GRISHAVERSE X READERS

ONE BY ONE [KAZ BREKKER]

Summary: Y/N is the only person left who Kaz has had since his childhood and he trusts her more than he trusts anyone.

Characters: Y/N (female), Kaz Brekker, Jordie Rietveld (flashbacks), Jesper Fahey, Inej Ghafa, Matthias Helvar, Nina Zenik (mentioned)

Warnings: death, mentions of violence, angst (hurt/comfort), blood

Word count: 2k

The Crow Club was silent today, just a few customers were over. It was probably because Kaz was on a heist with his Crows, and you have to admit, it was nice when the place wasn't booming with laughter all the time. You could talk to the bartender about the newest gossip for once. He always had fun stuff to tell. But this evening, you found yourself getting lost in memories - memories of how you got to Ketterdam in the first place. A little Grisha from the Little Palace, fled because she didn't want to become a personal tailor to someone and ended up in Ketterdam. She didn't know that she'd be working for a criminal gang fifteen years later.

—

You never liked living at the Palace. Despite everyone being jealous when you were taken from the poor area to live in luxury, sometimes you would have given anything so you wouldn't have been a tailor. The discipline was unbearable, you were hit with a stick on your fingers if you didn't get the desired results right away. But the next moment, the teacher used you as an example of a gifted one because you learned so fast. In just a few years, you had learned so much and were almost ready to work for someone. But you didn't want to go to gussy up some lady and be marked as her property, but you couldn't go home either. So you fled the Palace.

You tailored yourself to look older and stole a coat to keep yourself warm and to hide the kefta, praying no one would realize that you in fact were on a run from the Little Palace. You had made your way to Os Kervo and boarded a ship, no idea where it would take you. And you had ended up in a coastal city which smelled bad and was full of scary people - but you had no choice but to make it your home.

You were on your own for a few days, tailoring yourself to look different every day so when you stole food or clothes, you wouldn't be recognized. You had discarded your kefta the first night, putting it in an empty barrel after ensuring nobody saw it. But then, you had bumped into two boys - you immediately saw they were brothers. They introduced themselves as Jordie and Kaz, and you didn't remember how exactly it had happened, but you had ended up going with them. Just like that, you had a little family.

You learned that they worked for a man named Jakob Hertzoon, as errand boys. You got to a warm bed and good food for a few days, and Jordie promised that soon you would have your own place like that because Mr. Hertzoon had promised them to make them rich, but soon he had stolen all their money, and you were on the streets again. You used your tailoring skills to steal food, but it was a lot harder to steal when one sandwich or an apple wasn't enough, you had to make it three and go three times over. But you managed, and one evening Jordie promised that he'd work things out and get you on your feet. His last words from that night still echoed in your head - "our luck is changing".

But the next morning, he woke up with a fever.

The Queen's Plague wiped itself over the city, killing dozens of people in just a couple of weeks. You didn't get sick because of being a Grisha, and tried to help them heal the best you could. You snuck them food and water, stole blankets and tried to make sure they're warm, hydrated and made sure they ate. But you were no healer, you couldn't help them more than that.

One day after you returned from your food stealing trip, you saw them being taken away. You followed the carriage to the shore, begging the Stadwatch to check your friends again, but they didn't listen, holding you back when they laid them down on boats and sent them to the sea - Jordie stared to the sky, completely lifeless, but you saw how Kaz's hand twitched and lips moved. It looked like he was pleading for help, but nobody believed you when you tried to tell them. People just saw you as a desperate little girl, latching onto hope to the last straw when all hope was lost.