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The Crow Club was bustling again with celebration after another successful heist. Jesper was dancing with Wylan, Kaz was brooding in the corner, already planning the next target, Matthias was standing not far away from him with near identical expression and Inej was perched on one of the windowsills, laughing at Jesper and Wylan twirling and absolutely stealing the show.
And then there was Nina, looking gorgeous as always.
Nina, who you had been hopelessly in love with ever since she was recruited to the Crows.
Nina, who would get anyone she ever desired with just one look.
So why would she want you?
You weren't a Crow. You were barely a Dreg. Kaz took you in only because he needed a new floor sweeper, and coincidentally your old friend Anika had just collided with you since childhood. She recommended you to Kaz, who ended up hiring you. The pay wasn’t good, but anything was better than sitting drenched in some alleyway and avoiding thugs. And you got a bed and food as work benefits, so you didn’t complain.
But still, you doubted you were good enough for Nina. Sure, you had talked and she had grown close to you, but her smile, her laugh, her hugs, they were all just… platonic. Her teasing felt like she was your sister.
And maybe it was stupid, but sometimes her touch felt… something deeper. More tender. Maybe even romantic, but you always shook those thoughts off. That just wasn’t possible, you misinterpreted or saw her through a filter.
You swallowed, staring at her twirling there too. And you just couldn’t bear watching her, dreaming about how it would be to dance with her, kiss her, have her beside you as you slept.
So you turned and made your way to the door and out into the rain.
But then, you heard Nina calling after you. You froze in place, unsure what to do when you heard her hurrying towards you.
“What’s the matter? You’ve been nearly as gloomy as Kaz today,” she tried to joke, but her smile disappeared when she saw your eyes glistening. She frowned and opened her mouth, but you beat her to it.
“I have fallen in love with you.”
Silence.
Rain tapped into the cobblestones around you as Nina stared at you, speechless, and you opened your mouth a few times over like a fish gasping for air, before you forced it closed. You forced your breathing to steady before you took in a breath. You were still unable to meet her eyes when you continued, “But I know it’s stupid and you don’t like me like that and you probably think of yourself as someone who could be my sister or–”
You barely registered when it happened, but suddenly Nina’s lips were pressed against yours. You let out a muffled yelp at that, and before you even fully realised what she was doing, she pulled back.
“Sorry, I just…” she trailed off, biting her lip and grinning at you. Now it was your turn to blink at her, staring like she had just turned into one of the Saints. And then, she finally said it. “I love you too.”
You stared at each other in the rain before you joined hands and just grinned, unaware of the five of Crows peering out from the window, watching you and Nina holding hands in the rain.
“Finally,” Kaz mumbled, and Jesper cocked an eyebrow at him. He replied to it with a scowl. “They were staring at each other all the time. It was infuriating to watch.”
“Just admit you’re secretly a romantic, Kaz,” Jesper sang and kissed Wylan’s temple.
The man grunted, before retreating back to the corner table. Inej smiled softly at the interaction, before Wylan retreated suddenly and shushed, “they’re coming back, away from the window!”
They scrambled back to where they were when Nina had rushed after you, and everyone knew it. The upcoming weeks would be filled with flirts and cuddling between you and Nina.