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Qrow awakes to darkness. All surrounding, all encompassing. Threatening to swallow him whole as he gets to his feet. He opens his mouth, tries to call out, speak, but nothing comes but hot air. So he simply frowns and turns.
His eyes widen when he sees Ozpin, seeming to teeter over the edge of that darkness, threatening to fall in. “You say you love me, Qrow, but you know the truth. You just continue to ignore it.”
A hand lands on Qrow’s shoulder, and he looks to see Taiyang holding onto him, eyes as empty as the day Summer died. “All you’ve done is hurt the people you loved. Tried to shove them away.”
Another hand, this one smaller. Raven stares at him with narrowed, angry red eyes. “You’ve driven everyone away.”
He rips out of their grasps, turning around, he needs to run, he needs to-!
Summer stands right behind him, a living corpse of when he found her that day. Neck slit, gash in her stomach. She was massacred. “Your bad luck only hurts those you love. You’re nothing but a curse. And soon...that curse will befall another.”
Qrow chokes on his silence as he whips around to see Ozpin, golden eyes and pale skin and snow white hair. “All you’ll do one day...is hurt those you love.”
“No...” His voice works. He rips away from the hands holding him down and tries, he tries to run to Ozpin...only for the man to step over the edge and fall, causing Qrow to drop to his knees, so close to catching him, but too far to save him.
___
“NO!”
Qrow’s entire body slams upright from his sleeping position, arm outstretched as if to grab something, to grab someone. He pants, breaths, his hands shaking as he realizes where he is.
Dimly lit room, emerald green bedsheets, comfortable mattress...he turns just slightly to see Ozpin staring back at him, golden eyes full of sleepiness and worry. “Darling...?” He tentatively says, and Qrow stares right back at him.
...then come the tears.
They well and pop up in the corners of his eyes as his shoulders hitch, and Ozpin responds immediately. Regardless of what Qrow needs now, Ozpin pulls him in for a tight hug, making Qrow bury himself into his shoulder. “Oh, beloved...” Thin, pale fingers rake their way through salt and pepper hair as Qrow clings to the back of Ozpin’s shirt and weeps. “It was merely a nightmare. I promise, it’s all over now.” He whispers softly, pressing a kiss atop Qrow’s head. “Everything is okay now.”
Qrow needs minutes to calm his crying from horrible weeping to gentle sniffles as he collects himself. He breaths deep before turning to look at Ozpin, eyes bloodshot. The man wastes no time in carefully using his sleeve to wipe away the tears left on his scruffy face. “Would you like to tell me what you were dreaming to make you hurt this bad, beloved?” Qrow slowly shakes his head. He can’t relive it. He can barely remember any of it now, all except for the sight of Ozpin falling down, down, down with himself being unable to save him like he should’ve.
He breaths for a moment. “You...I can’t...” He tries to think of what to say. “Oz, I...I’m gonna get you hurt one day. Ozpin blinks at that, and Qrow continues. “I’m bad luck. I’ve hurt everyone in the past. I hurt the girls, I hurt Tai, I hurt Raven, I couldn’t even save Summer!” Her name slides past his lips and he chokes on more tears. “H-how can I keep you safe when all I’ve ever done is hurt the people I love?!” He asks, completely heartbroken.
Two small, thin hands cup Qrow’s cheeks as Ozpin carefully wipes away his tears once more. “Qrow...you do keep me safe. You’ve already kept me safe.” He says, as soft and as calm as ever. “You keep me from overworking. You saved me from plenty of Grimm. You always come for me when I’m beginning to sink into old painful depths and brand new ones my mind so creatively comes up with.” Lovingly, he stares at Qrow. “You have saved me so much more then you think. You’re not bad luck. Not with me.”
Foreheads press together, and Ozpin kisses Qrow. He tastes like chocolate and cinnamon and it makes Qrow melt completely into his compassion. Into his honesty. Into his genuine feelings, so raw and true it’s almost scary how willing he is to show Qrow anything and everything.
Slowly, they pull away, only enough for foreheads to stay pressed and noses to brush together.
“You’re my good luck charm, Qrow. My knight in shining armor. I know anything I hurt, you will always come to my rescue.”
When Qrow falls back asleep, he holds Ozpin in his arms, the lanky man entangled within his limbs. He dreams of vast fields of green, gentle warm breezes, and Ozpin reading away nestled against Qrow.
A simple dream. A boring dream.
A perfect dream.