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bafflement · 9 months

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Ozqrow Week - Day 1 - Nonsexual Intimacy - DEAGED OZ AU

Qrow murmured something inaudible as he sat in the rickety chair he'd been given so that he could more easily watch over Tip. He was alive, which was the main thing that mattered, now, but whatever it was Salem had put him through during the time she had had him in her clutches wasn't going away any time soon.

Tip had woken, briefly, but he hadn't really seemed to know who any of them were. A lot of that was probably the drugs they'd got him on, since the heavier ones had been prescribed despite the protests Qrow had been able to raise. Just like last time, it had had certain consequences, but at least they were hopefully helping? Tip was healing, slowly, though it was taking longer than it really should. Even with the sheer amount of aura at Oz's disposal, the recovery was bound to take some time. He was just glad that, though they'd hurt him badly, he still had all his limbs. That had been rather a closer call than any of them wanted to think about, really, but at least they'd saved the leg.

There would have been options, had they been unable to. James had made noises about state of the art prosthetics, but they were easily enough removed and if Salem ever got her hands on him again, she'd likely take delight in removing anything not actually a part of him. Maybe even things that were.

Qrow shuddered, reaching out a large hand and enfolding Oz's small one in it, folding his other hand over the top. In many ways, this was a promise, that this would never happen again. No, he'd not let Salem hurt him again as long as there was any breath left in his body. Dammit, pocketsized was so small like this, so young, so vulnerable. Such a small form to hold the weight of Remnant, but then he was not going to do that alone. Not now, not ever again. As long as Oz was Oz, Qrow would be around to love and protect him, in any form he took for as long as it would take. But then, that was what happened when people were in love, they protected each other. Always.

Tip stirred, looking up at Qrow with hazy brown eyes, unfocused and glassy from a combination of the pain medication and the physical state of his body.

"Qrow?" A weak voice murmured from between cracked lips.

"Yeah, pocketsized, it's me. I'm here, I ain't leaving you. Not ever again."

"That's nice. Love you, Qrow. Qrow? Are the others..."

"Everybody else is just fine Oz, concentrate on healing, okay? I'll be here when you wake up, nothing on Remnant could drag me away.

Tip smiled slightly, snuggling down into the soft mattress, one arm clutching his newly repaired teddy close. He was breathing easier now the broken ribs had had a chance to knit, though his leg was still heavily splinted. Qrow doubted he could feel the injury at the moment, but they'd all seen the state he'd been in when they had first gotten him out. The fact that they had saved it really had been nothing short of miraculous, though that didn't stop his worry in the slightest. He just prayed that Oz'd be able to keep it, since as weak as it had always been compared to the other one the way it had shattered must have been absolute agony. How much of his aura must have been drained, to be able to move on it at all, much less escape?

It was an admirable thing, but it should never have been needed. Salem should never have been able to get close enough to snatch him, much less from his bed in a place where he should have been safe, should have been protected.

He stood up, still clutching Tip's hand and reached out to smooth the sweat soaked silver hair from his clammy forehead. Oz was asleep again, but that was really the best thing for him right now. He scowled at the door, where the several guards Jimmy had posted on rotation were clearly visible, weapons cocked and ready. At least there was no way anyone could break in to snatch him again? It wasn't majorly likely that anyone would, of course, but the fact it had been done once was more than bad enough. He knew Jimmy had been incandescently furious that it had happened and Oscar had cried over the remains of his brother's teddy bear for hours before the tracker had pinged.

He didn't really want to think about that, either. Those hours spent not knowing if Oz was even still alive, much less where he was. He noticed Oz shift slightly and winced again in sympathy, after all he was also very aware that Winter had been on a research hunt after he'd been snatched, forbidden to come with them for the rescue. He knew what she was likely to call Oz once he was well enough to attempt a token protest, too, though it hadn't really been his fault he was taken. No, that had been down to their own collective arrogance, blithely believing Atlas impenetrable enough that Oz would be safe. They knew better now, they all did.

He lay a gentle kiss to Oz's forehead, settling back into the chair which creaked ominously. Hadn't Oz spent so many days like this, over the years? Never certain that Qrow would come back from a mission, wracked with guilt that something he did, a choice he made, even just something he had overlooked might be the difference between life and death? It had seemed so laughable at the time, when Glynda had informed him, after all he had never before been in the position he was in now, where he was the one terrified that the man he loved might not survive. Oh, he'd gone through it with the girls which had been its own special level of hell, but somehow this felt different. Why had they thought that he'd been safe? Just because he was a kid at the moment didn't mean he wasn't still Oz, wasn't still Salem's main target. He was always going to be a target, but they could at least make damn sure that he would never be truly alone to face it again.

Oh, Oz was going to hate all the extra security measures they were putting in place, of course but... he sent a pained smile down at the unconscious body on the bed, devoid of anything even remotely resembling mirth. As long as he was safe, that was all that really mattered in the end.

#deaged oz au #ozqrow week #ozpin #qrow branwen #professor ozpin #rwby ozpin #headmaster ozpin #cloqwork #ozqrow #sick fic #ozqrow week 2023

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miss-writes-a-lot · 9 months

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Ozqrow Week 2023 Day 4: Stranded Together

(DAY 4! Give it up for Day 4 of @ozqrowweek 2023! We might actually make it all 7 days. Crazy, right? This is an Ozpin lives au that takes place after the Fall of Atlas and our heroines into the Ever After. Content warnings for mentions violence, death and explosions. Without further ado, here we go!)

Ozqrow Week 2023 Day 4: Stranded Together (Aka the ‘Ozpin Lives and falls into the Ever After Au)

Qrow’s eyes burned from the direct sunlight hitting his face when he first opened them, but that mild annoyance was just a precursor to the aches and burning pain that seared his skin and muscle when he fully regained consciousness.

He felt like one giant walking bruise, with each minor flex or movement of any part of his body sending shocks through his entire nervous system. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to sit up despite being racked with pain and fatigue. He propped himself up onto an elbow and sat up.

He blinked the sun’s sting and some sand out of his eyes and started to look around.

And once he did, he realized that he definitely wasn’t in Atlas anymore. From the looks of it, he wasn’t in Vacuo either.

In front of him was the ocean - or, an ocean - blue and tinted yellow like the oddly tinted sky above him. To his left and behind him was a lush forest of tall green trees and a rainbow of other colors drawn throughout, both things that the aforementioned kingdoms did not have. He scooped up a handful of sand, letting it slowly fall between his fingers as he tried to recall how he came to this unfamiliar place.

Through a pulsing headache behind his eyes, he could recall a bridge.

That’s right; Ruby and her friends got the Relic of Creation from the Vault while the rest either went to stop Jimmy Ironwood or gather the citizens of both cities and get them to safety. They made portals and bridges to Vacuo, but then-

Then they showed up.

Cinder and that girl - Neo? - they got the jump on them and Yang, she-

She was the first to fall.

She got knocked off the edge and disappeared into gold, into that darkness. And then everything else went to shit from there.

Fire from the explosions, people being knocked off the edge from the ensuing conflict. One by one, the remaining members of Team RWBY were all tossed away into the darkness.

He remembered going back for them.

He had to - They were his nieces, the closest things to daughters he would ever get, of course he had to go back for them. Someone told him to stop, tried to reason with him.

He’d fall too, they said. He’d fall and he would probably never come back.

That only pushed him further toward the screaming.

He did fall - how, he doesn’t really remember - he just did and whoever was trying to talk him down fell with him.

Yang, Blake, Ruby, Weiss, he thinks that kid Jaune, him….someone in green.

Green. Dark green, forest green, the deepest shade that green could possibly appear in -

Ozpin.

With new urgency, he shot up on his feet and scanned the rest of the beach.

“Oz!” he shouted, searching wildly, “Oz! Ruby! Yang! Can anybody hear me?”

He ran along the shoreline, shoes submerged in water and pins and needles in his feet. He ran while his head spun like a top for signs of someone. Someone alive from the fall. Someone or all of them, he just needed to find them.

He turned a corner along some of the rocky cliff sides and spotted Long Memory stabbed into the sand, and only a few feet away from it being taken by the tide was its unconscious owner. Qrow dove to save him, dragging the silver haired man out of the water and tossing him onto the sand.

He felt his neck for a pulse, sighing when he found one - a faint one - pushing against his two fingers. He put his hands to the center of Ozpin’s chest and started compressions, counting 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4.

“C’mon, Ozzy. C’mon,” he muttered.

After a few more sets of counting fours, he pinched Ozpin’s nose, tilted his head back, and blew air into his mouth, counting again 1, 2, 3, 4-

Ozpin coughed. Qrow pulled away, letting out an audible sigh of relief as Ozpin turned onto his side and hacked up sand and sea water. Qrow patted his back to help get the rest out.

“Easy, Ozzy. I gotcha. I gotcha.”

“Qrow?” Ozpin wheezed, “It’s...you’re-”

“-Okay, Oz. I’m okay!”

“Oh, Qrow!”

Ozpin lunged at him, wrapping him up in a bone-crushing hug. Qrow almost started crying as he grabbed onto his shirt for dear life in fear that the world would crumble underneath them and they would fall again.

Qrow pulled away, checking over his companion. “Are you okay? You hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. A few bumps and bruises, but nothing I can’t handle. And you?”

“I should be good right now.”

“I’m glad.”

Qrow searched behind him, looking for any signs that someone else might have been in the same spot. Still nothing.

“You remember what happened? Back in Atlas?” Qrow asked.

Ozpin’s face fell. He tilted his head down and turned it away, “We were running away when the others...it was after Ruby and Blake fell. You went after Cinder and the Neapolitan girl, and you tried to go after them too. I tried to stop you, but you were inconsolable. So I went with you instead. Cinder stole the staff and the bridge started to collapse and-”

“And we fell.”

Ozpin bit his lip, “I’m sorry. I should have been with them. I could have stopped them from-”

“Hey,” Qrow grabbed his shoulders, “Let’s not focus on that right now, okay? I’m here, you’re here, and if we fell down and came out mostly alright, then the others too, right?”

Ozpin nodded slowly.

“So, all we have to do is find the others and find our way out of here. That is,” he turned his head up to the forest hanging over the cliffside in front of them, “-If we can find out where here even is…”

“I may have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.”

Qrow raised a brow, “What is it?”

Ozpin gave him a knowing glance, “Do you remember the tale of The Girl Who Fell Through THe World?”

Qrow frowned, a heavy sigh escaping his nose. “‘Course it’s another one of your fairytales. Alright-”

He pushed himself onto his feet, turned to Ozpin, and stretched out a hand.

“Guess that means you lead the way then.”

#my writing #bri writes #fanfic writing #fanfiction #ozqrow week 2023 #ozqrow #ozqrow week #rwby spoilers #rwby #rwby ozpin #rwby qrow #qrow branwen #ozpin lives au #cloqwork

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ozqrowweek · 9 months

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Hello everyone! And happy first day of Ozqrowweek!

Today's prompt is: Daily Rituals / Nonsexual Intimacy!

We're excited to see all your amazing creativity.

Have a wonderful day!!!

#rwby #ozqrowweek2023 #ozqrowweek #cloqwork #ozqrow #ozpin #qrow branwen #ozqrow week

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cara-kira · 2 years

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@ozqrowweek day 1: Death/Rebirth

"I want to try us again."

A rebirth in trust, if you will.

This takes place in the beginning of V7, after Oz's truth got revealed. Like in canon, Qrow didn't take it very lightly, and avoided talking, or even looking at Oz for a while. Until at some point, they collected the courage to talk to each other again, and work it out.

____________

OZQROW WEEK BABYYYYY

I am excite

For this week, I will once again be collabbing with my sis @yoomschoocs!!!

For this day, Yoom did the sketch and lineart, and I did the coloring and shading! I am very happy with how this turned out, and I hope you all like it too :>

Also, I drew oz in my Atlas arc design that I made a few months back

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facultyloungecosplay · 2 years

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OzQrow Week, Day 2: Corruption/Worship

@ozqrowweek

Title: Fishbowl Souls

Summary: Ozpin is a priest with a comfortable life - a comfortable life that is quickly disrupted when a tall, dark, and less than sober stranger stumbles into the church. His relationship with Qrow Branwen leads to questions, complications, and revelations...of all manners.

Fandom: RWBY Warnings: None Rating: E Pairings: Ozpin/Qrow Chapters: 6/7 & 7/7 (complete) Words: 6.9k

#that's right - we have resurrected our oldest fic for this prompt #please mind the tags!#rwby #ozqrow #cloqwork #qrow branwen #professor ozpin #ozpin #our fic #fishbowl souls #ozqrow week #ozqrow week 2022

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bowl-of-shortness · 9 months

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Idk if I’ll b able to do ozqrow week this week but I promise I will do the prompts at SOME point

#alchemy brews #ozqrow #ozqrow week #ozqrowweek2023 #rwby #cloqwork

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vimai · 9 months

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A love letter? ⚙️🐦‍⬛

#ozqrow #ozpin #cloqwork #qrow branwen #fan art #vimart #today I feel a bit hyper fixated…#headmaster ozpin #ozqrow week 2023 #This may be the last one for today… unless?

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otterdoesart · 9 months

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@ozqrowweek week day 2: Stargazing

Even when we’re far apart we can always look up at the same sky

#my art #rwby #qrow branwen #ozpin #cloqwork #ozqrow #ozqrow week 2023 #I’ve had this concept for a while..I’m glad my art style is at a place I was brave enough to execute it

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captain-of-the-roses · 9 months

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Daily rituals; a series of tasks or practices that are completed nearly every day in the same order that have personal meanings. In this life, Qrow and Ozpin don't quite have that luxury, but they make do. They always have.

Ozqrow Week time! Day One: Daily Rituals

#ozqrow #rwby #ozqrowweek #first time in a ship week. isnt that fun #ozqrowweek2023

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yoomschoocs · 2 years

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@ozqrowweek Day 5: Festivals / Celebrations

Day 6 of ozqrowweek 2022 is here! Gosh, it’s flying by 😭

Qrow and Ozpin celebrate their 15 year anniversary with a special bouquet of beautiful flowers, and the bird man dressed all fancy <3 Ozpin is in an outfit Cara designed, which is very pretty and you should totally go check it out just sayin- For this day, @cara-kira did the lines and I did the colors! We hope you like it!

#yoom's art #ozqrowweek2022 #cara-kira #can't believe it's day 6 already #tomorrow is the last day 😭#not ready for this week to end #it's been so fun #rwby #rwby ozqrow #rwby ozpin #rwby qrow branwen #ozqrow #ozpin #qrow branwen #cloqwork

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zacs-of-rwby · 2 years

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Can't believe I tried to convince myself that I'd be normal about these two

#yes this is about cloqwork #im working on Ozqrow Week #very excited about it #i remember when i tried to convince myself that i saw them as 'just platonic'#i know I've made ramblings like this before but its been two years and three ship weeks now so.... im not okay #don't mind me just have thoughts #carry on #zac speaks

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bafflement · 9 months

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Ozqrow Week - Day 2 - Accidental Kiss

Qrow swore, checking his scroll frantically. It was just his luck, or rather the lack of it, that it would choose this precise moment to finally die. But no, the screen was entirely blank, just when he was expecting an important call. Dammit, Oz, why did he have to pick now to call him? But then, it wasn't exactly Oz's fault that Qrow's luck was just as bad as it always had been, after all there was no predicting exactly when his semblance would strike. Oz liked to say he was cursed, but in a great many ways so was Qrow. He shook the device, hope that it might decide to work warring with the certainty that his semblance had fried yet another device. No, of course, it didn't switch on. It probably never would again.

He dropped it into his pack in disgust, knowing already that the fact that he couldn't answer Oz's call would worry the other man something fierce. He knew, too, that Oz felt guilty about not being out here with the others, not fighting monsters the way Hunters were meant to, but then the council always kept him far too busy for that. It probably wasn't fair of Qrow to envy Oz the fact that he wasn't out here to witness the sheer clusterfuck this mission had turned into. Where the hell were the others, anyway? He knew he could trust the rest of his team to have at least lived through this, but they were nowhere in sight. Hopefully they'd be here soon... and have a working scroll between them that someone could use to contact their no doubt frantic friend.

And yes, Oz was the leader in so many ways, but he was their friend first. At least he hoped he was, the man could use as many friends as he could get, especially considering other concerns... the council being one of them, the always lurking threat of Salem another. Even with his semblance, did Qrow really have the right to call himself unlucky, when compared to, well that? The other man was fighting a war that had lasted millennia, against an opponent that by all rights should have died long ago. No, Qrow suddenly felt very lucky, which was an odd feeling. But then, as hunters, they had signed up to kill monsters. Had Oz ever had a choice at all?

At least Qrow still had a family. He still had his sister, Tai, Summer. Who did Oz have, really? A family he'd never met, bearing a surname that Oz didn't? He'd looked it up, he knew that Oz was the only Ozpin on Remnant... and always had been. Qrow shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts, after all it wasn't really any of his business, even if he'd quite like it to be. Oz had never even seemed to notice him noticing him, surely he'd never be interested in someone like Qrow when he could have his pick of anyone on Remnant?

Oz sighed, frustrated, as his call once again failed to connect to Qrow's scroll. Team STRQ was reliable, they'd be fine, but still. He couldn't help but worry. About all of them, of course, he wasn't more worried about Qrow than the others, don't be ridiculous, Ozymandias... oh who was he kidding? Qrow was, well. Qrow was Qrow and special and he had certain feelings for him that would be embarrassing to admit, especially since Qrow was so far outside his league it was almost laughable. How could he ever expose another being to Salem? She killed whole families, wasn't that part of why he had run away from home in the first place? Oh, he would have happily given Salem his father, if only he could be certain that he wouldn't work with her. But his mother, his new sibling? The two that had come later? No... they were innocents in all this, they should never have to be dragged into the game that the Gods were playing using him and Salem as their pawns. Gods willing, they never would be, but then he knew better than anyone else that the Gods could be, and often were, cruel. As was Remnant... as was life. He loved Qrow far too much to drag him into this any further than he was already. It was bad enough that team STRQ was on the front lines, worse if she ever found out just how much he cared.

Because he did. He shouldn't, maybe, but they were his friends, all of them. Maybe it was because he had become Headmaster so young, that he had bonded so closely with them, one of his first teams. Maybe it was because they were actually technically older than him, though he remained unsure just whether any of them had realised that. For all physical age shouldn't matter, in his case, he found that it still did at times. He'd been an only child for so long that the easy companionship he'd felt for them had blossomed into siblinghood. Well, for Tai, Summer and Raven, at least.

Oh Qrow... why did you have to be so very Qrow? So very tempting? At least now they had graduated it wouldn't be such a power imbalance, but... no. No, he couldn't think like that, for all he found the other man fascinating, intoxicating. Because if Salem found out how he felt, she'd know just how to make certain Oz gave in. He could take anything she ever did to him, he'd have to, after all. But if she hurt Qrow? He shuddered at the thought and pushed it away with an effort that he also wasn't used to. Dammit, this was how his previous incarnations had felt about their spouses, not a mere friend who was not, could not, return their affection. Oh no, he really was in trouble wasn't he? Even if nothing happened... sooner or later how he felt would become obvious. They were already in danger, all of them were.

He tried to contact Qrow again, getting no answer once again. Qrow's semblance had killed enough scrolls over the time he'd known him that this might not be that unusual, but he had tried to contact Tai, too... and Tai hadn't answered him either. He closed his eyes, concentrating on that spark of magic he had given the Branwen twins all that time ago, the magic that had allowed them to fly. They both pinged in approximately the area he thought they would and he smiled, grimly. A bullhead would take too long to arrange, but he had taught them to fly the easy way, had known that it was always best to have a physical example to work from. Opening a window, he blurred and a second later, a bluejay stood in his place. It had amused him once, to be similar but not quite the same. The allusion had, thankfully, flown over their heads, but there was a certain irony in being blue of all colors.

Not that that mattered right now, all that really mattered was finding them. He took flight, letting his magic and his instincts guide him in the right direction, trusting that they were unlikely to move far from it without discussion that would take time. If nothing else, he trusted in the training he had helped impart to them, even as he was thankful that, at the time the sheer authority of his position had stopped them from asking too many questions. Oh, the questions had come later, of course, but by then he had been able to answer them, the meld solidified enough that he knew the answers he gave, while not necessarily his own, had been enough. Well, mostly enough, Raven hadn't really seemed to trust him. Qrow had though and that had been what mattered... even then? That long ago? Oh, he was very much in trouble, wasn't he? How could he work as closely with them as he knew he would have to, while the feelings he held for Qrow hovered unseen? He'd always been good at hiding his emotions [which he was still afraid might come back to bite his siblings one day], but love? That was far harder to feign. And he could admit, now, even as he flew, that he did love Qrow. He hadn't meant to fall, but in the end, it had been inevitable he supposed.

Qrow was easier to find than he had feared, his black and red combat gear an easy to spot blot of color on the barren landscape. Oz banked, then blurred back into his human form as he came in to land, eyes scanning for any sign that Qrow was majorly hurt. No, nothing, he looked fine for all he was blinking at Oz in a rather adorable sort of confusion. Oz sighed internally, this might end up rather harder than he thought.

"Are you hurt, Qrow? When you did not answer my calls, I must admit to a certain amount of worry." He was proud that it sounded professional, at least, none of the sheer panic he had felt showing through. He still was not quite certain just why he had panicked to the extent that he had, this had after all happened in the past. Maybe it was the sudden revelation of just how he felt about Qrow? He'd made himself a promise not to get anyone else involved yet he was already breaking his word. He really was pathetic, wasn't he?

"I'm just fine, Oz. Why are you all the way out here, anyway? You know we always come back, even with my semblance. You were that worried, huh?"

"I had a bad feeling, then as said, I could not contact you. Any of you." Oz hoped Qrow didn't notice his slip, though by the way the other man's smirk had sharpened, he didn't hold out as much hope as he had originally.

"Aww, you were that worried about little old me?" Qrow teased, his voice wavering slightly to his own disgust, Dammit, Oz was only joking. He had to be, surely? The loss of an entire team of their stature would be a disaster, Qrow himself? Not so much.

"I..." Oz broke off, feeling his cheeks starting to heat. Qrow stared at him. "That is to say..." He stuttered again, even as Qrow's eyes seemed to light up.

"... Oz?" Qrow sounded as hopeful as he felt, though there was no way that Oz could ever feel the same way. Reaching out towards him, he stumbled. Of all the times for his semblance to act up, it just had to be right now, didn't it?

Oz's hand shot out to catch him, feeling like it was a move he had performed countless times in the past, even as his past lives seemed to blur in his head. Not now! He didn't need to relive other versions of the wizard right this second. Not when this felt like the most important thing he, as Ozpin, may ever do. His hand slipped on the scuffed leather of Qrow's combat outfit and they were suddenly face to face, lips to lips in a twisted version of a kiss. Both jerked away at the same moment, denials sputtering even as heated eyes remained locked to each other.

"You... I... M'sorry, Oz, I stumbled."

"My deepest apologies Qrow, I never meant to take liberties, it was accidental."

Both were red faced, deeply embarrassed by what had just occurred. Yet it was obvious that neither of them had really wanted to end the kiss in the first place. Qrow looked deeply intriged, even as Oz's ears burned with the force of his blush. His father would have hated a relationship like this one, but that alone was no reason to pursue it. Brothers, though, he was well and truly in love with Qrow. He just hoped that the other man felt the same, even with just how much that would complicate matters greatly. He couldn't do this, couldn't continue to pretend that Qrow meant nothing to him.

There was a question in Qrow's eyes, a slightly dopy smile on his lips as Oz threw all sense of caution to the winds and kissed him again. Longer this time, more gentle... and actually a kiss. Qrow responded enthusiastically even as part of him thought that it had to be some sort of a dream. After all, with the semblance he had, could he ever actually get this lucky?

#ozqrow week 2023 #qrow branwen #ozpin #professor ozpin #rwby ozpin #headmaster ozpin #ozqrow week #cloqwork

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miss-writes-a-lot · 9 months

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Ozqrow Week 2023 Day 2

(Still going strong for @ozqrowweek with day 2! Let's see how long this lasts!)

CW for angst, crying, brief mentions of Summer Rose

Ozqrow Week 2023 Day 2: Accidental kiss

Qrow returns to the clocktower late at night to find it an absolute mess.

The few pieces of furniture that are in Ozpin’s office are knocked over and are dragged off to the side. Papers and books are scattered across the floor, some of those pages ripped to shreds. The alarm bells in Qrow’s head immediately begin going off.

These books are - or, were - decades worth of notes and findings on whatever information he could gather on Salem. He wouldn’t just throw it all away like it was nothing. Someone was in the clocktower.

Someone got to Oz.

The avian man draws his weapon and slowly leaves the safety of the elevator to enter the rest of the office. He scans the perimeter, searching for any sign of life or remaining intruders. He perks up when he hears the sound of quiet sobbing coming from one of the corners. He whips around, Harbinger at the ready to strike when he sees him.

Ozpin hides behind one of the pillars closest to the window. His hands are buried deep in his disheveled silver hair. His clothes are ripped and ragged like his breathing.

“Oz,” Qrow says.

He sheaths Harbinger and runs to him, sliding into a crouch in front of him. Ozpin doesn’t react when Qrow grabs his shoulders.

“Oz - Hey, Ozzy. Talk to me. What happened, huh? What happened? You hurt?”

Ozpin shakes his head, sobbing, “It’s all my fault, Qrow. It’s all my fault!”

“What is, Ozzy? What’s your fault?”

“All of...Of this!” he gestures out to the room, revealing his red, tear stained face, “This! You and Raven and - and - and Summer! It’s all my fault!”

Qrow leans back. The gears in his head start to turn. He takes another look around the office again. The ripped pages, the scattered books full of research, Ozpin talking about...her. Qrow sighs through his nose, releasing Ozpin from his grip.

“No, Oz. It’s not.”

Ozpin sniffs loud, “It is, Qrow. All of it is! I’ve wasted years researching and going on missions and - and sending you all on missions to find nothing! We have nothing and she-”

“Ozpin, no,” Qrow says firmly, “This isn’t all on you, okay?”

“But I-”

“No,” Qrow scoots closer to him, his calloused hands slowly moving to Ozpin’s with a soft touch, “Sure, you asked us to help you with all this. But you gave us the choice. You didn’t say that we had to do it, right? You asked if we could. If we wanted to, and we did. We knew the risk; loud and clear and we still wanted to run into fire with you and we did.”

“Qrow, I-”

“We knew the risk,” he brings Ozpin closer until the foreheads touch, “We all knew the risk, even before Salem. I know it, Tai knows it, Summer knew it. We’d all have had to be idiots to jump in without knowing that we might not make it home or something.”

His hands move to hold Ozpin’s face, “You’ve been dealin’ with this all by yourself. Yeah, you fucked up a couple of times, but now, you’re not alone. This stuff isn’t useless. We haven’t lost yet. There’s still a chance we can find something to take her down. We still have Amber. We have Jimmy’s tech and the Nikkos girl comin’ from Argus, right? We still have a chance, so don’t give up on all this just yet.”

Ozpin stares at him with his red, puffy eyes, searching for the lie. Or maybe an answer that’s more concrete and that could end this all. When he doesn’t find one, his face twists and he buries himself in Qrow’s shoulder, heavily sobbing a chorus of ‘I’m sorry’s’ between heavy, ragged breaths.

Qrow cradles his head in one hand while the other travels up and down his back. “I gotcha, Ozzy. I gotcha.”

Qrow sits with him, the man who usually towers above him some days now the smallest he’s ever seen him, as he cries into his shoulder blade. He doesn’t say a word the entire time. He’s just there. He’s there the same way Ozpin had and has been all these years since they started walking down this path together. He holds him in silence because he knows the last thing he wants is to keep hearing Qrow rattle off all the ways this is supposed to work out somehow in the end.

He knows that Ozpin just wants him there, so he’s going to be there for as long as it takes.

It’s only until Ozpin’s sobs dissolve into small sniffling does he look down at his companion with the beginnings of a smirk tugging at his face. “You doing okay there, Ozzy?”

Ozpin nods.

“You wanna look at me so I can make sure you’re okay?”

The silver haired man shakes his head, tightening his hold on Qrow’s jacket.

“You sure?”

“Don’t...want you to see me like this,” Ozpin murmurs.

Qrow scoffs, “You’ve seen me in worse condition than this. I can handle whatever you’ve got for me.”

Ozpin hesitates. He slowly lifts his head to look up at Qrow. His cheeks are blotchy and red. There are noticeable tears stains streaked down his face to his chin and his hair’s a mess, which for Qrow, was just another Tuesday night for him.

“There he is,” Qrow says softly.

“I’m so sorry for this, Qrow,” Ozpin rasps, “I didn’t...I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

“So you’ve said.”

“I...I’m glad you came, however. I...I don’t think I could’ve braved this night alone.”

Qrow smiles. He leans in, brushes back Ozpin’s bangs, and pecks a kiss to his forehead. “Anytime you need me, Oz. I’ll be here.”

Qrow pulls back to Ozpin’s eyes wide as saucers staring at him. Qrow quirks a curious brow, wondering what got him so spooked until he realizes that he just kissed Ozpin.

Ozpin, his friend who is definitely not his boyfriend and has not kissed like that before - or ever.

He feels his face burn several different shades of red. “U-Uh, that was an accident! F-Force of habit with my nieces, you know?”

“O-Of course.”

“Ye-Yeah, you get it, right?”

“One hundred percent.”

“Good.”

“Great.”

“Fantastic.”

They continue to stare at one another, their faces redder than Ruby’s cape. Qrow stands, hands awkward situated on his hips in an attempt to seem casual. “Welp! I gotta get going! Unless, you know, you...need me to stay with you and help you with somethin’?”

“Well...I could use a hand fixing this place up? Maybe you can help me piece my notes back together? Make sense of the scribbles again.”

“Uh...sure. I can - I can do that,” he replies.

“Could you...also help me stand up? My legs aren’t, uh-”

“Oh, yeah! No problem!”

Qrow reaches out a hand. Ozpin grabs him by the forearm and Qrow lifts him onto his shaky legs. Ozpin steadies himself against Qrow, which sends his heart rate skyrocketing.

“Think you’ll be good?”

“I should be. Should we get to work?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

“Oh, and Qrow?”

“Yeah Oz?”

For the first time tonight, Ozpin smiles. He geniunely smiles. He seems so intent on putting Qrow in an early grave all by himself. “Thank you. I needed this tonight.”

Qrow smiles back at him, squeezing his hand. “Anytime, Oz. I’ll be here for you anytime.”

#writing #my writing #rwby ozpin #ozqrow week #ozqrow week 2023 #fanfic writing #fanfiction #qrow branwen #cloqwork #angst #fluff #writer #rwby

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