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#Grisha fanfic
notelcol · 1 month
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The Getaway🐦‍⬛
That Kaz x reader hurt/comfort that was voted in by some lovely people❤️
Mildly edited, apologies for mistakes🫶
The wind blew harshly against your body as you ran through Ketterdam with a stolen scroll in your hand. Your felt like you were flying. Grinning, you turned towards the man who ran a step behind you. His face matched yours. A wicked joy had you both feeling more alive than ever. You had just pulled a small heist, now it was your favourite part. The getaway.
A few more turnings through the winding streets and you would be at the switch point. There, you would meet Inej and she would disappear with the loot, while Jesper shoots the men chasing you. That was the plan at least…When you and Kaz finally skidded to a halt at your location, you both looked up at the rooftops for Inej.
“Where is she?” Kaz hissed. You looked back down the road you had come from.
“Where’s the men?” You realised they should have caught up by now. Slow footsteps began to echo, coming from a nearby turning. You whipped your head around to see the man you just stole from. He grinned menacingly before pulling out a gun. Kaz clocked it before you did but before he could even take a step towards you, the shot rang out. The scroll fell from your hand and rolled down the street, towards the shooter.
“I’ll have that back now, thank you.” He said, all too politely. Then, he simply walked away while whistling a jaunty tune.
The shock wore off, as the whistling became quieter. Then came the pain. You held your hand against your stomach, only to be met with a wet warmth. Reality truly hit you when you looked down at your hand and saw the blood. All of a sudden you could feel it trickling down from your stomach until it fell in a pool on the floor. You looked to Kaz for reassurance, only to see him white as a sheet inching towards you terror.
“You need to apply pressure.” He instructed. You complied, but each second you felt as though you were fading. Until, you dropped.
“HEY!” Kaz shouted desperately poking you with his cane. “Stay awake and keep applying pressure. Inej and Jesper will be here, they are just held up.” He hoped they would come. A situation like this is the only time Kaz feels useless.
Your eyes started to roll as your vision became blurry. You tried to keep pressing on your wound but your hands wouldn’t listen to you. As your fingers fell beside you once again, you felt a hard pressure against your stomach. You knew you were delirious when you saw Kaz kneeling at your side, keeping your blood inside your body, allowing you to close your eyes at last. Kaz himself was beginning to feel like he was dreaming too. The last time he had pushed his hair out of his face, your blood on his gloves ran up his arm beneath his sleeve. The wet sensation combined with the coldness of your body under his hands was all too familiar.
Kaz wanted nothing more than to sink his memories forever. But they kept surfacing to matter how hard he tried to focus on you. A scream ripped from his throat as he punched himself in the head, as if trying to evict the distraction of his childhood trauma. His eyes fell upon your face as he told himself this isn’t Jordie. You were still alive, at least you would be as long as he could keep himself together. He pressed more confidently against the wound at he thought of losing you, his partner in crime. He never expected to trust someone enough to call them that. He had his Crows, but never a partner. Not until you. Not since Jordie. A tear fell from his cheek onto yours as he stared down at your paling features.
He barely even noticed Inej’s arrival. It was shortly followed by Jesper’s much louder one.
“Sorry! We got held up by-“ Jesper froze when he saw the scene before him, then released a breath when he saw your chest rising.
“Shit. We need to get them back home.” Jesper jumped straight into action, less cautious to approach Kaz than Inej was. He took over Kaz’ position at your side and picked you up.
You woke up to a deep ache, causing you to groan and roll over. The movement changed the pain to a searing stab.
“FUCKING HELL!!!” You screamed.
“Good morning to you too.” Kaz’ made his presence in the room known to you. He was sat at the side of your bed smirking at you.
“I take it the men who were supposed to be chasing us are why Inej and Jesper were late?” You asked. Kaz answered you with only a nod, leaving you still concerned for your friends. Your rolled your eyes as sat up, this time sure to move slower. It did not help much, still feeling like you were being ripped open. You felt Kaz’ cane press against your chest gently.
“Lay down.” He sternly told you. You looked up at him in defiance but stopped when you saw his eyes. “Please.” His tone was more vulnerable this time, small like a whisper. You allowed his cane to push you back down, not missing the sadness in his eyes as a groan escaped you.
“I’m okay.” You sent him a comforting smile, which he returned.
“So are Inej and Jesper.”
Kaz had been in and out of your room all day in between handling business.
“I just came to say goodnight.” He said, though he seemed as though he was holding back. You decided not to pry, since you did not have the energy to get blood from a stone tonight.
“Goodnight Kaz.” You smiled. He turned to leave, looking almost disappointed. Then out of nowhere, he rushed back in and stopped when he reached your bedside. He looked deep into your eyes. The intensity woke your drowsy mind as your heart skipped a beat. “You are very special to me. Today was…” He trailed off and looked away. You thought he was about to turn around and leave again, but instead he sucked in a deep breath and quickly pressed a kiss to your forehead. As his lips met your skin, he lingered for a second. This was the closest you had ever felt to him. Not because of the physical contact though. It was rare for Kaz let someone see him feel. It felt intimate. But it was over as fast as it began.
“Goodnight.” He said once more, but this time he was breathless and shaking in a mix of fear and something else that he was finally ready to name.
“I love you.” He spoke. Before you could process the interaction, he was gone.
——-
Thank you for reading 🌹
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bey0nd-1he-stars · 1 year
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Anchor - Nikolai Lantsov
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Masterlist
Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x reader
Wordcount: 1247
Warnings: crying, mentions of wounds
Summary: You try to find Nikolai after the fight is over to make sure he is okay (based heavily on the Netflix show but I can't say that it's spoiling something)
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The sun shined like never before. After being drowning in the darkness of the Fold, the sun seemed too bright. You’d made it through the battle with just a few scratches and some torn clothes, but overall you were alright. You’d been with Tamar at the start, but when the Fold had expanded and the volcra had made its way to the fort, you’d had no other choice than to split up if survival were to be left on the map. It'd been a game of hide and seek and fortunately, you’d won. The breath you’d let out when the sun broke through and the light came back, signaling that Alina had done it, it may be the most relief you’d felt in a long time. Until you saw what the volcra had left after their brief visit and you couldn’t find any of the others. 
Nikolai wasn’t bearing any of his own weight, leaning on Tamar and Tolya as they made it out of the room and out to the frontside of the fort. Barrels and crates still stood there, a bit messier than before but otherwise it was alright. A few soldiers from the first army had started to gather those who’d been lost in the battle, they were lined up on the grass just outside the gate. Tamar and Tolya carefully sat him down on top of a pair of crates of some sort and let out a huff. Nikolai ran a hand through his blond mop of hair and started to look around for familiar faces. That’s when it hit him. Where were you? Had you survived all this chaos? You had to. In his frantic state of mind he made an attempt to get up but lost his balance until Tolya caught him. He gave him a nod in thank you and started to limp away to try and find you. 
“Nikolai? what are you- where are you going?” Tamar asked and ran up to him. She placed an arm around his waist to help stabilize him. Nikolai came to a halt and threw an arm around her shoulders and propped himself up a bit. 
“I have to find Y/N.” Tamar nodded and pulled at him, leading him into the fort again, “come along then.” 
You were almost running through the corridors, throwing every door open, shouting names into the air. Your heels made clicking sounds against the stone floor that echoed in the hallways, your kefta was torn a few places and the buttons had come undone and it flew behind you like a cloak. The tears that had gathered in your eyes got closer and closer to falling with every door you threw open. Every door led to yet another empty room where chaos had passed and left everything in a mess. Here and there you were met by a few offers from the first army, a few grisha here and there, but no sign of Nikolai, Tolya, Tamar or any of the crows. When you’d almost given up, walking out of the latest room with tears running down your face and your breath caught in your throat, gasping for air, that’s when Nikolai rounded the corner in the far end of the corridor. At the shout of your name you whipped around and the sight of Nikolai and Tamar had you almost fainting with relief. 
“Y/N!” Nikolai shouted. It echoed in the corridor and bounced off of the stone walls around you. The sun lit up the corridor and you could see him clearly. Nikolai let go of Tamar and propped himself up against the wall instead. And you ran. You ran straight into his arms, throwing yourself in his embrace and wrapping your arms around his neck, burying your face against his neck. He caught you and pressed you into him, wanting all of you as close to him as possible. He wanted to feel your warmth, your breathing and the beating of your heart. His leg was throbbing and he sunk down on the floor with you still in his arms. 
“I thought I lost you, all of you. I couldn’t find any of you,” you whispered, breathing in the scent of him and fisting the fabric of his uniform in your hands. You looked up to see if Tamar was still there but she’d left, probably to tend to Nadia. Nikolai, equally relieved as you, pressed a hasty kiss to the side of your head and placed a hand in your hair, threading through it gently. 
“Are you alright?” He asked gently and pulled away slightly to let his eyes roam your body in search of any injuries, but let out a relieved sigh when you nodded and the only wounds he found on you were not very drastic. He made a move to stand up and you pulled away from the hug but grabbed ahold of his hand instead. Nikolai almost fell against the wall when he put pressure on his wounded leg. 
“Oh Saints, Nikolai!” You gasped and wrapped an arm around his waist and you let him throw an arm around your shoulders. He grimaced and dragged a sharp breath as you stared walking back outside to where Nikolai said the others would be. 
“I’m okay,” he insisted and looked down at you. 
“You don’t look very okay,” you said softly and stopped for a moment. You placed yourself in front of him instead and he rested his arms on your shoulders. His blond hair was messy and dirty, he had a bloody wound on the side of his head, a bleeding hole in his shoulder, the same place where he’d taken his first bullet, and his leg was bloodied and wrapped hastily in a white fabric. He definitely didn’t look okay. 
“It could be worse,” he tried and his famous smirk made its way to his lips. You chuckled, still the same old humour. He didn’t seem to have hit his head at least. You softly shook your head at him and cupped his cheek in your hand, careful to avoid the wound. 
“Just because it could be worse doesn’t mean that you’re okay.” Nikolai smiled at that, you were always so caring and comforting. Something he admired greatly with you. He settled for a simple nod and you placed yourself at his side again to help him walk. When the two of you came out into the sun in the courtyard Nikolai stopped again. You assumed he wanted to rest his leg but when you looked up at him he came crashing his lips down on yours. He held your face gently in his hands, yours came to rest on his chest. The kiss was soft and gentle and Nikolai savored every second like it was his last. You could feel the thumping of his heart through the uniform. The world had stopped and you let yourself enjoy the short moment. The two of you had survived the war, it was at least worth a kiss in celebration. 
When you broke apart Nikolai had tears running down his face. His eyes were glossed over and he slightly trembled under your hands. You didn’t say anything, you just wrapped your arms around him and held him, holding him up and pressing soft kisses to his blond mop of curls. You let each other just bask in the moment. You held each other, grounding each other like anchors to the world. 
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flightlessangelwings · 7 months
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Ktober Day 4- Sex Pollen
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Nikolai Lantsov x gn!Corporalki!reader
Word count- 1.9k
Warnings- s.mut (18+ ONLY!), mutual pining, multiple orgasms, no use of y/n
Notes- Nikolai my beloved I can't believe I've never written anything for him before! What a way to start writing for him, huh lol?! Prompt list made by me! Enjoy!
@flightlessangelwings-updates is myupdate blog so please follow that too and turn on post notifs to stay up to date on my new fics!
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~
“Captain?” you knocked at the door to his quarters, “Is everything alright?” you called through the door as you tested the handle. Finding it unlocked, you slowly opened it and peeked inside, “Tamar wanted me to check on you.”
“Everything’s alright, love,” Nikolai quickly put himself together as you entered his room. He felt his brow dampen as it lined with sweat, and he adjusted his pants uncharacteristically awkwardly as he laid his eyes on you. He always found you attractive, but suddenly, he couldn’t stop the thoughts that barraged his mind.
“Nikolai,” you breathed his true name as you closed the door behind you, “I can feel your heart… It’s…” pounding erratically, beating faster than you had ever felt before, about to explode, “What happened?” you asked as you rushed over to him and looked him over. He was bright red and you saw the way beads of sweat dripped down his face. He looked like he had lost his composure as he covered his mouth, something you had never seen before.
“It’s… nothing…” he breathed heavily as he tried to hide the way his pants tightened between his legs.
Nikolai and the twins had just returned to the ship from an excursion. Everything went fine, until the Captain got separated from the others and didn’t seem himself when he returned. He refused to say anything, but every Corporalki could sense that something was off, including you. It worried you, but Nikolai didn’t want to worry you.
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you,” you said sternly yet softly, “Now please, let me help you,” you reached out to try and touch his forehead to assess what was wrong.
But the moment the tips of your fingers made the briefest contact with his heated skin, Nikolai grabbed your wrist and looked at you with a fire behind his eyes that you had never seen before. He hissed your name as his hands trembled, “Leave,” his voice was strained as he fought against his own mind. If he gave in to whatever he had pulsing through his veins, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from ravaging you. And Nikolai could never forgive himself if he hurt you at all.
“Nikolai,” you whispered, “I’m not leaving you. Not when you’re like this.”
Nikolai let out a low groan that made your breath hitch in your throat. You felt his agony as his hand clenched tightly around your wrist. But there was something else that weighed heavily in your heart. You hated seeing him like this, helpless to do anything for him. And you would do anything for him. You had been hopefully in love with him from practically your first meeting, but you kept those feelings buried deep down. 
“Listen to me,” Nikolai strained as he hovered closer to you, “I don’t have time to explain,” he forced a half a smile, “And I wouldn’t want anything to come between us if I can’t stop myself right now… Especially before I got the chance to wine and dine you first.”
At that moment, you felt your own face heat up, “What?”
He cursed under his breath as his body shook, “I don’t know what happened out there, I can’t remember, but whatever it is, everything in me is screaming to fuck you senseless right now or else I feel like I’ll explode.” His memory was hazy, but in his time apart from the others, something must have attacked him and poisoned him with… something. It wasn’t like any other poison, though, nothing Nikolai knew of had effects like… this.
Your mouth dropped open as you processed the weight of his words and what they meant. You felt your own heart flutter in your chest as Nikolai’s gaze bore into your soul. You felt the fire behind his eyes and it lit your body aflame. You had wanted this… wanted him… for so long. But you never in your wildest dreams could have imagined this.
“Let me help,” your voice was so hushed you barely even heard your words. But, from the way Nikolai’s expression changed, you knew he heard you. Swallowing your nerves, you closed the small gap between your bodies and cupped his face, “You can use me.”
“Darling,” his voice didn’t even sound like him as he immediately grabbed you and yanked you so that your chest was flush with his. Then, Nikolai looked surprised, as if his body moved on his own at your words, “I couldn't…”
You whimpered as you felt his hard cock against your body, “You need to,” your own voice trembled, “I…” you sighed as you rested your forehead against his, “I can’t lose you,” your confession was a soft whisper, but it held all the emotions that you kept hidden from everyone, especially him.
In a flash, Nikolai’s lips were on yours in a heated kiss. He swallowed the moan you let out as his hands roamed over your body, ripping at your clothes with abandon as he did so. You clung to him and you heard his heartbeat through your ears; it sounded like the way your ears rang when you were too close to cannon fire. You heard the blood rushing through his veins at incredible speed… or was it your own pulse in your ears?
The room spun in a tizzy as you suddenly found yourself naked on Nikolai’s desk, your legs spread open on their own, as if you felt the effects of whatever infected him as well. But, it didn’t matter. All you could think about was the way he bared his own body before you. Quickly, Nikolai stripped himself of his own clothes, and cock springing free as if it guided his body towards yours the moment it was exposed.
You bit your lip and whimpered as he cupped you between your legs.
“Darling,” Nikolai’s voice was low as he fought to hold himself back momentarily, “Do not let me hurt you.”
Seeing the conviction in his eyes made your heart skip a beat and your inner muscles clenched around nothing, “I trust you,” was your reply. It wasn’t a lie, and you wouldn’t have offered yourself to him if you didn’t.
He groaned as he pumped his cock a few times and lined himself up with your entrance. Pausing only for a fraction of a moment, Nikolai met your eyes before he thrust himself into you.
You threw your head back and screamed as his cock stretched you out. Without any preparation, you felt the sting at first, but it quickly turned to pleasure as he rocked himself in and out of you at a fast and harsh pace. You moaned as you clung to him, and Nikolai wrapped his arms around you in response.
The moment he entered you, Nikolai felt an instant relief, but he knew it would take more than that to fully rid himself of whatever plagued him. He never wanted it to be like this with you. He wanted you, of course, he had since you first joined his crew. But Nikolai wanted to court you properly, to earn your love, your trust, your body. He wasn’t even sure you felt the same way about him that he had about you. But, from the moment he got hit with whatever it was, you were the only person on his mind. 
“Saints,” Nikolai murmured as he bit your shoulder to stifle his own moans, “You feel better than I ever imagined.”
You gasped as he hit that sweet spot inside you at the same time his words left his mouth. Tears filled your eyes and emotions took over. All you could do was cling to him as he pounded into you. Moans filled the room as you felt your climax quickly approach.
“Nikolai… I’m…”
He just groaned as he picked up his pace until you came hard. Nikolai wanted to pull back and watch you cum, but at the same time he couldn’t break away from you even by an inch. Instead, he held you tightly as you gushed between your bodies and trembled in his arms.
“Darling…” he growled as he felt his own climax follow yours. And with just a few more pumps of his cock, he came deep inside you as he groaned your name and clutched you tightly. 
Relief washed over him like a cool rain on a hot summer day. Nikolai still felt the aftershocks of his orgasm, and his cock still remained hard inside you, but the urgency was gone. But, just as he was about to pull out of you, you wrapped your legs around his waist.
“You can keep going,” you whispered, feeling his hardness as well, “I’m ok.”
“But…”
“I trust you,” your voice was more firm as you pulled back enough to look in his eyes, “Do you trust me?”
“I do,” his reply came without hesitation.
The way you looked at him so sincerely made Nikolai’s cock twitch inside you, and before he knew it, he was thrusting in and out of you again. Your mouth dropped open in a loud moan, but he reeled forward and captured your lips with his one in another deep, heated kiss. As he locked lips with you, Nikolai felt his second climax quickly approach, and without pulling away once more, he came inside you.
You whimpered into his mouth as you felt Nikolai fill you up to the point where his cum dripped down your bodies, but you didn’t care. All you cared about was him.
Breaking away for air with a gasp, Nikolai finally got to look in your eyes as you were lost in pleasure. Lost in pleasure on his cock. Saints, you were beautiful like this. Once more, the need overtook him, and Nikolai pounded into you again until he came for the third time. But this time, he watched your every expression as you moaned and cried out his name.
Your eyes stayed shut as he continued to thrust into you, hitting your sweet spot over and over and over again until you couldn’t take it anymore. And just as Nikolai came for the third time, you did as well, crying out his name and clenching around his cock. This time was different though, for both of you. It felt less urgent, yet just as needy.
“Beautiful,” Nikolai murmured as he watched you fall apart in his arms.
With a gasp, your eyes shot open and your heart skipped a beat as you saw the expression of pure adoration on his face, “Nikolai,” you breathed as you cupped his face.
He gave you a weak smile as he mirrored your action, “I think I’m alright now,” he said softly as he slowly pulled out of you, “Thank you,” he hovered his lips over your, but stopped.
You had whined when he pulled out of you, but the disappointment quickly vanished when you felt his breath on your lips. Blinking your eyes open, you studied his face close up, closer than you ever had before. “Don’t tell me you’re shy now, Nikolai,” you quipped in a hushed, exhausted voice.
“I just…” he sighed, “I owe you.”
You smiled, “What about the wining and dining me then?” you asked with an amused huff.
That made Nikolai’s face light up, “I love it when you quote me,” his tone dropped as he finally kissed you, “And yes,” he murmured with a smirk.
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frost-queen · 1 year
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The privateer’s sun (Reader x Nikolai Lantsov)
Requested by: anon, Forever tag: @missmelodramatic, @theletterhart, @alex--awesome--22, @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly, @denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco @idkwhatmyusernameis,  @subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07​
Summary: Reader is a sun summoner as well under the command of Nikolai who you don’t get along with. When another sun summoner Alina Starkov boards Nikolai’s ship, you are overwhelmed with sudden jealousy. Back on land the little palace hold a ball to where you secretly hope Nikolai would dance with you, yet he chooses Alina over you. Over run with jealousy you take your leave only for Nikolai to chase after you, dragging you away to confront you. 
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The boat rocked gently into the sea. The movement of water swaying around it. You were used to your sea legs now for being so long on the ship. You went through the door to the captains cockpit. Tolya and Tamar already there. Nikolai standing behind his desk, hovering over a map of the waters. Tamar cleared her throat loud to hint Nikolai of your presence. Nikolai looked up, noticing you. – “Ah Y/n, come!” – he said gesturing you over. You exhaled deep moving over to him. Once you were near the desk, he spoke. – “Can you light up a bit.” – he wiggled with his fingers, barely giving you any attention. – “It’s getting dark, and I can hardly read my maps.” – he chuckled, throwing you a witty smirk. 
You clicked your tongue, looking annoyed away. – “Poor eyesight.” – you commented on a mumbling tone. Tolya snorting loud as he overheard. – “What was that?” – Nikolai asked with a frown. You flattened your expression into a forced sarcastic smile. – “As you please.” – you spoke, mentally strangling him. You moved your fingers till a light appeared in the palm of your hand. Seeing Nikolai smile at his maps. You smirked letting the light shine brighter. So bright it filled the room with a blinding white light absorbing the room till nothing could be seen. 
Nikolai grunted, covering his eyes up with his arm, looking away from your glow. Tamar and Tolya also looking away. You absorbed your light once more, dimming it till nothing. – “I’m sorry was that too much.” – you outed teasingly. Nikolai fluttering his eyelashes to adjust his view. Nikolai jumped out of his skin when you set your hands loudly on his desk. – “I’m a sun summoner, not a candlelight to your pleasing.” – you spoke loudly making him swallow nervously.
Nikolai hummed mockingly. – “Here I thought you were a provider of light.” – he pouted his lips to taunt you even more. You rolled with your eyes, looking away. – “Watch your mouth… pirate.” – you countered, Nikolai gasping dramatically at your insult. – “Privateer! I’m a privateer Y/n!” – he corrected loudly as you could only smile, having gotten under his skin. Tamar rolling her eyes with a brief sigh. Tolya enjoying the tension rising between the two of you. You let your eyes go down on the maps he was overlooking.
“Fortune seeking?” – you questioned. He quirked up a smile. – “Why are you interested in joining?” – he teased. You snorted loud. – “It’s clear you need me thanks, but no. I’ll let the pirate hunt up to you.” – You laughed wrinkling your nose. Nikolai puffed his chest, crossing his arms. – “Well maybe I don’t need you.” – he answered. – “Good.” – you spoke turning around, making your way over to the door. Nikolai breathing loudly through his nose, hating that he did need you. – “It involves a lot of gold.” – he called out making you stop. – “Some dangers on the side and all the fun of an adventure. That seems like a deal worth taking… but I’ll leave that up to you.” – he lowered his gaze almost pitiful. 
You sighed loud, turning back. – “Well it’s intriguing, but to go with you it will put my life on the risk…” – you approached his desk once more. – “What percentage of the gold will I be taking?” – you asked smiling sweetly at him. Nikolai suppressed a loud groan of pleasure he could out right now from seeing that sweet smile of yours. – “Fair enough, you want some. I’ll give you seven.” – he responded making you laugh loud. – “Do you think I’m that foolish. Eighteen would just be fine.” – you said pressing your palms against his desk.
Nikolai laughed tauntingly. – “Why not just ask for all the treasures in my chest?” – he responded mockingly. – “Fifteen?” – you suggested leaning closer to him. – “Eight!” – Nikolai held on, leaning in closer too. – “Twelve?” – you pushed on. – “Maybe nine?” – He replied hesitantly. – “Ten!” – you commented practically all up in his face. Nikolai swallowed nervously caught by your up closeness for a second. Tamar and Tolya looking intriguing at each other. Suddenly aware of how close you were to him; you drew quickly back. 
Face flustered making you take a run for it. Nikolai sitting down breathlessly. Outside you touched your cheek for it’s temperature. The cold sea’s wind quickly cooling you down. You moved aside from the door, hearing movement. Tamar and Tolya stepping out. Tolya whistling loud while waving himself some cool. – “Now that was hot intense.” – he said, Tamar chuckling. – “It keeps the spirit lively with such bickering.” – Tamar commented walking up the deck. 
You overheard snippets of their conversation. Feeling the heat creep up again at the thought of Nikolai’s face close to yours. You turned away to the sea when Nikolai came walking out. His eyes falling briefly upon you before heading up to the higher platform. The wind catching his coat and hair. Peeking to the side, you caught him in all his glory. The sun setting behind him. Nearly gone to make room for the moon.
*
You gasped needing to see it for yourself. The new girl that had boarded the ship claiming to be Alina Starkov. She stood in Nikolai’s private room. – “I know who you are Miss Starkov.” – he said sitting at his desk. He hadn’t even looked up to acknowledge you having slipped into his room, coming to stand beside Tamar and Tolya. – “Sun summoner.” – he whispered teasingly with a smirk. Tamar looked over at you, watching your expression. Seeing how bitter your face began to stand. Alina puffed loudly. – “What are you a pirate?” – she replied with sarcasm. 
Nikolai chuckled catching you off guard. – “Privateer, there is a difference.” – he explained. The guy who was with Alina frowned. – “Isn’t it all the same?” – he whispered to Alina. Alina straightened her posture. – “Yes, I am the sun summoner.” – she expressed holding her hand to keep her friend back who clearly was against her confession. Nikolai smiled wider. She demonstrated lighting up the room. The light faded as Alina took a deep breath. - “You don’t have to worry I’m not going to sell you to Nyovy Zem.” – Nikolai said. – “You aren’t?” – Alina furrowed her brows. 
Nikolai got up from his seat, going around his desk to Alina. – “You’re a symbol.” – he addressed her with a flashing smile. The bitterness in your heart turning cold. Tamar seemed to notice it. Alina wasn’t the first sun summoner he encountered so why was he acting so warmly and teasingly towards her. There was nothing special about Alina Starkov. The only thing distinguishing her from you was that she was with the darkling. Trying to tear down the fold while he wanted to expand it.
You got so angry it made you clench your hand. Taking your leave with a loud exit. Nikolai looking behind Alina, seeing the door shut. He looked over to Tamar and Tolya wondering who just left. Tamar sighed dropping her shoulders down at him. Tolya moving his eyebrows up as if he should know. Nikolai furrowed his brows thinking till some realization slowly hit him. Having a slight clue of who it might be, yet he did nothing against it. You ran up to the railing, gripping tight onto it. Hands trembling as you so desperately wanted to scream your lungs out in agony. 
Rather wanting the sea to swallow you hole then have to listen to one more sweet word Nikolai said to her. Slowly losing it to jealousy you grunted waving your arms aggressively around. Needing to out it in a different way. Some of the crew members looking wary at you. You shot them a glare, threatening to blind them by moving your hand up till your chest to them. They swallowed nervously, quickly looking away. For the remaining day and later on time you kept your distance from Nikolai or Alina. No needing to put more oil on an already burning flame.
The sea made way for land. Roaming the halls of the little palace while preparation to tonight’s ball were fine tuned. The last set of flowers set in the ballroom. Passing quickly by you made your way over to your room. Nearly bumping against Nikolai in the hallway who was adjusting his cuffs. – “Oh.” – he outed looking up. – “Y/n.” – he said softly, eying you up and down. – “Should you not prepare yourself for the dance?” – he questioned. 
Tensing your jaw you felt your hand tremble, making you move it behind your back. – “I should as do you.” – you answered, Nikolai frowning. – “Clearly there is a lot of work to do on you.” – you teased, Nikolai bursting out in laughter. You caught yourself smiling instantly from hearing his laugh. Quickly dropping it as he caught a slight sight of it, half smiling. You bowed at him, taking your leave then. Nikolai looked over his shoulder to you, wetting his lips briefly. You went into your room, taking a deep breath. 
Feeling your cheek, it felt warm again. How was it that Nikolai was having such an effect on you. After sulking for half an hour, you truly needed to prepare yourself. Styling yourself with much effort. You joined the others following them to the ballroom. You entered as little people applauded for you. Coming to stand by the side, you noticed more applauded when Alina Starkov entered the ballroom with Mal by her side.
Already dunking a hole in your mood. Nikolai entered, surprisingly lifting your spirit up. He briefly made eye contact with you when greeting a few Grisha. You smiled shyly in return. – “Who will you open the first dance with, my King?” – a lord asked loudly of him. Nikolai chuckled flustered seeing all the attention on him. His eyes fell upon you, making you straighten your back unconsciously. He looked rather serious getting in motion. Your heart beating loud in your chest as his gaze remained on you, walking over. 
Breathing shallower you couldn’t believe he was making his way over to you. You smiled hopefully, nearly addressing him. – “Niko…” – you whispered, smile faltering as he moved past you, making you step aside. Heart shattering when he offered Alina Starkov his hand. Stumbling out of breath back, you felt like passing out. Nikolai walked back passed you, holding Alina’s hand. His eyes fixated on her. 
If your heart could cry, it would overflow the riverbanks and send waves of sorrow onto shore destroying all with the pain nestling inside of you. That pain forming into jealousy. How little eye Nikolai had for you ever since the arrival of Alina Starkov. Whatever made her more special then you? Both sun summoners, yet one forgotten while the other thrives.
Nikolai let go of her hand, taking a bow as she curtsied. They both waited for the music. A circle of people around them watching the king and the sun summoner dance. Music filled the room as it ached in you heart. Making you grasp for it breathlessly as if a hole was carving in it. Nikolai and Alina waltzed gracefully, only eyes for each other. A piece of your heart torn as it hurt so much. The way he looked at her made every sense in your body overheat with jealousy. 
It got so badly to the boiling point, you needed to escape before you would light up the entire room out of revenge. Nikolai and Alina had their palms pressed together, slowly turning as you slipped out of the room. Nikolai noticing you leave so suddenly. Tears stained your cheek making you wipe them quickly away. Overcome with such emotions you couldn’t hold it in anymore. Making your way away from the ballroom. – “Y/n!” – you suddenly heard. 
Nikolai had come into the hallway, calling out your name once he saw you. You ignored him crying even harder. – “Y/n!” – Nikolai repeated loudly coming to chase after you. Slowing down behind you. – “Y/n wait.” – he said grabbing for your arm. You swayed it forwards so his loose grip was off you. – “Y/n will you please stop.” – he asked wanting to reach for your arm once more, but you moved it out of reach. Nikolai tensed his jaw when you refused to listen to him.
“Y/n stop!” – he outed loud, grabbing you firmly by the arms. – “No!” – you answered, fighting with every might to be free of him. Nikolai tightened his grip on you, pushing you towards the side. Grabbing for the doorknob, pushing you inside the room afterwards. He closed the door out of breath. – “Why’d you leave so suddenly?” – he asked as you stood with your back at him. Wiping your tears away as you didn’t want him to know you were crying. – “You’d get your turn after the first dance.” – he explained not understanding you. 
You laughed foolishly at yourself. Have you truly taken upon the crown of fools. – “Don’t you understand!” – you spitted out, turning sharply at him. – “It’s not about… I never…” – you said uttering in such a messy state. Your mind all over the place as it pounded loud. – “You were looking at me!” – you outed trying to recall if you were correct. – “I thought… I thought…” – you said out of breath looking at him. – “You and Alina Starkov.” – you continued barely following your own train of thoughts. Nikolai simply smirked looking upon you.
“The first dance! With her!” – you called out in desperation feeling like you were losing your mind. Nikolai stepped up to you, moving his palm up your cheek as he kissed you teasingly. Eyes widening in shock as his lips retracted from yours. – “You were jealous I chose Alina for the first dance?” – he said still that silly smirk on his lips. It made you flutter your eyelashes rapidly to blink yourself awake. – “I feel flattered Y/n.”
He pressed his lips against yours again, catching you off guard. – “I would only dance with Alina once, the rest of the evening I would’ve dedicated to you.” – he spoke staring longingly at you. – “You would’ve?” – you asked shyly, Nikolai nodding as he brought his lips closer once more. – “To me there is only one sun summoner… and that is you Y/n.” – bringing your face closer to his, his lips crashed against yours. This time you surrendered by kissing him back. Arms going around his neck, drawing him closer.
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kazcreates · 4 days
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Heartrender Kaz
Hmmm… Heartrender Kaz who subtly uses his powers every day. To detect when people are lying, to make each hit hurt worse and do more damage, who is able to push himself further by stitching the damaged muscles in his leg back together just enough to get through the job. And in turn, Heartrender Kaz who grows more and more powerful without even noticing. It only adds to his reputation as the demon who just won’t die. Mortal wounds seem to never be quite fatal enough. Dirtyhands can kill a man just by looking at him. They die of pure fright (or so they say). It’s only when it becomes evident that he isn’t aging quite as he should, that Kaz realizes the consequences of his actions. He should be 60 now, but he looks the same as he has since the day he turned 20. The horror that seeped into his veins as he watched the years appear in lines on the faces of his lover and his friends. The boy who always regretted surviving would outlive them all.
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Eye of The Storm ⛈| Six of Crows Imagine
Takes place during the events of Shadow & Bone S2
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My Masterlists
Characters & Pairings: Crows x Squaller/Saint!Reader (platonic), Kaz Brekker x reader (slight/eventual)
Content Warnings: fighting, blood, profanity, cannon divergence | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 4.9k
Requested 📨: yes/no
Premise: As the Crows make their way back to the Slate following their climatic dethronement of Pekka Rollins, they are ambushed by his supporters with no plan of action to escape. As they slowly accept their fate, what was once a clear night is rained upon with lightning and thunder in its wake. Having beat the odds of meeting one living Saint in their lifetime, the Crows are stunned when their savior, a player in the ever unfolding drama in Ravka, is the legend in stories of restoring life in the world when all hope was lost.
Note: although the Saint name I give is not Y/n, it’s still a reader insert and explains more at the end (it’s not an OC) also I know Zoya is called Sankta Zoya of the Storm but I have yet to get to her arc so for this the reader has powers equivalent to her
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The sirens had finally seized, concluding the hysteria in the streets of Ketterdam once it was revealed the Firebox outbreak was a hoax. Constructed by none other than the Bastard of the Barrel and his thieves amongst men, the Crows. After years of heated tension, and guided vengeance, against Pekka Rollins, Kaz Brekker succeeded in his plans of putting down the Lion that had ruined his life. Constant mental torture as he manuevered his players on their chestboard now able to rest.
“Where were you?” His voice was raspy, face still painted with his blood from the beating as he addressed Inej when she appeared from the shadows. They had been making their way back to the Slat. Nina, Wylan, and Jesper were flanked beside him, the dimly lit street light shining down on the group. Inej had been the only one not accounted for, flooding Kaz with anxiety mixed with anger that she strayed from the plan.
“I--.”
A gloved hand came up, stopping her. “Actually, I’d rather not hear what you have to say.” he wanted to shout. Reprimand her for being so foolish. Voice how her actions could’ve gotten her or one of them hurt because they had no idea where she was.
Despite these desires, the pain in Kaz’s body was too much and he was in need of a strong drink. Inej narrowed her eyes, but the man brushed past her leaving the others to send her looks of sympathy. Falling in step, the group followed behind Kaz, making note of how empty the streets were at that time of night. It was eerie. Yeah they may have caused an uproar with their little stunt, but they assumed there’d still be people out and about.
Dance halls and clubs are empty. The markets closed for business. Not a soul in sight. Wylan was the first to speak, “I’ve never seen it this quiet.”
“Very odd if I must say,” Jesper agreed, unconsciously letting his hands fall to where his guns strapped to his belt. His intuition was picking at his brain at the feeling that something wasn’t right.
“Wouldn’t be surprised if someone’s plotting now that Pekka is gone,” Inej made note of their surroundings. They were only a block from the Slat. Soon they’d be in the comfort of their home, able to bask in the relief they pulled their task off. A warm cup of tea by the fireplace before it came time for bed. Inej was looking forward to it.
But unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Nina suddenly froze, “Stop,” all movement seized, heads turning to the heartrender. Unease consumed them as they took in the sudden paleness of her appearance. “I hear heartbeats.” There was a subtle gulp, the woman adding in a low tone, “a lot of heartbeats.”
Tensing, they were met with the sounds of footsteps approaching from every angle. Inej pulled out her knives, as did Jesper with his guns. Wylan clutched his satchel to his chest, thinking of what he could use to help them out of this situation, though the odds were not looking good. Meanwhile, Kaz reversed his steps while the others spun around, the Crows forming a circle with their backs to one another, Kaz keeping space between him and Jesper. Allowing them a full view of the square.
They watched the herd of men step into the light. Revealing themselves with menacing eyes filled with vengeance. Kaz tensed, recognizing them as Pekka’s men.
Well the ones still loyal to the King of the Barrel. Several had already pledged their support to Kaz or took the chance to ditch town while they had the opportunity. Yet, here was a group of at least twelve, likely part of Pekka’s inner circle who’ve taken the actions of Kaz more personally. Those who refused to kneel. The young criminal should’ve known better than to expect a sudden shift in power would come easily to him.
“We have no business with you, gentlemen,” Kaz spoke with a level of calm that surprised even him. Deep down he was consumed with nerves seeing he and the Crows were severely outnumbered.
“Oh, but we do,” a gruff voice replied. Kaz’s eyes drifted to the owner, who’s hand mavuevered over his gun. “See, some of us are not too pleased with your little show tonight, Brekker. And we’ll be damned before claiming you as the King of the city.”
Jesper tilts his head slightly, whispering under his breath, “What do we do, boss?” Beside him Wylan was visibly freaking out. Nina raised her hands, ready to counter any attacks while Inej tightened the grip of her knives.
“This is it,” Kaz thought, clutching onto his cane. No ideas surfaced to help them escape. Accepting his time was up. Though he was going to fight for his Crows, the Bastard of the Barrel was ready to come to terms with his fate.
But before anyone could make the first room, a crack of lightning followed by its booming thunder shook the ground. Several flinched, including the crows, some of the Dime Lions stumbling by how close and sudden the element was to them. Rainfall began to pour down the once clear sky. Dark clouds covering the stars and skies.
The rain was thick, drenching everyone from head to toe. Their clothes became heavy. Had it not been for the skewing of their visibility, making them struggle to see where they were, they’d be annoyed by their state. But there were more important things at stake.
The storm made it hard to see. Only getting a glimpse of shapes and figures when flashes of lightning in the near distance hit the earth. Coupled with its thunder. Kaz barely could make out the enemy, bringing his cane up for any sudden attacks.
“What’s happening?” Wylan shouted, gurgling when the water hit mouth. “What do we do?”
“I-I--,” Kaz stuttered, the feeling of nausea swarming him at the cold, wet, rain hitting his face. It brought him back to the worst days of his life. Floating on top of cold, wet, bodies in the harbour, begging the Saints to save him. The man wanted to crawl away and hide. Yet the fear of not knowing what waited for them when the rain stopped kept him from falling to his knees in a panic.
“Hey! You there!” the same man from before shouted, Kaz squinting his eyes to see him raise his gun only to be thrown back by an invisible force of wind. His partner beside him went down next, though what hit him appeared to be a beam of light.
Kinda like a lightning bolt.
“What the hell was that?!” Inej shouted over the thunder.
‘A Squaller?’ Kaz thought to himself, watching another bout of wind sweep his oncoming attacker off their feet. He had not heard of another Grisha roaming the streets of Ketterdam. Surely if a squaller were inhabiting the area he’d know.
Using the butt of his cane Kaz knocked him out unconsious. When he glanced back up, his eyes landed on a cloaked figure standing on the roof of a nearby building. The rain made it impossible to make out their face. But judging by the way they moved their hands, and the fact his enemies were being bombarded by gusts of air, their savior was in fact an Ethereaki.
But what kind exactly?
At first Kaz believed they had to be a Squaller due to the wind. Yet, he then witnessed the rain shift direction, and water from a puddle shoot up to hit a man about to attack Wylan. A Tidemaker would better fit that description, however Kaz wasn’t aware of a Grisha able to control both air and water.
“I don’t know,” Jesper responded, shooting at an assailant he saw racing toward them, “But I’ve never been so happy for a thunderstorm as I am now.” At that moment Kaz realized nobody else noticed the mysterious person on the roof. His attention turned to Jesper beside him, oblivious to the help he was getting from a fellow Grisha. Turning back to the roof, expecting to see the cloaked individual, but they were gone.
As the fight commenced the storm ensued. Thunder overpowering the sound of pelting rain and gunshots. The Crows fought for their lives as the number of Dime Lions against them decreased. Nina managed to incapacitate several as did Jesper and Inej. The fight came to a climatic end with the last one standing was, quite, literally, hit with a lightning bolt causing the Crows to freeze where they stood.
Smoke filled the space, and when it cleared they were met with the mysterious being. Rain pelting down on them, however they seemed to pay no mind. As though it were a natural occurrence. It was still hard to see them. The streetlight candles had been blown out from the rain and wind, and the moon was covered by the clouds. Both those combinations obscured the face of their savior.
Nina raised her hands, ready to defend the group but Kaz motioned for her to stop, causing confusion amongst the rest. Who was this person and what did they want? And why was Kaz not doing anything?
“Well,” their voice, a feminine one at that, breached the once silent square. “That was entertaining if I’m being honest. Been a while since I’ve squabbled with angsty men,” she chucked, “but I was in dire need of practice.” Now hearing the woman speak clearly, they were able to identify her Ravkan accent. For Nina, her heart nearly stopped.
“I know that voice.” she felt the eyes of everyone, including the woman, on her. Hands lowering to her side, Nina's face etched into pure astonishment. Adding more confusion to the group who were at a loss of who this woman was.
“Oh!” The woman chuckled, not commenting on Nina’s words, “Apologies for the storm, let me just--,” they watched in stunned silence as her right hand rose, displaying a motion before the rain slowed and stopped altogether. Then with two fingers, she waved them around causing the clouds above to dissaperate, allowing the moon to shine down.
“Did she just--.” Jesper whispered to Inej, who’s expression resembled that of witnessing a miracle. “Can squallers summon thunderstorms? I thought that was a myth.”
Inej blinked rapidly, voice so low the others barely made out her reply. Tone in absolute awe, “Only one can.”
“One?” Kaz repeated, feeling a wave of unease beneath his skin.
Water from puddles splashed as the woman walked forward, stepping into the ray of light. The Crows, now able to see her fully, were greeted with her (y/h/c) hair and bearing dazzling grey eyes like the storm clouds she’d summoned. She appeared to be slightly older than the group, possibly by a few years. Then again Grisha were known to age slower than regular folk. For all they know she could be in her 50s. Look at the Darkling, who passed as a man in his early 40s to the naked eye but had lived for nearly 400 years.
Adorned in a deep grey kefta, the white and blue embroidery etched on resembled lightning bolts along with tiny drops of rain. It was unlike any kefta the Grisha wore. Those in the Ravka’s Second Army, with the exception of the Darkling, wore certain colored keftas and embroideries to signify their order. But to the knowledge of the Crows, no Grisha wore grey.
“Saints,” Nina gasped, jaw dropping slightly, causing the woman to smirk.
“Now, now,” she playfully tsked, “I’m not above swearing, but considering that applies to me….” her smirk never faltered, “I’m sure you can understand.”
Jesper’s head spun, looking between his comrades to see they were reacting the same way, “I’m sorry, are you saying that you’re--.”
Nina beat him to it, “Sankta Imber of the Drought.” Inej gasped, as did Wylan. The former repeated the name in wonder, falling to her knees in respect, “Sankta Imber….”
Kaz tightened his grip on his cane, mind racing to remember the tale behind the name. Who’s story was passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Who, like the Darkling and the Sun Summoner, was said to be either myth or once lived but suspected of perishing long ago.
Legends say that Sankta Imber of the Drought had been born in the century following the creation of the Fold. A farmer's daughter in the region of East Ravka, her family lived through the period where the country was stricken with a severe drought lasting over a hundred years, beginning not long after the Black Heretic disappeared. With no rain bringing water to the crops came a deadly famine. Hundreds of people and animals were lost, not only due to starvation and dehydration, but also illness. The economy in all of Ravka crumbled. Both States were fighting against each other for resources, as the food supply from East Ravka to West was now scarce. An increase in fires and dust bowls destroyed a lot of ecosystems, further deteriorating the country.
What was left of it that is.
There was little to no hope, with even prayers to the Saints to help them becoming meaningless words. Those still worshiping begged for a savior. The one who would bring the rain and storm. Ending the drought. Releasing them from the famine.
The idea a Squaller could summon a powerful storm was unheard of. Being able to bring forth powerful winds, rain, and possibly lightning and Thunder? Surely a Grisha of sorts would be only known by folklore. Especially given Tidemakers were the ones to control water.
Yet, it all changed one day as the 104th year of the drought approached.
“You’re more powerful than you think, Imber,” Baghra's stern voice echoed in the cave. Sitting opposite of her, with her head down and tear stains painting her cheeks, 15-year-old Imber Egorova made a sound Baghra could only assume was a whimper. “Denying it will do you no good. It will do this country no good.”
“How do you know?” The girl whispered, voice hoarse from crying following another gruesome 12 hour training day. “What makes me different from any other Squaller here?” She referred to the 20 other Squallers residing on the Little Palace grounds. Though some trained with the renowned Gisha teacher, none experienced the level of intensity Imber did.
“No Squaller here has shot someone 80 yards by their power during an exercise,” Baghra rebutted, causing Imber to wince at the memory. The reason why she was suddenly called to Baghra’s cave in the first place. From then on Imber barely got a lick of sleep or time to eat a proper meal.
The older woman gave a pointed look, “nor have they been able to summon electricity.” Ignoring Imbers stunned expression, she continued, “yes, girl, I know what you did when your sister’s heart stopped before you came here. Why your family was so willing to let you go after the testers proved you were Grisha,” Baghra leaned back in her chair, face void of emotion. “Ravka has not seen more than a few inches of rain since this drought began. No storms. And with the famine,” there was a light pause, “It’s claimed more lives than the Fold.”
Imber shuddered at the mention of Ravka’s darkened entity. Not wanting to think about its black abyss swimming with volcra.
“The point is, child,” Baghra captured her attention once more, “Besides the Sun Summoner, you could be the one to end part of Ravka’s suffering. But that will not happen if you cannot believe it yourself.”
Weeks shy of her 16th birthday, Imber received a letter from her father, which would change not only her world, but the one around. After contracting a bacteria from contaminated pond water, her mother and sister succumbed to a deadly illness after only a week. Her father had buried them on their land by the dead oak tree where they used to have picnics before Imber was taken to the Little Palace.
Distraught and riddled with unbearable pain, Imber collapsed to her knees in the middle of the courtyard, crumbling the letter in her hands. Her peers were silent, staring at her with sympathy. Unsure of what to say to the grieving teen, despite many knowing the exact feeling Imber was feeling.
Sorrow, anguish, regret. Never having the chance to correct wrongs or make memories with the loved onces they longed for. The cries of the Grisha filled the otherwise silent courtyard.
Suddenly, a rumble came from the sky..
Imber didn’t hear it over the sound of her sobs. Her companions, however, drew their attention upward, where they were greeted by a sight unimaginable. What once was a clear blue canvas, barely any clouds to begin with, transformed to that of a dark shadow. Wind, so powerful they thought a Squaller was responsible, nearly sent them off their feet.
“What’s happening?” A girl shouted, though they had difficulty hearing her due to the mix of rumbling overhead and breeze of wind.
“I don’t know!” the boy, a Tidemaker, beside her squinted, “Imber!” He lifted a hand to protect his eyes while focusing his view on the kneeled Grisha. A flash of light where her hands were plaed on the ground had him flinching. ‘What in the---.’ The spark occured once more. Chills filled his entire being as his eyes became saucers, falling to a whisper. “Saints above.”
Witnessing the sparks, an Inferni moved closer, ignoring the warning sent by the Tidemaker. “What is she doing?” His answer came by being blasted back by a gust of wind.
Imber let out a broken scream, head tilting back toward the sky as bolts of lightning released from her hands, igniting bouts of thunder in its wake. Gasps and shouts echoed around the Squaller from fellow Grisha and palace guards. The group behind her ran to find cover as the wind became too much, sending barrels and crates flying. Lightning and thunder, the duo reuniting as lost friends.
A sight to behold.
As the tears rolled down Imber’s cheeks, heavy rain soon replaced them. Drenching the lands of East Ravka for the first time in a hundred years.
For hours the girl remained kneeling on the grounds of the courtyard. Alone as everyone had seeked shelter within the Palace walls, letting the water from above coat her. The kefta she bore grew heavy. She paid no mind to it.
It wasn’t until she began to shiver from the freezing atmosphere that Imber retreated inside. Coming face to face with the reality of what transpired. As two guards escorted her to the throne room, Imber barely took notice of her peers watching the storm draw on from the windowsills. Some glanced at her in a mix of wonder, awe, and fear. Fear at the unknown, but wonder at what will be known.
Entering the throne room Imber was greeted by the King, Queen, Baghra, and the General of Ravka’s Second Army. Whereas the country’s monarchs were visibily bewildered at Imber, Baghra appeared impressed in comparison to the General’s excitement. Nerves consumed her on top of the immense grief Imber was experincing. Rain continued pelting the windows and roof of the Little Palace. Every once in a while, the occupants in the room flinched at the crack of thunder.
Upon making eye contact with the King, Imber bowed her head, curtseying as best she could with the weight of her soaked kefta. From there she underwent an hour of intense interrogation at the hands of the King and General. Baghra was questioned as well. Admitting she suspected the scale of Imber’s power but decided to stay quiet until the time came. The General, while pleased to know the world’s most powerful Squaller was among his ranks, voiced concern at the possibility of their enemies discovering her.
“Ravka has been praying for the day storms finally wash over her,” his tone was calm, almost haunting. Imber couldn’t look away as he moved toward her, tear stains painting her cheeks. “To save them from this wretching drought. Bring an end to this famine that has wiped away countless lives. Rain has touched grounds for the first time in over a century, Miss. Egorova. The people of Ravka are going to celebrate you. Erect statues on your name for being the hope they prayed for all these years.” he halted directly in front of her, keeping hold of her gaze it sent another wave of chills not relating to the cold clothes Imber wore.
“You are now the symbol of this dark period coming to its end. You are Sankta Imber of the Drought.”
“The storm lasted a fortnight, dispersing across Ravka’s lands until every inch had been touched by lightning. Yet the rain continued for months on end after the winds disappeared,” Nina recited the story etched into her brain. The crows silent as they took in her words. “Many say it was the raw grief of Imber losing her family that the storms were so strong. The constant rain marked as a symbol of her time in mourning.” The crows familiar with loss could relate. Kaz, Jesper, and Inej looking elsewhere than the Grisha.
Nina let out a breath, “Now whenever a powerful storm appears in Ravka, locals believe it to be Sankta Imber reminding them they will never experience a drought again. Famine will never touch their lands so long as she remains. Rain will be their protector, and she will be its champion.”
At the end of the Heartrender’s tale, Imber clasped her hands behind her back. “Nice to see my reputation still precedes me after all these years.” Chuckling, she took another step toward the group, “Still odd to hear myself spoken like a myth when I still live and breathe the same air as you.”
Again, no words could describe what the Crows were feeling at that moment. No one however was more shocked than Nina herself. And her reasons were far more than just being in the presence of a living Saint. “But you…”
Imber’s smirk turned to a soft smile, “Been some time since our last acquaintance, Nina Zenik.”
All eyes turned to the brunette, Kaz the first to speak, “What?” Not only was his mind racing, but now it was full of questions and doubts. They knew each other? But judging by Nina’s reaction, it was not all that meets the eye. She was stunned beyond belief like they were. “Care to explain, Zenik?”
Tensing by the tone of his voice, Nina sent him a light glare, “I don’t know her as Sankta Imber,” her eyes returned to the Grisha, this time showcasing betrayal as the memory of the woman in a blue kefta like her fellow Squallers appeared in her mind. “But as Commander Y/n Tempestasov of the Second Army.” Everyone felt the shift in the air at the mention of the Darkling’s army.
Why was one of the Darkling’s soldiers, a Saint at that, coming to them in the middle of the night? Traveling across the sea and saving them from Pekka’s men. There had to be a reason.
Kaz tightened the grip he had on his cane. Thinking back to events of the past several months. He would’ve recognized Imber, or Y/n, whatever she wanted to be called--at the Winter’s Fete. The kefta was unique; it would've captured anyone’s attention. As a powerful Squaller, Kirigan surely wanted her close to his side. Yet the Grisha had not been present on the skiff nor did Alina mention anything of meeting another living Saint.
Then there was the fact that the legends of Sankta Imber of the Drought were from nearly 300 years ago. It was believed she had died or dissapeared roughtly 20 years after she brought the storm to Ravka.
Meaning she’s been hiding in plain sight for centuries. A ghost among the living. Playing the role of a Second Army soldier under a false name to preserve her identity.
Another chuckle brought Kaz out of his thoughts, “Allow me to fill in the blanks, Crows,” Imber smirked at their reaction, “yes I know who you are. Do not doubt Nina’s loyalty--the last time we saw each other I was a different person. Roughly eight years if I’m correct,” bringing a hand to her chin, the Saint acted like she was deep in thought, “You’d only just arrived at the Little Palace before I escaped.”
“Escaped?”
Imber retained her posture, more serious than the initial laid back she had presented, “You’ve witnessed the evil General Kirigan is capabale of first hand.” they stayed silent, but each of their expressions faltered. “I discovered the scale of it a long time ago, after he made me a prisoner of the Little Palace under the guise of a trainer.” Nina bowed her head, the memory of Commander Y/n paroling the grounds where the Etherealki trained. She always appeared detached, but was kind to the young Grisha who had not yet succumbed to the corruption of the Darkling. “He was responsible for everyone believing I had died or dissapeared. After instilling fear in me at the thought of being captured by enemies, he had me locked in the caves of the Little Palace.” Inej let out a gasp, face consorting with sadness.
Imber shrugged, “sooner or later people stopped searching for me. Unaware I was close the entire time despire my storms becoming a blanket over Ravka for years. I was all but the myth you’ve heard.” Turning her head to Nina, Imber offered a soft smile, “It was years before he let me out. When he did I was named Commander under a false name and trained Grisha for centuries. Changing my name each time he did because someone asked too many questions and we had to clean up his mess. Y/n Tempestasov is the recent name of the many I’ve gone by. Frankly it’s my favorite if I’m being honest.”
“Would you prefer it if we called you that?” Wylan raised his hand, resulting in a side eye from Kaz at his formality. The Saint, however, smiled at him, “I’d like that. Imber Egorova…” she trailed off, connecting her gaze with Kaz as though she read him like a book. “She is of the past.”
Ignoring the weight on his chest, knowing damn well what the Saint was refering to, Kaz changed the subject. “Enough sentiment. You still haven’t said why you’re here.” The sound of his cane echoed on the pavement when he moved closer to her. “The Darkling might be dead but how are we to trust you’re not doing his bidding.”
The woman scoffed, obviously offended by the assumption, “Believe me, I hate the man more than anyone. Probably more than you and Alina combined.”
Jesper made a face of shock, voicing what they all thought, “You know Alina?”
“She sent me,” Y/n mused, shocking them more when she added, “And Kirigan is alive.”
“How is that possible?” Inej wondered aloud, unable to grasp the news.
“Turns out his own creation did not kill him after all. Instead he used merzost to create shadow monsters. Monsters that can only be destroyed with a certain blade that, like me, is also a legend.”
“Neshyenyer,” Kaz narrowed his eyes, waiting for her to call bluff. Y/n smirked in response.
“That is where you come in. We have some mutual friends, and they sent me to retrieve you lot to find the sword. Said you were the best of the best.” Hand going into her pocket, she removes a rolled parchment tied with a ribbon. “For your cooperation, the King of Ravka plans to generously compensate you.” She held it out to Kaz, “For you, Dirtyhands.”
He ignored the name, deciding not to question the depth of her knowledge on him and the Crows, and instead took the parchment. Once unfolded, he read the message inked onto its surface, detailing the extent of the mission and amount of kruge to be paid. He stopped at the name signed at the very end, ‘Nikolai Lantsov.’
‘Mutual friends,’ he remembered she said. Intuition telling him it was not only Alina and Mal the Saint referred to. Only person Kaz recalled that could likely be said aquaintance was a certain privateer.
Footsteps wandering away had the man look up, finding Y/n to take her leave. Kaz and Jesper flanked to his sides, the whole group watching her depart. “Come along, Crows,” she called out, the playfulness returning. “A storm is approaching.” light rain began to fall once more, followed by the sound of thunder in the distance. Kaz pictured the smile on her face by the tone of her voice. “And we’ve got work to do.”
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crvptidgf · 9 months
Text
𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭
general kirigan x fem!reader
summary: the darkling arrives to your room late in the night, right after the winter fete
warnings/notes: making out, very slight sexual content 18+, heavily inspired by what could’ve happened with alina and aleksander the night of the fete, book descriptions of the Darkling (?)
requested?: sort of @loversmantra
————————
You had been waiting in your room all night long. Aleksander had been long gone from the fete, and you soon followed as you jumped at the first chance to leave the Grand Palace. It wasn’t that you didn’t enjoy your time - you really did. The performances were amazing, and you had been incredibly proud of Alina’s progress with her powers; you knew she could do it.
Yet the memory of being in the Queen’s sitting room, pushed up against the double doors as Aleksander’s hands inched up your thighs feverishly didn’t leave your mind the whole night. You clenched your thighs together for what felt like the millionth time that night. You desperately explained your excuse and bid your farewells to your friends before sneaking out of the Palace undetected.
-
“Can I visit you tonight?” he had asked. He looked around the corridor, holding the door open as he prepared to leave you, disheveled and needy in the Queen’s lounge area.
All you could muster was a nod, too embarrassed to speak under his intense gaze.
-
Now, you stood in your room with bated breath as you waited for his supposed arrival. Perhaps you were foolish for believing that he’d ever want you - need you.
But you wanted to believe. And so you did. As you waited, and waited, and waited, you began to lose hope. Of course it was too good to be true - maybe that was all you two were destined to be, a quick, silly make-out on the outskirts of a ravishing party.
You scolded yourself as you pulled off your skirts and slippers, unbuttoning your kefta and throwing them atop your dressing screen. Grabbing your white night gown, you fitted it over your head before making your way towards your bed.
Your mind wandered yet again as you reminisced on the night you just had.
-
His lips were pressed directly on your pulse - kissing, nipping, licking any inch of skin he could reach. Hands were pawing at your hips and waist, lifting your skirt to wrap one leg around his waist before he began massaging into you slowly, gently.
One hand kept you balanced against the door while the other roamed across your bare thigh, getting closer to where you needed him most.
Your collarbone was attacked by kisses as he dragged his teeth along the flesh, earning a satisfied gasp from you.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Voices could be heard down the hallway, footsteps getting tantalizingly close to the doorway you were currently pushed up against. Aleksander’s hand came to press against the door right next to your head.
You stalled your breathing, doing everything in your power to not lean into him, to not roll your hips against his.
-
You sighed as you wrapped your silk and fur covers around yourself, trying to subdue your disappointment. What did you honestly expect? He was The Darkling. He had things to do, and prettier girls fawning over him. Hell, he had the Sun Summoner at his fingertips.
Yet as you began to close your eyes to drift into an uneasy sleep, a low knock came at your door. It was so quiet that you almost thought you had imagined it.
Another knock sounded and you stuffed your feet into your fur lined slippers before walking to the door.
Unlocking it, you were immediately met with complete darkness, save for Aleksander’s icy eyes piercing through the blackness. He was here. Maybe you weren’t so stupid after all. His domineering aura made you shift in place as you stepped aside to let the leather clad man enter your room.
“You’re here,” you said blindly. What a stupid sentence. Of course he was here, he was unmistakably standing right in-front of you, his dark head of hair being ruffled by his hand as he ran his fingers through it.
“Did you ever doubt that I wouldn’t be?” he said as he raised an eyebrow at you.
Closing the door and locking it once again, you turned to face him. You wanted to lie, to cover up the fact that you were staying up all night waiting for him. Yet as you looked into his intense gray eyes, you just couldn’t.
“A little.”
He advanced towards you, and you suddenly felt very exposed in your night wear. His hand came to grab at yours, holding it tightly. A wave of confidence rushed through you, and you could practically feel your heart rate picking up times ten.
“I’m sorry for leaving so suddenly,” he said as his hand came to rest at the nape of your neck.
Stepping closer towards him, you responded. “You’re here now.”
And with that, you grabbed at his collar as you connected your lips to his, all the desperation from tonight melting into the kiss. Your patience was wearing thin, but knowing him, he wasn’t going to give in easily. Sasha had a knack for pushing people to the edge. His inhuman amount of patience annoyed you at times, but he always made it worth your time.
His hands were on you in an instant, gripping your nightgown, the back of your hair, everything. As his mouth hungrily chased down your neck, you were pushed against the door for the second time tonight.
Gently tugging his hair to unlatch him from the side of your neck, you pulled his lips back up to meet yours in a flurry mess of teeth and tongue clashing together.
You could feel his touch times ten now that you were rid of your kefta and extra outerwear. Everywhere he touched granted you a new set of goosebumps, and as his hand reached up to grasp at your hips, you leaned into him more. There was something so intoxicating about him.
This little midnight rendezvous filled you with excitement. Pulling away from you, he began to speak once again.
“It pained me to have to leave you in there alone, you know,” he muttered against your lips as he heaved you up so you could wrap your legs around his waist.
“Well then make it up to me.”
With your back pressed against the mattress, and his tall stature standing over you, you knew tonight would be a good night.
- - -
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witchthewriter · 2 years
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𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐬/𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞
⤷ female, ambiguous race & all/any size reader!
ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ
SFW ✶
・Your parents knew what you were as soon as you were born. There was no hiding your power. 
・The rumors about a babe of 6 months old could bring down power from the moon. The babe could glow, it could float, it could heal. 
・You were unsafe ever since those rumors spread. Somehow people started following your family, they 
・The Darkling had been wishing for you, for centuries. 
・You didn’t know you had a sister. One who grew up in an orphanage. Whose power opposed your own.
・Like two sides of the same coin-
・Whenever you draw on the power of the moon, your eyes glow white. Your hair floats and you’re even able to defy gravity. 
・While your sister was sent to an orphanage, you were given to a family friend. It was too dangerous to have two siblings so powerful, together. 
・However, that family friend died while you were a young teenager. You had to fight for yourself, and you grew wise beyond your years. 
・You had heard about Grisha being treated well in the Little Palace, so you made your way there with the hope you would have a place to live. 
・You had gotten to the gates, but they were destroyed. 
・But he did find you. When you had reared your horse around, and into the woods, you encountered bandits. With ease, you stopped them and took whatever they had. Food. Water. Money. 
・Somehow he found you. It was like he could sense you. 
・It was like coming home when you found each other
・He protects you like you’ve never been protected before 
・Helps you harness and control your power 
・He insinuated you were his soulmate within days of meeting
・Everyone is intimidated by the two of you. No one fcks with either of you because they know the other will unleash hell upon them. 
Relationship tropes
Mutual pining but you try to hide it. He is open with it. 
Hates everyone but you
He loves you and only you
Would destroy the world if it meant saving you
NSFW ✶  18+ minors do not interact pls and thank you
・The Darkling is all-consuming. His sex is the same. 
・There are no other thoughts in your head, no daydreaming, nothing. Just the relentless pleasure that he brings. 
・His hands wander - they roam your body. Drinking in each and every curve, dip, and bump. He loves every bit of you. 
・He is dominant and likes to control the sex. 
・A lot of biting; he leaves marks wherever his mouth goes
・Eats pussy and is the BEST at it
・The Darkling likes dirty talk and will come up behind you and whisper in your ear in front of people. He likes to see you squirm. 
・Nips at your earlobe 
・Has a blood kink
・He leaves hickies all over your breasts and neck. 
・The Darkling is also very big, and you thought you couldn’t possibly fit him inside you at first. 
・Will pound you into delirium - sometimes he makes you feel so good that you’ll start babbling nonsense. 
・His favourite positions are cowgirl, doggy, and face-riding. 
・When you’re on top of him his breath hitches in his throat. In those moments he truly believes you’re a goddess
Taglist: https://alaezasmystery.tumblr.com/
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jahayla-parker · 1 year
Text
Dead: Kaz Brekker x Reader
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Description: 5.8k wc, for the prompt of "You're supposed to be dead" originally for this request but I went overboard so I separated Kaz's!
Warnings: passive suicidal thoughts (NO action), mentions of death and injuries, trauma references, drinking, grief, loss, etc. and typical SOC/SAB trigger warnings
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Maybe in the end, Kaz was meant to be alone.
It would make sense after all.
He certainly deserved to end up alone.
Yet, he must have done something right along the way.
After all, the universe, one of Inej’s saints, or whatever other force allegedly existed, had granted him y/n.
He never thought he’d be with anyone.
Kaz thought he was too far gone, too broken, too cruel, too numb, etc.
He never thought he'd be able to love someone; not after Jordie.
He thought he'd never let himself experience that sentiment ever again; much less express it.
He never thought he'd be able to become the person he now was.
That is until some unknown force brought the wonderfully undeserved presence that was Y/n into his life.
Despite his most aggressive and resistant behavior towards forming anything with her, he did.
Despite his toxic actions and inactions, she stuck around.
It was as if there was nothing that could tear them apart.
Not even Kaz’s phenomenal self-sabotage skills could make her give up on him.
However, at some point, Kaz allowed himself to become naive, ignorant, and lovesick.
In other words, Kaz Rietveld has taken control over the bastard's heart and mind when it came to her.
So much so that he’d allowed himself to fall into the position in which he was now facing.
A situation he swore he’d never find himself in.
Not again, anyways; not after having been there before due to Jordie.
Yet, here he was.
Alone in his chaotic mess of an office.
Drinking whatever Saint-forsaken thing he could find.
He knew he was cutting deep into the Crow Club's profits.
Kaz Brekker’s voice tauntingly scolded him despite Kaz Rietveld’s mind still being in control of his emotional state.
He desperately wished Dirtyhands would take over his mind and heart entirely.
It wouldn’t hurt then; or at least not as much.
He’d sworn to never let anyone get close enough for this to happen.
And yet, it had; she did.
He let her get close to him; he needed her to.
So, his naive Rietveld mentality had convinced the Kaz Brekker mentality he formed to learn to accept it.
Oh, how he wished he could go back and undo that acceptance.
But did he?
Is that really what he wanted?
To undo accepting her into his life?
Sure, he’d not be experiencing an excruciating sense of loss right now.
But was the lack of an excruciating sense of loss worth her absence in his life?
No.
Neither part of him believed that he'd choose anything over her.
Ironically, it didn’t matter.
He’d have to experience her absence one way or the other.
For now, it wasn’t anything he even had a choice in.
She was gone.
He could’ve saved her.
He should’ve saved her.
But he hadn’t.
And now, the Bastard found himself alone again.
For the first time in a long time.
And nothing, and no one, could cure the aching and longing loneliness he felt.
Not his sharpshooter, Jesper.
Not his Wraith, Inej.
Not his heartrender, Nina.
Not his demolitions expert, Wylan.
Not his Fjerdan, Matthias.
Not the countless bottles of alcohol he’d downed.
Not the overpriced scented candle Kaz gifted Y/n days prior that used to make him grin over how excited she would be to light it.
Not now that it sat on the nightstand, never to be used again.
Not the throwing of papers and plans he'd done upon entering his room.
Not the reminder that he'd experienced something similar before.
For while that was true, having chosen to risk this type of loss all over again made it much worse now.
And nothing, absolutely nothing, could erase the flashbacks in his mind.
They were there even if he didn’t close his eyes.
They were always there.
But she wasn't.
No one could pull him from the ceaseless sense of drowning inside him.
Not even himself.
None of his previously formed coping mechanisms worked.
No one could get him to open up and talk.
No one could get him to accept it.
No one could get him to heal from it.
No one could get him to move on from the immediate aftermath of her death.
Though, they’d tried.
Jesper had offered to show Kaz how to let go and decompress the way he would after a bad heist.
He knew the Bastard wouldn't talk to him about what he was experiencing, so he tried to help through action.
Yet, Kaz refused to follow Jesper around from gambling den to gambling den.
So, Wylan stepped in and tried to play some relaxing music for him.
Wylan knew music could be healing and calming, but despite his best efforts, Kaz remained the same.
Nina was the next to try but when she tried to loosen his muscles, Kaz snapped at her.
It was the one time he truly said much of anything since that night
But, it told them all they had to know.
Kaz Brekker was gone.
They didn't know who, if anyone, would form over time.
But, their boss -and dare to say it, friend- was no longer there.
Inej merely left a note on his desk that she was there to talk if he wished to do so; not wanting to push him when he was already suffering.
Matthias normally couldn't care less for the demjin, but when Kaz shouted for Nina to leave him be and that he didn't want the pain to leave his body, even Matthias felt sorry for him.
The Fjerdan knew immediately what Kaz was meaning.
He too was willing to feel the pain of his losses (his parents and sister) as it acted as some torturous connection to the person they'd lost.
So, he helped Inej make sure the Crow Club kept operating so Kaz would have one less worry whenever he came back to them.
So Kaz once again found himself alone.
It wasn’t truly the being alone that bothered him.
It was the fact he was alone because she was gone that was painful
He could handle being alone.
But he couldn’t handle being without her.
He couldn't stand living in a world in which she didn’t exist.
He’d contemplated removing that possibility.
After all, he'd taken down Pekka Rollins already.
And now that Y/n was gone, he truly had no purpose here anymore.
But he knew it wouldn’t matter.
Even if Inej was right about their being some form of afterlife, he wouldn’t see y/n after his death.
If such a thing existed, she’d have earned a spot in 'Heaven'.
She'd be somewhere Kaz would never be allowed.
Somewhere almost deserving of her presence.
He wasn’t sure where Jordie had ended up, assuming Inej was right.
He wanted to believe his brother would also go to 'Heaven'.
However, due to Kaz's lack of faith, he didn’t know what behaviors amounted to earning a spot in 'Heaven'.
Nor did he know what behaviors would remove someone from such a place.
For all he knew, the Saints could have some tally sheet of behaviors that they kept track of throughout one's life.
Perhaps y/n wouldn’t get to the highest level of afterlife either.
But, if you asked Kaz, he knew she deserved far higher than him; no matter what she may have had to do to survive before they'd met.
Y/n was far better than him.
Far better than he was.
Far better than he is.
Far better than he ever could’ve been.
Far better than he ever would be now.
And far better than he deserved.
So, regardless of what the Saints might demand to get in, he knew that he’d never see her again even if there were an afterlife.
That didn’t stop the thought of attempting to get to wherever she was from occurring day in and day out; despite the constant alcoholic buzz he had.
No amount of paperwork, liquor, Kruge, heists, etc. could distract him enough from missing her.
He felt her absence everywhere.
The same way he’d felt her presence just days before.
The presence he’d never feel again.
It wasn’t that he had forgotten it was possible to lose her.
He just pushed aside the fear of that pain for the -at the time- current comfort of being with her.
The guy who cared only about his own survival found someone he was ready to die for.
Yet, he was denied the chance to show her that.
Instead, he was forced to watch her die while he stood by helplessly.
He always accounted for everything.
But losing her was not something he could have seen coming.
It should’ve been.
He knows that.
But the idea was far too terrifying and painful to even contemplate, much less anticipate or prepare for.
So he hadn’t.
He always took measures to ensure her safety.
Certainly during heists.
Yet, it wasn't enough.
It wasn’t enough to save her.
He wasn’t enough.
He hadn’t been calculated enough.
He hadn't been smart enough.
He hadn’t been focused enough.
When it came down to it, he hadn’t been enough.
And now she was gone.
And the only person he could truly blame was himself.
Of course, by now each of the opposing parties had been dealt with in a very Kaz-like manner.
He hadn't done so with the hopes that it would’ve eased his pain or his guilt.
He knew it wouldn’t.
But he couldn’t let them get away with it either.
She deserved better.
The least he could do was take their lives the way they took hers.
Yet, it did nothing to lower the waves -that normally rose to his chest- that now nearly reached his nose.
Nor did it do the one thing he was truly desperate for.
The bastard of the Barrel was never one to be seen as desperate.
Well, apart from having been desperate for revenge against Pekka; and perhaps Kruge.
But even so, that desperation was kept in check.
However, this was not.
And Kaz didn’t bother to pretend otherwise.
He couldn’t muster the energy to maintain his normally stoic demeanor to the full extent.
To most who didn’t know him, he probably looked like the same careless Barrel boss as before.
But those closest to him, his crows, and even some of the closer dregs saw the drastic change in him that night.
He’d always been troubled and plagued with his past and his losses.
But he now seemed haunted and hallowed by them.
No one knew what to do and they’d all been grieving in their own rights so no one found a way to truly comfort him.
Not that any attempt would be successful; as Kaz did not see himself coming back from this one.
Y/n had helped him with the trauma surrounding his brother Jordie.
But no one would be capable of helping him with the trauma of losing her.
He knew she had more power and impact on him than he’d ever care to admit.
But by the time he knew this, he was too far gone to effectively resist.
Losing her was like not only losing a part of himself but himself altogether.
He lost the drive that Kaz Brekker had.
His immediate anger and heartbreak had alleviated the people who played a role in her passing.
He now had no one to hunt, scheme against, nor harm.
No one to blame.
No one but himself.
And yet, even he knew that no one could have seen this coming.
Not even Dirtyhands Kaz Brekker.
Yet, he was the only option he had as a source to assign blame to.
Nonetheless, he lost the confidence and passion that the Barrell boss once had.
He lost the small spark of light that y/n instilled in him.
The light that made him believe even Kaz Brekker deserved a happy ending.
Now he was resigned to the fact he was clearly meant to end up alone.
If only he’d stuck with that belief, perhaps she would still be here.
He lost the happiness he’d worked so hard to accept from her.
She had been his one true source of happiness.
The crows and successful heists brought similar emotions.
But, only through y/n was he able to truly appreciate all of it.
He also lost what remained of poor, pathetic, little, Kaz Rietveld.
Any innocence that may have lingered deep down inside of him after Jordie’s death was now undoubtedly erased after y/n’s.
Any kindness or compassion he felt towards others felt ripped away from him as he fell into a numb state of being.
He hadn’t accounted for what his life would be like if she’d passed.
If anyone had asked prior to that night, he’d have told them he would be fine.
Of course he would, he’d have said, after all he’d experienced loss before.
And it drove him.
But even with Jordie, he didn’t truly survive.
A new version of him did, but he wasn’t the same.
Not until y/n had managed to resurrect what remained of the original version of himself.
Now both versions were destroyed and he didn’t know where that left him.
Other than in his office, endlessly drinking liquor as if it were a life source, and feeling sorry for himself.
Oh, if only Dirtyhands Kaz Brekker could see himself right now.
------
Kaz had drunk himself into such a stupor that he didn't hear the knock on his door.
It was now several nights after the incident and he hadn’t emerged from his chambers in well over 48 hours now.
So, unbeknownst to him, their home had an unexpected presence.
After much debate, the crows had agreed to step back and allow Kaz to contact the presence first.
Hence why Wylan's knocking increased in tempo; as if trying to show the urgency behind it.
Yet, the sound merely reverberated off the walls of Kaz's room without him noticing.
From the other side of the door, Jesper huffed loudly.
He signaled for the others to move back; ready to take whatever drastic measures it took to alert his best friend to the news he knew Kaz needed.
Nina gently placed her hands on her friends' shoulders and guided them away from the doorway.
Jesper smirked at the girls beside him before he aggressively kicked the wooden door, his smirk growing as the wood splintered and the door swung open.
“Kaz” Jesper said firmly as the crows all squinted in order to adjust to the dim lighting of his room.
Kaz either didn’t hear Jesper or chose to ignore him.
Instead of responding, he merely sipped on the amber liquid in his glass.
“We should leave you to it” Inej suggested, giving her friend a smile and shoulder squeeze before having to all but drag the others away.
Kaz’s eyes never changed from the distant look they had seemingly taken on before they'd entered.
He hadn’t moved one millimeter other than to take another sip of his drink.
Anyone could see the state of distress the Bastard had been in by just seeing the state of his room.
There was broken glass and other debris around the room, empty liquor bottles piled up in an overflowing garbage bin, an unusual lack of papers/plans on his desk, etc.
The phsyical state of his room along with the completely dissociated gaze his eyes held broke y/n’s heart as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
She wasn’t sure what she expected after that night.
She knew he likely thought she was dead.
After all, she thought she was going to be.
She should’ve been.
She knew Kaz loved her, in his own way.
So she expected some kind of reaction to her apparent death.
But, she hadn’t expected this.
She hadn’t wanted this.
Shed made her way back to their home as quickly and safely as she reasonably could.
It had taken over a day to do so, but she didn’t want Kaz’s crew or their fellow Crows to spot her.
She knew they’d immediately tell Kaz and given that he’d seen her fall after being shot, she knew he’d lash out at the reporting party for spreading gossip.
She hoped she could make it to him undetected but quickly enough to prevent him from much grief.
But even though it hadn’t taken her much more than a day to reach him, he seemed to have already spiraled.
She took a deep breath and slowly walked closer to his desk.
Y/n hated how his eyes never left his glass despite her movements.
He was never this unobservant.
Or perhaps he no longer cared nor had the energy to bother with his surroundings.
Either way, she hated this.
Y/n cautiously set a hand over the far side of the rim on his glass as she tried to block him from taking another slug of the beverage.
She watched as his body reacted slowly.
While it took much longer than normal, his reaction was enough to show Kaz had been able to sense a change, which was more than she’d gotten so far.
Kaz’s glazed eyes dragged upwards from his glass to her face in a painstakingly glacial pace.
When they finally landed on her, he froze for a moment, his eyes now appearing needy and hungry.
Once his eyes seemed to take in her presence, they shut tightly as his body shook.
Y/n swallowed thickly as uncharacteristic tears pushed their way through Kaz’s closed eyes and down his face.
“Kaz” y/n whispered.
She wanted so badly to kneel by his desk as to be closer to him, but her wounded leg wouldn’t let her.
She watched as he slammed his glass down, the liquid splashing out the rim onto his desk.
He drug his hand down his face and gripped the edge of the desk “fuck”.
Y/n saw he was wearing his gloves despite being alone in his room and her heart somehow hurt even more.
He hadn’t done that in years.
Yet, here he was, unable to handle the feeling of even his own skin.
“Kaz, please talk to me” she tried again, desperately wanting to help him.
She watched as a sob shook his body and barely squeaked past his lips.
The sound made her own tears fall faster.
“Love, I want to help-“ y/n whispered after giving themselves a moment to regain their composure.
“You’re not real! Just fucking stop” Kaz shouted, both of his hands flying to his face.
One of his hands began pulling at his hair until it hurt, the other pinching the bridge of his nose.
He felt insane.
He knew he’d been drinking far too much.
Perhaps this illusion before him was somehow his consequence.
Y/n watched him closely, unsure how to reach him.
They’d worked on his touch aversion before but now hardly seemed like the time to push it.
“Kaz, I am real” she spoke tenderly, watching his body language for any signs of him listening to her.
He only shook his head and stifled another sob.
Y/n sniffled and audibly took a deep breath, “I know… and I’m sorry, I came as fast as I could-”.
“It… it isn’t… it is not possible” Kaz repeated to himself.
“Look at me, please. Kaz I need to see your eyes” y/n begged.
It would usually work as Kaz knew how comforting it was to look into her eyes so he’d always returned the favor when prompted.
However, y/n watched his fingers grip together tightly as he resisted looking up at her.
“Look I tried to… I know I was bleeding…-“ she began trying to explain but was uncertain how to do so.
“Hey, see my leg? That’s from the fall, but I’m not dead” y/n attempted, pointing down at her excessively bandaged leg.
Kaz shook his head defiantly, not glancing up from the desk.
There was no way she didn’t die, he’d seen her fall.
He’d never have left her if he didn’t know she was dead
Even when he knew, Mathias had to shove and push him back to the club as his body froze at the sight.
All of his survival instants evaporated when he watched her fall to her death.
He threw up the contents of his stomach once he’d made it back and realized Matthias had been touching him the whole time.
So, he knew this illusion before him had to be wrong.
But he couldn’t figure out why his mind would do this to him.
Because, despite the illusion of her presence in this moment, Kaz had the image of her death burned in his mind.
The image had played in his mind on endless loop for hours, hence the never ending flow of alcohol.
Seeing his once again distant stare, y/n sighed, “Kaz I’m alive… it’s me, I promise. I’m okay, I’m not dead”.
Kaz’s brain replayed the torturous flashback upon hearing her words.
His eyes stared blankly ahead at the wall as his mind once again recalled the night he’d lost her.
The heist had gone wrong, the crows were detected far earlier than planned due to the sudden rainfall.
The intense rainfall diminished the fog Wylan’s explosives were supposed to offer, prompting the guards of the house they were fleeing to spot them much faster than anticipated.
This meant everyone was rushing back to the Crow Club and not as attentive to their surroundings.
Well, everyone but Kaz.
Kaz, of course, stayed as attentive as always.
He saw the way the water was gathering in the sight depressed areas of the old roofs.
He warned y/n and Inej to be cautious and aware of them.
But they still had to hurry nonetheless in order to not be caught.
Kaz was a few feet behind on the ground when it happened.
He watched in horror as a bullet pierced her left shoulder, making her dodge to the right in response.
But as she did, she lost her footing when she stepped into the small puddle of water that had formed in a small bowl shape indentation on the roof.
Kaz watched as her ankle buckled and she fell to her side, her upper body hanging over the edge.
Kaz had unconsciously begun to painfully climb the stairs on the side of the building.
Despite the pain in his legs he needed to reach her before the situation worsened.
So he pressed on, reaching the top rather quickly.
But as he pushed himself onto the roof, he could only watch as the guard shoved her lower body off the slanted roof.
It took only seconds for Kaz to disarm the guard and turn him into a bloody withering mess.
As the man slid off the roof, Kaz neared the edge only to see the exact thing he feared he’d see.
Her limp body was laid there, eyes open but blank, blood puddled around her shoulder and head.
He pressed his cane into the roof more to stabilize himself as the rain continued to gush down on him.
He stared at her, waiting for her chest to begin rising and falling again.
It had to.
She had to be okay.
He wasn’t able to think clearly enough to even question it when something suddenly shoved him away from the scene.
His eyes may have physically left the scene at that moment, but the image of her limp frame was already burned into his retinas.
And that image was all he saw until he’d arrived back at the club.
And that image was what continued to haunt him now.
Kaz slowly came back to the present moment, his body trembling and lip bleeding from biting it so aggressively.
He looked up at the illusion of her and glared, “I don’t know what alleged Saint I’ve wronged, but what kind of Saint does this to someone?!”
With a sorrowful look in her eyes, she shook her head, “Kaz, there’s no Saint involved. It’s me, it’s y/n”.
Seeing the anger and disbelief still in his eyes, she closed the distance and smiled softly.
She set her hand palm upwards on his desk, as an invite for him to touch her and see that she was real; if he were able to.
It took several silent minutes of him staring at her hand before he moved.
But, when he did, he reluctantly removed one glove and placed his fingertips against her palm.
His chair squeaked against the floor as he jumped at the feeling of her hand against his fingers.
The feeling he knew and cherished.
As his eyes became glassier, Kaz adjusted so he could firmly place his fingers over her wrist in search of her pulse.
When he acknowledged there was in fact a pulse, his grip on her wrist tightened some.
“B-but-..” He cleared his throat, eyes fierce as they looked up at her in frustration, “You’re supposed to be dead!”
“I’m not though, Kaz” she assured him with a delicate smile.
When he removed his hand from hers to out his glove back on, she waited for him to speak.
However when he didn’t soften his intense glare, she spoke again.
“If you prefer that though..” She teases hoping to break the tension, “I can just-“
“Don’t” Kaz’s raspy voice demanded as he abruptly stood.
He let his eyes scan her whole body slowly.
Both in search of injuries or signs of her fall, and in searches of all the tiny details only he knew.
Like the way she had a faint scar on her elbow from a fight she’d won the night Kaz met her.
Or the details he memorized in the way that she would stand when nervous.
Once he’d had adequate time to take in her appearance, she softly assured him, “I’m here Kaz. It’s me”.
“I thought…” his voice broke and he cleared his throat as to not sound weak when speaking again.
“I lost you” He stated, eyes furrowed as he looked at her.
“Kaz you didn’t-“ she sighed sympathetically as she scanned the pain in his features.
“Yes I did” He corrected, sitting down when his legs shook.
“Losing you was a nightmare that I begged every day to awake from." He admitted, resting his sweaty forehead in his gloved palms as he propped himself up with the support of his desk.
She drug over a chair, her chair that was across the room when she’d arrived.
Sitting beside him without touching him, she spoke softly, “you’ve awakened from it now Kaz. I’m so sorry it to me so long to-“.
“How?” He cut in, eyes dazed as he looked at her.
“How?” She asked, uncertain which topic he was referencing.
“How did you survive? You- he cleared his throat you stopped breathing and the … blood..” he whispered, his gravely voice thicker than normal.
She nodded, “Nina’s friend, Lieke, from the little palace? Well, she happened to be nearby”.
“She’s a heartrenderer?” Kaz asked, racking his brain to see if he already knew this.
Y/n nodded again, “I’d never met her, but Lieke said she owed Nina a favor”.
Kaz was silent as his mind tried to play through it to make sure this wasn’t some twisted scheme.
Y/n knew from the look on his face what he was doing
So, she continued her weak attempt at explaining the situation she barely came to terms with herself.
“I guess she recognized me and us all, thanks to Nina’s stories and your reputation, so when she saw me … fall…” she whispered.
“She waited until it was safe and then she took me in and patched me up. She said I wasn’t awake for a few days… So,.. so I had a late start getting here. I’m sorry-” y/n frowned.
“Don’t” Kaz barked harshly, closing his eyes in guilt at his outburst.
After a moment of tense silence, he took a shaky breath and continued.
“Do not apologize for that” Kaz demanded, “I don’t care how long it took”.
She gave him a thankful timid smile as he glanced up at her.
“I shouldn’t have left you” he said, his voice laced with guilt.
“Kaz, you thought-” she argued, her voice far more sympathetic than Kaz felt he deserved.
“I know what I thought” he snapped, his eyes glazing over again.
“There is no greater terror than watching something you love fall right in front of your eyes” Kaz remarked, staring straight ahead.
“L-love?” Y/n asked, a small gasp escaping her lips.
He nodded once firmly, moving so his eyes were now staring into hers.
She knew he loved her but he hadn’t been able to say it before.
“I love you too Kaz. I’m here, you can breathe now” she calmly said, giving him a tender smile.
Kaz stared at her silently.
He needed to say it.
He wanted to say it.
He thought he had missed his chance before.
He couldn’t risk missing it again now that she was here.
This wasn’t how he thought he’d finally say it to her whenever he found the nerve to.
But, he supposed it was also kinda fitting for them.
“I do” he started, taking a deep inhale upon seeing her confusion, “I do ..love you.”
Her lips snapped up into a wide grin as she gazed lovingly back at him.
“I love you” Kaz repeated, more confidently this time.
She stood up beside his desk, setting her wrist out on his table again.
Kaz glanced at her before tugging off his gloves and gripping her wrist, fingers splayed crossed her pulse.
He closed his eyes as he fought the urge to puke.
But, as his fingers met her skin, her warmth and steady heartbeat under his fingertips was distraction enough.
And the fact it meant she was here and alive was rewarding and calming to him.
When he opened his eyes he saw she’d been switching between watching him and looking at the room.
Kaz instantly became aware of the state of his room.
He felt kiss cheeks warm faintly, “I’ll clean it up”.
She shook her head, tentatively reaching her fingers toward his forehead.
They had touched more than this before, but he was appreciative that she was cautious given everything that’d transpired the last week.
He wasn’t sure how he’d react either.
He nodded at her in approval and his heart fluttered warmly as she delicately pushed some stray hairs from his forehead.
For a few minutes they silently stared at each other, staying like that with her fingers minimally touching his forehead.
“I can’t imagine what you’ve been feeling Kaz” she told him sorrowfully.
Dirtyhands fought with him to stay silent, the way he’d done since the incident happened.
Yet, the fragmented pieces of Kaz Rietveld crawled their way through his walls and told him to open up to her.
He could see the look in her eyes and knew from the tone of her voice that she wanted to understand how he’d been since they last were together.
So, despite his reluctance, he let the pieces of his former self - the ones he thought had died with her-reignite.
“I wanted to scream” he began shyly.
“ I wanted to burst into tears, I wanted to die, but all I could do was stare at the wall in silence and drink” Kaz admitted, motioning to the bottles scattering the floor.
She hummed softly, moving her hand that was near his forehead to place it on top of his hand that had been resting in her other palm.
Kaz closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, but as she went to pull away, he pressed his other hand over hers silently to keep it in place.
When he reopened his eyes he lifted a hand up to cup her cheek, “you’re here”.
She moved closer, “I am. I’m here”.
Kaz gave her cheek a tender stroke with his thumb as he offered her a smile; the kind only she ever got to see.
“No more rooftops” Kaz said, abruptly pulling back and writing something on a piece of paper he grabbed from the floor.
Y/n smirked and rolled her eyes.
Normally she’d argue with him about his overprotective behavior, but she knew better.
She didn’t want to imagine how she’d have been if the roles were reversed.
So instead, she nodded slowly when he looked up at her waiting on her annoyed argument he expected.
He let out a soft sigh of relief and gave her a small nod before he resumed scribbling, “The heartrender was Lieke, you said?”
Y/n smiled and nodded, “Lieke Abspoel. Super nice, from the Little Palace. That’s all I’ve got. Nina probably has more information on her.”
Kaz nodded and made a note to have Zenik bring this heartrender to him later.
For now, he planned to let himself enjoy the moment.
Sensing he was staring at her as she looked around the room, y/n turned back to him.
Smiling softly she walked to the bookshelf across the room and grabbed the hard spine of a book.
Kaz only realized in that moment that when he’d been staring off at the wall, he has actually been staring at that particular book without realizing it.
When she sat on the ledge of his window perch, Kaz routinely joined her, taking the book from her hands.
As he read the title, he felt his face warm and he grinned faintly.
The book he’d been unknowingly staring at the whole time was her favorite book.
Of course it was.
Dirtyhands wanted to smack himself for the loving and soft thoughts floating through his mind right now, but Kaz didn’t care.
He was just glad he hasn’t an actually lost her.
After reading the first line, he abruptly stood up and placed the book down.
Y/n watched in confusion as he dragged his desk chair over to her.
With her nonverbal approval, Kaz tenderly lifted her leg up onto it.
He glanced from the injured leg to her face and she smiled reassuringly “she could only do so much, she said it’ll take another week or so to fully set, but it doesn’t hurt”.
“You shouldn’t have walked here “ Kaz told her, almost scolding her.
She shook her head, “I needed to see you, couldn’t have you thinking you should be moving on without me”.
His eyes snapped to hers and he gave her a firm stare even if she’d been teasing, he wasn’t, “that wouldn’t ever happen”.
She hummed softly and nodded.
He slowly rejoined her, opening the book and holding it just above her leg closest to him as he prepared to read to her.
While he knew things would likely return to normal in the coming weeks, he would always cherish this moment.
Kaz had his girl back.
And now, he knew of additional ways to keep her safe.
Including, perhaps hiring a second heartrender to be on call should the need arise.
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Kaz Brekker Navigation/Masterlist
Six of Crows Navigation/Masterlist
Grishaverse Navigation/Masterlist
Freddy Carter Navigation/Masterlist
Main Navigation/Masterlist (All My Works)
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Current tag list (comment here to added): @directioner5life @ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes @b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r @brekkershadowsinger @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx
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polycrowtruther · 4 months
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I am 🤏 this close to commissioning an artist for fanart of my own fics because I want to see two characters interacting SO BAD. If you know any artists taking comissions that wouldn't mind slogging through my fanfics I'd go FERAL
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beautysamour · 1 year
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Wrong destination | chapter two.
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Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x reader
Summary: After running into Alina and Mal, the three of you try to get out of Noyvi Zem before getting caught. This leads you to another encounter that you’re sure will mess up the time line.
warning/s: none
taglist: @spellsofavalon @vera0124
enjoy!
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“Only two ships in a harbor town? Something’s not right.”
The three of you were currently hiding between some barrels, the current plan was to escape by ship.
“Maybe Bohdan ordered them away,” suggested Alina, “But the first army doesn’t have jurisdiction here,” Mal replied quickly.
You’ve read some books about the first army but you weren’t a hundred percent educated on them. You found the first grisha queen’s story a lot more interesting, and inspiring.
You didn’t speak up at all during the conversation between the two and felt especially awkward when Mal leaned his forehead against hers, you felt like you weren’t supposed to be there.
Which you weren’t, but whatever.
The three of you stepped away from the barrels and began to walk towards the people in front of the ship. You clenched your fists on the walk down; Alina suggested bribing them with 20 million kruge, but you were still on edge from the fight from earlier.
When you reached the people at the ship, Alina outstretched an arm to them handing them a piece of gold, “It’s gold,” she says.
The girl who Alina handed the gold to, took it and- bit it.
“That’ll do,” she said before turning back to a young man behind her, handing him the piece of gold. The young man examined the piece of gold on his own before fully confirming to himself that it was real gold.
“Come on then, hurry up. I’ll take you to the captain.”
Apart of you was actually excited, you were going to be traveling with pirates, not everyone from your time can say they’ve done that. You tried to contain your excitement though, you didn’t want anyone to think you were suspicious.
You were about to say thank you and enter the ship before someone called out for you-“You! Stop!”
The fucking guards.
The girl you first met at the ship immediately stepped towards them, edging them on.
“You want to fight Ravka?”
Still on edge, you took your other shoe off and threw it at the group of men then immediately made a run for it onto the ship, followed by Alina, Mal, and the young man; leaving the young woman alone to humble the group of men.
“Let’s be clear about two things. I don’t take orders on my own ship. And we’re already underway, I’m glad you’ve joined us.”
The captain, you assumed, had his arms on the table in front of him, resting his weight on the table and leaning forward.
He had ginger hair and green muddy eyes. Although he wasn’t standing up straight, you could tell that he was tall. His nose was crooked, it looked as if he got it handed to him multiple times.
“Now, maybe if you’d be so kind as to give the room a little light,” he continued,” after all you are Alina Starkov. A 20 million kurge saint.”
He pulled out a gun from his jacket and set it on the table, voicing out a silent threat, “dead or alive.”
No wonder his nose was crooked, if you felt a little more confident in your fighting abilities you probably also would’ve decked him in the face.
“Before you continue with the threats,” you begin to say honestly not caring about what’s happening. You knew that at the end of this conversation, he would let Alina and Mal out, might as well leave the room as soon as possible, “could I leave the room? I don’t think I’m needed here.”
Tolya, whose name you learned on the way to the captain, let out a deep exhale.
The captain looked at you slightly confused beige nodding and gesturing Tolya to walk you out the room.
“Wait outside the door though, I have to speak with you too,” said the captain before Tolya came up to you and gestured you out the room.
You were hoping to have some quiet outside the room, but you throwing a shoe out of everything at military personnel amused Tolya to no ends, enough for him to stay talking about it for 10 minutes.
“Do you always throw shoes at people?”
“No-“
“Where are you from? You don’t seem like a Ravka girl.”
“Gee, thanks-“
“What brought you here-“
The door abruptly opening cut Tolya off mid sentence.
“Can you give them a small tour around the ship? Then bring them to the fancy quarters,” the captain said before turning his gaze to you and walking back into his office, implying for you to follow, and you did.
“Close the door on your way in,” he said.
You stood awkwardly in the middle of the room when you finished closing the door. The captain went around his desk and resumed the same position he was in when you first walked into his office.
“Now who are you?”
“Y/N.”
“No last name?”
“Who are you?”
“The name’s Sturmhond.”
“Is that your last name?”
“It’d be a terrible first.”
He leaned further on the table, quickly getting irritated at your distancing, “Alright, love, if you came any other day you’d probably be in luck for me to indulge in your little back and forth momentum, but you coincidentally came in the same time as the sun summoner. Not everyone just regularly travels with a saint.”
You looked away from him, afraid that he’ll somehow expose you to be a time traveler.
“So I’ll ask again, and only once again, who are you.”
“I just want a place to sleep at until we reach shore again.”
“That’s utter bull, love, and you know it.”
You look back at him, your emotional and physical tiredness catching up with you, “I just had the unfortunate luck of crossing paths with them, that’s all. You can use a heartrender,” you clear your throat, the memory of Elijah popping up in your head, “to make sure I’m telling the truth when I say I don’t have any ill agenda.”
“But you have one,” he challenges.
“When does someone not?”
He seemed to not have any remarks to that. He didn’t say anything for a few minutes, he just kept his eyes on you.
“Very well,” he finally says. “You seem tired, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.”
He gave you a small grin, looking strangely familiar to Elijah’ grin whenever he teased you.
“May not look like the fanciest, but I swear, it’ll feel as such. Well actually that’s a lie, but what can you expect from a hammock at sea? Enjoy your stay, love.”
You let out a breath you’ve been holding since you walked on to the ship once Sturmhond was far away for you to feel slightly relaxed.
Your area was small and was set in between two other hammocks that belonged to complete strangers. Fortunately you didn’t have any luggage with you so you didn’t have to worry about anything getting stolen. You didn’t even have any shoes.
Wow so classy.
You put one of your legs up on the hammock, attempting to get on it. You failed. Then you tiptoed and set your lower behind on the hammock, trying to get on it once again. This time it worked.
You slowly recline your body, leaning on your side, before turning on your back, now looking up at the ceiling of this sleeping area.
“You would’ve loved this place, eli, you always wanted to be a pirate,” you laugh softly, remembering a childhood moment.
“Arrrr matey, give me your money!”
Elijah, a seven year old, threatened with his weirdly bent fork that was taped onto his pointer finger.
“Eli,” you exclaimed, “that didn’t even rhyme!”
“Arrr matey, pirates don’t have to rhyme my lady,” replied Elijah, pronouncing the end of lady like “ty” to make it rhyme with matey.
“Ew, don’t call me that,” you scrunched your face, cringing at the pet name.
Elijah dropped his shoulders as a pout formed on his face, “Y/N! Can you please play along? You know this is important for me, I have to pass my pirate audition!”
“Pirate audition?” You ask back, “Those exist?”
“Of course they do! How else would pirates become pirates?”
“I guess… ok I’m sorry, I’ll take this more seriously.”
A smile now showed on Elijah’ face, “Ok, from the beginning. Arrrr matey, give me your money!”
You smile, finding the entire thing childishly funny. Then the memory quickly becomes sour when you remember the scene of his head disconnected from the rest of his body. The feeling of having to throw up rapidly makes an appearance, but it stops before it’s too hard to control.
You close your eyes and try to leave the memory, forcing yourself to focus on your surroundings as you try to fall asleep.
“Look lively, topside now!”
You jerk your head up at the sound of a loud voice and push yourself up. You looked around for a few seconds before pushing yourself up completely and brushing any dirt that ended up on your clothes.
“Of course I wake up on the floor,” you mumble to yourself before heading to the ladder at the far end of the department, and climbing up to the deck.
“Hey,” you hear as soon as you get on the deck, “I meant to ask yesterday but it didn’t seem like the right time. Where’d you get your clothes from?”
Sturmhond walked towards you as he asked the question, seemingly waiting for you to show up.
“Where would you get yours,” you asked back as you started to walk away from him, not sure what he wanted. “Where’s Alina and Mal,” you ask before he could answer your rhetorical question.
“Haven’t came up yet. Why? Need the sun summoner for something?”
Of course he was weary of you, it’s not common for someone to genuinely help someone in this time period without wanting anything in return.
“It’s that rare to want to know how the well-being of someone who has previously helped you? Saints, that’s sad.”
Sturmhond snickered from behind you, “Yeah, pretty rare.”
You walked to a side railing, looking over it to watch the water sway beneath you. The ocean was always something that fascinated you; the fact that it makes up so much of the world yet very little is known about it.
Just like your very own power within you.
“Don’t touch that,” you heard from behind you. You quickly turned your head, the feeling of panic striking you, but relief flooded that feeling away when you saw that Sturmhond was talking to Mal and Alina; leaving you alone with the sea beneath your feet.
The sun set just as quickly as it raised. A few members of the ships crew, including its captain and Alina and Mal, embarked on a mission they had once the ship reached a rather mysterious looking island.
When they came back on the ship, it was announced that Alina received her second amplifier and the entire crew was able to watch as she attached it to her body.
Now everyone was asleep, except for you. Not being able to use your power and being stuck in an era that isn’t yours quickly made itself a reoccurring thought. What if you were never able to go home? You still had a family, still had other friends, you still wanted to save Elijah- but how? If you didn’t have your power then what.
Was there an amplifier you could use?
You momentarily stop thinking about these issues once you get to the deck of the ship, the stars in the sky immediately demanding for your attention. A memory of your mother telling you stories about the stars flood your mind.
You feel the soft breeze that always accompanies the ocean as you walk to the middle of the deck and sit down.
“Mom,” you whisper out, “the sea at night is just as you said.”
“Hey,” you hear from behind you, again. The same voice.
“Good evening,” you reply back, starting to get up as you turn towards him.
“It’s late out. Crews not allowed up here after sundown,” he walks towards you, offering you the jacket that was rested on his arm as he gets closer. You glance down at the jacket before looking back up at him, slightly taken off guard at how the moonlight seemed to perfectly light his face.
He’s definitely not bad looking.
“With all due respect, I’m not really apart of the crew,” you reply back, “I’m just here until we reach somewhere safe.” He stands for a few seconds, his hand still holding the jacket out to you.
Taking your words as a rejection, he pulls the hand holding his jacket back to him. He doesn’t say anything to you, he only walks to a side railing on the deck and looks up at the night sky. A comfortable silence rests between you two.
Assuming he wasn’t going to say anything else, you start to walk back to the ladder that led to the hammocks.
“Feel free to stay out, then.”
You stop mid step, mentally weighing the cons and pros of staying out here alone with a man who has made it clear that he does not trust you.
The sky is pretty anyways. You decide to use that as you reason to stay.
You walk towards the same side railing Sturmhond was leaning on, leaving a few inches between you two as you rest your weight on it.
“Why were you out here,” he asked, keeping his eyes straight down, watching the moons reflection of the waters surface.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh wow,” he chuckles while speaking, “you actually gave me a direct answer. Didn’t know you could do that.”
“And I regret doing so,” you say; more on the playful side however, indulging in some sarcastic remarks might be good for your sanity.
From your peripheral, you saw Sturmhond push himself off of the railing, you assumed he was going to walk back inside but he only did so to straighten his back.
“Even though you aren’t apart of my crew permanently, you still eat, sleep, and spend time on my ship. You’re still under my supervision, which means you’re in my crew,” he turns misled towards you, leaning on his side against the railing this time, “and I like to know my crew.”
Mirroring his body movement, you also turn yourself towards him. Maybe telling this stranger, who you’ll never meet again and who you don’t remember in any history books, a few things about you wouldn’t do you any harm. It might be good to make some friends for the mean time.
“Down for a few questions?”
“Alright, my name is Y/N.”
“Still no last name?”
“Still no last name.”
“Ok…,” he chuckled again. “If I can’t know your last name, then can I know how you met the sun summoner? Like I said, that’s not just some regular encounter. Why are you on my ship?”
“I want to go home,” you said; ignoring the first part of his question. “I got lost and I just want to go back.”
“Where’s your home?”
“Ravka.”
You heard a sound come from him, something akin to a laugh, “You’re from Ravka?”
“Yeah,” you said, a little confused as to why he asked again.
He turned his body away from you, looking off into the distance as the smell of sea water and the cool evening breeze took over your senses.
“What do you think about the prince,” he suddenly asks, still looking off into the distance.
The prince? Who was the prince at this time…
You tried to remember all the history books you read and cursed yourself for only really caring about the grisha queen- but then you remember a name that was commonly brought up alongside her and who was once king.
“The puppy prince?”
Sturmhond suddenly turned his head towards you, his expression mixed with surprise and annoyance.
Maybe he knew the prince…?
“Puppy prince?” He repeats, his tone unidentifiable.
You nod slowly, a little worried that you might’ve offended him, “I don’t know him personally and I don’t have an opinion on him, but I’ve heard people call him that.”
He ran a hand through his hair, his shoulder lowering as he rested his forearms on the railing; a sigh escaping his mouth.
He mumbles a few things under his breath that you were unable to catch on to.
“How’d you get away from home?”
“I,” you trailed off, not sure if you wanted to tell him that, “I’m trying to find a cure, for a friends sickness. He’s already in dire need of help, so I’d like to reach shore as soon as possible.”
He didn’t say anything. It was silent again; the sound of the waves and the breeze being the only audible thing at this time of day.
You push yourself off the railing, realizing how late it is; “Well, sturmhond, thank you for the company. I’ll be going back inside now.”
You began to walk away from him, looking up at the sky while doing so.
“Y/N,” Sturmhond says, causing you to stop walking before you could reach the ladder, “We’ll get you home. Promise.”
“Ok,” you respond with a small smile, not looking back at him, “I’ll keep you to it.”
“Come with us, it’s the fastest way to get you to shore.”
After your talk with Sturmhond on the deck, he’s been very persistent on updating you on how close you guys were to shore.
You were surprised that he seemed to care that much, about someone who wasn’t truly apart of his crew. You weren’t going to take that for granted though.
“When do you leave?”
“In an hours time, so pack quickly.”
“I-“ you began to say but he walked away before you could even finish, “…I didn’t even give you an answer yet.”
You sighed as you turned back to your hammock, that had nothing on it, since you had nothing with you. You decided to walk around the ship to make the hour go by quicker.
“Y/N!”
Alina, who you haven’t spoken too for some days, ran to you immediately at seeing you.
“Alina-“ she ran up to you quicker that you expected and pulled you into a massive bear hug, cutting your air circulation. “You’re coming with us?” She asked when she finally pulled away.
You nodded, “Don’t get my wrong, your shoe throwing is a very unique tactic but I don’t think that’ll affect the monsters in the fold that much.”
You froze at her words and just stared at her, dumbfounded.
You’re going into the fold?
“How’s it feel, ready to take on the fold?”
Mal asked while walking up to you two, specifically to Alina.
As Alina averted her attention for you to Mal, you took it as your chance to give them space. You still felt as if you shouldn’t be apart of any of their conversations since they’ve already had it without you; you didn’t want to mess up the timeline anymore than you assumed you already have.
Nervousness began to bubble in the pit of your stomach. In modern Ravka, there is no fold, you didn’t have to worry about any shadow monsters. You’re in the past though, you remind yourself. Of course your luck would lead you here.
“There you are, I was about to go looking for you,”to your right was Sturmhond who was currently walking towards you, “Excited?”
“Of course n-“ you stop yourself mid sentence. Yes, apart of you was upset that he was throwing you into the equivalent of hell, but he was also the reason why you’d reach Ravka sooner than most. So you didn’t really have any room to complain.
You inhale before restarting your sentence, “To get to Ravka? Yes. To travel through the Fold? No.”
He smirked at your words, “Aw don’t worry, we’ve got a saint with us- you two ready?” He asked Alina and Mal. They nodded, “Might want to hold on to something,” Sturmhond told you as he walked to the middle of his ship, where a lever was rested at.
“Prepare to decouple,” he yelled out. The twins, Tolya and Tamar jumped on the ship; surprising you as they seemed to have come from thin air. Sturmhond yelled out to someone on the other side of the ship before pulling the lever. Just on cue, Kovu, who Sturmhond yelled out to just a few moments ago, moved his arms in a precise motion, pushing air up and towards the sails.
You felt the part of the ship you were on began to lift into the air, you quickly grabbed on to the ledge and jerked your body back so you didn’t see the ground.
This is just like an airplane, you tell yourself in an attempt to slow down your rapidly increasing heartbeat. In front of you, Alina threw herself onto a bench; seemingly afraid. Mal entered your sight of vision as he came up to Alina trying to get her to get up.
You laughed at the view, not because you were making fun of her, but because of how common it is to fly in your time. You wonder how Alina would react to being on an actual airplane.
Still, even though your use to flying in the air, a creation like this-that you’ve studied in school before and is now on- it was fascinating. You slowly turn your body back towards the ledge, looking over it now and overseeing the view.
“This is amazing,” you meant to whisper out but it came out a lot louder than intended.
“Did you expect any less,” Sturmhond questioned as he stood next to you while leaning against the same ledge, “It’s like you haven’t even met me,” he joked. “Years and years of designs,” he continued, “and several dozen crashed prototypes.” He winced out the last part of his sentence, not the proudest at that fact, but it was expected.
You looked at him surprised, “You made this?” He nodded. “…you’re an inventor?” He nodded again. Of course he’s an inventor.
“I know,” he said with a smirk, “smart and handsome, gotta leave something for the rest of you all.”
You rolled your eyes at his cockiness; averting your gaze from him to watch the ground as you fly above it. You didn’t have a view like this on an airplane.
“Captain,” a crew member yelled out, “The Fold’s in sight.”
“Wonderful. Next stop,” he yelled so Alina and Mal could hear, “Destiny.”
It was all a blur, the time in the fold.
All you remember is Alina attempting to take down the Fold, then something happened which caused her to fail her attempt. Then suddenly it was all dark, and there were monsters, and gun shots, and screeches- it was horrific. Everything the history books said it was like.
And now it was dark again. You couldn’t see or feel, maybe you were dead. Then suddenly you hear voices.
“One, two, three,-“
And suddenly you saw light again.
Your body jerked up at the feeling of oxygen rushing into your lungs. Around you, you heard sighs of reliefs and thanks being given to the saints as someone aggressively patted your back and you coughed up the remaining water that was in your lungs.
You turned to look at the person patting your back and was met with someone completely unfamiliar, but attractive.
“Almost lost you there,” said the stranger as he wiped his mouth with the back of his palm.
“Who the hell are you-“ the sound of horns blaring and soldiers marching drained out your voice.
“You’ve crossed illegally onto Ravkan soil. Identify yourselves,” asked who you assume to be the commander of the group of soldiers as they came to a stop.
The blonde stranger next to you gave you another pat on the back before getting up from his current position on his knees, “I’ll handle this.”
“Have I really changed that much,” he asked as he jumped down from the wrecked ship, “I knows it’s been a number of years but people swear I remain boyishly handsome.”
You snort at his words. He may look unfamiliar but he definitely acts like someone you know.
Speaking of which, where is…
“It can’t be,” said the commander
“Yes it is,” replied the stranger as he took off his jacket.
“Moi tsarevich.”
As soon as the commander mumbled out those words, he and the rest of his troops immediately got down on one knee.
Tsarevich… prince…
“Alina,” you call out, “where’s Sturmhond?”
Alina looked back at you with widened eyes, as if she came to the same conclusion that you have.
Oh.
He was definitely someone you remembered in those history books.
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nyctophicbtch · 1 year
Text
The King's Healer - Nikolai Lantsov
Summary: As Nikolai’s healer, neither of you dared making a move, and you were determined in refusing Zoya’s proposal of marriage to secure the throne. That is, until Ravka’s king decided to stumble into your room all bloodied in the most ungodly hour of the night.
Warnings: King of Scars spoilers, slight angst, mentions of blood
Word Count: 2,500
The private meetings in the war room were your least favorite part of the day, only because you’d have to spend a good amount of time listening to Zoya mention all the terrible things that had been happening recently, as if you everyone wasn’t already stressing about it enough.
The meeting had always been occasionally filled with witty retorts between the king and his general, along with their three trusted grisha. And if that hadn’t been irritating enough to Nikolai, Zoya had been persistent in securing Ravka’s throne through marriage.
“This is the perfect opportunity for you to find a bride.”
“Absolutely not,” Nikolai replied immediately.
“Fine. If you won’t bother to listen to the long list I have then just marry her,” she suggested, raising her eyebrows expectantly at you as if she’d already expected Nikolai to refuse the idea of marriage.
You shot Zoya a pointed look. It was late at night and you wanted nothing more than to jump into the soft mattress of your bed.
“Having a grisha on the throne is not the most ideal measure.”
“Alina Starkov was grisha, yet no one was against it.”
“She was the sun summoner; she was a saint. That was different,” you argued, hesitantly glancing at Nikolai to see his face masked as ever whilst watching your exchange with his general, the same emotionless face he’d wear in council and war meetings displayed.
“Better than a stranger to his claws.”
“No, Zoya.” Your tone held certainty to it, concluding the conversation to an end.
There was no marrying Nikolai. He would have to find someone of a high rank lovesick enough to hopefully ignore the monster he becomes at night. And then you would go back to becoming his healer and no more.
It disgusted you to admit how much the thought pained you. After all those years of tending to Nikolai, as both the prince and privateer, and now as your king, you had the most access to him. His days as the prince and privateer weren’t the most subtle when it came to you either, shamelessly flirting with you any chance he got.
“The next try will be more compelling,” Zoya stated, turning to leave through the doors.
Genya stood still, eyes on the ground, and David looked expectantly at Nikolai.
A look passed between Genya and her king as she brought herself back from whatever thought she had been in, and Nikolai took that as his cue to say something.
“Yes, you are dismissed, David.”
He slightly bowed in respect, ushering Genya out of the war room and making sure to close the doors behind him; and as soon as you heard the hefty click of the doors closing, you turned to Nikolai who already had his eyes on you from across the room, a glint of suggestion in them.
“Nikolai, no.”
“Marriage wouldn’t be so bad, you know.” As soon as the words left his mouth, you caught a glimpse of the young prince before you, his solemn king facade fading. It was in rare moments like this with you he’d find himself at ease, not having to strategize every facial expression or word that comes out of his pretty mouth.
It was always easy with you. You were by his side for as long as he could remember. Every wound and every injury he had to deal with as Sturmhond and as prince Nikolai, you were there to wipe them all away, making sure to follow his request of taking your sweet time to avoid any scars. But the both of you knew that was never his only intention though, only keeping you longer to endure his derisive flirting.
“Yes it would be,” you insisted as Nikolai strided his way to you from the far corner of the table. “The least that Ravka needs right now is a grisha as their queen, let alone a healer. The country’s vulnerable, it needs someone of high power, better yet a strong alliance for our benefit. I will do no good for the throne except securing it. What then? It doesn’t solve the crisis our country is in. It will do you better to marry someone with more political benefits and-”
And his lips were on yours, silencing the lecture he had already gotten plenty of times, more so enough to sink into his head. Yet he could care less. Nikolai was not going to marry off some stranger he didn’t know. He wanted you as his queen and he was going to make that damn well known to you.
His kiss grew more fervent every passing second, a hand coming up to hold your face close to his and the other wrapping around you as he slowly guided you backwards until you felt the table against you.
“Nik- '' you managed to breathe out as he broke apart to trail his lips down your neck, hands feeling at your sides.
Nikolai pulled back slightly, just enough for you to see his breathless state and the haze he had in his eyes as he stared you down through hooded lids. Even in the dim light, you could make out how his pupils had dilated, the sharp edges of his face illuminated by a soft glow.
“Marry me.” His words were a whisper against your lips.
You could care less about the lecture you wanted to give him right now, and instead engrossed yourself in the feel of his lips against yours once more, fingers urgently tugging at his hair in an attempt to pull him closer than he already was. At this point, you were sitting atop of the table with his hands caging on either side of you and not caring that you were knocking the miniatures forming Ravka’s battle plans.
You could already feel his small grin of amusement starting to form against your lips as he felt frustration coarse through every bone in your body.
Nikolai had gained a liking in seeing you irked towards him during his privateer times. Every glare you sent his way only increased his satisfaction, knowing he could affect you in ways no one else could.
“You are not going to woo me into securing the throne,” you said breathlessly after gently pushing him away.
“I’m not wooing you to secure the throne. I’m doing it for personal selfish reasons.”
“We can’t keep doing this, Nikolai.”
“So marry me,” he reasoned, a hint of plea edged onto his voice. “No more hiding and holding back; no more uncertainty.”
You shook your head, pushing him further away to give you space to stand and walk out without uttering another word. And Nikolai let you. He never stopped you or pushed the boundaries he came to learn throughout the years.
-
Genya could’ve been more subtle with her anticipation.
“I’m not marrying Nikolai, Genya.”
“You say that as if it’s more of a disadvantage than it is beneficial.”
“The only good it will do is secure the throne.”
“Better than nothing.” Genya shrugged, opening the doors to your room. “If he were to marry anyone else it could backfire once the monster is unleashed.”
“Not if they're enticed enough. Shouldn’t be too difficult with Nikolai’s natural charm.”
The tailor kept silent bidding you a silent goodbye as you walked into your room.
“He’d never want harm to come your way, you know. Don’t be afraid,” you heard her softly speak before closing the doors.
You were afraid.
You weren’t sure if you were ready to face what lied ahead if you said yes to his many attempts of proposal, afraid of the change that would come with it. After the numerous changes that happened all at once with the Darkling, the thought of ruining what you once had with Nikolai terrified you.
Right now, you wanted nothing more than to shove all thoughts away in deep slumber. Unfortunately for you, Nikolai was not going to allow that, seeming as how the loud noise of the doors opening caught your attention as he staggered into your room.
“I’m not hearing any of it Ni-” You paused once your gaze landed on his bloodied form, red seeping through the side of his clothes.
“Saints, Nikolai.” You quickly rushed to his side before his legs could give out and tore open his shirt. “What happened?”
“So eager to undress me now are we?” He managed to cast a weak grin when you guided him to the floor.
Even bleeding to death he still managed to flirt with you.
It reminded you of the countless times Sturmhond would burst into your room on the Volkvolny with blood staining his shirt, in dire need of your abilities before he bled to death. Most times, it ranged from broken and bruised to a tiny cut on his lips.
Does it have to be your hands? Or can you heal through a kiss? he would ask every time and your response would always be a jab to his other wounds, causing him to recoil in pain and slap your hand away.
“Shh. Stay still. The more you move the more blood you’ll lose.”
“Always so demanding when I’m on the brink of death,” he protested.
You ignored the never ending comments he threw at you and worked on the huge gash on his side, trying to keep him from losing any more blood than he already had managed to lose on his own.
“Don’t you dare close your eyes,” you ordered when you noticed his eyelids drooping.
“How could I when all I can see is you- Ow,” Nikolai winced when you sealed a small part of his wound, hands going limp at his sides.
“Apologies, moi tsar.” It didn’t sound the slightest bit sincere.
For the next hour you continued working on Nikolai, nudging him awake every time he’d go silent and deafening comments stopped flowing out of his mouth. He did end up falling unconscious after a while and although you’d never admit it, you were surprised that he could stay awake for so long in his terrible state. Maybe it was because he had gotten used to being threatened to stay awake when you fix him up, or perhaps he was just that keen on annoying you as you struggled to save his life.
“You beef-witted idiot,” you whispered as you gently laid him down on your bed and pulled the covers over him. You couldn’t recall when you gave in to your tiredness and closed your eyes, but when you found your eyes fluttering open to the sunlight shining through your windows, you knew Zoya would be demanding answers.
It hadn’t even been a second after you regained your senses that you jumped upright, and when you found Nikolai still soundlessly asleep beside you, you allowed yourself to relax and lay back down.
Your fingers acted on their own accord, threading through his soft golden locks as you eyed his sunlit features. Even disheveled he managed to look like he was crafted by the saints himself. His shirt was torn open in the middle and you were sure Nikolai wasn’t going to let that go so easily even if it was a means to save his life. He had a tiny cut on his forehead that managed to go unnoticed during the night, given how preoccupied you were with the bigger task at hand.
Your fingers left his hair to hover above the cut, sealing it without leaving a trace.
“Well, don't stop now.” The sound of his voice brought some assurance to you that you hadn’t failed him yet
“Morning,” you hummed as he adjusted his eyes to the light.
“I certainly wouldn’t mind waking up like this every morning.” Nikolai shifted his body and winced at the soreness he felt, wrapping an arm to snuggle against you nevertheless.
“If another proposal is coming, I swear to the saints, Nikolai-”
“I love you.” Nikolai sensed the way your body tensed at his confession. He rubbed gentle motions on your bare arm with his thumb in an attempt to soothe you. “I love you with every fiber of my being and I’m sorry I hadn’t said it sooner.”
This time he looked at you with so much intensity you weren’t sure whether you wanted to hit him in the head or burst into tears for finally saying it out loud.
“You don’t have to marry me if you don’t want to. But I’ll never forgive myself if I end up hurting you by having you watch me learn to love someone else. If that is even possible.”
Your hand reached out to his jaw and Nikolai closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of your hands gently cradling his face. This time, the kiss that came was gentle and filled with longing.
Yes, you were afraid of what was to come, but somehow, Nikolai and his stupid charm managed to drown those fears.
“Yes,” you mumbled against his lips.
“What?” He slowly pulled away, allowing you to get a glimpse of his brows furrowed in confusion.
“I’ll marry you, Nikolai Lantsov.”
The grin that found its way to his face was even more blinding than the morning sunlight that had woken you up and you found yourself mimicking his beaming expression, until his lips curled suggestively and you dread the comment that was going to come with it.
“Don’t forget, we still need an heir to properly secure the throne,” he whispered against the shell of your ear, earning a push to his wounded side.
“Ow. Well don’t re-open it.”
“I just might and seal it back again if you keep this going on.”
Before Nikolai could give one of his snarky responses, the door flew open to reveal Zoya marching in with Genya trailing behind her.
“He’s missing-” Zoya’s words got caught in her throat as she saw Nikolai looking cozy beside you.
“You were supposed to stay drugged,” she deadpanned. “Care to explain what happened?”
The trail of dried up blood along the hallway and on your floor was certainly one of the great sources for questions. Innumerable things had happened the past few hours to an extent where you had forgotten to question how Nikolai had ended up in such a concerning state in the first place.
“Wasn’t drugged enough. Transformed back mid-air and managed to land in the armory. Luckily, I managed to get here before I bled to death. No, I don’t think I flew far off and stayed inside the palace walls. Oh, and we’re engaged.”
The rare occurance of Nikolai catching Zoya off guard was an amusing sight to witness. Whatever words she was expecting, it certainly wasn’t that. But she was never one to let any emotion other than discontent display on her face for too long.
“Get dressed. War room in fifteen minutes.”
“I thought you were the king,” you bemused once Zoya was out of earshot.
“And yet Baghra managed to scare the entire royal family.”
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bey0nd-1he-stars · 1 year
Text
Wedding bands - Nikolai Lantsov
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Masterlists
Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x reader
Wordcount: 1268
Warnings: none
Summary: You finally tell your friends and crew what your ring is for.
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The wind blew in the sails, carrying the Volkvolny across the open seas. Almost the whole crew were up on deck, a few squallers minding the sails but mostly letting the natural wind do the work. Tamar and Tolya had gathered a small group of people and settled down for a few rounds of cards. Nikolai had sat down on the floor up on quarterdeck, a map laid out in front of him. You were out on request of the king so Nikolai hadn’t bothered to tailor himself. You kept close to Ravkan shores anyway and it was his waters so neither of you were especially worried. You stood behind him, watching over his shoulder as he studied it. Usually he would keep all of his maps down in the captain’s cabin but the sun was out and the soft breeze was refreshing. And you were out here on deck. That was always a plus. 
After a while Nikolai rolled up the map and stood to leave it in his cabin. You just gave him a nod and a smile before Tamar shouted for you to join them. They had sat down on the main deck at a bench and used a crate as a table. You smiled in thanks when Tolya handed you a set of cards. Your ring flashed in the sun when you took them from him and you saw his gaze flickering down to it for just a second. When you’d played for a while, Tolya brought it up.
“What’s that ring for? You always wear it and you’ve been wearing it since I met you,” he placed down his card in the pile and looked up at you. You smirked and placed down your card as well, leaving you victorious, “you know I won't tell you.” He shrugged, “worth a shot.” Tamar looked at you with raised eyebrows, “your heart rate picked up,” she stated with a smirk and placed a card in the pile. A faint blush covered your cheeks and you looked away from her for a second, and that was your mistake.
“You’re in love with someone!” she exclaimed and turned to face you fully. You let out a surprised huff and laughed softly, “what?” 
“Who’s in love?” Nikolai’s deep voice cut you off and you all turned towards him. The sun made his hair look golden. His hazel eyes looked like they had pieces of gold flowing in them and the blue of his jacket complimented his looks very well. It blew softly in the wind and tugged at the ends. Your Y/H/C hair was up but a few strands got caught in the wind and Nikolai had to tear his gaze away from you, his breath caught in his throat for a second. Tamar smirked and turned to you again. 
“Dear Y/N here. Her ring is a ring from a lover.” 
“Well that’s no news,” Nikolai smiled and sat down beside Tolya and you all returned to the game but continued talking. Tolya seemed a bit upset at his statement, “what do you mean ‘no news?’ You knew?” He turned to Nikolai who just shrugged and smirked at him. Tamar let out a huff, “you bastard,” she mumbled and both you and Nikolai burst out laughing. 
“But I’m right, then? You are in love?” Tamar pressed. They’d finished playing and Tolya had lost. Now the cards just laid in a pile in the crate and all the attention was directed towards you. You searched for Nikolai’s gaze and he gave you a quick, almost unnoticeable nod.
“Yeah, you are. I'm in love.” Tamar smirked at that and gave you a nod to continue. 
“What? What do you want me to say?” you laughed and started gathering together the cards again in a proper pile. 
“Well, is it a promise ring? Or how far along are we talking?” Tolya said and encouraged you to tell them all of it. Nikolai just shook his head in amusement. That it could be so interesting to know about your love life, but he stayed anyway. He wanted to see their reactions if you decided to tell them the truth. 
“It’s… It’s a wedding ring, actually,” you confessed and twisted the ring on your finger. The gemstones glittered in the sun and the gold shined. You had decided to just wear the wedding ring on your finger and hung the promise ring and the engagement ring on a chain around your neck, hiding away the Lantsov emerald from plain sight. Tolya gaped at your statement and then he turned to Nikolai.
“You knew she's married?” he asked, stunned that you’d told Nikolai and not them. You were all very close friends and Tolya thought that you’d tell them all if you were to tell anyone. But so the case didn’t seem to be because Nikolai knew. Your husband chuckled, “fortunately enough, I do.” Tolya turned to Tamar, feeling a bit betrayed but in a joking manner, of course. Tamar, intrigued, turned to Nikolai too, deciding it probably would be easier to get him to spill what he knew than to try to ask you. 
“Do you know who he is?” She lifted an eyebrow at him and leaned forward and rested her head in her hand. Nikolai’s gaze flicked to yours, amusement swirling in his eyes and a smirk resting on his lips. 
“Would be weird if I didn’t.”
“Well, tell us,” The twins demanded. Nikolai just smirked and with a laugh he lifted his own left hand where a golden wedding band rested on his ring finger. 
“Him? You’re married to him?” Tamar turned back to you, surprised but when she thought about it, it made sense. You always hung around Nikolai, often touching him, whether it was a hand on his shoulder, a hand threading through his hair or your elbows or knees touching. And if you weren’t with him your gaze always traveled the area as if taking in the scenery, but in reality, you were just looking for him. She’d never thought about it before but those days when something went bad or when he was hurt, or maybe just having a tough day and he disappeared into his captain’s cabin, you disappeared too. You watched as the puzzle pieces started to fit together in her head and you just nodded.  
“How long?” Tolya wondered out loud. Nikolai smiled, “a few years.” You nodded along with a smile “how long have you seen me wear this ring?” 
Tamar smiled, she knew you were telling the truth, but still, it was fun to tease you both, “prove it,” she demanded with a laugh. 
“Prove it?” Nikolai wondered, “what do you mean prove it? Isn’t the rings pretty big proof, or how do they marry in Shu Han?” Tamar smirked, “I demand to see a kiss.” Nikolai turned to you and you just shrugged. They were your closest friends, it didn’t matter if they saw you kiss one time. You took the hand Nikolai reached out to you and he pulled you to your feet. With one arm around your waist and one cupping your face, he pressed his lips to yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer to you, burying your hands in his golden locks. You heard them cheer you on and Nikolai smiled into the kiss. When the two of you pulled away, Nikolai held you close to him anyway, looking into your eyes and smiling like an idiot, happy that you finally could show your relationship among your friends.
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ao3statistics · 4 months
Note
Who does Kaz Brekker love the most?
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I wasn't quite sure what you wanted, so you get both: Ships and the statistics for that one tag "Kaz Brekker loves...".
Date: 07.01.2024
The first chart is literally based on a single tag on Ao3. Just saying... it's for funsies.
I assume no guarantee or liability for the completeness, correctness and accuracy of this chart despite my best efforts.
Includes fanfictions in all languages available on Ao3, NOT English only. Percentages were rounded up or rounded down to natural numbers for easier comprehension.
Includes all popular Ao3 tags directly connected to the tag "Kaz Brekker loves *xy*".
Results for the pairing "KB/Reader" and "KB/You" were added up, as were the results for female and male OC's.
Poly ships were included (as you can see).
More charts will follow. :)
Want to have a chart for different pairings, headcanons etc. in your favourite fandom? Send me an ask!
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mlmarint · 1 year
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i we did something bad
a modern six of crows social media au! When Inej Ghafa finally decided to get revenge on the people who sexually assaulted her, she didn’t imagined that she would end up in the craziest friend group of all (or to start to fall in love with Kaz Brekker).
series masterlist | next >
MEET THE CROWS
Inej
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Kaz
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Jesper Fahey
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Nina Zenik
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Wylan Van Eck
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Matthias Helvar
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Notes: there is so much I want to explain about this fanfic! But i have decided to let most of it to the plot.
First, this is an au set on Os Alta University in some version of modern Ravka and that means will have mentions of others Grishaverse’s characters. The most important thing that I want to let clear since the beginning: Kaz will not have full touch aversion, the same goes for Inej trauma, but don’t worry we will get the angst.
I’ll post this on AO3, but I’ll keep you guys updated here also!! You can find me on AO3 here.
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reallifegenya · 4 months
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"Fedyor," Ivan whispered, the breath of his words crystallizing in the cold air. Cradling Fedyor in his arms, he murmured, "Hold on, my love. I am here now."
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