#kaz will stay in ketterdam while inej will go out to sea. but. they're it for each other anyways. and that's So Much. To Me

[the-wraiths-wife]

I write a fanfiction about Kaz having a sister in Wattpad, named Adjala Brekker. And I just got the craziest idea. Kaz is always the baby sitter for Adjala's kids so why not write headcannons?

So I just made a few headcannons about Kaz babysitting his niece Jordan, and his two nephews Johannes and Kaz jr.

( Everytime you see a mom approved, it means the kids' mother approves of the activity )

1. "Uncle Kaz's House of Schemes": Kaz turns babysitting into a series of elaborate games and puzzles for the kids. It's like a mini heist every time they visit, complete with clues and riddles to keep them entertained. (Mum approved)

2. Kaz's version of "nap time" is "quiet planning time": When it's time for the kids to take a nap, Kaz uses this opportunity to quietly plan his next big scheme. He's convinced they're the perfect cover for his brainstorming sessions. (Mum approved)

3. Candy heist training: Kaz teaches the kids the fine art of candy heists, complete with disguises, diversion tactics, and a secret candy stash. They're the most resourceful trick-or-treaters in Ketterdam. (Mum not approved)

4. The "Ingenious Bedtime Routine": Kaz has a knack for getting kids to bed without fuss. His secret? He tells them thrilling stories about his heists until they're too excited to stay awake. (Mum approved)

5. Tiny suits and dresses: Kaz insists that the kids wear tiny suits and dresses, just like him, when they go out together. It's a comical sight seeing them dressed as miniature versions of him. (Hehe definitely mum approved)

6. Teaching the art of negotiation: Kaz imparts his negotiating skills to the kids, coaching them on how to haggle with street vendors for the best deals on toys and treats. They quickly become savvy little traders. They negotiate with daddy alot too, and their daddy always falls for this (Their dad hates this, so mum approved)

7. The "Kaz Jr. Inheritance Fund": Kaz secretly sets up a savings account for each of the kids, earmarking it as their "inheritance." He insists they learn about managing their finances from an early age. (Uncle Jes and Mumma approved)

8. "The Kaz Bunker" (my fav) : In the event of a "Kaz-sized emergency," he's built a secret bunker (a well-fortified blanket fort) in the living room. It's the perfect hiding spot for epic pillow fights and strategizing. (There's photo evidence -Inej) [mum approved - Kaz's sister]

9. Poker night (ft. Uncle jes, Daddy and uncle Wy) : Kaz introduces the kids to poker night, using candies as chips. It's all in good fun until Jesper's uncanny ability to bluff leaves Kaz Jr and Johannes with an empty stash of candy, while Jordie has a whole lot to herself. Wylan always gives his candy to Kaz jr in the end. Elijah (the kids' dad) sits their and sticks his tongue out to his brother in-law whenever he wins, only to me met by the Lethal Brekker sibling glower. (The mother doesn't aprove of this, their dad does tho)

10. Lessons in lockpicking (childproof, of course): Kaz teaches the kids the basics of lockpicking, with a set of child-friendly locks and tools. They think it's just a game, but it's secretly a life skill. (The parents don't aprove since candy is always being stolen from the kitchen)

11. Kaz and naps : when the kids' parents get back from date night of smth, they see uncle Kaz and the kids in the Kaz Bunker fort, or all of them on the ground, surrounded my toys and Kaz is laying flat on his stomach and Kaz jr is snoozing on top of him and Jordan and Johannes are snoozing in the corner. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how the bastard of the barrel gets his sleep. (Inej has photo evidence) [Daddy and mumma approved]

12: Lifeskills (ft. Uncle Matty, aunty 'nej and aunty Ninny) : so Kaz gets his gang together to preach Lifeskills to his nephews and niece. Uncle Matty adores the mini demjins. Aunty 'nej takes them in sea trips (Aunty ninny brings the snacks) [ pappa and mumma approved]

13. Shark stare classes 101: in which Kaz teaches his little trainees the signature bombastic side eye and shark like stare, along with the lethal Brekker glower, which always has the kids' dad running for the HILLS, cuz they look like his scary wife and terrifying brother in law. (Daddy and Mumma approved ladies and gentlemen)

A fanfic for this :

I'm tagging a few of the biggest SoC enthusiasts I know : @she-posts-nerdy-stuff @ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes @marsconer

[lobotomycas]

YOURE A SOC FAN OMFGFKH

YEAH AS OF LIKE. A WEEK AND A HALF AGO? I watched the show and was like oh that was neat :) I like the three heist guys :) ik there's a series about them :) and then I read the books and they rewrote my brain I think! like I am not the same person I was before that! holy shit!

[frick6101719]

Your Father’s Day Kaz fic has me in my feelings IT WAS SO GOOD would love to see more even just headcanons of Kaz as a dad

Ooooh boy... Anon there is so much more where that came from! I have told myself not to write a Kanej-as-parents fic until after I've finished the one I'm working on now, but that hasn't seemed to stop me from dreaming up almost every detail of Kaz and Inej's lives as parents.

So. Heeeere we go

Kaz and Inej aren't exactly trying, per se, the first time Inej gets pregnant.

They're a little shy of thirty at this point, Jesper and Wylan have two kiddos already, and one night they're at the Van Ecks' for their weekly Monday night dinner (a tradition over a decade strong) and Kaz is playing chess with their oldest, or teaching card tricks to their youngest, and Inej is just overtaken by some maternal instinct watching them she wants one.

She brings it up to Kaz that night that maybe they stop with the preventative measures, and he is completely terrified. I mean, he's always known he likes kids--he thinks they're funny and kind of weird and despite himself he finds their guilelessness and wonder at the world absolutely endearing... but that's not the same thing. I mean a child? Him, a father?

He's not sure. He's not sure he'd be a good dad--he's not sure he's even allowed to want to be, after all the children he's left fatherless, all the fathers whose children he's taken away.

He's never allowed himself to think about it, actually, even after he married Inej. It felt like the whole topic of parenting and fatherhood was off-limits; any time he got close it was just too tender to touch.

But they talk about it a lot, and they eventually decide that they'll stop with the tonics. For a child of Inej's... he can do it.

Inej is away at sea, many months later, when she realises she's pregnant. She had a visit planned to her parents in Ravka which ends up taking up her whole trip because she has a lot to work through--a lot of questions, a lot of fear at the sudden reality of it--and her parents and extended family are a huge help

I have so many thoughts about Inej and motherhood and entire nights spent talking with Mama Ghafa during this trip about what to expect but I'm staying on-topic goddamn it

She's early in her second trimester when she lands back in Ketterdam, and all her plans of how to tell Kaz, and how long to keep it a secret from the Van Ecks go right out the window because she's already in the early days of her second trimester and our tiny little Wraith has nowhere to hide that bump

Kaz is with Jesper and Wylan at their place when Inej arrives, and they all go to meet her at the docks and as soon as he sees her crossing berth twenty-two he knows because he knows her posture, the way she moves, her shape, everything about her so well that he notices immediately the changes to her body and it nearly brings him to his knees.

So she doesn't get to tell Kaz, but she DOES get to tell Jesper and Wylan who--and really I cannot emphasize this enough--could not be more excited.

They make a big scene at the docks; Kaz is still just a little too stunned to tell them to calm down

Over the next few months Kaz definitely spends many sleepless nights just watching Inej sleep, her belly growing more and more noticeable beneath the blankets, wondering if he's going to mess this up somehow, and why he already feels like a part of him has been ripped out and laid bare before the world, vulnerable, delicate.

He would already do anything and everything to keep her safe, to make her happy, even though little Rosanna Marya Rietveld is still months away from joining him in the big wide world.

(They decide to go with Rietveld to keep her safe, because she's only a baby, and growing up with the name Brekker or Ghafa might make her a target, and they will do anything to avoid that. So while they have other roles and names in their other lives, as a family they're the Rietvelds 🖤)

He's a fucking mess all throughout the birth--Inej's parents come over weeks before her due date so Mama Grandma Ghafa can deliver the baby, and thank the saints Grandpa Ghafa is there because Kaz is a mess--he can't bear to hear Inej in pain--and he could use a distraction. Stories of his wife as a baby, told in the calm, soothing voice of her loving father = just the distraction he needs.

Kaz barely sleeps the week after Rosanna is born, which Inej doesn't mind because it means she gets rest, but when he finally confides in her that all he can think about is Pekka Rollins, on his knees, begging for the life of his little Kaelish prince and how easy it would have been to actually hurt the boy... well, they have to deal with that.

He lies with his head in her lap and she plays with his hair in the way she knows relaxes him, and tells him that Rosie is safe, that no one can protect her like the two of them, that there isn't a person in the world she would trust with their baby's life like she trusts him.

It works pretty well.

Of course, Kaz being the control freak that he is, and being more than a little anxious about Rosie, means that Inej also has to constantly tell him no, he can't pick her up any time she even thinks about crying, she needs some discipline and she needs a schedule Kaz stop it she needs to go for her nap not another walk around the garden!

Yeah from day one he is absolutely wrapped around her little finger.

About two years after Rosanna is born, they're lying in bed, tangled together in the sheets on a hot summer night, and Inej takes his hand and gently spreads his fingers across her stomach. Kaz is like "ahh nice" and then "wait a minute" and sits bolt upright and doesn't even have to ask, Inej is smiling and laughing and nodding and this time there are no mixed emotions he's only excited because they're having another baby

Another baby girl, it turns out--Jasmijn Anaya Rietveld. Inej is shocked by the almost red hue of her hair--a drastic contrast to Rosie's near-black--but Kaz just shrugs and says Jordie's hair was kind of red when he was a kid and Inej is delighted she had no idea!

Now that they're evenly matched, parents to children, life becomes more complicated, and even with all their money Kaz simply does not trust almost anyone to help take care of the girls (Marya Hendricks is one exception). He ends up stepping a bit back from Dreg business to help take care of the girls when they're very little. Thankfully by this point the Dregs business practically runs itself, and he can take meetings at the house with his most trusted lieutenants (like Anika and Pim) to stay on top of things.

He's super involved, but his actual parenting takes a long time to get right. It's many, many years before he loses the instinct to praise the girls when they find a creative way to skirt the rules

Just kidding that instinct never goes away; he always feels proud when they manage to disobey without breaking a rule. He just gets better at being stern while reprimanding them and waiting until he's turned away to beam with pride.

He also makes the rules increasingly elaborate and detailed--he'll get rid of vague wording and imprecision as best as he can, and then it's a win-win: either they learn to follow the rules or they get really good at finding loopholes.

"Contracts, Kaz. You've got our daughters signing contracts"

"Don't be ridiculous Inej; any thinking judge would spot lesion a mile away--there's no way these 'contracts' are valid."

Then there are their little rituals; both girls know if they wake up early they can have a hot chocolate with Da before he goes to work, and they know that if they ask very nicely, and it's not too close to bedtime, he'll play them their favourite songs on the piano, so they can dance around the parlour like little hooligans until they're so tired he and Inej have to carry them upstairs to bed.

They also know that when Kaz is working from home, if they're quiet, they can go sit with him in his office. Jasmijn always climbs on his lap--she knows she has to stay on his good leg--which is lovely (years of hard work with Inej mean he never recoils at his daughters' touch), but it's never long before Jas gets chatty. Kaz never tells her she has to go, but Rosie (who is usually sitting in a chair in the corner of the office, reading a book) will repeatedly tell her to shhh Jas, Da is working.

Kaz teaches them to be dangerous girls, just like their Mama. He'll make sure they never ever need to be, but he and Inej agree that they're going to be straightforward with the girls about their lives, and that means they learn how to pick locks and fight dirty at three and six years old.

They get their knife-throwing lessons from Mama too. Strangely, no one has to teach them how to climb the side of a building.

Anyway. Rosanna and Jasmijn grow up loved to death by their Mama and Da, and of course all their numerous "aunts" and "uncles" (aka any of the higher-ranking Dregs with enough guts to teach the girls to call them aunt or uncle).

And every time Inej wakes up to find the other side of the bed empty, she doesn't worry. She knows she'll find Kaz in the chair in the girls' room, awake and watching them silently. She'll fall back asleep thinking how her Papa was right--she did find a boy who gave her her favourite flowers.

[bleuwrites]

Tomorrow is Hard to Find

Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa Additional Tags: Past Rape/Non-con, graphic depictions of Dirtyhands doing Dirtyhands things, Angst, they may be able to touch each other but they're still disasters, the one where I chase them up a tree and throw rocks at them (figuratively), Kanej-related Rule of Wolves spoilers

Chapter 1

Since Jordie died Kaz does not stir into wakefulness languidly, he startles into it. His heart inevitably jouncing as his eyes reel around his rooms, looking for any sign of threat, always on alert. When he is not in the Slat it is even worse. It takes him bare moments to remember they are Shriftport, but in those moments between waking and recognition his hand reaches for the pistol left stuffed between the mattress and the bed frame.

There are gold rings stacked on the little table to his left, part of his and Inej’s disguise as a married couple on vacation in Novyi Zem. They left the glass-paneled doors to the terrace open to try to coax in a breeze, but the netting around the bed is still. He doesn’t know how it can be so hot before the sun has even risen, but at some point in the night he pulled his shirt off. Inej is still asleep, curled on her side to his right. He presses a kiss to her shoulder and slips out of bed, doing his best not to disturb her because even if he can’t sleep she should.

Kaz finds a chair out on the terrace and takes in the sweeping views the promontory their hotel is situated on affords, rolling the rings between his fingers like the trickster he is. The rising sun reveals the deep turquoise of the bay; the buildings painted in vibrant oranges and yellows like the jurda flowers Novyi Zem is known for. Mercifully, the dawn brings a breeze with it, rustling the green crowns of the date palms and kicking up little white caps on the ocean.

When he was a child in Lij, morning was his favorite time of day. Kaz thinks of the boy he was then, so mesmerized by the subtle changes that would reveal themselves to him each morning. The wheat stalks a little taller, then with leaves, then spiked heads of grain. It used to drive Jordie mad the way Kaz would demand his attention, pointing out each subtle change. That boy could not have foreseen the man he’d become, the things he’d have to do to survive, but little Kaspar Rietveld would have loved this morning in this strange new place, too.

For a long time, he thought that boy died in Fifth Harbor. But the truth was, Kaz had buried him somewhere deep inside himself. With every act of violence, act of cruelty and callousness, Dirtyhands had thrown another shovelful of dirt into the grave he put the boy he was in. It wasn’t until that terrible day on Vellgeluk that he realized Inej had slowly been digging Kaz Rietveld out, clearing the grave dirt from his mouth, letting him breathe again.

The first year was the hardest. He thought vengeance would finally silence Jordie’s ghost. It didn’t. That ghost had screamed and raged inside him. When Inej told him rage was just grief we’d held onto for too long, he screamed at her too. There were times - many times - he lashed out, used his cruelty like a whip to try and drive her away. He wanted her to leave, to turn her back on Ketterdam, to prove his worst instincts right. He wanted to put his armor back on, so, so desperately.

And always, inevitably, the question, asked with the kind of patience he found maddening, What are you afraid of, Kaz?

That you will leave me. Like Jordie. Like everyone I’ve ever loved. It took Kaz a long time to admit it to himself. He never admitted it to Inej.

The second year was harder. He took her to Lij and told her everything, wove together the whole rotten tapestry of his life for her. The wounds inside him opened up and wept so much fresh blood he thought he would drown in it. He would wake gasping from dreams of Jordie playing cards at the Crow Club, his skin mottled and bruised and sloughing onto the felt of the card table. Or his father leaving a bloody wake of entrails as he pursued Kaz through the Barrel. They died in his dreams every night, so he stopped sleeping. Kept himself going on coffee and jurda until he collapsed from exhaustion.

When Inej returned to port early she found him slumped over his desk after days of refusing to rest. Her face had been etched in sadness and worry when she roused him enough that he opened his eyes. “I was angry too. It took me a long time to realize I needed to grieve the life that was stolen from me,” she said, her voice quiet and her fingers gentle as they traced the too prominent hollows of his cheeks. “Did you never mourn, Kaz?”

He didn’t answer, just held her hand over his heart and asked her to stay once she had forced him up to his bed for some proper sleep. She did, for a while anyway.

The third year had been a nightmare for different reasons. That was the first time he asked her to be his wife. It didn’t help.

Her legend had grown by that point, big enough to put a target on her back. Per Haskell’s name on her indenture documents was enough to get the Slat, the Crow Club, and The Silver Six raided and turned inside out. They wanted Inej, but Kaz still had enough enemies in Ketterdam that they would have settled for throwing him in Hellgate for the trouble. They both knew what taking on slavers would cost them. His businesses had been clean and she had been free of them since he took over the Dregs, save for certain, select occasions.

When that didn’t work they put a price on her head. Inej’s wanted posters littered the city; no matter where he went her face was staring at him. She couldn’t set foot in Kerch or its colonies without risking arrest or assassination. Her partnership with Strumhond, and by extension the Crown, had granted her safety in Ravka. She had a home in Os Kervo (a house, she would chastise him, you are my home), and a life he felt only distantly a part of no matter what she said.

As he watched her dance and laugh so easily with Nikolai at Nina's wedding that year something had splintered inside of him. It wasn’t jealousy -- Nikolai’s love for Zoya was so obvious Kaz knew there was nothing to be jealous of --, but longing. The same longing that had him clutching at her hand on the deck of the Ferolind. The longing for impossible things.

What they wanted had been divergent after they kidnapped Kuwei; she wanted to turn her back on Ketterdam and never return; he wanted to bring it to its knees, rule it like a shadow king. After the auction Kaz got his power, Inej got her freedom and they found a way to forge a future together. Until it had been taken from them, at least.

Later, when they were alone in their quarters he’d asked her to marry him.

“Why?” she asked, her eyes searching for something she wasn’t going to find.

“Because the odds of us surviving will sink to zero at some point. Because if we’re going to die I want to go to the other side as your husband.”

“I will not marry you out of fear, Kaz.” She’d said it softly, tenderly, her voice heavy with regret.

He knew the words were coming before she even opened her mouth. The knowing did nothing to quell the pain in his heart as she said them. Kaz didn’t argue with her, but later, when they were in bed and the distance between them felt greater than the breadth of the True Sea, the thread that connected her to him felt perilously thin.

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