Six of Crows One-shots

Instant message... instant pain

Kaz looked at his phone with a grimace, a stealth job would be very hard to pull off with his phone blowing up like it was. He opened it to tell Jesper to buzz off for a while, only to find Inej's contact taking responsibility. He frowned and leaned back in the shadows, pulling the crow head cane into the crook of his arm, and opening the texting app.
Wraith_owning_water: Kaz.
Kaz..
Kaaaazzzzz
Answer your phone!
It's a social emergency.
Kazzzy!

He grinned, shaking his head and typed in a tired response
What's business Wraith? You do realize I'm on a job?
Wraith_owning_water: oh... no. But, I need your help.

Kaz frowned and responded quickly
So you've said.
Wraith_owning_water: Alright, I like this person and I wanna admit my feelings to them but idk how.
Kaz felt it strike him hard, how was he suppose to respond to that?
Why ask me? Isn't that Nina's and Jes's department?
He was tempted to throw his phone into the canal and watch it sink, but no he couldn't do that. That would be lost money and photos of Inej. He was about to put it into his pocket but Inej responded quickly.
Wraith_owning_water: because you know me best.

He huffed, looking up with a growl.
Wraith just tell them.
He shut off his phone, with clenched hands. Shoving it deeper into his pocket on silent. His heart ached, he felt a burning fire behind his eyes, but he couldn't allow himself to get angry... he just felt morbidly sad.

But no matter what the mission had to be done.
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Inej chewed her lip, staring at her phone, at Kaz's quick response... at the delivered but still unread message from her. She texted Nina swiftly when distress and fear trembled in her heart.

He isn't answering
Bewitching-heart-Queen: he will answer soon, don't stress. You don't want to ruin the moment. Plus he probably needs time to come to terms with what you just said.

Inej looked doubtingly at her last message to Kaz.
If you say so... I love you Kaz. Wanted you to know.
It had been another thirty minutes before she had broken.
Kaz...
Please answer me...

The line blinked a few times on her text as she thought about writing more. She closed down her phone and tossed it to the floor, look up at the ceiling and deciding perhaps it was best to just sleep...

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Kaz wheezed, alone in the city on a rooftop. He was just about to enter the warehouse. The tricky part would be setting it on fire and getting out without alerting the guards and avoiding security cameras. Kaz felt tears prick at his eyes and he didn't fight them, they freely ran down his cheeks... his breathes were shuttering as if his lungs were already to full of hurt and rejection to actually widen fully. Who.... was it Nina and her shared beliefs? Was it Jesper who always made Inej smile like a bright sun... did he not even know them? It didn't matter... it would never matter, Kaz sucked in another breath and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't want to look at his phone... just do the mission Brekker, just forget about it and her... she'll be better off with someone less cruel and broken anyway. You have a job to do....

Kaz wiped his eyes roughly, forced all that pain away and used the irrational anger that lighted behind every pain and weak sob he just let out to push him onward into the warehouse.

——————

Didn't see you at school today... where are you?

Or today....

Kaz is something going on? Are you having Nightterrors again?

Did the insomnia pills- you didn't try to.... no you've gone too far for that.

If a gang hurt you Kaz, I swear... I'll get them for you.

Kaz... it's been a week... whatever prank war you and Jesper are secretly having leave me out of it.

Kaz... Haskell says you've run away... I don't buy that.

The world is searching for you... why hasn't there been a ransom from the ones holding you?

Please text me back...

It's been 3 months... they say it's over.

Their burying an empty casket...

Wylan hasn't come to school since.

He's been grieving for the past week.

Jesper is- frazzled and angry...

Come home.... please.

Kaz... I still love you... but I can't... can't keep searching... ever since that warehouse fire... Saints, that was just a little under a year now. It hurts... but I have to move on... to be happy.

Please forgive me.

————————

I forgive you... I've missed you.... a lot. I love you too, even if it's not relevant now... I've been recruited into into a gang, just got my phone back... but I'm safe

Kaz frowned at the message, and swiftly deleted it. Running a hand scarred with burns through his hair, closing his eyes as teardrops hit the screen in the dead of night, in his silent room. "I'm sorry Nej...."
he looked down at her recent text and responded, before he could finish she responded.

Kaz?!?

Umm... no, sorry...

I found this phone- near its owner.

He went peacefully... overdose I think...

he looks too young for heart attack or drifting off in his sleep.

I'm so sorry for the loss.

His finger hesitated before he hit send and the swoosh sound effect of the text was as deafeningly loud as gun fire. For her safety. He reminded himself firmly. He wasn't the same kid, he was too dangerous now.

Wraith_owning_water: I see... thank you, that brings me... closure.

Kaz swallowed hard. "Forgive me."

Of course... once again, my deepest apologies.

Kaz shut the phone off and gently rubbed the tattoo of the Dimelion symbol just below his crow one, the same one branded into his shoulder. "I'm so... sorry..." he gasped, curling against a pillar in his plain room. His back aching his leg twitching in agony... he dry heaved and sobbed, muffling the noise with his hand....