#amita x reader

[talesofesther]

between shadows

Inej Ghafa x Reader

Summary: You tend to show up at the most inopportune times; yet Inej always hopes you do.

A/N: Just a small thing for me to try my hand at writing for her; also because I've been insanely busy, but hopefully next week things go back to normal. I hope it's somewhat good anyway. Requests for her are open. <3

Masterlist

It was a stormy night in Ketterdam, though the rain pouring down from the skies did nothing to soothe the havoc of the town. Bars and clubs were filled to the brim with gamblers, drinkers, and dancing girls; music mixed with loud voices and the occasional gunshot.

Inej moved with the shadows, skipping between alleyways and away from the street lamps; destination fresh on her mind.

She headed for a merchant's house; recently bought by a man who came from across the sea, blissfully unaware of what he was getting himself into. The perfect opportunity for a job. Especially when he's in the possession of the papers that hold the information about when and where the next ship holding his cargo would arrive. Easy money.

The mansion stood proudly by the end of the street, illuminated by the one faint light on the porch and partly hidden by tall trees.

It looked like no one was home. Perfect.

Inej made her way in through a window on the second floor. Her feet with the weight of a feather made no noise at all as she stepped foot into the house. The room she was in seemed to be an office of sorts; with a large wooden desk in front of a tall bookshelf and a red rug under her feet.

She made a beeline for the desk, opening drawer after drawer in search of the documents.

Until she found one that had a lock on it. She smirked. So predictable. Picking the lock was child's play, and sure enough, the papers were there.

"Long time no see, Inej."

The Suli girl was quick to draw one of her blades upon hearing the voice, briskly turning around to see who else was there. Though she had an inkling already.

You emerged from a dark corner near the door, the black of your clothing blending with the darkness and a teasing smile playing on your lips as your face remained half-hidden by shadows.

Inej huffed indignantly, lowering her blade but not putting it away. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same, no?" You clasped your hands behind your back as you chanced a step closer to her. "For all we know, this could be my house."

"I know the house is not yours," Inej rolled her eyes half-heartedly.

You hummed, "yeah, it's not."

"Why are you here then?" She pressed again. Taking hold of the papers she came for before following your lead and closing the gap between you just a step more.

Honestly, Inej is not sure what your deal is most of the times she bumps into you, or who you work for — if you work for someone at all. What she knows is that you're always showing up when you're not supposed to.

"Maybe I had a… guess," your lips hovered as you came to stand before her, the moonlight being your friend and casting a silver glow over Inej; you could see the shining of her brown eyes, the few loose wisps of her black hair. "That you would come here as well," you finished in a lower tone.

Inej frowned, her eyes looking you over against her own volition. She could almost hear the way her heart rate picked up; in the quietness of the dark room, she wondered if you heard it too.

You raised a hand to her, tentative, almost timid in a way that didn't seem like yourself; "maybe I just wanted to see you again," your fingers brushed her cheek when you pushed away a rogue strand of her hair.

And Inej hated the way that her breath got clogged up in her throat; that all she could see, feel and hear was you.

She found it in herself to clear her throat and avoid your eyes. "Stop with the games."

You shook your head, running your tongue over your bottom lip, "no games, everything I tell you is always the truth."

Inej snapped her gaze back to you, trying to keep herself impassive as her breath ran shallow. "Then, that night, when you-"

There was a sudden creaking outside, the main gate being opened. Both you and Inej glanced towards the window, where you could see the silhouette of a man walking the gardens outside.

"I suppose that's our cue," you quipped, taking hold of Inej's arm and sneaking your fingers down to her hand.

The touch raised goosebumps through Inej's skin. You tugged her closer, stealing a kiss on her cheek before looking into her eyes one last time; "I'll see you around, Inej."

Before she could get a word in, you were already out the window and nowhere to be seen. Inej stood glued to the floorboards, her heart trying to leap from her chest in order to follow you.

She gulped, gentle fingers coming up to touch the place on her face your lips had just kissed. Only then did she notice that the papers she had been holding in her hand were gone.

"You're insufferable," Inej chuckled to herself, before sneaking out the window with the mission to find you first next time around.

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Thank you for reading this little story. Feedback and reblogs are literally what keeps me motivated to continue posting here, so I’d appreciate it if you could take some time to reblog and comment if you want. <3

Inej’s taglist: @milkiane @bookfrog242

[delic7te]

ok, what about inej ghafa x fem! reader? r works with kaz and frees some girls from the pleasure houses in ketterdam secretly. r poses as a customer in the menagerie just to convince inej to run away and when she sees her abilities takes her to the dregs and kaz buys her contract and everything. oh, and r promise help inej get revenge and all and inej realizes: she's in love with her!

inej is the treasure of MY heart and i'm willing to fight kaz for her !! back off emo

promise | inej ghafa

pairings: inej ghafa x fem!reader

summary: reader brings inej freedom from the menagerie and promises to take it down, inej falling for her in the process

— "UH-OH, I'M FALLING IN LOVE. I THOUGHT THE PLANE WAS GOING DOWN, HOW'D YOU TURN IT RIGHT AROUND? "

┊ ⋆ ┊   .   ┊   ┊┊ ⋆ ┊   .   ┊   ┊┊ ⋆ ┊   .   ┊  

Ketterdam was a filthy, cruel city full of awful places, but the Menagerie had to be the spot you hated more than anything else in that dirty hole.

You did your best to free as many of the girls enslaved and sold off by the devil herself, Tante Heleen, as you could. The horrid things they must have gone through at the pleasure house and the traumatic process of being captured by slavers are terrible for anyone to imagine. So you decided to take the matters of justice in your own hands, considering the fact that no one else would.

You had slight help though, from Ketterdam's own spawn of Satan, Kaz Brekker. When he saw your smart ways of fighting and moving, also impressive political knowledge, he offered you to work with him. At first you were skeptic about it, to be fair sometimes still are, but long after it turned out that working with him actually had its perks.

Tonight, you gave yourself the mission to free another girl and you were positive you were gonna succeed, posing as a customer in a shiny dress. It might be a little risky, but risk was your old friend, you took a lot of them when releasing any girl from the House of Exotics.

That process required a lot of scheming. Sometimes you go unnoticed when you take them out or you pay less for them, depending on the girl. Tonight, Heleen directed you to one that was "of extraordinary and inestimable value" in her words. A lot of attention is focused only on that Suli girl, making it difficult for you to sneak her out behind you. Anyway, you could not let her rot in the pleasure house.

You entered the room of the Suli girl Tante Heleen told you about, attempting to mutter out a Suli greeting you learned with a weak accent.

She looks up from the bed she's sitting on with gleaming eyes and when they meet yours, you realize what beauty circled the girl. Her dark hair was braided, her cheeks and lips red and plump. Her dark skin shining and gloomy eyes sparkling, watching you with cautiousness.

"What's your name?" You ask without thinking.

She's hesitant "Inej."

You nod, thinking about ways Kaz would continue the conversation since it was a buisness matter. No, that's a bad idea.

You sit on her bed cautiously, attempting to not frighten the girl. "I came to help you get out of here. Stop living like this. Offer you freedom", you propose quietly, so the guards guarding the hallways in case she tried to escape didn't hear.

She furrows her eyebrows in confusion. "How is that possible?"

Inej prayed this moment would come. It felt so unreal. Now there was a woman, about her age, standing infront of her and offering her the thing she longed for.

"You're not the first one I helped out, Inej."

"How? If it was possible to fight my way or sneak out, I would have been out ages ago", she frowns.

Interesting, you thought. Your turn to be curious. "How so?"

"I'm... good at both. I'm quiet and I have no trouble passing unnoticed. I move fast and carefully", Inej explains, almost shyly. "And I know who you are."

The last sentance really awakened your curiosity. This girl became more fascinating by every second. "Really? What do you know?"

She looks at you like she's trying to conjure memories. "I've heard... you are a resourceful fighter. And you work with the Bastard of the Barrel. I didn't know what you look like. Overheard you and Heleen earlier, when she called you by your name."

You nod, sort of impressed. "I'm Y/N", you introdouced yourself, although Inej didn't seem to need that information.

"Y/N L/N", she finishes.

Turning your head sideways and squinting your eyes, you couldn't help but feel a little unraveled. "Well... not a lot of people know about me." You tried to stay as invisible as possible in Ketterdam, which didn't make you an easy target. It would take a lot of time for you enemies to track you down and you made sure that it was impossible to happen.

"I know many things, Ms L/N."

A smirk appears on your lips. "Just Y/N. I'm gonna give you the option to get out of here, find yourself a job and never look back to this place again." You explain, seeing Inej's eyes widening and mouth slightly parting.

But with everything she just told you about, ideas formed in your head about what she could find a purpose in. Kaz would certainly need a spy such as Inej. "But you seem really... special. I think you can be good for big jobs", you scanned her. "I've heard great things about you, Inej. An acrobat?"

"Was."

You told her about the Dregs, about Kaz, about everything they represent and Inej listened carefully; "I can offer you my help, I promise", was her final answer.

Satisfied, you nod and reach your hand out for a handshake. "I think we could even be good friends."

THE NEXT FEW DAYS felt surreal to Inej. After Kaz Brekker saw her abilities for himself, he bought her contract from the Menagerie so she would be fully free from Tante Heleen's cold prison and working for him. Inej turned out the be the best spy there was in the whole of Ketterdam, making Y/N really proud of her.

She got to know the Dregs, but the only person who she really felt safe with would probably be Y/N. Her presence would allow Inej to feel some sort of relief whenever she was with her. It was a feeling she missed and craved, and Y/N gave it back to her. Inej owed her that and much more.

The Slat became her home after the Menagerie and Inej was still adjusting. Most days and nights would be spent in her room if she didn't have a task or a mission of some kind, locking herself away from the rest of the world and hurting in silence. A regular night while she was sharpening her knives in her room, Inej heard a knock against the wood of her opened door.

She looked up and saw Y/N, her hair down, her face glowing, wearing a peachy dress with a thin cloak fluttering around her body. She looked like saint. Inej forgot to speak, admiring the girl infront of her.

Y/N noticed her beaming, tilting her head sideways. "Thought I'd come and check up on your adjustment", she states, her cheeks suddenly blooming.

Inej opens her mouth to say something, but words didn't want to spill out. She was adjusting just fine, better than at the Menagerie certainly.

Inej nervously averts her gaze from Y/N. "I'm alright", she quietly nods.

Y/N steps in, her hands behind her back. "Also I wanted to let you know...", she sits across from Inej, "you're great at this. And the Menagerie..."

"The Menagerie is my past." Inej raises her chin, anger building up inside of her. "But one day I'll make sure to return just to watch it go down. By my hand." It was a fantasy of hers, and every day that passed on the other side of the walls she felt closer to making it reality.

"You're not gonna be alone. We will burn it all down", Y/N proposed determinedly. "And that's a promise. I'll bring justice, Inej, even if it's the last thing I'll ever do."

Inej felt her eyes water. Hearing Y/N promise that with such honesty brought light into her vision, bringing her strength she didn't know she possessed. She liked that about Y/N.

She loved it.

Inej reaches out a hand and she takes it, both of them shaking their hands firmly. After they were supposed to break it up, Inej still held the girl's hand. Y/N didn't plan on letting go of hers either, staying intertwined.

"Besides if anyone could take the Menagerie down, it is you", Y/N claimed.

A smile painted on Inej's face, lighting up her whole face. "And if anyone could burn it down while not breaking a sweat, it's you, Y/N."

She laughs, dropping her head on top of Inej's hand. When Y/N laughs it's like the saints looked over Inej, rewarding her for staying strong during hard times and making it all worth it just at the sight of the girl she loved.

[bytaylorswift]

an unwilling shadow.

pairing: inej ghafa x fem!reader summary: when dirtyhands’ most trusted spider returns to ketterdam, his new informant seeks to size up her predecessor. word count: 1.06k

y/n’s always been very aware of the standard she has to live up to.

kaz brekker didn’t seem to trust a person more than he trusted inej ghafa. his wraith, his spider, his friend.

but now the girl's away at sea, freeing indentures and being a hero, kaz brekker needs a new informant.

kaz never called y/n his spider. it was something she felt grateful for, but it didn’t stop others from doing so. and as much as y/n - and kaz - tried to ignore it, the impact of the words still seeped into the roof she perched on, the crates she hovered behind, the windowsills she scaled.

and the pressure was getting to her.

y/n had slit one too many throats. scraped one too many injuries. missed one too many messages. all thanks to her getting in her own head about inej ghafa.

and so, when her inside man from fifth harbor informed her that a young suli woman, small and silent, was to arrive in ketterdam that morning, y/n knew this was her chance to scope out inej.

she did not realise inej was going to be the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

y/n almost bailed right there and then, from where she lingered in the shadows at fifth harbour, too stunned to move. and then inej began to slip through the crowds and she remembered why she had come in the first place.

she tailed the girl through a number of alleyways, learning her pacing, the moments at which she'd speed up or slow down or melt away into the shadows.

and when she had begun to learn inej's pattern, she allowed herself to seep into the open. y/n timed the moments right; the flash of her jacket showing when inej's eyes darted to the left, scuffing her shoes when she paused to listen for followers, crossing wide around corners and matching every change in inej's pace.

and so when y/n followed inej around yet another corner and the girl was nowhere in sight, she knew her plan had worked perfectly. she stopped dead still in the middle of the alleyway, fighting away a smile and dragging her eyes across the rooftops to try and glimpse the wraith.

knives were unsheathed from behind her and y/n whipped around to find inej stood directly in front of her. she had no idea how she managed that.

y/n felt something in her chest flutter as their eyes met. and then inej’s gaze sharpened.

“you’ve been following me.”

y/n bowed her head forwards ever so slightly, holding her hands up in surrender.

“you caught me.”

y/n couldn’t help but hide a smile at the glint of triumph in inej’s steady gaze. inej straightened up and as her long dark hair fell over her shoulder, y/n felt the same fluttering in her chest.

“here’s a tip: if you want to follow someone without being caught, you need to-” inej trailed off as a smirk slipped onto y/n’s lips.

inej’s shoulders slumped slightly but she maintained the hard look in her eyes. “you wanted me to notice you.” she realised aloud.

y/n shrugged a little. “maybe i wanted to meet your pretty face.”

“i wish i could say the same.”

inej's eyes widened as she realised what had slipped from her mouth. she hadn’t meant the girl didn’t have a pretty face too, simply that she wasn’t intending on any spontaneous meetings on her trip to ketterdam. but the damage was already done.

“you’ve a mean tongue, inej.” y/n winced.

“what business?” she demanded, willing away the warmth in her cheeks.

"no business, just curiosity." inej's eyes narrowed at that, but y/n continued. "your reputation precedes you."

"what's that supposed to mean?"

"it means i'm your-"

“-inej,” a rough voice cut the air, and y/n had to force back a sigh at her boss's timing. “i see you’ve met my new informant.”

inej’s eyebrows shot up, barely, the only sign she was surprised at that information. but y/n was watching her so closely she could see every morsel of expression in her face.

kaz's cane hit the ground as he settled a few feet away. neither one had heard him approaching. although, y/n wondered if she hadn't heard him because she was simply distracted by inej.

“i have.” she replied, matter of factly, in such an endearing way that y/n couldn’t bring herself to be mad.

"this is y/n." he introduced, tilting his head to indicate the girl.

"that's why you were following me, y/n?" y/n thought her name sounded like honey on inej's lips. "were you sending someone to spy on me, kaz?"

"always good to know what you're matching up to." y/n answered before kaz could, with a shrug. "no spying. well, none beyond the spying i did do."

inej's expression gave nothing away. kaz's eyes narrowed at her then, and she felt the urge to shrink away, knowing what was to come next.

"y/n, my dear, when were you going to tell me inej had arrived?"

"i was just on my way to the crow club." she chimed back, not convincing herself let alone kaz, but he surprisingly let it slide.

"we should get back to the club. we have business awaiting."

inej bowed her head to him, then looked to y/n. a flicker of delight and amusement crossed her face as she tilted her head to y/n too and then turned away into the shadows to head to the crow club.

the quiet creaking of a drainpipe - only heard due to the deafening silence between dirtyhands and his informant - indicated that inej had turned to the rooftops for the remainder of the journey to the crow club.

neither y/n or kaz moved nor said a word. and then, when y/n felt like enough time had passed for her to continue after inej, her boss's voice sounded out.

"y/n."

there was an unfamiliar tone in kaz's voice that jolted y/n. it almost sounded like genuine, friendly amusement.

"were you flirting with my wraith?"

there it was again. the genuine, friendly amusement.

kaz was biting back a laugh as y/n's face flushed violently red and she craned her head up to look at the rooftops to see if the other girl was still hiding away in the shadows.

"kaz brekker."

"yes, y/n?"

"i am going to murder you."

a/n: okay so originally i thought this was really cute but now i’m starting to think it’s not. let me know what you think! all i know is inej is the love of my life and she deserves far more love than she gets on here.

[mmgwritings]

not danielle galligan being pro israel... 😃👍 well, goodnight then.

[queenofspades6]

Guys. I met Freddy Carter and Amita Suman today. I took several photoshoots with them, and I took one with the crows and asked them to be in character!

[noveljoys]

i've been trying to think of ways to keep promoting shadow and bone season 2 to keep its momentum going, but i'm realizing it's harder to reach a wider audience who wouldn't understand why kazzle dazzle and knife wife NEED to reenact the iconic scene:

"I would have come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting.”

[angelicdanvers]

BREATHE DEEPER | two.

a charlie bushnell x fem!reader social media fic.

y/n

liked by william.franklyn.miller, levizmiller, amitasuman_, and others

y/n — been missing these lads as of late 🫡

dior.n.goodjohn HOW IS EVERYONE YOU WORK WITH SO GORGEOUS ↳ y/n GIRL YOU BETTER BE INCLUDING YOURSELF WHEN YOU SAY THAT

iamcharliebushnell aww these are cute ↳ y/n why ty

levizmiller i miss you too :( ↳ y/n :( can i visit you and ed soon ↳ levizmiller WDYM OF COURSE YOU CAN

calamawy The 30th is right around the corner 👀 Dinner at 5:30? My place? ↳ y/n OH MY GOD YES

matt_lintz WHY DO I STILL HAVE YOUR BLAZER ↳ y/n STOP THATS WHERE ITS BEEN 😭 anyways tell my lover girl i say hi ↳ matt_lintz oi she’s my girl ↳ y/n sharing is caring my friend 🤷‍♀️

freddycarter1 I have so many rolls of film to show you ↳ y/n no way so do i ↳ freddycarter1 This is definitely the universe’s way of telling us we have to meet up 😅 That polaroid of Amita and I will remain superior btw ↳ y/n UR WELCOME FOR THE BEST IMAGE EVER, but yes we do. imma be in london soon 🫡

william.franklyn.miller a little birdie told me you’d be photographing a certain someone ↳ y/n definitely not you ↳ william.franklyn.miller in your dreams, darling

iamcharliebushnell can i come over ↳ y/n i’m a couple hundred miles from japan tonight ↳ iamcharliebushnell what (imy) ↳ y/n jk no i’m gonna go to bed (i’ll stay up for fifteen more mins) ↳ iamcharliebushnell 😭 (good)

LUKEY POOKIE SENT A MESSAGE !

lukey pookie

hiiiiiiiiiiiii

↳ HI CHARLIE

lukey pookie

OH OK HI Y/N

↳ WASSUP

lukey pookie

I MISS YOU

↳ why

lukey pookie

why not 🙄

↳ why

lukey pookie

why not 😾

↳ why

lukey pookie

BECAUSE

anyways

i just realized we never got to go watergliding

↳ sadly :/

lukey pookie

that’s why we should

soon

↳ OMG that’d be cool

but i’m so busy rn 😭

lukey pookie

hey hey that’s okay

i’m sure we’ll find time?

↳ i hope sooo

but yeah i got a lot happening tmrw

lukey pookie

oh??

↳ yeah 😭 gotta prep for more of the filming and i have several photoshoots coming up

lukey pookie

THATS EXCITING THO

↳ YEAH

im just exhausted

lukey pookie

when i see you next i’ll make you your fav tea again

that’s a promise

↳ awww charlie 🥹 you’re too sweet

lukey pookie

only for the best :)

you should sleep now

↳ yuuup

goodnight, c ❤️

lukey pookie

goodnight, y/n ❤️

— taglist.

@shokocoded @istillremberthefirstfallofsnow @surftrips @svtsimp22 @gcidrvsh @idontevencare1223 @thames-fig @captainshischier @reggieslifeboat @multifandom-loser @wheelerslover @mermaid-mqtel @randomnpc456 @kaithoughs @isab3lita @mariposa555 @sunshinessky @myr-cheri @thedeadlynights @ella33 @c1nn4mng1rl @poppysrin @breadbrobin @lucy-the-ant @jules-loves-lukecastellan @taloulalila @tom-pls-fuck-me @mia-luvs @iknowyoureabigfan @rinisfruity14 @gwetvr

thank you for all the support <33 i will update the taglist if more people wish to join :)

stay safe and drink water, lovelies!

i love you and i’m proud of you <333

[jahayla-parker]

My Wife! : Freddy Carter x Reader

Description: 3k wc, Freddy and his wife watch his Vanity Fair interview and y/n tried to answer all the questions. Based on this interview/video FLUFF.

Warnings: a few curse words, use of the word God in a non religious manner (aka “Oh my God”), brief mentions of being sick, food discussed, spillers for answers to the questions in the above interview, otherwise flufffff

Note: credit to @/TeamFreddyUK on Instagram for finding the still of Freddy in Wonder Woman 🙌🏆

“Are you ready?” Freddy smirked, shaking the television remote in his hand tauntingly.

Y/n held her head high and nodded, “ready”.

He laughed and sat beside her on the couch as he queued up the video in question.

The other day Freddy had an interview with Vanity Fair where they held a trivia game about the guests.

Joining Freddy in the interview were cast-mates Ben, Kit, Amita, and Jessie.

The video dropped today and Y/n commented that she would easily beat Freddy in the trivia game for each cast member.

Freddy agreed to be in control of the video, pausing it after the questions so she couldn’t rely on the others answers to form hers.

Freddy pressed start on the video before grabbing her hand.

As the video began, the cast started by introducing themselves.

Which prompted Y/n to mimic their voices as they did their intros.

“Biiin Barnes” she mocked as Ben introduced himself.

Freddy glanced over at her as he laughed.

“Amita Suman” y/n whispered in an overly soft and cutesy way.

Freddy shook his head but kept watching her.

“Jessie Mei Li” she stated in a very confident fashion.

“Kit Young” y/n mocked, her body language confident and tone very serious.

“Freddy Carter” she teased with a thicker British accent than she did with the others.

“Do I truly sound like that to you?” Freddy laughed, his eyes slightly widening.

“Do I truly sound like that to you?” Y/n repeated with her fake Freddy voice, making them both laugh loudly.

“Okay shush! I gotta test my knowledge!” Y/n exclaimed in her normal voice.

Freddy playfully rolled his eyes as he hit resume.

Ben asked his cast mates what his perfect night out would be.

Y/n hummed, “something calm”.

After Freddy resumed the video, Ben gave his answer; dinner with friends and music.

“Does that count?“ y/n asked, looking over at her husband.

“No” Freddy chuckled.

“Fine, next” she huffed exasperatedly.

Ben then asked what age he started working in a bar.

Freddy was late to pause the video so his own suspected answer -14- was given before she could respond.

Y/n turned to him, “what!? 14? That can let be legal Freddy”.

“Shut up, what’s your answer?” he laughed.

“I’ll say 17 because 18 is your guys’ legal drinking age, and the question being asked suggests it was slightly less” she concluded.

“That’s why I said 14” he defended.

“I said slightly, Freddy” y/n corrected him while laughing.

The next question asked what musician Ben would choose to do a duet with.

“Freddie Mercury” y/n answered just as he paused the video.

Freddy glared at her, “thief”.

“Beg your pardon?” She scoffed.

Instead of responding, Freddy played the video and it showed he too said Freddie Mercury as his answer, making her laugh.

Ben then asked what his love language was.

Y/n smiled, “Oh, Ben’s? Physical touch for sure”.

Freddy laughed as he resumed the video to show her that everyone said the same thing.

As it switched to Amita’s turn, the camera caught Freddy messing with his hair.

“Oh my gosh, you and that hair! You can’t stop touching it” she teased, recalling the way it would drive him crazy when it would randomly tickle his face.

“Me?! Look who is talking! That is a bit hypocritical, love” Freddy smirked.

Y/n shrugged, reaching over and playing with his hair, “it’s mine, I can touch it when I want”.

“Yours? Is it now? Here I was thinking it was mine” Freddy retorted.

Y/n removed her hand from his hair dramatically and turned away, “hmmpf fine, I shall not touch it anymore”.

Freddy rolled his eyes but didn’t cave in immediately.

However, as Amita read off her first question, asking how long it took her to learn acrobatics and y/n began to think, Freddy began to pout.

“Ooh she told me this one!… Four sessions” y/n stated.

When Freddy didn’t resume the video, she turned to him in confusion, “Freddy? Was I right?! Play the video.”

Freddy silently shook his head and gave her a dramatic pout.

“What is-“ she questioned before pausing, “oh my gosh, is this about your hair?”

This time it was Freddy who turned away dramatically.

Y/n rolled her eyes with a smile and leaned over despite him playfully leaning away.

She laughed while rubbing his head.

“See, I told you you couldn’t keep your hands off my hair” Freddy smirked, spinning back to her.

Freddy saw she was gonna move her hand away so he clasped his hand over it, “kidding! It’s yours, all of me is yours; now please keep doing that”.

Y/n giggled and shifted before signaling for him to come closer and sit in front of her.

He complied and lowered himself to the floor before the couch so she could see over his head to see the screen.

Freddy tilted his head back as she played with his hair, giving her a wide grin before he faced the television again.

He hummed to himself as he played the video.

Amita then asked what animal she would be.

“Easy, bunny” y/n joked, “no, kidding! Koala”.

“Ooh, that’s a good one” Freddy commented, his voice light with bliss that came from her playing with his hair.

The next question was what Amita’s favorite vacation place would be.

“Her bed?“ y/n laughed.

Freddy chuckled as he resumed the video to show she was correct, “you’re doing very well so far”.

“Why thank you handsome” she grinned.

He brought his head back again and squeezed his eyes while giving her big smile.

She paused her fingers but left them in his hair as she lowered her lips down to his nose briefly.

Y/n smiled as he blushed and looked back to the video.

“Now comes the real challenge” he declared.

“What?” She giggled, “isn’t this whole th-“

“Oh!” Y/n laughed as she noticed it was his turn to read questions.

“Okay!” she cheered, letting go of his hair and cracking her knuckles.

His head snapped back and he laughed loudly, “oh my gosh”

“Let’s go now, press play” she ordered.

He smirked and complied.

“What or who is my favorite subject to photograph?” On-screen-Freddy asked.

“Ooh I know, people! Portraits” she clarified, smiling confidently.

“Is that your final answer, Mrs. Carter?” Freddy asked, not looking back at her.

“Ummm! Don’t ask it like that! Don’t try and trick me. Yes, final answer” she declared.

“My wife” Jessie blurted when Freddy resume the video, making y/n giggle softly.

“People, yes! Oh.. my gosh Freddy!” she cried, seeing his ‘my wife’ part of the answer he wrote before Jessie’s comment.

“Hey” she cooed, reaching back down for his hair, making him tilt back to see her with a smile and blush covering his face.

Y/n played with hair for all of three seconds before leaping back and hopping off the bed to join him on the floor.

Freddy watched with silent interest as she knelt beside him.

“I love you” she whispered very sincerely, placing her lips on his, “so. Damn. Much.”

Freddy grinned, his blush even darker as he hooked his arms around her back, “I love you too”.

Y/n shook her head, “clearly. I mean-“.

She looked away shyly as she felt tears starting to form.

“Love?” He asked trying to turn her head back to him.

“Are you crying?” He asked with a small chuckle.

She nodded and wiped her face.

“Oh, darling,” he cooed, guiding her face to him with a little more tender pressure this time, “shhh, you don’t need to cry”.

“You’re just so precious, Freddy” she sniffled, snuggling into his chest.

Freddy chuckled softly, his lips pressed to the top of her head, “says the beautiful woman crying over my answer and curling into my chest”.

She hummed against him, one hand sneaking up to play with his hair since she knew he liked it.

To be fair she loved it too but she felt she needed to do something for him after that answer.

“Shhhh love, come on, you’ve got more questions to answer“ he teased, helping her turn so she was seated between his legs now.

She nodded, pressing her back against his chest as he hooked his arms around her and rested his legs on the outside of hers.

When he pressed play, the video naturally went back a few seconds.

This meant she rewatched his sweet answer and now noticed the dashingly radiant smile he had when showing it and saying ‘my wife’.

She verbally awed, unconsciously leaning back into him more.

Freddy smiled to himself and shook his head, “as if you didn’t know”.

“I mean, I know you like taking photos of me, but I wasn’t expecting to be the answer” she admitted.

He pressed his lips to her head, “well now you know”.

She held onto the hand he had around her waist, her head resting on his collar bone as he again played the video.

“If I could steal anything in the world without consequence what would I steal?” Video-Freddy asked.

She whined, “You’re too cute to steal”.

“I don’t think that’s how the law works” he teased.

“It is if I say it is” she huffed.

Freddy chuckled, “Just because you rule my world, darling, doesn’t mean you rule everyone else’s too”.

“Stop saying such cute things Freddy,” she gasped, playfully slapping his chest, “I can’t keep up!”

He giggled and kissed her while he had chance since she was looking back at him.

“Real answer?” He asked, pulling back.

She licked her lip as she thought intently.

“Mmm, a very Kaz answer would be everyone’s money” she giggled.

He nodded, “Is that your answer then?”

“Yes,” she nodded back, turning towards the screen to wait for the actual answer.

“All the money” on-screen-Freddy said.

Y/n cheered, “Yes, I got it! You adorable little thief”.

“What superhero movie was I in?” Freddy asked in the video.

Before Freddy even had the chance to pause the video y/n shouted “Oh easy, Wonder Woman!”

He laughed loudly, “you don’t need to yell.”

“I was excited” she giggled with a shrug.

“Amita!” Y/n exclaimed as Amita admitted she hadn’t seen him in it.

Then the video showed Freddy saying “my poor mum has watched it so many times trying to spot me, but I can’t even spot myself”

Y/n gasped and turned to him, “are you serious?”

Freddy laughed and nodded.

“That’s unacceptable, I need to help her, hold on. Don’t press play” y/n ordered, pulling out her cellphone.

“Wait, what? You’ve spotted me?” He asked in complete shock.

She nodded as she began typing on her phone.

“And you’re showing my mum first?” Freddy teased, still in disbelief she had found him in the movie.

“Course I am” she smirked, “I’ll help you next”.

Freddy chuckled, “I still can’t believe you spotted me, there’s no way”.

“Don’t you dare go doubting me, Freddy” y/n warned.

“Love, I’ve seen it like a thousand times-“ he informed her.

He cut himself off when she showed him the still she took from the film.

“Bloody hell! How did you-?!” He gasped as he took her phone in order to better see the photo of him.

“Love seriously, how’d you manage that?” Freddy questioned.

She giggled and looked away bashfully.

“Woah, where’d that confidence go?” he teased.

“No truly,” Freddy tilted her head to him, “tell me?”

She bit her lip as her face flushed, “so ummm… Okay, when we first started dating and you mentioned being in it, I rewatched it to find you”.

He nodded, keeping his eyes soft due to her visible nerves but he was still clearly intrigued.

“And well, I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t” she laughed and chewed on her lip, “I felt horrible that I couldn’t spot you”

Freddy chuckled and shook his head as he stroked her cheek.

“So I kept watching over and over, until y/f/n suggested I slow down the playback speed and I then went nearly frame by frame” she bashfully admitted.

Freddy stared at her with such admiration, love, and disbelief.

“Darling I - “ he was now the one to tear up, “I can’t believe you did all that”

She bit into her bottom lip and nodded, “I was so mad at myself for not finding you”.

Freddy chucked softly as she reached up to wipe his eyes as he’d done to hers esrlier, “you didn’t need to do that”

“I had to find you Freddy” she argued.

“Love, if you had mentioned it, I would’ve told you I couldn’t even find myself” he laughed, still staring at her in honored disbelief.

“I’m truly honored you went through all that for me, especially so early on” he blushed.

“You’re special” y/n shrugged.

Freddy shook his head and pulled her tightly to him, “fuck, I love you”.

She hummed against his chest and sent a muffled I love you back.

“No more tears blocking those beautiful ocean blue eyes,” she shook her head wiping his tears again.

He flushed darker and chuckled softly.

Y/n kissed his cheek before spinning around to see the screen.

She rested her left hand on his hand that was around her, Freddy turning his palm so he could rub his finger against her wedding ring band.

Y/n leaned into his embrace as he pressed play.

“Wait, you made me forget!” She panicked, grabbing her phone to finish the text to Freddy’s mom.

He watched and waited until she was done before he pressed play again.

“If I could only eat one meal for the rest of my life what would it be?” He asked in the interview.

“Brunch” she nodded confidently.

Freddy chuckled, “that’s creative, but not the question, love”.

“Ugh fine. Hold on don’t tell me” she turned to see him smirking as if she’d never get it; making her even more adamant to get it now.

Suddenly her face dropped in realization before she smirked and shook her head, “if you said peanut butter on toast, I swear to God”.

He laughed and pressed play.

“Ayyyee, Kit stole my first answer; see it counts!” She declared.

When the camera panned to show his official answer was in fact peanut butter on toast, y/n groaned.

“Freddy, that’s so lame” she teased.

“Hey now!” He argued.

She laughed, “I knew you’d say that, you and that stupid peanut butter”.

He chuckled, “it’s comforting, and you know why”.

He was right, the reason she knew his answer was because they’d talked about similar concepts before and he gave that same answer. When she asked why, he told her it was because he found it comforting.

Freddy went on to explain that it was due to how she had made it for him when he was really sick fairly early on in their relationship.

He had been craving bread but she knew he also needed some kind of protein.

But he hadn’t been able to keep much down so she knew he couldn’t handle meat or other heavy things so she’d opted for peanut butter on his requested toast .

Freddy told her it was one of his favorite memories and swears it cured the illness he had.

“And, as precious as that is, it’s so simple, gorgeous” she giggled.

He just smiled and shrugged, blushing as she kissed his cheek while he resumed the video.

Kit asked everyone what his go-to karaoke song would be.

“Something John Legend” y/n answered.

“I’ll give you it” Freddy said as he resumed the video and Kit answered ‘Ordinary People’.

She smiled back at him before waiting for the next question.

“What desert would he be? Who came up with these questions?” Y/n giggled, “I mean, ice-cream, obviously; but, still”.

Freddy laughed, the movement shaking her slightly and hit play.

“Far too easy, next- oh, strawberry” she added as Kit asked what flavor of ice-cream.

Kit asked what his favorite scene to shoot in season 1 was.

“Gun spinning. Oh, no! The goat! Milo!” She exclaimed.

Freddy laughed at her enthusiasm.

“Yes, I got it! But awe, you two are so cute” y/n commented when Kit mentioned how the scene Freddy suggested had been their chemistry read and was therefore important to him. 

“What do my parents call me?” Jessie asked.

“Ooh Jason right (authors note: j-sun, other variation? idk sorry)?” Y/n attempted.

Freddy hummed in agreement as he resumed the video.

“What type of influencer would I be?” Jessie smiled.

“Ooh, social activists or like environmental causes” y/n answered loudly.

“Yay!” She cheered, having gotten the question correct.

Freddy smiled to himself as he watched her enjoy herself.

“Her stage debut was All About Eve, right?” Y/n wondered.

“Correct” Freddy acknowledged.

“Damn love, you did remarkable” he complimented.

She grinned, “I know my man and friends, what can I say?”

He laughed and pulled her closer to him until she tilted head back to stare up at him with a smile on her face.

——

Freddy had his arms around her as they laid in bed, his arm reaching out momentarily in order to turn off the side lamp.

As he turned back to her, he saw the thoughtful look her eyes held.

“What is it?” he asked quietly.

She spun slightly to see him better, “I still can’t get over it.”

“Over what?” Freddy wondered.

“Your answer” she said.

He chuckled, “I stick by the peanut butter toast, alright?”

She giggled “no Freddy, the photography one”.

“Oh, the one where I said, ‘my wife’?” He clarified.

She grinned over hearing it yet again.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get over hearing you say that in-and-of itself,” she admitted contently, “But seriously, that was so sweet”

“This coming from the person who holds the record for most times a single person has watched Wonder Woman, all just to find my two second appearance to support me” Freddy pointed out.

Y/n giggled softly and snuggled into him as she closed her eyes, “gotta support my man. Goodnight gorgeous“

Freddy blushed and kissed the top of her head, holding her tighter, “Goodnight to my wife”.

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[alexzalben]

Shadow and Bone Season 2 premieres March 16, 2023 on Netflix

First look images, followed by quotes from Eric Heisserer, Daegan Fryklind, and Leigh Bardugo, as well as a synopsis and more info on Season 2, which I cannot frickin' wait for.

Eric Heisserer and Daegan Fryklind (Co-Showrunners / Executive Producers / Writers) & Leigh Bardugo (Author / Executive Producer) on what fans can expect this season:

HEISSERER: The most wonderful thing about Season Two is that we get to advance the story of these characters that we'd left in precarious positions at the end of Season One. There's a lot of potential for them this season. They have to face the consequences for their actions, and then they get to meet new people along the way. The Grishaverse also expands in this season, both in mythology and in characters. In doing so, we expand the world, we go to new locations, we visit Novyi Zem and Shu Han, and those are all integral to the narrative.

FRYKLIND: We've also really dug into more of the mythology this season in terms of the amplifiers, but also the creator of the amplifiers, Morozova, who he was, what his backstory is, and how he ties into this world. We go out and we go deeper.

BARDUGO: I think the readers now trust our writers the way that I do. This season I was able to step back and put the show more firmly in their hands. I think when we approached Season One, a lot of people were like, "It's impossible. It can't be done. Why would you bring SHADOW AND BONE and SIX OF CROWS together?" And I think now, we have that trust. And I think it's going to be very, very exciting for them to see the way that trust pays off in Season Two. Every part of the Grishaverse is coming into play. We are going to get to see some incredible new characters. We're going to see characters interacting with each other, questing with each other, fighting and laughing with each other, who we never got to see together in the books. And I think that's a unique thing about this show. Readers are not only going to be surprised by the way that these storylines crash into each other, they're never going to know where the next move is coming from—and that actually was a pleasure for me because I got to be surprised by my own stories.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Co-Showrunners / Executive Producers / Writers: Eric Heisserer (Chronology) and Daegan Fryklind

Author and Executive Producer: Leigh Bardugo

Executive Producers: Shawn Levy, Josh Barry, Dan Levine, and Dan Cohen for 21 Laps Entertainment, Pouya Shahbazian (Loom Studios) and Shelley Meals

Directors: Bola Ogun (Episodes 1 & 2), Laura Belsey (Episodes 3 & 4), Karen Gaviola (Episodes 5 & 6) and Mairzee Almas (Episodes 7 & 8)

Season 2 Format: 8 x 1 Hour Episodes

Cast: Jessie Mei Li (Alina Starkov), Archie Renaux (Malyen Oretsev), Freddy Carter (Kaz Brekker), Amita Suman (Inej Ghafa), Kit Young (Jesper Fahey), Danielle Galligan (Nina Zenik), Daisy Head (Genya Safin), Calahan Skogman (Matthias Helvar), Lewis Tan (Tolya Yul-Bataar), Anna Leong Brophy (Tamar Kir-Bataar), Jack Wolfe (Wylan Hendriks), Patrick Gibson (Nikolai Lantsov) and Ben Barnes (General Kirigan)

Synopsis: Alina Starkov is on the run. A beacon of hope to some and a suspected traitor to others, she's determined to bring down the Shadow Fold and save Ravka from ruin. But General Kirigan has returned to finish what he started. Backed by a terrifying new army of seemingly indestructible shadow monsters and fearsome new Grisha recruits, Kirigan is more dangerous than ever. To stand a fighting chance against him, Alina and Mal rally their own powerful new allies and begin a continent-spanning journey to find two mythical creatures that will amplify her powers. Back in Ketterdam, the Crows must forge new alliances as they contend with old rivals and even older grudges that threaten not only their place in the Barrel, but their very lives. When a chance at a deadly heist comes their way, the Crows will once again find themselves on a collision course with the legendary Sun Summoner. Based on Leigh Bardugo's worldwide bestselling Grishaverse novels, SHADOW AND BONE returns for a second season of new friendships, new romance, bigger battles, epic adventures — and a shocking family secret that could shatter everything.

[at1nys-blog]

Among Us

Pairing: Shadow and Bone cast x actress!reader

Summary: A panel in Japan is nice, if your co-stars let you buy action figures and you keep your mouth shut about one piece

A/N: bold for japanese; light Shadow and Bone season 2 spoilers; I know I am drifting into a more gender specific type of fanfiction but I can't find anything that I like with reader being an actress so here I am indulging in writing those myself. Have fun reading and please leave a feedback, that means a lot.

Masterlist

The venue of the comic fair was one of the biggest compared to the ones you went before starting your career, but once again, you were in Tokyo.

"I think we need a leash for Y/N if we don't wanna lose her." teased Calahan, he was the only one noticing you walking the wrong way and stopped you in your tracks. "We don't have time for this." he said remind you, the seven of you were there for a panel regarding the new season of the show.

"If I come back and is sold out you are a dead man Calahan. You have been warned." he rolled his eyes, receiving a pat on the back from Kit. Not even a second passed that the two men had to run after you, avoiding to be late for the interview because you were taking pictures with the cosplayers all around.

The interview started with someone screaming how much they liked your hoodie, you dried away fake tears and thanked them for having recognized the piece of clothing.

"I swear, she will find a way to subtly cosplay wherever we go." started Danielle on your left. You left an offended 'HEY' but agreed with her.

"Last time I wore Ken Ryuguji's shirt, you know the black one with the black and white diamonds." you answered and the people didn't even need the translation to it that they applauded and whistle at it.

The rest of the interview went on smoothly, questions were asked and answeres where given, now it was time for the fans' questions. Directly from them.

"Hi, my question is for everyone. Who else like anime? And if you do which one is your favourite?" You smiled, their broken english so cute to resist not to smile a little.

"She is our among us." joked Jack taking the chance to answer.

"Jack is right but she is trying to convert me. I watched Death Parade and I love it." said Amita adding that she should like to start Trigun Stamepede since you can't stop suggesting it.

The person thanked you guys and left the spotlight to the next person, asking the seven of you about the most difficult and the aesiest scene to shoot.

"I think the hardest one, for me personally, are every single scene with Y/N. She is a perfectionist, I know it doesn't look like it but trust me, she is, and she would panic in a second if she noticed she didn't said the exact words as in the script." started Freddy, you hid behind him embarassed about his words. "The easiest scene I think it was the introduction of her character " he added.

"Dude you just roosted me that is hard to work with me." you said surprised.

"Here she is not able to take a compliment." said Danielle. "as for me the easiest scenes to shoot are the one where I use my powers. As for the hardest it was 100% the final battle." she added. Melting in the black couch to exaggerate her answer.

Kit choices where: the easiest, the scene when Jesper meets his mother, the hardest every combat sequences; Amita had to agree with the fellow actor on the fact that no matter how well trained she was, fighting scenes where the most hard for her, as for the easiest she went on with every scene she sneaks on the Crows.

"She loves to give us all a heart attack" you commented, cutting off Cahalan that was about to speak. "Sorry man, but after not making me buy the action figure.." you said half offended. Once again that day, the actor rolled his eyes at you.

"I do no appear that much in this season, but I guess I have to pick the scene where Nina and Y/C/N are in Hellgate, but just because the kid over there couldn't stop make me, or anyone else on set, laugh. I don't have a easisest scene to choose honestly" he said.

"As for me I think the hardest scene to shoot was the one on the rooftop in Ravka, I kept falling and falling. The easiest I might think it was the one in Shu Han when Wylan is mad at Jesper" a little ouch was heard coming from Kit, making you all laugh.

You had fun answering some questions, others made you tear up at the thought of your days on set, other were kinda of cringe, some other plain disrespectull to you and your fellow female cast members.

"Hi, my question is again for the entire cast. What will you do after this?" the traslation came in mere seconds, you giggled, knowing damn well you were about to annoy your co-stars with your answser, they, on the other hand scoffed in their mic.

"Who wants to go first?" you asked, just to make sure you could tell everyone what were your plans after the interview. The cast gave you the thumb up and that was enough for you to answer. "After that I need to buy the Zoro action figure" you siad all giggling.

"And we are going to keep an eye on her so she won't buy everything in there" commented Jack. After that the interviewer said their goodbye, and you were free to roam around the convention.

"So who is going to babysit her first?" asked Freddy

"NOT US" screamed in unison Jack and Kit, not ready to hear you babbling about One Piece once more.

"Rock, papper, scissors?" this time was Cahalan to talk and to loose. "If I am noy back she finally killed me." he said moping behind you. Freddy, Amita and Danielle laughed and went to the Shadow and Bone stand.

[fandom-imagines-stories]

One is the Loneliest Number

Don Eppes x Reader

Words: 4527

Part Three of Three

Summary: Having pushed each other away, Don and the reader contemplate whether or not the risk relationships pose in their lives is worth the pain they’ve experienced before. Things get even more complicated when she must go into protective custody. Charlie steps in to help. 

Notes: For this last part, I really wanted to do something a little different and not use the villain from the last two episodes. I thought having something more connected to the reader rather than Don would be a good way to get a conversation going for the two of them. But who knows, maybe I’ll bring these two back and revisit Nicholsen. I’ve had so much fun writing this series. 

More Don: HERE 

-

You heard the shots and started running. 

The shot echoed through his head as he sprinted across the courtyard.

You couldn’t hear anything over the pounding of your heart in your ears. Every step seemed like another gunshot ringing through your head. 

He pushed through the sea of people running in the opposite direction, trying to see over the crowd. Another shot rang out and someone around him screamed. He called out your name like he already knew. 

You made it past the desk without having to check in. They didn’t even look at you. They all just looked at the horrifying scene as it played out on every security screen, haunting you with every image. You watched him fall to the ground. You watched the blood. 

He saw the pool of blood before he saw you. It seemed to flow like a river, spreading across the sidewalk and coating his feet as he kept running. 

You fell to the carpet beside him- laid out beside his desk and choking on his blood- a bullet hole where his throat should have been. 

He fell to the ground beside you, your cold eyes directed up at the gray sky. He pulled you into his arms, letting your blood stain his skin and mix with his tears. 

You screamed until you couldn’t breathe. 

He screamed until his lungs gave out. 

You woke up gripping sweat-soaked sheets, gasping in the cold night air. Rain pelted the fire escape, pinging against the metal and your memory. 

Don woke up, shooting out of the bed, reaching for the bat he kept next to his nightstand. But there was no one there. Nothing but the sound of the rain on his window pane. 

Your frantic eyes scanned the room, convincing your brain that it was just a dream. It wasn’t real. 

Don laid back down, turning over but finding nothing but an empty bed to hold. 

You were alone. 

He was alone. 

-

They caught him. More specifically, they killed him. Pete Nicholsen went down two weeks after the shooting at the school. After everything with Don…

You’d tried to focus on teaching. You told yourself that it would be better. You wouldn’t be as distracted. It was easier this way. For both of you. 

Still, not so much as a phone call? 

It hurt more than you wanted to admit. 

How could you be so stupid? 

“Come on, Y/N,” you muttered to yourself. “It wasn’t exactly the same situation. Cut yourself some slack.” 

The bottom drawer of your desk mocked you with what you knew was inside. As you reached for it, a voice made you pause. 

“Long day?” Amita knocked on your doorframe and stepped into the office. “No offense, but you look exhausted.” 

“Gee, thanks,” you laughed, forgetting the object in the drawer. “Did Charlie send you to check on me?”

“Can’t I just be concerned about the well-being of my friend?” Amita took the seat across from you. “He mentioned that you’ve seemed a little down the past few weeks and I wanted to see if you were okay.”

“I’m always okay, Amita, but I appreciate the concern.” 

“‘I’m always okay’? Really,” she said, shaking her head. “God, you sound like Don.” 

“Ah, the elusive FBI big brother. I’ve heard his quite the character.” You kept your eyes on the wooden surface in front of you so she couldn’t see the pain in your gaze just from hearing his name. 

“I thought you guys knew each other?” She prompted. “Charlie seems to think you got on pretty well after the lecture.”

“Yeah, well our schedules and everything don’t really allow for budding friendships I guess.” 

Or relationships. Or feelings. 

Or love. 

The whining tone of your voice made you sound as pathetic as you felt. You grabbed some files from your desk that you honestly hadn’t looked at in days and placed them out in front of you. 

“I’ve actually got a lot I need to do tonight before I go home, so…” 

Amita’s lips formed a line. She nodded. “Right. I’ll leave you to do that then.” As she got up to leave, a pang of guilt shot through your head. Just because you were mad at yourself didn’t mean you had to be mad at the world. 

“Hey, wait,” you sighed. She turned around. “Maybe we could get coffee tomorrow or something? I know I’ve been kind of distant lately, but I’d like to spend more time with you and Charlie.”

“That would be great.” Amita gave you a small smile and left. 

You set the files back down and ran a hand over your face, reaching again for that bottom drawer. 

The ring glinted up at you in the lamplight, along with the shattered picture frame under it. A lying smile laid beneath cracked glass. 

Maybe it was better that Don broke things off when he did. 

Maybe you were just better off alone. 

And maybe, one day, you would actually make yourself believe that. 

-

“Now get it done!” Don screamed, slamming his hand on his desk and turning his back on the team. 

It was like he was angry at the world. From snapping at the team to the agitated way he was after they got Nicholsen, Don was different. And he was making work awkward as hell for everybody else. 

He was pouring himself some coffee, thinking about a lot of things, none of which had anything to do with the case he was on, when he was suddenly not alone anymore. 

“Alright,” Megan said, closing the door behind her. “What’s going on?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“You just yelled at all of us for the past ten minutes for not being able to get a warrant that you know we aren’t going to get.” She poured herself a cup. “You aren’t a bully Don, but you’re pissed off at something. I just don’t think it’s us.” 

“And I don’t think it’s your place to question me, Agent Reeves,” he snapped. 

She took the blow without flinching. “I’m talking as a friend, not a fellow agent. I just want to know if you’re okay.”

“I’m always okay,” he answered without thinking. 

Megan rolled her eyes. “Right.” 

Seeing that she wasn’t getting anywhere, the junior agent returned to her desk. 

Don’s shoulders fell as he leaned on the table, running a hand down his face. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He knew that he was letting his personal life collide with work, the opposite of what he wanted to happen when he ended things. He took a deep breath, finished his coffee, and went back out to the team. 

The office was buzzing and it wasn’t over his previous outburst. The TV screen gave an explanation. A federal prosecutor was found dead in her garage. It might have been written off as a suicide, but, as the newscaster put it, clear messages were left at the crime scene regarding Attorney Lannister’s court case on Mario Treble, a big name in organized crime. 

But that wasn’t what Don noticed. 

There, in the background, a police officer was talking to a woman clearly in distress. 

“Isn’t that…” Megan started. 

Don’s eyes were glued to the screen and he spoke only loud enough that she could hear. “That’s Y/N.” 

-

You tried to keep from shaking. After a career of looking at crime scene photos, you never imagined that this is what it felt like to be first on the scene. 

Jules was your friend. Seeing her hanging like that… 

Just thinking about it almost made you sick all over again. You just sat on the hood of a cop car with the stupid shock blanket that the paramedics gave you for what had to be hours. You watched them wheel the body bag out of the garage, the squeaking wheels echoing through your head so you couldn't focus on anything else. You just saw her face, blue and twisted and terrified. You didn’t see the SUVs pull up or hear the car doors slam. You couldn't see anything but that black body bag until someone stepped in front of your view and suddenly you were looking into dark, worried eyes. 

“They told me you weren’t hurt. Are you hurt?” Don asked, crouching down so he could get a better look at possible injuries. 

Don. 

For a minute you didn’t care that you’d walked out of his apartment two weeks ago. You didn’t care that he’d broken your heart. You didn’t care that you’d spent the last couple of weeks beating yourself up over letting yourself fall in love again. You didn’t care because he was here. 

You stood up, blanket falling to your feet, and threw your arms around him. 

He stood, surprised for a second, but wrapped you in his embrace quickly, grateful that you were okay. 

“I came over to go over my testimony and-and she was just… hanging there,” you cried. “Her notes were all over the floor like someone had gone through them and the card was sitting there on top and-”

“Woah, slow down.” Don pushed away, brows furrowed. “Card? What card?” 

You blinked, remembered where you were and who you were with, and took a step back. “The King of Diamonds.” Running your fingers through your hair, you tried to think.

  “What does that have to do with Lannister?” 

“Playing cards are a trademark for Mario Treble,” you said. “It’s a message to let him go.” Tears welled up in your eyes again. “Jules told me this was a major case, but I never thought that… oh my god, they really killed her.” 

Don picked up the shock blanket and put it back around your shoulders. “Come here,” he soothed, pulling you back into your arms. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m going to figure this out.” 

“Hey, Don!” Colby called from the garage. “You should come take a look at this.” 

The team leader lingered, keeping his eyes on you. 

You took another step back. “Go. You’re of more use there than with me.” Maybe you didn’t mean for it to sound as biting as it did. Maybe you did. 

Don nodded, stone-faced, and walked away. 

He joined Colby, who was looking up at the beam that Jules Lannister had been strung up from. 

“What is it?” He asked. 

“Did Y/N mention anything about playing cards?” 

“Yeah, she said something about there being a King of Diamonds on top of the files. It’s apparently a signature of this guy Lannister was prosecuting,” Don said. “Why?”

Colby pointed up. “Because I think they left more than one message.” 

Don craned his neck to get a better look. There, taped to the beam, was a Queen of Hearts card. 

“Does that say what I think it says?” Colby grimaced. 

Don’s heart dropped. He clenched his jaw. 

“She’s next.” He reached for his phone. 

“What’s the plan?” Colby asked.

“First, I’m getting her the hell out of here.” He dialed his brother’s number. Don turned back, watching you across the driveway with a lump in his throat. The other line picked up. “Hey, Charlie, I need a favor.”

-

Someone handed you a mug. It warmed your hands. Someone asked if you wanted something else. You thought you shook your head, but you weren’t sure. It didn’t feel like you could move at all. You blinked, trying to process the motion around the room. 

Charlie sat down in front of you. 

“Don said he’ll be here soon.” 

You nodded. 

“Are you sure you don’t want anything else?” 

You nodded. 

“Can you actually hear me or are you just nodding because you want me to leave you alone?” 

Finally, a small smile graced your lips. Your dazed eyes met his.  “Loud and clear, professor. Thank you.” You took a sip of the coffee he’d given you, letting it pull you further out of your trance. 

Charlie took a deep breath. “It’s been a while since we’ve talked, hasn’t it?”

“We see each other every other day,” you teased. 

“Yeah, but that’s just class stuff. We haven’t really, you know, talked talked since… well, since Nicholsen came to campus that day.”

You tensed and set the mug down. 

“I don’t know what you mean, Charlie.” 

“Listen, it took me a long time to… adjust after I started working with the FBI,” he said. “I don’t think I ever fully adjusted to some of the stuff we deal with.”

“It isn’t that.” 

He looked at you with soft, inquisitive eyes. “Then what is it?”

The door opened before you could fumble for an answer. 

“Don,” Alan greeted from the kitchen table. 

“Where is she? Is she okay?” His voice was urgent, panicked. The images from his dream had flashed through his mind the entire ride here.

“As okay as she can be,” you answered bleakly, standing up and meeting him under the archway. “Hey.” 

“I’ve got Megan and Colby talking to Treble at the prison and we’re getting something worked out for protective custody.”

You crossed your arms. “Protective custody? For who?”

“There was another card, Y/N.” Don’s dark eyes met yours. “Queen of Hearts.” 

Alan and Charlie exchanged a look. 

You took a step back, crossing your arms. 

“You think that they’re coming after me?”

“The card had ‘she’s next’ written on it. I’d say the chances are pretty high that means you.” He tossed his jacket onto the table. “I’m just waiting on the call to take you to a safehouse downtown.”

“I can’t go to a safe house,” you exclaimed. “We have to figure this out. Find who killed Jules and how to stop them from holding up the trial. How are we supposed to do that from a safe house?” 

He held up a hand. “We aren’t doing anything.” 

You stepped up to Don and all his protective machismo and put your hands on your hips. “Well, I’m not going to sit around while Jules’ killer is still out there.” 

Charlie gulped, storm warnings going off in his mind. 

Don glanced at his watching family members. “Come with me,” he said, taking you by the arm, and leading you into the kitchen. 

A wave hit Alan and he felt a little stupid for not seeing it earlier. 

With the kitchen door closed behind you, Don crossed his arms, fuming. 

“I thought you were smarter than this.”

“Excuse me?”

“Y/N, you teach criminology for a living,” he scoffed. “How often does it work out for the victim who refuses protection from someone like Treble?” 

You wanted to argue. You wanted to scream at him for more reasons than one, but the growing ache in your chest told you he was right. 

Don’s face softened. “Hey, listen, I get it. Jules was your friend and you want to get this guy. I want to get him too.” He stepped towards you. “But you aren’t thinking right now. You know that the safest thing you can do is work with me here.” A hand reached for yours. “Please.” 

“It was a mistake. Please. Do you know how this will look?” 

You took a step back. 

“I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

“Fine.” You voided your voice of any emotion but indifference. “Do whatever you think you need to, Agent Eppes.” 

You pushed back out the door. 

Don’s hand fell back to his side. 

-

Megan took you to the hotel, giving you little glances the whole drive. 

You didn’t say anything. 

The city blurred by outside of the window, the radio droning in the background. It looked like it was going to storm again. 

Your nightmare flashed through your head with the lightning. 

“Treble, obviously, isn’t talking,” Megan said, breaking the silence. “But Colby thinks he might have a lead.” She looked at you sympathetically. “We’re going to stop this guy.”

“Yeah,” you muttered, turning back to the cool glass of the window. “Let’s just hope it’s before any of you get killed in the process.”

“Y/N-”

“How much further is this place?” You interrupted, your voice flat and detached. 

Megan sighed. “Ten more minutes.” 

The car fell silent again. 

-

Don paced relentlessly as Charlie demonstrated how to apply something Don couldn’t focus on enough to understand to something else that didn’t seem like it was going to help at all. 

“That’s going to take too long,” he said, cutting Charlie off mid-sentence. 

Everyone in the room turned to him. 

“Don, I assure you, this will work in helping us know where Treble is going to instruct his men to strike next,” Charlie explained. 

“We already know where he’s going to strike next.” Don tossed the file with your name on it down on the table in front of his brother. “We need to know how to stop him, not study him.”

Frustration rippled across his tense shoulder blades, anger tightened his jaw, but beneath it all, fear filled his eyes. 

Charlie looked at Colby and David. “Can I have a minute, guys?”

Both were more than happy to avoid whatever hurricane Don had in him and hurried out of the room. 

Don’s brows drew together. “The hell are you doing?”

“Go to her,” Charlie sighed. 

“What?”

“Go. To. Her.” Charlie set down his marker and crossed his arms. “You’re going to keep boiling over until you do, so go see her. Talk to her. Do what you need to do so that you can think about this more clearly.”

“Are you saying I’m not doing my job?”

“No, I’m saying that you are being an idiot, Don.”

Don took a furious step towards him. 

Charlie moved to the other side of the table holding up his hands. 

“Look, I might not know everything, but I’m pretty good at putting variables together,” he said. “So get over yourself and go.”

Don’s mouth twitched and for a second, Charlie thought he was going to punch him. But instead, Don grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and stormed out of the room.

Charlie let out a sigh of relief. 

Finally.

-

You couldn’t sit still, despite the pile of work you’d brought with you, all you could do was pace in front of the windows, curtains drawn in case Treble managed to hire a sniper. That’s what Megan said anyway. 

She was sitting on the couch pretending not to analyze your every move like you were a cat trying to escape. 

“You should try and get some sleep,” she said, flipping through a newspaper. 

“Could you sleep if someone put out a calling card for your death?” 

She shrugged. “Fair enough.” 

Her walkie-talkie beeped and Don’s voice came through the static.

“Hey, Megan, I’m here to relieve you for a couple hours,” he said.

You froze.

He added, “Colby wants you to take a crack at getting one of Treble’s men to talk.”

Megan glanced up at you. She picked up the device. “Okay, boss.” She went to the door. 

You stuck to the window, arms crossed and heart pounding. You didn’t turn around when the door clicked open. You didn’t turn around when you heard his voice. 

“Thanks, Megan.”

“I’ll be back in a couple hours,” the junior agent said, giving her boss a questioning look. She muttered, “I hope you know what you’re doing.” 

Don frowned and stepped inside. 

Megan closed the door behind her. 

“Hey,” he said. 

You still didn’t turn around. “Agent Eppes.”

“Y/N-”

“I’m doing what you wanted, aren’t I?” You huffed, shoulders tight and eyes welling up. “I’m here. Instead of looking for who did this to my friend, I’m here.”

“You’re safe.”

“Am I?” You finally whipped around to face him. “Megan told me to stay away from the windows in case they have a sniper. A sniper, Don!”

“It’s just a precaution. You know that.” He ran a hand down his face. 

You sighed, letting your eyes fall to the floor. “I know.” 

Don stepped toward you. He shifted uncomfortably. “Look, Y/N…” He blew out a breath. “Can we talk?”

“If it’s about my safety, I don’t want to hear it.”

“It’s about what happened with the Nicholsen case.” 

Your eyes met his. Your heart stopped. “Don-”

A loud crash cut you off. 

Don rushed over to you, pulling out his gun. 

“It came from the bedroom,” you whispered, huddling close to him. “There’s a balcony with glass doors. That must be it.”

A flash of black and gunshots rang over your head. 

Don kept you behind him, ducking both of you out of the way. “This way. Go!”

He led you back toward the back entrance of the room. 

It burst open before you got there. One of Treble’s men stepped through, aiming for your chest and firing. 

Don got you out of the way enough for the bullet to only graze your shoulder. Still, pain tore through your arm and you couldn’t hold back your scream. 

“Sonofabitch,” Don muttered, firing at the hitman. His bullet found its mark between the man’s eyes. 

Your arm wrenched back and you felt the metal barrel against the back of your neck. 

“Call your FBI friend off,” a voice growled. 

“D-Don,” you whimpered, chest heaving and arms shaking.

Don turned around, eyes widening at the sight of you at gunpoint. 

“Drop it, tough guy,” the man holding you ordered. 

“Treble isn’t worth dying over,” Don said, trying to get a lock on the guy holding you, but he was using you as a shield. 

“I said put it down!” He dug the gun into your skin. 

Don’s eyes locked with yours.

A tear fell down your cheek. You mouthed ‘I love you.’

His heart shattered.

“Okay, okay.” Don put his hands up, slowly laying his weapon on the ground. 

“You’re going to tell your bosses to let Mario Treble go.”

“So you’re willing to go to prison for the rest of your life for that son of a bitch?” You snapped. 

“Shut up.” He jerked your injured arm back. 

You cried out. 

“You aren’t walking out of this,” Don said. “Just let her go and we can work something out.”

“Tell your bosses to let Treble go, or your girlfriend’s brains are going all over the carpet.” 

“Don,” you cried, trying to keep your voice from cracking. 

‘I love you too’ he mouthed, making sure the hitman couldn’t see. 

The shot made both of you flinch. 

The gun against your neck clattered to the floor. 

“You okay?” Megan asked, holding the gun that made the final kill. “Don?”

Don let out a sigh of relief. 

You hit your knees, a terrified sob escaping your chest. 

Don pulled you into his arms without hesitating, careful not to hit your bleeding wound. “Megan, we need a medic. Y/N’s hit.”

“I’ll be okay,” you muttered against his chest. “I’ll be okay.”

“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” He kissed your forehead. 

Megan called it in.

-

They let you go from the hospital even though Don said you should have stayed longer. The whole way to Charlie’s house, he didn’t leave your side and you didn’t argue about it. He reminded you that you were safe now. 

That Treble was staying behind bars. 

It was your idea to go to Charlie’s. Neutral ground. And you couldn’t bear the thought of going back to your apartment alone. 

The ride over from the FBI building was endured in a tense silence. 

The words you said still lingered in your head and hammered through your heart. Well… almost said. 

“Don, I-”

“Listen, Y/N-”

You both started at the same time. 

Don glanced over at you, a silent instruction for you to go first. 

You took a deep breath. “My ex-fiance cheated on me with his TA.” Saying it now felt like a weight lifted off your chest for the first time in years. You exhaled. “That’s why I’ve always been a little… careful.” 

Careful was a nice way of saying guarded, but you knew he got the point. 

His hand reached over to hold yours.

You didn’t pull away.

“I’m used to bailing when things get serious because I’m terrified of losing the people who are important to me,” he admitted, running his thumb over your knuckles. “So I convince myself that pushing people away is better for everyone.” Don parked the car and watched you with those dark, serious eyes. “I’m sorry I hurt you because of that.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my jerk of an ex sooner. I guess I made myself believe that if I pretended it didn’t happen, I could just move on.” You cast your eyes downward. “Jules was the one who helped me through it.” 

Don sighed. “Y/N, I’m so sorry.”

“She died because she was damn good at her job.” You shook your head. “At least she would have been proud of that.” 

You tried in vain to blink away tears. 

Don shifted in his seat to face you. “Hey-”

“I’m okay,” you choked back a sob. “I’m-”

“Come here.” Don pulled you to him, holding you like he had back in that hotel room while you cried. While tears of his own threatened to spill over. 

“I was so scared, Don. I didn’t want to die like she did. I wasn’t ready to-”

“I know, sweetheart.” He kissed your cheek. “I know.”

You pulled away, but your faces remained inches apart. “I meant it,” you said, voice lowered to a whisper. “And it wasn’t because I had a gun to my head and it wasn’t because I thought I was going to lose you all over again.” You stared into those perfect brown eyes. “I love you, Don Eppes.” 

Don paused as if making sure he heard you right. Then, he closed the space between you. His lips caught yours gently, holding his next words in every movement.

“I meant it too.” He kissed you again. “I love you, Y/N.” 

“Then let’s stop pretending we don’t.”

He laughed, finally smiling for what felt like the first time in weeks. “Yeah. Good idea.”

The two of you got out of the car, hand in hand, and you knew that this was what you wanted. What Jules would have wanted for you. 

“So does this mean I can bother you at work whenever I have to see Charlie?” Don asked, smirking. 

“Only if you bring me cold pizza or a turkey sandwich,” you smiled. 

Alan opened the door with Charlie beside him. They both looked at you and Don’s linked hands. 

“Well I’m glad that’s finally figured out,” Alan said. 

Don stopped, looking at both of them. “You two knew?”

“I did,” Alan laughed. “But it took your brother a little longer to figure it out.”

Charlie held up his hands. “My mind has been a little too occupied to realize my brother and my coworker are hiding a relationship.” 

You winced. “Yeah. Sorry, Charlie.” 

The four of you all laughed.

Don held you a little tighter. 

It wasn’t going to be easy. But neither of you would be alone. 

[pinchofhoney]

my own worst enemy

gif is not mine, credit to the owner

ben barnes x celebrity!reader

word count: 3.1k

warning: mental illnes (depression), mention of drinking alcohol, language, angst, comfort

summary: Sometimes all you need is to lie in silence as your person holds you together. Especially when the world is once again flooded with gray and you see nothing on the horizon to herald a uncloud.

requested by: @wolfmoonmusic​

a/n: the moment i read this request, the idea immediately began to sprout in my head. i hope i succeeded in the challenge even if the mentioned topic is not easy. i was a little bit guided by my own emotions transferring them to the reader, so i hope it came out authentically. i borrowed the title from this robert pettersson song. every like and reblog is very much appreciated!!<33 the next thing i’d like to post will be a little valentine's surprise, so stay tuned!!

english is not my first language, excuse me for any mistakes

“Still no answer?”

“No” Ben replied, nervously walking around his trailer, when the call was again switched to voicemail. He was in Yorkshire, England working on his new film The Critic and a cell phone at the moment was the only medium to contact you as you stayed in your apartment in Los Angeles. But why was he desperately trying to reach you in the first place, having previously asked for a break during the shoot?

One of your best friends was the reason why.

Amita Suman called him.

You two met in the first year of London acting and drama school – Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. On the very first day of class, you felt a certain thread of communication between you and from then on you were almost inseparable. For this reason, she knew everything about you, or at least the great majority. She even knew more than your boyfriend, which in most cases was a huge advantage. Sometimes, however, it was the complete opposite, and the fact that Amita knew Ben very well didn't improve the situation at all. And this was also the case this time.

This was one of those weeks.

Weeks? It was one of those months.

Months in which, despite systematically taking medication, you again felt as if you deserved nothing and no one. You have been heavily overstimulated in recent months, which has only made things worse for you. As a result of taking a job with Pedro Pascal on the newly announced HBO series, My Dentist's Murder Trial, you've been working more than sleeping. As a newly prosperous actress, new to the world of movies in a serious way, you wanted to please every producer who offered you a job. You wanted to be the best version of yourself, the one who doesn't let others down and who can be trusted because no matter the project, she gives one hundred per cent of herself. That's the way you were raised, and despite being told over and over again in therapy that the world won't collapse if you allow yourself some rest, you haven't been able to change that.

But usually you were able to handle it. Years of strict treatment from your mother have allowed you to master adopting a fake mask to perfection, but it never reflected well on you.

This was also the same this time.

After long hours on set, you were sick of everything. But it wasn't the usual exhaustion that affects every adult having a hard day at work. You felt like isolating yourself from everyone. You didn't answer the phone or reply to any messages, unless they were related to your dream job, for which you had worked for a long time and which had recently turned into a nightmare. Every day, when you got home, you locked the door of your place and, without turning on any light, immediately headed for the kitchen. More and more often, you took larger doses of medication than you should have, and also reached for alcohol immediately afterwards, thinking that this was the only thing that would keep your thoughts occupied and allow you to get up again the next day and make it to the set on time.

Earlier this month, Ben flew to England, where he was supposed to start work on a new film. Given your recent condition, it was very much to your advantage that he was over eight thousand kilometres away from you. He knew about your problems, but still, you didn't like to show that something was wrong. This was also closely related to your childhood, when your mother would marginalise and belittle your problems, telling you to go to your room and stop ‘complaining’.

Still, when Ben was in the city and you could meet him at your spare time, you felt better. Much better. He was one of the two people you let into your chaos.

The other person was Amita.

The evening before Ben's flight to his homeland, you were on a date. You managed to get back from work sooner that day, as you only had a script reading scheduled with the rest of the cast. Your relationship was no secret, however, you valued your privacy. Occasionally, you added photos of you together to your social media profiles, but these often didn't portray you as a couple. You didn't like it when you were only mentioned when talking about Ben. You didn't go to the London School of Acting for so long that now your name was only mentioned when Barnes' name is brought up.

Unfortunately, the large majority of people didn't seem to share your perspective on your relationship, and the biggest problem was Ben's fans. You knew how much they meant to him and how much they mean to him. After all, it was also thanks to them that his career had flourished so much. But you were hurt by the comments you received from them, and they came every time you appeared in the media together. There have been times when you've been forced to turn off the ability to comment on your photos on Instagram because the amount of negative comments was starting to weigh you down. The profiles from which these comments were coming usually had a picture of Ben in the profile picture, and the name was either about Ben or about any of his characters. You didn't understand why the people who should theoretically be enjoying his happiness were dragging you down.

Ben, on the other hand, did not read any comments. He didn't bother with them. Sometimes he wasn't even the one to add posts to his social media – he had people for that. For this reason, he was not fully aware of what you were facing. When you mentioned to him that, again, benbarnswife claims that you two are not a good match he would only tell you not to pay attention to it, because, after all, it doesn't really matter anyway.

But for you it meant a lot.

You were sitting in your apartment, and the only source of light was a standing lamp in the corner of the living room. You were sitting on the couch with your dog's head on your thigh. In one hand you held a glass half-full of wine, while in the other you held your phone, where you read the comments under a photo of Ben, you added a few days ago. The photo was taken on the day before his flight, while walking through one of the larger bookstores in the city.

forbarnes lmaooooo she added his photo without her on itttttt she knows she’s ugly & fat juliebvrnes she really think she deserves him 🤣 biIlyrss0 he looks so done with her 💀 inlovewithdarkling SO IN LOVE WITH THIS!!!! bennn__ my husband barneswife kys<33333 lmao

You locked your phone screen and tossed it to the side, which scared your dog. You took a big sip of wine and, wiping your mouth with the sleeve of Ben's sweatshirt you were wearing, got up from the couch.

“I’m done of this shit, Rocky…” you said to your dog and dragging your feet walked to the kitchen to fill your glass with drink.

This was the first time you stopped answering calls even from your best friend. You just watched as the number of missed calls and unread messages from Amita had been growing for three days. Normally, she would have barged into your apartment after the first few rejected calls, regardless of whether you were inside or not. She had extra keys. Unfortunately, she was also several hundred kilometers away from you, busy with her work.

After pouring wine into your glass, you turned off all the lights and headed straight to the bathroom, where you began filling the tub with warm water. You needed a rest, and the alcohol seemed to have stopped working. So you reached for the traditional ways of relaxation – a bath in hot water full of foam. You took off your clothes, tossing Ben's sweatshirt into the washing machine, and looked in the mirror stretched on the wall in front of you. You ran your hand over your stomach, then looked into your tired face. You had the thought that you had lost a few pounds recently, but you couldn't find that one reason for your weight loss. A return of bad mood? Constant work-related stress? Maybe something else you didn't even realize? You sighed and took a check-up look at the water level in the bathtub. You reached for a brush and combed your hair, then tied it into a messy bun on top of your head.

You slowly entered the bathtub and after just a moment turned off the tap, deciding that there was already enough water. You dipped down to your chin and breathed deeply. You tilted your head back slightly, closing your eyes. It was pleasant, you felt the warmth of the water wrap around your entire body, and your tense muscles began to relax.

You didn't even notice when the alcohol in your veins combined with the temperature of the water made you feel breathless. Nor did you register the moment you lost consciousness.

When you opened your eyes again you were completely underwater. Panicked, you immediately wanted to take a breath in, which only caused pain in your respiratory tract. Without any hesitation, you emerged from the water and, pushing away the hair stuck to your face, you started coughing, leaning out of the tub.

When you felt all the water leave your throat and windpipe leading to your lungs, you began to take nervous gulps of air. Confused, you looked around the still-foggy bathroom. You didn't know what had really happened, or how long you had been under that water. You didn't even know if what had just happened was even possible. After all, it was not once said that people drowned after falling asleep while bathing. You were very lucky.

Helping yourself with trembling hands, you lifted yourself out of the tub. You reached for your towel and, wrapping yourself in it, sat down on the bathroom rug, beginning to cry hysterically. You were terrified by the situation, and the fact that no one was by your side didn't make you feel any better at all. When you finally calmed down, you felt that the temperature in the room decreased and goosebumps began to appear on your skin. You got up from the floor and quickly put on your pajamas. After what had happened, you felt as if all the alcohol had evaporated from your body. You opened the bathtub drain so that the water could flow out of it, and on your still shaking legs you left the bathroom.

“Rocky?” you called out to your dog with a weak voice. Fortunately, he heard you well and after just a moment you saw a young dalmatian walking towards you. “Come on, it's bedtime, baby” you pet the dog's head and went with him to the bedroom. When Ben wasn't with you for the night, Rocky was happy to take his place, occupying the great majority of the bed in the meantime. You didn't mind though, you liked to feel someone's presence at night, even if it was just your dog.

The next day you didn't show up at the location where you were supposed to shoot the next few scenes. That night you didn't sleep at all. Not only did you not have the strength to do anything, but the headache caused by an excess of wine and antidepressants made its presence known. First thing in the morning you called the producer, saying that you were feeling terrible and that you must have caught some kind of illness. He wasn't happy, but what else could he do? After all, he wouldn't forcibly drag you out of the apartment, and anyway he had no reason to be angry, because you had never failed him before.

You spent the whole day in bed. You had no appetite, so despite the audible burbling in your stomach and the accompanying feeling of hunger, you didn't eat anything. The only times you left the bedroom were your trips to the toilet, or quick walks with Rocky.

Late in the evening you heard someone banging on the door. It started out as knocking on the door and waiting patiently for an answer, but it quickly turned into a nervous pulling on the handle. Your dog reacted immediately. After just a few knocks he was at the door, barking. You weren't expecting any visitors, mainly because the only two people who could pay you a visit were in another state, or even – country. Reluctantly, you rose from the bed, realizing that the intruder on the other side of the door was not going to let go.

“I'm coming!” you called out to calm the unannounced visitor. You sighed deeply as you walked through the apartment and saw all the mess inside.

You finally turned the key in the lock, and to your eyes was seen none other than your boyfriend, who at that very moment should have been in Yorkshire. Seeing him, you only furrowed your eyebrows, not knowing what he was doing here. Did you miss some message? Possibly. You took a few steps back the moment the man, with concern painted on his face, entered the apartment. Being already inside, he closed the door behind him and immediately took you into his arms.

“Ben? What are you doing here?” you muttered into the fabric of his coat which he was wearing, embracing him with your arms after a while.

“I was so worried…” he said, stroking your hair as if he didn't believe you were safe and sound.

“W-why?” you asked confused. What could he be worried about? After all, no one knew about the events of the previous night. You didn't let anyone know about them, and your dog, of course, couldn't pass on the information.

Ben pulled away from you at arm's length. All the while holding you by the shoulders he looked at you carefully. “Amita said she has had no contact with you for three days. She told me that things haven't been very good with you lately… Why didn't you say anything?”

“I-” you didn't know what to answer him. You saw concern in his dark eyes. On top of that, he held you as if he was about to lose you forever.

You haven't even noticed that Rocky is persistently trying to get your attention. He loved Ben and didn't understand why the man was ignoring him.

“I didn't want to worry you…” you finally stutter out.

“Worry me? Love, I tried to reach you yesterday. You don't even know how it worried me. What's happening with you?”

“What are you even doing here?” you answered with a question to a question, not wanting to tell him about what you've been going through lately. “You should-”

“Don't change the topic” he said more harshly than he intended. However, he quickly recanted and muttered an apology under his breath. He took your hand and led you to the living room, where you both sat on the couch. He didn't even take off the coat he came in. “I arrived on the first plane I could”

Hearing his words made you even more stunned. What did he meant, he got away from the set? You saw him looking around the interior of the apartment, he must have noticed the chaos inside already at the entrance. After all, he had never seen anything like this at your place before.

“Is this one of those episodes?” he asked, unsure of the words he was choosing.

“I've been feeling worse lately” you finally started. Ben slipped his outerwear off his shoulders and threw it over the back of the couch, then focused all his attention on you again. “I don't know if it's the medications that stopped working or if I'm just exhausted from everything… I didn't want to worry you, I've always handled things on my own. It would be fine eventually”

“Eventually? Y/N, who am I to you?”

“What?” you asked, being surprised by the question Ben put to you.

“Just answer – who am I to you?”

“You-you know you’re the most important person in my life”

“Am I? Because lately I don't feel that way at all. How many times did you call me during this month while I was in England? Zero, Y/N, not even on-”

“O-okay, if you are going to get angry with me then just get out of here” you interrupted him, getting up from your seat. Tears began to gather in your eyes. Ben's words made you feel worse instead of feeling better around him. You stood in front of him, looking at him the whole time, fighting with yourself not to cry.

“No. No, I’m sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that, sorry” he replied, also getting up from the couch. “My point is that I would like you to be honest with me. That you wouldn't be afraid to tell me how you feel. I am here for you, Y/N. Even being thousands of miles away, you can count on me, love” he grabbed your hands, taking a step closer to you.

“It's not that easy, Ben…” you replied, slightly hanging your head and sticking your eyes on your hands.

“I know. I know, love” he let go of one of your hands and lifted your chin with his thumb so you could look at him. With his other thumb, he began to smooth the skin on your hand. “Just try to do it, okay?” he asked while looking straight into your eyes. You felt like running away with your eyes to the side, as the weight of his dark gaze began to make you shy. You swallowed your saliva, then nodded in agreement with his words.

“I am glad you are safe. Amita had such a frightened voice on the phone that I began to think of only black scenarios myself” he snorted a quiet laugh, resting his forehead on the one belonging to you.

“I'm sorry, I will never worry you again. I promise…” you promised, remembering the fear that accompanied you yesterday. No matter how bad you felt, you needed both Amita and Ben, because they were the only ones who could help you, in case you didn't have the strength to fight on your own.

[lotties-ashwagandha]

OCEAN’S EIGHT MASTERLIST

❈ = fluff, ★ = angst

debbie ocean

lou miller

heaven was found in her embrace ★ ❈

watered-down vodka ★ ❈

debbie x lou

debbie x tammy

tammy

daphne kluger

fool for love and full of fire ❈

amita

constance

rose weil

nineball

poly ships:

debbie x lou x reader

security cameras ❈

[kj-1130]

Chapter 16

But First, it’ll Piss You Off

Main Masterlist

     Calypso never did get the chance to check the time when they got back to the loft like she said she would. All she knew was that it was cold. Very cold. She was wishing she had a thicker jacket. 

     If she hadn’t grabbed Debbie’s spare key, it would’ve looked like she was leaving for good. She was definitely contemplating it but she figured it wasn’t a very good idea considering there was a crazy woman following her. 

     She didn’t have a set destination. She just needed to leave because the little bit of structure she did have in her life just came crashing down. And she needed to be around people who could understand. As much as she loved being around the crew, they didn’t understand what she was going through. They could feel sympathy but not empathy. 

     Calypso continued to walk to wherever her legs took her. When they stopped, she looked up and saw that she was at the corner store. It was her favorite one around here because they didn’t care who you were or what you bought. They only cared that you paid, and didn't cause a ruckus. 

     The bell above the door rang as she pushed it open and made her way into the establishment. Glancing over, she saw that the guy at the cash register was still staring down at his phone, not paying her any mind. The teen quickly walked over to the alcoholic beverages and grabbed two of the first thing she set her eyes on. 

     Placing the two bottles on the checkout counter, she dug through her satchel and began pulling out some money. 

     “Don’t worry about it, honey,” the guy started, putting the bottles in bags. “It’s on me,” he winked. 

     With a curled top lip, Calypso snatched the bags out of his hands and bolted out of there. 

Before she knew it, she was walking down the steps she had once been extremely familiar with. The loud honks from outside faded and turned into quiet jazz. 

     Knocking on the door, she waited for someone to answer. 

     “What’s the password?” 

     “Jeremy, don’t start with this shit,” she huffed and rolled her eyes. 

     “Never let me have any fun,” Jeremy muttered, while unlocking the steel door. 

     The teen slips in as soon as she is able to, wanting to separate herself from the outside world as quickly as possible. As she walked down the hall, her friend caught up with her and threw a muscular arm around her shoulder. 

     “So,” he starts, “what have you been up to, junior?” 

     Calypso rolls her eyes at the nickname (she didn’t even know how she got it) and decided to ignore it for the time being. 

     “Oh, you know, stole from a criminal then became friends with said criminal and their criminal friend group. Oh! And I live with them now. Nothing too big.” 

     While she continues moving, Jeremy stops behind her with his mouth hung open. 

     “Excuse me, what?” 

     With a sigh, the teen stands on her tiptoes and pats the top of his head. 

     “You’ll understand when you’re older,” she mocks before taking off towards the main room. 

     “Hey! Don’t fuck with my fro!” 

 -

     “I only got called a half-breed twice this week. That’s a win in my book.” 

     “What the hell did I just walk into?” 

     The three other heads whip around towards the newcomer. Cheers began to echo around the room and Calypso jokingly bows. 

     “Now, now, peasants. No need to fret, I know my presence has been missed.”

     The others only roll their eyes and invite her into the huddle to get comfy. 

     “C’mon, C. We were sharing our interesting weekly tales, you’re just in time,” Kensly says, scooting over to allow the newest addition to sit next to her. “It’s Eliza’s turn now.” 

     The mentioned grumbled and ran their hand through their freshly cut, shoulder-length hair. 

     “Do I have to?” 

     “Yes, grumpy pants,” Kens insists. “It’s tradition.” 

     With a sigh, Liz thinks up of something.

     “Ummm….someone at work compared me to the item box in Mario Kart cause ‘you never know what you’re gonna get.’”

     As hard as she tried not to, Calypso let out a snicker and covered it up with a cough. 

     “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.” 

     After the chuckles died down, Jayden spoke up. 

     “I saw some activity from Nineball which is super fucking rare! Like I felt honored to even see that.” 

     “Oh, that’s cool,” Calypso absentmindedly said. “I’ll have to talk to her about it.” 

     “You’ll have to do what?” Jay asked, shocked. 

     The teen muttered out a couple of curses for letting that slip and reluctantly began to explain in detail what’s been going on. From stealing Debbie’s watch, to living with her crew, and trying to hide from Ilora. It’s been a bumpy ride to say the least. 

     In the middle of her explanation, she opened up her bottle and took slow swigs. The happy, energetic vibe had since dissipated and was replaced by a somber and tense energy. The drink was a means of relaxation for her. 

     “She’s not even fucking dead,” she mutters after a moment of silence. “And I should’ve fucking known.” 

     “No, C” Jeremy gently interrupted. “You couldn’t have known-“ 

     “Yes, I would’ve,” the teen insists. “If she died then I would’ve felt it.”

     Quiet washed over them while they were all left to process what Calypso told them while she just sat there and tried to drink her miseries away. 

     “Okay,” Eliza says, reaching over and snatching the drink from the girl’s hand. “You’re gonna get alcohol poisoning.” 

     “Lizzie,” the teen whined drunkenly. 

     “No,” he said sternly. “You’re going to sober up and you’re gonna go…back to wherever you came from. Cause from what you told us, they’re probably worried sick.” 

     “Pfft. They don’t care-”

     “Yes, they do. You need to get that through your fucking head. If they didn’t care they would’ve kicked you out by now. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t have told you about Harlow.” 

     Calypso was silent. 

     “So go in the kitchen, drink some water, and J will walk you back.” The teen only stared at them. “I said go.” 

     With a sigh, the coily-haired girl hauled herself off the couch and trudged to the kitchen to grab some water. 

     “Why do I have to walk her back?” Jeremy muttered. 

     “Because you’re all muscles,” Eliza replied. “Plus I’m hungry. And you’re the only one with money. So bring us something back.” 

-_-_-_-_-

Taglist 

@stillmanicc @annestine​ @ymzki-haruki @moonslattes @yomama010101 @emiliaisdead​ @augustvandyne​ @uselessgay101​ @evilcr0ne​

[queenofspades6]

Greatest Investment | Kaz Brekker x reader

Summary: You eavesdrop on Kaz and Inej, you watched as they get closer, and well, it doesn’t go as planned…

Based on this request I received:

”Hiii! I haven't watched the second season yet, but I saw a Gif of a kiss (or almost kiss) between Kaz and Inej, and I was wondering if you would write about the reader having feelings for Kaz since they met, but she doesn't have the courage to talk, so at some point in the day she goes to check if Kaz needs anything and ends up witnessing the kiss (or almost kiss) between Kaz and Inej, and the reader feels like the silliest person in the world after that.”

Warnings: Angst. (Sorry…)

A/N: Hi! I hope you’ll enjoy what I wrote, I took some liberties since I was so inspired by the request!! I love some good angst! Did I use again in a Kaz Brekker fic title the word ‘investment’? Oops…I think meeting Freddy and Amita made me that way! They are so incredible!

———

Being Ketterdam’s most famous assassin wasn’t an easy life. You were one of Kaz Brekker’s Crows, always here if needed. Since you were part of the Crows, there was something unspoken between Kaz and you. There was some sort of tension from the beginning, even Nina and Jesper had noticed.

”How is the most beautiful woman in Ketterdam doing?“ Jesper asked, taking place to the bar counter next to you.

You rolled your eyes and repressed a grin.

“What do you want, Jesper?“

“Can’t I just compliment you without needing a reason?”

You stared at him meticulously, but Jesper couldn’t look back. Interesting. He needed to ask you something then...

“Fine! Fine! I need your help.“

You sighed but smiled.

”What? It’s not my fault, Y/N, if you give good advice! Don’t blame me!”

”Jesper, what do you need me for?“ You questioned, taking a sip at your drink.

“You see...“

Jesper was trying to avoid your gaze.

”Jesper. My patience has its limits.”

“Alright! Fine! I want to prepare a date for Wylan and I need your help.” He spitted, playing with his gun on his hand.

You nodded.

”I’ll help you. What do you need me for?“

”I don’t know what to plan. Maybe something he’ll like.”

You laughed, thinking about your previous conversation with Wylan about a sweet and wonderful place you both wanted to go to escape for once the cold streets of Ketterdam.

“Jes. You know what? Bring him to Butterfly’s Heaven, you declared, a smile already drawing on your lips at the thought, it’s a greenhouse where all the species of butterfly can fly freely. There’s also an endearing cafe there to drink something while watching the butterflies.” You replied, stars already dancing in your eyes thinking about all the marvelous butterflies.

“Do you think Wylan will love it?”

”Definitely! We talked about it all week, and he was desperate to go. You should bring him. He’ll love it. And buy him a stuffed toy, he’ll marry you right after.”

Jesper was smiling at the thought of Wylan asking his hand in marriage.

“Thank you, Y/N.”

“You and Wylan deserve to be happy.“

“What if it’s not enough, Y/N? What if I am not enough?” He opened up, not caring if he was vulnerable in front of you.

“You are enough, Jesper, you always have.”

You looked at him and smiled, hoping one day you’ll find someone that will care for you as much as Jesper wants Wylan.

“Wylan thinks you are enough, he loves you, Jes. And even Kaz knows it, even if he won’t ever admit it.”

You took another sip of the whisky in front of you and heard someone giggling.

”Hi Y/N!”

Wylan was embracing Jesper with his hands around his shoulders.

“Hi you.” Wylan said to Jesper.

Jesper didn’t even reply and kissed him tenderly as if he were the most precious thing in the world. And at that moment, you swore he were. They broke the kiss, and Wylan blinked several times as if to recover from the intensity of the kiss. It warmed your heart, even if you said nothing.

“What were you talking about?” Wylan asked, coming back to his senses.

Jesper almost jumped off his seat.

”We were talking about Y/N’s feelings for Kaz!“ Jesper answered spontaneously, too scared to reveal what he had planned.

”What? We were?” You almost spitted your drink on the counter of the bar. Now you were facing Jesper and Wylan. How dare he expose you like that?

”Oh seems interesting.” Wylan said, waiting for you to say more.

“There’s nothing between me and Kaz.”

Wylan looked at you wide-eyed, and Jesper sighed, before saying:

”Lie, Y/N. Haven’t you noticed how Kaz always checks on you after a heist, how you always have dresses, jewels, food, everything you want given to you for nothing in shops, you think it’s because of your fine looks? No. Even if you’re beautiful, Y/N, no offense! It’s Kaz’s doing. He made me went with him to each shop, each café, each place in Ketterdam you would want to go to pay, or should I say ‘bribe’ them for you to always have what’s best, no matter the cost.”

”That’s not true, that’s-”

”And what about this time you almost died, and he stayed at your bed an entire week, ordering every Dreg not to disturb him, and how you always have your tea and waffles ready for you every morning? Even Nina is jealous!” He confessed.

”I thought it was you or Wylan who was making me breakfast every morning!”

”It’s not.“ He muttered.

”He’s right, Y/N.” Wylan nodded. ”Even Nina told me last time about how his heartbeat jumped when you are in the same place, and how irritating it was for her to feel both of your heartbeats jumping when you’re together.”

“You should tell him how you feel, Y/N. You are the one who encouraged me to be with Wylan, because life is short, and in Ketterdam, death is always near. He cares about you, more than he’ll ever admit.”

”I don’t have feelings for Kaz fucking Brekker!” You almost screamed and avoided Wylan and Jesper’s gazes.

You took your glass of whisky and finished it all. The feeling of alcohol burning your throat almost soothed you.

”You do.” Jesper smiled and teased you.

”No, I don’t!”

Wylan rolled his eyes at his boyfriend’stuborness.

”Y/N! There you are, I thought you were with Kaz!”

You jumped off your seat. Fortunately for you, it was only Nina and not Dirtyhands himself.

”Nina, you scared the hell out of me.”

She grinned as if she had planned it all along.

”What are the three of you up to?“ She questioned, eyebrows raised.

"We are talking about Y/N’s feelings for Kaz.” Wylan answered before you could even speak.

”Not you too, Wylan!”

He smirked, almost shyly, and even if you wanted to blame him, you couldn’t blame his cute silly face.

”Hmmm, you and Waffles are not so discreet with your feelings.”

You sighed and tried to ignore Nina’s voice. You knew that if you listened to them, you would probably end up in Kaz’s office confessing your feelings for him, because on some missions, it became unbearable. The need to protect him, to check on him, how he could make you feel powerful and useless at the same time.

“Y/N. Heartbeats don’t lie.” Nina whispered to you, and you were sure Wylan and Jesper would not hear.

”Stop Nina. I- I- He’s not in love with me. Kaz Brekker can’t be in love. Love is a weakness, and I am only his latest investment.” You repeated, only to convince yourself of it.

“So how do you explain how his heartbeat go faster when you’re here, how I can feel his heart trying to get out of his chest when you’re injured. He cares. He tries to hide it, but the heart doesn’t lie. Never.”

You looked at her blue ocean eyes, and she caressed your shoulder in encouragement.

”Try to tell him, try to tell him you care, if only that. Love is a fragile thing, cherish it while it lasts.”

You swore you saw an ounce of sadness and regret flashing in her eyes as she remembered Matthias.

“I think you can help him with his past.” Nina muttered.

You looked at your empty glass, and noticed how your hands were trembling. Maybe they were right. Maybe it was time for you to tell him, that at least you cared for him. More than him being just your Boss.

You stood up, levelled up your chin, and took several steps towards Kaz’s office.

You were Ketterdam’s most notorious assassin, and you would not be afraid.*

You advanced towards the door slowly, you wanted to knock but the door was already ajar.

You could do it, you had done so much worse. You took a deep breath before-

You heard voices in his office. You heard him first, talking with a female voice, a voice you didn’t not recogn-

it was Inej’s.

Kaz and Inej were in his office talking. Your instinct was screaming at you to leave and come back later, but curiosity got the better of you.

You stayed, you tried to understand what they were saying, but you couldn’t. Slowly the most slowly possible you pushed the door and waited. Kaz and Inej were still talking, you took it as a sign they didn’t hear your presence. You weren’t Ketterdam’s best assassin for nothing. You took a silent step and looked at Kaz’s office.

You didn’t expect what you saw.

Kaz and Inej were close, too close for your liking, dangerously close. Too close that any of them could bear. So how was it they were here, almost touching each other. You swore Kaz could feel Inej’s breathing on his chin.

Watching them so close together made your heart beating faster. You wanted to scream but no sound came. No explanation came to your mind. Why was Inej here? You tried to focus on the words you heard, but none of them made sense. You were near but you couldn’t hear them clearly, it was as if your brain didn’t want you to eavesdrop. You heard some words like ‘crows’ and ‘family’.

You pushed the door again, without a sound. You leaned on the door and focused on the voices.

“Inej.”

You heard Kaz’s voice as it broke, and you needed to take a glimpse at what was going on right now. You took a deep breath and looked at them. Kaz’s gloved hand was on Inej’s shoulder. They were staring at each other like nothing else mattered in the entire world. Even if you were not close, you could decipher Inej’s surprise at Kaz’s sudden touch.

”Let me go, Kaz.”

Kaz removed his hand, and an ounce of sadness and rejection passed on his face.

“We need you, here.“

You watched as Inej shooked her head.

“Stay, Inej. Stay. Please.”

Her name sounded as a prayer in Kaz’s lips.

”I can’t, Kaz, and you know why.“ She whispered.

“We need you, Inej, please. We- I... I need you.“

Without noticing, Kaz caught Inej’s arm with his gloved hand, preventing her from leaving.

You couldn’t see them clearly; the door was blocking your path. You tried to lean on a bit further but failed miserably. Why did you push your luck? Your whole body had been trembling the whole time, even with the multiple tries to steady your heartbeat and calm yourself. The door opened slightly, and your face was greeted by the floor.

All you felt was numbness, shock and realization. Kaz and Inej were staring at you in wonder. You could already feel Kaz’s grave gaze at you.

“What? Did you never see someone fall before?“ You questioned, trying to hide your discomfort.

Feeling ashamed, you stood up awkwardly and crossed Kaz’s eyes.

“Y/N.“ Kaz declared.

You nodded.

“It’s not what you think.” Inej replied immediately, trying to maintain her composure.

Kaz was leaning on his cane, and his eyes never left your form.

”Don’t worry, I didn’t see anything. I won’t tell a soul. Keep going. I am leaving right now.” You gestured to the door and fled.

”Y/N, wait.“ Kaz said.

You ran through the Crow Club, not caring what the Dregs thought.

”Y/N!” Jesper screamed, hoping to catch your attention.

Why were you running?

Kaz followed after you, even if his leg hurt. He tried to, but you were too fast for him. After all, you were an assassin. A clumsy one at that...

You didn’t care. You ran until your lungs couldn’t bear the feeling, until your knees broke under the weight of your exhausted body. But where could you go in Ketterdam? A place where no Dreg could ever find you.

You knew the perfect place.

Months ago the Crows had gone on an heist with your help. The goal was simple, Kaz had said: ‘we enter, we take the painting, and we leave unnoticed’. He had insisted on the word ‘unnoticed’ looking specifically at Jesper. You had agreed to help them steal the damn painting if it pleases them. Truth be told you couldn’t say no to more Kruge. When you entered the grim manor Kaz had depicted, you noticed how silent and peaceful it was. No soul lived here. Was it the place where the painting was hidden? Maybe Kaz had made a mistake. But he had confirmed it was here. The manor was abandoned long ago by a duke trying to escape his demons. That’s all Kaz had told you, and you hadn’t asked for more at the time. Now you wished you had, because you were headed towards the old manor. A place where just the ghosts could disturb you. Ghosts were better than men, right? Better than some Bastard of the Barrel.

It could be the only place where you could scream and cry without someone noticing Ketterdam’s best assassin being vulnerable. Sometimes being the greatest assassin was a weakness, a weakness you couldn’t afford. It meant never showing too much emotion, never crying in front of your enemies... Wait. Was Kaz your enemy?

You didn’t know anymore. Falling in love was a weakness. Something not allowed in the dangerous streets of Ketterdam, a feeling that would destroy everything if not careful. In fact, love was a weapon, and if not used with parsimony and care, it could kill you.

You broke in the manor, remembering the precise path you used last time and found the closest room, the one you had discovered and found surprisingly pleasing. And strangely peaceful.

You closed the door, and sat on the floor, your body curled up, hands around your knees. You tried to forget the memories with the Crows and Kaz, but it was too much. You remembered your times with Jesper talking about guns, the hours eating waffles and ice cream with Nina, the walks with Wylan, the looks of approval coming from Matthias, and this cane... The cane you would never forget, even if you wanted to. You remembered the day when you had ended up wounded after eliminating a slaver. You were injured, sitting on the cold pavement. You were trying to catch your breath before escaping, but you had felt a soft but firm tap on your thigh. And without looking, you knew who it belonged to.

It was the Bastard of the Barrel.

He wanted you to think he was invisible, and unpredictable, but what he didn’t know was that long before killing the man, you knew Dirtyhands had followed you.

“Enjoyed the show, didn’t you?” You had questioned, showing your white teeth that must have been covered in blood.

That was the day when he had asked you to join the Crows, and since you had nothing more to do, you had accepted, already thinking about the free drinks you would benefit at the Crow Club.

You also remembered the day when you had wanted to leave the Crows because of some decision Kaz had made. You were angry and had prepared everything to leave in the morning. However, Kaz had watched you wrapping your clothes with a spectacular meticulousness, and had whispered:

“Stay. Stay in Ketterdam. Stay with me, Y/N.”

And you had stayed. Of course. When Dirtyhands asked you to stay, you stay. The morning he had woken up at dawn in case you wanted to leave without saying goodbye. He had found you in your usual attire, your knives and guns on your waist.

“You did not leave?”

He had asked, almost as a prayer.

”No. Something keeps me in Ketterdam.”

Kaz had said nothing, but you swore you had seen a grin on his lips this day.

You also remembered the day when you had been badly injured to save Nina from a fatal injury. You had been severely hurt; you weren’t even able to stand up. You remember watching the pitiful looks of the Crows at your broken body sprawled on the ground. Deep down you knew you were now a liability for the Crows, and especially for Kaz, so you had told them to leave you here, and escape before the men you had stolen from were back. You knew the risks and costs of each heist, and already accepted your fate.

Kaz had none of it. He had ordered Matthias to carry you, while Nina would tend to your wound as much as she could and control your heartbeat. Jesper would protect your backs, while Inej was sent to scan the path, and look for any danger. You would never forget the look Kaz had given you when he told you to rest for months if needed and had given you a room close to his own in the Crow Club.

Later, you had asked him why he had saved you instead of leaving you to perish. He had said with conviction:

”We are Crows, Y/N, we never leave our own behind.”

That was all of his qualities and flaws that made you love Kaz Brekker. He was broken, but you had always been a sucker for broken things to tend to. You had offered him everything an assassin could possess: your loyalty, your weapons, your ability to kill, and your heart, ready for the taking...

But now you remembered the sentence Dirtyhands had told you a week ago, telling you all you had to know about what you were to him, and what you could be.

”You’re my greatest investment, Y/N. Don’t fail me. “

He had told you once what you were to him, but you hadn’t listened, you had fallen in love, and now you knew. You knew you had always been an expensive investment, but only that, nothing more.

You had been his greatest investment, and that was all...

———-

Tell me what you thought about this one! I am seriously considering writing a part 2! Likes, shares and comments are appreciated, it makes my day, I really need it!

———

If you liked this fanfiction, you’ll love this one, it also has the word ‘investment’ in the title like this one:

⬇️ ⬇️

[parkersbliss]

Part of The Crows

pairing: the crows x reader (all platonic)

warnings: shadow & bone spoilers? cursing?

wc; 800 ish

synopsis: the life of a crow trying to kidnap the sun summoner is not easy

a/n; this was fun to write will probably do more if anyone likes it :D

Masterlist | Taglist | Prompt List

—

first things first

how did you become a part of this?

well..

lets just say you were an assassin

like the best one in ketterdam

and assigned to kill mr. brekker himself

you have full confidence that you can

but when you sneak into his office

he’s just standing there, leaning on his cane

“whatever he’s paying you, I’ll double it.”

“what?”

“join my crew.”

“you do understand I’m here to kill you, right?”

kaz shrugs, sitting on his desk

“I’ll double it.”

you were never going to say no

no one says no to kaz brekker

“yes, okay.”

“good. first assignment, go kill your old boss.”

and now you’re kaz’s personal assassin

you met jesper the next day

the first thing you do is fawn over his gun tricks

and he is more than happy to show off

“someone here finally appreciates me.”

kaz rolled his eyes

“is he always like that?”

jesper shakes his head. “he’s worse.”

then, you met inej

and as soon as kaz lead you to meet her, it was awkward

not awkward for them

but for you as you stood there and watched them just look at each other

there was something there

you coughed

“right. this is inej.”

you two instantly became best friends

you loved going places with her

more specifically, missions

she did the spying, you did the killing

and of course, we come to the big reveal

“one million Kruge?”

“to cross the fold?”

“money isn’t anything if we’re dEAD”

kaz shuts both you & jesper up with one look

“I have a plan.”

“do you now? just a reminder cant exaclty just walk through it.”

sometimes kaz wishes you came with a “very sarcastic” warning

obviously you guys take the job

and spend the entire fucking night trying to find a way across the fold

that’s eight hours of sleep you wasted with kaz of all people

running around ketterdam

which turns from let’s find a way across the fold to heartrender

and then you find the heartrender

take her to dreesen

“criminals.”

you resist the urge not to laugh

was it THAT obvious?

“mr. brekker, no business man worth his salt hires his first applicant.”

*cue threat from kaz and jesper showing off his gun*

“you wouldn’t.”

“no business worth his salt would bargain for what he could take.”

you cross your arms, smirking

oh it felt good to be the ones in charge

“two weeks ago he crossed through the fold on foot.”

your eyes bug out of your head at that

and now you’re supposed to kidnap the sun summoner?

you, jesper & kaz share the same look of “utter bullshit”

“her name is alina starkov”

BANG

milana screams

no one else flinches

“you have until sunrise.”

oh great, another late night expedition

“he doesn’t have a way across the fold, you guys know that.”

you shrug, “it’s kaz.”

“just take the bet,” jesper whines

inej takes a shot

“he’s obsessed with taking down pekka rollins.”

“well of course he’s obsessed with taken down the guy who’s paid off stadwatch to get away with murder.”

“It’s more than that. I’ve seen the way kaz looks when he says his name. He wants revenge.”

you raise a brow at jesper, you thought kaz might’ve told her already

then inej is being summoned

“you want company?”

“No.”

“I meant to-,”

“Just shut up jesper,” you said, patting him on the back

then in strolls mr. brekker himself

you don’t comment on the bruise forming on his face

“you all right, boss?”

kaz takes a shot, one that was YOURS

but you don’t say anything

“no. we’ve been wanted off the job.”

“by who?”

“who do you think?”

“did he recognize you?”

“if he did, I’d be dead.”

kaz checks his watch, “five hours till sunrise.”

“we’re off the job tho, right?”

god, that boy is so stupid

“never make a decision out of fear jesper, only out of spite.”

“well, greed always worked for me.”

“I prefer for the fun of it. or you know, sweet revenge.”

“you just like showing off your skills.”

“so do you.”

silence then “both of you, leave.”

you roll your eyes, nudging jesper

“lets go before kaz has both our heads on spikes.”

anyway

you’re functioning on no sleep running around ketterdam

and then inej asks jesper to kill someone for him

and then kaz finds a lead

and now you’re playing distraction with jesper as charming as ever

you’re so lucky you found the conductor

only after inej almost killed him

I mean seriously

“Don’t,” Kaz said

and then there’s a knife like inches from your head

“I’ll need 20 pounds of alabaster coal, a pack of majdaloun jurda and uh… a goat”

you begged to go get the goat

I mean literally begged

“kaz, pLEASE PLEASE PLEASE”

“(Y/N)…”

“Kaz.”

“Mate just let her go get the goat.”

“fine-”

“YES”

“You’re with me.”

“Oh for fu-”

anyway you get the goat

kaz grips his cane and looks at you with raised eyebrows

you’re just like clutching this little goat

with all the love in the world in your eyes

and kaz cannot understand WHY

but that’s kaz

then of course you see the conductor making deals he shouldn’t

“kaz you have your scheming face.”

“I’m not-”

“I don’t like that face.”

“For the record, you don’t like any of my faces.”

“I dislike this one the most.”

if kaz could, he would punch you

“yOU GAMBLED?”

addiction is real

jesper is a perfect example of this

“ITS FINE”

“THERE ARE PEOPLE CHASING YOU”

“THATS NOTHING NEW”

“BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP AND GET IN”

land mine go boom

“please tell me you have 20 pounds of coal?”

“so slight snag in the plan…”

“we know you gambled it,” kaz deadpanned.

“I lost a little bit of money”

kaz gives him the look

“I lost all of the money, BUT I managed to steal 20 pounds of alabaster coal”

“this is sixteen”

“SIXTEEN pounds of alabaster coal”

“can we do it in sixteen?”

“never been done before.”

cue the dirty looks from everyone at jesper

you sit across from inej next to kaz

and then the tracks aren’t connected

mass panic, mostly from jesper

arker explains that it’s all fine as long as the volcra don’t attack

spoiler alert, they do

and one gets stuck on a spike

it just goes downhill from there

the coal is gone

“tHiS iS hOw wE dIE”

“jesper, gRAB THE GOAT”

“I’m not throwing out the goat”

“GRAB THE DAMN GOAT ITS NOT BAIT ITS FOR YOU”

inej grabs her knife and starts praying

“HUG THE GOAT AND SHUT THE HELL UP”

and then arker casually says you’ll definitely die with the volcra weight

BUT JESPER SHOOTS THEM ALL

so now everything is fine

then a volcra rips open the top

and now arker is screaming

Inej is praying

jesper might as well be aLMOST crying

kaz looks unfazed

and you’re

well you

you’re screaming AT kaz

“kAZ BREKKER I WILL HAUNT YOU IN THE AFTER LIFE”

“THIS WAS THE STUPIDEST IDEA EVER”

“HOW ARE YOU SO CALM?? DO YOU REALIZE WE ARE GOING TO DIE”

you don’t die

jesper shoots it

you lived

for now

you get off the train

brush yourself off, pretend like nothing happened

kaz coughs looking at you

“my promise stands true, by the way”

“is that so?”

“I will haunt you if I die”

“I have no doubt”

“asshole”