bonus chapter (woh) ─── royal balls
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"𝕶az! We're going to be late," Stasiaj called from the bottom of the stairs, applying her lipstick in the hallway mirror as she waited for the intolerable man. "You can be the one to explain to the Ravkans why we're not there on time if we do!"
"I'll tell them I was out committing a felony," Kaz descended from the stairs, smoothing out his coat as he watched her with glimmering eyes.
"Do that and I'll beat you to death with your cane," He chuckled softly at her words, before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Good day?"
"It'll get worse once we arrive," He muttered in response. "You look beautiful, Princess."
"You don't look half bad,"
"Thank you," He replied, as Stasiaj spun around to smooth his coat out. "You're nervous."
"I haven't seen my brother in a while," Stasiaj replied, as Kaz reached up to stop her hands from fussing over his tie. "Yes, fine, I'm a little worried."
"We've done these events before,"
"We've done events like these before when we were robbing the place," Stasiaj noted, as Kaz nodded.
"I can't argue with that," He grabbed his cane from beside the door, waiting for Stasiaj to shrug her own cloak over the dark green dress, that shimmered in the light like the scales on a snake. "No one's going to recognize us for robbing this place. It's been years."
"I may have gotten better looking over time but you still look like the exact same mob boss of the Barrel,"
"Considering you fell in love with me when I was a mere mob boss in the Barrel, I'll take that as a compliment," Stasiaj shot him another withering glance, before accepting his arm and letting him lead her from the house. "Stop fussing."
"Will I make you nervous?"
"I don't get nervous,"
"You practically tripped over your cane twice when you proposed to me," Stasiaj snapped back, a smirk on her face, as Kaz scowled.
"Sometimes, I think you bring things up to make me consider murdering you,"
"Kaz, you're going to make me blush," He sighed again. Despite both of them being decades older than their teenage selves, Stasiaj had never lost her ability to twist his words and annoy him to the depths of hell, just like he had not lost the ability to make her blush.
"I think you would know if I was trying to make you blush," Stasiaj hummed in agreement, as they hurried up the street and towards the house where Nikolai was holding the party for his birthday.
After many years, Stasiaj had finally moved out of the Den, leaving it to Ivarn and Malkus, who ran it as an orphanage. They were all still her vipers, and despite Stasiaj not actively being the Snake of the Barrel, they came and told her the goings on anyway. Instead of living at the Barrel, Kaz and Stasiaj had moved into the Merchers quarter in the upper ring of Ketterdam, finding that after everything in their life, they both enjoyed having time away from it all and being closer to Jesper and Wylan was an advantage.
"There's the happy couple," Stasiaj smiled as she saw Jesper walking towards them, Wylan on his arm.
"Jes!" Kaz rolled his eyes, as Stasiaj abandoned him to wrap her arms around Jesper and then Wylan, the trio talking in excited tones.
"I thought you didn't want to be late," Kaz murmured, reaching out for Stasiaj once more, as she came back to his side.
"Fashionably late is different," She rolled her eyes and Kaz sent her a small smile. "Plus, if I had told you fashionably late, we would have been terribly late."
"I think you're confusing you and I, Princess," Kaz reminded her, leading her after Jesper and Wylan to one of the larger houses, that was decked out in lights. "If I can recall correctly, you were the one who showed up late to a heist and almost blew the whole thing."
"If I recall correctly, we were going to stop speaking about that," Stasiaj glared at him, as they reached the open doorway, handing their invitations over. Kaz had tensed up at the sight of so many people in the room, and Stasiaj made sure to distance herself slightly.
Over the years, Kaz had come to terms with his trauma and often was far more able to express his love through physical touches in private, but he was not as at ease in public. He disliked the large crowds and bodies around him, just as Stasiaj still hated thunderstorms and boats.
"Kaz," The man turned to look at her, as Stasiaj shed her cloak and gloves, handing them to an attendant. "Good or bad?"
"In the middle," He murmured, handing his coat off to an awaiting servant, but leaving his gloves in place. Stasiaj nodded, waiting for him to make the first move to offer his arm, instead of reaching for it like she would on good days.
"If you wish to leave, we can go back home again," Stasiaj murmured, before plastering on a smile as they entered a ballroom. "In all honesty, these people are more snakes that I am."
"That's hardly possible," Kaz muttered, ignoring the stairs that followed them. Ever since Stasiaj had been revealed to be Anastasiaj Lantsov to the rest of the world, Stasiaj had been under scrutiny for being in connection with a lowly Barrel rat such as Kaz. Despite all of these years of being married, the upper class of both Ketterdam and Ravka had yet to accept that Stasiaj's choice had, and always would be, Kaz Brekker.
"Ana!" The pair both turned at the call of Stasiaj's name, turning to look at Nikolai, who strode towards them with a bright grin. "My precious sister, you look just as beautiful as ever."
"Nik, you flatter me," Stasiaj replied, releasing her grip on Kaz's arm momentarily to press a kiss to Nikolai's cheek and squeeze him in a hug. "How are my darling nieces and nephews?"
"Missing their aunt," He admitted, before reaching a hand out for Kaz to shake. "Good to see you, Brekker."
"And you, Lantsov," Kaz bowed his head slightly, before retreating to Stasiaj's side.
"Now, Zoya wants to talk to you," Nikolai began, leading the pair in the direction of the dark haired woman. Kaz and Stasiaj both sighed, sharing a look as they thought of the royal duties that the pair had to complete that night. It was going to be tedious.
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"Thank the saints that it's over," Stasiaj cried quietly, slipping out of the dress and laying it over the sink as she pulled her night clothes on. "The ambassador for Fjerda droned on and on, I thought he was going to kill me then and there from boredom."
"That would have been a sight to behold," Kaz appeared in the doorway, yawning as he pulled his gloves and waist coat off, throwing it over Stasiaj's dress. "It would have been amusing."
"If you had laughed, I would have resurrected myself and murdered you,"
"Actually, I would have died straight after you," Kaz rolled his eyes, turning the tap on as Stasiaj took her makeup off. "The glares some of those people were giving me, I think that they were trying to set me on fire with their eyes."
"I thought that would be a stare you were familiar with," Stasiaj retorted, laughing as Kaz rubbed his face with the warm water, running his hands through his hair. "I'm pretty sure that I've glared at you and wished you would spontaneously combust on multiple occasions."
"I thought that was you looking at me with love in your eyes," Kaz replied, before standing behind Stasiaj and beginning to pull her fangs from her hair, running his hand through her locks as she sighed in relief. "Maybe we should just take all of their eyes out with your fangs if we catch them staring."
"I suppose I can suffice with only your eyes on me," He huffed, tilting her head back and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Stasiaj could faintly feel him tremoring, though Kaz seemed to force it down to smile at her. "Are you feeling okay?"
"It could have been worse,"
"I'm proud of you," Kaz grinned, as Stasiaj spun around to undo his tie. "I think that was the longest you've managed to stay in with crowds like that."
"I had you by my side," He muttered, as Stasiaj undid the top buttons of his shirt and took his cufflinks off. "If I had not have gone then every single man in the room would be running to your side to try and propose. I couldn't have them coming after my girl now, could I? Not when you looked like a million kruge in the flesh."
"You flatter me, Crow Man,"
"Do I, Snake?" The pair smiled at their old nicknames that were thrown at each other with affection instead of the insults that they had first been. "There's the blush I like to see."
"Actually, I'm just getting hot from you and I being in the same room," Stasiaj stepped out from in front of him, picking their clothes up to hang up once more. "It's a wonder no one in the room fainted when we arrived. Some of the men there looked like they were ready to throw themselves at my feet though, and I'm pretty sure I saw one of the Mercher's wife drool when you turned up."
"They all like someone bad for them," He muttered in response, taking his shirt off and placing it in Stasiaj's arms. "It's how I got you to like me."
"No, I started liking you when you came and checked up on me on that ship to Fjerda," Stasiaj called back, "and I think I'm equally as bad as you."
"You're worse," Kaz replied, emerging from the bathroom as he watched Stasiaj burrow into the bed.
"You're not wrong," Stasiaj said, though her voice was muffled by the comforter. "Now can we finally go to bed? Tonight was draining."
"Tell me about it," Kaz shook his head and turned the lights off in the room, before sliding into the bed beside Stasiaj. Reaching out, he carefully took her hand in his and sighed in relief when his head hit the pillow. "Let's have tomorrow off."
"Good plan," Stasiaj's voice was hushed, and Kaz smiled to himself. She was almost asleep. "Love you."
"I know,"
"You're dealing with Jordie tomorrow morning,"
"I know that as well," He chuckled, before allowing himself to wrap an arm around her waist, revelling in the warmth that it provided as she pressed a goodnight kiss to his cheek. "Sleep well."
"I always will with you protecting me,"
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Hiya,
So, this is Kaz and Stasiaj in later life and there's kind of a hint in there to something else. What do you think about it? Also, can confirm that they still threaten to kill each other on a daily basis and it is a form of love for them and they got married!
Let me know what you think,
Love Li xx