Synopsis: Spencer and his one coworker never got along. She doesn’t think he can get a girl to like him. So they make a bet. He has one week to make her fall for him.
Synopsis: Spencer and his one coworker never got along. She doesn’t think he can get a girl to like him. So they make a bet. He has one week to make her fall for him.
Warnings: cursing, mild violence, talk of sex/sex jokes, guns, knives, mild nudity depection. (Lmk if I missed anything.), reader is bisexual or pansexual
Word count: 6.1k
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Ever since Y/N had begun working with the BAU department of the FBI, she had struggled to get along with the notoriously young genius. Spencer Reid aggravated her. Though, she got under his skin just as much.
The rumors surrounding their relationship varied. Some said they were threatened by eachother’s intelligence, others said they were definitely fucking.
The reality was much more complicated. Spencer and Y/N had malleable tension, but their distaste toward one another led to months of denial.
Day 0
Y/N rolled on her ancient office chair a few feet, bonking into Spencer’s equally retired chair. She didn’t have to go far considering they were ‘desk buddies’ according to her.
“Hey there, Reid,” she said obnoxiously, her bright smile mocking him. He barely looked up, gifting her a lazy glare before returning to his computer. “I got a few files regarding the homicide case I need you to look through,”
“Why can’t you just read them yourself? You always brag about your perfect vision after all,” he grumbled, resting his chin on his bony hand. Y/N rolled her eyes.
“Well, you’re always going on and on about how you can read 20,000 words a minute. I thought you could get the important information quickly. I’m just being efficient.” She smiled when it was obvious her comment got to Spencer’s ego. He clenched his jaw and turned his body to face hers. He snatched up the folders and began to read the contents. Y/N watched intently- causing discomfort to settle in Reid’s stomach.
“Must you stare?”
“Yes. You look like a nerd and it’s amusing.”
He looked up from the document he was in the middle of, keeping his finger rested on the word he left off on. “Is it necessary to mock me while I help you? And for your information, statistically nerd- uh-, academically gifted people succeed more often than those who are… like you.”
“Hey, I had perfect grades for the 20 years of schooling I had. K through my doctorate. Just like you. I just had sex and friends in college too.” Y/N’s smirk left Spencer’s blood boiling, but he returned to reading. She watched his eyes dart back and forth across the pages. She couldn’t help how much she liked his eyes. They were deep pools of knowledge. Thinking such a cliche thing made Y/N scoff to herself. Spencer looked back up at her and dropped the folders back onto her desk without a care.
“Ready to recite these, pretty boy? Let’s put that big ol’ mind of yours to the test.”
Y/N picked up the first document in the folder and made sure Reid couldn’t see what it said.
“Globally, the male homicide rate is almost four times higher than for females, 9.7 versus 2.7 per 100,000, and is highest in-,” Spencer continued to recite the paper word for word until Y/N got all the information she needed. She stopped him with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“I doubt you every time you do that,” she said while writing down notes regarding the case.
“Well, that’s your own fault. It’s a very useful skill that makes me good at my job,” he retorted, frustrated with her lack of enthusiasm towards his remarkable mind.
Y/N yawned and leaned back in her chair, which groaned in overworked exhaustion. “Yeah, cause every girl’s biggest turn on is when a guy’s fastest skill is reading,” she bit her lip and stared at him with a satisfied expression. She liked bickering with him. Spencer was great for bouncing ideas and insults back and forth.
Reid’s face flushed and he frowned with slight disgust, “That has nothing to do with- well- I’m sure guys think it’s really sexy when you put their staplers in jello.” Y/N let out a deep laugh when the young man alluded to the prank she did a few weeks back. It took much longer to plan and execute than she would have liked, but Spencer’s reaction was priceless.
Despite how it seemed, Spencer wasn’t innocent in the rivalry between the two youngest BAU members. He never pranked her, but there were numerous times when important files of Y/N’s went missing, getting her in trouble and days where her computer would happen to be on inappropriate screens she didn’t look up whenever the boss was around.
“They don’t, I don’t prank men I’m attracted to,” she retorted, even though it was a lie.
“You’re infuriating, you know that, right?”
“You’re a virgin, you know that, right?”
Spencer’s face was almost beet red, and he had to take a minute to process her response. “I am not a virgin!” He sneered a bit too loudly as Hotchner walked by their desks. He turned to look at the two, Y/N giving the man a confused shrug.
Hotch sighed, “that’s… great, Reid, please get back to work.” He continued walking and Y/N stifled a laugh.
“Dumbass,” she snorted.
Reid rolled his eyes and continued to defend his masculinity. “I am not a virgin, I’ve been with quite a few women and from what I’ve been told I’m very adequate.”
Y/N pretended to be absolutely disgusted and mature, “Reid, this is an inappropriate conversation to have at work, don’t you think so, JJ?” Spencer jerked to look behind him to see no one there. “Made ya’ look, pretty boy.”
Reid should have gone back to his work and ignored the girl, but she jabbed at his ego and that wasn’t gonna fly with him.
“I’ve gotten more girls than you..- probably,” he taunted, but it was almost questioningly.
“Doubt it,”
“Well, I do get girls, in fact, I bet I could get almost any girl,”
Now Y/N was intrigued, “really?” She asked and put down her notes. Her penmanship was revolting, according to Spencer. It was a mix of little swirlies and scribbled letters that didn’t look elegant enough for cursive, but weren’t neat enough to look legibl.
“Yes,”
“Well, then, playboy,” Y/N leaned in closer to Spencer’s face, “I bet you that you can’t get a girl of my choice to fall for you in a month- no, a week,”
“Alright, I bet I can. What do I get if I succeed?”
Y/N thought for a moment, “I’ll never put your stationary in gelatin ever again. And I’ll stop embarrassing you in front of our coworkers- most of the time. What do I get?
He rolled his eyes, “I’ll do your paperwork for a month. All that reading, after all,” Y/N perked up a bit at his offer, she was now invested in this bet.
“Let the experiment commence, shake on it?” Y/N asked, knowing he wouldn’t.
“Do you know how many pathogens are transferred through handshakes? It’s statistically safer to kiss,” he rambled obliviously.
“Soooo, let’s kiss on it?” She mocked.
Spender huffed and ignored her. He crossed his arms over his purple dress shirt and striped tie. Y/N liked him in purple, but she liked him best in dark blue. “So, who’s the girl I have to seduce?”
Y/N smiled maliciously and leaned in, her chair creaking as her weight redistributed towards the front of the cushion. She stopped when her nose was almost touching Reid’s.
“Me,”
Spencer blinked a few times and backed away from the young woman’s face. His expression contorted into flustered and appalled. However, before he could speak, his coworker stood up and walked herself over to the copier to print her notes and fax them to another department.
Spencer followed after her, rambling the entire time, “that hardly seems fair, you’re biased and hate me- I thought that you would choose a random stranger or-or-“
“You agreed to any girl,” Y/N turned around and leaned against the large machine. She folded her arms and stared up at Reid. She grabbed his tie and wrapped it around her hand, causing him to jerk towards her. He now looked eye level with her, for once. “You can’t smart your way out of this one, toots.”
Spencer shivered and swatted her away. He shot back up to his regular, towering stature, his lips a thin line.
“Have fun, Reid,” she replied, taking her copied pages and sauntering away.
Day 1
Spencer didn’t sleep that night. He just chugged more sugary coffee than usual and contemplated. Women weren’t his strong suit. Granted, he had been with women, but not many, and he wasn’t particularly good at getting to know them. He made a large whiteboard with notes and strings and index cards- he was going to approach this in a way he was good at. Seduction and murder were pretty similar, right? It was about motive, learning a person’s likes and dislikes, and luring them. That was a thought he didn’t like having.
After hours of brainstorming and analysis- and a bit of browsing her socials- Spencer came down to a few facts.
He came to terms with himself and crossed off ‘witty intelligence’. He sighed. The only lead he had was that her favorite color was Y/F/C and that she liked a classy suit. He could use that.
***
Y/N sat down at her desk, chugging the sweet caffeine of tea in her travel mug. Her eyes lingered off of her computer screen- which booted up as slow as a snail- to the figure approaching. A tall man in a black suit walked past her with ease. She wasn’t really looking at his face, so when he sat down at Spencer’s desk she was startled. It was Reid.
His hair was slicked back- some strands still escaped the gel though- and he wasn’t wearing a tie. When he took off his coat she realized that his shirt was slightly unbuttoned and the sleeves were rolled up at his elbows. The shirt was a dark shade of Y/F/C. He pulled it off well. Y/N wouldn’t have minded pulling it off of him-
“Y’know, you should use those perfect eyes for working rather than ogling at my body, I’m more than a piece of meat, Y/N.” He said with plastered confidence.
And the illusion was over. Mostly.
“That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth,” Y/N stated and pretended to focus on her work. But damn if she wasn’t gonna be staring at him all day.
Spencer noted her distaste for what he said, but he did notice that she really liked the outfit. He racked his brain all day for what he would try next. Y/N liked physical touch- but only the teasing kind. After all, she did it to him all the time. It was infuriating. Frustrating. Awful. But he liked it- after all if she was asked to stop, she would.
“She needs someone to match her confidence- her narcissistic qualities,” he mumbled to himself.
“What was that?” Morgan asked from behind him. Spencer stared like a deer in headlights at the smirking man.
“Nothing,” Reid mumbled nervously. He frantically went back to work as if it didn’t happen.
“Y’know, I heard Y/N on the phone earlier,” Morgan said in an alluding tone, Spencer turned back around, his swivel chair squeaking. “She was blabbing about how some guy she made a bet with came in wearing a suit. She said, and I quote, ‘I just wanted to tear the fucking thing off of him.’” Morgan snickered at the boy as he left him to his thoughts.
Day 2
Spencer found a sleepy Y/N in the break room, her eyes were heavy lidded and her movements were slower.
He snuck up behind her, bending down and whispering in her ear, “morning, doll.” Y/N let out a yelp, she twisted herself around and grabbed his wrists, kneeing him in the wall with his hands behind his back. “Fuck, ow, Y/N. I do not react that way when you try to spook me,” he groaned in pain.
“Maybe you should,” she responded with a sigh. “Good god, Spencer.” She let go of him, noting his suit. It was a little different, but the idea was the same. He had on a tie this time. “Thought you were ditching ties?” She pondered, not staring at his eyes.
“I did, but then I remembered, you like to grab my tie. Thought you might prefer if I wore it.” His confidence was different than usual. Instead of being sure of his intelligence and work, he was fully satisfied with social interaction. Y/N huffed, she did not want to admit that his tactics were a bit smart, and that he was getting to her. She turned her head away from him, but Reid quickly placed his thumb on her chin, resting his other fingers underneath. He lightly jerked her face so she had to make eye contact. What she didn’t know was that this was much harder for Spencer than it was for her. Inside he was absolutely in panic mode. Y/N’s brain went fuzzy- her anger subsided into something she did not want to associate with the boy genius.
Spencer ran his free hand through his hair and released Y/N’s face. “Alright, Princess, I think you should go get some work done,” he said in a low voice, quirking an eyebrow. With that, he left to presumably finish his own work. Solving murders was objectively more important than embarrassing your cute coworker/nemesis. This led to Y/N doubling the amount of work she generally did. She had a breakthrough regarding a recent kidnapping case. Which meant the team was headed to New York.
Day 3
The Jet ride was long and the sky was no friend of Y/N. After vomiting her cereal in the cramped bathroom on the plane, she felt very dizzy. JJ gave her some medicine and let her curl up next to her and read, but the blond was needed to go over certain parts of the plan.
Unfortunately for Y/N, Spencer was happy to take JJ’s place as a headrest. Y/N wasn’t too keen on this idea, but eventually gave in to the arrangement due to exhaustion.
“Why do you think a kidnapper would leave evidence deliberately, but then escape when about to be caught?” She queried as her body lay limp against his. His gaze moved from his coffee to her. He liked seeing her snuggled up against him, even if it was because she was too nauseous to tell him off. It didn’t matter though, itwas just for the bet- all for scientific experimentation.
Spencer made an inquisitive look and cocked his head slightly, “well,” he paused for a moment, “sometimes a person unstable enough to kidnap a child is also unstable enough to be irrational. They may hope to gain attention they never received.” Y/N hummed in response.
“No one is as attentive as the FBI, after all. We’re like that weird friend who internet stalks guys you just started to go out with,” she joked as she began to feel more at ease.
“Wait-, girls do that?”
Day 4
The entire team split up into pairs. Of course, even in a serious time of investigation, Spencer found a way to try and win the bet. He’d somehow convinced Hotch to let him and Y/N investigate where the crime scene was.
Y/N obliged, trying to focus on the fact that a woman was kidnapped, while another was murdered, and not how Spencer looked very nice with his hair in a small ponytail. This had to have been part of his plan. Y/N knew he remembered that one time she made a joke about unironically liking when men put their hair up. She guessed he also figured out it wasn’t actually a joke.
The pair had spent hours asking neighbors for witness accounts and information on the unsub, but little was found. They did have one lead though.
Y/N knocked on the door of a small, black house. The paint was peeling and despite it being summer, the grass was very much dead. An older man opened the door. He was wiry and sickly looking- even for a senior citizen.
“What ya’ need, little lady,” he rasped before looking up at Spencer, “and beanstalk.”
She tried not to laugh, ignoring how Spencer stiffened at the comment. Y/N flashed the hunched over man her badge and then flipped it into her back pocket. “My name is Agent Y/L/N, may we talk to you for a few minutes regarding the disappearance of Carlina White?” Spencer always found it interesting how professional Y/N could be when dealing with cases, but never any other time. It was almost as if there was a little switch in her mind that she could flip whenever she needed to. How he loved the idea of walking around in her mind someday.
The old man thought for a moment before narrowing his eyes, “I’ll talk to the Little Ms., but only her.”
Spencer pressed his hand against the small of his coworker’s back, a little harder than he meant to.
“You will be talking to the both of us or neither of us,” Reid replied in a tone much deeper than his actual voice. Y/N felt a bit of frustration build up in her stomach. She quickly excused she and the beanstalk.
“What the fuck, Reid?” He slightly cringed, she last-named him. Right after she had called him Spencer that morning. He was regressing. Fuck, indeed.
“Who knows what he’s capable of? I just feel that-“
“You know what I’m capable of. You know I can handle this. He’s old and I have a gun. Do not underestimate me, not when we need a lead.” Her tone was firm and she lifted her chin, as if that would help with the height difference.
Spencer left his coworker, nervously pacing around the dead grass lawn until Y/N came back outside. She walked over to him and flashed him a toothy grin.
“I’m assuming good news based on your facial expression,” he said as he immediately felt his panic diminish.
“Yep. We have a lead. He saw the girl who got kidnapped walking with some women who knew her through her school. We can access the convenience store security cameras down the street for more information.”
“Well, I guess you are a smart little lady,”
“Shut up, beanstalk.”
***
Y/N drowsily swiped her keycard to unlock her hotel room. As she turned on the lights she found her ‘bet buddy’ sitting on the single bed in the center of the bland room.
“Good god- what the hell are you doing in here-, how long have you been sitting in the dark?” She asked as her right eye twitched in irritation. Spencer cleared his throat.
“Well, I had Garcia give me your spare keycard-,”
“How did you manage that?”
“She liked the bet. And as for how long I’ve been sitting in the dark, it’s not revenant.”
Y/N rolled her eyes and folded her arms. “What do you want, beanstalk?”
“You promised to never use that name again,” the boy genius replied with blushed cheeks.
“That applied until you broke into my hotel room with poker chips and cards…,” her voice trailed off and she glared at him. “What? Hoping to play me into losing the bet through poker? That’s a cheap trick.”
Spender shook his head innocently, “no trick, just a friendly game of poker.” Y/N raised an eyebrow and smirked, hoping to embarrass the man into surrendering.
“I’ll raise the stakes. We won’t be betting money, how about strip poker?” She walked over to the bed where he sat, plopping herself onto the navy blue comforter. She watched his face turn beet red, but he seemed to recover quickly. Somehow.
“Sounds like a plan,”
The cards were laid out and Y/N inspected her hand, attempting to hide her excitement regarding her luck. Three aces.
“Alright, so we bet ties and coats first. It’s lamest to most juiciest. I’m going to bet that bare minimum,” the girl said with ease, her voice was like dripping honey to her companion.
Spencer’s eyes trailed from his cards to her face. “Well, I’m betting my shirt,” he said with sleepy eyes. He was really getting to Y/N, she didn’t like the emotions that swam in her stomach when he talked.
“I’ll match that.”
Both contenders showed their hands face up. Y/N smirked as she stared at Spencer’s pair of kings. She bit her lip and widened her smile as she made eye contact with the boy. He seemed less phased than she would have liked. She liked him when he was flustered.
“Alright, pretty boy, lose the shirt,” she purred knowing he’d chicken out at this point. The great Spencer Reid would definitely not-
“Yup,”
Y/N’s mind began to race. Just a bit. It didn’t mean anything. She was just surprised, tired- stupid. That was all. She watched as his long fingers loosened his tie and proceeded to unbutton his top. He began to struggle with a button, causing Y/N to slip her hands, which were significantly smaller than his, under the button. She began to take over, desperate to keep control of the situation. Spencer surrendered the task, leaning back, his arms propping him up, as she gingerly undid each button until the shirt framed his torso. He was scrawnier, but she liked it. It never really mattered what a person’s body was, or what was in their pants, just if Y/N was attracted to it. It just so happened that she was attracted to it.
The lanky man sat back up and shrugged the stiff shirt off of his thin arms. Light muscle rippled under his skin as he removed the fabric. It finally allowed her to notice the trail of hair on his stomach that traveled down into his pants-
She shouldn’t be thinking about his pants. Or what they were covering.
“You’re staring,” Spencer said, pulling Y/N out of her thoughts that just so happened to be about him.
“Just deal me,” she grumbled in response. He obliged, making sure to let their hands touch as he handed over the cards.
After a few rounds of Y/N winning, Spencer was left in his tie, socks and boxers. Her ego was inflated from winning, but her heart was pounding. She was struggling not to stare at Spencer’s skin.
“I assume I’m losing the tie next?” Spencer asked, trying his very best to be calm and collected.
“No,” Y/N responded with heavy-lidded eyes, “I like the tie.” Spencer gulped, but his attempt to save face was futile. This made the young woman smirk, she knew she’d get to him.
She placed down her hand before Spencer did. She had bet her shirt- he was betting his underwear. His eyes traveled from her cards up to her face, but his nervousness was replaced with confidence.
She was fucked.
“Royal flush,” he smiled and folded his arms, leaning back against the headboard. Y/N looked at his cards then at him a few times. She rolled her eyes, cursing to herself. She got up off the bed, pulling her blouse above her head to reveal her black lace bra. It wasn’t the most utilitarian, but she just adored flashy clothes. As she tossed the shirt onto the floor, her eyes met Reid’s.
“Happy, boy genius?” She asked with downturned lips and eyes of daggers.
“You chose the game,”
“Well, I-,” Y/N stopped. He played her like the cheap kazoo she was. He boosted up her confidence and then embarrassed her. She hated his stupid brilliant mind.
She rolled her eyes again, making her way over to the boy, who sat on the edge of the bed, legs apart. She stood between his thighs, her hands running down his jaw to his chin. His long hands found their way to her waist and down her body. He leaned her shoulders down so that her ear was near his lips.
“I’m going to go take a shower,” and with that Spencer left Y/N to her thoughts. While he thought about her.
She stood dumbfounded as the tall boy shut the bathroom door.
“What the hell is happening to me?” She whined.
Day 5
As Y/N roused as the sunlight seeped through the translucent curtains of the hotel room. She groaned as she attempted to sit up, but her movements were halted by an arm. A thin, slightly muscular arm.
“Oh fuck-,” she whined to herself, dreading about the thought of what might have happened the night before.
“We actually didn’t,” Y/N heard a voice- one deeper than she expected- say. Oh, it was Spencer’s morning voice. His response gave her relief as she sighed, recalling the events of last night. “We should go to work now.”
Y/N looked over at Spencer’s T-shirt clung close to his skin. His eyes were glued on her and he almost didn’t feel like her nemesis anymore. Almost. “Yeah. Probably.”
***
After finding the possible location of the unsub, the team suited up. Y/N sat in the back of a van, in an uncomfortable bullet proof vest, preparing to turn the safety off of her gun.
The van halted, throwing her off balance slightly. Everyone exited silently and walked closer to a work down warehouse with a plethora of structural damage.
As she cautiously stalked towards the back door, which was unbolted, she heard a strange noise. She whipped around, pointing her gun at arms length. It was just a squirrel. Y/N tried not to let the swelling of her paranoia continue. Shaking her head, she entered through the broken door, looking at every possible crevice an unsub could be lurking in.
As she turned the corner, she felt a large hand grip the back of her neck, a knife pressed up against the front of her throat. The pressure was not enough to draw blood, but it was close.
“You’re coming with me if there are more of you-,” she heard a gravelly voice growl. She stayed silent, trying not to gulp, an attempt to keep the layers of her skin intact. She knew how to get out of situations like these, but it still scared her. Just a bit. When she didn’t answer his question, she felt the knife’s sharp blade tear through her first layer of skin.
Click!
“Drop the fucking knife,” Spencer barked in that tone Y/N couldn’t help but shiver at. But now was not the time. The click she heard moments ago was that of his gun. The unsub, Y/N presumed, spun himself and his new hostage to face Reid.
The unsub laughed, making Y/N internally cringe, but now he was distracted. “I wouldn’t do that, stringbean. Put down the gun.” Spencer stayed where he was despite the unsub’s order. “Put the fucking gun down, cop!”
The unsub’s grip on the knife loosened as his attention was directed at the gun pointed at his skull. And he had forgotten to do a very crutial thing, watch Y/N’s hands. She smashed the back of her head into the unsub’s whilst gripping the knife. This sent the man staggering backward into a nearby wall. This gave Spencer enough time to pin the man to the wall, handcuffing him.
He gave the unsub his Miranda rights before saying in a calm manner, “and it’s not cop, it’s Doctor,”
Day 6
Y/N felt nervous going into the office the next day, the day after the incident. Where Spencer could’ve been the reason she lived that day. She wasn’t really sure how to just continue banter with him now. In fact, she was questioning why she made this stupid bet with him to begin with.
Nevertheless, she sat down at her desk, the pathetic chair suffering beneath her weight. She was just going to distract herself by doing paperwork regarding the unsub the team caught yesterday.
About fifteen minutes into frantically typing on the computer, Y/N heard Spencer’s voice as he talked to Morgan. He sat down, halting whatever it was that he was telling his friend. Morgan huffed as he looked between Reid and Y/N . He rolled his eyes and walked away, not bothering to tease either of them.
About another hour passed before the girl sighed, turning her chair so she faced her ‘desk buddy’ slightly.
“Thank you, Spencer. I know you were just doing your job, but—,” she wasn’t sure what else to say to him. She closed her mouth and looked away from boy genius’s attentive stare.
“I understand what you’re saying. You don’t have to keep talking,” he said, almost softly, but it was still matter of fact enough to come off as rude. Y/N didn’t care though. She looked at him finally, he was back in his regular attire. Yet she still found him attractive. Her brain flashed images of him shirtless from the other night.
“Fuck,”
“What-?” Spencer asked with a slightly confused expression. But he started to smirk when she blushed. She tried to respond, but word salad left her mouth full and her tongue tied.
“If you’re so smart why don’t you figure it out,” she grumbled in self-loathing frustration and returned to her grueling paperwork. Despite her attitude, Spencer smiled to himself.
***
She left work late. Her and Spencer being the only BAU members left in the building at that point. The rain poured down like bullets. She began to run to her car, keeping her head down, but a voice stopped her.
“Hey! Wait-,” Spencer hollered from across the parking lot. He was under a sturdy umbrella. He walked over to her, as she got soaked in rain water. But she really couldn’t complain because she chose to wait.
“What?”
“Are you okay?” He asked while stretching out his long arm so that the umbrella covered them both. Y/N nodded and looked away.
“Yeah, I just-,”
“It’s traumatizing to have a knife to your throat and a gun pointed at you simultaneously- if you need anything, it makes sense. You don’t need an IQ of 187 to know that.” He looked worried as he said it, as well as very curious.
“No- it’s fine, it’s work, I just-,”
She was cut off again, “I promise you, it is incredibly normal to become nervous or experience anxiety when being put through a negatively overstimulating circumstance-,”
“Can you just shut up for a second?”
His yapping halted immediately. “Thanks,” she continued. She stood closer to him, standing on her tiptoes. She slowly lifted up her arms so that her hands rested on his angular jawline. She felt him stiffen, but his dilated pupils were focused on her intently. The girl then pressed her lips against his neck, near his jaw bone. Then she leaned back slightly, going back in to kiss his lips. She felt him kiss her back, but his body stayed rigid. She broke away.
“Are you okay? It’s very normal for a dork to be nervous when a girl kisses him-,”
“Shut up,” and with that he kissed her this time. She felt him drop his umbrella, his hands too busy finding her waist- pulling her to him. Y/N’s hands found their way into his hair, pulling slightly. This caused him to groan. The kiss became more heated as rain drenched their bodies, clothes clinging to skin and hair flat with the weight of the water.
Their lips broke away so that they could both catch their breath. He took her hand and led her to his car, unlocking it. She took the lead, however, opening the door of the backseat and immediately getting in. He followed suit. He shut the door behind them and resumed kissing her, she made her way into his lap, straddling his legs. He held her close to him, and she rocked her hips against his. As she felt his hands travel lower her mind drifted to places of doubt.
He was only doing this to win the bet.
He’s so competitive.
She broke apart from him, hating the way that she really adored his flushed face and messed up hair. How she enjoyed seeing his lips swollen and his eyes darkly dilated.
“I’m not gonna lose to you, Spencer,” She whispered, almost sadly, as he looked up at her. It was not the look of a man who wanted a girl. It was one that meant he wanted her.
Y/N untangled her body from Spencer’s, feeling his hands leave her body. She just walked out of his car before trudging through the rain to hers. But Reid really couldn’t be mad at her, he let her go after all. (She also didn’t owe him anything.)
Day 7
Despite trying to ignore and avoid her ‘kissing buddy’, Y/N knew it was futile. As she heard him call her name, she slipped around the corner and frantically opened the door of a storage closet. However, she knew she was screwed when she heard a knock.
“Uh- occupied,”
Knock knock.
“Son of a fuck,” she grumbled and stood up to open to door, preparing herself for the awkward interaction. She turned the knob and met the gaze of- Hotch?
Hotch?
“Y/N, please stop hiding in the closet and go back to work. We all accept you for who you are, regardless of whom you’re attracted to.” He said with a flat tone and a deadpan expression.
“I uh- thank you, sir. Yes, sir,” she responded, recalling the time all of her coworkers had found out about her ex-girlfriend many years ago. She smiled at the memory of how supportive they all were, however.
Hotchner gestured for Y/N to follow him to his office, “Something was dropped off for you, I was instructed to give it to you.”
She looked at the stone faced man confused, wondering what could possibly be there off for her. When she asked, the man just stayed quiet until they reached his office. He nodded his head towards the door knob.
“What is it, a bomb?” She joked. She entered the room, but halted when she saw Spencer Walter Reid standing in the center of the room holding a cumbersome bouquet of umbrellas. The door closed behind the two, Hotchner presumably wanted no part in the insanity.
There were candles and ridiculous jazz music, roses and dimmed lighting. It was ridiculously cheesy.
“Why are there umbrellas?” She asked exasperatedly, but tried her best not to smile. He smirked at her and gestured for her to take the bouquet. Each umbrella was a different color or pattern.
“Well,” he said, “you didn’t have one yesterday.” She laughed a bit, watching as he then pulled two tickets out of his pocket. “I also happen to have two tickets to a Russian Film Festival. Thought you might want to go with me.” He waved the two tickets near her face.
Y/N crossed her arms and arched her brow, “I don’t know Russian, Spencer.”
He took a step closer to her, so that their noses were almost touching. She took the umbrella bouquet and placed it on Hotchner’s desk.
“Then maybe I can whisper the translations in your ear the entire time,”
“Damn, that was smooth.” She admitted, letting his hands fall at her waist. But she could sense how nervous he was. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, draping her body against him.
“Okay, sounds like a plan. But why did you get me thirteen umbrellas? We both know one is sufficient,” she asked with her honey dew voice.
“You tend to lose things,”
“I do not!” She smacked his chest lightly.
“Yes, you do,”
“Oh yeah, Sherlock, like what?”
“Bets,”
Y/N smirked, biting her lip. “I fucking hate you,” she said with a laugh.
She felt his lips meet hers, kissing her for a moment before pulling away.
“I hate you too,”
_______________________________________
Hey everybody!
Sorry for being inactive for- well, forever. Hope you enjoy the long fic. It took me forever. Love you all
TW: use of Y/N, mild, mild angst, slight ooc Kaz(?) (I think that’s it, let me know if I missed anything please.)
Synopsis: You’ve known Kaz for years, inventing gadgets to assist in heists and being his right hand ‘man’. One night you ask him if you can join a heist, but it doesn’t go as planned….
REQUESTS: OPEN✅
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My eyes flitted between the arriving guests in the bar. The Crow Club was packed tonight, and pigeons strolled in with restless naivety. I sat in the corner of the bustling room, sighing with exhaustion. I had just spent seventeen hours imitating mechanical watches in order to create a ‘fake’ for Kaz do swap with a real one. ‘Just something I need for a heist,’ was all he had said.
It would be worth it to know Kaz was proud of me in the end. Though, it was a long shot to think he would even do much as acknowledge anything I did.
I pondered whether I should slip through the crowd to find Jesper, but I couldn’t spot him. Instead, I pushed my way out of the suffocating bar out into the damp streets of Ketterdam. The cool air calmed my mind as I crossed toward the Slat. The cold made my cheeks rosy.
With the flick of a wrist, I flipped a switch blended into the old building’s exterior wall. It was hidden to an unsuspecting pedestrian yet, but it set off a system of pullies I had integrated into the inner walls a long time ago. A soft shlink was followed by the outward jutting of brick.
The side of the building became a rock-wall of sorts, since I could not climb up every surface like Inej. I began to grip the bricks, digging my nails into the gritty platforms.
Kaz was not always a fan of my inventions. A few had blown up in his face- literally- but it seemed he kept me around due to my many successes. I could fix any machine made by man. I didn’t have to know what it was, I could just take it apart in my mind, then do so in reality.
This was one of my inventions, a brick wall that was easy to climb, but could be hidden. Inej loved it- Kaz felt it was a waste of time.
He said there were stairs for a reason.
I shimmied the window of Kaz’s office open, the latch flipping and the glass sliding. I hopped off of the ledge and into the office, making sure to reset my brick contraption. I turned around and cleared my throat, but Kaz did not glance up at me. I rolled my eyes as he squinted at the blueprints that lay on his makeshift desk.
“Good evening, Brekker,” I greeted with a jokingly enticing tone. His eye twitched and he proceeded to turn his attention to me.
“Hello, Y/N,” his gravely voiced rasped in response. I smiled slightly, regretting so, and dig into my left pants pocket. I pulled out a shiny, gold watch with engraved initials. Whose they were was unknown to me, but if I asked, Kaz would most likely just shut me down. I had to respect his odd secrecy after all he had done for me. Out of all the years I’d known him, it has always been as if he kept me at an arm’s length. He was careful to never be vulnerable, as if that was the same as his skin touching mine.
I gestured for him to catch the watch when I tossed it, but he glared. I let out an exasperated sigh.
“You’re such a buzzkill,” I teased while handing the fake to him.
“You’re… difficult,” he retorted, but there was no malice behind his words- surprisingly. I huffed and plopped onto the blanket sprawled out on the windowsill. My eyes followed Kaz’s movements as he tentaviety inspected the watch. After a few minutes he placed it onto his desk and resumed his work. I waited patiently for any sign of recognition, but it never came.
“You’re welcome,” I mumbled while stretching out my legs. I opened up my leather sketchbook to doodle a new invention design. That or I’d just draw Kaz. But I was too annoyed with him to do so.
The dark haired boy sighed as he looked over at me. “You did good. It looks identical.”
I didn’t say anything in response, but I smiled slightly, my face heating up. It was embarrassing how easily I was flattered by Kaz, who could barely do the bare minimum.
“What ere you using it for— the watch, I mean,” I asked with growing curiosity. Kaz halted his work for a moment, most likely deciding if he felt like sharing or not.
“A local banker,-“
“The more-of-a-wanker-than-a-banker one?” I cut off his response, immediately feeling embarrassed. Kaz looked at me with mild confusion. “Inside joke with Jesper,” I elaborated.
He hummed in response, then continued, “He’s more of a swanker. For the past few months he has been flaunting his wealth a little too much. Especially his watch. It’s his most prized possession. I plan to take it from his vault; a simple swap.”
“What would you do without me?” I asked with a sly smirk. Kaz huffed, perhaps laughed.
“I’d have less of your inventions explode on me.”
“It was one time, Kaz,” I said with exasperation. My eye glittered as I met his gaze. I open my mouth to speak, but immediately close it again, pressing my lips together firmly.
“Kaz?”
“Y/N,”
“I want to go on a mission with you and the crows,” I blurted out. Kaz froze, only for a fraction of a moment, but Kaz Brekker froze. He nodded towards my left arm, where a tattoo of a crow craning over a guatlet was etched into my skin.
“You are a crow,” he finally rasped, dodging my question until I glared daggers into his skin. “And I have everyone we need for the mission-“
“Wylan is sick. You need someone who can easily disable complex machinery- the alarms, the traps-“
“I said no,” Kaz’s voice raised, sounding threatening.
“Why not?”
“Y/N,” his voice sounded as if he meant, don’t push it. But I did. I always did, and Kaz always kept me by his side anyways.
“I don’t understand- ever since I got hurt on that one heist you haven’t let me participate-“
“Exactly! You got hurt,” he said. His jaw clenched and his eyes avoided mine. I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he gulped.
“Dregs get hurt all the time- saints, some of the crows do too-“
“This is different,”
“How?”
“You’re an investment,” he stated blankly, “and I protect my investments.” I felt heat flush my face, my fists balling up and my shoulders tensing.
“That’s rich, Kaz, real rich,” I spat. Embarrassment pooled in my stomach and my eyes. “But that’s all you want, right? Kruge? Money? Power?” He didn’t say anything as I slitted my eyes and scrunched my nose. “Saints forbid the people who help you get to that point.”
Before Kaz could respond, if he even chose to, I got up and walked across his office, my shoes clacking against the hard, wooden floors. The old floorboards moaned and groaned at the pressure I subjected them to.
“Y/N-,” Kaz tried to get up, but his bad leg involuntarily spasmed at his abrupt movement.
The door slammed behind me. I knew it wasn’t a big deal, it felt like the last thing to topple a delicate card tower. Each card was a jab or a deny Kaz made regarding our… relationship, if you could call it that. He and I had been friends long before the other crows came along, yet I felt I’d come to know him the least. I sighed.
I turned back around on my heel, opening the splintered office door. On the other side was Kaz, reaching for the handling on the opposing side.
“You’re not an investment,”
I kept any snarky comments bottled up inside, along with my tears. I could tell what he was convey was eating away at him, so I let him speak.
“If I lost you, I’d have to burn Ketterdam down, and then I’d have no kingdom to rule,” his words soared through the air between us and to my heart.
“I just keep feeling like I’ve given enough, Kaz. I know I deserve to go on heists. If you see my as an equal, you have to treat me like one.” I met his deep, coffee-brown eyes.
He nodded. One of his gloved hands hesitantly, begrudgingly, came up to touch my face. He cupped my cheek and I leaned into the cold, leather touch. I knew this was the best answer he could give me at the moment. It was a more meaningful gesture than anything he could’ve said. He’d let me help on the heist, and for once in a very long time, it felt like he had let his high walls crumble a bit.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)
Synopsis: You truely recall the time you and Kaz crossed paths as young teenagers. How you fled from your pirate ship into the dark streets of Ketterdam, only to find a scoundrel to scar.
REQUESTS: OPEN✅
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9 - His Eyes of Hatred
"We met before, haven't we?" I try to keep my voice calm, but the tone was desperate; a consuming curiosity brewing in the cauldron of my mind. It began to bubble over as the existence of silence grew. The sliver of sunlight left in the day cast a long shadow across Kaz, exaggerating the sharp parts of his face; the dark lines left from a life in the Barrel. It is a constant reminder of who he is and what he will always be. The Bastard of The Barrel.
"Life isn't fate driven, Y/n," Kaz finally mutters while tapping the metallic crow head of his cane with a long, gloved finger. My eyebrows crease in annoyance, I'm not going to get a direct answer out of him. I sigh softly and lean against a barren tree. The sharp bark still pierces my skin through the thick jacket wrapped around me; Kaz's jacket. A blanket of heavy silence draped over us as the moon became the only source of light. I close my eyes and attempt to sift through the old, painful memories from my arrival into Ketterdam.
✶ ♧ ✶
The thick smoke of the endless line of boats had filled my lungs. I surepressed coughs that tried to escape my cracked lips. The smoke and fog masked my clumsy escape off of the wooden ship; off of home. I looked back for longer than I should have, soaking in the remnants of my childhood.
I trudged past bellowing merchants at makeshift stands filled with stealable goods and promising services. The voices of the bustling streets meshed together into a white noise more crackly than the sea I was used to, and diverse smells wafted through the air; food, dirt, death.
My stomach growled like a starved beast, my muscles felt strained and tight. My hungry gaze had landed on a man selling fresh fruits and breads; a strange assortment, but an appetizing one. He was younger, but old enough to have to avoid taxes illegally. His dark skin and curly hair contrasted pleasantly with his orange button up. He had been calling out to possible customers; the walking wallets that roamed the streets. I shifted my demeanor and softened my expression; an attempt to look sweet and desperate. Do what your mother taught you, I had told myself. I took long, elegant strides toward the stand, clasping my hands together as he looked at me. A glint of intrigue sparkled in his deep, dark eyes as he rested his elbows on the wooden counter. It was covered in apples and grapes, as well as warm baked goods.
I greeted him with an innocent smile as he spoke to me, "Ah, what can I do for ya' miss? Maybe a pear, a biscuit... a date?" He had winked and flashed me a dimpled smile. I giggled softly and batted my eyelashes. It felt so embarrassing— so degrading at the time.
"Well, maybe a loaf of bread and an apple?" I requested with my honeydew voice, which poured into his ears with a pleasurable vibration. He nodded with another wink and placed both into a cloth bag. I searched in my pockets, calm at first, but then frantic, a false panic spreading across my face. "My wallet! Oh no, I think someone stole my wallet," my lip quivered as I looked at the shop man with desperation. His expression was unfazed, he even huffed with a deep chuckle.
"You're not from here, are ya', little miss?" He rested his soft-edged face in his hands, amused with how naive I seemed. I had blinked a few times, cocking my head in confusion. He sighed as tears began to pool in my eyes, wiping them away with a calloused finger. "I'll give em' to ya' for free, but next time you come around, take me out for a nice meal," he smirked and extended his hand towards me. I accepted the bag of finessed foods from his outstretched palm, thanking him excessively.
I had whisked my way through the tight crowds until the outdoor markets became scarce. The streets were darker now, oiled lamp light more haphazard the further I walked. The way people took up space was different here. Before, in the markets, pedestrians had grand attires, with even grander ambitions. The cramped space was borrowed by anyone who took it, and the attempt was abundant.
But here, it contrasted immaculately. Those who roamed visibly tried to take up as little space as possible; small slivers of rotting life in the decaying world around them. Most people hadn't wandered openly, instead choosing to slip through the cracks of the city.
These seemed to be the rules of those who lived here, except for a handful of daring strangers I saw lingering outside a packed bar, a few chuckling loudly, drunkenly swaying with the leaning buildings. The rambunctious group had begun to make their way down the street, following a tall man with a cane that clacked against the cobblestone roads. He looked old, or maybe just worn, from his intense angularity and sharpened points. Though, further inspection had proved otherwise, showing the man's— er, boy's- cheeks puffed slightly on his angled face and hard expression. His soft jaw had seemed to be the only way to know he was young. He had actually appeared to be my age.
As the gang passed me with animated motions, I gave a quick wink to one that peered at me for far too long. My eyes were welcoming; entrancing. They were an enticing trap; a siren song that lured in those who thought too little about importances and too much about lust. The man whistled at me and even stopped, turning in my direction. I scanned him for any riches I'd need for future purchases or predicaments. A pocket watch had caught my eye. It dripped out from his chest pocket by a chain, which adorned his tailored suit that had been mishandled from the bar.
His mates had stopped, one making a groan of frustration. "You cannot hit on every pretty gal who acknowledges ya', Big B," a man slurred with a drunken scowl. The broad man, apparently Big B, strutted his way to me, towering over my body with a sly grin.
"You alone in the Barrel?" His words slipped on the sharp constants and bubbled in his deep voice. The Barrel? I remember being confused by that statement. I looked away bashfully for a moment before offering him batting eyes and a small smile. He took both with haste, his gaze narrowing as I had stepped closer to him. Big B's friends behind him protested, a few stumbling towards him to drag him away. Shit, time for the emergency plan B, I had thought to myself, anxious to snag him watch and sell it to the nearest pawn shop for much too little.
I tripped over the uneven cobbles in the road as I shrunk the space between Big B and I, my hands falling in front of my tipping body onto his chest, right by his pocket.
"I am so sorry, sir, really, I didn't mean to-," my nervous pleas and apologies were stopped shortly by a deep, throaty laugh from the muscular man.
"Doll, no worries at all," he said. I had clutched my hands over my chest, the golden watch trapped between my palms. Shortly after, a few dirtied hands grabbed the thick arms of Big B before dragging him away from where I stood. I made a quick escape to a nearby alley as the men squabbled with one another. I slipped the watch into my pocket as I heard the enraged yells of Big B; he hadn't been able to find his watch for some reason. The roars faded and meshed with the voices of Ketterdam as I climbed my way up to the rooftops of the city.
The night had ticked away on the watched I clutched, my eyes filled with greed and satisfaction with every tik and tok it made. I had found myself my very own sliver of Ketterdam to hide in, an indent of a building that was covered with a dirtied sheet and stacked crates of spoiled produce.
My dreams of freedom and riches were halted by the familiar sound of a cane hitting cobblestone, followed by an unfamiliar noise of a cane hitting me in the arm, not hard enough to break it, but enough to leave a large bruise soon; a warning. I had yelped and contorted my body around the cloth roof of my shelter, lunging at the shadow of a figure; a diversion, as my father taught me, an eye catcher, as my mother had said. The attacker smacked me in the stomach with force, their cane causing my ribs to vibrate like a xylophone. I ignored the intense throbbing pain— another trick I had learned on the boat- as I rolled part of the sheet up. With a few flicks of my wrists, the wrung cloth was tightly around the neck of my current opponent. I squeezed tighter as I stared at them.
Before me had stood a reddening face— suffocation has that affect on people- of the sharp, dark boy from earlier. The ring leader of his own gritty circus. He once again used his cane to hit me in the leg, but I used this falling opportunity I had felt to smack my forehead into his. This along with the chokehold I had him in caused the boy to fall back, his well-groomed, dark hair covering his eyes a bit. He was strangely beautiful now that I had noticed it, in an intense sort of way.
Time was ticking away as I observed him, so I shoved him into the alley wall, where an eroded brick cut his lower lip. I ran with haste into the slick street as rain began to pour down in large globs. My hair had stuck to my skin, along with my wet clothes, where the gold watch was pocketed.
✶ ♧ ✶
My chilly hands fumble through my pants pockets, finding the signature time-teller of mine; a—now quite scratched- good pocket watch that hung from a thin chain. I held it in my palms, the sharp cold nipping at my finger tips. Kaz's eyes were glued on the small clock, his lower lip twitching. I toss it to him, and he unsurprisingly catches it with a single gloved hand.
"Maybe there is some fate," I finally melted the silence with a warm voice. I chuckle softly, looking at Kaz, his round cheeks and soft jaw were long gone, and he seemed to have become sharper and harder over the two years that past, the Barrel chipping away at his humanity with greediness to destroy a boy. His lower lip had a scar that ran down the center, an immortal reminder of the time a former pirate girl got a leg up on Kaz Brekker, no one got a let up on Kaz Brekker.
"Or maybe Ketterdam is too small for those with such high ambition," the oddly attractive boy responds with a rasp.
"I think that may be the nicest thing you've ever said to me," I reply with a light laugh. Kaz doesn't say anything, but he met my gaze with eyes that weren't completely filled with hatred.
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Word Count: 1889
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I took a quick break from writing to allow my creative drive to return, thought it's better to write better than write more.
T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)
Synopsis: You test your skills in an intense game of poker with the Crows. Kaz gets fed up off and you have to cool him off.
REQUESTS: OPEN✅
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8 - No Strip Poker
"This isn't just a game for fun, Jesper," Kaz grumbled as he separated the cards into seven piles. He kept the remaining cards in a stack by his hip. I guess he decided he was going to be the dealer, and no one interjected. "Everyone has a 'tell', you all know that. We're playing this to observe others' reactions and then call them out at the end of the game."
"So we're gonna point out each others' flaws in order to suppress them during a negotiation or a fight?" I asked, my voice dripping with mockery, the idea seemed smart, yet damaging. Kaz nodded to me, he seemed to want to glare at me, but you could say he suppressed it.
"So this is not strip poker?" Jesper asked with a whine. I laughed a bit as almost everyone objected. Nina seemed pretty on board with the idea though. With all the usual shenanigans out of the way, the game began.
Everyone picked up the deck dealed to them, inspecting their hand. I had a pair of sixes, but that most likely wasn't good enough to win. I knew if I lied during the game my lower lip would quiver, giving me away. I have to say nothing if asked, but I need to seem confident to fool.
"Give two cards, darling," I said to Kaz with a smirk. He passed them to me as I discarded my useless three of clubs and ten of hearts. I now held an additional six and a joker. Holy saints, four of a kind and an ace. That ranks me above a full house and under a straight flush. I suppressed my glee and stared down at my cards blankly. I was aware that everyone was darting glances around the room, attempting to spot an awkward movement of someone else.
Matthias huffed and threw his cards onto the table, "I fold," he said with a boiling rage. Nina gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before looking back at her hand. When Kaz nodded, everyone placed down their luck.
Inej had a three of a kind, of kings. Very good.
Jesper had nothing.... What could have been a royal flush was ruined by a single two of clubs.
Wylan had two of a kind, of threes.
Nina had two sets of two of a kinds.
Finally, my gaze fell off Kaz's hand. A straight flush.
I bottled up my frustration as Kaz reshuffled the cards and Jesper complained. I felt my competitive spirit shoot through my veins. Poker was a weekly event back on the ship, it was the only way my father respected me. Now, I felt the need to win every time. But I also wanted to win to beat Kaz Brekker.
I looked up at the pale boy with scarred lips, he ignored my stare- well, my glare. I finally spewed out words driven by a lust for winning, not testimonial thought,
"Let's make bets," I said, with a sweet undertone in my voice. It was like mixing honey into warm tea. Everyone turned to my direction as I broke the tense silence, I guess we all were competitive. "Information is much more valuable than any coin. Whoever wins each round gets to ask a question -that must be answered—, to anyone here." I spoke with enfaces on each word, a smirk dancing on my plush lips. Jesper and Wylan smiled, and Nina let out an approving giggle. Kaz nodded, but did not show a sliver of opinion.
"Well, let's see how confident you are, Y/n," Kaz rasped, but there was a hint of amusement in his gravely voice. I looked at my hand, just a two of a kind, but it was of Queens. I asked for three cards, and others needs followed in suit. My hand now consisted on two queens and two kings. My bite was going to be underwhelming compared to my bark...
Everyone revealed their hand, darting gazes past the other cards laid out in. Nina won with a royal flush, which caused my body to soften on the inside, at least Kaz did not win after the spectacle I made. My competitive nature often got in the way of my judgement. Nina made a humming sound as she leaned against Matthias before looking directly at Inej.
"What's the weirdest thing you've observed while spying..?" She inquired with deep curiosity igniting in her eyes. Inej laughed softly before thinking for a moment.
"One time I saw a woman singing opera to... maybe 12 chickens sitting on her
couch-," the Waith could barely keep a straight face as she spoke, smirking at just the thought of the sight.
"I would pay to see that, the women could get rich of Kruge," I remarked with a giggle. Inej smiled at me with glittering eyes, and the game resumed.
A few rounds past before I won, but no alarming questions had been asked yet. Everyone seemed to just be dipping their toes in the shallow end of a deep pool of secrets. As I looked at my new hand of cards, I had a perfect full house, but everyone would know my deck was perfect if I didn't draw cards for the first time. I have to risk it. My anxiety spiked slightly, but I had to keep my heart rate steady, Nina would know if it sped up. I asked for one card, and luckily it was a joker. I could replace the card I had just discarded.
"I gotta' fold," Jesper whined, his gambling addiction seemed to be having a low this round. The remaining players placed their cards on the table. Everyone's eyes were glued on my hand; my perfect hand; the winning hand. Kaz didn't show signs of frustration, but I knew he was. He was so close to winning, just like I had been the very first round. My competitive advantage bubbled in my throat, my ego boiling over. I smirked and turned to Kaz,
"Why do you were gloves all the time?" I asked with curiosity lined with amusement. Everyone in the room seemed to tense up, we all most likely knew very little, but we had heard the rumors.
Brekker's hands are stained with blood that can't be washed off.
Dirtyhands has sharp fingers like the devil.
Kaz's hands are scarred beyond belief, the fate of his work.
Kaz clutched his cane tightly and stood up, his tall form towering over my hunched body.
"Choose one of the theories of Ketterdam's voices. They're all true enough," he responded. And with that, he began walking outside, opening the cabin's door. He stopped at the doorway, his strong posture framed by the blistering white outside. "I've learned enough from this game, you all need to improve your sloppy skills, especially Y/n. The quivering of your pretty lips will get your teeth knocked out."
As the door slammed shut, we all sat in silence. The tension from the game lingered as the quiet in the room festered. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed, Kaz was cold and bitter, but he was important. I had to value his feelings, or at the very least, his reactions. My cheeks grew red, but I sighed and attempted to keep face. When in doubt, become seductive; desire trumps all.
"Soooo, now that the party pooper is gone, maybe be could play strip poker-,"
"Please play without me, dolls, I'm going to reason with... the party pooper in question," my voice was a soft purr, one that drew in the most modest of people. I lifted myself with grace, sauntering out the door into the cold, but not before slipping on Kaz's jacket.
✵ ♣ ✵
The bitter boy had not made it far in the short time, he was just a hundred or so paces ahead of me, limping his way into the cold. I wasn't sure why, but I assumed it was to clear his troubled mind.
I finally made my way to his side, and without acknowledging me, he continued his brooding trek.
"Did you just come out here to suffer for fun or did you want to escape my question?" I made my tone extra clear, my honeydew voices melting the cold feelings. Kaz said nothing for a while, his jaw clenching slightly.
He halted and cocked an eyebrow. His head turned and his high stature caused him to crane his neck in order to make eye contact with me.
"We cannot escape our pasts, Y/n, all we can do is carefully cultivate a collection of present actions to allow the world to assume our upbringings," he voice sounded choked, strained, but he still held himself with pride. I noticed how he said 'we', including himself in the population of whom made the decision he described.
I sighed softly and narrowed my eyes, peering through my eyelashes at the Kaz. I didn't apologize for my question, I didn't need to, but I gave Kaz a looking of understanding.
"These personas we create may be true enough, Kaz, but they're simply an escape from the hell we're stuck in." I stepped closer to him, my stare hardening. "You have your tells too, Kaz Brekker, you may have a perfect front you present to the world, I'm guilty of it as well, but you're still just a scared kid."
Kaz stiffened as I inched closer to his face, taunting him. I stood on the tips of my toes, our noses nearly touching. I didn't have to use my Grisha abilities to sense his heartbeat quickening.
"We met before, didn't we?"
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Word Count: 1606
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I wasn't a fan of this chapter, but it was pretty rushed. Sorry for the awkward start to this.
T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)
Synopsis: You dive into your past regarding Kaz when you had just escaped your Pirate Crew. You remember him- in fact you bested him. Also some guy tries to kill you….
REQUESTS: OPEN✅
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Had You Met Him Before - 9
Jesper and I wandered through the snowy world that engulfed us. My face was dusted with a bright pink hue from the chilling breeze nipping at my nose. I turned to Jesper, waiting for him to elaborate on his statement from earlier.
Despite what people say, Kaz Brekker always has a reason.
"I'm not sure he likes you the way you seem to like him," Jesper says with a teasing smirk, "but I think he will come to value you as a person. Maybe you're the mysterious girl he has Inej find information on."
My eyes widened, resembling glossy marbles, as I thought about what Jesper just said.
"Okay- wait, what?" I stopped trudging through the snow and turned toward Jesper. "I mean...," I began, "I knew he had Inej find out things about people, but not because he liked a girl...? He can't even tolerate human beings as a whole.. how-," I knew I was exaderating as I blurted out all my inner thoughts to the Crow, but I couldn't help but feel my heart pounding faster.
Jesper laughed a bit, he seemed to be enjoying my reaction. His eyes softened and he sighed, putting up his hands defensively.
"I dunno anything for sure, but Inej had told me there is a girl that Kaz has her keep tabs on over the years," he shrugged and we continued our chilly walk. I let out a huff of cold breath, it looked like a white mist as if froze in such a low air temperature. I dug my hands into the pockets of Kaz's thick jacket and blushed.
"Why do you think I'm the girl in question?" I inquired while observing the ornate stitching of the jacket. Kaz Brekker really was a boy of sharp, tailored edges and even harsher angles. He carried himself well, and with pride. He morphed his weaknesses into strengths. The boy was a crafty crow who survived for future of sleeping on a limitless pile of Kruge, dreams filled with revenge. He seemed inhuman, his vulnerabilities buried six feet under, where he wanted Pekka Rollins to be.
"Well, I'm not sure, but from what Inej told me, you fit her description. Also, no one gets the upper hand on Kaz," he shot me a look. "He knew you were following him into that alley the night you hired him." I looked a bit disappointed, but Jesper continued. "You did a good job, you fluidly blended with crowds and made your movements natural, but Kaz has eyes everywhere." He raised his arms dramatically and spun in a circle as we walked. "He also knew who you were before you introduced yourself-"
"He knows everyone in Ketterdam, everyone with a possible motive or could be a threat, at least," I responded, attempting to process this situation with logic. Jesper nodded, but he laughed at my comment.
"Yes, but he seemed to know you better than that. He alerted Inej and I after you proposed the job in the alley that you were important." I looked at the charismatic boy with confusion as he spoke.
"No offense, but... so? I'm paying you, Kaz Brekker is probably in love with money, of course he saw me as important." I smiled awkwardly, feeling nervous as feelings twisted around my stomach like frantic butterflies.
"Boss said you were an asset, if all goes well, he'd want you to be a Crow," Jesper explained, smiling at me with care sparkling in his eyes. "He wouldn't even think to something like that unless he knew you, unless he trusted you in a way."
The sharpshooter stopped walking entirely and thought for a moment, his eyebrows creasing in concentration. I focused on the broken tree branches covered in thick layers of ice. The shimmer was similar to a white opal. I want my opal ring back, that's the only reason I'm here... I don't think I'll associate with the Crows ever again after that-
Jesper's voice broke my train of thought as he seemed to come to an epiphany. "Did you know Kaz before this, personally I mean. Did you ever talk with him before this heist?" He asked with a hand on his hip. I crinkled my face, thinking hard about it for a moment. Had I met Kaz before this? I closed my eyes and rewinded my past in Ketterdam; starting two years prior to now. I had met a few people who helped me when I first came. Those who let me steal or have temporary shelter. I helped people too, those who were in trouble or I needed to repay. I did that less now. Though, now I was less naive.
"I don't remember," I said in response, I felt tears pool on my eyes as I relived my past in my mind for a brief moment, but I sighed and looked up at Jesper. "Maybe."
He nodded, not pressing for more information. We collected more firewood before returning back to house. As we made out trek back, I noticed red splatters that hued the snow. There were only ghosts of footprints, as the constant snow seemed to cover them. They weren't too fresh. I turned to Jesper, silently gesturing to to the blood that trailed into the woods. Someone might be here. He handed me the firewood, which I set by my feet. I watched him unsheathe his dual pistols, kissing them for good luck.
We stepped slowly, preventing the loud crunch of snow condensing. The footprints we followed, along with a trail of blood, which eventually seemed more fresh. They led to the silhouette of a man laying in the snow. We looked around for a person, who may have heard us and gotten up and hid. Maybe they need help.... Or maybe they need to hurt. My eyes followed the trail of blood to a tree infront of Jesper and I. It led behind the tree and back around to us- Saints damn it all...-
A large, gloved hand grasped my face, covering my mouth, muffling screams I made. A sharp blade was put up against my throat, the smallest drip of blood running down my neck. Another hand wrapped around my wrists, restraining my movement. I saw Jesper cock his guns and point them at the figure threatening to kill me, but his eyes fell on the knife. I attempted to frantically figure out who was holding me as I stayed still, any moment of my body would cause the blade to slip deeper into my skin. I had to wait to move. The hands were too large to be Kaz's gloved fingers, and he most likely wouldn't have touched me in the first place.
"Ya' better lower your guns, kid," a heard voice with a deep accent snarl in Fjerdan. My mother used to teach me different languages back on the boat, it helped when we needed to make deals with other pirates. Jesper looked confused, not understanding what the man was asking.
"He says to lower your guns," I translated to the frustrated boy. Jesper obliged after a moment, but kept them in his hands.
"Drop them!" The man barked in Fjerdan. I didn't need to translate that for Jesper, he seemed to get the message. He let the guns fall into the thick snow as the blade broke a few more layers of the skin on my neck.
Jesper didn't know Fjerdan, he couldn't attempt to reason with the man articulately, but I could.
"What do you want?" I asked in Fjerdan, it sounded a bit awkward since I hadn't spoken it in what felt like forever. I tried not to let my voice quiver from the pressure of the knife on my throat.
"Are you witches?" The man asked me. He may be a witch Hunter; a Drüskelle. Despite my ability to help his pain, the blood the dripped from under his gloves hands into the snow, I doubt he would allow me to help him with my powers.
"No, I would have used my hands to kill you by now, if I was. He wouldn't be using guns if he was." I responded, giving Jesper a hard stare, alerting him to not move. The man stayed quiet for a moment before taking the blade off of my throat with a swift motion, causing him to slice my neck. I stifled a shriek, knowing I could heal myself soon. The gloved hands threw me at the snow close to Jesper. I stared up at him, he was tall and muscular, a scowl painted on his face, which had a thick beard. His eyes were filled with hatred, and his burley figure covered in thick layers of fur clothing. He had large gashes in his legs, hands and right shoulder, dried blood matting the fur on his coat.
"Do you have bandages?" He asked with a sharp tone, but there was a bit of desperation in the root of his voice. I did infact keep bandages on me at all times, in case my healing skills were not enough to fix large wounds, but I wasn't sure it was a good idea to help with man. I looked up at Jesper, who nudged me slightly with his foot.
I nodded at the bleeding man, slowly pulling out bandages and gauze from my corset and breast pockets. "Drop the knife," I said in gruff Fjerdan, glaring at the man with an unmatched confidence. He hesitated, but in a moment of need, the man threw the sharp, now blood-covered blade into the snow. I threw him the the supplies, allowing it to land by his feet. The man picked them up and begin to run away. Did he forget that Jesper had guns by his feet?
Bang!
I guess he did. I watched as the man fall to the ground in a graceless position. His blood began to dye the surrounding snow red. I couldn't help but feel empathy to the Grisha killer, he was still human. I stood up, standing by Jesper, who blew the smoke away from his gun's barrel. With a nifty flick of the wrist, the pistols were re-sheathed into his pockets.
Without saying a word to Jesper, I walked up to the man's lifeless body and retrieved my medical supplies.
"I didn't know you spoke Fjerdan," Jesper called from behind me. He didn't sound surprised, maybe just a bit amused. I patted down the fresh corpse for any more useful materials, finding a compass, a few more blades, and a deck of cards. I pocketed them in Kaz's coat before walking back up to Jesper, who was holding the firewood we placed down earlier.
As we began to walk back in the direction of the cabin, I finally responded to Jesper,
"I know many languages," my voice was gravelly, as I had not yet healed my neck. Reminding myself, I moved my fingers near one another in a fluid motion, the skin on my neck seemed to melt back together. It took a few minutes if concentration.
"You were a model student or somethin'?" Jesper said with a chuckle. I nodded, I guess I was a good student if I was the only one being taught.
We finally came back to cabin, looking chilled and exhausted. I made my way to the couch and flopped onto it. My eyes felt heavy and my joints stiff from the cold, Kaz probably felt much worse. Inej told me one time that the cold affected his bones, especially his bad leg I doubt she was supposed to tell me what though, but people trusted me easily. Even the coldest of strangers confided with me at times. Never underestimate the power of charisma; of manufactured charm.
"Where were you both?" I heard Kaz's voice ask with anger. I didn't respond, but I got up to wash the dried blood off my neck.
Jesper began reciting the full story, making me sound much cooler than I believe I was, but it made me smile. The crew watched as the animated sharpshooter retold the events with high energy. I retrieved the deck of cards out of my pocket and threw them at Kaz, who caught them without any acknowledgment of my presence.
"Let's play cards, Crows," I proposed, flashing a smile. I felt exhausted, but I attempted to lighten the mood. I turned my attention to Matthias as Kaz shuffled the cards with finesse. His gloved hands doing tricks with the aces, eyes focused.
Matthias looked stiff, it was a Fjerdan man who died today, after all. He seemed disconnected from that part of himself, but that was still his history none the less. I flashed him a sympathetic look, which he accepted with a silent nod.
I guess we never really disconnect from what we used to be, no ematter how hard we try. I look at the group before me, pretty sure we all have tried.
"Let's play strip poker-"
"Jesper, no, just normal poker-" Wylan interjected with a nervous laugh.
T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)
Synopsis: Your boat has been docked in Fjerda and you forgot your coat…. (But Kaz has a coat…👀)
REQUESTS: OPEN✅
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6 - Kaz Brekker Always Had a Reason
The ship was docked on the west coast of Fjerda, frozen plains stretches over the horizon into a snowy oblivion. The ocean was deeply frigid, an innocent plunge would send you to a numbing death.
Everyone, except prepared Matthias, was painfully underdressed. Jesper reminded us all frequently through whiney griping. We teased him about it, saying his fancy hats would not even be able to warm him up. My social circle included all the Crows, but I lingered longer around Inej and Nina. We all seemed to feel a feminine connection to one another; an easy group to complain about the boys' nonsense to.
As Nina and I shivered, we huddled near one another, the long trek around the Fold just beginning. Matthias held Nina close, insuring that she would be warm, despite her heartrender abilities.
Eventually, Nina moved between the cold Crows, circulating their blood into a more rapid speed to keep their temperatures up. Thus, I was left with the massive Fjerdan man. I'd seduced many men, but only a few looked like they could snap me in half like a twig for a fire like he did.
"Do you miss Fjerda?" I asked with an inquisitive tilt of the head. Matthias's face contorted slightly, his jaw shifting and eyebrows stitching together. He stayed silent for a moment before sighing,
"I do miss my people in some ways, but sometimes you find a person who changes your values...," he replied with a thick accent. It was sharp and pronounced, I had a feeling if he yelled at you it would feel like a brick to the face. I nodded as he watched Nina. "Do you miss your life before Ketterdam swallowed it up?"
"No-...," I tried to articulate how I felt about my past, but I guess I wasn't too sure. "I miss the specifics, the small details. Though, when I think about the big picture, I don't miss any of it." I let out a shivered breath before speaking again, "I don't want to think back fondly on what my life had been, trying to write an edited version with only the good plot points. It's easier to not think about it at all, no story is better than a bad one, don't you think?" I craned my neck to look at Matthias's eyes, they looked harsh and painful, but maybe they were pained instead.
"I think you should just keep writing the story," he acknowledged my thought with a nod. "Maybe find new characters to add to it rather than making it a one-man narration." I laughed softly, an unexpected response from him.
"Nina seems to be a good influence on you," smirking at him with a knowing glint in my eye. He really loves her, I thought as I made my way to the heartrender herself. "Nina!" I waddled my way across the tundra to her and Kaz. She seemed a bit exasperated as the dark haired boy begrudgingly allowed her to use her small science on him.
"Y/n, can you tell him that I will not be stopping his heartbeat?" She huffed as Kaz squirmed away from her slightly.
"That's enough," he said, but I heard his teeth chatter a bit through that gravely voice. I laughed, asking Nina to warm me up instead. She excitedly obliged, leaving Kaz to sulk in peace.
She began to chuckle to herself as she contorted her soft fingers to work her 'majik'.
"What is it?" I inquired with growing curiosity. She turned to me with a suggestive smile and a wink.
"Kaz was watching you, earlier, when you were taking to Matthias." Her grin widened, showing her pearly, white teeth. My cheeks burned when the meaning behind her words clicked in my brain. She continued, "I may have called him out on such. He got real defense," she dragged out her words with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"He's always defensive. He's basically a human defense system; a wall." I said, attempting to use logic. He barely knew me, unless we had met somewhere before, Kaz wouldn't trust me this early on, I knew that much.
"Well, yes, but you did pay upfront, he doesn't really need you alive, so..." Nina batted her eyelashes at me, mimicking a lovestruck girl. I flushed as I looked back at Kaz, limping a few feet behind us, when he met my gaze I spun back around, tensing up. Nina leaned close to my ear, "you're blushing... and I can tell your heartbeat has fluctuated frequently when he is near you-"
"Okayy, thank you, my darling, Nina, but I should really be going-,"
"You should be discussing plans with me since we are getting closer to the main path," rasped Kaz from behind me. I stifled a startled scream. Geez, what's with me? I'm never actually flustered around people and I've... been in intimate situations during heists many a time. Nina flashed me a smile and a wink before leaving Kaz and I alone. I sighed with relief as I know her torment would be at bay, for now.
"When we get to the trail's end, we should find shelter for the night, there are abandoned cabins all over Fjerda. That's what my dad told me, atleast," my voice was still a bit shakey as I tried to slow my heart rate down. Kaz nodded.
"It's the safest gamble to set up camp at the first cabin we see that doesn't have occupants in it," his tone was somehow more formal than it generally was, his body seemed tense. Had he heard what Nina had said? I looked at the cheery woman far up ahead, her bubbly laugh echoing across the frozen wasteland we trekked.
I walked with Kaz in silence, maintaining a couple feet of distance between us, I wasn't sure why, but I felt that if I touched him that he might snap. Whether that indicated him imploding or killing me, I wasn't sure. But I respected his need for space. I felt like I yearned to be alone often, since intimate touch was an important part of my job. It often wasn't by people I wanted to touch me too. Maybe it bothered me because I was so young, but no one in Ketterdam stayed young. Instead of a slow climb to adulthood, it was a drowning process. Before, you were something, but after you plunged up for air, you weren't much anymore.
A gust of wind blew hair into my face and sent a shiver throughout my body, like hitting a metal drum and watching it vibrate. Kaz seemed to suppress the chill he felt, huffing slightly as the wind blew towards us.
"Why didn't you bring a jacket?" Kaz grumbled, his glare colder than the snow melting in my boots. "Your chattering teeth is starting to irritate me."
"I originally thought we'd be headed through Shu Han," I said through long breaths. I suddenly felt a thick jacket be placed.., no, more so dropped onto my shoulders. I turned to the Crow beside me, who refused to meet my gaze. With a breathy laugh, I slipped my arms into the jacket. It was soft and warm, but oversized on me. I dug my chilly hands into the lined pockets. "Thank you."
Kaz stayed silent, but I could tell he was cold in only his shirt and vest. "We need you in good health. The Crows, especially Matthias, need your tailoring skills to disguise us. I assume your business partner also knows of me, so that would be a problem." He explained, as if justifying his decision to himself.
We eventually reached a fork in the road, both paths leading to long, winding expanses of lifeless tundra. I indicated the correct road, but as we made our way, we saw a small shack.
The skeleton of the building was stacked logs and eroded wood was sparsticslly laying in chunks near the house. The inside had creaky wooden floors, a small kitchen area and bed rested on opposing sides. Fur hanging from the walls, for decor and warmth probably, a small fire place, and a couch were the only other things of note in the barren room.
"Oh, it reminds me of how Matthias and I had spent our first night together," Nina purred with a silly smile.
"Wylan and I are too fancy to sleep on the floor," Jesper said while sprawling out on the make-shift mattress. No one objected, but Matthias and Nina called the couch. Us single three left mutually decided we were on our own for sleeping areas.
"There's enough fur for the rest of us to just sleep on the floor separately," Inej pointed out, "but I'm okay sharing with Y/n if there is a shortage of blankets." She smiled at me and squeezed my hand. I returned her sentiment by promising to braid her hair later.
Jesper's eyes wandered around the room in observation, eventually landing on jacket-less Kaz and my body that was swallowed by said-jacket. His lips crooked into a sly grin.
"Nice jacket, Y/n," Jesper said and his eyes landed on the coat's owner, who froze.
"I'm going to collect firewood," Kaz grumbled and made his way outside the cabin quite quickly.
"I'll be right with ya', boss!" Jesper shot up from the bed and jogged after Kaz, his giggling and teasing still audible.
"Should we leave them alone in the woods?" Nina asked, "Kaz may kill the poor boy." Everyone laughed a bit, knowing looks shared between everyone besides me. I've been too casual, I've grown too close to them. Maybe... I should stay away from Kaz a bit since we aren't trapped on a boat together any longer.
✵ ♣ ✵
"He gave you his jacket?" Inej repeated the words I just spewed out nervously. I nodded in response as she turned to look at me with shock.
We sat together on the roof, which was very difficult for for me to get up to after Inej did so with grace. Stealth was not my thing. She sat in front of my crossed legs, leaning on me slightly, as I braided her hair ornately. The repetitive motions soothed me as I felt the pressure of the coming heist. "The last couple nights on the boat we've both gotten nightmares from too much time on the sea," I explained. "We've been talking from late to early, until the sunrises, or just sitting in silence."
Inej giggled a bit, I felt her shake against me as the laugh vibrated through her. "He doesn't grow fond of people quickly, I can't be sure, but I want you to stay with us after the heist," Inej said softly.
I hummed in response, "we'll see. Even if we part ways, I'll stay in touch with you and Nina." I couldn't see her face, but I could tell Inej was smiling.
We both looked down to see a babbling Jesper walking next to an exhausted looking Kaz. Inej turned to me as I had just finished braiding her long hair. Her lips were crooked into a michevious grin.
"Let's scare them," she whispered softly. I was pretty sure Kaz would have seen us by now, knowing how observant he is, but the idea was too tempting. We slid behind the slant of the roof and Inej silently leaped to a nearby tree, her wire-y figure wrapping around the limbs on it, gripping the bark. She chucked a pinecone at Jesper, knocking the eccentric hat off of his head. He squeaked as he attempted to get the snow off of his hat. Inej disappeared behind the tree as the two boys looked up at the direction the pinecone came from. As I aimed to hit Kaz with a pinecone, I slipped slightly. His keen eyes landed on the roof, but not before I hid myself from his line of vision.
"Shit. Shit. Shit." I whispered, still wearing Kaz's coat. I stayed silent for a moment before hearing the crunching of boots in the snow. I quickly hurled the pinecone at Kaz's head, but he swung his cane, hitting the pinecone perfectly. He didn't even look up. Before I realized it, the pinecone was headed straight for me. He was aiming for me. I dodged it, but in the process my grip on the roof loosened, causing me to slide down the roof towards Jesper and Kaz. They looked up at the roof, and the sharpshooter leaped to catch me. I fell into his arms with a thud.
I smiled nervously, "hey guys..." Inej shimmied down the tree and quickly came to check on me. Jesper let me down, laughing the whole time, but Kaz had an indescribable expression on his face.
"I told you we can't have you dead," his tone was serious, my smile dropping abruptly. "Stick to what you're good at; making your presence known, Seductress." He admonished my actions as he walked inside with firewood in one hand, cane in the other. Why am I so foolish when I'm around him?
Inej followed after him, sternly explaining it was her idea. I felt a warmth in my heart as she defended me.
"Come, Y/n, let's talk," Jesper said. He had a pelt of fur draped over him, keeping him warmer. I followed him in the frosty woods behind the cabin. He smirked a bit as we made our way around trees and fallen logs, as well as other suffering vegetation.
"Is something wrong? Do you need relationship advice for Wylan?" I asked with a twinge of concern.
"Oh, no, no. It's about Kaz," his self-assured demeanor stayed strong as I attempted to keep pace with his long-limbed figure. "He's taken an unusual liking to you." He gestured to coat I was wearing.
"He was just being polite," I said, but even I had a hard time saying it without becoming skeptical.
Jesper snorted and shook his head, "Kaz isn't nice to for no reason, Y/n. Despite was people say, Kaz Brekker always has a reason."
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Word Count: 2344
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I realize this seems more like a fast paced romance, but don't worry, the girl falls first in this story. We'll get there...
T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)
Synopsis: When Kaz questions your life before Ketterdam and your trust, you discuss your upbringing with him. (You also cook dinner with Kaz and it’s cute.)
REQUESTS: OPEN✅
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5 - To Kill a Mother
I lifted my head up from the leather seat in the office, the fabric sticking to my skin. Kaz stood in front of me, the desk between us. His face was hard, it always seemed to be.
"I left for a reason, you know," my voice carried a heavy weight of the past. My thoughts feel foggy. I don't want to talk about this.
"You're a pirate-"
"Was, Kaz, I was a pirate," I corrected with a sharp tone. I fiddled with the stitching of my thick pants, easing my mind before I continued. "I wasn't a member of the Kraken Killers, I was from a smaller crew. A group of ruthless, but unimportant people." Kaz listened silently as I spoke, a sense of concentration rooted deeply within him. He probably wonders if I'm lying. "We were the Mouse Petals, seemingly soft and enticing, but brutally unforgiving. My dear old dad was the Captain, he taught me to take charge and... dispose of unwanted weak links. When he was busy, my mom would tell me the many ways to have a man or woman wrapped around your finger."
"Why did you leave, not enough dabloons?"
"Because, it was brutal. Innocent people worse off than us became our targets when Greed finally consumed my father. He began taking it out on my mother when plans didn't... go so smoothly. Any mistake made by the crew was a consent to death," I explained while bile rose in my throat, my eyes dripping like broken faucets. "Mom made a mistake, she...-," I choked on my words. "It doesn't matter, but what matters is that she's dead. Dad killed her." I looked up at Kaz again, my face red from crying... and maybe because he looked so good right now.
He finally spoke after what felt like an eternity, "why didn't you tell us? Might have been useful to know," he rasped.
"It's helpful information, sure, but it never came up in conversation. What did you want me to do? While we're navigating sea routes just turn to you saying 'hey Kaz, by the way I used to be a fucking pirate and I watched my mom die'?" I snapped.
"Well, we are on a boat, any time would have been a good time, really. All Jesper did at dinner one night was tell pirate puns," Kaz combated, the grip on his cane tightening, and his face distorting into a grim scowl.
I stayed silent as he stared me down. For whatever reason I cared what Kaz thought of me, what the Crows thought of me. I got up from the leather chair, ripping my bare skin off the sweat stained seat. As I walked past Kaz, I saw him eye me. I stopped, "you wanna say something or can I go?"
His silence answer my question, so I trudged my way up the wooden stairs onto the sunny ship deck. The sloshing waves grew more tipsy, drunkenly tipping the boat this way and that without a care in the world. Oh, how I envied the ocean.
Inej appeared from the slivers of shadow that existed midday, her flexible body contorting into view. I gave her a weak smile as a greeting before laying on a patch of loose rope on the ship's stern.
"How was easdropping, doll?" I asked Inej with a smooth tone.
"Oh-, I-,"
"I'm not upset Inej, I'm a sucker for gossip and old habits die hard," I sighed with a forced laugh as she sleuthed her way next to me. She gracefully sat down next to me, her sleek hair falling into her face.
She smiled at me, a friendly care rested on her face. It wasn't a look of someone who felt initial pity for anyone they saw, it was a keen understanding that was followed by empathy.
"He likes you, well, I'm not sure he really likes anyone, but if he did, it was be us Crows."
"I'm not a Crow,"
"Maybe this heist will prove otherwise," her eyes held a knowing gleam, she understood the pain it was to deal with Kaz sometimes. But I felt a little warm inside when she implied my acceptance.
I'd always had the innate ability to coax others into liking me, into loving me, but it was more of a lustful gimmick than a commitment. The Crows felt like a commitment. Granted, it hadn't been long, but there was a different ambiance around interactions I had with the crew compared to others in my life.
"Thank you, Inej," I whispered to her, hugging my knees in my sunburned arms. We sat in silence as the sea's waves slapped against the boat, like an over-eager greeting. "What did the ocean say to the sand?"
Inej stifled a laugh before replying, her long, slender body gracefully folded next to mine.
"I don't know, what did it say?"
"Nothing," I shrugged as the ghost of a smile played on my lips, "it just waved." I couldn't keep it together anymore, I burst into laughter, along with Inej. It wasn't even a funny joke, but it made me feel whole to giggle with someone who understood me. Kaz would have hated that joke. "I just didn't want to talk about it with him," I said to no one in particular, but Inej listened with intent. I watched as her endless hair flowed down her back and onto the wooden deck of the boat, her dark eyes deep pools that drowned all of Ketterdam's secrets.
I sighed and stood up, grasping the ledge of the boat. "I don't know why it felt like a big deal."
"People are complex, fears and traumas gash pieces of a person, sometimes taking whole chunks, until they're the remains of what once was a person," Inej's voice was a whisper in the wind. "Go tell Kaz the ocean joke, he'll detest it." She laughed and like that, she was gone into the wind as well.
✵ ♣ ✵
Kaz wasn't in the office, instead he was in his bunk, an awkward shaped room that was essentially a closet, connected to the main bunks with a door. Perhaps Kaz hadn't wanted to listen to Matthias snore all night, or maybe he didn't want to listen to Jesper and Wylan say goodnight to each other a dozen times before actually meaning it. For whatever reason, Kaz was in the cramped corner of the boat, hunched over on his bed, spine facing the door.
"What did the ocean say to the sand?" I asked, he craned his neck to look at me before sighing, turning around to see me. He didn't look eager to hear the punchline, but his expression often didn't indicate his mood.
"Do tell,"
"Nothing, it just waved."
"You're brilliant," he mocked dryly.
"Oh Kaz, are you shore you get the joke?"
"...,"
"Saints, it's just a joke, you don't have to be a salty beach about it," I grinned, my cheeks dusted with pink.
"How have you survived in Ketterdam with that mouth of yours?"
"My mouth is adorned with soft lips, darling. Gets me out of trouble often," I winked and leaned against the door. He turned away from me, but I noticed something off about him.
"We're close to the Fjerdan passage, we should be there by the end of the week. I believe we are hugging the border of the Ravkan countryside that leads to The Fold." I said, easing the tension that hung heavy in the room. "We will need winter attire, and Matthias will have to be disguised because... well, I think it's obvious," I said with an awkward chuckle. Kaz nodded, still not looking at me.
He stood up and limped to the door, "we're on dinner duty," was all he said before gesturing for me to move and leaving the room.
I followed after him to the small kitchen jutting out of the cabin. Kaz began taking out knives and cutting apples into oddly shaped slivers.
"I didn't buy specially preserved ingredients to have them be wasted by someone who doesn't know how to cook," I teased as I stood behind him; micromanaging.
"How can you be sure I can't cook?" He grumbled, placing the knife back into the cutting board. I smirked at his insulted demeanor.
"For someone who has most likely fought with every weapon in the book, you can't use a knife for anything but damage." My gaze met his. The colors of his eyes resembled those of over-steeped tea, unknown thoughts stored inside. "Let me show you how to use a knife," I said, he flinched as I came closer though. I moved the cutting board closer to me, giving him the reassurance of space between us.
I delicately chop the apples into thin slivers, gingerly slicing them with a confidence. After I finish with the first apple, I gestured to Kaz, who was sulking as he watched, for him to attempt at the feat. "The trick is to remember it's an apple, not a human threat," I said and patted his jacket-covered shoulder. He flinched, but began to cut the apples.
I sprinkled cinnamon and sugar onto the perfect —and the ones Kaz sliced- apple slivers before placing them over the gas stove. There was really no need for such an expensive boat when I bought it, but I'm glad I did.
"You did a good job," I complimented with a grin, skirting around the kitchen with pep. "Now, we need to make the sandwiches. I'm gonna keep you on slicing duty, alright?" He nodded and began to slice meat and cheese into thick sheets. I watched him methodically go through the motions of the repetitive task before he looked up at me,
"Get me the lettuce." His teasing smirk seemed to whisper to me, I saw you staring. I blushed slightly as his scarred lips had curved into a smile.
"I will if you use your manners," I purred while retrieving the bread from the cupboard. He sighed before giving me a mocking, dreamy look,
"My dearest Y/n, my darling, would you please get me the lettuce, my little Crow," his voice was sweet and immitated mine a twinge, asshole. I tossed him a bag of lettuce and began roasting the bread.
"You're lucky you're not a target with expensive jewelry, or you'd be met with an intimate reaction," I retorted at his slyness, but I couldn't help but wondered if my face was beet red.
Kaz and I continued to cook up the paninis and apple chips with little incident, Kaz did almost cut a finger off, but he was fine.
Dinner was served to everyone by myself and Kaz, each sandwich looked intricate and appetizing. Nina made a satisfied noise as she bit into the cheese-and-meat filled bread. I laughed slightly and took a bite as well, it was very good. Thick globs of cheese poured down the sides of the crisp bread and perfectly seasoned meat sat inbetween the top layer of bread and cheese.
"Y/n, Kaz, this is the second best thing I've ever put in my mouth," Jesper praised. Wylan giggled as they held hands and smiled. Matthias gave me an approving nod as he sat at Nina's hip, and Inej smiled at me with kind eyes.
"I shouldn't get too much credit, Kaz did chop up stuff... and almost his finger- but he did great," I grinned at my tease and leaned towards his stiff sitting posture as he ate. Everyone laughed with no ill intent, but Kaz huffed with an irritated look.
"If you're so good at cooking, why do we all have to take turns cooking each night?" His eyes stared me down, the question seemed rhetorical; a way to shut me up. I can't let that happen.
"I'm paying you all, might as well get my money's worth." I laughed, and the beginnings of a smile twitched on Kaz's scarred lips. His really nice lips. If I could trace the scars every night before I slept I would, but if felt uncomfortable to think about. I don't ever feel like this...
The night ended fine, no one brought up the pirate incident from earlier, so I took today as a win. But Kaz knew, yet it didn't bother me as much as it should've.
✵ ♣ ✵
I watched in horror, for what felt like eons strung together into a much longer expanse of torment. My mother was tied up on the ledge of a wooden plank jutting off a ship, eyes puffy from crying. Her limbs were red and bloody from the ropes keeping her from grasping freedom. I stood next to my father, his tall figure looming over me with resemblance to a demonic entity. His grip on my frail shoulders squeezed tighter as he turned to me.
"Do it,"
I woke up to the thunk of my head making contact with the bunk above me; the empty bunk initially reserved for Kaz. I didn't kill her, I didn't do it. I continued to say these words until I felt I could beleive them, for tonight.
Sleep would only plunge me back into the sea of that dream again, so I silently, attempting to not wake anyone up, walked up the cabin's steps. When I reached the mast of the boat, my eyes fell on those of a scar-covered boy. He sat against the crates near the front of the tall beam holding the sails high. He looked at me with empty, glazed over eyes. Gray bags prominent and hair unkept. He looked like a meek kid rather than a Gang boss. Maybe he was just both.
"Nightmare?" I asked and sat next to him, and to my surprise, he didn't move away.
"Yeah,"
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Word Count: 2292
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I had a good time thinking of the backstory for this character, though my knowledge of pirates is pretty limited. Hope you enjoyed the ocean puns, my bisexuality made me do it
T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)
Synopsis: When Pirates attempt to rob the crows, you use your tailor abilities to trick them. You attempt to open up to Kaz.
REQUESTS: OPEN✅
____________________________________________
4 - Tattoos on Her Chest
Kaz's perspective
As I sorted through paperwork, organizing the Crow Club's bills, I heard the clunking of boots. The soles must be rubber if the sound echoed that such a way through the cabin, I concluded. Inej would have come silently, so it must be Y/n. She wasn't known for her stealth. In fact—everywhere she went, sun beams seemed to radiate off of her, it was the only logical reason for why her skin was always so gleaming... and perfect.
The door of my —Y/n's- office swung open with the gleaming sunbeam herself gripping the knob, her knuckles white from the intense hold she had on it. The color had drained from her face, distress took the place of her normally flirty expression. I rose from my desk quickly, I must have looked a bit frazzled, insomnia was beginning to set in.
"What made you burst in? Did Jesper and Wylan light something on fire-?" I asked with an irritated stare. The Crows were too rambunctious in the morning, I thought.
She seemed to be struggling to speak— she actually looked quite nauseous. Y/n only made a few noises that didn't quite string into proper sentences before she finally blurted out a single squeak of a word;
"Pirates," her voice laced with panic. "Their war flag is up. They're going to attempt to pillage us, kill the men, take the women-," I cut off her spiraling rambles with a gruff demand,
"Stop, that's not helpful right now," her frantic yammering was only going to cloud her judgement. I'd never seen her like this before, though I hadn't known her long. She seemed to unravel by the sight of the pirates, but how did she know about their war flags-? I attempted to create a theory from the evidence present, but
Y/n's heavy breathing warped into a small scream.
"Kaz, get Wylan to have explosives ready, the rest of the crew should be hiding on deck, armed," she commanded to me. There was a glint in her eyes, the spark of a leader who was born to bark out orders and demand respect. "You, and the rest of the Crows, under no circumstances, interject or fire unless I give the signal to do so." She made a quick hand movement to indicate a 'signal' before leaving the office in a hurry. As she left I saw her hands meeting, beginning to work Grisha magic.
After alerting the Crows of the battle about to commence, we slipped into the blind spots of the boat. An upbringing in Ketterdam didn't teach you how to play sports in or write cursive, but it sure as hell taught you to hide, and hide well at that.
I watched Y/n with a keen gaze as she sauntered up the the edge of the deck, locking eyes with a scruffy man on the approaching ship. He seemed to be Captain, based on his gold-plated teeth and pockets stuffed with coins from various regions. The people accompanying him had torn clothes and were decorated with far less jewelry as well.
The captain let out a bellowing laugh as he unsheathed his curved saber. He pointed it at Y/n with a cocky grin before greeting her with a voice that sounded like what eating sandpaper would do to a person.
"Ay, little lady, where be your captain?" His crew drew their swords, looking hungry for a fight.
"You're staring right at her, darling," Y/n replied with a sweet, voice. Like drizzling hot maple syrup onto fresh, thick pancakes. A delicacy for me, but one worth the buck.
The opposing ship became an uproar of laughter, and the captain fell to his knees from cackling excessively. Y/n flashed an expression of disgust, but her demeanor remained poised. I watched closely as she drew a silver pistol from her pants pocket, and with a loud bang, a bullet pierced through the Captian's tricorne hat. Y/n blew the smoke away from the gun barrel and with a flick of her wrist it was back in her pocket. That was one of Jesper's moves. I eyed the sharpshooter himself as he hid behind a few crates on the far right deck. He smiled with pride as he watched Y/n.
The enemy ship went silent, the soft sloshing of the sea was the only audible noise.
"You should treat me with some saints damn respect," Y/n purred as she walked to the very ledge of the deck, leaning against the railing casually. "Do you know who I am?"
The Captain turned red in the face, making him look like a giant tomato. He clenched his sword-less fist, but I saw wary in his eyes. You could tell by the way his eyebrows furrowed for a split second.
"A bitch is what you are!" The gold-toothed man yelled as he pointed his sword at Y/n. She payed his gesture no mind before beginning to unbutton her white, collared shirt. I felt blood rush to my face and heat creeped up on my cheeks.
More of Y/n's glittering skin was exposed the more buttons she released. I scolded myself for such a foolish observation and gulped. The Captain noticed too, his eyes peering at her chest with a thirst. "You're not a just a bitch, but a whore-... too," his last word seemed to squeak out before his breath hitched. His eyes widened, and he stumbled backwards.
My curiosity peaked as I saw what he was so distressed about. On the lower skin of Y/n's right collarbone, but high on her chest, was a crest; a tattoo. It depicted a tentacled sea monster consuming a cracked human skull. It had no meaning to me, but it seemed to be significant to the horrified Captain.
"How-? You're- shit... I-," the man sputtered to get words out, but no sentences seemed to form. His tied tongue must have been caught in his throat because he began to have a coughing fit.
"Yes, yes. Daddy is the head of the Kraken Killers," Y/n said with the scoff of a spoiled girl, "I've heard it all before, seen it all before. You reaction bores me." She whined with crossed arms.
"I'm so sorry-"
"You apology is worthless to me, but if you spot me a few dabloons, maybe Daddy doesn't have to know about the rude names you called his only daughter," she winked and turned around to face us, the crew. Her expression was hard; demanding, she wanted us to stay right where we were.
After a few minutes of panicked treasure-nabbing on the opposing boat, the Captain scurried out from the lower deck with a dark, wooden chest.
"Throw it in our boat, ya' big lug," Y/n ordered with a dismissive wave of her hand, not even bothering to turn back around. As the chest hit the deck with a kachunk, the opposing boat's Grisha members drew enough wind into the sails to make it far away from us, and fast.
Y/n smiled once they were long gone, hunching her shoulders and softening her expression. She sighed with relief.
"Well, wasn't that eventful," her nervous chuckle was as sweet as her voice, but it had a slight grit to it, as if it were granulated sugar, rather than syrup. The other Crows stared in shock as Y/n began sifting through the chest of treasures. She seemed to meld into 'characters' so easily when a situation needed resolving, and she was damn good at it. I ignored my growing admiration as we all walked over to Y/n. She buttoned up her shirt, but not before I noticed that the tattoo on her chest had changed, instead of the Kraken Killers', it was a spindly mouse skeleton draped over a dark flower. I said nothing, but my suspicions rose. Her history with the sea was apparent.
"You used the pistol trick I taught you," Jesper said with a grin. Everyone began to congratulate Y/n on such a performance, and laughter became as infectious as an outbreak of Firepox. Even the Fjerdan Bull-sized man seemed happy. As everyone began claiming treasure, Y/n looked back down at her chest, now covered by clothing.
"My tailoring abilities really came in handy for making that Crest tattoo!" She laughed along with everyone else, but it was the only notable thing anyone said that night. I waited until everyone made their way to begin their daily tasks before approaching Y/n.
I attempted to make the sound of my cane quiet as I snaked my way over to her. She was tying the ropes at the mass to adjust the sails properly.
"You don't have to try to sneak up on everyone, Kaz," a soft chuckle escaped her mouth as she says this, spinning around to face me. "Let's leave the spying for Inej," she winked. Her body lay against the mass, a smirk playing on his lips.
"You know an awful lot about boats and pirate terminology for a tailor who faked a Crest tattoo of a Pirate gang," my gaze was harsh, pouring into her Siren-like eyes. Just looking at her felt like a trap. Her shoulders stiffened and her lower lip quivered. As she was about to speak when I interrupted her, "you're about to lie, just spit out the truth. I already saw your real crest anyway." She cocked an eyebrow, as if saying, prove it. "It's a mouse skeleton and a flower; a black rose."
Her eyes narrowed, pupils covered by thick eyelashes. She huffed.
"You're not gonna trust me until I tell you, are you?" She grumbled, glaring at me.
"If looks would kill, I'd be as well off as the Captain if he didn't surrender," my backhanded compliment seemed to only frustrate her more. "But I'm alive, so starting talking."
As the sunlight caressed her cheek in dapples, she turned away from me, storming down into the cabin. Her clunky boots were even more audible than they were this morning.
"Are you coming? I thought you wanted to hear my whole life story," her voice echoed from the stairs and the tone felt like a smack in the face as I heard it. Nothing I hadn't dealt with before. I walked down the creaky stairs and slipped into the dimly lit office, where little Mrs. Sunshine was scowling at me from the desk's leather seat. "I ran away for a reason,"
Synopsis: You’ve known Kaz for years, inventing gadgets to assist in heists and being his right hand ‘man’. One night you ask him if you can join a heist, but it doesn’t go as planned….
•Tainted Opal (Part 1) - A ‘Tell’ in Poker🌘🩵💜
Synopsis: You are a seductress who owns a large stolen jewelry business in Ketterdam. You approach Kaz for assistance after your business partner steals all of your money and your poison ring.
Synopsis: You meet up with Kaz for a meeting on the down-low at the Crow Club, but your vulnerability slips.
•Tainted Opal (Part 3) - Pirates🌘🩵💜
Synopsis: You prepare for the heist, boarding the ship with Kaz and his Crew. (Domestic fluff with the crows)
•Tainted Opal (Part 4) - Tattoos on Her Chest🌘🩵💜
Synopsis: When Pirates attempt to rob the crows, you use your tailor abilities to trick them. You attempt to open up to Kaz.
•Tainted Opal (Part 5) - To Kill a Mother🌘🩵💜
Synopsis: When Kaz questions your life before Ketterdam and your trust, you discuss your upbringing with him. (You also cook dinner with Kaz and it’s cute.)
•Tainted Opal (Part 6) - Kaz Brekker Always Had a Reason🌘🩵💜
Synopsis Your boat has been docked in Fjerda and you forgot your coat…. (But Kaz has a coat…👀)
•Tainted Opal (Part 7) - Had You Met Him Before?🌘🩵💜
Synopsis: you dive into your history regarding Kaz when you had first met him- bested him, and then a guy tries to kill you in the woods.
•Tainted Opal (Part 8) - No Strip Poker!🌘🩵💜
Synopsis: You test your skills in an intense game of poker with the Crows. Kaz gets fed up off and you have to cool him off.
•Tainted Opal (Part 9) - His Eyes of Hatred🌘🩵💜
Synopsis: You truely recall the time you and Kaz crossed paths as young teenagers. How you fled from your pirate ship into the dark streets of Ketterdam, only to find a scoundrel to scar.
T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)
Synopsis: You prepare for the heist, boarding the ship with Kaz and his Crew. (Domestic fluff with the crows)
REQUESTS: OPEN✅
__________________________________________
The port was cold, but not in a comforting manner. It was the type of chill that felt like needles were lodged in your throat when you took a breath. No one in Ketterdam seemed to mind though, especially the people who probably had needles lodged in their throats. It was the Barrel after all.
My hair came undone from the wind, trickling down my neck and shoulders. It appeared aflame in the fiery sunrise.
The tapping of a cane alerted me of Kaz's presence. I turned around to see a crowd of six misfits, all coming my way. My crew. Well, Kaz's crew.
The tallest was pale, with long, blond hair that cascaded down his shoulders. His eyes were shadowed by thick, creased eyebrows. Beside him was a blue eyed, auburn haired girl with full lips and freckles. She was curvier, her dress accentuating her figure. Finally, standing between Inej and Jesper was a timid boy, he looked slightly younger than me, but only due to his round face and soft eyes. His fluffy hair puffed awkwardly in places, he looked so short next to Jesper.
I smiled as I made my way across the docks to them. Kaz towered over me, looking down at me with a smirk. He gestured to the crew, introducing each one and their skills.
"Lovely," I purred with a satisfied expression, my dress flowed, kicking up dust, as I spun to the direction of the boat; my boat.
The ship was grand, with ornate wooden carvings at the mass: every knot in the wood had flowers etched into them. The sail was my favorite color, and it looked incandescent as sunlight poured through. The Crows looked up, some uncomfortable, others awestruck, but Kaz's expression stayed a neutral scowl.
"Well, quite a ride you have," Kaz rasped. He made it clear he was mocking me. I huffed softly and began to load up the boat with the rest of the Crows.
"Brekker, we've both made a name for ourselves in this city from theft. We just chose to invest in different forms," I reply, my voice carried with a heavy feeling of pride. The boy didn't respond, but I saw him smirk before bringing more crates to the ship. My gaze fell on the timid explosives expert, Wylan. He struggled the lift the crate filled with ammo, beads of sweat forming on his temples. "Here, let me help you," I smiled softly and with a wink, I easily lifted the load. I heard Wylan squeak out a 'thank you.' I laid it down on the ship's storage quarters with a soft thud before returning to the dock to repeat the process.
The tall woman, the heartrender, walked over to me after the ship was fully loaded. Nina. I remembered her name. My sultry eyes met hers, and my lips curved into a little smile.
"I admire a woman who can pull the weight of men," she joked. Charisma radiated off of her in beams, similarly to me, but in very different ways. I chuckled, even I noticed how it sounded like if you could blow bubbles with honey.
"Thank you very much, me as well."
✵ ♣ ✵
The rocking of the sea felt familiar in my heart. As I smelled the salty air my mind began to flood with memories. He told me to be careful by the edge of the boat... but I guess he never warned-
"Brooding in the back of a ship with the sea?" I heard Kaz's husky voice ask. I didn't turn my head, but I offered him a soft laugh. He walked up to stand against the edge of the boat with me, clasping his gloved hands together. I eyed his cane, with was leaning next to his right hip. The top was a metal crow head.
It was hard to maintain the whole Seductress demeanor for such long periods of time, but I attempted to remain flirty and calm. Kaz's eyes drifted as the boat rocked, he stared at the expanse of ocean. "I hate the sea, but I've ignored it for long enough. Finally get to put this boat use," I said with a sigh.
"Then why did you buy a boat?" There was a hint of humor in his voice. I pretend to ponder that question for a moment, but I knew the reason. I knew it all too well.
"It was this or a dungeon in my basement," I replied, looking at the profile of his face, "and this one didn't require home renovations." I continued. I wasn't just going to tell him the real reason-
"You're a terrible liar."
My eyebrows raised to my forehead, and my eyes met his. He continued without waiting for a verbal response, "Your bottom lip quivers before you speak if you are about to tell a lie." His face is rested in a slight scowl, but his eyes are laughing at my flushed face. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. He opened his scarred lips once again to speak, "it's called a 'tell' in poker."
✵ ♣ ✵
Two weeks rolled by in a swift motion, the sea rocking the boat all the while. Wylan wasn't doing too good with the constant sway at first, but he managed.
I'd became quite close with the Crows as the days past, and I stopped feeling the need to personify myself as a Seductress. Now I was just y/n. I don't mind myself being let in to others. After all, if you don't let them in, you can let them go easily. Mornings were spent hoisting sails and cooking, days for navigating and watching. Evenings consisted of laughter and dinner, nights reserved for planning and rest.
We each had bunks, but I spent most of my nights planning for when we reached Ravka with Kaz in the cabin's office. Sometimes I just sat and read while he worked or Inej and I would sharpen her knives, Saints, she loved those knives.
Matthias and Nina were on cooking duty for tonight, and once it was served Jesper made an announcement.
"Before we departed on our journey," he began with a comical, dramatic tone. "I purchased seven pirate hats, after two weeks sailing, I believe we deserve them!" He sprung up from his seat and ran down to the bottom deck. He quickly returned with said hats, and I had to admit, they seemed authentic...
"For each of us! I now declare us honorary pirates," Jesper shouted to the deep blue sky dusted with stars. A few of us laughed as he granted each of a hat. "I'm not sure I should give my dear Wylan one though, he doesn't seem sea ready," the sharpshooter joked before kissing Wylan on the cheek. I giggled before interjecting.
"Ah, I don't know, I believe Wylan would be a mighty fine pirate." I said with a toothy grin, my eyes sparkling at the dinner's commotion. I noticed that Kaz eyed me keenly, his pupils dilating as I smiled. He's an odd one.
As Jesper attempted to place a hat on Kaz's groomed hair, he was met with a cane to the ankles. The lanky man let out a groan of pain before collapsing on the wooden deck with a laugh. I loved the lively ambiance. It reminded me a bit of home. Home. I thought to myself. I shook off the complicated concept of my past before turning my attention to Kaz.
"Oh come on Brekker, wear the hat like everyone else," my tone was playful, but my eyes demanded it, for Jesper's sake. Kaz huffed and he was obviously irritated. I grabbed his hat and place it on his head, but I too was met with his cane. My boot hit it with a metallic thnuck as the cane whipped through the air. I took this as an opportunity to hoist myself into the air from atop his cane. The hat left my grasp and floated softly onto Kaz's head. I grinned as I did a flip, landing safely on my feet behind him.
The other Crows laughed and applauded when I bowed dramatically. Jesper hollered at me.
"Damn, y/n, 'bought time someone beat Kaz at something-," Jesper silenced himself abruptly as Kaz's gaze pierced through his skull. I regained my spot in the dinner circle between Nina and Inej, locking eyes with the scowling Crow, who now wore a pirate hat. I noticed, despite his locked jaw and frown, there was a glint of something in his eyes, but I wasn't sure what.
After dinner, I made my way to the office, it was mine, but Kaz seemed to claim it as his work space. I suspected he just went there to escape the rambunctious atmosphere at the dinners.
I noticed him staring at a map of Ravka again with scribbled notes covered it, his scrawled handwriting filling empty parts of the page. The warm candlelight illuminated his sharp edges, and exaggerated the dark parts of him. Like where his face caved under his cheekbones or where the lines under his eyes were gray. His scars looked pale against his skin, wisps of loose hair covering one on his forehead. I realized I was blushing, my cheeks dusted with a soft pink. He's quite nice looking...
"Are you going to stand there all night or come in?" He grumbled with sharp undertones. I entered the small room and pulled a dusty chair up to the opposing side of Kaz's— my- desk. He paid me no mind and his gloved fingers continued to scribble on the map. My mouth began to move before my brain approved,
"Why do you always wear gloves?"
His writing halted, but his expression did not warp. He quickly resumed his task.
"Why do you know how to navigate the sea and use a ship so well on a boat you claim to never use?" He combated. My mind went silent. I cursed myself for speaking in the first place. We both stayed silent for a while, not bringing up the topic again.
"What are you writing?" My soft voice sliced the silence like one of Inej's knives. Kaz looked up at me, his gaze harsh.
"I never suspected you'd be so inquisitive," his husky voice made my bones shiver, and I felt the blush creepy back up onto my cheeks. I liked the way he sounded. "I'm attempting to find the most officiant route to get us to Arx's destination." His words released me from my trance, but made me focus on his scarred lips. I wonder how the scar would feel against my lip- what am I thinking? I shook away my thoughts and nodded at him.
"Well, I'm much better with sea routes, but my- well, I've been told that the most bandit-free paths are through Fjerda due to the relentless snow." I pointed at the map, tracing the roads I was referring to. He hummed in response, but I noticed his gaze fixated on me. I began to smile, for reasons unknown to my conscious mind, I smiled.
"Are you sure about this? Fjerda may have less bandits, but they have quite a few Drüskelles, little tailor."
"I like you, Kaz." I purr, using his first name. As I did so, I saw a mild flush appear on his ears. "You're cautiously optimistic," I smirk and narrow my eyes. His eyebrows creased but he chuckled. He's slightly softer when less people are around.
I lifted myself from the chair and sauntered my way towards the door, "Good night, Kaz."
"Good night, y/n."
✵ ♣ ✵
The following morning began as those previous to it did, I washed my face in my cabin with stored water and changed my clothes. I slipped on a frilly, white dress that stopped at my knees and layered a brown, leather corset on top of it. I put my hair into braids and tied my leather boots tight. I finally put stud earrings on, they were silver crows. Before I left the cabin I grabbed the pirate hat Jesper had gifted me, smiling at the emblem that read 'Captain'.
My made my way to the top deck, the sun filtering through the sails, laying a sheer blanket of light over my face. I was the first one up, or so I thought. I looked over to my right, at what should have been an open expanse of sea, but it wasn't.
Fear rose in my stomach and into my throat like bile. I rushed down the creaky stairs of the boat and into the bunks. "Everyone, you need to wake up," my voice echoed off the walls and shook the five crowd awake... five?? Where's-
My feet took off once again until I reached the office Kaz seemed to have made his home. I rattled the knob and swung open the door. Kaz looked up, confused, as he shot up from the desk. He clutched his cane and stared at me, a mix of irritation and shock in his eyes.
"What made you burst in? Did Jesper and Wylan light something on fire again-?"
I couldn't get out a sentence, but I managed to blurt out one word,
"Pirates,"
________________
Word Count: 2203
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Please feel free to imagine yourself wearing or having a different hairstyle/texture at any point through the story, feel free to ask for specific outfits, hairstyles for later parts of the story.
T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)
Synopsis: You meet up with Kaz for a meeting on the down-low at the Crow Club, but your vulnerability slips.
REQUESTS: OPEN✅
____________________________________________
As I reached the alleyway from earlier that night, my eyes fell upon a figure. They seemed to materialize from nothing.
"Hello," I greeted her with a small smile, my eyes sultry and enticing. I made note of her features, making it easier to notice her in the future. Her eyes were dark, with flecks of deep brown, like shards of tinted glass. A deep blue cloth wrapped around her head and face, but her sleek, black hair poured down her back. Her caramel skin glinted in the moonlight, but the light reflected more off of her numerous knives that were pocketed in her clothes.
"I assumed Brekker would not come himself, smart move," I added while the woman stared at me. "I have the money, darling." With a few swipes of my hands my dress's many layers warped into a large purse, strapped to my belted waist.
"You're a tailor," the woman whispered, her gaze as piercing as her knives. I handed her the embroidered purse. Mouse skeletons and crimson roses were stitched onto the fabric.
As I began to alter my dress once more, the girl vanished. I looked up in surprise, but it was quickly replaced by appreciation. I always admire a woman of her craft. My eyes dropped to the dirty stone path under me, a paper lay where the girl had stood. My joints cracked as I kneeled down to grab the note.
The Crow Club; 2 a.m. sharp
"Well, these meeting sure are getting tiresome," I mumble, making my way back to my estate. I knew I'd need to pack, assuming my deal is accepted.
I make it to the front steps of my home where large, ornate doors greet me. I've made a name for myself, it's hard to believe that three years ago I was-
"Well, a little lady is here....all alone, missy?" My thoughts are cut off by the slurred speech of a middle-aged man. He stumbles over to me, reeking of alcohol and grease. I narrow my eyes, frustrated. Saints damn it all. My eyes become inviting, my smile sweetening the deal, I look so innocent. I look my age now.
"Oh? Well I guess I am all alone," I add in an extra laugh to really tie the act together. I saunter a bit closer to the drunken man, picking up my dress to reveal my ankles. Though I really just don't want this skirt to get wet from rain-soaked pathways. Men like this will believe anything if you play the part. I get to keep some morality, even if I live in a place like Ketterdam, so I play the age old card, "Though, sir, I am only seventeen, so I should get going-"
"Little missy, that's even better, I like my women young... and unused," his grin shows his disgusting teeth, while his hands reach out to grab my wrist. I've given up trying to reason with men like this. Attempting to give them a second chance. I unsheathe my floral umbrella from my dress, as it's a gown full of surprises, and use the sharp prod to stab the man in the upper arm. My soft expression is still plastered on my face as I smack his upside the head with it.
"You bitch," he wails as blood blots his shirt sleeve. He stumbles away quickly, cursing out my existence whist doing so.
I unlocked my front door and opened with with both hands. Antique decor was scattered in an organized manner throughout the house; books spilled out of shelves, and house plants coiled around anything the could grab ahold of.
Time to get packing.
✵ ♣ ✵
The Crow Club was loud, the stretch of liquor wafted through the air, and jukebox music mixed in with the booming voices coming from all sides.
I noticed a pair of eyes on me, belonging to a young man with dark skin and buzzed hair. Two pistols were pocketed on either side of his waist and a smirk played on his lips when I looked at him. Another man to stab with an umbrella... at least he seems to be my age. I was pretty exhausted and not in the mood for this.
He made his way towards me, and his smile grew larger when he was in speaking distance from me.
"You must be Miss l/n," his voice is springy, a sense of humor bubbling in it. My left eyebrow cocks as he says this, though I guess everyone in Ketterdam knows everyone in Ketterdam. The voices carry.
"Guilty as charged," I joke with a smirk, maintaining composure. "And you are...?"
"Jesper Fahey, one million kruge was counted, so Kaz has decided to agree to your deal," he explains. "If you follow me, I will bring you to his office." Jesper turns and begins to walk towards a hall in the back of the bar.
I follow behind him but grip the weapons stashed in the layers of my dress. We walk up a stairwell towards a wooden door. Jesper knocks and enters without waiting for a response.
The room before us is a dimly lit office, a large, open window blows in cool, night air. There is a bookcase and a shelf of rum in the right corner, behind them is peeled wallpaper, which reveals knotted wood paneling. My gaze glazes past the bags of cash haphazardly spread across the floor to Kaz, at his makeshift desk. It seems to be a door sat atop wooden crates.
The scar-faced boy looks up from his papers, he gestures for me to come sit in the chair across from his desk, while Jesper leans against the entrance door.
"Have you accepted my deal, or was Jesper just getting my hopes up?" I ask with soft curiosity in my voice. He leans against his desk, clasping his gloved hands.
"You're known for your deception, Mrs. l/n, how can we trust you?" Kaz's voice makes me shiver, but I like the feeling it brings afterwards. I'm not sure how much information I should give up to him, but my desperation clouds my better judgement.
"That's all I have left," I blurt out. I nod at the purse overflowing with kruge on the desk, "that's the rest of my money in my bank account, and my secret stash. My well-being is on the line for this deal." I wonder if I look slightly manic; if I resemble the panic I feel. Kaz eyes me, most likely analyzing my face with a blank expression. He turns to the open window, where the girl from before separates herself from the shadows. "Inej, go to Ketterdam's bank and see if her story checks out," He instructs. As soon as the girl—Inej, -was there, she was gone again, a part of the night.
After a while of silence in the dreary office, Inej returned. She gracefully hopped down from the windowsill and whispered to Kaz. He shifted his gaze to me, nodding.
"You said you have a boat?" He asked, my eyes fixated on his scarred lips as he articulated his question.
"Yes, I just need a crew," as I said such he looked confused.
"Are you implying you will be accompanying us on the heist?"
"I will. Do you have a crew?"
Kaz thought for a moment. He nodded.
"We have a skilled spy of sorts, a gunslinger, an explosions... expert, a heartrender and a former Fjerdian Drüskelle." He lists the crew members, not breaking eye contact.
"And a tailor," I hear Inej add. I nod at her comment and smile.
"We leave tomorrow morning at Sunrise," with that Kaz gets up, gesturing for Inej and Jesper to leave.
As they slip out of the room from various entry points, kaz makes his way over to a map tacked to the wall, his cane tapping against the floorboards. I follow him and watch as he draws two black dots, one over Ketterdam, the other on the Little Palace of Ravka. He turned to me, parting his lips to speak,
A/N: This is a series I have posted on a few other platforms.
T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)
Synopsis: You are a a seductress who owns a large stolen jewelry business in Ketterdam. You approach Kaz for assistance after your business partner steals all of your money and your poison ring.
REQUESTS: OPEN✅
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1 - A ‘tell’ in poker
I found myself not being cornered, but on the opposite end of such a relationship.
The dark alleys of Ketterdam are for the faint of heart to be victim, but I had played that role too many times to repeat such. Instead, the Bastard of the Barrel stood before me, scrappier and more daunting than I had expected. Though, all I had to go off of were the blackened whispers of Ketterdam's constant voices.
As usual, I observed my surroundings, the alleyway in which I stand in became a map in my mind.
The silence was thicker than the fog of the docks, fear was beginning to pool like bile in my throat. Maybe this was a mistake.
"My apologies for cornering you in an alley, Mr. Brekker," my voice melted the silence like hot honey. Years of practice in my field allowed for faking demeanors to be easy. "I want to offer you a job," I cock my eyebrow slightly and saunter my way towards him.
He had a piercing stare stabbing my insides and twisting my flesh in odd ways. Showing weakness is an option that leads to downfall, I remind myself when I notice my faltering confidence.
"What job are you proposing?" He asks tersely. Tapping his cane between us, an invisible boundary being made. I cleared my throat, "one week ago, to the dot I might add, my partner went missing," I explained. "My business
partner, Arx Dam-Tres, and his wife were spotted at the nearby port, boarding a privately owned boat. Along with his dear darling, Rasmine, he took our shared wealth and my most prized ring-"
"What makes this ring so important? You're obviously willing to risk your life cornering me in an alley to retrieve it." He interrupts me. I peer at the many hiding spaces the dark night offers Ketterdam's voices. I've been told of Kaz's crow, Inej, I assume she wields her knife atop a building above me. The barrel of a gun glints in the moonlight. It comes from a window on the right, barely noticeable, but the one holding the trigger was slightly sloppy in their hiding.
"I'm aware that I have multiple threats to my flesh at all sides at the moment, so I'll get to the point. I'll pay 1 million kruge... upfront," I propose, smirking. Kaz shows the slightest hint of interest, I note that when he is intrigued, he right eyebrow raises and his lip twitches. 'A tell in poker' they call it. While dollar signs replace the pupils of Kaz's eyes, his lips part once more.
"For a price like that, this must be dangeruous. What makes this ring so special?" he rasps. His voice is rough, like coffee grounds thrown into a fire, adorned with an accent. The ignition of such flames sparked something inside me, but I ignore it promptly.
"Well, the ring was created by a fabricator and a shadow summoner," my eyes fall to one of my fingers where the ring should be. "The gold is valuable, but the real worth is on the opal stone hugged by said gold. It is infused with merzoft," I continue, noticing a slight flinch in Kaz when I state such. It's so difficult to tell what he is thinking, but I'm well known for my keen eye. "When the desire strikes me, it will poison those who kiss my ringed hand. I'm a seductress, it comes in handy." I let out a soft, sweet laugh. "My company is owned jointly between Arx and I, a luxury jewelry company of sorts... my products must come from somewhere," I say, shrugging at my implication.
"Why would Arx take the ring?"
"He knew the value, I assume, or Rasmine begged for it-..." my eyes widened as the realization fabricated its of in my mind, my faux demeanor cracking. "He's sailing to Ravka..., he boarded a ship with his wife and millions of kruge," I piece the puzzle together in a mess of words. "He is going to the Darkling, in hopes to learn he properties of the ring.... He won't stop there, Arx is going to make weaponry this way." A growing horror sprouts up in my stomach and wraps itself around my intestines like thorny vines. My panicked voice squeaks out, "I will pay you now, come with me, and we must leave tomorrow morning, I have a boat prepared. We need a crew-"
My frantic string of a tangent is snipped by Kaz's husky voice, "I haven't agreed to this yet." I notice he is getting the upper hand as my confidence is peeling like wallpaper. I calm my nerves, melding my personality back into what it was before.
"Arx had a good connection with your dear friend Pekka...," I cooed, regaining my former composure. His pupils dilate, the wall he built as a shield crumbles, but only for a split second. "You can finally get your revenge, little crow," I break the boundary he made with his cane, moving closer to him. "1 million kruge, a boat, and revenge," I whisper, "sounds like a fantastic reward."
Kaz walks backwards fluidly, his lanky body shrinking away from me. His jaw clenches as he grips his cane tighter. His knuckles must have turned white under those gloves.
"You bring all the kruge in cash here at midnight...,"
I smiled at a turned away, disappearing into the night, my heartbeat meshing with the countless others taking up borrowed space in the darkness of Ketterdam.
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Word count: 919
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Thank you everyone for reading, first chapters are frustrating to write due to their need for a hook, but also a yearn for explanation. It'll get better from here.
