "And what about Hemera? You two seem… familiar."
Qrow grinned, patting the little girl's head. "That's because I've known her since she was in diapers."
Nora gasped. "You've been a grandpa this whole time?!"
"Honorary grandpa," Qrow corrected. "Not that old."
Hemera giggled. "You are kinda old, Grandpa Qrow."
Qrow groaned. "Not you too, squirt."
Yang still looked baffled. "Hold on, hold on! I still don't get how this all connects! Uncle Qrow, you trained Onyx? You knew about Hemera this whole time? And you just never told us?!"
Qrow gave a casual shrug. "Kid, I keep a lot of secrets."
Ruby pouted. "Uncle Qrow!"
The Huntsman chuckled before glancing back at Onyx. "So, kid. You gonna let me in, or you just gonna let me stand in the hall all night?"
Onyx sighed before stepping aside. "Come in, old man."
Qrow smirked as he walked inside, Hemera still clinging to his side.
As the door closed behind him, the room was still left reeling with unanswered questions—
And an unexpected new connection to Onyx's past.