#Jesper is about read to jump out a window

[violets-and-books]

The "Exploring your Sexuality - Healthy but does it have to be with the future King of England?" scene but with Colm and Jesper

[egret-orchids]

for the love of language

Kaz Brekker was stubborn. When he had his mind set on doing something, he did it. No matter how difficult, no matter how simplistic. He wasn't sure what category 'learning his girlfriend's language' fell into.

Kaz lovingly and painstakingly learns precious few words in Suli just so that he can surprise his Wraith with them.

| AO3 | SOC Sideblog |

word count: 948

It wasn't an unknown fact amongst the Dregs and Crows that Kaz Brekker knew one language, and one language alone.

He was stubborn, and though his rough voice and the hints of an accent that stemmed from southern Kerch were normal for him, hearing him reciting words in Suli was... odd. Jesper recognised the language from the few times he'd heard Inej muttering the melodic syllables, although he suspected most of it was just curses and swears, much like Jesper's messy Kaelish.

Jesper didn't want to run the risk of Kaz murdering him for snooping, but he did regale this to Wylan over cups of tea in the merchling's basement workshop.

"I was just walking past- y'know, because he'd asked me to grab a map for a job, and I hear him mumbling in Suli." Jesper said, sighing dramatically. This elicited a small chuckle from Wylan, who sipped his tea and then replied; "I think he has some sort of plan. He's never bothered learning more than basic decencies in other languages, and even then they're not great in terms of pronunciation."

Jesper nodded. "He tried to say hello to my Da in Kaelish and I'm pretty sure he accidently insulted him." Even if the anecdotes his father told him weren't exactly true, Colm Fahey was probably justified in his distaste. Some words in Kaelish were similar to others, and a slight error in wording could lead a pleasant hello to turn into somebody's mother getting called a whore. And it was also Kaz, who would probably do something like that purposefully; fully aware of what he was doing yet still taking the chance to be an ass.

Wylan smiled at this. "Are you going to ask him about it?" he asked.

Jesper shook his head. "He'd probably break my arms and threaten to gut me and leave my intestines for the crows or something like that."

"It's Kaz, of course he'd say that..." Wylan laughed quietly.

"I certainly wouldn't put it past him." Inej said with a smile from the doorway, and Jesper nearly jumped out of his skin as Wylan waved to her with a small, shy grin on his face.

"Saints, Inej, do you have to do that every time?" Jesper complained, rolling his eyes fondly. Inej didn't reply, simply shrugging and stepping towards the two. She sat on Wylan's workbench and looked at both of them with mock-sternness.

"Kaz has a job for you two. Some merchant from Shu Han." Inej passed Jesper a small, folded slip of paper- Kaz's signature way of informing them all of jobs.

Jesper flicked the note open and cleared his throat. "Shu Han merchant ship docked in Second Harbour- Saints, it's like he doesn't want us around all day today- unloading into the Stadhall. Jesper has the map." he read aloud, and the way Wylan immediately hung on the gunslinger's every word with such affection in his eyes almost made Inej laugh aloud.

Wylan hummed in response. "So this merchant if working with somebody in the Merchant Council, then."

"Yeah, and he's obviously going to be..."

Inej slid off the table and walked away, leaving the other two conversing about Kaz's latest job. It didn't need her skills, and she had a feeling that Kaz wanted her nearby.

She pulled up her hood, opting to meet Kaz, wherever he was. She didn't bother climbing the rafters and jutting beams to get to the window or the roof of the building next door and have to climb around searching for him, not in this weather. Besides, she knew Kaz would either be in his office, or somewhere on the Zentsbridge.

As it turned out, Kaz was leaning on the bridge's railings, gazing into the murky grey-green of the canal. He didn't move as Inej's neared his left shoulder, but he did shift his bad leg slightly. "Hello, Inej. Don't you have a job you need to help out on?" he said quietly, though the slight smile in his voice betrayed his joking manner.

Inej breathed a laugh, leaning on the railing next to him, back to the canal. "I wanted to know what you were planning. You normally make sure I'm with Wylan and Jes just in case either of them get distracted, be it by each other of something else." she replied.

Kaz shrugged. "Who's to say I'm planning something?"

Inej rolled her eyes. "Kaz Brekker, do you need to be so stubborn?"

Kaz tilted his head, meeting her eyes. "No." he said simply. "But stubbornness got me where I am today, and it got you out of the Menagerie, didn't it?"

"My stubbornness or your stubbornness?" Inej chuckled.

Kaz didn't reply at first; instead he moved away from the bridge's railing, and turned to face Inej, face almost expressionless but his eyes were less cold then they normally were.

"Volim te." he whispered, just enough for Inej to hear.

She swore her heart stopped beating for a solid five seconds when he said that.

It was a known fact that Kaz Brekker, that Dirtyhands knew Kerch, and Kerch alone. His accent was southern, from somewhere like Lij, but his language was that of someone born and raised in Kerch.

My mother is Ketterdam, he'd said, she birthed me in the harbour.

"What?" Inej murmured, too surprised.

My father is profit. I honour him daily.

"Volim te." Kaz repeated, and Inej can't help but laugh.

"Your pronunciation is awful, Saints."

Kaz glared at her, but it wasn't serious.

Inej moved towards Kaz, about to hug him. She stopped. "May I?" she breathed.

Kaz nodded slowly, and Inej pulled him into a hug.

"I love you too, Kaz Brekker."

[eddieisashifter]

𝔢𝔞𝔠𝔥 𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔢 ℑ 𝔣𝔩𝔬𝔴 𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔩𝔡 ℑ'𝔡 𝔰𝔢𝔢, 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔩𝔡, 𝔦𝔱 𝔣𝔩𝔬𝔴𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔪𝔢.

˚　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　 . ✦　 　˚　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔ ✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　. ˚

𝔢𝔡𝔡𝔦𝔢'𝔰 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔰

. ✦ BETTER CR REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find eddie crowley curled up in the corner of his university's library writing up a new book idea that may never see the light of day while his agent calls him about the project he's supposed to be working on.

— intro — my books — what's in my bag? — creepy crew moodboard

. ✦ SHERLOCK & CO/SHERLOCK BBC REALITY ✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　. . . in which you'll find edmund moriarty bothering his mentor, sherlock holmes, as they pour over a new case on the sitting room floor of 221b baker street and john watson makes the two busy detectives a pot of tea

-`♡´- dorian blackwell

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　masterlist!

. ✦ PERCY JACKSON REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find azrael "eddie" crowley sparring with his best friend and partner, percy jackson, in the camp half-blood training fields as the sun begins to set over the sea while annabeth chase half-watches them, immersed in her own project.

-`♡´- percy jackson and annabeth chase

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　masterlist!

. ✦ MARAUDERS ERA HOGWARTS REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find edmund crowley with his band of slytherin friends, the royals, laughing loudly at some joke made by his best friend, barty crouch jr., and desperately trying to avoid the gaze of his long-time rival, sirius black and his boyfriend, remus lupin.

-`♡´- sirius black and remus lupin

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　 — masterlist!

. ✦ ARCANE REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find eddi sprinting across the zaun rooftops to avoid the enforcers chasing him, running jobs for his adopted father and mentor, silco, and trying to avoid being caught by his childhood friend turned enemy, ekko.

-`♡´- ekko

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　 — masterlist!

. ✦ LEGENDBORN REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　. . . in which you'll find edmund crowley, scion of mordred, practicing his aether magic or getting into fights with scion of arthur and rival, nick davis, if only to be broken up and noticed by merlin kingsmage, selwyn kane.

-`♡´- selwyn kane

— intro

. ✦ SIX OF CROWS REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find eddie crowley lounging in the office of dregs leader, kaz brekker, sketching crows out the window to rest after their last mission in the crime-ridden streets of ketterdam or playing in the crow club downstairs with the other members of the team.

-`♡´- the crows (kaz brekker, inej ghafa, jesper fahey, nina zenik, matthias helver, and wylan van eck)

— intro — about my partners (the crows) — 5 senses (waking up) — what's in my bag? — eyeshadow ask game answers — short and extra sweet ask game answers — hozier ask game answers — spilled ink ask game answers

𝔢𝔡𝔡𝔦𝔢'𝔰 𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔰

. ✦ THE WAY HOME REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find eddie crowley and his twin sister eden in their small scottish hometown of aberfeldy leaping into the pond on their families property to travel back in time and unravel the mystery of their town and family, while he struggles with his hopeless crush on local poet, dorian blackwell.

-`♡´- dorian blackwell

— intro

. ✦ SPIDER-VERSE REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find eamann macghoill running about the city of 2050s glasgow either late to band practice with the mary janes or donning his blue and white mask and fighting crime as the vigilante damhan-allaidh. or jumping between realities to go on a date with his boyfriend, hobie brown.

-`♡´- hobie brown

— intro

. ✦ STAR WARS REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find eddi morte training with his jedi master, plo koon, or spending time along meditating with the force and reading every holocron in the jedi archives. and, when she can, being pulled into adventures with his best friend, ahsoka tano.

-`♡´- ahsoka tano (qpr)

— intro

. ✦ WITCHY REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find eddie crowley hunched over his journal at the fair folk coffee house working on a new novel project or out prepping magical supplies for the rest of his coven with his wife, lenore davenport

-`♡´- lenore davenport

— intro

. ✦ THE MANDALORIAN REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find edmund vos, local space cowboy and captain of the evening star, traveling the galaxy with his crew and searching for the bounties that bring in the most credits, especially one abandoned by a fellow hunter, din djarin.

-`♡´- dorian blackwell

— intro... (coming soon!)

. ✦ PJO FAME REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find caspian hale dancing about the studio as he tries to come up with the lyrics to his next hit song while his boyfriend, jason grace, watches with a fond smile

-`♡´- jason grace

— intro

. ✦ IMPRESSIONIST ARTIST REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . in which you'll find edmund crowley covered in paint in his paris studio as he pours over a new project, with the occasional critique and guidance from his mentor, claude monet

-`♡´- dorian blackwell

— intro

. ✦ MACGYVER (2016) REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- ...tbd!

—

. ✦ GOOD OMENS REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- ...tbd!

—

. ✦ THE ADDAMS FAMILY REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- dorian blackwell

—

. ✦ YOUTUBER/DROPOUT REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- ...tbd!

—

. ✦ SINGER/NEPO REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- n/a

— discography

. ✦ VAMPIRE REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- dorian blackwell

—

. ✦ VICTORIAN SCIENTIST REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- viktor undergrove (arcane)

—

. ✦ MCU REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- ...tbd!

—

. ✦ AGENTS OF SHIELD REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- ...tbd!

—

. ✦ EVERMORE REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- dorian blackwell and lenore davenport

—

. ✦ SCI-FI ROYALTY REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- per'seh nah'kvae

—

. ✦ MAGNUS CHASE REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- ...tbd!

—

. ✦ 2000S TEEN FAME REALITY

✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　 . . . coming soon!

-`♡´- ...tbd!

—

[writing-havoc]

Hi I just read enough and I was wondering if you would make another part. It doesn't have to be yn and Kaz getting another kid it could just be them in the future. Thanks

Enough, Pt.2

♡ Summary: Nina and Matthias have finally taken it upon themselves to search for a place to settle down. The downside is, it's outside the country. And saying goodbye is a bit more difficult that it usually is.

♡ Pairing: Kaz Brekker x Reader, The Crows x Reader (platonic!)

♡ Fandom: Six of Crows, Grishaverse

♡ Warning(s): None

♡ WC: 4.4k

Been a while, but here's part two!! I loved the direction this took when I was writing it and I hope you and everyone else who wanted a part two feel the same <3

Side note, thanks for 500 follows. Was not expecting that when I took a break but it was nice to come back to!

Please excuse any grammar and spelling mistakes

∘₊✧──────────────────✧₊∘

"Something's wrong."

Kaz turns to look at you, several pieces of paper shuffled around in his hand and slotted between the spaces of his fingers. It momentarily distracts you, seeing how ridiculous he looks.

"Yeah. You're not helping."

"No, that's not it."

You ignore the scathing glare he sends you in turn for biting your nails, eyebrows twitching from where they're pulled together.

It feels distinctly like you're missing something. Or maybe like something is supposed to be happening but it's not.

You've already been around Jesper and Wylans to drop off the pie you promised them in exchange for them coming along on a job. Nina already talked to you about her trip back to Ravka to discuss some stuff with the King. Inej wasn't due back until tomorrow, already having everything prepared for her return. Matthias was relatively self sufficient so he didn't need anything from you today. Kaz is burning holes into your skull as a way of forcing you to continue to help him.

Logically, there's nothing left to worry about. You just went through your entire list of people who you wouldn't mind helping.

Maybe Rotty needed something? But you haven't talked with him in a while. Which, really, you need to do that because now you feel bad. Pim and Anika are out of town.

So what-

Panic bubbles in your chest and spurts out your throat. "Leo!"

Kaz jumps a bit, papers making a noise as they're jostled. He stares for a moment, then tenses. "Where is he?"

You rub at your face, the question already plaguing your mind.

"He's at fifth harbor, I think."

The fact that you're not certain kills you.

"You /think?/"

"Okay listen here, Mr. 5 Star Parent." You glare at him. "I told him there was something I needed at the harbor and that it was coming..."

You pat your body, looking for a pocketwatch. Usually it's around your neck or hanging in your pant leg but it's not here.

Kaz walks up to you, jutting his torso out a bit and paper filled hands held off to the side. You grab the pocketwatch from his vest, popping it open to look at the time.

A bit of relief nulls the panic. "It came about half an hour ago, which means he should be-" you turn towards the window, slotting the little clock back into his pocket "-on his way back right now."

The curtains are already open, letting in a deep, warm orange glow into his newly refurbished office. He still intends to move to the ground floor, but for now he remains up here, with the creaky stairs and wide angled window.

You walk over, looking outside. The sun blazes into your eyes for a moment before you block it out, the cobblestones glistening up at you.

There aren't any people around, which is a little weird considering this is the time when people would be making their way back home. But, there is a dog barking up the side of a building, the sound carrying to your ears.

"I doubt you'd see him walking back home."

"He couldn't carry a stack of notebooks with him over the rooftops."

"He would try."

That he would. And he proves Kaz right by hopping down from above.

"I got your note- Woah!"

His sudden appearance is enough to make you scream, hard earned fighting instincts kicking in. Your knife in your side pouch is suddenly no longer in your side pouch, instead flying at record breaking speeds across the Barrel.

The only reason it's not in your son is because you managed to divert it before it left your hand, instead making it create a wind that rustles his longer hair.

"Shit!"

Leo loses his balance, tumbling into the office in a very ungraceful front flip, landing on his back.

"Leo! What did we say about this!?"

He doesn't answer right away, and you don't really expect him to. He groans on the floor as you go to help him up, books scattered on the floor from where they ripped against the thick paper they were stored in.

Kaz is right behind you, papers forgotten as he grips Leo beneath the arms and hoists him up to his feet. You grab a chair, heart still racing yet relieved to see him here and, for the most part, safe.

You plop him down, wooden chair adorned with a cushion.

"I thought you'd have heard me!"

You scoff. "You know I often don't, you sneaky fucking minx." He learned from the best, unfortunately, so he had nothing to say in his defense. "I really could have killed you just now."

"Yeah, you could have." Kaz decides to chime in, going back to sorting through his papers, but paying you extra attention. "That knife is now floating in East Stave, judging by the sheer power and murderous intent you just threw it with."

"Which is why we talked about this!" You examine Leo, turning his face with your fingers near where you seen the knife fly by.

Kaz sighs, putting papers back between his fingers.

"I'm sorry." Leo whispers.

You take a minute to look at him, /really/ look at him instead of searching for what you know isn't there, and see the shaken up and guilt ridden look on his face. His freckled cheeks are drained of color, but slowly coming back. His eyes are wet, and his hair is ruffled beyond repair with just your fingers to card through the progressively curling strands. His eyebrows are pulled together, and there's a noticeable downturn to his lips.

He's really scared.

You sigh. "I'm sorry, too." There's no hesitation in the way you place a kiss to his forehead, letting your lips linger for a moment as you feel the tension leave the space between his brows. "I was literally in the window looking for you, I shouldn't have been so startled."

"I wasnt gone for that long."

You huff. "It's half eight. You left at two."

His eyebrows raise. "Wow."

Kaz actually laughs, a short, sharp exhale through his nose with a curve in the corner of his mouth. "I don't think 'wow' is the word you should be using."

"It's the only word I've got."

You scoff. "Well now you're just a liar, little book worm."

Speaking of books, you turn to the space in front of the window, finding it void of your stack of notebooks that nearly cost Leo his life.

You don't even get the chance to look around for them before Kaz is picking them up from his chair, and then handing them off to you.

There's four of them, each looking the exact same as the others, much to your delight. You take them in earnest. "Thanks, love."

It's wonderful to see the shade of pink that adorns his cheeks still when you call him that.

"What do you need 4 exactly replicated notebooks for?" He clears his throat.

You set them in Leo's lap, taking the top one off and opening it.

The paper was fine and thin, a bit of a bumpy texture to it when you run the pads of your fingers over the surface. It was cream white, a slight yellow tint to some and a very slight grayish-brown tint to others. The edges were deckled, which you'd fix later, and the back cover to the book had an imprint of the sellers company on it.

"They're for little things. Ones for Leo and the rest are for myself. I was considering getting into drawing, but I think I'm mostly going to use them for keeping track of my thoughts."

Leo picked one up, flipping through the pages. "Like a diary?"

"Not... necessarily."

"Then what?"

As you try to think of a different way to explain it, though, nothing comes to mind.

You bought a book you can write in to record your thoughts and feelings. If that's not a diary you don't know what is.

As if second nature you look towards Kaz, as if he's going to help you out of the mess you made. Instead you're met with your husband doing a shit job at hiding an amused smile.

He did that a lot these days.

"If not a diary, then what is it?" He teases.

"It's just... a journal." You go back to flipping through the pages, drinking in the sound that comes from Kaz as he suppresses a laugh with a controlled breath even if it pisses you off, Leo smiling widely at the display he's managed to produce. "Just to write stuff, yknow?"

Leo closes his journal and opens the next one, going over the pages.

"Write stuff. Personal stuff." Kaz teases again.

"Well, yeah." You shrug. "But also, other non personal things. Just stuff I notice and want to keep track of, like things people gravitate to. And to help me learn languages."

You feel Kaz before you hear him. He presses a feather light kiss to your temple, holding your face with his gloved hand.

It's new, welcomed.

You close your eyes and lean gently into his hand until he pulls away. And when you look back at him, he's got that boyish charm to him that he fought tooth and nail for.

You're just glad you run warm. To ease his worries.

"A journal isn't going to help with your abysmal pronunciation of Ravkan."

You shove the journal into his chest, making him stumble away from you. His smile grows.

"I don't need sass from you, Mr. I-only-know-one-language."

He takes the journal and opens it, looking into it. "I don't need to know more than one when I'm surrounded by people fluent in several."

"Not for much longer you're not."

The comment makes the air in the room melancholy.

Along with Nina going to Ravka to discuss some "important matters," her and Matthias won't be returning to Kerch afterward.

They're going to travel around for a while, exploring the different lands available to them to settle down in. After they explore a bit of Ravka, Nina giving Matthias an ample tour of her homeland, their next stop is Novyi Zem. There they'll do much of the same, basking in eachothers presense as they indulge in the prosperous lands and rich culture.

From there they'll edge into The Wandering Isle, but not too far to avoid the Drüskelle. And then they'll take their leave to the Southern Colonies, where they're planning on taking permanent residence if they don't find somewhere else first.

You're happy for them, and so is Kaz, much as he still hates to express it.

Leo, however, is having a hard time figuring out where he stands on the matter.

Earlier, when you went to treat Nina to waffles as one of the last meals you'll share together for a long while, Leo had made it about halfway to the same little diner the three if you went to when you first found him before stopping.

He stood his ground, refusing to move even as you took his hand and tried to encourage him to even just move out of the road, and then gave you a genuine, sad "sorry" and took off back towards the Slat.

You couldn't get him to turn around and come back. And knowing he'd make himself as difficult to find as possible, you continued to meet Nina, who was as sympathetic as can be despite being disappointed.

Even now, you can see the way Leo grips the notebooks, ready to flee.

Your fingers find the back of his head, gently scratching his scalp and loosening the knots in his hair. His shoulders loosen, and he let's out a deep breath.

He's the only reason they haven't done this sooner. But now that he's older and they've had time to learn how to manage the sheer amount of money they came into possession of, it's time.

"They leave tomorrow. Inej will be back as well to see her off." It was a feeble attempt to lighten his mood.

And it doesn't work, his smile not even reaching his eyes. "I know."

You can't think of anything else to say. And Leo stands up, setting the journals on the chair, and walks out the door.

--------

Inej makes it to the harbor before everyone else. Her boat is docked right where it always is, and she's throwing herself off the side and bounding towards the group of you before you can point it out.

You pick up the pace, Nina following right after, luggage forgotten about once she gets to the base of the steps.

The both of you wrap Inej up in a hug, not squeezing hard, but hard enough that you're sure that Inej is having a bit of some difficulty breathing.

You all let go, you taking Inejs hands in yours, smiling as wide as you can. "It's so good to see you."

"You too."

Nina puts a hand on Inejs shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright with taking me to Ravka?"

Inej gives her a contented look. "I'm sure. I'll just be dropping you off, no getting off the boat."

You hardly get another moment with her before Jesper is shoving his way through. He draws out her name, slowly and gently coming down to wrap her in a hug. She reciprocates, already having seen his quick approach.

As Wylan comes to stand next to the hugging pair, Jesper swinging them from side to side, you turn toward Matthias to see him smiling at the display as well.

He's gotten so much more comfortable over the past few years, his year in prison far behind him. It's nice to see him smile so openly, so lovingly.

The boys let go of Inej, Leo having given her a hug as well.

He decided to come along silently, standing outside the Slat and ready to follow to the docks.

No one said a word, just nodded at him as he tailed right beside you.

Getting to see Inej breaks the tension within him a little. You can tell, his shoulders more relaxed and his smiles coming easier.

He moves out of the way as Nina gets Inej's attention again. Inej allows the tears to collect in her eyes as she hugs her once more, the both of them gripping eachother.

Inej sighs. "You'd think I'd be used to this."

They giggle, and so do you.

A high, sad whine escapes Nina's throat. "I didnt realize how hard this was."

"It gets easier."

"I don't think it does."

They go silent, gripping eachother just a little harder before letting go.

You suppose there's some truth to both those statements.

As Nina turns to you, wrapping you up in her arms, you find it hard to do the same.

Because sure, if you do this enough it can start to feel like routine. You lean in close, holding the other together as tight as possible, and then you say goodbye.

But there's so much more.

You hike your arms up and squeeze around her middle, only minding your pressure just a little to avoid forcing all the air out of her lungs. She does not afford you the same courtesy, and squeezes you as tight as possible.

Emotionally, it doesn't. Everytime Inej leaves it feels as if a piece of you is being taken away. And now two more pieces are leaving, a sizeable hole forming in your heart.

When will it be whole again?

When will every one of you be back in the same place, after almost 8 years since the Ice Court? With one hunting slavers and two finding a place they can call home?

Childishly, selfishly, you want everyone to stay together. To call this place, right here, their home, and settle down.

But that's not how real life works.

So you squeeze her a little tighter, and eventually when you let go, you allow the little piece of her that occupies your heart to float away with her.

"Take care of yourself." You say to her, clutching her hands in yours.

She laughs, her loud barking laugh, and tears run down her cheeks. "8 years and that's all you have to say?"

You scoff, regretting it immediately when the release of air from your lungs sends tears pouring out of your eyes. "You know I suck with this emotional goodbye bullshit."

"You and our boys all do."

You turn towards where Kaz and Matthias are standing next to eachother, Kaz's hands placed firmly on his cane and Matthias with his hands clenched into loose fists at his sides.

While he has grown more relaxed over the years, that Drüskelle rigidness has yet to be completely shed, if it ever will be.

Jesper and Wylan get their turn saying goodbye to Nina, and you walk over to Matthias.

He relaxes slightly, his body curving down ever so slightly to become just a bit more eye level with you.

"What do you want, big guy? A hug? Handshake? Fistbump?"

He smiles at the humor in your voice, rolling his eyes, and then he's walking forward, arms out.

It's only half surprising, your eyebrows raising ever so slightly as you walk into him.

He's still as solid as can be, but he's gentle in the way he uses that solidness. His arms wrap around your upper body in a way that encapsulates you, your hands flattening across his back.

The hug is much shorter than Nina's, but it's only slightly less emotional.

Your tears continue to fall. His eyes manage to get a glossy look to them, which is basically the same as you breaking down into an ugly sob if you had to put it on a scale.

You take hold of his arms, his hands holding onto your elbows.

"You take care of yourself as well. Keep eachother safe."

He smiles. "You and the demjin really do suck at goodbyes." His Fjerdan hasn't faded a bit, with you, him, Nina, and ocassionally Wylan all speaking it when he does. You and Wylan were learning to speak more like a native, you catching on much faster than him, who wanted to stay more towards textbook Fjerdan.

You're going to miss those bits of chaos, with Kaz and Jesper standing off to the side giving the lot of you looks of confusion and horror when they pick up on certain words out of context.

"Give me a break, half of you are gone now."

He gives your elbows a squeeze. "We will visit, as promised."

"You better. I'll be visiting you too once you get settled down, so you better be prepared."

"I wouldn't expect any less."

You let go of eachother, your body subconsciously finding Kaz's and standing as close as you can to him.

Leo is talking nervously to Nina. Their voices are gone with the wind, his mouth moving rapidly as hers stays slow, hands coming up and wiping away his tears.

He stops, lips turned down, and she brings him into her. Just like you, he can't seem to make his arms move at first. But when he does, they fly around Nina, squeezing her as tightly as a thirteen year old boy can.

You hope this doesn't break him. It's hard enough whenever Inej comes and goes, you have no idea how hard this will be for him with Nina and Matthias visiting so much less often.

They pull apart, and Nina wipes his tears once more. She says something, low enough that you see Inej try and lean in to hear. Whatever she says, Leo gets a serious look on his face, and then nods.

She ruffles his hair, making him giggle.

Inej takes this as her cue to make her way on over. Her eyes are a little pink and glassy, and her nose has gone a little red from where she's been rubbing it.

You hold your arms out again, and she accepts as she takes those last few steps. She's still so thin, but you know better than to think she's gotten weak. You can feel it in the firmness with which she hugs you and how tense her back is, hard muscles sleeping beneath her clothes.

"I've only seen you for five minutes and you're leaving already. And taking Nina and Matthias with you."

You feel more than you hear her chuckle. "Ill visit soon. And so will they when they're ready."

"I know." You pull away. "It just hurts."

She moves on to say something to Kaz, and you look back towards Nina to see Leo handing her one of the journals from yesterday. Usually you'd be a little upset at the regifting, but the awed look on Nina's face brings more confusion than anything else.

They hug again, squeezing tighter than before if possible, and then Leo is running back towards you.

He slams into you, and you're half ready for it. Your body stumbles backwards, his fingers digging into your side and shoulder blade. A third hand comes and stabilizes you as you put your hand on the back of his head, and your other on his back.

He's grown so much. Both physically and emotionally. He's tall enough now that his forehead can rest comfortably in the meat of your shoulder, and considering that he's only 13, you're willing to bet he'll be as tall as Matthias once he's done growing.

The people this important to him leaving will be hard, like opening an old wound, but you can tell he's been prepared for this. They've been openly preparing to leave Kerch for about a year and a half, discussing it when the topic comes up.

He knew this was going to happen.

You just hope you're prepared for how emotional this will be once they're actually gone, boat disappearing across the horizon.

You squeeze him a little tighter, wishing that just holding him like this would make everything better.

"You okay?" You ask.

He nods his head, but doesn't let go.

The other hand rubs your back from side to side. You can feel the leather through your many layers, the vibrations of the friction as he readjusts his fingers making you smile.

Looking up, you see Nina begin making her way over.

Gently, you encourage Leo to let you go. He stands next to Kaz, who does his best to comfort him, gloves fingers moving his hair from his face and behind his ears.

"One last hug before you go." You ask.

She doesn't deny you. "Youre doing a lot of that today."

"Forgive me for wanting to hold you while youre still here."

"Apologize for that again and I'll drag you with me to throw you overboard."

You both laugh, the sound coming from your bellies. Your heart stutters, and it makes you feel a whole lot better.

"Leo gave me a journal to write in while I'm away." She whispers.

"Are you going to use it?"

"Don't be stupid. Of course I will." She pulls away, wiping at her eyes. "And you can read about our adventures for generations to come."

"The size of your ego won't fit on that boat."

"I'll make it work."

You cup her head in your hands. "You always do."

Her lip wobbles, and Matthias takes that as his cue to come in and comfort her.

For a while you all stand in the middle of the docks of fifth harbor. Hoards of people give you dirty looks as they brush past, but no one could find it in them to care.

It's obvious that you're all just finding excuses to keep the conversation going. But the thing is, it's not hard. It's the easiest thing in the world. Topics flow into more topics, strings tying each one together so intricately that you loop back to the beginning several times without more than a blink, and then you're off on something else just as quickly.

And time continues, despite the unrelenting need for it to stop.

When you eventually look up, the sky is becoming a darker shade of blue than the ever lovely warm orange it sports. The sun is just barely peeking over the horizon if you had to guess, the torrential waves surrounding Ketterdam ever present.

Everyone goes silent, realizing the time, and then they begin their goodbyes.

The cycle starts with Jesper and ends with Kaz, who gives both Nina and Inej a tip of his hat, Matthias getting a handshake.

You put a hand on Ninas shoulder. "I hope you find the best piece of land the world has to offer."

"I won't settle for anything less, given what we've been through. I deserve it."

You both smile, giggles almost bubbling. "That you do."

You let your hand slip off her shoulder as she turns away to pick up her things, journal stuffed safely into her shoulder bag.

With nothing left to do, they wave goodbye with their stuffed hands, and Helnik and Inej are on the boat and pulling out of her berth and out into the sea.

The waves allow them to pass, making for a beautiful scene of The Wraith bathed in the light of the nearly set sun, and they're gone.

Nobody says anything.

You wrap your son in your arms, and take your husband's hand. Wylan tucks himself into Jespers arms, and props him up.

Everything feels like it's falling apart.

But for your sanity, and those around you. You tell yourself everything is as it should be, no matter how bullshit it feels.

Because everything is as it should be. It just...

It doesn't feel good.

A hand comes up and wipes your cheek, and you let it rid your face of the tears.

"Come. Home time." Kaz says. There's a gentle tug on your arm, and it's almost like he tugs on your heartstrings too.

He makes everything easier.

You finally look away from the waves, and you feel just a little better. "Home time."

You look down at Leo, who also has tears running down his face. He let's you wipe them away, and then nods. "Home time."

"See you tomorrow?" Wylan asks, Jesper cleaning himself up right next to him.

You hum a deep, confirming tone. "Tomorrow. Dinner."

He nods. "Dinner it is."

Kaz tugs once more, just as gentle, and you give in.

It's time to go home.

∘₊✧──────────────────✧₊∘

Tags:

@b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r @a-candle-maker @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx @kylie18 @morrigan-crowmwell @venomsvl @milkshake0

And I hope it's okay to tag these people as well since you guys specifically asked for a part 2 in the notes:

@curiousdarlin @beautifulbows924 @jjmaybanksrings

[sixofcrowley]

rating how invested the crows get into fandoms

(fandoms = tv shows, movies, books, etc.) these are all my personal headcanons, feel free to add more in comments or reblogs :)

kaz 8/10 - this is easily his biggest guilty pleasure but boy does this man know how to hide it, enjoys this kind of comfort because it’s something that genuinely cannot leave him and because he likes putting his time and energy towards specific things, would much rather jump out a window then ever admit to it though

inej 4/10 - doesn’t dislike anything about fandoms or anything, but prefers genuine peace a lot more than fandom chaos, also likes to stay neutral about the characters and their relationships, traits, etc. so doesn’t really resonate with the rest of the fandom that much

jesper 7/10 - loves being around people with the same interests as him but never sticks around for too long, likes being in fandoms but is always consuming so much new content he’s more of a fandom drifter as opposed to a diehard fan

wylan 6/10 - understands the fun elements of fandoms and likes being around other fans but doesn’t really like projecting his opinion to them, also disagrees with a lot of the fandom so tries to keep low most of the time to avoid getting eaten alive

nina 10/10 - NINA!!! IS!!! THE ULTIMATE!!! FAN!!! always throws herself headfirst into the fandom, establishes her favorite ships, characters, headcanons, etc., probably has a discord server with a bunch of other fans, loves talking about the aspect of an entirely different universe with ppl just as passionate as her

matthias 2/10 - ‘no, i don’t understand- why do you spend so much time on this-?’, doesn’t really get it at all but supports nina either way, would much rather spend his time reading about the history of ravka and understanding other beliefs

(iNvEsTeD- hA sEe wHaT i DiD tHeRe?)

[triptuckers]

Absolutely extraordinary - Kaz Brekker

Request: yes! “Hi! I absolutely love the way you write Kaz. If you’re up to it could you write a kaz x reader where the reader is really good at finding weird little nooks to spend time in and be alone for a bit or on the roof or something & Kaz is the only one that can find them? If not it’s fine! Thanks!” Pairing:  Kaz Brekker x reader Summary:  after a job almost went wrong, the rest of the crows all have a drink. you slipped away, but kaz knows just where to find you. Warnings: none Word count:  1K A/N: lkdfjslkfjs this request is absolutely adorable omg

There had been plenty of close calls in the past. Sometimes you felt like living in Ketterdam was enough to grant you at least three close calls a month. They’d always been there and there would be many more to come. 

But the one that happened today felt a little too real, a little too close.

Luckily, you had all made it out alive, even if it was just barely. 

Upon arriving back at the Slat, most of the crows decided to stay downstairs, getting drinks to cool down and take a moment to relax. They’re all sitting in silence, none of them speaking much. 

Except for you, you’re nowhere to be seen. You’d slipped away as soon as you got to the Slat. None of them had paid much attention to it, all still very shaky and jittery. They figured you’d gone to your room. 

But Kaz is the only one who knows that’s probably the last place you’d go to.

He figured it out about a month ago. Every time you seemed upset, or unusually quiet, you’d disappear. At first, he thought you’d go to your room. But he had checked your room one day, and you weren’t there.

His second thought was you’d go for a walk to clear your head. But he had never seen you walk in and out the door. 

That’s when he figured out you had hiding spots all of the city and the Slat that no one knew about, not even Inej. Jesper had once expressed his concern for your sudden disappearances, but Kaz was quick to shut him down. Telling him you were fine, and that the reason why Jesper couldn’t find you was probably because you didn’t want to be found. 

It took him a while, but eventually he figured out the locations of all of your hiding spots. They were small, sometimes uncomfortable, but located in places no one remembered to look. And therefore, perfect when you needed some alone time.

After finishing his drink, he gets up and heads for the stairs. He walks all the way to the second floor, and immediately notices what he’s looking for. 

A big closet in the hallway, that is supposed to belong to Inej, but she hadn’t used it in months. It’s big enough to fit one person, and no one would ever check the dusty old closet when looking for someone. 

Kaz limps over to it and slowly opens the doors. It’s empty. Perhaps you were at a different spot today.

He walks up the stairs again, to the third floor.

Kaz walks toward the window on the other side of the hallway. If you pick the lock and push it open, you can slip out onto the chimney next to it, and be completely invisible to anyone walking the stairs. 

But when Kaz opens the window and peaks around the corner, all he sees is the old chimney, no sign of you.

He’s got one last place at the Slat to check. If you weren’t there either, he’d have to search all of your spots scattered throughout the city. 

His leg seems to be aching more today, and it takes him a while, but eventually he makes it to the roof. He walks around a corner and indeed, you’re sitting on the edge, all the way on the other side of the roof.

Your knees are pulled up to your chest, arms wrapped around your legs. You rest your cheek on your arms as you look out over Ketterdam.

‘There you are.’ says Kaz, walking up to you. 

You jump a little at the sound of his voice. You’d been so lost in your thoughts you hadn’t noticed someone else’s company on the roof. Then again, who would look for you on the roof? 

You’re surprised he had found you so quickly. But then again, Kaz always knows how to find you.

‘The others got worried when they couldn’t find you.’ he says behind you.

‘I needed some alone time.’ you murmur, not turning around to face him.

‘I understand.’ says Kaz. You hear his cane thumping on the roof as he walks away, but you call him back.

‘Kaz?’ you say, looking over your shoulder. He turns around and looks at you. ‘Can you stay?’

Kaz nods and walks up to you. He clumsily lowers himself onto the roof next to you, letting his legs dangle over the edge, his cane resting on his thighs.

‘You’re always here when you want to be alone.’ Kaz points out. ‘Why do you want me here?’

‘Because your presence is comforting. Soothing.’ you say, making Kaz raise his eyebrows.

‘I'm the last person in Ketterdam whose presence is comforting.’ he says.

‘Not to me.’ you say. ‘I like being around you.’ 

You’re silent as the two of you look out over the city. From the corner of your eye, you can see Kaz slowly swinging his legs back and forth.

‘Why did you decide to come up here tonight, instead of one of your other usual spots?’ he asks.

You shrug. ‘I wanted to see the city. Plus, no one except Inej would willingly climb onto the roof of a building as crooked as the Slat.’ you eye him. ‘Inej and you, I guess.’

‘Well, I was looking for you.’ says Kaz.

‘Why?’ you say.

Now Kaz is the one who shrugs. ‘Your presence is comforting.’ says Kaz, repeating your words and making you smile. ‘And I wanted to check in on you. We barely made it out today.’ he says.

‘But we did make it.’ you say.

‘Yes, we did.’ says Kaz. ‘But it shouldn’t have been such a close call.’

‘But we made it out.’ you say. ‘All of us.’

Kaz nods and returns his gaze to the city. It is nice to be up here, without the energetic vibes of the Dregs. It’s peaceful.

‘It’s nice up here.’ says Kaz.

‘It is, isn’t it? You can see all the way to the docks.’ you say and you point to his right. ‘And you can see the university if you squint your eyes. Beautiful isn’t it?’

‘Yes.’ says Kaz, briefly looking from the city in front of him to the girl next to him. ‘Absolutely extraordinary.’

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rules Here’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Marit

[worldserasingandcreatinginmymind]

Useless | Kaz Brekker x Sister!Reader

Requested by @inquistitorebony​ : “Hey could you please do a kaz x Sister reader please where she has some medical issues and is really weak and gets inured on a job with kaz and he get all protective brother mode”

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x sister!reader, Jesper x reader (platonic)

Word Count: 1297 (I havent proof read because its late and im tired so this might change tomorrow)

Warnings: angsty stuff and sibling fluff

A/N: I didn't specify what the readers condition is so you can personalise that as you want. As always, spelling and grammar are not my strongest skills so please be kind :)

Masterlist

- - - - -

“We’re all clear on the plan?” 

The Crows nod in reply to Kaz and hurry off to prepare for the task ahead, leaving you stood alone with your brother. 

“What about me?” You ask

“What about you?” he replies as he gathers up the floor plans, blueprints and various other papers spread on the table.

“What do you want me to do?” 

“Relax. Read a book. Whatever you want to do while you’ve got this place to yourself” he walks away.

“Place to myself…” you stand up and follow him “No, Kaz, I’m coming with you!”

“Absolutely not. You're staying here and that’s an order”

“An order?��� You laugh "Who do you think you are? The General?” 

He stops suddenly, turning to look at you.

“I’m serious Y/N. This job is too dangerous, especially with your condition.”

“My condition? What about you?” You gesture to his cane “If you can do it then so can I”

“You're weak”

“No weaker than you”

“Y/N!

“Kaz!”

You reach a stalemate as the two of you stare at each other, each waiting for the other to back down. He’s stubborn. But so are you. 

“I think she should come” Jesper breaks the silence.

“Stay out of this Jesper” Kaz warns, still not taking his eyes off you.

“Oh come on Kaz!” Jesper continues “You know she’s the best actor here…we could really use her help distracting the guards.”

“I could even use my condition. Guards can’t resist helping a poor sick girl. Please Kaz, let me prove I’m not useless” you flash your puppy eyes at him until eventually he lets out a sigh of defeat.

“Fine! But if your condition gets worse you head straight to the meet up point. Okay?” 

“Yes sir” you salute and he rolls his eyes before heading off to his office. You look over to Jesper, a big grin on your face as you thank him.

— — — — 

 The job had started off smooth. 

The guards completely fell for your ‘poor sick girl’ act and were fully distracted trying to help you. They didn’t notice Jesper sneak past the door or Inej scale the side of the building, effortlessly pulling herself up onto the roof. They did however notice the loud crash as something came smashing through one of the upstairs windows. The three of you jumped as you turn to see what had caused the damage.

Your heart sank as your eyes fell upon a familiar cane laying on the pavement in a pool of broken glass, blood covering the metal crows head.

“KAZ!” You yell as you make a run toward the building entrance but you're stopped by the on of the guards holding you back while the other sprints past you to investigate.

“I cant let you in there”

“Let go of me!” You fight to try and free yourself “I have to find my brother!” 

“You're brother?” The guard asks, holding you even tighter and you curse yourself as you realise what you’ve said “Was this the plan? You distract the guards while he robs the place?”

“Please let me go”

“The only place you're going is jail where you belong”

You fight again but you can feel your strength leaving you at a rapid rate. You swing your legs wildly and manage to kick the guard in just the right place. He yells and throws you down to the floor, your head hitting the pavement with a loud thud. You groan as you roll onto your back, clutching your throbbing head in your hands. Your vision is blurry but you can just about make out the guard looming toward you, gun in hand pointed at you. 

“Assaulting a guard is a crime punishable by death” 

You allow the pain to take over and let your eyes flicker shut as you wait for it all to end. 

The last thing you hear is a gunshot followed by Jesper calling your name.

— — — — 

When your eyes open again you're surprised to find yourself back home in your own bed, bright light pouring in through the window. You squint your eyes from the brightness as you look around the room and realise Jesper is asleep in the chair next to you, his head resting on the edge of your bed. You reach out and gently poke him awake. He yawns as he sits up. It takes him a moment to register that you are also awake. 

“Y/N! Are you okay? How are you feeling?” 

“Like I’ve done a full body workout. Ugh, why does everything ache?!”

“How much do you remember?” Jesper asks

“Fighting with a guard. Falling to the floor. He was going to shoot me…”

“He wasn’t quick enough” Jesper winks as he blows the tip of his gun, spins it around his finger and shoves it in his pocket. You smile at him, but then your eye is drawn to something behind him. A cane resting against the wall. Your memories come flooding back and yo sit up suddenly panicked. 

“Where Kaz?! Is he okay?!”

“Y/N, you need to calm down. You're still weak” 

“Where is he?!” 

“He’s…” Jesper starts but is cut off. 

“Here” Kaz appears at the door “I’m here” 

You jump out of bed quicker than your legs can carry you and stumble into his arms. He grabs you in his gloved hands and Jesper rushes to you, helping Kaz hold you up and lead you back to bed. Once he’s sure your safe he lets go of you, taking a small step back. Jesper sits next to you, arm around your shoulder as you cant stop the tears flooding down your face.

“I thought you were dead” you cry

“I thought YOU were dead” Kaz replies “when I saw Jesper carrying your lifeless body, it took me back to Jor…” he trails off, unable to finish. He takes a steadying breath “I’m glad you're okay” 

“Me too.” You say wiping your face “and I'm sorry. I guess you were right, I was too weak to go on that mission. I’m useless.” 

Kaz looks at you for a moment before looking to Jesper, silently asking him to leave. Jesper gives your shoulder a quick squeeze before getting up and leaving the room. Kaz fills the empty space next to you on the bed, taking a deep breath before placing his hand on yours. 

“You are not useless Y/N. You are brilliant.” He says and you look at him “I was watching you distract those guards and I was so proud. You live with your condition every single day and you never let it hold you back. On my darkest days I look at you and you inspire me to keep going, because if you can do it then so can I.” 

You give him a small, genuine smile which he returns as he squeezes your hand affectionately. 

“Now you go back to sleep, get your strength back up and I’ll check on you later” he releases your hand and moves to the door. 

“Thank you Kaz” you say as you get yourself comfy.

“Don't ever think you are useless Y/N” he says when he stops at the door and turns back to you “that’s an order”

You let out a small laugh as you salute him and he rolls his eyes. But you see the smile creep onto his face before he leaves and you drift back into a peaceful sleep. 

[thebadgerclan]

Abducted

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x sister reader

Requested by Anonymous

Summary: Kaz doesn’t need a plan, he’s getting his sister back...

The note arrived at the Slat with a single drop of crimson blood staining the paper.  Mister Brekker, it read.  As I’m sure you’ve noticed, your dear sister has yet to return home to you.  My men made quick work of kidnapping her, the poor girl struggled like a fish on a hook, she ought to learn better.  There are two ways she will be returned to you: either when you give me the 3 thousand kruge you stole from my men, or when her body is in a box.  Which eventuality comes to pass is entirely up to you.  I give you 2 days, Mister Brekker.  Yours sincerely, -Pekka Rollins.

Kaz shattered the glass he’d been drinking from against the wall, making Jesper jump.  “What do we do, boss?” he asked, but Kaz was already moving, holstering guns and sheathing knives, tucking lockpicks into his sleeve and taking his beloved crow head cane from its place next to his desk.  “What the hell do you think I’m doing?” he replied, eyes wide and voice frantic.  “I’m going to get my sister!”  Kaz limped down the stairs, Jesper following close behind.  “Shouldn’t we make a plan first?  It’s not safe to go barging into the Emerald Pa-”

“I don’t give a fuck about a plan!  That bastard has my sister!  The man who killed my brother has my baby sister, and he’ll kill her too if I don’t get her back!”  Kaz was yelling now, voice carrying through the whole of the Slat.  Jesper knew there was nothing he could do to change Kaz’s mind, so he nodded.  “Alright.  Is there anything I can do?”  “Make sure Nina’s ready when we get back, in case she’s hurt.”  “Alright boss.”  Then, just as Kaz was exiting the Slat, he added, “No mourners.”  “No funerals,” Kaz replied grimly, setting out into the night.

***

The rope binding your wrists was rubbing away at your skin, but Pekka didn’t care.  You were bound to a chair, wrists tied behind you, ankles tied to the chair you were seated in, a few wounds on your arms and legs.  But other than that, you were unharmed.  Pekka looked at his watch, chickling.  “I do hope your brother gets that money to me,” he mused, as if you weren’t even in the room. “I would hate for Y/N Brekker to be found floating in 5th Harbor.”  You struggled uselessly against your bonds.  “He won’t bend,” you bit out.  “Kaz is smarter than thay.”  “You’d best hope so,” Pekka laughed, kicking the chair, making you startle.

***

Anyone who saw Kaz knew he was on a mission, and stepped out of his way.  He was boiling with rage, and beneath it, fear.  You were the only family Kaz had left, he’d lost Jordie, he refused to lose you too.  The Emerald Palace came into view, and Kaz strode in like he owned the place.  He kept one hand on his cane, the other on the hilt of a dagger.  He had no idea where you were being kept, and Kaz knew he should have listened to Jesper, he should have planned this out.  But his baby sister was in danger, and Kaz refused to let you remain in danger.

“Sir, you can’t be here,” a bouncer said, but Kaz drew the knife, the blade glinting in the light.  “I’m here to see Pekka Rollins,” he said, voice low and dangerous.  “He should be expecting me.”  “Mister Brekker, I-” but Kaz thrust the knife forward, lodging it just below the bounder’s sternum.  “Where.  Is.  My.  Sister?”  “I.. I don’t know!” the bouncer gasped, blood staining his shirt.  “B-but Pekka d-does.”  “Then where is Pekka?”  “H-his o-o-office!”  Kaz twisted the blade before retracting it, ensuring the man wouldn’t live another hour.  

Kaz slipped through a door meant for the staff and ascended the stairs as quickly as he could with his bad leg.  His heart was pounding, he could hear his pulse in his ears, and when he reached the landing, he drew another knife.  He wouldn’t resort to guns unless he had to.  Quietly, he opened the door, creeping along the corridor and into Pekka’s office.  The door was ajar, and light spilled into the hall, and Kaz slipped inside.  

There you were, tied to a chair, wrists behind you, completely immobile.  Your eyes widened when you saw your brother, and you opened your mouth, but Kaz held up a finger, silencing you.  Hope rushed through you.  Kaz was here, your brother was here, you were going  to be alright.  There was a single guard in the room, but the idiot was distracted.  Kaz gestured for you to duck your head, and you did, and Kaz threw the knife.  He wasn’t nearly as skilled as Inej, but the knife found its target: the back of the guard’s neck, and he fell to the ground.

“Kaz,” you whimpered, and your brother rushed forth, untying your bonds and helping you to your feet.  You threw yourself into his arms, and Kaz held you tight, fighting back tears.  Kaz the brother might cry, but Dirtyhands didn’t, he’d save that for when he was alone.  “Oh Saints, Kaz.”  “Shh,” he comforted, rubbing his gloved hand over your back.  “I’ve got you.  You’re safe, Y/N, I’ve got you.”  You were the only person whose touch didn’t repulse him, you were the only one who he would ever hold in his arms.  

“Come on, we’re getting you home.”  Kaz threw open the window, not caring about leaving a trail, and helped you onto the roof.  As he climbed out after you, he realized he’d forgotten to bring rope, but you held your severed bonds in hand, and Kaz smiled.  “That’s my sister,” he said, tying the pieces together enough to get you to the ground.  He scaled down first, spotting you on the way down.  Once you were both safely on the ground, Kaz removed his coat and draped it over your shoulders, taking your hand and leading you through Ketterdam’s streets back to the Slat.

Nina was waiting by the door when you arrived, concern on her face.  “Oh, thank the Saints,” she said, bustling you upstairs and into yours and Kaz’s shared room.  Your brother hovered protectively by your side, keeping a hand on your shoulder as Nina assessed your minor wounds.  He turned away while she helped you change, but as soon as you were clothed, he was at your side again, holding your hand as she healed you.

“She’ll be fine,” the Heartrender said.  “Just stay with her, she’s shaken, afraid.”  “I will,” Kaz nodded.  “Nina,” he called after her.  “Thank you.”  “You’re welcome, Kaz,” she said, lifting her skirts and going back downstairs.  Your brother sat next to you on your bed, pulling you into his arms, holding you tight against his chest.  “Fuck, Y/N, I was so afraid,” he said, letting a few tears fall.  “I thought… Saints, all I could think about was Jordie.”  

What few memories you had of your brother were hazy, you were only 10 when Jordie died, the fever from forepox blurring the memories of yours, Kaz’s, and Jordie’s illness, but you knew that was what claimed his life and nearly claimed yours and Kaz’s.  You leaned further into your brother’s embrace, crying yourself.  “I was so scared, Kaz,” you said.  “I was just on my way home, and I got jumped.  T-they held knives to me and threatened me, and-”  “Shhh, I know, Y/N, but you’re safe now.  I’ll protect you, Y/N, I will always protect you.  That’s a promise, a vow.”

You nodded, letting yourself break down.  Kaz squeezed your shoulders, rubbing your back and shushing you gently.  “I’m here,” he whispered.  “You’re safe, I’ve got you.  No one will hurt you again, Y/N.  I promise.”  It was a shit promise, really.  Death was almost always a moment away in the Barrell, the trick was avoiding it.  But Kaz, along with Inej, Jesper, and the rest of the Dregs, had taught you well, and he knew you could protect yourself.  But right now, you needed to feel protected, and Kaz hell bent on protecting you.  He’d do that until he died, and that was a promise he knew he’d keep.

[ketterdam-it]

A Kaz and Wylan Minific

Just a Kaz and Wylan fic except you don’t know what it’s about till you read it. I had such happy fall vibes writing this, I hope y'all love it!

It was late afternoon when a knock sounded on the front door of the Van Eck mansion. Wylan was half surprised that Kaz had knocked instead of making a more stealthy entry.

When he opened the large door Kaz was standing there, unreadable as ever.

"Ready?" Kaz asked grimly, Wylan nodded and he entered the home without another word. They walked soundlessly through the house, and toward the kitchen with a truly daunting task at hand.

It was mid Autumn and the leaves that had turned orange and red were visible through the large windows. The cold wind from outside making even the mansion feel cozy.

Wylan had covered the large marble counters with various bowls, ingredients, and cooking utensils prior to Kaz's arrival, and now Kaz looked at the cluttered countertop as if it were a safe to crack, rather than a cake to bake.

"For Inej." Wylan barely heard Kaz whisper before he sighed, shrugging off his coat and removing his gloves.

"Ghezen!" Wylan shouted, making Kaz jump the tiniest bit, as if ready to fight an intruder, until he noticed there wasn't one.

"What the hell was that for Wylan?" He asked, irritated.

"You're practically naked!" Wylan said and tried to remain serious for the sake of his joke. Kaz glared and lightly hit Wylan in the shin with his cane before setting his coat and gloves down to begin the endeavor that would be baking Inej a birthday cake.

Wylan laughed, and out of the corner of his eye, saw Kaz smile too.

"So, first we need to mix the dry ingredients. Would you like to measure or mix?"

Kaz looked at him with a look that very clearly said "What have I done to get myself to this place in my life?," before he sighed again and said he'd measure.

So the unlikely scene of Wylan Van Eck and Kaz Brekker baking together began, mostly silent aside from Wylan's occasional directions.

The front door opened, not 20 minutes into the ordeal that took significantly longer than if Wylan had done it himself. Footsteps sounded down the hall toward them. Wylan had to stifle a laugh as Kaz looked to him, covered in flour, looking as though he'd been caught doing something significantly embarrassing.

Jesper's voice rang through the house, "Wylaaaaaannnnnnnnn." And now Kaz was the one to laugh. Jesper yelled Wylan's name in a sing-song, high pitched voice and came from the hall, skipping into the kitchen.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Kaz there in the kitchen and the shock on his face was obvious.

"Hello Jesper." Kaz greeted him as if this were the most normal situation in the world.

"What in the- You know what, just, nope, I'm going to go paint with Marya. You guys just, do your thing." Jesper said, giving Wylan a hug and leaving the Kitchen, looking over his shoulder and laughing as he walked down the hall once again.

The cake batter was finished and into the oven after 35 minutes and Wylan and Kaz went to play a game of chess at the dining room table while they waited.

"We can play for a bit but then we'll have to go make the buttercream of fondant." Kaz gave him a blank look.

"Fondant?"

"You know, the thick, rollable layer of icing?" He said, doing the motion of rolling it out with his hands, still nothing, "You know what, we'll just do buttercream."

They sat down and began their silent game. Wylan began to speak, a questioning tone to his voice.

"Don't even start." Kaz cut him of and Wylan laughed a bit before moving his rook to take Kaz's pawn, repaid by Kaz with a glare and Wylan's loss of his bishop.

It wasn't long before it was time to remove the cake from the oven, the purple buttercream was nearly finished while they allowed the chocolate cake to cool. Kaz smiled, Wylan knew he had made sure to use Inej's favorite flavor and colour, and he could see how much effort Kaz was putting into this for her.

It wasn't a huge cake, but it'd be enough for all six of them, it was light purple with dark purple flowers, gold details and "Happy Birthday Inej" written on top by Kaz. Kaz looked truly proud of the cake, and he had truly done a great job with Wylan's help, though he was covered in flour, a bit of frosting, and his black shoes were coated in cocoa powder.

"Who would have thought, 'Dirtyhands the Baker'." Wylan laughed and now Kaz laughed with him.

Suddenly the smile dropped from Kaz's face and Wylan worried he'd done something wrong, "Don't say that ever again. I want you to know that if anyone beside the six of us ever learns of this, you will not survive." Kaz said in his most threatening voice before he pat Wylan on the back and began to laugh again.

[in-my-feels-probably]

INEFFABLE - Kaz Brekker

Chapter Five

If you would like to read this on Wattpad, it’s on there as well, my @ is in_my_feels_probably and there’s a few visuals and better descriptions and stuff on there. otherwise, enjoy, let me know what you think, and you can check out my masterlist for updates and more. don’t forget to read the prologue, it’s important to the story!

INEFFABLE – Kaz Brekker

ineffable (adj.) too great to be expressed in words, utterly indescribable; too sacred to speak of. 

Chapter Five

Early that morning, the Crows were on their way through Novokribirsk, West Ravka, in a carriage. Elham had the unfortunate pleasure of being squeezed in between Jesper and the Conductor.

Kaz peered at the Conductor. “I didn’t hire you simply to get us across the Fold. You’re with us because you smuggle Grisha out of the Little Palace, and that’s the location of our target.”

Elham felt a pang of guilt in her heart. She kept telling herself that she would tell Kaz about her abilities one day, that she would tell all of the Crows, but she didn’t want to scare them away, or have them feel betrayed. She wasn’t entirely sure of how to control her abilities herself, and she already hated her powers enough. At the Little Palace, she was frequently talked about. General Kirigan often referred to her as an anomaly, but she felt more like a freak. And people talked. When the time was right, she would fess up. But until then, it was her little secret.

Elham sat up straighter, leaning closer to Jesper and further from the Conductor. Jesper noticed her discomfort, scooting closer to the carriage wall to give her room to move over. Something about him unsettled her, and she knew Kaz didn’t trust him, which furthered her discomfort. Kaz was grumbling about the Sun Summoner, or alleged one, and Inej was content to hold strong in her beliefs, that this was the Saint she was waiting for. Kaz changed the subject.

“You said you have a contact who can get us inside. A Heartrender.”

The Conductor nodded.

“How do I know we can trust her?”

“Nina grew up there.”

Elham sucked in a breath. One of her closest friends in the Little Palace had been a Heartrender named Nina. Elham had fled long before Nina had chosen to leave the Little Palace, and she had missed her very much. She was one of the only people in the entirety of Ravka who made her feel normal, wanted.

Elham tried to stifle her surprise at the name, but Kaz glanced in her direction anyways, raising a brow. “Most Grisha grew up in the Little Palace. Very few would betray their general, and fewer still would help foreigners kidnap their most prized possession.”

The Conductor smiled. “Nina’s a radical. Thinks Grisha should get to choose if they serve the Crown. She despises involuntary service more than she does Fjerdans.”

Elham longed to see Nina, but she was secretly crossing her fingers, hoping she wouldn’t find her in front of Kaz. Only Saints know how’d he react finding out his longest known friend was hiding the fact that she was secretly Grisha. As they approached the inn, Elham crossed her fingers a little tighter.

---

Once in the room that Nina should have been occupying, Elham felt both a sense of relief, and dread. If she wasn’t here, then where was she? The Crows walked around the room, looking for any sign of Nina.

The Conductor looked around, confused. “She knew to expect us.”

“She isn’t late, she’s gone.”

“Yes, but her things are all…” The Conductor lifted the bed sheet, moving the trunk off the bed, to reveal a small medal wolf's head lying in the sheets. He sighed, sounding distressed.

“Drüskelle. They are ruthless Grisha hunters.”

Kaz scoffed. “Explains the Fjerdan krydda the innkeeper was counting when we arrived. It’s likely he ratted her out.”

“She’s probably halfway to Fjerda on a ship right now.”

Elham’s heart sank, fearing the worst. She cursed herself for wishing that she wouldn’t see her friend today, all because she selfishly wanted to keep her little secret. Now she would most likely never see her friend again. She added the Fjerdans who took her to her list of people she would come after.

Inej leaned towards Kaz getting his attention. “They had a clear line of attack.”

Kaz nodded. “Take a look. Make sure there aren't any more surprises.”

Inej nodded, pulling her hood up, leaving out the window by the balcony door.

The Conductor sat on the bed, huffing. “Well, that’s that. We’ve lost our way into the Little Palace.”

Kaz sighed, his eyes drifting off as he thought of a plan. Elham picked up on this, leaning over to Jesper, whispering. “Scheming face.”

Jesper chuckled at that, quickly quieting down when Kaz turned to leave the building. Inej had jumped down from the balcony rooftops, giving the all clear.

The Conductor caught up to the Crows. “This seems like a reasonable juncture to abandon this whole Sun Summoner plan.”

Kaz whipped his head around, eyes raised, voice determined. “Abandon? We’re in this now. And I know what a million kruge means to me. What does it mean to you?”

Kaz was determined. If he didn’t get this kruge, and he somehow made it back to Ketterdam, Elham would belong to the Menagerie. There would be nothing he could do to get her out, just like Inej had been indentured. Kaz would cut down the whole of the Barrel before he let his Valkyrie step foot into Heleen’s clutches.

“Freedom.” Inej answered.

“Fun. Like at least a few months.” Jesper smiled, earning a wary look from the Conductor.

Kaz’s eyes landed on Elham. He knew what a million kruge meant to her. Never stepping foot into the Menagerie. Making sure Inej never had to go back, and that Kaz would get to keep the deed to the Crow Club.

As much as Elham dreaded making it back empty handed, if it came down to it, she was more scared of seeing the disappointment on Kaz’s face when he would see the symbol of the Menagerie branded onto her wrist, just like Inej’s. She was more scared of having to leave the Slat, not being a Crow. She would rather spend every night of her life as Heleen’s little fawn before not getting to see Kaz every day. Not seeing her family. Getting this kruge meant everything to her.

She only put a smile on her face that didn’t meet her eyes. “The chance to see Pekka Rollins choke on his greed.”

Kaz almost grinned. He moved his stare to the Conductor.

He pondered a bit. “Retirement.”

“Right, so we press on. You get us across the Fold and I’ll figure out the rest on the other side.”

“Fine. To cross, I’ll need twenty pounds of alabaster coal. A peck of Majdaloun jurda, not the kind from Kerch, it’s too weak. And, uh...a goat.”

Jesper made a face, and Kaz glanced around the group, gauging to see if he was kidding, before looking back at the Conductor, who was writing down the things he needed on a list. The Conductor looked up, oblivious to the Crow’s scrutinizing glances. “Now, we meet in the dead of night. There’s a wreckage of a skiff northeast, on the edge of town. So, who gets what?”

Kaz didn’t falter. “Inej, jurda. I’ll get the goat. And Jesper, just the coal, no detours. Am I going to have to send Elham with you, or are you capable of doing this on your own?”

Jesper smiled, ignoring Elham’s snickering, taking the kruge out of Kaz’s hand. “I’ve got it, Boss. Don’t worry. No detours.”

Kaz hesitantly nodded. “Alright. Elham, follow Inej, scope out anything that looks suspicious.”

She grinned. “You look suspicious.”

Kaz, not in the mood for her usual sarcasm, glared, and she quickly retracted. “Sorry, sorry. Inej, jurda, scoping out, I’ve got it, let’s just go.”

---

An hour later, Elham was in town with Inej, who had long since filled the task that was set for her. Elham stood by her as she was looking over a wall of names, not paying much attention, instead scoping out the crowd, listening to the rambles of what looked to be a General, warning about the so-called Sun Summoner, and the fate of Ravka.

She was getting bored, when she turned to see Kaz standing in the middle of the square, a goat under his arm, staring back at her. She stifled a laugh when she saw his not so amused face. It was quite the sight. Dirtyhands, the Bastard of the Barrel, holding a baby goat under his arm.

Kaz started making his way towards her, when he turned his head. Confused, Elham followed his gaze, only to see Arken, the Conductor, shaking hands with the General, being invited into his tent. He was plotting against them. She muttered under her breath. “Damn it.”

Kaz glared, rolling his eyes, before turning back to Elham, making his way to her and Inej. Inej was still scouring the list of names, and Elham turned to get a good look at them for the first time, eyes widening when she realized what it was. A memorial. To those who died in the Fold. Inej was looking for her family’s names. Elham quickly laced her fingers with Inej’s turning to let Kaz stand next to them.

Inej had just noticed Kaz’s presence, eyes landing on the goat. “He’s adorable.”

“Don’t get attached. I didn’t think I’d have to specify no detours to you.”

“Even if just a few minutes could end a lifetime of questions?”

Elham piped in. “She’s right, Kaz, just give her a minute. She deserves that.”

Kaz’s eyes softened. He stepped towards them. “Your parents are Suli. They don’t cross the Fold, they go around.”

Inej glanced away, and Elham gripped her hand tighter. “I know. I just thought that if I saw their names on there, I could let the idea of them go. This thing? This was all that I had when I was sold to the Menagerie, and if it was worth anything, Heleen would have taken it.”

Inej held up the necklace she wore, a simple chain, simple pendant.

“It’s beautiful, Inej.” Elham murmured, and Kaz’s eyes ghosted over her, before turning back to Inej.

“But this was just a simple token of faith that my mother stitched. Kaz, this is all I have left of them. Unless--”

Kaz butted in. “Hope is dangerous...It clouds your judgement. Pray, scream, do whatever you have to do to push this out of your mind, and move on. We all have debts to pay.”

Inej sighed, tucking her necklace back beneath her cloak, letting go of Elham’s hand, stepping away from the memorial steps, heading back towards the meeting point.

Elham sucked in a breath. Hope was just about all that was getting her through this heist, hope that it would pay off and she would never be indentured to the Menagerie. “Did you have to say all of that? There’s nothing wrong with having a little bit of hope. Saint’s know I need it right now.”

Kaz’s jaw clenched. He knew he had misspoken, and he knew he couldn’t take it back, because he really believed in what he said. Hope is dangerous. Hope is what brought him to the Barrel, and it’s what was left dead in the cold waters when he dragged himself out of the harbour the night the Rietveld name died with it. He had been clinging to that last bit of hope when Elham came into his life, and she was one of the only bits of hope he had left.

Elham was dangerous, though, and he knew it. Not in the sense of her being physically dangerous, however, even though Kaz knew that she could easily take him down if she wanted to. No, she was dangerous, because he let himself care about her. He let her be his hope. And his hope could be taken away from him. If this heist didn’t go well, she would be taken from him. His last bit of hope.

Elham watched Kaz open his mouth to speak, waiting to hear whatever excuse he had come up with, but one never came. Instead, he just tapped the end of his cane against her leg, and any resentment she was feeling melted away. She hated how he could do that.

“Come on El, let’s get back. I’m sure Jesper’s gotten himself in enough trouble by now.”

They began walking after Inej, and Elham laughed.

Kaz tried not to relish in it. Tried. Tried, and failed, despite himself. “What’s so amusing, hmm?”

“You should have sent me with Jesper. I’m the babysitter, remember?”

Kaz’s lipped curled up into the faintest of grins. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of chances over the next few days to get your fill of looking after Jesper. Now hurry up, we don’t have all night.”

---

A/N - here's chapter five, i hope you like it! let me know what you think, i'm excited to get into the actual heist part, and to get into elham's backstory. also, it's gonna get a little angsty, so i'm excited to get to that point, and to finally be able to put some of the quotes and moments in that i've been so excited to put in. anyways, i hope you enjoyed, as always, comment or message me with anything, and thank you so much for the support!

[heaven-in-a-wild-flower]

Crows Headcanon: Inej and Jesper Headcanon (as friends, obviously) (Jesper Fahey and Inej Ghafa)

If you'd rather read this and more Crows headcanons on ao3 here's the link.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Previous chapter (Chapter 3)

Chapter 4 (the chapters aren't related and do not continue the story, each can be read separately)

Inej hates it. The fact that this bizarre gun-wielding maniac is taller than her. Not just by a few inches but a foot, a whole foot! He's always holding things out of reach (and even though she always gets them by jumping because hello, she's the Wraith, it is incredibly annoying). Once he even dared to hide some of her knives on a high shelf. Her knives! He's lucky that she believes in being merciful or he'd have lost a few fingers for that.

Jesper loves it. It's always terrified him a bit that he never notices Inej come or go and so he's always startled when he turns and just finds her standing there or is about to talk to her and she's gone. But then, once she stood next to him for long enough for him to realise their height difference, he almost felt his inner self cackle with glee. He hides things out of her reach (although nothing is truly ever out of her reach) and he holds things high above her head (and while it certainly hurts when she jumps on his feet to reach the object it's also fun to watch her be at a slight disadvantage for some time).

***

He finds her staring out the window. She's holding her body perfectly still, and while it's quite normal for her to be that still, she seems...tense. She seems to be trying to hold still while usually the stillness just comes to her body naturally. He goes and stands at her side (she's not surprised obviously, she can always tell when someone enters). He sees that empty look she gets in her eyes when she's thinking about things that she doesn't want to think about. Those thoughts that barge in like uninvited guests and refuse to take a hint.

"Hey," he whispers softly and holds his arms out tentatively, not sure she'll take him up on his offer at all.

She turns to look at him. Then at his outstretched arms. She just looks and looks and looks and just when he's about to pull them back in, she sighs softly and fits herself in the gap. He pulls her close and gently lays his chin on her head.

Oh. Her mind empties pleasantly. She's surrounded by him, his scent and his arms and his heart beat at her ear and the feel of his clothes. She wraps her arms around him slowly and just holds on. She doesn't let go and neither does he. This boy who can never stop talking or laughing or joking or moving, stays quiet and still. He holds her and holds her and holds her and she changes her mind. She loves it.

Next chapter (Chapter 5)

Let me know if anyone wants to be added to the tag list.

[anonniemousefics]

I know you're probably busy with other things you're writing so no pressure to get to this, but when you have time could you possibly write something about Kaz and/or Inej celebrating a birthday?

This was so sweet, I had to write a full-blown fic. Sorry not sorry! :) I may come back to this and edit it a bit more, but here you go -- Kaz and Inej and TWO birthdays. :) Thanks so much for the ask and for reading!

---------------------------------------------------------

A Tough Act To Follow

Fandom: Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom | Kaz + Inej

Word Count: 3,633

Rating: Teen and Up

Inej knew how to pick the lock on Kaz’s window. She didn’t need to know – he always left it unlocked when he knew she was in town. But it was a matter of pride, really. Kaz Brekker could bar himself in with unbreakable locks, and Inej could still find a way in.

And now that knowledge was finally proving useful. Inej crouched on the windowsill in the dark, listening at the glass. The room in The Slat just beyond was pitch black and silent. Dirtyhands was out stalking the streets, unaware that the Wraith was back, and here Inej could finally have her vengeance.

He’d surprised her on her last birthday – and surprised her good. Inej wore a crooked grin on her lips in the dark when she thought of it, as she held lock picks in her teeth. That sly, clever bastard.

She’d get him this time.

When she’d discovered which pick could snake through the window, she artfully jostled the lock until the tumblers gave way with a click. And then Inej shifted the pack slung over her shoulders and slipped into the dark attic of The Slat.

It was always a little surreal, that first step back into The Slat. It was like stepping through a time warp, returning a fixed moment in time. Kaz never changed anything, not his makeshift desk, not his rickety old bed in the corner. Inej used to bother him about it. Didn’t he at least want his own house? Wasn’t he tired of stairs? What was he doing with all of that kruge he wanted to die under, anyway?

No, Always, and There are plans, were always Kaz’s infuriating and vague answers.

Inej couldn’t help grinning to herself again at the memory. That sly, clever bastard.

Well, she could make plans, too.

But first, she had a stage to set. After all, that’s what Kaz had done, and Inej always made a point to learn from the best.

It had been almost six months ago. Her birthday had actually come and gone while she’d been at sea, and so she’d thought nothing of it when her feet were once again on Ketterdam’s streets. She wasn’t expecting anything, really – which, come to think of it, had been her first misstep. Kaz was a work in progress in most relational matters, but gift-giving was not one of them. For better or for worse, Kaz possessed an innate ability to read people – their wants, their fears, their sins. And when he wasn’t using this gift for nightmarish purposes, he was actually quite decent at presents. She should have known he’d have something up his sleeves.

“I have something to show you,” he’d told her. Off-handedly, even, like he’d only just realized it. They were draining the last of their drinks at the Crow Club, waving to Jesper and Wylan as the couple had started their trudge home.

Inej had turned back to Kaz with a raised eyebrow.

“Rumor has it those are the last words your debtors hear in dark alleys,” she teased. And Kaz laughed – a free, easy sound she was still getting used to hearing. The last few years had seen a silent, dark shadow slowly lifting from his shoulders – small changes only the people closest to him could have noticed. His eyes seemed clearer. He was freer with his jokes. There was some color in his cheeks when he smiled.

Like now.

“You can flatter me later,” Kaz grinned, picking up the crow’s head of his cane. He was gesturing for her to follow. So, she slid from her chair to trail behind him as they wove through the gambling tables of the dark club to the overcast streets outside.

It was a warm night, the streets bustling with tourists. Kaz offered her his arm as they strolled along the canal beneath the orange glow of the gas street lamps, his cane tapping against cobblestones. Restaurants and clubs were churning out enticing aromas to lure in hungry patrons – mouth-watering roasted meats, warm, yeasty breads, cinnamon and sugar pastries.

And Inej glanced up Kaz, only a little distracted by the tempting smells in the air. She was still curious about what he could possibly be scheming, even if she was now also a little hungry.

When they came to a well-traveled intersection of cobblestone streets, Inej noticed a brand new door on an old building she’d passed a thousand times. The lights in the windows were lit, though it seemed that the inside was practically empty.

It was there that Kaz stopped them and began fishing through his pockets. Inej heard the jangle of keys.

“What is this?” she asked, in vain, because Kaz only smirked in reply. Inej straightened. That was about as delighted as Kaz would allow himself to get, so whatever this was, it was big.  

He fitted a thick skeleton key into the lock, and, with a groan on its hinges, the door opened. Inej followed him inside.

“What do you think?” Kaz’s voice echoed in the space. Inej didn’t know how to answer. What did she think? What was she even looking at?

It was a large, mostly empty space, save for a giant, old hearth and one round table by the lighted window, set with a checkered tablecloth and plates and silver. The pine wood floors were dusty, the old chandelier covered in cobwebs. At the far end of the room stood a bar, and beyond that, presumably a kitchen, where another light source flickered and glowed.

“Is it another club?” Inej ventured, as she turned in circles, taking it in. “Did you buy another club?” This was a stupid guessing game.

“Not exactly.” Kaz pocketed the keys again, his gloved hands fidgeting a moment in his pocket. Was he nervous?

“Good evening, Mr. Brekker. Captain Ghafa.”

Inej nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the new voice. A chef in a white coat appeared from the orange-lit kitchens, two exquisitely plated trays of food in hand. Before she could ask any more questions, Kaz was beside her, a hand at the small of her back, gesturing for the table.

“Let’s have a seat,” he said, not so much a suggestion as another step in a plan.

So, she did. And she unfurled a napkin into her lap as Kaz did the same. The chef set plates of food in front of them while Kaz moved to uncork a bottle of champagne that waited on the table in a silver basin.

“What is going on?” Inej finally pressed once they were alone again. The chef had returned to the kitchen.

A loud pop exploded into the silence of the mostly empty room as Kaz opened the champagne bottle.

“Has anyone ever told you that you are very difficult to buy gifts for?” he asked, beginning to fill a champagne flute in his gloved hand.

Inej shook her head. This intrigue was killing her.

“No one,” she said, accepting the champagne, her fingertips brushing cold leather.

“Then let me be the first to lodge the complaint,” Kaz replied, filling his own glass. “It would be challenging enough if you were only as rich as a queen, but on top of that, you seem to genuinely want nothing at all. Other than justice and care for those who’ve been bought and sold – and that is a very tall order, I must point out.”

Sitting back in her chair with her champagne glass, Inej crossed one leg over the other, cocking her head as she still tried to puzzle out the mystery.

“I like chocolate,” she pointed out with a shrug. At that, Kaz paused with his champagne flute mid-drink to glare at her.

“Shit,” he mumbled into the flute, and set the glass down with a sigh. “That would have been a lot less expensive.”

Inej blurted out a laugh at that, and Kaz couldn’t contain a toothy grin.

“What are you saying?” Inej asked with a chuckle. “Is this a gift? You did buy this place.”

Kaz drew in a long breath. He was nervous. Inej set down her glass, leaning in in fascination.

“I did buy it,” he confirmed. “It’s a new project.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobble over his color. “One I hope that we can work together on.”

Inej blinked.

“That depends,” she said. “Tell me the project.”

Kaz shifted, leaning forward, elbows on the table.

“It was inspired by you, actually,” he said. Inej couldn’t be sure but it looked like the color was rising in his cheeks in the candlelight. “These people that you’re freeing, if they end up back in Ketterdam, they have nothing. Or, like you were, they’re beholden debts that they should never have had in the first place. What they need – what you needed – was some place safe to work, to save money, a roof over their heads while they figure out their way forward. Without it, they end up right back where they started. So…”

Kaz picked up his champagne flute again, giving a gesture with it to the room.

“I know it needs work,” he said. “But the bones are good. The location’s perfect – lots of foot traffic and tourism. I was thinking it could be a restaurant. Or bakery.” He looked to her then, and was he seeing how floor, utterly rivetedshe was? “Whatever you crave when you’re here in Ketterdam. Chef Lukas is on the books now, and he can make anything at all. The rest of the staff will come from you. The people you bring in, the ones who need a fresh start. We own the two floors above it as well, and they have rooms for lodging. What—what are you thinking?” His brow pinched together, trying to read her silence and the hand clapped over her mouth. “Is it too much?”

Too much? It was so much. Inej’s eyes stung with the threat of tears, that’s how much it was. But too much? It wasn’t possible to have too much of this perfection.

Inej had never been sure if she had a favorite flower or a favorite chocolate for a boy to discover, to know that he knew her, as her father had once advised. Sometimes she thought that maybe her heart was too big – that she loved too many things at once, and could she trust that a boy really knew her when her smile came so easily now?

But Kaz did. Now she knew. He absolutely did. He’d found the right combination to her big, bleeding heart.

He loved her.

And all she could do was burble a sort of euphoric giggle behind her hand, her eyes watering.

“You are going to lose so much money,” she gasped, her brow furrowing. “There’s nothing remotely profitable about this.”

Kaz just smirked with a shrug.

“No one turns a profit on gifts,” he said. “So, you like it?”

“Saints, Kaz, I love it,” Inej breathed, a traitorous tear escaping her eye. It was everything. Everything she’d needed ten years ago. Everything these streets needed now. For so many like her, this would mean the difference between hope and despair. Life and death.

That scheming, wonderful bastard.

She stretched her hand across the table, reaching to seize one of Kaz’s gloved hands. He smiled as he curled her fingertips into his.

“Can I kiss you?” she begged, softly, her eyes wet with tears. She felt him stiffen even as he ran the pad of his gloved thumb across her knuckles. And he thought a moment. And gave a little nod.

“I think that would be all right,” he replied, quietly.

They both stood, she perhaps a little more eager than he. It was always difficult the first few days Inej returned from sea. Kaz’s mind might always be a tangled web of past and present, sometimes confusing one with the other. Even after all these years, touching her always seemed easier once they’d had some time to break the ice all over again.

When she stepped to him, Kaz ran his hands down her arms, almost reverent, and he bent his forehead to hers. She lifted herself onto her toes, running her fingers up the lapels of his suit coat, over the hard planes of his chest.

“I can’t believe you’d be willing to lose so much kruge on this,” she whispered, looking up at his closed eyes, the dark lashes splayed against his cheekbones.

“For you,” he murmured, and he lifted his coffee-black gaze. His hands slipped to the curve of her waist, pulling her closer. “Surely you know this by now.”

“Tell me anyway.”

And Kaz lifted her chin, soft leather against her skin.

“I would empty every account for you,” he said. “And if that weren’t enough, I’d rob every bank, break every vault in this damn city. It’s never a loss when it’s for you.”

And he bent his head – Inej held so still. Let him be in control of when their skin touched. Her fingers unconsciously twisted in his lapels, silently begging for his lips.

When he met the slant of her mouth, his soft lips brushed against hers gently, barely a kiss at first. Their noses bumped. Inej held her breath, her eyes falling shut of their own accord. Selfishly praying for more.

And more he had. This time, Kaz bent his head the other direction, apparently emboldened, kissing her fully, breathing in deeply. Inej lifted onto her toes, meeting the kiss with the kind of eagerness she usually reserved for her third or fourth day on land. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and a shiver of warm sensation spread all the way down to the soles of her feet when he pressed his hands into the small of her back. It was dizzying and delicious, being flush with his body, wrapping her fingers into the soft, dark hair at the nape of his neck.

It was the sort of kiss, Inej realized, that should come at the end of an evening. It was not meant for the start, not the way they were. How was she supposed to untangle herself now? Now -- when his breathing was growing hot and ragged against her lips. When desire was fluttering through her core, wrapping itself like vines through her limbs as she pulled him to her again and again.

The creaking of the old front door hinges, that’s how.

Kaz and Inej broke apart as Inej gasped in surprise.

“Are you open?” came a tourist’s voice in Ravkan. A couple of figures poked their heads in the door that Kaz had evidently forgotten to lock behind them.

“Clearly we’re not,” Kaz barked back at them in Ravkan, flushed and irritated.

Some muttered Ravkan apologies followed as the door shut once again.

And Inej stifled a laugh into Kaz’s jacket. Hopefully he saw the humor in it, too. The evening didn’t need Dirtyhands making an appearance.

His hands were roaming her back, holding her close, and when she looked up he was smiling again. Though, for now at least, the heated spell between them had broken. For better or for worse, Inej wasn’t sure anymore.

“Happy birthday, Inej,” he said, when he’d cooled, and they returned to their table for the meal that their new chef had prepared.

So, you see, Inej had a tough act to follow.

She didn’t expect to be able to make him cry, although, admittedly, she would not have minded it if she managed it. But she was going to surprise him – surprise him good.

She was setting up his room in the Slat now, lying in wait for her victim. She’d brought rose petals. She’d lit candles. She’d wrapped herself in a black silken robe, unraveling her hair from its braid, leaving it loose and cascading down her back.

He, too, might not have a favorite flower or a favorite sweet. But she knew him.

And she loved him.

And now he would know.

Nerves were starting to prickle her skin while she waited, propped up on his desk, her legs crossed in front of her. It would be a pretty picture when he opened the door – his girl in silk surrounded by candlelight. But what came next was the real trick.

Her heart rammed against her ribs when she heard his keys in the lock, jostling the doorknob. He’d notice the candlelight first, she knew.

And he did. Before he even saw her, he paused in the doorway before even crossing the threshold, the door swinging wide.

The rattle of gunmetal was Inej’s first clue that this might not be going as planned.

Kaz was fishing for the revolver in his pocket.

“Saints, it’s just me!” Inej cried out, and Kaz dropped the gun with a thud. And strode into the room, breathing hard. Slamming the door behind him.

“Are you insane?” he exclaimed, whirling to face her. “I could have shot you!”

And that’s when the full sight finally started to sink in. His eyes were growing wider and wider, flitting around, taking it all in – the candlelight, the rose petals, Inej’s bare legs glimmering in the glow. The shining silk around her slim body.

Inej didn’t think human beings were capable of short-circuiting, but that’s clearly what was happening to Kaz. It was like he couldn’t decide where to look, if he was even allowed to look, or if he was even in the right room to begin with.

“Too much?” She hopped off the desk, suddenly understanding why he’d been fretting that day in their restaurant.

“No no no no,” Kaz was saying, obviously still short-circuiting. “Give me a moment. I just need a moment.”

He was breathing hard, still in the throes of the shock, and Inej was starting to wonder if surprises were a good idea at all. She stretched out a hand, pressing a palm over his racing heart, and after a beat, he pressed his hand over hers, holding her there. And drew in a deep breath, mustering up a smile.

“Hello,” he greeted at last.

“Hi,” she said back with a smile.

“You’re here.” He was still in disbelief. His eyes drifted a moment. “And you’re wearing that.”

“It’s revenge,” Inej clarified, with an apologetic shrug. “For surprising me last time. And for making me cry in front of Chef Lukas.”

“How is this equivalent to making you cry in front of Chef Lukas?”

“Well, it’s not the full surprise. Do you want the full surprise?”

“Yes.”

And, with a coy smirk, Inej withdrew her hand from his chest and began to unwrap the robe.

At that, Kaz pulled back.

“Wait wait.” He looked absolutely mortified. Inej wanted to cackle. Sweet, sweet revenge. She kept unwrapping.

“You do not have to do this,” Kaz was insisting. “You do know you don’t have to do this? There were no expectations, no strings attached with the last gift. I--” And he stopped short. Frowned. Cocked his head. Confused.

Inej was fully clothed beneath the robe.

And hiding a small parcel beneath her vest.

And she was smirking like the dirty little con artist she’d learned from.

“What is this?�� Kaz asked, warily, accepting the parcel she pulled from her clothes.

“Open it,” was the only explanation she offered.

Kaz gave her a sidelong look as he slowly began to slide his long fingers into the seams of the parcel.

“That was a dirty trick,” he told her, pulling at the paper.

“You liked that? There’s more where that came from.”

“You’ll pay for that next time,” and he shot her a shark’s grin as he let the paper fall to the ground, looking at what was now in his hands.

Stacks of paper. Some with numbers. Some looked like letters. Some looked official – all looked clearly stolen.

“A side project,” Inej explained to him, crossing her arms in front of herself. “For the days when you’re tired of being a good man.”

“What is all this?” His discerning frown tickled Inej right down to her toes. Befuddling him might become her new favorite hobby.

She was trying, and failing, to hide a pleased grin.

“You’re looking at Pekka Rollins’ bank accounts. His stock activity. Secret correspondence with at least one mistress. The Stadwatch he’s bribing. The politicians he’s funding. All sorts of birthday surprises like that.”

Kaz was all but gaping when he looked up from the papers at her.

“How did you do this?” he breathed.

“I have my ways,” Inej said, with a toss of her hair.

Kaz was grinning like a fool.

“You know me too well,” he said, softly, still browsing the file Inej had spent the better part of six months assembling. His crow-black hair fell softly against his cheekbone, his features warm in the candlelight.

And here it was. Her moment. The words burned in her chest, demanding to be said.

“I love you,” she told him, like an explanation. As if it were obvious.

Kaz’s gaze snapped up from the papers then, losing all interest. He looked like he might drop them right there, just like he’d fumbled his revolver.

“I love you,” he said back. As if he’d been saying it for years, just not so simply.

Inej smiled wide, and Kaz did drop the papers then. And crossed the distance between them in a single step.

Inej had planned on telling him happy birthday at this point – that was what he had done. That was what people did. But as he lifted her back onto the desk, sliding kisses across her lips, burying his fingers into her loose hair… well, she forgot the scheme altogether.

She’d let the rest of the evening be a surprise.

---------------------------------------------------

Tags! I don’t really have a Kanej tag list yet, so let me know if you’d like to be added. @loveyatopluto, @raging-bisexual-alert, @ireallyshouldsleeprn, @annejulianneh111, @whosanxiety

[manikas-whims]

Troublesome New Girl

Sequel to A Place Good Enough

[Read on AO3]

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Kaz Brekker

Summary: Inej has newly joined the Dregs. She goes to return Kaz's coat in the presence of many members. *cue the teasing & jokes*

Jesper meets Inej & evidences of Jesper's crush on Kaz (tiny bit of angst).

Kaz is his usual self & sets an example. A violent one :)

Note:

I just noticed this complete written fic has been sitting in my drafts for a month now. I'm so dumb 〒_〒

PLEASE DO READ THE PREVIOUS PART IN THIS SERIES TO UNDERTAND THIS SEQUEL.

Hope you guys enjoy!

Inej

The constant noise of banging against wood rouses Inej from her sleep. She looks around haphazardly only to find herself lying on a cot in an unknown room, her torso covered by a grey coat. Sun's rays blind her eyes momentarily as she turns her face, an open window staring back at her, not the daunting walls of the Menagerie. Memories of the previous night flood back and her shoulders deflate in relief. She takes a long breath to calm her rapidly beating heart. She doesn't need to endure Heleen's beatings or sell her body anymore. She is free of that life. Free.

“Oi new girl!” a voice calls, followed by more knocking at the wooden door to her small room. “Brekker told me to bring you some clothes. I’m leaving a pair out here.”

Right! Kaz Brekker had promised her better clothes. She leaves the comfort of the cot but by the time she unlocks the door to thank whoever was on the other end, the person is gone. She catches a short glimpse of a feminine figure with blond hair at the stairs and vows to thank her later. Picking up the clothes, she closes the door.

Jesper

When Jesper had heard his fellow Dregs gossiping about Dirtyhands bringing back a girl with him late at night, he hadn’t given it much thought. He had ignored Anika when she had said that she was literally asked by Kaz himself to provide the said girl with some clothes. In fact, he had completely shooed away anyone who came up to fill his ears with rumors about this unknown Suli girl and the bastard of the barrel. So when a small, bronze-skinned girl bumps into him on the third floor of the Slat, he's stunned.

"Ohhh—", The girl waves her hands frantically, her pupils dilating in concern, "I'm sorry."

But Jesper doesn't bother with apologies for he's too busy appraising her. Now she does match the rumored descriptions and is even donning Anika's lame clothes. But what actually piques his interest is a neatly-folded coat in the deepest shade of grey held between her dainty hands. He doesn’t need to think long to guess who it belongs to. There’s only one person who doesn’t indulge in the colorful fashion sense of the barrel— Kaz “Dirtyhands” Brekker.

He feels his insides fuming. But no way is he going to act like an idiot and jump to conclusions. Just because here's a girl he’s never seen before and she happens to have a coat, doesn’t mean that every single narrative he's heard about this whole situation is true.

He narrows his eyes in what he assumes is his best look of suspicion as he towers over the girl. “Where did you get that?”

"Um", she looks down at the piece of clothing and mumbles in the most innocent tone, "Mr. Brekker lent it to me."

Mr. Brekker!? The hell kinda way is this to address a man you slept with? Or whatever the heck it is that Dirtyhands prefers to do with girls..

"Why?" he asks. From Jesper's experiences, the young lieutenant of the Dregs isn't big on kindness. "Why did he lend it you?"

The girl's brows narrow in thought. It seems she herself is unsure of the reason. Her left palm clutches her right forearm in apprehension. "I guess..because I wasn't in a very decent attire."

Alarms go off in Jesper's head again. What exactly happened between her and Kaz? His heart needs answers yet he knows that its none of his business so he suppresses the unease welling in his belly.

"Well Kaz is up there." He gestures in the direction of the attic. "I'm headed there right now so I can give it to him."

The girl frowns. "I can't let a stranger do that for me. Besides," she twirls a strand of her hair, her eyes alight with some indescribable emotion, "I must properly thank him myself."

Jesper is familiar with this look. It mirrors his own when he was still a newbie at the Dregs and wanted to prove himself, wanted to repay Kaz for saving his ass. And not just by helping him pluck stupid pigeons but also by adding extra sums of profits to his ledger. Jesper can empathize with her on this.

"He saved you too," The Zemeni asks carefully, "didn't he?"

She stares at him, gauging the understanding in his expression and simply nods.

He rubs the side of his neck awkwardly. "Well, wanna go up together?"

Her eyes widen and she involuntarily takes a few steps back. Distrust. Fear. He can empathize with this action as well. In the barrel, it'd be foolish to believe a complete stranger within few moments of the first encounter.

"Then," he smiles the smile that many have called charming and starts his ascend upstairs. He only looks back once to wink at her, hoping it'll quell her anxious mind a bit, "follow my lead?"

"I can do that." she mumbles, more to assure herself and takes the first step of many that will become the foundation to their sibling-like friendship.

Kaz

When it comes to change, development and fresh ideas, Per Haskell always cowers and dismisses the topic. People like that will never achieve anything if they aren't willing to take risks. The restoration of that abandoned fifth harbour would already be in motion if Kaz hadn't chosen to waste another of his precious mornings trying to convince his boss that investing in it may prove fruitful to the Dregs. And so, after a pointless argument he had had earlier with the old man, he's decided to take matters into his own hands.

Huffing audibly, he continues explaining every member present in his room their respective job for the day. The boisterous throng huddled around him, begins dispersing all of a sudden. Curiously, Kaz looks up to find his faitful right-hand man Jesper Fahey walking in, a mischievous glint in his silver irises.

"We bumped into each other on our way up here." Jesper gestures behind him.

And it is then that Kaz notices her presence— Inej Ghafa, the strange Suli girl he had brought back from the West Stave. Oddly, he had felt her presence moments ago but had brushed it off as a mere byproduct of his rest-deprived mind playing tricks on him. Turns out his intuition hadn’t been wrong at all.

"Its that Suli girl."

"The one that Brekker took up to his bed?"

"Who would've thought Haskell's rabid dog had such exquisite tastes."

The one that Brekker took where? Haskell's rabid what? Kaz isn't sure which remark he finds more insulting towards his reputation. Although he does realise he has no one except himself to blame. He should'nt have let the girl follow him up to the attic last night. As usual, he'll have to cover this small err with fresh tales about himself that are even more gruesome than the previous ones. But for now he must find out why the new girl is here.

Anika’s clothes are baggy on her small frame— a deep green shirt so loosely-fitted that she has tied its ends into a double knot just above her belly-button whilst the fawn-colored trousers hang tastefully around her hips. He watches her long, silky hair sway behind her as she walks gracefully in his direction, determination glimmering in her dark brown irises. Shock briefly flits across his gaze but before he can even think of stopping her, she shoots out her hands in which he (dreadfully) recognizes, she’s holding his coat. He can feel all eyes in the room already settling on him. They collectively stare in a mix of shock, curiosity and..is this jealousy he's witnessing on a few faces?

"What do you think you're doing?" He grits out. He hears a muffled snickering which he's sure is Jesper's and wonders if the two somehow managed to become friends in the short span of their climb up the stairs. And that they both planned this prank together on their way.

However, Inej only furrows her brows, debunking his ridiculous theory. She seems to be wondering what she's done wrong as she answers confidently, "I forgot to return it last night."

More interested staring ensues. The new pen in his palm snaps.

Is this girl serious right now? It took him long, unrelenting years to rise to the position he's at. He's spilled his blood, sweat and tears to scatter the seeds of terror about him throughout the expanse of Ketterdam. Even people who come across him for the first time, visibly shiver and turn pale. So what part of their last conversation has given her this courage to approach him so casually? She seems to have forgotten the fact that he’s an infamous barrel thug, feared by merchers, stadwatch and gangsters alike. She isn’t supposed to saunter up to him and return his coat, making this whole exchange appear to be a scandalous affair to the curious bystanders. She isn't supposed to crumble Dirtyhands' hard-built reputation with just a few words!

"Stand aside, I'm busy." He mutters, because he truly has no idea how to get out of this predicament and hopes that his caustic tone will get the message across just like it does with everyone else.

To his utter dismay, Inej seems to be far more tactless than Jesper, who still hasn't stopped snickering. She tucks the coat back in her arms and bites her lip as if suppressing herself from saying something mean. Her eyes quietly regard his own, an unspoken understanding settling between them. She is aware that if she doesn't wish to be thrown back into the Menagerie, she must behave properly with him. And yet, her nostrils flare as she responds, "I just wanted to pay my gratitude-"

"You can pay your gratitude," Kaz hisses back, glaring up at her from his perched position, "with your services." And its only after uttering those words does he realise the ambiguous implications hinted in them. Jesper's shoulders are shaking uncontrollably now, his palms tightly clamped around his mouth to muffle his laugh.

"Slow down, Dirtyhands." comments someone from the back and the whole room bursts into a howl of laughter. Inej brings a palm to her lips, gasping in mortification.

Kaz massages his eyes. Dealing with these ruffians has already been a headache. Now this new girl just walks in and takes the cake. She's proving to be far more dangerous– scratch that– far more more troublesome than he had expected.

He lets them have their fun as he pulls out a knife from his coatsleeve and gets up. He ambles towards Dirix, his steps slow and deliberate. He's sure it was Rotty who'd made the joke but Dirix is standing closer and it doesn't really matter who said what. Dirtyhands just needs to set an example.

The young boy is suddenly looking very pale. Kaz grabs his right hand, the dominant one and digs the blade along the joints of his fingers. The knife easily tears through his skin and goes deeper into the muscle beneath. Dirix is now screaming whilst everyone else hold their breath. From his peripheral vision, he catches the horror on Inej's face and rolls his eyes. Surely she must've heard of his violent endeavors at the menagerie. She shouldn't have approached him in the first place if she's going to be so shocked everytime he spills someone's blood.

He roots out the knife before it can completely sever Dirix's limbs. "Get 'em patched up." The boy is already running out.

He walks back and tosses the knife to the desk, its loud clang making everyone flinch in fright. "Pipe down before I actually start chopping tongues."

The threat silences everyone.

"This is Inej Ghafa." He points at her and the girl cowers slightly. Not at all the abrupt attention on her, he notices, but from him. "She's to be a new spider."

This one simple statement seems to piece together everything for them. Though he has an inkling that his previous act of brutality also plays a major part. They nod and whisper amongst themselves. He almost scoffs. Of course its easier for them to believe that Kaz Brekker took up a girl to his room for information. Not some spicy dalliance.

"Now get to work." He orders and one by one they shuffle out of the room, Rotty nodding respectfully. He knows he was spared merely by luck.

Jesper is the last one. He winks at Inej before taking his leave. "See you around, new girl!"

And with all of them gone, Kaz turns to Inej. She inhales a breath in anticipation.

"Let's start your training."

So hopefully that was as fun reading as it was for me writing :3

Coming parts will have Inej's training and ofc her picking her canon outfit.

.

SoC Masterlist

( divider by @firefly-graphics )

[triptuckers]

Trapped - Jesper Fahey

Request: yes “Hey, I'm absolutely in love with your Jesper fics (but your writing in general is amazing!). Could you write something about Jesper and the reader being stuck in a closet and confessing their feelings for each other if you like the idea. Love your blog!! 💖” Pairing:  Jesper Fahey x reader Summary:  on a job, you and jesper need to make sure a merchant doesn’t see you. and the only hiding option is a closet which barely fits the two of you. Warnings: language, some suggestive themes ✨✨ but nothing actually happens Word count:  1.5K A/N: ahhh yes the Oh No We Are Locked In A Small Space trope. I love it. thanks for requesting this! also this took... a long fucking while to write sorry it’s so late, enjoy reading :) TAG LIST (grishaverse): @ayushmitadutta @mrs-brekker15 @dancingwith-sunflowers @thegirlwiththeimpala @parker-natasha @story-scribbler @romanoffstarkovs @daliareads @meiitanoia @itsnotquimey @sanktaesperanza @whymyparentscheckmyphone @aleksanderwh0r3 @ilovemarvelanne1 @marlenaisnthappy TAG LIST (Jesper Fahey): @hswemadeit @mufnasa add yourself to my tag lists here

You’d much rather spend a friday night at the club, getting drink after drink and laughing with your friends. But Kaz had gotten into some trouble with a merchant, so now you’re in said merchant’s house in the middle of the night. Accompanied by Jesper, and looking for some papers Kaz needs to blackmail the merchant.

It should have been an easy job, and it was easy. Up until you had to actually get the papers. Both you and Jesper were convinced you needed a certain set of papers, and both of you are convinced you are right.

You’re arguing in whispers about which papers to take.

‘I’m telling you Jesper, we only need these.’ you whisper-shout at him, waving the paper in your hand in front o this face.

‘Wrong, love, we need these.’ Jesper whispers back, holding up a different paper. 

‘No, Kaz said we needed the ones about his investments.’ you say. ‘No, we need the ones about his private money.’ says Jesper.

You groan in frustration. ‘You didn’t even pay attention to what Kaz was saying!’ you say. ‘We need-’

You’re cut off when Jesper places a hand over your mouth.

You mumble angrily, but Jesper is quick to shut you up with one warning look. And then you hear it too, footsteps coming your way. Your arguing had been heard by someone in the house.

‘Oh, saints.’ you mumble as soon as Jesper pulls his hand back. 

You scan the room, looking for a way out. There’s only one door, but it’s too risky to open it, as it leads to the hallway.

There’s a window, but you’re on the second floor. Technically, a jump from that height wouldn’t be lethal. But there’s no time to pick the lock.

Then you notice a tall closet in the corner of the room.

You take the paper from Jesper’s hand and shove it in his coat pocket, along with the paper you are holding. Before he can say anything, you grab his arm and pull him toward the closet.

Just as you close the door of the closet, you hear the door of the room opening and someone entering your room.

You lay one finger on your lips to signal to Jesper to stay silent. He gives a single nod.

You try to concentrate on the sounds the person in the room is making, but it’s hard when you’re this close to Jesper.

His shoulder is pressed against yours, and the back of his hand brushes against yours. You can hear his breathing next to you, and try to prevent a shiver from running down your spine.

You tell yourself to focus on whatever’s outside the closet, not what’s happening inside it. 

Jesper seems to be calm about. You sneak one look at him, and notice his are are fixed on the wooden door in front of him. He’s probably also listening to whoever is outside.

Both of you hold your breath when you hear the footsteps approaching the closet. You exchange a panicked look, but remain silent.

You see how the door knob rattles slightly, but then you hear a voice coming from another room.

‘Da? Are you there?’ says a girls’ voice.

‘Coming, darling.’ says another voice, coming from right in front of the closet. 

You hear his footsteps retreating and moments later, you hear the sound of a door opening and closing.  

You wait some more, to make sure he’s actually left the room, before you sigh.

‘That was close.’ you say. 

You turn to look at Jesper. He’s still looking at the wooden door in front of him, and it looks like he didn't hear you. He didn’t have to listen for footsteps in the room anymore, so why was he so concentrated?

‘Jes?’ you whisper. You nudge his shoulder with yours and it seems like he's coming to his senses.

‘Hm, what?’ he says.

‘He left.’ you say. 

‘Good.’ murmurs Jesper. He moves to open the door but when he pushes against it, it doesn’t open. He tries it again, and it still doesn’t move.

‘Oh no, no, no.’ he whispers, pushing against the door again.

‘Looks like it got locked when he closed it.’ you say.

‘Great.’ says Jesper. ‘My worst nightmare.’

‘I'm your worst nightmare?’ you say.

‘No.’ says Jesper. ‘Being trapped in a small space with you is my worst nightmare.’

You chuckle at his words. ‘Why?’ you say. ‘Am I such bad company?’

‘No, you’re far from bad company. But I say stupid stuff when I get nervous.’ he says. 

‘And I make you nervous?’ you say.

Jesper nods and you smirk, trying to see where this would end.

‘I didn’t think anyone could make the Jesper Fahey nervous.’ you say teasingly. 

‘Stop that.’ says Jesper, trying to open the door again. 

‘Aw, am I making you nervous?’ you say, moving closer to him.

‘I said stop.’ says Jesper, making you laugh.

You move to try and open the door, you hear how Jesper sucks in a breath behind you. You feel how he is trying to move away from you, despite the fact there’s no room for it. 

You squint your eyes as you look at the lock. ‘I can try to pick it from this side, but it’ll take a while.’ you say.

Behind you, Jesper lets out an impatient sigh. ‘Just get started. Quickly.’ he says.

‘What’s the matter?’ you say, bending down as much as you could as you start working on unlocking the doors. ‘Claustrophobia kicking in?’

‘I am not claustrophobic.’ says Jesper.

‘Hmm.’ you hum. ‘You seem very eager to get out of this closet for someone who is definitely not claustrophobic.’ 

‘It’s not the closet.’ mumbles Jesper softly behind you, but you heard him.

‘Then what is it?’ you say.

‘None of you business, just get us the fuck out of here, please.’ he says. ‘And stop moving around so much.’

‘Calm down, Jes. I can’t get a good look at the lock, so I have to move around.’ you say. 

‘Then stop moving around too much.’ he says, sounding irritated.

You don’t know why he’s freaking out so much. You’d been in situations like this on jobs before, and you couldn’t see how this was any different. 

As you continue to pick the lock, you can feel Jesper shifting uncomfortably behind you. 

‘Quit squirming around, you’re making me nervous.’ you mumble. 

‘Well you’re making me nervous.’ says Jesper irritably. 

‘Relax.’ you say. ‘Almost got it.’

And indeed, the lock gives a soft click, and it opens. You let out a relieved sigh and straighten your back. You freeze when you feel something poke in your back. 

Before you can say anything, Jesper has opened the door and rushed past you, into the room. 

You slowly step out of the closet, looking at Jesper’s back. He’s got his hands pressed against his face.

‘Oh, fuck, fuck fuck.’ he mumbles over and over again.

‘Jes?’ you say cautiously. ‘You okay there?’

‘No.’ he says, still with his back to you. ‘No, I am not okay because that was fucking embarrassing and so not okay.’

‘Jesper.’ you say. ‘It is a completely normal reaction to being trapped in a small space with someone as gorgeous as me.’ 

You can see how Jesper removes his hands from his face and places them on his hips instead. You’re surprised he doesn't flirt right back. Normally, he always does. This must really bother him.

‘Jesper.’ you say. ‘Please look at me.’ 

It takes him a while, but eventually he turns around to face you. You can’t help but to notice the blush on his cheek. 

‘It’s alright, I promise.’ you say. ‘You don’t have to be embarrassed about it.  I actually didn’t mind being trapped in a closet with you. And you kind of told me you did as well, without using your words.’

‘Oh god, that sounds so gross.’ says Jesper, chuckling lightly.

You’re pleased to see he can still laugh. 

‘Why didn’t you just tell me?’ you ask.

‘It never seemed like the right time.’ says Jesper. ‘We were either running away from someone shooting at us and you’d yell insults at them and I'd go ‘wow that’s one hell of a woman’, but we’d be running for our lives. And on the moments it seemed like the right time, like when you’re sitting on the bar laughing with Nina, I didn’t have the guts to tell you that I’m in love with you.’

You smile brightly at his words and step closer to him. Jesper didn’t back up. ‘You did just tell me.’ you say. 

‘I did.’ he says. ‘It’s not like I could, uh, hide it any longer.’

You laugh and luckily, Jesper laughs as well. 

‘How about we just get out of here? We’ll take both of the papers and have Kaz figure it out.’ you say.

‘Only if you let me buy you a drink at the crow club.’ says Jesper. 

You smile and stand on your toes to softly kiss his cheek. 

‘I take that as a yes.’ says Jesper, grabbing your hand and walking toward the door with you.

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rules Here’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Marit

[ahecktonoffandomsinoneblog]

Again and Again and Again

summary/warnings ao3 link

Kaz looked at all of them in turn. “You know what to do. We have five hours to make this count.”

“No mourners,” she said.

“No funerals.”

She crept through the window and into the night. The world would be waiting for her when day dawned, and she needed to move fast. She would return to her ship and her crew and the sea.

She pulled herself over the eave of a decrepit rooftop, scraping her hand slightly on the stone. She wished Nina were here. Inej knew she was busy in Fjerda - though she didn’t know with what - but she wished nonetheless. She’d have to visit soon.

Yet another thing waiting in the morning.

She picked her way across the rooftops, warmth spreading through her when she found them familiar. She had been worried too much had changed, that it had been too long, but she shouldn’t have bothered. For better or worse, Ketterdam was home - a home, anyway - and forgetting it wouldn’t be so easy.

She glanced to where she knew the West Stave was, and the warmth vanished.

No. Forgetting this city wouldn’t be so easy.

She picked up speed, picking her way across the rooftops as fast as she dared. She might remember the cracks and crevices of this city, but tempting death wasn’t in the plan. And Saints knew she needed to stick to the plan. If anyone of them got distracted, or something went wrong… well, she hoped Kaz had more than a few back-up plans.

She slowed to a stop as she reached the building she needed. The walls were tilted at a steep angle, the bricks crumbling and faded. There was no roof, and the rotted stairs creaked as she climbed down them.

She sent a quick prayer of thanks when she reached the bottom, then walked to where the kitchen had been. Like the walls of the house, the cabinets were broken and crumbling, the metal tables dented, some inches from being cleaved in two. She ignored them. She wasn’t here for the shattered wealth.

She pushed at one of the cabinets, the wood giving way with a creak. Behind the wood was a small door, illuminated softly from within. It creaked as she opened it, and she stopped still to make sure no one had heard. This entire area was set for demolition - space was not left unused in Ketterdam, not if it could make some rich fool richer - and had been abandoned long before, but she couldn’t take any chances.

She ducked through the door and stayed low, trying not to hit her head on the ceiling as she hurried through the tunnel.

The cramped tunnel ended abruptly, and she stopped short so she wouldn’t hit her head on the trapdoor. She had no idea where Kaz had found out about this place so quickly. She added it to her mental list of things to ask him after they were finished as she pushed open the trapdoor and slipped out.

The room she was standing in was dark, cramped, and smelled like rotted wood. The floor looked like it would creak as she stepped on it, so she picked her way across it carefully until she reached the window, where she pulled herself onto the windowsill and sat.

This was the part of the plan Kaz hadn’t been able to calculate. The person they were after was almost as secretive as the Council of Tides; even she hadn’t been able to discover much about their habits. The plan worked with everything she had been able to discover - basic sleeping patterns based off of when the house was empty and, of course, the location of the house itself. Everything else was up to guesswork. She hoped the person would return soon.

As she waited, she listened to chaos outside and nearly laughed. Ketterdam had  a way of reflecting the plans of its inhabitants; the Council of Tides had dredged something up on Kaz, so he had figured out a way to get them off his back. Funny how easily everything changed. One second the world was one way, the next another.

She wondered how Jesper and Wylan were doing; they were supposed to be building new ways to distract the Council of Tides so Kaz could make his move once he had gotten into one of their watchtowers.

She chewed on her lip and thought of all the ways the plan could go wrong, then pushed them aside. Focusing on futures that may or may not come to pass was useless.

A door creaked, and Inej stilled, willing herself to be hidden in the shadows as the person she had been looking for walked in. They were cloaked, their hood pulled up, but she couldn’t see the telltale sign of weapons hidden underneath.

That didn’t mean they didn’t have any.

She stepped down from the window once their back was turned, creeping along the floors until she was right behind them. She didn’t move.

They turned around and nearly jumped out of their skin. “What- who- who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to ask you a few questions,” she said. “I recommend you answer them.”

They took a deep breath, trying to slow their breathing. “Fine. Let me just-” they walked to the cluttered counter and began organizing the items into piles.

“Who are you?”

They set the small tin they were holding back on the counter with a clatter. “You came all this way and you don’t even know who I am?”

“You’re a hard person to get information on. Who are you?”

“Axel van Ei.”

“Alright, Axel. Where are the witness records of the last time the Council of Tides appeared in public? And don’t say nonexistent.”

Axel slammed a cabinet shut. “I am no fool. Don’t sneak into my home, threaten me, then assume I have no self-preservation.” they pushed around more objects before adding, “I am the records.”

She nodded. Kaz had figured as much - when she saw him next, she’d have to ask how he had managed to figure all this out. “Could you tell me what happened?”

They huffed a laugh and set an assortment of cloths in a cupboard. “Do I have a choice?” She watched as they pushed around more clutter. “Fine. I’ll tell you, but you had better leave me alone after.”

She put her hand out to shake on it. “The deal is the deal.”

“The deal is the deal.”

----

Inej’s mind was reeling. What Axel had said hadn’t been surprising, but there had been a lot to it, and she was struggling to remember it all as she raced across the rooftops, trying to make up for lost time. Whatever Kaz’s plan was, he needed this next piece for it to work, and he needed it fast.

She swung herself through the window of the Slat and slid down the railings in a crouch until she arrived at his office. She knocked gently - a habit, though Kaz had said there was no need - and entered when there was no answer.

She swore as the door opened; he was already gone. She had taken too long, and now- and now she’d have to climb the watchtower to get the information he needed before his meeting with the Council of Tides.

She darted into his office and sifted through the papers on his desk, trying desperately to find anything that might tell her the location of his meeting with the Tides. Kaz hadn’t been sure which tower they would ask to meet him in; he had prepared for the timing of this, but if he hadn’t been warned before leaving which tower he needed to go to, he wouldn’t have had time to warn her. Which meant she’d have to climb three watchtowers in - she glanced up at a clock - half an hour.

Saints.

She still hadn’t found anything, and she was beginning to doubt she would when the door creaked. Her hands jumped to her knives. “Wraith. Brekker left a note.”

She turned and silently took the paper from the figure in the doorway, waiting until they walked away before opening it. The figure hadn’t been familiar, and she wondered if they had been one of the new people Kaz had hired. Anyone who knew her wouldn’t have been waiting by the door.

She wafted the smell of the paper up to her nose before reading it to make sure she wouldn’t be taking an unplanned nap, then clipped the note into her belt and headed for the window. At least she knew which watchtower to climb.

She made her way through the city, watching the damp streets below as she did. Now was not the time to be caught unaware by some rival gang member; she needed to get to the other side of the city without hindrance.

She made a mental note to remind Kaz that there was a fine line between efficiently secretive and too secretive. Why hadn’t he told that messenger she wouldn’t come in through the front door? She was sure he had his reasons, but maybe it had been too long since they had seen each other. Yet another thing to ask him.

Before she knew it she was staring up at the slick walls of the watchtower. She would have thought them impossible to climb, had she been facing this task a few years earlier. But the Inej Ghafa facing this wall today was not the same Inej Ghafa who would have faced it before. She was Inej Ghafa, and she had faced fire and water and the demons of the land, and there was no wall that could keep her out, no wall that could keep her in. Not anymore.

She climbed.

As it turns out, the watchtowers of the Council of Tides were soaked through with water. She had to admit that it was a good strategy. Going without water for their abilities was leaving themselves vulnerable, and if there was one place fit to be constantly soaked, it was Ketterdam. That didn’t mean she had to like it; anyone who thought themselves powerful enough to enjoy their enemies’ strength was a fool.

She made it up with only a few near-slips and sat on a ledge for a minute, breathing through her nose as she looked first at the streets below, then through the window she was sitting next to. When no one shouted at the woman sitting on the watchtower, or cried out that they had seen her climbing, she relaxed and wondered why it had been so easy to climb the tower.

When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.

Maybe the same concept applied here; the Tides were painted as so powerful and untouchable, it was possible their security had relaxed in the comfort power had afforded, like what had happened with Rollins. It was also possibly a trap, but she didn’t have time to do more than brace herself as she crawled through the window.

She didn’t see Kaz among the tables at the far end of the room, or near the cupboards stacked against another wall, or next to the several bookcases lining the other. She took a deep breath through her nose and told herself to think; was Kaz in a different watchtower, or was he simply not at the top yet?

She didn’t need to think for long. She heard the voices, and she knew she hadn’t timed this quite right. Kaz would take longer to climb the steps than she would have - and they had likely searched him beforehand too.

She glanced around again, weighing her options, trying to figure out the best hiding spot. She had a few minutes left, at most, and if she picked wrong the rest of the plan would never come into play.

Kaz entered the room, flanked by a single member of the Tides, faces masked and capes billowing. They led Kaz to a seat and left after a moment of them staring at each other. He hadn’t sat, which wasn’t surprising, but she wasn’t sure why the Tide had left. She crept out of her hiding spot, noting Kaz’s lack of cane - though his gloves were still firmly in place - and froze when she heard someone else on the stairs.

They stared at each other for a moment, neither daring to move, and relaxed their shoulders when the footsteps faded.

“Do you have the documents?”

“The person we were after was the witness.”

Kaz nodded like he had expected that, but she saw his shoulders tensing up again before he smoothed his expression over. “Do it, then. Start with which part you see as the most relevant.”

She didn’t have time to think about what that meant. “The Tides were less careful then. They came and left from the same place - just outside city borders, near the University District. All of them, together.”

His eyebrows raised. “The Sealess Chapel.” she nodded, though it hadn’t been a question. He’d been looking into it for days; the only missing piece had been confirmation.

The easiest way to steal a man’s wallet is to tell him you’re going to steal his watch. Who would think the Council of Tides stayed in a place named for its distance from the sea?

“You know what to do now.”

She did.

She climbed back out the window and onto the ledge. Below her, she saw a head of red hair and a head of dark hair walking down the street, one clutching a large, lumpy bag and the other holding a white blob she was certain was a goat. She sighed in relief. It looked like they were all on track.

She didn’t leave the windowsill, just sat and listened as Kaz talked with the Tides. She had no idea what they had on him, and he didn’t give them a chance to say. He had never much liked formalities, and it seemed he was beyond pretending now.

She felt the Tides go silent, whatever imperious presence they had carried diminished by a few words from Kaz’s mouth. She heard Kaz offer a deal, heard the pause while they shook on it.

“The deal is the deal,” said Kaz.

The tidemaker he had shook hands with replied. “The deal is the deal.”

The clock struck one, and the sky around her exploded. Wylan had launched his fireworks, and from the bleating and shrieking reaching her ears even at the top of the tower, she knew Jesper had let Milo - an old goat friend of Jesper’s - loose on the streets.

The tidemakers’ confused chatter reached her ears, and she heard when they descended the stairs to see what the noise was. They hadn’t built any windows facing the streets on the upper floors, something Kaz had noticed - and planned on. They would have to descend to the fourth story to see what was happening, so she slipped in as they did.

They had left Kaz alone in the tower room, and she wondered how they had held onto such power for so long. It didn’t matter, though; the plan had worked. She’d have to write to Nina and bring over some waffles the next time she visited. Maybe she’d even drag Kaz along with her.

“Kaz?”

“They agreed.” he turned to her. “They’ll drop what they have, and give up on that favor they thought we owed them.”

“Glad to hear it.” A boom sounded from outside, and she and Kaz glanced at the window. “Do you think they’re alright?”

Kaz grabbed her hands, and she realized he had taken his gloves off. He wasn’t flinching, either, and she could tell he was barely nauseous, if at all. “Inej, I wanted to ask-”

Another boom, this time of steps as the Tides climbed the stairs again. “You’ll have to ask later. They’re coming.” She glanced out the window. “Do you think you can make the climb?”

His hands tightened slightly around hers. “My darling, Inej-”

Another boom, and the door was open and her lungs were full of water, and she was flying - no, falling, definitely falling - out the window. She felt the slap and sting of the water and wondered what the Tides had done to protect her from the drop. She should have died.

She clambered out of the canal, coughing, and sat on the stone street for a moment before she heard a crack, like something had fallen far and landed hard.

Saints. Oh, saints, please- Kaz had never believed in the Saints anyway, and it seemed they did not believe in him.

It was Kaz.

He had fallen head over heels after her, over and over until his body had collided with a flower cart that had been drifting down the canal. It was in shambles now, flowers scattered in the ripples emanating from the crash, more falling as Kaz lay still in the center of the carnage.

She heard screams from behind her as blood leaked into the water, and she ran. She scrambled to the other side of the canal, jumping from boat to boat, ignoring the shocked noises of their occupants.

Kaz’s body was all angles, limbs bent sharply in directions they should not be. His magician’s fingers were the same way. All those incredible tricks he had learned… he would not be doing them again.. She leaned over him, searching for something - anything - to show he was still with her.

There was nothing. He was gone, and whatever secrets he had hidden had died with him.

She felt something wet on her leg, and she looked down to find a flower clinging to her.

She picked Kaz up, grunting at the weight. She climbed out of the canal and the sinking flower cart, trying to keep herself from falling.

Jesper and Wylan were waiting on the streets, both of their faces drawn tight. Jesper took Kaz’s body from her, and she knelt on the street, gasping out breaths, glaring at the watchtower.

“Inej, what happened? Are you hurt?”

Another boom. Twelve figures stood in front of her, and she stood. She would not kneel before them.

“Brekker needed to die, girl. We don’t make deals with criminal filth.”

We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns.

“I am not a girl. And no one should have the authority to decide who needs to die and who needs to live.” She knew she sounded like a hypocrite, and she didn’t care. “You made a deal.”

One of them laughed. “He made a deal with one of us, and one of us only. That one Tide did not lay a finger on him, and we will not lay a finger on you.”

“Why wouldn’t you-” the world stopped, started, stopped again. She breathed, once in, once out. Again and again and again.

“That was the part of the deal, and I kept my word,” said another Tide. Heat pooled in every pore of her body; this was the Tide who had made the deal. “He was not as his reputation said. We followed the terms of the deal exactly; it’s not our fault he didn’t lay them as he should have.”

Her fists clenched, water dripping from them onto the streets. Saints, Kaz. Why didn’t you think things through? If you had just thought things through… Why hadn’t he thought things through?

She thought of Kaz in the tower, holding her hands in his and staring into her soul, and wondered if he had been busy thinking of something else. Wondered what he’d been about to ask.

The world around her faded to grey. Whatever he’d been about to ask… it was gone. She took a breath. In and out, again and again and again.

The world rushed back in, loud and unwelcome. Jesper was on her right, Wylan to her left, the three of them facing the Council of Tides in front of them.

She wasn’t sure if anyone had spoken, if she would end up interrupting something, and she didn’t care. “You have heard of me, I think.”

Another Tide turned to her. “The Wraith of Ketterdam. We have heard of you. Scum of the Barrel, like Brekker.”

She shook her head, unclenched her fists; clenched them again. “No. I am Captain Ghafa of the sea. I have seen firsthand the darkest pits of people, of monsters wearing human faces. There are many kinds, but they all want one thing. More of what is not theirs to take. You have not heard of me, but you will. The deal is the deal. You have made your decision, and now I make mine.”

She turned and left, Jesper - still carrying Kaz’s body - and Wylan following behind. Her anger trickled out. This city had seen the last of Kaz Brekker, but the monsters living here would not see the last of her, not until their dying day. It was a promise she had made before, that she would come back for the monsters of Ketterdam, and she would make it again and again and again until they were gone.

“Inej,” said Jesper. “Inej.”

She would not break. “Yes?”

His eyes glanced to the side as he swallowed, and she saw what he was looking at. A body boat, nearly identical to the one Nina had snuck out on. This one was half full of bodies already. She glanced back at Kaz’s broken body, still in Jesper’s arms, and felt her breathing speed up.

She couldn’t do this. There was no way she could do this.

She remembered a year ago, when she had been in the city for business. She had tracked down a Kerch “lawyer” who wrote indentures, who profited off of slavery as much as people like Heleen, and she had returned to the city to take him out. She had stopped by the Slat to see how Kaz was getting along; he had stepped into his office, and she had followed.

There had been a long moment of silence, then Kaz had started speaking. He’d explained it all to her - the plague, the boat, the water. Everything she hadn’t known about his past, he had told her. And she had listened. Kaz Reitveld had died on the Reaper’s Barge, and Kaz Brekker had been born in the harbors of Ketterdam.

How could she send him back to the place that had been a cause of his suffering?

Jesper and Wylan hadn’t pushed her, not yet, and she stared out at the waves - to where the Reaper’s Barge would be. Slowly, she nodded, and Jesper set Kaz’s body in the boat like he was made of feathers. She knelt beside the boat and arranged his arms gently, thinking of the last time she’d watched as a body was placed in a death boat. Kaz had insisted they didn’t bother arranging the arms, but she wasn’t one of the bodymen. For Kaz, she would bother.

She stood, and two men came around the corner, wearing long dark pants fit for a funeral, though there never were any. They ignored the three of them, stepping onto the boat, easy grins and loud laughs failing to push away the death clinging to the boat and to its occupants.

They pushed off, and Kaz was floating down the canal, and the men were still laughing, still talking, still living, and so was she. So were Jesper, and Wylan, and Nina, and the whole rest of this buckethole of a city. They were alive, and Kaz was not.

She wondered if Kaz would find any familiar faces in the afterlife. She hoped so.

The flower that had been clinging to her leg let go, slowly, and fell into the water. It followed the current after the bodyboat, before its wake brushed it aside and made it find its own path.

“No mourners,” said Wylan.

The boat faded to a speck on the dark canal. It turned a corner and was gone.

“No funerals,” murmured Jesper.

No mourners, no funerals. The world was waiting with the dawn, and it would not wait long.

@niathesanctuary-bolastair-kanej @thatrandomfangirlll @aminolee @mournersandfunerals

i hope this is as sad as everyone expects it to be

[the-pen-and-the-stethoscope]

So while Six of Crows has been on my to read list for a while now when I saw that Shadow and Bone was coming to Netflix and realized they were all part of the same little universe I was like *rolls up sleeves* K guess it’s time to read five books in one month to prepare for this new series drop. (special shout out to @darklesmylove​ because it’s mostly your blog posts that convinced me I had to read this series...I give you this as a gift...) 

And now I present to you (in the order which I read them) the events in the Shadow and Bone/Six of Crows books that made me go ABSOLUTELY FERAL (wow there’s a lot more of these than I thought there were). 

- “The problem with wanting,” he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, “is that it makes us weak.” (unfortunately the last time I was seduced by the Darkling - NEVER AGAIN BAD SIR! But this was fucking hot) 

- THE. FIGHT. OVER. THE. STAG. (Just...Alina not killing it, the Darkling is here, now he’s going to kill it. NOW ALINA IS IN FRONT OF THE STAG SAVING IT. NOW SHE WANTS MAL TO SACRIFICE HER. NOW THE COLLAR IS AROUND HER NECK AND NOW SHE’S UNDER HIS POWER AHHHHH) Bonus: “Shhhh. Quiet now, or I will let Ivan kill him. Slowly.” 

- When Alina figures out the dream and TAKES THE POWER BACK!!! (yaaaaasss queen!)

- When the Darkling finds Alina and Mal in Cofton and that whole fight scene and her getting bit and then I had to WAIT UNTIL THE REST OF THE BOOKS CAME IN THE MAIL

- “From what I know of the Ice Court, whoever stole my DeKappel is exactly who I need for this job.” “Then you’d be better off hiring him. Or her.” “Indeed. But I’ll have to settle for you.” (I’m 50 pages in and in love with Kaz Bekker, someone help me) 

- “Not just yet, Inej.” The rasp of stone on stone. Her eyes flew open. Kaz. (ugh my cold cold heart is awake and beats only for them!) 

- Because I’ve been looking for an excuse to talk to you for two days. (literally like......)

- When Jordie and Kaz get tricked. (I mean all of Kaz’s back story but that was...ugh..........)

- It was because she was listening so closely that she knew the exact moment when Kaz Brekker, Dirtyhands, the bastard of the Barrel and the deadliest boy in Ketterdam, fainted. 

- When Nina runs into the guards and the alarm goes off and I realize that I’m an idiot and OBVIOUSLY THINGS WERE GOING TO GO WRONG. 

- WHEN INEJ TOUCHES KAZ’S FACE. His eyes were nearly black, the pupils dilated. She could see it took every last bit of his terrible will for him to remain still beneath her touch. And yet, he did not pull away. She knew it was the best he could offer. It was not enough. 

- He slammed his fist against the window. “Do not speak my name.” Then he smiled, a smile as cold and unforgiving as the northern sea. “Welcome to the Ice Court, Nina Zenik. Now our debt is paid.” (like FUCK MATTHIAS GOT ME TOO. WHAT A GOOD ACT!)

- I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept from this oath. It was the vow of the druskelle to Fjerda. And now it was Matthias’ promise to her. (OMGGGGGG) 

- “This is going to sting a bit,” said the druskelle holding the whip. His voice was rasping, familiar. His hands were gloved. “But if we live, you’ll thank me later.” His hood slid off, and Kaz Brekker looked back at them. 

- The sun was out for once, and Inej had turned her face to it. Her eyes were shut, her oil-black lashes fanned over her cheeks. The harbor wind had lifted her dark hair, and for a moment Kaz was a boy again, sure that there was magic in this world. (YEAH OKAY. AND THIS IS HIS LAST THOUGHT BEFORE DROWNING.) 

- WHEN THEY STEAL THE TANK. THE TANK. AND THEN DRIVE IT THROUGH THE FUCKING TOWN. 

- Nina on parem. 

- “I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.” (SCREEAAAAMS. BANGS HAND AGAINST BOOK. DIES.) 

- “Kaz knew the instant he made his mistake...in that moment of threat, when he should have thought only of the fight, he looked at Inej.” (asdlfkasgkjasglk;sdfjl) 

- I’m going to get my money, Kaz vowed. And I’m going to get my girl. (YEAH BITCH!) 

- When Alina first sees the Darkling while they are traveling the fold (I froze, I read it like four times, I couldn’t believe what was happening)

- When Mal suggests they go to that stupid party and then Alina actually agrees (I literally was like...well something bad is going to happen and I hate it here) 

- When the Darkling shows up after Alina and Mal kiss. “Another otkazat’sya, Alina?” the Darkling mocked. (sdflkajd) 

- “I can’t decide if you’re an idiot, or an idiot.” (ugh Nikolai, marry me) 

- two pages later: “You’re a spectacular actor,” I said drily. “Do you think so?” he asked. Then he leaned in and whispered, “I’m doing ‘humble’ right now.” (FUCK ME)

- “I want to kiss you,” Nikolai said. “But I won’t. Not until you’re thinking of me instead of trying to forget him.” (Am I the only one who found this cute??? Why did Alina get upset??? Do I have Nikolai-colored goggles on??? Maybe...) 

- When the Darkling came to Alina in her sleep and then PRETENDED TO BE MAL SO HE COULD HAVE HIS WAY WITH HER?!?!?!?!?! (ahhhhhhhhhh) “I missed you too, Alina.” That voice. Cool and smooth as glass. (AHHHHH)

- Nikolai stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the parquet floor. “When did you lift the blockades? How long have the roads been open?” (LSDAKLFSDLFDKASLDKLSKLKLL) 

- “Not bad looking?” said another voice. “He’s damnably handsome.” Luchenko scowled. “Since when - “ “Brave in battle, smart as a whip.” Now the voice seemed to be coming from above us. Luchenko craned his neck, peering into the trees. “An excellent dancer,” said the voice. “Oh, and an even better shot.” (And then I damn near died.) 

- There’s a whole three pages (that I will not re-type here) after they arrive at the Spinning Wheel of Nikolai just being *chef’s kiss* flawless. Some great lines include: “Everyone needs a hobby.” “I thought yours was preening.” “Two hobbies.” “Should I be offended that he doesn’t want to dine with us? I set an excellent table, and I rarely drool.” “What a filthy mind you have. I was referring to puzzles and the perusal of edifying texts.” “Last chance to run.” 

- “Alina, I’ll be back to fetch you for dinner, but should you grow restless, do feel free to run screaming from the room or take a dagger to her. Whatever seems most fitting at the time.” (asldjkasl;dkfs;lkd NIKOLAI) 

- Okay gunna skip ahead - you can assume any time Nikolai said anything I screamed. 

- Nikolia’s second proposal (THE EMERALD!!! JUST HOW HE PUTS IT ON TOP OF THE WALL) 

- Nikolai’s third proposal. Nikolai’s skin was warm, his grip gentle. I’d wondered if I would ever feel something so simple again or if the power in me would just keep jumping and crackling. (THIS is why he is perfect for her - no jolt of electricity, just warmth and comfort!!!) 

- SERGEI!!!!

- When Nikolai gets fucking taken over by a nichevo’ya (I HATE EVERYONE)

- When Baghra sacrifices herself 

- When we finally FINALLY find out what makes Mal so special (I mean....his tracking was OTHERWORLDLY I can’t believe people weren’t more fucking freaked out by him) 

- “The Darkling marched on Keramzin.” (Literally screamed: “MY HEART HURTS.” I was crying. I nearly threw the book down. “BUT THE CHILDREN!” I say with my fists in the air. I am become a blade.) 

- Nikolai visiting Alina while he is the monster and trying to make himself better (ahhhhh tears!!! THE EMERALD!!!) The words died on my lips. Nikolai turned my palm over and slid the ring onto my finger. (FUUUUCK. PAAAAIN.) 

- When Nikolai comes back and FIGHTS FOR THEM IN THE FOLD!!!! HE MAY BE A MONSTER BUT HE IS NOT THE DARKLING’S MONSTER, BITCH!! 

- “Please,” I sobbed. “Bring him back to me.” (lkadsflkj this was actually devastating even though I’m not a huge Mal fan)

- “We need more light,” he said. A choked laugh escaped me. I held up my hands, pleading with the light and with any Saint who had ever lived. it was no good. (UGHHHH. MORE PAIN.) 

- Tamar sobbed. Toyla swore. And there it was again: the thready, miraculous sound of Mal drawing breath. (and also the first time I breathed for an entire chapter!) 

- “Alina,” he said and kissed the scar on my palm, “I remember everything.” (Literally the last like twenty pages of this book I just gave up and was like actually Mal is adorable and I need to protect him at all costs.) 

- “Really I just wanted to look at the words.” (ughhhhh) 

- Once a man arrived with a fleet of toy boats that the children launched on the creek in a miniature regatta. The teachers noted that the stranger was young and handsome, with golden hair and hazel eyes, but most definitely off. He stayed late to dinner and never once removed his gloves. (NIKOLAI SIGHTING IN THE EPILOGUE MY HEART GOES ON)

- When Van Eck thinks Kaz is coming to get Inej and then he tells Inej and then she is WILLING HIM to not show up and then it is revealed he wasn’t there all along (BOOM BITCH THAT’S HOW KAZ BREKKER FUCKING WORKS.)

- “Those were my mother’s favorite flower.” 

- “Why the net, Kaz?” I couldn’t bear to watch you fall. (POETRY OKAY?)

- Jesper and Wylan going to see Wylan’s mother and just fucking everything about that chapter. 

- When Inej almost FALLS INTO THE FUCKING SILO AND IT’S THE END OF THE GD CHAPTER 

- “Pick up the pace,” Kaz said, eyeing his watch. “If I spill a single drop of this, it will burn straight through the floor onto my father’s dinner guests.” “Take your time.” 

- “We’ll fight our way out together,” Inej whispered. Nina glanced from Inej to Kaz and saw they both wore the same expression. Nina new that look. It came after the shipwreck, when the tide moved against you and the sky had gone dar. It was the first sight of land, the hope of shelter and even salvation that might await you on a distant shore. (AHHHHHH) 

- Wylan’s first thought was that this boy had the most perfectly shaped lips he’d ever seen. His second was that his father had sent someone new to kill him. (Wylan you are so adorable it’s adorable) 

- Inej was moving before she thought of it. She couldn’t just watch him die, she wouldn’t. They had him down now, heavy boots kicking and stomping at his body. her knives were in her hands. She’d kill them all. She’d pile the bodies to the rafters for the stadwatch to find. But in that moment, through the wide slats in the banister landing, she saw his eyes were open. His gaze found hers. He’d known she was there all along. Of course he had. He always kew how to find her. He age the barest shake of his bloodied head. (THESE TWO!!)

- “My leg! My leg!” “I recommend a cane,” Kaz said. (cackling) 

- When Sturmhond (aka Nikolai ***swoons***) showed up in Crooked Kingdom. (What actually happened: me reading a description of a “fox-like” man with Genya and Zoya and screaming and saying to myself “OMG WHEN I TURN THE PAGE IT WILL CONFIRM THAT NIKOLAI IS IN THE BUILDING I CAN’T” (did I mention I’m in love with him??? already??? k))

- When Jesper and Wylan FINALLY kiss FOR REAL (this was a big chapter for me) This was the kiss he’d been waiting for. It was a gunshot. It was prairie fire. it was the spin of Makker’s Wheel. Jesper felt the pounding of his heart - or was it Wylan’s? - like a stampede in his chest, and the only thought in his head was a happy, startled, Oh. 

- CHAPTER 33 - just everything, everything about the reveals in this chapter. The money being funneled to the Shu, not being able to trace even the RANSOM NOTE back to Kaz. WYLAN SHOWING UP!!!! “ARE YOU SURE THEY WERE PEKKA’S MEN?” !!!!!!!!

- “Do something,” Matthias growled at Kaz. “This is about to turn ugly.” Kaz’s face was as impassive as always. “Do you think so?” (bahahahahaha) 

- Nina’s just complete glee over the chaos she creates!!! “She was the Queen of Mourning, and in its depths, she would never drown.” 

- Jesper using his fucking power!!!!!! 

- She stared up at him. He was going to miss that look of surprise. (HE’S GOING TO LET HER GO. HE KNOWS HE IS GOING TO LET HER GO.)

- KAZ’S PLAN BECOMING CLEAR IN IT’S BRILLIANCE AS EACH CHAPTER GOES BY. 

- Inej frowned. “I thought you and Nina chose four outbreak sites on the Staves.” Kaz straightened his cuffs. “I also had her stop at the Menagerie.” She smiled then, her eyes red, her cheeks scattered with some kind of dust. It was a smile he thought he might die to earn again. (AHHHHHHHHHHHHH) 

- “A sedative,” said the medik. “Is that safe for a pregnant woman?” “For me.” (This is just FLAWLESS in its depiction of people who don’t do OB care regularly.)

- Matthias saw the anger there, the rage. He knew it well. But he was still surprised when he heard the shot. (NOOOOOOOO!!!) 

- “Has she at least done it before?” said Kaz. “For this purpose?” asked Sturmhond. “I’ve seen her do it twice. It worked splendidly. Once.” (NIKOLAI I BEG YOU!) 

- When Matthias DIES?!??! (I’M SORRY WHO LET THIS HAPPEN??)

- “You will meet him again in the next life,” said Inej. “But only if you suffer this now.” 

- Wylan getting all of his father’s money because KAZ HAS BEEN PLANNING THIS ALL ALONG??!

- Jesper leaned in and said, quietly enough that no one else could hear, “I can read to him.” (alksdflk;jasfl;jkd that was hot) 

- “Well hopefully the medik will be here to fix my ribs soon,” he said as he headed back into the parlor. “Yeah?” “Yes,” said Wylan, glancing briefly over his shoulder, his cheeks now red as cherries. “I’d like to make a down payment.” (OMG WYLAN?!?!?! IN FRONT OF MY SALAD?!?! IS THIS ALLOWED?!?!)

- At some point, Jesper realized Kaz was gone. “Not one for goodbyes, is he?” he muttered. “He doesn’t say goodbye,” Inej said. She kept her eyes on the lights of the canal. Somewhere in the garden, a night bird began to sing. “He just lets go.” (TEARS.)

- She felt his knuckles slide against hers. Then his hand was in her hand, his palm was pressed against her own. A tremor moved through him. Slowly, he let their fingers entwine. (I gasped so loud i literally woke my cat up from a deep sleep.)

- “Wait,” he said. The burn of his voice was rougher than usual. “Is my tie straight?” Inej laughed, her hood falling back from her hair. “That’s the laugh,” he murmured. (THAT’S THE LAUGH. THAT’S THE LAUGH. AHHHHH) 

Okay done. Gunna go stare at the ceiling until tomorrow night/whenever I finally get King of Scars and Rule of Wolves in the mail (BECAUSE YOU KNOW MY SORRY ASS IS DYING AT THE THOUGHT OF TWO BOOKS ALL ABOUT NIKOLAI)