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“Why didn’t you tell me your birthday was coming up?” Qrow demanded as he entered their bedroom.
Clover lifted his reading glasses. “Oh, it is, isn’t it?” At Qrow’s unimpressed look, he gave a smile meant to reassure. “I didn’t hide it or anything, it’s just no big deal.”
Qrow could admit that he, too, felt the same way about his own birthday, but this was about Clover, not his sad backstory.
“Well, what would you like for the party?”
“Party?”
“You know, birthday party. Do you have preferences for food, venue, people?”
Clover looked puzzled. “I don’t need one, don’t worry about it.”
“Yeah, but one would be nice now that Salem and her pawns aren’t around to ruin our nice things.”
Here, Clover smiled. “I already have my nice thing, and he’s… scowling at me right now.”
“What do you mean he’s never had a birthday party?”
Weiss crossed her arms in annoyance. “Qrow, there is literally no deeper meaning. Winter says that as far as she knows, Clover never really celebrated his birthday. He reported to work the same as any other day.”
Man, Qrow didn’t celebrate or even remember his birthday most years, but his friends and later his family did make sure it was special when they were present. When Summer was around, she’d even make them all celebrate it no matter when he managed to drop by their home, even if it was seasons later.
Clover… never had that?
“Well, to be fair, the Atlas military does insist on as little personal indulgence as possible,” Weiss pointed out. “I’m sure Clover isn’t the only one.”
Qrow swallowed his disbelief and cleared his throat. “Alright, then, assemble the teams outside in ten minutes. We’re going to throw a man a surprise party.”
Perhaps he should have left the kids to it. Even just Yang and Weiss together seemed like an efficient party-planning team. Maybe he should have ducked out so that it could serve as a bonding for all of them.
Then again...
“What are you trying to say, huh, squirt?” Yang yelled at Whitley, looking very much like she wanted to throw her Scroll at his face.
“Oh, was I not loud enough? Pardon me, ahem… YOUR MUSIC IS TRASH.”
Weiss had to throw a glyph up to shield her brother. “Whitley, what did we say about using constructive criticism when we don’t like something?”
“Apologies, dear sister. Huntress Yang, saviour of the world, et cetera… YOUR MUSIC IS TRASH AND YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHANGE IT.”
From the kitchen came sounds of banging and more arguing.
“Nora!” Ren complained. “I told you to stop eating the samplers.”
“And I told you that you’d have to restrain me!”
“Oscar, you were supposed to be guarding them.”
“Sorry, Ren, I got bribed…”
“What could she possibly have… you ate them, too?! Urgh, get out, both of you.”
"You'll never take me alive!"
...Qrow was going to check on Ruby and Penny, who were figuring out the decorations outside and making a holographic proposal, but it seemed he was needed more in here.
Needed, huh? Heh.
Later, Blake and Jaune approached him with the guest list.
Qrow quickly scanned through it. “Where’s Ice Queen?”
They exchanged a look. “Oh, we thought that you wouldn’t…”
“Hey,” Qrow chided gently. “This is all for Clover, yeah? He’s settled in nicely here, but he’d like a few friendly faces from his hometown. Anyway, Ice Queen's not too bad once she let her hair down.”
“So can we add all the former Ace Operatives?”
He nodded. “Robyn would probably be too busy, but still, extend an invite to the whole team, too. Clover likes May the most, anyway.”
The idea of getting Tai to help out was tempting, but the man couldn’t keep a secret that wasn’t life-or-death to himself…
Qrow fiddled with his Scroll before he made a decision.
Tai come over here and spend time with my boyfriend, he typed.
It didn’t take long for a reply. Qrow. It’s three in the morning. Finals week just ended, you know what that means?
it means ur free to come over here and spend time with my bf
Ding. Good night, Qrow.
he wont say it but i know he feels like he’s not really part of the family, you know? obvs i love him, but… it’s probably why he hasnt proposed yet
Qrow resisted the urge to gag. Not at the thought of a proposal, but at the thought that he’d ever express this much cheesiness to Tai, of all people. Tai, who would probably propose for one of them on behalf of the other, because he’s a meddling dork like that.
I’ll be there as soon as I can! I’ll try for first thing tomorrow!
Qrow, did you receive that?
Was that it?
Qrow, if you went to sleep after dropping that on me, I swear...
“The kids have been… excited lately,” Clover commented one night, as Qrow used his arm as a pillow and hogged the sheets.
Qrow yawned. “Tai’s coming down, and you know how good he is with them.”
He felt Clover stroke his hair. “You’re really good with them, too, you know.”
“Mhmm,” he said, snuggling closer. “But it’s always nice to have more time with just you.”
Well, that wasn’t a lie, Qrow thought. It is always nice, but that didn’t mean it was going to happen in the next week.
Karma still decided he needed punishing, it seems, because on the day of the party itself, his Semblance started going crazy.
“Damn, sorry!” he called out as Ruby got herself tangled in the streamers they were hanging in the trees.
“I do not think it is your fault, Qrow! Ruby has been showing physical signs of excitement such as shaking and overuse of her Semblance since yesterday.”
“Well, thanks Pen… Just be careful.”
“Is this a plebeian custom I am unaware of?” Whitley asked with his nose in the air after Nora tripped and soaked him with an entire jug of grape juice.
“Nora,” Ren scolded, sounding tenser this week than Qrow had ever heard him be. Kitchen duty seemed stressful.
“I didn’t do it on purpose?”
Her boyfriend pinched the bridge of his nose. “And why is that phrased like a question?”
“Let’s get you fixed up,” Oscar clucked, pulling Whitley back into the house, but then he knocked over a glass of water someone brought out, and the contents landed on the wiring of Yang’s speakers. Something sparked, then fizzled out.
“Whitley, you brat!”
“I wasn’t even close to it, you heathen!”
“Next thing you’re going to tell me is that I have to blame Oscar or something!”
“He wasn’t the one who left water precariously placed near electronics!”
Oscar rubbed the back of his head. “Uh, guys, it was my fault, though…”
“Shut up!” Yang and Whitley both said to him.
Qrow sighed, and placed the last flower arrangement Weiss told him to put on the tables. “It’s probably me, actually. Sorry, team.”
Protests and coos of comfort and “it’s no problem, there’s backup!”s threatened to overwhelm him, and he couldn’t help but smile and wave them away.
“Qrow,” Jaune told him, placing a hand on his arm. “Clover’s going to love it no matter what, okay? These things never go exactly as planned.”
Qrow looked skyward and let a low groan. “He deserves the best.”
“But he’s already gotten what he wants, I think,” Jaune argued, then scurried off when Ren called for assistance.
Checking the time on his Scroll, he called out to Blake, who was nearest. “I’m going to take a walk, maybe calm my Semblance down. You guys good for fifteen?”
She looked around the clearing. “We’ll be fine, Qrow. Take a longer break, you’ve been working harder than all of us.”
“That’s not-”
Cat ears flicking in annoyance, Blake pushed him lightly out of the party area. “Shh. The guests from Atlas have already landed and are on the way here, so there’ll be extra hands. Go take your break now, we still have about three hours.”
“Two hours and forty-seven minutes, actually.”
She pushed him harder. “Take a break, Qrow, and take your time.”
His future niece-in-law was right to convince him. After the first step into the forest, he immediately relaxed, basking in the sounds of nature. He checked his Scroll again to make sure he had time to move a mile out, then head back the same way.
His Scroll dinged about halfway to his goal. Is Clover kinky?
wtf tai
Ding. Because I hope I got him into a blindfold before you could!
get ur own
wait a blindfold? for what? and as if he’s going to cooperate that long lol, he was a soldier
You’re going to propose, right?
No!! tai wtf
Ding. What, you thought I wouldn’t notice all the prep? Anyway, we’re coming up the drive just like you said…
WHAT
TAI WHAT
TAI ANSWER ME
Ding. Chill, I was parking! Better be ready, tiger ;)
TAI UR SUPPOSED TO BRING HIM HERE AT 2
You said 12! Growling, Qrow checked their message history, and… yup, he made the typo. He felt like ripping his hair out.
DAMN IT TURN BACK
We’re already out of the car!!!
GET HIM BACK IN IT
Because THAT'S not going to be suspicious! He’s already super confused why we’re just standing here!
STALL SKNF ILL CALL THE KIDS
I knew they were in on this! Ruby is NEVER that excited to see me.
Running through the forest, he called Yang and Weiss.
“Qrow?”
“Clover’s coming now.”
“What? ” Weiss sounded like she was about to murder someone.
“Tai and I had a miscommunication.”
Yang took an angry breath as Weiss started shouting orders in the background. “I’m going to kill Dad!”
It was technically Qrow’s fault, but he’d deal with that later. “Sure, but is the party ready yet?”
“Have you met Weiss?”
“Okay, I’m flying back.” His Semblance was a curse but his family was a blessing.
With that thought, he shifted and flew.
He made it back into the clearing just as the blindfold was removed. The group let out a loud "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" as Clover blinked to adjust to the light.
When Qrow got close, trying to catch his breath, he waved the others' concern away. He waited for Clover's verdict, more nervous than he'd like to admit.
One of the balloons popped, grabbing all the attention. The 'C' in the greeting display was now shreds of rubber on the grass. “Happy birthday, lover,” Clover read out, then looked to the crowd for answers.
Qrow opened his mouth to speak, when Yang thumped him hard on the back, making him choke. “It’s a mishap, but actually very accurate, since Qrow planned all this!”
The wonder in Clover’s smile was blinding. “You did all this for me?”
“To be fair, the kids did most-”
“Yup, he’s spent most of the month on this!”
“He was panicking like crazy earlier!”
“I wasn’t aware you had a favourite colour before this project, Clover. I didn’t even know you had a personality! Ow, you brute!”
Clover’s laugh echoed through the forest as he enveloped Qrow, who was flustered by both the comments and this delighted gesture.
“I didn’t know just how wonderful of a boyfriend I had, either,” he announced, squeezing, before turning back to the happy crowd.
His face lit up at seeing the Atlesians, at seeing all the food, and the pile of presents and all the kids coming forward to grab his attention.
Qrow stayed back, pleased at the sight of his boyfriend getting loved. Maybe he should do this every year... Maybe he’d make sure all the kids spent their special days extra special, too, at least whenever he could reach them.
It was fun to work together, this time not under threat of death, but for the common goal of celebrating a wonderful member of their family. Their family.
Heart filling up with warmth, Qrow turned to see Tai spluttering at him.
“It’s his birthday? ”