book quotes âł six of crows by leigh bardugo
"A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from the Barrel who had become something worse."
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Kaz Brekker can pick any lock. Inej Ghafa can scale any roof. Theyâre powerful, unbeatable, intimidating, talented but - can they handle pretending to be in love?
Whatâs this?? A six of crows fanfic??? You bet! This is my first fanfic for these characters and this fandom so some of the characterisation might be a little off but please bear with me whilst I find my footing! This fic in particular has not been edited and is also not set in the Grishaverse. More like a limbo between that world and ours. Whatâs most important to know is that they had to leave Ketterdam for some reason or other and are in a new town where no one knows them. Yet.Â
For @fleamontpotter because, well, Kayla youâre amazing and also the person I need to thank for getting me into soc in the first place !! Youâre so strong, so funny and so genuine. Thank you for introducing me to this bunch of idiots and for persuading me to write a fic. (Also shout out to @zeniik for also supporting me in this endeavour!)
read on ao3!
Saturday, 23:54
The Palace
Never in a million years would Inej had thought that this would be her most difficult job. Breaking Kuwei Yul Bo out of maximum security prison? Strong contender for top spot. Stealing forty million from Jan Van Eck? Sure. A routine heist with Kaz? I donât think so. Yet, there she was, in the middle of the ballroom, struggling to keep it together because, well, she knew why. She was struggling to keep it together because Kaz had his arm around his waist and was currently telling an earl how theyâd fallen in love.
Three Weeks Earlier
Tuesday, 18:06
The Waffle House
â- no way weâll be able to get in, itâs basically a prison. You canât -â
â- as if, you really think -â
â- not your best plan, Brekker, really -â
âWhat about through the front door?â Matthiasâ firm voice cut through the bickering and everyone turned to look at him. Even Kaz raised his eyes, barely a fraction, but that was something.
âDonât be daft,â Jesper scoffed. âTheyâre not going to welcome a crew of thieves to their party.â
âThey wonât be. Theyâll be welcoming two guests on the list,â Matthias said, leaning forwards on his elbows so they all head to crane their necks to hear him. âSpecht can forge the invites easily enough.â
âAt a cost,â Kaz said, speaking for the first time since they ordered. As everyone else had been arguing about ways in, the security, the risk, he had just been slowly working his way through his pile of waffles, listening. Inej knew he heard everything, whether or not he reacted. If Jesper had Kazâs poker face, heâd win a lot more games.
âSurely one youâre willing to fit?â asked Wylan. They all knew Kaz would fit any cost for this particular job. It was going to make his name.
âSo, me and Matt go through the front door,â Nina butted in. âAnd then what?â
âIt canât be you and Matthias,â Kaz said.
Nina scoffed and, around a mouthful of waffle and syrup said, âWell who else is it going to be? Jesper and Wylan? Doubtful.â
âBack off, weâd make great inside men,â Jesper said, petulant. Itâs a moot point though, and they all know it. Nina swallowed, stabbed another waffle with her fork, and made to add to her point. Kaz was ahead of her. And Inej was ahead of Kaz.
âIt has to be me and Inej.â Wylan choked on his milkshake. The others all shared a look and then laughed. Kaz was right though. What would be the point of getting Nina and Matthias in when they didnât have the skills to carry out the job? It would be tricky enough getting them in through the front door, let alone making a diversion to allow Kaz and Inej to sneak in without invites. It had already been agreed it could only be two people inside anyway. Any more and theyâd start to lose track. Kaz was the only one who could pick the locks and Inej was the only one who could cross the distance between the house and the safe house without setting off the alarms. âUnless any of you have suddenly learnt to walk the tightrope?â
Nina looked at Inej across the table, and Inej could tell she was trying hard to keep her eyebrows under control. Inej shrugged in response to the silent question. Iâll do what needs to be done.
âBut surely only youâd need an invite, Kaz,â Wylan said. âInej is the Wraith, she doesnât need the front door.â
âA couple is far less conspicuous than a man on his own,â Matthias supplied and Inej wouldnât be surprised if he was enjoying this. He hadnât taken his eyes off Kaz since heâd first suggested it.
âSo what, you guys are brother and sister?â Jesper asked, eyes alight with glee, and Inej frowned. They were all enjoying it. Nina wasnât bothering to hide her shit-eating grin, the absolute traitor.
Kaz sighed and made to stand up, pushing his now empty plate across the table. âWeâll be distant relatives of the earl. Weâre too young to be married so weâll be betrothed.â His eyes flicked to Inej for a second as he buttoned up his coat. âWe can work out a backstory later.â Then he grabbed his cane and marched out, the bell above the door jingling to announce his exit. They all watched him walk across the street in silence and then turned back to press Inej. But she had gone.
18:44
âI know youâre there,â Kaz said to the alleyâs shadows. Heâd know sheâd follow him, had felt her presence join him two roads down from the Waffle House. Usually, he waited for her to talk, if she ever did, but this time his patience had reached the end of its tether. He leant against the wall and waited, suddenly unsure if sheâd appear.
âEngaged?â Inej said as she landed softly in front of him. Clearly sheâd been tracking him from the roofs, her favourite method. Her face was unreadable. He knew his was just as blank.
âSomething tells me we wonât pass for siblings,â he said, tone flat. They might both have dark hair, but that was where their similarities ended. Kaz was the moon and Inej was the canal water it reflected on, although he suspected that that metaphor only worked for their appearances.
âYou realise this means weâll have to act,â she paused, and he could tell she was choosing her next words carefully, âlike weâre in love.â
âNever heard of an arranged marriage?â
âKaz.â Her voice was almost a growl and he wasnât sure how theyâd gotten there so quickly.
âIâm sure you can handle a little pretence.â A dig about The Menagerie would be too far. A dig about The Menagerie would never be on the table, not when Kaz was involved, yet it still hung in the air, the potential of it, and he could guess thatâs what sheâs thinking about.
âBut can you?â
18:50
Inej jumped before he could reply and she forced herself not to think about the flash in his eyes as she pulled herself up the wall. She reached the roof of one of the two buildings that made the alley and looked down to check if Kaz was still there. He was staring up, not at her, he would never be able to spot her, but she knew it was meant to give that impression. She sighed. Or maybe heâs just looking at the moon. Ninaâs voice in her head answered, doubtful.
The crescent-moon wasnât bright enough to guide her across the new city, and she longed for the Barrelâs familiar rooftops so wouldnât need it. The Barrel and its city was behind them now, and Inej needed to forget it. They couldnât go back. Thatâs why they were here, starting fresh, starting small - well in terms of numbers. This job was anything but small. Kaz wanted to make his name quickly, carve his place before anyone could try and threaten them. It was just them though, which was nice. It was a relief not to be second-guessing who to trust.
She swung herself across the last gap of her journey and landed easily inside her window. Though the city was unfamiliar, Inej knew how to travel quickly, whatever the terrain. She was sure to have beaten Kaz back, and possibly the others as well. Which is why she took the chance to wash herself, knowing that soon her room would be crowded with Nina and Matthias. It would have been alright sharing with just Nina. Matthias complicated things though. Well, Nina and Matthias, together, a duo, a package, complicated things. Mainly they complicated things at night when Inej wanted to be sleeping.
As she stood over the cramped roomâs basin and used the skinny bar of soap to rid herself of the dayâs grime, Inej thought about the job. About what pretending to be Kazâs betrothed would mean. What âa little pretenceâ would mean. Holding hands? Smiling at each other? Staring lovingly into each otherâs eyes? Kissing? Inej could handle half of those things, and none with ease. Kaz could most likely handle zero off the list, and they both knew it. Maybe, if they were lucky, their pretence would only have to hold for the time it took them to cross the ballroom. Inej didnât believe in luck though. She believed in her Saints and she wasnât sure they still believed in her.
A Week Later
The Slat 2.0
Friday, 10:17
âHow long have you been together?â Nina looked far too happy to have this job. So far, Inej and Kaz had been performing abysmally at what Jesper had nicknamed their âcompatibility testâ. Inej blamed Kaz. Kaz blamed Inej. They both blamed Matthias for putting them in this position in the first place. For the past week, Inej had fallen asleep thinking of all the different ways she could introduce her knives to Matthiasâ stomach, face, throat, legs, really any part of his body that presented itself. Kaz had taken to reminding Matthias that his only real use was for his muscles, despite this being mostly false.
âThree years.â
âA year and a half.â
Nina raised an eyebrow. âTheyâll gut you.â
âIâll have slit their throats before they can try,â Inej said, pointedly sharpening Petyr . She had also taken to bringing her blades to these sessions, as a reminder that she had the ability to kill anyone she wanted to before they could blink. It was unnecessary, totally, but it kept her calm.
âWeâll stick to three years. Itâs closest to the truth so itâll be easier to remember.â Kazâs suggestion was met with a grin from Nina and Inej imagined cutting both of their throats.
âExcellent thinking, Brekker. So, how long have you been together?â
âThree years.â
âThree years.â
âAnd how long have you been engaged?â
âA month.â
âInej?â
âA month.â
âBrilliant!â Nina cried, clapping her hands together. âAnd now from the top.â
Kaz sighed. âCan we take a break?â
âNot if you donât want to get caught! Now, how did you two meet?â
Inej answered monotonously for the rest of the session. They both knew the answers by now, and sheâd hope so considering that theyâd been going over the story every day since they came up with it. Most of it was the truth, or at least an adaptation of it. They had been working with each other for three years, so theyâd been together for three years. Everything was derived from something in their lives, including how they fell in love. Jesper had come up with it, and Inej had just managed to restrain herself from skinning him. âYou fell in love working together! Obviously!â Heâd declared, happening upon Kaz and Inej last Wednesday when they were first inventing the story. Kazâs glare had been enough to shut any coward up, but Jesper was immune to them by now. Heâd continued: âEvery job you got closer and closer until, eventually, the sexual tension was too much and you sealed the -â. Heâd only stopped when Kaz had rapped his cane on the floor twice, a warning.
Now Jesper wouldnât shut up about it. Whenever he caught her without Kaz, he would ask her how the engagement was going, if they were waiting to consummate the marriage. Wylan wasnât helping either. His favourite question was about Inejâs wedding dress.
Sheâd be relieved when, in two weeks, the job was over and sheâd never have to talk about engagements or falling in love with Kaz again.
Two Weeks Later
Saturday, 20:30
The Palace
âLooking dapper, as always, Brekker,â Jesper said in Kazâs ear as he and Inej joined the queue having their invites checked outside the palace. He was already regretting agreeing to having communications. It had been Wylanâs idea and, in truth, it was going to help. They wouldnât have to rely on signals to know when to act, or be worried if someone didnât show up to the rendezvous. Still, heâd rather not have everyoneâs voices in his head when he was trying to focus. It was hard enough with Inej holding his hand. Heâd had to buy a new pair of gloves, ones not adapted so he could easily pick locks, because he didnât want to risk a single brush of her skin against his. His usual ones were tucked safely in his inside pocket, ready for when he faced the safe.
âAnd I just look like a mess?â Inej asked quietly, facing Kaz so that, to everyone else, it would just like they were chatting to each other.
âYou look radiant,â Jesper said.
âAbsolutely stunning,â Nina added.
âPositively a blushing bri-â
âIf youâre quite finished,â Kaz interrupted, âshould we get on with the job?â He refused to look at Inej. If she was blushing, itâs not like he would be able to tell anyway.
âYessir,â Jesper said and Kaz could almost imagine his mock salute.
âIn position Wylan?â
âCheck.â
âMatthias?â
âUhuh.â
âJesper?â
âGuns at the ready-â
âNina?â
âYup. And Iâve got eyes on Rotty. Heâs waiting by the exit route for you.â
âGood, then letâs get to work.â He and Inej moved forward with the line and he continued to stare straight ahead. He didnât need to check she was ready, she was right next to him. Kaz was pretty sure he could feel her pulse flicking in her wrist. That couldnât be possible though. Rather that than no pulse at all, he reasoned. But it wasnât the time to start down that path. This was going to be an easy job. All he had to do was pretend to be engaged to Inej to get through the hall, and then they were basically finished. All he had to do was keep away from the memory of piled corpses and rotting flesh and blank eyes and lapping water and the stench and the
Kaz tightened his jaw. Not today, not now. Inejâs pulse was there. Even if he was only imagining that he could feel it. Everyone around him was living breathing beating alive. This job was going to be easy, over before he could think about it, and then his name would be made. All he had to do was pretend to be in love with Inej.
Book Moments: Harry looked at Ron and Hermione; their expressions reflected the mingled shock and gratitude he felt. He had never liked Scrimgeour much, but if what Lupin said was true, the manâs final act had been to try to protect Harry.Â