Six of Crows Oneshots

Gilded

A/N: requested by Merrytwinketoes and this will be where Kaz and Jordie are a bit nicer to each other.
I'm sorry if this isn't up to standards I am NOT doing great rn at all but I'm trying. At the end there will be a space for requests again so if u already requested it I probably left comments, plz be as specific as possible bc I don't want anybody getting mad bc the one shot/story isn't what u wanted. Tysm for reading 🖤🖤🖤

Third Person POV
A man walked into the Crow Club late one night. He had the look of a farmer. Broad shoulders, thick arms, and tanned skin.

Funny, if any of the Dregs were dumber, they'd say the man looked like the inverse of their boss.

It was even more laughable, when the man wanted an audience with Dirtyhands.

But the thing that truly stopped the Dregs' secret laughter, was when Dirtyhands told the man to step into his office.

The Boss's eyes were colder than usual, colder than Fifth Harbor waters under mid-winter storms. His posture was tense, he seemed livid, but that was what Dirtyhands always looked like.

Jordie's POV
Jordan Rietveld came into Ketterdam to check on his large tradings. Usually, he left it to his assistant who lives in Ketterdam, but the farmer decided to get over the lingering fears, and travel to the awful city.

Somehow Jordie's feet carried him to Hertzoon's old office. The building hadn't aged well and was boarded up from viewers.

Jordie asked a passing man if he knew Hertzoon, and low and behold the man ended up flipping him on his back and threatening him!

That's when Jordie knew he'd met the infamous Dirtyhands.

But, Jordie trusted his mind, and knew that he knew the man from somewhere. And maybe that somewhere was a small farm, his farm. Even more of a maybe could Dirtyhands, the most dangerous boy in the barrel, be his long-dead brother.

So, somehow he'd ended up here, requesting an audience with Dirtyhands, and even more surprising is when he'd got one.

Lounging with a false relaxation, Dirtyhands had one glove on his cane and the other flipped a playing card between his two fingers. Jordie did not see the door behind Dirtyhands, or how it closed silently.

The farmer stepped into the Barrel Boss's office bravely, he wanted to get this over with. Half of his was regretting this foolish endeavor already. What if he was wrong? What if he was wasting the time of the biggest Barrel Boss in Ketterdam?

"What business?" There was that rock salt rasp again. So rough, like shattered glinting glass.

"Oh, um," Jordie hesitated. His mind was trying to trick him now. Maybe he was wrong? Maybe he should just leave?

No. He had to figure out the truth. He had to know is Kaz was alive. He had to apologize for all the wrongs.

"Alright, this is gonna sound crazy," he started. "But I think you look like someone I used to know-"

"Mr.Rietveld if you have come here to waste my time with such frivolous ideas, I suggest you leave." Dirtyhands used his cane to point to the door.

Jordie took a deep breath. Maybe he was wrong. Half of him hoped he was wrong.

"Nobody knows your true name. The only thing I can get out of the people on the streets is Dirtyhands, and I hear a whisper of Brekker. But I'm gonna take a leap here," Jordie leaned forward. "Your name is Kaz. Is it not?"

Dirtyhands noticeably stiffened, giving Jordie all he needed to know.

Jordie's voice was breathless, yet heavy with emotions he hadn't dealt with since he was fourteen. "I had a brother. His name was Kazimir Rietveld. And he looked a little like you-"

Dirtyhands cut him off. "Your brother is dead."

"I'm not so sure anymore-"

"I said, Mr. Rietveld, your brother is dead." He spit the name like venom.

A heavy silence hung between them, crackling with The Barrel Boss's anger but laced with Jordie's hope.

The Barrel Boss's voice was calm, but slowly built with anger. "Two little boys died eight years ago of the Queen's Lady Plague. Something worse crawled out of the harbor. IF your little brother was alive, what makes you think he'd want to see the brother that got them plucked like some dumb pigeons by Jacob fucking Hertzoon?"

Jordie's heart felt shattered.

"Kaz, I-"

"Don't you fucking 'Kaz' me. You died, Jordie. You died and you can't bring back a lifeless corpse and expect me to call you brother again." The Barrel Boss stood to meet Jordie's eyes. Cold overstepped tea against too-dark honey. Both dripping with emotion, and one rage fully watered with tears.

He gaped for a minute until the broken words filtered out.

"I am so, so sorry Kaz. I'm sorry." Jordie wiped his honey eyes as tears flowed freely. "I know I should've protected you better. And...and I should've just been better and not have been so naive."

Kaz stared at him. Jordie could see a thousand thoughts running through his presumed dead brother's mine and Saint's above did he wish he could help.

"I'm not...I'm not asking for your forgiveness. To know you're alive and...mostly well is fine for me." Jordie wiped his eyes again, trying to just stamp the rampant feelings away.

Kaz looked winded, like Jordie had taken all the thunder and rage away from him as if taking candy from a spoiled child.

"Kaz, Saint's above just say something!"

"What do you think my forgiveness looks like, Jordie?"

Kaz's voice was tired. So unbelievably tired.

Both of them were crying now. Over steeped tea and too dark honey stared at each other over a desk.

"I don't know. And I probably don't even deserve it. But I'd like..." The farmer let his voice trail off as he thought, he could get punched for this. "I'd like to try and come back. Into your life. I'm not asking to be your brother again, I know I probably can't, but I wanna be in your life. Even if that means you need me far, far away."

Jordie hated that this might mean he could lose Kaz again. He'd found him again, but if he needed to give him up to keep Kaz happy he would. He'd leave. He'd go back to Lij and live his life knowing Kaz was alive and better in Ketterdam. Scarred and more dangerous than any other living man, but alive.

He stared at the Barrel Boss expectantly, seeing the emotions flit and cross his face microscopically.

Finally, Kaz looked up. He used his gloved hand to wipe a tear away. A smile cracked through the scar on his lip, and Jordie could swear the smile was his sweet little brother peeking through.

"I think I'd like that."

Jordie settled back from the edge of his chair.

"I think I would to."

A/N: requests:

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