bonus chapter (woh) ─── secrets
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𝕶az Brekker was not a nervous man. In fact, Stasiaj had very rarely seen him nervous but she was beginning to pick up on something different in the man. Most men, when nervous, sweated everywhere, licked their lips and darted their eyes around a room and Stasiaj was used to that as she often caused it. Kaz was a different type of nervous.
He didn't stutter and trip over his words, nor did he sweat or lick his lips but he was starting to avoid her and Stasiaj knew what that meant. Looking into the mirror, Stasiaj watched Kaz undo the cufflinks that held his cuffs together, placing them into a box on the dresser.
"How was your day?" Kaz hummed, not looking up as Stasiaj took the war paint that she kept on her face. "Wow, I got so much from that. Thank you."
"It's too late at night for sarcasm," Stasiaj narrowed her eyes again. There was no flirty comment in retort and no threats of death to show his love. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"I'm working. You know this," Stasiaj cocked an eyebrow, as she watched the man. Kaz never forgot things, especially when it came to Stasiaj and who she was blackmailing on that particular day. He always "Something's wrong. What is it?"
"Why do you think that?" He cocked an eyebrow, brushing into the bathroom. Stasiaj glanced up at the tall man, who was unbuttoning his shirt to check on a recent injury from a fight that he had gotten into with the new Dime Lions. "Can you stitch this?"
"I thought I stitched it yesterday," Stasiaj raised an eyebrow at Kaz's dodging of the question. He nodded. "Good day or not?"
"Good day," Kaz muttered, and Stasiaj pulled the first aid kit from below the sink, checking the injury quickly. The man shivered as Stasiaj's fingers traced over the wound and made sure that most of the stitches were still intact. She did it quickly, before patching it up and standing back up to press a kiss to his cheek.
He caught her hand before she could walk off, pulling her back into his arms so that he could push her hair from her face.
"You know that I love you," Kaz muttered, in a moment of softness that didn't normally happen, and Stasiaj nodded, standing up on her tiptoes and pressing a kiss to his lips. He was hesitant to pull away, resting their foreheads together. "It's just work things at the moment. It'll clear up."
"Are you sure?"
Kaz nodded, before shooting her a rare smile and letting her go so that he could use the bathroom.
Despite Kaz's reassurance that everything alright with them as a couple, Stasiaj still held some reservation. So, even whilst the man slept peacefully next to Stasiaj, she fell into a restless thought pattern, trying to work out what was going on with him.
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Stasiaj didn't get her answers, which annoyed her, not until three days later when Kaz and her went out for a morning walk through the university district so that they could pick up treats at the bakery.
It had become a tradition for the pair, over their years of being a couple, to try and spend some time together each day, even if it were only a few minutes. Both of them were busy with work so they cherished the moments that they alone.
Kaz was dressed in his typical dark coat, leather gloves on and his crow cane in his left hand. A sharp glare was on his face, cold eyes watching those around him cautiously, though they melted whenever he glanced down at Stasiaj. She leant further into his arm, happy that there were little to no people around to make him uncomfortable.
"What are you getting from the bakery today?" Kaz murmured, as the quaint bakers came into view ahead of them.
"One of those apple pastries," Stasiaj smiled up at him. "It was delicious last time."
"I wouldn't know considering you stole it from me," Kaz rolled his eyes, as Stasiaj smiled and squeezed his arm as he opened the door for her. The couple, who run the bakery, smiled at the two criminals. Despite the bizarre odds, Stasiaj and Kaz had struck up a sort of friendship with them, though they doubted that the bakers knew that both of them had, and still were, renowned criminals and mob bosses. "Good morning."
"Good morning and what a great day to be about!" Stasiaj giggled as she watched Kaz, who's face still displayed the same nonchalance, interacted with the baker, Fredrick. It always made her laugh at how different the pair were, yet somehow it worked.
"What would you like?" Fredrick's wife, Mila, smiled at her, a box already open. The woman knew that Stasiaj and Kaz would turn up at this sort of time to get breakfast pastries, so kept everything ready for them.
"An apple pastry. Kaz?"
"The custard one," He muttered, going back to talk to Fredrick in a monotonous sort of way.
"Oh and a caramel one and the powdered almond," Stasiaj added on, knowing that Ivarn and Malkus would kill her if she didn't bring them back food. "Thank you, Mila."
"Have a good day, Stasiaj," Mila sent her a grin, and Stasiaj's senses picked up. Something was going on.
"Are you ready to go?" Kaz took the box from her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before Stasiaj could ask what was going on, leading her outside and to their home in the richer district of Ketterdam.
"I wonder what that was about?"
"Who knows," Kaz replied. They threaded through cobbled streets, under archways and past buildings and homes that were beginning to flicker to life. In the distance, Stasiaj could make out Ketterdam's church where the auction had taken place all those years ago, it's spires peeking out from above the rooftops.
Instead of continuing back towards their home though, Kaz took a different turn, leading her up further into the university district and finally though a small door in a wall. Stasiaj's eyes narrowed, pausing in the doorway to watch the man.
"Are you coming?"
"What are you doing?" Kaz cocked an eyebrow, his face paler than normal. "Have you been plotting to kill me?"
"Is that the best you could come up with?" He shook his head, and Stasiaj's eyes narrowed further. "No, Stasiaj, I'm not going to kill you. Come on."
She hesitated, before taking Kaz's outstretched hand and allowing him to lead her into what turned out to be a walled garden beyond that.
"So not trying to kill me then,"
"No," Stasiaj grinned, before turning around to admire the garden, unaware of Kaz's dilemma behind her. The walls were stone, covered with moss and lichen, bringing out the brightness of the flowers in front of them. Stasiaj smile softened, turning around to thank Kaz, only to find him struggling down to one knee in front of her.
The girl's eyes widened, her brain short circuiting.
"Stasiaj..." He held something out to her and Stasiaj's hand started to tremble in shock. "I don't do sappy things, so I'll cut to the chase. Will you marry me?"
"Why do you have to make it sound like a business transaction?" The girl choked out, before nodding. "Yes, Kaz. Good day?"
"Good day," He muttered in response, as Stasiaj flung her arms around the man, clinging to him tightly. Kaz winced momentarily, his knee throbbing slightly, but he wrapped his arms just as tightly around her. For a moment, he thought that she wasn't going to say yes and that's why it had taken him so long to do this. "Do you want the ring?"
Stasiaj laughed, pulling away from him so that she could kiss him softly, a smile on her face that grew into a teasing smirk once more.
"I told you I'd get you on your knees in front of me again,"
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It turned out that both Kaz and Stasiaj were terrible at telling others about anything going on in their lives, including (but not limited to) the fact that they were engaged and then that they married soon after in a courthouse with Malkus and Ivarn, along with some other vipers as witnesses.
It had only been afterwards that Stasiaj awoke with a start to slap Kaz.
"Kaz!"
"What?" He had growled.
"We didn't tell the Crows," The pair froze, sending each other looks of equal parts horror and then slight fear. "And I might not have told my brother."
"Shit,"
"Yeah, shit,"
They'd then gone back to sleep and had been putting off telling the remainder of their friends and respective siblings for fear of any of them trying to get revenge.
Now, near to three months later, Kaz and Stasiaj were wondering whether they'd perhaps left it a little too long.
"Kaz," The man looked up as Stasiaj came in, sliding a cup of hot coco in front of him. She knocked the back of their knuckles together gently, knowing that whilst working Kaz wasn't as big on physical contact. He reached up, wrapping their fingers together and pressing a feather light kiss to Stasiaj wedding ring finger. Both of their rings were threaded through chains, that wrapped around their necks under their clothes, for fear of other gangs and criminals finding out. "Inej has just arrived in port and guess who hitched a ride back from Ravka with her?"
"I'm not going to like this answer,"
"Nope," He sighed, turning to look at her.
"Let me take a guess, Nina?"
"Yes and worse. My brother as well," Kaz sighed as Stasiaj pressed a kiss to his dark hair. "I think we might have to tell them about the engagement and then marriage."
"Do it at dinner. Gives us a chance to enjoy their company before they decide to try and kill us,"
"If they do, I'm leaving you behind oh husband of mine,"
"Charming," Kaz pressed another kiss to her hand, before letting her go. "I'll ask Malkus to send a letter to Jesper and Wylan to come round for dinner."
"Good plan,"
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It soon came to the end of dinner, and neither Kaz nor Stasiaj had felt that it was in their best interest to reveal their news. Stasiaj laughed at her brother's anecdote, her cheeks blushed red as she joined in on Nina's loud laughter. It had been a while since they had all been back in the same place and Stasiaj relished in the feeling of her family back around her once more.
"So, have you two been causing trouble?" Inej asked from opposite Stasiaj, a small grin on her face. "Running an empire?"
"You know us too well, Inej," Stasiaj winked at her. "Kaz controls the whole Barrel now and you'll be glad to know that an old acquaintance of yours had an unfortunate accident recently."
"Oh really?"
"Yes. She was out in the country and had a farming accident,"
"In her house," Kaz nodded his head.
"Tragic," Stasiaj and Kaz shared a look, both of them sending each other half smiles. "Nikolai, you were never here nor heard that."
"No, I don't think that the Ravkan aristocrats would take too kindly to learning that the princess is murdering people," He rolled his eyes, before snickering about something. "It's quite funny actually. Now that you've been revealed to be alive, Zoya keeps getting asked for your hand in marriage."
"Well that's awkward," Stasiaj muttered, her and Kaz sharing another glance as he took a sip from his glass. The table fell into silence, before Nina glanced between the pair.
"No way," Stasiaj and Kaz both raised their eyebrows. "You didn't, did you?"
"Do what?"
"Did you two get married?" Nina said. Kaz merely shrugged, and Stasiaj could only hope that the heat of the room was hiding the flush that was beginning to race towards her cheek. "You did! You've got married and didn't tell us!"
"What are you? A psychic?" Stasiaj asked, ignoring Nikolai's stare on her face. Her brother's eyes had narrowed and Stasiaj recognized the expression immediately, as she often used it to stare down her vipers when they somewhat disappointed her. "Okay, everyone, let's not overreact."
"You got married and didn't tell us?" Jesper asked, his jaw wide. "We live two doors down from you."
"Kaz, a little help here?" The man, in question, was having a stare down with Nikolai, both of them looking moments away from drawing guns and shooting each other. "Or not. Yes, Kaz and I got married but it was only a little affair at the courthouse. Just me, him, Malkus and Ivarn."
"That's it?"
"Yes," Stasiaj grinned in what she hoped was a convincing way. "We should celebrate now you know."
"We should," Inej called, the calmest of the Crows as Wylan chuckled on her other side. "When did you get married?"
"Three months ago."
"Kaz!"
"What?"
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Hiya,
My headcanon for these two is that (cause Kaz and Stasiaj aren't the most emotionally developed) they wanted something small with just close, close family and then didn't tell people because they're both criminals. I then think that when Nikolai found out, they had another wedding because Stasiaj is royalty and everyone thought it would be good for morale in Ravka so they had a bigger wedding
Let me know what you think and if you want more bonus chapters,
Love Li xx