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Y/N dragged their feet up the last flight of stairs. Breathing a sigh of relief, they pulled their pack off their back and let it hang on one arm as they pulled their room key out of a pocket. They went to put it in the lock but the door swung open slightly at their touch. The bag was pulled back onto their shoulder and the key was held like an ice pick before they stepped inside. They might have just forgotten to close it but they were dating Kaz Brekker, they’d hoped they were a bit less naïve than that.
They almost dropped to the ground and cried when they saw the inside of their dorm room. Every object Y/N owned was thrown to the floor, their furniture overturned, and their doors were off their hinges slightly. Luckily, barely anything seemed broken from their position in the doorway but Y/N was unwilling to go deeper inside to check anything.
Instead of breaking down like they so desperately wanted to, Y/N wiped their hands over their face and took a deep breath, reining in their emotions until they felt mostly stable. They made sure to lock the room up tight despite that small voice in the back of their mind telling them it was no use, and made their way back down the stairs to the front of the building. Y/N thought about where to go but the stadwatch wouldn’t do anything about this. Y/N was only here on scholarship, not the child of a rich merch who would bribe or threaten the stadwatch to find who did it. There was no use going there. So, they went to the next logical choice and the place their heart screamed to go: the Crow Club.
Their feet ached by the time they walked in the door but Y/N’s heart soared at the feeling of protection and comfort that came from just entering the place still bustling with life. It might have been almost sundown, but that was when the crowds were just starting to trickle in. Y/N wanted to go straight to Kaz’s office and tell him what happened but they knew he was probably out on business. Even so, they still had homework that needed to be done.
They approached the bar and slid onto a stool briefly, pulling their pack into their lap to pull out their wallet and keep it firmly in their grasp. The bartender glanced over at them and nodded, indicating she would be with them in a moment.
The bartender, a lovely Kaelish girl named Sara, smiled at Y/N. “What can I get for you?” She frowned slightly at the wallet. “You know you get your orders for free, you’re the Boss’ person.”
Y/N smiled, leaning forward slightly and pretending they hadn’t just sat through two lectures that were both three hours long and had another four hours at least of homework ahead of them. “I know, I just always feel bad about not paying for things. I get Kaz to reimburse me for it later, don’t worry.” They really didn’t, but it made them both feel better to keep that lie going.
Sara nodded. “Alright then, what can I make for you?”
“I’ll get a virgin Mermaid Punch, heavy on the pineapple, and an order of cheese sticks.”
Sara listed the price and Y/N handed her the money before putting their wallet away, holding their bag to their chest. A few minutes later, their drink and food were being placed down in front of them. Y/N thanked Sara and slung their bag over their shoulder before grabbing their order, weaving through the crowd to get to a booth hidden in the back of the bar seating area.
It didn’t take Y/N long to get set up with everything they needed, soon munching on the snack that always reminded them of home and reading through their textbook. It was, admittedly, hard to focus around all the noise from the happy drunks and the gamblers in the other room but they didn’t mind all that much.
A hand knocked thrice on the table, causing Y/N to raise their head. A smile crossed their face when they registered who was standing before them, one hand on his cane. “Kaz! What brings you to this little corner of the establishment?”
Kaz didn’t smile, he rarely did in the club unless in the midst of a deal, but his eyes twinkled in that special way they did when he was looking at Y/N. “Sara told me where to find you.” He glanced around for a moment. “The office is always open to you, just go there instead of sitting here. Even if it weren’t, your dorm is available and so is the library.”
Y/N’s smile softened, turning amused rather than simply glad to see him. “Aww, are you worried about my studies?”
“Simply confused at your actions.” He nodded his head toward his office and stepped back, indicating for them to follow him.
Y/N nodded and started packing up. They grabbed their drink and the last of the food before hurrying to match his long stride. Kaz unlocked the office and opened the door, stepping aside so Y/N could enter first. They tilted their head down in thanks before settling down in the small armchair in the corner, placing their drink on a tiny table nearby. Kaz sat down at his desk and started looking over the club’s records for the past day or so as Y/N pulled their books back out and kept studying.
This was a time they loved the most but happened rarely, when they were able to exist in the same room as Kaz for a time without interruption. Usually, people were clamoring for his attention or Y/N had to head back to their dorm or another class. The couple usually were only able to meet in the dead of night or on lunch dates. It was rare Y/N was able to come to the Crow Club, even rarer they were able to spend time with Kaz in his office.
After finishing their homework for one class, they started on the work for the second class, their drink finished by then. Kaz came and went, either grabbing certain reports or doing meetings with important people or his gang. On one such trip out, he retrieved their cup and brought it back to the bar for them. The hours ticked by, less work needing to be completed by the second. Y/N did everything they were able to and shifted to reading, pulling out a book they kept in their bag and, when they finished that, reading something random pulled from Kaz’s shelf. That’s how they found he had a very broad taste in literature and started browsing his shelves. It was intriguing to know just how literate he was and how widely read he seemed to be.
The door opened, Y/N’s back turned to it as they read something by the shelves. Kaz’s cane tapped on the floor as he approached and hovered over their shoulder. “I thought you would have gone home by now.”
Those words reached Y/N and an image of their destroyed rooms came unbidden to mind. Tears sprang to their eyes and they shut the book, keeping their back to Kaz and trying to keep their voice even. “I wasn’t sure how much more time I would be able to spend with you. I’ve finished everything I needed to do and don’t have anything else pressing.”
Kaz chuckled. “The club is closing for cleaning and resetting. I’m heading back to the Slat soon.” He hesitated slightly, as he always did when trying to initiate something romantic. “Would you like me to walk you back to your dorm room? Make sure you get there safely?”
Y/N nodded, starting to pack their bag. Surreptitiously, they tried to wipe their eyes so Kaz wouldn’t see. “I’d really love that.”
Kaz’s cane came up, blocking their path. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”
Y/N took a deep breath, willing the tears to stop. “Why would something be wrong?”
“I could go into all the little signs but suffice it to say that I know you. Don’t make me ask again.”
“I-” they could barely get the words out before they were choking on their tears. They took a moment and tried again. “I didn’t want to go back because-because my dorm got-got broken into.” They managed to get the sentence out, broken up by sobs they tried to push down. The feeling of horror hit them like a brick as it truly set in that their most private space, the place that was supposed to be a sanctuary they could relax and be themself in, had been broken into and ransacked. Real people, meaning to harm them most likely, had been in that space and handled their items without any care at all. It caused them to stagger, hand reaching for the armchair to steady them.
Kaz’s gloved hand reached for their elbow, steadying them and providing the small bit of comfort he was able to. “Are you sure? Was it your room specifically?”
All Y/N could do was nod, tears coursing down their cheeks. “Most of my stuff was on the floor, I don’t know how much was broken.”
When they looked up at him, Y/N found a hard look in Kaz’s eye that promised vengeance. “Okay, I’m definitely walking you back now. Come on.”
Y/N finished packing their pack and Kaz grabbed it, slinging one strap over his shoulder before heading toward the door. Y/N hurried to keep up, tugging on their bag slightly. “You don’t need to carry it, I can do it.”
He didn’t respond, simply kept walking. After one more try, Y/N gave up and just walked beside him. About halfway back to the dorm, Kaz protecting them in the smallest ways, he spoke again. “Would you like a bodyguard?”
Y/N startled slightly. “Hmm? What? Why would I need a bodyguard?”
Kaz ignored the question and continued. “I can enroll one of the younger Dregs that could room near you and take the same classes or ones nearby.”
Y/N shook their head. “No, that won’t be necessary. I was just scared today, that’s all.”
Kaz nodded and took a side alley, looping around on a detour. They stepped into a locksmith shop and Kaz swiftly found a padlock that, after a few seconds of tugging on, he nodded and bought along with a chain lock and a few others. He placed them in the pack and continued on, soon helping them into a boat and rowing down the canals. Y/N was curious but knew better than to ask, knowing they would only get silence in response. Kaz always had a plan and would reveal it in time.
They arrived back at the dorm, the stairs not being nice to Kaz’s leg, and Y/N let them in. Tears sprang to their eyes again when they surveyed the damage but Kaz just set his jaw and got to work. He rummaged around in a drawer until he found a few tools. “Go ahead and start trying to set the place to rights.” His voice was hard, not leaving any room for argument. As if he were on a job with the Crows and their lives relied on blind compliance.
Y/N felt a sense of relief, grateful that Kaz was going to take charge and make everything okay. They started with surveying how much was damaged or moved, setting what furniture they could back to rights. In the entryway, they could see Kaz setting the new locks into place, boring holes in the door and jamb to put some of the locks in. Going to the bedroom, Y/N looked at the damage there. It was both worse and less than the sitting room. Even the bed hadn’t escaped the whirlwind that had passed through, the sheets rumpled and pulled up in spots, the mattress askew.
Y/N started with the bed, setting it as the radial point of the room. The sheets were easy to fix, as was setting the mattress to rights. Grabbing a broom and dustpan from the hall closet, they started with getting everything onto the bed and sorting what was broken, what was salvageable, and what was missing.
By the time they were finished, Kaz was setting the rest of the sitting room to rights and had put a kettle on the small cookstove. Y/N stretched, hands going to the small of their back, and leaned against the bedroom door jamb, just watching. Kaz managed to lift a chair and set it upright, twisting it this way and that before stepping back, looking like he was remembering how it was the last time he had visited. Y/N smiled at the care he took with their things.
Kaz glanced over at them and smiled with true laughter, a gesture only they got to witness most days. “How does it look?”
Y/N would have given everything in the world to have been able to cross the room and slip their arm around his back in that moment, to lean on him and bask in his protection and warmth. Instead, they moved to stand beside him and briefly rested their head against his shoulder. “Perfect. Thank you so much for all the help.”
Kaz nodded. “Is there anything else that needs to be done?”
Y/N squared their shoulders and took a breath. “I haven’t even looked in the bathroom yet and I’m kind of scared to. That’s where something’s most likely to be broken.”
Kaz strode over to the bathroom door and opened it, looking inside. “Barely anything’s touched in here, it seems. Whatever they were looking for, it wouldn’t have been in here.”
Y/N breathed a sigh of relief. Kaz glanced into the bedroom, where almost everything was set back to rights. Y/N came to his side. “A few things were broken in there but nothing that can’t be fixed.”
Kaz nodded before straightening, stepping away slightly. “Come see the new locks.”
He went through how to unlock and lock each one and even how to pick each one, saying he got the best locks to date. “I’ve installed three additional locks. It’s best to have at least two locked at all times so if anyone tries to pick them or clone your keys, two locks will always be locked. Keep the chain on the hook when home.”
Y/N smiled at that, his way of showing his affection and worry. “Got it.”
Kaz nodded and picked up his discarded coat and hat. “I’ll post a spider rotation outside your window for a few more days.” He didn’t give them the option of disagreeing, not putting it up for discussion. With that, he left.
A few days later, Y/N got a note delivered by one of the Spiders. It was slightly blood stained but the ink was still readable: They won’t be bothering you any more . By the end of the week, half the city knew not to touch Y/N or there would be hell to pay.