Legal Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, Red vs. Blue, or any of the shows' characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.

Chapter Thirty:

Qrow wasn't really certain what happened. One second he was holding onto Clover Ebi tightly as the other man collapsed into his embrace and started crying as though the weight of all of Remnant was on his shoulders. It made him want to cry too because in a way it was, as he gently murmured, "Easy there, lucky charm. I've got you."

In the next? The next moment, they were kissing. He wasn't even sure who had initiated the contact, only that the kiss was equal parts desperate as well as soft and languid. He was kissing the tear trails down Clover's cheeks, their mouths meeting gently as Qrow found himself leaning against the side of the table. At some point or another, he'd repositioned them so that it was Clover who was practically sitting on the table, and it was then that his mind registered that the brown-haired younger man was resolutely turning his gaze away, reluctantly breaking the contact of their lips on one another's skin as he trembled in the other's embrace.

Qrow pulled away then just enough that he could regard Clover, and his heart nearly broke at the pained, hesitant expression he found scrawled across the other man's face and in his body language. It was so unlike his normal confidence. He reached up with a tentative hand to touch the brown-haired soldier's cheek, to gently turn his head to the side, "Hey, lucky charm," he heard himself practically plead, "Look at me. Please."

Teal eyes blinked at the sound of his voice, and Clover turned to face him, teal eyes wide and hesitant, "Qrow, you should go." He finally got out in a hoarse whisper, "Get Oscar out of here and leave."

Qrow's fingers drew lines against Clover's face as he nodded, his expression serious, "That's the plan, sunshine." He explained, "We're going to get you both out."

Clover said nothing at that, his eyes downcast yet again as avoided Qrow's gaze.

"Cloves?" The black-haired shapeshifter asked, worry about what the other was thinking already seeping into his bones.

Clover's hand reached upwards and captured Qrow's against the side of his face, squeezing the digits gently, "I don't think I should go with you." He said stubbornly.

Red eyes widened at the quiet admission, his breath freezing in his throat, "What...?" Qrow trailed off as Clover moved their joined hands downwards, directly over where Qrow knew a nasty scar remained on his muscular chest. However, through the ripped fabric of Clover's clothing, he could feel something hard pressing against his fingertips.

...Like bone fragments, he realized not a moment later. The sight of Clover's state before they'd begun desperately kissing one another came flooding back to him. "I was always a liability. But throw this into the mix?" Clover asked as he smiled self-deprecatingly, "I...I don't even know how long I'm going to stay myself at this point, Qrow."

"Clover..." Qrow began, his fingers tracing over the edges of bone beneath torn fabric when he realized he really wasn't sure what to say.

Clover let out a shaky breath, and the Huntsman could tell that the younger man was trying to put on a guarded brave face. He'd seen Clover do so far too many times already. "It's best to just protect Oscar, Qrow. If I stay here, or maybe figure out some way to get farther away," Clover explained, "Well, it's probably for the best if I'm not around anyone if I can't be trusted."

Qrow frowned, pulling his hand away from Clover's grasp as his eyes narrowed, "No." He said resolutely.

Brown eyebrows raised at the older man's remark, "What?" Clover asked, genuinely confused by Qrow's refusal.

Qrow cupped Clover's face in both hands then, his lips upon the Ace Op's once more. When he finally pulled away to get some much needed air, he repeated, "No. That's not going to happen, Clover."

"Qrow, I—!"

He wrapped his arms around Clover's broad shoulders and pulled the slightly taller man into a tight embrace once more, "I know you're a stubborn brat when you set your mind to something, soldier boy." Qrow said, "But guess what? So am I."

Clover stilled within his arms, and Qrow felt emboldened enough to continue, "I don't care what kind of a liability you think you are. I'm not leaving you behind again." He murmured into Clover's ear, "You want to be self-sacrificial and stay behind? Well then, I'll come back and drag you out with me if I have to, lucky charm."

Clover's cheeks reddened at his words, and he tentatively wrapped his own arms around Qrow's waist, "Qrow, I—!"

"Besides," Qrow cut him off as his fingers began drawing circles around the bone protruding under Clover's red armband. "Even if I did agree that you might be a threat, you're in no condition to be traveling alone." He said as he smirked, kissing the younger man's eyelids, "You're stuck with me. Cloves."

There was a knock on the door and Neopolitan poked her head in. If she seemed surprised by the embrace she found the two men in, it didn't register on her face beyond one brown eyebrow raising slightly. Qrow's grip on Clover tightened, "We're getting out of here tonight. No more waiting." He said decisively, nodding over at Neopolitan, "Trash the place once we're gone."

Clover attempted to pull away then, "No, I can't just—!" But his weak protest was cut off as Qrow suddenly lifted him off his feet. Though Clover was taller and Qrow had a more lithe build, he was used to carrying around the weight of Harbinger like it was nothing, and Clover was about as heavy.

"I'm not about to leave you to your fate like I did last time, Clover." The older Huntsman assured him, ignoring the heat that was flooding through his face at the same time.

Clover's cheeks also reddened then, but only briefly as the weary exhaustion that must have been plaguing him for days seemed to strike at that very moment. He practically curled into Qrow then, eyelids drifting closed as he shut down completely. Qrow pressed his lips against a sweaty forehead as he hefted Clover's unconscious form into an easier hold, heart pounding in his chest as he moved past Neopolitan through the door. They had to do this now, before any chance they had was gone. He hoped the others could move just as quickly.


The humming melody managed to calm Clover's nerves as he woke in that same dark place, though he could tell that the Nevermore was angry all the same as it wrapped its wings around him and kept his immobilized body close against it.

"You must have figured out that I will know where you are even if you do manage to leave Atlas." The woman's voice came into his ears then, a darkened hand stroking the side of his face in a possessive manner, "We're connected, after all, and your bond here grows stronger with every passing moment as your transformation continues." She reached up and gripped Clover's hair painfully, tilting his head to the side so that he was looking at where her eyes might be, "You're my pet."

Clover struggled to open his mouth, to protest, but she dropped her hand to her side and his head fell forward limply. The Nevermore gave an almost anxious trill, one of its feathery wings moving slightly so that it seemed to pet his cheek.

"Try to be patient." The woman all but cooed up at the Grimm, "After all, soon our lucky charm will be all ours."

Clover's teal eyes opened to a cracked, nondescript ceiling overhead, his tired mind processing a second later that he was tucked into a bed somewhere other than the safe house in Atlas. He sat up quickly, ignoring the aches all over his body as the blankets that had been wrapped around him pooled at his waist. "Where...?" He began, his vision momentarily blurring as he quickly moved to wipe at his eyes.

"Easy there, boy scout." Qrow's voice spoke up from by his side, and he felt a hand land gently on his shoulder.

Clover leaned into the touch, shakily pulling the older man into an embrace as he remembered what had happened before. Qrow had tried saving him, which meant...

"You're in one of the Happy Huntresses' hideouts in Mantle." Qrow informed him as they reluctantly pulled away from one another, "The others managed to get Oscar out of Atlas too."

Clover felt torn over the news. On one hand, he was glad that Oscar was no longer confined to Atlas. However... "What about the barrier?" He asked weakly, panic beginning to race through him as he remembered his dream and saw the bone on his skin, "What about this?"

Qrow said nothing for a long moment as his hand moved to rest on top of Clover's. His red eyes were lit with concern, but his tone was determined as he spoke up, "We'll figure things out, Cloves," he finally managed to say, "But you staying there wasn't a good idea."

And Clover knew that, yes, especially with Cinder around and somehow able to influence some of his actions indirectly. However, given what the mysterious woman had said, he wasn't sure if his being around the others was a good idea either. He still felt hopelessly trapped, even as a part of him was glad that Qrow and the others were there. "I know, Qrow," he heard himself saying as if from far away, "But I don't think anyone is safe as long as I'm here."

Qrow said nothing in reply, opting instead to lean forward and pull Clover into another protective embrace. Clover practically melted into the touch, his entire body quivering as he just allowed himself a moment of weakness in the elder's arms, his own wrapping tightly around the other man as if he never wanted to let go. If he was being honest with himself, he knew a very large part of him didn't want to.


Qrow left Clover's room rather reluctantly, knowing he needed to talk things over with Robyn and the others. Fortunately, the meeting room was close by. Hushed voices came to a halt as he opened the door and stepped inside to find a small gathering of people there, as it was fairly late at night and most were sleeping.

He spotted a thoroughly caffeinated Ruby sitting with Penny on a sofa nearby, his youngest niece had evidently drank quite a large amount of sugar and cream-laden coffee to try and lessen her nerves during and after the dinner party, and was subsequently wide awake now even when everyone else wasn't. Grif and Simmons were surprisingly seated close by, the pair rather red-faced as if they'd been caught doing something before getting dragged into the meeting room themselves. Grif let out a tired yawn, leaning his head against Simmons' bony shoulder as if he might fall asleep at any second, which was quite possible, as the heavyset Faunus seemed capable of sleeping just about anywhere.

Sarge, Robyn, and Winter were seated around the table, the older man in red giving Qrow a curt nod as he leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest. Robyn raised an eyebrow at him standing in the doorway as Ruby leapt to her feet so quickly that she startled Grif awake, "Uncle Qrow! How's Clover?" She asked as both she and Penny rushed forward then, eager lights in their eyes.

"Yeah, is he doing all right?" Robyn asked as well, frowning slightly in thought as she added, "He didn't exactly look so hot when you dragged him here."

Qrow ruffled Ruby's brown head of hair gently as he glanced at the expectant stares within the room, "He's resting right now, pipsqueak." He informed his niece, "He's not doing too great."

"Oh no!" Penny gasped at this bit of news, and Ruby pulled the redhead into a quick, comforting hug.

"Qrow." Winter spoke up then without preamble, "While I agree that getting the Inheritors out of Atlas was the right decision given what was going on there, we need a strategy now."

"The little lady's right." Sarge muttered, stroking his chin in thought, "Having us stay in Mantle is just going to give the city a target spot."

"And there's the matter of the barrier too." Robyn admitted, "We need to be able to move freely in case it needs repair."

Qrow sighed and rolled his eyes, "I know." He said before glancing over at Ruby in a considering fashion, "What do you think of visiting your dad for a while, kiddo?"

Ruby blinked in surprise, "You mean it?" She asked, clearly excited about the concept.

He nodded, "The tribe might be our best bet for lying low at the moment since it is always on the move." He explained to the room at large.

Winter and Robyn both looked at one another then, "It's risky still, but that could work." The white-haired woman said at length.

"I would love to see your home, Ruby!" Penny exclaimed happily, causing the brunette to blush.

Sarge nodded his head approvingly, "I think I'd stay here in Mantle to see how things go," he said, "But I'm sure Lopez would be rarin' to tag along with you too!"

"Yay. Another road trip." Grif muttered sarcastically from where he sat, Simmons swatting his arm and shushing him not a moment later.

"What's most important is that both Oscar and Clover get the chance they need to rest and recover before anything else happens." Robyn said as her violet eyes narrowed, "I have to admit, Clover's current condition is pretty upsetting."

"Who knows what to make of it exactly?" Sarge asked as he nodded his head in staunch agreement, "The whole thing's dang peculiar."

"It's like he's starting to become part Grimm." Simmons couldn't help but mutter thoughtfully, though he let out a sheepish "Eep!" and looked away apologetically when Qrow turned in his direction.

Qrow sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Whatever is going on, Clover is still Clover." He stated plainly with no room for argument.

Ruby nodded her head emphatically, "That's right!" She exclaimed, "And we're gonna help him!"

"But you don't know how long exactly I'll still be me for."

Everyone turned their heads to the doorway then, where Clover Ebi now stood behind Qrow, leaning against the frame. Sweat was pouring down his face as he dropped to his knees. "Captain Ebi!" Penny called out in concern just as Qrow and Robyn started moving forward towards him.

The brown-haired soldier looked up at them, teal eyes pleading, "I might just be too big of a threat to have around." He said, voicing the concern he's already told Qrow.

"Clover..." Qrow began, but trailed off when the telltale red markings of Clover's Inheritor status suddenly bloomed upon his face. For a brief moment, the sky outside the dirty window into the space seemed to turn even darker.

"Something's wrong with the barrier!" Oscar's panicked voice called out as the teen in question appeared in the hallway, his own face covered in green markings.

Qrow let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding then, the decision on what to do next apparently having to be put on hold for the moment. His damn luck! If it wasn't one thing, it was something else.


Author's Notes: Poor guys can't ever seem to catch a break, though at least Qrow and Clover got a few moments together this time around.