#Dime Lions having fun until Kaz Brekker shows up

[martinakl13]

[klbwriting]

Unexpected Allies - Chapter 13

Fandom: Six of Crows

Pairing: Kaz/female!Reader

Summary: this is mostly fluff with some revenge and soul searching

Note: I just really wanted some fluff and then it turned into some deep soul digging for Kaz

Taglist: @mcntsee​ @amwitherspoon​

Kaz could not stand how long his hair had gotten in the last 8 months.  It was brushing his shoulders and he hardly looked threatening.  And for what he was planning to do to the Dime Lion who had taken Y/N he needed to look threatening.  She had been back for a month now and the bastard who had turned her in was still in prison, supposedly awaiting a trial, but Kaz was pretty sure Mal was trying to think of something terrible to do to him.  He should leave that kind of planning up to Kaz, he knew what he was doing in that area.   "Oretsev we had a deal, either leadership comes up with a punishment for Harv or I do," Kaz said after finding out that yet another meeting had gone by and they were somehow still letting that traitorous asshole breathe.  Mal threw Kaz a look as several leadership members walked by them on their way out.   "Look Brekker, we need to come to an agreement, all of the leaders or nothing happens, he remains in his cell," Mal said loud enough for the other leaders to hear.  Once they had walked further away, he leaned close and put an arm around Kaz.  Kaz shoved it off and glared.  "Tonight, let him out of the cell, tell him to run...we'll let him think he's safe, I already let slip about the hunters' hut outside of the gates, then you can have your fun alright?"  Kaz looked a little surprised. "I didn't picture you as a thug Oretsev," he said, looking a little proud.  Mal just shrugged. "People need to stop trying to kill my family," he said before turning to walk away.  Kaz watched him for a moment, thinking that maybe he would turn Mal into a thug yet.  Then he caught sight of his hair in a pot hanging on a drying wire and snarled.  This needed fixed.  He stalked around until he found scissors and a mirror and went back to his tent, getting ready to take of it himself.  In Ketterdam he had a Dreg do it, all the while making sure to close his eyes and picture himself anywhere but there.  Now he would just have to figure it out on his own.   The tent flap opened and Y/N wandered in but stopped when she saw him shirtless, holding up a mirror with one hand and scissors in the other.  Kaz froze and looked at her.  She smiled and shook her head, walking over and setting up the mirror on the small table in the room.   "Let me," she said, motioning for him to sit in the chair.  He sat down and handed her the scissors.  "Let me know..." "I will," Kaz said, finishing the sentence.  He sat there as she started cutting, not minding at all when she touched his shoulders or his back.  "I'm going to be busy tonight."  He didn't want to tell her what he was planning even though she knew he was capable of terrible things.  He somehow thought if she saw him in that way, committing the horrors he was so well practiced at, that it would change how she looked at him and he loved how she looked at him.  He was silent for a long time just watching her trim his hair, getting him back to the old Kaz, the Ketterdam Kaz Brekker.   "I wrote you a song when I was in prison," she said suddenly.  He started to turn his head but she stopped him and gently made him look forward again.   "You were in prison, cuffed to the ceiling, and you wrote me a song?" he asked, dumbfounded.  He was once again flattered but not sure how she had even thought about him.   "I had to do something to stop thinking about what was happening to me there," she said.  "You were the one thing that kept me going.  Do you want to hear it?" "Is  it finished?" he asked.  She nodded and cleared her throat.

"Can I tell you something just between you and me? When I hear your voice, I know I'm finally free Every single word is perfect as it can be And I need you here with me When you lift me up, I know that I'll never fall I can speak to you by saying nothing at all Every single time, I find it harder to breathe 'Cause I need you here with me"

Kaz just listened, watching her in the mirror.   Y/N from the start had been honest with him, opened herself up to him.  For most people that would have been their downfall, he could use their shame against them to get whatever he wanted, but not with her.  When she spoke her secrets they didn't seem to make her weak, they made her stronger, something he had never seen before.  He knew he had kept her at a distance like everyone else.  She didn't really know him, not really.  She knew the Kaz that he chose to show her and maybe it was time for her to know everything.  Why was he hiding anything from her anyway?  Once she finished her song he stared at her.   "My name isn't Kaz Brekker," he said softly.  She looked at him, not surprised, she had probably figured out that his name was fake, but expectant.  She had hoped this would happen, been waiting patiently for him to truly accept her the way she accepted him.  He took a deep breath.  "My name is Kaz Rietveld, when I was 9 my father died and my big brother Jordie went to Ketterdam..."  She went back to cutting his hair, listening as he told her everything, every single detail he could remember, about Jordie, about what Rollins did to them, about becoming one of the Dregs, everything.  She listened quietly, finished his hair at some point during his story.  After he was finished she set down the scissors and leaned in, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind and just holding him.  She seemed to realize what she'd done after a moment and started to pull back, but he put up his hands, holding her in place and leaning to her.  She turned to look at him, face just inches from his and Kaz Brekker for the first time willingly kissed a girl.  His lips took hers gently, only for a few seconds before he needed to pull away.  He wasn't sick but he couldn't do more than that.  

Y/N had instantly regretted just grabbing onto Kaz like she had. She had wanted to give him some comfort after her told her his story but hadn't meant to force herself on him.  She started to pull back, expecting him to get up and walk away, needing some space.  When he instead held her there she was so happy she nearly cried.  She faced him, leaning to his shoulder when he looked at her.  As surprised as she was when he let her hold him she was less surprised when he kissed her.  She had seen the look and knew what he was going to do and she had known the feeling of his lips would make her melt.  What she didn't know what what he would say after. "I love you Y/N," he said softly.  She could tell the words sounded foreign to him, it wasn't something he had in a long time, if ever, but she knew he  meant them.  She smiled at him and kissed his forehead for a moment. "I love you too Kaz," she said, standing now and playing with his hair a little.  "I remember this is what you looked like when you first came into that prison."  He nodded, running his own hand through it.  "So tonight, after you're done being busy are we meeting at the stream."  He looked at her surprised.  She knew at least a little of what he planned.  He had been grumbling about killing Harv since they returned and yet hadn't had the opportunity.  Then she saw him and Mal talking after the meeting and knew some kind of deal had been struck.   "Am I that transparent to you?" he asked.  She nodded. "Yes, we live together in the same tent, and I listen to every word you say," she answered.  She sat on her cot and he looked at the distance between them.   "Can you push those together while I'm gone?" he asked.  She smiled and nodded.  

At 11 bells Kaz unlocked the cell Harv was in.  He opened the door, moved to the shadows and threw in a rock that hit Harv in the face.  The man sat up, ready to fight but would see nothing but an open cell.  He must have thought it was his lucky day, if only he knew that a demon was waiting on the other side for him.  He left quickly and Kaz took his time following, one of his knives dancing in his hand.  Harv went into the hunters' hut, expecting to sleep there before moving on most likely.  All he would get inside there was being shown the same treatment as his boss Rollins.  Only this time no one would find his body.   After it was done Kaz once again vomited, just like with Rollins.  He was still amazed that earlier that day that he had kissed Y/N but now he couldn't stomach having touched Harv.  Of course, having to move a dead body had brought back horrific memories for him that he was having a hard time stamping down.  He tried to calm down as he headed towards the stream to meet Y/N.  She was waiting for him on the side and he stripped, climbing into the water.  She walked over, moving to help clean him but he shook his head, pushing her hands away. "What do you need me to do?" she asked him, seeing his hollowed eyes.   "Just, sit on the shore and be quiet," he snapped.  He regretted the way he talked to her but he was frayed, he had pushed himself too much.  He got cocky, thinking he was cured of his disease but it had just come rushing back, reminded him of how broken he was.   Y/N didn't say anything, just did as he asked, going and sitting down.  She waited quietly as he scrubbed his skin raw and dressed again, sitting several feet away from her. "How bad was it?" she asked finally, the quiet feeling too strained between them. "I thought you fixed me, turns out I'm never going to be fixed," he said, picking up some pebbles and throwing them in the stream.  "How can you even stand me?  I don't do anything for anyone but myself, I can never be what you want..." "Don't tell me what I want Kaz.  I can handle your mood swings, your issues with touch, your secrets, but what I will not tolerate is you sitting there and trying to tell me what I want!  I am so tired of men telling me what I should want and who I should be with," she said.  Kaz was struck by her tone.  She had never been this angry with him.  "I spent a month being tormented, the only reason I wasn't ruined entirely is the Darkling supposedly has a plan for me, he's decided my future now that he knows what my abilities are and I will not have you trying to plan my future too." "How do you know you won't get tired of this?  Of me and my issues?  My secrets?" he demanded.   "Because I know my heart Kaz, it is broken beyond belief, I have only known loss since I was a child and as much as you think that I am so well adjusted and full of happiness you have no idea how deep this emptiness inside me is, how much of a shattered person I am.  We are both broken Kaz but we do not need to be fixed," she said.  Kaz stood up slowly and for a moment he thought about walking away from her, but he knew he couldn't.  She was right, they were broken beyond repair, but together maybe they could piece themselves together into something new.  He walked over to her and offered her his hand.  She took it and stood, walking back to the encampment together.  That night they slept close, holding hands the entire night.

[serene-victory-77]

The Rodent Whisperer Of Ketterdam

This is my piece for the Grishaverse Mini Bang of 2021, thank you to @grishaversebigbang for hosting this event! @offrostandflames 

My wonderful Materialki/Artists amazing and lovely pieces:

Frisslimbim’s Art and Instagram and Offrostandflames’ Art and Instagram

Summary: Kaz Brekker is known throughout the Barrel for his various schemes and skills. But there's one particular talent no one in his life is privy to, and it's going to help him get 30 million kruge. Crack Fic, Short And Sweet!

Fic:

Kaz walked away from the meeting with Jan Van Eck, his mind racing.

He’d accepted the deal, accepted 30 million kruge for breaking into the Ice Court and stealing a scientist with a drug that could change the world.

But Kaz wasn’t an idiot. It was too risky for humans, and only his best people could maybe do it. He didn’t like his chances.

There was no way he was gonna risk human error.

He hesitated. There was another option, but did he really want to instead use them?

Kaz thought about it for a long while as he made his way to the Slat. They were brave, they were many, and their relationship ran deep.

If he was being honest, they probably were his best, despite Jesper and Inej’s skill.

And humans…. Humans wouldn’t ever be able to succeed, he figured.

He knew what he had to do. He knew who he could trust.

Kaz closed the door behind him as Inej left the room. He looked around.

“Calling a meeting,” he said, tapping his cane thrice on the floor.

There was a rustle within the walls, the pitter patter of dozens upon dozens of feet. They came out of the walls, climbed through a cracked open window, found their place among the rafters and on top of his desk.

They were Kaz’s army, grown since he was nine and now an unknown force in his arsenal.

The Great Order Of Mice and The Virtuous Rat Society.

They named themselves.

He waited a little bit longer for them to all get settled.

“Thank you for your fast arrival,” he said, grabbing some cheese and crackers, as well as some bowls of water, setting them on a platter on the floor. “I have a big job for you all,”

The rodents chittered between themselves before looking up at him curiously.

He hesitated. “It involves leaving Ketterdam for a colder climate. It’s very dangerous. You might need the entire colony,”

The rodents stopped nibbling to stare at him. One of the bigger rats squeaked in confusion.

“Yes, I know, that’s a lot of you, and you guys aren’t used to being outside Ketterdam. But the reward is 30 million kruge ,”

The entire assembly went silent before wild squeaking ensued.

Kaz held up a hand. “Quiet, please, don’t alarm the Dregs,”

They calmed down again but all stood on their hind legs, nibbling their food while staring at him with wide eyes.

“I will tell you what it entails, and we can decide your reward if you agree. We’ll need to do some extra training to handle the colder weather, but that will wait a bit,”

They nodded, and Kaz settled down to explain what he could.

The briefing lasted two hours, and then the next night he had to go and break Helvar out of prison for more details to give to the army. They seemed to be in general good spirits about the entire thing, despite Kaz’s warning of danger and ice.

When he came back with all of the information he had gathered, including several small copied versions of the maps and diagrams Wylan had drawn, the real training began.

“No, the keys are going to be more complex than anything you see in the Barrel,” Kaz shook his head and laid out several old complicated door knobs and keyholes. “Show me how you’d open this,”

The rat squeaked determinedly and set to work.

“Even if you’re stealing from them, you can’t go around being sloppy,” Kaz frowned, straightening the bowties of a group of mice. The mice wore black ribbons, the rats gray, and The Council Of Rodents red. “I do not dress sloppy, and you shall not either. You are representing all Ketterdam rodents with this mission,”

They nodded seriously and let him adjust their ribbons.

“Make sure to take baths!” Kaz called after them once they were done. “You do not spread viral infections to other countries, alright!?”

Affirmative squeaks.

“It’s going to be cold, but your feet are grabby so we can’t cover them. You’re already used to Ketterdam cold, but this is different entirely,” Kaz warned them. “I tried finding some ice for you to practice on, and I’ve got...” he put several boxes atop his desk, “You guys some coats. There should be enough for all of you and are in different sizes, everyone in single file,”

The Council Of Rodents was following Kaz around town as they decided what treats he would be buying them with his share of the money.

He watched with hidden pride as the mice distracted the bakery shopkeeper and a group came from the left flank to pry open display cases and steal bread.

“They’ve come so far,” he whispered to one of the older rats that was standing on a ledge near Kaz’s head. It nodded in agreement.

A customer tried to bat away one of the rats with her purse, and a group of them jumped on her face in revenge.

“So far,” he nodded, pleased.

At the end of the week, in the hours before the sun had even risen over the sea’s horizon, Kaz stood at Fifth Harbor.

“Is everyone here?” he asked, looking over the crowd of rodents.

Two tardy mice ran from behind a shop and squeaked in apology.

“Alright, then. That ship over there is manned by someone who works for me. He has been instructed to leave you all alone and not bring a cat on board the ship. I’ve set aside barrels of cider, water, seeds, fruits, cheese, and crackers for you in the hold of the ship, so do not steal from the humans,”

One of the rats snickered and Kaz sighed. “Yes, I know I usually tell you to steal from the humans, but work with me here,”

They nodded.

“Does everyone have their maps?”

The rodents rummaged through their tiny leather pouches and waved their small maps at him.

“Weapons?”

Needles flew up into the air.

“No one is missing their coat?”

No negative squeak.

Kaz nodded. “Well, then, everyone. The ship departs in forty minutes. The journey will take a few weeks, and you’ll have to wait a while once you arrive. Do you remember what day you have to go to the Ice Court?”

Chitters confirmed they did.

Kaz took a deep breath. “Then, off to the boat with you. I trust I’ll be seeing you in two month’s time. No mourners,”

They squeaked back their best rendition of “No funerals,”, taking their individual time to pat his shoe in affirmance, and scrambled towards the boat.

Kaz stood and watched the boat until it departed.

As an extra safety measure, he ended up sending some guard crows to travel with the ship. Just being careful.

The great part about not sending humans to do your job is that people have a lot harder time figuring out which boat you’re going on, so Kaz had fun getting rid of the Black Tips that had failed to do any damage, as his army was already far out at sea.

Kaz had been training the rodents for a long time. He’d long since taken in stride that for some reason, not only could they understand him, but they could actually communicate back, and they were his secret weapon in everyday life. If things were too risky or complicated for Inej, he sent them to find out people’s secrets and bring back the information he used to control people like Geels.

He didn’t typically do big jobs with them though, they were too valuable to put in danger like that, but they were the only ones he could trust to really get the job done.

Still, despite his confidence in their abilities, he worried.

The next few weeks there were only about a couple dozen rodents from both the Order and Society, the ones that were either too young or too elderly to handle the trip, but they could still do work around Ketterdam, and news of what Jan Van Eck planned to do infuriated Kaz.

He wasn’t gonna not give his army their rewards, so while he waited for them to come back, he went about ruining lives.

Kaz found himself spending a lot of time with Wylan, Nina, Matthias, Jesper, and Inej the following weeks, one part because they were working on tearing down Wylan’s father, and one part because he had nothing else to do. The mouse and rats that were still there had taken to also watching Kaz’s companions.

He found a red fabric scrap and handed it to one of the mice, and later on, they came up to him, showing off the now rather dress-like piece.

“Who are you supposed to be, Nina?” he asked.

Affirmative squeak.

Kaz rolled his eyes and the mouse flicked their tail at him in contempt.

“Actually, you kind of have it down,” he noted, and the mouse sniffed haughtily before clambering away.

“Where’d you get that?” Kaz asked a rat playing with some gambling chips. “Better not be from the Crow Club,”

The rat showed him the Dime Lion insignia on the chips.

“Oh, you can always steal from them. But why the gambling chips?”

The rat twirled and did a little motion with its hands.

“Jesper? Really?”

He found a large, rather grumpy rat watching the Nina Mouse one day. He didn’t even have to wonder who that one was taking inspiration from, and instead handed Matthias Rat a piece of ice.

A small mouse had taken to stealing matches and trying to light small fires.

“You are not a demo expert,” Kaz told the mouse. “I don’t care how many hours you’ve spent watching the Merchling,”

The mouse squeaked sadly and Kaz frowned.

“Fine, you can mess with the matches, but have Jesper Rat watch over you,”

Wylan Mouse seemed to sigh but went with Jesper Rat anyway.

One of the smallest mice had taken to riding on Kaz’s shoulder whenever Kaz was walking the streets at night. At first, he’d wondered why, knowing he didn’t need to be watched over, but then he found that that mouse had been collecting needles, sharp metal bits, and even a small human-sized knife, and Inej Mouse was established.

A little longer than two months later, he stood on Fifth Harbor once more, the Five of Rodents waiting alongside him. A crow had arrived two days ago, with a note from the rodents that they were on their way, but complications had occurred.

He worried about numbers lost, or maybe that some of them had been imprisoned, but that wasn’t the result.

They came from the ship's hold like an ocean, carrying a small boy through pure willpower.

Kaz raised his eyebrows. “Welcome home, everyone. That doesn’t look like an old scientist to me,”

A group of them came forward, clambering over each other to explain what had happened.

“One at a time,” Kaz scolded, looking them over. It seemed that their numbers were almost intact. Clearly, some had been lost, but all in all, the casualties were minimal. He was relieved.

They explained what had happened, and Kaz sighed. Well, the old man was dead, but at least they had the son.

“Kuwei, was it?” he told the Shu boy. “Don’t speak to anyone about them,”

The boy just nodded nervously, looking more confused than anyone Kaz had ever seen.

A mouse piped up and Kaz turned incredulously. “You did what to Pekka Rollins?”

There was a gleeful chitter and Kaz smirked. “This is why I trust you guys,”

One of them asked about the reward.

“Yeah, I know,” Kaz told them. “Things got a little bit messy with Jan Van Eck, but now he’s in jail, and you guys have your own house fully stocked with food,”

A triumphant orchestra of squeaks filled the early Ketterdam morning, and Kaz grinned as the army ran onto the streets of the Barrel, pitter-pattering away.

--

[lostinastory]

Many books have this little blurb saying “for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Hunger Games” or something alike. I usually really like those kind of things but only if they’re accurate. And if they mention any of the cliché too-often-compared-to books, they might as well not do it at all.

However, they are really fun to play with, and that’s what I’m going to do today. This tag is created in the weird part of my sleep-deprived brain and works like this:

Choose 10 or more book titles (you can also play with tv series, movies or basically anything that has a story and characters)

Put them in a bowl/mug (or be lazy like me and just use a randomizer online)

Take 2 of them and mash them up!

You can take characters from one story and put them in the other, mix up the worlds, fuse the story-lines, anything is okay as long has it contains elements from both stories!

Write a (small) paragraph with the premise of your new mashed-up story

Go on until you’re out of titles!

Have fun! Go crazy!

I’m going to play with a bunch of very well-known YA books because it’s fun and everybody knows them at least a little.

1. The Hunger Games X Six of Crows

The gangs of Ketterdam fight in an epic battle to the death to become the best of the city. All the gang leaders have to put forward their best and most cunning. Of course, the first of the Dregs to volunteer was Kaz Brekker, aka Dirty Hands. Not much later Katniss Everdeen of the Dime Lions, a smart bow-woman stood up to fill their spot, but only to save her sister Inej from having to participate. Inej is not pleased.

2. Illuminae X Red Queen

The Silvers and Reds lived in peace until the space ships attacked, only few were able to survive the mysterious attack. Among them, many Silver royals and a common Red girl pretending to be one of them. Throughout the flight, the Silvers take control, because only they can control the ship with their powers. The common Reds only realize before they do that the ship’s AI system is out of control and Kady, a programmer, and Ezra, a pilot, have to save the ship from disaster.

3. The Raven Boys X Radio Silence

Frances’ best friend, Blue, lives on the other side of the country, but seems worlds away. The only way they keep in touch is over through the internet. Frances, however, keeps hearing less and less of Blue and in order not to face her feelings for Blue (sorry not sorry) starts to obsess over the podcast Universe City. Little does she know, that Blue is making different friends, falls in love and is on the search for a Welsh king that may or may not even exist.

4. The Infernal Devices X Fangirl

Cath’s family of Shadowhunters had always been pushing her to train and become one herself. Cath, however, prefers to think up the most amazing adventures in the safety of her room. Only when a new girl arrives at the (dominantly male) institute, her life starts to shift. She’s dragged in the adventure to save the Shadowhunters, together with Emma, from dangerous automatons and a creepy old man who should just shut up already.

5. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children X The Kiss of Deception

When Lia escapes her arranged marriage, she hopes to find a simple life on a small island on the English coast. She doesn’t know, however, that the boy she was meant to marry is trailing her every step and even worse, a traitorous spy who turns out to be a wight (#spoileralert :P). With monsters around every corner on her journey, she finds home in a strange orphanage with even stranger children stuck in a time-loop.

6. An Ember in the Ashes X Harry Potter

When an owl showed up at Elias’ doorstep with his letter to Blackcliff Academy, the most notorious school for battle and magic in the middle of the desert, he can’t believe his eyes. His loyalty always was in the muggle world, but for his family’s namesake, he goes anyway. But then, he is also entered in the tri-wizard tournament and has to win from the famous boy who lived in order to be able to return to his muggle life.

7. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe X The Maze Runner

When Ari arrives at the Maze, his life seems to have taken a turn for the worse. He can’t remember anything but when he looks into the eyes of Dante, another boy in the maze, his heart aches. He aches to see the stars, which they can’t see at the Maze. Thomas, another boy at the Maze seems to gather the group to try to escape but all Ari really wants is to escape the maze that is his own mind.

This went from a little crazy to psycho crazy, but this was honestly so much fun to do! I hope you loved reading it too! I am tagging: Eve, InsideMyLibraryMind, Jenn, May, Ilsa, Michelle, and uhhmm anyone who wants to do this! (I dare you!)

If you’re doing this tag, please link back to me and thank the person that tagged you! I’d love to see what you all come up with!

The Book Mashup Tag (original) | In which my brain has made a weird but wonderful thing Many books have this little blurb saying "for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Hunger Games" or something alike.