Falling In Love With My Target

Chapter 7

Two days later, Qrow heads out for lunch instead of ordering something...so that he could possibly run into Clover. Luckily, that is who he runs into as he exits the hotel's lobby. 

"Oh, hi, Qrow." Clover said with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Clover, what brings you here?" Qrow replied.

"Well, the other day, you looked dead on your feet, so I wanted to come check on you." Clover answered.

"I'm feeling much better, thanks. Also, thank you for helping me out." Qrow said.

"It was no problem at all. So...um...where ya heading to?" Clover asked.

"Going out to lunch. I'm not from here, do you have any good recommendations?" Qrow asked, putting his hands in his pockets and stepping a little closer to Clover.

Clover's cheeks become pink and he momentarily forgets what words are. 

"Well...I do know this one place. I could show you where it is, and maybe...join you? Would that be okay?" Clover said shyly.

"Lead the way, handsome." Qrow said with a wink.

The two of them head to Clover's favorite restaurant and have lunch together. It wasn't really a "date", but more like two people getting to know each other. They talk about their likes, their dislikes, and a few childhood stories. Qrow omits everything having to do with being an assassin, but keeps the details about not getting along with his family.

"Oh, I'm sorry you don't get along with your family." Clover said, resting his forearms on the table.

"Ehh, well, it can't be helped. My sister's a b**ch and my dad has a mean right cross." Qrow chuckled, fiddling with the straw of his drink.

"Wait...your dad...hits you?" Clover asked, frowning worriedly.

"Ah, sh*t." Qrow muttered to himself.

"D*mn, look at that pitying look on his face. He's probably gonna want to play the hero and try to "save" me. Joke's on you bub, I can't be saved, and I don't deserve your pity. Murderers don't deserve pity...especially from the ones they're trying to kill." he thought.

Qrow quickly tries to think of something to change the subject so that Clover doesn't try to get him to talk about the years of abuse he's suffered. 

"Hey! Is this homemade red velvet cake any good?" Qrow said, looking at the dessert menu.

"...yeah...it's delicious." Clover nodded, changing from a frown to a gentle smile.

This confused Qrow a little, he didn't understand how Clover had accepted his not so subtle segue so quickly and without argument. Why wasn't he pushing him to talk about his dad more? Is he...respecting Qrow's boundaries? Never had anyone respected Qrow's emotional and physical boundaries, so this very simple act of kindness was quite jarring to the older man. The rest of their lunch together went without incident, and the two men had a wonderful time. 

"This was fun. We should do it again sometime, but...as an official date instead?" Qrow said outside the restaurant.

"Yes, definitely." Clover replied excitedly.

When they parted ways, Clover felt like his heart was gonna burst with happiness. He couldn't wait to tell his family all about it. 

"Hi, Dad, what's up?" Clover greeted as he came into the living room.

"Your mother is sleeping and Punzie is out doing something, not sure what." Trevor answered.

"So, what's got you all giddy, son?" he asked.

Sitting next to his father on the couch, Clover tells Trevor everything about his crush and the lunch they had together. 

"Are you gonna see him again?" Trevor asked, smiling at his son's happiness.

"Yeah, we're going to go out on an official date tomorrow night." Clover told his dad.

"Well, I hope you have fun. And if the date goes far enough, remember to use a condom." Trevor said patting his son on the shoulder.

"DAAAAD!" Clover replied embarrassed.

"What? I just want you to be safe, I don't want you catching something." Trevor said.

"But, Dad, stuff like that is implied, you don't have to say it out loud!" Clover whined, hiding his face behind his hands.

"Plus, I'm 22, I already know about safe sex practices. And I definitely don't want to talk about my sex life with my dad!" he added.

Trevor starts to laugh, enjoying how red his son's face is turning. 

"Alright, alright, I'll quit teasing ya. So, you really like this man?" Trevor said, calming down from his laughter.

"Yes...yes, I do. I like him a lot. He's handsome...funny...and sweet." Clover said, with a dreamy lovestruck gleam in his eyes.

The next night, Clover takes Qrow to a fancier restaurant for their date. Clover couldn't stop making googly eyes at the other man. 

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Qrow asked.

"Cause you're beautiful." Clover replied.

"No...I'm not." Qrow sighed.

Clover didn't know how to respond to that. He didn't want to invalidate Qrow's feelings, but he also didn't want Qrow to think that way about himself. It also made him wonder what happened to make him think that way and who convinced him that he wasn't beautiful.

"Was it his family that made him feel this way?" Clover asked himself.

To make the frown Qrow had go away, Clover tells a funny story about his pet cat. Afterwards, Clover walks Qrow back to his hotel.

"I had a great time." Qrow said.

"Me too." Clover agreed.

They stand there in silence, not knowing what to do next. 

"Can...c-can I kiss you?" Clover asked shyly.

"W-what?" Qrow replied eyes wide.

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" Clover asked a bit more confidently.

"Ummm...s-sure." Qrow nodded.

Leaning down slightly, Clover captures Qrow's lips with his, his hand barely touching Qrow's jaw. The kiss filled Qrow with this...warmth...and he finds himself kissing back. They end up kissing until the need for air became necessary.

"Here's my number, I'll text you when I get home." Clover said placing a slip of paper into Qrow's hand.

He kisses Qrow's cheek then leaves, and Qrow just stands there in a slight daze. Fumbling with the doorknob, Qrow stumbles into his hotel room. Immediately, he flops onto his bed and screams into his pillow. He was starting to fall for his target, which is something he can not do. He can't fall for the person he's supposed to kill, that would just make it impossible to complete his mission. Qrow tells himself repeatedly that his assignment was to kill Clover Ebi, not fall in love with him.