#jesper fidgets no more

[shit-people-probably-didnt-say]

Its facts you cant move if pets or Wylans fall asleep on you

#he knows what hes doing #jesper fidgets no more #soc #six of crows #jesper fahey #wesper #shadow & bone #wylan van eck

[undiscovered-horizon]

"Four Crow Investigation II: Lovebirds' Outfox" - Kaz Brekker x Reader

[Four Crow Investigation]

☽ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ☾

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SUMMARY: Nina and the rest of "crow-vestigators" are not as inconspicuous as they think. Being a little too spiteful for your own good, Kaz and you string them along. What the amateur detectives consider "evidence" of an affair is actually a well-thought-out scenario.

WORDCOUNT: ~ 2.1k

>>Grishaverse-inspired playlist&lt;<

You stare with amusement as Wylan, Jesper, Inej and Nina are sitting around the table in a hardly inconspicuous manner. They’re leaning so close to each other, their bodies are covering their faces but you don’t need to read their lips or expressions to know exactly what they’re talking about. Meaningful glances, small nudges, animated whispering - none of that escaped your attention.

Then, you feel Kaz squeezing your hand in an attempt to shift your focus from the gossiping friends back to him. His eyebrows are slightly raised in a silent question.

"Do you think they know that we know that they know?" you ask, cringing at the word salad filled with repetitions.

"No," Kaz answers without hesitation. "Considering how long it took them to notice something so obvious, their observation skills are more underwhelming than I had originally thought."

The two of you glance towards your friends once more, left to only guess what tall tales they were making up. Observation skills, Kaz’s voice resounds in your head. Yes, they are good at noticing things they are desperately looking for, so, maybe, if they are looking for crumbs…

"Actually, I have an idea,” you begin in a hushed tone.  Kaz turns to look at you, his expression hardens the moment he notices your mischievous grin. “Up for a bit of roleplay?"

It’s been a wild week for the four Crows. They sat down at a corner table, across the club from you and Kaz talking about something by the bar counter. Absorbed by the conversation, you’re pouring a drink in a record-long time. Your hand hovers above the rum bottle as you’re closely listening to Kaz saying something. Then, to the surprise of the gossip club, you erupt in laughter.

Jesper frowns. “I’m telling you, there’s two of them. She gets the nice Kaz, we get the mean one.”

“No, the mean Kaz is still inside,” Inej refutes. “The nice one is making an effort to bury him but he’s definitely in there. Saw it myself.”

He turns back towards the group. Jesper puts his finger up in a warning gesture and speaks slowly: “Do not tell me Kaz Brekker is a knight in shining armour because there is no way I’m treating that as anything but a bad joke. I’m barely believing the stuff I’ve seen with my own two eyes.”

“N-no, there is some truth to that,” Wylan interjects. “I didn’t see him get angry,” he quickly adds, ”just… strangely protective.”

“So we can agree,” Nina says with expected giddiness, “there is passion in the perpetually grim Kaz Brekker.”

Jesper squints his eyes with suspicion. “I hate the fact that you used passion and Kaz in the same sentence but at the same time I’m curious why.”

“Oh, you’re going to love it!” She taps the table excitedly. “I’ll go first.”

╚ Nina’s Evidence ╝

You’re pacing around the office, jumping from one leg to another, shaking and fidgeting as much as you can without making much noise. While preparing to fool the Heartrender’s power, you’re ensuring that you look the part:

“Is this obscene enough?” you ask unbuttoning your shirt further. Tugging at your clothing, you’re making yourself look even more disheveled. Even the smallest sound outside the office door makes you jump as you’re impatiently waiting for a certain creek of one of the steps.

Kaz doesn’t answer. His watchful eyes are following your movements as he’s focusing on keeping his attention on the task at hand. That bright mind of his, however, fights relentlessly to memorize your unkempt look instead.

Not hearing him respond to your question, you turn around to look at Kaz. Leaning against the desk, he’s just staring at you with a quite inexplicable intensity. His unspoken passion is only making the voice in the back of your head louder: what if it was Him undoing my shirt?

But you stifle this thought. It’s not the time for this. Searching for distraction, you look at Kaz’s collar - the first two buttons are undone but they make him appear more sleepy rather than caught red handed at a moment of weakness.

“May I?” you ask, gesturing towards his garment.

“Go ahead,” he quietly answers. There’s a lot of trust in his lack of movement and calmness about your closeness.

Carefully, you grab the hem of his collar and open his shirt further, while making sure your fingers do not even graze the bare skin underneath, despite the urge sitting deep inside your abdomen. Then, you take a step back, examining his general state and whether it sets a believable scene. A proud smile creeps onto your face.

“You’re really enjoying this,” Kaz states.

“Actually,” you say as you lean against the table, fairly unaware that because of your disheveled clothing your cleavage is significantly more visible, “I’d be enjoying this little scheme a lot more if we were in fact being scandalous.”

Whether that was your objective or not, Kaz’s heartbeat picks up noticeably, his rogue mind flashing explicit images before his eyes.

A creek of stairs.

You and Kaz give each other a meaningful glance and you push the paperweight off the desk, knowing that Nina can hear it. The door swings open and you’re immediately in character, looking away with the most embarrassed expression you could muster.

Kaz clears his throat. “Is there a reason why you’re barging in?”

Nina looks a bit lost, still piecing together what she might have just interrupted. “I… uhm… I talked with Lizzie Hardy. She’s in, we can count on her.”

“Understood,” he says in a low, firm voice. “Now go. And learn to knock.”

A half-grin enters her face as she gets rid of any doubts as to what the two of you had been presumably occupied with before she entered. With a skip to her step, Nina throws a “You bet I will!” before leaving the office. She’s quite sure no one will have a better gossip than her.

╚ Wylan’s Evidence ╝

Wylan is startled by your yelp of pain, almost dropping the delicate vial in his hands. His focus immediately shifts to you, who is now frowning with your hand raised slightly above your head. A string of curses leaves your mouth as you check the wound again - yes, still there and still bleeding.

Right, bleeding.

“Are you okay?” he asks in a worried tone. Part of you feels guilty for fooling Wylan because of the sheepiness he wears most of the time but, on the other hand, he is part of the gossip girl club. This little scheme is just a consequence of his choice.

“Yeah, no problem. I’m a big girl, I’ll just wrap this and I’ll be fine,” you answer casually.

Pretending to look for something that can work as a bandage, you’re praying that Wylan can’t smell the cranberry preserve slowly dripping down your forearm. There’s an urge deep inside you to lick the jam, almost tasting the sweet and sour fruit in your imagination.

Kaz, who was waiting for the well-played-out yelp, rushes into the room with a grim expression. The moment he’s supposed to notice your injury, he makes a show of dropping his shoulders. He’s not saying anything, only giving short sighs and annoyed grunts as he reaches for a random rag laying around. 

“I’d advise against cutting off your fingers,” he says loud enough for Wylan to hear as he’s tightening the wrapped rag around your palm. "You need to be more ca-" Kaz cuts himself off, suddenly realizing he was about to use an off-limits word. "You need to pay attention to what you're doing."

Looking over Kaz’s shoulder, you see Wylan nervously glancing at the two of you out of the corner of his eyes. Jesper is going to hear world-shattering news in the next hour - on that you can safely bet any number of limbs.

╚ Jesper’s Evidence ╝

Too busy retelling what he had learned while following Lizzie Hardy, Jesper doesn’t notice the tiny signal you give Kaz while the three of you are walking through the streets of Ketterdam.

Air, cobblestone, a lost dog - it doesn’t matter. You stumble over something but ever watchful Kaz manages to grab you by the waist, preventing you from falling. To be honest, until this moment you weren’t completely sure this is going to work out because you never practiced this with Kaz. Well, you did, once, but the two of you got significantly distracted early on. So the plan to outfox Nosy Jesper was a leap of faith - literally and figuratively.

Jesper, the man in question, halted his story as he’s watching the unbelievable occurrence of Kaz having a caring reflex. For a moment he considers whether this wasn’t some kind of miraculous coincidence but on the other hand, the movement looked so natural and purposeful that it simply had to be deliberate.

Standing on your own, you look towards Jesper, who’s still staring at you and Kaz with furrowed eyebrows and his mouth slightly agape. “You were saying?” you coax him to continue as though nothing happened.

“Yes, right, the thing,” he stutters out as he’s trying to remember what he was talking about before seeing something so strange he’s questioning his own sanity.

╚ Inej’s Evidence ╝

Due to the late hour, or rather an hour so late it can be considered early, the club is deserted except for you and Kaz sitting by the bar. He’s silently watching your profile as you’re applying another layer of theatrical paint and makeup.

“Does it look realistic?” you ask for the hundredth time while examining the bruise in a small hand-held mirror.

“It’s good enough.”

You set down the mirror and look at him. To a degree, you know he won’t agree to your proposition but you try anyway, just to make sure:

“Maybe you could hit me?” you suggest. His expression grows colder. “Just for good measure. To really sell this,” you add in your own defense, as though there is a possibility of him retaliating for such a ridiculous proposition. Even when furious beyond imagination, you’ve heard him yell exactly once out of anger.

He leans closer towards you. Paradoxically, it’s you who is uncomfortable with the sudden intimacy but maybe the uneasiness is not due to the proximity but the chilling tension that has sprouted between the two of you. Kaz studies your expression for a moment, his jaw relaxes and clenches over and over again as he’s clearly pondering the earthiest way he can put his thoughts into words.

“I will never raise my hand against you,” his voice is quiet and wavering with emotions, “even if my life depends on it. So don’t ask again. Ever.”

Suddenly, you feel strangely small next to him as though Kaz is but a shadow that quickly grows larger as candlelight dims. “Right, sorry,” you answer awkwardly.

The door to the club opens with a creek and the nervous conversation has to be cut short. You cover your face with hands, having rubbed some chili seeds into your palms earlier. As the capsaicin reaches your nostrils and eyes, forcing yourself to cry is easier than ever. Pretending to be agonizing over something, you keep reminding yourself not to actually touch your eyes or nose.

You can’t see her face but you’re sure Inej is wearing a worried or confused expression and you’re quite correct in your guess - she walks towards you and Kaz with apprehension as though she’s still wondering whether she wants to intrude. Inej momentarily grows anxious, noticing the vibrant bruise on the side of your face.

Then, in a truly dramatic fashion, Kaz gets up from the bar stool and storms out of the club as you had agreed beforehand. While he’s passing Inej, she calls out to him:

“Kaz-”

But he’s quick to cut her off in a harsh voice:

“Not now, Inej.”

The door closes behind him with a slam and considering the state of the two of you, she prefers not to ask questions. It will be easier to sleep at night.

“They’re staring,” you inform Kaz while pouring him a drink.

“As far as I know, they have a reason to,” he answers, taking a sip of the beverage. His eyes are boring into you like his trying to look past your skin and bones, into your mind if not your very soul.

A wide smile brightens your face. You lean on the counter, face close to Kaz’s. Although it’s been some time, it still makes your heart flutter that he doesn’t move away. Perhaps it’s just his unreadable expression or maybe he really is unbothered by the proximity.

“To be honest, I enjoyed our little theatrics.” Smiling at him, your teeth glisten in the dim light inside the club.

“You make an impressive con artist, I have to admit.”

“Ah, forget the con part,” you wave your hand in dismissal. “It was entertaining, alright, but the best part was just spending time with you.”

Kaz almost chokes on his drink.

____ @moonstruckpoet @shara-ne @queenkalico

#kaz brekker fanfic #kaz brekker fanfiction #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker #kaz brekker x you #kaz brekker x y/n #kaz brekker x fem!reader #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone fanfiction #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone fanfic #shadow and bone #six of crows fanfiction #six of crows imagine #six of crows x reader #six of crows #six of crows fanfic #six of crows x you

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Really random stuff from our world that I think the Crows would love

Wylan - Lego, converse, Doritos, audiobooks, 3D printers, Spotify

Inej - stained glass windows, Florence + the Machine, those water bottles that have the time you should aim to drink each amount by down the side, Lego flowers

Jesper - Doc Martens, fidget/sensory rings, Florence + the Machine, swing chairs, rollerskating

Nina - Heelies, Doc Martens, romcoms, Doritos, fanfics (I stole this one from @lunarthecorvus but it’s absolutely correct), those blankets that have hoods so you can wear them like a poncho, Lush, patisseries

Kaz - The Amazing Devil, touch-screen sensitive gloves (as long as the actually worked because they don’t always and that would drive him mad)

Matthias - romcoms, adopting animals from a shelter, Hotel Chocolat velvetisers (i don’t know why but I know I’m right)

Feel free to add more! There’s a good chance I will

#six of crows #grishaverse #crooked kingdom #leigh bardugo #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #nina zenik #matthias helvar #kanej #Wesper #helnik #modern six of crows #six of crows modern au

[bookishdream]

Underwater

Kaz Brekker x Fem!Reader Description: Kaz and reader are in an established realtionship and when they think they succeeded in the Heist, something goes wrong. Genre: Angst/Fluff Word count: 1,8k

To Kaz, loving her was like drowning. His head would spin, his palms would sweat under his leather gloves, he would be confused. But it also felt like a first mouthful of air after he broke the surface. His heart would skip a beat and he would let out a first, shaky gasp of relief that he finally was able to get out from under the water. She didn’t make it easy to love her, her own traumas, her own nightmares and demons that couldn’t let her rest, her own vengefulness and personal vendetta against the world. But Kaz couldn’t and didn’t resist when he realized what all of those weaknesses meant. He was taken aback when he realized that he had a heart to give her. And she was happy to nurture and keep it safe. 

When the Crows got the job to do they knew they might not come out alive from this. All seven of them were aware of the fact that death might be lurking behind the corner. So when Inej got injured y/n felt death on her shoulder, creeping closer and closer, making itself known in her every thought. 

“Saints, Inej,” y/n exclaimed when she noticed that the Suli girl finally opened her dark eyes. Her brown face looked worn out and the remains of her blood could still be seen on her pants. Y/n delicately helped her friend up and propped her tensed body up the wall. The ship was swaying, the light bulbs weren’t giving much light, but she could see how Inej was grimacing when she moved her limbs. “You scared us all.”

“I scared myself,” Suli replied, touching her thigh. She hissed when her finger made contact with a scratch. Nina was a decent healer but even her powers were limited. “Are we safe?”

“As safe as we can be with this lunatic,” y/n smirked, leaning against the wall beside her friend. She tried to make a light out of the situation, but it was hard when she had been helping Nina bring colors to Inej’s face. She didn’t think she had taken a full breath in since Inej got attacked. “Somehow he figured we would be ambushed.” 

“One would think he’d done it himself just to prove his point,” 

“It’s Kaz, I think he himself doesn’t entirely know what is in his own head,” 

“I reckon you would know best, y/n,” Inej smirked in her direction, her eyes glowing when she noticed how y/n’s cheeks grew redder. The girl rolled her eyes and got up. 

“I will go fetch Nina, she’ll be thrilled you’re awake,” y/n smiled at Inej, taking her in once more to make sure she could be left alone. 

“Coward,” Suli sing-songed. 

“Stay still and do not go anywhere, you unbearable creature,”

“You and I will have this talk one day, I hope you know,”

“Dear Ghezen, have mercy,” after this she left and went to look for the Heartrender. She found Nina walking around the dock, Jesper keeping her company. They looked anxious and Nina’s palms were slightly shaking. 

“Y/n!” Jesper exclaimed, “Is Inej okay?”

“She woke up, actually,” the girl said, sitting on one of the wooden steps. “I think you should take a look at her wound, it opened up a bit.”

“Yes! Yes, of course,” Nina shot to her feet, running to the room where Inej was sitting. 

“Is Kaz okay?” y/n asked the Zemeni boy, his eyes were locked on the newest addition to the Crows. Wylan, on the other hand, was fidgeting. The boy couldn’t sit still and he was looking guilty, as if he had betrayed himself. Y/n wasn’t surprised regarding his upbringing. She hoped he would get used to it, being disappointed with himself that is. 

“Go and ask him yourself, he nearly threw me overboard when I asked if he wanted to change his shirt, I’m not risking anything,” 

Y/n nodded and made her way to the bow, where the Dirtyhands was standing. He looked lost in his mind, his hand clenched on the railing. His hair was disheveled and the wind didn’t seem to be helping with that. Not like he paid any mind to it, anyway. 

“How are you holding on? I heard you were the one that carried Inej onto the ship,” she started, trying to come as close to him as she could, but still give him his space. “She’s alive thanks to you, Kaz.”

“I know,” he remarked. Y/n breathed a laugh, of course, she didn’t expect no other answer. “But I can still feel the wetness of her blood,” he started, his breath heavy and voice no louder than the sound of the wind. “I really tried not to drop her.”

“But you didn’t, Kaz, she’s alive and what’s most important she’s okay,” she smiled at him, she put her own palm on the railing, so that he could feel her closeness, but not close enough to overwhelm him. 

After this night everything was left to the fortune. Inej prayed to her Saints everynight, Jesper worshiped his revolvers, Matthias was brooding and making faces whenever one of them so much as mentioned their destination, which was often enough that y/n was afraid that his face would stay in that way, Nina sang some old, Ravkan songs, Wylan and Kaz were going through the maps all over again and y/n couldn’t shake off the feeling of certain energy creeping from behind the corner. 

So when they somehow succeeded in their plan, after many, many close encounters with death, she was relieved to feel every bone, every muscle, every hair on her body. She was sore from head to toes and for the majority of the journey to Ketterdam she was sleeping. She felt like she was on fire. 

However, when they eventually docked to the Fifth Harbor and were ready to receive their payment everything went to shit. 

“The deal is the deal, Van Eck,” Kaz said, the first signs of the storm were in the air. Y/n shivered looking around her friends’ faces. Everyone seemed confused, including her, and tired. 

“Not much of a deal if no one besides us knows about it,” the merchant’s voice was filled with pride, his face full of arrogance. “I didn’t know you were so naive, Mister Brekker. Fortunately, none of you leaves the island alive, so no one will hold me accountable.”

“You’re wrong,” Jesper countered, his hands ready to take out his guns. 

“Am I?” Two things happened at the same time, the ship behind them, the same one that they’d arrived on, blew up and Van Eck’s people started shooting. The force of the explosion was so big that y/n couldn’t keep her balance. She fell on her palms and knees feeling the hard concrete underneath her. She looked around her making sure that everyone was okay. Her eyes stopped at the silhouette of Kaz and Van Eck. She tried to warn Kaz, but to no avail. Y/n felt a pair of arms lifting her up, Jesper’s scent hit her nostrils. She got up as quickly as she could with his help and she found a box to hide behind. 

“Jesper, cover me,” she whispered, the Zemeni looked at her, perplexed.  

“Always,”

Whatever she wanted to do, it was stupid. Probably the most stupid thing she had ever done. She left her shelter and tried to get closer to the place where Kaz was still having a conversation with the merchant. She carefully went along the dock’s line so as not to fall into the canal. She kept the pistol hidden to prevent the guards from shooting. She creeped closer and closer and she could hear their words as clear as the storm over her head was allowing, still minding how close to the canal she was. 

“You have too many weaknesses, Brekker. She for instance is one of them,” Van Eck motioned to his man. “Take care of her.”

Then the hell broke loose. Y/n didn’t know where she was supposed to look, everything happened so abruptly. Both her and the guard lifted their guns, aiming. Y/n fired but even with Jesper’s help, her shot wasn’t good or quick. She felt the knifr hitting her and hot, white, flashing pain radiated in her shoulder. Tears shot to her eyes but she didn’t let herself scream. She swayed on her legs, then a second knife hit her. She fell and kept falling. She hit the water. 

She realized that the feeling of death she had experienced was inevitable. She was meant to die on this trip and once she had managed to escape its arms, but this time it looked her straight into the eyes. She tried to swim back to the surface, however her arms felt as if they were made from the lead. On top of that she was losing too much blood, too quickly. She prayed even though she wasn’t religious. Eventually, after what felt like hours, she closed her eyes, expecting death soon.

Unexpectedly, she felt two arms pulling her out of her slumber, she opened her eyes noticing Kaz. Kaz, who almost drowned himself. Kaz, who dove right after her. Y/n let herself smile at the thought that he cared so much for a person who might die in a few minutes. They hit the surface, taking big gulps of air. Kaz screamed at Jesper to help him, but y/n understood only every other word. Jesper and Matthias helped Kaz to put y/n on the dock and then helped him get out of the water. Kaz took off his gloves and his heavy coat. He put the latter over his girl’s body and he let her lean against his own body. 

“Nina,” he barked, “I need you to take out those blades.”

“She lost too much blood, Kaz,”

“She will heal herself, pull them out,” he hissed, trying to bring y/n around. She was pale, but her lips still had their pinkish color. “Don’t die on me, y/n.”

“Matthias, give me a cloth, until she’s conscious she won’t be able to do anything with her power,” Nina ordered, kneeling beside y/n. “We need to stop the bleeding.”

When the Grisha pulled out the first knife, the wounded girl hissed through her teeth. “Do not move,” Kaz said, his voice calm, but everyone could hear a hint of relief. “You’ve lost so much blood.” 

“You jumped after me,” she whispered, her words only loud enough for him to hear. “Kaz–,”

“Shh, love,” his eyes softened, but he didn’t dare to touch her. “I couldn’t have lost you the same way I’ve lost him.” 

Y/n gasped, touching his palm. 

“I didn’t know Kaz had feelings,” Nina commented, getting up. “We need to patch y/n up and then we can take our revenge, so you’d better heal fast.” 

#crooked kingdom #six of crows #six of crows one shot #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker x reader #shadow and bone #grishasworld #grishaverse #jesper fahey #kaz brekker one shot #nina zenik #soc inej #soc jesper #soc fanfic #kaz soc

[thebadgerclan]

Reunited

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x sister!reader, Nikolai Lantsov x reader

Summary: After 15 years, you are reunited with your brother...

Part 2 to “Sister”

A/N: I appreciate all the love that “Sister” got, but I will be capping this at 2 parts.  School is, unfortunately, more important than fanfiction 😂❤

Also yes I made Wesper married, I fucked with canon enough, enjoy

The King of Ravka watched as you shrugged off your silk dressing gown and joined him in bed, opening his arms to you.  “Oh, I forgot to tell you,” you said, extinguishing the lamp on your bedside table.  “My brother’s coming to town.”  Nikolai raised a brow.  “He is?  Why?”  “Apparently he and his friends have been hired for a job.  A job they need my assistance for.”  The King cocked his head as you snuggled into his chest.  “What kind of job?”  “All I know is that they need to get into the Religious Archives alone.  Beyond that, I have no idea.”

You’d told your husband about your brothers, about Hertzoon, how you’d come to Ravka shortly after your wedding.  It was only thanks to Nikolai, well, thanks to Sturmhond, that you’d been able to locate your brother and contact him.  Over the span of several months, you and Kaz had caught up on the 15 years of lost time, learned everything you’d missed on.  You’d discovered that your eldest brother, Jordie, had not survived, that Kaz had risen to prominence in the Barrel and was set on bringing Rollins, the man who had masqueraded as Jakob Hertzoon, to his knees.

And Kaz had learned that you were Queen of Ravka.  Part of him seethed with jealousy: you’d been brought up in the lap of luxury while he’d had to fight for every scrap, every penny, but he supposed he couldn’t be angry at you for that.  And your position had turned out to be a boon to he and his Crows; giving him a way into the Religious Archives.  As soon as Kaz had received the letter confirming you’d help, he’d gathered his flock and set off for Ravka.

***

“You’re fussing.”  “I am not fussing.”  “Yes, you are, my love.”  Nikolai took your hands, pulling them from where you’d been fidgeting with your hair, drawing your attention to him.  “I haven’t seen my brother in 15 years,” you said, letting your nerves bubble over.  “I don’t even know what he looks like now, let alone what he’s like.  Saints, I don’t even know wha-”  “Hey, hey,” your husband soothed, kissing your forehead.  “Take a breath, lovely.

“I know that you’re nervous, and I know that you’re a little bit scared, but I promise you that everything will be alright.  He’s your brother, and even though it’s been a long time, that hasn’t changed.  Just be yourself, Y/N, he’ll love you.”  Before you could respond, before your thoughts could spiral, the doors to the receiving chambers opened.  

“Presenting Mister Kaz Brekker, Miss Inej Ghafa, Mister Jesper Fahey, Mister Wylan Fahey, Miss Nina Zenik, and Mister Matthias Helvar.”  Your brother and his companions entered, and the guard bowed to you.  “His Most Royal Majesty, Nikolai Lantsov, and Her Most Royal Majesty, Queen Y/N Lantsov.”  With another bow, the guard departed, leaving the eight of you alone.

“It’s really you,” Kaz said, both to you and himself.  Gone was the little girl from Lij, afraid of the bustle of Ketterdam.  In her place stood a woman; a regal, beautiful woman, clothed in sky blue silk and diamonds, a Queen.  “It is,” you said, a tearful smile on your face.  When you stepped forward, arms extended, hoping for an embrace, your brother stepped back, drawing a sharp breath.  At once, you recalled one of his letters: Since that night on the Barge, I can’t bear to touch anyone.  Every time I brush against someone, I’m right back there with Jordie.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, quickly composing yourself.  “These must be your friends you’ve told me all about.”  Kaz cleared his throat.  “Yes.  Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, and Matthias.”  Nina was the only one who dipped into a curtsey; as she was the only one who recognized you as her Queen.  “Please, sit.  I gather we have much to discuss.”  Nikolai seated himself with you on a loveseat, and your brother and his Crows gathered around.  Your husband and Jesper fell into easy conversation, and you smiled when he took your hand.

“So Kaz,” you said, clearing your throat.  “Tell me about this job in the archives.”  “A Shu priest claims that the remains of one of Sankt Kho’s clockwork soldiers resided in the archives,” he said.  “We’ve been tasked with returning it.”  You nodded, rising to pour yourself tea.  “There are indeed remains here, but whether they’re authentic is unclear.  Only a highly skilled Durast could tell, and even then it’s not certain.”

Kaz nodded, slowly spinning his cane between his hands.  “The priest said as much.  We’ve been guaranteed payment even if the remains aren’t genuine.”  “That’s all well and good, but how do you plan to conceal the fact that you’re taking the remains?  Those Archives are open to the public, people will notice their absence.”  Your brother rolled his eyes.  “If only I’d thought of that.  Jesper.”

The lanky Zemini stood and opened the satchel as his side, showing you what lay within.  “I happen to have  Durast on my team,” Kaz said.  “One who has become rather proficient in replication.  It’s not perfect, but to a casual viewer, even a monk, it’s identical.  If the clockwork soldier’s remains are real, then you have a nearly perfect replica.  If they’re a fake, then you’ve got yourself a new fake.”

You nodded.  This wasn’t the first heist your brother and his team had pulled off, you knew, but it was fascinating to watch his mind at work.  “Very well.  I can get you in at 10 bells tonight, but you have to be out by 1 bell.”  Kaz nodded.  “Done.”  You rose and called for a servant, who entered an instant later.  “Please show Miss Ghafa, Miss Zenik, Mister Helvar, and the Misters Fahey to rooms where they can rest.  I wish to speak to Mister Brekker.”  “Of course, moya tsaritsa.”

When it was just you, Kaz, and Nikolai, you resumed your seat.  Your husband sensed your nervousness and took your hand, kissing it softly.  “Did you ever think about me?” you asked, your gaze in your lap.  “After I left?”  “Of course I did,” your brother replied.  “Every single day, Y/N.  You and Jordie.  I swore that I’d get revenge for you, and maybe with this job, I’ll be one step closer.”  You lifted you face to find Kaz looking at you, and for a moment, it was like you were back in Ketterdam.

“I’m so sorry,” you whispered.  “You have suffered so much, and I…”  You took a deep breath, trying to compose yourself.  “I grew up with every privilege, anything and everything I could ever want.  But I never forgot about you, Kaz.  Or Jordie.  Even when I didn’t know if you’d survived, I prayed for you.  To the Saints, to Ghezen, to anyone who’d listen.  And I am so, so sorry for everything you’ve gone through, and if I’d known, I’d ha-”

“Y/N,” Kaz said, leaning across the space between you and taking your hand.  You froze, knowing how much effort this was likely taking him.  “Y/N, you don’t have to apologize to me.  What happened to us, to me, no one could have stopped it.  Yes, I’ve suffered, but I’ve also fought for what I have.  And I’m so damn grateful that you didn’t have to suffer, that you didn’t have to fight.  Look at you; happy and healthy, a husband who loves you, you’re a Queen.  And if an ounce of my suffering bought you this happiness, then I am glad to have done it.”

Cautiously, you took his hand in both of yours, and while he squeezed his eyes shut, he did not pull away.  “Kaz, I–”  “You’re still my baby sister, Y/N,” he interrupted.  “Queen or not.  And I will do whatever I can to protect my baby sister.”  “By 1 year!” you said, and your brother laughed.  You and Kaz rose at once, and to your great surprise, he pulled you into his arms.  “I love you,” he said.  “Sister, I love you.”  “I love you too, Kaz,” you replied, tears spilling over.

When you broke the embrace, Nikolai extended a hand, which Kaz took, clasping it for a bare second.  “You know,” your husband said.  “If you ever want to get rid of this ‘Pekka Rollins’, I might be able to help with that.”  Kaz cocked his head.  “How so?”  “Well, he is indirectly responsible for your brother’s death, am I right?”  A nod.  “In that case, he’s responsible for the death of the Queen of Ravka’s brother, which is punishable by life imprisonment.”

Kaz nodded.  “I appreciate the offer,” he said, adjusting his hold in his cane.  “But when Pekka Rollins is brought down, I want it to be at my hand.  For Jordie.”  He looked at you, smiling softly.  “And for Y/N.”  Nikolai nodded.  “Very well.  But should you change your mind, the offer still stands.”  “I’ll keep that in mind.”  Your brother and husband exchanged a few more words before the former departed, leaving you and Nikolai in the receiving chamber.  “Do you think they’ll pull it off?” he asked, draping an arm over your shoulder.  “He’s Kaz Brekker,” you responded.  “Of course he will.”

#kaz brekker x reader #platonic ship #kaz brekker x you #shadow and bone fanfiction #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai lantsov x you #shadow and bone reader insert

[heathsbitch]

PAINKILLER - k.b

Requested: Yes

Warnings: Slight allusion to smut (if you squint), poor proof reading (as usual)

Word Count: 1184

A/N: Hi my lovelies! I know this has been a long time coming so I hope you enjoy. I haven’t written in a while so this might not be one of my best works but there should be more to come in the near future. I hope you enjoy!

Shadows engulfed our bodies, cascaded over our skin as our breath mingled with one another. The cold climate of Ketterdam allowed us to see our breath dance together in the small space between our faces. Short pants left both of us, eyes darting back to the threshold of the alley, anxiously scanning for any Dime Lions who were hunting for us. Yet again, one of Kaz Brekker’s infallible plans (his words directly) had collapsed faster than Jesper trying to resist the call of the cards. Another job gone awry, another pursuit through the murky streets of Ketterdam.

As protocol demanded of us, the other Crows and I had split into pairs in order to escape from the scene of the crime. And, of course, I had to end up with the Bastard of the Barrel himself. It was his fault the job had gone amiss; he had miscalculated how long it would take his deft fingers to pry into the lock of the safe. Ever skilful with his hands, we trusted him blindly. But we were swarmed by Dime Lions before Kaz could bypass the lock, much to everyone’s chagrin. Frustration still clouded my mind as I glared at my boss; his head lent against the damp stone wall of the alley, chest heaving with deep breaths. My eyes followed the sharp lines of his jaw, the shadows that covered us accentuating them. His tongue slipped past the barrier of his thin lips to moisten them before he allowed his eyes a moments rest, a great sigh escaping from his broad chest.

I was desperate to know what was raging through his head; perhaps he shared in my anger at the failure of a job, or maybe he held no remorse at all, merely considering the next job he’d send us on. My theories were soon discarded however, as I saw him move a singular gloved hand to his stomach, his breaths still deep but more controlled. Despite the fact that Kaz and I would often bicker and bite at one another, I was one of his most trusted compatriots; and I knew what most did not. The truth about his childhood, the demons that threatened to drag him into the depths of the water where his brother resided, the bile that promised to rise from his throat if he were to come into contact with another human being.

I pushed my back harder against the alley wall, trying to distance myself from my boss in a desperate attempt to provide him with some relief. Either my effort went unnoticed, or he didn’t care, for the next words that came from his mouth were, “Stop staring.”

“I’m not staring.” I was quick to respond, pressing myself further against the wall in another futile attempt to widen the space between us. “Then what are you doing?” His eyes were back on me, scanning me; ice following every slight movement of my face, every twitch of my lips, searching for the truth as if it were about to appear written on my forehead. “Checking for injuries,” I simply replied, my talents as not only a Grisha, but a healer, had been put to use countless times after jobs had gone astray. Or Jesper had ended up pissing off some poor soul that ended in a bar fight neither wanted. He merely hummed as a response before his eyes went back to the opening of the alley, scouting for Dime Lions again.

The sun had begun to set on Ketterdam, more and more people filtered onto the streets; laughter, smells of cigarette smoke and cheap alcohol had started to float among the airwaves. Night was falling, the streets growing more crowded by the second, filled with inhabitants desperate for some form of sin. “We should move.” I suggested, fidgeting with my hands. Discomfort still lurked between us, “We can’t risk moving, not yet. We need to stay low,” He ran a hand through his dark hair, the strands slipping through his fingers as they found their place against his forehead. Kaz shifted on his feet, and I could see he was trying to think of his next move, planning a way for us to escape from the alley without being cornered by the Lions.  

“Come here.” He muttered; words barely eligible over the sounds of various forms of pleasure that had crowded the streets of Ketterdam. “Excuse me?” To say I was shocked at his declaration would have been an understatement. The man in front of me nodded towards the opening of the alley, directing my attention to couples that had chosen that space to indulge in one another. Hands wandered against bodies, mouths collided with mouths, “If the Dime Lions come looking for us here, all they’ll find is people enjoying each other.” He had taken a step closer to me, no longer leaning his back against the dame alley wall. “But Kaz...” I tried to protest, thinking of the demons that were lurking behind his cold eyes.

He reached a gloved hand towards mine and pulled it towards him, more specifically his stomach. “Try.” I knew what he meant; we had mentioned it in passing before but had never got the chance to try it. I had proposed the idea that perhaps my abilities as a Corporalki could ease the nausea that filled him every time he came into contact with someone else. My eyes slipped shut as my fingers flexed, trying to find the pain that lurked within him; his hand remained wrapped around my wrist, pushing my fingers harder against himself. Even through the multiple layers of clothing, I could feel his muscles taut and tensing under my touch.

A whimper of relief left Kaz’s thin lips as he threw his head back once more, “Fuck.” It was working. I looked at the man in front of me as I continued to work at his pain. His eyes found me, “Kiss me.” He whispered. Unsure of whether the sudden urge for intimacy was to keep up the rouse of a couple, or if it came as a result of his new-found relief, I obliged his request.

Tentatively, I let my lips find his. Another moan came from Kaz, this time more guttural and primal. His hips pushed into mine, my back hitting the wall of the alley. His gloved fingers slid around my waist as the once-gentle kiss deepened. Our teeth collided, tongues dancing, hips grinding into one another. The surprise that filled my mind at his request had slowly begun to sink away, instead replaced by another feeling. One of hunger, of lust, for the Bastard of the Barrel, the very same Bastard who refused to come within an inch of another human being if he had the choice. The very same Bastard whose mouth was connected to mine, whose hands wondered the softer parts of my body, aimlessly grabbing and squeezing at the flesh. He was a man starved; a tortured man who had finally found relief, and was desperate to work out the frustrations that had amassed within his body.

You can find my other Kaz writings in my Masterlist.

#painkiller #kaz brekker #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker smut #freddy carter imagine #freddy carter smut #shadow and bone #six of crows #imagine #smut #angst #fluff #fic

[auroravictorium]

question...? (k.b.)

Do you wish you could still touch her?

Summary: set prior to the midnights series, this is "you're on your own, kid" from kaz's pov! kaz spends much of his time at the crow club thinking about you, and he wishes he could do something other than think and watch from afar. Pairing(s): kaz x fem!reader (pining by kaz) Word Count: ~2.4k Warnings: violence [blood, stab wounds], death of unimportant character, drinking by jesper, inej and reader, mentions of past trauma [nearly drowning, death of sibling] and explicit mentions of kaz's haphephobia Genre: pretty fluffy until kaz finds reader

Author's Note: i have returned with a gift - "you're on your own, kid" told from kaz's pov, as promised! and happy trailer release day everyone! (i haven't recovered, how are you guys doing) only 26 days until the actual season comes out hehehe. by the way, HIGHLY recommend reading "you're on your own, kid" before reading this for more context! happy reading loves <3

you're on your own, kid (reader's pov) / grishaverse masterlist

Kaz hated patrolling the Crow Club on a good night, and he hated it even more when the patrons were rowdy and the walkways crowded. The Club was sweltering with the heat of the muggy summer and of moving, laughing bodies. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck, and he longed to be anywhere else; each time someone stumbled into him as they tried to move to another table, he wanted to either vomit or toss them outside for a dip in the East Stave.

He roamed the floor, eyes scanning for fake coins and card blunders. Right away, he knew tonight would be a good night for the Club: tonight's gamblers were eager, impatient, and careless. They slid kruge after kruge onto the table, hoping the luck would turn in their favor, only for them to wind up broke when they made reckless moves. Only the thought of money filling the Dregs' coffers kept him from spiraling into a completely terrible mood.

Every so often, his eyes flicked toward the bar, hoping to catch you at work. If he was lucky, you'd look his way, and he'd get the chance to see you offer him the ghost of a smile while you poured drinks or cleaned glasses. You were the patrons' favorite, and it wasn't difficult for Kaz to understand why. You offered each one a smile and made cheerful conversation while making their drinks; if they were inebriated enough to be making emotional confessions or trying their luck at getting close to you, you would reach over and give them a reassuring pat on the shoulder or hand, and you would pull away with a watch or necklace slipped under your sleeve. The patron would be none the wiser, give you a tip for the excellent service, then return to his table and continue gambling away his earnings.

Kaz couldn't have chosen anyone better to work the watered-down bar, except tonight, you weren't there. Your absence was unusual; rarely were you late or missing without reason, but he refused to consider the worst. You could handle yourself. Behind your kind smile was ruthlessness, and he knew what it could do. He'd recruited you for a reason.

He circled the Club again, trying to get his mind off you, but he spotted you hurrying inside and through the crowds of patrons on his third loop around the outer ring of tables. You reached the bar and immediately got to work, and Kaz's grip loosened on his cane when he saw you were unharmed. His knuckles ached, and he looked down at his gloved hand. Had he really held on that tightly?

Kaz crossed to the bar after a few minutes and tapped his cane against the ground to get your attention. You jumped and turned to face him. He scanned you from head to toe, taking in your mussed hair and slightly wrinkled clothing. He gave no outward reaction to your tardy, disheveled appearance, but again, the part of him that shouldn't have been concerned about you was relieved. "You're late," he finally said. 

"I overslept," you responded. Your fingers fidgeted at your sides, and Kaz could tell you were waiting for him to snap. It was the reputation he'd carefully tended and let grow, and he knew he should uphold it. He should tell you that it was unacceptable, warn you that he didn't tolerate even a moment of lateness. Lateness on a job would get you killed. Lateness in the Club would lose the Dregs money.

But, Saints damn him, he couldn't bring himself to say anything of the sort to you. As he surveyed you, that softness and concern he felt for you made itself known once again, just like it had each time he'd seen you in the past six months. At first, it was his heart beating a bit faster. Now, it was his breathing catching and his pulse roaring in his ears when you looked up at him. His palms got sweatier in his gloves, and he was struck with the sudden urge to gently dab away the bead of sweat that had formed on your temple. 

He didn't know what was worse, the sharp spike of fear that ran through him when he realized he wanted to touch you or the resulting nausea that twisted his stomach so harshly that he almost needed to step out of the Club right then. 

"Don't let it happen again," Kaz muttered. He turned and limped away as if he suddenly had something else to work on. He probably did, but he couldn't remember a single one. All he could focus on was his need to get as far away from you as he could before he thought about how beautiful you looked when your hair framed your face and the dim light of the Club sparkled in your eyes.

Damn it. He needed a drink. If distance couldn't keep his head free of you, maybe alcohol could.

Kaz continued his scan of the Club, hoping it would distract him from the way his heart raced in his chest each time he thought of your name. He positioned himself near one of the busiest tables and looked over the cards each of the gamblers held. For a bit, the distraction worked, and then he made the mistake of looking over at you again.

Jesper had made his way over from the door and was ruffling your hair with a grin, and you were grimacing and swatting at his hand. The two of you looked happy to be bickering, and Jesper threw his arm around you and grinned with a shot in his hand. He teased you about something, and you shushed him before ducking under his arm and scowling.

Kaz forced himself to look away and unclench his jaw. Something had come over him when he saw the two of you. It burned beneath his skin so fiercely that it took most of his self-control to keep himself where he was instead of going behind the bar and shoving Jesper away from you. He didn't know where the urge came from. All he knew was that he wanted to be the one with his arm around you, but terror drenched him like ice-cold water, reminding him that he couldn't be that close to you. His chest tightened with panic, and he returned his gaze to the cards of the men in front of him.

The attempt to ignore you didn't last. He looked up again and watched as Jesper left with another ruffle of your hair and a smile. Fresh anger sparked within him, and his grip tightened on the crow's head of his cane. He took a deep breath and turned his back on the rest of the Club. What the hell is happening?

He had never felt like this, like any semblance of control he had over his emotions was crumbling. Kaz prided himself on his ability to keep his shit together, yet here he was, moments away from snapping. On the outside, he was as stoic as ever, all clenched jaw and sharp eyes. Inside, he was fighting a battle that should have been easily decided. The rational side of him knew he could not afford distractions, but part of him longed to be the one close to you.

The irrational side of him considering such things should have drowned with Kaz Rietveld in the harbor.

The rest of Kaz's time at the Club was an agonizing battle to keep himself calm and bring himself back to rationality. He firmly refused to look your way and even made a detour along the East Stave on his way home to clear his head. He moved slowly along the canal, partly to buy himself time to avoid seeing you with Jesper and partly because the damned humidity made the pain in his leg nearly unbearable. As he limped toward the Slat, he wondered what was wrong with him. Usually, he could banish thoughts of you without a problem. He'd been able to for the past six months since he became aware of a nagging tenderness for you in the pit of his stomach.

He entered the Slat in a terrible mood and intended to walk right past Jesper and Inej in the corner with their drinks. He wanted nothing more than to be left alone to plot a new job and get his mind off you. 

"Boss! Did you get the last of 'em?"

The Saints were laughing at him. He was sure of it. Kaz clenched his jaw and slowly turned. His eyes glinted with the promise of violence, but Jesper, bless him, either didn't notice or didn't care about Kaz's exceptionally foul mood. "What?"

"The men with the fake money." Jesper swirled his drink around in his glass and knocked the rest of it back. Inej passed the rest of hers to him, shaking her head. "I told Y/N-"

Something crashed into the floor above them, and Kaz's head snapped upward. He held up a hand to silence Jesper. Footsteps scuffled against the ground, and more thumps rattled the ceiling. Dust shook free from between the floorboards, which wasn't out of character for the dilapidated Slat. The loud noises definitely were, and the hair on the back of Kaz's neck prickled.

His gut twisted, but not with nausea. Later, Inej would call it a sign from the Saints, but Kaz preferred to call it intuition. He bolted up the stairs toward the attic, ignoring the agony in his leg and Jesper and Inej leaping up to follow him. Kaz knew. He knew something was wrong and that you were hurt, and he wouldn't let his damn leg stop him from figuring out what was happening.

A few Dregs peeked out of their rooms when they heard the commotion and saw Kaz, Inej, and Jesper rushing past to get up to the attic. Some followed, drawing their weapons, and they nearly tumbled into each other to follow Kaz through his office and into his room. Inej and Jesper readied their own weapons but stopped when Kaz held out his cane to block them.

You stood over a body, your clothing and face splattered with blood and your chest heaving. Your hand was red to the wrist, and a dagger dangled from your fingertips. Red drops beaded against your skin and fell to the ground.

You raised your blade again as Dregs poured into Kaz's room, your eyes darting nervously between them. For a moment, you were completely still, then you seemed to realize there was no danger. Your arm dropped to your side and hung limp, and your gaze went unfocused as blood spread rapidly through the shoulder of your shirt.

"Saints," Jesper breathed beside Kaz, taking in the scene. An assassin had gotten into the Slat and was no doubt going for Kaz. The Dime Lions were growing bolder. Nobody seemed quite sure what to do about that, and their utter shock at the incident rendered them unresponsive to your dagger hitting the floor.

"Get Nina," Kaz said, looking over his shoulder and scowling at the wide-eyed Dregs behind him. With some satisfaction, he watched them flinch. They deserved a lot more than a scowl for leaving you to fight alone. You idiots should have helped her. Maybe she wouldn't have been injured if you had. "Now," he added sharply, waiting for them to move.

They left, nearly tripping over themselves to get out of Kaz's line of fire. 

Kaz returned his attention to you and started to limp toward you. He looked between you and the dead Dime Lion, then his gaze lingered on the deep wound in your shoulder. His lips pursed with worry. "Grab her," he said, directing the order at Inej and Jesper and surprising himself with how softly the words came out. 

He wanted to reach out and hold you against him as if he could shield you from the man you'd killed. But the harbor, ever-present, threatened to sweep him away for even daring to think such a thing. He was suddenly nine years old again, clinging to his brother while bodies floated around him. The memory, cold and terrifyingly real, forced him to look away from you and down at the blood seeping into his floor. Why is blood easier to take in than the thought of touching you?

Inej and Jesper moved forward to grab you and led you into Kaz's office, away from the carnage. Kaz stayed, looking down at the Dime Lion and trying to think of a response to the events of the evening.

Yet, even as his mind spun with ideas for how to handle this and exact revenge on the Dime Lions in the most painful way possible, he thought of you. You had taken down a man twice your size without backup. You were wounded. You were covered in blood. You would have a nasty scar if Nina didn't tend to the wound soon.

You had potentially saved Kaz's life.

Kaz moved to the doorway to his office, leaning heavily on his cane. His leg seared with pain now, aggravated from his sprint up the stairs to get to you, and he bore most of his weight on his left leg as he settled against the doorway and examined you.

Nina was hard at work healing your wound, and you pressed one hand to your injured shoulder to keep it immobile. Inej and Jesper were starting to wipe away the blood on your face and neck and whispering back and forth. Despite the activity around you, you looked up and met his gaze.

Kaz's breath caught as you met his stare. He tried to think of something to say, anything. But words failed him, as they often did when you were involved, so he settled for a quick nod to acknowledge what you'd done. It wasn't enough, and he knew that.

But as he watched some color return to your face, his shoulders loosened. He would get the chance to thank you properly someday, and he would make sure it would be enough then.

TAGLIST: @tonberry-yoda, @b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r, @futurecorps3

#kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x fem!reader #kaz brekker x you #six of crows #crooked kingdom #grishaverse #shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix #reader insert #the grishaverse #the crows #six of crows duology #jesper fahey #nina zenik #inej ghafa #grishaverse fanfic #matthias helvar #wylan van eck #soc kaz #soc fanfic #soc jesper #soc nina #soc inej #soc matthias #my writing #midnights but make it kaz brekker #midnights

[frost-queen]

That’s the deal (Grisha!Reader x Kaz Brekker)

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 in short: The crows find themselves at the little palace in search for the Sun summoner. Instead Kaz stumbles upon someone else very alluring. Having been discovered, Kaz makes an escape through the crowd, blending in with a very confused yet complying Grisha. Unable to stop thinking about him, you sneak out of the little palace in the hopes of meeting your teasingly criminal once more. Moved to Ketterdam you are kept out of sight in fear of any soldiers coming for you. Left alone with Kaz tensions rise till it makes him take actions for his meddling feelings. 

“In and out as quick as we can.” – Kaz told Inej and Jesper. – “No detours and no distractions.” – he made clear seeing Jesper eye a passing Grisha guard. – “Wha?” – Jesper answered baffled as if everything was always his fault. – “We need to stay focused.” – Kaz reminded them clearly. – “Find the sun summoner and leave.” – Inej whispered sticking close to the walls. – “Exactly.” – Kaz responded lowly. His gaze gliding from wall to wall. Taking in every little detail of the little palace. 

They came to a stop. Jesper fidgeting at the guard’s uniform he was wearing. Kaz snapped his finger in front of him to make him stop. – “It itches.” – Jesper whined out annoyingly. – “There will be a lot more itching if you don’t act your part!” – Kaz made clear with a cold glare. Jesper huffed loud moving his hands up in defense. – “Alright easy with the threats.” – Jesper mumbled. Kaz went his way as three was a crowd and a crowd drew too much attention. 

Jesper continued to rub the fabric harshly against his collarbone. – “It itches am I right?” – he asked Inej, sighing loud as she had disappeared. Shaking his hands humorously he was once again speaking to the walls. Each crow having gone a different way in search of the sun summoner. That was the job. Get in, secure the sun summoner, and get out. The reward one million kruge. A fine prize to simply kidnap one person.

You exhaled deep, gaze lowered to the ground. All around you Grisha whispering and chatting in the wait of the sun summoner. Across the room you spotted General Kirigan. His gaze met up with yours, giving you a firm nod. You lowered your gaze going a bit through your knees as a respective response. There were people standing with you, but they weren’t really speaking with you. You simply co-existed in the room with everyone else. Yes, the sun summoner Alina Starkov was a very interesting person. 

Just all the attention and balls were a bit too much. All in favor of her. You noticed some people getting on the tips of their toes or looking anticipating at the door. You looked as well. The doors opening to reveal Miss Alina Starkov in black Grisha wear. No one ever wore black but General Kirigan, so it was quite the spectacle. Her eyes fell immediately upon him as she entered. People clearing the way for her to reach General Kirigan. He held his hand out for her as she happily accepted it. A fluster on her cheeks. 

General Kirigan whispered something to her, seeing her giggle giddy. – “A demonstration?” – he declared showcasing her. Everyone clapped. General Kirigan brought Alina to where you were. He let go of her hand as she got on a higher platform. You stood underneath her watching General Kirigan return to his place. There he opened his hands the room slowly darkening. 

You spotted two new guards enter the room. Two you had never seen before. They looked wonderous around as the room darkened. A shadow creeping down from the ceiling to the floor, covering the room in eternal darkness. Pitch black with nothing to see or make out. No shapes, no silhouettes, just complete darkness. Still enough to hear your own heart beat out loud.

Then near you emerged a little light in the palms of her hand. Gently growing larger as it casted an illuminating light in the room. All eyes on the sun summoner in awe. Yet two pair of eyes were not focused on her. One of the newly entered guards was looking somewhere lower then the sun summoner. Catching his gaze it was clear he was staring at you in the alluring light. The gaze grasping you by the throat. Heart thumping louder against your ribcage. 

The sun summoner seemingly of no interest to him. Yet a simple Grisha was. Alina casted all General Kirigan’s shadows out. The room taking on the normal light once more. Loud clapping filled the room. General Kirigan staring deeply affected at the sun summoner. She returned to him, making her way across. Kaz and Inej shared a look. Inej in wonder, Kaz not so sure. They rejoined in the room, standing close to each other. – “She is real… Saints she is.” – Inej said to him. Kaz observed the room, eyes lingering on a particular Grisha girl. – “Hey!” – they suddenly heard from behind them. 

Turning around a Grisha appeared with six guards behind him. He pointed firmly at them. Kaz and Inej simply had to nod to each other, knowing they have been discovered. Inej disappeared easily as Kaz pressed through, further through the crowd. He dismissed of the silly hat as the crowd swallowed him whole. Seeing the guards were in pursuit. A dance filled half the room. Grisha dancing alluringly. General Kirigan and Alina Starkov amidst them.

You rose from your bow, moving your hands gracefully sideways. Then to the other side, spinning around. Taking a firm step forwards you met up with your partner. Hand brought upwards along with his. Dancing in tight paces. No smooth movements from the next step to the other. Rather tight and firm step by step aside from each other. You lowered your hand, turning your shoulder forwards, brushing past your partner. Back to back. You moved to face your partner once more as he took your hand, rising it up. 

You stepped underneath his arm letting go of his hand. As you turned back, eyes widened at your sudden new partner. It was clear you were confused as the guard from earlier was by you now. – “Don’t utter a word.” – he said lowly taking a step forwards. You nodded moving your hand up. He did as well, hands barely touching as you slowly turned around. Both turned away from each other to rejoin seconds later. You shot your arm up, arched to the side. 

The guard copied you, holding his other hand behind his back as did you. He lead you, taking firm, large paces. You had to follow taking large steps backwards as people needed to clear way for you. You spotted the guards looking around. Grabbing people by the shoulder to look at their faces. Suddenly it became clear to you. – “You are no guard?” – you said waltzing to the side. Hands nearly touching, but never in contact. – “What gave me away?” – he curled up a smirk.

He noticed others twirling their dance partner around. He took a hold of your Grisha uniform, giving you a good spin. Grabbing the fabric by your hip, he put a stop to your spinning. – “The guards behind you.” – you answered with a cheeky smile. Kaz looked over his shoulder coming in immediate action. He putted some fabric near your wrist between his fingers, holding your arm arched up. He started moving back with you, cutting through the dance room. – “Are you a criminal?” – you asked out of breath. He smiled cunningly as your arm dropped to the side. – “Would you like me to be?” – he responded teasingly. 

To not stand out, he needed to copy the dance movements of the others. They took the hand of their partner, stepping forwards. Then backwards as their joined hand rose and fell. Kaz held your sleeve’s end between his fingers copying their routine. – “You have a funny way of touching your partner.” – you said chuckling. Kaz stared in your eyes, breath caught. – “Perhaps I am gentle around a rare flower.” – he answered flirty. – “Or you are simply scared to touch me.” – you pointed out, letting your back brush close to his. 

He caught your sleeve once more, pulling you to a stop. You rejoined him, moving your hand down near his cheek. You gasped when his palm pressed deeply onto your lower back. – “Who is afraid to touch who now?” – he smiled at you flustered cheeks. You spotted the guards drawing nearer. Taking his hand you twirled underneath it. Moving further down the room with each spin, Kaz needing to follow you hastily. People who weren’t dancing made way. You neared the walls grabbing him by the shoulders as you spun him around. His back to the wall.

You stepped close to him, moving your arms around his body. Fidgeting behind him to find the doorknob blindly. Kaz swallowed nervously taking in your perfume as your lips neared his face. You smiled hearing a loud click. Kaz smirked having heard the sound as well. – “Run.” – you whispered to him, his eyes almost rolling back with pleasure of hearing your voice so close to him. He pushed the door open with his back, bringing his finger to his lips to hush you. You did the same with a flirty smile, watching your stranger disappear in the hallway. – “Y/n!” – you heard, turning around sharply. 

“Have you seen someone dressed as a guard, has a bit of a limp?” – he asked. You shook your head blocking the door with your back. You then gasped pointing in the crowd. – “Is that him?” – you called out. His head turned signaling his fellow men to follow him. Letting your back fall against the door, you swooned thinking back about him. How he only had eyes for you at the demonstration. How he suddenly got rid of your partner to dance with you. Clearly as a distraction to escape, but still you were pleased he chose you out of all girls. There was something so alluring about him that drove you wild.

“Where is the sun summoner?” – Jesper asked when Kaz joined him by the carriages. Kaz shot him a glare. Inej dropped down beside Kaz silently. – “Where the hell have you been?” – Jesper called out, looking at her. Inej frowned. – “Finding the sun summoner. What have you been up to?” – Inej asked approaching him. Jesper ducked when Inej plucked some hay from his jacket, showing it to him. – “Uhm… I don’t know how that got there.” – Jesper spoke as Kaz rolled his eyes. 

“Right?” – Inej answered throwing the hay at him. Inej then looked at Kaz who was looking back at the little palace. – “What caught you off guard?” – she asked. He hummed loud, having heard her half. – “I thought for sure you’d have the sun summoner.” – she pointed out. He looked away, not wanting her to see anything in his expression. – “Yeah Kaz, I thought at least you would make this plan work. Easy in and out, right?” – Jesper pointed out teasingly. 

Kaz glaring hard at him, withholding himself to smack Jes on the back of his head. – “There will never be another opportunity.” – Inej said. – “And perhaps that is the way it is supposed to be.” – making Kaz and Jesper frown at her. – “You had to see her Jesper. A saint.” – Kaz sighed loud at her saints. – “Uhm guys…” – Jesper said eyes slowly widening. Inej kept speaking of her saints, bickering with Kaz about faith. – “Guys!” – Jesper hissed, ducking down. – “What?” – Kaz called out annoyed, leaning firm against his cane.

Jesper pointing eagerly behind him while trying to hide. Inej and Kaz slowly turning around, eyes widening at a Grisha looking searchingly around. Kaz recognized you immediately. Inej took out her knifes as Kaz moved his hand out to her to stop her. – “She’s alone.” – he said, brows slightly furrowed. – “Good. Easy for me to take out.” – Jesper answered pulling out his gun. – “No!” – Kaz made clear, glaring at Jesper over his shoulder. – “Get in the carriage!” – he ordered. 

“What?” – Jesper answered confusingly, scratching the back of his head with his gun. – “Do as I say!” – he made clear. Inej tugged at Jesper’s arm, pulling him with her. They got in the carriage as you spotted him. You weren’t sure if you could approach him, but the flutter your heart made at the sight of him was undeniable. When you saw him make his way over, you jogged over, meeting him sooner. – “What are you doing here?” – he asked. – “Would you call me a fool if I said I was looking for you?” – you replied nervously. 

Kaz looking briefly away. – “I’m glad to see you are unbound.” – you teased, pointing at his hands. Kaz smiled. – “They would have to do a lot more then send guards after me to catch me.” – he chuckled. You caught Kaz staring drawing you in. Breaking contact, you looked over your shoulder up to the little palace. Thinking about how unhappy and alone you felt lately. It was all for themselves. Only yourself to count on. Kaz must have noticed your hesitance and inner torment as he spoke. – “I am in need of a Grisha.”

You looked back at him, eyes slightly widening. – “I’ll be your Grisha.” – you responded. – “All I ask of you is to take me away from this place.” – Kaz nodded at your request. – “That is the deal.” – he mumbled stepping aside. You approached the carriage without hesitation. Kaz’s gaze lingering on the little palace. Overlooking if no one was coming after you. You opened the carriage door, greeted by two surprised faces. 

Before you could say anything, you were pushed in the carriage by a cane against your back. You stumbled inside, settling down beside the girl. Both of them unable to stop staring at you. Kaz joined coming to sit beside Jesper as the carriage got in motion. – “Who is she?” – Jesper asked curiously as the girl was observing you closely. Kaz’s gaze going towards you. – “An investment.” – he answered. – “Y/n.” – you responded sweetly with a smile. You had a name so it was important to you to share it.

You were pushed into an office with a list of clear instructions. You are not to leave this room. You are certainly not allowed to leave the crows club. Most importantly you stay out of sight. Almost an entire week have you been hidden in this room. After a while you guessed it was to keep you out of sight from any soldiers looking for you. There was after all a Grisha missing from the little palace. You jumped up hearing the door open. It was Inej who entered with food. You gestured for her to place it on the desk. 

You saw she had a burning question on her lips as she lingered in the door opening. – “Yes Inej.” – you said inviting her to speak her words. It caught her slightly off guard. – “I…I was wondering why… why did Kaz bring you along from the little palace.” – she asked. – “A deal… we made a deal.” – you responded looking out of the window. – “What… what kind of deal?” – Inej asked further. – “That is between Y/n and me!” – Inej jumped out of her skin at the voice of Kaz behind her. 

She moved aside for him to enter. Firm expression on his face. His eyes meeting briefly up with yours. Inej apologized taking her leave after a glare from Kaz. The door shut as Kaz, and you were left alone. He removed his coat, hanging it up. You stepped away from the window, going around the desk. – “You could’ve told her.” – you said tracing your finger around the shape of your plate. – “That you are simply in need of a Grisha and that I wanted a way out of the little palace.”

Kaz moved away from you, keeping his distance. He stood between two archways, one hand pressed against a side. His gaze was on you, lips pressing together as his head lowered pained with emotions. – “That would’ve been a lie.” – he answered. You frowned. – “Was that not our deal?” – you questioned. He nodded, keeping his gaze down. He couldn’t lie to himself that it was only a detour to actually have you near. How foolish it was of him to feel so drawn to a person at first sight. 

“But there is more?” – you spoke taking it out of his expression. Kaz swallowed. Your head lifted up hearing some carriages and loud voices. You rushed to the window to look down. Suddenly feeling a presence behind you. Kaz looking over your shoulder down as well. It made you unable to focus on the streets with him so close to you. How on your knees you were for this man, and he couldn’t even see it. Relieved you exhaled as it weren’t soldiers. Simply some drunk folk and a carriage from the menagerie passing by. 

“Do you think they are searching for me?” – you asked. – “They won’t find you.” – Kaz responded as you slowly turned. Swallowing at how close his body was nearly pressed against yours. – “I won’t let them.” – he spoke lowering his gaze on you. Breathing increasing at the way his eyes stared right at you. His gaze drifting down to your lips making him part his yearnful. He had always been repulsed by human touch, so why was his heart now craving for a touch of yours.

Kaz pressed his hand against the window by your head, leaning in closer. – “They’ll have to tear this place down brick by brick to find you.” – he said tilting his head a bit to the side. – “I am but an investment.” – you answered caught so deeply in his grasp. Kaz tensed his jaw, pressing your head back by his hand around your neck, thumb against your jaw. – “Don’t spread false words Y/n.” – replied. – “Kaz.” – you whispered before his eyes closed, lips settling down on yours. At the first touch he pulled away to reflect how his lips withstood your touch. Settled he kissed you again, taking every opportunity to explore your lips with his.

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Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!    

#imagine #shadow and bone #imagine shadow and bone #shadow and bone fandom #shadow and bone fanfic #shadow and bone fanfiction #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #kaz brekker #kaz brekker x you #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x y/n #imagine kaz brekker #kaz brekker imagines #kaz brekker fic #kaz brekker fanfiction #kaz brekker fanfic #general kirigan #alina starkov #the grishaverse #the grisha trilogy #grisha!reader #the crows #six of crows #ketterdam #freddy carter #fanfic #fanfiction #imagines #fic

[wh0refornikolailantsov]

Prompt every time I look at you I fall in love more

reader x Jesper

Sweat Bullets - Jesper Fahey

Content Warnings: Cursing. Canon Complaint Suggestions And Talk Of Gambling. Not Beta/Proof Read.

Jesper Taglist: @stray-kaz

This isn't the first time Jesper has tried to tell you, it wasn't the second time, he is sure it wasn't even the fifth time. Yet somehow every time he tried to bring the words to his lips they seemed to die on his tongue before he could get there. It wasn't for lack of trying. He was sure of that.

You smile and he is done for, his heart feels close to bursting out of his chest and this hands fidget against the guns in their holsters filled with so much energy he doesn't know where to put.

"Every time I look at you I fall in love more" the words come tumbling out in a hurried declaration before he has half a chance to think about how sudden they sound, how out of nowhere they might feel.

You pause what you're doing, and take a moment, trying to process exactly what just unfolded. You breathe in a deep breath and somehow find yourself sitting down. "Jesper... what?" You want the words to come out differently. You want some type of elegance or at least eloquence in the way you ask it but all your capability for words emptied from your mind the moment his words were said out loud.

"What I mean to say is, you're my friend, right, we are friends you and I? But sometimes, more often than sometimes really, I wish you were more than that, and I've been searching and trying time and time," he is scrambling, tripping over his words, his mind running too fast with all this thoughts that he simply cannot catch up with them.

"We're not just friends," you manage to say despite the sheer madness of the situation. "You know that."

But the way Jesper looks when his eyes meet yours, that unbridled longing, that desperation to be heard for what he is meaning to say with words that aren't carrying the depth of his feelings, you realise that he really doesn't know that. That regardless of how obvious you thought you had made your feelings, even when you thought he could never return, he had somehow not known. You realise that he must feel the same.

"Fuck it. I know I can be chaotic and I might be unreliable, I know it might seem like I'm saying this out of nowhere, but I promise you, if my promises mean anything that I would never say any of this to you if I wasn't sure, and I know I've bet on losing dogs my whole life but-,"

"Jesper, for once, just stop talking-," You step forward, taking his face between both hands and kissing him. It's brief but it shuts him up and you think for almost a full minute it's made everything clearer. But his expression turns quizzical and as his lips part to form confusion you don't know where you went wrong.

"Oh," Jesper says slowly.

"Oh?" You ask, not knowing how to not be offended by that.

"Oh," Jesper repeats. "I owe Nina, so much money."

You take a few seconds, trying to put the pieces together in the correct order. When it clicks you don't have it in you to be mad about it. "You bet against yourself?" You ask.

"I didn't like my odds," he admits. You stare at him, expression gormless.

"Jesper Fahey, you are truly the worst gambler I have ever met," you tell him.

"Just hit the jackpot though, didn't I?" That flirty glint is back in his eye and you can feel the heat in your cheeks.

"I don't know," you tell him, "you might have to kiss me about it."

"I think I can do that."

"Want to bet?"

#shadow and bone #grishaverse #six of crows #jesper x reader #jesper fahey my man you are so ridiculously sexy i wish i could be you #jesper fahey fanfiction #jesper fahey x reader #jesper fahey

[jackwolfes]

hi nura🫶🏻 19 for wesper, please? 💗

a kiss for luck

You're my lucky charm, merchling. 

Jesper says that a lot now, and Wylan is never going to get sick of hearing it. It happens before every last minute job with Kaz, every stock purchase at the Exchange, every tricky new fabrikation project. He sidles up to Wylan, often wrapping a hand around his waist to pull their bodies flush, and asks for a good luck kiss. Always, Wylan laughs, although he doesn't need to ask why. The answer is the same each time: because you're my lucky charm. 

Wylan always gives in, offering a sweet kiss for luck every time. 

Now, fingers tap nervously against the wooden countertop with no discernible pattern. Wylan watches in silence, hearing the click of painted fingernails drumming atop the surface even over the low din of other patrons in the cafe. They're waiting for a box of cakes that Jesper insisted on picking up now, before they carry on wandering through the city to make the most of the nice day. 

Wordlessly, Wylan takes Jesper's hand in his, then laces their fingers together. Jesper turns to look at him, eyebrows raised. 

"What are you nervous about?" Wylan asks. It is no question that Jesper is nervous, and Jesper doesn't seem surprised in the slightest that Wylan has figured it out.

"Nothing I can't handle," Jesper replies. 

Wylan hums. "Do you need a kiss for luck?" 

It makes Jesper chuckle softly, but he smiles and leans in and claims one from Wylan all the same. It lingers, this one, with lips brushing gently over lips. Never mind the fact they're in public. There is warmth and adoration in the gesture that makes even Wylan feel more secure. He certainly feels lucky with Jesper's mouth on his. 

A soft voice clears their throat, and Wylan pulls away. His cheeks feel flushed. Sheepishly, he brushes a thumb along his lip, giving his boyfriend a little bit of distance. 

Gratefully, Jesper takes the cake box from the person behind the counter. He takes Wylan's hand once more, tugging him free from the busy patisserie and leading him into the sunshine.

Together they walk along the canals, enjoying the fresh air as the crowds get thinner and thinner. Wylan wonders where Jesper is taking him but doesn't question it, not feeling a need to. He gets his answer anyway before too long: a sweet little pocket garden on the south end of the Geldcanal. His favourite, which Jesper knows. Wylan smiles at the thought of being so understood. 

Jesper sets the box of cakes down on a bench, clearing his throat. He isn't fidgeting so much anymore, but there's an anxious tightness to his smile that Wylan can see without needing to look too hard. He sits on the bench, allowing his fingers to fall free of Jesper's. 

He can still taste the last lingering kiss on his lips, and feels lucky. He feels warm, bright and happy. All he can hope for is that Jesper feels that too. 

"I'm feeling lucky," Jesper tells him, almost like he's telling himself. 

"Yeah?" Wylan replies. 

"Always, with you." 

The thought makes Wylan feel like spun sugar on the inside. He reaches a hand out for Jesper, trying to get him to sit beside him so they can be near. 

Jesper doesn't sit, though. He just sinks to his knees, and pulls out a ring. 

#thanks friend!!!!!!! #wesper #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #soc #six of crows #fics #asks #crowpricorn #kiss prompts

[aphroditestummyrolls]

26 + wesper? 💌

Hello! Sorry this took so long— the holidays are always a more difficult time to focus on writing, and then with Covid, jetlag, and the leftover annoyance of my sprained ankle, I’ve just been off my game.

Thank you for participating, though! And being so patient. These little prompts are really helping me get back in the saddle. And I LOVED writing this one. I think I might even continue it and make it a little oneshot.

Enjoy ❤️

Jesper Fahey couldn’t sit still. This wasn’t something that he was bothered by or defensive about when people mentioned it— not most of the time, at least. It was just a fact. As much of a fact as him having charcoal grey eyes, being devilishly handsome, and being able to shoot a coat button from a half mile away and around a corner.

He had a permanently restless mind— his thoughts raced from one thing to another, and his body was constantly fidgeting. He couldn’t keep up with himself sometimes. And he’d fiddle with his guns, or chew absently at his fingers, desperate for something to occupy him whenever he was idle.

Jes didn’t do idle. And if there was one thing smaller than his attention span, it was the likelihood that he’d been listening in the first place.

It wasn’t his fault his brain was so loud. So constant.

Unless it was a target, focus was just not a Jesper talent.

That particular night, though, Jesper had never stayed still for so long. It took effort to keep his mind in check, but luckily for him, his loud, hectic brain was only thinking about one thing: Wylan Van Eck.

A fluff of half singed curls tickled at the underside of his jaw. There was a puff of a pained whimper across his collarbone. The tip of Wylan’s sooty little nose nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

Thank the Saints you stopped by to walk him home, he thought, his fingers twitching restlessly over his lover’s smaller frame. He was pressed to his side, a solid, grounding weight where they laid in the workshop's grotty old bed. If it had been worse, he could have…

Well, Jesper would’ve felt terrible for all the cracks he’d made about losing fingers. That was for certain.

He stroked his thumb along the knuckles of the hand he held— one, two, three, four, and a thumb curled loosely by Jesper’s palm. They were all present and accounted for under the fraying edge of the bandage tied there. It probably wasn’t the best patch job, but he was a bit rattled at the time. It would do until Wylan had slept off the worst of the headache— then they could find Nina and beg her help.

For now, it was just them. Just Jesper, really, listening to his own loud mess of overlapping thoughts while Wylan slept, curling in impossibly closer.

He works too much. These long days are too long, and he probably forgot to eat again, and I was too busy to stop by—

It left a pit in his stomach and a twitch in his muscles— to move, to pace, to do something more, even if there was nothing more to be done.

Wylan snuffled against his chest, and Jesper felt the clench of something desperate and warm wrapped around his heart. He pressed his lips to his merchling’s forehead, getting a nose full of his smoky curls while he did.

They’d need a bath when they got back. In a big way. The stench of the chemicals was more than the ventilation shafts could handle. Still, Jesper only held him tighter, feeling a little insane.

He would never forget walking into the workshop that night— the reek of burning chemicals in the air, the thick cloud of bitter smoke that made his throat sting and his eyes water. He was blinded by the dark plume of it, blinking rapidly as he fought to adjust to the dim lamps somewhere in the chaos. Still, Jesper ran down the stairs.

When he called Wylan’s name, he got nothing but stomach-churning silence.

It took a long moment of Jesper shouting himself hoarse, covering his nose and mouth with his— probably now ruined— pocket square, before he picked up the first signs of movement in the wreckage. There was a rattling cough, and then I’m here! He croaked out the words before dissolving into coughs. I’m- I’m alright, just wait—

With a sudden gust of wind, the vents were cranked open as wide as they could go. The noxious fog thinned and, finally, there was the slim silhouette of his lover. He was hunched over with one hand braced against the workbench. The other was cradled to his chest.

Jesper was at his side faster than he knew he could move. With the reassurance of that standing, awake, alive merchling in his arms, Jes’s brain immediately filled with a hundred shouted questions— what happened? Where does it hurt? Let me see your hand—

In the end, he didn’t need to say a word. Which was a good thing, because not a single word could seem to make it from his brain to his mouth. Wylan was leaning heavily into his chest, his knees wobbly enough that Jesper had to steady him with an arm around his waist. The other was nothing more than a blur, flitting uselessly across the smaller man’s frame like he could scan him for injuries.

My… he swallowed with an audible click, a breath from Jesper’s ear, my head. I hit my head.

Sure enough, there was a bloody mat of hair at the back of his head. His fingers came away stained red. Sucking his teeth nervously, Jesper’s brain got louder, but he didn’t say anything for the moment. Wylan’s eyes were glassy, but focused, and he took that as a good sign as he stroked lightly over his wild hair, trying to assess the damage better. It was so tender that even Jes’s barely present little probe was too much. Wy hissed.

Jes, please.

Okay— okay, Love. He carefully removed his goggles from the top of his head, and plucked the plugs from his ears. I’ve got you.

By the time he shuffled him over to the bed, the smoke had cleared. Jesper sighed at the state of it all— the workshop and the mad scientist included— and let himself revel for just a moment in sheer relief.

It wasn’t nearly as bad as it seemed.

Snagging a roll of bandages and a half-assed first aid kit from a shelf near the bed, Jesper could see that the smoke was much worse than the actual explosion. There was a splintered gouge in the workbench that would need sanding— as if anything ever got sanded in the Barrel— and a sooty stain where it all happened, but other than a few broken bottles and vials, it was no worse for wear.

Wylan must’ve been right there when the blast went off. The support beam behind the workbench had a small blood stain at just about head height for his merchling. He was sooty and singed, with only two perfect circles of clean skin around his eyes— at least he’d been wearing his gear. All that was hurt were his pretty little head, and a messy looking red burn on his right hand.

Alright, Jesper nodded, trying to remember what his da did to gauge Jesper’s head injuries growing up. Head first, merchling. D’you know your name?

Wylan’s lips twitched like he might laugh. A good sign. Wylan Van Eck.

Mhm. And where d’you live, Wylan?

The Slat, with- with my boyfriend.

He never got tired of hearing that. You’ve got a boyfriend? That’s a shame. Wylan managed half a little smile when Jesper winked at him. Come here often?

Jes, he sighed, my head hurts.

He cooed sympathetically, cupping his cheek as softly as he could with one hand while he used his sacrificial pocket square to smear away a little bit of the soot with the other.

I know, Love— you gave it a good, hard smack. But you’re not slurring, you’re not disoriented. So, that’s a point in your favour. Are you nauseous? Dizzy?

Jesper had had enough concussions to at least remember how they felt. Wylan nodded. A bit— the dizziness was pretty bad at first, I… I think I’m fine now, though.

Just in case, it was best not to move him yet. And by the time he was finished dabbing a burn salve into the raw skin of his hand and was tying off the bandage, Wylan’s pretty brown eyes were halflidded. He was swaying just a little where he sat at the edge of the bed.

Jes kissed the top of the bandage.

He supposed a little nap couldn’t hurt. The clock tower was striking 8 bells, and Kaz was sure to be wondering where Jesper had gone— he’d mentioned something about a meeting? He’d never given him a time, though, so he had no right to give him his disappointed face when they got back.

At least, Jes didn’t remember a time.

Well, something more important came up.

The most important thing was Wylan’s poor beleaguered head, pillowed on his chest. His steady breaths were leaving little puffs of warm air across Jesper’s chest. And with that bandaged hand held loosely in his own, his brain finally felt a little quieter.

#six of crows #wesper #wylan van eck #jesper fahey

[ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes]

The Phoenix and the Crow

part nineteen

pairing: kaz brekker x fem!reader

genre: neutral

el's thoughts: 19!! my brain isn't understanding haha hope you enjoy!

series masterlist

Y/N made a sound of disgust, her contempt for the Fjerdan clear, and the Zemeni man next to the inferni stopped fidgeting, his mouth falling slightly ajar. Kaz, however, didn’t seem surprised. If anything, he looked pleased.

“I can give you something better,” said Kaz.

Doubt and suspicion swam in Matthias’ eyes. “There is nothing else I want.”

“I can make you druskelle again.”

“Are you a magician, then? A wej sprite who grants wishes? I’m superstitious, not stupid.”

“You can be both, you know, but that’s hardly the point.” Kaz slipped a gloved hand into his dark coat. “Here,” he said. And gave a piece of paper to the inferni. She brought the paper up to his face for him to read. The document was written in Kerch and Fjerdan. Matthias’ eyes scanned over the paper that had statements of a release due in his favor. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “What evidence?” 

Kaz leaned back in his chair. “It seems Nina Zenik has recanted her statements. She will face charges of perjury.”

“Perjury? How long will you serve for that, Zenik?”

“Two months,” she said quietly.

“Two months?” Matthias laughed cruelly, his body twitching as if he’d been poisoned.

The others watched him with some concern. 

“Just how crazy is he?” Jesper asked, fingers drumming on the pearl handles of his precious revolvers. 

Y/N shrugged. “He’s not what I’d call reliable, but he’s all we’ve got apparently.”

Once Matthias got over his laughing fit he cleared his throat. “She can’t be trusted, you know,” he said to Kaz. “Whatever secrets you hope to gain from Bo Yul-Bayur, she’ll turn them over to Ravka.”

Y/N clenched her fists, but before she could say anything Kaz jumped to the defence. “Let me worry about that, Helvar. You do your part, and the secrets of Yul-Bayur and jurda parem will be in the hands of the people best equipped to make sure they stay rumors.”

Y/N eyed Kaz cautiously as she wondered who he planned on handing the drug and chemist over to. There are things that he has kept in the dark and she knew it would come to sneak up on them later if he didn’t bring it to light. 

After a bit more of going back and forth Matthias finally agreed to Kaz’s terms. 

“We’re going to untie you,” said Kaz. “I hope prison hasn’t robbed you of all your manners or good sense.”

Matthias nodded and Y/N pulled out a knife to cut him free of the ropes that binded him. “I believe you know Nina,” Kaz continued. “The lovely girl freeing you is Y/N L/N, our own personal Ravkan soldier and the best in the trade. Jesper Fahey is our sharpshooter, Zemeni-born but try not to hold it against him, and this is Wylan, the best demolitions expert in the Barrel.”

A rag tag group who had taken the world by storm while they helped save it from the darkest of shadows. Now challenged to take on the biggest heist of their lives. None of them entirely prepared for what came next but they all had their motives. Righteous and good-willed or greedy and selfish, they all had one goal and they hoped it’d be strong enough to hold them together.

“Besides, Wylan isn’t just good with the flint and fuss. He’s our insurance.” Kaz spoke while avoiding eye contact with Y/N.

“Against what?” Nina asked.

“Meet Wylan Van Eck,” said Kaz Brekker as the boy’s cheeks flooded crimson. “Jan Van Eck’s son and our guarantee on four million kruge.”

Jesper stared at Wylan. “You’re a Councilman’s kid? I mean that explains everything… Why didn’t you tell me?” His eyes had grown soft and filled with hurt. 

Wylan was red-faced and mortified. Nina looked stunned and irritated. The Fjerdan just seemed confused. Kaz appeared utterly pleased with himself. Y/N glared hard at the side of Dirtyhand’s face.

Wylan’s mouth opened and closed, his throat working. “You knew?” he asked Kaz miserably.

Kaz leaned back in his chair, one knee bent, his bad leg stretched out before him. “Why do you think I’ve been keeping you around?”

“I’m good at demo.”

“You’re passable at demo. You’re excellent at hostage.”

That was cruel, but that was Kaz. And the Barrel was a far rougher teacher than Kaz could ever be. At least this explained why Kaz had been coddling Wylan and brought him on an insanely important job.

The plan in Y/N’s head tilted sideways. Wylan was a hostage. Van Eck was paying Kaz for this heist. He lied to her. Not directly, but he withheld the information. 

The bastard continued to make his point of Wylan not really being fit for this line of work. Jesper sat silently with a dazed look in his eyes while Wylan looked like a kicked puppy. Y/N felt uneasy about the whole situation. 

“Since Wylan has seen the Ice Court with his very own eyes,” Kaz spoke, “he can keep you honest, Helvar.”

The Fjerdan scowled furiously, and Wylan looked a little ill.

“Don’t worry,” Nina said. “The glower isn’t lethal.”

Kaz tapped his cane on the polished wood floor. “Take out your pen and proper paper, Wylan. Let’s put Helvar to work.”

Wylan reached into the satchel that sat between the sharpshooter and himself. He pulled out a slender roll of butcher’s paper followed by a metal case that held an expensive-looking pen and ink set. 

“Start talking,” Kaz said to the Fjerdan. “It’s time to pay the rent.”

Matthias directed his furious gaze at Kaz. Definitely a mighty glower. It was almost fun to watch him pit it against Kaz’s sharklike stare.

Finally, the Fjerdan shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “The concentric circles, like the rings of a tree.” The words came slowly, as if speaking each one was causing him pain.

The merchling and Fjerdan went back and forth on describing the Ice Court, each one fact checking and correcting the other. They explained each level of defence and the coordinating colored protical. Where the prison cells were and where they’d most likely find Bo Yul-Bayur.

“Hringkalla is coming up,” Nina said suddenly.

“Be silent,” Matthias snapped.

“Pray, don’t,” said Kaz.

“Hringkalla. It’s the Day of Listening, when the new druskelle are initiated on the White Island.” Y/N spoke up.

Matthias’ knuckles flexed white. “You have no right to speak of those things. They’re holy.”

“They’re facts. The Fjerdan royals throw a huge party with guests from all over the world, and plenty of the entertainment comesstraight from Ketterdam.”

“Entertainment?” Kaz asked.

“Actors, dancers, a Komedie Brute troupe, and the best talent from the pleasure houses of West Stave.” 

“I thought Fjerdans didn’t go in for that sort of thing,” said Jesper.

Nina’s lips quirked. “You’ve never seen Fjerdan soldiers on the Staves?”

“I meant when they’re at home,” Jesper said.

“It’s the one day a year they all stop acting so miserable and actually let themselves have a good time,” Nina replied. “Besides, “only the druskelle live like monks.”

Matthias and the heartrender kept going back and forth, each picking and poking with their words, trying to get a reaction out of each other. Y/N rolled her eyes at the pair in both annoyance and a teasing manner.

“When does this party take place?” Kaz interrupted.

“It’s seasonal,” Nina said, “on the spring equinox.”

“Two weeks from today.” noted Y/N.

Kaz cocked his head to one side, his eyes focused on something in the distance.

“Scheming face,” Jesper whispered to Y/N.

She nodded. “Definitely.”

Kaz inquired about the White Rose sending any delegations. Nina replied, saying she didn’t know anything.

Kaz leaned back. “What’s the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet?”

“Knife to the throat?” Y/N asked.

“Gun to the back?” said Jesper.

“Poison in his cup?” suggested Nina.

“You’re all horrible,” said Matthias.

Kaz rolled his eyes. “The easiest way to steal a man’s wallet is to tell him you’re going to steal his watch. You take his attention and direct it to where you want it to go.” He continued to explain how Hringkalla will do the job for them. They’ll take advantage of the chaos that is hosting such a large gathering of people. “They can’t be looking everywhere at once.” He started to construct his plan of them sneaking into the prison as criminals. 

“Let me get this straight,” said Jesper. “You want us to let the Fjerdans lock us up in jail. Isn’t that what we’re always trying to avoid?”

“Criminal identities are slippery. It’s one of the perks of being a member of the troublemaking class. They’ll be counting heads at the prison gate, looking at names and crimes, not checking passports or examining embassy seals.”

“Because no one wants to go to pricon,” Jesper said.

Nina rubbed her hands over her wrists, “I don’t want to be locked up in a Fjerdan cell.” Y/N nodded her agreement. 

Kaz flicked his sleeve, and two slender rods of metal appeared between his fingers. They danced over his knuckles then vanished once more. 

“Lockpicks?” Y/N asked.

“You let me take care of the cells,” said Kaz.

“Hit where the mark isn’t looking,” mused the inferni.

“That’s right,” nodded Kaz. “And the Ice Court is like any other mark, one big white pigeon ready for the plucking.”

Anticipation mixed with fear and excitement settled in the room as Y/N looked around at the other crows. 

Matthias folded his huge arms and said, “You have no idea what you’re up against.”

“But you do, Helvar. I want you working on the plan of the Ice Court every minute until we sail. Mo detail is too small or inconsequential. I’ll be checking on you regularly.”

Y/N traced her fingers over the rough sketch Wylan drew out. “It really does look like the rings of a tree.”

“No,” said Kaz. “It looks like a target.”

#kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x you #kaz brekker x y/n #six of crows #six of crows imagines #six of crows x reader #ellora.writes

[barbarianbookhoe]

Chapter 3

A/N: here comes one of my fave Kanej scene!! (tho a bit changed but nvm) This became longer than I wanted, apologies if it feels too much!

(Btw i rewatched the series recently and my god was he hot doing this)

"You want us to do what?" Jesper asked and stopped fidgeting with his revolver. Y/N gave them back to him aftter Kaz told (almost) everything about his plan. But as expected, they had some reluctance towards some details.

"Do you have a better idea on how to get into a prison?" Kaz raised his brows, waiting for an answer, then nodded. "Thought so. As I said-"

"You intentionally want us to be prisoners? Get put behind bars, not to mention, that we'll have absolutely no weapons with us," Nina interrupted him. Kaz turned to her with an annoyed expression. "That is what I just told you, didn't I?" Everyone shifted in their seat uncomfortably, except Y/n. Her mind was already running with thoughts about Kaz's reason behind the idea.

"That's what I'm here for, isn't it?" She asked and they turned to her as she continued. "No one's going to expect criminals to willingly go into prison, that's why it's the perfect disguise. While the six of you are inside, I can shapeshift and easily get in and out, bringing you your weapons. I can change into anyone or anything, which means I can even change into a guard to make it less suspicious." It's a brilliant idea, she thought to herself but didn't say it out loud. Ghezen forbid she makes Kaz's ego grow bigger, if that was possible.

"And once we find Yul-Bayur, the two of you will change place until we get him out, saving time for us." Kaz told them and Y/N let out a small hum, as if she was agreeing with Kaz's explanation. "It'll work as long as no one tries to speak in Shu to me," Y/N said then quickly added, "or Fjerdan."

"According to my timing, no one's going to suspect a thing until we give you the signal and you leave," Kaz told her while Jesper slightly shook his head. "Don't want to offend you Y/N, I totally believe that you can do that, but umm," he hesitated for a moment before continuing, "how sure can we be that this will work? I mean, won't it be suspicious that while we're dragging him through the crowd, another one of him casually stirs potions in his laboratory?"

"I aggree with Jesper," Inej said and Kaz looked at her annyoed. "You too now?"

"Look Kaz, it's not that we don't trust you-" "I definitely don't trust him," Matthias mumbled while Inej spoke. "It's just that this really seems like a crazy idea. At least tell us you have a backup plan, if someone notices us," she pleaded with him but Kaz just stared at them with a blank face, seemingly in thought. His silence made both Jesper and Y/N worried. "You do have a backup plan?" Jesper asked, and Y/N quickly followed.

"Tell us you have a backup plan," Y/N asked with wide eyes and when Kaz finally looked at them he rolled his eyes. "Of course, I'm not an idiot. I have backup plans for backup plans,"

"That didn't sound so convincing," Y/N let out a sigh and Jesper did the same.

"I already figured it out. There's a few things that needs more details, but otherwise I have a solid plan," Kaz told them, and this time they found his words convincing enough not to doubt him furthermore.

After assigning each of them a task and telling them to meet at Fifth Harbor in two hours, Kaz dismisses the Crows.Y/N hugs Inej and Jesper on their way out, telling them to be careful, and slipping a newly made knife onto Inej's belt. When Nina walks past her to the door, she slightly turns towards the shapeshifter, as if telling her a secret.

"I don't know what's going on between you and Brekker, but I'm glad you're joining us," she told her honestly and it made Y/N's heart skip a beat. She was sure the heartrender sensed it by the smirk on her face.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked as nonchalantly as she could, but the grin on Nina's face told her she couldn't deceive her. "Whenever you speak his heart beats slower, like your voice is a drug and he just got injected with it. Makes him more calm, that's all. Also, green suits you," Nina winked and pointed at her leather vest under her apron. Y/N gave her a small smile in return, and watched as everyone left her apartment, even Kaz.

She didn't stop him when he went out the door, instead keeping her promise to him and acting like they were nothing else besides old colleagues. Oh but they were much more than that.

Even the word lovers were too much of an understatement for what they were to each other. In her head, Y/N called Kaz many things throughout the years: a colleague, an annoying friend, an asshole, a best friend, a partner in crime, a pain in the ass, her other half. One thing she knew for sure was that no matter how much of a liar and spiteful man he was, whatever promise Kaz made to her, he always made sure to keep it somehow.

I promise I'll give you a new knife.

He stole the one a Dime Lion threw at his head.

I promise I won't tell you drank it.

He created a fake alibi for her.

I promise I won't steal your pancakes again.

He stole the waffles instead.

I promise I'll be willing to try.

He could give her kisses on her skin now. He could take off his gloves and hold her hand for almost fifteen minutes. He could hug her, hold her, kiss her cheek almost without trouble.

He even tried kissing her a few weeks ago, trying to surprise her, but it didn't went well. They still did the things they accomplished in the last two years, but he didn't try kissing her again. Y/N didn't mind it for one minute, because this slow pace wasn't just because of Kaz. She had her fare share with fear of skin on skin contact. If the burn marks on her neck weren't any indicators, then her avoidance of close touches certaintly was.

She could deal with her aversion far better than Kaz, due to her nephew who sometimes clinged to her like there was no tomorrow. Not to mention that she used to work as a waitress in the Crow Club for a few months, before accepting the job as a gunsmith's assisstant. Though sometimes when she got back into her apartment, she felt like just standing in the middle of the room, not wanting to touch any material or fabric. These times even the soft and warm cushions of her own bed made her feel nauseaous. Especially the warmth that mattress could radiate, despite the fact that she always kept her bedroom rather chilly, even in the winter.

Y/N walked down to the workshop and took off her belt, that kept some of her tools on her hip. She also took the dirty apron off and tossed it on the anvil. She glanced around the workshop, wondering how many weapons should she bring with her. She though about the ones she's going to use, the ones for backup, and the ones the others will have to use in the Ice Court. She walked over to the shelves next to the fireplace and grabbed two belts. One for her and one for Inej, once they're inside the prison. She also grabbed gun hoisters, just in case, and put the four items on an empty table. She grabbed a few knives and two revolvers, along with three packs of bullets, so at least four dozen bullets. She began searching for the bag she used for delivering weapons to the Dregs, and she found it amongst the multiple boxes at the back of the room. She carefully placed the guns and the gun hoisters inside, then filled it with the knives and the packs of bullets. She threw the belt for Inej on top of everything and closed the bag. She also put the other belt on her waist, secured it, and filled it with knives, along with her leather vest. Her fingers grazed the edge of the vest, remembering her 16th birthday, when her brother convinced Inej to get Y/N a similar vest to hers

"I hate that you keep weapons on yourself at all times, but you might as well do it with some style."

Y/N smiled at the memory as she grabbed the bag and made her way upstairs.

Just as she was about to close the door, she heard the sound of a cane clicking on the stairs. She left the door slightly ajar, as she went into the kitchen and put the bag on the table. She grabbed another glass from the cabinet along with hers, and poured some kvas into both. She didn't turn around, even when the footsteps stopped and she could feel Kaz's presence directly behind her.

"Do you think you'll be able to pull it off?" He asked as Y/N turned around with both glasses in her hands. She gave one of them to him, as she answered. "If you think I can, then I think so too," she took a sip from her glass and watched Kaz quirk his eyebrow at her. "And why would I think that?" He asked rather playfully. "You wouldn't have offered me a place, if you thought otherwise," Y/N shrugged her shoulders and let the smug look take over her face. Kaz rolled his eyes, but Y/N could see the smile he was hiding in his features. "Your smugness is something I definitely didn't miss in the last few days," he downed the remaints of his drink and stepped closer to put his glass on the table. Right next to Y/N's hip.

"That indicates you missed me in the first place," she said quietly and really hoped her voice didn't waver as Kaz leaned closer to her. She could almost feel his breath on her face as he spoke. "Don't be so full of yourself," he whispered back gently, as he tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then letting his hand linger on her cheek. It made Y/N's heart melt the first time he did it, and it certaintly melted for the hundredth time too. She gave him a soft smile. "I missed you too,"

Later at Fifth Harbor

Kaz and Y/N parted ways after closing the workshop, to meet the others. Y/N went on a longer route to eliminate anyone that might be following them. The bag felt heavier in her hands, since Kaz insisted on her bringing some first aid items, just in case.

"We won't need at least half of these," Y/N argued with him, and he gave her a frustrated glance. "Is it so evil of me to try keeping you unharmed?"

As Y/N reached the harbor she noticed five figures near the ship that was taking them to Fjerda, and when she heard the footsteps behind her, she let out a smile. "How is your new knife?"

"It's beautiful. I really like it," Inej said from next to her and they began walking over to their group. "I knew the royal blue grip would suit you," Y/N winked at her and Inej softly smiled. "I've been thinking, and I'd like to ask you a question. Is it because of your shapeshifting ability, that you always knew when I was near? I always found it strange that you could notice my presence, when no one else did."

"When I turn back into human, I can still use some traits of animals. Sometimes it's only for a few hours, sometimes it's for days. Depends on the strength of the animal. Excellent hearing is one of them," Y/N told Inej and she listened to her with curiousity. She always liked to learn about new things, and Y/N was more than happy to give her answers.

The two of them came to a stop in front of the group, when all of a sudden the ship in front of them blew up. They all ducked down to not get hit by the wood and glass shards that erupted from the end of the dock.

"That was our ship!" Jesper shouted as Inej and Y/N were already scanning their surroundings. Kaz stood up straight and began limping away, signaling for them to follow him. "That was only a decoy. I counted on something like this happening,"

"Of fucking course you were," Y/N mumbled as she followed him along with the others. Kaz lead them to the real boat, the Ferolind, when someone began shooting at them. The bullets came from more than one direction, which ment the ambush was planned.

Jesper grabbed his revolvers and began shooting back, while diving behind one of the shipping crates, Nina and Matthias following him. Kaz and Wylan wasn't too far from them, throwing bombs at the attackers. Y/N and Inej were hiding in the shadows, trying to see who the attackers were.

"Shit, I need to get rid of this bag," Y/N whispered to herself, before tugging on Inej's coat. "I'll try to pass the bag to the others. Go around from the left, I'll take the right side. Maybe we can attack them from behind," she said and Inej nodded, disappearing among the crates.

Y/N took a glance around the dock and when she saw Jesper behind one of the crates, she slowly began to make her way towards him, but in the last few meters she just ran. She hopped down next to him and pushed the bag into Nina's hands. "There's at least a dozen knives in there, so be careful," Y/N told her and immediately went back to where she came from.

She couldn't see well in the dark, so she duck behind a crate and turned into a black cat. She ran the way where Inej went and she saw her fighting with a man, badly losing. Y/N sprinted towards them and just as she changed back into human, ready to kill the person, she saw him bleeding on the ground, Inej nowhere to be seen. She glanced around frantically searching for Inej, and when she saw her climbing the pyramid of shipping crates she gently grabbed her ankle. Inej tried to kick her and as Y/N saw the girl pointing the knife at herself, ready to avoid capture, she quickly reassured her.

"Inej! It's me!" She exclaimed and saw Inej stop as she took a better look at Y/N. "Are you hurt?" She asked but when she saw dark liquid staining Inej's side, her face fall. "Saints. Come on, I'll get you to the boat!" Y/N said and grabbed the girl's arm and put it around her shoulders. Then she tried to get Inej to her feet as gently as she could, but she still groaned in pain. "Sorry, sorry," Y/N apologized quietly. She quickly got the girl to the dock, before she felt a sharp pain piercing through her shoulder, making her drop Inej as she lost her balance. She managed to let out a scream before she felt the dark waves crash above her head.

The others were already on the deck, ready to help the two girls on the boat when they saw what happened. Nina and Jesper ran towards Inej, meanwhile Kaz stood there frozen, watching the dark water that took Y/N. He could faintly hear Jesper asking Nina if she hears Y/N's heartbeat, and the girl saying yes. He also saw a Black Tip, Oomen, jumping right after Y/N with a rope in his hands. Jesper stepped on deck with Inej in his arms, and Nina by his side giving him orders and Kaz watched as they disappear.

Just when he looked back at the water, Y/N came to the surface, tossing around to get Oomen off her back as he tried to strangle her with the rope. She went underwater again, and the next time she came up she began frantically swimming towards the boat. When she saw that Kaz was about to jump after her, she yelled at him as loud as she could. "Go! Start the boat!" Then she let out a groan as Oomen behind her grabbed her again. "GO, I'LL FIND YOU!" She shouted before he pulled her underwater again.

Kaz knew it was the logical choice to start their journey, before the Ferolind got blown up too, but Y/N's scream was the only thing currently echoing in his mind. He didn't hear Nina and Jesper arguing while trying to keep Inej alive, nor Specht walking over to him.

"Start the boat as quick as you can," Kaz said harshly to Specht as he walked over to a scared Wylan. "Do we have any flash bombs left?" He demanded and the boy pulled the bag off his shoulders and handed Kaz three small bombs. "What are you going to do?" Wylan asked as he held the bag close to his chest. Kaz contemplated just leaving him there without an answer, but in the moment he was too frustrated and angry to care about the image he held. "Save a friend," he told Wylan and for a brief second saw the surprised faces of Matthias and Jesper. Kaz hurried to the side of the boat and threw the three bombs as close to the crates as he could, imitating the explosion of an actual bomb. Kaz was sure the rest of the attackers didn't stay in the harbor long after that.

As they left the harbor, Kaz kept his eyes on the waves below them, even as Jesper told him that Inej was fine, and Nina was currently stitching her up. Everytime Kaz thought he saw Y/N resurface in the water his heart lept from him. And everytime he realized it was just his mind playing tricks on him, his heart stopped in disappointment.

"Where's Y/N?" Jesper asked suddenly. "Is she okay? Did she stay behind?" He didn't got an answer and Jesper was about to walk away from Kaz, when he finally spoke up on a quiet voice. "She got attacked. It's nothing she can't handle though," he sensed Jesper's shock and subtly looked at the side of his face. "What is it Jesper?" The sharpshooter just shook his head, the shock turning into worry as he spoke. "Are you not worried about her? Not even a little bit?" "Not particularly. She can take care of herself," Kaz responded quickly, and tightened the grip on his cane. "But isn't the two of you old...acquaintances?" Jesper asked, slightly confused at the word. He suspected there was more between the two than being colleagues, but Jesper also suspected if he ever told this to Kaz he'd skin him alive. Kaz looked at him with a blank face, before turning back to the sea. "Tell Wylan and Matthias to work on the map," Jesper sighed disappointedly, but did as Kaz said.

Kaz heard someone cough beneath him, and he was certain his imagination was playing another trick on him, but then he heard a familiar voice. "Anyone there? Please," Her voice was weaker than he would've liked it to be, but it didn't stop Kaz from leaning down to see her better.

Y/N was gripping the side of the boat as hard as she could, with blood stained arms. She could hardly keep her eyes open and Kaz hurried to the ropes on the deck, before abandoning his cane and throwing the rope down for Y/N to grab. "Hold on," Kaz told her, and his voice made Matthias, Wylan and Jesper look at his back as he layed down on his stomach. Y/N grabbed the rope and Kaz immediately started pulling her up, letting out a groan as his bad leg protested against it. He felt the rope slowly slipping from his hands and it made him go faster. Y/N was only a few inches away from him, when all of a sudden Oomen emerged from the water, and grabbed her waist to pull her down.

Without a second thought, Kaz let go of the rope and grabbed Y/N at the back of her jacket which made her groan in pain. The others saw Kaz starting to slip off the boat and ran to him, but when they saw Y/N and the man on her back they shared shocked glances before jumping to action. Kaz told them to pull the man on board too, which made them even more shocked. Jesper grabbed Y/N's jacket and helped Kaz pull her up, while Wylan and Matthias grabbed the other guy and Y/N made sure to kick him in the groin once they were both on board.

She began to curse him in Ravkan, before she started violently shivering from swimming in the cold water. Nina stepped on deck right at this moment, when she went to check on the others. The scene before her left her speechless for a few seconds before worry took over her.

"What the hell is going on here?" She asked and when she saw Y/N shivering in her drenched clothes beside Kaz, she quickly went over to her, but was stopped by a very angry Kaz. "You stay there Heartrender," He growled but Nina had none of it. "Saint sake, the girl will freeze to death if you won't let me help her! Let me warm her up!" She said but it only made Kaz angrier. Y/N shook her head as she spoke.

"No, no fire. I don't want fire," She began frantically breathing but Kaz reassured her with gently rubbing her back.

The movement made them realize that Kaz was still holding the girl, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"There won't be any fire," He said to Y/N before turning back to Nina. "You can go," His harsh words made Nina even more angry with him. "Damn you Brekker, I was trained for this! I know what she needs! Let me help her!"

"You don't know what she needs!!" He yelled at her and it made everyone go silent. "Oh, and you do?" Nina asked mockingly and Kaz stayed silent. Then to all of their shock and surprise, he took off his coat while still staring at Nina like he was going to murder her. Then he put the coat around Y/N's shaking form as he helped her up from the ground and took her inside a cabin on the boat. The murderous look not once leaving his face.

After they disappeared, Jesper and Wylan got Oomen tied up and sat against the railing of the boat, stuffing his mouth with an old cloth. Jesper walked over to Nina and opened his mouth.

"Nina dear, can you check if my heart is still beating?" He casually asked her which made Nina turn to him with a questioning look. "I thought I'll have to die before I get to witness something like this,"

"Like what?" Nina asked back.

"Kaz Brekker, being affectionate...and protective?" Jesper answered like he didn't believe his own words.

"Did you...notice the tension between them?" Nina asked sheepishly and when she looked at Jesper he was already grinning. "Notice? I'm surprised we didn't catch on fire yet," he chuckled and Nina smirked at him. "Do you think they know about their feelings for the other?"

"Knowing Kaz, I'd say not in a million years," Jesper hesitated for a second and then continued. "And knowing Y/N, I'd say they're already together, but again, knowing Kaz, he'd rather keep it a secret than publicly admit he feels anything besides revenge."

Nina's mouth was slightly agape as she crossed her arms and fully turned to him. "I can't possibly believe he'd ever admit his feelings to anyone. Especially to that gorgeous woman," she said and Jesper smiled at her with a little mischief in his eyes.

"Would you bet on it?" Nina returned the mischievous grin as she answered. "Certainly. What have you got in mind?"

"We bet on their relationship." "Oh, and how much?" Nina asked curiously as he answered. "Dunno. Does 20 kruge sounds good to you?" She nodded her head and Jesper continued. "I bet that they're already together."

"I bet they don't know about each others feelings," Nina replied and Jesper reached his hand out to her and she shook it. "Deal."

The bet made its way to the others, every one of them voting on Nina's words, with Inej being the most definite about it. Even Specht bet on them, being the only one to side with Jesper.

Meanwhile Kaz was having a hard time reasoning with Y/N, for she seemed even more stubborn when she was injured.

#grishaverse #shadow and bone #shadow and bone fanfiction #six of crows #kaz brekker #kaz brekker fanfic #kaz brekker x fem!reader #kaz brekker x reader #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Don't Go Blindly Into the Dark

Summary:

To hide that he can't read, Jan Van Eck has been forcing his son to pretend he's blind since he was eight years old. Wylan is now attending Ketterdam University, and meeting Jesper Fahey may very well be about to change his life. But is he safe to tell Jesper the truth? And what will Jesper say if he does?

Jesper is struggling to weigh up his life in the Barrel and his life at the University of Ketterdam, and there's a good chance that his growing debt is about to make the decision for him. He hasn't attended class consecutively for months, but maybe that will change when his newest project includes partnering up with Wylan Van Eck. But can he really leave the Barrel behind him? And how long can he keep up the pretence of who he thinks Wylan wants him to be?

Content warnings for this chapter: implied gambling addiction, weapons, implied violence

AO3 link: Don't Go Blindly Into the Dark (2275 words) by She_posts_nerdy_stuff

Chapter One - Jesper

Jesper was late. Again.

He ran out the door of the Slat, jacket half-pulled over his creased shirt and the second sleeve obstinately hiding from him as he rushed into the street. The staves were quiet enough at this time for his hurry to be noticeable, but he didn't have time to care about the strangers glancing at him. He glanced at his watch as he ran, almost tripping over the cobbles. Nine bells. What time had he fallen asleep? He didn’t remember getting back to the Slat, but judging by the exhaustion clinging to his bones it couldn’t have been all that long ago. Dammit, Jesper. He knew he shouldn’t have gone out last night; he knew it would only end up with him being late this morning. But here he was, once again, trying desperately to pass as someone with reasonable respectability as he flew into the university district.

He was more than out of breath by the time he reached the dean’s office, trying to straighten his jacket and smooth his hands over his shirt. It was a deeply boring outfit; a once-white button down and a brown jacket, but Jesper had to forgo his usual Barrel flash on the occasional visits he bothered to make to the university. That didn’t mean he didn’t add his own little flares, of course, but he’d been in too much of a rush this morning to concern himself with that.

“I should have a meeting scheduled,” he said, “Jesper Fahey?”

The receptionist looked him up and down disapprovingly, then opened the almost comically oversized diary sitting on her desk.

“You’re late,”

You don’t think I know that?

“Sorry,”

“He had to start the meeting after yours. Should be another five minutes, but then he has a space open. You can wait over there,”

“Thanks,” 

She made a non-committal ‘mm’ sound, turning back to her other papers. 

Jesper sat opposite the receptionist’s desk, fidgeting, eyes on the door. Why had the dean called him to this meeting? The note had been frustratingly vague, and he’d only seen it because he was coincidentally back at his term-address to collect some fresh clothes when it arrived. There were three more on the table that he’d already missed, so he decided he’d better make it to this one. Maybe they were kicking him out - he wouldn’t be surprised. At least then the decision would be made for him. But if he was expelled, would they somehow inform his father? Jesper shuffled unhappily in his uncomfortable chair.

Another minute passed before the door clicked open and two people emerged through it - the dean, a tall Kerch man in his late forties trying to hide the fact that he was clearly going bald, holding the door for a boy Jesper recognised from one of his classes. A mercher kid, someone had told him on their first day, as they watched the boy walk in and take a seat, something Van Eck. Had some sorta accident when he was a kid, been blind ever since. He looked much younger than Jesper, though he knew they must be about the same age, with soft features and angelic, ruddy curls floating around his head like gravity had taken a liking to him and given them a free pass. Jesper had to admit, he found the kid intriguing. Even in the lessons he’d shown up to, he had several times caught himself studying the boy from across the room and had to force himself to look away. Even if whatever-his-name-was didn’t know he was staring, it still felt rude.

“Thank you, sir,” he was saying to the dean as he slipped through the door, slender cane tapping the ground in front of him.

It was almost rhythmic, like a beat that was waiting for someone to add a melody. The dean had noticed Jesper, he could tell, but waited until the Van Eck kid had left the room before he said:

“Mr Fahey. You came,”

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, and then when a brief pause added: “And that I missed the previous meetings you scheduled. I, er, had a problem receiving mail,”

“I see,” he said, a little coolly, eyes flicking over Jesper, “Well, come in,”

Jesper sat in front of the desk, drumming his fingers in his chair, waiting to be told that he was expelled. But the dean just droned on and on, without the final hit ever seeming to come.

“The only class you’ve attended in the last month is Economic Principles for Business and Markets - and even for that you’ve only attended three lessons,” he was saying, when Jesper suddenly remembered he was supposed to be listening and quickly tuned in, “Perhaps we could change your course load to classes more similar to this one, see if that helps motivate you. Do you enjoy Economics?”

Jesper did not. He shrugged.

“Not particularly,”

“Then may I ask why it’s the only class you’ve consistently attended? - even if you do have twelve late marks in it across the year,”

It hadn’t really been a conscious decision. It was an afternoon class, twice a week, easy to get to at least one of them if he got himself together enough - late enough that he’d probably be awake, early enough that he probably wasn’t on a job or in a gambling den. 

“I have a partner project in that class,” he said, truthfully, “I don’t want to let anyone down,”

“Perhaps you should consider not letting yourself down, Mr Fahey,”

Saints, he didn’t hold anything back did he? Jesper shuffled.

“Who’s your partner for this project?”

“Helena Dentte,”

The dean nodded.

“I’m going to switch who you’re working with,”

Jesper wasn’t sure what good that was supposed to do, but he didn’t argue. Helena was nice enough, but she was infuriatingly motivated and it drove him slightly mad when she suggested they meet to study after almost every class - and she probably hated his guts for the curse he was to be partnered with.

“What about the rest of your course?” he glanced through the papers on his desk, “You haven’t attended Comparative Literature - Kerch and Zemeni Poetry since going once last month, your other classes longer,”

Jesper just shrugged again. He was sinking slowly but surely deeper into his chair.

“Not for me,”

“We should look at changing your classes around then. Stick with the business class, whatever’s keeping you there I want to preserve it. But think about what else you’d like to study. If not economics or literature, Mr Fahey, what are you interested in?”

Unwelcome answers offered themselves up in Jesper’s head. He shuffled.

“I don’t know,”

The dean wasn’t particularly impressed. He told Jesper to come back in a week, with at least an idea of what else he might like to study. Sure, Jesper thought, that’s gonna happen.

“I’m very glad you came to this meeting, Mr Fahey. It’s the first step in making a change, and I am only here to help you,”

Jesper mumbled something of a thanks by way of reply as he slipped out the door and slouched away down the corridor.

“Jesper,”

A girl melted from the shadows and appeared at his shoulder, making Jesper jump out of his skin. His hand flinched reflexively towards the revolver hidden in his jacket, but got no further because it only took half a second to see who was talking to him.

“Saints - Inej, you scared the life out of me,”

Inej said nothing for a moment. They walked down the corridor together, would have been shoulder to shoulder if it weren’t for the fact that Inej’s head only just reached Jesper’s shoulder. He’d known Inej Ghafa only a short while, since she’d joined the Dregs a few months ago, but he already doubted he was ever going to get used to the way she appeared and disappeared so quickly, so completely. Never mind any other spiders crawling around in the Barrel, Jesper hadn’t met anyone who could do what Inej could do - to simply erase herself like that, to only be seen when she wanted you to notice her. She was also probably the toughest person he knew - except maybe Kaz, though honestly he might be more scared of getting on Inej’s bad side. Then again, if this was Kaz’s good side maybe he shouldn’t push his luck.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, as they turned the corner.

“Take a wild guess,”

She watched him for a brief moment.

“You’re a student?”

She sounded surprised. That was probably fair.

“Supposed to be. Anyway, I might ask you the same question,”

“Kaz is angry,”

“Kaz is always angry,”

“Kaz is angry with you,”

Jesper shrugged.

“That’s hardly news, Inej. He send you here to get his money? I’ll have it by tomorrow,”

“We both know that’s not true, Jes. And he didn’t send me,” said Inej, frowning, “I came to talk to you, to say you should steer clear of him for a couple of days,”

Really? That bad? Jesper frowned. What had he done to piss off Kaz Brekker this time? 

Inej was studying him, her dark eyes roving slowly over him, her frown remaining intact. She wasn’t exactly what Jesper had expected when Kaz told him a girl from the Menagerie was going to be moving into the Slat, but he wasn’t really sure what he’d been expecting. A broken wisp of a girl, he supposed. Inej wasn’t broken, though she’d clearly taken damage, and she could hardly be described as a wisp. Jesper had seen her fight more than enough times to trust that. 

Inej also had a particular skill for the disapproving look she could get to glitter in her eyes on command - or maybe Jesper just brought it out in her. She touched two fingers to one of the knives slung through her belt, murmuring something in Suli.

“Should you really be carrying those in here?” he asked.

Jesper wasn’t actually sure how many knives Inej had, but there must have been at least five on her person at any given moment. She shrugged.

“You have a revolver in your coat,”

“Yeah, in my coat,” he shook his head, “Not on show,”

Inej shrugged.

“Maybe I’m an arts student,”

“Why would an arts student be carrying a thousand knives?”

“Art, obviously,”

Jesper snorted.

“Obviously,”

They were almost outside.

“Just, you know, don’t get arrested,”

Inej smiled.

“I think you’re giving the stadwatch a little too much credit there,” her voice suddenly moved to Jesper’s other shoulder and he turned to try and see her, “Who could possibly arrest a Wraith?”

She was gone. It was broad daylight in a wide courtyard, and Inej Ghafa was gone. Jesper shook his head. Unbelievable. 

*

Jesper didn’t know exactly what he’d done to get on Kaz Brekker’s final nerve, but he wasn’t about to go and find out. He sifted through the piles of stuff stacked unhappily in his university dorm, trying to make enough space for the room to actually be liveable. When had he last slept on campus? Not recently. Maybe it was a good thing Kaz was mad at him, if it was going to keep him out of the Barrel for a few days. Maybe he could even look through the course catalogue, to keep the dean happy, and find out whoever else he was going to partner him up with for Business and Markets. Helena would probably be glad of the change. She could take her thousand and one notebooks to someone who might actually be able to contribute something. 

But why lie? Jesper was itching for a hand of cards. He lay on his back on top of the mattress, studying the ceiling and twisting one of his rings round and round his finger. Unless he snapped and ended up running into a den and just facing Kaz’s wrath, the rings he’d slept in last night were apparently the only flash he was going to enjoy for the next few days. What other clothes did he even have here? He didn’t remember seeing much else in the wardrobe when he came to grab these the other day. He should probably check. He’d do it in a minute.

The next thing Jesper remembered was waking up, jolting upright and almost whacking into the headboard. Damn, he really must have been exhausted. How long had he slept for? He was momentarily disorientated, fumbling for his watch and discovering that it was nearing twelve bells. The curtains were still open and the midday sun streamed through them, highlighting the dust floating through the air. Jepser sighed - just his luck, the single sunny day of the year Ketterdam would bother to grace them all with, and he had slept through most of the morning. He’d needed it though. 

Almost twelve bells. He could make it to his one o’clock class - what was it? Poetry, or something - if he got himself together. Or he could just lie here a little longer, watching the world go by outside his window. 

No. No, if he was here then he should go. He should at least try. 

It was his poetry class today - he checked the timetable shoved in the desk drawer - and it proved to be just as irredeemably boring as he remembered it. But he went. He took a notebook and the fountain pen his Da had given him when he got into university. He didn’t make any notes, but he took them with him. It was something. Sort of. 

He counted it, even if only to make himself feel slightly better.

#let me know if anyone would like to be tagged in the future <3 #don't go blindly into the dark #no beta read #six of crows #grishaverse #crooked kingdom #leigh bardugo #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #nina zenik #wesper #wylan hendriks #matthias helvar #wesper fanfiction #wesper fic

[sky-neverending]

Snip of the classic coffee shop au

if you like it, lemme know by leaving notes here! if i get 30 notes on that post i'll post it today!

“Maybe he’s not coming.” A voice said from behind him. Jesper groaned and turned around, rolling his eyes. 

“He’s coming. Why wouldn’t he come?” 

Matthias grinned at him. “Maybe you scared him off.” he said casually, and Jesper panicked. Had he scared Wylan off? Was he too much? 

The blonde broke out in laughter, clutching at his stomach. “I was joking.” he said through fits of amusement. “He is probably just busy.”

Jesper fidgeted with the rings on his fingers, bouncing on his toes anxiously. “What if he’s not single? What if he’s straight? Oh my Saints Matthias, what if he thinks I'm not attractive? 

Raising an eyebrow, Matthias scoffed. “Oh no,” he said half heartedly. “There’s no way he would ever think that.” 

“You’re right. That was stupid of me. Everyone thinks I'm attractive.” From behind him, Jesper heard the door bell clang, but he was too caught up in his panic to turn around. “Ok. So he’s either not single or he’s straight. Those have to be the only options.”

“Jesper-” Matthias said with a cough, but Jesper kept rambling. 

“Not now, Matty. This is important. How do I get him to like me? Should I put my number on the cup? Write something more out there? Draw a picture?”

“A picture would be lovely.”

#sky writes #shadow and bone netflix #six of crows #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #matthias helvar #wesper #wesper fanfiction #go leave notes on the linked post!!

[vole-mon-amour]

i can't really explain or elaborate, but I always thought of Kaz as a top. this ship is way more than sex to me (i don't think I ever think of them in terms of sex?) it's the emotional connection, the trauma processing, so he NEEDS to be in control.

mentally in control.

The Boss. The Bastard of The Barrel.

i just know that Jesper lets Kaz take his time. I know he lets Kaz get closer and reach the point where they're both comfortable at Kaz's pace.

despite his constant fidgeting, Jesper is actually really good at being patient and waiting. when it comes to Kaz, he'll do it. whatever that might be, he will do it—for the both of them.

#kazper #kaz x jesper #jesper x kaz