A/N: Clover is kind of a hot gay mess for angsty!Qrow. Which is fair, honestly. Leave a comment if you're reading along :)

Cameo Lover

Resolutions

While they normally wouldn't allow students into the officer's mess due to the alcohol served there, they decided they could make an exception for the kids, now that they were full-fledged Huntsmen and Huntresses. So, when Elm ferried them all into the warm, dimly-lit pub, Clover could only chuckle as their eyes lit up.

"No alcohol for you," he explained straightaway. "However, we did want to give you a welcome into our ranks. A proper one. And, Huntsmen should get to know one another, so..." He gestured to all the other Huntsmen who were unwinding after their own duties, his peers raising their glasses in hello to the gaggle of teenagers. "It's about time you started being let into the cool kid's club, too."

"Do we really get to come here from now on?" Jaune asked, eyes sparkling as he looked at the pool table in the corner. "Oh, this is-"

"A one-time thing," Clover insisted smoothly, chuckling when the boy pouted and slumped slightly. "But, you've all been working hard, and we thought it would be a nice treat to see where you'll get to hang out in a few years' time. All Huntsmen accepting missions out of Atlas are free to come here in their off-hours. Non-alcoholic drinks are free, but if you want food, you're paying for it."

With those guidelines established, the kids cheered and dispersed. Nora managed to immediately find a group of people to arm-wrestle, the prize for winning being nothing more than a demand to buy her and Ren garlic fries. Ruby, Penny and Jaune began playing games with Marrow, the Faunus pouting despite the fact that his tail was wagging in overtime. Yang strutted confidently to the bar, dragging Weiss and Blake with her and ordering drinks for them with such confidence that the bartender forgot to make them all virgin cocktails until she scolded them for their error. Vine slipped away, having never been a fan of these crowds, and Harriet and Elm separated to find their own friends.

Qrow took a seat by himself in the corner at a tiny table that barely fit even one person, watching the kids with a mix of fondness and discomfort in his eyes. His fingers were back on the table, drumming against wood in anxious, erratic patterns. Red eyes opened up in alarm when he saw Yang at the counter, then immediately relaxed when the blonde scolded the bartender for putting alcohol in their drinks. He smiled as he watched Ruby giggle around a board game with her friends, and he laughed aloud when he saw the line to challenge Nora to an arm-wrestling contest growing ever-smaller as she defeated each of her foes without any strain. He sympathized openly with Ren, the boy's face flushed and pained- Nora didn't care, the girl simply repeating, "Don't worry Ren, I'll make sure you get your fries!" despite his numerous protests that he wasn't even hungry.

Clover watched Qrow's reactions to everything from the bar, his heart aching. He… probably doesn't feel comfortable here, does he? Qrow's fear of being near alcohol was real, his worry that he'd slip up and drink always rearing its ugly head anytime Clover or the other Ace-Ops, or even James, invited the man to the mess with them after missions.

When Ruby approached the bar to get glasses of water and soda for her friends, Clover sidled up to her, keeping his eyes trained on Qrow's lonely figure. "Ruby, I wanted to ask you something," he murmured quietly.

She jumped, her surprise so much like her uncle's reactions that Clover couldn't help but laugh. "Um- sure, Clover!" she squeaked. "What is it?"

He put on a friendly smile, hoping it would ease the tension. He could understand her nervousness- he rarely spoke to her outside of briefings, after all. "Just wondering why your uncle there doesn't seem to be having the best time," he said lightly.

Ruby's face immediately fell, somber and sad. "Uncle Qrow is…" She sighed, chewing her lip as she tried to find the right words to say. "Uncle Qrow used to… drink a lot. Like, a lot. He doesn't anymore, but I guess it's still on his mind."

"When did he stop?" he asked, curious.

Her expression melted in pride and gratitude as she looked back over her shoulder at her uncle. "Honestly? When we arrived in Mantle."

That was shocking. He had assumed Qrow's distaste for liquor had lasted longer than that. "Forgive me for asking, but why did he drink so much to begin with, and what would make him stop?"

She sighed. "You know about his Semblance, right?" When he nodded, she said, "Apparently being drunk tends to… to dull the effects of it, or something. Or maybe he just always thought it did. I dunno. I've honestly never, ever seen him sober for this long in my whole life, so I don't know if it's true or not. But he said he wanted to give it up, 'cause… um…"

She stumbled, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "Some things happened when we were travelling across Anima, and things got really bad for Uncle Qrow." Her smile regained that little hint of sadness. "I think he thinks that we blame him, or that we're not proud. But… we are. I love Uncle Qrow so, so much- and I wouldn't be who I am without him."

She flashed a toothy grin at Clover, all wry exasperation. "I mean, drinking that much isn't good, but I don't blame him for it. I can't even imagine how hard it's always been for him. But now, he's stopped drinking for us. And I know it's hard, but… I think it'll be good for him, too."

The bartender handed Ruby her drinks, and she carefully balanced everything in her tiny hands. Nodding at Clover, she added before turning away, "Thanks for being his friend, Clover. I think he needs one right now."

…you really have some sweet nieces, Qrow.

He sighed heavily, the new information re-contextualizing everything he had ever known about the other man. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he ordered two drinks from the bar and wandered over to Qrow.

The moment he slid the steaming mug in front of Qrow, the older man immediately bristled, holding up a hand in refusal. Clover simply shook his head as he took the other seat at the small table, sitting forward in his chair so that his knees brushed against Qrow's. "It's just mulled apple cider- completely non-alcoholic," he explained. Holding up his own mug, he added, "To the kids' health and happiness, and our mission's success."

It took Qrow a moment to process what he had said. Then, it all seemed to click, and the man picked up the mug, clinking it against Clover's. "I can… drink to that," he murmured fondly, taking a slow sip. The gratitude in his face was indescribable.

Clover grinned, wrapping his hands around the mug. It was the perfect temperature to heat up his chilled hands, and just a sip was enough to soothe the tension in his body. Even warmer, though, were his knees, Qrow's bony limbs brushing against his, not moving away until the party was over.