#Matthias helvar needs a hug

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Hello, I should be asleep but I’ve been thinking about this concept for too long and this just kinda unexpectedly happened so here it is, hope you enjoy!

Archive Warnings: Major character death

Summary:

Five times Matthias Helvar spoke to his baby sister through Djel, and one time that she answered

I’ve put major character death as a tag but it’s nothing beyond canon, it’s just depicted in this fic from a slightly different perspective 👍

[missnmikaelson]

Jesper: Dumbest scar stories, go!

Inej: I burned my tongue once drinking tea.

Matthias: I dropped a hair dryer on my leg once and burned it.

Wylan: I have a piece of graphite in my leg for accidentally stabbing myself with a pencil in the first grade.

Nina: I was taking a cup of noodles out of the microwave and spilled it on my hand and I got a really bad burn.

Kaz:

Kaz: I have emotional scars.

[the-anxious-acrobat]

tag yourself; the crows 🐦‍⬛

kaz brekker: a thousand thoughts, the city at night, coffee so dark that no amount of sugar can sweeten it, big risk-taker, laughing hard so no one knows that you’re really upset, neon lights, spontaneous tattoos, good memory and so remembers very bad ones, loves your friends and would do anything for them, focused on your goals, has your back, overachiever, messy handwriting, graffiti, adventurous, blunt texts, crazy strong, loose coins, works unbelievably hard, good with numbers, never gets enough sleep, dog lover, good ideas at 2am, middle fingers up, hides their true emotions, ambitious  

inej ghafa: vivid dreams, black eyeliner, has a lot of secrets, laughter late at night, kittens, always there for people, salty waves and sharp winds, passionate about everything, black fishnets, loves fruit, resilient, combat boots, tired, writes poetry, dark makeup, watching movies at 2am, bracelets, reading in the light of a streetlamp in the middle of the night, ripped stockings, thrift stores, likes cold weather, coffee at midnight, resonates with the ocean, wishes on 11:11, deep conversations, “look at the moon”, feels like they’re in a sort of dream, a ride or die, people-watcher, glows from within, midnight snacks, holding hands, loves the sky, mysterious, alone a lot of the time, supportive, speaks with their eyes, gives good advice, graceful movements 

nina zenik: loud music, milkshakes, lace, very strong-willed, close friend group, messy bedroom, keeps a diary, long journeys, polaroid pictures, loves chocolate, loud laugh, sunset skies, bilingual, liquid lipstick, judgmental, can always make you laugh, sings in the shower, warm hugs, stuffed toys, singing at the top of your lungs even if you can’t sing, unbroken promises, running mascara, dancing like nobody’s watching, opinionated, crying to a friend over the phone 

jesper fahey: bright eyes, always rushing, piercings, colourful eyeshadow, vibrant colours, dirty jokes, rule-breaker, in love with adventure, dark sunglasses, overbearing emotions, lying in fields, dusty old books, comfortable silences, nail polish, antique stores, morning light filtering through a window, crazy dancing anywhere and everywhere, always looking for something new to do, so fun to be around, absentmindedly searching for the thrill of danger, always tries their best, hard days, pillow fights, the glow of city lights past midnight, needs validation, old architecture, staying up really late, makes sure everyone is having a good time at a party

matthias helvar: trust issues, deep thoughts on long trips, likes cold weather, etc watching rain slide down a car window, different mood every minute, poetic, would help you move, coffee stained cups, tired eyes, giving your whole heart to someone, watching black and white movies, easy to confide in, involved in a lot of things, driving at night with the car windows down, constellations, kind of lost in their own way, freezing cold weather, spare change, dog lover

wylan hendriks: watercolour paintings, forever changed by the people they love, memory boxes full of old photos, live has never been worse but never better, spinning around and around until you get dizzy, old tape recordings, dawn light filling a room, summer days, ink pens, getting lost in crowds, having paint streaks on your face and arms and clothes, parked car conversations, contagious laughter, biting your tongue, been through a lot, just wants to escape at random times

[lunarthecorvus]

Six Of Crows College/University Modern AU fanfiction recommendations part of Lunar's soc fanfiction rec series

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Birds of a Feather by @sc11vb

Wordcount: 8.8k Chapters: 6/? (It's still being updated:)

Characters: Nina Zenik, Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker, Matthias Helvar, Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck, Zoya Nazyalensky, Nikolai Lanstov, Tolya Yul-Bataar, Leoni Hilli, Alina Starkov, Maleyn Oretsev, Background & Cameo Characters

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Friendship/Love, Plot What Plot, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff without Plot

Author's summary/notes: “You know what they say, ‘trouble is my middle name’.” “Your middle name is Deirdre,” Inej said. “Don’t remind me,” Nina groaned. My summary/notes: In this fic we have a years worth of Kanej pining and currently there is some drama between those two, let's just say the angst is angsting. We have some other grishaverse characters featuring in the fic as well, there's established helnik and established wesper. I love Nina so much and in typical modern!au Nina fashion she comes up with a plan to stop the Kanej pining and it certainly is a plan... Nina and Inej's friendship very important in this fic (as it should be) and its written so well.

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I Like You a Latte by sevenofcrows

Wordcount: 45k Chapters: 28/? (Hasn't been updated since Janurary but the last chapter works well and doesn't end on a cliffhanger)

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck, Nina Zenik

Tags: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shop & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Kaz Brekker Needs a Hug, Kaz Brekker is Bad At Feelings, Texting, Fluff, Tooth-Rooting Fluff, rated explicit but the chapters are marked + not related to the plot, so the explicit parts can be ignored

Author's summary/notes: "Kaz Brekker was not your usual college student. He didn't leave assignments until the last day, he didn't stress over finals, he never left the house in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He was always put together, dressed in jeans and a properly ironed shirt, the answer keys to his next three exams hidden away in his computer and essays already written even before they were assigned. He didn't leave things to chance. If you asked any of his friends, they would call him a control freak. He liked to say he was born to be in charge. So, seeing him rush into a coffee shop with his hair messed up and shirt wrinkled was a once in a lifetime event." What happens when Kaz Brekker meets Inej Ghafa, a bright eyed barista who seems to read his mind when it comes to his drink orders? They fall in love, of course. This is the story of what happens in between. My summary/notes: You ever get that fic that you don't entirely remember whats it about because you haven't read it in a while but when you read the title the flush of serotonin and you just start to smile because you just remember that it was SO GOOD, this is one of those fics for me. Honestly the author's summary is just perfect, but heres some notes. The recipe thing is so cute, the kanej here is so adorable, Inej with the doodles is again so cute. The last thing I will say is they're both down so bad, especially Kaz.

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honey, honey by halfahint

Wordcount: 21k Chapters: 3/3

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker, Nina Zenik, Matthias Helvar, Wylan Van Eck, Jesper Fahey

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, POV Inej Ghafa, Friends With Benefits (sort of), To explain the Friends With Benefits tag it basically means that they agree to work on healing their respective touch phobia together, Intimacy, (but also emotional intimacy, feelings are hard

Author's summary/notes: “Look,” Nina says. Inej has startled her badly enough that she’s made a mess of her eyeliner – the wing on her right eye careens wildly to one side. “I’m all for reclaiming your sexuality. Seriously. Two thumbs up from me. But, honestly, Inej, does it have to be with the most emotionally unavailable man you know?” “Well, who would you suggest?” Nina’s eyes bulge. “Oh, I don’t know, literally anyone with a pulse and a conscience?” “Kaz has – “We don’t know that,” Nina says sternly. My summary/notes: A story of healing as Kaz and Inej work on their touch phobia and while doing that they fall harder for eachother (they already knew eachother 2 years before the events of the fic). They have some cute moments. The crows dynamics in this fic are showed so perfect, it defintely reminds me of book!crows.

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You'll Be With Me Wherever I Go by @rupturedhaven

Wordcount: 35k Chapters: 18/? (It's still being updated:)

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck, Nina Zenik, Matthias Helvar, Genya Safin, Maleyn Orestev, Nikolai Lanstov, Zoya Nazyalensky

Tags: Six Of Crows AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Grishaverse, Texting, Drunk Texting, Chatting & Messaging, Fluff, Background Relationships, Background Characters Freeform, Slowburn, minimal angst

Author's summary/notes: It's their last year of university, and Jesper has insisted on starting a new group chat. There's chaos. There's bickering. There's friendship. There's love. Six of Crows texting fic. My summary/notes: Ok, ok, I love Rupturedhaven's fics, they write brilliantly so recommending this fic was a must. In this fic you get to see more of the Wylan and Matthias friendship dynamic. There is of course some Kanej pining after eachother and the latest chapter-. A TON of Wesper flirting and you get to see them go from friendship to lov- as well as going into some of Jesper's troubles. The Nina and Kaz dynamic in this fic is definitely siblingly and I adore it. Helnik also develops in this fic and we get to see them be as amazing as ever but also go through a couple problems but nothing can ever stop Helnik those two are so adorable in this fic. I was about to write about the amazing Nina and Inej friendship in this fic but I'm going to finish off by saying that all the friendships in this fic are just beautiful.

[luna-writes-stuff]

What types the Crows would fall for:

Includes Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Wylan van Eck, Nina Zenik, and Matthias Helvar.

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Kaz Brekker:

This man relies on every realistic aspect. Whenever planning something, or even thinking about something, he runs through everything that could go wrong and analyses it properly. He needs someone with a mind that completely contradicts it. Someone who could think of creative solutions he usually wouldn’t come up with. And not only the mental aspect of creative. If you engage in something such as painting or embroidery, he’d love that too. His mind is complicated, and completely logistic and analytical. He doesn’t leave much room for imagination or creativity. He relies on you to do that for him. And when you can, it’ll grow on his list of things to adore you for. Your ideas are the most captivating for them; he’s always admired a good mind. But that doesn’t mean other outings of creativity go unwanted by him. He will proudly display your items throughout his office, leaving portraits for heists hanging in the halls.

——

Inej Ghafa:

Inej is very hesitant because of obvious reasons. She has been through some stuff and it still messes with her. She’d 100% love someone who just soothes her when necessary, but in a somewhat distant manner. Words of affirmation or tiny services are good enough for her. She’d fall for the type who is able to see the good in everything. To turn even the glummest of points into something somewhat positive. When she has that dip in her mood, she tends to see the worst in everything and make it add to her already terrible state. If you would point out all the things that she can learn from this, or all the things that are not necessarily evil, she’d be comforted so much. Even by the mere thought of it. Gently reassure her that you’re there, even after everything she has been through. She can run to you, she can find refuge with you. She adores the way your voice switches tone when she’s down, or how you’ll approach others on a daily basis. Everything about you is so calming, not just to her. She takes great pride in that.

——

Jesper Fahey:

Outwit him, please. When he flirts, flirt back. Play that uno reverse card. It only takes one sarcastic or charismatic remark to make him fall. “You come here often?” “No, but seeing you here, I think I should.” BOOM, GONE. Just like that. Now, he’ll constantly follow you around, placing compliments here and there, flirting with you continuously. He’ll buy your drinks, he’ll hold your chair, he’ll take your coat. This man becomes a puppy, but with attitude. And once you actually get together, he will not stop. But now he’ll include kisses on top of your head, hands around your waist, hugs from behind, hands buried in your pockets, hands running through your hair, hands everywhere. He needs to be touching you constantly. If you grow uncomfortable under this, he’ll try to keep his hands to himself, but he cannot help the occasional touch on your shoulder. A simple remainder he is still there. He respects it, he truly does, but he cannot always help himself. You’re just so gorgeous and witty and breathtaking and you picked him???? He wants to show that shit off, okay?

——

Wylan van Eck:

As Kaz, Wylan has always loved creative people. Mentally or practically. Most adoration would go towards sculptors, I’d like to believe. Whether you create tiny statues out of clay or huge cut out marble. He doesn’t care. Hell, you could make a birdhouse from wood and he’d like it. Though your looks and kindness would initially captivate him, his admiration grows as he discovers your hobbies. And from that, he decided to do a lot of actual research! Need some inspiration? He’s your guy. He makes it his entire duty to give you a good idea. I’m talking, nose deep into books to note something. He himself loves to tell stories, and it gives you a lot of ideas through this. The funniest part is that he doesn’t even know it. When he tries to look for something, you usually dismiss it (kindly), but when he’s ranting about something or comes up with a funny story, the ideas start flowing. Late nights are always spent on the bed, hand entangled as he talks and you listen, occasional kisses places on top of your head.

——

Nina Zenik:

Nina is smitten with badasses. I mean the people who practise sports such as Kung-Fu, Judo, Krav Maga, boxing etc. etc. Not only is it incredibly hot to her, because who wouldn’t think it’s hot, but she loves the movement of your figure throughout the practises. It looks so flawless and graceful. There is so much commitment and dedication in your eyes, she thinks it is absolutely stunning. And you, quite literally, kick ass. It’s a turn on for her, okay? Anyone who can beat her in physical combat. If you have some good strong arm and/or leg muscles to go with that, she falls even deeper. Because, you’re kidding. Not only are you the most awesome person she has ever met, but there are muSCLES???? You actually met through a argument gone wrong at the Crow Club. Someone got too close to a friend of yours and you full on body slammed them into the table. She was nearby when it happened, and she thought that person was going for her. In her eyes, you saved her. You haven’t corrected her on it. She’d wrap her arms around one of yours when walking constantly. Not because it makes her feel safer - even though it does -, but because you’re so damn huggable, she cannot get enough of it.

——

Matthias Helvar:

We have seen him around Nina; he needs some joy in his life. Someone who makes him laugh. And that’s a whole task. Initially, you had stumble into something and you ended up falling like an idiot, but Matthias thought it was absolutely hilarious. And since that laugh, you had begun to make it a task to hear that more often. Yes, he had a nice laugh, but also, his usual stoic self seems to fade away so flawlessly. It’s a whole other side for him, which you seem to appreciate very much. And for him; who doesn’t love laughing? Being so gleeful you have to audibly out it? That is why he fell for you. He felt so happy and relieved around your mere presence. He knew he was safe with you and vice versa. You bring out the best in him, as cheesy as it may sound. And now, he will protect you with his life. He has this habit of stepping near you every time someone nears. Subtly, at first, but eventually he’d end up blocking your view entirely. That’s his sunshine. No one touches it with evil intent.

[alpurrtwhizkersss]

Hi! What do you think about cuddling Matthias Helvar? 💕

Cuddling With Matthias Helvar HCs

GENDER NEUTRAL READER

A.N before I begin:

I found this one pretty difficult at first but then i slowly got into the groove! mainly because i don’t really like Matthias 😭 Is that a crime? Probably. Soz!

he'd be a big big spoon

he'd most likely just swallow you whole

doesn't matter what size you are

as soon as that man holds you, you are GONE

ofc since he's the biggest sweetheart known to man, he'd always make sure to check you were okay, but if you say yes, he will just completely wrap you up.

I imagine that at first it would've taken him a little while to actually get used to the idea of properly cuddling with you

of course, he enjoyed hugging you every once in a while, like when he came back home to you after a long day, or vise versa

but, especially because of where he grew up, and the way he was raised

he never really understood the need for just sitting and receiving affection

you were definitely the first one to suggest the topic, and he was hesitant but accepted, since he adores making you happy

but as soon as you two had been laying in each other's arms for a while, he practically fell in love with the idea

he felt so safe, holding you, and he never wanted to let go

like

seriously

never

trying to get him off you is harder than actually getting him to hold you in the first place

also, did i mention that from after the first time you two cuddle, he will be asking for it constantly?

the man will try to get his head in your lap AS SOON AS HE CAN

just imagine you're out, maybe on a job with The Crows or something

"Y/N?"

"Yes, Matthias?"

he proceeds to give you the biggest puppy eyes humanly possible, and you know EXACTLY what he wants

"Not now, Matthias."

"But-"

"No."

he WILL go in a huff with you

silly little guy

why have these hcs made me more affectionate towards this big lump of fluff?

anyway

[sissytobitch10seconds]

Birdsong: The Moon Will Sing

Fandom: Grishaverse-Six of Crows Summary: They're technically there on business, but Matthias' only job is to look big and intimidating. No one can really blame him for letting his eyes wander towards the stage. Warnings: Mentions of canon-typical trauma and mentions of homophobia Word Count: 7,937 Ship(s): Matthias Helvar/Nina Zenik, Kaz Brekker/Matthias Helvar/Jesper Fahey/Inej Ghafa/Wylan Van Eck

Archive link!

Matthias Helvar had known Kaz for nearly five years and had been romantically intertwined with him for the majority of that time. He knew the other man inside and out, to the point where he was sure that he was more familiar with Kaz than he was with himself. He was able to point to the motions that the other man made when he was feeling self-conscious (tugging on the lapels of his shirt or readjusting his gloves so that they covered more of his wrists) or when he was upset about something (a cute creasing of his forehead and chin). He knew how to tell Kaz’s moods apart to the point that he was able to avoid the mindfield of anxiety, something that their boyfriend Wylan still struggled with despite having been together with Kaz for longer.

Despite this, trying to figure out why Kaz did what he did was still nearly impossible at times.

They were sitting in the office space of the apartment above the Crow Club, which was the bar that Kaz owned. Matthias worked for him as a bartender and bouncer when he was in between his set-building gigs, so he was very familiar with the space in both a professional and personal context. It had originally just been a spare room that was full of boxes and an abandoned desk that Kaz had inherited from his late brother. After Inej had finally snapped Kaz out of his brooding, he had transformed it into a place where he could work and also host his partners.

The desk was now pressed against the wall with the window so that plenty of natural light could illuminate the space when Kaz was working during the day. There was a simplistic brick fireplace on the wall kitty corner to the window, the mantle of which was now decorated with plenty of pictures of their partners. Matthias’ favorite was the one that they had taken when Jesper had finally graduated after clawing his way through the ableist secondary education system. They had all been hugging him, with Inej and Wylan kissing either of his cheeks while Matthias prepared to pick him up, Kaz standing slightly away from them but beaming one of the truest smiles he had ever worn.

The place that they occupied in the office at the moment was on the wall opposite to the desk, where two chairs were on either side of a low coffee table. It was currently covered in a stack of books that Jepser had no doubt left as he and Wylan cleared out their apartment so that they could move into the estate Wylan’s father had accidentally left to him in his will.

Matthias smiled softly to himself as he remembered the plans that they had been making to move into the vast mansion, so that all of them could finally be in the same place. Inej moved around a lot with her acrobatics troupe, especially since she was also following leads to try and get back in contact with her brother after the two of them had been separated by the cruelty of the foster system. Matthias missed her dearly, she had been in Germany for almost four weeks now, but he understood her desperation to find her family. If his hadn’t banished him from his home for simply admitting that he had fallen in love with a man, he would have been flying back to Denmark as often as he could just to visit with them.

“Are you listening to me?” Kaz asked, snapping him from his thoughts.

He turned back to his boyfriend and shook his head truthfully. Kaz rolled his eyes, though there was affection in the dark color of his irises. “I was simply detailing that I need to have you with me while I’m working today.”

“What do you need me to do?” he asked. It sounded more serious than the last couple of jobs that he had been asked to do, which mostly revolved around him listening in to conversations and scanning the types of people that were asking to be let into the bar so that he could find out whether or not the surrounding business owners were trying to bring Kaz down. It didn’t feel real, even without saying it out loud, more like his life had become half a movie. 

“I want you to come with me to look like the terrifying wall of muscle that you are while I meet someone for business,” Kaz replied.

Immediately alarm bells began to go off in the back of Matthias’ mind. He trusted his boyfriend with his life, that much was certain, but he was also worried about the kind of mischief that Kaz was stirring up. Inej had made him promise that he would keep their life interesting enough that their partner wouldn’t get into anything he couldn’t get himself out of, she had called it ‘Kaz’s enrichment time’, and with good reason. Whenever Kaz got more bored than he decided he was willing to handle, he stirred the pot and riled up the people around him. It was one of the reasons that he would never be able to settle with one partner and jumped right into a polycule with his two best friends.

He sat forward, threading his fingers together so that his hands were hanging low between his legs. He knew that Kaz liked it when he looked like that, chiseled and sullen and serious but putty in his hands. “What kind of business?”

“Calm down, it’s nothing that you’re going to have to tattle on me to Inej about. There’s an old bar owner that is thinking about retiring so I wanted to convince him that he should give his land and building to me,” he replied easily, leaning back in his chair. He was wearing a simple black button up with a pressed pair of slacks, his gloves off and on the table since it was just the two of them together.

“You want me to come with you so that we can convince the man that we are going to steal his bar from him because I am strong?” Matthias asked, half confused and half teasing.

“No, I want you there to show him that I’m serious. I know that you’re aware how much people think that they can underestimate me,” his nose wrinkled for a second as he said that. Matthias did remember what had happened the last time that a potential business partner had tried to undermine Kaz because of his disability. The ire that had flown out of his boyfriend had been both terrifying and the most attractive thing that he had seen to date. It had taken all four of their partners three hours to manage to convince Kaz that he didn’t have to go after the man and show him what it was like to have his disability, and Kaz still brought it up sometimes when he was in a sour mood. The smaller man rolled his shoulders as he said, “I don’t want him to think that he can take advantage of me because I’m smaller and disabled. I’m bringing you so that you can ward off any assholes that think they can schmooze up to him instead of waiting their turn and so that he sees someone with a more stereotypical masculinity during the meeting.”

“So I am eye candy?” Matthias smirked. He knew that the underlying message that Kaz was struggling to convey through his veneer of business was that he trusted Matthias. There were actual employees that he could bring with him on this trip that would likely be more helpful, but he had chosen his boyfriend, who had absolutely no experience in the business world, because he both wanted to spend time with Matthias and trusted him to know the more intimate details of his life. It made his chest feel warm, reinforcing that the life he had chosen for himself was the correct one despite all of the pain that had come with it.

Thankfully, his boyfriend had interpreted the teasing in the way that Matthias had meant it instead of in an actually cruel way like he had towards the beginning of their friendship. He leaned forward after carefully moving his knee to the side so that he didn’t bend it in a painful way. “For me and for him. But mostly for me,” Kaz replied with a smirk.

Matthias leaned forward the six inches over the coffee table that separated them and brought their lips together in a sweet kiss. 

Early on in their relationship, they had realized that they needed a way to convey where boundaries laid on certain days due to the trauma that certain members of their polycule had. Wylan, Inej, and Kaz would rate their ability to be touched out of ten when they were in a place where they could possibly meet up with their other partners. If someone rated themselves at a one, then it meant that they absolutely could not be touched unless it was life-or-death, and a ten meant that they were willing to do whatever with however many partners. Matthias and Jesper gave their own ranking as well, especially after finding out that they did have some boundaries when it came to touch that they had ignored by accident before getting together with the others.

That morning, Kaz had told them that he was tentatively hovering around an eight. He usually hung down around four or five on working days and had never quite gotten up to a ten. Matthias knew that he would love and cherish his partner no matter where he was on the touch chart, but he was glad when he got to have those intimate skin-to-skin moments with him.

---

Later that night, Matthias was waiting in the bar for Kaz to come down. He had dressed somewhat nice, but simplistic enough that he wouldn’t be standing out compared to his ‘boss’ for the night. He had chosen a pair of straight legged black jeans with the belt that Wylan had given him for his last birthday, an interwoven black and brown leather with a wolf carved buckle. He was wearing  simple black t-shirt underneath his favorite leather jacket, the one that Inej had helped him paint the back of. It was a series of runes that spelled out their names and his relationship with each one of them on five different roses. The edges were a little cramped on one side with the other empty, since they weren’t sure how big it was going to be when they started.

Matthias felt his heart jump in his chest when he heard the telltale thump-thump-thump of Kaz’s cane as he made his way through the quickly filling bar. Someone had turned ACDC onto the jukebox in the corner, they hadn’t been able to secure a band to play live music during that week, which was a strange dichotomy to what was in front of him.

Kaz was wearing a pair of black slacks and well shined shoes. He had on a red vest over the top of a white button-up shirt, tie-less, with his heavy overcoat resting over the entire ensemble. He had the uncanny ability to choose clothing that hugged his body in all the right places so that he could appear however he wanted to people looking in on him. Matthias knew for a fact that he had a simple knee brace on today, unable to make due with only k-tape, but it was hidden perfectly underneath the fabric of his pants.

“Are you ready to go?” the other asked as he stopped in front of his boyfriend. 

“I am if you are, boss,” he replied, ramping up his accent because he knew what it did to his partners.

Kaz tried to ignore it, but Matthias wasn’t looking at his face to tell if he was flustered. Instead he paid attention to the tips of Kaz’s ears, which had already gained their telltale red color. He smirked as he followed after the other man, a half step away from him so that there was plenty of room for Kaz to maneuver the busy sidewalk with his cane but not so far away that any of the passers-by could get in between them.

The bar that they were going to be meeting the future business partner at was a neutral-territory space that was more of an old fashioned lounge than anything else. The building was an old theater from the fifties that had been renovated to hold the kind of company it served to. The front of the building had teal tile on the of the walls and several signed vintage posters hanging where the advertisement for new films would have been back in its heyday. The large, vintage-styled neon sign read ‘The Blue Jay’ in a loopy font that strobed every so often. There was someone in the booth up front taking tickets from people, two of which Kaz was able to supply before he and Matthias stepped in.

The inside had the original hardwood floors, scuffed and marked up from when they hadn’t been taken care of but easily refinished. The walls were wainscotted with the same dark wood as the floor and the paint on the upper half was a soothing blue. The front foyer had a bar with two stools, obviously not a place that they wanted people to be occupying unless they were waiting to get their drinks from the tender. The outside of the bar was set up to look like the concession stand would have in the fifties, complete with candy wrappers from that time period. 

There was another worker that checked their coats, which allowed Matthias to ogle at the expanse of his boyfriend’s shoulders underneath the neatly pressed vest and shirt combo he was wearing.

“Would you like something to drink?” Matthias asked as he jerked his head over to where the bar was. The chalk menu behind him was intriguing, especially since there were several cocktails that he had never heard of before and wanted to try.

“We both need to remain as sober as possible during this job. If it’s going to result in me buying the property then I want to make sure that I don’t have the wool pulled over my eyes because you wanted a shot or ten,” Kaz teased. 

The first time that they had gone out, it was to a bar. Kaz spent most of his time in clubs and bars because of his job, so it only made sense. Matthias had thought that a little alcohol would lubricate the date a bit, but it turned out that his partner had a competitive streak a mile wide and a very low alcohol tolerance. A lot of things had happened that night, all of which Matthias remembered and none of which Kaz did.

They walked over to the theater portion of the club. When he finally got a good look at what the inside space had been transformed into, he was pleasantly surprised. They had kept the through line of the fifties style lounge despite it being an old theater, and leveled out the ground so that it was no longer sloped but was covered in the same hardwood as it had been through the door. Ten to fifteen tables littered the walls of the surrounding area, staggered so that people would be able to see up to the stage properly without others getting in the way. They each looked about identical except for the different bird feather and fake flower in each of the vases. 

“Come,” Kaz said as he walked towards an empty table. It was the third closest to the stage on the left side of the wall. It had a yellow tulip and a crow feather in the vase, both of which swirled when Kaz collapsed down into his seat.

Matthias could easily see how much his bad leg was bothering him that day. He wanted to be able to help, and he was sure that he could convince his partner to let him once they were back in the privacy of Kaz’s apartment above their own club. He took the seat next to his boss, pointed slightly towards the stage despite the fact that it was still empty since it was only seven in the evening. 

There were quite a few other people milling about the space, which was why it was a ticketed event, Matthias realized. They were all dressed nicely, as he and his boyfriend were, and chatting amongst each other. A couple of the individuals had even come to match the theme of the lounge, with bright colored tailored dresses that had huge skirts. 

“How did you find out about this place?” Matthias asked. While Wylan was a bit more partial to the Victorian aesthetic (a product of him leaning pretty heavily into the mad scientist title that had been used to tease him the entire time that he was in college), he was fond of all vintage buildings. They went on a tour of the historical homes around their town every year for his birthday and every person that worked in the vintage thrift shops around town knew them all by name because of how often they got him gifts from there. Matthias was sure that his boyfriend would be enamored with the lounge and would insist on them all dressing up. He would encourage their partner, of course, if only to see Jesper in one of the dresses that were swirling around the other tables.

“I heard about it from a friend of a friend,” Kaz replied cryptically. He was grasping the head of his cane, positioned between his legs so that the bird head was peeping over the nice white table cloth.

“I think that we should bring Wylan here, when we’re not on business,” Matthias suggested, trying to make it sound like he hadn’t been thinking about it for the last ten minutes since they stepped into the lounge.

A small smile slipped over Kaz’s face for just a moment before he gave a little nod. He quickly schooled his expression so that he was cold, calculating, and mostly blank. He continued to flicker between looking at either door at the back of the old theater, waiting for his business associate to show up. Matthias continued to look out over the crowd, assessing who might be the most trouble if the night were to go south. It was a bad habit of his that he was sure he was never going to be able to actually break, not that it was really hindering him when Kaz brought him along for tasks like this.

When the man finally arrived, they were able to identify who he was immediately. He was tailed by two men that were slightly shorter than Matthias and looked about half as competent as he did. They wore identical black shirts and slacks, boring and predictable. The man in the middle was wearing a gray vest over the top of a crisp white button up. He had salt and pepper hair and a full beard that was neatly trimmed to tie the illusion that he was a wealthy business owner up in a pretty bow.

When he arrived at the table, Matthias and Kaz both stood. “Pekka Rollins,” he greeted with a firm tilt to his head. 

“Kaz Brekker,” the other man replied, his accent heavy. He reached his hand across the table and Kaz hesitantly accepted it, obviously uncomfortable with touching a stranger even through the thick weight of his leather gloves. “I was going to apologize for bringing some people to help with the negotiations but I see that you’re already a man of wisdom.”

“This isn’t my first deal,” Kaz replied, sitting heavily back down in the chair that he had been in before. Pekka and one of the men that he had come with took the other side of the table, while one left to go get them something from the bar on the orders of his boss. Kaz and Matthias had both refused when Pekka offered to order them something. 

The lights in the lounge dimmed as three women and a man walked out onto the stage. Pekka turned towards the much younger man and asked, “You don’t mind if we wait to start the negotiations until the first part of their set is over, do you? I think that it would be rude to speak over them.”

“Fine,” he bit out. Matthias knew that he was beginning to wear down from being on someone else’s terf, it had always been a problem for him. That was why it was such a big deal for them to finally move in together, so that he didn’t act like such a wet cat whenever he had to travel to a different part of the city to visit one of them.

Everyone else was returning from getting their drinks and snacks from the bar outside, sitting at their table and facing the stage as they waited for what was yet to come. Matthias assessed the band first to try and figure out what it was going to be since he had entered into the lounge completely in the dark about everything other than the fact that Kaz needed him.

One of the members had long black hair that was artfully styled into an intricate braid on the back of her head. She had golden skin that matched with the green outfit that she was wearing perfectly. It was a baggy silk shirt that had intricate yellow and orange embroidery around the sleeves and collar, tucked into a pair of dress pants with a pair of matching heels. She walked over to one of the seats that were in front of the two bigger instruments with an acoustic guitar.

The next was a woman with dark brown hair that was tied back with two smaller braids to contain the other curls. She had coffee-colored skin and dramatic red lipstick. She was wearing a dark black button up shirt with a matching pair of pants to the one that the first woman wore. She moved behind the drums with a smirk flitting across her angular features.

The man was about the same height as all of the women even though he wasn’t wearing heels like they were. He had blond hair that was styled back to contain the curls a significant amount. He was wearing a teal coat so that he looked similar to the tile on the outside of the building. It hid the lower half of his body significantly, made worse by the fact he picked up the upright bass that had been resting on the back of the stage.

The last woman was the one that really caught his eye. Her rich brown curls were pouring down from the bun that sat squarely on the back of her head. They framed her face and illustrated her high cheek bones and perfectly accented her strong jawline. Her lips were painted with a beautiful red color that paired with the burgundy of her eyeshadow and rose on her cheeks. The curve of her neck brought attention down to where the sweetheart neckline of her shirt hugged at her body. It curved out in the same flow of fabric to that swooped over her arms to make sleeves around her upper arms. The dark red color brought out the undertones of her skin in a way that made her seem vibrant and full of life. She had a silver locket hanging around her neck, the bottom of the heart pointing towards her voluptuous chest. The shirt was complimented with a black pencil skirt that grasped at her hips and the bottom part of her stomach before falling down to her thighs. She had a pair of tall heels on, which would have made her just shy of Matthias’ height.

Her beauty was on par with the goddess that he had seen come out of Inej in the quiet moments that they had stolen away together. She was a walking deity and he couldn’t move his eyes away from her.

The woman with black hair began to play, her delicate fingers dancing over the strings of the guitar as her voice drifted through the now silent lounge area. “Tell me once again, I could have been anyone, anyone else before you made the choice for me. My feet knew the path, we walked in the dark, in the dark. I never gave a single thought to where it might lead.”

It was an interesting sound and not one that Matthias had guessed he would have heard in the kind of place that they were in. He wasn’t as familiar with retro and vintage music as Wylan was, but he preferred the classical stuff to the newer music that Inej and Jesper enjoyed. He wondered what the story behind the song was as he watched the singer leaning in closer to the mic, her eyes closed and scrunching around the edges with untold amounts of pain. She was pouring her heart out to an audience full of people that didn’t know her but were listening to her very soul.

The song continued, this time two voices harmonizing perfectly with each other as they edged closer to the chorus, “All those empty rooms, we could have been anywhere, anywhere else. Instead I made a bed with apathy. My heart knew the weight, ten years worth of dust and neglect. We made our peace with weariness and let it be. The moon will sing a song for me, I loved you like the sun. Bore the shadows that you made with no light of my own. I shine only with the light you gave me, I shine only with the light you gave me.” 

As soon as he had assessed the main singer, his eyes drifted back to the woman that had caught his eye when the band had first appeared. She was singing backup vocals with all of the grace and beauty that someone with that kind of gorgeousness could bring with them. Matthias was unable to tear his eyes away from her even as Kaz reached under the table to try and break him from the reverie that he was melting in. Instead, he just wove his fingers together with his boyfriend’s and continued to stare at the singer.

“Name your courage now, we could have had anything, anything else. Instead you hoarded all that's left of me, swallowing your doubt, like swords to the pit of my belly. I want to feel the fire that you kept from me.” As the song melted into the final chorus, he could almost swear that the woman’s eyes drifted towards him until they locked together. He couldn’t look away, completely enraptured with the woman on stage.

The song ended and the lights came back on, releasing the singers from the stage. They introduced themselves one by one and explained who they were for the patrons that came regardless of the stage draw. “Hello, my name is Alina Starkov.”

“I’m Nikolai Lantsov,” the blond with the bass said.

“Zoya Nazyalensky,” the drummer introduced herself, standing up so that she was visible after depositing her sticks onto the chair behind her.

“And I am Nina Zenik,” the woman that Matthias was still staring at said, giving a wink to the crowd.

The first woman that had spoken started again as she continued the introduction, “Together, we make Shadow and Bone. The song that you just listened to was called The Moon Will Sing and it’s part of our newly released album. We’ll be joining you on the floor and playing a few more numbers throughout the evening. Thank you all for hosting us in the absolutely beautiful Blue Jay.”

There was polite clapping from all the guests before the more traditional muzak that had been playing over the speakers when they first entered resumed. The band left their instruments behind on the stage and exited, two left and two right. Matthias watched Nina as she crossed over the empty space that made up the mostly unused dance floor and walked out towards the bar. 

“I am going to get us something to drink. It would be rude not to try their menu,” Matthias informed his boyfriend, trying to hint towards what he was actually getting at. Kaz gave him an unamused look but waved one of his gloved hands to tell Matthias that he was free to leave. The taller of the two did notice that his boyfriend shot a look towards the door where Nina had just departed, obviously cluing into the growing crush that he had.

Matthias hustled out of the main room so that he could join the other people milling around the bar. He felt slightly naked without his jacket, but it was the kind of place that had to check coats as part of their gimmick so he was putting up with it. He leaned against the counter as he ordered the drink that he was interested in and gin on the rocks for his boyfriend, the only thing that Kaz would drink after their vodka-filled first date. 

“Hello, love,” the sultry voice of the woman from the stage said next to him.

He felt his heart skip in his chest as he watched her fold her arms on the edge of the bar and lean forward to read the menu. The bartender told her to wait for a moment as he got to work on the backlog of drinks that he had now the the siren song of the band was no longer holding the patrons back from ordering.

Matthias shifted his attention back towards the blackboard as he read over the rest of the drinks and what was in them. He would definitely be bringing Wylan back to this place when he was finally able to pry his boyfriend away from the cage that was his most recent lab. He was watching Nina out of the side of his eye, paying attention to every shift in weight as she tried to figure out what she wanted.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when she turned to face him fully and asked, “What’s good here?”

“I am going to be honest with you, I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I was brought here to help someone out and I didn’t even know what this place was going to be until I was standing in it.”

She laughed at that, a bright tinkling noise that made a flock of birds erupt in Matthias’ chest. He felt like he was standing at the edge of the universe when he listened to her laugh, like he was looking out over all of creation, everything that could and would be. Something magnetic was drawing him to the woman, bringing them together despite the fact that they were basically strangers. He didn’t know what kind of a relationship he wanted to have with her quite yet but he knew that he had to get to know her if she would let him.

“What did you order, then?” she asked, gesturing her head towards where the class containing his boyfriend’s drink was already perspiring down onto the lacquered countertop of the bar.

“Gin on the rocks for the person I am with. I ordered myself that one,” Matthias pointed to the board. He had come a long when since he had moved to an English speaking country, better than he had been when he was learning it in school, but the cursive handwriting done with chalk was still difficult for him to decipher well enough to feel confident speaking it.

He felt a little bit guilty for holding out the hope that he might be able to pursue a romantic or sexual relationship with Nina since they barely knew each other, but he couldn’t help the hope fluttering to life in his chest. He was referring to Kaz as someone that he was accompanying and not his boyfriend to try and buffer the chances of them developing some kind of relationship. If he were to come right out with that information, he knew that it would result in something like when they had tried to get together with Wylan. The other man had been hoping for a romantic relationship with Jesper but then immediately thought it was off the table when he heard that Jesper and Kaz were together, despite him also having two other partners at the time. It was something that took a lot of work to disentangle and Matthias wanted to avoid that.

He couldn’t admit that he had a boyfriend for fear of driving her away from the idea of a romantic or sexual relationship springing up between the two of them, but he couldn’t come right out and say that he was in an open relationship because it would appear as though he were coming on to her. 

She hopped up onto one of the bar stools and then patted the one next to her with that same sly smirk falling over her face. Matthias moved the drink he had bought for Kaz closer to himself as he got up onto the stool. “So you’ve never been here either?”

“No. I have a friend that would be very interested in a place like this so I am surprised that it managed to evade me for as long as it has,” he replied with a light chuckle.

“Alina, she’s my bandmate,” Nina supplied quickly, as though Matthias hadn’t been hanging off every word coming from the people on the stage, “she loves places like this. We’re still a pretty small band so we decided that this was the perfect thing to get our name out there without having to perform in the back of a pizza parlor or at a private event again.”

“How long have you been a band?” Matthias asked. The way that she spoke was fixating, her accent causing the words to roll over and off of her tongue in a beautiful, intoxicating way.

“Almost four years,” she laughed. “It took us a while to really get things started, but I have a feeling we’re going to get a good start soon.”

He smiled at her as he tried to ignore the way that having her laugh and smile at him, because of him, turned his heart molten. “I think that you are going to do very well. Your band is talented.”

She beamed, though a teasing glint took over her dark eyes, “You’ve barely even heard us play.”

“I can tell already,” Matthias nodded confidently.

“I hope that you stay for a few more hours so that you can hear us play more,” she smiled. She ordered from the bartender when he finally turned to give Matthias the cocktail that he had ordered. 

He had been so wrapped up in her, that he had barely noticed the other people around them slowly slipping away until there were only three or four people lurking around the front entryway. A few more people were trickling into the front of the lounge, but they quickly walked towards the main theater part of the establishment. He was basically alone with her.

“I guess you have to get back to that person that you came in with,” Nina smirked. She took his glass from his hand and looked at the beverage that he ordered with a raised brow. “I think that there’s actually maple syrup in this, fascinating!”

She was so perplexing and wonderful at the same time, an enigma that Matthias was desperately looking to get to know better. “I was meaning to ask,” he cleared his throat awkwardly. She tilted her head to look at him, as even in her heels she wasn't quite as tall as he was. A blush had spread across his face while he was formatting the sentence in his mind, but it was gone as soon as he saw someone leaving the lounge part of the club.

It was one of Nina’s bandmates, the one with the black hair. She had her hand clamped over her mouth and the other wrapped around her abdomen in a self-soothing hug. Her face was red like people got when they were flushed from trying to hold back sobs, something Matthias was very familiar with seeing in his partners. Upon closer inspection, her shoulders were shaking and tears were streaming down her face as she barreled towards the door.

“Is your bandmate okay?”

Nina looked offended for just a moment, her mouth opened as she snarled, “I beg your pardon? Oh, you’re just like every other man I meet in this line of work. Here I am, thinking that someone could finally show some kind of interest in me and the only thing that you really have to ask about is Alina! Why can’t people understand that we’re two completely different people and I am not a gateway to her-” 

The look dropped off of her pretty features as she turned and saw Alina just making it out of the establishment and then collapsing against the wall outside of doors. Nina swore under her breath as she handed the drink to Matthias and then hurried towards her friend.

He was left standing there, feeling like a complete fool, as she basically ran away from him. He knew that she had to attend to the person that she was quite close to, but it still felt as though he was being abandoned. Every step that she took away from him made his heart feel heavier in his chest.

Before he had too long to brood about it, the sound of his boyfriend’s cane against the hardwood floors took up all the space in his brain as he turned to meet Kaz. “I thought that you were the good one when it came to flirting.”

“I am,” Matthias replied, his mind coming to a screeching halt as he tried to process what that implied.

“You know, that was the reason that I sent you out here. I was interested in her as well, more interested than I am in Pekka’s garbage deal,” his mouth turned down in a sneer. He took the gin from Matthias and then sipped it as he turned so that he was subtly watching the women from the other side of the glass doors. “I trusted you to be able to at least get her number.”

“I am better at flirting than you. When you tried to ask Wylan out on a date he thought that you were trying to fight him for Jesper,” Matthias shook his head. He sipped at his drink and then grimaced as the sweet cocktail coated his tongue. He enjoyed things that were slightly sweet, like the barest trace of powdered sugar on his waffles and the sour Jolly Ranchers that Jesper had stashed all over the house. The drink that he had ordered was dripping in so much sugar that he could already feel it eating away at his teeth.

Kaz muttered something into his drink that sounded an awful lot like, “I thought that it sounded fine.”

Nina had knelt down beside her bandmate, taking Alina’s hand in her own. She was holding the other’s arm with her free hand and taking deep breaths to coax her friend into doing the same. It made Matthias feel even more drawn to her to see just how kind and warm she could be to others. The scathing remarks and her quick tongue had felt like lashing against his soul, but he could understand where the confusion had come from when she was that protective of the other woman.

He set his drink down on the bar and turned away from them slightly so that he didn’t feel quite so voyeuristic. Kaz had no problems with continuing to stair at them as he worked his way quickly through the gin. “How did the deal go?”

“We’ve only delved into the very beginning of it. I can already tell that it’s crap. I told him that I had to use the restroom but I think he could tell that I was coming to speak with you,” Kaz placed the now empty glass of ice down onto the counter. The bartender dutifully filled it up again.

“Does he know…” Matthias trailed off as he reached out and linked the very ends of his fingers together with Kaz’s gloved hands. It was a risky move to do in public when they were trying to sort out business, something that might insight prejudice about them and start more drama than either of them really wanted to deal with.

“I don’t think so. He most likely just thinks that you’re some kind of hidden genius, which is what I wanted him to think,” he puffed up his chest with pride at having his plan go exactly how he had wanted it. He then turned to his boyfriend, a look of fear that only his partners would be able to recognize glinting in his dark eyes, “Not that you’re not intelligent, this just isn’t really your forte.”

“I know why you brought me here, min elsekde,” Matthias replied in a low voice. “I apologize for shifting the job so that I could flirt with that beautiful woman.”

“I hope that you can continue flirting with her after we’ve finished pretending that we can get scammed,” Kaz sighed as he turned his head back towards the lounge.

Neither of them really wanted to go back in there, but for different reasons. Matthias wanted to hang back close to the bar so that he could speak with Nina again, and Kaz wanted to avoid continuing a conversation he had already grown bored of. Still, they had to do what was going to be the right thing to do, so they took their drinks and walked back to the lounge.

---

The next time that Matthias saw Nina, she was back on stage. She had taken the lead on the second song that the band played and her voice was even more beautiful when it was crooning out notes on her own instead of backing up Alina’s. It had still sounded like a gift from the gods then, but it was highlighted far better in the second song that they had chosen.

He could barely even pay attention to the lyrics as he watched how her lips wrapped around the words and the way that her chest heaved for breath after a particularly challenging part of the song. It was hard to believe that someone was beautiful as her had even thought to give him the time of day, even if the last bit of their interaction had gone a bit sour.

The band gave the same introduction that they had last time, though Nina gave the song title and started off the process that time. They got off the stage and once again joined the thrawl of people, which made Matthias lose sight of the woman of his dreams once more. He felt a little bad for thinking so highly of her when he had someone literally carved by the hands of the gods waiting for him to get back home so he could text her goodnight, but he couldn’t help himself.

Kaz and Pekka had talked for the duration of the hour until Shadow and Bone came out to give their second performance. They had just about wrapped everything up prior to the song, so now that it was over they were giving their pleasantries before they left. “I’m glad that we seem to have come to some sort of agreement,” Pekka said as he offered his hand out to Kaz again.

The other man’s nostrils flared in a subtle enough way that Matthias picked up on it, but the failed business partner did not. He took the hand and gave it a brisk shake before he returned his hands to the head of his cane. “I am as well. Feel free to contact me again if you ever change your mind.”

“It is wonderful to see such young, precocious faces in this line of work,” Pekka chuckled as he walked off, is two goons following after him.

Kaz and Matthias returned to the sitting positions that they had been in before. The latter of the two got his phone out of his pocket and texted a quick goodnight to Inej now that he was free to do so. By the time that he looked up, someone else had taken the chair that Pekka had been sitting in only minutes ago.

“Sorry, I’m just going to steal him for a moment,” she promised Kaz before her brilliant eyes were focused entirely on Matthias. “I wanted to apologize for the way that I spoke to you earlier. I didn’t realize that you were actually looking out for Alina, I thought that you were…”

“Trying to get together with her through insidious measures?” Kaz supplied. “Sorry, I overhead. I’ll be getting us some new drinks, you two can talk,” he stood slowly, with the help of his cane. Matthias knew that he had recognized the awkward bite that always came out of him when he was interacting with someone new and was removing himself so that he didn’t ruin his boyfriend’s chances.

Nina laughed as she watched him go, the corners of her eyes crinkling cutely. “I think that he hit the nail on the head, actually. Is that the person that you’re here with?”

“Yes,” Matthias nodded. “We are coworkers.”

“This is an interesting place to come with a coworker,” she said, a bit doubtfully.

His stomach flipped with panic as he realized that she might have seen through his lazy lie and he had just ruined his chances with her. The panic quickly faded from him as she pulled her phone out of her lap from where her hands had been hiding underneath the table. She flipped it over and it was open to the Instagram search bar. “I don’t really text anyone other than my parents, but I would like to get to know you a little better. Give me your handle?”

For the first time, he was glad that Jesper had finally persuaded him to get an account on the app that he rarely ever used. He took her phone and then input his username, tapping the ‘Follow’ button for her so that it sent a request to him. She smiled as she took her phone back, the rosy color on her cheeks only deepening as the real blush underneath surfaced. “I’ll see you around?” she asked hopefully.

“Yes,” he responded, the only word that he could summon from the depths of his lovestruck brain. She gave him a cute wave as she got up and walked over to where the drummer of her band was talking with another person close to the dance floor. Matthias just sat back in his chair and watched her, barely even registering it as Kaz returned with one of the cocktails that he was actually going to like and another gin.

“Did you have a nice conversation?” he asked as he sat down.

Matthias took his drink and sipped it gratefully. He felt a dopey grin cross his face as he said, again, “Yes.”

[bohemian-rhapsody-in-blue]

SIX OF CROWS DOLLS!

So, at the beginning of July, my mom and I were shopping at a local used bookstore when we found an adorable little Nikolai Lantsov plushie (originally from this Illumicrate box), and I immediately fell in love. I furiously Googled to see if any other Grishaverse plushies existed and was disappointed to see they didn’t—so we decided to take matters into our own hands.…

Almost two months, several late nights, and many trips to craft stores, Dollar Tree, and Wal-Mart later, all six of them are done!!! My mom, a fellow Six of Crows fan and a ridiculously talented crafter, worked really hard on them, adding little details to make each of them true to their canon counterparts. She made them all from scratch, not using any pre-existing patterns or tutorials—she'd never made dolls before and sort of figured out the process as she went.

The dolls themselves fall somewhere between figurines and plushies—they have weighted boots so they can stand on their own, but they're made from soft material (felt, chenille yarn, velvet, etc.) that makes them perfect to snuggle, cuddle, and hug, which I've done in spades. I’m so happy to have these one-of-a-kind dolls, made with love, to call my very own. 💖

Photos of each individual doll and couple are under the cut! If you guys are interested, I’ll also make individual making-of posts for each doll, with photos of each of them in progress—let me know in the notes if that's something you'd like to see!

First we have the Bastard of the Barrel himself, Kaz Brekker! He sports a snazzy tailored suit and tie (made from a ribbon), with some rakish locks of chenille yarn hair falling over his eyes from underneath his impeccably-groomed velvet ‘do. His gloves are black duct tape over his hands, and they even have five individually cut-out fingers! (He does not yet have a cane; we’re working on that. The man needs his mobility aids!)

We decided early on that we wanted all the plushies to smile—I wouldn't really want them to scowl at me while I snuggled and hugged them. I imagine Kaz has some serious schemes being brewed up in that soft little head of his, though...

Next we have Inej Ghafa, the Wraith! She was actually the first doll we made (and was originally much shorter than Kaz and Jesper; her legs became longer when we duct-taped them for stability!). The top of her hair is black felt; the braid is jumbo strands of chenille yarn, braided together. Her cowl (purple felt, held in place by a matching purple pipe cleaner) provides the perfect cover for spying on dark Ketterdam streets, and her boots have beautiful silver trim—well-suited for hiding a knife. Her top has some similar trim, though it's hard to see in these pictures, with a subtle dash of magenta tulle to make her extra glam.

Kanej together—Ketterdam’s ultimate power couple 💖 I love that their height difference was maintained; this was sort of accidental when we made the dolls, but it ended up being a really nice canon detail!

As a licensed Toy Therapist (a profession I made up—I'm sure half a bachelor's degree in English and psychology is enough for me to qualify for licensure; after all, I AM the licensure board!), I have, through many intense sessions, successfully cured Kaz and Inej of their touch aversion—so they have both been the recipient of many, many snuggles and hugs from me. At one point, my mom told me, "You've probably given these Crow plushies more hugs in the past week than the characters have had in their entire lives"—which almost reduced me to tears. One thing I love about these dolls is that if I'm ever rereading the books and thinking, "[insert character here] needs a HUG," I can just reach over and give them one!

Now, here’s Matthias Helvar! His luscious golden locks are made of individual strands of chenille yarn (pulled back into a queue), and his scarf is hand-knitted. Also note the boots, with thick soles and “fur” lining to withstand the toughest Fjerdan winters. In the second picture, you can sort of see some blue “fur” around his collar—this was actually made from a blue glove, with fuzzy lining, that was part of a Cinderella costume for Halloween that I had when I was 6!

Mom and I imagine this is Matthias post-series, after having gotten into a relationship with Nina and overcoming his Wizard Racism, so instead of a serious, brooding expression, he has more of a happy smile. (Because as we all know, nothing bad ever happens to him, ever.)

Nina Zenik, Heartrender extraordinaire! Here we see her in her lovely red kefta with gold trim (the same gold trim used for Matthias' suit—fun fact: it was also part of an old Halloween costume, specifically Belle when I was 5) and some lovely golden boots with flowered trim—maybe the ones she was flirting with in a shop window? Fun fact: she originally had some green staining on her face from a mishap when we tried to use a marker to make her eyes look more green—but then Mom took a darker marker and turned it into eyeshadow. And now this doll has better makeup than me.

Helnik! They look very happy together, if you ask me. Matthias' right arm permanently sticks out at an angle, as you can see—a consequence of the duct-taping we did to his body for stability (it also makes him feel very solid and buff when I hug him, which is nicely in-character). This either means he's constantly reaching out his arm around Nina's back (awww) or he's constantly sticking out his arm to hitchhike and get himself far, far away from all the crazy people in Ketterdam.

Jesper Fahey, decked out in all the Barrel flash! He's rocking the green and gold look with a plaid jacket, tailored pants, and a tulle ascot. His hair is jumbo chenille yarn and it's SO ridiculously soft, oh my god, I cannot even properly convey to you guys how good it feels to nuzzle my cheek against his soft little head. His shoes have tiny laces, and it's hard to see here but his belt buckle has a tiny "F" for Fahey. 🎵 'Cause every girl (and boy)'s crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man! 🎶

And finally...Wylan van Eck! This was the last doll we made (we finished him in the wee hours of this morning), and Mom seriously went above and beyond with him. His hair is red chenille yarn—it turned out to actually be the least curly/kinky of all the yarn we used, but Mom sewed it in specially to make sure it curled on his head. He carries a little messenger bag made of duct tape; inside is some rolled-up sheet music and plans for explosives, tied together with twine that you can see sticking out from inside the bag. (It also has a sticker with the initial W for Wylan—just like the sticker with Jesper's initial on his belt!) And in the second picture, you can see that he has tiny safety goggles! They're made out of duct tape and the plastic packaging of some bobbins for the sewing machine.

A funny quirk: because Nina, Matthias, and Wylan were made after the first three with a different and more standardized body mold, Wylan ended up being the biggest of the three...by a lot. He's a lot bigger than his boyfriend, that's for sure! You can see this height disparity in the first pic. My theory is that one of his chemical experiments went wrong and ended up acting as some sort of growth serum for him. Mom's theory is that he was jealous of being so much shorter than his boyfriend, so he asked Nina to Tailor his height, but Nina got distracted during the process and accidentally made Wylan a LOT taller than he was supposed to be and now can't figure out how to change him back.

Or I can just pose them in photos so that Jesper is standing on a box or something—like in the second pic—so he looks just as tall as he's supposed to be.

And finally, here's a picture of all six of them with the Nikolai plushie that started it all! He looks happy to have so many new friends.

And that's it! I love these guys so much and can't stop looking at them, cuddling them, and kissing them on their soft little foreheads. I'm so happy to have embarked on this project with my mom over the summer—we learned a lot, bonded over crafting and our love of the Grishaverse, and had a lot of fun! Let me know in the notes if you'd like me to post individual making-of posts for each doll—with behind-the-scenes pictures and explanations of how some of the features of each doll were made! NMNF 🐦

[wesper-ao3feed]

In due time my love

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/PCqlJTu by Pineapple_Pizza16 “Wylan.” Jesper turned to his boyfriend- or rather, the lump in the duvet, head covered and actively ingoring Jesper in favor of sleep. “Hmg,” Wylan groaned. Jesper smirked at the merchlings form, and leaned close. “I’m marrying you someday. No butts, ifs, or ands about it.” his voice was the slightest whisper, barely a brush of air past his lips. A promise. “Sure, Jes.” Wylan mumbled, mostly unconsious to the world, Jesper’s nearly intelligable voice the only thing keeping him from floating off like a cut balloon. He couldn’t really make out the words, but it wasnt important, was it? But then the sweet voice stopped talking, and Wylan drifted to sleep. Words: 870, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English Fandoms: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Nina Zenik, Matthias Helvar, Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa Relationships: Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey/Wylan Van Eck, Matthias Helvar/Nina Zenik Additional Tags: Minor Matthias Helvar/Nina Zenik, Minor Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey/Wylan Van Eck-centric, Character Death, Drowning, Depression, References to Depression, Sad Ending, Tissue Warning, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt Jesper Fahey, Bisexual Jesper Fahey, Jesper Fahey Needs a Hug, Hurt Wylan Van Eck, Dead Wylan Van Eck, Drug Abuse, Underage Drinking, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/PCqlJTu

[thechaoticrow]

thinking about how inej said “even if just a few minutes could end a lifetime of questions?” when kaz caught her looking through the board of names of those that died in the fold in ravka. inej was kidnapped when she was 14, got out a couple of days before her 15th birthday. so why a lifetime?? because inej’s life as they knew it ended when they were taken. she lost her family, her innocence, and even questioned her place in the religion she held so dear. ketterdam and the barrel became her new life. always wondering where her family were, if her saints could forgive her, what would become of her. a lifetime of questions

[crispy-litter]

While reading KOS I keep thinking I'm over it and then Matthias gets brought up again and suddenly I'm crying.

(I don't want to let him go)

[swanimagines]

SAFE | KAZ BREKKER

Fandom: Shadow and Bone

Summary: Kaz is trying to comfort Y/N over her father's death.

Characters: Y/N (female), Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Nina Zenik, Matthias Helvar, also Wylan Van Eck because based on fics I have read from others, he's a sweetie.

A/N: This is basing itself on my current life situation and is basically a self-insert, but I'm still calling her Y/N to keep it somehow open to everyone. I'm NOT describing the reader's appearance in any way though as I know how annoying that is, but her personality and way to think might be more me, also the way events proceed in this is mostly based on real events. I just felt like I needed to write this for comfort. I hope you don't mind.

Warnings: mentions of reader's father's death, mentions of alcoholism, angst (hurt/comfort), soft!Kaz

Word count: 1.9k

The news had come that morning. On previous night, your father had finally succumbed to Death after a long battle with drinking too much.

Kaz had closed the Crow Club for the day to allow the Crows and your friends in the Dregs to spend time with you in peace. You had had a temptation to lock yourself to your bedroom and be alone, but on the other hand you knew it wouldn't be wise, you needed support right now, to be with your friends. You knew your friends wouldn’t be pushing you, and just them sitting with you could make it feel better.

Only that you didn't really feel anything about it. You knew you were in shock, even when you had known to expect it. After your grandparents and uncle had died, your father had just plummeted down the path alcohol showed him, and even when his friends had tried to help him, even when you had tried to help him, even Kaz had tried to help him by sending out a word to every bartender and shopkeeper that your father can't drink, he always seemed to find a new bottle somewhere.

You had known it for the past four years that your father wouldn't have much time left, alcohol had too strong grip of him. He wouldn't accept help, he knew he needed help and that he had a problem, but he was too ashamed of it. He tried to get better on his own, he cooked and cleaned his home, it was always tidy when you visited him. But a battle with alcohol isn’t easy, and even less so if you attempted to fight alone. And that was his doom in the end.

He hadn't even recognized you at first when you visited the hospital, you had to tell him who you were. He had hugged you while crying and you still felt his forehead against your lips as you showered him in kisses, telling him over and over again that you love him and that you aren't mad at him for anything like he seemed to think. You were mad at alcohol, not at him. You remembered your mom telling him that his values had gone up a bit. Your father’s voice had held a tingle of hope in his response, and it echoed in your head over and over again. How for just a moment, he had hoped that he’d survive. Maybe he had even believed in surviving.

It took a week from that moment, and his body finally gave up.

You shifted in your seat, yawning as you felt tiredness coming through. You didn’t want to go to sleep, but you couldn’t fall to sleep at the table either so you looked up to your friends.

“Thank you for the company, guys, but I feel like I need to go to sleep now.” you muttered, thoughtlessly tapping your glass of water in your hands. Everyone nodded, and you felt Nina pulling you to her embrace.

“If you need comfort, you can come to our room at any hour. Matthias is grumpy if he’s woken up too early, but he’ll understand.” she said and you offered her a tiny smile, glancing at Matthias beside her as he nodded in agreement.

“Thank you, Nina.” you whispered, closing your eyes for a moment as you leaned into her. And after you pulled away, you looked around the table. “Thank you everyone for being such good friends.”

“Of course, we care about you.” Jesper said as he linked hands with you for a moment and looked at Wylan, who offered you a reassuring smile too. “We’ll always be here for you.”

Inej took a hold of your other hand, tracing slow circles at the back of it. “And if someone ever makes fun of the situation or tries to make you feel bad with using it, come to me and I’ll teach them a lesson.”

You nodded, knowing what she was referring to. “Thank you.”

You rose up from the table, looking around everyone one last time before you made your way upstairs. You dug up your key from your pocket and positioned it to the lock. You heard Kaz coming after you and assumed he was on his way to the attic as everyone else was going to sleep now. But then you heard him stopping behind you.

“Y/N,” Kaz quietly said, and you turned your head to his direction, still pointing your key towards the lock of your door. Kaz looked at you for a moment and took in a long sigh. “Come with me.”

He turned around to make his way to the stairs, and you frowned in confusion. It was late and everyone was going to sleep, except for Kaz probably. Then it dawned to you, sometimes Kaz asked you to come up late at night to hear your opinion about the next heist for some reason.

“Can’t it wait until the morning?” you muttered, and Kaz stopped, turning to look at you. “I’m exhausted. It’s been a long day. I really don’t feel like listening to your plans and schemes right now, no offense.”

Kaz shook his head slightly, and you frowned again. “I’m not asking you to come up because of any plans. Just come with me.”

You looked at your key, thought about your warm, soft bed but ultimately sighed and turned around, following Kaz to the attic. He held the door for you, and soon you were standing in his room. Kaz looked at you with an unreadable expression, before he nodded towards his bed. “You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“You want us to sleep in the same bed?” you let out a disbelieving huff, but Kaz shook his head.

“I can take the sofa tonight. I just want to make sure you’ll be alright.” he told you and you cocked your head. Sure, the Crows had teased you before, saying that Kaz had a soft spot for you, but this was the first time when he actually showed it to you this openly. You took in a shaky breath as you felt your heart starting to beat faster.

Could it be true? Did Kaz Brekker, the Bastard of the Barrel, like you? You had had a crush on him for years, sure, but you had tried to push it down for the sake of not breaking your heart since the man didn’t really show feelings to anyone, some even said he was incapable of such fondness you call love. That all he cared about was revenge and kruge. But here he was, telling you that he doesn’t want you to be alone and offered you his bed while he’d sleep on the sofa next to his bed. The thought made your heart flutter and cheeks heat up.

“Okay.” you finally breathed out and immediately wanted to slap yourself for not being able to control your voice, but Kaz didn't seem to notice.

“You can get comfortable. I have to do a bit of work, but you can call for me if you need anything.” Kaz said and turned around, making his way to his worktable. You stripped to your nightwear and carefully slid under the black covers. Kaz’s scent on the sheets soothed you in some way, and you were quick in falling to sleep for once.

Kaz didn’t do much that night. Well, not much to his standards. He just marked some papers which he should check and got rid of the useless ones. And when he finally made his way back to his bedroom, he saw you sleeping peacefully in his bed. He looked at your form for a bit, before carefully sitting at the edge of his bed and found himself wanting to put his gloved hand on your cheek, or brush a strand of your hair back. He frowned at the feeling.

He remembered losing Jordie, he had been in shock for weeks after that too. He had never really cried for him, but it hitting had made him the way he was, because he had just buried his feelings deep under to rise from the ashes. But he didn’t want you to become like him, he didn’t want you to harden yourself over it. He wanted you to take your time with it, receiving affection and support. Kaz hadn’t received it back when he was nine years old through the rules of the Barrel, but you had a different story. You had friends and love around you, ready to catch you if needed.

And to others, Kaz came through as heartless and feared, people thought he would be ready to sacrifice anything and anyone for his own profit. But the truth was that you held his heart in your hands. Even when you didn’t know it. He would have killed anyone for you, give up all his fortunes and achievements if it meant that you’d be safe. And for years, he had hated it how you had made him care about you, made him need you. How he made up continuous excuses why he wanted to spend more time with you, most often by asking you to come up to the attic with him to go over a plan. He knew it was silly and he knew he could just tell you how he felt, the rest of the Crows had told him that too, but he was scared that you would get scared and leave him. Or then people would start using you as a pawn once they found out. But now when he sat there beside you, he didn’t hate the feeling, he wasn't afraid. He wanted you to feel loved. Loved by him.

There was a few obstacles which made Kaz wonder if your relationship would ever work. You liked touch, and he was terrified of it. You loved hugs and cuddles, physical affection. And Kaz wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to give you that as a whole. He had watched you sitting on the sofa, laughing as Jesper tickled you and held you against his chest to prevent you from escaping and he had caught you falling to sleep against Nina’s shoulder, and he always found himself thinking that he wanted to make you laugh like Jesper did or let you use his shoulder as a pillow, take off his jacket and give it to you as a blanket.

Maybe time would tell. But now, you needed his support just as much as you needed the rest of the Crows. You wouldn’t be alone like he had been, and you would make it through. Kaz stared at a loose strand of your hair on your face which he had noticed moments earlier, and with a clench of his jaw, he managed to bring his hand to reach out and very slowly and carefully brushed it back behind your ear, careful with not touching your skin. He even found himself smiling slightly, before he got up from the bed, wincing slightly as it creaked. You didn’t wake up, something good from your incredible sleeping skills. Kaz then took a pillow and a blanket from the drawer, before he laid down on the sofa, looking at you one last time before he closed his eyes.

You would be safe tonight on his watch.

---

IMPORTANT: Reblogs and feedback/comments are more important than just likes, just a reminder :) Tumblr has been built on sharing unlike Instagram for example, and its algorithm doesn't work properly from likes. Especially if you're on my taglist, I would appreciate if you commented on or reblogged my works even once in a while, a lot of you just leave likes but never anything else and ngl, that's not very encouraging with my inspiration and writing more. :/ For example, this took me like 4 hours in total and receiving only likes feels discouraging, even 1 nice comment makes me 100x happier than 100 likes.

[lunarthecorvus]

You said you’ve read multiple fics where Wylan and Kaz’s moms were friends, can I get the links?

Kaz Brekker's Mother's & Marya Hendriks fanfiction recommendations

part of Lunar's soc fanficiton rec series

-------------------------------✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧----------------------------------

blood of my blood by @garbagef4iry

Wordcount: 9,332 Chapters: 9/9

Characters: Kaz Brekker's Father, Kaz Brekker's Mother, Original Characters, Marya Hendriks, Jan Van Eck, Kaz Brekker

Tags: Women’s Rights Movement, city girl x country boy, Misogyny, Badass Women, mentions of abuse and violence, late victorian england vibes, Prequel

Author's summary/notes: As Kaz struggles in his confidence with becoming a father, he yearns for his own. For both of his parents. This is the story of his mother and father— Wilhelmina Trapp and Abram Rietveld. My summary/notes: I love this fic so much. You have badass women fighting for the women's right movement, I'm obbsessed with Kaz's mum in this, and it has Anika's parents?! Also Marya my beloved <3 and how she ended up where she did + so many other original characters

---------- ☾₊ ⊹

Keeping Me Alive by @martinakl13

Wordcount: 510,662 Chapters: 175/?

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Nina Zenik, Matthias Helvar, Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck, Jan Van Eck, Marya Hendriks, Anika Imogen, Alys Van Eck, Inej Ghafa's Mother, Original Characters, Jakob Hertzoon, Inej Ghafa's Father, Jordie Rietveld, Specht, Per Haskell, Jarl Brum, Pim, Keeg, Roeder, Tante Heleen, Pekka Rollins, Colm Fahey, Asha, Hanzi, Big Bolliger, Oomen, Hanne Brum, Saskia Rollins, Kaz Brekker's Father (Mentioned), Kaz Brekker's Mother (mentioned), Matthias Helvar's Sister, Matthias Helvar's Father, Matthias Helvar's Mother, Genya Safin, Reyem Yul-Kaat, Nikolai Lantsov, Zoya Nazyalensky

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Sports, Alternate Universe - Ballet, Gambling, Dyslexia, Trauma, Violence, Past Child Abuse, Mixed Martial Arts, Past Character Death, Touch-Averse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Swearing, Implied/Referenced Sex, Alcohol, Hacking, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Slow Burn, Jordie Rietveld Lives, Soft Inej Ghafa, Soft Kaz Brekker, Drug Use, Depression, Kaz Brekker Needs a Hug, Mutual Pining, Inej Ghafa Needs a Hug, Eating Disorders, Drug Addiction, Survivor Guilt

Author's summary/notes: A boy who lost everything and is still fighting for his chance at a better life. A ballerina who wants to make her dream come true. A soldier running away from a terrible truth. A multilingual girl, abandoned by her own family, trying to find her place in a world. A talented musician who struggles to overcome his father's prejudice and mistrust. A boy who solves his problems by making bad decisions. Six students of University of Ketterdam deal with their past and traumas to find love, understanding and friendship. My summary/notes: I have recommended this fic before so I won't add any new notes but although it is only in the background they do speak about Marya and Kaz's mothers shared past friendship. Also, Martina is so sweet and such a great author with so many other soc fics so go check them out

you'll get the green light (and i'll get the old door in the face) by @honeii-puff

Wordcount: 698 Chapters: 1/1

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Marya Hendriks, Wylan Van Eck (Mentioned), Alys Van Eck (mentioned), Plumje Van Eck (mentioned), Jesper Fahey (Mentioned), Kaz's Father (mentioned), Kaz's Mother (mentioned),

Tags: no beta, Title from Problems (Mother Mother)

Author's summary/notes: In which Mayra Hendriks invites Kaz Brekker for tea twice, and one time he accepts My summary/notes: I know this fic is short and only talks a bit about it, I still think its sweet and is great ground to think about the friendship more.

These are the only fics I can find now, I will keep on the look for the others, and if anyone has a fic with this friendship feel free to let me know and I'll read it and rec it <3

[usmsgutterson]

can i request something? A Kaz Brekker x reader imagine where they are dating and the reader is like super short, and just like some fluff with that! can you include kaz patting her head and something like that? imma short person and i gotta represent lol ty! :) fem!reader btw

Kaz Brekker x short! reader headcanons

Also. I’m doing this in the form of headcanons, which I hope is cool!

Fic type- fluff

warnings- mentions of blood and knives

Being short, of course, had it’s bonuses. 

On missions, you got to play the part of the shy, innocent girl just looking for a good time, a fun tumble, and some easy money. 

You could squeeze through tight spaces almost better than Inej could, and your height was something that the old men who liked to sit and gamble found attractive, so it made you a good enough player at the shy flirtatious game while Kaz and the others did the more difficult things. 

Jesper had often said you made for good hugs, because when he embraced you after a long mission, he could always tuck your head right under his chin.

Nina said that you were the best cuddler she’d ever met, perfect for the part of little spoon.

Matthias said your height made you easy to lift.

Wylan said that you looked exceptionally adorable when trying to reach high shelves.

Inej could admire that you were quick on your feet due to your smallness.

Kaz liked that you were short, of course, but more so that you were short and vengeful. 

When you got angry, it was almost as though the anger added a couple inches and put you closer to 5′10 than 5′3. Kaz had been around you when someone had done something to piss you off, and the result wasn’t the prettiest thing. nor was it the easiest to clean up.

But, even despite the fact that your friends loved how small you were, even getting Inej in on some of their jokes, despite the fact that she had half an inch on you, if even that, they teased you relentessly about it at the same time.

“Need some help getting the peanut butter, short stuff?” Jesper had asked as you leaned against the counter of Wylans kitchen. It was just a couple hours after dinner, and you’d gotten hungry.

He’d ended up getting the peanut butter for you, though, so you counted that as a win. 

Matthias would purposefully hold food or clothes or plan documents up in the air, knowing full well that you couldn’t reach them unless you preformed the acts of an acrobat.

Nina would ask you if you needed help when you clearly did, but refuse to offer it for a solid few minutes.

Wylan didn’t tease you very often, aside from one time where he’d convinced Jesper to pick you up and hold you so that you had the same eye level, then take you around The Slat so that you could see what life looked like when you were 6′3. 

Kaz didn’t tease you at all, though. In fact, he was the one to stop the teasing when he could tell you’d been getting tired of it.

“Helvar, give her the documents. She needs those.”

“Nina, just get her the damn strawberries!”

“Jesper, I swear to god, if you take her around The Slat while holding her like shes some aggressive cat about to scratch your eyes out, I’ll freaking let her!” 

But there was this one time, just this one!

Kaz and you had been getting closer. You’d walked back from the mission standing so close that you could take his hand if you dared, but you didn’t. You stood, watchful by his side, silent, listening to the quippy banter that Jesper and Inej called a conversation.

But then, completely and utterly out of nowhere, you felt a gloved hand meet your head and ruffle your hair.

“Brekker,” you whispered. “I thought you weren’t gonna tease me for it, and here you are, ruffling my greasy hair like Wylan would!” You turned to look at him, catching the ghost of a smile on his face as he nodded, shrugging.

“Couldn’t resist,” he said simply. “Let’s get back to The Slat and get some waffles and whiskey. Does that work for anyone else?” 

Behind the two of you, a roar of cheers rang out, and you smiled.

Even despite the teasing, you were grateful to have your friends and your...Kaz. Your Kaz. 

[rubysunnday]

comfort fics

A/N: a list of my comfort fics in case anyone needs something to cheer themselves up - a lot of these, despite some being angst af - feel like a hug so, take that as you will

Shadow and Bone

Best Friend (platonic jesper fahey x reader - best friend) - @magpiencrow

We’re Not Monsters (matthias x fem!tidemaker!reader) - @buckystarlight

I Have Been Made To Protect You (matthias x inferni!reader) - @buckystarlight

pistols blazing | j.f. (Jesper Fahey x Squaller!Reader) - @lxncelot

i did no such thing (jesper fahey x reader) @magpiencrow

i have no desire to burn | k.b. (kaz brekker x platonic!reader) @lxncelot

company (kaz brekker x reader) @goldengoddess

temptress (Matthias helvar x reader) @magpiencrow

don't let go (kaz brekker x reader) @magpiencrow

Bridgerton

An Absence of Diamonds (anthony bridgerton x reader) - @lxncelot

Youthful (colin bridgerton x reader) @magpiencrow

a sweeter ending (colin bridgerton x reader) @gryffindors-weasley

[draggingthedregs]

I'd love to see your take on how the crows would react to Kaz showing Inej some affection in front of them :)

(a/n: this comes years into their relationship. like,,, years. i wanted to write fluff but i didn’t want you to think i was disregarding their characters. so enjoy.)

they had all been up for hours.

like an ungodly length of time

the job they were working on had taken the majority of the past two days, allowing for little to no sleep

kaz was pretty sure he caught wylan sleeping standing up at one point (doing that thing where your head keeps falling forward cause you’re nodding off)

they were supposed to steal a bank statement and business agreements from the inside of a merchers house but things had gone a bit astray

the man had come home extremely early from him monthly visit to the countryside, kaz assuming he had gotten poor results at the races

now everything had to be watched, had to be timed, there was no room for any mistakes

inej would be the one to crawl across the roof, down into the office window, something she had done nearly a thousand times by now

kaz stood watch from behind, wylan and jesper walked along the street, not-so-accidentally crossing paths with the man and coughing to set the plan in motion

inej has been waiting, her body crunched at an awkward angle, laying on her belly and waiting to scale the steep decline of the roof

she watched as kaz nodded to her, the cue she had been waiting for. she skittered along quickly, her bones and muscles aching

she worked at the lock quickly, her fingers trembling as it clicked open

she swung it inward, slipping in silently. immediately she went to the cabinet kaz had directed her to

inej had never been more grateful for an organized mercher in her entire life.

below her, she heard the front door creak, the mans heavy footsteps against the wooden floorboards

that was her cue.

she tucked the statements and files into her vest, snug against her chest. she crossed the room to the window once more, careful to avoid the loose floorboard she had noticed the first time.

she stepped out onto the small window ledge, locking the window behind her and crawling down the brickwork

she turned into an alley, crossing two streets to reach the inn they had agreed upon meeting at. she didn’t stop at the bar or the desk, instead climbed the stairs to the fifth room on the right. she knocked and nina answered.

they all breathed a collective sigh of relief as she pulled the papers out of her vest and tossed them on the rickety side table.

as the rest of them chatted and celebrated, inej walked over to kaz by the window.

“the wraith saves the day once again.”

she laughed, rubbing the back of her neck, “i cut it close.”

“but you always make it.”

kaz noticed as she rubbed both shoulders, turning her head as if trying to relieve some tension. “are you alright?”

inej nodded, dismissing his concern, “just tired.”

he knew that what she really meant to say was exhausted. she had been scaling up and down the same building for two days straight, he was sure her body was beginning to feel the affects of the odd positions required.

“come here.”

he pulled her close, tossing his gloves onto the chair next to him and placing his hands on her shoulders. he gently worked away at the knots in her back, cautious of not making them any worse.

kaz then leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. “any better?”

inej turned and gave him a sleepy smile, as she nodded.

he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest. her head laid against him as she let her eyes close.

it was then kaz noticed that silence had blanketed the room and every set of eyes was on them. his voice turned rough again, the gentleness replaced by the rock salt. “what?”

nina spoke first, never afraid of kaz’s tempers, “don’t play dumb, brekker. you know what.”

and he did. of course he did.

“all these years and i couldn’t even get a hug but inej gets a massage and a cuddle? seems a bit unfair.” jesper crossed his arms over his chest, his face split by a sly smile.

kaz could only roll his eyes. he felt inej laugh. clearly everyone was really enjoying this.

“what’s it like, wraith? is it cozy in there? i wouldn’t know!”

she turned enough so her voice wouldn’t be muffled by his shirt. “it’s alright.”

kaz couldn’t help but smile. inej looked up at him then and touched her nose to the bottom of his jaw. he pressed another kiss to her forehead.

matthias leaned against the wall behind the bed. “all of you quit it. it’s all fun and games until the demjin decides he’s had enough of the joke.”

“oh, helvar, don’t feel the need to stop on my account.” his tone was dripping with sarcasm, coming like a growl from the back of his throat

wylan gave his opinion on the matter by simply saying, “finally.”

they all laughed. to his surprise, kaz felt himself laugh with them.

this moment hadn’t been something he’d looked forward to. the idea of showing other people what had grown between him and inej had actually made him a bit anxious.

he was sure that it would be a sight to see: kaz brekker holding onto inej, kissing her as if they were simply another couple. he had been expecting for them to view it as some kind of spectacle, to ogle at and ask questions like it was their business. but they hadn’t.

they had smiled and laughed together, simply happy for them. happy for the broken boy and girl that had worked so hard to simply touch the other.