Way Off Track

Twentieth Call

Clover managed to avoid most of the judgemental looks as they made their way out of the theatre, although he did experience the purest mortification he had ever felt in his life while passing the ticket checker; the young man took one look at his reddened cheeks and Qrow's jaunty step and immediately smiled, biting his lips to prevent the laughter which undoubtedly wanted to spill forth. That humiliation made Clover want to curl up, leaving him burying his face in his hands, hunching over as he shuffled after Qrow away from the theatre.

A few steps out, however, a light touch settled upon his waist, distracting him. "Don't be shy, boy scout," Qrow murmured lowly into his ear, only further aggravating his blush. "C'mon. Let's get some food."

Clover wanted to protest, because he was perfectly within his rights to be humiliated with the assorted bruises and bites now littering his painfully-exposed neck; however, with the way Qrow's face shone in excitement, he couldn't say a word. So, he relented, gesturing for Qrow to lead the way, heart swelling as he felt Qrow's hand move from his waist to reach out for his hand.

It wasn't busy on the streets- in fact, barely anyone was out and about, which felt a little odd- but Clover still felt proud of the fact that he didn't let go of Qrow's hand, that he didn't shy away. Judging by how Qrow paused at a pedestrian crossing, looking down at their joined hands before beaming up at Clover, the elder was proud of him, too.

I can do this, Clover thought, lifting his chin slightly as he trailed after the elder. I can do this.

And no one would mistreat him for it. Not here, in Vale.

They soon found themselves seated in a nearby Mistralian restaurant, ready to share rice bowls and little appetizers. As usual, Qrow knew the best combinations of drinks and food, so Clover was happy to let the man order for them both, curious to try the restaurant out. "There weren't many Mistralian places around me growing up," Clover explained when Qrow had to explain the nth dish to him.

Qrow's eyes softened. "Damn. Don't tell me you grew up on the military base?"

Clover winced, shrugging wryly. "Pretty damn close, yeah."

"Xenophobic bastards," Qrow muttered bitterly. Before Qrow could ask for more, clearly curious about Clover's sordid upbringing in the upper echelons of Atlas, Qrow's phone suddenly began to ring- it wasn't the usual tone, however. Instead, a low, insistent beeping emerged from the device, changing the entire tone of the conversation, the air in their little private booth growing colder. "Sorry, gimme a second," Qrow said, smile dropping off his face instantly as he dropped the menu.

Clover sat up straighter in his seat as he watched Qrow pick up the phone, worry blossoming in his heart for the elder. Was something going on? How could he help?

Qrow murmured, "Hey, bud, what's going on?"

Immediately, he flinched as a decidedly-male voice wailed on the other end, "Qrow, did you hear what's going on with Blake-"

"Yeah, Tai, jeez. You're gonna make me go deaf," Qrow replied, wincing as he brought the phone closer to his ear cautiously. "Calm down. We're addressing it."

Blake is Marrow's cousin, isn't she? Clover leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands as he waited for Qrow to finish up. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but with the man on the other end yelling so loudly, there was no point pretending to not listen. Qrow seemed to not mind, flashing him a tiny smile, a silent Thank you forming upon his lips for his patience. Clover merely smiled in response, reaching out and grabbing Qrow's free hand, brushing the skin tenderly while he waited.

The elder's eyes creased happily into his smile before his attention returned to his phone call. Before the other man could yell again, he merely sighed, "Look, Tai, Ruby and Yang are seeing if she wants to stay with me for a bit." The strange man- Tai, Qrow had called him- began to wail and protest unintelligibly again, but Qrow cut in. "No, it's no big deal- you know I have more room for them. I'm happy to do it, I'm just waiting for Oz's approval and for it to go through counselling and whatnot so- liabilities, yeah man. It's good. Don't worry."

The man on the other end suddenly spoke too softly for Clover to hear, leaving him in the dark until Qrow finally murmured, "Yeah. I know. They'll keep her safe, and my door's open, so I'll take care of it, don't worry." The other man continued to speak. "For sure," Qrow said easily, picking up his chopsticks once again.

Clover's heart grew icy cold for a moment as he heard the other man loudly say, "Okay. I love you, you know that?"

And Qrow replied, "Yeah, love you too." With that, he hung up the phone, putting it away and turning back to Clover. "So," he said wryly, "ready to order?"

Clover's mouth opened, a million and one questions upon his lips. Who was that man? Why were you discussing your nieces? How does he know your student?

Why would you say 'I love you' to someone-

Before he could run himself ragged mentally, however, Qrow frowned, sensing his confusion. "Is… something wrong?"

"No-" But Qrow's deadpan expression was too much to ignore, so he sighed, a shameful flush heating his ears and cheeks as he admitted, "…who was that?"

Qrow frowned, confused by his sudden hesitation. "That was Tai. He's my-" Then, his eyes lit up, red growing impossibly large as a brilliant smile bloomed upon his lips. "Are you- are you jealous?"

Clover huffed, leaning back against his bench. "No, of course not-"

But Qrow was already too distracted, throwing his head back to release carefree, breathless laughter, deep and throaty. With the dim lighting of their booth, the marks upon his exposed neck were barely visible, but the shimmer in his eyes as tears began to well up in his disbelief shone anyways. He gasped, wiping his eyes, his expression so unbearably fond that Clover could not breathe.

"He's my brother," Qrow laughed, desperately trying to reign in his laughter as the waitress approached. "Y'know- my brother-in-law? The dad of my nieces?"

By the time the waitress had arrived, Clover's face felt permanently affixed to his hands as Qrow affectionately and ruthlessly laughed at his brief misunderstanding. It had just been an innocent mistake- who could blame him?

Qrow clearly was charmed by the entire affair, not hesitating to take Clover's hand and kiss his knuckles affectionately once their order had been taken. "I know I'm laughing, I just-" and he chuckled a few more times, still fighting back hysterics, "-I just can't believe anyone could think that we were together based on that conversation." When Clover raised a brow at him, however, Qrow paused, thinking back. "…okay, maybe you've got a point."

"Do you usually say 'I love you' to all your in-laws when you hang up?" Clover asked incredulously.

Qrow shook it off. "No, gods. He and I are pretty much all the family we've got, if I'm being honest. But the girls always say it, so it's a habit, now." A mischievous, cunning glint entered his eye. "What, you jealous with our little family bonding? Would you like to be included in that?"

A chill rushed down his spine, sending gooseflesh rising across his entire body. "C'mon, I wouldn't want you to say something you didn't mean," he played off awkwardly.

Qrow glanced idly at the dessert menu on the side. Clover's eyes followed Qrow's; he seemed to be focusing on the mango passionfruit ice cream. It wasn't what he would have expected the elder to like, but there was something oddly sweet about that.

Then, Qrow shrugged. "Me neither. I wouldn't be lying in this case, though."

It took him a few moments to realize that Clover's brain had effectively shut down, processing those words numbly. Turning back to Clover at last, Qrow's expression melted, his wry grin only growing as he teased, "Do you think I'd go down on anyone in a movie theatre?"

"We didn't-"

"Because you are pure and I shall protect your chastity forever if that is your desire, oh fair maiden," the elder mocked, but his words were soft, tender- loving.

Clover didn't talk much during the rest of that meal- he was too focused on maintaining his composure as their food came, as his heart swelled and his eyes flooded with tears unbidden, because he had never expected those words to ever cross anyone's lips ever again- and yet, here they were, and Qrow had offered his heart so easily that Clover could scarcely breathe. Qrow didn't mind, simply filling the dead air between them gently- talking of his adventures going through college with Taiyang, his best friend and brother- more tales of his nieces, and of how his nieces' friends were like daughters and nieces to Tai and Qrow, too- how, if everything went well, then he was going to let Blake stay with Ruby and Yang in Qrow's home whilst the young woman took care of what she needed to do, giving Marrow some piece of mind.

"Where will you stay?" Clover croaked, clearing his throat once, twice, thrice to get the seemingly-permanent lodge in his throat to clear. It didn't budge, too thick with emotion and disbelief.

Qrow shrugged. "On the couch. Damn brats have their own rooms, but damn, they're loud- I do not want to be upstairs if they've taken over."

Clover gulped, looking away. "I… I don't have much room- it's not a great place, I'm planning to get a new one now that I have that raise under my belt- but…" and he looked up at last, meeting Qrow's waiting gaze. "My place is yours, if you want."

The elder beamed, reaching across the table to cup Clover's cheek, then to playfully wipe away a crumb on his lip. "I'd like that," he rasped.

The noise of relief that slipped out of Clover's throat would later haunt him with its pathetic, keening neediness, but at the moment, he couldn't really respond in any other way. Qrow would stay with him. He had finally asked Qrow to stay, even if it wasn't now- even if it was just in the future.

Any animosity he had felt in the past for Vale slipped away. It was an amazing city. He just had to look harder to see it.