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#poor kaz needs his coffee
honeym00ngirl · 6 months
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Imagine: falling in love with the Bastard of the Barrel
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Warnings: language, mentions of past trauma (only if you squint)
a/n: this is far to early to post on a monday morning, especially when I have school.
It was no secret that Kaz Brekker noticed everything. Whether it be a crook cheating his way through a gamble, the shadow of an enemy tailing him during his walks, or even an attitude change in one of his dregs.
He’d always had this gift, even as child.
More often then not, Kaz pays attention to what a person is doing rather than what they're saying. He has an eye for taking in details without it seeming suspicious. 
One day Nina had asked him why. Why was he so studious when it came to the actions of men? 
Kaz had simply replied, ‘Talk may thrill, but it’s the action that reveals’. That stuck with you.
It was terrifying and beautiful.
He always knew exactly what to pull off and how he had to do it. 
He could lie to your face and you’d never question a word. Dirty Hands could talk his way out of hell without raising a finger. 
No one ventured to cross him, not if they were rational enough.
Kaz remembering the littlest of things helped him immensely in both the field of business, and his relationship with you. 
You didn’t notice it at first, but as time passed you learned that his love language was not physical touches, gifts or presents. No. Not Kaz.
It was all about those small acts that showcased his true feelings. Only after you were in a relationship did you realize acts of service were basically his form of flirting. 
Now, you took notice whenever he did the most mundane things for you.
You started repaying the favor. It was the easiest way of showing affection to him. Wether it be bringing him coffee in the mornings, or stepping ahead to open a door.
The other dregs took a hell of a lot longer then you to gather just how deep Kaz Brekker’s love truly ran, but once they did, by the saints did they wear shit eating grins anytime the poor boy did anything for you. 
All of them had their own doubts when they came to know of your relationship. Nobody was a stranger to the fact that both of you were extremely closed off people. 
As odd as it sounded, dirty hands himself had fallen in love. Things would get more physical one day, you knew that, Kaz knew that. He just needed time and the last thing you wanted to do was pressure him.
Thank you for reading and please note, requests are open! I am simply bored with writing for my own pleasure.
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Forever Never Would- Kaz Brekker 
Okay!! This is the second of two fics coming out and, while I wrote the first about two weeks back and I thought that it would take me forever, I finished writing this YESTERDAY, and I only got the chance to do a few edits before posting. 
This fic encompasses several different prompts from the 500 follower concert celebration, but hey! It’s my birthday fic and I love fics written in this style, so I decided I wanted to write one. 
Fic type- this is mostly fluffy, with a bit of angst and near-death thrown in there for funsies
Warnings- mentions of poison and stabbing, poor proofreading (we die like matthias helvar)
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SEVENTEEN
Kaz found himself sighing as he woke, head lifting from one of the rare plans that he’d written down. Heists had been going awry lately due to a general lack of sleep, and the nap had snuck up on him. 
Well, it depended upon what one called a lack of sleep, really. Was three hours across seven days really a mere lack of sleep, or was it deprivation? 
Kaz didn’t know what he would call such thing as that, but damn it, was it good to wake up after several hours spent with his eyes closed. Even if those hours had been spent sleeping at his desk, they were ones that Kaz had to consider well spent. 
He glimpsed the window, noticing that it’d been left open and that it was displaying the last of the winter sunrise. He realized then, that he’d slept for a full nine hours. It was the most time he’d slept in much too long. 
He straightened his back, eyes going to the door as he heard it open.
“Morning,” you whispered. “I do hope you’re feeling well rested. Nina wants us at the Kooperom in an hour.” 
Kaz thanked you as you placed a to-go cup of coffee on his desk. “Let me guess, she wanted us there at eight bells, and you negotiated?” 
“I offered a box of the toffees that came in last week, and told her outright that it’s been difficult around here for a while,” you said. “She and Matthias have been in Ravka for three months and Wylan and Jesper will back me up if they ask. Inej will, too. She probably heard our conversation, actually. I noticed her sitting on the high point of a rooftop to get a good view of the Harbor during sunrise.” 
Kaz shrugged. “It’s better than her knowing that I’ve not slept much in the past while,” he said. “She’d offer me a sleep syrup that the Grisha Triumvirate are rolling out. Thank you.”
You shrugged. “You owe me a cup of tea, Brekker.”
“I’ll cover your breakfast and we’ll call it even?” 
That made you grin, and Kaz pushed aside the distinct way that his heart beat quickened and turned his gaze to his cane in an effort to ignore the slight pull he felt at the corners of his lips, the pull that he knew would’ve made him smile so widely that his face would’ve begun to hurt. 
“The deal is the deal,” you said. 
Kaz let a smirk cross his lips, solely for the fact that he couldn’t stop himself, as he met your gaze. “The deal is the deal.” 
You sighed. “All right. Drink your coffee, get dressed. Meet me down at the bar in thirty minutes, and if I’m not nursing a brandy, we’ll call it a miracle.”
“The water is working again, if you’re still in desperate need of a shower?” Kaz asked. The cold had frozen the pipes, and he’d only been able to get a reliable plumber out to the Slat the day before. “I’m guessing you used one of the many showers at the Van Eck-Fahey residence in the meantime?”
You scoffed. “Of course I did,” you said. “I could use a bit of water on my face to wake me up a bit more, though, so thank you for the tip about the pipes.” 
Kaz shrugged. “You and that electric kettle you’ve made space for in your room deserve a good bit of tea that doesn’t cost you eight kruge. Enjoy.”
“My tea and I certainly will,” you said, smirking. Kaz watched as you turned to go, some part of him not wanting you to leave. “Oh, and Kaz?”
“Yeah?”
“I put sugar in your coffee, and a dash of cream.”
Kaz scoffed. “That’s unnecessarily cruel, Y/N.” 
“As is the fact that I still have two of your shirts, but what adds to that is the knowledge you must have by now, the knowledge that you will never be getting those back.”
“Enjoy your tea.” 
“I’ll drink it plain in your honor. Luckily for you, it’s raspberry tea, so drinking it plain is no problem at all.” 
Kaz scoffed, head turning to his lap, grin spreading across his lips as he heard the door gently close behind you. 
He grabbed the coffee, drinking it anyway before he stood, headed back through his office and to his bedroom, where a fresh set of clothes and the promise of a warm shower awaited. 
-
Kaz found himself turning away from your gaze once again twelve hours later, as the two of you settled in an alcove amidst a bookstore that’d opened near Fifth Harbor. It was built by the merchant council in the hopes of drawing more of the academics from around the world, hoping that the academics would ignore the Barrel as a whole, ignore that the criminals in Ketterdam often travelled outside of the Barrel and the areas around it. 
“You and your jokes,” Kaz said as he schooled his expression back to what it normally was. “First, you make my coffee a sugary hell, then you steal two of my shirts and now, you’re cracking jokes at my expense.”
“I stole the shirts first,” you rebutted. “They’re comfortable nightshirts, Brekker. I won’t be judged.”
“I could lend you one of my sweaters?” They were patterned, looked like something that a grandfather would’ve worn. They’d been gifts from members of the Dregs, ones who’d moved on to bigger, more traitorous things in the year since they’d been gifted to Kaz as a lousy christmas gift. 
A few that had been gifted to him were just plain and black, and as a guy who’d fallen asleep in his button ups far too many times to count, he could attest to the fact that they were sometimes the opposite of comfortable. 
“You, Kaz Brekker, Dirtyhands, Bastard of the bloody Barrel, are currently in possession of sweaters?” 
Kaz scoffed. “Four. I own four of them, and if they don’t go to you, they will never see the light of day unless I find myself needing to sew myself a new pair of gloves.” 
“You’re not getting the shirts back.”
Kaz shrugged. “The Ice Court heist was six months ago. I’ve still got enough money left, buying two new ones is probably a good idea anyway. Take the sweaters, Y/N. I can imagine that they’ll look better on you.”
“I thank you for your kindness, then,” you said. You noticed Kaz’s pocket watch had fallen out of it, felt the cool golden painted metal against your pinky. Kaz watched as you took it, careful to avoid touching his thigh. You checked the time. 
“Getting late,” you said. “Sundown, abouts. Getting back to the Slat is probably a good idea. The Dime Lions and the Razorgulls have taken to jumping members of the Dregs over all of the feuding. They tend to do it before it gets light and after it gets dark.”  
“You’re going to stay here knowing that?” 
You nodded. “I need some time to think. I can handle getting jumped, if they’re smart enough to jump me at all.” 
“And if they have switchblades?”
“Then I get stabbed and stitch myself up after a bit of a walk in the moonlight.”
“I’m staying.”
“You’re going, Kaz,” you said. “I need to think alone for a bit. Please, just let me.”
“If you get stabbed--”
“I know. You won’t be the one to help me stitch my wounds. Go on home, Brekker. I’ll swing by your office with some whiskey by midnight if I’ve made it back safe, too.” 
Kaz huffed as he stood. “Fine.”
He didn’t turn to look at you as he walked out, only glowered at the ground as he left.
-
“You can admit it,” Nina said. “You’re allowed to care about people, Brekker. Even in the smallest capacities, you’re allowed to care.”
Kaz sighed. “You’ve noticed it, then?”
“Noticed what?” Nina asked. “The way that your heart races when they meet your gaze, the way that it always calms when you meet their gaze as we join together at whatever happens to the rendezvous point on one of your meticiously planned heists? The way that they’re able to make the one man who I never thought I would see so much as smirk in my lifetime, smile after they’ve cracked one of their jokes?” 
“Yep.” 
Nina laughed. “Of course I have,” she said. “Everyone who tells others that they’ve not noticed is telling a bloody lie.”
“I don’t care,” Kaz said. “I don’t.”
“You’ve cared about them since even before Inej joined the Dregs,” Nina rebutted. “You’ve known them since you were twelve. It’s fine to admit that you care about them, especially if it’s been half a decade.”
“I haven’t loved them that long, though,” Kaz said, like it would somehow come to matter.
“I have no doubt that you’ve been in love with them since you joined up with the Dregs and finally realized what love means,” Nina rebutted. “Seriously. Stop being an idiot or I’ll get Matthias to smack you upside the head over it.”
“He smacks me, I break his wrist.”
“You break his wrist, I stop your heart.” 
Kaz shrugged. “Fair enough.” 
Nina sighed, leaning back into the U-shaped booth the two of them had found themselves in. They were in the Crow Club, sitting on opposite sides of the booth. When the rest of the crows arrived, Kaz would stand, wait for the rest of the crows to file in, and sit on one end whilst you sat, arm looped through Ninas, on the other. 
The conversation would divert either to Nina and Matthias’ plans to go back to Fjerda in the coming months, Inejs voyages off at sea, or Jesper, how his training as a fabrikator was coming along.
Plans of eventual permanent residency in Ketterdam would be discussed amongst all the parties that frequently left it. 
Kaz would listen as you talked of going to Ravka, attending one of their colleges to further your education. Kaz would tell you to go, not mentioning that he would be awaiting your return or jumping at the first chance he got to visit. He would remind you that you had the money to go, and going, getting the education that you wanted so that you may stop having to use theft, arson, and other crimes as a means of income, was nothing if it was not even slightly worth it. 
You would give him a grin, Kaz would feel his heart skip a beat. You would crack a joke about how he would miss you too much, and he would once again reconcile with the fact that he had to deign himself to a lower level to tell you that it was the truth, that he would miss you an unfortunate amount if you were to go. 
He would reconcile that he would have to deign to a lower level to admit it solely for the fact that the people in Ketterdam, the criminals, in particular, saw love and romance as leverage. 
Criminals in Ketterdam saw the death of someones partner, their fiancé, their husband, their wife, their spouse, as a means of revenge. The cruellest of them did it just for the sake of doing it. The cruellest of them only saw it as a means to an end, the elimination of a threat as the threat drowned in both whiskey and their own grief. 
Eventually, the rest of the crows did come. It went exactly as Kaz had expected, and when you ended up sitting across from him on one end of the booth, him on the other, Kaz could only allow himself a moment of peace.
It happened exactly as he’d thought. Nina and Matthias were going to leave a week from then, an come back in spring. 
Inej was going to take six months to spend in Ketterdam, living at the Slat like she used to, getting Kaz the information he needed for a sufficient income. 
Jespers Fabrikator training was going well, and he and Wylan were in on the heist that was to be preformed the following month. 
You discussed going to Ravka. Nina encouraged it, Inej offered a ride there on her boat. Kaz talked about writing you letters in the meantime, said that he thought it was smart. If you pursued a business degree, there was a chance that you could help legitimize the business. If you ended up on the Merchant Council, you could hold a bit of influence, help the government sway things in the direction that favored the Dregs the most. 
You laughed, shook off everyones encouragement. You told Kaz that you would think about it. When asked why, you cracked the joke that Kaz expected. 
“You’ll miss me too much, Brekker,” you said. 
Kaz shook his head. “I resent how right you are about that.” Not the response he’d been expecting himself to deliver, but the one he delivered anyway. 
You scoffed. “Right. Sure,” you said, and then a layer of awkward silence settled. 
Jesper picked it up, asking about the heist that Kaz was planning, and things went back to normal. The conversation jumped from one thing to the next, both yourself and Kaz finding comfort in it, the fact that your friends could carry a conversation without either of you needing to interject with your thoughts for stretches that sometimes lasted more than ten minutes. 
Kaz met your gaze in the silence, and you met his gaze all the same.
A arrow shot him in the heart, embedding itself in his chest, and just like that, Kaz was once again the versions of himself that he’d always been when he would catch your gaze and all of it would come rushing back. 
He was once again the twelve year old who liked the way you smiled. 
The thirteen year old who knew that he would be willing to trust you with his life. The fourteen year old who did. 
The fifteen year old who stopped hating music played on violins because he liked the way that you danced. 
The sixteen year old who would go on night watches with you and catch himself liking the way the moon reflected in your eyes, catch himself looking at you instead of what he was supposed to fixate his gaze onto.
He was the seventeen year old boy who watched you almost die in the Ice Court even still, the one who passed you the bottom side of his cane, watched you grab on as he pleaded for you to just stay alive. 
Just hold on, he’d whispered. Hold on, please. I need you to hold on. I cannot do anything more with this life if you don’t. 
It was the one moment of vulnerability he’d experienced during the Ice Court, one of the only moments wherein one of his weaknesses came to light, but it’d only been the two of you in that room, the water flooding it from every direction. You’d been, quite literally, half dead. You couldn’t remember it, and so, the only people who had to face that memory were Kaz, and perhaps the personifications of whichever saints and gods watched over him. 
When the group of you slipped out, it was close to nine bells. The short walk back to the Slat was silent, unlike the hours of buzzing conversations that’d occurred beforehand. 
NINETEEN
You grinned as you walked into the Slat, finding Kaz at a table on the bottom floor, glass of brandy gently resting in his hand. 
You sat across from him and set your crossbody bag on the ground, watching him slide the brandy across the table. He watched you catch it, smirk playing on his lips.
“Welcome back,” he said.
You laughed as you brought the brandy to your lips. “Thank you very much. The Fjerdan palaces are no easy feat, but you’re you, so I have faith. I did a walk through during a series of Fjerdan festivals, but I also bribed someone on their staff to give me a copy of the blueprint. I know the layout, and provided that you have it memorized by the days of Hringkallah, you will, too. What’s the pay out?”
“Nearly a hundred million, spread across a crew of seven. Payout is 14.2 million. Triple what we made in the Ice Court with some change,” he said. “Not too fatal, I don’t imagine, but if it is, you’re welcome to blame me whilst you drown in your riches.”
You scoffed. “Do you mean to flatter me, Mr. Brekker?”
Kaz shrugged. “It comes with the description of the romantic part of this relationship, does it not?” 
You laughed, taking a sip of your brandy. “I do suppose it does, but then, so does the lack of black shirts you currently have in your posession.”
“I knew that was you,” Kaz said, shrugging like it was nothing. “I bought a few more this past weekend. My shirts tend to look better on you anyway.”
“So you do mean to flatter me, then.”
Kaz shrugged for a second time. “I suppose I do.” 
“And the boat for Fjerda leaves when?”
“Five days. I’ve given you the time off, so that you can relish your time in Ketterdam before leaving again. The voyage will take a week and a half. Nikolai sent us a few good boats. They came in last week. Engine powered, though the engines are slow. From there, getting to the palace won’t take long. It’s just a matter of timing it right and getting as much as we can.”
“You’ll tell me what we’re getting?”
“A few dresses that go for hundreds of millions on the markets. Ones that are said to belong to the queen, but any jewelry or things of significance that we grab are ours to keep or to sell,” Kaz murmured. “A tailor will tailor us enough to look like a few hringkallah guests and we’ll enjoy the rest of the night, get what we can from the venues, hope that none of the Druskelle catch us and kill us for it. The tailoring will wear off by the following morning, if the tailor is true to their word.”
“Wonderful,” you said. “Thank you, by the way. for the days off. I think I’ll sleep for most of them.”
“My bed is free if you need a spot that won’t make you feel as though you’re practically laying on a bed made of wood.”
“Thanks,” you grinned, finishing off the brandy. “I think I’ll head up now, actually. So much time spent at sea and all I can think to do is take a nap. I feel stupid.”
“You’re not,” Kaz said. “My bed or yours?”
“Yours, Brekker,” you said, laughing. “Might even steal a book from your shelves in the meantime.”
Kaz scoffed. “Next, you’ll say that you plan to drink my coffee.”
You shrugged as you got to standing, placing the crossbody bag on the table. 
“I know for a fact that you have a kettle, and you’ve been keeping my favorite tea in stock for the last six months. Might just use that.”
Kaz shrugged. “Do as you please.”
You grinned. “I will, love. Thank you.”
“It’s no problem at all,” Kaz said.
With that, you walked up the stairs, heading to Kaz’s room, grabbing a book and settling on the windowsill with it. 
-
Kaz kept telling himself that he had to look at the positive. The heist in and of itself had gone off with very few hitches. It’d gone well, really. The items that were supposed to be obtained were obtained and put back onto the ship. Everything was fine.
Until, in typical fashion, a mistake was made. A guard who’d been knocked out had woken up, and it was just happenstance that you were the first face he saw, the face he recognized as the one belonging to the person who’d put him into a headlock until he fell asleep. 
The result was what had Kaz wiping a tear off his face, not having meant to cry at all. A book was in his lap, but it was one he hadn’t even tried reading. He kept looking at you, watching you breathe in and out. 
You’d been a part of his life for seven years. Almost a decade. In those seven years, you’d come close to death twice.
Both times were at the hands of a heist that Kaz had planned, heists that came with monetary offers that were simply too good to refuse. The first time had been the Ice Court. The second time had been the palace of the Fjerdan royals. 
Kaz sighed, leaned back in the chair that he’d taken up. He would have to leave the room eventually. He could wish that he wouldn’t need to all he wanted, but food would still eventually take precedent. He would need to drink water, would need to force himself to leave the room and take in air through his lungs, air that didn’t grow stale after a few mere minutes. 
He looked at you again, felt his heart as it ripped in two.
Your relationship had been a series of close calls, an endless network of chances that the two of you had to save one another, chances that you took to avoid losing the other person. Still, you had come close to death twice. Twice, in seven years, felt worse than none in the six months beforehand. 
“Hold on, Y/N,” he whispered. “Please. I cannot continue to live as I am if you don’t make it. I need you to stay alive.” 
He grimaced almost as soon as the words had left his lips. He felt pathetic, almost. To plead with a dying person, to ask them to stay alive for his own benefit? It felt more selfish than anything that Kaz had ever done.
Kaz sighed, forced himself to stand and leave the room.
He could handle being selfish. He could handle feeling pathetic. Your death, it seemed, was the thing that he couldn’t bare to deal with. 
-
You sighed as you opened your eyes for what felt like the umpteenth time over the course of a week and a half. Nearly half of all your days had been spent hooked up to an IV and a feeding tube. The IV had the sedative that Nina had talked about whilst you found yourself awake. The feeding tube contained meal replacements to supplement until you were well enough to handle actual food. 
You were back in the Slat, you noticed. You were in Kaz’s bed, wearing one of the sweaters he’d given you two years before. Your throat was dry, but Kaz had never been the type to have a water carafe or cups on his nightstand, so you let it be as it was.
You forced yourself to sit up, pressing your back against the headboard as Kaz walked back into his room.
You watched him for a moment, seeing his gaze soften for a split second before relief flooded his expression.
“What?” You asked, grimacing at how your voice had sounded. You could tell that you hadn’t spoken in a little under two weeks. Your voice was hoarse with the dryness of your throat and the general disuse. “You didn’t seriously think you’d lose me, did you?”
Kaz smirked. “No,” he said, but just by his tone, you could tell that he’d been lying. “Do you need some water? I meant to grab a carafe today, but I spent too much time working.”
“Did the buyer pay up?”
“Yeah. Fourteen million kruge and some change are already in your bank account,” Kaz responded. “Do you need some water?”
“Water would be wonderful.” 
Kaz passed you a glass of it two minutes later, and when you took a sip, it was a relief.
“Thank you for trying to keep me alive,” you whispered after a few minutes had gone by. “I don’t know if it was you or Inej or maybe Jesper, but thank you anyway.” 
“I’ll make sure Inej gets word of your gratitude,” Kaz said. “Until next week, at least, you’re on bedrest.”
“I am not,” you said. “At least let me work a few shifts at Crow Club?”
“How bad are the wounds?”
“I hurt--”
“Then no.”
You laughed. You loved Kaz Brekker, but damn it all if he wasn’t stubborn. 
“Fine,” you said. “But, Mr. Brekker, know that it is now up to you wait on my dumbass hand and foot for the next seven days.” 
Kaz smirked, shrugged one shoulder, and took your glass from where you’d placed it on his nightstand.
“Can’t wait,” he said. “Rest up. You probably need it.”
“I resent the fact that you’re right,” you said. You’d spent nearly two weeks knocked out with a sedative, and you were still exhausted. “Bring me a bit of water, please? My throat is drier than the air in summer.” 
Kaz scoffed, but still you heard the sound of water being poured into your cup. He placed it on his nightstand and moved into the office section of his floor. You drank the water he’d poured, placed the cup on the nightstand again, and fell asleep after a few minutes had passed, listening to the sound of Kaz’s pen meeting paper and the rain as it pattered against the windows. 
TWENTY-TWO
You laughed as Kaz sat down next to you, adjusting the ring that you’d placed onto a chain in the weeks before. It wasn’t an engagement ring, but rather, the promise that an engagement would eventually happen. He’d given it to you to celebrate your five year anniversary, and the one he’d bought for himself had joined the chain onto which he’d strung his pocket watch when that chain had broken. 
He looked at the ring every single time he pulled the watch out, and you never missed the barest hint of a smile that crossed his lips whenever he noticed it.
“Don’t tell me you’ve done something stupid,” Kaz said, looking at Jesper, who clutched the whiskey he’d ordered like it was a lifeline of sorts. The three of you were sitting at a table in the Crow Club, having agreed to met there because Jesper had asked. He’d let Inej, Nina and Matthias know, having written them letters to tell them what he was going to tell you.
“I like think I’ve done quite the opposite,” Jesper said. “I proposed. To Wylan.”
“I have been waiting three years to hear those words befall your lips,” you said, slight grin crossing your face. “I fully anticipated you proposing to him when we were nineteen. You’ve been head over heels in love with Wylan since the Ice Court.” 
Jesper grinned. “I bought the ring shortly after the heist in Fjerda,” he said. “I was just waiting for the right time. Did it last night. Felt like I would explode if I held onto the ring any longer.”
“Have you picked a date yet?” Kaz asked. 
“June 23rd. About six months out,” Jesper said. “We wanted to give ourselves a bit of time to plan everything out, but we’re gonna keep it small. You’re both invited, as are Inej, Nina, and Matthias. Outside of the crows, the invites will probably only extend so far out as our parents and a few of the others in the Dregs. We still haven’t decided much more than the date yet, though. I wanted to tell you guys in person, and Wylan would’ve been here if he wasn’t at lunch with Marya to tell her.”
“Well, we’re both thrilled,” you said. “Drinks are on us next time we all get together. Congratulations.”
Jesper gave a breathy laugh. “Thank you so much,” he said. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, I think. I’m--it’s like--it’s weird, almost. I always thought that I would spend my life with him, but now that that’s concrete, it’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I’m so excited to be married to that bastard.”
You laughed, and Kaz allowed a small smirk. “Well, if you need any assistance, just reach out.”
“I do need a best man?” Jesper asked.
“Abso-bloody-lutely,” Kaz said, nodding. “Of course. Thank you for asking to meet.”
Jesper shrugged. “Nah, no worries,” he said. The two of you watched him get to standing. “I’ve gotta get back home, but--”
“Congrats, Jesper,” you said. 
“Thank you,” Jesper gave you both a final grin before he left the Crow Club. When Kaz met your gaze, he looked almost happy.
“About bloody time, wasn’t it?”
You scoffed. “Oh, Brekker. Don’t even.” 
He laughed so low that only you could hear it, and the sound made you grin. 
“I love you, Kaz.”
“Ditto.” 
You scoffed once more, standing as you did. “I have to sign the contract on the new cafe. See you at home?”
“I’ll grab us dinner at seven bells,” Kaz said. “Any other things of note?”
“The contract for the cafe, the contract for the new pub, casing the house near the Zelver District, and signing the contract for the purchase of the apartment are all on my to-do today.”
Kaz nodded. “Eight bells, then.”
“I’ll bring you a coffee.”
“I’ll make you a tea.” 
With that, you left, grin pulling at the corners of your lips as you did. 
-
Six months later, you and Kaz found yourself in a small wedding venue that’d opened up near the Ravkan Embassy. You were stood behind Wylan with Nina and Matthias where Inej and Kaz stood behind Jesper. 
In the audience, there was Marya Hendriks, Colm Fahey, and a few of the members of the Dregs. Every single person in that room, save for Kaz, was smiling. Jesper had tears in his eyes, and Wylan looked like he was going to start crying any minute.
You felt your face begin to hurt from your grin as you watched your best friends of half a decade get married. 
Happiness in Ketterdam, happiness as a member of the Dregs, was something that was difficult to come by. You knew that you had to soak it up, that everyone else in that room was doing much the same. You would get drunk, probably, laugh, definitely, and that night would go down as one of the best nights of your life, though how couldn’t it? How could one not be happy, watching two people who clearly seemed to love each other more than they loved themselves get married? 
Jesper and Wylan said the ‘I do’s. They kissed, and the room broke out into applause as Jesper hugged his husband as tightly as he could. 
Conversations broke out amongst the attendees, and you all sat down to eat. After the meals came the dancing, and eventually, you found yourself standing idly, watching Jesper and Wylan dance, foreheads pressed together, smiles on their faces.
Your hand went up to the promise ring that was always around your neck almost absentmindedly, a grin crossing your face as you leaned back into the chair that you were sitting in.
“That’ll be you one day, I have no doubt,” Matthias said. “You look at them, and you know that those two are the happiest they’ll be until their honeymoon. You and Kaz are similar, I imagine?”
You flinched, laughing as you met his gaze. “I dunno, Helvar. I’m content where I am, I think.”
“Good,” Matthias nodded. “I anticipated this wedding way sooner than it’s happened, if I’m honest.” 
You laughed. “Everyone thought that they would be married with a kid by now. Two, maybe. Anika had her bets on that much.”
Matthias hummed. “Yeah, I think they’ll be parents by thirty,” he said. “I can see it that way, but I’m glad. They make sense together, I think.”
“They really do,” you said. “Yeah.”
“As do you and the ever so cursed demjin.”
“My partner is not a demon.”
Matthias only shrugged. “He might just be, Y/N. You never know.”
You scoffed. “You’re lucky I don’t hate you, Matthias.”
Matthias nodded. “Oh, I know. Incredibly lucky, I would say.”
“I would agree,” you said, shooting him a pointed look. 
He laughed. “Go find your lover.”
“Go find yours, Helvar.”
He stood, shooting you a knowing look as he walked away.
Eventually, Nina got you to dance with her, and from there, the rest of the night was spent drinking, laughing and just getting to experience the joy of not giving a single care in the world, not worrying about anything that was going on outside of the walls of the wedding venue. You felt great. For the first time in a long time, you felt great.
-
The following morning, Jesper and Wylan were on a boat to Ravka, where they would spend a month for their honeymoon. You made a good use of the day after you’d hugged them goodbye, having spent it casing a house that Kaz wanted to rob near the financial district. You made tea, you laughed with Matthias and Nina in the Slat, listened to Inejs stories that she’d collected in her voyages. 
You laughed, danced when someone broke out the violin. You were starting to accept it; after so long, after so many years spent in a limbo of moving from one painful thing to the next, happiness was in store. After so long, happiness was finally in store. It finally felt like something good. It felt like something achievable, like it had never been so far off as you’d thought. 
You turned, meeting Kaz’s gaze after a good thirty minutes had gone by. People were still dancing, the violinist still playing the dancing music as people sang old sailing tunes, but Kaz wasn’t amongst the crowd. He was merely standing by the stairs, slight smile pricking the corners of his lips.
“Having a nice time, Brekker?”
“Quite so,” Kaz said. “Seeing you get roped into dancing by Anika and Pim is always a real delight.”
You scoffed. “You love me and my pension to dance the minute I hear a happily toned violin song.”
Kaz nodded. “I do,” he said. “Really, I do.”
A grin picked up the corner of your lips. “Thank you,” you said.
“For what, exactly?”
“For being in my life for this long,” you said. “For falling in love with me. For being the guy who brings me tea when I’m sick. For being my best friend and my partner in literal crime for the last decade.”
Kaz shook his head. “The pleasure is mine.”
You shrugged. “I’m going to go upstairs. Make myself some tea, settle down with a good book.”
Kaz nodded. “I just have to talk to Inej for a minute. I’ll join you, make a coffee and go over some plans for the heist next month.” 
“Looking forward to it,” you said.
Kaz smirked. “As am I.”
You walked up the stairs pausing for a moment, and watched Kaz approach Inej as the violinist put their instrument away but the clapping, the singing and the dancing carried on even still.
TWENTY-FOUR
“This feels like a bloody meeting,” Jesper noted as he and Wylan slid into the booth. “What? Another heist?”
You were at the Kooperom. Breakfast had just been ordered, and it was mid morning. The seven of you had gotten into a U-shaped booth, and ordered coffees or teas to start out.
“It’s not a heist, Jesper,” you said. “It’s something different. It doesn’t actually concern criminal activity at all.” 
“What is it, then?” Inej asked, but she looked like she already knew.
“We’re engaged,” Kaz said.
“Since when?” Nina asked, grin crossing her face. 
“Last week. Bookstore.”
Inej grinned. “Took you long enough, bastard.”
“I was all too anxious, after I had Jesper design the rings.”
Nina shot Jesper a look. “You knew this was coming?”
“He gave me twenty thousand kruge for it nearly a year ago. I almost didn’t think he ever would,” Jesper said. “Congrats, though. I thought you would’ve tied the knot before we did.” 
Kaz shrugged. “I couldn’t find the right time. Eventually, I just brought it up whilst we were in that alcove in the bookstore that opened seven-odd years ago? I’d been carrying the ring around and it really was about time, anyway.”
“Damn fucking right it was,” Nina laughed. “All of us are married off now. Weird.” 
“Not married, just engaged,” you said. “Jesper, you mentioned that it was like--”
“A weight lifted off your shoulders?” Jesper asked. “Weird, but in the good way? Exciting, glorious, even?”
You laughed. “Yeah. That’s exactly how it feels.”
“Forever isn’t just an idea anymore. It’s bloody wonderful,” Kaz added. “I didn’t think I would like this as much as I do.”
Wylan scoffed. “Wait until you’re married. It gets even better.” 
Matthias nodded his agreement. “All saints. It really does, doesn’t it?” 
“We need to celebrate,” Inej said.
“We are,” Kaz noted, gesturing with a gloved hand around the table. “It’s a celebratory breakfast.”
“We’re meeting again for dinner,” Inej said. “Nina agrees with me on this.”
“She does,” Nina said. “Seriously. You two are getting breakfast, but Inej, Matthias and I will cover dinner.”
“Will we?”
“Kaz Brekker has been in a relationship for seven years. I didn’t expect it to last six months. We are, Matthias. The money from the heist in Fjerda all those years ago still hasn’t run out, anyway. We’ve barely made a dent in it since then.” 
“I expected you two to be married by nineteen, if that helps,” Inej said with a laugh. “Jesper expected you to be engaged by twenty, married by twenty-one.”
Kaz shrugged. “I like to take things slow. Seven years is slow enough, I think.”
You laughed. “Yeah. It’s felt like seventy sometimes.” 
“Damn right it has,” Kaz agreed. “Worth it, though.”
“More than,” you said. “I would do it all again if I got to be with you.”
“Oh, don’t get cheesy on us now,” Wylan laughed. “Seriously. It’s odd seeing it.”
You snorted, laughing for a minute before you took a sip of your tea. You and Kaz both let the noise of the Kooperom drown you out, let your friends fill up the silence. 
First, with discussions of wedding plans, the question as to whether or not you had a date picked out--you did. December 16th--and then whether or not you’d picked a venue, which you hadn’t done. 
The conversation tilted from one thing to the next. You listened to Inejs tales of the people she’d met on her voyages. You listened to her funny anecdotes with her crew members, laughed at the jokes she retold and asked questions about the places she’d visited. The big and small towns, the ones smack center on the maps and the ones so irrelevant that there was no place for them within any map you’d ever seen. 
Then, you listened to Nina and Matthias. You listened to them talk about Fjerda, about the Druskelle they’d converted out of Grisha hatred. You listened to Nina talk about the few spots in Fjerda where the food was decent, let Matthias drone on about a few new combat skills he’d picked up. 
You listened to Wylan and Jesper gush about how perfect things were with them, smiled when they mentioned that they’d adopted a cat who Wylan had named after a flutist he’d liked. 
You grinned when they mentioned the apartment that you’d bought two years prior, assured them that it wasn’t just collecting dust, though it had been. 
You and Kaz had agreed to sell it because of the fact that it’d gone so long without being used, and that was a pity in and of itself. 
And, after a short while, the celebratory breakfast was done. You all began to head back to the Slat, separating once you’d arrived. You and Kaz went to the floor you’d only been actively sharing for six months. Kaz got back to planning out a heist where you made yourself a cup of tea, grabbed a book, and settled on the windowsill. 
There came a point where you looked up, some part of you hoping not to meet Kaz’s gaze in the din so that you could have the chance to admire him for all that he was.
He was focused on the heist, glowering at a piece of paper as the cogs for the plan turned. You grinned softly, watching him think for a few moments.
“I don’t have something on my face, do I?”
“What?” You asked, snapping out of your reverie. “No.”
“Why were staring at me, then?”
“I’m admiring. There’s a difference.”
Kaz looked up, meeting your gaze with a smirk. “There is not.”
“There is.”
“What is it, then?”
“Staring is creepy. Admiring is loveable.” 
Kaz scoffed, pulling a gloved hand through dark brown hair that met the light of the sun and looked a bit closer to the color of dark honey. 
“You’re lucky I don’t have it in me to hate you.”
“I count myself lucky for that every single day,” you said. “I have as long as I’ve known you, Kaz.”
Kaz grinned, eyes turning back to the paper in front of him. “You flatter me.”
“I always hope to.” 
Kaz scoffed once more, and your eyes turned back to the book in your lap. Silence settled over the pair of you, though it was comfortable, as it always had been.
You grinned as you leaned slightly against the windowpane. The life that you lived, the romance that you had with Kaz, had been the way that you’d lived for seven years.
You couldn’t wait to get to live it forever.
-
In December, the two of you found yourselves in a a woody backyard of a house close to the city, though still far enough out for it be considered apart of the countryside. It was a house that you and Kaz had both agreed to purchase and spend a bit of time in every year until you were old enough that living amidst the hustle and bustle of the city was no longer quite so ideal. 
Kaz refused to turn into Per Haskell five decades on, so you both considered the purchase to be one on the smarter side. It clearly had been, though, considering that the backyard was the place wherein your wedding was to occur.
Due to Kaz’s touch aversion, though, you’d both agreed you’d do something different. Rather than a kiss, you would toast with champagne. It was a drink that was commonly found at weddings as things were, and it respected something that Kaz had been working on for the better part of a decade, though some days were certainly easier than others for him in that respect.
You’d chosen Rotty to officiate, and after the vows and the ‘I do’s had been said, after the rings had been placed onto yours and Kaz’s ring fingers, you toasted your marriage. 
After then, you filtered into the house, dinner began and you and Kaz both quietly slipped your rings from your fingers to either the chains that you kept around your neck or the ones that held the same pocket watch that had been in use for nearly a decade. 
You spent the night laughing, talking and enjoying the company of your friends. You let Jesper dance around your empty living room with you, laughed at his jokes and didn’t try to fight the urge to allow your hand to go up to the chain you’d kept around your neck for two years, the one that held your promise ring, your engagement ring, and your wedding ring. The three rings that meant the most to you. 
Eventually, you found yourself in the backyard, grinning as more people came out through the sliding door and engaged in conversations amongst themselves. 
You found Jesper next to you after maybe fifteen minutes, the both of you watching the sun as it began to set.
“I’ve been waiting ten years to see this happening,” Jesper said. “I was rooting for you from the moment I joined up. Kaz can pretend he hasn’t loved you as long as he’s known you all he wants, but none of the crows believe it. Not me, Wylan, Nina, Matthias, or Inej. Rotty says he thought you two were dating from the get-go, and Anika and Pim apparently placed bets upon the age you would be when you got married. It’s like--you two are the last pieces of a puzzle, the ones needed for the puzzles completion. You make sense.”
“I have loved him for more time than I will ever willingly admit,” you said, grinning softly. “I didn’t think that--this just feels like--I thought I would be dead by eighteen. Not married, not having lived nearly a quarter of a century. I feel grateful but also like I am indebted to the universe because of it.”
Jesper shrugged. “You’ve got good wine. Good people,” he said. “Drink, laugh, dance. You’re married, Y/N. It’s incredible. Don’t be afraid to enjoy it.” 
You gave Jesper a grin as Nina approached. 
“Forgive me,” she said. “But, as the one who nailed their wedding date to the T before they were even engaged, I think I might fancy a dance.”
Jesper shrugged. “I’m not their keeper,” he said. “I’m going to go find Wylan. See you lot in a bit?”
At that, both you and Nina nodded. 
You let Nina take your hand, let her whisk you out into the small crowd of people who’d been dancing along to the music of the violinist that you and Kaz had hired, let your heart be carried away with the wind as you moved. 
Eventually, somewhere in the midst of it all, you found Kaz. When you met his gaze, you caught a smirk dancing on his lips. 
The look in his eyes said all that he couldn’t say, and you knew that the expression on your face said all the same.
You let a hand drift up to the chain on your neck, finding your wedding ring easily.
You were going to live a life with Kaz Brekker at your side for the remainder of it. You were entirely sure that you had never felt happy as you did in that moment, your happiness feeling as warm as the blinding rays of sunlight as they shone through a window on a Saturday morning.
-
The following morning, you and Kaz woke in the same bed, a foot of space between you, as normal. The curtains had been left opened slightly, and as a result, you woke to the sun cascading in beams along Kaz’s frame, highlighting the sharpness of his jaw, the shape of his lips, the warm paleness of his skin. 
You grinned slightly, pressing the side of your head into the pillow as a grin began to fall onto your face.
“You’re staring,” Kaz said, voice raspy because he’d likely only been awake for a few seconds. 
You laughed. “I am not,” you said. “I’m admiring you.” 
Kaz scoffed. You’d had the discussion a number of times before, often switching places in such a discussion. 
“You’re staring,” Kaz insisted. “It’s creepy.”
“I’m admiring,” you said. “It’s loveable.” 
Kaz opened his eyes, and you felt your breath catch as you noticed how they caught in the light. They looked like seaglass, almost, the kind that has an astonishing color when they’ve been rinsed and polished just enough to make them all that more astonishing. 
“You’re lucky I love you,” Kaz said. 
“I know,” came your response. “I love you too, for the record. Always have, always will.”
Kaz grinned, one ungloved hand slowly reaching out, until his hand was hovering over yours. 
“I’ll be able to actually manage holding your hand someday,” he whispered. “I promise.”
You only shrugged, grinning a bit as you watched his hand move less than a millimeter closer to yours. 
“This is enough for me,” you said. “It’s more than enough, really. I love you for everything that you are, touch aversion included.”
A look of relief, and then one of gratefulness, and then one of love, moved across Kaz’s face in split second fractions of time, and eventually, you watched his eyes drift closed.
“I love you too,” Kaz whispered. “More than anything, if I’m honest.” 
You let your eyes close, too, grinning to yourself. 
In terms of husbands, you were pretty sure you’d won the fucking lottery. 
TWENTY-SEVEN
Kaz found himself relieved as he put the key into the lock of your small three bedroom apartment, one located near the East Stave. The relief only grew as he dropped his keys in the bowl to the right of the door, as he slipped out of his shoes, took off his hat and followed it by his coat before placing them both on the coatrack to the left of it. 
The relief was entirely replaced by love and admiration as he recognized the sound of your voice whilst you sang. It was an old Kerch tune, one that Kaz could remember Jordie singing as they walked the streets of Ketterdam.
He approached the kitchen, where he found you, humming the tune as you took bread out of the oven, somehow managing to do it one-handedly whilst a sleeping toddler was balanced on your hip. 
He let himself grin, not even trying to hide the fact that he was there.
“Who’s staring now, beloved?” You quipped. Kaz laughed, and as the sound met your ears, you could’ve sworn, some part of your heart had finally managed to find peace. 
“I’m admiring,” Kaz said. “There’s a very clear difference. darling.”
“You’re staring.”
“I’m admiring,” Kaz said as he walked further into the kitchen. Quietly, he took your son off of your hip and placed him in the small rolling crib that had been built in the living room, not having been moved since then. 
“You’re staring,” you said when Kaz joined you once more. “Admiring and staring are different things indeed, but I know what staring is, and you’re doing it.”
“I’m doing it lovingly,” Kaz said. “That, of course, is the distinction.”
You laughed, tilting your head back as you did, and Kaz could’ve sworn, it was the one thing to bring him solace, to help him find his peace, after a very long, very difficult day, of which both of you had plenty.
“I love you,” you said, giving Kaz a grin that managed both to set his heart ablaze and drown it in contentment. 
“I love you,” Kaz echoed. “I have loved you for a decade. I promised I would always do so three years ago. I have no intentions of breaking that promise. Not now, not ever.” 
You grinned, and yeah. Kaz was in love with you, wholeheartedly, just as he had always been.
You grinned, and yeah. Kaz knew he would love you as long as forever was meant to last, that he would love you even when it had run it’s course.
He just had to hope that forever never would. 
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jahayla-parker · 7 months
Text
Symmetrical Healing: Kaz Brekker × Sister!Reader
Part 1
Description and Warnings: view mini-series navigation
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“Kaz,” y/n sighed, following after her brother as he stormed to the back of the Crow Club. She knew Kaz was aware of what she was vaguely scolding him over. Just as she knew he was ignoring her as to not have to talk about it. “It’s her choice,” y/n said softly as they entered the back room.
Jesper had tracked down Inej and told her about their upcoming heist. The intent of the heist wasn’t to save Sankta Alina per se, but rather to comply with Sturmhond’s request that just so happened to involve the Sun Summoner. But, the brief relation was enough to bring Inej back to the Crow Club demanding a role in the heist. Or, at least that’s what Inej claimed was the reason she’d returned after Kaz had sent her away.
“I never said it was not,” Kaz argued as he began to sort through his supplies. It was a distraction really, the items having already been sorted upon their arrival. Both siblings knew it was a futile effort to not think on the subject at hand. Yet, Kaz kept his eyes glued to the items even as he felt his sister’s knowing stare.
Y/n shook her head and hopped up onto an old wooden crate beside Kaz. “She’s here because she cares. The Crows are her family, Kaz, you can’t-“.
“She’s here for Sankta Alina,” Kaz scoffed dismissively. He spared a sideways glance at his sister, but ignored the exasperated expression she sent his way. “Besides, just because The Wraith has set her mind to this, doesn’t mean I need to assist her in the poor decision,” he argued.
Y/n groaned and shook her head. “You are both stubborn,” she murmured, “truthfully afraid to see how that all pans out in the end”. Y/n smirked when Kaz glared at her. “Nonetheless, you know you’re making this harder on yourself than it needs to be, right?”
“Making what harder, y/n?” Kaz sighed, turning to face his sister. He felt his entire body freeze and his face drain of color when y/n whispered the four words he never expected her to say, “your crush on Inej”. Kaz grabbed his cane, squeezing the crow’s head for dear life. “I have no such feelings. I don’t have any positive emotions for anyone,” he protested with a sharp stare.
“You do for me,” y/n argued breezily.
Kaz sighed and nodded once. “You’re my sister,” he replied, “but that’s all. No one else, no one”.
Y/n rolled her eyes, “keep telling yourself that, because with the way you’re acting, one day you’re going to need that to be true”. She sighed dramatically as she lowered herself off the crate, her feet loudly hitting the floor under her. “I’m going to get ready. Play nice,” y/n teased. “They matter to me,” she added sincerely, sending Kaz a look before exiting the back room.
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Y/n watched Nina and Kaz from the rooftop nearby with Inej. She bit her lip anxiously, her own nerves starting up as she watched her brother remove his gloves. Y/n knew what it was like to crave the intimacy of physical touch yet despise even the thought of such contact. It was a trauma response they’d both developed after the Queen’s Lady Plague. So even just watching her brother from afar as he prepared to allow Nina to touch his bare skin for the sake of their cover story, had y/n on edge.
Inej sensed y/n’s nerves and found herself quickly looking between where Kaz and Nina were and y/n. But, Inej knew y/n could keep it together. Not only was she not the one about to be touched, but her brother needed her to stay strong; and so, y/n would. Inej had seen such a dynamic from both of them to each other countless times. It made her longing for her own family that much more pressing.
“Brekker, just breathe,” Nina murmured, setting her hand atop Kaz’s on the small coffee table.
Y/n leapt up from her crouched position at the moment of contact. She could practically see the anxiety attack building inside her brother before his body even had time to react. Y/n whispered to Inej to follow their target before she rushed to the edge of the roof to begin her descent.
Y/n watched in heartbreaking horror as Kaz tried to push his way through the crowd of people lining the street. She winced with each new contact his body made, the terror in his eyes increasing exponentially. Y/n tugged her gloves from her pockets, not needing them in most cases as Kaz never let anyone touch her and let her from tasks where she’d have to touch others. But, she kept a pair on her at all times just in case as neither sibling had let anyone apart any outside in on their touch aversions so if she found herself in a situation requiring it, she’d need a barrier on her. She also had it on her, for situations like this. In which she needed could be there for Kaz.
Y/n slid her gloves on, the barrier helping both herself and Kaz as she wrapped her arms around his flailing body and pulled him to the side of the street. Once they reached an entryway to an abandoned shop, she positioned her brothers back against the stones for support. Y/n carefully dug into Kaz’s coat pockets, pulling out his own pair of black leather gloves. She smiled faintly in relief as she passed them to him.
Kaz gripped onto to the gloves for dear life. His breathing was still erratic, the imaginary water in his chest slamming against his rib cage. Kaz was mostly out of it, but he could sense his little sister y/n was beside him. Just far enough away to not touch him and trigger either of them any further, but close enough to feel her warmth. Kaz always loved that about her, how warm she was. It always helped pull him out of his anxiety attacks after feeling someone’s cold skin. It didn’t fix the issue but knowing his sister was still alive and by him always helped speed up the recovery.
Kaz was still struggling to regulate himself when he realized Inej was behind y/n. Kaz had ordered both girls to follow their target upon the conclusion of the meeting he and Nina had with her. He’d planned it and told them of their task from the moment he explained the whole plan to the crows. Yet here they both were. He felt guilty as he knew it was because of him they were here. They should’ve been doing their job not worried about him. Kaz let his guilt come out as a scolding instead as he shot them an irritated look despite his shuddering. “You were supposed to follow her”.
Y/n swallowed thickly as she slowly backed up from her bother as she saw he was coming back to his senses more. She sighed as she realized she had failed him. Sure she’d told inej to go after their target still, but as Kaz’s sister, y/n was also a higher up in their group and supposed to see to things and yet here she was with inej who knows how far away from their target.
“We couldn’t leave you, not like this,” Inej mumrured, knelt beside the siblings.
Y/n saw the despair and shame on her brothers face and realized her actions likely made this worse for him. Another way she was a failure when it came to helping her brothers. She meant to help him through his anxiety attack but simultaneously unconsciously brought inej even if he claimed to not like her to him during such a vulnerable state. Y/n shot Kaz an apologetic look before she silently leapt up from the ground and rushed off.
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kmhnsecretexchange · 3 months
Text
Title: Two Bars Richer
Author: @mystic-lights
For: Twitter/Discord user @/hydnellumal
Pairing: Komaeda/Hinata
Rating: G
Prompt: Hinata keeps trying to propose but his stupid luck keeps causing obstacles.
A/N: Poor Hajime can’t catch a break. “^.^
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52413796
Hinata's shoulders went up as he braced for impact.
"So?" Souda's hand slapped him hard between the shoulder blades. The mechanic's pink hair was tied back, his yellow jumpsuit its usual shade of grime as he slid on the seat next to Hinata, ready for another day of working on the island machinery.
"He didn't even try." Kuzuryu slid into the booth with his breakfast plate stacked high with shiny, syrup covered pancakes. He took a swipe at the whip cream and popped it in his mouth, cocking an eyebrow, challenging.
"Good morning to you too." Hinata grumbled into his black coffee.
With a light snort, Kuzuryu held out his hand for Souda to place two shiny wrapped candy bars. “Man, I was looking forward to those.”
“Really?” Hinata glared at the offensive candy bars disappearing into Fuyhiko’s jacket. “Do the two of you really have nothing better to do?”
“Of course we do. But, betting on your failing love life,” Kuzuryu stabbed a pancake and waved it around before shoving it in his mouth, “way more entertaining than Kaz’s.” “My love life isn’t-”
“Exactly. Isn’t.” Hinata cut him off.
“Come on man,” Souda whined before taking a bite of his stacked sandwich.
Hinata rolled his eyes. “It’s not that I didn’t try…” He ripped his toast apart further.
“What? You lose the ring?”
Hinata sighed deeply. “Not… exactly.”
--
“Hajime look!” Komaeda squeezed his hand and pulled him across the sand. Hinata laughed loudly, enjoying the feel of the sand on his feet, the smell of the sea air, and the most beautiful man in the world gleefully pulling him along.
It was perfect. Everything was perfect. The sky was a bright blue with a few puffy white clouds in the distance. The ocean was rippling with soft waves, letting the sound of waves be a muted melody. Errant seagulls made calls every now and then, enjoying some feast they collected earlier in the day.
“I’m looking, I’m looking!”
Komaeda let go of his hand and bent down, hands on his knees, inspecting something half buried in the dirt.
After weeks of working back to back to back, going on a couple off-island missions, Hinata was back for the rest of the month, free of any Future Foundation duties. Of course, that didn’t mean he was free of island tasks, but the maintenance of the pool house gazebo could wait a day.
This is the moment.
Hinata jolted at the thought, his hand flying to his shorts pocket where the weight of a wooden, hand-carved, ring box suddenly felt like a boulder. The rush of blood in his ears pounded and his jaw tensed.
This was a good moment. Komaeda wasn’t looking. He should just kneel. He could just. Just. Right now. He could.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh.” The question shattered the walls of thought Hinata had built in his mind, clearing his vision to Komaeda, looking at him with a small frown, his head tilted to the side and eyes wide. Both his hands were forward, presenting a brilliant white, opalescent, conch shell, with pink lines along the hard edges of individual segments in the shell.
Hinata blinked a few times, and watched the shell ever so slightly lower.
“Yeah. Yes. Yeah. I’m.” Hinata felt his face scrunch together and made the conscious effort to relax. “I’m fine. I just… Remembered something.” He said dumbly, the soft cawing of a seagull pulled his attention for a second before he looked back at Komaeda, watching his whole body start to deflate..
“Oh. Do you,” his hands lowered fully with his eyes, “need to leave?”
Awe, fuck. What have I done? Hinata took a step forward, and put his hand on Komaeda’s hip. “No. I don’t need or want to leave. I’m sorry.”
His eyes snapped up. “I don’t want to be-”
“I’m here to be with you.” Hinata assured.
“Ar-”
“Yes, I’m sure, babe.”
A light pink started to colour Komaeda’s cheeks as his eyes softened. “Okay.”
“Holy shit!” Hinata pulled back, finally processing the shell that Koameda had tried to present him. “Is that a Rose Nautilus?”
“Is… it?” Komaeda turned the shell in his hands, letting the light catch the edges and make it shine a light rainbow. “Is that special?”
“Special? I think our records show the nautilus species is extinct!” Hinata went to reach for the shell but stopped when he saw the minuscule tightening of Komaeda’s fingers around the shell. “It’s beautiful.”
“It is.” Komaeda’s voice was small. “Do you want to take it to the Foundation?”
As one of the last people on earth, and one of the only people able to compile information the way he could, Hinata should have said yes, and taken the shell. However, this was the love of his life. The person he wanted to… Wanted to…
“Ba- Nagi-  I,” Hinata started and stopped himself, scowling at his tongue's inability to comply with the simple request of speaking.
“Wait!” Komaeda’s eyes went huge. “Maybe there’s another one! I think I saw the same pink over-” He turned around and started scanning the beach.
Now. Do it now. Now. Get on your knee. Do it. Now.
Hinata lowered himself to a single knee, and quickly pulled the box out of his pocket, trying not to fumble the thing onto the wet sand. The top was carved with a swirling design, circling around a single pressed leaf that Hinata had saved from their first date.  
“...On the other side. We can…”
The words were going as Komaeda looked around the water line, but Hinata wasn’t hearing them.
“Babe?” Hinata said. Hearing the thickness of his voice he cleared his throat and opened the box to put on display the glittering Alexandrite ring he had hand made for Komaeda well over a month ago. Alexandrite, a pleochroic gem, meaning it’s colour changed with the light, one of Komaeda’s favourite things to find in gems out on the mountains. “Nagi-”
He should have seen it. He had superhuman reflexes and perception and hearing and-
All of that kicked in just a second too late, as the fat, grey wing of a seagull slapped him across the face.
He heard Komaeda call his name as he fell backwards, but his eyes were locked on the box quickly snapping it shut.
However, not before realising, the glittering ring was not inside.
--
“Holy shit bro.”
The thoroughly dismembered toast bounced as Hinata tossed down another piece onto the plate, uneaten. “We spent the next two hours trying to hunt the thing down.“
There was a crash in the kitchen that caused Hinata to look over his shoulder before a slightly breathless, “I am okay!” was heard from Sonia.
Weird. Why was she in the kitchen…
“Told Nagito it was a memory chip that fell out of my pocket. We found the nest… more like a collection of junk... and I got the ring before Komaeda could see it.” He threw back the last of his coffee and stretched his legs under the table, getting ready to stand.
“Okay, yesterday was not your fucking fault.” Kuzuryu conceded, placing his fork down on his empty plate. “But that doesn’t account for every other opportunity. You finished that fucking ring like a month ago.
“Yeah dude.” Souda laughed. “It’s burning a hole in your pocket.”
Hinata winced. “Who came up with that saying anyway?”
“Dunno. All I know is, the longer you fail, the richer I get.” Kuzuryu patted his breast pocket grinning at Souda, who polished off his breakfast ages ago. He looked longingly at the lost candy bars that were hidden away from him.
“It’s fine. I’m going to do it today.”
“Sure, I believe ya, you bastard.” He raised an eyebrow at Souda. “Same terms?”
Souda looked at Hinata, and back at Kuzuryu, and back at Hinata. “Bro.” He widened his eyes. “I can’t lose more of the good stuff. You really gonna do it?”
What a heavy exhale, Hinata pushed away from the table with his dishes. “I’m not getting involved in your stupid game.”
--
One of the many perks of their living arrangements was the varied environment. They had their beautiful beach island where Hinata could watch Komaeda smile under the sunlight, chase him around as he looked for seashells, and get to hear the tones of Komaeda’s laughter after getting a full face of water while splashing in the sea.
On the island next door, they had mountain that he could follow Komaeda through, and little nooks where he could see the light of discovery fill Komaeda’s face as he found new shiny gems and stones tucked away, and lazy rivers they could set up a little picnic and he would listen to Komaeda filling him in on the island gossip.
Then the island next to that had a lush forest with copious trails with strong tall trees that changed colours through the season. That one was Hinata’s favourite. It was a little too early for the fiery reds to paint the leaves, but it was still a calm and quiet place for him and Komaeda to take a casual walk, as they had done many times.
They’d been walking for about an hour before they reached the spot. Their spot. Not that anything really told anyone it was their spot, but it just was.
It was where Hinata first thought he might be a little more than just friendly with Komaeda, finding the man knocked out, after being missing for several hours. He had been taken out by a rogue something, thrown by a squirrel as Komaeda searched for orange blossoms to gift Hiyoko on her birthday.
It was where they first kissed, several months after that first incident. Both of them were a little slow.
Where Hinata first told Komaeda he loved him…
Each pocket of memory caused little butterflies, more like worms, to move in his stomach, but not in a wholly uncomfortable way. Yes, this could be the place he proposed too.
“We made it!” Komaeda declared. “I wonder if-”
The words got lost as Hinata started to get into his thoughts. He watched as Komaeda ducked around the tree, looking for… something.
This was it. This was the perfect location. Komaeda wasn’t looking. He should-
Hinata dropped to one knee, just as Komaeda poked his head around the tree.
“Sweetheart?” Komaeda looked puzzled. “What are you doing?”
“I-” Hinata scowled, and patted his pants pocket. Empty, “Huh?”
“What are you doing?” Komaeda bounced forward, his white hair fluffing up and down with each skip step.
Hinata patted his other pocket. Empty. “I-” His hands went up to his sweater pockets. Empty. “I-” He looked at Komaeda’s confused face. “Tying my shoes, I’m tying my shoes, just tying my shoes, yeah tying my shoes.” He said quickly, reaching for his laces.
Fucking Kazuichi Souda, cursing him. The ring had burned a fucking hole in his stupid pocket.
“Oh okay!” Komaeda smiled brightly and went back to talking about something they had left on the back of the tree last time they were here, but Hinata was not listening. He was rapidly going through his memory of when the ring could have possibly fallen out of his pocket.
Was it the river? The chasm? Was it still at their shared hut? Did he even put it in his pocket this morning?
“What do you think?”
Hinata snapped up to see Komaeda looking at him expectantly. “Uh-”
“I’m sure Sonia could help us!”
“Uh- yeah.” Hinata nodded. Retracing his steps! They just needed to go back the way they came. That’s how they could find it!
“Are you-”
“I’m sorry. I’m getting a little bit of a headache.”
Instantly, Komaeda’s whole posture changed and he flew forward with concern. “Oh no! Hajime is pushing himself too hard again! We should go back right away.”
“I’m… sorry.” He said again, feeling awful for needing to lie yet again.
“It’s nothing to apologise for, sweetheart! Hajime always deals with my broken body and all its issues.” Komaeda laughed, and looped his arm through Hinata’s, locking elbows. “I was getting a little cold anyway.”
Normally, Hinata would have laughed at his boyfriend getting cold at the tail end of summer, teasing him for always being cold, and that he would be an ice cube without him. But Hinata was too preoccupied scanning the path, looking at every slightly brown item.
They walked in relative silence, not uncomfortable, but the peaceful kind of quiet you get when you’re around the person who understands you the most and want to just enjoy each other’s company. Or the kind of silence that just occurs when one of you have to find an engagement ring box before the other.
Thankfully for Hinata’s stress levels, they didn’t have to go long, maybe 15 minutes, before they reached a small river with a half rotted out bridge everyone used to cross. The river was rushing at a slower speed than normal, water levels running low this deep into the season.
As they approached the bridge, Hinata saw it. Perched precariously, the box, matching in colour to the wood of the bridge, rested against one of the railing bars, tilted into a groove between the slats.
His whole body exhaled, and his eyes flickered to Komaeda. The gorgeous, angel of a human was looking up the river, smiling in that way that made Hinata want to dedicate his entire being to protect.
He just had to get the box back in his pocket without Komaeda noticing. He needed a plan. A plan. A plan. His mind echoed as the creak of the first step broke the natural noises.
“We should really fix this thing.” Komaeda murmured.
“Maybe next week I can come out? I am on the island until the end of the month, so I have time.” Hinata said.
“I’ve been meaning to ask how you managed to get so much time from them.”
“It was-” How should he explain that Naegi insisted on the time upon hearing Hinata’s plans to propose. “They just thought I was working too much.”
Komaeda hummed as moved across the bridge.
Maybe he could pretend to trip? No, Komaeda would see through that. Maybe he could kick it like a rock to the other end? What if it opens… May he could double back alone? Why would he need to double back though…
“Hajime.”
Hinata stopped spiralling immediately, hearing the seriousness of Komaeda’s tone. Komaeda stopped them on the bridge, turning to look Hinata right in the eyes.
“I don’t know what has Hajime so worked up today. I hope I’m not the thing causing you more grief yet again-”
“Nagi-”
Komaeda kissed him, cutting him off. It was soft and sweet, and he could feel the tension in his neck and back ease as one of Komaeda’s hands gently pressed along Hinata’s waist, going to the small of his back. The other moved to twist up into his messy hair.
His eyes stayed closed as Komaeda pulled away, his overclocked mind slowing, focusing on the feel of Komaeda touching him, telling him without words that it was okay.
Right now. Right now was the moment. He should propose right now.
“Hajime.”
This made him open his eyes, greeted by Komaeda’s flushed face, eyes cast down.
They found the ring box. It was here. It fell here for a reason. He could just-
This was the moment.
“Nagi-”
SNAP
Hinata’s back foot broke through the wooden slat.
--
“So you motherfuckers broke a bridge?”
Hinata groaned. “Shut up.”
“I’m going to guess it wasn’t ‘we’re engaged sex.’”
Hinata stiffened and glanced around, making sure no one was in earshot. “Will you-” He made eyes at him. “I was bleeding. I don’t want Nagito to think back on our proposal and see me laying there all bloody.” And he wasn’t too proud of the screech he let out as he fell, and would rather that also fade into the recesses of memory.
“Fuuck,” Kuzuryu leaned back, arms behind his head. “So…”
“So what?” Hinata threw the box onto the table. “Something is clearly against this. I should just..”
“What the fuck? You can’t fucking give up you bastard.” Kuzuryu slammed a fist on the table and with his other hand threw the box back at Hinata who caught it easily.
“What’s the point-”
“Do you love him?”
Hinata glared.
“Do. You. Fucking. Love. Him?”
“Of course I do!”
“Then you won’t let a little luck get in the way.” Kuzuryu leaned back, putting his legs up on the table.
Hinata glared, “You bet on us getting engaged today didn’t you?”
Kuzuryu shrugged. “And if I get a little more chocolate rich, that’s just a bonus.”
He was right. Hinata knew he was right. He just had to… Try again.
--
They sat on the pier as the sun began to set. Hinata looked at Komaeda, his features illuminated by the orange glow.
His eyes lingered on the soft smile, the one reserved for moments where Komaeda was truly at peace. He pulled his hand forward, placing it on top of Komaeda’s and watched as the ripple of the release of breath waved through Komaeda.
Behind them on the shore were half-built sandcastles and a laid out blanket held down by a basket of empty food containers. Hinata tried several times to pull out the ring, but it just never felt perfect, it never felt right. Komaeda deserved a sunset on the pier proposal.
“You know I love you?” The words left Hinata’s mouth before he had too much of a chance to think about them.
Komaeda’s wide eyes turned to him. “Are you okay Hajime?”
“Wha-”
“Am I dying?”
“What do you-”
“You don’t just say that out of the blue.”
The heat that filled his face was both of embarrassment and frustration. Was he really that bad of a boyfriend? So bad that saying ‘I love you’ was cause for alarm? “I don’t-” Komaeda’s cold hand touching his cheek stopped his thoughts dead in their tracks.
“You’re burning up! Are you getting ill?”
“No, Nagito, I just.” Hinata’s eyebrows pulled together as he tried to focus on the words. He was always so bad with words. He took a hand and put it on the one Komaeda had on his cheek and forced his eyes up to meet his concerned boyfriends. “I need you to know I care about you.”
Komaeda’s shoulders went down as his concern broke into a sweet smile. “Oh sweetheart. Of course I know that. We’ve been through so much together, I couldn’t not know that.”
His chest was starting to ache with the way his breaths felt like they weren’t providing his body with enough oxygen. “That’s… Good.” His mouth fumbled out.
Their joined hands moved down from Hinata’s face down to his thigh, Komaeda giving it a gentle squeeze. “Is that all this is about?”
“I-” Hinata opened his mouth and closed it again tightly. “You’re so-”
A large wave crashed up against their legs, spraying salt water up on their pants, making Komaeda hiss lightly from the cold. That’s when Hinata finally noticed that this wasn’t the first time a wave had crashed up on them, as Komaeda’s entire right side was darkened with water.
Over Komaeda’s shoulder, Hinata looked at the trees that were wildly bent away from the shoreline, palms twitching like captured worms. “Fuck.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Fuck!” He said louder, pulling his drenched legs up on the pier and standing, taking Komaeda with him, “We have to get out of here.”
“What do you-”
“There’s a-” Out of his peripheral, he saw it just in time, yanking Komaeda down as a large branch wildly barrelled through the air.  
“Oh no.” Komaeda moaned, eyebrows pulled together as his eyes took in the scene.
The pier started to creak and hiss and when Hinata tried to take a step forward, one of the planks started to snap. He managed to stop his foot just before it broke through. “Stay on the right! That side is better enforced.”
A rogue fish pool flew by, the line wrapping around Hinata’s ankle, the rod banging into his shin hard. He clenched his teeth to keep in a noise of pain and kept moving forward, shaking the pole off him.
“Hajime, you have to leave me! My luck is going to get you killed!” Komaeda started to panic, his breathes coming out in short gasps. He tried to yank his hand out of Hinata’s grip.
“Are you fucking insane?” Hinata pulled Komaeda’s hand into his chest. I’m not leaving you no matter what.”
“But-”
“No buts! I love you Komaeda Nagito. I’m not letting a little bad weather keep us apart.”
Hinata didn’t let himself even a second to process Komaeda’s reaction, he just needed to get the two of them to safety.
They rushed off the pier, Hinata pulling Komaeda close behind him. Hinata’s mind ran at top speed thinking of where they should go, calculating their hut was probably too dangerous to get to right now, but staying out in the open was not an option.
Another projectile went hurling through the air, this time whizzing right in front of Hinata, causing Komaeda to scream behind him.
“-jime!”
Was all he could hear over the wind, as he continued to scan. His eyes went to the large piece of plywood that crashed to the ground flying from-
The gazebo!
“This way” Hinata shouted and started running in the direction the beam came. He didn’t wait for a response, just pulled Komaeda with him. It was not even a minute away, they could make it.
Drenched, the two of them ducked into the gazebo-like structure Hinata had put up a year prior. He trusted it to hold up, and so they sat on the ground, backs against one of the concrete pillars.
Komaeda wrapped his arms around his legs and tucked his head into his knees, back moving up and down as he tried to recover his breath.
The creaking of the palm trees continued as background percussion to the melody of whistling winds and heard pattering rain on the concrete roof.
“Nagito?” Hinata put a hand on his back, rubbing slow circles, waiting for Komaeda to return to his body. “It’s okay, Nagito. We’re safe in here.”
It took several minutes, the wind getting louder and softer in waves. The gazebo wasn’t fully clear of the elements, and thus the floor started to get wet and puddles were starting to form around them. God, he hoped Komaeda wouldn’t get sick from all this.
“I just-” Komaeda started and hiccuped.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk.”
Komaeda tilted into Hinata, and Hinata quickly wrapped his arm around the man’s shoulders holding him close, softly shushing him as he shook.
“My god awful rotten luck.” His voice was broken as he spoke.
Over the years they’d been together, Hinata had known that Komaeda was not much of a crier, but it almost sounded like he was about to start. It made Hinata grow hot with an anger that he couldn’t do anything about, because he couldn’t do anything about the cause of what made the love of his life so sad. “It’s not your luck at play here.”
“It is!” Komaeda pulled away, finally looking at Hinata. “It keeps happening!”
That caused Hinata to pause. “What keeps happening?”
“Every time I- Every time we-” Komaeda started.
Now Hinata was really concerned. Komaeda never got like this.
“Nagito?” He tried to pull Komaeda close again but he wouldn’t move.
“I…” Komaeda’s lips moved, but Hinata couldn’t make out the words over the wind.
“What?” Hinata shouted, looking at Komaeda’s mouth. He still couldn’t hear, anything but he could make out ‘I love you’ but the expression on Komaeda’s face was hard, not matching the softness those words usually carried.
Komaeda continued to talk and Hinata could read that he was talking about their nice days out and how Komaeda loved spending time with him, but something was different.
“Nagito, what are you saying?” Hinata looked at Komaeda’s eyes, putting a hand on his knee. A branch snapped behind them, causing Komaeda to jump, and place a hand on Hinata’s.
With a deep breath, Komaeda steadied himself and tried again. “Every time we- we- we try to have a nice day out,” Komaeda shoved a hand in his pockets, “something just happens to ruin it. I don’t know what but I think you just leave me and save yourself all this trouble”
There was a second where it felt like everything froze. Hinata’s mouth went dry and all his thoughts went blank.
And then, he laughed. And laughed even harder.
“I… I don’t know how to take that as an answer.” Komaeda started to pull his hand away, but Hinata grabbed it.
“I’m not laughing at you, Nagito.” Hinata smiled. “I love you. You’re not ‘trouble.’”
Komaeda scowled.
“I want to spend every day, every moment, that I can with you.” Hinata pulled himself to be on his knees leaning forward, not letting Komaeda escape. “I love you so much.”
Komaeda;s face relaxed and instead his stare went owl-eyed, glancing back and forth between his lips and eyes.
“I’ve spent months, but especially these last few days trying and trying and trying to find the perfect moment. The moment that you deserved. I was looking so hard for this perfect moment that I forgot that that has never mattered. I just. I just want to be with you for as long as you’ll have me. So.” He took a deep breath. “Komaeda Nagito. Will you marry me?”
Time stopped. Komaeda didn’t even blink, just stared blankly at him. “I-” Komaeda’s eyebrows pulled together. “I can’t… I can’t hear you over the wind.”
“I said, will you marry me?” He said louder.
“What?”
“I said,” he took a deep breath before shouting, his eyes clenched shut, “WILL YOU MARRY ME?”
Silence.
The rain stopped. The wind froze. The trees creaked, but no longer crashed.
“Ha. Ji. Me?” Komaeda stuttered.
Hinata opened his eyes, horrified by the silence around them. “That’s not how- Fuck- I didn’t want- I didn’t want to shout- I didn’t want to shout my proposal- Shit.” That’s when he remembered and groaned as he leaned back on his heels. “I should have just,” He pulled the box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal the ring.
Komaeda was still silent, now rapidly looking between Hinata’s face and the beautiful ring in front of him.
“Are you being serious?” Komaeda whispered.
“Komaeda Nagito, will you please marry me?”
Staring, mouth opened, Hinata waited for the second that felt like hours, waited for the most important answer to the most important question he would ever ask.
“No. That’s not right.”
Hinata felt his whole world start to shake. No? Was he not good enough? Komaeda said no?
Komaeda pulled his hand out of his pocket, pulling out a light blue velvet box as he righted himself up to his knees like Hinata. “I’m the one who is supposed to beg you to marry me.”
“Wha-” He stared and the bright yellow gem embedded in the wide, flat silver ring.
“Hinata Hajime. Will you do me the honour of marrying me?”
Looking back on the memory, Hinata hoped he said something better than “yuh,” but he could never quite remember. All he knew was that the second whatever left his mouth came out, Komaeda launched himself forward to tackle Hinata onto the ground of the gazebo, actually into a very cold puddle, kissing him so ferociously, one might think it was Komaeda’s last night on earth.
The two celebrated their engagement, during the eye of a hurricane, in the beach house gazebo until the winds started to pick up again.
Giggling and less clothed than when they left, they ran back to their hut before the storm grew too fierce, continuing the celebration well into the late hours of the night.
And Kuzuryu did in fact, get two chocolate bars richer.
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Hellooo, I just wanted to ask, how can I differentiate the synopsis from the spoilers?
I have the constant problem of adding spoilers (of all kinds, even important ones that should be told later) to my synopsis, because I can't differentiate what to put for my synopsis and what to leave for myself as the author.
[Sorry for my poor English].
Synopsis vs Blurb (Worried About "Spoilers")
If you're worried about spoilers, you probably don't mean a synopsis but a blurb...
A synopsis is a beginning to end summary that illustrates the novel's entire narrative arc, including all of the major plot points, main character arcs, and how the story ends. In other words, a synopsis is full of spoilers and that's fine... it's meant to be. A synopsis isn't for the reader, it's for agents, publishers, editors, and other industry professionals who need to have a top down view of what your story is about.
A blurb, on the other hand, is for the reader. They can be used on the back of a book, on sales pages, on your web site, or anywhere you want to entice readers to read your book. Since blurbs are for readers, this is where you want to avoid spoilers.
Instead of summarizing plot points and revealing the ending like you do in a synopsis, blurbs focus on giving a general picture of the story by introducing the character, world, situation, problem, obstacles, and stakes. They also typically end with a question or cliffhanger... something to make the reader want to find out more.
Let's look at the blurb for Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows as an example:
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price―and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone. . . .
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction―if they don't kill each other first.
Now, let's break it down into those individual pieces a blurb needs to have...
Character - no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker.
World - Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price...
Situation - Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams.
Problem - But he can't pull it off alone. . . .
Obstacles - One impossible heist.
Stakes - Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction.
Question/Cliffhanger - if they don't kill each other first.
This blurb doesn't reveal any spoilers. It doesn't reveal the narrative arc, the major plot points, the main character arcs, or how the story ends, so there are no spoilers.
I hope that helps!
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ner-runi-cuyir-gar · 2 years
Note
“King Stormbreaker- do you care to elaborate on your… situation?” One of the reporters asks carefully, immediately angling the mic towards him.
Kaz looks down at himself, tilting his head. “I’d imagine this is fairly self-explanatory,” he snarks, his rage practically coming through the screen as his visor meets the cameras again.
“And why did you bring us here? Why are we not on Mandalore?”
“Don’t you know, love?” Kaz steps aside and gestures to the pile of bodies behind him, “I am here as King of Mandalore, on foreign soil, standing next to the bodies of those who came to my home, or approached my people on other planets, and slaughtered them mercilessly. We did not let this news reach the holo channels because we knew you would blow it out of the water completely- but not only did we discover the bodies you savagely got pictures of, but they came into our towns, our cities, and hanged our people. Children on their way to school… saw friends, mentors, parents- hanging by their necks, their armor stripped and their naked bodies coated with blood. Mothers lost sons and daughters. Children lost parents. Grandparents. Siblings. I will not stand for this. Me bringing you here, of all places? This is a testament to what I am willing to do, to anyone who threatens the lives of my people again. I will come to your home. I will knock your doors down. And I will exact my revenge in ways unimaginable to the average human being.”
“But- King Stormbreaker- Mandalore’s has voted for neutrality in the war-”
“Does this look like the war to you, Cynthia?” He tosses the head he’d been holding onto the pile of bodies. “Mandalore remains neutral for the sake of my people and the planet I so desperately need to help save. But as for those who commit violence against me and mine, for no reason other than sport… know that I am coming for you. Personally. Think twice before you steal another Mandalorian’s life- because I can promise you, no matter how far you go, no matter how fast you run from me, I will catch up. And if you find that you enjoy the thrill of looking over your shoulder at every turn, wondering if I’m stalking you in the shadows, then let’s dance.”
He turns on his heel and walks off, away from the reporters, done with questions.
The first reporter - Cynthia, apparently - turns to the camera with a nervous smile. “And… that’s all we have for today, everyone… uh… please show your support to Mandalore however you can. I’m sure- well I’m sure King Stormbreaker would appreciate some love and comfort right about now.”
The news feed ends and the screen goes black as the station tries to decide what to cover next.
I let out a shaky breath as I look over onto my coffee table to where I set the knife Kaz gave me earlier on.
I hope he’s alright. I hope he’s getting comfort from his family and he’s sleeping at night. No one should have to do things like that just to keep their people safe.
Poor Kaz.
I look over at the knock on the door and then get up to open it, sure it’s the Mando girls ready to be painted- I got the studio all set up for them, anyway. If it’s not, oh well.
0 notes
milo-of-the-rails · 2 years
Text
nina: hey, i accidentally drank kaz’s coffee, how long do you think i have left to live?
matthias: 10…
nina: 10 what?
matthias: 9…
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parkersbliss · 3 years
Text
Fourteen | K. Brekker
Tumblr media
pairing: kaz brekker x female reader
warnings: blood, death, angst, torture(?), crooked kingdom spoilers
wc; 2.5K
synopsis: some things are better left unsaid. you learned that the hard way.
prompts: 003: I’ll never love you 010: I just want the pain to stop 017: “Just tell me that you love me! Please…”
a/n: I uh… sorry in advance? I just read a heartbreaking story before this so now there’s this
Masterlist | Taglist | Prompt List
Decisions, decisions.
They weren’t easy to make, but they had to be.
It was one or nothing.
Make a choice, or you get neither.
Perhaps, not making a choice is better in this case, but you already know what the decision is.
It’s clear in your mind, and though you don’t want it to be, you’re not naive.
The world was cruel. It didn’t care for mercy.
Mercy was a luxury in Ketterdam. It was a luxury no one could afford.
Most things were unaffordable in Ketterdam, but you stayed anyway. You could leave, could’ve. Past tense. It was too late now.
And yet, you didn’t.
You stayed for the boy in the coat with a troubled past. You stayed for the hope.
Of course, you paid the price now. Mercy was expensive enough, but hope… hope simply didn’t exist. Surviving Ketterdam was a matter of kill or be killed, which is not an exaggeration. Knives are at your throat every day, and if you don’t make the choice to grab them and put them in the enemy's eyes, then you don’t survive to see the next blood bath.
For some people, that might be a relief, but others had unfinished business. The people in Ketterdam were driven by two things: money and revenge.
Both sweet and hard to retrieve, but to some, it was worth it. Every casualty was worth it if it meant getting what they wanted.
“Be ruthless, and don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do.”
Even now, you could still hear his voice in your head. At the time, it was good advice. You hadn’t expected it to be used against you.
“You should have no attachment to anything, and especially anyone. You have to be willing to let them go.”
That should’ve been the first sign. You had regarded his words with a grain of salt. You didn’t realize the meaning behind them because you thought he could learn to grow out of it. He didn’t really mean that.
Everyone says things they don’t mean in an attempt to seem stronger.
Everyone was lying.
Lies, lies, lies.
Oh, how everyone lied.
Just like how Kaz lied. He did that a lot, but never in a way that would hurt any of his crows. At least, you had thought.
“It’s a simple plan,” Kaz said, laying out the blueprints on the table. “Jesper, you will come in from this entrance, Inej and (Y/N), the roof, and I will come through the back.”
It was just the three of you.
Matthias… you didn’t speak of him. It was too sensitive of a topic. Well, it had been for Nina, at least, but then she left to return home to Ravka.
And there wasn’t a need to not speak of it, but you had all gotten used to it. Some things were better left unsaid.
Wylan was out on business, though he didn’t speak of what. Inej was often gone to traversing the seas. When she returned home, Kaz always planned the biggest heists. She was the best one here.
Jesper was still Jesper, young as ever, but that’s the plus of being Grisha. Most days, he was with Wylan, salvaging what time they had left.
Though it was plenty.
Which left you with Kaz a lot of the time. It wasn’t a bad thing, but spending too much time with someone is dangerous.
But you were drawn to him like that of a moth to the flame. Maybe it was an effort to try and fix his broken parts because you couldn’t fix your own.
You would learn soon enough Kaz didn’t want to be fixed. There was only one person that could do that.
It wasn’t you.
It never would be.
“What about the guards?” Jesper inquired, leaning against the polished wood.
“Two shots is all you’ll need. He doesn’t keep it heavily guarded,” Kaz replied.
“What if there are more?” You asked. “I doubt Black doesn’t have a few personal.”
Kaz glances at you, raising an eyebrow. “There won’t be more,” he spat. “Don’t question me.”
You wince at his tone, mumbling a sorry under your breath and letting your gaze slide to your boots.
“Jesper takes out the guards, I’ll take out any extra, and Inej and (Y/N) will head straight for the safe room. Then, Jesper will stand guard while I keep Black at bay with a deal he can’t refuse. Inej will pull the fire alarm, and then we run.”
“Will we have enough time between here and the exit?” Inej asked, using her finger to trace the space between the safe room and the central doorway. “I don’t think it’ll work, Kaz. You won’t have enough time.”
Kaz doesn’t lash out at her. His eyes linger on her face, drawing all the features he already knows in his mind. He’d memorized them before she left so that he could see her in his dreams. He did not want to forget her.
“You’re right,” He said softly, like a hushed whisper between them. An intimate moment that you shouldn’t be a witness to. “Is there a window nearby?”
“There’s one here.”
“Can you get out that way?”
You don’t bother to call him out when he only asks Inej when it’s the two of you that need to escape.
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll count in my head. You have exactly 130 seconds to get in and out.”
“Understood.”
Kaz nods, satisfied, and rolls up the blueprints and tucks them under his arm. “Be here at midnight, sharp. I’m looking at you, Jesper.”
The said boy winks, “Wouldn’t miss it, boss.”
“You would,” Inej quipped.
“Well, guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Jesper.”
“Fine. Midnight sharp.”
Kaz exits the room after that, Inej trailing after him and Jesper swings his revolvers around, instantly drawn to a gambling crowd.
That would occupy him until midnight.
You stand at the empty table, feeling just that. It was lonely.
What used to be six felt more like three, someday two. If you were lucky, four.
“Kaz,” You muttered. “When was the last time you slept?”
He shrugs. “Am I supposed to keep track?”
“Yes.”
He exhales, gripping his desk before meeting your eyes. His face softens. “I don’t know.”
“Kaz-”
He holds a hand up. “I know, I know. Coffee isn’t sufficient enough to keep me awake.”
You raise an eyebrow at him, crossing your arms over your chest. “If you know, why do you still do it?”
“It’s addictive,” he hums.
“Addiction is bad.”
“Is it?” Kaz inquired, grabbing a stack of Kruge off his desk and flipping through it. “Addiction drives us all. It’s the root of every being.”
“So what?” You snorted. “Your addiction is coffee?”
Kaz falls back into his leather seat. “Greed is my addiction. I supposed coffee as well. What’s yours?”
“You,” You breathe out. The answer had slipped from your lips with such ease. You didn't even notice.
Kaz freezes, his pen staggers in the middle of a signature.
“To be like you,” You add for good measure.
“That’s impossible.”
“So is living off coffee.”
“Then it seems we are both at an impasse.”
“It would seem so.”
Kaz’s gaze lingers on you, making your heart pound madly in your chest. “Then let’s come to an agreement.”
“What do you propose?”
“I will attempt to get a good night’s sleep if you try to be yourself.” He sticks his hand out for you to shake. You grab it, making sure it’s quick, but when you try to pull back, Kaz grips it and pulls you towards him.
“And for the record, you are my addiction as well.”
“Me?”
“To be more like you.”
He lets go after that, and you’re unsure if he’s mocking you or if he’s serious.
“Have a goodnight, (Y/N).”
“You too, Kaz.”
Jesper isn’t late. He makes it on time. Courtesy of Kaz grabbing the collar of his shirt and dragging him away from the gambler’s table.
“Do we need to review?” Kaz asked.
You all shake your heads.
“Good because I wasn’t going to.”
Kaz turns sharply on his heels and walks into the Ketterdam night. It’s no different from the day, in fact, the night is more lively. It was better for thieves and mischief. The shadows were in their favor here. The people part for the basted of the barrel; it’s common knowledge to them. They don’t think twice about it; they just move.
It makes for a quick walk to the Mercher’s house.
Jesper takes the front, Kaz the back, and Inej throws you a rope to get onto the roof. Her footsteps are silent as she looks for a way in. She finds a latch on one of the windows and calls you over.
You were always better at picking locks than her. She was better on her feet, and though Kaz tried to teach her, he had gotten fair luckier with you.
In a few clicks, the latch pops open and Inej dives in. You wait for her to clear it before dropping in. You’re not as stealthy as the wraith.
Inej was one of a kind.
You land with a soft thump, both of you waiting five seconds before making any kind of movement. Inej cracks open the door, a stream of light filling the room.
It’s empty. There's nothing except cold, bare walls and a plush rug in the center.
It doesn’t appear to be in use.
Oddly enough, it looks like it’s waiting for someone or something.
Inej taps your shoulder, using your head to gesture to the hallway. You follow after her, staying pressed up against the walls just in case.
But there’s no one; the house is eerily quiet. There are no servants, no guards, and no wife or children. You didn’t know much about Black, other than the fact that he was a wealthy merchant. He mostly kept to himself. Sometimes you’d see him at The Crow Club. He was a cold and calculated man, every move he made was planned out ten in advance.
You could tell by the way he played his cards.
“It should be right about here,” Inej said, opening the door.
At the same thing you can hear Kaz’s voice, slight panic evident. “What did you-,”
As you open the door, your legs are being kicked in, and you drop to the floor next to Inej. Two guards from behind you are quick to bound your hands together as you both push against them.
Black tuts, laughing at the fear on Kaz’s face.
Poor Jesper was knocked out on the floor at his feet.
“Did you really think you could outsmart me?” Black asked, “The power is getting to your head.”
Kaz doesn’t say anything, but his nostrils flare in anger.
“Take them,” Black dismissed, clearly speaking to the guards. “Put… Brekker in a room with the girl, not the Suli one. And put the Zemeni boy and her together.”
The guards nod, roughly seizing you all. Inej shouts in protest, trying to hit them, but she’s unsuccessful.
Kaz grunts when they lay his hands on him, but he obeys because he knows it’ll be worse if he doesn’t. They throw you and Kaz into the room you dropped into earlier. They put you back to back, and you know it’s for Kaz because he hisses every time your hand's brush.
You try not to move as much as possible because it pains you each time you hear it.
Black strolls in a moment later, leaning against the door. He wears a satisfied smirk when you and Kaz glare at him.
“Confess.”
“What?” Kaz said with a snarl.
Black holds a knife between two fingers, spinning it. “Confess something. Your deepest, darkest secret, and maybe you’ll make it out with all your limbs. The Suli girl was quick to do so, and naturally, I’m curious what you two have to offer.”
“What did she say?” Kaz asked.
“Well, maybe if yours is just as good, I’ll tell you.”
“What if it’s not interesting?”
Black pretends to think about it for a moment before throwing the knife at you. You scream when it lands itself in your leg.
Kaz flinches, hard, screwing his eyes shut.
“That,” Black taunts. “So, confession time.”
When neither of you says anything, he grabs another knife. It’s only then that you notice their Inej’s. He had at least twelve more.
“I-,” Kaz starts, but he chokes on his words. They never make it out of his mouth and Black raises his dagger.
“I’m in love with Kaz,” You blurt.
The said boy stiffens against you.
Black lowers his dagger. “Now that is juicy.”
“I’ve been in love with him since we were fourteen," You whisper, letting your head fall. It was good to get it off your chest, but you'd prefer to not have a knife sticking out of you when doing so.
“Brekker?” Black inquired. “Reply?”
Kaz doesn’t say anything.
Black rolls his eyes, tossing another knife at you, and a muffled sob leaves your lips.
“I’ll keep going.”
“Kaz, say something, pl-”
Another one, this time your stomach. You cry out, thankful that at least they’re keeping the blood from rushing out.
“These things are so fun,” Black said. “Where ever did she get them?”
More knives are thrown your way each minute Kaz doesn’t say anything. You feel like a pin doll, except alive and with knives sticking out of you.
Many knives because Kaz couldn’t open his damn mouth.
“I just want the pain to stop,” You sob, unknowingly letting your head fall on his shoulder. You’re exhausted, your body is exhausted as it fights the intrusion. It’s a losing battle. “Kaz, please.”
“I can’t.”
“Just tell me that you love me, please!” You’re begging at this point. You just want to hear those words, even when you know they aren’t true. You knew they weren’t true the moment the third knife landed itself.
“Give the girl what she wants, Brekker. Or the other one gets it.”
“I’ll never love you,” Kaz said, milliseconds after Black had threatened Inej. Somehow, that hurts more than the fourteen knives sticking out of you.
“Don’t touch her,” Kaz shouts when Black backs out of the room.
“You love her, don’t you?”
“Yes!”
Black smiles. “Well, today is your lucky day. That was her confession as well. Since you two are so cute together, I’ll let you leave. All limbs intact.”
“What?” Kaz asked.
Black walks over to you, grabbing the knife from your stomach and pulling it out roughly as you cry.
“Oh yes,” He said, “You two - three - I forgot about the Zemeni boy,” He cuts Kaz’s ties. He’s quick to be on his feet and away from the contact.
“You can leave, you can live out the rest of your lives happily.”
“Three?”
Blood rushes from your open wound. He had nicked an artery when drawing it out. You were somehow thankful for that because at least death came quicker.
It came in fourteen agonizing seconds.
It came knowing that Kaz never loved you. He never cared. And he would sacrifice anything and anyone for Inej.
You were just the first.
Addiction will kill you. You just proved it right.
“My bad,” Black apologizes. “You and the Suli girl can love each other for as long as the saints may deem, but just know, you made that choice.”
“I didn’t choose anything.”
“You did, Brekker. I’ll leave the guilty conscience to you, Dirtyhands.”
The name stings Kaz more than it usually did.
“You chose Inej,” Black said simply. “And you’ll pay the price. And do send me an invite to the wedding.”
Black is gone before Kaz can do anything, and when he looks to you.
You’re already dead.
And he wonders what the lasts words you heard were.
If it was up to him, he would’ve said: I love you too.
— END —
🏷 Kaz taglist: @kaqua
want to be added? click here!
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goldengoddess · 3 years
Text
matthias helvar boyfriend headcanons
request: Hey! Can we get Matthias Helvar as a boyfriend headcanons please?
a/n: our best boy <3 glad i could write about him !!! 
as we all know 
matthias is pretty reserved
he’s not one for pda 
at all 
but he loves your skin against his
so he’ll hold your hand under the table 
or pull you into an ally to give you a quick kiss
or make any excuse to be touching you 
“no guys seriously im really cold i need the body warmth”
he’s literally from fjerda, he’s not cold 
all the crows know this though
poor boy gets teased by your friends endlessly 
but c’mon, he makes it so easy 
he turns bright red when you compliment his hair 
or his outfit 
and its so much worse when your joke is inappropriate 
the red blush spreads down to his neck and ears
he turns crimson 
“you can’t say things like that! we are in public!”
he says as if that’ll stop you 
he’s usually very quiet but when it’s just the two of you 
he’ll talk for hours 
he loves telling you about all of the small things he did in his day
even the silly stuff
especially the silly stuff 
“this lady offered me a churro today. love, what’s a churro?”
he also listens to your long angered rants 
drawing small circles on your thigh 
you fall onto his chest as the anger slips away 
he likes humming songs to calm you down 
and you always always fall asleep to the vibrations 
on really hard days he spoils you rotten 
takes you on long walks 
and buys you waffles 
and chocolate covered strawberries
knowing they’re you’re favorite 
and foot massages, back massages, all the massages 
you’ll feel like you don’t deserve it 
and he’ll quickly cup your face 
“no. don’t say that. you’re a queen. you’re my queen.”
you make him try new things 
for example, you took him to his first party 
he stood in the corner for two hours 
before you dragged him onto the dance floor 
and placed his hands on your hips 
it was pretty dark but jesper made fun of his embarrassed face anyways
sure he’s never been to a party 
but boy does he have moves
once you get him going he won’t stop 
this man has moves for days 
and the entire group starts hyping him up 
he walks home with the biggest smile on his face that night 
and his arm wrapped around your waist 
lazy kisses!!! lazy fucking kisses!!!!!
he wakes up and kisses you 
in his low raspy morning voice 
kisses all over your face 
“you’re so gorgeous love”
he’s so great with kids 
they gravitate to him naturally 
maybe they can sense your boyfriend is a giant teddy bear 
they try to climb his legs sometimes 
you two always talk about having a family 
of course, matthias wants a big family 
“matthias, baby, five kids? really?”
his love language is totally acts of service 
so everyday you wake up with your coffee done the way you like it 
and he folds your laundry without you having to ask 
cooks when you’re sick 
professional hugger 
chastises you for cursing 
jokes about marrying you 
snow fights!!!!
obviously he takes them so seriously 
and makes a whole ass fort 
and a mountain of snowballs
and then makes you a snowman that weirdly resembles kaz 
then he brings you inside for hot coco and marshmallows 
fjerdan style 
and you wonder how you got so lucky to love matthias helvar 
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popquizhot-shot · 2 years
Note
AAAAAAAAAAA REQUESTS ARE OPEN??
(im actually writing your request rn too hehe, + i have a lot of fics to catch up on so im excited <3)
Headcanons on dates with Kaz?
Date Nights
Hi Love! Yes my requests are open and im so excited to read your fic! edit: i loved it!!  Thank you for requesting! I’m sorry this is a bit short!
Taglist: @messers-moony-lupin @mrs-brekker15 @scandalous-chaos @staytrueblue @confuscita @sirisuorionblack @kurogue-nine
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Okay let’s do this!!
-Kaz and you don’t have many dates, which is understandable.
-But when you do you have dates, it’s mostly at coffeehouses or browsing books at bookstores. On very special occasions, he takes you out for a special dinner.
-On the first date, our poor bby was so nervous, he almost dropped his fork down and spilt a drink on his coat.
-He was so embarrassed, you calmed him down and to make him feel better, you spilt your drink on your outfit. He was then convinced that there was no one else for him. goals huh?
-Normally, you have dates in between jobs, or if you’re in a different city or country, you both sometimes disappear and look for a nice coffeehouse and have a quick cup of coffee.
-When Inej and Jesper finally find you both after searching and panicking, Jesper almost started crying. You were both looking at each other over your coffee cups and smiling.
-When you’re in Ketterdam, he takes you to this Bookstore/Coffeehouse that you both love.
-It’s actually where you both met. You were playing with the cat they had and Kaz was drinking a cup of black coffee. You smiled at him and he fell.(not literally.) awwwww.
-So, when you both go to that place, you head straight to the books and Kaz, already having memorized your order perfectly, sighs and orders your coffees.
- you both sit next to each other and read a book, and Kaz’s pulls out his reading glasses. Kaz loves reading mystery and murder, along with the occasional romance. He loved Pride and Prejudice so you bought him a collection of Jane Austen books. He almost cried because it was so thoughtful.
- When you both have fancy-ass dates at restaurants, he goes all out, renting the entire room for the night, and having candles lit, and getting your favourite food made, he needs to show his love for you. You’re his girl after all. ugH adorable
- He’s very protective on dates, because there could be spies, so he always has his gun on him. Sometimes, he holds your hand in one of his and the other near his gun.
-Looks around for signs of danger
- and more so for Jesper and Nina spying for blackmail.
Overall, even though you both have dates rarely, he cherishes those moments where instead of being dirtyhands, he can be himself with you.
I now want a Kaz.
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Text
Have I Known You 20 Seconds or 20 Years? – Nikolai Lantsov Series
Chapter 1: Devils Roll the Dice, Angels Roll their Eyes
https://archiveofourown.org/works/33661984/chapters/83654680
A very short summary: Y/N has been working with the crows for a few years. Her life feels complete until she meets the insufferable Nikolai Lantsov. She finds herself forced to work with the King of Ravka on one of Kaz Brekker's crazy schemes.
Nikolai Lantsov. King of Ravka. He was privateer extraordinaire Sturmhond?
Word count: 2k
A/N:  So I wrote my first fic! Hopefully at least one person likes it! I just posted the first chapter today. The second one should follow somewhat soon ☺️I’m currently writing the third chapter!
Chapter 1: Devils Roll the Dice, Angels Roll their Eyes
Nikolai Lantsov. King of Ravka. He was privateer extraordinaire Sturmhond?
Y/N couldn’t quite believe it. She had been a fan of him for years. Asking for the latest news on the voyages of the Volkvolny and its captain every chance she got. They were legendary. When Kaz had told her a few days prior that Sturmhond was going to be with them for a job she had barely been able to contain her excitement. Now, she was mortified. How could she work with a king?
Had she not been standing next to Kaz during the meeting she’d never have believed it.
“How long have you known, Kaz? I mean, I know you’ve worked with him before but…” her voice trailed off in a question.
“I figured it out when we first met.” His mind traveled back to that day. Meeting the privateer by the Geldrenner hotel’s baths, just a few years ago. They had been trying to save Kuwei Yul-Bo, a Shu inferni who’d had the misfortune of being the son of the fabrikator who created Jurda Parem, making him the most valuable hostage in the world. They had auctioned him off, faked his death, and gotten revenge on Jan Van Eck all at the same time. “The king of Ravka wouldn’t just let anyone represent his country in important matters. The fact that he always travels with at least one member of the Triumvirate doesn’t help him keep his identity secret either.” He scoffed. “He really should stop doing that.” Kaz sounded almost… annoyed?
“I take it you’ve given him that particular piece of advice and he didn’t listen?” She smirked. “Though, you know, I’m glad Zoya Nazyalenski tagged along. She is even more gorgeous than I thought.”
“He never listens. Almost as stubborn as you.” He huffed. The glare he gave her would’ve been enough to scare most people, however, she was not most people. She considered Kaz family, and she knew that Kaz did too, in his own way. They had both lost siblings to the city after all. She had joined his crew a few months after they had lost Matthias and Nina had gone back to Ravka. He had needed a new corporalnik and she had made fast friends with Inej, Jesper, and Wylan. As much as Kaz had tried to keep the young tailor at arm’s length, she had found a way to worm herself into his cold guarded heart. His look softened before he continued. “You should steer clear of her. She’s just as icy as she appears. Wouldn’t want you to get your heart broken before the job.” That was his way of showing he cared.
“Don’t worry, Kaz, I’m not looking to marry her. Maybe she’d be open to a bit of fun?” She laughed, throwing her long auburn hair over her shoulder, and made her way back to Jesper and Wylan down the corridor.
---
A few days had passed since they’d met with Sturmhond. He and Zoya had temporarily moved into the slat. Kaz had been cooped up in his office, wearing his scheming face most of that time. Everyone could tell Kaz’s plan was going to involve multiple steps and deceptions.
Since they hadn’t been working any other jobs, the crows had been left to their own devices for the first time in months. Kaz occasionally called on them for their expertise, but they had a lot more downtime than they were used to. They had taken advantage of it to get to know their new teammates. Y/N had mostly struck out with Zoya, though she had managed to make her laugh a few times, to everyone’s surprise. Maybe with more time, she’d have a small chance with Zoya? The young grisha had also tried to wrap her head around the identity of her favourite privateer. She now found herself sitting in Kaz’s office, Jesper and Wylan on her right and Sturmhond and Zoya on her left. Kaz looked all business, so serious she feared he’d give himself an aneurysm.
“I need you to tailor him. Once you’re done, you’ll tailor yourself.” Kaz nodded in Sturmhond’s direction sitting behind his cluttered desk, hands resting on his crow’s head cane.
Y/N looked up at Inej who had been sitting at Kaz’s window. “May I ask why? Hasn’t he already been tailored?” She gestured to the privateer before returning her hand to her lap. “He doesn’t look like the king of Ravka.”
Kaz rolled his eyes. “Why must you always question me?” He sighed. “Yes, he has been tailored, nonetheless, he is too easily recognizable as Sturmhond. I need you both to look like rich Kaelish merchants. It shouldn’t be too hard for you?”
“Of course not. You know there’s nothing I can’t do, Brekker.” She replied in Kaelish. She softened her tone before continuing in Kerch. “I’m simply asking you to share your brilliant scheme with us mere mortals” Her voice was laced with sarcasm. Inej stifled a laugh. It looked like the Suli girl couldn’t help but smile at the other’s antics.
Kaz groaned. “Fine, I’ll share my plan for the job. It’d be easier if you just listened. I’ll explain it once so pay attention – Jesper!” Poor Jesper jumped on his chair. He’d been staring at Sturmhond since they’d all entered the office. Y/N couldn’t blame him. The privateer did have an inexplicable charm despite his tailored features.
“Yes, Boss!” Jesper straightened in his chair and sent an apologetic look to Wylan.
“Alright, to pull this one off we’ll need blueprints that can only be found in Gert Van Verent’s safe. He keeps his office under lock and key – ”
“Wait, you want us to break into a councilman’s house, again? Why can’t you do it Kaz? You’re the best at picking locks.”
“Well, if you hadn’t interrupted me” he was glaring daggers at her now, his eyes the hue of bitter coffee “you’d know that two guards are posted outside his office, at all times” he’d emphasized the last part and raised a hand to stop Y/N from interrupting him again “and his windows are protected behind steel bars.” Y/N nodded once slowly indicating she was willing to listen with no more interruptions.
“Van Verent is throwing a party in the hopes of finding his eldest daughter a husband. Being a devout Kerch merchant, he is also using the occasion to find new business ventures. The party is our window of opportunity. That-” he gestured to her and Sturmhond “is where you two come in. Ainsley and Eoin Ó Ceallaigh, newlyweds from the Wandering Isle, looking to extend your exporting business to Kerch. I already secured your invitation” Y/N felt her jaw drop. No sound came out. All she could do was stare at Kaz. He had finally lost it. He wanted her and the king of Ravka to assume false identities and pretend to be married? Dirtyhands had gone mad.
Wylan was the one who voiced her concern. “Kaz? I know Y/N’s a talented tailor and well she is Kaelish so that part’s covered but, well, um, no disrespect Sturm-, Sir? Your Highness? But, um, do you speak Kaelish?”
The king smiled. He looked amused at Wylan’s confusion. He replied in perfect unaccented Kaelish “Call me Nikolai, it will make for less confusing conversation. Of course, I speak Kaelish, I have been educated in 6 languages. I also had a fondness for Kaelish poetry in my youth.”
Everyone seemed to relax at that. However, Y/N could tell she was going to need Jesper’s help to undo the knots in her shoulders later that night. “Kaz? I don’t think I’m that great of an actress… You also haven’t told us how we’re supposed to get the plans if we do get in.”
“Don’t worry darling, I’m sure we’ll manage. I’m talented enough for the both of us” Nikolai winked at her. Nikolai, who just so happened to be the privateer she had admired for years. She felt her cheeks flush. Saints, she thought, this is going to be a nightmare.
“Jesper and Wylan have also been invited to the party thanks to Wylan’s new position on the merchant’s council.” She had never been more grateful to Kaz for overlooking the interruptions. “They’ll cause a distraction, with Nazyalenski’s help, to let you and Nikolai slip past the guards and break into Van Verent’s office.” He stopped and looked at Y/N. “I know you can pick the lock and crack the safe. I trained you myself after all.”
The discussions and planning continued well into the night. Y/N wasn’t convinced it was such a good plan, but everyone else seemed on board so she kept her mouth shut. All she could do now was make sure to memorize all she could before the job. The party was two days away, which didn’t give them much time to learn all they could about their characters. Kaz had instructed Nikolai and Y/N to spend every waking moment working together to make sure they made a believable couple.
Twelve hours in, Y/N was cursing herself for saying she wasn’t a great actress. If she’d only pretended to be confident in her acting abilities, she might have been allowed to take a break from the insufferable king. Well, insufferable might have been a little dramatic but the man loved himself way too much. They had memorized their stories in the first 8 hours and were now being quizzed by Wylan and Jesper while she started tailoring them both, yet the King would not stop flirting with her. He also made sure to touch her every chance he got. A brush of his fingers on her cheek, of his knuckles on hers, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger. She knew it was just harmless fun for him. It was driving her completely mad. She just wanted him to take the job seriously.
“How did he propose?” Wylan asked for the third time in the past two hours.
Y/N sighed and moved her fingers through Nikolai’s hair to darken it. “It was incredibly romantic. He had planned a picnic by the lake where we met.” Her cheeks were already starting to hurt from the plastered smile on her face.
“I had all of her favourite foods, of course” Nikolai interjected, moving to softly caress the girl’s cheek.
Y/N had to restrain herself from slapping his hand away. “Yes, even strawberries, in winter! Can you believe it? Once the sun began to set, he dropped to one knee and pulled the ring from the picnic basket with a bouquet of winter roses. I’m so lucky to have fallen in love with such an attentive and caring man.” She turned to Kaz who had been observing them, leaning against the doorframe, and dropped the smile from her lips. “Was that satisfactory, Boss?”
Kaz shrugged. “It’d be better if you didn’t look like you wanted to stab him every time he touches you.”
Y/N released a breath. “Maybe if you’d let me take a break...” her tone was pleading.
Kaz smiled at that. He was finally wearing her down. Giving her a taste of what she’d put him through the last two years felt like sweet justice to him. He liked the girl well enough, but she had a way of getting on his nerves. He took no pity on her. “You’ll keep going until I actually believe you are in love with him.” He left the room with a pointed look at her.
Zoya released an amused laugh. “I’m just glad Nikolai found someone else to bother for a change.” She smiled smugly at Y/N. “Don’t worry, he’s mostly harmless. Just come find me if he gets too handsy, I’ll put him in his place for you.”
Y/N couldn’t believe it. Zoya had definitely sent her a wink before following behind Kaz. Maybe all her flirting had paid off?
“Sweetheart, I’m hurt, you are taking more interest in my general than in your own handsome husband.” Nikolai’s tone was toeing the line between mock hurt and amused.
She turned back to the three men in front of her. “Jesper, please, just shoot me.”
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jackwolfes · 2 years
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“Two days for the new kid to beef it.”
Rotty looks up. He isn’t exactly enjoying the coffee Specht offered, so much as he’s tolerating it for literally anything warm. He’s a southern boy, and he likes his weather warm enough that water isn’t freezing into fucking ice every other minute.
Specht isn’t looking at him, but Rotty considers. He overheard Inej and Jesper talking about a councilman’s son, which, yeah, that explains fucking everything. Who picks Wylan as a go to demo expert?
A man desperate for insurance, apparently.
“I reckon he’ll make it to Djerholm,” he says, “At least.”
Specht scoffs.
“Hundred kruge he doesn't get back to the boat.”
Rotty considers him, where he’s leaning on the helm. Not looking back at Rotty, but the open water ahead of them. He looks just as bored and cold and grumpy as Rotty feels. There is absolutely nothing to do. Except for sail, for Specht, but… saints, how interesting is that?
He steps up, and offers a hand out. Specht grins, and reaches over to shake it.
“The deal is the deal.”
-
That’s, frankly, how most of their time goes.
The days are long, because Kaz had said, in no uncertain terms, that leaving the boat alone for longer than absolutely fucking necessary would bring hell down on them both. It’s not like they have much in common. Specht is a sailor, a hard man that somehow managed to smuggle himself out of East Ravka and get into the Kerch navy. Rotty… isn’t. He grew up poor, but who in the Barrel fucking didn’t? A Ketterdam native, with a penchant for fencing whatever Kaz deems worth selling. He’s not sure why he’s here, but he’s getting paid, so…
Well, he’s a Ketterdam native. What the fuck is he going to do, not jump at the chance of a payout this size?
But that doesn’t change the fact that the reality of the job is… really fucking dull. Most of the time for them will be spent trekking through the Fjerdan ice, and Rotty doesn’t envy them that, but- well, the boat is speedier. They’re just sitting and waiting, now. It’s dull.
There just isn’t a lot to do other than ponder over the fate of the kids they sent off to what’s probably a suicide mission. Once they make it down to the harbour of the Fjerdan capital, in the place Kaz knows to expect them… that’s it. It’s a waiting game, now. They’ve secured their moorings early enough that they miss the rush of rich people with their own fancy boats heading in for Hringkalla, and no threat or promise of payment is worth the fear of pissing off Kaz Brekker. The rich assholes can yell all they like about their tiny little schooner taking up a spot - and they do - but Rotty knows for a full fact that Kaz would be worse.
There’s still a bloodstain from when he cut a man’s fucking eye out on that very same deck.
So they bet on it.
“Think Fahey gets shot?”
“He’s quick.”
“Yeah, and stupid.”
Little things, big things, anything, because what the fuck else is there for them to do?
“The Fjerdan’s selling Kaz out an hour into the Court. Tops.”
“No way. He’s hitting Nina first. Then getting shot.”
“Fahey?”
“Inej.”
“With a gun?”
“It’ll be dramatic and tragic.”
“You’re fucking insane.”
It’s not low stakes kruge, exactly; it’s the kind of sums you throw around when you aren’t confident you’ll ever actually need to pay out.
Fifty kruge on Nina coming back with a hair colour different to when she left. Thirty kruge on Kaz picking up a stray and bringing some hapless idiot back along with them. Five on Inej realising she is, frankly, far too good for all of them, and bailing back to Ravka.
(For her sake, Rotty hopes she does it. For the rest of them, he wants her here forever. Not in the least because he doesn’t want to have to deal with Kaz in the aftermath of that.)
-
“You got a missus?”
Rotty glances over. They gave up on watches pretty fucking early, because what was there to watch in a harbour as secure as Djerholm? That was… a terrifying thought in the first place. But they both seemed to think that boredom was better shared, or whatever.
“I don’t do that kinda thing,” he says, finally. He can just about see Specht lying flat on his back staring at the ceiling where it’s rocking with the gentle waves. He nods, just once, curtly, and doesn’t say anything else for a long second.
“Got a fella then?” Specht asks. Rotty laughs.
“Don’t do any of it,” he says. “You?”
“Had a fella in the navy. Not… anythin’ big, you know. Just…”
“A fella,” Rotty offers. Specht makes an affirmative noise. “That why you got booted?”
He scoffs. “You think the navy cares about that? S’good for morale, yeah?” Rotty snorts. Fair enough, he supposes. “No. Got picked up forging ledgers and smuggling stolen whiskey. Assumed that’s why Brekker kept me around.”
Rotty laughs, and rolls onto his stomach, turning his face so he can keep watching Specht.
“Lucky him,” he says, “He’d be a fish outta water without a sailor otherwise.”
“Odds on him asking me to teach’im to sail on the way back?”
“Brekker? Asking for help? Fucking zilch.”
They both laugh at that, loud and ridiculous.
-
The payout is… strange, to say the least. There’s no jubilation on the boat now that they’re racing back to Kerch, but anything that isn’t the imposing skyline of the Fjerdan capital is a welcome change. Rotty does like Specht, a lot, but… saints, he’s glad to be around other people.
They settle, though; they’re both far too stuck into the Barrel to ever go back on a contract.
Rotty is, if he’s honest, mostly just surprised they’re actually going to make it out of this shitshow alive.
He walks away twenty-five kruge richer, after all the null bets and deductions from his faith that they could be even slightly competent. But also, deductions from the fact they all make it out.
Yeah, he was surprised to see Wylan’s face running at high speed to the boat, all in one piece. Happy, sure, but surprised.
“Did you have Jesper realises he’s had a puppy crush on the rich kid the whole time?” Rotty whispers, late into the night when it’s just the two of them on deck. Specht laughs.
“Yeah, right next to Nina takes a mad grisha drug and nearly kills an army.”
Suffice to say it wasn’t exactly what either of them expected to happen, but saints. What ever was with Kaz Brekker and his crazy, crazy crew?
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musicallisto · 3 years
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hi love! congratulations on such a wonderful milestone! i’ve been following you for ages so this is almost as exciting for me haha
could i please get a 🍨 for the grishaverse/six of crows? (whichever you feel fits!) i’m straight female who is an istj, slytherin, and 6w5! i also took the grisha quiz and am apparently a alkemi (but would i truly want to be grisha? the jury is still out on that). im 5’7 with blonde hair, brown eyes, and glasses. i’m a sagittarius sun, pisces moon, and aquarius rising!
i’m pretty independent, and believe no friendship demands blind faith. i’m probably too selfish (which i don’t see as a bad thing, personally), and can be quick to anger.
HOWEVER! i’m not all angst. i’m introverted, shy, & frankly bad with emotions (both feeling and expressing), BUT i also love to laugh, and will not stop talking to you about things i like once we’re friends.
i love that first sip of coffee, the silence after it snows, and the stars on a clear night. i’ve had multiple concussions from sports (which tells you all you need to know about my self-preservation skills) but i will take a day in bed reading or watching various franchise movies over adventure most days. i also lovelovelove listening to music — specifically classical!
thank you so much in advance !! and take all the time you need, this is a fun celebration so i wouldn’t wanna stress you out :) congrats again!!
hi! here’s your vanilla milkshake! (also - please come off anon because first of all, you’ve been following me for a long time? my heart melts. but ALSO! you sound like the most amazing and fascinating person and i adore your personality.) i thought of going for a shadow and bone character to diversify a little bit - but who am i to resist the call of kaz brekker?
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no words can express my excitement at being able to use an actual gif for Kaz.
we all know Kaz and we all know his emotional turmoil. expect the slowest of slow-burns; expect to even wonder if the candle is lit at all.
But it is, I promise. It is lit and it seeps into his heart in ways that he doesn’t understand, and frankly, that scare him a little.
He’s never been good at that whole falling thing. He’s more than content to sit above the rest, and leave the tumbling to Inej.
So when he has to face the music and understand that you’re not getting away, and neither are his growing fondness for you? He’s totally helpless. Serves him right for not learning how to fall sooner.
At first, he thought it was mere fascination that drew him to you. Sure, it takes a lot for him to be impressed... but even he has to admit that you are a lot. Not in the lot in the exuberant sense of all these merchants, but assured and strong in your mastery of your powers, and in your quiet competence.
You craft most of the poisons and antidotes the Dregs use, and are unafraid to yield them yourself; you don’t mind getting your hands dirty; you’re reliable, loyal, easy to trust, and, surprisingly to him, easy to befriend as well. Although he doesn’t make a big effort to befriend you anyway; but whenever he goes down to visit you in your clandestine lab, he ends up spending much more time than he originally planned talking to you.
It’s just so easy to forget the grime of the streets above in that peaceful laboratory, with the distant sound of violin and chemical solutions bubbling somewhere indistinct. And your total concentration, as you mix up the poisons and conjure the blasting powders with deadly precision, is a magnificent sight to see.
At first, Kaz is guilty of sending you on missions for him, or confining you to your lab. You don’t mind the work, and understand that it is where you are most useful, but quickly tell Kaz that you are not at his disposition whenever he wants to run his errands; that you are his equal, and that you work for the Dregs because someone must feed these poor children, not because you would blindly give up your life for him.
In other words: you owe him nothing, and you’re not his lackey. And he better understand that quickly, lest you leave and offer your services to a cause that will remember you for more than your craftsmanship.
It’s a wake-up call for him, surely; it’s when he realizes that you have an independent soul, that you know no ties nor bounds, that you are neither a Kerch nor a Ravkan nor a Shu, but truly a citizen of your own heart, and that there is nothing tying you to him except your good will.
And the idea that you might disappear from his life as quickly as you barged in is enough to paralyze him for a good second. But then he regains his composure.
And asks you to stay, please.
(Not for the poisons, not for the magic, not for the money, but for me, he almost adds, but he can’t get the words out, and doesn’t.)
From that point on, you go on missions with Kaz and the Dregs, and no longer for them, standing as tall as the other Crows.
And your relationship with Kaz grows seemingly a little stronger for it. He opens up a little more, sometimes slips in a little something that might even be considered a compliment.
The others have told him time and time again that you are a fun and happy person to be around, and he couldn’t believe them, because all he ever saw of you was the focused and precise Grisha synthesizing arsenic or negotiating contracts by his side. But as he opens up to you, and on the rare occasions you’re both at the Crow House, he listens to you excitedly tell a story to the others Dregs crowded around a greasy table, he understands what they mean.
You are fascinating.
It’s not the Alkemi in you, it’s not your deadly aim nor your rigor with your work... it’s you. It’s in the excitement in your voice when you talk about something you love, and the care you put in making space for Kaz in your busy schedule.
“I thought you didn’t want to see me?”
“I don’t want to see you when you boss me around. Otherwise, you’re not so terrible to spend time with.”
(Which, in your shared language of restriction and shiness, means “I appreciate you a lot and enjoy your company more than I let on”.)
It’s in your relaxed face when you listen to classical music... when you’re working late nights at the lab and start humming along to the piano on a beaten gramophone that Jesper, of all people, stole for you one day - a Romantic Fjerdan melody, nothing to do with the industrial rhythms of Ketterdam, and your feet begin swaying to the music without you noticing.
He just stopped by to bring you the list of what he’ll need to take care of the Ice Court guards... but he’s taken aback, on the doorstep, watching you enjoy the music like a careless ballet dancer. He’s never seen you quite so relaxed...
... maybe that’s when he falls for good.
And maybe you know he’s fallen for good when you stop by unannounced at his office at the Crow House to hand him the poisoned blades he’s asked for... and you find him listening to the exact same waltz you were playing when he arrived.
You never took Kaz for the classical music type - you do a double-take before he looks up at you, his face and lips even, but a glimmer of hope twinkling in his dark eyes.
“You wanted?”
“To see you.”
His brow perks up.
“However did I get so lucky?”
But he gestures for you to step in, to get closer to him, to fill his dull office with your heady scent, both poison ivy and white rose.
Maybe, under the right night sky, with the right alignment of stars, and after the right snowfall on a deserted plain, he will hear the same music again, and this time he will clumsily extend this hand.
Not to dance, not even for you to take. Just to hold it out for you. Just so you know he would go to any lengths to keep you safe.
But for now, you have a heist to plan.
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800 follower sleepover CLOSED!
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ineffablebooklover · 2 years
Text
So commissions are gonna come pretty slow, I have to do this all on my phone now sorry about that! Here is part 2 of...
The Crow Cafe Coffee Shop AU~ with the Crows, Ronmione, and Drarry -for @yarn-yogi
Chapter 2
Harry’s stomach turned with dread as Mr. Malfoy went to order, leaving Draco in his wake. “Oh if it isn’t Pottah and his friends!” Malfoy sneered, strutting in. “Studying so early with your gang, eh?” He turned to Hermione. “I thought you’d run back to where you came, but alas, you’re still here, trying so hard!”
(authors note: Hermione is Latina in this fic because I want to and also to show that the Malfoys are racist as heck)
Wylan looked up from his sketchbook, a little uncomfortable.
“Drop it, Draco. I’ve lived here all my life, and I’m not leaving because you don’t like me,” Hermione fought back.
Draco scowled, turning back to Harry. “You just need to stop hanging out with the wrong sort,” he said, glaring at Hermione and Ron. He gave Ron a once-over, scrunching his nose at the hand-me-down jacket and well worn shoes. “This one probably made you pay for that coffee, didn’t he, Potter?”
Wylan looked towards Jesper, then back to the four students, then back to Jesper. Jesper rolled his eyes. Inej glared at Draco, but had to continue to serve his inattentive father.
“They’re my friends, Malfoy. It would be good for you to remember that you’re not.”
Draco looked just about ready to stab someone. “So stupid, Potter. Who knew you-“
“Well are you going to order something, or are you just going to flirt all day with that poor boy over there,” Jesper cut in, suddenly right behind Draco, a cup of coffee in his hand.
Draco stuttered and blushed. “Flirting?? I’m not flirting.”
Hermione and Ron giggled, Harry said nothing.
“Trust me,” Jesper said. “I know flirting when I see it. I’m what you call a pro. But honestly, ‘bullying into submission’ is never the best way to go. Anyways, coffee?” Jesper grinned.
Malfoy was speechless, as if having an internal crisis. He didn’t want Potter like that, right? Right? The moment he asked himself that question, he wasn’t so sure anymore. He stormed out of the coffee shop, slamming the door.
Mr. Malloy noticed, grimacing and without grabbing his coffee, stormed out after Draco.
Jesper grinned, looking back to Wylan, who mouthed ‘thank you’ under his breath.
Kaz suddenly sauntered out from the back, cane clacking ominously on the ground. “Scaring away the pigeons, Jesper?”
Jesper gulped, taking a sip of his coffee. “Uh- no boss.”
Kaz raised an eyebrow, looking at the Malfoys, who were basically running away from the shop.
Jesper stuttered. “Well- he wasn’t going to order anything anyways,” Jesper said, starting to sweat.
“Actually,” Wylan said, speaking up for the first time that day. “I was just going to order another coffee,” he smiled at Jesper.
“Me too,” said Harry.
“I think I’ll need another coffee for the notes McGonagall just posted,” Hermione replied.
Ron looked at Hermione, confused. “But she hasn’t posted-oof.” He got an elbow to the ribs. “Right uh- I’ll have a pastry.”
“Awesome!” Jesper said, bouncing on his toes. “See boss? No business lost,” he grinned nervously, running over to the counter to put in the orders, but Inej already got it down, giving them both a thumbs up.
Kaz just shrugged. “Interesting way of doing business, but go for it.” Then he went back into the back room, cane clicking away into the distance. Jesper breathed out a sigh of relief, looking towards the four students.
“Thank you,” he smiled, having Inej ring up the orders.
The three study wizards turned to each other. “‘Flirting’? That’s a new one,” Ron chuckled.
“Oh hush Ron!” Hermione whacked Ron’s arm with her notebook. “Malfoy is just being an arse.”
“Well I mean if you think about it, Malfoy seems pretty obsessed with you Harry,” Ron pointed out, getting another smack from the notebook.
Harry rolled his eyes. “But the barista is right. He can’t just go around and bully people, no matter what the circumstance.”
Jesper popped up behind Harry, grinning. “Why thank you! I pride myself in my smarts. I have two coffees and a pastry for you three?”
He dished out the order and sighed, looking over to the side. “No matter how cute, getting to know the person is the first step.” He stared longingly at the boy with ruddy curls for a good 10 seconds. “So I’ll go do my job, enjoy the breakfast!” He rushed out, skipping away, ruffling the pale boy’s curls, then staring at him longingly from behind the counter.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at eachother, then burst out in giggles. “Who would want to get to know Draco though?” Harry chuckled.
“Wait so you think he’s cute?” Hermione shrieked.
~•~
Jesper fished around for the customer’s order when he stumbled upon a slip of paper in his pocket that he was sure wasn’t there before. It contained a phone number, and a name, ‘Wylan’.
Jesper scrunched his eyebrows, confused, then looked over at Inej, who was smirking at him. He showed the crumbled slip to her.
“His name is Wylan, and that’s his phone number,” Inej told him, a grin playing on her lips.
“Wait wait wait… Wylan? As in, consistent customer who I brought coffee to this morning Wylan? As in cute guy Wylan?”
Inej bobbed her head up and down and explained as Jesper’s eyebrows went past his forehead. “I told him it was for a rewards club at the cafe. I may have done the front work, but you get to do the real work now.” She nodded towards the paper. “No need to thank me.”
Jesper still bounced up and down, squealing as he hugged Inej. “Screw that, thank you Inej! What would we do without you, right Kaz?”
Inej turned and Kaz was behind them, his resting frown on full blast, the foundation of his face. He just looked away, a slight tint of red on his cheeks.
Jesper shrugged it off, and with one last thank you to Inej, went off to make coffee for the next customer.
Once the crowds died down, Jesper typed the number into his phone. He thought for a bit, then leaned on the counter as he started to type.
“Hey Wylan! This is a Crow Cafe rewards club notification! just kidding, it’s jesper, the cute barista. anyways, how are you?”
It was about 20 minutes before Jesper got a response, almost dropping his phone from taking it out so fast. “I’m okay, thanks. How about you? And how did you get my number?”
“the rewards card scam. inej (the other cute barista, not as cute as yours truly, though kaz would disagree) is very smooth when she wants to be.”
“Oh, okay. That makes sense.”
“and why do you type with caps?”
It took a while for Wylan to respond. “I guess I just never turned off Auto-caps.”
Jesper thought out a response, then typed in, “well, I guess that just adds more layers to that pretty personality of yours ;)” He congratulated himself on the alliteration and clicked send.
There was a typing bubble, then it was gone, then it was typing again. “Is that a winky face?” Jesper smirked.
“Who are you texting during work?” Came a deep voice, and Jesper jumped to attention.
“Uh… just Wylan, my hopefully future boyfriend.”
“But Wylan can’t- well I guess there’s a feature for that now,” Kaz mumbled to himself. He looked back up to Jesper. “Orange hair, freckles, that kid?”
Jesper nodded. “That’s him,” he smirked. “And what did you mean by-“
Kaz just harrumphed. “He’s good at numbers, that might come in handy. Very well, carry on. But if a customer catches you on your phone, I’m taking it and you can kiss Wylan goodbye during work.”
“Yes boss,” Jesper chuckled nervously, then Kaz went back to the back room to do whatever Kaz Brekker does in the back room. Jesper got laser focused back to his phone.
“maybe it is ;)”
end of Ch2!
I might just try posting this on AO3 on my phone then updating there, we’ll see how that works out… anyways I hope you enjoyed this little segment!
also does anyone know how to put the little ‘keep reading’ thing on long posts so people don’t have to scroll past the whole thing if they don’t want to?
Up next… In The Heights nightmareAU
have a nice day :)
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oywiththefanfics · 3 years
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KAZ BREKKER ONE SHOT
Warnings: blood, talks of miscarriage. 
Pairing: Kaz Brekker & (OC) Emily
+++++++++++++
Kaz Brekker opened the door, not expecting to see the young girl on her knees, crying into the bedsheets. He paused, not knowing what to say, awkwardly staring around the room for something else to look at. 
Finally, he cleared his throat. The young girl spun around, parts of her hair falling out of her bun, sticking to her face from the tears. Her cheeks were as red as bricks and her eyes bloodshot. 
“Pardon me, Miss Emily, but I need to have a word with you.” He would never admit it, but he felt sorry for the poor girl. She’d only been in his possession for a week, and he wished things could have started off on a better level. 
Emily rose to her feet, wobbling as she went along, having to grab onto the nightstand to keep her balance. “I’m sorry, Mr. Brekker. I don’t know what came over me...” 
“Are you alright?” He asked, sure he knew the answer. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “I know you feel like a prisoner here, it isn’t every day you’re kidnapped.” To Kaz, this was teasing. He tried a little smile along with the (what he thought were) comforting words. 
Emily took a seat on the edge of the bed, using a small napkin to clean her face up a bit. “I’m afraid to say that is not the reason for my outburst.” She stammered.
Kaz sat down in a chair close to her bed, not watching her tidy up. He cursed himself for not giving her the time to do so alone. “Did someone say something to you? I’ll have them tortured.” He clenched his fist tighter around his crows head cane. 
“No... I mean, nothing mean.” Emily sniffed and pulled her hair down, letting it fall around her shoulders. Kaz thought she had the most beautiful head of hair, even wanted to compliment it. “I got some news today.”
“Oh?” Kaz set his jaw. He’d had Emily checked out when he first brought her to the Slat. He had paid off her debts to another Barrel gang and rehomed her in the Slat until they could find a better home for her, although Kaz didn’t want to let her go. He’d watched her around town, watching how the other gang treated her poorly. Finally, he made enough kruge to pay off the debts she had and... he hadn’t known exactly what to do after that.
Emily looked up at him, her round doe-like eyes carrying heavy bags from lack of sleep. “They told me I’m pregnant.”
Kaz blinked, unsure what to say to that. Here he was, fawning over this girl as she’s crying her eyes out and carrying a child. “Oh...” He looked down at the ground. Kaz had an answer for everything, except for this. “Can I get you anything?” 
“A Grisha to rid me of this creature.” Emily’s voice cracked as she spoke.
Kaz felt like his heart was being squished. He knew the kind of pain that would bring to her, what sort of mental state that could put her through. Not that he knew first hand, but he’d heard the stories. A Grisha getting rid of the thing growing inside of you... That was a lot on a person. “Do you want to think this over?” He questioned.
“Look at me.” 
Against his better judgement, Kaz met her gaze. She was in enough pain already, what was one more thing. He knew that baby wasn’t wanted, never was. Now he understood why she flinched any time a hand reached for her. 
“I can’t have this baby. Every time I have to look at it, I’ll remember how it happened. I could die in child birth, the child could die, there’s so many things that could go wrong. I’d rather suffer through that tomorrow and heal myself slowly than have this baby and carry the memories with me.” She stated, more tears rolling down her cheeks. “Kaz, please.”
Not once has she called Kaz by his first name until tonight. He liked the sound of it rolling off her tongue, despite the situation. He hoped she’d say it again. “I’ll see if Nina can do it.” He nodded.
Emily sighed in relief. “Thank you,” she reached for his knee, only she must’ve remembered what happened last time she touched him and pulled her hand away. 
“I’ll get you Nina.” He stated, rising to his feet and exiting the room quietly. 
***
It took some convincing for Nina to help Emily, but in the end, she accepted Emily’s pleas and she began to work on removing the child for the young girl. It was going to be an all night process, so Kaz made sure they were both as comfortable as possible, asking what they might need and getting them triple anything they requested. 
He made sure that anyone else stayed clear of Emily’s room, told them all to spend the night out at the clubs or in their own rooms. Kaz never experienced this for himself, he just knew the stories weren’t pretty. 
And he was right. He wished he, too, would have left the Slat that night. Screams echoed off the walls, down the halls, and rang through his head the entire night. Even in his attic room, he heard the faint cries coming from one floor down. It was the worst thing he ever witnessed.
Before they got started, Kaz asked if either one of them needed someone to stay in there with them. They both shook their heads, tears running down their faces. “This is something she has to do alone.” Nina had told him. “But she will need someone there when it’s over.”
Those words stuck with him. 
Kaz woke up to Nina saying his name. He opened his eyes to peer up, a woman staring back at him. He jumped with a start, realizing he must have fallen asleep at his desk. 
“She needs you.” Nina mumbled. Her hair was a mess, soaking wet from the sweat. Her dress stained with blood and... Kaz wasn’t going to ask what else. She looked exhausted. 
The boy jumped to his feet, grabbed his cane, and headed for the stairs. “There’s breakfast in the kitchen for you, Nina. Go rest now.” He called over his shoulder.
“Thank you, Kaz.” She said, though her voice was barely there.
Kaz hurried down the stairs, forgetting to brace himself for what he might see in the room or the pain shooting up his leg, he just knew he had to make sure she was okay. 
Knocking softly on the door before entering, he gently opened the door. “Emily?” He whispered.
Inside he found that Nina must’ve already cleaned up quite a bit. He saw bloodied towels thrown in a hamper near the door, sheets, clothing. The odor in the room was that of roses and coffee, covering the already faint smell from last night. Kaz was thankful that Nina thought of that.
Curled up underneath clean sheets, he saw Emily’s outline. She was breathing heavily, hair sticking out of the top in a messy, half fallen bun. 
“My dear.” Kaz kept his voice down as he stood awkwardly at the edge of the bed. “Can I get you anything?”
“Can you sit down, please?” Her voice was hoarse from all the screaming, but he managed to understand her request. 
He licked his lips, gazing down at the small girl. She was only half his size, and he loved to tease her about it when she first started settling in. “As you wish.” He braced himself, pushing out those intrusive thoughts. He sat on the bed, careful to put his cane against the wall so it didn’t hit her. 
She rolled over, facing him now, and looked up at him. Her face was swollen, her hair falling out of the lazy bun, her cheeks stained from the tears, and he still thought that this woman was beautiful. 
“Don’t look at me,” she pleaded, hiding her face in the pillow. “I’m hideous.” 
“You are... breathtaking.” Kaz breathed, unaware that this was not the time for compliments. 
Giggling, Emily moved closer, causing Kaz’s heart to stop completely. Her head was on his thigh before he could jump away. Panic coursed through him, his fingers going numb, his vision blurring as he tried to think of a way out of this. “You are a strange one, Brekker.” 
Her voice slowly pulled him out of his panic. He peered down at her and watched her eyes flutter closed. “You’ll be taken care of here.” He stated, his gloved hand hovering over her shoulder, wanting to touch her, to comfort her.
“Don’t leave me...” she croaked. 
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He mumbled, letting his fingers brush against her shoulder. It hadn’t made him want to vomit, though he still couldn’t exactly feel the tips of his fingers yet. “Rest, my darling.” 
Emily reached up with a shaky hand and grabbed his belt, keeping her hand there as she slowly started to drift off to sleep.
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thomaslightwood · 3 years
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Okay so i am finally reading the one shot. i have been waiting for the right moment to read because i wanted to focus only on this and nothing else. Be prepared for this long ask because i have been writing up reactions as i was reading.
“By the way,” Inej said and stood up, approaching him. She was soundless. “I brought you what you asked for.”
She put a pure white ring in front of him, shining on the moonlight. Kaz stared at it without moving.
HE BOUGHT THE RING???
“A thread I decided I didn't need,” he said, staring at a document in his hands. He couldn't read a thing.
My poor boy is so worked up about it
Was the ring part of his armor now? Along with the gloves and the cane? Was this the reason Inej didn't press him for answers? Was his armor so thick even the Wraith couldn't see through it?
I love how you wrote from this perspective, of how the ring could mean differently
Sometimes armor is all you have. And sometimes you need to take it down. Even for a bit.
HE IS GONNA TELL HER OH MY GOD
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“They're like a mirror to each other but don't always go together.
This is such a great analogy, i love it
“Will you wear the ring?”
The fingers of the hand that had held the ring trembled. He clenched it into a fist.
“I don't know.”
Inej smiled slightly. A soft sunbeam in the dark room.
“I hope you do. Even if it's under the gloves.”
INEJ KNOWS HOW MUCH IT ACTUALLY DOES MEAN TO HIM AND HER ENCOURAGING HIM TO WEAR IT IS JUST KAKFLSDJFL
“What a cute monkey you would be,” Jesper grinned. Wylan went pink.
Matthias gave him a sympathetic look.
Matthias knows what it is like to be the victim of being flirted to by a crow and having sympathy for wylan is just amazing.
“I have seen him before, in the club,” Kaz said. It was an accident but Kaz wouldn’t say it to them. He remembered the guard clearly. Coffee eyes and loud laugh. A black ring on his middle finger on his right hand. A white one on the other middle finger. Mirroring each other but different. That's why he knew he could distract him. He would talk with another aro.
first of all, WHAT. second, HE IS GONNA TALK TO ANOTHER ARO
“He is aro ace,” Kaz said finally.
The room was silent for a moment. Then Jesper nodded.
HE BLURTED, JUST AS WE SPOKE ABOUT
“Because,” Kaz said, frustrated with himself. He could have handled this better. “I wear the same ring as him.” He took off his left glove. The white ring, almost silver on the light, was on his hand, warmed by Kaz’s skin. “And a white ring on the left middle finger means the person is on the aromantic spectrum.”
The crows blinked. Inej nodded at him with an encouraging smile. Wylan’s mouth was agape. Jesper tried to say something but the ringing of the bells interrupted him. They had to go.
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“It doesn’t matter,” Kaz said. He did think it. But it didn’t mean part of him didn’t care.
of course he cared he is a hard shelled softie
Just then, Kaz allowed himself one small smile.
HE SMILED KJHSJDH
In conclusion I FREAKING LOVED IT.
YOU DID SUCH A PERFECT JOB OF THIS LIKE MY HEART IS JUST FULL OF WARM FUZZY FEELINGS AND I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO CONVEY WHAT I AM FEELING BUT I LOVE IT.
Thank you so so so much for writing this <3 <3
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This is one of the most heartwarming asks I have ever received 😭💞💞💞💞💞💞💞
I enjoy seeing people's reactions to my fics and this makes me so happy 😭😭💗💗💗
AND I'M SO GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT 💚🤍🖤💜
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And thank you so much for reading and sharing this ask 🥺🥺🥺 It was the first day in school, my last year, and tbh I have had better days/weeks so this just 🥺😩♥️♥️♥️♥️
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