See How Snow Falls (The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Reimagined)

Chapter 6: Snow Sickness

For the next few days Crow Calamine was noticeably off. They were jumpy, and wary of everyone. They clung to Sejanus and avoided Coriolanus like the plague, unable to stop thinking of what had happened. Sejanus noticed Crow's discomfort, but was as clueless as ever as to how he could help them.
"Crow, what's been going on with you recently?"
He finally asked them, in a rare moment of calm as the two sat at The Hob after one of The Covey's performances.
"What do you mean? I'm fine."
Crow's eyes which were normally full of life, were dull and downcast as they attempted to brush off Sejanus's concerns.
"I know what fine looks like on you, Crow Calamine. This isn't it. Talk to me. Please."
Sejanus pleaded with them, taking their hand in his own.
"There's nothing to talk about. I'm okay. I just haven't been feeling well recently."
Crow said, uncharacteristically opting for a small tight-lipped smile, rather than their usual mischievous grin.
"You haven't been feeling well?"
Sejanus echoed, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't sure whether or not he should believe Crow, but when they squeezed his hand and nodded enthusiastically at his question, he felt his doubt slip away. He loved them and he trusted them. The two sat in comfortable silence amid the bustling crowd in The Hob, watching as the people around them chatted and danced and drank their fill. Crow felt themself finally starting to calm down, as they leaned into Sejanus, resting their head against his shoulder as he put an arm around them. They couldn't help but smile at the feeling of his touch. He was Crow's first love. The first person to really get them. He made the whole world melt away when he was around, and they loved him for it. Of course no good moment can last, and after a few minutes, Crow was startled from the comfort of the moment by none other than the very man they had been avoiding for days.
"Crow Calamine! There you are. I haven't seen you in days."
Coriolanus's voice came from behind Crow as he rested a hand on the shoulder of theirs that wasn't pressed into Sejanus's warm side. With a start Crow turned to face him, accidentally pushing Sejanus off them in the process.
"Corri."
They muttered, staring at him, eyes wide and legs shaky. Sejanus noticed Crow's shift in demeanor, but with no way of knowing why it had happened, he assumed whatever ailment had been making them feel ill, was simply acting up again.
"Crow, you're looking a bit pale, are you feeling alright?"
Coriolanus's voice rang out through the air and Crow blinked at him, barely able to stand being near him. They were afraid. Afraid to be around him. Afraid of the information he had told them. Afraid to admit that when he kissed them... they had enjoyed it.
"They told me that recently they've been a bit under the weather."
Sejanus's voice came from just behind Crow's right shoulder, as he stepped up to explain what he thought to be the cause of Crow's reaction to Coriolanus.
"That's a shame. Perhaps you need to get away from all this noise? Get some fresh air?"
Coriolanus suggested, laying the concern in his voice on so thick it was practically suffocating.
"I think Sejanus wanted to watch the performance though."
Crow's voice came out unsteady, as they took a step back, reaching for Sejanus's hand.
"Maude Ivory's gonna sing her first big solo number. She's even gonna dance a little."
Crow continued, breathing unevenly as Coriolanus stepped closer to them.
"I could take you outside then? So Sejanus could stick around to watch Maude Ivory's performance? I don't have anything else to do since Lucy Gray is playing guitar for the performance."
He offered, a barely noticeable smirk passing across his face. It was fleeting but Crow saw it and knew right away they could not be alone with him.
"No, no really that's okay. I know you like hearing my sister play. And I wouldn't want to make Sejanus stand around by himself."
Crow's excuses were weak, but they just didn't want to be alone with Coriolanus again. He was their friend, but he scared them. He had power over them, and they didn't want to let him use it.
"I'll be fine on my own, little crow."
Sejanus smiled down at Crow, all care and concern, as he pushed them toward Coriolanus.
"You look like you could use a breath of fresh air, and I know Coryo will keep you safe. And hey, if you're quick, you can be back for part of Maude Ivory's performance."
Sejanus wasn't thinking about Crow's reaction to Coriolanus, truthfully he was too oblivious to realize the correlation between Crow's sudden feeling of faintness and Coriolanus's arrival. He really wanted to see the performance, and he also wanted Crow to feel better. To him this was the perfect solution, and he felt confident in his decision as he handed Crow off to Coriolanus.
"Sejanus wait-"
But Crow's words were cut off as Coriolanus roughly took them by the arm and ushered them toward the exit of The Hob.
"Sejanus trusts me, Crow, so you should too."
Coriolanus spoke quietly but firmly, holding Crow's arm tightly as he essentially dragged them out the door. Crow resigned themself to whatever was about to happen and followed him willing, causing him to reward them by loosening his bruising grip on their arm. As he led them out into the darkness, they faintly wondered, what he could possibly be about to do or say to them. As the two got farther away from The Hob, Crow spotted a dandelion in the grass and a faint, strained smile passed over their face. 'I wish Sejanus hadn't let Corri take me out here.' They thought to themself, continuing to walk by, not being allowed to stop, even long enough to blow their impossible wish away on the dandelion's seeds.