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♡ Valentine’s Day ♡

pairing: [separate] kaz brekker x gn!reader, jesper fahey x gn!reader, inej ghafa x gn!reader, nina zenik x gn!reader, nikolai lantsov x gn!reader, david kostyk x gn!reader, the darkling x gn!reader, zoya nazyalensky x gn!reader, genya safin x gn!reader

summary: headcanons about how various Grishaverse characters celebrate Valentine’s Day with you.

word count: 1.7k

warnings: none, fluff

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Kaz Brekker

♡ Does not care for Valentine’s day, thinks it’s a waste of time. But, if YOU like Valentine’s day, he might just put up with a small celebration (he planned the entire date night).

♡ His only request is that you two spend the night in, he doesn’t really want to parade around town tonight, for safety reasons.

♡ He wakes up extra early on the morning of Valentine’s day so he can buy you a small bouquet of your favorite flowers and leave them in a vase by your nightstand so they’re the first thing you see when you wake up

♡ Being the workaholic/control freak he is, taking the night off even for Valentine’s day is all but impossible. But he does take all his work to the Slat and sets up a very romantic ambiance in his room so the two of you can still hang out for the evening.

♡ Buys you one small gift. Most likely a piece of jewelry (probably a locket). He also gives you several days off the following weekend and tries to limit his own workload those days so he can spend more of your free time with you.

♡ Has a small dinner made for the two of you, consisting of your favorite foods and desserts that the two of you eat by candlelight in his room at the Slat, romantic music from downstairs seeping in through the floorboards.

Jesper Fahey

♡ His original intention is to make these big, elaborate plans to absolutely wow you on Valentine’s day, but he ends up getting repeatedly distracted leading up to the holiday and most of the plans fall through.

♡ Wakes you up with an onslaught of kisses and tickles and then presents you a bouquet of red roses to ask your forgiveness.

♡ One of the few tasks he didn’t get too distracted to do was book a reservation at a super fancy restaurant in the financial district, and he practically skips hand and hand with you while the two of you walk to the restaurant.

♡ Gets you a teddy bear and like 5 boxes of chocolate that he ends up splitting half with you because “sharing is caring”.

♡ For some reason, the two of you started a tradition where, in preparation for your dinner reservation, Jesper tries on multiple elaborate outfits for you. This “fashion show” helps him pick out an outfit for your date and gives the two of you lots of laughs, plus you help him dress and undress between each outfit.

♡ The two of you end the day with a friendly card game up in his room, more often than not it’s something stupidly scandalous like strip poker, but whatever it is, it’s a fun little way to end an exciting day.

Inej Ghafa

♡ I think Inej would really like Valentine’s day, but she’s not one to want to make it a huge public affair for the two of you.

♡ Doesn’t really have any preferences on what the two of you do, but would be very happy just staying in cuddling and chit chatting and whatnot.

♡ The two of you have this cute tradition where you style each other’s hair, just the two of you sitting in Inej’s bed, fingers running along each other’s scalp in a very soothing and relaxed way.

♡ After spending a very calm and relaxed morning in Inej’s room, the two of you move downstairs and spend a few hours cooking together. The two of you make your respective comfort foods together, it’s a very domestic scene.

♡ The two of you eat the meal at the counter in the kitchen, taking a long time to savor the food and the company.

♡ After eating, the two of you make your way back to her room and you guys spend the rest of the day talking incessantly while toying with each other's hands and trading gifts that most likely consist of nice quality bangle bracelets.

Nina Zenik

♡ I imagine Nina is also a big fan of Valentine’s day, but unlike Inej, she is perfectly fine making a big affair out of it.

♡ First thing on her agenda? Breakfast in bed. Then the two of you pick out cute outfits for each other and leave the Slat to spend a day out in the nicer parts of Ketterdamn.

♡ First, you guys take a nice long stroll down the docks, possibly sharing a small thing of street food and overall just enjoying the beautiful view of the early morning sun on the water.

♡ Instead of buying each other presents beforehand, you and Nina spend a few hours shopping (and shoplifting) in the financial district.

♡ Before ending your day out, you and Nina go to your bevolved local diner to share waffles and Valentine’s day themed drinks.

♡ In the evening, you and Nina dance in the lobby of the Slat together to the live musicians for a couple of hours. Then, once thoroughly tired out, you and Nina sneak upstairs and spend the final hours of the waning evening in each other’s arms

Nikolai Lantsov

♡ This dramatic bitch LOVES Valentine’s day.

♡ Goes all out for you. You’re woken with kisses and whispered sweet nothings against your skin. And when you open your eyes, bushels upon bushels upon bushels of bouquets are strewn about next to your shared bed.

♡ Breakfast is had in bed, of course, and Nikolai takes way too much delight in feeding you.

♡ He then takes you on an incredibly romantic excursion. Taking you there on horseback to a beautiful secluded spot that feels like something out of a fairytale.

♡ He’s extra clingy on Valentine’s day, hands and lips all over you. At your little picnic, he gives you about half of the presents he bought for you. It’s all small stuff because it had to travel well, like jewelry, tickets to the ballet, coupons to your favorite restaurant, and tons of sweets.

♡ Once the sun begins to set, you two make your way back home and then spend the rest of the night in your chambers. Your dinner is small, a quiet and intimate affair where the two of you finish exchanging presents, somehow holding hands the entire time.

David Kostyk

♡ I think David would be rather indifferent to Valentine’s day, but he wants to make you feel special so he does his best to impress you.

♡ His main gift is one of those cheesy “coupon booklets” that have coupons like ‘one free hug’, ‘five free kisses’, ‘two free massages’.

♡ He also made you some really cute handmade trinkets and cards, putting together his love of crafts and love for you into a very personal Valentine’s day gift.

♡ Let’s you choose the itinerary for the day and just kind of follows you wherever you go like a lovesick puppy, holding your hand in public way more often than he usually would.

♡ The two of you like taking a long walk through the palace gardens, stopping every once in a while at a little alcove or gazebo to sit and rest while continuing your unending conversation.

♡ Ends the day with one of David’s favorite things to do with you: reading to you in bed while you’re snuggled up into his side.

The Darkling

♡ I just can’t really see the Darkling as a fan of Valentine’s day.

♡ This doesn’t mean he isn’t romantic or actively shits on the holiday, he just thinks it’s a little childish and stupid. Still, he’s a little extra romantic on this day, subconsciously influenced by society around him.

♡ Has the servants prepare a lavish breakfast for the two of you to start your day.

♡ Takes you on a short getaway for two days to another town, probably somewhere along the coast. The two of you stay in a small, humble cottage and enjoy some domestic bliss in private by the sea.

♡ Gifts you a load of fine and expensive clothes that he knows you’d been looking at for months.

♡ Really loves ending the day by stargazing with you on the beach at your little vacation home.

Zoya Nazyalensky

♡ I don’t imagine Zoya as a Valentine’s day fanatic. I think she’d see it as annoying and a waste of time.

♡ She has a lot of work to do so the two of you don’t get to have breakfast together, but she speedruns as much of her paperwork as possible so she can call it a day extra early and spend the rest of the day with you.

♡ The two of you take a little trip to a nearby lake and have a small swim and picnic together in the midafternoon.

♡ After returning to the palace, the two of you go back to her chambers and spend several hours just chatting and enjoying each other’s company.

♡ I think Zoya would really love sharing a bath together, she just thinks it’s so intimate and vulnerable so the two of you spend a long time relaxing in a warm bath together.

♡ Gifts you a few bouquets of flowers and some books that she knew you wanted.

Genya Safin

♡ I can totally see Genya loving Valentine’s day.

♡ She got the two of you matching Valentine’s day themed outfits and had breakfast served in her room so the two of you could have a lazy morning together.

♡ Gifts you a cuddly teddy bear, a box of chocolates, and a large bouquet of red roses.

♡ The two of you spend most of the day out in the capital, doing all the classic coupley activities and taking advantage of the Valentine's day discounts for couples.

♡ I think Genya would especially love getting manicures and pedicures done together, getting the couple’s discount at her favorite salon and then showing off her nails to everyone since she got them blinged out in the color of your eyes.

♡ Ends the day gossiping and dancing together in her room until the two of you fall into her bed and cuddle asleep.

[er-osion]

Grishaverse General Headcanons Masterlist

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Valentine’s Day Headcanons

[er-osion]

♡ Valentine’s Day ♡

pairing: [separate] bruce wayne x gn!reader, dick grayson x gn!reader, jason todd x gn!reader, tim drake x gn!reader

summary: headcanons about how the batboys celebrate Valentine’s Day with you.

word count: 841

warnings: none, fluff

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Bruce Wanye

♥︎ Can’t really take the full day off so he spends every minute of his free time with you

♥︎ Is a big fan of bubble baths (believe it or not) and loves preparing a bubble bath for the two of you. He goes all out with it, rose petals in the water, tea candles all around, music playing softly in the background, scented candles out, sweet snacks prepared on a nice charcuterie board, all the stops.

♥︎ Also a big fan of massages. The two of you end up spending a good amount of time giving each other massages. He’s super good at it too, not too rough but hard enough to realse any tension you’re feeling.

♥︎ He’d probably get you one or two gifts, like a teddy bear and some piece of expensive jewlery

♥︎ If the week leading up to Valentine’s day had been really busy for him, he’d rent out a room at the local movie theater and take you out for a few screenings.

♥︎ If there’s time, he gives in and takes you out to a super fancy restaurant. He might complain about leaving the house for a little bit, but he absolutely loves seeing you get dressed up for the dinner, he thinks you look unfairly attractive in your finery.

Dick Grayson

♥︎ He does his best to take Valentine’s day off, or at least get off of patrol early if he can’t. He wants to spend as much time with you as possible on this day for love.

♥︎ He’s honestly down for whatever you want to do. Want to chill at your house? He’s already in his comfy clothes ready for some tv binging. Want to go out to a restaurant? He’s on the phone making reservations.

♥︎ I think he personally likes doing an activity with you, like going to a boardwalk or something. He wants the night to be memorable.

♥︎ Can go a little overboard with the cheesy gifts. Gets you a ton of flowers, to the point you almost run out of vases (I say almost because you learned your lesson years ago with him).

♥︎ He’s absolutely attached to your hip on Valentine’s day. It’s not that he’s not usually super lovey, but the holiday gives him an extra reason to be all over you

♥︎ Honestly, I feel like he’d originally have some involved (and sensual) evening planned for the two of you, but ends up conked out in your bed curling into your side with Hayley snuggling between the two of you, but you’re not complaining because it’s a sweet way to end Valentines day.

Jason Todd

♥︎ Jason cuts patrol short on Valentine’s day. He doesn’t care who he has to bribe to do it, and he’s always successful.

♥︎ Prefers spending Valentine's day inside, just an intimate day that no one can disrupt.

♥︎ Cooks the two of you an elaborate dinner, probably pasta, with a beautiful dessert to end it. He doesn’t make you help unless you want to, so long as you’re keeping him company in the kitchen, he’s happy

♥︎ It’s not that he’s unaffectionate the rest of the year, but sometimes he worries he isn’t clear enough about how much he loves and appreciates you. Thus, Valentine’s day gives him the excuse to be a little more cheesy than he’d normally be.

♥︎ One of his favorite things to do with you at home is to binge watch tv with a glass of wine, specifically reality tv shows.

♥︎ Gets you a decent bouquet of your favorite flowers, a box of chocolates, and a gift of some sort of trinket or article of clothing that you’d been wanting for a few weeks.

Tim Drake

♥︎ To be honest, I think with his absolutely packed schedule, Tim would forget about Valentine’s day.

♥︎ He feels absolutely awful when he realizes he’s forgotten but you’ve been together for a while now so you know not to take it personally.

♥︎ In anticipation of this situation, Tim spends the week leading up to Valentine’s day making small little romantic gestures in the spirit of the holiday. From taking you out to a nice restaurant, having flowers delivered to your workplace, or getting you little gifts, he does everything he can to give you Valentine’s day for an entire week.

♥︎ Even though he does all of this, he still ends up feeling immensely guilty about missing the actual holiday, so he takes the following weekend off so the two of you can go on a mini vacation.

♥︎ He lets you choose the vacation place and then he books a nice airbnb or luxury hotel and the two of you enjoy a nice but short getaway

♥︎ Tim personally doesn’t put all that much emphasis on Valentine’s day, but if the holiday is important to you, he does his best to make it special for you, to show you that he appreciates you and is attentive to your desires.

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Star-Studded Problems

pairing:  famous actor!Nikolai Lantsov x gn!Reader

summary:  Nikolai Lantsov is a famous actor and your boyfriend, but that means being apart from each other while he’s working is especially difficult

word count:  3.3k

warnings:  hurt/comfort

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For the fifth time today you reload Instagram’s homepage to see if there are any new photos of Nikolai on your feed.  While you both hate the paparazzi, when he’s away you can’t help but feel the slightest bit grateful for them because they allow you to see your boyfriend more than you usually would considering the distance between the two of you.

It’s been hard lately.  Nikolai has been gone for a little over a year now and all the two of you have are sporadic facetimes and texts.  You’re both so busy and now that you’re in different time zones, talking for long periods of time has become almost impossible.  You miss him to the point of injury.  Waking up alone in your apartment every morning is the worst way to start your day.  You miss his voice, his smell, his touch, his everything.  Your life feels so empty when he’s not around.  You know it’s his job and you know what you were signing up for when the two of you got together three years ago, but that doesn’t make it any less painful every time he has to leave to film a new movie.

While doom scrolling in your bed that’s too empty you come across yet another edit of Nikolai.  You smirk and rewatch it a few times.  How could you not?  He’s the finest man you know and he’s your boyfriend, you’re allowed to watch edits of him.  Then you mistakenly open the comments out of habit and the happy smirk on your face twists into a frown.  Everyone is praising him and declaring their undying love and attraction for him and your stomach gathers up into knots.  Usually you don’t care about comments like these, in fact, they usually flatter you because you know how wanted Nikolai is and you’re the only one in the world who knows him as your partner not just a celebrity crush.  But on days when the weight of missing him crushes your chest, seeing other people fawn over the man you don’t even get to see makes you hysterically jealous.

It’s not fair.  You miss him so goddamn much and everyone else just gets to enjoy looking at him without enduring the pain of missing him.  You immediately exit the app and open your messages, hurriedly typing one out to Nikolai.

You:  hey, idk if u saw my other messages, hope ur day has been good. miss u lots, text or call me when u can

You press send and see the blue bubble float up underneath the other three you sent earlier in the day that have yet to be seen.  Feeling trapped because of the lack of response, you shove your phone into the covers and put on one of your comfort tv shows to try and distract you.  You don’t get any notifications until a couple of hours later.  Looking at the notification, your heart picks up in anticipation when you see the contact name.

Nik❤️:  hey honey, sorry i didn’t respond earlier, super busy.

  my day was good, miss u so much tho so it was only mediocre 

  omw back to my room rn, i’ll call u when i get there

The smallest sad smile appears on your face at his promise to call you.  Instead of returning your focus to the show, you count the minutes until his face pops up on your screen to alert you to an incoming call.  You immediately pick up and almost let out a cry of relief as the sound of his voice floods your ear.

“Heyyy, how’s my favorite person ever?”  He asked sweetly, but you could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

“Terrible.”  You say dramatically, indulging in the little laugh you pull from him with your joking tone.

“Oh no, we can’t have that.”  You can practically see him shaking his head pitifully, “Tell me what’s wrong, baby.”

“I’m in too much pain, Nik.  Miss you too much.”

“Aw, lovey, you know I’m hurting just as much as you.  What can I do to help?”

“You could come home.”  You meant it as a joke, knowing he can’t just get up and leave work, but the joke falls flat and the line goes quiet for a second.

“You know I can’t.”  This time, when Nikolai speaks it’s without playfulness or cheer, instead it’s depressed and so so tired.  It hurts your heart to hear him like this, “You know that all I want is to be home with you right now.  But the movie is almost done shooting, I’ll be home soon.  We just gotta hold off a little longer.”

Out of nowhere, anger bubbles up within you.  What’s this ‘we’ he’s talking about?  He gets to spend his time apart from you with hundreds of people who absolutely adore him and fawn over him.  He gets to work in fun places with fun people while you have to work the same job everyday with those couple of shit coworkers and no one whose job it is to specifically fawn over you.  He gets to live in luxury with people he can share unnumbered laughs with, while you have to sit in the apartment the two of you decorated together and live off of the cold memories of his presence.  He talks of missing you just as much as you miss him, but how could he?  Everytime you see one of those paparazzi pictures or Insta posts from his costars, you can see him having the time of his life.  Without you.

You can’t help the petty response that blurts out of you, “Yeah right, ‘we’.”  You mutter with a scoff.

“Excuse me?”  He questions over the line.  “What does that mean?”  His tone isn’t rude but you can tell you caught him off guard with your sudden change in attitude.

“Nothing.”  You mutter under your breath, hoping he’ll drop it because you don’t feel like diving into the whirlpool that is your current emotional state.

“No no, don’t do that.  Tell me what’s wrong, what’s going on?”

“Nothing Nikolai, I’m sorry let’s just drop it, I’m just tired.”

“I think you’re lying to me.”  He pushes.

“I said, let’s drop it.”  Your tone is getting more and more clipped.

“Look, I’m sorry that I didn’t respond to you earlier, I really was busy, I would’ve answered if I could’ve, you know that.”  He says with a sigh and you want to pull your hair out over the fact he thinks that’s what’s bothering you.

“I’m not upset about that so don’t worry about it.”  You tell him shortly.

“But you’re clearly upset about something, so what is it?”

“Nothing!  Fuck, I just—”  You’re interrupted by Nikolai’s stuttering voice as he fumbles a few curses and apologizes.  You ask him what happened.

“Sorry sorry, Alina was trying to call me and I was trying to decline it without hanging up on you.”  He answered hurriedly.

Your heart drops and your stomach feels sick.  Alina is one of his co stars, one of the prettier ones at that. It’s not that you don’t like her, in fact, you think she’s really nice.  But god she’s gorgeous and she gets to be around Nikolai all the time and now they’re calling each other late at night?  When did that become a thing?

“It’s probably urgent you should just answer her, we’ll talk later or something.”  Your voice starts out biting but ends up dropping into a saddened tone.

“What?  No, if it was an emergency she’d be spamming me.  I want to talk to you right now.  Why are you being so weird today?”  You can hear the confusion and distress in Nikolai’s voice. 

“I’m not being weird, fuck.  Sorry if me being tired or not in a great mood is upsetting to you or not what you want to deal with.”

“Sweetheart, I’m not upset at you, I just want you to talk to me.  I know you.  I know when something’s up, and I can tell there’s something bothering you more than you’re letting on.  So please, just talk to me.”

You don’t respond immediately.  You’re trying to choke down a sob as all the emotions you’ve kept bottled up these past few weeks threaten to spill over.  You know you’re probably overreacting right now, but you can’t help but feel like everything is an attack on your sanity and stability.  Sometimes all you need is a little push and everything becomes too much to handle.  Maybe you’ve been shoving things down too much lately, and now you’re paying the price.  “I don’t know if I can do this anymore, Nik.”  Your whisper breaks painfully as you speak.

There’s a long pause, as if Nikolai stopped breathing on the other side before you hear his voice come out uncharacteristically quiet and shaky, “What?”  there’s another pause, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I can’t handle this anymore.  This distance, the uncertainty, the longing, the jealousy.  I just can’t take it anymore.”  The words come tumbling out of your mouth and each realization is a punch to the stomach.

“Baby, no no don’t say that.”  Nikolai’s voice is cracking through the speaker on your phone, “C’mon, what do you have to be uncertain about?  Do you not know how much I love you?”

God, Nikolai sounds absolutely heartbroken and it tears your heart to shreds, “No, Kolya, I know how much you love me.  But I just– I can barely put it into words– I’m just tired.  So goddamn tired, Nikolai, this is just too much.”

“No, no.  Not fair.”  Suddenly his voice takes on a more desperate tone.  It’s edged but you can hear the desperation behind it, “You said you were okay to make this work.  You said we’d get through anything.  We agreed on forever.  You can’t– you can’t just end it all now.”

“Excuse me?  You can’t force me to stay, you don’t control me like that, don’t make decisions for me.”

“No, fuck, that’s not what I mean, malyska please.”  You hear Nikolai let out a sound somewhere between a whine and a groan and you can practically see him raking his hand through his blonde tresses in distress.  “I don’t mean I’m forcing you to stay, y’know I’d never force you to do anything.  But fuck, I don’t want you to just give up on us like that.”

“I don’t want to give up, but I’m just out of stamina.  I can’t keep living like this.  Do you know how much it hurts when you’re away?  You get to be out there, living your dream, seeing places and people you’ve never seen before, getting doted on by innumerable amounts of people who love and adore you, constantly surrounded by friends.  But me?  I get to wake up and go to sleep everyday in a bed we picked out together for two.  I have to go to a job where people don’t always respect me, I don’t get to see all these amazing sights, and worst of all; no matter where I go I’m force fed reminders of the fact the one person I need the most isn’t here, the fact that the love of my life is far away from me and everyone in the world gets to enjoy him through whatever media they want but not me, because nothing will ever make me happier than when you’re around and you’re never around anymore.”  By the end of your speech you’re sobbing.  The weight of missing him and the constant reminders of his absence have slowly chipped away at your will and now the floodgates have burst.  You’re so focused on all your aching and tears that you barely notice how long Nikolai is silent on the other end, processing everything you just said.

“Darling, fuck.”  Nikolai’s throat is so constricted he can barely get his words out.  His mind is running a mile a minute and tears are burning his cheeks and his heart hurts so fucking much and he’s freaking out because you genuinely sound ready to end the relationship and he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do without you, “I don’t– I don’t even no where to start.  First of all, you think I’m not suffering too?  Just because I’m living the ‘high life’ you seem to think I’m living doesn’t mean I’m not hurting just as much as you are.  I have to go to sleep and wake up everyday in a hotel room that couldn’t be any colder.  There’s nothing personal to me anywhere I go.  Everywhere is just a harsh reminder of the fact that I’m so far away from home.  I see all these things and all these people and the only person I ever want to share that with is you.  I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of times I’ve turned my head to whisper something to you and you weren’t there, because of course you weren’t, you’re thousands of miles away.  But I do it every time and it hurts everytime because my heart always tells me you’re meant to be at my side so my brain just assumes you’re there.  I see all my fans and I get so annoyed because they act like you don’t exist, but you’re the only person I want to hear fawning over me because you’re the only person I trust and love to do so.  I’m always reaching out to you when I roll over in my sleep and everytime my arm is met with nothing but air I fucking cry because the only thing I truly need is to be near you.  I hate that I’m missing so much of your day.  I hate that I can’t look you in the eyes while you talk to me and I can’t hug you or cuddle up next to you at the end of the day.  Milaya, I love you so fucking much it hurts, and you’re fucking killing me right now with this talk of leaving us.”

You can hear him sniffling over the phone and you’re gasping for breath and trying to calm down enough to respond, “Nik, I’m sorry I’m so sorry.  I don’t want to do this, I don’t want to hurt you.  I just don’t think I can take it anymore.  It’s too much.  I just— I can’t…”  You keep repeating yourself because you have no idea what else to say.  How do you convey the indescribable anguish and isolation you feel at his absence?

“I know I know, baby.  I’m here, please just stay with me for a bit longer, please.”  Nikolai feels as if he could just stretch his arm out and reach you but the impossibility of that movement is kicking him while he’s down.  “The shooting is going to be over so soon.  And then I’ll be home.  I’ll be home soon and then we can take as much time as we need.  But please, my love, please I’m begging you, just hold on for a bit longer.  I love you so fucking much and I need you to just stay for a little more and then we’ll figure everything out, I promise.  Please, angel, promise me you’ll wait just a bit more before calling it quits, please.”

“Okay, Nik, I promise.  I promise, I’ll keep going a bit longer, for us.  I know it’s not really your fault, I know that, and I love you.  I love you to the moon and back, Nikolai Lantsov.”

“I love you too, darling.  I’ve gotta go, but I’ll text you as soon as I get the chance.”  You can tell by the sound of his voice that he’s scared to end the phone call but you assure him everything’s going to be alright and he eventually hangs up.

After the call ends you pretty much pass out, being completely and utterly drained after that emotional rollercoaster.  It was some of the deepest sleep you’ve had in months but you can feel the annoying crust of dry tears when you wake up.

It’s a late Saturday afternoon.  The sun beams gently into your apartment, the air is still and warm but it lacks something.  You’re sitting on the couch watching TV with a cup of tea cradled in your hands when the sound of a key jiggling in the door startles you.  You spring up from your spot on the couch just in time to see someone step through the door.  He has a duffle bag slung over his broad shoulders and one of his ringed hands is gripping a rolling suitcase.  He’s casually dressed in grey sweatpants and a light blue compression t-shirt.  He moves to pull the headphones from around his neck, they catch on his necklace before he hooks them around his bag.  His blond waves have that signature airplane messiness and his hazel eyes have dark circles beneath them.  But god, when he sees you, his whole face lights up brighter than the sun.  Within seconds you’ve jumped into his arms and Nikolai is crushing you against his chest in the tightest and most comforting hug you’ve ever felt.  He smells like expensive cologne, pine, and sea salt and you inhale him like a starved man in front of a feast.  His hands roam everywhere, needing to feel all of you in his hold to cement the fact that you’re finally here with him.  You’re both shaking with joy and relief and stay holding each other for minutes on end.  Just you and him clutching onto each other in the foyer, like you both fear the other will disintegrate if you let go.

“Saints, I missed you so fucking much.”  His whisper trembles as he nuzzles his face into your neck to press desperate kisses onto your skin.

“I missed you too, Kolya, I missed you too much to put into words.”  Your own voice was just as choked.  After a few more minutes of just holding one another, Nikolai finally rights himself and puts a few inches of distance between the two of you.

“Be honest with me, are you still thinking about breaking up?”  Nikolai does everything in his power not to look as scared as he is but you can see the fear in his eyes.

You reach a hand up to cradle his cheek, drawing small circles on his cheekbone with your thumb.  Nikolai instinctively leans into your hand.  “No, not really, not seriously.  I wanted out of the pain more than anything, not the relationship.  I was just at my wit’s end with miss you, I couldn’t tolerate the hurt anymore and I irrationally thought breaking up would put an end to it.”  You explained, having had time over the months between the phone call and now to be able to reflect on your little break down.

“So you don’t want to break up?”  Nikolai asked and your heart broke a little bit at his hesitant tone.

“No, I don’t want to break up.  I want to spend every minute of every day with you.”  You reassured him with a smile.

“Good, at least we’re on the same page about that.”  Nikolai mirrors your grin and you feel butterflies erupt in your stomach at the small sign that Nikolai is feeling more himself now that the fear of a break up is gone.  “So what do you want to do?  Now that I’m home.”  He asked with a smirk and a kiss on your cheek.

“We can resume our show, there’s a lot of episodes to catch up on since you’ve been gone.”  You suggested happily. 

“Sounds perfect.”  Nikolai said, kissing your other cheek.  You thread your fingers with his and led him to the couch where you both settled under the blanket and glued yourselves together.  You didn’t know where you ended and he began and you wouldn’t have had it any other way.

You turn your head to take a long look at the beautiful man beside you and then press a few kisses up from the base of his neck to his jaw, “I’m glad you’re home, Kolya.”

“I am too.”  He says earnestly, placing a tender kiss on your temple.

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Malyshka — baby

Milaya — sweetheart, pretty

[er-osion]

Mastermind

pairing: Kaz Brekker x gn!Reader

summary: inspired by Taylor Swift’s song Mastermind. Reader becomes a bartender at the Crow Club and tries winning over Kaz’s affection

word count: 1.6k

warnings: none, fluff

you can see the full taylor swift song-fic masterlist here

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Looking for a job in the Barrel can be a terrifying ordeal. The bosses, pay, workplace, and work itself is often not anyone’s first choice. Thankfully for you, the decision on where to work became easy the day you stepped into the Crow Club and got a look at the infamous Dirtyhands himself. You decided then and there that you had to work in this establishment and get to know the Bastard of the Barrel better.

For some reason you craved his attention, you wanted him to notice you and your skills. Sure, maybe harboring a giant crush on the Barrel’s most brutal crime lord wasn’t the best idea, but it sure made the game of catching his attention more fun. But you knew this wasn’t going to be some quick ordeal, no, you were prepared to play the long game. Like a chess master, you maneuvered yourself slowly but surely over the years to become someone Kaz always noticed and relied on, even if he didn’t realize it. You proved your mettle rather quickly, and were promoted to bar manager in the first year you worked at the club. From then on out, your master plan of getting Kaz to fall for you was rather smooth sailing as you now had more reason to talk to him.

Over time, you got to know things about him like his favorite drinks, favorite foods, schedule, moods, etc. And you used this to your advantage.

After about a year and a half of working at the Crow Club, you started bringing Kaz weekly treats up to his office during the slow hours of the day. At first, the cane-wielding boy tried to discourage your efforts, but you were undeterred and eventually it became a sort of ritual that the both of you subconsciously relied on to get through the day. Instead of making one of the other bartenders bring up the papers on backstock, sales, and whatnot, you took them up to Kaz yourself. The first few weeks he let you set the papers down on his desk and leave without a word, but eventually, he began asking you to read the key points or important information out loud to him. Sometime later, Kaz then began asking your opinion on new drinks or food to be added to the menu, seasonal specials, and other strategies that could boost club patronage. You knew you had gotten your in once this happened, as you realized Kaz seemed to hold your thoughts relating to the business in high regard.

When Kaz came down from his office to observe the club, you always made sure to put yourself in the most visible spots. You purposefully avoided making eye contact with him, wanting him to seek you out. It worked. Kaz couldn’t help but search for your figure first and foremost whenever he came down to observe the club floor. You got to your shift extra early so you’d be there when Kaz walked in, your face being the first thing he’d see every time he came to the club.

Kaz never realized how much he’d come to depend on your presence. You had slowly but surely worn him down so his eyes were always searching for you and his mind always wandering to you. Kaz began to anticipate with great pleasure, your weekly treats and reports to his office. Kaz began having to suppress a smile every time you waved at him when he walked into the club at the start of the workday. Like a bee to honey, you’d caught him in your trap before he’d ever gotten a clue.

One day however, you got sick. A normal seasonal cold, but you were far too ill to go to work. Your biggest grievance? Not being able to sneak glances at the gorgeous boy you call your boss. You sent a message to Kaz directly, letting him know you wouldn’t be in today. Kaz hadn’t opened the message at first. It had been put upside down on his desk so he hadn’t seen the address and thus elected to ignore it for some time in favor of paperwork. His mind however, was in no place to work. His thoughts felt abnormally jumbled today. He wasn’t able to keep a coherent train of thought and his focus was just terrible. Something felt so painfully off. The clock hit 2:30 and his brown eyes habitually dragged to the corner of his desk where he’d usually find your little treat, only, nothing was there. Then it hit him like a rock. You. He hadn’t seen you at all today. No greeting wave. No presence on the floor. And no little treat for him.

Something in his chest stirred uncomfortably. Why should it matter anyway? He asked himself. It’s not like he depended on your presence or anything to get through the workday. Kaz shook his head, trying to rid himself of thoughts of you and refocus on his work. This proved impossible. Even though the thing making him so antsy had been identified, Dirtyhands couldn’t be settled. Why weren’t you here? What was keeping you from work? From him.

But he knew you weren’t the type to just not show up to work unannounced. So Kaz Brekker began frantically searching his desk for any sort of note from you, which is when he came across your message from hours ago. Kaz wanted to smack himself for being dumb enough to ignore the small slip of paper as he read the brief details of your illness from your familiar scrawl. Without even thinking, Kaz rose from his chair and shoved on his coat and hat and barged out of the door. He only got full control of his mind back once he found himself ordering a bowl of soup from a nearby shop. His instincts, for reasons unknown to him, had somehow carried him in the direction of your apartment. After paying the old lady for the soup, Kaz came to the rational decision that it was too late to turn back now and thus continued his walk to your apartment.

Meanwhile, you were cuddled up in bed in a cocoon of blankets and misery. Your body ached while you sat envying your days of health. Your train of feverish thought was abruptly interrupted by a sharp knock at your door. Confused but curious, you lethargically dragged yourself from your bed and over to the door. The last thing you expected to see when you opened your door, was Kaz Brekker standing outside with a to-go bowl of soup, trying to look put-together and not at all frazzled.

You blinked at each other for a moment before your voice scratched out, “Mr. Brekker?”

Kaz inwardly winced at your sick-sounding voice. “You said you were sick.”

You looked at him, waiting for him to continue but he just looked at you, seemingly as confused as you were. “I am.” You confirmed slowly.

“I’ve brought some soup, supposed to help with a quick recovery.” Kaz finally finished as he lifted his arm holding the bag containing your soup. You smiled unashamedly.

“Thanks, I appreciate it, Mr. Brekker.”

“Kaz is fine.”. He said without thinking. Your heart stuttered and you couldn’t contain the way your smile twisted up into a grin. You raised an eyebrow silently questioning and teasing him for the sudden title change. “Well, we’re good enough acquaintances for soup deliveries so we’re good enough to be on a first name basis.”. Kaz justified quickly, feeling both foolish and proud of his somewhat weak answer.

You felt giddy. You hadn’t expected him to allow for the dropping of titles so fast in your relationship, you were planning for another several months. Seems like this long game may not be so long after all.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it in today.” You felt the need to apologize, for, you really did feel bad about missing work.

Kaz gave a small shrug and rolled his eyes, “It’s not like you can really control it. Just don’t be an idiot and do anything to make it worse.” He paused, thinking over his next words, “Just make a speedy recovery, the club needs its manager back as soon as possible.” Kaz chose not to add the part where he needs you back as soon as possible, but something told you the sentiment was there. You carefully took the soup from Kaz’s gloved grip and the man was both thankful and disappointed that your fingers didn’t brush his with the action.

The two of you stood there, slightly awkwardly, staring at each other unsure of what to say but not wanting whatever this was to end. Then your illness reminded you of its existence and you turned around to double over in a coughing fit. Kaz flinched and took an instinctive step back while you were turned around. When you’d recovered and turned once more to face him, you broke the silence.

“Thanks again for this, Kaz, it’s nice to know that someone is looking out for me, somewhere.”. You spoke with sincerity. Kaz’s stomach annoyingly erupted into butterflies as he heard the pleasant way his name rolled off of your tongue.

“Let’s be clear, I’m not ‘looking out for you’, I’m ensuring my best employee can return to work as soon as possible to keep my business running smoothly.” Kaz said didactically with a frown.

“Right.” You said in a mix of a chuckle and a scoff, your eyes teasing. Kaz nodded stiffly at you and then turned on his heels and walked away. You watched him retreat until you could no longer see him, reentering your apartment with a satisfied smile.

Kaz came to the realization as he was walking back to the club, that his sanity was completely dependent on you. He doesn’t know how you did it, doesn’t know what games you played, only that you must be some strategic genius, a mastermind to have gotten the Bastard of the Barrel to fall head over heels for you.

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@coldmermaidhologram thanks for reminding me to add this song to the masterlist and sorry it’s a little short, hope you enjoyed :)

[er-osion]

Cowboy Like Me

pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x gn!Reader

summary: Inspired by Taylor Swift’s song, Cowboy Like Me.  Reader and Nikolai Lantsov are in a political marriage, both with the same goals of achieving peace and success for their country.  Can two married strangers fall in love with their shared dreams?

word count: 2.5k

warnings: none, fluff

you can see the full taylor swift song-fic masterlist here

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The glowing ballroom was alight with chatter.  Ladies and Lords from across Ravka flitted about the room in their finest fabrics, painting the shimmering room in brilliant colors.  You stood at the top of the small staircase, overlooking the shimmering scene and fiddling with your outfit.

“Enjoying the evening, Your Majesty?”  The King’s voice broke you out of your trance.  You didn’t turn your head, only your eyes, to look at him.

“It’s fine, everything came together excellently.”  You answered diplomatically.

“Indeed,”  Nikolai paused, as if unsure of how to continue, “we should probably take the next dance.”

This time you turned your head to look at him with an eyebrow raised questionably.  “Are you sure?  We did open the event, after all.”

“Well, all these rich folks want to hear and see us act like this could be a love match, so we must give them what they want.”  Your husband spoke blandly, as if the very thought of this marriage being a love match was nauseating and you tried not to take it personally.

“Very well.”  You nodded and the two of you waited for the current song to end before descending the stairs with imperial elegance and leading the next waltz.  You and Nikolai Lantsov have been married for well over a year now.  This is not the first event you’ve had to put on the mask of young love to convince your audience that the two of you were happily married rather than estranged and indifferent, but even with all the practice it never got any easier.  The marriage, like most noble ones, had been arranged, strategic.  The two of you maintained fairly separate lives, considering the close proximity the two of you had to commit to.  But during social gatherings like tonight’s fete, such separation was not possible.

You dreaded and loved nights like these for that very reason.  Nights like these were the only times when you’d be able to get a taste of a love-filled marriage.  It was the most bittersweet treat you’ve ever had.  You scarfed down this desert during the evening, enjoying the saccharine taste of what could be love, and then in the morning you’d be sick with the bitter aftertaste of realizing it was faker than the smile you plastered for all the nobles.

You and Nikolai twirled and swayed to the tune of an elaborate waltz, ignoring all the eyes drinking your forms up like kvas.  No words were exchanged, the two of you focused on your own thoughts and tried not to let that fact show to your audience.

You broke the silence in the middle of the song, your voice quiet but steady so as not to be overheard, “You’ve been informed of my upcoming departure, I assume.”

Your husband blinked, his hazel eyes zeroing in on your face.  You watched as your words slowly sunk in, waiting for a response.  “Yes.  You’ll be gone for 2 weeks to Novyi Zem, correct?”  Nikolai questioned impassively.  You nodded, his question was merely polite since you both knew he knew where you were going and for how long.

“I have my agenda all set, everything needed is prepared, I only bring it up in case there was something in specific you needed from me on this trip that I hadn’t thought of on my own.”  You explain.

Nikolai hummed, thinking.  “Take Tamar with you as your personal guard.”

“I already have–”

“I know you already have your own guard, but my request is that you take Tamar with you as well.  I do not trust that one viscount in their court, what was his name?  Well, whatever it is, you should bring Tamar.”

“But Tamar is meant to stay with you, Your Majesty.”

“I will be safe in the palace in our home country, you will be in a foreign nation.  You asked if I needed something specific from you on this trip, and that would be for you to take your safety more seriously.”  Nikolai’s tone held a finality that told you he wasn’t budging on this discussion.  You resisted the urge to roll your eyes at his callback to the last time he went on a diplomatic mission and you insisted that he didn’t take his safety seriously.

“So be it.”  And with that, your brief conversation was over, and the two of you went back to coexisting in silence that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable.  The ending of the song was your saving grace as you excused yourself to go and mingle amongst the other nobles for some time, leaving the King to his own devices.

****

Your team was working in a flurry to get the final preparations for your trip to Novyi Zem done.  The past week, you’ve spent huddled up in your office, making plans for as many situations as your mind could come up with.  The tall oak doors of your office were cracked open and one of your guards slipped inside. 

“Your Grace, His Majesty has come for a word with you.”  The guard spoke and your eyes narrowed in confusion and some suspicion.

“Let him in.”  You approved with a dismissive wave of your hand, returning your gaze to the paperwork in front of you.  You heard Nikolai’s footsteps enter the office and the click of the doors closing.  You waited for him to speak, continuing your writing without looking up to acknowledge his entry.  It was unusual for him to visit you during your work time, especially when your present occupation was separate from his.

“You’ve been rather busy lately.”  Your husband finally spoke.  Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you looked up at him.  Of course you’ve been busy, you’re about to depart on an incredibly important diplomatic mission to secure a trade deal with Novyi Zem, you can’t let any unforeseen problem prevent you from your goal.

“I have much to arrange.”  You concluded after a moment.  Nikolai nodded and glanced at your stacks of paperwork.

He motioned toward your desk, “And all of that?” he questioned.

“My insurance policies for the trip.”  You provided plainly.  The blonde haired man ambled closer to your desk and carefully picked up a piece of paper with your notes on it, reading carefully with an inscrutable expression.

“You plan thoroughly.”  He noted, as if he was just now coming to this realization.  You subconsciously scoffed quietly. 

“Of course, the people of Ravka have a lot riding on the outcome of this mission.”  You responded incredulously.  Did he really think you weren’t taking this extremely seriously?  Your one job was to your people, your heart was devoted to improving the living situation of your country.  Did he truly think he was the only one between the two of you that cared so deeply for this nation?

Nikolai traded the paper in his hands for another one, eyes skipping across it.  “It seems you have some tricks up your sleeve in place for this mission.”  Your heart stuttered at his tone that was almost, impressed?  

Your lips threatened to quirk up in a smirk. “Surprised, Moi Tsar?”

“I really shouldn’t be, I suppose.  It seems you can be a schemer when you want to.”  His voice had a teasing lilt, his golden eyes lit up with mischief.

“It takes one to know one.”  You tossed back, savoring the way his pink lips twitched in pleasant surprise at your response.

“Of course,”  Nikolai paused, considering his next words, “well, I shall leave you to your scheming then.  I’m sure all the cards you have stashed up your sleeve will make Ravka proud.”

You wanted to respond but failed to think of anything so you merely watched as your husband exited your office.

****

The trip was only supposed to go for two weeks, it had now been four.  Nikolai ran a hand through his hair, messing it up further.  The communications between the palace and your entourage had given no surefire answer as to why your trip was taking so long and how soon it would be wrapped up.  No war had been declared, which was reassuring, but there was no way for him to tell if you’d been injured.  Nikolai had even written to you, something neither of you have ever done during the duration of your marriage.  But your responses were just as vague as the reports he was getting from the guard, as if you didn’t want to admit you also were unsure of the timeline of your return.

Each day you remained in Novyi Zem, the King’s worries grew.  Nikolai hated feeling like he wasn’t in control, and when his spouse was in a foreign nation away from his line of sight, he felt particularly out of control.  But the worst part of this whole thing was the fact that this worry was new.  He’d never really cared this much before, or at least, not on such a personal level.  Your occupation or separation had never bugged the King like it did now.  A year of being married and he was just now realizing what it’s like to miss your partner.  His stomach churned at the thought.

You had told him once, at the beginning of your marriage, that you were not looking for or expecting love out of this union, only the fulfillment of your duty to Ravka.  He hadn’t given it much thought at the time, because his outlook mirrored yours.  But now?  Now, the fact you may never want his love was haunting him.  In your love for your country, you’re just like him.  But now Nikolai was left wondering if you had any love to spare for him.

By the time you came home, you’d been gone for five weeks, seven hours, and twenty-three minutes.  Nikolai was made aware of your return during a meeting with his advisors and he nearly ended the meeting there in a fit of excitement at your return.  But his common sense got the better of him and he remained in the meeting until the end, giving you time to settle back into your shared room and unwind from the long journey.

Nikolai all but ran to your marital chambers.  When he entered, you were finishing up getting ready for a relaxing night in bed.  His eyes raked your figure clad in your sleeping clothes, his heart fluttered and face heated at your domestic appearance.  “Welcome back.”  Nikolai’s choked whisper was a drum in the silence of your room.

His oddly comforting tone made you smile without thinking.  “Thank you, Your Grace.  It’s very nice to be back after such an unexpectedly long trip.”  You chuckled quietly, shaking your head in an attempt to shake the heat slowly creeping up your face.  A tension filled silence grew between you and your husband, neither of you knowing where to take the conversation.  During the duration of your trip, you had found yourself missing Nikolai more than you’d imagined.  You hadn’t realized how much space he took up in your life until you were without him.  Your heart clenched at the sight of him, in his uniform with tired eyes from a day full of activity but a smile full of youthful passion.

Nikolai cleared his throat, almost awkwardly, “Getting ready for bed?” he asked shifting back and forth on the balls of his feet.

“I was planning on reading for a bit, I’m not quite tired enough to go to sleep yet,”  Your voice trailed off, unsure of your next few words, “did you… have any other occupations for the night?”  You asked hesitantly, eyes flying around the room to look at anything but your husband.

You didn’t see Nikolai’s back straighten at your question or his eyes blink rapidly in shock at your words.  The young King tried not to get carried away and read too much into your words, but he couldn’t help his heart which was going crazy at the implications of your inquiry.  “No, not tonight,” Nikolai took a step closer to you, “Why?”  he asked in return.

You inhaled sharply, grabbing your book off the sofa by the fireplace and walking it over to your nightstand, “Well, you’re welcome to join me for the evening… if you’d like.”  Your voice grew quiet, unconsciously fearful of his rejection.  Nikolai’s breath hitched as he clenched and unclenched his hands.  You finally looked back up at him, your eyes apprehensive but imploring.  Both of your hearts thundered in your chests as Nikolai took another two steps closer to you.

“That sounds… most enjoyable.”  Your husband concluded breathlessly.  You smiled in relief and joy, nodding and then pivoting to slip into your shared king bed.  Nikolai’s brilliant grin grew to mirror your own as he got out of his uniform and into his pajamas.

Nikolai grabbed a stack of papers he was supposed to debrief on, both of you settling in next to each other with your own reading material.  You’d never felt so elated, and all you were doing was relaxing next to your husband, a man you weren’t even supposed to love.  Yet you did, you hadn’t realized it until your prolonged trip away from him, but you loved Nikolai Lantsov.  If only you knew he had come to the same conclusion as you while you were away.

“Would it be inappropriate to admit that I missed you in Novyi Zem?”  You blurted out, looking away from your book to settle your gaze on the blonde man beside you.  His focus snapped to you, you could see the surprise in his eyes.

“No, not at all.  In fact, I’d wager I missed you even more.” 

“Good.”  You hummed with a satisfied smirk.

“Tell me, sweetheart, your prolonged trip wasn’t a part of some grand scheme to make me confess my feelings for you, was it?”  Nikolai leaned in closer to you, his voice baiting and playful.

“Ah, you caught on to the ace up my sleeve, what a shame.” You shook your head in faux disappointment, subconsciously moving closer to Nikolai.

“Hmm, well I should warn you now then, that my next trip abroad may end with an unexpected extension.”  Your husband muttered conspiratorially.

“Sounds quite suspicious, Moi Tsar.  I never took you for a schemer.”  You quipped back, eyes spending more and more time taking in his pink lips in the candle light. 

“It takes one to know one.”  Nikolai recalled jokingly, his hazel eyes focused on your lips.  And finally, the two of you met in the middle.  The kiss was slow and featherlight, both of you testing these uncharted waters of romance.  You were shocked by the soft plushness of his mouth and Nikolai came to the dazzling realization that he’d be addicted to the sweet taste of your lips for the rest of his life.  For over a year now, the two of you had been fighting separate battles for your shared nation, not realizing how easily your goals aligned.  Now, in the private alcove of your chambers, the two of you discovered that you had a new battle to fight, one for love and light.  Your new pursuit of a loving marriage would lead the way to the development of a better Ravka, one in which everyone could thrive like you two did in each other’s loving glow.

[er-osion]

My Tears Ricochet

pairing:  Kaz Brekker x gn!Reader

summary:  A fic inspired by Taylor Swift’s ‘My Tears Ricochet’.  Kaz says some things to you in anger after a heist so you end things and move out of the Slat.  Months later and Kaz can no longer bear being separated

word count:  2.6k

warnings:  hurt/comfort

you can see the full taylor swift song-fic masterlist here

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The door to Kaz’s room slammed shut.  You tried not to wince at the noise, tried not to move lest you show how upset and afraid you were.  Things had gone bad, really bad.  The heist should’ve been simple but sometimes things just don’t go to plan, sometimes human error messes things up.  Now you stood in the room you shared with Kaz, bracing for him to give you hell for the awful night all of you had had.

“Do you just want to see your teammates die?”  Kaz snapped, back turned to you as he paced around the room.

“What kind of question is that, Kaz?”  You spat back, offended.  “Things go wrong, we’re all human.”

“That’s one of the weakest excuses I’ve heard for inadequacy in a long time.”

Your eyes went wide, “Inadequacy?!”  You repeated, aghast.  “Watch it, Brekker.”

Kaz let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair.  “If you don’t want to be called ‘inadequate’, don’t do foolish things, you behaved like a rookie tonight!”

“The others have made mistakes just as bad, if not worse before, yet when I do it it’s the crime of the century?”  You threw your hands in the air, tone quickly rising to meet his anger.

“No, this heist could’ve been the heist of the century if you hadn’t royally fucked it up!”

“Kaz, I know you’re upset, we all are.  But yelling at me won’t change the events of the evening, it will only make things worse.”

“Oh don’t try and get all ‘holier than thou’ on me.  You don’t want to get yelled at?  Then don’t act like a fucking idiot.”

You blinked back tears of frustration and hurt.  You and Kaz had had your fair share of arguments, being in a relationship with someone who didn’t know how to express their feelings properly can lead to that.  But his behavior was out of pocket and undeserved.  He was supposed to be your biggest supporter, not tear you down. 

The argument raged for another two hours, growing worse and worse by the minute until you’d had enough.

“Kaz, shut the fuck up!”  You cried.  “I’m done!”

He froze, fury overtaking his expression before he took a step back and blinked.  “What?”  His voice was grating.

“I’m done.”  You repeated in a hush, throat and chest tightening impossibly.

“The hell do you mean, ‘you’re done’?”  

“I mean I’m done with this, with us.”  You concluded defeatedly.  Kaz didn’t say anything, his expression didn’t change, as if he hadn’t truly understood what you were saying or the implication of your statement.  “I can’t be with someone who’s going to degrade me for making human mistakes.  We’re supposed to help one another, not demean each other and if you still don’t understand that after all of these years… then I think my time is better spent elsewhere.”

You straightened your back and rolled your shoulders in an attempt to pull yourself together despite the tears blurring your vision.  You waited for Kaz to say something, anything. The silence was deafening.

“If you want to be a quitter then fine, quit.  I don’t need someone who behaves like this anyways.”  Kaz hissed, turning his back to you as he was no longer able to look at your distraught face.  

You puffed in disbelief.  Your heart was burning.  How could he so easily throw you away?  Throw everything the two of you had built together away?  You shook your head and began gathering your things.  You could feel Kaz watching you out of the corner of his eye but he never moved from his spot and never said anything.

When you’d finished gathering your belongings you scurried out of the room, needing more than anything to be out of that suffocating atmosphere.  You decided to stay with a friend going to university.  He asked no questions when you had showed up at his door in the middle of the night with all of your things, just let you in and helped you settle into the guest room.

When you woke up, mid afternoon the next day, your friend, Arthur, assured you that you could stay as long as you needed.  The next few months were torture for you.  This sick feeling in your stomach never went away and your chest never stopped hurting.  Merely eating, breathing, and moving became a task.  All motivation to do anything left your body and you wandered around your friend’s apartment like a ghost.  Nothing felt right, not anymore.  Kaz had always told you that your fighting spirit had made you brave, had inspired him, yet he was so quick to turn it against you.  The tears you cried over that man were endless.

****

Kaz has been a worn wood boat against the raging sea of his emotions these past few months.  He’d been off his grove, on edge, messy, and all the Crows had noticed.  To put it simply: Kaz Brekker had been a wreck of a man since the night you broke up with him.  Nothing was the same, nothing was tolerable anymore.

Everywhere he went, you haunted him.  Your ghost and the ghost of your relationship taunted him in spectral defiance, proving how small of a man he was.  He still wears the rings you’d gotten him underneath his gloves, he couldn’t bear to part from them.  The nicknacks you’d given him over the years that he kept scattered around his office and bedroom stayed in the same spots because he was too scared to get rid of them.  Because getting rid of those nicknacks and the rings meant putting a real end to that chapter of his life. 

He had spent the last few months cursing you, everything you’d ever brought to his life, your memory.  Because being angry was easier than being hurt.  But still, he missed you more than anything.  Saints, he missed you so much it hurt.  No injury could ever compare to the pain in his chest that had been stabbing at him since you walked out the door.  When you’d left, you had carved out a piece of him and took it with you.  There was so much empty space in Kaz’s soul he had to put daily effort in not getting lost in it.

Kaz hadn’t seen a trace of you since you’d left.  He couldn’t decide if that was a bad or good thing.  But tonight, he couldn’t handle it.  These past few months have been unbearably painful, this hole in his heart was no longer ignorable.  He knew he probably didn’t have a chance at reconciliation.  Hell, he probably didn’t deserve a second chance with you.  But Dirtyhands didn’t give up without a fight.  So he decided to find you, talk to you, and try to convey his all-consuming regret.  And if you wanted to move on, then he’d respect that.  Because that’s the very least he could do for you.

It wasn’t hard to figure out where you were.  You didn’t cover your trails and Kaz had an excellent recon team.  But when Inej told him you were staying with some friend from university named Arthur?  The cane-wielding young man almost threw the papers off his desk.  He’s ashamed to admit it, but the jealousy that instantly bubbled in his stomach burned and churned all the unpleasantness he’d been feeling lately into a monstrous wave.  If that good-for-nothing had tried at all to swoop in and replace Kaz in your life, this “Arthur” would learn how Kaz got the name Dirtyhands.

And that’s how Kaz found himself outside of this stranger’s apartment, standing out in the wet cold, unable to bring his gloved hand up to knock on the door.  He’d chosen a time in the evening when he knew your new roommate would be absent for a while, Kaz wanted zero interruptions during whatever was about to go down.

You were torn away from your book when you heard a sharp knock at the door.  Confused, you slowly got up and went to open the door only to reveal the very last person you expected to see tonight.

You stared at Kaz for a long while before beginning coldly, “What do you want?”

Kaz internally flinched at your tone.  “I’d like to talk.”

“Do you want to talk to me or yell at me?”  You retorted, feeling petty.

Kaz screwed his lips shut to keep himself from saying anything stupid, “Talk.”  He reiterated.

You looked him over before stepping aside, wordlessly letting him in.  Kaz strode inside the apartment hastily, observing the space with a critical eye.  “So you’ve been staying with your friend, Alex?”  He purposefully asked incorrectly.

“Arthur.  And yes, he’s been incredibly kind and understanding of my situation.”  You rebuked.

“Not too kind, I’m sure.”

“You have no reason to care.”  You painfully reminded him.  Kaz didn’t say anything, knowing you were right.  Kaz stalked around the main room, pretending to take a great interest in the decor as he tried miserably to plan what to say next.  You watched him move about, scrutinizing his every move and waiting for him to speak up.  You weren’t sure why he was here, but if he wanted to apologize then it would have to be in his own words.

“I…”  Kaz started but then trailed off, unsure of what exactly to say.  The dark haired man sighed, his mind exhausted with frustration, and plopped down on the couch.  You stood unmoving from your spot in the center of the room, still watching and waiting with a raised brow.  “I came to tell you that you didn’t deserve to be yelled at the way I yelled at you.  Even on your worst days you’d never deserve to be treated the way I treated you.”

You blinked in surprise, Kaz was never an openly apologetic person and you could tell he was unfamiliar with this area of communication by the way he stumbled over his words.  You moved closer sitting in the chair opposite him.  You could tell he still had more to say so you nodded at him, silently letting him know to continue.

Kaz took a steadying breath and readjusted his grip on his cane.  “I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that, I shouldn’t have let you walk out the door.  I can’t sleep at night, all I hear are your whispers.  I can’t keep moving about my day without at least trying to repair things between us.  Even if you don’t want to return to the way we were, I needed to tell you… all of this.”

Your throat tightened and you clutched desperately onto your pant legs for some grounding.  Your mind was spinning.  You wanted to still be angry with him, you wanted to yell at him and berate him.  But here he was, the man you loved sitting in front of you, apologizing, expressing regret over his actions, and telling you he’ll respect whatever decision you make after tonight.

“You hurt me Kaz.  You know how to weaponize words and you turned your stockpile against me and we’re supposed to be allies.”

“I know, I know and I’ll hate that memory for the rest of my life.  I’m a deplorable man, but the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you, and I can’t begin to describe the discontent I’ve felt after that night.”

You looked down at your hands, no longer able to maintain eye contact with Kaz with the way he was looking so intensely at you.  “I… I don’t know where to go from here Kaz.”  You admitted honestly.

“I’m not quite sure either.  But,”  Kaz paused, trying to gauge your reaction to his next words, “we could start by moving you back into the Slat.”

Your gaze snapped back up to the brown-eyed man in front of you, heart stuttering in your chest.  “With you?”  You questioned, voice shakier than you’d intended.

“Preferably.”  Kaz confirmed.

You looked Kaz up and down, scanning his face over and over for any sign that he was just messing with you, just trying to get your hopes up before brutally smashing them down again.  But all you could find was ground-shaking sincerity.  Fear and reverence swirled in his coffee-eyes and it knocked the wind out of you.

You took a weak breath in.  Maybe you weren’t strong, but the man you’d loved for years was sitting there trying to reconcile and you weren’t going to lie and say you weren’t ready to jump at the idea.  You didn’t want to give up on the two of you.  Kaz Brekker was your everything, is your everything.  You can’t imagine your life without him in it, so yeah, you were going to try again with him.  If things didn’t work out this time, then you’d take the hint and start the process of moving on.  But you were determined to work things out, because Kaz was here telling you just the same and you’d be damned if you didn’t take this opportunity.

“It’s going to take a bit for me to readjust to us.  I want to try again Kaz, start over.  I want us to work because I believe in us, I believe in you.”  You uttered seriously and Kaz’s breath hitched at your words.  He felt hope again, for the first time in ages he felt bright shining hope and restored vigor.

“I’ll give you all the time you need and more.  I’ll give you whatever you need, all you have to do is ask.  I don’t mean to let us die without a bare-knuckle fight.  I’ll dig up the corpse of us and pull our ghost from the depths of the Underworld if that means we can get a second chance.”  Kaz fervently promised, leaning so far forward he was barely sitting on the edge of his seat anymore.  You smiled at his goreish analogy, always the dramatic Kaz Brekker even when trying to repair your relationship.

You nodded and sighed contentedly.  “I won’t let us die without a fight either– but be warned; if you ever disrespect me like that again, I’ll rip you a new one Brekker.”  You warned with a playful smirk tugging at your lips.

Kaz made a noise between a scoff and a laugh, “I fully expect you to, but I won’t be giving you a reason to ever do so.”  You grinned with satisfaction at his words, getting up from your chair and telling him to stay put as you gathered your things. 

You waited for Arthur to come back before leaving the apartment, so you could explain the situation to him.  He was more than happy for you, glad to see you in any mood other than depressed for the first time in ages.  You made Kaz stand in the hall for the interaction, as you noticed your friend growing quickly uncomfortable with Kaz’s searing glare.

Before you knew it, you were back in the Slat with the love of your life.  You seamlessly melded right back into his space and Kaz could finally breathe freely again.  Things were right, they were the way they were supposed to be now that the two of you were back together again.  Kaz had never felt such a sense of relief as he did watching you settle down for bed in your shared room.  Kaz Brekker was no man of faith, but he swore to every Saint above that he’d never take you for granted or disrespect you ever again, lest he die a painful and humiliating death.  He didn’t deserve your second chances or forgiveness, but he’d work every day to try and deserve it, to be the partner you deserved.

[er-osion]

Ice-Skate Date

pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x gn!Reader

summary: ModernAu!Nikolai Lantsov and Reader go ice skating to celebrate the holiday season.

word count:  1k

warnings:  none, fluff

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The ice rink was magical.  The ice twinkled under the warm white string lights above the outdoor arena.  The air was cold and crisp, filled with the scent of pine and hot chocolate.  The whole place was filled with jovial sounds of laughter, singing, and chatter.  There was not one unsmiling face on the whole rink.  You and Nikolai had had this ice skating date planned for the past week now, and you were looking forward to it immensely.  Between your two busy lives, ramped up with the holiday season, it was getting harder to find long periods of time you could devote to dates, so you both intended to savor this moment.

The two of you sat on a bench against the outside barrier of the rink to tie your skates.  Nikolai finished first and saw you were struggling with tying the skates properly because of your gloves.

“Want some help, darling?”  The blonde man purred, moving to kneel in front of you. 

“I suppose I wouldn’t mind the assistance.”  You retorted, smiling when he gently picked up your foot and began tying your skates for you.  When he finished, Nikolai stood tall and put his hand out for you to grab.  You clutched onto his extended hand tightly and you both waddled onto the ice.  The two of you began your first lap around the ice slowly, warming your legs up for the movement and then finding a solid rhythm. 

On the overhead speakers, “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson began playing, and you saw as Nikolai’s eyes immediately lit up like the overhead string lights upon recognition of the song.  He turned his head and smiled at you, beginning to mouth the words along with the song.  

“I found what I was looking for

A love that’s meant for me”

You laughed merrily and Nikolai swerved to be in front of you.  Nikolai took both of your hands in his and began skating backwards, effectively pulling you with him.  You began mouthing the lyrics along with him, the two of you shimmying while skating, eyes focused only on each other.  All the other skaters on the rink dropped out of existence.  You could see your own reflection in your boyfriend’s shining hazel eyes.  The smile plastered on his face was one of pure adoration and childlike wonder.  The air on the rink was so cold but you felt so pleasantly warm you hardly noticed.

“You’re going to trip and fall if you keep this up, Nik.”  You laughed when you saw the blonde man slightly stumble while turning the two of you at the curve of the rink.

“Trip and fall head over heels for you?  Sorry, milaya, it’s too late for that.”  Nikolai replied coyly, a proud smirk pulling at his pink lips.  Saints, those smirks of his really sent your heart into a craze, no matter how long you two had been together.

“You’re here where you should be

Snow is falling as the carolers sing”

“C’mere, solnyshko, you’re too far away.”  You tugged gently on his hand as encouragement for him to rejoin you at your side.

“Someone’s needy.”  Nikolai teased as he pivoted back to be next to you.

“Needy?  Oh shut up.  Wasn’t it you who almost cried when I had to leave the bed to go to work the other day?  Wasn’t it you who followed me around the apartment clutching my shirt because we’d ‘been away from each other for too long’?  Wasn’t it–”

“Okay okay, no need to expose me, point taken.”  Nikolai interrupted you, face flushed from the cold and your words.  You smirked in pride at your win.  

The two of you skated in a comfortable silence for a bit, simply relishing in each other’s presence.  You could see your breath mingling with Nikolai’s each time the two of you breathed out, dancing and mixing just like your souls.  You took your hand from his momentarily to wrap it around his bicep, tying your arms together.  Even with the thick winter coat he was wearing, you could still feel the muscles in his arms.

“Feelin’ me up?”

“Comparing you to the snowman those kids at the park built earlier. Gotta say, I was more impressed by the snowman.”  

Nikolai scoffed, putting his free hand over his heart dramatically.  “You wound me, malysh.”

“You’re all that I need

Underneath the tree”

“You getting tired at all?”  Nikolai inquired.

“No, why?”  You tilted your head, looking him over.

“I was wondering how much effort it would take to convince you to take a hot chocolate break.”  Nikolai answered playfully.

“Hmmm, intriguing offer,”  you started, acting like you were pondering the questions of the universe, “I suppose we could take a hot chocolate break, as it would be wise to intake some sustenance.”  

“An excellent conclusion indeed, whatever would I do without your brilliance?”  Nikolai’s voice dropped off into a breathy whisper at the end, leaning closer to your face, hazel eyes glinting with mischief. 

“Probably die.”  You answered for him, leaning the slightest bit closer in a challenge.

“Definitely die.”  Nikolai agreed and pressed a sweet kiss on your cheek, you could feel his smile against your skin.

The two of you skated off of the ice with matching dazzling grins on display.  You were sure there was no end to your happiness.  All you could feel was elation and fulfillment, such a bubbly feeling that you couldn’t remember a time where you’d felt any other way.  The hot chocolate was steaming so you and Nikolai had to take the smallest of sips to drink, an action which for some reason was the funniest thing in the world to the two of you.  At your little table under the canvas overhang of the outdoor ice rink, you and your boyfriend shared in unending laughs and smiles.  There was nothing that could beat the holidays spent with someone you love.  The magic of the glimmering ice rink made both of you fall in love with each other all over again, a joy nothing in the world could ever imitate. 

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Milaya – sweetheart, pretty 

Solnyshko – sunshine

Malysh – baby

[er-osion]

Nikolai Lantsov Masterlist

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Ice-Skate Date

Star-Studded Problems

✮Taylor Swift Songfics:

Enchanted

Cowboy Like Me

[er-osion]

Cruel Summer

pairing: Kaz Brekker x gn!Reader

summary: A fic based on the song Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift. Reader is a Crow and has unfortunately fallen for their boss in the summer heat spell.

word count: 2.2k

warnings: none, fluff

you can see the full taylor swift song-fic masterlist here

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You always seem to forget how unbearably hot Ketterdam can get in the summer, especially during a heat wave. Your skin is sweltering and sticking uncomfortably to your clothes. The summer sun is bright and accosting, hanging high above your head in the clear blue sky. You greatly missed the typical overcast weather and fog. The Crow Club was just a few blocks away, all you had to do was hold on until you got there, and then you could collapse at the bar and scarf down an icy drink. The mere idea of a cool beverage put a weary smile on your face and added a pep to your step.

The Club was rather full for a weekday afternoon. However, it made sense that people would be wanting to beat the heat here. Entertainment, food, drinks, and a relatively cool space, you didn’t blame the ‘pigeons’ one bit. Even though you knew he hated the heat, Kaz was always happy to see the boom in business during heat waves like this. You shook your head defiantly. This has been happening lately. Kaz, your boss, had been popping up in your head as of late, and at the most unnecessary times. Suddenly you’d become concerned with his likes, dislikes, moods, health, and so on and it was bugging you as all get-out.

It’s not that you didn’t like Kaz, quite the opposite, you liked and respected him a lot. He is, dare you say, a friend. But you didn’t think about your other friends as often as you did your cane-wielding boss, and that is the issue. You know he’s not a good guy. Though, how could anyone be a good person in this city? He’s bad. He’s honestly nearly a bad friend too. But this knowledge of the obvious has done nothing to discourage your traitorous brain from drawing up images of the man at times when you should certainly be focused on something else.

You arrived at the Club and saw Jesper sitting at the bar clearly waiting for a drink from the bartender. A half smile crept onto your face and you snuck up behind him.

“Hey, Jes.” You said calmly from your sudden place right beside him.

Jesper jumped, “Holy shit, you have got to stop doing that.” Your gunslinging best friend put his hand over his heart, taking deep breaths dramatically as he settled back into his seat.

“No idea what you’re talking about,” You shrugged, feigning innocence. “How’s it going today?”

“I think I might just melt.”

“You wouldn’t be the first.” You nodded your head in solemn agreement and ordered a drink. You took a moment to look around the club. You were searching for someone in particular but decided to pretend you were just surveying the floor. “Have you seen Brekker at all?” You questioned without even thinking and as the words left your mouth you wanted to smack yourself.

Jesper’s lips slipped into a teasing smirk as he lay his head in his hands. “I saw him earlier. He was watching the club for a bit and then went up to his office. Why? Is there some job you need to discuss with him? Or are you just looking for some unpleasant company?” Jesper’s tone was goading as he watched your face closely for a reaction.

Your brows furrowed in annoyance and you rolled your eyes. “I was only wondering because I’m not used to not hearing his nags. Usually he’d have griped about something one of us did or didn’t do right and I’m just now realizing how strange it is to not have heard that already.”

Jesper hummed, and you couldn’t tell if he was convinced or not. “Well if you’re looking to sour your already lovely mood, I’m sure you can find him in his office.”

You scoffed and motioned to the bartender for another drink, but not for you this time. “I think I’ve had my fill of Jesper Fahey for the day. I’ll go make sure the boss man hasn’t melted into a puddle with his layered wardrobe.” You got up from your stool and elected to ignore the teasing comment the gunslinger threw your way as you shuffled through the crowd and toward Kaz’s office.

You knocked on the wooden door and waited a few seconds before cracking the door slowly and entering. You were going to say something as you entered the room but the words died on your tongue when you caught sight of your boss.

Kaz was sitting at his large desk, a gift you and the other Crows had all pitched in to get him two years prior. His eyes were focused intently on the stack of papers in front of him, and you noticed how his styled hair threatened to fall apart and into his face. His jacket was hanging on the back of his leather chair. The top buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned and the sleeves of the black shirt had been rolled up past his forearms. The sunlight was streaming in through the two windows in the room, illuminating all the dust floaties that typically annoy you but at the moment seemed magical. All in all, your brain short circuited.

You stood there for several seconds, unmoving, simply staring watching Kaz in all his glory.

“Did you need something?” Kaz’s gruff voice broke you out of your stupor.

“Just came to give you this, really.” You explained carefully, walking toward him slowly and setting his drink down on the edge of the wooden desk. Kaz eyed the drink suspiciously with a raised eyebrow. “It wouldn’t exactly be good for my paycheck if you died of heat stroke.” You supplemented.

“How heroic of you.” Kaz scoffed, unimpressed and put his attention back on the papers in front of him. You rolled your eyes and looked around the room.

You grabbed one of the chairs in front of your boss’s desk and dragged it quietly to the window. He hadn’t told you to get lost, and for some reason, there wasn’t anywhere you’d rather be than Kaz’s stuffy office, right now. You sat down and pulled a book from your bag. You took one last cautious glance at Brekker before settling down into your chair and picking up your book from where you’d left off.

You spent the next several hours like this. You wouldn’t have even noticed any time had passed were it not for the movement of your light source –the sun. Somehow, this moment felt so clandestine. There was something so unnervingly domestic in the hours you’d just spent together. So unnerving that it felt as if the whole thing was some deep secret the two of you must take to your graves in order to keep your peace. You gently closed your book, as it had become a strain on your eyes to read in the dim lighting. You looked up at Kaz and saw he was getting out of his chair. Brekker unrolled his sleeves and you found yourself missing the delicious sight of his veiny forearms. Control yourself, you begged internally. Kaz slid on his jacket and purposefully put all his papers away. Then he turned to you and gave you an expectant look that had your heart hammering in your chest.

“Time to go, then?” You asked rhetorically, getting up as well and re-shouldering your bag.

In truth, Kaz had originally planned on working in his office at the club for a few more hours. In fact, he had also been planning on doing another round of surveying the floor a couple of hours ago, but had not done so. At the time, he didn’t want to leave your company and now, didn’t want you hurting your eyes trying to keep him company. Kaz picked up the empty glass on his desk to drop off at the bar on your way out. It had been his favorite summer drink. When did you figure that out? Did you even know? Either way, Dirtyhands had enjoyed the beverage far more than he should have.

You and Kaz walked together down the cobblestone road from the Club to the Slat. A comfortable silence hung between the two of you. Night had fallen so the street lights provided the only cheap illumination of the uneven pathway ahead. The temperature was still hotter than you’d ever prefer, but there was a constant cool breeze that kept you from staggering under the hot heavy air. Kaz’s cane clicked rhythmically against the ground as the two of you meandered toward the Slat.

You risked a glance at the boy beside you and felt your breath catch. It wasn’t fair. How could someone look so pretty just existing? Everyone would surely laugh you out of Kerch if they heard you thought the infamous Dirtyhands was pretty. But it’s true, in the weirdest of ways, Kaz Brekker is very pretty.

“Is there something on my face?” Kaz probed suddenly.

“Huh?” You blinked in surprise at the unanticipated interruption of the fragile silence.

“I said; Is there something on my face? You’re staring.”

You felt your face heat up in embarrassment at getting caught ogling. “Yes, I was trying to figure out what it was. It’s right here.” You lied with confidence, pointing to a random spot along your chin to show where you’d found the invisible spot on his face.

Kaz’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion and offense, but brushed his chin anyway.

“There you go.” You reassured him with a lilt.

“That book you were reading earlier…” Kaz paused, for the first time in a long time seemingly unsure about his next words, “is it good?” His voice grew quieter at the end and your lips pulled into an excited grin.

You instantly began an enthusiastic ramble about your latest book. Describing in detail the plot and your favorite and least favorite characters with rapid hand motions. Kaz originally only watched you through short glances, but quickly he took to rapt attention. You had enthralled him. The Bastard of the Barrel gazed with uncharacteristic interest as you went off about the book, mentally taking notes about all the things you spoke about with increased passion. He decided right then and there that his first errand tomorrow would be to the bookstore. He was overcome with the unusual desire to engage you in an equally eager discussion about this book he’d previously never heard of.

Kaz drank in your form and felt his heart thundering in his chest. He was growing warmer, and he subconsciously knew the weather was not to blame. Against the dark backdrop of the night and draped in the honey-color lamp light Kaz Brekker was sure you were an angel. Rolling your eyes at the stupid decisions a character you were describing had made, Kaz felt his heart roll with you.

Kaz kept you engaged by asking further questions about the book, specific enough to tell you he’d been listening attentively. Your heart soared at this demonstration and your grin widened impossibly. Words could not describe the joy this boy was giving you in this moment.

And all of the sudden, like a rock slide, your minds hit both of you with possibly the scariest and worst realization.

I love you.

The words were heavy on your tongues, too heavy to convey. Those three life changing words were not uttered, but the mutual realization was rocking. And as if your minds were truly connected, the both of you immediately blamed the dreaded summer for this unexpected awareness of your own feelings. It was this cruel summer to blame, obviously. The characteristic heat and the light of summer that was so unusual for Ketterdam that it made it easier to romanticize things. It tricked you. Lightening the quintessential gloomy mood of the Barrel and erupting feelings not fit for the reality of this city.

But at the same time, maybe it wasn’t so bad. You were putting the pieces together and finally understood the real reason behind your recently pleasant mood. Falling in love with Kaz Brekker, the Bastard of the Barrel, may not be the smartest decision, but it was a decision that evoked the most wonderful feelings. Your skin was itching and butterflies danced in your stomach but you had no desire to get rid of them. You embraced them, because they were proof of your love for the young man beside you.

Kaz now understood why so many great novels were centered around love. Dirtyhands was slowly coming to the conclusion that his recent special interest in you was not without reason. And yes, it was terrifying. Yes, it was perturbing. But if this feeling is love –and he was unfortunately sure that’s what this is– then he can’t imagine trying to get rid of it. Kaz Brekker can no longer picture a life where he does not love you, and this picture is becoming less and less frightening by the minute.

You’re washed with elation when you notice the barest ghost of a smile gracing Kaz’s carved features. How can a man not be happy in your presence?

Summer can be awful. It can be uncomfortable. It can be agonizing. But it can also be a gift. Or rather, in the Barrel, it can come bearing gifts. Like the gift of loving someone who’s been by your side for many summers prior, and hopefully will be for many summers more.

[er-osion]

Enchanted

pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x gn!Reader

summary: A fic based on the song Enchanted by Taylor Swift. Reader is a leading grisha who ends up working with the golden prince of Ravka, how mysteriously enchanting it is that something so sweet can bloom from such terrible circumstances

word count: 2.1k

warnings: none, fluff

you can see the full taylor swift song-fic masterlist here

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The war-room of the Spinning Wheel was dimly lit and terribly furnished, considering its importance. The large circular table was covered from end to end with maps of Ravka. Voices swam furiously over one another, sounds layering in a way that made your skin itch. For all its space and all the people that filled it, the room felt uncomfortably vacant and stale. Your eyes shifted from person to person, each with their own opinions on what was the best next move.

Suddenly someone cleared their voice and all the noise in the room fell. Your gaze flickered up to the origin of the sound and found yourself staring at the Prince –or King, you suppose. All attention was brought to the blonde haired man, his hazel eyes shining in the candlelight.

“It doesn’t matter how vital it is to capture Krenyoska, if we don’t have the supplies to make the journey there and back, the point is moot. I agree, that venture should remain a top priority, but if the primary goal is to get there then we first must acquire all the necessary provisions.” The Prince’s tenor rang throughout the room, bouncing off the empty walls with authority. His face looked young, his skin youthful, but his eyes held the surety of a seasoned General, and his voice carried the insistence of a King. There was a murmur of agreement across the table, but some still took up to point out errors in the King-to-be’s declaration.

“And you suppose these supplies will just fall off a tree, Your Highness? How do we get the provisions we need? If the capturing of Krenyoska is really this involved, we should just focus our attention on another city.” A First Army lieutenant pushed. You watched closely as the Prince digested the lieutenant’s response, clearly putting together a rebuttal.

“Letting Krenyoska fall into the Darkling’s hands would be a grave mistake on our part. Securing the supplies needed for a mission to Krenyoska is not as involved as you seem to think, lieutenant, it would take barely half a week.” His blonde hair bounced as he nodded his head in agreement with his own assertion. Others in the room followed suit. The Prince opened his mouth to continue and his gaze suddenly flicked to meet your’s.

You felt your spine straighten, almost like you’d been caught redhanded at something you shouldn’t be doing. All the room felt dark, the only light present poured from Nikolai and his golden eyes that held yours in a battle of chicken. It was mere seconds, but the unexpected eye contact left you strangely shaken. Then he continued with his point and the moment ended. It was so brief, so inconsequential, but your heart had picked up speed. You hoped none of the corporalki in the room were paying attention to you. You fixed your attention onto your notes, determined to shake the strange feeling that had come over you. However, your eyes quickly found his figure again. Like a magnet, they were pulled to the young Prince no matter how hard you tried to divert them elsewhere.

There was something inexplicably enchanting about Nikolai Lantsov. You swore he sparkled in the poor lighting, exuding confidence and suave.

Throughout the rest of the meeting, you and Nikolai shared wary glances at one another. Your eyes danced around each other, daring the other to look away first. The damnable Prince kept up a smirk that had you questioning whether to throw a fist or a wink. You opted for neither, only keeping up the eye contact and taking notes on the important decisions made in the meeting.

Finally, you spoke up when some of the others at the table had gotten rowdy trying to determine order of operations. “We should send two platoons to our base near Lukinshya. While they’re on the move, the soldiers at the base can prepare for a campaign through the town and one of the neighboring cities, civilly collecting the supplies we’d need for Krenyoska. Once that operation is fulfilled, and the platoons from the Spinning Wheel have returned, the preparation for Krenyoska should be nearly done. Then we can quickly mobilize to take the target city.” You fought back the nerves of presenting your idea to the council. There was something weirdly vulnerable about offering a plan to your colleagues. You maintained control of your expression, hoping to demonstrate a confidence you may not necessarily feel but know you have earned.

Thankfully, Zoya spoke up first in support. “Indeed, if we go with that plan, the two operations could follow each other in quick succession which would give the Darkling less time to bring up any counter offensives.” You suppressed a proud smile at Zoya’s words. She met your gaze and gave the smallest of approving nods, and you returned one likewise.

“Agreed. I do believe that’s the most cohesive plan that’s developed this whole meeting. Commanders, get platoons 33 and 51 ready for departure as soon as possible and send word to the base in Lukinshya. Part A should be carried out no later than two week’s time. We’ll adjourn for the night, thank you for your time everybody.” Nikolai’s voice rang out strongly, wrapping everything up neatly in a bow. The room nodded their heads and uttered pleasantries as they collected their things and filed out of the door.

Your eyes snapped to the commanding figure across from you, not expecting him to already be watching you and drinking up your reaction. There was something in his eyes that seemed to say, ‘Have we met?’. There was a curiosity shining in his eyes, but you revealed nothing, not quite sure how to answer him anyways. Instead, you gave him a half smile, bowed, and left the room.

Nikolai Lantsov’s eyes followed you as you slipped out of the room. It took him a moment to realize he’d been holding his breath. The first time you’d met his gaze in the meeting he felt his heart stutter. There was something so gravitating about you. In the gloom of the war room and its subsequent discussions, your presence washed the loneliness away and replaced it with warmth. He’d tried to let it go, blaming this odd perception on the poor lighting and glum mood. But everytime your eyes locked, Nikolai felt himself gaining more and more consciousness.

Then you spoke. And Nikolai had never known a sound so pleasant. And as he absorbed your words, so smooth and well-thought out, your allure grew tenfold. He’d wanted you to stay in the room. He wanted to say something to you but he couldn’t find any words. You were simply enchanting, in the most confusing of ways. You were so familiar yet so distant at the same time and it was sending the poor Prince into a fit of dizziness.

The next time you saw each other was in passing in the upper halls of the Spinning Wheel.

Nikolai was making quick strides to get to an office of one of the First Army commanders when he caught sight of you. You were strolling past a window, reading a file regarding the effectiveness of last month’s training regiment. The sunlight streaming through the glass blanketed your figure in magical light and the young Prince was transported back to the palace, many years prior.

He saw you in your kefta, rushing through the gilded halls, slipping between guards and servants to wherever you had to be in such haste. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen you before. Only fleetingly, but he had seen you a handful of times making your way between the Grand and Little Palaces. You never failed to look radiant in your kefta. That was the conclusion Nikolai Lanstov had drawn all those years ago, and it was the conclusion he drew now.

You felt someone watching you intently and turned around to find the perpetrator to be none other than the man that had been haunting your dreams for weeks now. A flash of surprise rippled across your face as you caught the young Lantsov watching you. You tilted your head in confusion but didn’t do anything to suggest he’d put you off.

Nikolai took a deep breath and stalked over to where you’d stopped across the hall. The blonde Prince came to a halt in front of you, much closer than required for a conversation between acquaintances, you noted.

“Congratulations, by the way.” Nikolai started with satisfaction.

“I beg your pardon, ‘congratulations’ for what, Your Highness?” Your brows knitted in confusion.

“The success of your plan. I’m pretty sure Colonel Vrontresky turned as red as those tomatoes he loves to eat when he heard of the triumphant outcome.” Nikolai explained easily, as if it were obvious why he would be congratulating you.

You shrugged, brushing off his remark but appreciating his sentiment internally. “If you’re going to congratulate anyone, it should be the soldiers who took part, but I appreciate your compliments. And for the record, I believe Colonel Vrontresky’s red-faced complexion is more thanks to his undying devotion to kvas.” You returned coolly. You watched closely from the corner of your eyes Nikolai’s reaction to your last statement. You were satisfied when his pink lips pulled slowly into a mischievous grin, hazel eyes flashing with pleasant surprise.

“I’d say be careful with such a statement, should Vrontresky hear you, but I doubt his ears reach all the way from the bar,” You coughed to cover up a snort and the Prince continued proudly, “You’ll be attending the next war-council meeting, right?’

You nodded, and turned to resume your walk with the Prince keeping pace. “Unfortunately for all present, I will.” You joked and Nikolai chuckled but shook his head in disagreement.

“I doubt Zoya or David would agree with such a statement,” or me, he wanted to add, “but surely you’ll make a show of putting a few people in their place.”

“Do you hold some grudges against your commanding officers, moi tsarevich?” You teased coly, glancing up at the Price to find all his attention on you.

“It would not be very kingly of me to admit to such immature temperaments, but I will say that, should you decide to, I would take great delight in seeing a few men stuttering in submission.” Nikolai’s words were filled with mischief and you smirked at the picture he painted.

“Well then, I guess I must shoulder this burden, as it is my duty to serve the throne.” You responded with fake solemnity. “I only hope I live through their wrath.”

“Let me assure you, should you perish on this noble quest, I will throw the grandest funeral Ravka has ever seen. A true war hero, celebrated as deserved.” Nikolai responded with equally serious assurance, but his smiling eyes gave away the rascally theme of your conversation.

The two of you continued bouncing playful banter off of each other for the entire walk to the office you’d been originally making your way to. The conversation was surprisingly easy. You’d never warmed up to a person as quickly as you did with the Golden Prince of Ravka. You wanted to blame that on his characteristic charm and appeal.

The air between the two of you was alight with magic. There was so much electricity between the two of you, you were surprised your hair wasn’t growing staticy.

When the two of you reached the doors of your destination, the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy. The banter died out and for the first time there was silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was still an unfortunate reminder that your moment together must come to an end. You straightened in front of the Prince and searched for the proper thing to say but came up with nothing. Damn him and his distractingly enticing face, which you swore was crafted by the most skilled artist. You were struck with the realization that being with the Prince was a disarmingly pleasant experience, and you suddenly hoped he knew that.

Nikolai cleared his throat and you just barely missed how he momentarily bounced on the balls of his feet. “Well, I must say, it has been enchanting to meet you. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you soon.” Nikolai smirked triumphantly and pressed your hand gently before turning and leaving you at the door. You didn’t know this, but his own destination had been in the opposite direction.

You felt your face warm and butterflies erupt in your stomach, tickling your heart. You spent that night rolling over his final words, your smile widening with each remembrance. You were certain all the world sparkled when he was around. And Nikolai was equally sure that he’d never met someone as dazzling as you.

[er-osion]

Taylor Swift Song-Fic Masterlist

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✰ Enchanted — Nikolai Lantsov x gn!Reader

✰ Invisible String — Nikolai Lantsov x gn!Reader

✰ Cowboy Like Me — Nikolai Lantsov x gn!Reader

✰ You’re Losing Me — Nikolai Lantsov x gn!Reader

✰ August — Kaz Brekker x gn!Reader

✰ My Tears Ricochet — Kaz Brekker x gn!Reader

✰ Cruel Summer — Kaz Brekker x gn!Reader

✰ Mastermind — Kaz Brekker x gn!Reader

[er-osion]

Grocery Store Shenanigans

pairing: Jason Todd x gn!Reader

summary: You and your boyfriend go grocery shopping

word count: 1.3k

warnings: one tiny bit of sexual innuendo, fluff

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“Did you remember the list?” You asked your handsome boyfriend as the two of you got out of the car.

“Of course. Did you remember the bags?” Jason replied as both of you approached the entrance to the grocery store.

“Of course.” Jason grabs a cart as you two enter the store. It’s 11 o'clock at night right now, and you and Jason are at one of the few grocery stores in Gotham that are open 24 hours a day. Because of Jason’s work as Red Hood, your routines can be abruptly upended at times but you’ve learned to adapt and overcome. You love him, so you do what you can to support and be there for him, even if that means sacrificing your sleep every once in a while.

Tonight, Jason took patrol off and you two spent the evening watching reality shows on your couch until you suddenly remembered you were out of vital breakfast and lunch ingredients for tomorrow. That’s how you and Jason ended up at the grocery store so late at night. You actually don’t mind that much, the grocery store is empty with the exception of the employees so you and Jason have the whole place to yourselves. It’s very quiet and quaint and you relish the privacy of shopping with your boyfriend.

You and Jason wandered to the produce aisle first, where you would read the list in your hand and then grab the item that was written down. Jason watched you calmly with an unreadable expression that still somehow held affection. Jason lived for these moments. The moments when life got mundane but he still got to share it with you. There was something so domestic about grocery shopping together, only doubled by the emptiness of the store that gave the two of you your own little world. You and Jason had to go grocery shopping regularly, what with your careful meal planning (and Jason’s enormous appetite) so this was an errand you both got to indulge in frequently.

“And the eggs…” You absentmindedly muttered to yourself as you picked out a carton of eggs and handed them to Jason to put them in the cart.

“Eggcelent choice, my love.” Jason quipped.

You snorted and rolled your eyes, “Leave the puns to your brother, Jaybird.”

“You’ve gotta be yolking me, Grayson’s puns don’t nearly measure up to mine.”

“If you don’t drop the sorry egg jokes you’re gonna have to scramble to find a ride home.”

Jason choked on his laugh and began pushing the cart so the two of you could continue your shopping. You made your way to the bread aisle and started filling the cart with your favorite carbs. Jason piped up again with a coy tone of voice, “Is your full name ‘food cake’? Cause you sure are an angel.”

Your head snapped toward him. You tried to conceal the smile growing on your face but your eyes, in betrayal, were full of mirth. “Are you seriously flirting with me in the bread aisle?” You asked incredulously.

“Why not? Just like you, bread is soft and delicious. I can’t think of a better place to make some moves.”

“Wow, you’re a real modern day poet.”

“Hey, if I put you in the cart with all the other loaves of bread, will you let me eat you when we get home, too?” Jason leaned forward against the cart so his figure was floating just before you, his eyebrow raised suggestively but his tone playful.

Your mouth dropped momentarily in shock. “Unbelievable. Jason Todd, you should be ashamed of yourself.” You tried to hide how flustered you were with a reprimanding tone, but you could tell by Jason’s smirk, that you’d failed.

“My question still stands.” He reminds you.

“As does your audacity, it seems.”

“Ouch. Here I am, so sweet trying to seduce you, and here you are, insulting me.” Your giant boyfriend put his hand over his heart dramatically.

“If I wanted something sweet, I’d bust into the grapes we have in the cart.”

“You have some spunk tonight.”

“TLC will do that to a lady.”

“But of course.” Jason agreed and moved the cart forward so you two could finish up your grocery store run. The two of you were walking side by side, chit chatting about nothing consequential. Jason then slipped his hand into yours and you laced your fingers together in response. His hold on your hand was firm and all encompassing, like a hug, it was unbelievably comforting. You brushed your fingers against his knuckles and from the corner of your eyes, you could see a relaxed smile grow on his face. Just being in contact with you brought a level of support and stability that let Jason relax in a way he never thought possible before meeting you.

The two of you made your rounds around the store and finally came to the check out. The tired college student at the check out greeted both of you with familiarity. You and Jason kept exchanging mischievous glances at each other, trying to hold back laughter at the checker’s obvious lethargy. After Jason paid for the groceries, you packed them back into the cart and the two of you snuck out of the building, as if you were newbie criminals robbing a store.

In the parking lot, Jason motioned with his hand to the cart with a prankish expression and you mirrored it when you processed what he was suggesting. You moved the food to one side of the cart and then Jason helped you into the cart. Both of you were full of giggles as you adjusted your seat in the cart. It was times like this, when you were especially appreciative of your boyfriend’s inhuman strength, it gave you moments to be extra childish with him. After you were comfortable, Jason reclaimed his spot at the handlebars of the cart and put flourish in getting into a ‘ready’ position.

“Okay, capitan, ready for take off?” Jason asked with faux seriousness.

You responded with equal gravitas, “All’s clear here, private.”

“Ground control has started the countdown. In 3, 2,…. and 1.” On ‘1’, Jason took off with a powerful speed. Both of you failed at holding down your laughter, the merry sound ringing throughout the empty parking lot. Jason expertly maneuvered you through the empty lot, wind blowing across your face. You gazed at Jason, your eyes full of love and admiration. It made you unbelievably happy to see Jason happy, as carefree as he could be, like right now. He deserved so much in the world, so much happiness, it made you proud that you could be a source for it. Your primary goal in life now, was to make sure the love of your life always felt at ease around you, and Jason made sure you knew that’s exactly what you did for him everyday. Jason met your gaze with equal pools of love. He’d never understand what he did to deserve you, but he’s grateful every single day that you’re in his life. You’re like oxygen. He doesn’t just want you, he needs you. Jason wants to be a constant source of happiness for you. He wants to make you laugh and smile as much as humanly possible, and if he accomplishes that by being a little childish with you, you bet your ass he’d do that everyday.

Your combined laughter and the light of your grins drowned out the sounds of traffic and sirens so customary to Gotham. There was nothing that existed outside of you, Jason, and this parking lot. Even grocery store runs were special with Jason, there was something so perfect in the domesticity you two shared. Like the expertly crafted epilogue in a romance movie, neither of you wanted this moment to end.

[er-osion]

That’s that me espresso

pairing: Dick Grayson x gn!Reader

summary: You and a handsome stranger frequent the same coffee shop every morning before work. At some point, maybe you two won’t be needing so much caffeine to perk you up.

word count: 2.4k

warnings: none, fluff

author’s note: yes, i did make a lego batman movie reference. bite me.

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The bell rings as you open the door to your favorite coffee shop. The cute little place is on a corner just two blocks from your apartment. It’s fairly busy with the morning rush, but you don’t mind the small wait, you take it as a chance to people-watch. You’ve been coming to this place pretty much everyday before work for about a year now. The whole staff knows you and your top three orders by heart, they give you little discounts and treats every once in a while, and they write sweet little messages on your cups sometimes too.

But, admittedly, your favorite part about getting your morning drink at this corner cafe is seeing another regular. The man is gorgeous. Clearly well built with dazzling blue eyes and fluffy hair that you just want to run your fingers through. He’s always displaying a charming smile even though it’s super early in the morning, and he’s always polite to the staff even on the rare occasion they mess up his order. The two of you have only ever exchanged pleasantries, but you always end up standing close to each other while waiting for your respective drinks. You’ve learned, over time, that his name is Dick Grayson. At first, you thought that it was a joke that one of the baristas was playing on him. But after the third drink he picked up belonging to Dick, you came to the conclusion it must be a nickname he goes by. You learned his last name one morning when he came in with another guy to pick up coffee and the man called him Grayson. You’re not a creep, you’ve just noticed things over time and used the information to piece things together.

Even though you know his name, you’ve never used it when saying “hi” in the morning, because you don’t want to come off as a stalker. You’re guessing he’s picked up your name by now too, but you don’t want to assume anything. You don’t want to convince yourself you’re a larger figure in his life than you really are.

However, Dick Grayson occupied more than just the first hour of your day. For some godforsaken reason, your mind always drifts to the handsome stranger during the slow hours of your work day or during the waning hours of the evening. You desperately wished to have an actual conversation with the beautiful man. You were tired of the routine “good morning”s and “have a nice day”s. You wanted to hear more of his sing-song voice. Apparently, you’d get your wish the following week. It was a random Wednesday morning and both you and Dick were waiting for your drinks when he suddenly piped up.

“Did I overhear correctly earlier; they gave you a free croissant today?” The marble-statue-of-a-man turned to you and asked you abruptly.

Caught by surprise, you blinked up at him but recovered quickly and replied, “Oh, yeah they do that for me sometimes. The girl working the register right now is one of my favorites, she’s always so sweet.”

“Yeah, she gave me a free bagel a few weeks ago and, let’s just say; if there’s ever a zombie apocalypse, she’s getting saved first.” You chuckled at his joke which earned you a big grin from the black haired man. “So, how’d you end up finding this little shop?”

“It’s a couple blocks from my apartment. I passed it on my way to work one morning and decided to check it out. Now I’m here everyday.” You explained with a shrug and then returned the question.

“The station isn’t far from here so this is where I go everyday.”

“I swear I’ve seen a coffee shop right across the street from the police station though. Why don’t you just go there?”

“It’s super crowded in the morning because that’s where everyone goes before work, so I come here —because I’ve never bean a very patient man.”

You snorted at his horrible dad joke and tried to keep a smile from growing on your face, Dick felt his chest bubble with pride at your reaction to his joke.

“I’m Richard, but everyone just calls me Dick, by the way.” The man offered with his hand extended to make a formal greeting.

You shook his hand —which was surprisingly warm and calloused— but decided to not mention the fact you already knew this, and instead made a little joke for yourself, “Well, people can be mean. But you don’t seem that bad to me.”

Dick’s eyes widened with confusion and then realization. “Oh, ha ha, I see we’ve got a class act comedian over here.”

“Well I did just come from a set at Rockefeller, so ya know…”

“That explains the constant consumption of caffeine, you gotta stay vigilant to keep the crowds chuckling.”

“Very good, detective, you’ve put all the pieces together.”

“Well I’m not the number one Blue’s Clues solver for nothing.” Dick rolled his eyes with faux annoyance and you gave a short laugh at his childish reference made even better by the police uniform he was currently wearing.

The conversation dipped, but you were desperate to keep it going since you’d finally gotten your wish, so you threw another question at him. “Does it ever get super tiring working as a cop in Blüdhaven?”

“I’m definitely thankful for coffee, let’s just say that. I will admit, fighting crime all day can wear a brother out.” Dick responded thoughtfully. He decided to leave out the “and all night” part, since you didn’t need to know he never really clocked out of crime fighting.

“Is it fun, turning on the sirens?”

“Hands down the best part of the job.”

“If I were a cop, I’d be playing those things all the time, just for fun.”

“Oh believe me, you wouldn’t be the first.” You were about to respond to Dick when one of the baristas called his name to give him his drink. Dick waltzed over to the bar and grabbed his coffee. On his way out, Dick walked past you and with a smile sweeter than sugar said, “Nice talking to you, and good luck with your next stand up routine. See ya tomorrow morning, darling.” And with that, he left you standing there feeling all fluttery.

You waited for them to finish your drink in an almost tipsy daze. You could not stop smiling and thinking about Dick. Had he seriously called you ‘darling’??! You might have just swooned. And the fact he said ‘see ya tomorrow morning’ must mean he intends to initiate another conversation, right?? Your head was spinning with hopes for a growing friendship.

Dick had walked out of the coffee shop feeling extra chipper after his little friendly banter with you, but then he remembered the fact he’d called you ‘darling’ right as he left. His cheeks instantly grew pink upon remembering and he had to stop himself from outwardly groaning. Was that too much?? Would you think he’s a creep for using a typically affectionate nickname so soon?? Dear god, had he actually just fucked up a five minute conversation?? His mind is running rampant. Of course, the first time he’s actually able to start a conversation with the cute stranger he always sees at his coffee shop he somehow finds a way to possibly fuck it up. He’s really hoping you don’t think he’s a weirdo, he just called you ‘darling’ on instinct, he hadn’t even realized what he was saying until it was half way out of his mouth it just felt so natural.

The next morning, the walk to get your tasty drink was filled with anticipation. Your feet moved with extra pep and you struggled to keep a smile off of your face. The little bell rings merrily as you walk in, and your eyes immediately find Dick standing in line a couple of people ahead of you. He turns around at the sound and you see recognition brighten his eyes before he waves joyfully at you. You wave back and take your place in line.

“How are you, this fine morning?” Dick asked suavely when the two of you had moved against a wall to wait for your drinks.

“Good good. And you?” You returned.

“Very good, now that I have such wonderful company.” You rolled your eyes to cover up butterflies his words gave you.

“Hey, yesterday evening I was watching the news’ rerun of that jewelry store robbery from the afternoon, and I could’ve sworn I saw you in the background.

Dick gave an embarrassed chuckle, “Yeah, that was probably me.”

“Can’t believe someone would rob a store like that in broad daylight, and with no masks too. What a bunch of idiots.”

“You sure seem to be knowledgeable in the fine art of robbery. I might have to take you down to the station for questioning.” Dick leaned down closer to you, as if for better observation, his voice smooth as silk.

“I swear officer, I’m a good law-abiding citizen.” You pulled your hands up as if in surrender, playing into his joke with a smirk.

“I guess we’ll see, just how good you are.” His voice had dropped an octave, and so had your stomach. He took one last look-over before returning to his natural posture. Your clever comeback died in your throat and you felt heat creep up on your face. “How was work yesterday?” He suddenly changed the subject with a much lighter, more bubbly tone of voice.

“Oh, it was fine, nothing interesting. Not like yours.” You answered honestly. You appreciated the fact he even cared enough to ask.

“Boring is good sometimes, I definitely don’t complain when I have a chill day.” He nodded his head in agreement as he spoke, his gentle blue eyes moving about the room. You missed being the recipient of their gaze.

“Yeah it was pretty chill,” Your voice dropped into a grumble, “except for the part when that bitch decided to bug me.” You crossed your arms over your chest in annoyance at just the memory of your coworker who pisses you off with a passion.

“Oh? Who’s this ‘bitch’ that gets so much of your venom?” Dick asked curiously, with a raised eyebrow. He must have super hearing.

“Just this uh coworker of mine who really pisses me off. Always finds a way to ruin a pleasant day.”

“Oh believe me, I know that one. If you need me to knock some sense into this bitch I can always take them for a drive in my car.” He assured you playfully with a light nudge.

“Oh my hero. How would I ever repay you?” You blinked up at him with doe eyes, sarcasm dripping from your words. Dick’s eyes widen for a second before his lips quirk up into a proud smirk.

You just barely hear him when he mumbles, “I could think of a few ways.” You feel your insides erupt in butterflies. You were going to say something else but a barista called Dick’s name to give him his order. You felt your heart drop at the idea that your time with him was over already. He wandered over to the counter and picked up his drink and pastry, and then to your surprise, sauntered back over to your side —closer than before, you noted. He smiled at you before extending his hand which was holding the pastry bag. You looked from the bag to him and then back to the bag, tilting your head to the side in confusion.

Dick smiled fondly and motioned for you to take the bag, “For you.” He asserted.

You blinked at him, “Seriously?” You asked incredulously. He nodded and shook the bag in front of you enticingly. You snatched the bag from his grasp and opened it up to find a cake pop. “You didn’t have to get me this.”

“I wanted to. If you really don’t want it, I’ll take it.” He responded casually, trying to cover up the fact that his heart was racing and he was desperately hoping you liked it.

“No no, I’m definitely taking it. I just don’t see the reason you’d bother getting this for me.”

“Well, I figured you deserved something as sweet as you.” Dick replied smoothly, leaning in closer to get more on eye level with you. Your breath caught in your throat. Damn him and his sexiness, it’s not fair to my poor heart. You thought quickly as you searched your mind for a comeback.

“Okay, flatterer.” You grumbled while taking the cake pop out of the bag. Dick’s grin shined brilliantly at the realization that he’d pleased you with his gift.

The barista called out your name and you rushed over to grab your drink before rushing back to Dick. The two of you then made your way to the door to head to your respective workplaces. When the two of you got out of the building, Dick suddenly stopped and started sifting through his pockets for something. You watched curiously as he pulled out a small piece of paper and a pen and began writing something on it.

When he finished, he turned to you (almost bashfully) and handed you the slip of paper. You took it and examined it, finding a number scrawled onto it in messy writing. “Here, in case you run into trouble on your way to work and need back up in blue.” He clarified, not able to meet your eyes.

You smirked at his sudden awkwardness, a big change from his previous practiced charm. You made a bit of a show of entering his number into your phone. “Thanks, I’ll be sure to bother you whenever my annoying ass coworker decides to steal my time.”

Dick smiled and laughed at your joke. “Good, I’m always happy to help such beautiful law-abiding citizens like yourself.” You chuckled at his call back. The two of you then (sadly) said your goodbyes and headed in opposite directions towards your jobs. Your heart was flying around in your chest and you felt so happy you were fighting the urge to skip the rest of your way to work. Dick couldn’t get himself to stop smiling, so much so, that his partner commented on the giant grin that was plastered on Dick’s face when he waltzed into the station. It felt like he’d just finished a workout, the way his heart was speeding rapidly in his chest. The entire walk to your work, you spent brainstorming what you should say in your first message to Dick to get a good conversation started. And the first thing you did when you got to your job was pull out your phone and shoot the beautiful blue-eyed man a text.

[er-osion]

Dick Grayson Masterlist

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That’s that me espresso

[er-osion]

DCU General Headcanons Masterlist

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Small Things They Love About You - the Batboys x reader

Valentine’s Day - the Batboys x reader