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Raven’s lips pursed as startled eyes jumped up to look at her. Qrow sat up from where he was leaning back on his pillows, closing his book and setting it on the stand. His movements were almost wary, his expression confused and she bit back a snarl. They were twins, they’d shared the same tent for most of their life. Before Beacon he never would have thought much of her entering his room (not that he’d had a room of his own) but since the four of them had settled into the house, Tai and Summer had insisted that omegas needed their own safe space. So Qrow had not only been given a room of his own, he’d been given the largest room with an attached bathroom and the alphas weren’t supposed to enter unless invited. It was ridiculous.

“Pack what you need. It’s time to go back.” Raven had already opened a portal and tossed her things through, not wanting to waste any time if she didn’t have to. Tai and Summer would only be gone for so long and she wanted to leave before they ever got near the house. She just needed her brother and then they could cut all ties. Qrow blinked at her without moving, brow furrowing as if she were speaking a language he didn’t understand.

“What?” He didn’t get up, continuing to stare at her uncomprehendingly and she hiss out an annoyed breath. It shouldn’t have been hard to understand really, he should have been ready for this without her prompting him.

“Get. Your. Things.” She growled out impatiently, storming over to his closet to start pulling out the clothes that would hold up best to their nomadic lifestyle back at home. “We’re going back to the tribe now. We’ve done what we came here to do, Qrow. It’s time to return.” She threw some of the better ones on the floor for packing, turning with the expectation of him having gotten out a bag to see him still sitting on the bed. She growled again, frustrated this time, striding over to yank him to his feet. He jerked away from her hold, backing up against the wall. “Qrow.”

“No.” The word was near silent as it tumbled past his lips, eyes downcast as he stood against her, refusing to do as he was told.

Raven froze, spine straightening as she glared at her brother, her twin.

Her twin.

Not Tai’s, not Summer’s.

Her’s.

The alpha stalked forward, watching as he swallowed hard when she stopped just in front of him. She could see the faint shimmer of his aura as he braced for her to retaliate against his defiance. He knew, remembered from their father what happened when you defied your alpha, but he still didn’t move to pack and her jaw clenched. “Qrow…” Her voice was low, dangerous. A warning that he needed to do as he was told or face punishment. His chin tucked down and she thought he was going to be sensible. Until he talked.

“No. I’m not going back to the tribe…” His voice wavered but was louder than before. More defiant.

Raven glowered at him, red eyes burning as he kept his on the ground between them. She huffed, turning to walk away but keeping her attention behind her, waiting for the right moment. It wouldn’t be long, she knew. Qrow never kept his aura active longer than he needed to because of his semblance and he’d obviously been away too long if he thought he could just leave without a backward glance. It took just a bit longer than she thought it would for him to drop his aura, long enough that she’d begun to wonder if he’d wait until she was out of the room, but he did it. And she was still within striking distance with her sheath, landing a hard blow to his temple. She pounced after him as he fell to the bed, red sparking across his skin to try to heal the damage. Her hand closed on the nape of his neck, pinning him down before he had the chance to get his arms under him properly.

“Raven!”

“You know better!” And if he had somehow forgotten, then it was time to remind him. Tai and Summer were too soft on him just because he was an omega but that distinction wouldn’t keep him safe in the forests of Anima. If he needed to be reminded of his place then she would do it herself since their father wasn’t alive to do so anymore.

Raven yanked a dagger from the top of her boot, pressing the flat of the blade against the base of his spine so he would feel the metal. He stopped struggling, muscles going tense at the cold feel of it. She slid it down, turning it to cut through the leather of his belt, the fabric of his pants and underwear, until he was bared to her. She tucked the blade away, feeling the way his heart raced under her fingertips as she flipped up her skirt, tucking it into the belts to stay out of the way as she pulled her underwear down to let loose the cock that had slid out of hiding.

“Raven?” Qrow’s voice quavered with uncertainty, with fear, with a plea. She steeled herself against the soft rasp of her name, granting no mercy as she pressed the tip of her cock to the opening of his cunt and snapped her hips forward. He cried out, clamping down in shock at the dry drag of her entrance. Raven had to pause, more for herself than for him. A grim satisfaction settled inside her at the way he rippled around her cock as she shifted her hips, adjusting to the burning heat engulfing her.

She’d been fooling around with Tai and Summer while they were away from the tribe. She knew what it was like to fuck and be fucked. But none of them were omegas, let alone a male omega, and she honestly hadn’t realized there would be so much of a difference between fucking Qrow into submission and Summer when they got a little competitive. She should have realized Qrow would be hotter, tighter, his hips more narrow due to being male, but she hadn’t. A few deep breaths to get her balance and then she was pulling back and shoving back in, ignoring the cry as she forced him to yield to her. The friction intense as he clenched, instinctively trying to push her out of him.

Qrow thrashed, trying to buck her off of him and she leaned over with a snarl when he nearly succeeded, her other arm going across his back to help hold him down while she fucked him harder. He whined, sobbing, and she could smell the tears, smell the blood that could have come from his temple or from his cunt from how hard she was using him. She didn’t know if his crying was because of what she was doing or if it was just because she was doing it but she didn’t care. He had talked back to her, had defied her even though he knew better, and he was going to face the punishment from her just like he had when their father had done it. It wasn’t over though. This alone wasn’t enough. Not if he thought he could walk away from the tribe. Walk away from her.

Raven panted as she started moving in short hard thrusts, getting closer to her completion, Qrow whimpering below her at the realization, the implication of what she was going to do. A spike of vindictive fury had her thinking viciously that he had no idea what she was truly trying to accomplish if being fucked was his only fear. She could feel her knot trying to tie them together and slid the hand from his neck to his hair, forcing him to turn his head and bared his neck. She waited until she snapped her hips forward and couldn’t pull back out, until she was filling him with her come, to bite down. His voice echoed off the walls as he screamed in pain, in horror, of what she had done, what she was trying to do.

She could feel the bond trying to form, trying to tie him to her as securely as her knot held them together, but he fought her, thrashing as violently mentally as he had physically once he realized she wasn’t going to back down. The forming bond snapped and she screamed in rage at his continued defiance, planting her hands on his back as she yanked her hips, ignoring her own discomfort and pulling her knot free with a sickening squelch. Qrow wailed in pain, immediately trying to crawl away and she reached out to stop him, intending to drag him through her portal kicking and screaming if she had to but there were footsteps rushing to the door, voices echoing down the hall.

Summer and Tai were home.

She was out of time.

With one last sneer at the door, at the two domestic alphas that had tamed her twin and taken him from her, Raven dropped her skirt and slashed a portal open, stepping through just as the other two alphas rushed in, the scent of Qrow’s blood overriding their need to respect his space. She left with the knowledge that even if the bond didn’t take, even if the bite healed without a scar, she had marked him in a way that would stay. He was her’s, had always been her’s, and she was going to make sure he remembered it.

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Tai buried his face in Qrow's neck, breathing deeply as he tried to stay in control of himself. He could detect the traces of Qrow distress, the fear of having an alpha at his throat, but Tai kept his mouth closed, his teeth away. He just needed Qrow’s scent, even as he slotted his hips between the lean thighs, grinding into Qrow hard, all he needed was Qrow’s scent to drive him. He couldn’t remember what it was that had set off his rut, Qrow’s heat, but he knew that they’d completed the mission before the fever had fully set in and they’d sought shelter. It looked like there had been a village here once, before something had chased or killed the residents off, but all that mattered to them was that some of the houses were still intact. Still strong enough for them to use.

Sturdy enough for Tai to throw up a quick barricade while they were vulnerable. Because Tai cared if Qrow was alright. Because it mattered if he wanted to be fucked. Because Tai was not Raven and he wasn’t going to force Qrow into anything, wasn’t going to hurt him if he could avoid it. So he made sure they were safe and held the omega close, trying to satisfy them by grinding them together despite every instinct in him telling him to rip off the omega’s clothes and fuck him until his knot locked them together. His hips pressed down harder, his movements quick and sharp as desperation tinged their scents.

Qrow whined, trembling below him while Tai’s hips snapped against him in short hard thrusts. The friction against his trapped cock sent shivers down his spine but it wasn’t enough to tip him over. Wasn’t enough to cool the fever burning in him. He needed Tai inside him but the alpha seemed content to rub them together, their pants growing damp from the wetness leaking out of Qrow. Shaking hands descended to click open their belts, undoing their pants to fight their clothes out of the way. Tai followed his lead, kicking off the useless fabric and pulling back long enough to pull away the rest of their clothes so that they were both bare, pressing together skin to skin as soon as the task was complete.

Qrow’s legs wrapped around the wide hips, pulling Tai in but the alpha changed the angle so that he slid against him again instead. Large hands closed on his hips, pinning him down and holding him still as Tai resumed his previous place, breathing Qrow in while he brought them together over and over again. Qrow grunted, trying to tip his hips so he could take Tai in but the hold on him kept him pinned down. He kicked his legs, thighs wet with the slick dripping out of him, trying to get Tai to release him but the alpha growled, moving slightly to deliver a sharp but small bite to his shoulder. Qrow whimpered at the sting, grateful Tai had moved from his neck to nip him.

It had been a year since Raven had tried to force a bond on him, a year of Summer and Tai trying to undo the damage his twin had inflicted. A year of the two alphas doing everything they could to ensure that the omega knew he was safe with them. A year of Tai hovering around, worried about whether or not he was actually alright after everything that had happened while Summer took care of the missions that needed done away from home.

Which was why, Qrow finally realized, Tai wasn’t actually fucking him. Why he wouldn’t fuck him unless he was certain Qrow absolutely wanted it.

This was the first away from home mission Qrow had gone on since the rape and he’d brought Tai with to help watch his back. Tai was trying to get them through the cycle without violating his trust, without hurting him the same way Raven had. A few tears leaked out at the realization, relief and frustration at war inside him. As much as he appreciated the consideration, as much as he loved Tai for his gentleness, he needed Tai to fuck him. More than that, he wanted Tai to fuck him through his heat. Which is what had him reaching down to shift Tai’s hips back, kissing away the desperate whine as one pale hand wrapped around the burning cock to position it at his swollen cunt.

Tai froze, shuddering at the wet heat he felt against the tip of his aching erection, pulling away from the clinging lips to look Qrow in his eyes. There was no fear in his eyes, nothing but a silent plea and Tai realized his scent was clear. There were no traces of distress anymore, no sting of fear lingering. Just the sweet scent of Qrow, the richness of his heat. The overpowering scent of desire, of need, clouding his mind. He shifted his hold to cradle the slender body, carefully pushing into the sweltering channel that was so much tighter than the alpha females he’d been with.

Qrow’s eyes rolled back, breath hitching as he finally got what he needed, what he wanted, shuddering when Tai was fully sheathed. Qrow’s fingers dug into Tai’s back while he panted, trying to adjust to the larger man. He’d never willingly been with an alpha before, never been fucked by choice, and the pleasure was overwhelming. Far more than what he’d gotten when fooling around with female betas or omegas. And Tai, despite being bigger, stronger, was being exceptionally careful even as he gave Qrow exactly what his body demanded of him.

The wet glide as Tai pulled back, snapping back in immediately, knocked the breath from Qrow. It was… unlike anything he’d felt before, especially when Tai rolled his hips, striking a spot that caused convulsions of pleasure to wrack Qrow’s body. His wail blended with Tai’s moan as he clenched down, legs tightening around Tai’s waist. He squirmed, whimpering as the feeling built up until he was quivering with each strike from Tai’s hips, a shockwave of intense pleasure radiating out each time the blond slammed deep inside him. He clenched with each one, feeling the way Tai’s knot was swelling, ready to lock them together and for the first time in his life, he wasn’t afraid of being knotted. Tai’s knot wasn’t a punishment, it was a gift and he accepted it willingly, clamping down when Tai groaned into his neck, pressing deep and grinding in hard while they both came.

The faint scent of fear laced through the air and Tai pulled Qrow close, trying to comfort it away even if he didn’t know what the source of it was. He wanted it gone, wanted Qrow to be safe with him and blessedly it dissipated. Qrow buried his nose in Tai’s neck, relaxing now that he knew Tai wasn’t going to force them apart while his knot was still swollen. He knew all too well how much it hurt to be pulled out of while it was still inflated, to be torn because it hadn’t gone completely down. The slight shifts in Tai’s hips sent small shivers of pleasure still through him while they waited and for just a brief moment he considered what it would be like to belong to Tai. The rising of his fever burned the thought away and started everything over again.

~*~

The first thing that came to him was Qrow’s scent, welcoming and familiar, as he woke up from his sleep. Blue eyes blinked open blearily, taking in their surroundings while he tried to recall what happened. His eyes snapped to his friend when it all came back to him. Qrow was curled into his side, face peaceful and neck bruised but not marked. Tai let out a relieved breath at the sight. He’d kept control, kept from forcing a bond on Qrow no matter how much he wanted to claim the omega. But he remembered knotting Qrow (and that was a memory that would stay with him for the rest of his life) and he feared.

It was Tai that had found Qrow bleeding out after he’d tried to self-abort the child Raven had left him with. Tai was the one who’d rushed him to the hospital where the staff had fought to save his life, where a nurse had managed to use her semblance to prevent permanent damage to the omega. And now it was Tai who may well have left him with another child.

The blond ran his hands down his face, coming to a decision.

If Qrow didn’t want to carry the child then Tai would go with him to a clinic. It was his body that had to do the work, it was his say if the child would be kept. But if he did birth the child and wasn’t ready to be a parent, he and Summer could take the kid as their own. They could bond with each other so that Qrow would feel safe around them (they’d talked about it anyways) and so that Tai was less tempted to mark him. They would give Qrow as much say in the child’s life as he wanted and no more. They would expect nothing more than he was ready to give.

Calm again, now that he had a plan, Tai lowered his hands to meet the red ones looking up at him. The same eyes that would later look up at him from a hospital bed as he held a tiny blond girl in his arms. The same eyes he couldn’t deny when Qrow decided he wanted to name their daughter after him because he didn’t want anything from the tribe connected to an innocent child. The same eyes he wished he could stare into for the rest of his life, even as he knew it would never happen.

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Qrow flew fast on the winds, tracking the desperate scent of rut in the air to find Summer before she did something she might regret. She had called him, frantic because she’d missed her last suppressant pill before she left and hadn’t brought any with her on the mission, begging him to bring some out to her. He’d grabbed a pack of the medicine and taken off, shooting a brief scroll message to Tai before he shifted and took off after the female. She’d obviously been trying to deal with it herself by the smell of her, but not all alphas could go it alone and Summer was one of the ones who couldn’t. She’d tried before in the past and she always ramped up until she couldn’t control herself anymore and went for the first available mate around her. In the past, it had always been Tai or Raven but out here on a mission alone, she was running for the nearest village.

Qrow had to reach her first.

She was too far gone to take the suppressant now but if he could get in front of her, he could bait her to the hunting cabin most villages kept for wandering huntsmen to stay in. If he could get her to the cabin then he could take care of her needs. Unless he wanted to fight her, to knock her out and tie her down so she couldn’t go after anyone until the fever burned out. He really didn’t want to though. Not just because fighting an alpha in rut was dangerous but also because she was a friend and he didn’t want to risk hurting her.

Summer had looked after him, taken care of him, just as much as Tai had. First after Raven left, then later during the pregnancy with Yang. He could take care of her when she needed him. He just had to get to her before she reached someone else. Getting her attention would be vastly more difficult and dangerous if she’d already picked a mate for her rut, not to mention the trouble that would be stirred up in the aftermath.

Qrow finally caught sight of the female (still alone, still running for the village) and flew up, banking so that when he dove down he passed right in front of her. He shifted on the run, gunning for the cabin as soon as his feet hit the ground. He could hear her changing course to chase after him and felt a small well of relief that she was following him the way he’d hoped she would. Qrow wasn’t actually sure what he would have done if Summer hadn’t come after him. Fighting may have been the only option left as much as he’d hated it, but he’d banked on his omega scent drawing her in and it worked.

He managed to get inside, twisting to flick the door closed as the shorter female tackled him to the ground. The acidic scent of a rut gone too long unattended filled his nose as he squirmed out of his pants, kicking his boots off while he worked Summer’s underwear off. The sour smell of desperation seeped out as she clawed his legs apart so she could fit between them, biting at his collar bones. He winced at the sharp stings left behind, trying to stay calm when she didn’t break skin. She was bonded to Tai, she wouldn’t bond him. Qrow kept that thought in mind as he pulled her closer, letting her shift her hips so she was properly positioned to push into him.

Qrow bit his lip, clenching his eyes as Summer thrust in hard, the friction of her penetrating him painfully dry and he wished he was in heat like he had been for Tai. It would make things so much easier. Qrow grunted when Summer shoved in harder, growling briefly before she started shifting her hips in small jerky movements. Gradually the alpha started to pull back and sink back in, each time pulling out more than the last but Qrow noticed that the drag was less now than before, skin not quite catching on skin anymore. He lay back, allowing her to do what she needed to do and tried to relax so it didn’t hurt as much.

Her movements were rough, wild, but she was trying to be careful with him. He could feel it in the way she shook with restraint, the way she was trying not to break the skin when she bit down. Summer was trying so hard not to hurt him and he ran his fingers through her hair, trying to sooth her worry. She was too feral to really understand words but she would understand the tone behind them, so he whispered to her, giving her permission to do what she needed to to burn out the fever in her. Some part of her responded, slamming in a little harder while she whimpered in need. Qrow fought back a cringe at the brutality, accepting it as part of helping his friend.

Summer panted against the pale skin below her, breathing in the familiar scent. She rammed into the willing body, thankful that the omega was there for her even if she didn’t have the words to say it. The small, buried rational part of her mind wished she could be more gentle with him, she knew his history with alphas, but she didn’t have the strength to hold back anymore than she already was. And even that was slowly being scorched away, the soft encouragements weaving their way into her rut clouded mind.

Her hands dug into his thighs as she fucked into him harder, desperately trying to reach her peak and ease some of the burning. She needed to come so badly but there was some part of her that was shouting in the back of her mind, trying to stop her even as it was silenced by the tightness around her cock. It was unlike anything she’d felt before, tighter than even fucking Tai and she shuddered, feeling Qrow clench down when she struck a sensitive spot inside him. She had enough sense to try aiming for that place again, trying to at least make it pleasurable for him though she doubted she was giving him as much as he was giving her. She regretted her lack of control and made a silent vow to make it up to him some way.

Qrow gasped, hands tightening on Summer’s waist when she hit the same spot Tai had introduced him to when they’d had their cycle together, hips tipping up for more of that core shaking pleasure. Her thrusting was uncontrolled and she didn’t hit it every time but he could feel her attempting to aim for it and that meant almost as much as her actually succeeding. He shook each time Summer hit it, felt a small hand snake down to grab his cock as he felt a slight tugging below and realized she was trying to bring him over with her when she knotted him. A few jerks of her hand and a twist, then she was slamming in hard and grinding while her knot swelled to lock them together, moaning when he clamped down as she milked him through his own orgasm.

Qrow felt terror spike through him when she shifted back, her knot pulling uncomfortably but Summer didn’t try to pull out, just shifted to a more comfortable position when they waited. The fever would spike again and then they’d have to repeat the process, preferably in a bed, his back was going to be so sore as it was. But not yet. Now they’d rest.

~*~

Summer woke up groggy, lifting a hand to rub at her eyes. She could smell Qrow in the room with her, the traces of her rut still clinging to the omega’s skin and suddenly she understood how Tai had felt nearly a year ago. Except then Qrow had been in heat and Tai was an alpha that could control himself even in the midst of a feral rut. She wondered if she’d actually given Qrow a choice or if she’d forced him to submit. If she’d made a mistake by calling him to bring her the medication she needed.

It was all her own fault for not being more careful, she knew better than to miss a dose and now Qrow had paid the price for her mistake. And would likely pay for the next several months if she’d managed to knock him up. She wondered if he’d carry her child like he had for Tai or if it was too similar to Raven for him to go through with it. Whichever the case she’d support him. They both would. And if he did give birth then she and Tai would raise the kid with Yang.

Months later, looking down into the tiny flushed face of their daughter, she was glad that Qrow had carried to term. Summer never would have pressured Qrow into something he didn’t want but having a child of her own was a blessing she couldn’t put into words. She, like Tai, wished she could give the baby girl something from Qrow even if he wouldn’t allow his tribe name to be used, so she did the next best thing. She named it after the color of his aura, the force that kept him safe and alive to be there for them. She named his daughter Ruby.

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Ruby bit her lip, reaching out to push back her dad’s bangs and lift the bandage to see how the wound was doing. She didn’t know which Grimm had gotten through his aura but she knew it was one of the ones with some kind of venom or poison that he was fighting off. His hair was wet with sweat and his skin flushed with fever as he struggled through, breathing labored with the fight he was waging in his own veins. He hadn’t yet woken but she’d been promised he would by the doctor that had come by to tend him, that it would only take time. So she was waiting. Waiting for her dad to wake up. Waiting for Yang to come home from Signal after she’d called to tell her what happened. Waiting for Uncle Qrow to come back from his mission so that they wouldn’t be alone.

She was glad she wasn’t old enough to go to combat school yet, or there wouldn’t have been anyone home to take care of her dad when he stumbled home. No one to call for help when he’d fallen, her mother’s name a question on his lips. She knew she looked like her mom but she’d never been mistaken for her before. It had been an odd, disorienting experience. Ruby sighed, getting up to get water for her dad to drink when he woke up and came back to find hazy blue eyes drifting around the room. She rushed over, crawling up onto the bed beside him after setting the glass down.

“Dad!” She placed both hands on his arm, leaning over him to try to get him to focus on her.

“Summer?”

“No, no, Dad, it’s me! It’s Ruby!”

“Where’s Qrow, Sum? We need to look after him…” Her dad tried to get up but she forced him back down, only able to do so because of the weakness he was suffering from the poison.

“Uncle Qrow’s on his way home. He’ll be back soon, I promise!”

“We can’t let her get to him again. We need to keep him safe…” He lifted a hand to his head, falling back to the pillow as he writhed in his delirium. “It’s so hard not to bond him Summer. We need to ask. We can do better for him if we do and he’s already given us each a kid… We’ll love him and take care of him, we just gotta…” He paused, seeming to lose the thought before he regained it. “We gotta get him to let us bond him Summer. I don’t know how much longer I can keep under control…” Tai looked over at her, mind lost in the past and she floundered, struggling to keep up with all that he’d said.

“We… We can ask when he gets home, okay?” She offered a trembling smile, her voice wavering as she tried to soothe him. “We’ll ask and then everything will be okay…”

Tai nodded, taking her at her word and drifted back off, allowing his body to rest while he tried to overcome the poison in his system. Ruby swallowed hard, going back to her chair while she went back over everything she’d been told. The knowledge that Tai wasn’t her sire because Summer was. That Summer wasn’t her birther, Qrow was. And Raven wasn’t Yang’s mother either. Ruby could recall so clearly how they’d always gone out of their way to make sure that she and her sister knew that Raven was not and had never been a mother. That Summer was their mother even if she hadn’t given birth to them because she loved and cared for them in all the ways a mother should.

It was Qrow that had told them that.

It was also Qrow who had done all the things Summer used to do after her death. Some of which he’d been doing for as long as Ruby could remember, even when her mom was alive.

There were so many small things that made sense now. So many times they’d phrased their words specifically, sometimes confusing the kids. It had all been for a reason. All been so they wouldn’t lie about Qrow being the one who’d carried and birthed them. About Qrow being their mother. The whole time, and they’d never known. She wondered if they were ever going to tell them. Wondered what had happened that was the reason Uncle Qrow had given birth to them but let Tai and Summer be their parents for all that he’d helped out.

She wondered if she should tell Yang.

In the end she decided not to say anything. They hadn’t lied to them really, just hadn’t told them the full story and Ruby was sure there was a reason why. They might still tell them in the future. She’d wait. See how things go and not worry about it for the present. Instead she decided to commit to her weapon. She’d been in the air between her mother’s weapon and her Uncle’s, though she’d been leaning towards the scythe. Now she knew for certain which she was going to choose.

~*~

Qrow came home to a recovering Tai, a grumpy but worried Yang and a Ruby that was more affectionate than he ever remembered her being before. He brushed it off as seeking love and reassurance after the close call with her dad and set to doing what he could to keep their family together. When Ruby asked him to help design her weapon, he smiled and drew her closer while they sat at Tai’s bedside, sketchbook in hand so they could work while they kept watch on the blond.

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“Yang! You need to stay between me and Dad!” Ruby tugged on Yang’s arm, tucking her body behind her as Tai’s scent shifted in a way that they’d been taught was dangerous. They’d come to the old outpost looking for him after he’d lost contact because they’d been worried something had gone wrong. Vale had offered whatever supplies from the unused forts and abandoned villages to help Mantle and Atlas recover after the attack and Tai had volunteered to help inventory and gather things. The girls had gone after their dad after his communication went dead and followed the trail to an old fort. They’d found him huddled against one of the walls near the center of the building, scent turning acidic and sour, and had immediately been on edge when fevered eyes lifted to lock onto them.

“What?” Yang didn’t try to stop her, though she didn’t understand why Ruby was so worried. Tai was their dad, he wouldn’t hurt them. The girls dodged a lunge to grab at them, Yang keeping between them like she was told to.

“I need you to stay between me and Dad! He’s not my biological father so I don’t have the scent markers to keep him back, I just smell like an unmated omega to him!”

“Shit!” Later, she was going to have to ask about that. About how Ruby knew and why she did but Yang didn’t. For now, she had to get her little sister out of the room but Tai had already managed to get between them and the door out. She backed Ruby towards the other doorway. She couldn’t see a way out through there, but if she could get her dad in with them then they might be able to get around him to make a run for it. Except even in rut Tai must have realized her plan because he slammed a button that locked the door hard enough to dent the console.

Ruby whimpered behind her, the three of them dancing around each other until a rattling above them distracted Tai long enough for Yang to grab her and toss her into the other room, standing at the door to block Tai from entering. Ruby expected a fight to happen, dreaded watching her two family alphas go at each other, but a crash from the air vent and a flurry of feathers shifted Tai’s attention away from them immediately. Qrow had barely gotten upright when the alpha was on him, pinning him against a table and slotting between his legs. Qrow didn’t hesitate to pull the blond closer, drawing him up for a desperate kiss while he wrapped his legs around Tai to try to kick off his boots. He tore away from Tai’s mouth, baring his neck for the other to go at so he could call over to Yang.

“Get in the room with your sister!”

He hadn’t been prepared for this, had only realized what danger his daughters were in when he caught the scent while walking through the halls to find them and passed by the vents. Qrow knew Tai wouldn’t actually hurt Ruby, wouldn’t even really fuck her even in rut, because that was the kind of controlled alpha Tai was. But having her dad dry hump her could be just as bad for her mentality and he knew how to get an alpha through the mating fever anyways. He’d done it before, he could do it again. He just had to get their clothes off since Tai was too far gone to do it.

As it turned out, getting naked was the easy part.

He growled in frustration as Tai pinned him under his weight, thrusting and grinding against him like he had years ago. But this time when Qrow tried to get Tai to take him the alpha pulled away and moved so he was pressing against him again, resuming his grinding without penetrating Qrow at all. The omega whined, trying again and failing to get the alpha inside him.

“Fucking hell Tai, would you just…!”

“Are you okay Uncle Qrow?” Ruby’s voice echoed out of the other room and he tossed his head, trying to ignore the fact that his daughters were trapped with them while he tried to get Tai through his rut.

“Fine! Just… Trying to get your dad to do what he needs to do!” A flash of blond hair had his cheeks heating. “Back in the room!”

Yang ducked back down, a frown on her face as she tried to think of things she never wanted to think about. Based on the brief glimpse she saw and the scent in the room, she had only one answer for Qrow. “You aren’t wet enough!”

“What?”

“You aren’t wet enough to take him! That’s why he won’t fuck you!” Yang remembered Tai drilling into her head, the lesson almost as awkward as what was currently happening, that she needed to ensure anyone she was with was wet enough and relaxed enough before she fucked them so she didn’t hurt them. It made sense that he’d follow the same rules even when he was caught in a feral rut.

“I’m not in heat!” Qrow snapped back and she could hear the confusion, the desperation in his voice, before the words and their meaning fully hit.

And suddenly, like so many other weird things their dad did, the lesson she’d been given made sense.

When she’d first unsheathed, Tai had given her a dildo and told her to put it inside herself. When she’d come back after doing it, he’d asked how it had felt and when she had told him it was uncomfortable and difficult, he’d told her to imagine someone else doing it to her. To think about how it would feel to not be able to stop when it got too much or if it started to hurt more than she could take. He’d explained to her the importance of making sure her partner was okay, that they were comfortable and relaxed. He’d made sure she knew what she needed to do to take care of them and how important it was to do so. It had been one of the most awkward and uncomfortable conversations of her life but she’d been grateful for all the information, for the understanding he’d put in her, when she’d started experimenting with others. She’d heard some distressing stories of bad first times and had cringed at the fumbles. Yang had never done any of it thanks to Tai’s teaching. And of course he was following his own lesson.

She should have expected it. Should have figured out that Qrow was the reason behind why he’d done it. There were a number of small things their dad had done over the years that didn’t make sense at the time but became painfully clear when Qrow said or did something later. In this case, it was apparent that Qrow thought male omegas could only get wet when in heat. She didn’t know the full reason behind it, didn’t have the time to ask either, but she did have to decide what she was going to do. Tai obviously wasn’t in any mind to get Qrow ready and if Qrow really thought that male omegas could only get wet in heat then him getting himself ready was a lost cause. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Yang tugged her gauntlet off her flesh hand and passed it to Ruby.

“What are you doing?” Qrow’s voice was a touch higher than she was used to as she approached them, trying not to look too closely at either of them despite what she was about to do.

“You don’t have to be in heat to be wet! I’m getting you ready so that you can get him through the fever…” Yang slid her hand down, looking up at the ceiling with grit teeth as she sought out Qrow’s cunt so she could slide two of her fingers in. He yelped when she found it and Tai growled lowly, dangerously, causing her to freeze in fear.

“Not hurt!” Qrow grabbed Tai’s face, pulling him back to him. “Not hurt, just startled. I’m fine, I’m fine, it’s okay…” Yang let out the breath she’d been holding, working her fingers quickly so she could get away from them as soon as possible. Qrow panted, small sounds escaping as he slowly started to loosen up around her fingers, slick starting to leak out. “Once… once he’s in me, take your sister and head for the door. Cu-cut it down so you can get out if you have to.”

“Yea, okay.” The blond slipped a fourth finger into the uncle that she was beginning to suspect wasn’t actually her uncle, which just made things so much worse for her. She yanked her hand free when she felt Tai shift his hips back, the scent of slick thick in the air around them. Tai had obviously decided Qrow could take him now and she ran back for the room as they moaned, grabbing her sister with her clean hand and punching the lock open with a shot to break it free.

Qrow felt the tenseness leave him as the two finally made it out of the room safely, relaxing back as Tai slammed into him hard and deep. He shivered at every thrust, hands clinging to the broad back and legs moving to pull him in deeper. He honestly hadn’t known he could get wet outside of a heat which was part of why he’d never been with an alpha willingly besides Tai and Summer and he couldn’t help noticing the differences. The way he was more aware of every little shift in Tai’s hips, the way the alpha held onto him while he fucked him. Ironically he felt more sensitive now than he had in heat and he could only think that it was because he was aware of what was happening instead of being caught up in the fever.

Which is why he felt it so clearly when Tai’s knot started swelling, catching just a bit more each time he pulled out to snap his hips back in. Qrow’s hands drifted down to grip Tai’s hips, tilting his own up to encourage the other to lock them together. He trembled in anticipation, on the brink of his own release when Tai finally slammed in hard and stayed, teeth imprinting on Qrow’s neck but refusing to break the skin. They tumbled over the ledge together, shaking in the aftermath and Qrow ran a hand through Tai’s hair, trying to get him to stay calm and relax. There would be another peak to the fever, another round to go, before they had the chance to take a break for water or anything, so it was best to get comfortable.

~*~

For the second time Tai could remember, he woke up to the scent of Qrow beside him. Bits and pieces of what had happened came back and he buried his head in the shifter’s shoulder, cringing at… everything. Gods, he’d gone after Ruby and Yang had fingered Qrow. There was going to be an awkward family reunion. As well as a talk about how Ruby knew he wasn’t her father. Once that was dealt with, he and Qrow were going to need to talk as well, about the possibility that he may have gotten Qrow pregnant again, about whether or not he would be allowed to bond the omega this time. It was not going to be a fun talk, or he doubted it was going to be, but it was overdue.

And he owed Yang big time for her help, so he needed to find a way to pay her back for that too…