Way Off Track

Eighth Listen

Clover's feet carried him back across Beacon University's beautiful campus, back past all of the coffee shops and convenience stores nearing the mouth of the subway, back down into the clean and cozy University Station platform, all in a haze. The words which had left his mouth still didn't seem real. Had he actually had the gall to ask out the stranger?

Not 'the stranger'- he said to call him Qrow. He had to press his lips together tightly, keeping his gaze focused on clean tile slabs below him, in order to avoid smiling goofily.

Only when he was back on the train and heading towards the office did he realize he had forgotten to get Qrow's number.

Fuck.

As Clover re-entered his office, waving at Marrow in passing and making a beeline for the lounge to grab another cup of coffee to substitute the lunch he unfortunately would have no time to eat, he had to forcefully get his mind to face the facts. I gave him my card. He'll call, right?

After a moment, he let out an audible groan of frustration, drawing a strange look from Harriet who was refilling her water bottle in the sink beside the coffee machine. He had forgotten to write his cellphone number onto the card. What the hell was Qrow supposed to do with his office number (which would go automatically to Marrow since his extension wasn't included on the card)? Request a consultation? Ask about price estimates?

He wanted to bang his head on a wall. What had he been thinking?

All he could do was let out a tiny, barely-audible sigh, straighten his shoulders, and plaster on his usual smile to power through the day. Maybe I'll see him on the way home, he thought distantly. It was a fool's errand, but the thought kept him going. He had been so caught up with the fact that he was actually talking with the older man, and that Qrow had been smiling and enjoying his company and, if Clover squinted hard enough, flirted back-

He couldn't let himself dream. He had made that mistake before.

It didn't stop him from quietly staring at his office phone throughout his meetings that day- just in case Marrow patched someone through to him. Just in case.

The thought was fruitless. He didn't see Qrow that evening on the way home, nor the next morning. Over lunch, when Clover had a spare moment to read, he found himself wandering through the Department of Sociology's website, clicking on whatever links related to Qrow struck his fancy. The man had been involved in a ton of research- despite touting a fairly young age, the man was indeed quite prolific in his research.

Clover paused, mouse hovering over the nth picture of Qrow presenting in a conference hall. …why am I acting like such a puppy?

It was a little humiliating. He had never been like this before, but for Qrow, he seemed to be going the extra mile to embarrass himself.

The man's teaching reviews were stellar, although half of the comments focused more on his handsome looks and sultry voice that the actual content. One comment did pique Clover's interest; a student mentioned a podcast that Qrow did with the school occasionally. Out of curiosity, Clover searched it up, finding and downloading an episode before he could stop himself.

While Clover couldn't say that he absorbed any actual content listening to that episode, that afternoon of poring over paperwork was probably the most calm and at ease he had ever been, listening to Qrow murmur about city policies or whatnot. He was so relaxed that upon seeing him at the end of the workday, even Vine asked what he had done to calm himself down.

Clover listened to the episode again on the way home. It actually was quite informative. There was something about Qrow's voice talking into his ear as he rode the empty train home, staring out of the window into the cold and drizzle, that just felt right.

So, that night, Clover saved the rest of the episodes Qrow had hosted. Listening to Qrow talk about income inequality was a nice change from the vague motivational drivel James and the others had given him over and over again, so Friday morning, Qrow's voice was speaking gently into his headphones, allowing Clover to center himself before another long workday to end the week.

Listening to Qrow's podcast was likely why he didn't register his name around the fifth station on his route. After a few moments, however, he heard his name again, this time accompanied by a light nudge to his knee. Clover jumped up in his seat slightly, pulling his headphones out and glaring up at the other passengers; only to find Qrow Branwen in the flesh leaning over him, one hand tucked into his pocket and the other gripping onto the olive-green handrail above Clover's seat. "Hey, you," Qrow said with a smile.

Clover froze for a moment, mind short-circuiting before finally snapping back to life. He quickly closed the podcast, hiding the screen of his phone. With a small grin, Clover replied, "Hey to you, too, professor."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Y'know, I was just thinking about calling you today."

"Oh yeah?" His voice remained calm despite the immediate rise in his heartrate. It felt a little surreal to hear Qrow's real voice speaking after having been listening to his feature on a university podcast just seconds before.

Qrow nodded, glancing out the window at the grim, grey day. "It's kinda gross outside today, it's Friday, and I never thanked you for bringing back the kid's work. I'll take you for a drink."

Clover forced his giddiness back into his heart, asking airily, "Oh yeah? Whereabouts were you thinking?"

"I know a few places that could be good. You free around 5?" When Clover nodded, Qrow reached down and plucked Clover's phone out of his hand. "Here's my number, kid. I'll text you when I'm done with my students."

Clover was going to faint, swallowing thickly as he took back his phone, eyes locked on Qrow's mouth as he spoke.

Unfortunately, University Station was coming up, and the older man was ready to leave. "I'll see you later. Be ready, kid," Qrow teased. "I finished marking everything this week, so we're gonna have a good time tonight. My treat."

And as the train slowed to a halt, the other passengers shifting to make room for others moving in and out of the carriage, Qrow licked his bottom lip, a glint of silver flashing out of nowhere as he looked at the door before waving goodbye to Clover. "See you later, lucky charm." And he headed out, leaving a space that was quickly filled by another passenger, leaving Clover in an absolute fog.

As he had spoken, Qrow's tongue had slipped past his lips. This professor with his doctorate and multiple research grants and awards and podcasts and published papers- this creature named Qrow Branwen had a tongue piercing.

Clover had no idea what he had gotten into, and he didn't regret a thing.