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The wind grew fiercer yet again and the air above him started feel just as cold as the hard ground below. Frost and snow slowly piled up on their bodies, but Qrow had already stopped caring. If the tundra decided to take his life, then so be it. Anything felt better than living with the knowledge of having killed the man he fell in love with, even if it was not by his own hand.
His eyes burned from the tears as he lay down next to Clover. He didn't know how long it had been since Clover drew his last breath, his sense of time had left him long ago. His mind as well as his body went numb and all he could do was to stare at the body next to him. Soon his eyeslid became too heavy for him to keep them open, so he closed them, hoping for the cold to take him.
The roaring of the helicopter resounded loudly in the vast open space as it descended. It barely touched the ground before the large doors opened and a girl in red ran towards the seemingly lifeless bodies, crying out her uncles name. Several others followed her, all equally schocked by the sight.
Ruby brushed off some snow and quickly checked his neck for a pulse. It was weak, but there. She wanted to turn him over onto his back, but Jaune stopped her. She gave the boy a questioning look and her eyes followed to where he pointed.
Qrows hand, bloody from Clovers wound, was surrounded by a faint red shimmer. And underneath it, a similar light radiated on Clovers body. Only in green. It was as if the ripples the lights created were moving in synch.
„Their...auras?“ the girl mumbled.
The blonde thought for a moment before he put an ear over the mans heart. To his surprise, he heard a weak heartbeat. Before anyone could say something, he quickly looked behind him and spoke in a hurry.
„Anyone with a scroll, check their auras!“
Ren was the first to take out his scroll and after some fumbling he found the aura bars of the two men.
„Clovers is on 2% and Qrows on 25.“ he said calmly.
Everybody was surprised to hear this. From the wound in Clovers chest, he should have been dead. And yet the little bit of aura left seemed to keep him alive. But how could the aura of a dead man still be active?
As everybody had the same question on their mind, Jaune didn't hesitate and used his semblance.
His hands hovered over the wound and bright light emitted from them. Shortly the same light appeared on Clovers wound and it began to heal slowly. Without looking up, he gave another order.
„Tell me when Clover is at 20 or Qrow at 10.“
The black haired boy nodded and watched his scroll closely.
It felt like an enternity where everyone held their breath. The wound slowly dissappeared, leaving only a scar on the mans chest. At the same time, the light of Qrows aura started to fade.
„Qrow is at 10%.“
Just a little longer and both would be safe. They couldn't let both of them die.
And then, the wound was closed and Clovers chest started to rise again with each breath he took. Jaune nodded towards Ruby who could finally take her uncles hand and turned him on his back. Despite still being unconcious, his condition seemed to be stable too.
Everyone sighed in relief, some even fell to their knees from the fading tension.
The light burned in his eyes as he opened them. He wasn't in the tundra anymore. There was no snow, no cold and no howling wind. It was warm and quiet and he was able to feel his limbs again.
After blinking a few times to get used to the light, he sat up. His body ached all over, but he couldn't keep lying down when he didn't know where he was. He looked around and noticed he was in a bed with some medical equiment next to him. On the other side of the room, Harbinger was leaning against the wall. The red stains reminding Qrow that what had happend wasn't a nightmare.
He hid his face in his palm and tried to fight the coming headache and tears. Pictures of the fight and Clover lying dead at his feet were still fresh in his mind. He bit his lip to try to keep himself together, but it looked like he was about to lose that fight.
Then, he heard the door whir open and his niece entered the room.
„Uncle Qrow! You're finally awake. How are you?“
The man couldn't answer or even look up in fear of Ruby seeing his tear-stained face. After a short moment the girl continued to talk.
„We were worried when you didn't answer our calls, you know? We noticed the helicopter crashing and you were gone for so long. Luckily we could track you guys down with the gps.“
Having her talk about one more person was like punch in the gut. They must have seen Clovers corpse and the blood-stained scythe. And without any trace of Tyrian, they must have thought he had killed him.
He wished he could just stop thinking, but his thoughts swirled around Clover and that fight. His eyes burned when a tear escaped his eyes.
Ruby must have noticed it. She spoke softly.
„Clover is alive, you know?“
It took the man a few seconds to realize what she just said. He looked up at her and saw her optimistic smile. He knew Ruby would never lie to him. He taught his nieces not to. But what she said sounded so strange to him, he couldn't believe it. He saw him die. He saw the light in his eyes fade.
„What?“ was all he could mutter. But Rubys smile didn't fade.
„When we found you, Clovers aura was still active, because yours supported his. And that somehow kept his body alive. Maria said that sometimes two people with similar semblances can have almost identical auras. She says that's only when people are soulmates.“
Qrow could only understand half of what she said. He was still processing that Clover was alive.
He wanted to see him. He wanted to make sure Ruby was right. He wanted to embrace him, to apologize, to ask him for forgiveness.
But then he realized something. It was his bad luck that left him vulnerable to Tyrians attack. His semblances was yet again the fault for hurting someone he held close.
He couldn't meet him or he would risk everything again.
Without thinking he stood up, ignored both his niece and his weapon and left the room. Ruby followed after him, asking where he was going. But he didn't want to answer. He wanted to be alone and far from the people he didn't want to hurt.
As soon as he spotted an open window, he turned into a bird and flew away.
He didn't know where he should go. He just wanted to be as far away as possible. But somehow his wings brought him back to the spot that tore his heart apart.
He landed somewhere and turned back into a human. The snow had covered the ground and every trace of the fight. It was as if nothing ever happend. But even though he knew Clover survived, he could never go back to how they were before. To the times when they could casually flirt in the middle of a Grimm attack. Clover would surely hate him for what he had done.
After wandering around aimlessly, he saw something twinkling in the distance. He approached it and knelt down.
It was Clovers pin, half buried in the snow and dried blood still staining it. He picked it up and brushed off the remaining snow. For a moment, he wondered what he should do with it. He thought about taking it with him as a reminder of good days as well as his mistakes. But it was Clovers so he should probably give it back. But could he even bring himself to go back? To look him in the eyes again?
That's when he realized he left his weapon in Atlas. So whether or not he'd give back the pin, he would need to go back to pick up his scythe.
He woke up to hushed voices. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but it was clear how worried the people were. He tried to concentrate and made out only a few words.
„Uncle Qrow is gone.“
Hearing this name made Clover wake up immediately. His mind was still fuzzy and he didn't know where he was, but the thought of the man he fell in love with was prominent in his mind. He couldn't forget the look of pure horror in Qrows eyes when he got stabbed. And he couldn't forget his cries that slowly faded away as darkness engulfed him.
And neither could he forget the strange warmth he had felt after that. It wasn't like anything he felt before, but he knew it was Qrow.
And now he heard something very alarming.
He forced himself up, despite the numb pain in his chest. His groaning must have alerted the others, because they ran to his side, trying to get him to lie down. He was too weak to fight against it, but too stubborn to relax. He wanted to know what the ruckus was about.
„What do you mean Qrow is gone?“ he said with a strained voice.
The others exchanged looks, but it was Ruby who spoke up and answered.
„Uncle Qrow left when I told him you were alive. And now I can't find him.“
Clover thought about the reason Qrow would want to leave. He went through several in his head and came to a conclusion.
„He's blaming himself.“ he muttered to himself.
He didn't waste another moment and stood up. His chest still hurt, but the painkillers they most likely gave him were working well. He knew he couldn't just go out like this and look for Qrow, but he needed to find him. He needed to apologize. It wasn't his fault. However, several hands kept him down on the bed.
He took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke again.
„How am I alive?“
It had been a while since he was sitting there, dangling his feet over the edge of Atlas. He was planning on going back to the military hospital, but he didn't have the courage to actually enter it. So all he could do now was watching Mantle down below and wondering what he should do. He didn't think he would have company until a familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
„So that's where you were.“
Qrow wanted to spin around and run into the arms of the man behind him. But he couldn't. He thought he didn't have the right to embrace Clover anymore.
He clutched the pin in his hand and tried to keep his voice calm.
„You shouldn't come near me.“
„Why not?“
The answer was so obvious Qrow would have loved to throw it into his face. But he didn't want to lash out at him.
„Because of my semblance. If I hadn't been there-!“
He wanted to say more, but a finger on his lips quickly shushed him. Clover had made his way to his side and sat down next to him. Seeing him this close was new to him.
The brunette continued in a more serious voice.
„If you hadn't been there, I would be dead.“
„But-!“
„No buts. What has happend isn't your fault. It's mine. I shouldn't have prioritized arresting you over recapturing Tyrian. Me almost dying was my own mistake. And I apologize for hurting you like this.“
Qrow couldn't answer. All he could think about was blaming himself, but Clover would obviously stop him. So he could simply look down at the clover pin in his hand while the other continued.
„You were the one who kept my aura alive. Noone else could have done that. The others told me. So I owe you my life. Thank you Qrow.“
The softness in his voice almost brought to tears. He thought Clover hated him now, he never expected him to apologize. But it made him feel better. He didn't have the courage to admit it though, so he tried to break the silence with something else.
„I, uh...brought your good luck charm back.“
He held out the pin so that Clover could take it back. However the man beside him just chuckled in response.
„You sure did.“
Confused, Qrow looked up again and saw Clovers teal eyes right next to him.
„You're my most favorite lucky charm after all.“
Qrow wasn't sure how to think about that, but his body reacted on his own. His smile, his soft voice and the fact that he called him – the man with the bad luck semblance – his lucky charm made his eyes well up again and the tears fell.
He didn't think about his fears, his anxieties and his self-loathing anymore. He just wanted to be in the arms of the man he fell in love with.
He reached up around Clovers shoulders and rested his head in the crook of his neck, letting himself cry silently. He felt warm hands rubbing circles into his back and soft words in his ear.
He wished they could stay like this forever, having someone by his side who wasn't affected by his semblance. Someone who would love him for who he was. And someone who could call him a good luck charm.