#sophiessongficevent

[sophierequests]

songfics!!! okay, i've had this idea in my head for a while now, haha the song nothing by bruno major with kaz brekker.

just think about it<3 and if you don't feel it, no worries!!

grateful you're mine

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Pairing: Kaz Brekker x f!Reader

A/N: Omg, this song is so cute, I can't- I have to admit that I actually had too many ideas on what to write about, so I picked the one where they don't spend the majority of their time in Kaz's office. Just to spice some things up lmao. I changed the scenarios in the song a little bit, so it would fit into the Grishaverse. I hope you like this, and thank you sm for the request, love!!! <333 Also, this is a bit ooc for Kaz, but the song just SCREAMS domestic Kaz and I live for that.

Summary: Kaz spends a completely ordinary evening with his partner, but wouldn't even dare to trade it for anything in the world.

Genre: F L U F F

Word Count: 2.6K

Warnings: Established relationship implied, domestic Kaz, alcohol mention

Kaz’s bad leg ached as he strode through the murky streets of Ketterdam, his cane rhythmically clicking on the wet cobblestone. A particular exhausting job robbed him of all his energy and the only thing he wanted to do today was to go home. When he reached the Slat he considered going inside - it’s where his room was, after all - but he quickly passed it. His home was somewhere - someone - else.

The walk to the West Stave district wasn’t long, but the biting cold wind forced him to pause occasionally, the discomfort getting too strong. While he climbed up the stairs of the slightly unfashionable flat building, he pulled out a small brass key that he kept safely tucked away in one of his inner coat pockets. He reached the familiar wooden door, unlocking it straight away and stepping into the cosy flat he knew all too well. As soon as he silently closed the door behind him, the smell of herbal tea, freshly baked bread and a distinct floral perfume filled his nose. He recalled a time when he tried his best to conceal the faint scent of this exact perfume that still remained on his clothes after returning to the Slat - futilely attempting to cover it with his own cologne. But now, he didn’t even seem to notice it - and if he did, he didn’t mind.

Slowly, Kaz took a look around as if he hadn’t been in here before. He let his eyes wander over the open living and kitchen area. A game of chess that had yet to be finished was still laid out on the tiny side table next to the cushioned couch and the old leather armchair. Books were scattered all over the already sparse space, but they somehow managed to never be in the way. The loaf of bread he had smelled as soon as he entered stood on the kitchen counter, a light coil of steam still emitting from it. His observations were interrupted when he heard the pattering noise of running water from the bathroom.

He sighed, taking off his coat and hat, hanging them on the coat rack, next to which he also placed his heavy boots and cane. The wooden floor underneath him creaked slightly when he made his way other to the armchair, where he allowed himself to sit down, stretching his legs out to release the tension that had been plaguing him for the entire day. His eyes almost threatened to close the longer he sat in his seat, but he was pulled away from the oncoming feeling of sleep when he heard the tap getting turned off, and afterwards a person shuffling around inside the bathroom.

The door opened and the person he had been craving to see the entire day stepped out, her hair still wet from the shower whilst she buttoned up the oversized black shirt Kaz had claimed to have forgotten here once. Against his usually bitter expression, a smile crept on his lips as he realized that she was humming one of his favourite songs, which she only knew because he taught her the words when she had heard him humming it. She didn’t seem to see the man that was currently lounging in her living room, since she was way too focused on walking towards the kitchen, grabbing the kettle and filling it with a bit of water. Even though he could continue watching her forever, he still decided to make her aware of his presence, not wanting to scare her too much once she’d eventually turn around.

“Do you mind also making me a bit of tea, darling?” he asked, his voice breaking her soft hums.

She squealed, her body whipping around as she held the kettle firm in one hand, ready to throw it at the unknown intruder. When she realized who had just startled her like this, she put the kettle down, gripping the counter with one hand, while she clutched her heart with the other.

“Saints Kaz, do not scare me like that ever again.” she huffed out, a sly smile forming on her lips, “Next time, I’ll genuinely cave your head in with Ghezen knows what.”

“I apologize.” he smirked, grasping the armrests and pulling himself up to walk over to her, "I didn’t intend to startle you.”

“It’s alright, I just didn’t think you’d swing by today.” she began, giving him a quick smile before she turned around to fill the kettle, “I heard that the job was quite rough, Kaz. You didn’t have to come over. I bet a good night’s sleep wouldn’t hurt.”

“The job was rough. That’s why I wanted to see you.” he cooed, sitting down on one of the stools behind the counter.

A faint rosy blush settled on her cheeks, as she put the water on the stove, letting it simmer until it had the right temperature to pour two mugs of tea.

“You’d rather spend the evening with me than go out and celebrate a successful heist with the others?” you chuckled, leaning against the cupboards behind you.

“Yes.” was the only thing he said, while he continued watching her.

“Love, did someone hit you on the head? You’re way more domestic than usual.”

“No.” he breathed out, “I just waited to see you the whole day, and now I finally do.”

She snorted, shaking her head with an adoring smile on her face.

When the water was finally hot enough, she poured themselves a cup of tea each. She chose rooibos tea since she had unconsciously memorized that he mentioned it being his favourite. From that point on, she always made sure to have some in stock for him. Before he could take the tea from her hands and move back to his seat, she mustered him carefully, cocking her brows.

“Did you at least eat something today?” she asked, a playful accusatory tone laced her voice as she spoke.

“You know me better than that.”

“Then it fits perfectly that I just made some bread. You’re not leaving this flat without having eaten something.”

Now it was his turn to shake his head. She was way quicker than most to catch on whenever he needed something. Whether it was food, help or just comfort, she always seemed to know exactly what he wanted.

Without complaining, he accepted the tea and the plate that was placed in front of him, a piece of bread and some butter followed soon after. They didn’t talk much while they ate, only silently enjoying the other’s company. It was a mundane scenario, sitting together and eating, but it felt right to him.

After they had finished eating and migrated over to the living room, she suggested that they could finish their game of chess, knowing exactly that Kaz probably wouldn’t be able to win. Nevertheless, he agreed. And even if Kaz’s options had been better, he probably still would’ve lost. Instead of focussing on the game, his gaze seemed to constantly shift over to the girl sitting across from him. She was completely concentrated on the figures in front of her, biting her lower lip as she thought about the best opportunity to beat him. He couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the way she smiled, whenever she was able to beat one of his sloppy moves or how she looked back up at him after he managed to outsmart her once in a while. If anyone else would sit across from him, he wouldn’t have allowed them to beat him this easily, but with her, winning didn’t matter.

“Check-and-mate!” she called out, chuckling as she snapped his last figure off of the board, “I think we should start looking for a different board game to play, you seem to really suck at chess.”

“Don’t get too bold, love. You’re only able to always win because you’re just way more appealing to look at than that ancient wooden board.” he cooed, his voice weirdly desolate of its usual sarcastic tone.

“That is disgustingly sweet. Especially coming from you.” she blushed, retrieving two wine glasses and a matching bottle from the drawers underneath the side table.

“Are we celebrating something?” he asked, one eyebrow raised as he watched her pour the red liquid into their glasses.

“Yes, we’re celebrating your presence.” she giggled, pushing his glass over to him.

“That’s hardly something worth celebrating, is it?”

“It is to me.” she retorted, her voice stern but not harsh, “And if we take into account that we are in one of the most dangerous places in the entirety of Ketterdam, being alive and well should definitely be something worth celebrating.”

Kaz paused at that comment. The Barrel and every district surrounding it was filthy, dangerous and not the ideal place to live in. He had been stabbed, ambushed and captured more times than he could count on one hand, but still, he was alive. It barely ever appeared to him that all of the ordinary tasks and rituals he’s able to spend with her were never promised. Through the simple flick of a wrist or shot of a gun, he was able to drop dead on the spot, so the plain fact that he was currently able to sit next to her - no worries clouding his mind or immediate threat in sight - was more than enough.

She began talking again, asking him about the mission, the Crows and the Club. The usual discussions they had, whenever he decided to pop by. He told her about the many errors Jesper made again, trying to not be too mean to him since she would definitely scold him if he dared to drop an insult. He described how the mission went, leaving out all the parts where he got hurt in order to not make her worry too much. He also talked about the newest shenanigans the Crows had been up to. Apparently, they started catching on to Kaz’s occasional visits to you and were now berating him to talk about his new so-called crush. If they would only be able to see him right now - no gloves, comfortably lounging in your armchair, and a content smile on his face - they’d probably all go mad.

After he caught sight of one of the thick romance novels on the ledge next to your window, he remembered that he still had one of the books you had lent him a while ago sitting in his bag. He promptly reached for it, pulling out the well-read book and putting it on the table in front of her.

“You finished it already?” she giggled, her cheeks now slightly reddened by the alcohol flowing through her veins.

“Of course I did.”

“I thought you didn’t like to read these kinds of books?” she grinned, mocking his tone of voice whilst saying the last few words.

“I never said that I did enjoy reading it.”

“You so did.”

“You have no substantial proof.”

“I have an amazing memory, that is proof enough.” she said, picking up the book and flipping through the pages, “Wait, did you add your own annotations? I didn’t enjoy it my ass!”

“If you tell anyone about this, I’ll make sure to never associate with you again.” he replied playfully, chuckling as she saw her toss the book aside.

“I would never, even though I know that you wouldn’t dare to break up with me. I want to stay the only person that gets to see this side of you, Mr Brekker.”

Kaz smiled right back at her. He didn’t like to admit it, but this side of him wasn’t all that bad. It had been scary at first, trying to let go of the icy exterior and name he had made for himself, but being vulnerable had its perks.

“Shit,” she gasped suddenly, “Do you have any idea how late it is? You should really get back to the Slat before the solicitors of the White Rose get out and start wrecking some shit again. They’re getting more questionable day by day.”

“Do you want to get rid of me so bad?” he smirked, raising a brow.

“What? No, of course not!” she exclaimed, “I just didn’t think that you would want to stay after such a long day, and I really don’t want to drag you into something you don’t want, because then y-”

“Have I told you lately I’m grateful you’re mine?” he interjected abruptly, causing her mind to override, as she felt her cheeks warm up again.

Whether it was the alcohol talking or his genuine blissful feeling of the moment, none of them knew, but much to her surprise he didn’t take it back. He didn’t even try to play it off.

“Alright, Brekker, you really are tired, that’s for sure. Let’s get you to bed.” she giggled, standing up to get him some of the rather comfortable clothes she had stowed away for the nights when he decided to stay with her.

Kaz quickly changed into his night clothes - a long-sleeved black sweater and a loose pair of black sweatpants. She had seen him like this a hundred times before, but it always felt strangely vulnerable to stand in front of her without his usual formal attire. He’d get used to it after a few minutes, but the first few minutes could be quite difficult.

She was already in bed when he sauntered out of the bathroom, reading one of the newer novels he had gifted her a while ago. When they first slept next to each other, she had put up a pillow barrier between them, just in case one of them would have an especially restless night, and actually touch the other. It took Kaz a few months to get used to sharing the bed with someone, though it only happened sometimes. But when they began working on his touch aversion together, he asked her to remove the pillows. And it worked. He still felt oddly proud of this achievement, even though it was far from what other ordinary couples may do at night.

He crawled into bed right next to her, closing his eyes as soon as his head hit the pillow, while he listened to the sound of her periodic yawns or the sound of her fingers turning the pages.

“Last chance to leave, Kaz.” she chuckled, closing her book and putting it on the nightstand next to her.

“Not going to happen, darling.” he muttered, suddenly feeling way more tired than he had before, trying to stifle one of his own yawns.

“Was that a yawn, love? Did doing nothing with me for the whole evening tire you out so much?” she said softly as she turned off the light, leaving the room to only be illuminated by the dingy street light that was visible through the window.

Her statement flashed through her mind for a quick moment. She was right. He could’ve spent the evening with the rest of his team, celebrating their newest achievement and having way too many drinks at the Crow Club. She also could’ve spent her evening differently, going out and having a night out with her friends. But somehow, none of them seemed to care that much about the apparently wasted time. Because to them, it wasn’t.

“No, there's nothing like doing nothing with you.”

[sophierequests]

oh ho ho im back like i said i would be >:D

🌟-laughing on ghe outside by bernadette carroll with nikolai? bc ANGST!

laughing on the outside, crying on the inside

Navigation┃Main Masterlist┃Request

Pairing: Nikolai Lantsov x f!Reader

A/N: I'll just leave that fic without any comment babes...

Summary: Your relationship wasn't going to work out anyway, so why did leaving it behind you feel so wrong?

Genre: Angst. No fluff.

Word Count: ANGST! You asked for it babes, and I am sorry- Also, it was not intentional to post this just as you reached 125 followers, but here we are hehe. ALSO, CONGRATS LIZ WHOOP WHOOP!!!

Warnings: Some insults and rudeness? Pain? Breakups? The usual angsty programme

You watched the noblewomen crowd around the young prince like birds of prey, swooning and giggling, latching onto every syllable he said. The number of girls surrounding him seemed almost ridiculous, but who could blame them? Prince Nikolai was indeed a pleasure to look at. His striking blond hair was slightly messy, but not messy enough to make him appear unkempt. He wore a tailored blue military suit, golden details and embroideries completing the look. He was the perfect Lantsov poster boy. It wasn't a surprise that all unmarried young royals would try to have their shot with the handsome prince of Ravka. Still, all that fuss about him made your heart ache.

To anyone else, it probably was rather surprising that you were getting this worked up about all of the women swarming him. You were neither of royal blood nor had a family that possessed many riches, so you really had not even a fleeting chance to be romantically involved with Nikolai Lantsov. That was what everybody else thought. Unbeknownst to most, you and Nikolai had been in a relationship for quite some time now. It was something you were keen on keeping a secret from the general public, however, people started to pick up on how much time the two of you spent with each other and naturally, rumours started to spread like wildfire. You never mentioned it to Nikolai, but it wasn’t a rarity for the servants to run their mouths, calling you nasty names behind your back.

As if he sensed your discomfort from across the room, his gaze met yours, a playful grin on his lips as he focussed back on the conversation he had with a particularly persistent merchant’s daughter. Even this simple gesture made your cheeks flush a slight pink that you tried to play down as good as possible. That didn’t work. Zoya was at your side in a matter of seconds, giving you a cheeky smile as her eyes darted from him to you. She was one of the few people that were aware of your relationship, and she did her best to tease you relentlessly about it.

“Still swooning about your fairytale prince?” She asked in a low tone, loud enough for you to hear every word, but not too loud for anyone else to hear. You gave her a slight jab to the shoulder, but still let out a soft laugh. Her presence eased your discomfort greatly. Now you at least had someone that didn’t just see you as the prince’s plaything. However, she couldn’t keep you from your self-destructive thoughts forever.

Nikolai would have to choose a bride eventually. And there was no point in denying that this bride certainly wouldn’t be you. No matter how much Nikolai attempted to assure you of the opposite. He would probably be disowned if he ever even decided to present you to the court. It was foolish thinking otherwise, but you couldn’t stay away from him, and neither could he.

“Let’s get something to drink,” Zoya suggested, seemingly noticing your discomfort. She linked her arm with yours, basically dragging you away from the spot where you had been standing for almost an eternity. “I haven’t had a drink for the whole evening and I am definitely not drunk enough to listen to the King’s speech. I need to be at least slightly tipsy to survive that whilst staying sane.”

“I would have to be close to being passed out to listen to that.”

The two of you quickly weaselled through the buzzing crowd, careful not to step on anyone’s feet or crash into some extravagantly dressed merchant or military couple. But before you even knew it, you unintentionally bumped into a group of Grisha, all dressed in their finest keftas. Even though it was an accident, the girl that you hit the hardest glared at you, a scowl on her face as she eyed you up and down. You expected her to leave it at that and just move on, but the next words that left her mouth hit you like a brick.

“Watch where you’re going. You may be the prince’s whore, but in the end, you’re not worth more than a mere commoner. I wouldn’t be proud of being Lantsov’s mistress.” Her voice was harsh and laced with straight venom. The other Grisha gave you mocking smiles, straightening their backs and continuing to walk away, leaving you in shock.

Her words shouldn’t have hurt as bad as they did. You knew that your frequent visits to Nikolai’s chambers didn’t shine the best light on you, but the fact that even people outside of the Grand Palace were beginning to create this narrative made you sick. Is this really what you wanted for your future? After all, you didn’t even stand a chance to be chosen as his wife, so what exactly should become of your relationship? If you continued the little game you were playing, you would truly end up as the prince’s mistress. Was that something you wanted?

Zoya considered running after them, but when she noticed your blank stare she decided that you needed her attention more. In an attempt to calm you down, she tried to put her hands on your shoulder comfortingly, but you just shrugged them off, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed with all the noise and all the people around you. To try and save yourself from crying in front of a whole ballroom filled with the wealthiest of wealthy, you excused yourself, hurrying off to your own chambers without waiting for Zoya to respond.

However, the Saints didn’t grant you the wish of sulking alone in your room for the night.

It was just past two bells in the morning as three knocks sounded at your door. The fête was still in full swing, judging by the noises that could still be heard, even from your room. You groaned as you shuffled towards the door, rubbing your face to wipe the tear stains off of your cheeks. You had a feeling that you already knew who would stand in front of your door before you even opened it.

“Y/N? What are you doing in there? Are you alright?” Turns out your feeling was right. Nikolai’s voice sounded from the hallway outside your room, obviously perplexed by your sudden departure. You truly considered whether you should open the door, or whether you should just feign being asleep to make him leave, but knowing Nikolai, he would find a way to get into your chambers.

After wiping away the tear stains on your face, trying your best to look at least a little bit presentable, you pressed down on the handle, now being faced with a worried and absolutely dishevelled-looking prince. His face relaxed ever so slightly when he saw that you were alright and safe in your room, but it instantly went back to a frown as soon as he realized that you must have been crying. You took a step back, allowing him to enter before shutting the door behind you.

“Darling, what is going on?” He took a step forward, his hands moving to cup your face, but you dodged his attempted affectionate gesture. It wasn’t like you didn’t appreciate his concern, but you just needed to put some space between the two of you. “Y/N, what happened?”

“Nik, I can’t do this anymore.” Even though you hadn’t even said the words, Nikolai’s face already dropped. He sucked in a harsh breath as he eyed you closely, silently praying that you weren’t going to say what he was thinking. “I can’t keep on doing this. It’s just not working. No matter how hard we’re trying to continue this, it’s just not going to end well. You’ll have to marry eventually and we both know that I’m not even an option, so why do you even keep on stringing me along?”

“Who said you weren’t an option?”

“Everyone! Nikolai, you’re the prince of Ravka for Saints’ sake, you know that your parents would pretty much disown you if you would even consider marrying me. Just think about what the people - your people - would say.”

“Why should they care? Many royals have married commoners and were open about it, so why shouldn’t we have the same privilege?”

“Not many royals marry their mistresses though, do they?” Silence filled the room, creating an even uneasier tension between the two of you. He was visibly taken aback by your comment, so he didn’t say anything for a moment, only letting his gaze travel over your face in disbelief. You could see the confusion on his face, as you tried your very best not to take every single word back. But this was better for both of you. You were doing this for your respective futures.

“What are you saying? You know that you’re not my mistress, Y/N.”

“Everyone else seems to happily disagree with that. And I don’t blame them. They all think that I am just the prince’s little whore and I won’t put up with this anymore. I’m sorry, Nikolai, but it’s for the better.”

“So this is what this is all about? Tell me who these rumours come from and I’ll make sure that they never get spoken again, but please don’t do this. I can’t lose you.” He grabbed your wrist to stop you from moving away, but you couldn’t bare to look at him. The fear of all your walls crumbling back down as soon as your eyes met his was too strong.

“No. My decision is final. Please leave.”

“Y/N-”

“Get out.” You didn’t recognize the voice that just uttered these words. They seemed way too cold and stern to come out of your mouth. Nikolai, however, let go of your hands at once. You could see the hurt behind his eyes, but he did his best to put on a brave face. His lips were pursed as if he was about to go against your command, but he thankfully decided against causing any more distress to your already shaken-up state.

“Is this what you really want?” He asked gently - one last attempt at saving your relationship. But you just nodded tightly, blinking away the painful tears that were already building up in your eyes. Was this really what you wanted? To just throw away everything the two of you had worked so hard on preserving?

“Okay.” Nikolai almost whispered, his previously hurt expression had morphed into a stern one. You hated how good he was at controlling his emotions. It was a trait that you never had the pleasure of sharing. And in moments like this, you needed it more than ever.

He straightened out his back, giving you a barely noticeable nod before turning around and walking towards your door. You felt your heart shatter, knowing that this was probably going to be your final chance to talk to him and explain what was going on, but something inside your head tried to tell you that it was better this way. You could go and find someone closer to your societal standpoint, and he could happily marry someone that could give him the heirs he deserved without having to worry about keeping you around.

“I hope this decision will make you happy. I really do.”

“It will.” You weren’t sure whether he actually heard your last sentence since he was gone before you could even muster up a proper response. Now, you were left alone in your room again, just a bit unhappier than before. But you should be happy, shouldn’t you? The relationship wasn’t healthy for either of you, so the breakup seemed to be the only viable solution. Why did it gnaw at you so much?

The following days were pure torture. It became painfully aware that breaking up with the man you still had to work for wasn’t one of your most glorious ideas. Everyone else around you noticed the way the two of you began to avoid each other, even though you were doing your best to hide the underlying tension by pretending as if nothing had happened. This façade didn’t manage to fool everyone.

“For Saint’s sake, what is going on between you?” Zoya hissed as she tried to casually catch up with you in the hallway without breaking out in a sprint. She had obviously caught the way you distanced yourself from your former boyfriend and made it her priority to figure out what was happening.

“Not much anymore.”

You heard the footsteps behind you halt abruptly after your nonchalant statement. This was probably not what she had been expecting to hear from you.

“What?”

“We broke up.” You turned around to face the Squaller that was still standing in the same place as before. The look on her face was a mixture between shock and confusion - maybe even a small hint of disappointment, but you weren’t too talented at deciphering Zoya’s facial expression. She had always been quite fond of your relationship - whether that was because you kept him from getting on her nerves every once in a while, or because she was just happy for you, you didn’t know - so you knew that she wouldn’t take this information lightly.

“You’re joking?”

“I’m dead serious, Z. Some things just aren’t meant to be.” You answered with a slight shrug, playing off the unease that overcame you after saying that. You couldn’t let something like this get you down. Not now, and not ever.

“I don’t understand.” Zoya finally managed to move from the spot she had been rooted to, again picking up her pace to walk by your side. “I thought you were so happy with each other? What happened?”

“We decided that it would just be better for us to go our separate ways. Our relationship wouldn’t have led anywhere realistically, so this was the best solution for both of us.” She cocked her brow at that. This wasn’t something that she was used to hearing from you. The girl she knew would have done everything in her power to fight for what you and Nikolai had, but now? This didn’t feel right.

“And you’re not sad about that at all?”

“It was inevitable, Zoya. There’s no need to cry about something that wouldn’t have worked anyway.”

“But-”

“No buts. We’re both better off like this. I promise.”

Turns out you weren’t.

Even though you went on about your usual everyday tasks as you always did, it still felt wrong to act as if your separation was mutual and happened without any conflict. You still went out with your friends to get drinks or celebrate a new military achievement, no matter whether Nikolai was coming along or not. Judging by the way you presented yourself, no one would know that you had just broken up with the man you had foolishly hoped to spend the rest of your life with.

But even though you tried to keep up the beaming and unbothered appearance, you weren’t happy. You missed him in every way. His presence, his touch, his comfort - just everything about him. Giving each other the cold shoulder didn’t necessarily help the situation. Still, you told yourself that you would eventually be happier without him. Until then, you just had to continue pretending.

[sophierequests]

🌟 Bubble Gum by Clairo with Zoya Nazyalensky and F reader if that's alright? Maybe it could be angst with happy ending. Also congrats on 100 :D

it's obvious i wanted to

Navigation┃Main Masterlist┃Request

Pairing: Zoya Nazyalenksy x f!Reader

A/N: You can serve me any Clairo/sad sapphic song, and I'll eat it right up, so thank you sm for this request kdkgksg. I had too many scenarios in mind, so I did struggle a bit, but I hope that I was able to produce something coherent.

Summary: Zoya can't admit that she likes the reader, and it starts getting difficult.

Genre: Angst to Fluff

Word Count: 2.9K

Warnings: None really, mention of an alcoholic beverage maybe?

She had been avoiding you for nearly two weeks and everyone seemed to have noticed. It admittedly wasn't hard not to notice. But still, nobody else could make sense of Zoya's sudden isolation. If it had been anyone but you, most people wouldn't have questioned it, but you had always been closer than most.

So what happened?

There was no point in denying that Zoya had developed feelings for you. No matter how hard she tried to push them away, to treat you just as a friend, she couldn’t deny that she liked you. Nikolai had already tried to convince her to confess at least a thousand times, but she knew that she wasn’t able to.

Love had never been a priority in her life. Not even her family had cared about whether she loved the man or not before they basically tried to sell her off like cheap cattle. After the many men that had taken advantage of her since then, she decided to never fall for anyone again, only focussing on the thing that made her who she was - her Small Science.

But things had changed.

From the moment she met you, she knew that you weren’t like that. You were sweet and kind. So sweet, that whenever you were close to her, she couldn’t even form a coherent sentence. Her throat felt like it had been sewn shut, whilst she desperately tried to hide the blush on her cheeks. 

It was embarrassing - humiliating even. She was a General for Saints’ sake, and she couldn’t properly talk to a girl that she had a crush on? What was happening to her? She didn’t even believe that she’d have a realistic chance with you, so why was she so afraid? 

Nikolai and Genya had also noticed her odd change in behaviour whenever she was around you, and of course, they decided to convince her to ask you out.

“Zoya, come on. Everybody knows that you like her, why don’t you just tell her? I’m pretty sure that she already knows it too.” Nikolai groaned after she had been too focussed on staring after you instead of listening to him.

Her head whipped around as her face contorted into a frown. His pesky comments didn’t ease the forming knot in her stomach. 

“It shouldn't matter to you whether I tell her or not. Keep your nose out of my business before I make it even more crooked than it already is.” she threatened, avoiding his sharp glance by shuffling through a stack of documents.

“Z,” Genya’s oddly calming voice sounded next to her, “we are your friends, it does matter to us. It would do you some good to have someone you genuinely care about.”

For some reason, this irritated Zoya. Caring for someone, and loving them was something she had to learn the hard way. But she had also learned that she could lose them just as quickly, especially when she held onto them too tightly.

“So that I can mourn her when she inevitably dies because of me?” she snapped, shooting both an icy glare, “I’m not risking it. Just drop it.”

They did, in fact, stop talking about it for a bit, but still, everyone knew that Zoya herself would not be able to put some space between you.

Everything just seemed to get even worse once she genuinely had the chance to tell you how she really felt.

Their group - consisting of Nikolai, Zoya, Tolya, Tamar and you - had decided to stay in a quite questionable boardinghouse close to the harbour of Novyi Zem. The terrible weather circumstances delayed your departure for at least another day, so you all felt more comfortable just renting a handful of rooms. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the best you could do.

Much to Zoya’s dismay, they had to share the rooms, leading to her and you being assigned the same one. She was sure that Nikolai was responsible for this particular room arrangement, but she didn’t have the energy to fight him about something like this. 

Begrudgingly, she put her bags down next to yours, whilst you already began to sort your things. Carefully arranging everything that you would need for the following days. Her eyes constantly travelled to the single bed that stood in the middle of the room, about which you didn’t even seem to care.

“I hope you don’t mind having to share a bed with me. I promise I don’t snore. At least not as loud as Tolya.” you chuckled, looking up at her with a wide smile.

She felt her heartbeat accelerate as she futilely tried to force back her own smile. Again, her throat felt almost swollen when she opened her mouth to answer you.

“Oh, I, uhm, I don’t really mind. The situation isn’t ideal, but I could’ve imagined having to share the room with someone worse.” she stammered, cheeks flushing red.

“Good to know.” you grinned, zipping up your bag and standing up, “Are you hungry? I’d suggest we head out and grab something to eat. I’m starving.”

“We have to be careful, though, we’re not locals an-”

“Saints, Z, I didn’t think that you’d turn out to be so afraid of a simple evening stroll.” you joked, already putting on your coat.

Zoya sighed, feeling uncomfortable by the prospect of going outside alone, but she tried to shake off her worries. The growling of her own stomach was getting too loud to ignore. Without thinking about it too much, she also went for her coat, following you downstairs and into the almost empty streets of the city. Most people were already at home or still inside the buzzing pubs, so it wasn’t odd to see the occasional group of townspeople stroll out of the adjacent buildings, ready to go back home. 

Eventually, you settled for one of the dingier-looking pubs, since it was one of the few food places that were still open. It was surprisingly crowded, so you had to choose one of the corner tables, that only allowed you to sit right next to each other.

Great.

The next hour was hell. Your shoulders were touching. Constantly. Occasionally, she could feel your breathing fanning across her neck, whenever you would turn your head to talk directly to her. Her situation wasn't improved when she accidentally mistook your glass for her own, flinching at the unexpected bitter taste of beer running down her throat.

"Oh! Zoya, that was my drink!" you laughed wholeheartedly as you noticed the sour expression on her face. 

"I noticed." she coughed, shoving the glass over to you.

The coughing almost intensified, when she watched you bring the drink up to your own mouth. Your lips were in the exact same spot as Zoya's had been only mere seconds earlier. That certainly didn't ease the utterly dreadful feeling that had formed in her stomach.

Even though you had already finished and paid for your food, you still decided to stay a bit longer before stalking back upstairs. The closeness was still rather uncomfortable for Zoya, but the tumultuous pub kept her distracted, so she agreed to wind down here a bit longer. 

"So," you began, a smirk on your lips as you angled your body towards her, "You and Nikolai, are you a…thing now?"

Zoya almost choked on her own spit as she let your words go through her head. She and Nikolai were strictly friends - colleagues even - nothing more. At this point, she wasn't sure whether she was glad that she had been able to hide her obvious crush this well, or if she should cry about the fact that she was now being questioned about her dating life by said damned crush.

"Me and Nikolai? What makes you think that? We're not a couple. I would've already strangled him if that would be the case."

"Oh, just a thought. You seem to be so comfortable around each other." you commented, giving her an expression on your face, that she could not quite read.

“I can assure you that there is nothing going on between me and Nikolai. Absolutely nothing.” she assured you again, not wanting to provoke any rumours.

You only laughed at her panicked insistence, taking one last sip from your glass before taking a deep breath.

“So, is there anyone you might find…interesting?” you asked, looking right into her eyes.

“What? I don’t, uhm, have my eyes on anyone in particular, no.” she stuttered, not being able to pry her eyes away from you. 

Her mouth was oddly dry, causing her voice to sound rougher than expected. She couldn’t tell you that it was you that she liked. What if you didn’t like her back? What if you would never be able to look into her eyes again? It was too much of a risk. But something inside her told her to at least keep the conversation going.

“What about you?” she asked, immediately regretting it after she saw the blush that rushed to your cheeks.

Of course, you liked someone. How could you not? 

“It’s…difficult, but I do like someone. But I highly doubt they like me back. They are not the feelings type of person, but I don’t blame them.” you chuckled bitterly, bouncing your leg slightly underneath the table.

Against her better judgement, she wanted to reassure you. Maybe if you found someone else - someone better - she could be able to get rid of the feelings she had for you.

“Maybe they never showed any feelings towards you, because they feel the same, but just don’t want to get hurt?” she said, the statement hitting a bit too close to home.

You threw your head back, continuing to look at her, a glint of hope in your eyes.

“Is that how you feel, Zoya?” you asked, your voice barely a whisper.

“What?” Zoya breathed out.

She understood what you implied, but she didn’t believe it. Why would you like her?

“I like you. A lot.” you mumbled, growing quieter as you saw the shocked expression on her face.

At this point, she was glad that you weren’t a Heartrender, because if that would be the case, you would’ve definitely heard the way her heart thumped inside her chest. You were still so close. The perfect distance to lean forward and kiss you. 

Instead, she just shook her head, standing up abruptly while she apologized hectically.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I- I can’t- I don’t. I’m sorry.” she muttered before shaking her head and standing up.

"Zoya, wait!" you tried to call after her, but she had already rushed towards the door.

No matter how fast you would've jumped up and ran after her, you wouldn't have been able to catch up to her. And you doubted that she would've appreciated it, so you continued sitting there like a kicked puppy until the impulse to walk back towards the boarding house hit you. She wouldn't be in your room, but there was nothing you could do to help. Maybe leaving her with her thoughts could be useful.

No one had an idea where Zoya stayed that night, and no one dared to ask. From then on, she avoided even looking at you. It was an awful feeling and both of you knew that you wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. However, the trip home was spent in complete silence between the two of you.

And now you haven't had a proper conversation, or even proper eye contact, for almost two weeks. It was gnawing at you, and you felt the urge to go up to her and apologize, however, you didn't want to risk her blowing up on you and ruining all of your chances at reconciliation. So you didn't, no matter how many times Nikolai or Genya tried to get you to. It felt childish and immature, but you didn't do it out of spite, rather out of self-preservation.

Zoya didn't enjoy the tense situation either. She wanted to talk to you, to tell you about her day, and even to tell you that your feelings weren't unrequited, but whenever she tried to speak to you, all of the words she could've said stayed stuck in her throat.

One evening, however, she tried to swallow it. 

You were curled up in one of the armchairs that stood in the seating area around the fireplace in the common room, probably reading some new novel or poetry collection Tolya had lent you. You looked good - peaceful and undisturbed. She recognized the shirt you wore since it used to be the one she complimented the most - a deep blue button-up blouse that fits you perfectly. Your calmness made her contemplate going back to her chambers, suddenly not feeling too brave about talking to you. But she couldn't turn back now, or else you might never talk to her again. And she had been through worse, so this really shouldn’t be as big of a deal as she made it out to be.

She made sure to shut the door behind her as loudly as it was deemed acceptable, making your gaze shift towards her in an instant. When you gave her a quick smile instead of greeting her in your usual cheery tone, she knew she had to make the first move. Zoya sighed, sitting down as close to you as she could, without it being too obnoxious for you, or overwhelming for her.

"Y/N." she started, breaking the silence and actually addressing you for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.

It almost felt strange hearing your name leave her mouth, so you had to consider your imagination playing a trick on you. Looking up at her pleading face was more than enough to convince you otherwise. You shut your book gently, placing it down on the side table next to you and focussing completely on her.

“Zoya.” you repeated her name back to her, patiently waiting for her to start talking.

When she didn’t continue talking, you gave her a knowing smile. Gone was the brave and stoic Zoya, now she had been replaced by the insecure little girl she secretly was, whenever she was genuinely scared.

“Zoya,” you said again, “if you’re worried that I’m mad at you for what went down in Novyi Zem, I’m not. I understand, and I also understand that it made you feel uncomfortable. I’m sorry. But can we please put it past us and start talking again?”

Your voice brought her back to reality. This was exactly not what she wanted. 

“No.” she started over again, slower this time, “I mean, yes, I want us to talk again, but I- you didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. At least not like that.” 

“How did you feel then?” you asked cautiously, not wanting to undo all the courage it must’ve taken her to even consider talking to you, “You can be honest with me, you know that. I won’t blame you for your feelings.”

“I didn’t expect you to say that you liked me back. You were so close and everything was too much. I was…overwhelmed, and I didn’t know what to do, so I just ran. I’m sorry.” she admitted, her eyes roaming the room as if she had never seen it before.

“Back?” you inquired, your heart had only latched onto one syllable.

“What?”

“You said that you didn’t expect me to like you back. What are you insinuating?”

“I’m saying that I like you too.” she answered quickly, not wanting to repeat herself again, and also strictly avoiding your lingering gaze.

“So what you said, about being scared of me hurting you, that was how you truly felt?” you asked further.

“Yes.”

Much to her surprise, you didn’t laugh at her for having such immature worries. She of all people should know better than that. But you didn’t. Instead, you stood up from your seat, moving over to the sofa she was sitting on. Again, you were right next to her, one of your hands on her shoulder as you resumed talking, softer this time.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? We could’ve skipped the last two weeks of silence.” you said calmly, your gaze drilling holes into the side of her head.

“I don’t know. I just feel like I can’t talk properly whenever I’m around you, and I can’t pinpoint why. I’m sorry.” 

“Oh Zoya, don’t apologize.” you tried to reassure her, rubbing slow circles over her back, “I think we’re going to be alright.”

Zoya felt your warmth again. The damned warmth that made her run away the last time. This time, she decided on the opposite. 

Without overthinking it, she leant toward you, her hands cupping your face as she pulled you closer. Your arms wrapped around her fully, as you felt yourself getting pulled into a kiss. Her lips were slightly chapped, but you didn’t mind, the welcome feeling of her body flush to yours made your head spin. Her eyes were still closed when you pulled away, her forehead dropping to rest against your shoulder.

“I would’ve kissed you then if I had-” she started, but you just shushed her.

“I know.”

[sophierequests]

hi sophie!! how are you? i saw your post about yourself and i'm here to say that english is also not my fisrt language and i've been trying to write here so i can improve the language and it's so difficult, i swear sometimes i think my head will explode, so i just wanted to say that i respect you so much for writing so well in a language that's not your native, you are incredible <3

and, also, i've come to request for the songfic event! i was thinking zoya for the character and paper rings by taylor swift for the song, if you could do that i'd love it! oh, and i saw that you hate to wear pants and SO DO I, so if you could do y/n with that trait as well, it would make my day!

anyway, thank you very much for your storys, i love them, and congratulations for the followers!

i'd marry you with paper rings

Navigation┃Main Masterlist┃Request

Pairing: Zoya Nazyalenksy x f!Reader

A/N: Hi!!! I'm doing good, now that I'm on semester break lmao. Thank you so much for the kind words, I appreciate them more than you know. Writing is something that I was always very fond of, so naturally I used it to get a bit deeper into language learning, and I am so glad that people like my writing kagkdgkagd. I completely know that feeling of my head being about to explode, trust me, sometimes I can't even write a coherent sentence, but it's important to try! So I'm really proud of you for actively trying to improve!!! I'm sure your writing is amazing <33 I really enjoyed writing this fic, even though the formatting is kinda icky imo, I hope you still enjoy it! Also, #pantshatersupremacy

Summary: Zoya and the reader recall some of the most important incidents in their relationship.

Genre: Fluff, Comedy

Word Count: 3.1K

Warnings: Mention of being thrown against a tree (platonically), slightly enemies to lovers, but not really, marriage

“Do you still remember the night when we first met?” you asked, looking down at Zoya, who was currently laying in your lap, absent-mindedly fiddling with the fabric of your skirt.

She had taken you out for the day, and ended the evening with a nice dinner in her chambers. ‘Date nights’ weren’t something you got to have often, so you tried to use every chance you got to spend a day together. Now, you were curled up in a lounge chair on one of the balconies, gazing up at the starry night sky, whilst a vibrant full moon loomed over you. If anyone else would see Zoya right now they probably wouldn’t be able to believe their eyes, seeing the stern General Nazyalensky cuddled up with her girlfriend, the usual scowl on her face completely gone. Thankfully, this side of Zoya was only reserved for you, so you never felt the need to feel jealous.

“Of course I do.” her deep blue eyes met yours, a content smile on her lips, “Why?”

“Oh, the full moon just reminded me of that dreadfully awkward walk back to the Little Palace.” you giggled, causing her cheeks to glow in a faint red.

“Oh Saints, don’t remind me.” she huffed, actively recalling said night.

Your former captain and close friend, Nikolai Lantsov, had summoned you to the Grand Palace, asking for you to join his small excursion group in their advance against the Darkling. At first, you were sceptical of his real intentions. You were a well-versed Healer that had proven to be quite helpful to his crew when he was still tailored to look like Sturmhond, but of how much help could you possibly be when it came to defeating a creature such as the Darkling? Especially when he already had two quite capable Heartrenders on his side.

Against your better judgement, you still decided to follow his request and attend one of the first meetings with your soon-to-be friends and travel companions. When you arrived at the grand sitting room that the young royal called his own, you were already greeted with quite a few familiar faces staring at you. You recognized the two twins -Tamar and Tolya -, knowing them from your time spent working on board Nikolai’s ship. Nikolai sat at his wide wooden desk, an ancient-looking map was spread out in front of him. A stunning auburn-haired girl lounged on one of the sofas, leaning on the shoulder of a rather timid Fabrikator. You had never seen them before, but judging by their dynamic you assumed that they had to be the infamous Tailor Genya Safin and one of Nikolai’s most trusted Fabrikators David Kostyk. The penetrating stare of the last person in the round gave you goosebumps. A young woman in a well-kept blue kefta sat on the sofa opposite the twins, her silky black hair fell over her shoulders perfectly. She couldn’t be much older than you, but her icy expression gave her a certain maturity. You were sure that you knew who she was, but the right name just didn’t want to pop into your head.

“Y/N! What a pleasure to have you back.” the blond began with a welcoming grin.

It was odd seeing him look like this. The blond hair, straighter nose and fine clothing made him appear like the nobleman he secretly was, however, it posed such a stark contrast to the image of the cocky privateer that you were acquainted with. You’d definitely have to get used to this sight if you were forced to work with him for a longer duration.

“You already know Tolya and Tamar, so I suppose I don’t have to reintroduce you three.” he continued, while the twins gave you a quick wave.

They hadn’t changed a bit, and you were glad that you could at least rely on knowing two people.

“These two lovebirds are Genya Safin and David Kostyk. I’m sure you have already heard of them?” he inquired, pointing at the couple you had already identified upon entering.

“I have. It’s great to finally meet you.” you answered politely.

Genya returned your greeting, giving you a warm smile back, whilst David only nodded politely, silently agreeing with the pleasantries of his partner.

“And this,” Nikolai paused for a second as if looking for the approval of the black-haired girl, “this is Zoya Nazyalensky. She is one of the best Squallers you will ever meet.”

Realization hit you like a brick. This was Zoya Nazyalensky - the woman that you had heard so much of? She was as beautiful as Nikolai had described her to be, even though she was a lot scarier than you had imagined.

You only gave her a curt nod and a friendly smile, none of which she actually returned, before taking a seat in the armchair that you were offered.

The conference went over pretty swiftly with Nikolai talking the majority of the time - as you were used to. Occasionally, you could feel the eyes of the woman you now knew as Zoya latch onto you. Whenever you added something to the conversation, she seemed to think that you were one of the dumbest people to ever exist. Her eyes would constantly roll back when you made a new suggestion, and she let out a dissatisfied huff when you even thought of correcting a previously uttered statement. You had the sinking feeling that you probably would not get along with every member of this fucked-up little mission group.

At the end of the gathering, only Nikolai, Zoya and you were still situated in the sitting room, the others had long retired to their respective beds. If you thought of her previous looks to be downright insulting, the one she displayed now really took the cake. Even Nikolai appeared to be slightly taken aback by her hostility towards you. Nobody seemed to know the reason why she seemed to be so irritated by you. You didn’t exactly fit in with the people she was used to, that was true. You had never trained at the Little Palace like most of the others, you weren’t well-versed in court etiquette, you didn’t wear the red Corporalki kefta, instead opting out for long dresses and skirts, and you definitely weren’t used to all of the formalities that it would take to work with the prince of Ravka. You were quite the mess, and Zoya definitely wasn’t the person to take care of that.

“Alright ladies, as much as I would enjoy discussing these matters more thoroughly, I am in desperate need of some beauty sleep, so I’d suggest we wrap this up now.” he yawned, rolling his shoulder blades slowly, “Y/N, I have managed to arrange a room at the Little Palace for you. Zoya may show you the way.”

The raven-haired girl gave him an annoyed glare, turning her head to look at you as if you were one of her unwanted chores. It was obvious that she didn’t intend to spend any more time with you than she already had, especially not alone. You had no clue what caused her dislike towards you - you only knew since this afternoon, for Saint's sake - but you were keen on not giving her any more reasons to detest you.

“Nikolai, I really don’t think that’s necessary. I am perfectly fine to walk back there on my own. Just tell me where to find the room and I’m off. You don’t have to supply me with a babysitter.” you tried to argue, solely to be silenced by a dismissive hand gesture.

“Zoya will bring you back to the Little Palace. I have already decided that. It’s way too dangerous for you to go there alone and I don’t necessarily have any interest to look for a new Healer to accompany us. And since she also resides at the Little Palace, I doubt that it will cause any discrepancies, will it Nazyalensky?” he grinned, a devious glimmer in his eyes.

“I suppose it won’t.” the Squaller grumbled, throwing him another distasteful glower before turning away to leave, “As long as she hurries up. I don’t particularly enjoy waiting.”

You gave Nikolai one last anxious smile, already in motion to follow your involuntarily assigned tour guide. She kept a brutal pace and you weren’t whether she did it to spite you, or it was her genuine walking speed. When she passed some of the servants that were scattered around the halls, they scurried away quickly, clearing the path instantly. At this point, you weren’t sure if you wouldn’t be safer going alone.

“You seem to have quite the reputation here.” you commented, foolishly attempting to start a conversation.

“You could say I do. It’s the only thing that helps you stay on top.” she replied, her voice unwavering as she stepped outside, the cold winter wind making you pause a bit.

“You know, I actually heard quite a lot about you.” you started again, carefully eying the subtle change of expression that flashed over the Grisha���s face.

“I’m left to assume that you only heard the worst?” she inquired bitterly, her breath being made visible by the low temperatures outside.

“Actually quite the opposite. Nikolai occasionally writes me letters and you seem to be quite remarkable. The only considerably bad thing he ever told me about you was, that he thought that you can be terribly stubborn sometimes.” you chuckled, remembering the content of some of his older letters.

“What a coincidence.”

“What do you mean?”

“I recall him saying the same thing about you when he proposed having you tag along.”

“Well look like we have at least one thing in common then, don’t we?” you laughed, looking at how the corners of her mouth quirked up for a split second.

The rest of the walk towards the Little Palace was mainly spent in silence with the occasional attempt at small talk, which was eventually shut down by a prolonged period of quiet. Even though she still seemed to be a bit hostile towards you, she wasn’t as dismissive as before.

You silently cursed your style of clothing when you saw the huge staircase leading up to the entrance of the Palace. The snow mixed with the length of your skirt made the ascend pretty risky. But you would be damned to ask for help, knowing that she probably thought of you as frail already. More or less graciously, you clutched some of the fabric of your skirt, hiking it up just as far as you needed it to be. Zoya looked at you incredulously as she watched you cautiously climb up the staircase. Whether she thought your behaviour to be entertaining or irritating, you didn’t manage to realize.

After almost reaching the top, some of the fabric slipped out of your grasp, causing you to unexpectedly step on it. You let go, trying to stabilize yourself futilely as you stumbled backwards, already bracing yourself for the utterly painful fall. However, you didn’t fall for long. Before you even knew it, two hands held on to your waist, pushing you back up as gently as they could. In an attempt to steady you further, you felt her body press against yours, her hot breath hit your neck as she patiently waited for you to collect yourself again.

“Saints,” Zoya hissed, one of her hands still situated on your lower back, “I thought you used to live on a ship? How can your balance be that off?”

“Sorry,” you mumbled, slightly taken aback by her harsh tone, “I must’ve accidentally slipped on my skirt.”

Zoya huffed, quickly taking her hands off your back before walking up the few leftover stairs, leaving you an embarrassingly flustered mess. Did you really begin developing a crush on someone as unapproachable as her?

After she wordlessly guided you up to your room, she gave you a curt nod and then disappeared back into the hallways of the Palace, only hastily reminding you not to be late for the next meeting tomorrow.

“I am so reminding you of that!” you giggled, causing Zoya’s cheeks to flush a deep red, “Because after that, you just ignored me for the next three weeks!”

“Yes, because I was mortified after that!” she snorted.

“I should’ve been the one to be mortified. A girl that looked as if she wanted to kill me only mere minutes ago, basically saved my life! How are you supposed to react to that?”

“I did not look that threatening.” she shot back with an offended expression.

“You so did.”

“Well, I beg to differ.”

“Would you like me to ask Nik-”

“Absolutely not.” she interjected, giving you a playful jab to the ribs, “And for the records, I only ignored you for two weeks. I counted it.”

The following weeks were spent in a constant cat and mouse chase. You tried to approach her, and she pulled away. It made working together a shit ton harder, especially when Nikolai tried his absolute best to make the two of you like each other - at least to the extent where she wouldn’t be close to leaving the room as soon as you entered. You spent the majority of your free time with the red-haired Tailor, with whom you had developed a fast friendship. She told you quite a lot about Zoya, making you feel almost a bit stalker-like, but your curiosity got the better of you. Especially when you still weren’t even close to figuring out where her view on you came from.

After a certain incident, however, she changed her attitude towards you.

You just wanted to take a casual stroll along the training grounds, watching all the Etherealki train their Small Science. When you spotted Zoya standing a bit further away from the others, apparently trying out different intensities of her wind blows. In hindsight, it was absolutely foolish to even attempt to get closer to her since it was clearly visible that she was completely focused on her craft. But if you have to be stupid, you better be tough. Because as soon as you stepped closer, calling out her name in a friendly greeting, she swirled around, visibly startled. The next thing you knew was suddenly being lifted off your feet, forcefully getting thrown against a tree.

Zoya let out an uncharacteristically worried gasp, dashing over to you as quickly as she could. You weren’t in life-threatening danger by any means, but her unexpected reaction had knocked all the air out of your lungs, leaving you a coughing mess on the dirty ground. A few other Grisha rushed over to you, already beginning to chastise Zoya for her actions, but she only gave them a deadly glare, telling them to mind their own business and that she would handle this.

Apparently, she had called Tolya to help her carry you up to her room after you had blacked out from your short flying trip. When you woke up, you found yourself in a room you did not recognize - in a bed you did not recognize. You hastily sat up, wincing at the pain that shot through your back.

“What were you thinking?” Zoya’s voice almost made you jump as you began to recollect what had happened, “Did no one ever teach you that you shouldn’t bother people when they are training? I could’ve broken your spine!”

She wasn’t angry. That was the first thing you realized. She sounded rather concerned more than anything else. But exactly that was what unsettled you.

“I think that’s the first time you’ve properly spoken to me since the day I arrived.” you bemoaned sarcastically, rubbing your fingers over your temples in an attempt to tone down the headache.

Zoya was slightly confused by your comment, probably expecting you to lash out at her for smashing you against a tree. Her features softened after she let out a strained sigh, sitting down in the padded armchair next to the bed. It was a weird dynamic the two of you had established and no one dared to say another word for quite a while.

“I am sorry. That was absolutely unprofessional.” she muttered after a few minutes of utter and complete silence.

“What exactly? Ignoring my presence for solid three weeks, or flinging me against a tree?”

“Both.” she answered timidly, however, you could only laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

From then on, you began talking more. You still didn’t know why she had tried her absolute best to avoid you, but you weren’t going to poke a buzzing wasps’ nest. Much against the better judgement of almost everyone that had witnessed your relationship before, you two grew to genuinely like each other.

It came almost naturally, that she confessed her feelings for you. Just in a very Zoya-like way.

“Can you stop that?” she asked you suddenly, causing you to pause midst sentence as you were just recounting a possible solution to a military issue you had been discussing earlier.

“Stop what?”

“Stop being so damn likeable.” she groaned, throwing her head back and closing her eyes in dismay, “It’s irritating.”

You felt as if you had just been hurled against a tree again, all the air suddenly leaving your lungs. It wasn’t something you had expected. Not now, and definitely not from her. She didn’t even seem fazed by her statement. At least, she didn’t show it. She just continued looking slightly annoyed, while you secretly prayed that there was no Heartrender around because they might suspect that somebody was having a heart attack.

“What?” you asked dumbfounded.

“Saints, I think I have feelings for you.” she grumbled, rubbing her palm over her eyes, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

“Oh.”

“I can’t believe this was how you confessed your feelings for me.” you snorted, letting a hand run through Zoya’s hair, as her cheeks flushed a deep red.

“And I can’t believe that you only said ‘oh’ in response. What kind of answer is that?” she retorted playfully.

“I almost said “thank you” instead, so you should be glad that my brain wasn’t working properly.”

"Saints..."

After her questionable love confession and your also quite questionable answer, you had a long and very awkward talk about it. And talking about your feelings with Zoya is like talking to a brick wall. But eventually, you figured things out, leading to the point where you were at now.

Of course, things could be difficult. Zoya was far from an easy person to handle, her temper and stubbornness often getting the best of her, but you weren’t going to stop loving her just because she could be a bit complicated. She was more than happy to have you at her side. Receiving this kind of affection wasn’t something she was used to. However, since you entered her life, she felt like she could be more than just her small science. She was someone deserving of love, and you made sure to never let her forget that.

You had been quiet for quite a bit now, only occasionally massaging her scalp whilst humming some mindless melody. Your girlfriend wasn’t as calm though. She began to constantly shift in your lap, only slightly but still noticeable, whilst also letting out a strained sigh once in a while.

“Zoya, love, what’s wrong?” you asked, moving your hand from her chin to make her look up at you.

She closed her eyes for a moment before removing herself from your lap. Silently, she sat up, putting a bit of distance between you, as she angled her body to face yours. You were getting slightly worried when she took both of your hands into hers. Was she going to break up with you?

“Y/N, I’ve been thinking about this for quite a while.” she started talking, her voice slow and determined, “And I am not sure if this is the right time to do it, but it doesn’t leave me alone anymore.”

Zoya swallowed thickly, the grip she had on your hands getting tighter.

“We’ve been together for so long. You’ve seen every bad habit I have, and you never decided to leave. I never thought I’d have something like this, and I never want it to end. You’re smart, and kind, and so many more things that I can’t even begin to list - Saints, I am bad at this.” she paused, taking in a deep breath, “I guess the thing I wanted to say - to ask - is, will you marry me?”

The words only registered in your mind when one of her hands let go of yours, retrieving a small black box from her coat pocket. She didn’t open it yet, anxiously waiting for some sort of reaction coming from you, but you were too busy being overwhelmed by the whole situation. You always knew that you’d like to marry her someday, but the proposal still caught you off-guard.

“I know this is a terrible way to propose to someone, I didn’t think much about it, I just needed to-”

Her ramblings were cut off by your lips crashing against hers, causing her hands to land on your sides, pulling you closer to her body. Even though a kiss wasn’t the answer she had expected, she kissed you back, holding on to you as if her life depended on it.

“I suppose that’s a yes?” she whispered after pulling away, not letting you move away more than a few inches.

“It’s a yes. It’s always going to be a yes.” you whispered back, “I would’ve married you with paper rings if that’s what you would’ve offered me.”

[sophierequests]

🌟 yayayayayay! okayokay i have too many ideas rn but like, maybe something with David (shocker, wow :0) with the song "your text" by sundial?

ALSO IVE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, CONGRATS!

hey pretty stranger

Navigation┃Main Masterlist┃Request

Pairing: David Kostyk x gn! Reader

A/N: FIRST EVENT REQUEST AS ALWAYS!!! THANK YOU AGAIN LOVE AHHH <333 I never fully listened to this song before writing this, but it immediately gave me sm David energy!!

Summary: After meeting a pretty stranger at a party, they notice that they have more in common than they might've imagined.

Genre: Songfic, Fluff

Word Count: 1.3K

Warnings: mention of alcohol for a second

"Who's that?" you whispered to the red-haired girl next to you, while another pair of Inferni performed a fire show on the stage in the middle of the room.

Genya gave you a questioning look as she followed your glance. Her eyes landed on a thin black-haired man, wearing a purple kefta, who stood in the far back of the crowd. You had noticed the way his eyes drifted over to you every so often, but once yours met his, he looked away quickly, opting out to anxiously fiddle with his collar as if he was getting choked by it. At first, you had thought that he had been staring at Genya - and you wouldn't have blamed him - but it had become painfully obvious that his gaze was trained on you.

"That Fabrikator over there?" she asked, a sheepish smirk on her lips, "That's David Kostyk. I'm surprised that he even showed up, he's not the kind of person to go to parties like this. However, neither are you and I managed to drag you out here."

You didn't even need to take a closer look at him to realize that she was right. He looked incredibly uncomfortable with the situation he was in. And even though he stood as close to the wall as he possibly could, he still didn't seem at ease.

The man, who you now knew was called David, looked over at you again. You had to admit that he was quite good-looking, even with his unassuming exterior, slightly messy hair and the awkward stance he was keeping up.

"He’s been staring at me for a while now.” you noted, causing your friend to give you a sly grin.

“Has he now? Well, we should help him get a closer look at you, shouldn’t we?”

With that, she hooked her arm through yours, effectively dragging you through the crowd to the other side of the room.

“David!” she beamed, startling the shy Fabrikator, as he apparently didn’t expect her to approach him.

“Genya, it’s good to see you.” he shot her a small smile before he peeked at you.

“I was quite surprised to see you, but it’s so nice that you’re here.” she began, removing her arm from yours, nudging you forward a bit to get you closer to him, “David, this is Y/N. I don’t think you’ve met before.”

“Hi.” he breathed out, one of his hands travelling over his arm.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” you smiled back, not quite knowing where this was supposed to go.

“I’ll let you both mingle for a bit, I think that I remember Tolya telling me about Zoya needing some help. Have fun!” Genya said, giving you a quick wink before disappearing into the masses again.

Both of you stared at the other dumbfounded and a bit overwhelmed by the sudden confrontation.

“I like your kefta.” he tried, obviously slightly inexperienced in starting a proper conversation, “Even my celebratory kefta looks a bit worn out, but yours suits you. It looks… cute.”

You felt your cheeks flush at that last comment. There were many other Grisha wearing exactly the same outfit, but he thought you looked good enough to bring it up.

So, even though there still was an inherent awkwardness to your chat, you continued to talk. The topics switched between personal stuff, your Small Sciences or, much to your surprise, the melting points of different metals.

“How come I have never seen you around? You seem to be quite well acquainted with Genya and the others, so I would assume that you’d occasionally come around?” you asked.

“Oh, I’m not really the type to go out that much. I’d rather spend time in the workshops. Working with metal is way easier than working with people.” he sighed.

“I understand. Without Genya’s constant berating, I wouldn’t have even considered going here. Right now, I could already be in bed, or do literally anything else.” you chuckled.

“Looks like we have another thing in common.” he returned your smile, his cheeks faintly flushed - whether it was because of the champagne or the conversation, you couldn’t tell.

“Do you want to leave?” you inquired suddenly.

“I’d love to, but I don’t think that it wo-”

“Nobody will notice that we’re gone. It’s way too busy for that.”

“Let’s go then.” he agreed, taking one last cautious look around before trailing after you.

Once you were in the hallways, he took over and led the way to his workshop, eager to show you some of his newest experiments after you had expressed an interest in his craft earlier.

Inside the cluttered crafting space, he was happy to explain everything you wanted to know. Apparently, there weren’t many people that would listen to him ramble on about his interest, even though he was so enthusiastic to talk about it. You enjoyed talking to the introverted Grisha. He wasn’t as obnoxious and loud as some of the other people you knew, and you liked that about him.

Sitting in his workspace, whilst watching him work or listening to each other’s voices became a habit for the both of you. At the end of almost every day, you would sneak into the room with two plates of dinner in your hands, ready to talk about your day. You also began writing each other little notes, whenever you didn’t get to spend time together.

“Hey pretty stranger, don’t skip dinner again!

We’ll see each other tomorrow, don’t you dare to hide from me ;)” you would scribble on a note, putting it next to the plate you put inside of his bedroom.

Of course, he knew that it was from you. You didn’t try to hide it.

His notes were a bit shorter but still managed to rile up the oncoming butterflies in your stomach, whenever you read his cute notes.

“You looked cute today.”

“Your smile is very pretty.”

And many more little papers found their way into your room or pockets, whenever you were with David. At this point, you couldn’t even be sure whether his feelings towards you were platonic or not, since some of his notes suggested otherwise. However, you weren’t going to pry.

During another evening in the workshop, this question might’ve answered itself.

You were lounging in one of the rather comfortable office chairs across from David’s workbench, where he silently worked out a few different sketches for one of his new inventions. It wasn’t the rhythmic scratching of his pen on paper that caught your attention, it was the times when it stopped for longer than you would’ve expected. Whenever you averted your eyes from the book you were reading, his ones were already trained on you, staring at you, as if he was trying to build up the courage to do or say something.

“Why are you staring at me, David?” you smiled, giving him a playful wink.

“I’m not staring.” he stammered quickly, his gaze trying to latch onto something different than you.

“I saw you stare at me, don’t try to deny it!”

He let out a huff, leaning back in his chair, and carefully stroking the skin on his neck,

“I’d like to ask you something.” he started, “Would you like to go out with me next week? Saturday maybe?”

The question caught you off-guard, but you still felt a strange bubbly feeling rise up in your chest.

“What?” was the only thing you could muster - much to your dismay.

“I think I like you.” he stated, looking into your eyes again, as you were trying to collect the right words.

“And I hope you do too.” is what he added, barely audible, but you still heard it.

“I think I do too.”