It was practically expected that the peace talks between the twin cities and Branwen Tribe would fail. After a disastrous encounter, the Branwen Tribe acquires a "good luck charm" and Qrow Branwen curses his luck for getting stuck with prisoner caretaker duty.

A Fantasy AU.

Legal Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the show's characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.

Until the End

Chapter Five (of Six):

Qrow had barely even started to process Tyrian's words when the madman's condescending grin only widened, the scorpion Faunus striding forwards towards where Raven and Vernal appeared at the end of the hallway after Qrow's panicked flight led them there. The bandit watched, sickly transfixed, as the chain around Clover's neck pulled taut with Tyrian's motion, the glyphs etched in the thick metal faintly glowing along with the swirling green lines upon Clover's skin.

The muscular young man was pulled forward by the scorpion Faunus' jaunting gait, stumbling briefly before getting his footing once more. The brown-haired prisoner moved past Qrow without so much as a glance, his expression downcast, and Qrow turned to see that the manacles holding his arms back behind him also had the glowing runes carved into them. Qrow could easily tell what he was looking at: a moving restraint system designed to still drain Clover's semblance so the process wouldn't be interrupted while traveling to the Land of Darkness. He felt sick at the thought.

Tyrian came to a halt right in front of the two women, Vernal furrowing her brows slightly in distaste at his presence though Raven remained as staunchly neutral as ever. The Faunus bowed theatrically, his grip on Clover's leash tightening a fraction as he did so. When Tyrian glanced back up with his eyes, there was an eager gleam in their yellow depths, "Milady." He greeted Raven extravagantly, pointedly ignoring Vernal and her less than welcoming demeanor towards him, pulling on the leash until Clover's head bowed slightly as well, "As excellent a job as our little birdie has done in making sure the pet is well taken care of, might I suggest a new approach now that we're preparing to head out soon?"

Qrow steadily walked over to them on shaky legs, bristling at the conversation, "Hey, hold up—!"

"What did you have in mind?" Raven asked, pointedly cutting over his protest.

Tyrian's teeth shone in the light of the corridor as he smiled, "Just that he can start looking after our other guest in the meanwhile while I take over watching our good luck charm." He answered, his smile widened all the more as he turned to face the downcast Clover, "We have to make sure the dog is properly retrained for Her Grace, after all."

Fear clenched down on Qrow's chest at this turn of events, a keen sort of dread filling him at the thought of Clover spending any amount of time with Tyrian and then his mistress. And young Oscar too? This was all too much. Surely his sister could see that?

"Rae." Qrow pleaded gruffly, "Don't do this. Please."

Allying with Salem would only prolong the inevitable and cause untold suffering in the long run. She had to know this, she had to! But his pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears, much to Tyrian's growing amusement as Raven merely nodded her head in agreement to the scorpion Faunus' suggestion, "If you feel it would be necessary." She replied, ignoring her brother's protest entirely.

"Raven!" Qrow growled out. Tyrian's amusement only seemed to grow as Vernal's hands went to her weapons in response to the pained hostility lacing the bandit's words, Raven's eyebrow quirking upwards in surprise at his vehemence.

"Qrow."

Red eyes widened at the sound of his name being softly called then, and Qrow spun away from the other three in the hallway to face Clover, the younger man finally looking directly at him. There was a determined energy about the Atlesian soldier as he shook his head, teal eyes surprisingly soft, "Don't." Clover said, and it almost sounded reminiscent of an order.

Qrow grit his teeth, "But—!"

"Think of your nieces." Clover told him quietly as he cut off his protest, "Of whoever this other person is. I'll be fine."

The slightly older man very much doubted that, but Clover's words had a calming effect on Qrow all the same. After all, who else would they put in charge of watching over Oscar if it wasn't him? If he pushed the matter further, what would become of Ruby and Yang and their parents back in Patch? He let out a shaky breath and nodded slightly in understanding, the slight encouraging smile that Clover threw his way nearly undoing him. He hated himself for not being able to do more for the brown-haired soldier.

Raven watched the interaction with as much expression on her face and in her red eyes as if she was still wearing her mask, "Have you calmed down, baby brother?" She asked, none too gently.

Qrow's light red-eyed gaze lingered on Clover's teal eyes for a moment before he managed to tear it away, squaring his shoulders and turning to her directly, "Yeah, Rae," he answered, "I have."

"Good." She replied as she gave a curt nod, "We should check in on the boy."

They walked down the corridor in terse silence, Qrow purposefully not watching as Tyrian led Clover along with them. Upon opening the door to a windowless dorm room, Qrow raised his eyebrows in surprise at the lack of magical restraints within.

Raven seemed to notice his shocked regard and merely shrugged, "Since he doesn't have access to his tattoos yet and Ozpin is reluctant to make his presence known in so young a host, I saw no need for too much added security." She said in way of explanation.

"He's...!" Clover's voice trailed off in shock at the sight of Oscar, who was curled in around himself and, if the tear stains on his freckled face were any indication, had cried himself to sleep only recently.

"Ozpin's new host." Qrow supplied, his voice thick with emotion.

"Qrow, you really do need to watch out for him." Clover told him succinctly then, a wealth of emotion in his own voice.

Qrow sighed and nodded his graying head in staunch agreement as Raven closed the door once more and locked it for the time being. The bandit sighed, turning around without looking at anything in particular. He took off down the corridor towards the exit not a moment later, his entire body tense and his mind nearly succumbing to far too dark of thoughts.

"Where are you going, Qrow?" His twin called out after him.

"To get a drink." He supplied without looking back, not wanting to see the disappointed look that no doubt flashed across Clover's eyes as the younger man had no choice but to watch him go.

"Clover!"

The brown-haired prisoner started at the sound of the young voice pulling him from his troubled thoughts, nearly running into Tyrian's back as the scorpion Faunus halted just ahead of him along the path back to what had once been Haven Academy's dormitory. A sharp tug on his leash kept him frozen in place for a moment.

"Ah, I see you've decided to take your pet out for a walk too, birdie." Tyrian taunted as he turned around to face the pair walking towards them. Though Oscar had frozen in place, the smile that had graced his features upon seeing Clover's back earlier had fallen instantly at the sight of the sneering Callows.

Qrow stepped in front of the boy protectively, putting a hand on his shoulder. His light red eyes narrowed considerably at the sight of Tyrian standing there, though they softened momentarily upon landing on Clover, "Cloves." He said gruffly, quickly averting his gaze from lingering too long on the chains, "You doing all right?"

Clover smiled slightly. It was a silly question to ask in a lot of respects given the circumstances, but he knew that Qrow was asking more for Oscar's benefit than his own. After all, the two older men had fallen into a routine whenever they ran into one another of trying to play the situation off as better than it truly was for the youth's benefit. Every so often, a knowing glint would creep into hazel eyes all the same, but Oscar seemed content enough to play along as well for a sense of comfort in a terrible situation if nothing else.

Clover was also immensely glad to see that Qrow seemed to limit his drinking to nights only when the boy was put to bed. Though he hated that the older man did that to himself at all still. "I'm doing all right." Clover informed them both, his smile turning more genuine as he gazed down at Oscar before kneeling down to be eye level, "What about you, Oscar?"

Despite his understandable fear of Tyrian, Oscar seemed to relish in interacting with one of the only two people in the tribe who was willing to be civil to him, "I'm okay! Qrow took me to see a creek." He said giddily.

That explained the mud coating his shoes then. Clover glanced up and over at Qrow, his smile widening just a fraction at how sheepish the bandit had become at the attention, "That sounds like a fun time." He responded honestly.

"I wouldn't exactly call it great." Qrow muttered self-deprecatingly, before he cast a look down at Oscar's mud-covered clothes, "Especially since we've gotta go and clean up now."

"Do we have to?" The boy asked, his expression suddenly downcast at the thought.

Clover's smile couldn't help but widen as he winked conspiratorially, "But having to do that proves just how much fun you were having to begin with." He informed Oscar, lowering his voice to a mere whisper as if letting the child in on a little secret.

Oscar grinned, and for a moment all of the troubles and danger that the poor child was going through seemed temporarily forgotten, "Right!" He replied happily.

There was a sudden pull on Clover's neck then, and he grimaced as he was forced back onto his feet thanks to Tyrian's jerking motions. Behind him, he heard Oscar gasp and nearly swore that Qrow let out a soft growl at the rough treatment, though he was spun back around to face the scorpion Faunus so he couldn't properly gauge their reactions.

"As endearing as it is to see our guests getting along so well, I'm afraid we must be going, good luck charm." Tyrian practically cooed as he took a few measured steps forwards in the direction of the former dormitory, "It is almost time for your food."

Clover's eyes fell downwards at the mention, dread filling his gut. Tyrian had a way of making even the act of eating as degrading and humiliating as possible for his prisoner, but Qrow's words earlier about surviving made it so that he didn't resist the process too much. He knew Tyrian was just waiting for Clover to slip up so that he could more actively "re-train" him as it were, and he refused to give him the opportunity to do so.

Pairs of red and hazel eyes both landed on Clover's back as he obediently moved forwards after his captor, and he briefly looked over his shoulder to offer the young boy an encouraging smile in parting. The look on Qrow's face when Clover momentarily looked over at him was completely unreadable, and the younger man felt the bandit's eyes burning heatedly into his back when he turned around once more, his shame and embarrassment causing him to finally tear his own teal-eyed gaze away.

"Open wide." Tyrian's tone was thoroughly mocking as he sat across from Clover on the floor of his cell, holding out a spoon full of mushy gruel to the other man's mouth. Clover had been forced into a kneeling position on the ground, the scorpion Faunus having clasped the chain around his neck to the floor so that his prisoner couldn't move too much and had to remain in a crouch for the time being, hands still tied securely behind his back so that he had no choice but to rely on Tyrian to give him his sustenance.

It was all meant to be as degrading and embarrassing as possible, Clover knew, especially since the madman would reattach the usual manacle he had around his wrist while in his room as soon as the food was gone. He just wanted Clover to feel truly dependent on him for feedings as part of his "re-training."

It did not bode well for how things were most likely going to be in the Land of Darkness, from what Clover could gather. He only hoped that Oscar wouldn't have to suffer the same type of fate at some point. As scared and uneasy as he was about what was to be his own fate in upcoming days, he couldn't help but worry all the more about Oscar's given his role as Ozpin's new "host."

...And just what would happen to Qrow when he no longer had anyone at the moment to look over? Would he be put back on the frontlines? Would he drink even more? Would he...? Clover's thoughts drifted off and he was momentarily grateful for the reprieve. He couldn't let himself dwell too much on those fears, as he felt his heart sinking with worried doubt every passing second. Instead, he focused on the food that Tyrian continued to eagerly shove into his mouth, waiting and watching hopefully for when the bowl was mercifully, finally empty of its bland contents.

Tyrian grinned and put the spoon and bowl off to the side, his yellow gaze piercing as he regarded the captive before him, "Well, it certainly seems like your diligent military training is serving you well even in this role!" He taunted, almost sounding disappointed that he hadn't had to use more coercive methods on the younger man to get him to comply.

Teal eyes narrowed at the remark, and the Atlesian opened his mouth to curtly reply when Tyrian suddenly tutted disapprovingly, leaning forward and causing Clover to flinch at his sudden proximity. A pale hand reached out and began stroking the side of Clover's face in the same manner one might a pet, and he had to suppress a shudder as the soldier forced his body to remain absolutely still, the distaste no doubt evident on his face all the same.

"Now, now! You know well enough that Her Grace doesn't like it when her pets speak, trinket." Tyrian practically purred out in a reminder of one of his "earlier" lessons, "Especially if they're going to be needlessly argumentative."

Clover's brow furrowed and he tried to inch back as far as he could, but the leash was already pulled taut as it was which meant he could only remain crouched there while his face burned in humiliation. Tyrian, however, seemed to take his lack of response as a sign of further obedience, for he smiled widely as he continued petting Clover, "Above all else, Her Grace expects loyalty. And fortunately for you, your Atlesian training has already instilled a strong sense of that in your very being." He said almost conversationally, "Given that, I'm sure you'll get along well in your new role once we arrive."

Tyrian reached out, picking up the chain and manacle that was used to keep Clover securely in the prison room, smiling madly the whole while, "Time for you to go to sleep now that you've been walked and fed." He informed him, creeping closer to lean over Clover's broad form and connect the chain to his arm before removing his other restraints, "We'll continue in the morning." He assured the brown-haired man, "After all, our goddess will want a thoroughly well-mannered dog by the time we arrive in her lands."

Clover lowered his head as the madman laughed at his own choice of words, opting to try and not think on anything at all in that moment.

In the midst of finally managing to drift off into an uneasy sleep, Clover heard what sounded like the door to his cell room opening. His body instinctively tensed, though he kept his eyes firmly shut and feigned sleep, hoping that whichever bandit had entered to check on him would leave as quickly as possible. He was surprised at the sound of a hitched breath, accompanied by staggering footsteps approaching the bed. The mattress dipped downwards as the mystery person sat by his legs.

"Cloves." An all-too familiar, gruff voice spoke up in a rather pained tone that nearly broke the Atlesian to hear as a hand gently threaded its way through Clover's hair then, "I don't...I don't know what to do."

Clover opened his eyes then to find red orbs and a pale, stubbled face looming over him. Qrow was seated at the edge of his bed, peering down at the younger man as he continued stroking the top of his head gently. It took all of Clover's willpower to not melt into the surprisingly soothing and comforting touch, "Qrow?" He got out softly, the fatigue that had been ingrained in his bones before melting away at the other's presence.

The hand upon his hair suddenly stilled when Qrow became aware of teal regarding him back, and he dropped his hand away completely not a second later, much to Clover's chagrin. The older bandit averted his gaze, as if he'd been caught doing something wholly embarrassing, "S—sorry, lucky charm." He got out in a weak murmur, "Didn't mean to wake you."

Clover sat up on the mattress then, the chain around his arm clanking with the motion, "It's all right." He assured him, brow furrowing in concern not a moment later, "Is everything okay? Is Oscar—?"

Qrow turned to face him then, a steadying hand coming to rest on Clover's broad shoulder and effectively cutting off the captive's anxious train of thought, "Oscar's as fine as he can be, given things." He reassured him, a soft and rather proud smile flitting across his features, "He's a strong kid."

Clover felt himself relax, letting out a relieved breath of air he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "He really is." He muttered, though his gaze lingered on Qrow's ringed hand upon his shoulder, "Then why...?"

The fingers resting on his person momentarily squeezed down slightly when Clover's sentence trailed off, as if Qrow was trying to reassure himself of the solid presence lingering underneath them. He pulled away not a second later, staring at the mattress they were both sitting on in the dimly glowing room. "Because things aren't fine. Haven't been for a while now." Qrow muttered under his breath, his red eyes narrowing in frustration.

"Qrow…" Clover began, and he couldn't stop himself from tentatively reaching out for the other man then.

Qrow met him halfway, resting his palm against Clover's in a surprising display of open affection, "I always hated what a dutiful soldier you were, Cloves." He told him in a rather succinct tone of voice.

Clover blinked confused teal eyes at the admission, "What?" He asked, unsure of where Qrow was going with this conversation.

"Following every single one of Jimmy's orders like such a good little soldier." The light red-eyed man answered, smiling wryly as he shook his graying head, "I thought it was pathetic."

Clover frowned at the bandit's words, but said nothing as the other man continued.

"Yet here I am, doing nothing but the same." The look on Qrow's face became a rather stricken one and it nearly tore Clover's chest in two to see it suffusing the other man's handsome visage, "I can't even get drunk properly anymore to try and forget it for a time. I'm the one that's truly pathetic."

"That's not true." Clover said softly, intertwining their fingers together and giving a reassuring squeeze, "Qrow, you have your friends and nieces to consider. And you're looking after Oscar now."

The slightly older man snorted, looking away, "Yeah, only for the poor kid to get turned over to Salem soon." He muttered derisively, shuddering at the thought, "Along with you."

"But I wouldn't have even gotten this far if it wasn't for you." The brown-haired soldier gently reminded him, "You've helped me tremendously."

Qrow's hand went suddenly limp in Clover's grip then and dropped to the bed, his red eyes looking up and over at Clover almost desperately. Clover smiled softly and glanced down at his legs, then at his shackled arm, "I don't know what's going to happen to us in the Land of Darkness, Qrow," he said, "But I'm grateful that you've been here for us. I—!"

He was cut off by the dark-haired bandit suddenly surging forward and wrapping his arms tightly around Clover, holding him close to his person as if he was something utterly precious. Clover blinked in surprise at the motion, instinctively raising his own hands to rest them on Qrow's shuddering back in an awkward attempt to return the embrace, "Qrow?" He asked, suddenly concerned by the bandit's behavior.

Warm breath tickled the shell of Clover's ear then as Qrow's hold tightened a fraction more as though the man was desperate not to let go, "I love you, Clover." He whispered, as if almost hoping the other man wouldn't hear. Clover's breath caught in his throat at the whispered admission from the other man, his heart pounding so loudly in his chest that he was certain Qrow could feel it due to their current proximity.

"I'm sorry it took so long to realize it. I'm sorry that it is under such shitty circumstances, but I can't change how I feel. Don't think I'd want to even if I could." Qrow said louder this time, smiling sadly against Clover's neck before softly pulling away so that their faces were nearly touching, "I love you."

Clover's face felt flushed and hot all at once by the directness of the confession, and he couldn't help but get lost in the red orbs currently gazing at him. His own building emotions came rushing to him then, and he tentatively reached up a hand to cup the side of Qrow's face.

For just this one moment, nothing else seemed to matter, "I love you too, Qrow." He murmured, "Have for a while now." Ever since Qrow had tried helping Clover in his own way, when he saw just how much the other man truly cared about those closest to him, how he was looking out for others even when in such a hopeless situation himself.

Qrow moved forward again, his arms wrapping around Clover's back and waist as his lips found purchase on the younger man's own. The kiss was passionate and desperate, as if he was trying to convey everything he couldn't say in words through it. Clover found himself returning it just as eagerly, just as hungrily.

He wasn't even sure of when Qrow had lowered him gently to the bed, the two finally pulling apart for air as Qrow rested above him with his arms framing Clover's body. The gaze in his eyes was desperate and heated all at once, and Clover found himself getting lost in it once more, "Qrow." He spoke up through kiss-swollen lips, raising his own arms to snake them around the lanky man's neck, to pull him down once more and continue their embrace from before.

"Lucky charm." Qrow's voice was husky, and he leaned into Clover's touch then, lowering his head once more to trail kisses down Clover's exposed neck, "We should—"

He was cut off by the door suddenly opening once more, the two men reluctantly but quickly pulling away from one another. Raven Branwen stood in the now open doorway, her eyebrow raised as she saw the rather compromising position the two men were in. It didn't take her long to get over her initial surprise, however.

"You're here, baby brother." The bandit leader said quickly and without preamble, red eyes narrowing pointedly as the pair were surprised to see a still rather sleepy-looking Oscar Pine peering curiously out from behind her, "We need to talk."

Author's Notes: I certainly am throwing in a lot of "mini" time skips, but I figured they were narratively necessary if I wanted to make sure to keep my initial chapter count! One more chapter to go! As always, thank you for reading! :D