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petertingle-yipyip · 3 days ago

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WAITING ROOM - JOAQUIN TORRES

Pairing: Joaquin X Reader // Word Count: 2,282

Summary: It’s not easy to date a superhero, so you stop. But when your biggest fear actually happens, you can’t seem to stay away.

You were sitting in Joaquin’s desk chair, using your toes to spin slightly side to side. You were - again - waiting for him to come back from whatever assignment he had with Sam.

The hard part about dating a superhero-in-training was getting used to the potential life or death situations he put himself in.

Yes, he was capable. Yes, he was strong and brave. Yes, you admired what he did and loved him for it. But it was harder than you thought to make the adjustment.

Sleeping alone because he was out of town, saving someone who needed it. Eating alone because the mission went sideways. Caring for wounds he shouldn’t have gotten, but he couldn’t help the intel was outdated. Putting a smile on your face everytime he left with the promise of coming back in one piece. Those were the cuts that always bled.

How many nights had you stayed awake, waiting for him to walk in? How many nights did you stay awake when he was recovering in case he needed you? How much food had you left out to get cold because you just couldn’t eat? How many messages had you left on his phone when he didn’t come home on time?

How much longer could you do it?

He was back from training exactly when he said he would be. A rare occurrence that you were both glad for and dreading. You spun to face him and smiled.

“Hey.” He grinned and you felt a weight settle in your stomach. This conversation wouldn’t be easy. “Told you I’d be on time today.”

He passed by you to put his stuff away, making sure to stop and kiss the top of your head first.

“Joaquin?” You quietly tried for his attention while your eyes landed on your shoes. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about…”

“I already know.” He answered and your head snapped up. “Date night. We could try that new Mexican place? I’ve heard good things.”

“Oh…” Your gaze fell again. How could you forget date night?

You made your decision then. You could talk about it later. You shook your head and stood, plastering that fake smile again. No one breaks up on date night.

“Hang on.” He stepped in front of you, a hand on either of your shoulders. He scanned your face and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” You tried the smile again.

“It’s not nothing. I know that look. That’s the ‘I have to say something I don’t want to’… Oh, shit. Did someone die?”

If only it was that simple.

“No one’s dead.” You said honestly. “We can talk later, okay? It’s date night.”

“We’re not going anywhere until you talk to me, querida.”

You closed your eyes with a deep sigh.

“I need you to know it’s for the better.” You spoke, still hiding behind closed eyes. “Please know that.”

“You’re scaring me… What’s going on, Y/N?” He said quietly. He gave your shoulders a small squeeze and you had to force yourself to push his hands off. “Y/N?”

“It’s for the better.” You said again, turning away from Joaquin. You’d never be able to say it if you had to look into those damn eyes. “I love you, J. You know that, and I love what you do. I’m so proud of you. You’re a superhero. That’s amazing. But I…”

“Hey…” His hand landed on your arm but you pulled away almost immediately. “Did I do something?”

“No, you… Well, yes, but… I think we should consider taking a step back.” You finally managed. “You know it’s for the better.”

“I…”

“I want to be selfish. I want to ask you to pack it up and just be with me.” You forced yourself to face him despite the tears welling in your eyes. “But who am I to ask you for more? Sam needs you. You need this.” You gestured vaguely towards the door. “I know that, but I need you too.”

“You have me.” He reached for your hand and you let him take it. He placed your hand over his heart and held it there. “You have me.”

“I love you.” You cried.

“I love you, too.” His eyes were welling with tears of his own. “Don’t do this, Y/N.”

“It’s for the be-“

“No, it isn’t!” He cut in. “In what world is this better? You need me, right? That’s what you said. You need me. Well, I need you, too. Just- Just tell me what you need me to do, querida. Tell me, please.”

You shook your head. “I can’t… What I need you to do, I can’t ask you. I can wish all that I want, but I can’t bring us together, Joaquin. I can’t have you.”

“But you do.”

You pulled your hand free. You felt a deep cold settling under your skin, as if breaking up with Joaquin stole all the heat from your body. You watched him nod slightly and wipe his sleeve across his eyes.

“I love you.” You whispered. “You’re going to be the perfect Falcon. I always believed in you. That’ll never change.”

He forced a tight smile and then blew out a sigh. You reached a hand for his cheek and then thought better of it. You patted his chest instead before leaving.

You didn’t talk to Joaquin much after that. There were a few exchanges, sending something the other thought was funny. Joaquin sent a picture of the skyline when you assumed he was flying. You liked that he still thought of you in those moments. He even tried to call you once or twice. You hadn’t answered either attempts, but he did leave a voicemail that you hadn’t listened to.

Something about hearing his voice would leave you missing him all the more.

It was a few weeks after the break up that you got the call.

“Y/N?” Sam spoke quickly, anxiously. The background sounded busy so you assumed he was on mission. But if Sam was calling you during a mission…

“Sam?” You answered with the same urgency. “What’s wrong?”

“He went down.”

“What?”

Everything in your body ran cold. Your worst fear was happening on the other end of the call, taunting you from a distance you just couldn’t reach. Your kind just kept repeating one simple word.

Please. Please. Please. Please. Please.

“I’ll send you the address. Get there as soon as you can.”

“Wait.” You tried but the call ended.

Your phone buzzed with the address and you were shoving your feet into the closest pair of shoes. Snatching your purse, you stumbled over untied laces on your way out the door.

Please. Please. Please. Please. Please.

Miraculously, you arrived at the hospital without a speeding ticket. The receptionist directed you to the room and your heart stopped in your chest when you got to the viewing area.

“Dear God…” You whispered.

Sam came to your side and put a gentle hand on your back. You practically threw yourself at him. You hugged your friend tightly and he returned the embrace.

“He’s gotta be okay.” You cried against him. “I need him to be okay.”

“He’s a tough kid.” Sam offered. “He’ll pull through.”

“How do you know?” You leaned away to look at Sam.

“Cause he knows you need him.” Sam gave a strained smile. “And he’s stubborn.”

You chuckled weakly. “I thought it’d be better if we broke up.”

You and Sam went back to the window. Watching the doctors move efficiently, seeing the tubes sticking out of him, glimpsing the numbers for his vitals. It all felt like a sledgehammer in your chest. You couldn’t shake the feeling that you were wrong. Wrong to break up with him, wrong to not be stronger, wrong to walk away from him.

He wanted to fight for your relationship. He was willing to do whatever you had asked. He begged you to stay and all you could say was ‘It’s for the better’.

Looking at him in that state, how was anything better?

You curled up in one of the chairs on the other side of the room. You stared at the wall, tears quietly falling in steady streams, until your eyes were so dry and heavy you had to close them. Even in sleep, your mind was on Joaquin.

Sam eventually shook you awake and led you to Joaquin’s new room.

“How’d he do?” You asked quietly.

“Doctors had to restart his heart.” Sam confessed.

You stumbled over your still untied laces.

“Did he tell you the last thing I said to him?” You said weakly, practically clinging to your friend. “That I loved him and I’d always believe in him… Right before I walked away from him. What if he had died, Sam? What if they couldn’t get his heart going again? The last thing I said would’ve been breaking up with him.”

“Y/N…” Sam stopped in front of the door and frowned at you. “Right now, he’s gonna need you. I’m in the middle of some heavy shit, so you need to step up for his sake.”

“He won’t want to see me.”

“Last time he called you, you didn’t answer. He left you a voicemail. You ever listen to it?”

You shook your head.

“Go in there and listen to it. If you can tell me he wouldn’t wanna see you after, then you won’t have to come back.”

You sighed in resignation. Truthfully, you were too mentally drained to argue anymore. You shook your phone in silent confirmation and snuck into the room. The door clicked shut behind you and you settled into one of the chairs.

“If you wanted me to come around, you didn’t have to get shot out the sky, J.” You tried to joke, though you were the only one to hear it. “You always were dramatic though, huh? … You better pull through, or else I’m going to the afterlife and dragging you back by your ear.”

You sunk deeper into the chair and pulled up the voicemail.

‘Hey, Y/N! I guess I didn’t really expect you to answer. Kinda hoped you would, though. Just so I could hear your voice again… Hey! I, uh, I was flying earlier with Sam and I just couldn’t help thinking that you would hate it.’

He laughed a little and your heart ached. You scooted the chair a little closer to prop your feet against the bed frame and keep a gentle hold of his hand.

‘I know you kept saying it was for the better, but not a day has gone by without me thinking of you… I miss you, y’know? I come back from training or something and I- I look for you still. I check my phone for your text. I found your sweatshirt in my car and I almost started crying… Just call me back. Maybe? If you want. Huh?’

There was a bit of background conversation. You could just make out your name and some light teasing. Whatever Sam was saying, you couldn’t quite make out but judging by Joaquin’s embarrassed laugh, it was poking fun at him calling you.

‘I gotta go, but… Call me back? Okay, bye.’

You locked your phone and leaned your head back with a heavy sigh. Your heavy eyes closed again.

“For the better, my ass.” You muttered.

You hadn’t meant to fall asleep again. The emotional rollercoaster of the day wore on you more than you had expected. There hadn’t even been time to fight the second nap.

The only thing that drew you out of it was the light squeeze of your hand. Your eyes snapped open and you sat up quickly. The bright sun coming through the windows blinded you momentarily.

A hospital room, the beeping of the heart monitor, the faint smell of sanitizer, a warm hand in yours.

“This is what it takes for you to come by, huh?” He asked playfully, a rasp in his voice that made your heart lurch.

“You idiot!” You scolded quietly. The aforementioned idiot smiled. “You could’ve died, J!”

“But I didn’t.” He offered with that stupid smile on his face still.

“Stop smiling! This is serious! If you had died, I don’t know what I would’ve done.” You admitted quickly. Being in that hospital, seeing the doctors restart his heart, it put everything into a new perspective. “Goddammit, Joaquin. I love your dumbass and you decide to get shot out the sky over the ocean! You’re lucky to have survived!”

“Y/N, I-“

“No, this is where you listen.” You said firmly. Tears were welling in your eyes so you dropped your gaze to the floor. Joaquin squeezed your hand slightly in response. “I thought it was selfish to keep you to myself. And, yeah, maybe it is. But I am selfish. I don’t want to share you with the world… I will, because I have to. Because you’re the Falcon and you’ve earned that.”

You forced your eyes up, ignored the tears down your cheeks, just so you could see Joaquin’s expression. His smile had fallen by then and his eyes were wide and attentive.

“You deserve to live your dream, J.”

“You’re my dream, querida.” He said softly. “I don’t want to do this without you.”

“I need you to live.” You stated plainly. “You’ll get hurt and you’ll be gone late and you’ll be off-grid sometimes. But you have to live.”

“If I’m coming home to you, I’ll live as long as you’ll have me.” He chuckled weakly. “I love you, Y/N.”

“This is for the better.” You nodded. “I love you, J.”

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petertingle-yipyip · 7 days ago

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ILLICIT AFFAIRS - KAZ BREKKER

Pairing: Kaz x Reader (established) // Word Count: 3,146

Summary: (request) Can you write an x reader with Kaz Brekker orr Nikolai where they have this secret relationship(others have secrets as well) that stays between them but the reader goes missing and suddenly everything is in chaos and secrets are uncovered?

You hissed as you lowered yourself into the tub of ice water.

The entirety of your body ached. It wasn’t that the specific fights of that night took that heavy a toll, but more so the encompassing fatigue of seven fights in the past seventy-two hours.

Your knees and elbows were bruised from slamming them into your opponents. All of your knuckles were raw and cracked, a mix of your opponents’ and your own blood dried across your skin. Your ribs ached, likely cracked if not broken. Both eyes were heavy and puffy so you closed them. Your lower lip was split wide and several teeth felt loose. Not to mention the slight whistle that came from breathing through your nose. You groaned to yourself as you sunk deeper into the cold so it reached your chin, wishing for the presence of the usual Healer.

The knock that sounded at the door wasn’t his. It was heavier, like an object hitting the door rather than a hand. It wasn’t the Healer but you considered him the next best thing. Your silence was enough of an invitation and the door creaked open.

“I always seem to fight better when you’re here.” You commented easily.

“Showing off then?” He teased.

You laughed slightly, wincing almost immediately with the stitch in your side. “For you, my dear?” You turned towards him and opened your eyes, meeting his ever-surveying gaze as he sat in the nearby chair. “Always.” You smiled.

The corners of his mouth twitched as if he would return the gesture. Instead, his gloved fingers found your chin and turned your face to all angles as he examined your collection of wounds. You pulled away carefully and his frown deepened.

“I’ll see a Healer before I leave.” You promised. “You don’t need to worry so much.”

“That Fjerdan did a number on you.” He complained, resting his elbows on his knees. His cane was resting against the side of the tub. “You shouldn’t have taken the match.”

You shrugged a shoulder. “I would’ve ended up against him next week if I didn’t do it now.”

“You would’ve been in better shape by then.”

“Imagine that.” You grinned teasingly. “The infamous Dirtyhands, legendary Bastard of the Barrel, concerning himself with the well-being of a street fighter.”

“A street fighter with the good sense of a pigeon.” He muttered.

You laughed again, ignoring the pain as best you could.

“Your pigeons may have more, actually.” You grumbled and shifted in the ice. “How’d your winnings fair?”

“I don’t bet on your fights.” He scoffed.

“No?” You raised a brow at him. “It’d be easy kruge. I’m almost offended.”

“I should try harder then.”

You flicked some of the cold water from your fingers at him.

“As soon as I do, they’ll say your fights are rigged.” He reasoned.

“And they’d be the same ones that’d cower if I were to challenge them. I don’t care what they say, Kaz.”

“I do.”

“Why?”

He said nothing. Of course he said nothing. You rolled your eyes with a slight smile. You reached a hand towards him and he took it in a loose hold.

You two stayed like that for a little while longer, exchanging small talk and updates. You promised to stop by the Crow Club the next night if he promised to put money on your next fight. Begrudgingly, he agreed. Though he made a point to say that it was only because he had to make sure you had gone to the Healer.

He helped you out of the tub before he left, even taking the time to wrap the towel around your shoulders. You placed a quick kiss on his cheek before he left. Even though you two had been seeing each other in secret for a bit and he was comfortable enough for some contact without barriers, he still grew red in his cheeks when you kissed him. It always made you giggle, which made him redden a bit more.

“Make sure nobody sees you leave.” You said through your laugh.

“You think so little of me.” He clicked his tongue, threw you a short-lived smile, then disappeared out the door.

You stayed in the ice room for a bit longer. It usually helped avoid suspicions so you used the time to dry your hair.

It was his idea to keep your relationship with Kaz under wraps for a bit. You conceded to the secrecy because you wanted to have Kaz as more than just a regular. You met him before you started fighting, while he was still just the lieutenant. As he took over the Dregs, he insisted that you had to remain safe and he always kept his secrets safe.

It was tedious to dry off and tie your hair up with the soreness across your body. Changing was an even longer task but you managed, then visited the Healer. You were chastised there as well but you tuned out the man’s rants, something about your arrogance and a death wish.

When you were heading out, you ran into a few men in the alley. You recognized them as regulars from the fights but you had never heard their names. The way they looked at you didn’t sit right in your stomach so you shifted your bag on your shoulder with one hand, slipping the other in to find the brass knuckles buried deep in your jacket pocket.

“What is this?” You said carefully. Your fingers found the cold metal and slipped into the holes.

“You’re Brekker’s fighter.” One of them said.

“I’ve no affiliation with the Dregs or Dirtyhands.” You lied smoothly. “I suggest you keep walking before you end up missing your teeth.”

“How much you think he’ll give to get her back?” He asked his friends.

You carefully began to step backwards.

“Enough to set us up for while.” The shorter, stockier one answered. “Even more if he’s desperate.”

“How would that work?” The skinniest one asked.

“Break her.”

You bolted down the alley at that. Your aching joints protested but you refused to slow down, refused to falter. You didn’t know those men but the threat was clear. They would use you to get to Kaz and whatever issues they had with him weren’t for you to be dragged into. You had freed your hand by the time you reached a busier part of the area.

You dared a glance over your shoulder but saw no one pursuing you. The lack of followers didn’t sit right with you but you decided not to chance it. You turned and attempted to blend into the crowd again.

It worked for a while, three or four alleys went by without incident. You knew better than to get comfortable, especially when the crowd thinned. Your fist tightened around the metal weapon around your raw fingers and your eyes were constantly moving. You searched faces, looking for some clue as to where they went, but they blended in as well as you believed you did. There was no sign of them.

You kept your head down and put more urgency into your strides. All you could think was to get to the Crow Club. Kaz wouldn’t let anyone near you, and if Kaz wasn’t there, it was about time to meet his friends anyway.

Less than two blocks away, a thick forearm wrapped around your neck from behind and dragged you away. A scratchy bag was thrown over your head, your bag yanked away and the brass knuckles pried off your fingers. You tried to scream, tried to kick or punch or scratch, but every attempt was thwarted. A hand across your mouth from the other side of the bag muffled your voice. Your flailing feet came up empty and your wrists were caught and yanked in front of you to be tightly bound.

You were caught.

And you were convinced you were going to die.

Two days after seeing Y/N, Kaz received a strange message.

There was no signature from the sender, no patron of a Barrel gang or even a name. It was oddly anonymous and that didn’t sit right with him. He ushered everyone out of his office while he read the scrawled handwriting.

50000 kruge or she dies

The threat made his stomach drop and anger flare in his blood.

Someone had gotten to Y/N. His Y/N. A new rage he’d never experienced sunk into his bones and he was ready to burn all of Kerch around him. His gloved hand tightened on the scrap of parchment while his brain whirled to come up with a plan.

The note was ridiculous. There was no indication of who had her, which was the only part that made sense, but there also wasn’t anywhere to meet. How was he expected to pay them if there was no where to meet? How was he expected to contact them to set up a meeting with nothing?

Amatuers. A haphazard note with no intention behind it other than greed, and of Kaz knew one thing, it was greed. Greed and torture.

Torture was sounding like an even better option with every passing second.

Too many frustrating questions plagued him and he slammed the note to his desk. He swiped his arm across the surface and threw a stack of several books to the floor.

He wouldn’t give them the money. There was no way in hell he’d give in to any sort of blackmail. But he couldn’t stand by and let them have her. He couldn’t let her get hurt. He needed a plan, and he needed his best crew.

Inej would have to find Y/N, have to scout out the building and find a weakness. Wylan and Jesper would be needed to help with either demolition or distraction, likely both. Nina would be needed in case he was too late and they hurt her. Mattias would be needed as muscle to get through any guards. And he’d need them all to hold him back if even one mark was left on her.

He abruptly moved towards the door to gather his Crows when a sudden realization dawned on him.

Someone knew what Y/N meant to him. Despite his caution and insistence that they keep their relationship private - Y/N liked to say it was sacred - someone found out and was using it against him. They were making Y/N a pawn and Kaz wouldn’t stand for that.

He decided with swift assurance that the people who took her would die for it.

With that, however, he understood he had to come clean to his Crows. They were all loyal to him to a fault, but they were also so goddamned stubborn that they would want to know. He counted on Jesper being the one to press the issue first and then they would all chime in and want to know.

It was either come clean or do nothing.

Just the idea of doing nothing ate at Kaz more than the idea of confessing to his friends. They were bound to find out sooner or later, weren’t they? With a reluctant sigh, he headed to collect his inner circle.

“I knew it!” Nina practically shouted after his admittance.

“You did not.” Matthias laughed. “You thought he was off doing drugs.”

“This is how we meet her?” Jesper was offended. “Through a rescue mission?”

“Better than nothing.” Wylan shrugged.

“I knew you were up to something.” Inej smirked.

Every response made him consider throwing himself into the Harbor.

“Y/L/N’s a widely known name. Someone taking her isn’t likely to stay quiet for long.” Inej reasoned. “Do you think this is intended to make a point to you?”

“I don’t recognize the handwriting.” He dropped the pathetic note to the table.

“It’s lazy.” Jesper commented as he threw a hand in a gesture towards the note. “Nowhere to meet. No signature. There’s no pizzazz anymore.” He sighed.

“You have enough pizzazz for us all.” Nina promised.

“Maybe we can find the messenger?” Wylan offered.

“Find them and send the idiots a message of our own.” Nina nodded. “Simple enough.”

“Get on it then.” He ordered then went back to his office.

Inej was on his heels immediately.

“What will you do when we find her?” She asked. There were no undertones or accusations in her voice. Just a simple curiosity.

What would Kaz do?

“Find her if you’re that interested in finding out.” He spat instead.

Inej chuckled to herself, a sound of triumph, then disappeared without so much a creak of floorboards. When he was sure he was alone, in his office with the door firmly closed, he let out a long breath.

He wasn’t quite sure how, but he’d make the men who touched Y/N hurt.

You were on what you thought was your fourth day of capture. The sun only came through a tiny slit in the window, enough for you to just feel on your face if you sat in the right spot. Your hands were bound with a long strip of cloth but you were able to walk the small room. There was a table with a few worn out books, a chair and a cot, threadbare blankets and a pillow, too pathetic to really call it that.

There was no Barrel noise. No doormen luring pigeons, no Pleasure Houses tempting men and women alike, no gambling, no ruckus, no fights. It was the quieter side of Ketterdam, either nearer to the University or the Merchant’s homes. Either way, you knew you’d feel wildly out of place if you stepped outside.

Five times a day so far you were visited by your captors. They never spoke their names and you noted no tattoos on their skin. Whoever these men were, they were rogues. The idea made you uncomfortable. At least if it was a specific gang that wanted you, you could link it back to something specific Kaz did. With these men, they just wanted Kaz.

What the hell the Bastard did, you had no idea. Which meant you’d suffer for it.

Two molars were knocked loose and left on the floor the first day. Your nose had cracked that same day, likely broken. Your left eye had swollen shut on the second, after your head was slammed to the table and a gash opened on your forehead. Your shirtfront was stained with blood and it seeped through the fabric, sticking it to your torso.

Your shoulder was tweaked, not quite dislocated but it wasn’t fully mobile. You couldn’t breathe deeply without pain. You limped rather than walked. The only thing that seemed unaffected were your hands.

You pretended not to be covered in bruises beneath your clothes when banging came from the door. You clenched your jaw and sat on the edge of the cot. Squeezing your eyes shut, you braced for the assault.

So far, there was no definitive answer if the questions or the punches would come first. Would it be just punches this time or would one of them bring the length of pipe again? Would they break something else, make good on the threat to crush your fingers?

One of them threatened to start cutting off pieces - fingertips, ears, toes, hands - and send them to Kaz. ‘As a gift’, he said. You’d bitten his hand soon after that threat, which led to the loss of those two teeth.

When the beating never came, you opened your eyes.

Standing before you was Kaz, offering you his gloved hands.

You grinned, ignoring the pain, and accepted his help to stand. Those nimble fingers undid the knot of fabric and freed your hands. You rotated both wrists, flexed your hands, then threw your arms around your boyfriend. You ignored the slamming pain in your ribs, the stabbing pain in your shoulder, the unsteady feeling in your head at the sudden action.

You simply held him close and whispered prayers of thanks. Kaz was stiff for a moment before melting into the embrace. One arm wrapped around your waist and the other hand was on the back of your neck.

“You’re alright.” He said quietly.

“You came.” You squeaked. Your voice was cracked, throat raw, but you spoke nonetheless.

“Of course I did.”

“How did you know? How did you find me?”

“We can talk about it later.” He took a small step back and examined the damage. “They’ll die for this, Y/N. Every single one of them.”

“Slowly?”

He nodded.

“Painfully?”

“Excruciatingly so.”

“Good.” You nodded.

Ever so gently, his hand came to your cheek. You couldn’t fight the instinct to lean into his palm.

“Have you slept at all?” You asked gently. “You look like you’ve been up for days…”

“For you, my dear, I’d ruin myself a thousand times over.” He said quietly, a confession only you were meant to hear. “You are all that matters.”

“You have to take care of yourself too, Kaz.” You frowned.

“I’ll sleep tonight, when you’re safe beside me.”

“But your friends…”

A crash came from down the hall. You flinched and stepped away from Kaz, instinctively raising your hands. You fought through pain before, and if it meant your freedom, you’d fight through a bullet in the chest. Two men tumbled into the room, neither were your captors.

“There you are, Boss.” One of them smiled to Kaz.

“You must be Y/N.” The other one, a bit shorter with goggles atop his head. “Wylan.” He smiled.

Your brows furrowed but you said nothing.

“She looks good, all things considered.” The first one spoke again, flashing you a bright smile. “Jesper.”

“You’re his crew…” You realized. “And you came for me?”

“Well, yeah.” Wylan shrugged. “What else were we supposed to do?”

“I guess-“ You shook your head. “I didn’t expect you two, is all.”

“It’s not just us. We’ve got three more out front.” Jesper gestured to the open doorway.

“Tell me one of them is a Healer?” You looked back to Kaz.

“You should know I come prepared.” He answered, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a half smile.

“My hero.” You teased.

“Guess it’s time for introductions then.” He was looking at Kaz.

“Saints help me.” You muttered.

Jesper and Wylan led you out. You stayed beside Kaz, your limped stride ironically matching his. Jesper talked the whole time and Wylan added a few comments. You could feel yourself growing more overwhelmed with each painful step but you were tired of heads down, clandestine meetings, pretending you weren’t in love with Kaz.

Despite less than ideal circumstances, you were thankful to finally shine a light on your relationship.

You tapped the back of your hand against his and silently, keeping his eyes forward, his gloved fingers laced through yours.

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