I think i accidentally wrote a fic for TaiQrow week. I have no idea how this happened.
Denial
the action of declaring something to be untrue.
Denial when it involved love was something Tai was used to.
Denial when it came to Raven used to be his normal. Denying any allegations thrown her way back in Beacon, even knowing that most were true. Of convincing himself that her smiles and teasing jabs weren't responses to his massive and well known crush on her, before he had learned that she had been denying her feelings then too, out of her patented stubbornness and her guilt involving her reasons for being at Beacon. Of thinking it was just nerves, that Raven would do something to break off their engagement or leave him at the alter, because Raven had changed, she wasn't like that anymore. That when Raven got distant and jumpy the closer the date got that it was just cold feet, many people experience cold feet before their wedding. That Raven's panic and anxiety when she was pregnant was normal, it was their first child after all. That Raven being antsy was about not being able to travel or hunt, reminding himself that her and Qrow were used to the nomadic life. Denying, denying, denying that Raven was gone for good. That Raven had left not only him but their child. She was simply panicking about being a mom, or worried she wasn't good enough to be a mom, or worst case scenario that she had that post-baby depression he had heard about, not that she was gone. She would come back. She had to come back. Responding to Qrow's "I met with her Tai, and I know my sister, she's not coming back," with "maybe she's kidnapped and being held hostage? Or maybe she just went on a walk and she hit her head?" Because Raven is coming back.
Denial formed the begining of his and Summer's romantic relationship. He felt his feelings were fake or misplaced. Raven had left, he was simply missing her. Summer was his best friend and Yang his child, thats why he always felt mushy when she was holding her. Summer has always been warm and fun and helpful and caring. Summer didn't like him that way, and he wasn't over Raven. So he pushed those mixed feelings way down and directed his attention towards being the best dad Yang could ever want.
When Summer went missing, Tai's denial didn't last long. He had been left behind with a child before. His denial was solely aimed around her alleged death. And then when he accepted it, he gave up, he shut down. The depression from Raven's departure came back tenfold. It was only Qrow's denial about his condition that brought Tai back. That saved him.
Tai has had a lot of denial when it came to Qrow. Their friendship had a incredibly rocky start, making certain phrases said or actions done open to various interpretations. During Qrow's alcoholism everything that he heard happened or Qrow told him was dubious. After graduation Qrow was in and out of his life, with Tai trying not to get his hopes up about how long Qrow would stay. There, however, was no denying that Qrow loved his girls. Qrow would make sacrifice after sacrifice for those two, whether it was money or his pride. He might not have taken his role of brother-in-law that seriously, but he did with his role of uncle. That is one thing Tai can never deny. Qrow was not a good role model but he was a excellent uncle. Ruby idolized him, and Yang loved what Qrow would let her get away with. If Tai needed help regarding the girls, Qrow would either wrap up his mission or drop everything and be on the next airship to Patch. Qrow was reliable in a way Raven was never able to be. There had been times throughout the years Tai had felt certain things towards Qrow, he didn't deny that. Tai had heard all the jokes about how he had "slept with his whole team," both the positive and negative. He had never slept with Qrow, though they have shared beds and sleeping bags before. They had a makeout session once, when Tai and Raven were off-and-on, but that was a ruse to get Raven jealous. So Tai does deny the seduced-his-team jokes. That doesn't mean Tai doesn't wish he could seduce his whole team.
At first both Summer and Qrow were helping Tai co-parent Yang. Then after Tai and Summer got in a serious relationship and Yang's life stabilized, Qrow started working again and fell more into the position of Cool Uncle. Then Summer died. And Qrow was back in the position of co-parent. The position of single parent if Tai was honest with himself. After coming back to himself and becoming active in his and his children's lives, Tai was riddled with guilt. When ever he would go drop off or pick up his girls, or go to parent teacher conferences, Tai would find out most people either thought that Tai was dead and Qrow had adopted the girls or that Qrow was a divorced dad. Qrow's alcoholism didn't help this image. So Tai got used to denying again. "No I am Yang's father. Qrow is my brother-in-law." "No its just me tonight." "Of course I know what Ruby is allergic to I'm her father!"
When Tai realized he had fallen for Qrow, he didn't even bother trying to deny it to himself. Tai was tired of denial. Deciding to act on it however was a no-go. Tai had put his girls through so much in their short lives, especially Yang. The last thing he wanted to do was cement another person in the role of step-parent. It was bad enough him and Qrow were always fighting, and that Qrow could drink himself to death any night now, and that Qrow worked in a high mortality field. Having Qrow die or leave would already hurt Tai and the girls to much. Tai didn't need to add a legal marriage on top of that, if Qrow even felt the same. Maybe when the girls were older and out of the house Tai would consider telling Qrow. So Tai continues to deny the seduced-his-whole-team jokes, because he hasn't seduced his whole team. His whole team managed to seduce him.