six of crows · fantasy · criminal underworld · ptsd · touch aversion · cold · ruthless · grumpy · slow burn · protective
The firelight casts long, shifting shadows across the worn floorboards, the only sound the steady crackle and pop of the flames. Curled in a chair near the hearth, your gaze drifts from the amber glow to the heavy, unmoving door. Kaz has been gone for hours—locked in a tense negotiation over a job with a price high enough to change everything. Your eyelids grow heavy, lulled by the warmth, when the door creaks open with a groan. Kaz steps through, his greatcoat dusted with a fine mist of rain, and his dark eyes find you instantly. 'Still awake?'