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heliads · 4 months

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'homesick, but not for home' - kaz brekker

Based on this request: "y/n finally gets to visit their home country after years away in ketterdam with the crows. a sweet little slice of life with kaz finally getting to be kaz rietveld"

masterlist

merry christmas everyone! my present to you is kaz

Receiving a summons from Kaz Brekker usually means one of two things: either you are about to be murdered, or he is going to ask you to do something before he murders you. Usually, that task involves the distribution of funds from your ledgers to his. However, as one of the bare few who has the privilege of making it to his inner circle, you would wager that there’s a third possible outcome from hearing from him: he still wants you to do something, but you’ll be killing someone else.

Nonetheless, judging by the expression of the courier who tells you that Kaz is expecting you in his office, even being spared an imminent death doesn’t mean that this meeting will go pleasantly. Dirtyhands has a reputation around here, one just as dark and choking as those black gloves he so loves to wear. No one here knows Kaz as anything more than a shadow of a man, a killer, a convict. To learn that he wishes to speak to you is akin to hearing that Death itself is knocking on your door.

You, however, just smile and turn your feet towards the stairs leading to Kaz’s office instead. The Slat, home of the Dregs, is a rickety ramshackle of a building. Kaz has been doing his part to fix it up as he can, but the floorboards are still masterfully creaky and the oil lamps flicker ominously from their resting places beside each looming door. The stairwell is worst of all, a towering, beckoning talon that delivers you to your fate at the very top.

Sometimes, you swear Kaz put his office on the top floor just because it would give his victims more time to contemplate their quickly approaching demise when they had to climb all the way up. Other days, you just assume that he was sick of the noise and wanted to find a place where nobody would bother him unless absolutely necessary. Knowing Kaz, both rationales are probably sound.

You knock once on the door to his office and, upon hearing your name called to come in, twist the doorknob and let yourself inside. Gathered in a loose semicircle on the few available pieces of furniture as well as leaning against the wall are Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Matthias, and Nina. Kaz sits, as usual, ramrod straight in a chair behind his desk, and gestures for you to take the final open seat.

“Looks like everyone’s here,” you note. “Should I be worried about missing anything?”

“Not in the slightest,” Jesper chirps. “Only that Kaz has been saving that chair for you this whole time. He keeps glaring at us whenever we so much as look towards it.”

Jesper looks as if he’d like to gossip about this a little more, but Wylan digs a sharp elbow into his side, causing the other boy to complain heartily.

You just grin, sliding into your seat. “Good. I deserve luxury. I was never made to sit on the ground.”

Kaz coughs pointedly to disguise what you’re sure is a smile. “Now that we’re all in attendance, we can get started. I’ve heard news of a prospective business deal happening off the coast of the Southern Colonies. Expensive materials are being exchanged. Jewelry, artwork, the like. It’s all being conducted by Kerch merchers, but they took everything offshore to avoid the chance of getting caught. If we swoop in the night before and take all their bargaining tools, we’ll be richer and they’ll have to cave to our demands.”

“Of course, our demands,” Nina says, nodding. “What are we demanding, again?”

Inej smiles. “For them to stop breathing down our backs, for one thing. Also, they keep trying to cut into business. They needed this deal for an alliance between some of the wealthier merchers, but if each party thinks the other stole their riches before the swap, they’ll be so busy with infighting that they won’t bother us for some time.”

Kaz inclines his head gravely. “Precisely.”

Inej taps her fingers silently against her leg. “My question is when we’re going to stage the attack. We can attempt to hijack the ships before they leave the harbor, but I have no doubt that they’ll be crawling with stadwatch.”

“That’s why we’ll be sailing along with them,” Kaz clarifies. “The heist won’t happen until we’re on the shores of the Southern Colonies. That way, they’ll have let down their guard.”

Immediately, everyone reacts. Leaving the Barrel is an invitation for everything to go wrong. If rival gangs like the Dime Lions or the Razorgulls find out that Kaz’s inner circle isn’t in town, they’ll hasten to loot the place or kill your foot soldiers before anyone gets back.

“We have to leave the country?” Inej asks doubtfully. “That’s a tremendous risk.”

Kaz’s expression doesn’t shift a second, but you can still sense him tensing somehow, all too aware of the extra burden on his staff to maintain decorum and avoid attracting threats from his many enemies. “Think of it as a vacation. You’ll be able to get out of the city and go somewhere nice. Maybe even get some seaside air.”

Jesper snorts. “Kaz, your idea of a vacation is locking the door of your office and not running your numbers for five minutes. I didn’t think seaside air existed in your vocabulary except as a potential source of weakness.”

Kaz frowns. “Of course seaside air exists in my vocabulary. How else would I know to say it?”

Jesper rolls his eyes and looks as if he’d like to counter that with an equally terrible argument, but you cut him off. “I’d like to go,” you say suddenly.

All eyes turn to you. “Why?” Wylan asks.

A faint smile plays upon your lips. It’s easier to look at the ground than face all of their inquisitive stares, so you do just that. “I’m from the Southern Colonies. Used to be, at least. I’d always planned on going back at some point, but never got the chance until now.”

Truth be told, you were assuming that you would never get that chance. Your parents moved your whole family down to Ketterdam when you were about ten years old, drawn by the call of a quick profit. They were able to eke out a few tentative years, but the city swallowed them like it does everyone else. It’s just you now, you and the Crows and the dream that at one point, you might be able to revisit the place you once called home.

Even connecting ‘home’ and the Southern Colonies in the same sentence seems like something out of a dream. You’ve lived in Kerch for so long now that you can hardly imagine being anywhere else. The Crows are your family, the Barrel your home. It’s a strange life, certainly, but it’s yours.

Kaz’s face closes down. “I’ll go with you. Inej, you and the rest will maintain the Crow Club and its affiliates until we return. I don’t want to risk all of us on one endeavor.”

Matthias arches a brow. “You are willing to brave the risk of splitting up, though?”

Kaz turns a bemused expression his way. “Are you worried about me, drüskelle? And here I thought we’d never see eye to eye.”

Matthias snorts. “Don’t go that far, demjin.”

“I won’t if you won’t,” Kaz muses. “The plan is set, then. We’ll have three weeks to plan, and then Y/N and I will set off.”

He allows the rest of the Crows to leave, but gestures for you to stay. You pull your chair closer to his desk, sensing that the discussion will shift into more details of the mission at hand.

Once the last of your friends have gone, Kaz turns his gaze to you. His eyes seem to stare straight through your skull, and you get the strange feeling that he could read every thought created inside your mind if he just bothered to listen a little closer.

“You said you were born in the Southern Colonies. I need to be certain that there will be no distractions for a job like this. Can you swear to me that you’ll be focused?” He asks you.

“It won’t be an issue,” you assure him. “I’ll see the countryside and then move on. Honest.”

“Well, I should hope you won’t be completely honest,” Kaz murmurs, the corners of his lips pricking up into a slight shade of a smile. “We are still robbing people, of course.”

“Of course,” you laugh. His eyes jerk up when you do, his gaze hungry for the sight of it.

And– see, this is where you start to get into trouble. You are a criminal, a member of a gang. Every day is a fight. You know that survival is the thing that matters most in the Barrel, survival and how much money you can make off of delaying your last breath. You need to have single-minded focus totally centered around how you are going to make it through each day, but instead, your brain has started drifting to unreasonable topics like the precise shade of Kaz’s eyes or all the techniques he uses to hide his smiles.

It won’t serve you well, this feeling like a slow burn in your chest. Kaz would be the very first to tell you that weakness will only get you killed. People are a weakness. Is Kaz, though? Sometimes, in vague moments in between the times when reality comes firmly back to ground you, you can almost imagine that he might feel the same way. Would he really entertain this idea if he didn’t feel something for you? Would he leave the Barrel to go all the way to the Southern Colonies with you if he could easily send Jesper or someone else?

In the end, all you can ever do is push the thoughts from your mind. The scheming and planning period has got to be your least favorite part of a heist, but unfortunately, it’s also the segment that takes the longest. Every detail has to be perfect or all involved will be caught in the act.

Eventually, though, you find yourself shipping out on a fine sea morning, headed towards the country that hasn’t been yours since you were a child. You and Kaz are pretending to be business partners, which is true enough. His cabin is next to yours. You’re fairly sure he already knows the identity of every other traveler on the ship, just in case.

Standing on the deck and watching Ketterdam retreat into a nameless speck on the dark, vast ocean, you can’t help but wonder what the Southern Colonies will bring your way. Your heart is surprisingly light in your chest at the thought of it. You have dim recollections of the rolling hills and drifting tides, although even these memories have grown hazy with time. You can’t wait to see it again.

By contrast, Kaz, standing by your side, seems far less thrilled about the whole idea. His black gloves are clenched tightly around the railing, his grip hardening whenever the ship tilts too much. You glance around to make sure no other travelers are within earshot, then ask him with a questioning glance, “Why would you make this trip if you don’t like the ocean?”

Kaz shoots you a wary look. “I’m perfectly fine with it.”

You scoff. “Nonsense. You look as if you’d like nothing more than to drain the entire True Sea and simply walk to the Southern Colonies on foot. You could have sent Inej or Jesper in your place, you know. Why’d you want to go?”

“I have to make sure the job goes smoothly,” Kaz informs you. “Business is best handled by myself.”

You arch a brow. “Lovely. Good to know that you’ll never let something pesky like sea travel stand between you and your ambitions.”

Kaz snorts. “I should hope you’d already know that. And to answer your unspoken question, you’re here too because it’s foolish to take international jobs without someone at your back just in case of trouble. I trust you to not let homesickness for the Southern Colonies get in the way. I would advise you to stick to that.”

You smile. “Goodness, Kaz, you trust me? No wonder you didn’t want anyone else with us, if the rest knew you were shelling out compliments this easily they would have teased you for years.”

In the corners of your peripheral vision, you swear you can see a matching smile slide onto Kaz’s lips, but it’s gone the second you turn to look at him. “Precisely my thinking.”

The journey takes shorter than expected, or maybe that’s just your restless thinking. In no time at all, your ship is docking at a port of the Southern Colonies, and you’re turning in a slow circle on the coast, taking in every single sight you can.

“Careful,” Kaz tells you, “You don’t want to come across as too strong of a pigeon. We don’t want to attract any new friends who anticipate stealing something off of us.”

He’s smiling, though, and you swear there’s something a little lighter in his expression than you usually see. Maybe it really is the sea air getting to him, or maybe the fact that he’s out of Ketterdam’s grimy clutches lets Kaz relax even a fraction.

Regardless, you’re happy for it. “Ridiculous,” you say, laughing slightly. “Not all the world is like the Barrel, you know. We don’t do that sort of thing in the Southern Colonies.”

“We?” Kaz asks doubtfully. “Three steps you’ve taken off the ship and you’re already a proper citizen again, are you?”

You just grin. “What, are you jealous? Scared I’ll leave the Barrel?”

He doesn’t answer, but quickly changes the topic towards finding accommodations for the night and planning out an intelligence trip near the location where the jewels are being held. Even walking through the portside town and crossing the streets feels like magic, in a way. You lived not far from here, and everything from the curve of the avenues to the bright sun in the sky feels like coming home.

As it turns out, you and Kaz aren’t the only ones affected by the easy way of life in the Colonies. The two merchers you’ve been tracking are discussing business in broad daylight, obviously not anticipating anyone to have followed them. The job will be easy, and the few days you gave yourselves for extra planning are largely useless since no more details are relevant.

Instead, you take it upon yourself to explore the surrounding countryside. You tell Kaz that he doesn’t have to accompany you every time, of course, he can stay back in the portside town if he pleases, but he still goes with you. It’s funny, the more time you spend away from the city, the more you watch the burdens slowly lift from his shoulders, the light return to his eyes.

One time, while walking through a wooded path, Kaz tells you it’s because this reminds him of his home, as well. He grew up on a farm, once, under a different last name and in a different life. He’ll never have that time of his life back again, nor, you think privately, will you have yours, but it’s still lovely to wander around here and pretend that you could.

The job goes off without a hitch. Soon enough, you find yourselves sitting pleased with jewels and artwork hidden away in your luggage, all items recovered without their owners batting so much as an eye. You’ll leave early in the morning before they can notice you. You feel a pang in your heart at the thought of leaving already, but you hadn’t realized you weren’t the only one thinking about it until Kaz visits your room at the inn late that final night.

You had known it was him at your door from the moment you heard his crisp knock against the wooden paneling. No one else moves or lives like Kaz, with so much precision. When you let him in, though, he looks more wild than you’ve ever seen him. His hair, for once, has lost its impeccable style and gone wild and unkempt. His shirt is wrinkled and rolled up to the elbows. It would still be a good look on him were it not for the fact that you’ve never seen him so little put together in the entire time you’ve known him.

Kaz doesn’t say a word until he is certain that the door is shut and bolted behind him. Then, all of a sudden, the words burst out of his throat, so beseeching that you have to wonder how in Ghezen’s name he managed to keep them from you for so long. “Don’t stay here,” he says. “Come back with me.”

You frown. “Who said I was staying? We’ve both got tickets on the ship departing next morning, Kaz.”

He waves a hand frustratedly to signal his disbelief in this statement. “Tickets don’t mean a thing. I need you to say it.”

“I did,” you frown. “Where else would I go?”

“Here,” Kaz says heatedly. “I’ve seen the way you look at the buildings, this place. You want to say here. Don’t you do it, Y/N.”

You shake your head softly. “I love it here, yes, but it’s not my home anymore than Ravka across the sea. I’m going back to the Barrel, Kaz.”

“With me,” he says uncertainly.

“With you,” you confirm. “Goodness, Kaz, did you really think I would stay? How could I do such a thing?”

“It’s very easy for people to leave,” he tells you. There’s a heaviness in his eyes that reminds you of brothers that have been buried, of farms that have long been sold to undeserving families that were not his.

“Not me,” you whisper. “Not if it was you I was leaving.”

His eyes, which have been sweeping your figure this entire time, looking for some twitch of a finger or jump of a pulse to betray you for lying, leap up to yours again. “Okay,” he says at last. “Okay.”

He leans back slightly, wavering on his heels. “I– I’ll go back to my room, then.”

Kaz doesn’t look as if he much savors the idea, and you decide to spare him from his thoughts, just in case. “You can stay here, you know.”

A soft breath is released. “That would– I could do that.”

He does. And, as your candles burn closer to the quick, as the night settles over this city, you cannot help but be glad for the time when you’ll find yourself in a different one. It has been nice to be here, but you would like to go home. And, most importantly of all, you are glad that Kaz will be there with you.

grishaverse tags: @rogueanschel, @deadreaderssociety, @cameronsails, @mxltifxnd0m, @story-scribbler, @retvenkos, @mayfieldss, @eclliipsed, @gods-fools-heroes, @bl606dy, @auggie2000, @baju69, @crazyhearttragedy, @aoi-targaryen, @budugu

all tags list: @wordsarelife

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lesbicosmos · 1 year

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six of crows is so incredibly hozier coded and to prove it ive assigned each character/couple a song and given a specific section of the lyrics

(i feel entirely normal about this i swear)

the books in general are 100% eat your young

There's money to be made, whatever's still to come Get some Pull up the ladder when the flood comes Throw enough rope until the legs have swung Seven new ways that you can eat your young Come and get some Skinning the children for a war drum Putting food on the table selling bombs and guns It's quicker and easier to eat your young

kaz brekker - arsonist's lullabye

When I was 16, my senses fooled me Thought gasoline was on my clothes I knew that something would always rule me I knew the scent was mine alone All you have is your fire And the place you need to reach Don't you ever tame your demons But always keep 'em on a leash

inej ghafa - would that i

With the war of the fire My heart moves to its feet Like the ashes of ash I saw eyes in the heat Feel it soft and as pure as snow Fell in love with the fire long ago With each love I could lose I was never the same Watch it still live in roofs Be consumed by the flame I was fixed on your hand of gold Lay in waste of my lovin' long ago

jesper fahey - someone new

There's an art to life's distractions To somehow escape the burning weight, the art of scraping through Some like to imagine The dark caress of someone else, I guess any thrill will do Would things be easier if there was a right way? Honey, there is no right way

wylan van eck - through me (the flood)

Any time I've struggled on Against the course Out on my own Every time I'd burn through the world, I'd see That the world, it burns through me

nina zenik - angel of small death and the codeine scene

Feeling more human and hooked on her flesh, I Lay my heart down with the rest at her feet Fresh from the fields, all fetor and fertile It's bloody and raw, but I swear it is sweet With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene

(this is so nina post-parem)

matthias helvar - foreigner's god

Her eyes look sharp and steady Into the empty parts of me But still my heart is heavy With the hate of some other man's beliefs

kaz/inej - work song

When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her

(this is just so i would come for you and if i couldn't walk i'd crawl to you i cannot)

matthias/nina - in a week

A thousand teeth And yours among them, I know Our hungers appeased Our heartbeats becoming slow We lay here for years or for hours Thrown here or found To freeze or to thaw So long we become the flowers Two corpses we were

(they're also incredibly work song coded, it was a struggle choosing between helnik and kanej for that one)

wylan/jesper - like real people do

So I will not ask you Why you were creeping In some sad way I already know I will not ask you where you came from I will not ask and neither should you Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips We should just kiss like real people do

#i know i say most things are hozier coded but THIS BOOK AND THESE CHARACTERS OMG #i spent an hour making this post #im so normal about them #six of crows #six of crows duology #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #kanej #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #wesper #nina zenik #matthias helvar #helnik #hozier #music

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violets-and-books · 8 months

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The Crows watching Horror Films

Kaz:

Loves horror movies

Is basically the perfect horror film watcher

Watches intently

Never jumps at the jump-scares, the most you'll get out of him is a startled 'oh'

Always guesses who the mystery killer is

Always guesses it correctly

Loves slasher films

Inej:

Not a big fan of most horror films

Likes the final girl trope

Prefers sci-fi horror to anything else

Will rant about the pseudo-sadist, purity-obsessed horror films and why they can be better to anyone who'll listen

Won't go out of her way to watch a horror but will make an effort if A) Kaz wants to or B) It's made by a diverse minority of some kind

Jesper:

Hates horror films

Watches them because Kaz and Wylan like them

Loves watching them with Wylan because it gives him an excuse to cuddle up to his boyfriend

"are you scared?" "no" (literally shaking in his seat)

Is that one guy who screams at the screen like a goat

"I wish Milo was here, I wish Milo was here, I WISH MILO WAS HERE, I WISH MILOOOOOOOO-"

"ThAt'S nOt WhErE bLoOd Is MeAnT tO bEeEeEEEEEEE-"

"Wy, hold me, I'm scared" "The film hasn't even started yet-"

Jumps at every jump scare. Every. Single. One.

Wylan:

Likes horror films, especially ghost ones

Finds them cathartic

Has long conversations about themes and analysing horror with Inej and Matthias

Has seen all the classics

Likes gothic horror films

Is the only one who'll put up with Jesper's antics

Can't watch slashers - too violent

If he gets scared, he'll cover his ears and scream in short bursts until he isn't scared anymore

Matthias:

Is that one guy who'll analyse the film while watching it

Points out how scientifically incorrect all the kills are

Has very specific catagories for what counts as a horror film

Loves cult films, especially the Wicker Man

Can't watch haunting films, hates them so, so much

Nina:

Doesn't like horror films

Makes fun of Jesper for being so scared but then screams just as loud as him

Yells and swears at the characters for being so stupid

Ended up practically glued to Matthias' lap, if she didn't start out that way

"NO ONE would be that stupid to actually do [X]"

Quotes Scream at every given opportunity

(whenever someone on screen has sex) "Ooooooooh, you gonna diiiiie"

Kuwei:

Laughs at the jumpscares

Not even like a nervous laugh, plain out, hilarious laughter

Knows everything about how the films were made

Loves horror, possibly even more than Kaz

"Jes, are you scared? You can hold my hand if you want"

Has to sit a safe distance away from Wylan at all times to avoid being murdered

Explains how they did that stunt on screen as the stunt is happening (but will shut up if asked nicely)

Really likes body horror

#six of crows #six of crows hc #six of crows headcanons #soc #soc hc #wylan van eck #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #nina zenik #matthias helvar #jesper fahey #kuwei yul bo #horror films #wesper #helnik

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she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 10 months

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More little details that you might have missed/forgotten about in Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom

(Part 4, I think)

1) When Bahjan said that if she didn’t eat anything he would have to force-feed her, Inej’s immediate reaction was to reply that if he tried then she’d but his fingers off and honestly I just love that so much what a damn icon

2) It also took Inej all of five minutes to become suspicious that Bajhan and Alys were having an affair, and there are several instances later in the book that heavily imply her to be correct

3) When Jesper was a kid and first realised that he could pull colour from objects, his first instinct was to bleach a massive swear word across his father’s jurda field; this will never fail to amuse me

4) In the first chapter of Six of Crows, Leigh has Joost wish that Anya’s eyes were blue instead of brown because they would be easier to compliment, then spent the rest of two novels having Kaz and Inej internally describe and compliment each other’s brown eyes over and over again - it gets me every time

5) When Colm first arrives in Ketterdam and Jesper is terrified to tell him the truth of what’s going on, Wylan panics and makes up a lie about being duped out of their money. He also immediately takes the blame, claiming that he suggested to Jesper that they took a deal that turned out to be false. Not only is this linking to the point the books like to bring across about the best lies being close to the truth by referencing the deal with Van Eck going south, but it’s also a heartbreaking nod to Wylan’s trauma when he internally explains his reasoning for doing it; that he couldn’t bare the idea of Colm’s stress and confusion turning to anger that he would take out on Jesper. We as the reader know Colm to be a wonderful man and a far cry from Van Eck, and although Wylan quickly learns this in that exact moment it’s a dark nod to the paralysing fear he had of his own father because of the abuse he suffered, and the terror that every parent is like that and he has to put himself in the way to protect Jesper.

#sorry I’ve been kinda mia for a bit #gonna try to get through my inbox soon #love y’all darlings #grishaverse #leigh bardugo #six of crows #crooked kingdom #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #nina zenik #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #kanej #wesper #kanej my beloved #wesper my beloved

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secretlovezz · 7 months

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omg can you elaborate more on the reader making kaz nervous?? like, she loves to tease and he gets so flustred but he secretly loves it?? tyy

I am so sorry this took for-fucking-ever and that it's so short I've been struggling to write 😭, but yes, of course, here's some more of the reader making Kaz nervous 🫶

Kaz Brekker knew he was a strong man. It took a lot to crack the barriers of someone like him and he was proud to say only a handful of people have ever gotten past the facade of his furrowed brows and down turned lips.

When he first met you he was shocked by your very public advancements towards him. You made him feel a certain way and he couldn't understand why. You weren't frightened of him and it was almost like you couldn't take him seriously; it thoroughly aggravated him.

He loathed the way you made him feel with your incessant teasing. It had a way of pulling on his heartstrings so tightly that it made him ache with a need he'd never felt before. Your ceaseless stare made him wriggle and twist in his seat with an almost delightful uneasiness; it made him clench the head of his cane so hard you swear you could hear the crackling of wood splintering.

Sometimes, you'd make a point of being dramatic about it just to piss him off. You'd lean your cheek against the palm of your hand and sigh dreamily as you stared into his bewitchingly darkened eyes. You'd sensually move your hand up his cane fingertips gently grazing over his gloved ones leaning in close behind him, so close to his ear he can feel your breath fan his face, can almost feel the cracked pink skin of your lips on the pale-ness of his skin whispering sweet nothings to him just so you could watch him shutter and let out a shaky breath.

He loathes everything about the way you act with him.

At least that's what he says out loud seemingly to convince himself because no matter the number of sighs that fall from his lips filled to the brim with faux annoyance, complaining on top of brazen remarks, and fiery glares you know deep down he finds everything you do enthralling.

You know thanks to the way he very obviously takes a deep breath as you sway and smirk your way past him -moving in a way that could distract any man if they were to even glance in your direction- savoring the way he can smell your perfume. The way he stares when you giggle in response to his dead-faced witty comebacks when in an irritating conversation with Jesper; that sound shakes him to his core every time he gets the pleasure of hearing it. You can see it in his face when he feels like his lungs give out and collapse from inside of him when you teasingly let out the most beautiful noise he's ever heard, the softest of moans while you stretch your arms above your head. Running his hand through his dark hair and clearing his suddenly congested throat in response.

One of your favorite times to tease him was when going over plans and strategies with everybody. You wanted everyone to lay their eyes on the cracking facade that was Kaz Brekker. The urge to get his heart racing so fast and hard Nina could hear it. You wanted him to twitch and shift so Inej and Jesper could quirk their brows in confusion at his sudden discomfort. Wylan and Mattias tilting their heads at him. It made you smile, the effect you had on him, the way others noticed.

You'd even started taking extra things when on a heist (the others had noticed this too). Picking up amazingly shiny little jewels, ruby-encrusted rings, golden necklaces, anything you with your crow-like nature could pick up for the man you wanted. When said things ended up in a bag on the boss's desk (usually with little notes alongside them) he knew they were from you and you knew his cheeks heated at the gesture without even having to look at him open the gifts.

He swears your smile is the biggest he's ever seen when he wears what you get him. Maybe it was just the thought that he was wearing something that you had given to him or maybe you liked to see him wear things that were yours because it made you feel like he was yours. Yours in a way he's never belonged to anyone. (He liked to think he was yours too once he had some time alone not that he would ever admit to that). Kaz wanting you is why he gave hints as to how much he liked the way you treated him. Sure he said rude things every once in a while but the smirks -becoming more like real smiles- made the passive-aggressive comments worth it. The glances at your lips then quick scoff in disbelief when you spoke in your usual persiflage manner made you stop to bite your lip at his flushed ears the tips red as cherries.

Kaz Brekker had known he was a strong man but you knew you had made him weak in every possible way a girl could.

#kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x you #kaz brekker x y/n #kaz brekker #sorry if this isn't exactly what you wanted I was just trying to get some more kaz stuff posted 😭#I'll write more of reader teasing kaz eventually I promise lol

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lady-ashfade · 11 months

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Can you too a six of crows x male reader who is always clumsy and shy but yet they love to tease him about it (it can be a female reader if you want )

But he’s just so cute.

Poly!Six of crows x Male!Clumsy!Reader

Of course I’m doing it, it so freakin cute to think about. Because as a very clumsy person myself, I think we’re fun. Also you didn’t tell me if you wanted romantic or not, so I just did what I felt was right.

Warnings: Reader being a bit of a air-head, small cuts and wounds, short, slight teasing.

You had a funny way of always walking into a room, either it was hitting your hand on the door frame, or tripping somehow. The crows were all over you, maybe just watching and cooing at how clumsy you are.

The first time they really noticed this was when you walked into your own room door, the handle didn’t work right. You couldn’t open it in the first try, and you didn’t even think about it as you tried to walk in but got face full of wood. But when they finally noticed you weren’t going to stop doing it, they fixed the damn thing. Because even if it was adorable, they didn’t like the bruising beginning to form on your forehead or nose.

“Sweetheart,” Nina batted her eyelids at you and stopped you by placing a hand in front of your chest, “There’s a hole in the floor.” She pointed down. A big hole in between the wood planks would sure injure someones leg. She watched your shy smile and look of shame, “Thank you.” Your pout and shyness had her freaking out. Nina just grabbed ahold of your arm and pulled you back and out of the old shop, nothing caught her eyes.

Lets just say you had bruised and small cuts all over yourself. The crows always had a eye on you. You could trip down the stairs again, almost giving them a heart attack when you first did it.

“Ten bucks says he walks into the table.” Jesper jokes and the group glares at him. “Don’t joke like that.” Wylan hit his chest and glared softly at him. “He already did that twice today, he can’t possibly do-” Matthias began to speak until he saw you bump into the table again. Jesper laughed as he called it.

“I swear I’m going to wrap him up with pillows.” Kaz groans and he stands up to make his way over to you. Inej just shakes her head, maybe she was was slightly amused but this was always happening.

Inej eyed you as you talked to kaz with a shy smile and tell him the story, him slightly already teasing you about it. “How he can always be a dangerous to himself at every moment is truly a wonder,” she looked at them and a smirk grew, “But he’s just so cute.”

They always cover the table or corners of everything if you bend down, knowing you’ll most likely hit your previous head. They also carry around bandages and band-aids for you. Anything they can have to prepare they have it. But kisses to each wound you have is a must. Cuddles even for the tiniest scratches.

Wylan doesn’t allow you near his things. Because you accidentally knocked over important vials, or you made a tiny explosion once and he had to pull you into the ground to protect you. “I love you, but this” he smiled while onto of you, not angry at all “This can’t happen again.” And he kissed you on the nose.

But they all tease you any chance they get, like it’s frustrating honestly. “My clumsy boy.” Jesper would say as he helps you down the stairs. Or when Inej would take away anything sharp away from you, “Let me handle these.” And she never let you touch her knives. Kaz wouldn’t let you on mission, but he would let you plan them with him. Because you were pretty smart at those things. Kaz will hold onto your waist when you’re about to fall, he would smirk at you just as acted.

Overall I think they would tease you a lot, even about things that happen months before. But you’re their clumsy man, and they will always love that about you.

#six of crows #six of crows x reader #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x male reader #Inej ghafa x reader #Inej ghafa #nina zenik #nina zenik x reader #matthias helvar x reader #Matthias helvar #jesper fahey #jesper fahey x reader #wylan van eck x reader #wylan van eck #poly six of crows #poly!six of crows x reader #kaz brekker

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sky-neverending · 10 months

Text

Wylan looked over at Jesper, bottom lip jutted out as he pleaded with him. “Please, Jes? Just for ten minutes, and then we can get back together.”

Jesper raised an eyebrow. “Let me get this straight. You want me to pretend to break up with you so you can belt Taylor Swift in the shower?”

“Yes,” responded Wylan. Jesper sighed.

“Fine. Just let me get into character. If i’m doing this, I'm going all the way.” He took a deep breath, channeling some buried rage from deep inside his chest, and then he turned towards Wylan. “I can’t believe you! We’re over!” he shouted, and Wylan smiled before turning his grin into a frown.

“What do you mean?” he asked, breath shaky. “Are you really breaking up with me?”

Jesper took a deep breath. “Yes. Now go. I don’t want to see you anymore.” He turned away, listening as Wylan stormed off toward the bathroom.

Satisfied with his work, Jesper walked downstairs, humming to himself. He settled onto the couch and waited one, two, three seconds before the water above him turned on and the speaker started blasting. Wylans melodic voice drifted down, the lyrics filling the room.

“Jesper! What the hell did you do to Wylan?” A voice yelled from the hall, and he turned as Nina stormed into the room. “I swear to the Saints if you broke his heart-”

“Nina! Relax.” Jesper said, kicking his feet up on the table in front of him. “He asked me to break up with him so he could sing the song.”

Nina stood there for a moment, thinking. “Huh. Smart.” she said finally, falling down next to him. “We should do that, Matthias.”

From the hall, Matthias huffed. “I do not get why you cannot just sing it without all the dramatics.” he said as he walked in. “What is the point of breaking up?”

“Oh, Matty.” Jesper patted the empty spot next to him, the one not taken by Nina. “It has to be authentic. You can’t just simply sing it. It has to feel real.”

“I do not understand you people.” Matthias grumbled, sitting on the couch. “Do we just wait until he’s done?”

Nodding, Jesper smiled. “Man. I can’t wait until he’s my boyfriend again. His voice is so pretty.”

A thin figure dressed in all black slid through the window opposite the couch. “Why is Wylan singing All Too Well?” Inej asked, lowering her hood. “Did Jesper fake break up with him?”

“He’s wasting water.” said another voice, this time from one of the many doors that led out of the room. “Tell him to get a more efficient place to wallow.”

“You don’t even pay for this place, Kaz.” Jesper rolled his eyes. “He does. And he is free to spend his asshole fathers money for anything he likes.” He turned back toward Inej. “And yes. That is exactly what happened. It’s so cute, don’t you think?”

Matthias laughed. “I think you are both crazy.” he remarked, and Nina chucked a pillow at him.

“Let them live out their teen angst, Matthias!”

Suddenly, the shower stopped, and the final notes of the song came to a close. Everyone fell silent.

“What happens now?” Inej asked.

Jesper shrugged. “We get back together I guess.” he responded, turning his eyes to the stairs.

It took about a minute for Wylan to come trudging down them, hair wet and dressed in an oversized shirt and sweatpants. “Jes?” he called quietly, peeking his head into the room.

“Hello, Wylan.” Jesper responded, trying and failing to act serious. He could barely contain the smile on his face.

Wylan blushed a deep crimson. “Jesper Fahey. I’d like to get back together, please.” he stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jesper grinned so wide his cheeks hurt, rushing toward Wylan as quick as his feet could carry him. He picked him up in a large hug, holding his cold and wet body close. “Of course, Merchling. I love you.”

Wylan smiled into his chest. “I love you too, Jesper. I never want to be apart from you again. Not even for ten minutes.”

From behind them, Kaz spoke. “Idiots,” he muttered. But Jesper could tell he was smiling too.

#this is so dumb #six of crows #shadow and bone netflix #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #wesper #helnik #matthias helvar #nina zenik #the crows #six of crows fanfic #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #my sillies #my goofy ass babies #wylan is a swiftie #taylor swift

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serpentthecrow · 2 years

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Sleepy time with the crows

the crows(separately) x reader🖤

Summary: just some fluffy headcannons with our favourite gangsters

Warnings : big fluff, cursing, plushies

A/n: wrote this instead of a Jesper confession fic that got deleted. I also included the plushies each of them have, so enjoy!

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

Kaz:

One might assume there will not be much to say, it's not true however

If Kaz finds u trustworthy enough to even sleep in the same room with you, consider urself lucky af

Kaz doesn't really sleep much, just for a couple hours, it's assumably another trick of his, how he wakes up

When he ACTUALLY needs sleep, he drinks Camomile tea

I picture Kaz's bedside table is actually a stack of books, and there are several more stacks on the other side of the bed, so he reads quite often

He's genuinely scared to fall asleep due to his nightmares sometimes

After getting comfortable with you, he will slowly inch by inch move your beds closed to eachother everyday, until you notice

Whispers 'fuck u ' to the moon when it shines in his window

Just lays flat on his back and sleeps (how?)

Secretly has a crow plushie he got from Jesper under his bed

Jesper

The biggest cuddle bear ever

He will wrap you up with his arms and legs like a rope, and will not let go even under the use of a fucking crowbar

It's his routine to kiss his revolvers good-night before going to bed

Not before checking himself out in the mirror to look good and ready for a night intruder

REFUSES to buy a bit bigger bed, no matter if your savings could buy a bed that even majesty King Nikolai.*million titles*.. could hardly afford

The secret meaning is that Jes doesn't want you escaping from him to the other side of the big mattress

He'd rather fall off the little cot you have

Forgets to take off his rings

HAS a goat plushie

Inej

Inej is pretty straightforward- lay down, sleep if you can

challenge: try not to stab urself in the eye by the knife she has under her pillow while turning in ur sleep

Could use some protective cuddles if she trusts u

Prays before going to sleep

Bed time= heaven time. Main reason?she lets her hair down when going to sleep

Be prepared to do some careful and slow comforting for her at 1am

U will get urself stabbed if Ur not careful

Light sleeper, can be out like a light tho, after a whole day of climbing roofs

Fuzzy socks.

Has a teddy bear

Nina

U won't fall asleep with her. I swear

Is the type of person to talk and talk and talk about random things for hours

And when u think she's already asleep, ur suddenly hear "I would never kiss a dude who eats dogs"

Eats a ton of food before bed

*cough*like me*cough*

Loves bedtime stories and singing lullabies in Ravkan- recieving or giving, doesn't matter to her

Back tracing

Has an assortment of plushies all around her side of the bed and if one is missing, she will start a war

Sleeps on her stomach

Or on u

Sleeps naked by choice

Cuddly little witch

Matthias

Wrapped around u for 'protective' reasons

Tells u stories, myths and traditional legends from Fierda

Also prays to Djel, even tho he wipes his hands after finishing and exclaims he doesn't have to really

Drinks weird amount of water

Sometimes lays in bed with shoes on - sinner

Never saw a book in his life

Normal duvets? What is that? Did I hear fur?

Wake him up. I dare you. Try it.

Extra vulnerable before bed

Don't make him sad at the time pls

LOVES when it rains at night (I think they all love that, except ONE)

Owns a tiny white wolf plushie, it's under his pillow if u wanna know.

Wylan

Certified cutie

The adorable matching pijama sets he wears

Will probably draw.

No need to say he won't read before bed

The little spoon

Warm milk with honey melted in it is his to go drink for bed(try it, knocks u out)

The bed hair(not so different from his normal hair lol)

Has a dinamite plushie he sleeps with all the time

Is the one who doesn't like when it rains, because what If the rain turns into a thunderstorm?

ABSOLUTELY HATES THUNDERSTORMS

They scare the shit outta him

The sleepy mumbles... Help

whispers good night back and forth with u until one of u fall asleep

fluffy and smol bean

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

A/n: Ahh turned out better then I first thought. Lemme know what u think! If you'd like to requests something, my requests are open, please read my pinned post before requesting, there you'll find rules but also the fandoms I write for ❤️❤️

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saigeplant · 11 months

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Being Kanej's daughter head canons

I know people have different opinions about whether or not Kaz and Inej would ever get so far as to have biological kids so I'm going to leave it up to you whether the reader is adopted or not.

CW: Kaz and Inej trauma mentioned in passing very briefly no description, swearing,

-Both Kaz and Inej were really scared to have kids because what if they mess it up? What if they pass on their respective traumas? Maybe they just aren't cut out to be parents.

-But then they hold this little baby in their arms for the first time and it's like holy shit? Kaz isn't really an emotional guy but he's just filled with this overwhelming desire to protect this little human because it's so fucking cute and he wants to give them the childhood he never had. Inej just wants to hold you forever and never let go.

-They're obviously very busy people but they take time off their responsibilities for you and kinda just chill for a bit never wanting to miss a moment.

-You're a very happy baby

-Your first word is crow. Kaz is secretly thrilled, Inej is a little disappointed but ma comes soon after quickly followed by da.

-One day when the crow club is closed Kaz is cleaning up with a two year old you on his hip, Wylan and Jesper are sitting at the bar and Kaz starts cooing and smiling at you and Jesper asks, "You know we could tell everybody about this and ruin your reputation?" Wylan follows it up with, "Why are you doing this in front of us?", And Kaz says with a straight face "Because no one will ever believe you"

-Inej teaches you how to wield a knife by age five

-Speaking of Inej she also teaches you how to slip into the shadows and be absolutely silent

-You have a running bet to see how can sneak up on Kaz.

-Neither of you have been successful

-By the time you're thirteen you start begging your parents to join the crows it does not work.

-But when you turn fourteen you play a lookout on a mission.

-By the time you turn sixteen you are a full member of the crows.

-Neither of your parents are very happy about this but they know you're capable of taking care of yourself.

-Speaking of that if anyone touches you or looks at you they will face a fate much worse then death

-When you start dating your partner faces hours of interrogation not only to figure out if they're trustworthy but also in your parent's opinion "If they aren't willing to sit through hours of your parents yelling at them they aren't the one"

-But you do find someone who had such a slow burn romance with you they didn't even realize you liked each other until they were full on shipping the two of you and you were both hardcore pining.

-This is my first post and if you'd like to hear about this particular OC tell me

Anyway I doubt anyone will read this but if you do and you enjoy it like, reblog, comment whatever.

I've been waiting to see this for so long but have been to scared to request anything but if anyone has any other ideas for this feel free to add because I kinda hate this and if you could tag me that would be great.

-Saige

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ghostly-schematics · 11 months

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Six of Crows characters as incorrect quotes (part 1)

Kaz, standing with their back turned: I’ve been expecting you, Inej.

Inej: How did you do that without turning around?

Kaz: ... To be perfectly honest, the first couple of people I did that to were not you.

Inej: In light of what you did for me, you can hug me for four to five seconds.

Nina: FORTY FIVE SECONDS?!?

Inej: No! Four to five seconds!

Nina: Too late!!!

Wylan: How do I deal with my enemies?

Kaz: Kill them

Wylan: That's a bit extreme, I was hoping for a more passive solution

Kaz: Kill them only a little?

Jesper, trying to cheer the group up: Things could be worse, you know!

Wylan: How?

Jesper: How what?

Wylan: How could they be worse?

Jesper: They couldn’t, I lied.

Wylan:

Matthias: Stop buying plastic skeletons for Halloween! It's terrible for the environment!

Nina: Yeah! Locally sourced, all natural skeletons are much more environmentally friendly!

Jesper: Oh just so you know, it's very muggy outside

Wylan:

Wylan: Jesper, I swear, if I step outside and all of our mugs are on the front lawn...

Jesper: *Sips coffee from bowl*

Jesper: WHY. why did you give Wylan a KNIFE?!

Inej: I’m sorry. He said he felt unsafe.

Jesper: Now I feel unsafe!

Inej: I’m sorry.

Inej: ... would you like a knife?

Jesper: Who thinks I can fit 15 marshmallows in my mouth?

Matthias: You’re a hazard to society

Nina: And a coward. DO TWENTY.

Nina: Dandelions symbolize everything I want to be in life

Kaz: Fluffy and dead with a gust of wind?

Nina: Unapologetic. Hard to kill. Feral, filled with sunlight, bright, beautiful in a way that the conventional and controlling hate but cannot ever fully destroy. Stubborn. Happy. Bastardous. Friends with bees. Highly disapproving of lawns. Full of wishes that will be carried far after I die.

Wylan: edible

(pre soc)

Jesper: I’m kind of crushing on someone, but I’m worried about telling you who it is, because you’re not going to like it

Inej: Just rip the bandage off.

Jesper: It’s Kaz.

Inej: Put the bandage back on.

Part two

#six of crows #grishaverse #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #kaz brekker #nina zenik #inej ghafa #matthias helvar #wesper #helnik #kanej #grishaverse incorrect quotes #six of crows incorrect quotes #my posts #the worst of scar

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lilisouless · 8 months

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nina: aren't we the most romantic couple ever?

jesper: ehem...after me and Wylan of course

Matthias: you?! you two are the very least romantic couple i know, you can't never just give each other a kiss, you always have to blow a rasperry on each other until it stops being cute and becomes a competition and someone bites. You can never hold hands, you always end up thumb wrestling , speaking of which; everytime you try to cuddle wylan ends up recieving noogies...

Jesper: what about...?

Wylan: nope, i swear a lot

Jesper: right , also in our anniversary we had a fight with the...

Matthias: and! once i saw you cuddle while asleep and i thought "okay, they do look cute here" until you both started to mumble "pigheaded" "weasel" and arguing with each other in your sleep!

Jesper: well, that means we dream about each other! isn't that romantic?

Wylan: no Jes

#netflix shadow and bone #six of crows #leigh bardugo #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #matthias helvar #nina zenik #grishaverse #crooked kingdom #wesper

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kezzzx · 3 months

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Wesper drabble #4

The thing about Merchant Council balls is that they are unavoidably, heartbreakingly dull. Quite apart from the fact that he’s forced to interact with members of the council, their wives, and other high-ranking families from upper class Kerch society, the worst thing about these balls is that he and Jesper have to stay a respectable distance away from each other.

They may be engaged, but that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable for them to be alone together, unchaperoned, let alone do something as outlandish as hold hands or kiss.

Tonight, that is proving a particular struggle.

Wylan is only a man, after all. A man entirely and wholly distracted by how good his fiancé looks dressed in his finest suit, crushed velvet in a deep forest green. He swallows the last mouthful of his drink, placing the empty glass on a nearby table, and marches across the room, interrupting Jesper’s conversation with someone’s wife - Wylan doesn’t know who - and taking him by the hand.

“Excuse us a moment.”

He leads Jesper out of the lavish parlour and down the corridor towards the back of the house. Glancing around and finding no one there, he steps into Jesper’s space, crowding him up against the wall, and drags him down into a searing kiss.

“You are so unfairly fucking hot,” Wylan groans against Jesper’s mouth.

Jesper’s voice is low and rough when he speaks between kisses. “Me? Have you seen yourself? I’ve been dying to get my hands on you all night.”

“It’s driving me insane, seeing you in that suit…” Wylan says breathlessly, nipping at Jesper’s bottom lip and sucking it into his mouth.

“Saints,” Jesper breathes, and then he’s turning them round, shoving Wylan up against the wall and hiking one of his legs up around his waist to press their crotches together.

There’s a soft thunk as Wylan’s head falls back against the wall, and Jesper buries his face in Wylan’s neck, teeth grazing over his pulse point. There aren’t enough words to describe how Jesper makes him feel at the best of times, and certainly not now, pressed up against a wall in another merchant’s house, the height of debauchery.

The sound of someone clearing their throat has them leaping apart.

Wylan looks up, relieved to find himself faced with Karl and Mikhail, his only friends on the council, and not one of the older members.

Mikhail’s face splits into a wide grin. “Tsk, tsk, Wylan. Caught in a dark corner with your fiancé? No chaperone in sight? What will the council think?”

Wylan rolls his eyes at him. It’s something he’s heard far too many times before. Bad enough that Jesper is from the Barrel, worse still that they already live together and aren’t formally courting. He knows that Mikhail is only teasing though.

“You’re lucky it was just us and not Schenk or one of the others,” Karl says. “You should get back before they notice you’re missing.”

“Right,” Wylan agrees, glancing sideways at Jesper and instantly regretting it at the sight of his swollen and bitten-red lips.

The four of them head back to the parlour, whereupon Jesper gives him a wink and quickly disappears into the crowd of people once more, leaving Wylan with Karl and Mikhail at the edge of the room.

He quickly snags a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, eyes tracking Jesper across the room.

“Wylan?”

Wylan realises with a start that he’s being spoken to. He reluctantly drags his eyes away from his fiancé’s frantically obscenely tight trousers. “Hm?”

“You really were just checking Jesper out, weren’t you?” Karl says with a laugh. “You’re hopeless.”

“Have you seen his trousers? I swear he gets them tailored one size too small on purpose…”

At the sight of his friends’ matching raised eyebrows, Wylan takes a quick gulp of his champagne, cheeks pink.

“We’re engaged, I’m allowed to find him attractive,” he says, a little defensively.

Karl snorts. “Careful there, it’s only 8 bells. Far too early for you two to be sneaking off home.”

“I have to know though,” Mikhail says conspiratorially, leaning in closer. “Is he really as good as the rumours say?”

Wylan almost chokes on his next sip of champagne when he catches Mikhail’s meaning. “Ghezen help me.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“We’re really doing this? We’re gossiping about my sex life at a merchant ball?”

Mikhail shrugs. “The way I see it, we spared you the embarrassment of being caught by someone else. And your sex life is significantly more active than either of ours currently.”

Casting his eyes briefly skywards, a silent prayer for strength to a saint he’s never believed in, Wylan takes a fortifying breath. “Yes, the rumours are true.”

Karl stifles a laugh with his palm, while Mikhail claps his hands together with glee.

“I mean, that first night in the Barrel was good,” Wylan says, remembering the press of their bodies together in the dark. “And it only got better from there.”

“I think we need to find some more drinks and a quiet corner to continue this conversation,” Mikhail says, slinging an arm around Wylan’s shoulders.

Silently, Wylan concurs. He’s definitely going to need something stronger than champagne.

Karl and Mikhail lovingly borrowed from @aphroditestummyrolls

Find me on AO3

#six of crows #shadow and bone #wesper #jesper fahey #fanfiction #wylan van eck

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egret-orchids · 3 months

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for the love of language

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

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

| AO3 | SOC Sideblog |

word count: 948

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"My stubbornness or your stubbornness?" Inej chuckled.

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

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

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

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

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

"What?" Inej murmured, too surprised.

My father is profit. I honour him daily.

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

"Your pronunciation is awful, Saints."

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

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

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

"I love you too, Kaz Brekker."

38 notes · View notes