Work Text:
The clean up of Atlas and Mantle only took two months with Robyn at the head of the council now, of course with assistance from the rest of the council which includes Headmaster Qrow Branwen and General Clover Ebi. After sending out assistance to Vale to assist in the rebuilding of Beacon and once that academy was back up and running they got word of a new headmaster at Haven. Things were going well and Robyn thought it time for a famous Atlas ball but with the doors open to all of Remnant, it was also a chance to meet the new headmasters of Haven and Beacon. This party also brought teams RWBY and JNOR back to Atlas.
Qrow laughed as Ruby and Yang tackled him in a hug. Clover had a fond smile on his face as he rested a hand on his hip. “I trust that my men were good company,” he says before getting slammed into by Ruby and Yang. It was a surprise but a happy one. He hugged them back as Qrow stood up. Clover and Qrow had yet to get together but feelings were there, ones they were finally picking up on but unfortunately the chaos of rebuilding, preparing for the ball and handling their own jobs kept them apart.
“They were very polite and quite hospitable,” Weiss says with a smile. “It was an enjoyable ride.” She then did something neither males expected, hugged them. “Never thought I’d say this but I missed you guys.” Both huntsmen chuckled in response as they hugged her. Once the others had gotten their hugs they were led inside. The party was the next night so the Academy was full of other students, staff, and other hunters and huntresses like Tai as well as Mako and Olive, Robyn and Clover’s teammates from their academy days.
“How come both of you are greeting us?” Ruby asks as she walks between Clover and Qrow. “Cause surely both of you are busy and only one of you would be needed to show us to our rooms.”
“We don’t get to see each other very often, we used this as an excuse to see each other,” Clover explains. “We’re kept very busy, I have to fix everything Ironwood did within the military, along with assisting other cities with rebuilding, adjusting to my new rank and just handling military stuff”
“Meanwhile I am up to my neck in paperwork, adjusting things within the school, handling students and schools things, thank Brothers for the staff here. I also have to deal with all the damage done to the Academy while also settling things with the people of Mantle,” Qrow adds. “Then on top of the fact that Robyn has me handling a good amount of party preparations since she’s in Mantle handling things down there.”
“Oh, right, then there’s everything with Mantle. Robyn did tell us we’d have much more time after the Ball because rebuilding in other places is handling itself and the biggest problem we have here is fixing the bond between Mantle and Atlas,” Clover sighs.
“So you guys have just been whipped around for two months?” Yang asks.
“Basically, it’s quite tiring. We’re managing though, I’ve actually never felt better then I do now. Stress levels are still pretty high though,” Qrow answers. “But I can understand why Robyn is pushing us so hard, she wants all the hard stuff out of the way so we can relax without much problem.” Clover nods as they step into a large elevator.
“So, how have you kids been doing?” Clover asks leaning on the wall and looking at all of them, his eyes lingering on Qrow. They all answer in their classic fast paced messy storytelling fashion. Qrow was happy to hear it, he needed this, being around the kids again. Clover could tell and it made him happy, he wasn’t too close to the kids yet but some of them had definitely latched onto him.
Once they finished they were in the hall the team would be staying in. “Oh, Nora, I’ll have you know Elm still works in the military and she’ll be here for the party. All former Ace Ops will be except Harriet, she’s off doing her own thing since given her second chance. Marrow I think is here so you may run into him some time before the party. Anyways, split up how you want and we’ll leave you to it,” Clover says with a smile. Nora was really happy to hear Elm was still around, maybe she could try proposing the Thunder Thighs thing again. The teams passed the adult who just smiled and started to walk off. They wouldn’t see each other again until the next day.
Within the next day, Qrow got his outfit, as well as a haircut, and finished his mountain of paperwork finally. His haircut was pretty simple, he got an undercut and the rest trimmed. He kept it slicked back except the front few pieces were a bit short and did as they pleased. He exchanged his black studs for red ones as well. He was once more trapped in his office all day but now he was in his room preparing.
Tonight would be the night. It had to be, these feelings had been sitting for too long and it was starting to get to Qrow. These feelings were starting to affect his everyday life, his thoughts, his actions, everything. He also finally felt himself worthy of having a partner. Despite the lack of Clover in his life the past two months, some of their conversations from before had stuck with him and his mental health had improved quite a bit. He no longer had almost constantly furrowed eyebrows with his lips drawn into a tight frown, he seemed relaxed and maybe even happy. He was proud of himself and he was able to admit that without feeling selfish. Clover knew of all these achievements but hadn’t had the chance to say anything about it.
Robyn popped into his room. “Hey, five o’clock shadow,” she says. “You ready?” Qrow was one of the people opening the party with a short speech alongside Robyn and Clover. It was an understatement to say he was nervous, parties still weren’t his scene let along opening one with a short speech.
“Uh, just about,” Qrow replies, he was holding something in his hand as he stared into the mirror. He had picked a relatively simple outfit, black dress shoes, black dress pants, black dress shirt with the top few buttons left undone, and an emerald green vest with a shimmery clover pattern. He rolled the sleeves up to his elbows and was making final adjustments, he also exchanged out his normal black wristband for a teal one.
“Are you going to wear it?” Robyn asks, she knew what was in his hand.
“No, I plan on returning it to its rightful owner,” he replies, turning away from his mirror and disappearing into another room. He placed the pin in a green box with a red ribbon, he then put the lid on it and slipped it into his pocket. He turned back to Robyn and chuckled. She was in a full suit, definitely not what he was expecting. “How is Fiona by the way?”
“She’s doing well, you’ll see her tonight,” Robyn says with a smile. She was always happy to talk about her partner but she was more focused on another pair. “I wanted to apologize for keeping you and Clover away from each other so much.”
“It’s fine, it doesn’t really matter, what really matters is tonight,” he replies with a smile as he goes to the door. He holds it open for her and shuts it behind them. The pair make their way to the ballroom and when they enter the place is already full, Clover is already there too. He wore grey dress shoes, white dress pants, a red vest with the designs Harbinger has in a shimmery red. He wore the normal red bandana around his left bicep, black plugs sat in his ears too. His eyes widened at the sight of Qrow as he walked over, holding an arm out for him. They hook arms as they smile at each other.
“I really like the haircut,” he whispers as they stop at the top of the stairs leading down to the floor. Robyn starts off.
“Welcome people of Remnant to the first Atlas Ball since all of this Salem business has started! My name is Robyn Hill and I am the head of the council. Me, as well as my two close partners, are glad to have you here under our roof and we hope you enjoy!” Robyn says with a smile and a bit of a bow as applause fills the room.
“As she said, welcome! My name is Qrow Branwen and I am the new headmaster of Atlas Academy. I am happy to announce that Atlas Academy will have much more openness with the people of Mantle. There are many improvements to the school to come and I hope to improve the overall experience that students and staff have here in this school. I also hope to have the support from the people of Mantle and Atlas as well as their feedback, thank you all for coming,” Qrow says, his hand fidgeting with Clover’s a bit as he spoke. He let out a sigh of relief as he closed his eyes briefly, his nerves fading away as claps followed his speech. He chuckled softly at the sound of his nieces and their friends. Clover squeezed his hand gently before starting.
“Hello, some of you may know me already but I am Clover Ebi, the new General of Atlas military. I plan on first improving the system Ironwood started, I also plan on repairing things that Ironwood may have broken which includes the promises he made. I am making my way through all the paperwork and improving what I can at this time but there will be many improvements to follow through the next couple of years, your feedback will be much appreciated. I’ll make sure I succeed where Ironwood failed. Thank you everyone for coming and I can’t wait to meet and talk to you all tonight,” Clover says, his normal million dollar smile never fading. He had his normal cockiness to him but he was also friendly and open. More applause.
“Enjoy the party!” Robyn shouts with a smile before she descends the stairs and into Fiona’s arms.
“I want to talk with you later,” Clover says. “But right now, I think you have some headmasters to talk to and people to meet.” Qrow was about to tell Clover not to leave but the General was already descending the stairs and into the crowd. He sighed and traveled down the stairs and over to Glynda, a familiar face as well as the Headmaster of Beacon academy. He was introduced to the new headmaster of Haven and the four headmasters just shared stories and talked. It took a moment for Qrow to adjust but he shared some of the funnier stories he had. At some point he was dragged away to be reintroduced to Mako and Olive by Tai.
Two hours had passed and Qrow was exhausted, he had talked to a lot of people and was very much done with socializing so he hung out off to the side. He had just eaten something and was feeling a bit more energized but he was still done when it came to talking with people. Of course, he would talk to anyone who started a conversation with him but would soon escape from the conversation and disappear to a different part of the room. He was resting near the stairwell talking with Ruby, Yang, and Blake while Weiss was singing when Clover walked over.
“May I steal Qrow for a moment?” He asks looking at the kids. They all nodded and he held out his hand to Qrow who took it and let himself get led away. He was a bit surprised to find himself being led out one of the side doors to a secluded balcony, they could still hear the music but were otherwise in silence. Clover let out a loud sigh before taking in a deep breath through his nose as he closed his eyes enjoying the fresh air.
“Yeah, feel you there. I am exhausted,” Qrow chuckles as he rests his forearms on the ledge. Clover soon mirrors him.
“Lots of talking, sadly no dancing yet but then again I was away from the person I wanted to dance with the entire time,” he says looking at Qrow. He felt heat rise to his cheeks at hearing that comment. He remembered the pin and reached into his pocket and pulled out the box, he cleared his throat as he did so which got the other mans attention.
“What’s this?” He asks.
“Open it,” he replies looking back out over Atlas. Clover removes the lid and chuckles.
“My pin,” he says with a smile. “I was wondering where this went after I died.”
“I wore it the whole time,” Qrow replies. “But there’s more.” Clover raises an eyebrow as he removes the tissue paper the pin sat on. He took a moment to just stare at it.
“Your necklace, I remember you wearing it but then you got a new outfit and you stopped wearing it,” he says pocketing his pin so he can pick up the necklace.
“I want you to have it.”
“I will wear it everyday.” He pulls it over his head and adjusts it a bit before unpocketing his pin and pinning it to Qrow’s vest, in return he gets a warm smile that makes his heart skip a beat. He soon loses the others attention as his eyes go to the shattered moon, Clover takes this chance to take in Qrow. His outfit was form fitted to his figure and worked well for him, especially with the green vest. The pale light of the moon highlighted his face and added a milky white highlight to his maroon red eyes. He admired the undercut as he fought the urge to run his hand along the buzzed part. The salt and pepper look to it was wonderful as always. He loves Qrow, he loves him a lot, he’d felt this way since he first saw him in Mantle. He listens to the music for a bit and when a slow song comes on he shows the open side of his left hand to Qrow. “May I have this dance?” Qrow chuckles and takes his hand without a second thought, letting himself get pulled away from the rail. He’s pulled close as he wraps his arms around the others neck, Clover’s go around his waist, as he leans his head against his chest.
“At the beginning of this, you said you needed to talk with me. Now is a good time,” he says as they begin to sway.
“It’s nothing bad but you’re right, now is a good time. I got all those messages with updates on how you were doing, I know I didn’t respond to any of them and I’m really sorry for doing so but I hope you know that I’m proud of you. I am really truly proud of you, you got past the barriers keeping you in place and you got better. You got sober, you’re confident, you aren’t as afraid to speak how you feel, you’re happy, you’re now even the headmaster of a whole academy. Qrow, thank you for letting me help you when I could and allowing me into your life. I wish I was there for you more these past two months but I’m glad I could be there for you when I was and help you kickstart your recovery.” He finished with a soft sigh and he noticed Qrow was shaking. “Is everything alright?” Qrow pulls away a bit and wipes at the falling tears.
“Everything is great, really great. Clover, you make me feel like a person who matters. All my life I was constantly being put down and being told there was no hope in me recovering, that I was too far gone and that I would return to my shitty roots. You made all those thoughts fall away, you made me realize I can recover and that I can get help and show emotion and not be considered weak. You’re the reason I’m so happy, Clover, you make me happy. You make me feel safe and cared for. So, thank you for everything you’ve done… I-I love you,” he says, stumbling a bit at the end. Clover was taken back a bit as his face flushed. He must’ve been silent for too long because Qrow pulled away. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t h-have said that.” Clover was having none of that, he stepped forward and grabbed him by the hips and crashed their lips together. The other male took a second to realize what just happened before he kissed back and hooked his arms around the others neck, with one hand in his hair. They pulled away breathless.
“I love you too,” he says with a soft smile. “Now what do you say we get back in there and do some proper dancing?” Qrow smiles and nods confidently as he draws back from Clover a bit and just hooks their arms together. The pair head back inside.