Work Text:
The new day dawned as sun rose over the city, but you kinda wished the weather would mirror the mood you had. Hearing children laughing, music being played, everyone being happy and normal just made you feel more useless.
Since yesterday, you had laid on the safehouse couch, mulling over what happened over and over. Loose tile on the roof you missed. How many times you had to be pulled off before a spotlight hit you, how you peeked out from under the table too quickly, how you stalled when Bentley told you to switch covers and almost got yourselves caught if Sly hadn’t knocked the guard out. How, even after all that, you managed to trigger the alarm by being stupid and clumsy and you barely got away, even when you got what you went there for.
You buried your face into your hands. This was a sign that you definitely didn’t belong in the Cooper gang, and you weren’t sure why they even took you in in the first place.
The cushion dipped beside you, and you grunted before huffing. Sly chuckled at it. “Why the long face? We made it back in one piece, didn’t we?”
You groaned, refusing to look at him. “Yeah, barely. Because of me. If I hadn’t come along, you would have been in and out without anyone even knowing you were ever there. I’m useless.”
“Useless?” he echoed, and leaned back on the couch, putting his cane to lean against the armrest. “You think we never failed in our jobs, especially when we were new? I can’t even count the times we ate pavement before we mastered the art.”
“But you’re still you, you have been in this since you were a child and could barely even speak when you stole your first cookie jar. I, on the other hand, am just starting out. I’m too old to master it.”
“The first time I did a major job, I managed to knock over the trashcan right next to the guard because I was too focused on avoiding his flashlight. I escaped the gunfire, but Carmelita caught me not even two streets away.” He snorted. “She likes to remind me of that every once in a while.”
That earned a teary laugh from you, and Sly smiled at it. “See, messing up isn’t the end of the world.”
“So… you don’t regret bringing me along?” you asked, finally peeking out from the pile of pillows and he shook his head.
“Mistakes are the best teacher. You’re going to become a great thief, kid. You’re a part of our team now, and that won’t change just because you messed up once, especially when it was your first time. We should have started with an easier job anyway, so it’s also our fault.” He rose from the couch, offering you his hand. “Come on. Let’s go do something else than think about it over and over. Bentley just fixed one of the arcade game consoles, we could take a match on that.”
You took in a shaky breath before slowly reaching up and grabbing his hand. “Okay.”