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#soc writing
wafflesandkruge · 1 year
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hello, wraith (kanej 3+1)
3 times Kaz hears Inej behind him and 1 time he doesn't.
ao3
a/n: hiiii if the premise sounds familiar then you've probably read the original ficlet which i posted a few years ago (a real fan ty). after sab s2 (ew) i wanted to revisit some of my old kanej fics and rewrite them bc i noticed a lot of changes and edits i wanted to make so they're less,,,cringe. original can be found here if you want to do a comparison (pls don't). the plot is exactly the same, but (i hope) the writing has improved, so pls enjoy ✌🏼
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The first time Inej entered his office through the window, he heard her coming. Her cheap boots scratched along the rough brick of the Slat’s exterior wall, and Kaz was alerted before she’d even reached the second floor below his office. He set his paperwork down with a sigh and pushed the window open for her just before she could reach for the latch. “Hello, Wraith.”
Inej clambered through the window, frustration evident in every movement, and pulled her hood down. In the soft candlelight of his office, her skin was luminous brown, the light catching the gold in her ears and the gleam of the knives at her waist. It had only been about a week since she’d left the Menagerie, and Kaz was pleased to see her color had improved somewhat. But her spywork needed improvement if she was to be of any use to him. “I could hear you a mile away.”
Inej pursed her lips, taking his criticisms silently. He could have said that it wasn’t her fault, that her boots were the problem, or her inexperience with the cityscape. But he was not kind, and Inej was not made of glass that would shatter under the slightest pressure. He opened a drawer in his desk and withdrew a small, wooden box.
“Don’t come back here until you can do it soundlessly. With these on.”
He tossed the box at her. She flipped the lid open and a combination of displeasure and anger flashed across her face. Kaz knew what she was seeing—metal anklets with dozens of little bells strung on them, not unlike the ones she’d worn at the Menagerie. 
It was a test, and a challenge, in a way. Kaz watched as she stared at the anklets for another moment, then snapped the box shut. Her lips were pulled into a scowl, but still, she nodded mutely and left his office without a word.
-
The second time had been about a month after the first. Kaz had been worried—Inej had disappeared for long stretches of the night, only to reappear at the Slat early in the morning. When he’d put a tail on her, they’d all reported the same thing: she was practicing climbing in the warehouse district. Why she thought that was safe, he had no idea. He’d posted a Crow there to watch her discreetly, then put it out of his mind. Either she would learn, or he’d overestimated her. And Kaz Brekker was rarely wrong.
He smiled to himself and set his paperwork aside. It was always nice to be right.
“Hello, Wraith.” 
Inej paused, half of her body still outside the window. 
“How did you know?” They were the first words Inej had spoken to him in almost two weeks. She pulled herself through the window and stood to the side of his desk, each movement as silent as shadow despite the anklets clasped around her boots. She looked well rested despite her late nights, her countenance more confident and self-assured than ever. A new knife, one with a simple bone handle, was strapped to her forearm. He’d seen Jesper purchasing the same one from a street vendor during one of their trips to Fifth Harbor. Inej making friends among the Crows would be useful to him in the future. 
He leaned back in his chair and folded his gloved hands together. “I don’t let the same person get the drop on me twice. But you passed. The anklets.” 
He extended a hand, and he could see the way Inej’s gaze was drawn to his leather gloves, a thousand unasked questions in her dark eyes. She unclasped the anklets and placed them carefully in his palm, her fingertips brushing against the leather for the briefest second. Kaz’s breath hitched at the slight pressure. Although it was impossible through the thick material, he swore he felt a lick of warmth from her skin. His skin went cold. 
He pushed past his body’s panic and threw the anklets into the fireplace. Inej’s gaze was finally averted from him and he could breathe again. She watched them burn with a small curl of her lips, then was gone as quickly as she’d appeared.
-
The next time, Kaz was busy working on the Crow Club’s monthly accounting. He hardly looked up when he felt the telltale change in the air. “Hello, Wraith.”
Inej made a small noise of acknowledgement, then crossed his office to the small cabinet of medical supplies he kept around for emergencies. There was some clattering around and a few muttered words in Suli, then Inej plopped onto the chair in front of her desk and dumped supplies onto his desk.
Kaz looked up, peeved. “Inej, what– Ghezen!”
She’d tracked bloody footprints all over his office, from the window, to the cabinet, to the chair where she now sat, wincing, as she cleaned the cut and blistered undersides of her feet. “Don’t worry,” she said, in that unnervingly calm way of hers, “I’ll clean it up.”
“That’s not–” Kaz bit back a curse, not sure why he felt so irritated. “What the hell happened? Was it another gang?”
She gave a noncommittal shrug as she began wrapping bandages around her foot. “My boots wore out. I climb better without shoes anyways, but I am not used to Ketterdam yet.”
“Don’t be stupid, you’ll contract some disease before the day is out,” Kaz growled. He wasn’t about to lose his investment over something as foolish as an infection. “Borrow a pair from someone downstairs until you get paid.”
“As you say.”
As soon as Inej was gone, his office clean as she’d promised, Kaz paid a visit to a grisha fabrikator.
-
Years later, Kaz sat at his desk, a blank page in front of him. With a sigh, he squared his shoulders and put his pen to the paper. Greatly esteemed Council of Tides…
If there was one thing Kaz hated more than kissing up to people, it was not getting what he wanted. He gritted his teeth as he used his most flattering language to ask for a blind eye at a certain berth, then signed the letter with a flourish. He stuffed the scrawled letter and a promissory note for an ungodly amount of kruge into an envelope and prepared his wax seal. Just as he started to melt the wax, his candle blew out with a gust of wind. Kaz paused.
“Hello, Wraith.”
The wind whistled on, but the voice he so desperately wanted to hear was missing. Kaz glanced at the window just to be sure. There wasn’t a soul in his office other than his, and that was debatable. Swearing softly to himself, he relit the candle and sealed the letter. He was losing his touch.
On his way to the Council of Tides, he passed by The Wraith’s berth. It was empty, as it had been for a month. Kaz glanced at the gray horizon. It wasn’t quite enough for him just to know she was out there somewhere, bringing down justice to those who deserved it. At every moment, he craved her silent presence next to his, her bright smiles, even her Suli proverbs. It was selfish, he knew. But he couldn’t help wanting. With one last glance, he continued on his way.
After a relative success of a meeting, he walked back through the harbor towards the Slat. Night had fallen, but the docks were still busy with wandering crews and raucous laughter. Kaz’s cane clicked against the ground as he turned his collar to the wind and resolutely went on his way. Perhaps there’d be an interesting brawl tonight, or Jesper would pay a visit. He passed by berth twenty-two. Then spun around. It was occupied, the crew already busy unloading by the dim streetlights. A voice came from the dark behind him. 
“Hello, Kaz.”
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she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 4 months
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Just opened my fic document and found this
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Thanks, past me. Incredibly helpful.
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stray-kaz · 1 year
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Memento Mori : a Kaz Brekker x f!reader oneshot
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A/N: A request! Thank you for this idea!
Summary: Reader is poisoned by a rival gang leader hoping to force Kaz to his knees by taking you down. Kaz is afraid and murderous, a fatal combination.
Reader’s nickname, because of her profession, is Bee. (And it’s just easier sometimes to allow use of some kind of name instead of being constantly vague).
Memento mori: remember you must die.
Warnings: Violence, blood, near death. Poisoning. Kaz near breaking point.
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Inej flew up the stairs in the Slat to Kaz’s quiet office, Jesper tearing after her, coattails flying out behind him. Matthias waited at the bottom of the flight, your limp, still form in his arms. Nina stood next to him, sweat beading on her forehead as she pressed both hands hard down against your heart.
“I am not a healer, I am not a healer, I am not a healer” she kept muttering.
“You’re all she has” Matthias reminded her gently. “Just keep going.”
Kaz looked up from the ledger he was filling in, irritation written all over his features, when Inej and Jesper burst in, panting. They had run all the way from the bottom of the Barrel.
“What is it?” he demanded.
“It’s Bee” Jesper managed to gasp out. “Talyss stung back.”
Kaz stood with such force his chair skidded away and toppled over. He grabbed his cane from its position leaning against his desk and pushed between Jesper and Inej, making his way down the stairs faster than they’d seen before.
He didn’t make a misstep and he didn’t stumble or fall, but when he saw you, Kaz wondered briefly if this was what death felt like. His hands shivered inside his gloves as he raised a hand to remove an errant curl from your forehead. Nina stared; it was the tenderest thing she had ever seen him do. He loved you.
“My room” Kaz rasped, and stepped aside so that Matthias could carry you upstairs, Nina edging along the banister so she could keep your heart going.
Inej was just finishing preparing Kaz’s bed when you were laid down gently on top of it. She covered up to your waist with a heavy blanket and Nina sank down beside you, her skirts rustling around her.
Kaz hovered like a ghost in the doorway of his own bedroom, watching your face, wan and lax. Your eyes rolled beneath their lids, and just as he was about to bite his tongue, come closer and hold your hand, Wylan skidded into the room and did just that. His knees slammed onto the wooden floorboards and, bright eyes wild, fluffy hair in disarray. He squeezed your hand and you whimpered, still unconscious.
Kaz took a threatening step into the room, but Jesper moved to block him, shaking his head firmly. Kaz glared at him, but for once, Jesper didn’t flinch.
“He’s her friend” he said quietly.
It was true, and Kaz knew it. Wylan was his chemist, bombmaker, demo man. And you were his poison maker, his sting, and the love of his abominable life. You worked with Wylan most days and were more now like brother and sister. He loved you, too.
Wylan looked up at Jesper then, an idea sparking in his eyes. 
“You can take the poison” he said, looking suddenly a little feverish himself.
Jesper glanced uneasily around the room as he suddenly felt all eyes on him. He rocked back on his heels, met Kaz’s implacable gaze.
“I’ve never done it” he beseeched, spreading his hands out wide. “This is what killed my mother, Kaz.”
He felt a tug on his hand and glanced down at Wylan.
“You wouldn’t need to take all of it, Jesper. She practices with poisons every day, taking small amounts to build up immunity, always with an antidote to hand. Tonight, you are the antidote. She just needs enough gone for her system to start fighting on its own” he told him.
Jesper looked at Kaz again; he said nothing. Jesper sighed quietly and gently nudged Inej out of the way so he could sit opposite Nina and clasp your other hand. He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling his way along the channels of your veins, almost able to taste the metals in your blood.  Fine dark veins rose on the back of your hand and your eyes flew open to stare at Jesper. You tried to pull your hand away, but he held fast, swallowing hard against the pain.
Kaz’s jaw clenched so tight he thought he felt a tooth crack when your first cry rent the air. Tears spilled over your lashes and onto your cheeks, and you tried again and again to pull away from Jesper, but he was stronger than you and could sense the end of it.
Wylan held tightly to your other hand and Matthias stood sentinel behind him, a stony set to his jaw, though his eyes were worried. Kaz had never seen you cry tears of pain. He had never heard the animal sounds wailing out of you, howling at the walls and the window. He had never seen you break.
He tightened his grip on his cane. He was going to find Talyss and his band of thugs, beat him nearly to his grave and then pour his poison down his throat to send him the rest of the way.
As he turned to leave, he felt a hand lightly brush his sleeve and looked to see Nina. He raised his eyebrows impatiently, waiting.
“Bee is strong enough” Nina said steadily. “There is hope for her, Kaz.”
He merely shook off her hand and spoke over his shoulder as he walked away.
“Hope is dangerous, Nina.”
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As Dirtyhands made his way to the bottom of the Barrel, gutter dwellers avoided eye contact and leapt out of his way, edging back into the shadows. He heard the whispers as he passed, cold fury and determination disguising his limp. There were those nearby him who knew why he was there and those who had no idea and were terrified to see him. Either way, both types of people hid their faces and did their best to remain undetected.
The door to Talyss Novak’s converted warehouse was locked, which didn’t surprise or deter Kaz. Normally, he’d go quiet and careful, but tonight he didn’t care for quiet or careful. He didn’t reach for his lockpicks, he simply hefted his cane in both hands and swung it at the door handle. It crunched under the weight of the crow’s head and the inner lock clattered onto the floor on the other side.
Kaz pushed the door out of his way with the toes of one shoe and stepped across the dark threshold, cane still gripped tightly in one fist. His other hand had slipped into his pocket, gloved fingers tightening slightly around the vial of poison he had picked up from the workshop you shared with Wylan along the way. He had no idea if it was the same poison or what it did, but judging by the thick red “!!!” on the white label, it would hurt.
A hand landed on his shoulder and he twisted out from under it, wrenching slightly but not caring. He swung the cane like a truncheon and felt something give wetly under his strength. There was a strangled scream and then they all came out of nowhere, trying their best to take down the bastard of the Barrel. But Kaz would not be taken anywhere tonight. He could smell blood, and he wanted it all, the sounds of your pain still ringing in his ears.
When there were bodies heaped around his feet, some still and noiseless, some groaning pitifully, he reached down and grabbed the coat collar of the most alive one. He moved in nice and close, face blood stained and dripping.
“Your boss” he hissed, teeth bared. “Now.”
A weak hand pointed towards a twisting stair shaped shadow and Kaz dropped him back to the hard concrete floor and stepped away, the men already forgotten.
The staircase was quiet and he could hear the soft sound of blood on his glove slipping on his heavy cane. He reached the top and moved silently along the landing, again reaching for the poison in his trouser pocket. A door at the furthest end of the hallway stood ajar. His instincts screamed that the worst of Novak’s men would be behind that door, but he could not bring himself to care. They would all die.
As he approached the dark side of the door, he heard his name spoken.
“Brekker.”
The door swung open and a single lone man appeared, backlit by the interior. With a flick of his thumb, Kaz released the tiny vial stopper and circled finger and thumb around the glass neck.
“How’s your girlfriend? Still breathing? Or dead as a dormouse?”
Kaz walked forward slowly, clenching his teeth against the pain of hiding his limp. Peripheral room checks told him he was alone with Talyss. The man was a maniac, or stupid. Kaz was betting on the latter.
“Did you really think you could take me down by removing my sting? Novak, I don’t need anyone. You made a mistake thinking that I do.”
“Then why’re you here, Dirtyhands?”
“To make you pay for that mistake.”
Kaz decided to temporarily forgo use of his cane; instead he struck with his other hand, shoving the vial with its contents into Novak’s mouth, swallowing hard against the bitter bile that rose in his throat as his gloved hand forced the man’s jaw up and shut and he heard the splintering of glass plink against his teeth. 
Novak screamed through closed lids, Kaz’s hand tightening even harder. Thirty seconds dripped past and Novak finally wrenched himself away, opening his mouth to spit glass and a damp pinkish mist. He coughed, choking, and Kaz realised enough glass had been inhaled to perforate his lungs. Talyss Novak was drowning in his own blood, before the poison even did its work.
Kaz helped him along a little; he lifted his cane and lightly prodded the older man in the centre of his chest with the solid flat end. It didn’t take much prodding before he was flat on his back on the cold rough concrete, rasping blood soaked air in through piecemeal lungs.
Kaz stepped closer and leaned over him, watching until his eyes started to stare and his chest stopped spasming. Then he turned and walked out the way he came, blood and fear pounding in his ears.
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When Kaz finally staggered back in through the doorway of his bedroom in the Slat, he saw you sitting up in his bed, leaning heavily against Jesper’s chest but rosy cheeked, damp hair sticking to your forehead. Your eyes were opioid bright, glossy and damp looking, but they focused on him with the ferocity he was used to, and something loosened inside his chest. He opened his mouth, and what came out surprised all of them, but most of all him.
“Please.”
Nina held you up while Jesper eased out from behind you, then plumped several pillows up behind your back and shoulders. Inej briefly touched your shoulder and Wylan blew you a kiss. Nina leaned hard on Matthias as they walked out of the room, followed by the other three.
Alone finally, Kaz shed his cane and coat and almost collapsed onto the bed next to you. He retained his gloves, which you understood; in your current state, sweating and clammy, the touch of your skin on his would remind him too much of Jordie. But he wrapped his arms around you, drawing you down onto his chest, and held on as tightly as he thought you could cope with. 
You sighed.
“Is the problem dealt with?” you asked quietly, your voice sounding uncomfortable and hoarse.
Kaz scoffed a chuckle and nodded.
“Yes. The problem is dealt with. No more stinging the stinger.”
“Good. ‘Cause it pretty much sucks.”
Kaz tipped your chin up slightly so he could see your eyes, his expression serious.
“You will improve your immunity” he said, a statement and not a question. “I do not want to do that again.”
What he meant was: I will not survive your near death again. If you die, I will also.
You gazed back at him and nodded.
“I will” you promised. “Never again, Kaz.”
He nodded back, leaned his head on the wall of pillows and closed his eyes, settled for now with the knowledge of you safe in his arms.
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Tagging: @b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r​ 
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thejudeduarte · 19 days
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Wylan chapters have some of my favourite quotes ever 🥹
"Wylan summoned every bit of bravado he'd learned from Nina, the will he'd learned from Matthias, the focus he'd studied in Kaz, the courage he'd learned from Inej, and the wild, reckless hope he'd learned from Jesper, the belief that no matter the odds, somehow they would win."
- Crooked Kingdom, page 427
"Until this moment, Wylan hadn't quite understood how much they meant to him. His father would have sneered at these thugs and thieves, a disgraced soldier, a gambler who couldn't keep out of the red. But they were his first friends, his only friends, and Wylan knew that even if he'd had his pick of a thousand companions, these would have been the people he chose."
- Crooked Kingdom, page 334
"His father had wanted Wylan to vanish. He'd wanted them to disappear the way he'd made Wylan's mother disappear, and for a long time, Wylan had wanted the exact same thing. That had all started to change when he came to the Barrel, when he got his first job, when he met Jesper and Kaz and Inej, when he'd begun to realize he was worth something."
- Crooked Kingdom, page 422
"We were all supposed to make it."
- Crooked Kingdom, page 510
"Wylan wanted to be brave, but he was cold and bruised, and worse- he was surrounded by the bravest people he knew and all of them seemed badly shaken."
- Crooked Kingdom, page 315
"He had no illusions about why Kaz had looked out for him, but he also knew he never would have survived this long without his help. And Kaz didn't care if he couldn't read. Kaz and the others teased him, but they'd given him a chance to prove himself. They valued the things he could do instead of punishing him for the things he couldn't."
- Crooked Kingdom, page 322
Wylan just looks up to them and loves them so so much it makes me sick 😭😭
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heypax · 1 year
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one day ill write the post about how the most annoying mischaracterizations of wylan always stems from people not being able to recognize/understand the contradictions in his personality. yes hes the “we could wake them up” guy but he’s also “who’s mark?”. he threatned to push kuwei in the canal, and inej said that jan has the same eyes as wylan but without wylans kindness. yes he was the one who said “just girls?” and initiated the kiss but hes also blushes at half the things jesper says. he’s the demo expert and the guy who wanted to ring for tea after he’d nearly been killed. he doesn’t want to be a criminal but the moment he finds out its for inej it’s all good. and if I were writing the post id go into how I read this as a consequence of growing up in a privileged & abusive household which meant in some ways he’s never taken care of himself and other ways he’s had no one to take care of him. if i was writing that post.
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cawcawmutterficker · 1 year
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inej is such a fascinating character because in any other crow's pov she's so austere and cool. very practical and to the point and she delivers the facts, let them be good or unfavourable, ruthlessly. you can see clearly why she would be a perfect partner to kaz, why people are intimidated by her despite her small stature. and when you're in her pov, she's constantly worrying about someone, keeping her hope and humaneness alive, trying to carve out some semblance of humanity from kaz, empathising with nina and jesper and just so full of care and thoughtfulness toward her companions. like kaz, she doesn't really trust anyone, but contrary to kaz, she wants to. she wants to trust and wants to believe and that is why she is such a powerful beacon of hope in the midst of the barrel filth. she serves as a reminder to kaz that you can choose differently. horrible things can happen to you but you don't have to become the monster to overcome your trauma
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notelcol · 1 month
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The Getaway🐦‍⬛
That Kaz x reader hurt/comfort that was voted in by some lovely people❤️
Mildly edited, apologies for mistakes🫶
The wind blew harshly against your body as you ran through Ketterdam with a stolen scroll in your hand. Your felt like you were flying. Grinning, you turned towards the man who ran a step behind you. His face matched yours. A wicked joy had you both feeling more alive than ever. You had just pulled a small heist, now it was your favourite part. The getaway.
A few more turnings through the winding streets and you would be at the switch point. There, you would meet Inej and she would disappear with the loot, while Jesper shoots the men chasing you. That was the plan at least…When you and Kaz finally skidded to a halt at your location, you both looked up at the rooftops for Inej.
“Where is she?” Kaz hissed. You looked back down the road you had come from.
“Where’s the men?” You realised they should have caught up by now. Slow footsteps began to echo, coming from a nearby turning. You whipped your head around to see the man you just stole from. He grinned menacingly before pulling out a gun. Kaz clocked it before you did but before he could even take a step towards you, the shot rang out. The scroll fell from your hand and rolled down the street, towards the shooter.
“I’ll have that back now, thank you.” He said, all too politely. Then, he simply walked away while whistling a jaunty tune.
The shock wore off, as the whistling became quieter. Then came the pain. You held your hand against your stomach, only to be met with a wet warmth. Reality truly hit you when you looked down at your hand and saw the blood. All of a sudden you could feel it trickling down from your stomach until it fell in a pool on the floor. You looked to Kaz for reassurance, only to see him white as a sheet inching towards you terror.
“You need to apply pressure.” He instructed. You complied, but each second you felt as though you were fading. Until, you dropped.
“HEY!” Kaz shouted desperately poking you with his cane. “Stay awake and keep applying pressure. Inej and Jesper will be here, they are just held up.” He hoped they would come. A situation like this is the only time Kaz feels useless.
Your eyes started to roll as your vision became blurry. You tried to keep pressing on your wound but your hands wouldn’t listen to you. As your fingers fell beside you once again, you felt a hard pressure against your stomach. You knew you were delirious when you saw Kaz kneeling at your side, keeping your blood inside your body, allowing you to close your eyes at last. Kaz himself was beginning to feel like he was dreaming too. The last time he had pushed his hair out of his face, your blood on his gloves ran up his arm beneath his sleeve. The wet sensation combined with the coldness of your body under his hands was all too familiar.
Kaz wanted nothing more than to sink his memories forever. But they kept surfacing to matter how hard he tried to focus on you. A scream ripped from his throat as he punched himself in the head, as if trying to evict the distraction of his childhood trauma. His eyes fell upon your face as he told himself this isn’t Jordie. You were still alive, at least you would be as long as he could keep himself together. He pressed more confidently against the wound at he thought of losing you, his partner in crime. He never expected to trust someone enough to call them that. He had his Crows, but never a partner. Not until you. Not since Jordie. A tear fell from his cheek onto yours as he stared down at your paling features.
He barely even noticed Inej’s arrival. It was shortly followed by Jesper’s much louder one.
“Sorry! We got held up by-“ Jesper froze when he saw the scene before him, then released a breath when he saw your chest rising.
“Shit. We need to get them back home.” Jesper jumped straight into action, less cautious to approach Kaz than Inej was. He took over Kaz’ position at your side and picked you up.
You woke up to a deep ache, causing you to groan and roll over. The movement changed the pain to a searing stab.
“FUCKING HELL!!!” You screamed.
“Good morning to you too.” Kaz’ made his presence in the room known to you. He was sat at the side of your bed smirking at you.
“I take it the men who were supposed to be chasing us are why Inej and Jesper were late?” You asked. Kaz answered you with only a nod, leaving you still concerned for your friends. Your rolled your eyes as sat up, this time sure to move slower. It did not help much, still feeling like you were being ripped open. You felt Kaz’ cane press against your chest gently.
“Lay down.” He sternly told you. You looked up at him in defiance but stopped when you saw his eyes. “Please.” His tone was more vulnerable this time, small like a whisper. You allowed his cane to push you back down, not missing the sadness in his eyes as a groan escaped you.
“I’m okay.” You sent him a comforting smile, which he returned.
“So are Inej and Jesper.”
Kaz had been in and out of your room all day in between handling business.
“I just came to say goodnight.” He said, though he seemed as though he was holding back. You decided not to pry, since you did not have the energy to get blood from a stone tonight.
“Goodnight Kaz.” You smiled. He turned to leave, looking almost disappointed. Then out of nowhere, he rushed back in and stopped when he reached your bedside. He looked deep into your eyes. The intensity woke your drowsy mind as your heart skipped a beat. “You are very special to me. Today was…” He trailed off and looked away. You thought he was about to turn around and leave again, but instead he sucked in a deep breath and quickly pressed a kiss to your forehead. As his lips met your skin, he lingered for a second. This was the closest you had ever felt to him. Not because of the physical contact though. It was rare for Kaz let someone see him feel. It felt intimate. But it was over as fast as it began.
“Goodnight.” He said once more, but this time he was breathless and shaking in a mix of fear and something else that he was finally ready to name.
“I love you.” He spoke. Before you could process the interaction, he was gone.
——-
Thank you for reading 🌹
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turtleofdamascus · 2 months
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I thought I'd never see
Inspired by the breathtaking fic save the undone years by Whitherward @whatanybodygets which is an AU about Kaz and Inej during WW1 where Kaz is a soldier and Inej is a nurse. This moment that stuck with me:
“All this waiting, and his brother appears at his bedside like a ghost in the night. [...] [Captain Reitveld] simply drops onto the edge of Kaz’s mattress and yanks him forward by the shoulders, wrapping him into a tight hug.
She sees Kaz go tense for a moment, and then relax, bury his face into his brother’s shoulder.
And then he begins to sob."
-
Been working on this for a month. I can't put into words how beautiful of a writer she is. I am always in awe and must drop everything for it.
Bonus: process
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incorrect-soc · 3 months
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If you really think about it, The Titan's Curse is basically Crooked Kingdom had it been written in Kaz's first person POV. Y'know like, "I know we have this really important life-or-death mission ahead of us, but my unofficial girlfriend was taken right before my eyes and all I care about is getting her back", and I think that's beautiful-
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fionajames · 4 months
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Christmas with the Greasers; Headcanons
Hey guys these are some headcanons about the Greasers for Christmas!
Enjoy, and please send requests!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!
Ponyboy
Loves Christmas.
Buys everyone books in hopes of getting them to like them more. Then has to read them because half of them can’t read to save a life.
He made everyone wait until all the others were there to open presents. 
The only one who can make a tea for Darry. 
He and Johnny team up to try and get Dally to enjoy Christmas. 
Pony goes to Church on Christmas Eve alone. Even though he no longer goes regularly, it reminds him of his parents.
Sodapop
Puts tinsel fucking everywhere.
Y’know how tinsel has like the fine little strips? Yeah, you’ll be finding bits of that in your food for weeks.
Buys everyone like lollies from the DX and writes badly spelt cards.
Puts decorations everywhere as well.
Managed to put a Santa hat on Dally’s head and doesn’t end up getting beat somehow.
But like, are you gonna punch a golden retriever? No. Not even Dally could do that.
Darry
Does this whole thing my parents do where he goes “I’m not getting up until someone makes me a cup of fucking tea.”
Enjoys watching 5 teenage boys rush to make a cup of tea while Dally just smokes a cigarette.
They have a tradition of all the gang celebrating at the Curtis house, as if they were all blood-family.
Gets everyone good presents.
Puts on Holiday Inn and White Christmas and shushes anyone who talks during during the films.
Johnny
He and Pony team up to get Dally to enjoy Christmas ofc.
Makes cookies and gives them in little packages to everyone.
Actually likes the Christmas movies Darry puts on.
Throws snowballs at socs with Dally but hides when they turn. 
Sleeps over at the Curtis house with the others ofc and doesn’t go home at all, too scared of his family.
Decorates a lot but we’ll, unlike Soda who’s just crazed.
Dally
Christmas Day is the only day Darry lets him smoke inside the house so he takes full advantage of that.
Really doesn’t see the point on Christmas.
Although, he does kind of grow to like it through the constant forceful nature of Johnny and Pony.
Gets everyone like, a pack of cigarettes or something like that. 
Threw snowballs and passer-bys.
Bought Buck a pack of cigarettes and Buck cried. One of the first hugs he didn’t immediately escape.
(I love the idea that Buck is just a sweet, lonely guy. Cause we don’t really know his personality, I headcanon him as a sweetheart).
Two-Bit
First up and is running wild in the house to wake everyone up.
Burnt himself but dropping boiling water on his like whilst trying to make Darry’s tea.
Complained about it for approximately 1.896 seconds before resuming running around whilst holding an ice pack to his leg.
Gets everyone a bottle of coke or something.
Screams happily when the Mickey Mouse Christmas specials come on.
No one is sad around Two-Bit but especially on Christmas cause he’s just an actual fucking child on Christmas.
Steve
Bought proper and good gifts but mostly so he could brag that he gave the best gifts.
Tried to suffocate Soda with tinsel when he almost ate a bit of green tinsel. 
Puts snow down Socs backs as they go past and uses Dally as a shield when they get angry.
Tries to watch the films but gets bored and makes snarky remarks throughout them.
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Jesper: Wylans in a business meeting and I just heard him say “which part of the ‘no’ did you not understand? The ‘n’ part or the ‘o’ part?”
Jesper: Hes out there rejecting multi-millionaires like my Da used to tell me I couldnt have ice cream for breakfast
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one-million-kruge · 8 months
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tbh kaz was just collecting siblings w/ the crows because he and nina have the funniest dynamic. i have brothers who are twins and i feel like nina and kaz are basically twins. like, they make fun of each other relentlessly and bully the shit out of each other but they actually really care for one another and being an ass is just how they show it. in this essay i will
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Thinking about how cool it would’ve been if the Soc spinoff used Wylan’s knowledge of Fjerdan to expand on his friendship with Matthias, like when Matthias didn’t know the Kerch word for snow goggles in the book and he didn’t want to ask Nina he just pointed to them and said “keep your eyes covered” instead, but we could have had him turn to Wylan and say:
“Lamb. How do you say snow goggles in Kerch?”
And then Wylan would say “snow goggles” in Kerch (/English for audience purposes) and then Matthias would tell everyone to put their snow goggles on and we would see both Nina and Jesper seething right up until their eyes were covered - especially because Nina would understand what Matthias had just said.
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stray-kaz · 11 months
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Love is a Battlefield : a Kaz Brekker x f!reader drabble
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Summary: Kaz and reader get mad and get...even?
A/N: In this, Kaz has had some healing from trauma and is okay with his Crows alone touching him. 
18+ elements, but nothing overt.
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“You’ve been doing that a little too often lately” you commented, waltzing easily into Kaz’s office to see him swigging from a metal flask.
He cast you a calculated side eye glance, upper lip curled.
“What of it?”
You shrugged, leaning on the desk in front of him.
“Do you have a drinking problem, boss?” you asked coolly.
The flask was slammed onto the desk, a little of the clear liquid sloshing over the narrow rim. He glowered at you.
“I have a you problem” he shot back. 
You raised your eyebrows, askance.
“Seriously?” you demanded. “A me problem? What have I ever done to you, Dirtyhands?”
He scoffed and stood up, nose to nose with you for a moment and then taller.
“You run your mouth worse than Jesper, you hug everyone, you just love who you want, it’s ridiculous. You throw yourself into situations that are too dangerous for you to handle adequately -”
You cut him off then, fury rising.
“Adequately?” you repeated. “Too dangerous for me, Kaz Brekker? I am a healer. It’s my job to be in the warzones so I can heal. I do the opposite of what Nina does.”
Kaz seemed to stop breathing for a moment before he focused his formidable gaze on you again.
“You are not Nina” he said very quietly.
You stared back at him, suddenly aware of the snappable tension in the office. Pity you didn’t carry a knife.
“Well, of course not” you said lightly, trying to defuse. “Nina breaks hearts, I fix them.”
“You. Are. Not. Nina” Kaz repeated, enunciating every single word with the utmost care. “The danger is not for you. I am not for you. Stop trying to fix my heart.”
You just looked at him, quizzical. Kaz was authoritative, strong willed and hard headed, but never vulnerable, not with you.
“I have never tried to fix your heart” you said slowly.
He glared.
“Then what are you trying to do?” he asked harshly.
“Love it.”
You said the words so quietly, half hoping he hadn’t heard, but he had. The fine line between you snapped as Kaz rounded the desk and kissed you, hard. His gloved fingers gripped and slipped over your jaw, the other arm wound around your waist like an anchor. Not that you needed one.
You looked up at him when you broke apart at the mouth, chest heaving against his. His pupils were wide and blown, the blue a narrow ring around each. He breathed your name, shocked, and that was all it took for you to drag him back by his collar, his mouth hard on yours and all consuming.
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Outside the office, Jesper and Nina hovered, both having been aware you had gone in there earlier, perhaps even looking for a fight. Now, they could hear pens and paper falling to the floor, the clang of something hard and metallic. They could hear loud banging and felt the thin wall shake as bodies thudded against it from inside the room.
Jesper raised his eyebrows at Nina when they heard the desk legs move, screech across the wooden floor.
“Do we need to intervene?” she asked anxiously. “They sound like they’re killing each other in there!”
Jesper pressed his ear to the closed door, concentrating, and heard a gasp, a tearing of fabric, and then a moan. He straightened up, looked wide eyed at Nina.
“Nope! Definitely not killing each other!”
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luna-writes-stuff · 5 months
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Unforgiven II, Kaz Brekker
Song link
Fanfic, female! reader
Angst, but a with a tiny sprinkle of fluff
Word count:
Tw: typical soc stuff, explosions, blood/injuries, description of drowning/recovering from drowning., description of dizziness/losing consciousness, Kaz is fighting demons to save your life, Nina doing heartrender things, Kaz nearly crying, use of Y/N (I deserve hell)
Summary: You have been friends with Kaz for as long as either of you can remember. Even before all the “Ketterdam is my mother” talk and trauma. So when you get caught up in an explosion during a heist, Kaz loses his shit. He becomes an anxious wreck, doing his best to get you out of danger. And in order to do so, he has to make certain sacrifices for himself.
No - this is not a pt. 2 to anything. The song is called Unforgiven II. This fic is based off of a song.
Buy me a coffee/force me to write more
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“Lay beside me and tell me what they've done.
And speak the words I wanna hear to make my demons run.”
“Kaz, come on!” You ushered, running towards docks, Kaz short on your heels, though his pace slowed with every step he took. You knew his leg was bothering him, but at the moment, you needed to get out of this place.
It had been your casual “let’s steal something and get money for it” heist. Everything had gone exactly according to plan. Wylan’s bomb went off at time, Inej got the necklace without being noticed, Jesper was a great distraction, Matthias had been on look-out as Nina had joined Jesper in being decoy. You and Kaz had been making sure the rendezvous point remained safe. You had been in Dime Lion territory, so the risk of being caught was great. Yet, there had been no issues. That was until Jesper, not so subtly, managed to sneak a look towards you and Kaz, alerting others of your location.
So now you and Kaz were on the run. Trying to get away without getting injured or being discovered of stealing things. It had been five minutes now and you knew Kaz’ leg would no longer hold up.
“The door is locked now but it's open if you're true.
If you can understand the me then I can understand the you.”
You spared another look behind you, noticing you were no longer being followed closely. You halted your steps, simultaneously causing Kaz to stop too.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, obviously supporting all his weight on his cane.
“Where did they go?” You wondered aloud, referring to the gang members that had been so set on catching you earlier.
Now Kaz looked behind him too, noticing the empty streets.
“Something isn’t right.” He noted, making you nod in agreement.
“Lay beside me, under wicked sky.
Through black of day, dark of night, we share this, paralyzed.”
“We should keep moving, just to be safe.” You decided, now setting a normal walking pace, trying to give Kaz the opportunity to recover. As you walked past the crates and empty ships, something weird suddenly occurred to you.
“You hear that?” You whispered, holding a hand out towards Kaz to stop him.
“Hear what?” He questioned, now keeping his ears open.
“Sizzling.” You observed. “Like firework being lit.”
At those words, Kaz’ eyes widened. He looked around to find the source of the sound, but he could not bring himself to locate it.
“The door cracks open but there's no sun shining through.
Black heart scarring darker still but there's no sun shining through.
No there's no sun shining through, no there's no sun shining.”
“Bomb.” He managed out, before grabbing the loose fabric of your sleeve, tugging you with him as he ran.
You followed suit quickly, the danger of not knowing where the bomb was, making your adrenaline race. You released your sleeve from Kaz’ hold, running behind him to make sure you could drag him with you in case he’d slow down again.
In the distance, you could see the rest of the crows waiting, but they had yet to notice you and Kaz. No Dime Lions were spotted near them yet, which had been a relative good sign.
“What I've felt, what I've known.
Turn the pages, turn the stone.
Behind the door, should I open it for you?”
“Kaz, turn around!” You warned. The sound of the walking fire seemed nearer than before, alerting you of the fact you were running in the wrong direction.
“We’re only nearing it!” You explained without hesitation.
Kaz spared you a quick nod, before running along the coastline, no longer running away from the shores. You followed his every step. Your breath had started to appear colder than before, your shirt uncomfortably clinging to your back, but you knew you’d catch your breath later. Stopping now might only increase the chances of becoming injured.
“What I've felt, what I've known.
Sick and tired I stand alone.
Could you be there?
'Cause I'm the one who waits for you.
Or are you unforgiven too?”
Your attempt for cover came too late; before either of you could properly process it, a big explosion ignited only a few feet from you. You could have counted yourself lucky for not being too close to it, not having received any burning flesh. The force of the explosion - however - was something you couldn’t escape.
Before you could even realise what was happening, you were flying through the air, rocketing towards the shore lines in an inhumane speed. You could only briefly register Kaz’ body on the floor before the ice cold temperature ran over you.
Your body impacted on top the water, the weight with the added speed rapidly pulling you under. You weren’t on time for any of it. When you had already fallen, it still felt like you were flying, and when you were flying, you hadn’t even properly heard the explosion. It all happened with the blink of an eye.
“Come lay beside me, this won't hurt I swear.
She loves me not, she loves me still, but she'll never love again.”
When you finally realised you had been submerged in the freezing canal waters, you had to force your body to work again. Your limbs felt heavy, whilst your head felt lighter than it even been. An unknown weight settled on your waist as you were pushed further down.
Looking down at it, you were faced with a huge piece of wood, tearing a hole in your coat as it forced you down. In blind panic, you reached down, trying to get the wood from the coat. But the longer you fought it, the deeper you sank, and the more pressure build in your ears.
You weren’t going to go down like this - sinking because of a heist gone wrong. No, you were meant to go out in a tub of money, rolling in the debts of your enemies.
The looming threat of imminent death and hopeless made your efforts worsen, your brain cloudy, unable to think straight as you kept tugging on the coat.
“She lay beside me but she'll be there when I'm gone.
Black hearts scarring darker still, yes, she'll be there when I'm gone.
Yes, she’ll be there when I'm gone. Dead sure she'll be there?”
On the coast line, Kaz had recovered from the blow, seemingly fine, save for a handful of bruises and a loud ringing in his ears. The crows had neared him, Jesper and Inej immediately working to keep the Dime Lions at a distance. Nina looked over the edge, still seeing the waves of where you had fallen earlier.
“Shit,” she cursed, before clumsily fumbling with the ends of her dress. Wylan and Matthias looked at her in a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. She didn’t seem to notice.
For Kaz, it felt like time had frozen. You had been with him ever since you were children. You’ve known him before Ketterdam - before Dirthands. And now you were sinking to the bottom of the canal, left to your fate in a lonesome embrace.
He had lost everything he had, and always associated it with the freezing temperatures of the lakes. He remember the chilling air, the cold water and the hard bodies of the people who had died due to illness. He remembered how he fought back until he had returned to Ketterdam. To look for you.
And now he’d lose you to those same damned waters.
“What I've felt, what I've known.
Turn the pages, turn the stone.
Behind the door, should I open it for you?”
Nina took too long. Wylan and Matthias might not have noticed, but he did. A thousand thoughts and fears were swirling his mind, but there was one that stood out the most.
He was losing you.
The thought seemed so hopeless and bitter, but it was the truth. He could stand there and think about everything that had happened to him, or he could act on it. He could wait for Nina to finally get that cursed dress off, or he could jump in himself and hope his body wouldn’t fail him.
You still hadn’t resurfaced.
Swinging his coat from his shoulders quickly, he dropped the cane to the floor, before diving into the waters, not even giving him a second to think everything through.
“What I've felt, what I've known.
Sick and tired, I stand alone.
Could you be there?
'Cause I'm the one who waits for you.
Or are you unforgiven too?”
The water was more horrible than he had remembered. The cold was gnawing at his skin, the familiarity of it cutting him where it hurt most.
This is where you lost him, Kaz. You lost yourself.
In front of him, a body passed him, the face almost an exact replica of his older brother, save for the swollen structures of his face. The sight frightened him. Almost automatically, he reached out, but the figure faded in front of him.
This wasn’t real. He wasn’t there.
He needed to get out. He couldn’t get any air to begin with, but the capacity his lungs had held had started to fail him. There were too many reminders of what went wrong. This was a terrible idea.
“Lay beside me, tell me what I've done.
The door is closed so are your eyes.
But now I see the sun, now I see the sun.
Yes, now I see it.”
He had to go back up. He wouldn’t make it if he didn’t. But then, as if fate had somehow still been smiling upon his that day, a hand came into his vision. He couldn’t see it really well - everything was blurry. But this hand wasn’t swollen. And it seemed real.
Spending his last few seconds, he tugged on the arm, surprised by the sudden weight of it. When he looked down, he found the culprit hanging from your coat, your other hand still entangled at the hole.
Without a second of hesitation, he shrugged the coat off of you, his arms wrapping around your waist as he swam back up.
“What I've felt, what I've known.
Turn the pages, turn the stone.
Behind the door, should I open it for you?”
It was disgusting; the cold temperature, your limp body, the inability to breathe. It was too much. He couldn’t help but fight for his hold on you as he forced you up. His leg had been screaming at him to stop to begin with, but with your body in his arms, a whole new level of revolting coursed through him.
This was so wrong. He should never have had to hold anyone’s body to drag out of the sea again. This was cruel, even considering all that he had been through. There was some sick irony here that he hated. He knew Pekka would be laughing at it.
You didn’t make any effort to help him. He had no way of telling whether he had been dragging a dead body back up or not. He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to think about anything. He just needed to get back up.
“What I've felt, what I've known.
So sick and tired, I stand alone.
Could you be there?
'Cause I'm the one who waits,
The one who waits for you.”
When he finally resurfaced, a huge gasp of air came from him, taking in all oxygen he could.
“Kaz!” Nina called, leaning over the docks with Matthias, reaching out for him and you. They could see the sheer panic and terror on his face. The boy swam towards the pair, handing you over to Matthias, who easily pulled you out. Nina immediately began to work on getting the water out of you, leaving her boyfriend to help Kaz get out, much to his reluctance.
He could still feel the cold touch, the unmistakable feeling of a hardened figure. He recognised it. And the second his feet met solid ground again, he fell down, breathing heavily, dragging his knees across the dock to reach you.
He could hear Nina mutter assuring words under her breath - both to you and to herself. The way you simply laid there, not noticing the mayhem happening because of you. Something about it made everything worse for him.
He was not going to lose you. Not like this.
“What I've felt, what I've known.
Turn the pages, turn the stone.
Behind the door, should I open it for you? (So I dub thee unforgiven)”
A loud cough cut through the tense air as your chest suddenly began to move. Nina was quick to place you on your side, leaving you to cough out the remainder of water, inhaling the air greedily, tears making their way over your face. An obnoxious sigh of relief came from the heartrender as Kaz quietly copied her move.
He stood up at the sight of you getting rid of all the water in your lungs, the sight amplifying everything he had just experienced. Shakily, he accepted the cane from Wylan, using it to support his weight as he watched Nina kneel over you, trying to calm you down.
He needed to be the one to do that, to make you comfortable, even if he wasn’t. But he couldn’t. He was having a hard time keeping everything together in the moment. If it hadn’t been for his cane, he would’ve fallen straight back to the floor.
“What I've felt.
What I've known.
I'll take this key and I'll bury it in you.
Because you're unforgiven too.”
You watched him from your seat as you regained your breath, no more water coming from your mouth. The feeling in your stomach was still heavy, but you had no more need to cough everything back up.
You knew who had dragged you from the canal. You blacked out a moment after that gloved hand touched yours, but you knew who it was. You saw the way he was staring back at you, furiously blinking back tears, hoping no one had noticed. You saw the way his hands were clutching that cane as if his life depended on it. He didn’t want to be there.
But he had jumped into the canal after you had fallen in. He had dragged you from the bottom back up. He had gotten you onto the dock whilst he had sworn he would never get into touch with water if he could help it. And he might not have been able to place a comforting hand on your shoulder as Nina did, but you knew what he had done.
You just nodded at him, still in shock. Of the fall, or due to the fact Kaz dived in after you - you couldn’t tell. But when the boy nodded back, you knew it was enough.
You knew he’d do it over again if he had to.
“Never free, never me.
'Cause you're unforgiven too.”
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simplydifficultme · 1 year
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I would just like to say I came up with a fantastic no beta tag and I highly encourage using it. The fic in question.
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