A/N Two times when Jesper and Wylan are interrupted featuring Colm Fahey and Kaz Brekker.

Jesper and Wylan were visiting Colm's farm for a week or so, and currently were meant to be helping move goods to the barn to prepare for the cold, wet winters to follow. Currently, Wylan was failing at that.

Wylan did start helping and they'd moved about a quarter of the goods to the barn but then Jesper decided that he was too hot. So he'd taken off his jacket, had rolled up his damn sleeves and had unbottoned the top two buttons.

He had been wearing sand-coloured trousers, just a plain white shirt and a woolen sweater thing. But now, he stood with said shirt soaked in sweat and teasing glimpses of his toned arms and chest. Wylan had about given up on pretending he had a clear head and was leaning against the barn wall and watching as Jesper carried the next load in.

"You going to help or what, merchling?" Jesper asked, wiping the sweat off from his forehead. Normally, Jesper knew when Wylan was flustered and teased him further, but apparently he didn't even know how much Wylan wanted to slam him against a wall right now. It was infuriating.

"Five minutes," Wylan said.

Jesper cocked an eyebrow, "Five minutes to just stand there and stare at me?"

"As if you mind," Wylan quipped back but made no move to move away from the barn.

"Only for you, Wy," Jesper mumbled but walked with his back to Wylan, purposefully rolling his shoulders. Curse all Saints, Wylan thought.

Jesper brought in two more loads, unbottoning a further button, shirt almost soaked through with sweat and when he brought in the third load, Wylan lost it.

Jesper was walking back to get another one, but Wylan's hand closed around his wrist and he pulled. "Wy-"

Wylan tugged harder until Jesper was against him and then he walked backwards a few steps, spun them around and pressed Jesper against the wall, grabbing one of his wrist and pinning it to the wall above his head.

Jesper gasped as he made contact with the wall and then melted as Wylan pressed himself against Jesper and kissed him so hard he tasted blood. Wylan's hands left Jesper's wrist and Jesper sighed in relief, cupping Wylan's neck with both hands and bringing his face up for a better angle.

Wylan's hands were skimming up and down Jesper's arms and chest, and he was undoing Jesper's shirt, placing smooth hands on the plane of his chest, neck, hair and oh- it was bliss.

Jesper pulled back, head against the wall when he could no longer breathe. "Wy, what's going on?"

"Don't tell me you actually don't know," Wylan groaned, hands fisted in Jesper's shirt, looking ready to debauch him right there and then, eyes blow wide.

Jesper raised an eyebrow. Wylan groaned and said, "I've not seen you as a proper farm boy before. You look..." Wylan just looked Jesper up and down and wanted to kiss off Jesper's infuriating, satisfied smirk.

"Oh," Jesper feigned surprise, "Well. Make arrangements for a farm to be built somehwere close to the Van Eck mansion. I quite like it when you get like this."

And then Jesper started pulling away from the wall, buttoning up his shirt, and Wylan was so surprised that Jesper was leaving him hanging that it took him a few seconds to yank the Zemeni boy back and slam him into the wall again.

"Wylan," Jesper grinned, "We have work to do."

"Five minutes," Wylan echoed the words from earlier and before Jesper could protest, he kissed the dark skin of his neck.

"Merch- Oh, Saints. Wy-" Jesper's head fell back against the wall, revealing more skin and Wylan kissed him everywhere and whatever Jesper wanted to say died in his throat as he gave himself over to Wylan's pleasant administrations.

"Merchling," Jesper warned when Wylan bit against his collarbone, "Maybe save that after we're out of the farm? Don't want to explain that to Da."

"He knows we're together," Wylan murmured against his neck, but went back to just kissing.

"I know, but still."

This was bliss and Jesper would happily be against this exact wall for the rest of his life, hands tangled in Wylan's hair, Wylan's lips so beautifully trailing across his skin, his hands roaming underneath Jesper's shirt. There was no desperation today. Just soothing kisses that sent fire across his veins.

Someone cleared their throat. 

Wylan jumped back, lips red from the kissing, hair an absolute mess and Jesper looked equally far gone. His pupils were so dilated, and his shirt was undone and despite his warning, a small hickey seemed to be blooming. Thank all heavens his skin was dark so it was barely visible.

Colm Fahey stood at the entryway of the barn, carrying some boxes. He looked like he was trying to hide a smirk when he said, "What happened to working, boys?"

"Um."

"I know you're both adults," Colm said calmly, somehow hiding his embarrassment, "But please, please, keep this to the bedroom for the next week. And even then, the walls are thin."

Jesper shut his eyes and groaned. Wylan was blushing furiously.

"Sorry, Da," Jesper finally said.

"You don't need to apologise, son. It's normal. Just... I don't really want to think about what I would've seen if I came in five minutes later. So, restrict this to your room, please."

"Yep," Jesper all but squeaked and dragged Wylan to where the rest of the load was waiting and after getting themselves calm, they started to work again, Wylan trying ridiculously hard not to look at Jesper.

Back at the barn, Colm set the boxes down and chuckled to himself. Young love... Some kind of magic more special than the Small Science.

***

Wylan was sitting by the bar at Crow Club, tipping down as many drinks as he could manage without losing some sense of a level head. He'll need to work his explosives soon.

"Calm down, Wylan," Kaz mumbled from where he was pretending to bartend, "You're going to finish the whole distillery."

"I'll buy you a replacement," Wylan bit back and Kaz raised an eyebrow.

"Stop looking at everyone Jesper speaks to like you want to murder them," Kaz said with a tap of his cane on the counter.

"I do want to murder them."

"After the job is over, do whatever you want."

"Why is it always Jesper who flirts?" Wylan asked after the silence got too much and after witnessing their target, a young mistress of a rich mercher who seemed to be strapped with the mercher's finest jewellery, trail a finger over Jesper's shirt. Jesper backed away. 

"You're telling me you'd rather be the one flirting?" Kaz asked, hiding his amusement.

"No," Wylan snapped.

"I think if it was you flirting for some ridiculous reaon," Kaz mused, "Jes would lose his mind and sabotage the mission."

"I'm very close to exploding the Club and sabotaging this mission," Wylan warned.

"You haven't seen the way Jesper looks at you," Kaz said, "Or that day when that West Stave boy looked at you wrong and 'accidentally' touched your back. If I hadn't stopped Jesper, that Stave boy would've ended up with bullet holes. 

If Jesper's jealous, I know it'd be worse than you being jealous. That's why he flirts. But I honestly need to get a new team who aren't mindlessly in love." Kaz didn't look like he meant that last part at all.

And in all honestly, Wylan didn't care if he'd meant it or not. Jesper nearly murdered a boy for looking at Wylan wrong? Since when was Jesper the jealous type? He didn't know what he was going to ask, but what tumbled out was "Jesper what?"

"Don't look so surprised," Kaz looked done with everything. Nothing unusual.

"Does- Has he said anything else about me?" Wylan asked but he was sure the alcohol was doing most of the talking now.

"I'm not wasting my breath reciting poetry that Jesper has dedicated to you," Kaz snapped.

"He's dedicated poetry to me? Enlighten me and distract me so I don't have to watch that woman put her hand under Jesper's shirt."

"It's not under Jesper's shirt," Kaz stated.

"You're not helping," Wylan all but growled. This took more self-restraint than he imagined and he squeezed his drink tighter.

"Just go back to drinking, Wylan."

Wylan did go back to drinking and his eyes found Jesper again and he seemed to be seated at one of the card tables. Wylan's heart stuttered.

"Kaz," Wylan said, alarmed, "Why is he at the table? He can't- He's done really well. I don't care that it's a job, I'm not sitting here whilst he relapses into gambling."

"He won't," Kaz said firmly.

"Kaz, I trust him more than I trust anything," Wylan was near-enough pleading, "But I don't trust him to stop gambling. It's not his fault, but this won't help-"

"Wylan, just listen," Kaz rasped, "I'm not an idiot contrary to what you may think. He's going to explain how the game works, hold the lady's hand as he teaches her how to play, remove the jewel we need and then you can go distract him. Trust me when I say you'll distract him more than the cards."

"If this fails," Wylan warned, "I will blow up the Crow Club."

"I'll count on it."

Jesper played his hand, and Wylan knew it was a bad thing. But apparently, Jesper could do a bad thing and still look ridiculously hot. His white shirt was unbottoned, a silver chain dangled off his neck, and his dark green waistcoat glinted in the dark Club light. 

He watched as Jesper manouvered cards into the lady's hands and somehow, expertly remove the ring the mercher had graciously given her. Not to point out the mercher stolen it from one of the girls at a pleasure house.

And now Jesper should excuse himself. But he didn't. Wylan saw Jesper's battle, the way one of his hands were clenched so tight. He was trying to walk away. He really was. Wylan was going to murder Kaz.

"I'll send the mercher their way to scare away the woman. Go get your man." Kaz instructed.

Wylan didn't need to be told twice. He left and he was still fuming. Kaz may have guessed how much it hurt Jes, how much he was trying, but only Wylan had been there every night, holding Jesper through nightmares, through the itch, distracting him and just being there even when Jesper had crumbled into tears when it was unbearable. 

And Kaz Brekker had undone it for a stupid mission. It was petty and useless, but Wylan turned around and held his middle finger up to Kaz before going after Jesper. He probably imagined Kaz's amused smirk at that.

"I'm awfully sorry, ma'am," he first said to their target, "Mister Guv was looking for you?"

Conviniently, the mercher was walking towards them and the mistress pulled away from Jesper hastily and pretended she hadn't spent the whole night flirting with a different man. He whispered to Jesper, "Jes, can we leave?"

Jesper nodded. It took effort, Wylan could tell. He announced to the players, "Sorry. Urgent errand. I must steal him."

Anyone else pulling out of a game may have warranted trouble. But this was Kaz Brekker's Club and Jesper and Wylan were favoured by Kaz as everyone knew. Few perks of having been a criminal for a few months and still occasionally one, Wylan thought.

He yanked Jesper up, threw down his cards for him and pulled him into a side room that was empty. Jesper was shaking. Wylan pulled him into a hug.

"I'm going to blow up this Club," Wylan promised, "Or wherever Kaz happens to be in the next ten minutes."

"Brave," Jesper said after a moment, "Reckless. A few of the things I love about you."

"You okay?" Wylan finally asked.

Jesper shrugged. Wylan said, "That was good, you know? You managed to walk away."

"Only for you, Wy," Jesper mumbled softly, "Thanks for getting me."

"Always. Anyway. We could head home?" Wylan suggested, "Bake some biscuits? Head to a theater? Distract you?"

"Kaz'll still need his demolitions expert for a distraction soon," Jesper sighed.

"Well, we can't just have your mind thinking of cards and I know that's exactly what it's doing," Wylan said determindely, "What can we do?"

"I have a few ideas," Jesper mumbled, pulling away slightly and grasping Wylan by the elbow, "Come here."

And as it always did when Jesper kissed him, Wylan lost track of everything except Jesper in his arms, Jesper now encircling him and pulling him closer, mouth opening against his own, making the kiss deeper. It took him a minute, but soon Wylan was tugging Jesper closer using the lapels of his waistcoat and from under his lashes, Wylan's eyes caught on the silver of Jesper's chain.

"That chain looks really good on you," Wylan mumbled when Jesper pulled away slightly, backing Wylan into a wall.

Jesper put on hand on the wall next to Wylan's face and with the other, he ran a teasing finger along Wylan's lips and the merchling's eyes closed, his head falling back against the wall.

"Thank you," Jesper whispered and then placed soft, fluttering kisses all over Wylan's face: his cheek, closed eyelid, forehead, chin, just at the corner of his lips.

Jesper was usually quite impatient and if Wylan was against a wall, that meant Jesper was really impatient and that a few clothes were bound to be ripped and a few hickeys and brusies were bound to form.

But very occasionally, Jesper was so, so, gentle regardless of where they were. He touched Wylan with soft touches, kissed him with kisses that were barely there and murmured words into his neck that Wylan was too far gone to make sense of. And Wylan loved those moments. 

He felt cherished in a way that was impossible when Jesper was mouthing at his neck hungrily. He loved those moments too: when Jesper just wanted him without a care for anything else, he loved the fact he could make Jesper lose his mind like that. 

But when Jesper didn't press him into a wall, only leaned against it, and when intead of biting at his collarbone, he gave fluttering kisses, Wylan felt like he was at home more than ever.

"Wy," Jesper now muttered, not even kissing Wylan, just burying his head into the crook of Wylan's pale neck, "I've never mananged to walk away before."

"Maybe I'm just that distracting," Wylan offered, hiding desperately the fact he wanted Jesper to kiss him senseless.

"You are," Jesper agreed, "But... But you want me to be better. Not for your benefit or not because you're scared I'll lose all our money, but becuase you want me to be better for me."

"Of course I want that, Jes," Wylan said, failing to understand why that was so special, "I mean, you not gambling our fortunes away is an added bonus, but it doesn't matter if we have millions of kruge or barely any scraps. It's about you liking the person you are. You wanting to be you."

"That's what I mean, Wy," Jesper said, "I want to be me becuase you deserve that. You deserve the best version of me because of how much you've given me and how much you love me. Of course I want to stop gambling for myself too, but for now, I'm doing it for you. For your belief in me. One day, I can do it for myself, fully accept who I am, but right now, I want you to know, I do all of that for you. Because you deserve better than me, but if you still want me, you deserve the very best I can offer."

"Jesper Fahey," Wylan took a minute and then started to speak in an even tone, "Listen to me. You're everything I've ever wanted and more. I don't care you've got a gambling problem. I love you despite that because of how much you're trying. Your mistakes don't make you who you are. How you fix them does. And you're doing a great job of fixing everything. So never think you don't deserve me. Always know I'm going to believe in you and trust me when I say I love you, Jesper."

Jesper nodded, as if he was trying to ingrain those words into memory and as if he was trying very hard to believe them. He finally said, "I love you, merchling."

Wylan grinned. He could never get used to how snarky and hot and perfect that nickname sounded coming from Jesper's lips. He tilted his head to one side, cupped Jesper's cheek and murmured, "Do you still need a distraction?"

"If you're offering, I'm not going to deny."

Wylan leant up and connected their lips and he could feel it when the switch happened. When Jesper's patience was gone and when he just wanted Wylan. Jesper crowded into Wylan's space more, pressed him against the wall with enough force that there was a thud, and he was kissing him so deeply, and Wylan was having a dizzying time keeping up.

Very soon, dark hands were under his shirt, tracing up to his chest, and lips were on his neck, and Wylan swallowed a loud gasp when Jesper bit gently at his skin. His hands tightened on Jesper's back and he tugged until Jesper kissed him on the lips again, the wall being the only thing that stopped him falling to his knees.

"So pretty," Jesper growled against Wylan's mouth and it was all the merchling could do to no dissolve into nothingness right there, "So perfect. Gorgeous."

"Jes...per," Wylan breathed, his voice half-choked off from Jesper's full attention, hot kisses, and soft words.

"You're beautiful, Wylan," Jesper said, "I love you."

"Love you too," Wylan managed, "Just shut up and kiss me again."

Jesper grinned but praise all Saints he was back to kissing Wylan. It was getting hotter and Wylan didn't know how much longer both of them would manage to remain clothed.

The door opened and Jesper sprung back, revolvers twirling in his hands.

"Shooting a man for interrupting? Seems excessive," Kaz Brekker said smugly from the doorway.

"I'd like to disagree," Jesper huffed out but holstered his guns.

"Just a reminder that we're on a mission," Kaz rasped, "And if you two could pull yourselves together, stop blushing, unrumple your clothes, and if Wylan could offer that distraction right about now, we can sneak off without Guv knowing we've stoled his mistress's jewel. She's noticed her ring's missing."

Wylan sighed, head falling back against the wall, desperately trying to calm himself down and Jesper could feel that at a personal level. 

But this was a Crows mission that they had stupidly agreed to. So they put on their Komedie Brute masks, Wylan readied his harmless explosives, and set them up leading to the main room. He set them off, and the three ran the other way, through the back exit and kept walking as the smoke bombs caused havoc at the Club. It wouldn't destroy anything: just distract everyone enough so that the jewel theives couldn't be traced to Jes, Wylan and Kaz.

They were nearly at the theatres by the time the smoke died down and Kaz was pleased. The jewel belonged to a girl at a pleasure house and she was owned by a foul manager that Kaz knew was next on Inej's list to hunt down. When the Wraith freed them, Kaz would find some joy, some semblence of good conscience by returning the jewel to the girl. 

Jesper and Wylan bid him goodnight and they walked home, still apparently annoyed at Kaz. But he knew Jesper would leave the game, and he trusted Wylan to ensure that, and felt more accomplished about that than the actual mission. He really was becoming less cold and he could feel sentiment. Curse a certail Suli girl who knew her ways around a knife, he thought.

Jesper's hand around went around Wylan's shoulder, and the mercher's arm snaked around Jesper's waist underneath his waistcoat. Kaz couldn't really hold back a smile at the sight. How different Jes looked to the broken mess of a gambler he'd been when Kaz had hired him for a job.

And a small corner of his cold heart felt pride towards Jesper and a sort of gratefulness towards Wylan: that was the first time Jesper had walked away from a game.

A/N Hope you enjoyed! Please comment, vote and share!