WHO: Qrow Branwen & Elsa WHAT: Elsa is checking up on him WHEN: Tuesday evening WHERE: Qrow's place WARNINGS: Low STATUS: Closed | Completed gdoc
On the network, Elsa saw Nora’s post about Ruby being sent home. She knew immediately the loss of Ruby would affect Qrow deeply. He could possibly be tempted to drink again. That was the last thing Elsa wanted. She knew it would be the last thing Ruby wanted too. So, the blond quickly threw on her light coat, slipped her feet into a pair of sneakers, and practically ran all the way to Qrow’s townhouse. She’d sent Qrow a text letting him know she was on her way. Elsa just hoped she wasn’t too late.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself and her abilities, Elsa raised a hand and quickly rapped on the door. If he refused to see her, Elsa knew she could use her abilities to force the door open, but she was really hoping it would not come to that. She hoped Qrow would let her in. “Please let me in, Qrow,” Elsa whispered.
Qrow didn't need to see Nora's post about Ruby. He had already known when he had woken up the day she left, noticing it was quiet and feeling her presence missing. Going to her room and seeing all of her things gone not only solidified that she had definitely been sent back home, but that she wasn't going to come back in a few days. She was gone for who knows how long.
Since then, Qrow had been in a low mood. He still worked but that was the only thing he did. He barely ate or slept and yes, he had thought about going to one of the bars and drinking. The only thing that kept him from giving into temptation was Ruby herself. He knew his niece would be disappointed if he fell off the wagon and so he avoided it.
Other than going to work, he also just stayed home since then. And ignored any texts. He saw that Weiss had sent a few and he also got one from Elsa, though he barely read it. So when he heard a knock on his door, he was surprised since he wasn't expecting anyone.
He got up to open the door. "Oh, hey," he greeted his fiancee. Normally he would've been a little more enthusiastic, but lack of sleep meant he was exhausted.
Elsa was relieved when he opened the door. The relief quickly turned to worry when she saw how exhausted he looked. It wouldn’t surprise her if he wasn’t sleeping or eating. Suffering through a loss like the one Qrow was facing made it difficult to function on even the most basic level.
“Hey,” Elsa replied gently. “I saw Ruby was sent home. I wanted to come check on you and be here for you.” She reached out and laid a hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry she’s gone, Qrow.” She knew it was similar to if she lost Anna. She would be devastated, angry, sad, and lost. No doubt Qrow was feeling all of those things and much more right now.
“Can I come in?” If he didn’t want her to, Elsa would probably still push her way inside. She didn’t think it was a good idea for Qrow to be by himself right now.
Qrow just gave her a sad smile, as if confirming without words that yes, Ruby was indeed gone. "Yeah, me too," he sighed, placing a hand over the one she laid on his cheek. For the first time since his niece went missing, he felt a little less devastated. Not entirely, of course. This loss would take more than a few days to deal with, but having Elsa around helped.
If it had been anyone else, he might've told them to go home. But it was Elsa and so he nodded, stepping aside to let her in before closing the door behind him. He led the way to the living room, sitting on the couch. "I'm trying hard not to go to one of the bars," he admitted. The thought of drinking until he couldn't remember anything was tempting, but he resisted the urge so far.
Elsa wasn’t going to tell him it would be okay. It wouldn’t. He was going to be hurting for a while. Ruby was his niece and he loved her. The pain that came with losing someone you loved did not evaporate overnight. It could sometimes take months or even years. Elsa hoped it didn’t take Qrow years to find a way to live with the loss of Ruby, but she knew it would take time.
When he gave her permission to enter, Elsa shifted the hand on his cheek to grasp the hand on top and followed him inside the house. Once the door was shut behind her, they ventured into the living room and Qrow claimed a seat on the couch. Elsa took off her coat and shoes then settled into the empty place beside him.
She took his hand once more and intertwined their fingers. “I know. I know it’s hard to resist right now. I’m proud of you for resisting so far. I know Ruby would be too,” Elsa assured him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “And I’m here now, I’ll help you through it, okay?”
Qrow wouldn't have believed her anyway. At least not at the moment. Right now, he felt like nothing will be okay and wouldn't be for awhile. He knew it would be eventually. Maybe not entirely but the hurt and pain would be a little less intense. But right now, losing Ruby hurt like hell.
He pulled her close once she sat beside him. "Ruby is definitely a big reason why I've resisted so far." Even though his niece was no longer here, he knew if she was, she would've been disappointed. And the very last thing he'd ever want was to disappoint her. "And I do appreciate it," he told her with a slight smile. Probably the first one in awhile. "You just being here is helping."
Maybe he should've called her instead of being alone for a few days. But he couldn't change that. At least she was here now.
Elsa would be here beside him for however long it took. She knew the pain from the loss of Ruby would never leave Qrow completely. He would simply learn to adapt with her absence. However, it would ease over time and yes, become bearable. Right now, it was overwhelming, but Elsa knew it wouldn’t always be like that. Losing her parents had taught Elsa that you could move on, but not forget the person who was gone.
Elsa snuggled against Qrow and rested her head on his shoulder. “I know she is and she would be so proud of you right now. I know it.” Elsa was proud of Qrow too. He could have easily buried himself in the nearest bottle, but instead he wasn’t giving in to his addiction. He was choosing to face the pain and loss sober. That took strength and courage.
The blond looked up at him with a small smile of her own. “Of course. You’re going to be my husband, Qrow. We face everything together. I’m going to be here for you because I know if I lose Anna or Kristoff or Sven, you’d be there for me too.” It was encouraging to see him smile at least.
“Do you want me to make you anything to eat?” Elsa asked gently.
He hated that Ruby was gone but not only that, things back home were bad and she was basically going back into a war. While he knew that time stopped and she could take care of herself even if it didn't, it still didn't stop him from worrying about her and Yang and everyone else.
"I hope so." Guess it was a good thing he got rid of any alcohol in the house, so he didn't even have a secret stash hidden somewhere. If he had, then well, he and Elsa would be having a much different conversation than the one they were having now. Or maybe none at all if Qrow ended up passing out on her.
"I appreciate it. And of course I would be," he added, giving her a quick kiss on her temple. "Sure." He hadn't eaten much these past few days, so he probably should get some food in his stomach. "Maybe soup or a sandwich?" Usually he went for both, but he didn't have much of an appetite right now.
Even though it was clear Ruby could handle herself, Elsa knew how protective Qrow was of his niece. Elsa also knew Ruby would essentially be heading back into war. She would go from nearly five years of peace to the equivalent of hell in a matter of seconds. The spirit’s heart went out to Ruby and obviously to Qrow. Knowing his niece was facing it without him had to be just as difficult as losing her.
“I know it.” Elsa knew it would be an entirely different story if Qrow had a secret stash of alcohol in the house. He might be far more tempted than he was right now and he could have even given in. She might have found him passed out. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case and Qrow was still sober.
When he pressed a kiss to her temple, Elsa smiled and nodded. “I can put something together or I can order something from the Red Pepper. Whatever you prefer.” Elsa knew she wasn’t always the best cook, but she was confident she could put together a sandwich and soup. However, she was also okay with ordering out too if that was something Qrow preferred.
Yes, he was still sober but that didn't mean he was liking it at the moment. Part of him wished he could just drink and forget that Ruby was gone or at least make it a little easier to deal with. He hated this feeling but he hated to disappoint Ruby even more. It didn't matter if she was gone.
Neither of them were the best cooks. Qrow usually avoided it due to his Semblance in case his bad luck acted up and caused a fire or something. "Maybe a sandwich for now?" He still wasn't hungry but figured he should eat something besides cereal and coffee.
Elsa knew how badly Qrow probably wanted to bury himself in a bottle right now. She knew he was looking for a way to ease the pain of losing Ruby. She refused to give him alcohol of any kind, but maybe they could find something else to distract him with. Elsa would do her best to distract even if it might not numb him completely like a bottle of booze would.
Elsa knew it was probably for the best that she ordered the sandwich. Between their bad cooking and Qrow’s Semblance, there was a good chance that her trying to put a sandwich together could end in disaster.
Pulling out her phone, Elsa quickly opened the app for the Red Pepper and put in an order for Qrow’s favorite sandwich as well as one for herself. She submitted the order and looked up at Qrow. “It should be here in a bit. In the meantime, how about we find something to distract you?” Elsa offered as she tucked away her phone in her purse once more.
"Thanks," Qrow gave her a small smile once she ordered the food. It was definitely a good thing she was here or he'd just eat cereal again or maybe nothing. He knew in the back of his mind that he needed to eat more than that - and he would eventually - but his appetite was almost non-existent now.
"Maybe we can watch a movie?" he suggested. Movies were always a good distraction.
“Of course.” Eventually, Qrow would need to eat more, but Elsa was simply grateful he was willing to eat something right now. Hopefully, the sandwiches would arrive soon. In the meantime, they could start a movie from a streaming service.
Elsa reached for the remote and settled back against the cushions. “What are you in the mood for? Something funny?” Elsa would watch whatever Qrow wanted. She just wanted him to focus on something else for a while.
"Yeah, definitely something funny." He definitely could use a laugh. He grabbed the remote and started up Netflix, browsing the titles until he and Elsa found a movie they agreed on.