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All Qrow could think, as he stared down across the dining room table of the Xiao Long household, was that this whole thing was completely absurd. The man who he’d been willingly dating for years stood at the end opposite him, organizing a variety of papers with the seriousness of a lawyer getting ready for court. Appearing satisfied with the layout, the green-eyed man now turned to face him as well, a singular eyebrow raised doubtfully as he surveyed the equally singular scrap of paper in the other’s hands.
"Are you serious, Qrow? That's all you prepped?"
"Uh, yeah? I'm just gonna give my two cents and be honest, Cloves."
"I'm going to eat you alive, you sappy son of a bitch."
Qrow raised his own eyebrows at that, fighting off a twitch at the corner of his lips. He wasn't used to seeing Clover be so aggressive - at least not towards him, anyway - and it was as surprising as it was amusing given the context. The other Huntsmen really did look ready to eat him right up, with his intense gaze and relaxed yet confident posture. Unfortunately for him, the effect was slightly ruined by all the piles of color-coded documents stacked in front of his muscled form, which just reminded Qrow of a quintessentially important truth: the man was an absolute fucking dork.
The whole thing was perhaps the most Atlas way possible to handle their "situation", and where it once might have bothered him, there was only a sense of fondness now that he associated uniquely with the man across from him. Damn, maybe he really was turning into a sap.
“Cool, and then we’ll… move in together?” Qrow questioned, brows still up near his hairline as he tried to decipher Clover’s approach.
At that, the Ace Op’s gaze warmed and his features softened, the cocksure smirk on his face dissolving into an absolutely enamored smile as their eyes met. “Yeah, it’s gonna be great,” Clover replied dreamily, the smile breaking out into a giddy grin that Qrow couldn’t help but partially return despite the uneasy churning in his gut. His partner’s enthusiasm was as infectious as it always was, no matter the mood he was in.
A distinct clearing of the throat brought both men to tear their eyes away from each other, and Qrow glanced over to his left to glare at an unimpressed Weiss for interrupting their moment. As he unfortunately expected, when he turned back to face his boyfriend again, Clover had straightened up with that determined look back in his eyes, and Qrow had to hold back the urge to sigh. He could tell that the brunet was going to be stubborn about this, no doubt.
“Okay! Thank you all for gathering here,” Clover announced, clapping his hands together to bring everyone’s attention to him. “Although, I technically only invited Weiss,” the man added, casting a quick look at Yang and Ruby, the latter of whom gave an excited wave towards her uncle. The two were settled along with their teammate on a couch off to the side, situated for viewing purposes.
“Ruby and Weiss were already hanging out, and I didn’t have anything better to do than tag along and watch whatever this is,” Yang explained cheerily, taking a piece of popcorn from the bucket situated between herself and her sister. Clover, clearly not bothered by the unexpected audience, simply shrugged and accepted the reasoning before continuing his speech.
“The topic today is whether or not Qrow and I should move in together. I will be taking the affirmative, and Qrow will be taking the negative. Each round will be individually scored by our judge, the lovely Weiss Schnee.”
“Do you need to hear my credentials?” Weiss piped up excitedly, a hint of pride in her voice. “Debate moderator license Z as in Zulu, three, four, eight-”
“Weiss, I seriously do not care,” Qrow tried to tiredly interrupt.
“-L as in Lima, zero, two, zero, B as in Bravo, B as in Bravo, nine.”
“Great,” Qrow groaned, rubbing a hand down his face. The fondness from earlier was quickly fading into an equally familiar annoyance. Why did everything in Atlas have to be so stiff and proper? This was already ridiculous and they hadn’t even started the actual debate yet. He cast a pitiful look at Clover in hope of support, but the man was still giving his full attention to the Schnee heiress while she explained the rules.
“I prepared a variety of timers for this event,” Weiss continued primly, bringing up her scroll to demonstrate. “Would you prefer a buzz or a ding?”
“Don’t care.”
“Buzz.”
Qrow glared weakly at his opponent, who only tilted his head and winked cheekily in return. Prick.
“Okay then,” Weiss settled, preparing the sound effect on her scroll and glancing between the two competitors before focusing her attention on Qrow. “Qrow, you can present the first argument from your… scribbled list of bullet points.” Her face scrunched up distastefully as she said it, and Ruby snickered behind her hand at the disgruntled expression on her teammate’s face.
It was going to be a long day.
“I’ll have you know that I have some data driven arguments as well,” the elder Huntsman shot back in a huff, refusing to be disparaged before he even made his case. Across the table, Clover merely gestured with his hand in a “go on” motion, and it ignited an ingrained, instinctive desire to win.
“According to a study I read,” Qrow began sharply, crossing his arms and looking his partner straight in his unfairly pretty green eyes, “people who move in together after being used to traveling and staying mobile for long periods of time report a sense of restlessness and a feeling of being chained down, which leads to uneasiness in the relationship. Doesn’t sound like the best solution, huh?”
The raven haired challenger ended his point with a smirk on his face, but Clover didn’t seem at all rattled. In fact, the soldier’s eyes were narrowed in suspicion, and the rest of his body language practically screamed skepticism.
“A study, huh?” his opponent drawled, clearly not in the least bit cowed. “And where did you read this study, Mr. Branwen?”
Shit. “Uh. Well it wasn’t something I read, so much as something I was told about…”
“Right. And who told you about it?” the brunet pressed, eyes narrowing even further. Clover looked like a predator who knew with complete certainty it had cornered its prey, and it was as attractive as it was infuriating. Damn him.
Qrow bit his lip in irritation, scowling at the other end of the table with all his might as the seconds ticked on in silence. When it was clear that his intimidation tactics would get him nowhere as Clover remained nonplussed, he let out a harsh breath and mumbled his answer.
“What was that? Couldn’t you hear you.”
“Raven,” he grit out a second time, making his voice sound as deep and menacing as he possibly could. Maybe he just needed to try to intimidate Clover harder into giving up.
“ Raven ?” Clover echoed in disbelief, and a quick once-over of their gathering of spectators revealed various grimaces and winces of pity in the makeshift gallery. “Your sister who took off after the birth of her daughter, leaving her husband behind to raise her alone? That’s your source for a healthy relationship?”
“Hey, Yang is right there,” the caped man protested flimsily, trying to deflect from his failed attempt to go on the offensive. He really walked right into that pitfall all on his own.
The blonde in question, though, only shrugged one shoulder and munched on another piece of popcorn nonchalantly. “He’s not wrong. Sorry, Uncle Qrow.”
“This is your first argument? Your opening statement?” Clover asked blandly, and Qrow could feel the tips of his ears burning in either embarrassment or anger. Probably both. He was about to give the other side a damn piece of his mind, but-
Buzz.
“Point to Clover.”
“Alright, fine! Forget the study,” the elder fired back hotly, ignoring the crowd once more and spinning to focus his attention solely on the object of his affections. The man he loved. Qrow felt his hackles be laid back to rest, the defensiveness fading from his stance as he implored his partner to take him at his word. “I just don’t want to lose what we already have, Cloves. Things have been going so well for us as they are, and we’ve been like this from the start. Why would we risk changing it up?”
Just like earlier, the facade of the Atlesian adversary melted before him, transforming into the kind and unendingly caring man that the scythe-wielder knew him to be.
“Qrow,” he started gently, and the man sucked in an unexpected breath at the pure and unfiltered adoration being directed towards him in that moment. He simply couldn’t bring himself to avert his crimson eyes from the soulful gaze that bore into them with such intensity, with such devotion.
“I get it, this would be a big step for us. I’m scared of what it could mean too, alright?” Clover went on quietly, as if they were the only two in the room. “Sure, there are some adjustments we’ll have to make, and it might be uncomfortable at first to be in each other’s space so much all the time. But domesticity can be a good thing, too. Waking up together, not always being in a rush to spend as much time together as we can before we’re separated again, me cooking us breakfast and dinner so you don’t burn the kitchen down?”
There was a playful twinkful in the Ace Op’s teal orbs at the last statement, and Qrow’s body betrayed him by letting out an amused snort. Damn it, he’s distracting you. Focus.
Qrow racked his brain for a comeback, but there really was no counter to how good all of those points sounded, especially more of Clover’s cooking. Though he was a military man now, Clover had grown up as the son of the owner and head chef of one Mantle’s most successful sushi restaurants, and damn did he know how to cook. Only home-cooked meals by Tai and the girls could compare. “Ugh. Point to Clover,” he grumbled miserably.
“Excuse you!” gasped an affronted Weiss. “That is not for you to decide.” There was a brief and pointed silence, almost immediately broken a loud buzz. “Point to Clover.”
Qrow just threw his hands up in frustration. Atlesians.
“Whatever, fine, new subject. Work .” He could see the way that his other half shifted a bit at that, and the dark-haired Huntsman felt some of his earlier confidence come flooding back in. They both knew that this was a valid point of contention, after all. He straightened up to his full height at the boost to his spirit.
“We both work way too much. Why bother moving in together if neither of us are going to have time to be home anyway? I love my job, and I know you love yours, and I don’t think it’s fair for either of to have to give that up. Living together, actually living together, means that either I stay in Atlas to support your military career, or you give that up to go freelance with me in Vale.”
It wasn’t a point he enjoyed making. Part of the reason Qrow had been so adamant about avoiding this discussion was exactly because of uncomfortable topics such as this. There was a pang in his heart as a darkened expression took over Clover’s normally sunny disposition, and it hurt to know he put it there. Fuck, this was exactly why he didn’t want things to change, why couldn’t Clover see that?
“Do you know why I’ve spent so many years dedicating myself to the betterment of Atlas?”
Qrow snapped out of his thoughts at the inquiry, and a good-natured scoff escaped him in response. “Because you’re a goody two shoes boy scout who loves his country and wants to help its people, duh.”
“You have such a way with words,” the Atlesian muttered, rolling his eyes and causing a satisfied smirk to creep up his opponent’s mouth in response. “Not how I would have phrased it, but yes, obviously that. But you know why else? So that I wouldn’t have to do it all by myself in the future.”
The flicker of confusion across Qrow’s countenance only seemed to spur him on, and Clover now leaned forward to press his palms flat against the table while he spoke. “We’ve been letting up on the pressure for Atlas Academy students to join the Special Ops after graduating for years now, and instead encouraging them to become licensed Huntsmens and Huntswomen with no allegiance to anyone but people who need protection from Grimm.
“Atlas has slowly been integrating itself back with the other kingdoms ever since the defeat of Salem, working together more than ever before instead of closing ourselves off and dealing with our problems internally. Rather than isolating ourselves from the rest of the world, we’ve been opening ourselves up. Atlas knows now that it can share its burden with others, and that its sister nations aren’t some inferior countries that need to be protected from themselves - or that we need to be protecting ourselves from.
“I wasn’t sure how I was going to bring this up, but…” Qrow cocked his head as the usually self-assured leader trailed off, appearing almost... skittish, for a brief moment in time. He was beyond curious as to where Clover was going with this, but he allowed the man a moment to recollect himself, which he did with a deep breath in followed by a long and steady exhale.
“The Ace-Ops are planned to be officially disbanded in the near future. It’s been deemed that in the current era of peacetime, having such a specialized force of elite Huntsmen working directly under the General of the Atlas Military is both unnecessary and counterintuitive to the message Atlas is trying to send regarding its willingness to continue to separate the Huntsmen Academies from the government.”
Qrow blinked. He blinked again. He found himself searching in the expressions of the girls still off to the side for some clarity, but even Weiss seemed shocked by this particular information if the wideness of her eyes could be taken as any indication. Yang had frozen with her hand halfway to her mouth, in the middle of snacking, and Ruby was darting her gaze frantically from one person to the next.
“What.”
“I’m saying that I don’t have to be tied to Atlas anymore, Qrow,” Clover spelled out for him, not unkindly. A wry smile accompanied the statement. “I’ve known this was coming for some time now, and if it’s what’s best for my country, then I’m happy to comply. And even if it wasn’t,” the luckiest damn bastard alive went on, looking directly into Qrow’s very being like it was nothing, “there are some things - some people - that matter to me more than just my loyalty. I’ve served Atlas faithfully, as best I could, for decades; I don’t think anyone would object to me helping out somewhere else in Remnant at the side of one of the world’s greatest Huntsman.”
A heavy silence ensued, with an intense staring match between the two competitors to boot. The three-fourths of Team RWBY present exchanged confused glances as the seconds ticked on, and neither of the pair so much as twitched a muscle, their gazes locked together and each of their visages equally bereft and stone-faced.
Finally, after a truly awkward amount of time had passed, a voice broke through. “You… would leave Atlas for me?” Qrow croaked in disbelief, mentally cursing himself for being unable to keep the shakiness out of his voice.
“Oh, Qrow,” his partner whispered softly, looking on with such tenderness that it made his stuttering breaths get caught in his throat and his heart to give a painful squeeze. “Of course I would. I’d follow you anywhere if it made you happy. And even if for some impossible reason I had to stay here, we would find a way to make it work, I know we would.”
Red eyes began watering a bit at the admission, and part of Qrow couldn’t help but feel foolish for having dreaded this conversation. What did he think was going to happen, they were going to break up just because their jobs were a bit different? That Clover would eventually realize that his attachment to Qrow was a hindrance to his career, and that he would pick his country over his dearest companion? Atlas may have been a cold, calculating, unfeeling place in Qrow’s mind, but Clover had proven time and time again to be anything but.
Fuck, he wasn’t going to cry in front of both his nieces and the heiress to the largest Dust conglomorate in Remnant just because the love of his life had blown him away with his openness and sincerity. Again. For the nth time. He wasn’t.
“Ach- chooo .”
The mood shattered instantly, like a mirror when Qrow passed one by during an intense brooding session. All heads in the room turned towards Ruby, who had her hands clasped over her nose and mouth with a look of surprise and guilt painted across what was visible of her face. “Um. Bless me?”
“Yes, Ruby, bless you.” The white haired woman sitting next to the team leader sighed, patting her friend sympathetically. “Anyway, let’s get back to the previous topic.” Weiss, to her credit, at least didn’t seem too eager to seize the opportunity to reign back control of the situation. Qrow’s eyes rolled skyward as he realized that the stupid debate was still ongoing. How did Clover get him to agree to this in the first place? “I feel as if I would be unable to be impartial for this round, and will thus abstain from judging.”
Qrow furrowed his brow, still trying to get his bearings from the emotional whiplash of the past few minutes and also follow along with whatever dumb, arbitrary rules this thing was run by. “So, do we both get a point?”
“No, Winter has actually been on the phone this whole time. She’s also a licensed debate moderator,” the younger Schnee announced casually, causing Qrow’s head to snap in her direction faster than a bullet launched from Harbinger’s barrel. No. No, this couldn’t be-
“License number V as in Victor, six, one, three-”
“You’re telling me Ice Queen’s been listening this whole fucking time?!”
“-E as in Echo, W as in Whiskey-”
“I have never wanted a glass so badly in my entire life,” Qrow groaned, slouching against the table to bury his face in his hands and ignore the mix of concerned and disapproving looks being shot in his direction.
“-B as in Bravo, seven.”
“Please tell me this is a nightmare,” came a heavily muffled, vaguely Qrow-sounding voice.
“Two, four. Point to Clover. And relax, Branwen, I don't care about your love life.”
“Okay, that’s it!” Qrow exploded angrily, his hair wild from having his fingers buried in it and his eyes even wilder. The darkly attired man cast aside all his inhibitions as he stormed over to a mildly shocked Clover, who had been eyeing him worriedly from across the table since his outburst. The concern there threw him for a moment, but he needed to hold onto his rage if he was going to be able to confess this out in the open. Before the fear of vulnerability took over.
“Want to know why I don’t want to move in with you, Clover?” he spat, at the end of his rope. “It’s because I don’t want to ruin the last good thing I have by keeping you tethered to me. I know what happens when people stay too close to me, and your Semblance won’t make you immune forever.”
The younger looked ready to protest, but Qrow cut him off with a bitter laugh before he could. “In fact, our Semblances don’t even matter. It’s just how I am, Cloves. Every time I put my trust in someone, it just ends badly.” He hoped that his boyfriend didn’t notice that he had begun shaking at this point, despite their proximity. “This might not be news to you, but I have… commitment issues, because of certain people.”
“Raven?”
“Ugh, yeah, mom.”
“Oh! Ozpin?”
“We get it, thank you,” he bit out through clenched teeth, still refusing to take his attention or deliberate gaze off of the man before him. Clover, for his part, met him head-on. Unflinching, even in the wake of all of Qrow’s insecurities rearing their ugly heads at once.
“You’ve trusted me for years, little bird,” Clover spoke soothingly, coming a step forward so that the two were practically touching, almost nose to nose. He felt it when the taller of the pair carefully picked up his own limp hands, but history repeated itself, and he couldn’t look anywhere else but at everlasting green even as his unresponsive appendages were squeezed reassuringly. “We’ve trusted each other . That was a choice we made a long time ago. What’s this really about?”
There was that same genuine concern that Clover always showed him, no matter how hard he tried to push him away. It wasn’t even as if he had been trying particularly hard lately; they really had been happy for the past few years. But introducing a possible change in their dynamic had thrown Qrow off balance, had brought up old doubts that hadn’t been buried as deeply as he thought they had been. As he hoped they had been.
The shapeshifter rested his head against the firm shoulder before him, taking the time it took for several of his own heartbeats to pass in order to simply breath and process what to say. His eyes were screwed tight, and there was complete silence in the room, allowing him to focus on just his thoughts and the comforting sensation of Clover playing with his fingers. Nothing else mattered right then.
“I’m scared,” he admitted hoarsely, at last gripping back firmly at the hands in his own with a desperation that betrayed his fear. “What if we realize we’re just not meant to settle down? You could get bored of me, and all my constant bullshit. What if…” he bit his tongue momentarily, having never voiced the following thought out loud, even to himself. This really was the crux of it, wasn’t it?
“What if I turn out like my sister?” he whispered so quietly he couldn’t even be sure that Clover heard him, no matter how closely pressed together they were. “What if one day I just up and leave? Brothers know why I would ever want to, but we never thought Raven was the type to pull that kinda stunt either… what if it’s just in our nature? I don’t think I could live with myself if I hurt you like that, Cloves.”
“And that just proves you’ve got nothing to worry about,” a firm timber rumbled above him, and Qrow chanced to peer out of his hiding place in his partner’s shoulder to gauge the other man’s expression. Clover was gazing at him as if he had personally fixed the broken moon piece by piece and given it to him as a gift. “You’re not your sister, and you’re not your upbringing. The fact that you’re even worrying about this shows just how different you are, little bird.
“I don’t believe for a single second that you would ever abandon me, or any home that we built for ourselves. But guess what?” Qrow’s throat was being constricted by some unknown force, so rather than respond, he merely shook his head for Clover to go on. “Even if one day you did just disappear without a word goodbye, I would never regret any of the time we spent together. You’ve made my life so much better just by being in it, Qrow Branwen. You showed me there was more to life than just duty and order. You showed me how to live, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
Qrow was straight up trembling at this point, still speechless and discombobulated. This entire affair had been one big emotional rollercoaster, and when Clover pulled him into a warm embrace, he gladly shut off his brain and returned the hug.
He felt another pair of arms encircle him from behind, and then from his side, and the former bandit’s eyes flashed back open to see a head of dark red hair nestled beneath as Ruby joined the hug, and he noticed a few strands of golden blonde over his shoulder that indicated Yang had decided to participate in the sudden cuddle puddle as well.
Right. He had forgotten that they weren’t alone.
“You’re nothing like what Raven was, Uncle Qrow,” Yang said resolutely, tightening her grip on the group hug as if trying to force everyone to accept the words through force. “Ruby and I wouldn’t be where we are without you, and you supported Dad when no one else would. You couldn’t be more different if you tried.”
“Yeah!” Ruby agreed doggedly, clenching her arms to mimic Yang and squeeze around her uncle’s middle. It was sweet of them, really, but Qrow was beginning to feel just a tad crushed at this point. His nieces weren’t exactly delicate. “You deserve to be happy, Uncle Qrow. Don’t think about anything else, just follow what your heart says you want to do.”
His heart, huh? Currently, his heart was skipping a beat as it caught sight of Clover’s goofy grin aimed at him, a hint of smugness peeking through as he wiggled his eyebrows exaggeratedly once he had Qrow’s attention. “Well, Qrow? That sounds like pretty good advice to me. It did come from the girl who saved the world, after all.”
“Okay, okay, everyone get off before you bruise my damn ribs first, I can’t breath,” Qrow grumbled affectionately, rolling his eyes for posterity once he was released from the tangle of limbs. Ruby was grinning at him with a knowing glint in her silver eyes, and Yang gave him a thumbs up and a smirk. “Brats,” he teased easily, and the sisters each stuck their tongue out at him childishly.
Brothers, he loved his family.
“Well, Qrow? Was that your final argument? Anything else to add?” asked a very self-satisfied Clover Ebi. He had all the swagger of a proud peacock, standing with his arms crossed and hip cocked.
“And you’re the biggest brat of all,” was his retort, which received only a wink in return.
“I’m guessing that’s a no, then. Weiss, your final verdict?”
“Oh for- you can’t be serious! Screw the damn debate, Clover! Yes, I’d be happy to move in together,” he exclaimed in exasperation - Atlesians, seriously - and the words were barely out of his mouth before an absolutely ecstatic Ace Operative had him trapped in the biggest bear hug this side of Solitas. If his ribs hadn’t been bruised before, they definitely would be now, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
Not when Clover was laughing like a madman, peppering kisses everywhere he could reach on Qrow’s face, alive with more joy and enthusiasm than he had ever expected the General’s right hand man to be capable of back when they first met. All because he had agreed to settle down together and probably be disgustingly domestic in the future. How far they’ve come since that first meeting of theirs.
"Hmm. Too emotional, point to Clover."
"Winter, please, you can stop now."
“Fuck right off, Ice Queen.”