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moonifall · 8 months ago

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Hiya!! 👋🏼😄 How's it going? Your fashion taste for Zuko in a Modern AU seems to be artsy, or maybe "formal" is the word. That shirt he wore when he gave Sokka romantic song advice looked Versace🧐. Anyway, I was wondering how you came up with it, he always struck me more as the type that didn´t care much about fashion, so I'm curious about other´s opinions and heacanons about it. And do you have any other fashion headcanons for the rest of the GAang? Also, their music tastes. How did you come up with them? Especially Katara's! 😍

Hello! As it happens, I have a lot of Thoughts and Feelings™ about this, so I'm leaving these over here, and the rest of my ramblings down below the cut!

Let us begin with the Gaang, shall we?

SUKI always struck me as that Pretty Girl from the Gym. She is so incredibly fit it isn't even funny. She could kick anyone's ass, and we'd all thank her. She has this casual gym style that somehow always looks glorious on her, as it should! Comfy yet fashionable clothes for a nice workout or a day in town.

Her music tastes are basically any and all power songs from the eighties and nineties. (Eye of the Tiger, anyone?) She also enjoys metal via Toph, and bands like BSB, NSYNC, or Boyz II Men with Katara. My girl has a very eclectic Playlist and we all love her for it.

SOKKA is That Guy™. Loose T-shirts and shorts everywhere he goes, no matter the weather. He's stupidly into fashion but it doesn't show! At all! And everyone teases him about it. His closet is about 90% Cactus Juice merchandise, hence the "it's the quenchiest!" shirt.

His fashion and music tastes are pretty much the same. He loves poetry but isn't really into lyrics. He'll misinterpret just about anything you place in front of him. His Playlist is mostly vibes and tiktok songs he kind of enjoys. He isn't really into music...at least not as much as his sister.

AANG owns exactly one hoodie, one pair of shorts, and one beanie (THE beanie). Oh, and the crocs—don't forget the crocs. Somehow, he's always wearing the exact same outfit. Every. Single. Day. Ancient Gaang lore suggests that the day Aang goes out without his beanie, it's the end of the world.

His Playlist is the poppiest, most bizarre thing ever. Every single song is Happy by Pharrell Williams levels of happy. Yet sometimes, among the bouncy dance-to songs, you'll find the strangest of things... (He does know what Good Day by Twenty One Pilots is about. That's the reason he likes it so much, actually. And it's so weird.)

KATARA is all about sundresses and loose pants. The epitome of comfortable loveliness. Light fabrics in blue shades, careful embroidery, delicate shoes, and little to no accessories—hers is a simple, yet quite adorable, style. She just needs to add more colors to her usual palette...

She is, first and foremost, a Florence + The Machine girl. It's the Dark Goddess of the Sea vibes, to be honest. Florence Welch is her idol and yes, she will fight you about lyrics interpretation, and win. It may not seem like it, but her music tastes are also very varied.

She draws a little from each member of the Gaang, so you'll hear her humming along to Gorillaz (where did you even find out about them, Aang?), The Weeknd (I...don't think this song means what you think it means, Sokka...), and Hozier (Zuko why did you dedicate Talk to me, Zuko WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT).

TOPH...ah, lovely girl. I'll summarise everything about Toph’s fashion sense in two words: comfort and rebellion. Stuffy dresses forced on her by billionaire parents? No thank you! Give her tank tops with loose shirts and short pants. Bandaids shared with Aang, bracelets from Katara, and even piercings she got in tandem with Sokka. Shoes? What even is that?

Something I love about this fandom is our collective agreement that Toph is into the dirtiest, heaviest, most ear-splitting and soul-crushing death metal of all times. Her Playlist is full of the most obscure names to ever exist, and she can and will blast through your walls with the sheer volume of her speaker.

Zuko. ZUKO.

Even in a modern AU my boy must suffer. That being said, I envision Tales from the Couch as—well, exactly what it is: an ATLA modern AU. While there is not a war to fight, and a lot of plot lines are discarded or expanded upon, much about the core story remains the same.

This is my way of saying that Zuko still goes trough his redemption arc, and it reflects on his fashion choices.

The way you described it works perfectly because of one single reason: in this AU, Zuko is an artist. He had to suppress his love for writing and drawing because of his background and the expectations Ozai had for him (taking over the family company), and a very large part of his redemption arc directly affects his relationship with art.

In the Couch equivalent of S1, Zuko has fallen out of Ozai's graces, and is desperate to protect his place in the company and the Kasai household. He's pretending to be someone he isn't and trying to live up to his Father's image of a perfect heir while still being somewhat cut-off financially, and it shows.

He's all about imposing long coats and a semi-formal style, imitating what he knows Azula and Father would respect. He's striking and sharp and dark. But no matter how he dresses or carries himself (that air of cold superiority and arrogance)—it won't help him when he needs it the most.

In S2, Zuko has hit his lowest point. He's officially disinherited and tossed away by his father, and would be out in the streets if it wasn't for Uncle Iroh. He goes from sharp, high-tailored outfits to old second-hand clothes that hang loosely on his frame. He starts smoking and cuts his hair off, forgoing the undercut for the first time in years.

But then...Father accepts him back. When Zuko returns home, it's with respect to his name and a very high position in his father's company. He's finally the perfect Kasai heir, dressed in overly expensive suits and finery, even at home... But Father forbids him from wearing Lu Ten's earring, and Zuko can no longer recognize himself without the familiar glint of gold dancing on his peripheral vision.

When Zuko leaves the Kasai name behind him and goes back to living with Uncle Iroh...he's finally at peace with who he is, and what he wants in this life. The sharp edges aren't gone (they'll always be a part of him, after all), but now they're dulled by looser clothes and softer hairstyles.

He's an artist, and for once in his life, he is determined to pursue his own ambitions. Zuko's outfits may not be designer-made anymore, but he takes what he has and makes himself look like he wants to look, like the person he wants to be.

He doesn't read fashion magazines or keeps up to the latest trends like Azula does. He's just...Zuko. And his newfound confidence makes everything he wears look like it belongs on him.

As for music...well, Ursa raised a literature boy.

He loves lyric-heavy music and natural voices, be they soothing or powerful. Dissecting song meanings and possible interpretations with Katara is one of his favorite parts of the day. They're both very passionate and strong-minded individuals, so it stands to reason that their debates can get quite...heated.

Zuko's Playlist is both incredibly eclectic and somehow very...him. There's a common thread that binds together every song and artist he likes, and he's hilariously unaware of this. To take a look into his Playlist is a higher honor reserved only for those closest to him.

In the wide spectrum of things, it is no wonder that Zuko is, first and foremost, a Hozier man. But though Andrew is his God in all aspects of this life, there's someone else that has had a huge impact on him...

Two someones, actually.

Zuko refuses to tell anyone how he got into Twenty One Pilots, but it's kind of a moot point when the beginning of his obsession is nothing compared to everything that came after. They have just about the right amount of everything that makes Zuko...well, Zuko. The poetic lyrics, the soothing or raging music, the heavy, intensely resonant themes...

Up there, in the second artwork, I placed an album cover behind each period of Zuko's life. The election of these records is intentional, as I feel like their general themes work incredibly well with Zuko's arc and growth.

Blurryface in S1. For the demons within us. For giving a name to our fears and shame.

Trench in S2. For escaping the confined walls of a depression city, and fighting to understand the depths of the map of your mind.

Scaled and Icy in the first half of S3. For returning to places you had left behind. For convincing yourself and everyone around you that you're fine, that you're perfect, even though everything is crumbling inside...

Clancy in S3. For recognizing that you can backslide, that you can have fears and shame and pain—but you're shaping yourself with each step you take. For knowing that seeking help from others is okay. Nobody learns to walk on their own.

(And, in the end, you'll always be better than the person you were yesterday. If only because you're still here. You're still alive. You're still yourself.)

Overall, I rambled a bit too much, don't you think?

If you made it all the way down here—thank you so much for reaching out and being interested in this crazy AU! I hope you enjoy these ideas and tell me some of your own ❤️

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moonifall · 8 months ago

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He's never happy

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moonifall · 9 months ago

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Hii would you have any percabeth fic recs?? I'm just deprived 😭😭

Oh I have a LOT. If you’re as insane about this ship as I am, you’ve probably read all of them but I’m still going to list them down anyway. So, in no particular order:

Whiny Little Pitch by petersgwen - this fic literally made me scream multiple times. everything by this author is chef’s kiss btw. Sports au like no other + exes to lovers

Apartment 305 by waddled - a literal serotonin boost monster of a fic that i’m sure most already know about . i love percy and annabeth’s relationship here, and their characterization. It’s got college romance, olympic athlete Percy, and pipabeth bffism at its finest.

Five Times Percy Jackson Cheated at School by lammermoorian - man this one I reread a lot. I just love it so much. Academic!Percy, domestic percabeth, and just a whole lot of charm

Honesty and Promise Me by Darkmagyk, lammermoorian - never thought I would enjoy punk!annabeth until this fic. it has unexpected pregnancy but it’s so well done! fwb to lovers!

For Real This Time by captainjackson, timelesslords - anything written by this pair is a must-read, but this is one of their best! roman!percy and divorced annabeth! the premise is so interesting and the setting even more so.

Murkiest Intentions by inkncoffee - i feel like this fic shows my age, but when i tell you it’s a classic! jurassic world au (it sounds crazy but it’s so good) i’ve been rereading this since high school and it still holds up

Would it really kill you (if we kissed) by greenconverses - i mean, who hasn’t read this and all the author’s works? but it’s a classic in the fandom and it’s a classic for a reason

The Old Guard au by ananbeth, blackjacktheboss - this series is so well-written with such a solid worldbuilding you have to binge it this instant go

Love me, won’t you by ananbeth, blackjacktheboss - modern romeo and juliet with greece as a backdrop? sign me tf up

the sun stands by petersgwen- if you want pain this is it this fic is pain in fanfiction form

That crosses the white sea by husborth - another well-written masterpiece with percabeth in college

Voice on the radio by PastyPirate - another fandom classic! this one has me giggling kicking my feet everytime i reread it. soulmate au! musician!percy! and friendship bracelets!

The Heart is a Muscle by thebackupkid - I feel like this one is so underrated, but it’s so good and so interesting and distinct! it’s got magic and adventure and fantasy! the worldbuilding again is so good!

Impossible Year by bananannabeth - another pain in fiction form. but this time it has a breakup trope, which destroys me so much I always need years before i want to reread this again. but it’s a masterpiece and you should experience it at least once in your life!!

Game, Set, Match by ananbeth, blackjacktheboss - if there’s a classic percabeth sports au, it’s this. and it has fwb too and it’s just too iconic

Stucco Hearts by ananbeth, writergirl8 - another fandom classic, but this time it’s a soulmate au! this is so so interesting and one of my favorite soulmate aus ever. the worldbuilding is so interesting. another case of it’s a classic for a reason!

Puck It by bipercabeth, jasonmclean - hockey au + friends w benefits. again, another fandom classic. unfortunately i think this was discontinued by the authors but it’s still too good not to read!

Broken glass, no reflection by ananbeth, flyingcrowbar - another (potentially) discontinued fic that I still think about now. it’s a pacific rim au and it’s so. goddamn. good. read it now !!

kiss me once cause you know i had a good night by herecomesthepun - this one is pure comedic fluff and if you need a serotonin boost you have to read it. workplace romance with a twist !

slow motion double vision in a rose blush by herecomesthepun - ooh this one is a high school fwb secret relationship au with a punk percy and a student council president annabeth so basically it’s a classic

and they were roommates by bipercabeth - friends to lovers + college percabeth like no other. another fandom classic

Never Shall We Die by captainjackson, timelesslords - this pirate au series is INSANE it’s crazy good the worldbuilding is amazing it makes me feral actually

Wreck my plan, that’s my man by seaweedbraens - everything by this author is so good they’re a fandom icon but this one in particular i think about daily (tho it’s ongoing)

How to Seduce an Earl by sinfulindulgence - this is hella spicy but it’s also so addicting? i blame bridgerton (this author does so much stuff w this vibe that u should check out too! i liked Revenge of the Duchess as well)

Night at the Museum by lammermoorian - it’s so niche and crazy and camp but also angsty and fluffy and you need to read it right this second ! i LOVE this one

faster than a hairpin trigger by medeaa - this one is the quintessential percabeth fwb college au TO ME. unfortunately it’s (potentially) discontinued, but it’s still one of my favorites.

watch me fall at your feet by maydayparade8123 - this is a really well-written friends to lovers fic that realt explored how confusing it is to fall in love with your best friend like,, it’s a classic but also it’s so real !! this author is a fandom icon but i think they deleted / orphaned their accounts on ff.net and ao3

spellbound by writergirl8 - this is the percabeth hogwarts au. i dont make the rules.

home is where i want to be (but i guess i’m already there) by percivaljackson - fake dating + holidays! this is so well-written!

‘tis the damn season by captainjackson - regency au at its finest!!

This is way too long already lmao i dont have the time to list down everything (i have 700+ percabeth fanfics downloaded on my ibooks app 😭) but these are the ones that i can recall at this time !! Happy reading!

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moonifall · 9 months ago

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Chapters: 1/3 Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar) Characters: Katara (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Aang (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar) Additional Tags: Inspired by Music, Fluff and Angst, Ba Sing Se, ATLA Book 2 AU Summary:

Katara was just a girl from some small Southern Water Tribe town living in a lonely Ba Sing Se world. When she took an altogether very late train ride back home from the palace after a day of meetings, she ran into a very interesting big city boy - born and raised somewhere far away.

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moonifall · 1 year ago

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midnight | rolling the dice part 3

fandom: six of crows / kaz brekker x inej ghafa

word count: 2,844

rating: g

cw: nada. just feeeeeels.

summary: jesper has some thoughts^TM about kaz's behaviour and wylan's taking things into his own hands. (inej pov).

<- part one / part two / part four ->

the canals are cold and deep and sluggish as inej winds her way through the streets of ketterdam. the bitter surrender in kaz’s eyes hounds her steps and his words echo dully in her ears.

inej has never thought of kaz as a coward. he is, in many ways, the bravest man she’s ever known. brave and good, thoroughly decent despite his best attempts to hide that fact. but tonight he’d surrendered to his demons, taken the path of least resistance, a path well trod. it made her want to scream.

she’s never tried to heal him—that she can’t do. inej wants to fight for him, for them but after tonight…

the house on geldstraat is a shadow carved out of the smokey, ketterdam sky and inej approaches it on cat-silent feet. she resists the temptation to climb to the second floor and pick the lock to the spare bedroom she knows wylan keeps available for her.

instead, she heads around back and retrieves the spare key from under a plant pot over-spilling with out-of-season pansies. the lock clicks open quietly and inej ducks inside, her face pricking with the warmth from the smouldering kitchen hearth.

besides the smells she has come to associate with the van eck house, inej picks up on the smell of something sweet and fresh baked—her stomach letting out a low grumble in response. in the darkness, she makes out what looks like a plate of cakes resting on the counter. she shouldn’t.

the route from the kitchen to her room is familiar enough she could do it with her eyes closed. in all likelihood she’s tracking crumbs all the way up but she can’t find it in herself to care. wylan probably wouldn’t and jesper definitely wouldn’t. her trail of crumbs is confirmed when inej hears something snuffling at her heels. ambroos, the golden-retriever-shaped bundle of joy jesper and wylan adopted as an ostensible guard dog, licks the hardwood floors wetly, content with the bare illusion of sustenance this provides.

the promise of chasing her disappointment with a stomach full of almond cakes almost makes her feel better. petting ambroos behind the ears as he lets out a huff bordering on a bark definitely makes her feel better. when she crouches down to his level, he licks her face with an enthusiasm that makes her smile.

“i missed you too.” scratching under his chin earns her another kiss. then, tapping him on the nose, she says, “stay.”

her room is as she remembers it. lushly appointed and spacious, with a view onto the back garden and the boathouse where they’d said goodbye to matthias. tears sting her eyes and inej swallows around the old ache that rises at the back of her throat.

talking to kaz has left her feeling raw, exposed. she knows she needs to sleep and eat something. that what she needs is to stop pinning her hopes on him but after days spent at his side waiting for him to wake up, her disappointment sits heavy in her stomach—a familiar weight. it threatens to keep her awake.

inej is surprised therefore, when she finds herself blinking up into a cold, blue morning. it is a sign of her fatigue that she slept so quickly, so soundly. hours spent worrying over kaz tired her out, she supposes.

waking comes with the smell of breakfast, a typically lavish affair in the van eck house.

inej can still remember the days when jesper began his day with only a dangerously sweet, black coffee—propelled well into the afternoon on that and his hyperactivity. when she’d last docked in ketterdam, he’d developed a fondness for pancakes but his whims are fleeting so she doesn’t know what to expect as she makes her way downstairs.

of course they don’t hear her approach. still, wylan doesn’t seem surprised when she steps into the dining room, hair pulled into a loose braid and bed robe swishing around her ankles. ambroos beats either of her friends to a greeting. with a delighted bark he bounds across the room and almost knocks her over when he rises on his hind legs to rest his paws on her thigh.

“good morning, ambroos.” she gives the pup a tired smile and pats him on the head.

“i knew i heard him moving about last night!” wylan is already halfway across the room before jesper even looks up from the waffle he’s devouring.

“wraith!” jesper wraps her in a long-limbed hug after wylan successfully steers her toward the food. “why didn’t you say you were leaving the hospital?” hesitating, he gives her a shrewd look. “what did kaz do?”

that he knows she left because of kaz without having to ask makes inej’s heart ache. jesper has always watched her back when it comes to the walking scowl they call a friend, something she is eternally grateful for. before she can answer him though she slumps into a chair and begins loading her plate with waffles.

wylan, frowning at jesper, says, “but last time we saw him he was still unconscious. did he wake up, inej? is he alright?”

“he’s fine,” she answers, eyes downcast. watching syrup pour out of the bottle in a translucent spill seems easier than looking to see the expression on either of their faces so that’s what she does. “he woke up last night.”

“what did he say?” jesper’s watching her closely she knows, she can almost feel his attention.

“did he say anything?” wylan amends for him.

“he—” she cuts herself off and takes a bite of her waffle. sweetness and soft, doughy goodness explodes on her tongue. the pleasure of it is lost to her, not enough to override the bitter taste of disappointment. “you know how he is.”

that’s apparently enough. jesper is now halfway out of his seat, waffle forgotten. on her other side, wylan pulls out a chair and rests a hand on her shoulder. its tentative, his comfort, but when she leans into it with a shuddering breath he grasps her more firmly.

looking into his eyes, those brilliant baby blues, inej can see all the growing up he’s done over the last few years. this is no longer the boy she travelled to fjerda with.

wylan’s mouth is pinched and his expression sympathetic. jesper, on the other hand, looks furious.

“he’s such a bastard. inej, you shouldn’t believe a word he said,” jesper fumes. he makes for the door. “i’ll see you guys later. clearly, i have somewhere to be.”

“jesper,” wylan protests. “he almost died!”

“i don’t care!” jesper snaps, rounding on him. “this is inej we’re talking about. there has to come a point when he grows up!”

inej drops her fork to rub the heel of her palm into her forehead. there’s a low, pinching ache throbbing between her eyes and the more they bicker the worse it gets. plus, she hasn’t been able to dislodge the ache that took up residence in her throat last night—swallowing around it feels like swallowing despair. it won’t go anywhere.

“please,” she whispers, so low jesper misses it but wylan is right there, his thumb still working back and forth over her shoulder.

apparently it’s alright that she doesn’t know what she’s asking for because wylan says, “we’re staying right here, inej. we’re not going anywhere.”

she doesn’t look up to see but inej knows he’s throwing jesper a glare. as if in confirmation, jesper groans and walks back toward the table.

“the next time i see kaz brekker…” he doesn’t finish the sentence and she’s grateful, she doesn’t want to think about the two of them fighting.

“the next time we see kaz, we’ll talk to him. he’s just scared,” wylan removes his hand from her shoulder. “you know that, we’ve always known that. inej, he—”

wylan cutting himself off with an intake of breath catches her attention and inej peers at him. there’s something about the way he’s watching her, that worried little divot between his brows, that makes her chest constrict.

“what? what is it?”

“merchling, don’t say whatever it was you were going to say.” jesper’s tone only raises more questions.

the two of them exchange a glance inej doesn’t know how to interpret, meaning slipping between the two of them she can’t untangle—not now, after months spent at sea and days at kaz’s bedside.

“okay, you know what we’re going to do?” wylan claps his hands together and smiles at inej. “we’re going to finish these waffles and get dressed and then we’re going for a walk. there’s something i want to show you.”

“if you mean what i think—”

“—i mean—something inej needs to see.” wylan’s voice is firm, his mind clearly made up.

jesper mutters something under his breath and shakes his head. despite his apparent doubt, however, he rises from the table and presses a kiss into his boyfriend’s copper curls.

“you’re pretty soft for a demolitions guy, you know that?”

“don’t act like that isn’t why you love me,” wylan responds primly.

jesper gives inej a bemused smile, “he’s not wrong.”

against all odds, seeing the two of them together soothes inej’s frayed edges, her splintered nerves and she manages to finish breakfast. the orange juice is fresh and the waffles warm. she tries to focus on that and not on the stab of disappointment she feels every time she thinks about kaz and last night.

when ambroos has eaten the last crumb from the table, they return to their respective rooms and begin getting dressed for the day. inej doesn’t know what it is wylan wants to show her or why jesper seemed hesitant but getting out of the house is probably a good idea. days cooped up in kaz’s hospital room soured her mood.

the promise of fresh air, of spending time with jesper and wylan, doesn’t stop her from thinking about leaving. standing in front of the mirror in her room, inej considers just returning to her ship and vanishing.

fingers pulling through her hair and fixing her braid, she decides she owes it to herself to stay a while—see what happens. besides, she gave specht command of the ship when her shore leave was extended so she could help the dregs, and she knows he’ll take care of things until she’s ready to return.

ambroos tugs at his leash and sniffs at every tree as they wind their way through ketterdam’s streets. letting herself be half dragged, inej can’t help but smile at the way his whole body shakes with the force of his wagging tail. his boundless excitement is too infectious to deny and it carries her through the city.

behind her wylan and jesper walk hand in hand. occasionally, wylan calls to her to point out some new building or restaurant or club. once he lays his hand on jesper’s chest and rises on tiptoes to kiss his cheek—for what, she doesn’t know. the sight makes her ache.

finally, they round a corner into west stave. it’s been years since inej visited this part of the barrel. nothing ever brings her back here and besides, she avoids it and the ghosts she has yet to exorcise.

everything looks the same. in this riot of colour, she always felt a shadow. more so today than she might have on another day.

why did wylan bring her here?

cold fingers walk up her spine as they approach the part of the district she hates most. inej almost turns back, she feels herself seize up and freeze. there is so much still unresolved about what had been done to her here.

then she feels a warm hand on her shoulder. jesper.

his eyes are soft, encouraging. “you’re okay. we’re right here.”

gentle fingers take ambroos’ leash from her and when she turns, wylan is at her side looking ahead. inej follows his gaze.

there, between the house of snow and some new establishment she doesn’t recognise, is a gap, a vacant space. cleared of rubble, the gap is so conspicuous, so impossibly empty inej walks up to it dazed. she blinks at it for several moments.

no one else seems to notice this gaping hole, this chasm where the menagerie used to be. tourists and locals wander by, unphased.

“where—? what…” inej feels that if she stares at this gap long enough, the house of exotics will resolve itself, return to fill this plot of land she has hated—and feared, really—for as long as she can remember.

it doesn’t.

“wylan, what’s going on? what happened to the club?”

it’s only when jesper catches her around the waist that inej realises she’s shaking, her knees almost giving out entirely.

“kaz wanted to tell you himself but seeing as he ruined his chance…” wylan chews on his lip and glances between her and the rift in front of them. “four months ago, he bought the club and had it demolished. this plot has stood empty ever since.”

“why? why would he—?” inej sucks in a harsh breath, hands fluttering to cover her face. it suddenly feels like she has too much and not enough air, the city is crowding in on her and this space where the menagerie should be is grinning at her like the open mouth of a skull. batting jesper away she holds herself. “i don’t understand.”

“he won’t tell us what he plans to do with the land,” jesper shrugs, only fully letting her go when he’s sure she won’t collapse. “but you know kaz, he always has a plan.”

inej looks up at the sky and down at the floor and then back at that space. her heart is suddenly too full, she can feel her lip tremble and she doesn’t have the will power to stop it. this is the scene of her worst nightmares, the place a hundred hundred men took from her what they had no right to take, where some fundamental part of her was torn and sundered and broken only to be put back together and broken again and now…

there is no reconciling this, the kaz brekker who did this, with the man she saw last night. inej’s image of kaz splits and shimmers and dances across her vision, irreconcilable, incomprehensible. she wants so badly for him to be the man she knows he can be, the man he has shown her time and again he is. she could scream. she might, if she weren’t standing in the middle of west stave—surrounded by tourists.

“jesper,” she whispers. “why won’t he just—”

inej can’t finish the question. she’s not sure what it would have been, what she’s asking jesper, what she’s asking kaz.

“i don’t know, inej.” jesper shakes his head. “he—”

before he can finish the thought, ambroos begins pulling on his leash and barking into the crowd. his excitement distracts the three of them as wylan struggles to restrain all 65 pounds of gold-furred joy.

“ambroos, down boy!” wylan’s attempts at calming him have little to no effect.

suddenly, he gives out a yip of joy and pulls forward with even more enthusiasm, tongue lolling out of his mouth.

when the source of his reaction steps out of the crowd, limping deeply, inej feels her heart skip.

kaz looks awful—a shadow in west stave. the bruise under his eye is stark in the daylight and his clothes aren’t as put together as usual and all inej can think is he shouldn’t be out. it’s not safe. he’s not well. she’s not ready.

without hesitation, jesper steps slightly in front of her, angling himself so he can watch her and kaz but kaz doesn’t approach them—not immediately. a few feet away, he stops and lets ambroos lick his fingers. with one word, he gets the dog to sit, tail swishing over the cobbles.

“kaz, i—we didn’t know you’d be here. should you be out?” wylan stumbles over his surprise.

the boy in his suit of scars only raises an eyebrow at wylan. who would have stopped me?

his gaze slides to jesper, still standing in front of inej, and she watches as his expression tightens. there is unresolved tension between these two too, she thinks.

at that moment, though, inej reaches out and tugs on jesper’s sleeve. shaking her head at him and smoothing her palm down his forearm, she steps around her friend.

meeting the bastard of the barrel’s coffee-black eyes, inej raises her chin. “kaz.”

“inej.” despite his rock-salt rasp, the word is soft, impossibly so. “can—can we talk?”

she thinks she hears wylan hold his breath. “i don’t know, kaz. are you actually going to talk? or just make excuses? let me do all the talking? shut me out?”

“i want to talk,” he blinks and steps toward her. “there is so much i want to tell you.”

“then, talk.”

A/N: alriiiiiight, there you go!! it's a longer one, which i hope makes up for the wait. one more part to go. we're getting there! thank you to all you lovelies who've been sharing and commenting on this lil fic.

also s/o to @anonniemousefics for giving wesper a “guard dog”, which was, quite frankly, a GALAXY BRAIN move. i’ve borrowed ambroos for this fic and am hereby acknowledging her genius.

tags: @anonniemousefics @gedankenvoll @haajjr @fandoms-princess @simplifiedemotions @kanejfics @annejulianneh111 @wearebabygroot @noriverwide @just2bubbly

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