Brekker's Barrel

12-INEJ

As The Wraith set sail once more, Inej rushed Kaz below deck. Specht had found them after they had been gone for longer than expected and helped to carry Kaz back to the ship. Kaz had not woken since he first fainted and had been unconscious for an alarming amount of time. 

She lifted his once white shirt to see his entire side soaked in blood. She removed the damp cloth from his stab wound, dousing the cut with alcohol before tying a bandage tightly around his torso. The pressure would stop him from bleeding any more.

She repeated Suli prayers under her breath as she gently wiped the blood from his chiseled face. She took a moment to study his features. Even in sleep the worry lines between his brows were prominent.

It appeared that his mouth and jaw only had minor injuries, so she kept her eyes on the cut on his side. It wasn't very deep, but Kaz had lost a lot of blood. Inej begged her saints that it didn't hit any major organs.

For hours she waited, checking on him every few minutes. His pulse was finally back to normal. She carefully removed his blood stained clothing and threw it into a bucket. She left a new shirt, pants, and a blanket folded by his side.

She was ecstatic when she heard a soft groan come from the man. She rushed over to check his bandages once again, hope filling her. His eyes fluttered open, searching his surroundings.

"Inej?" He whispered.

"Kaz!" She nearly jumped up and down, overjoyed that he was conscious again.

Kaz surveyed his surroundings, then his own body.

"Am I naked?" He tried to sit up.

"Be careful! You got stabbed, remember?" She helped him to sit up. "And I left your undergarments on. Maybe don't wear white next time you plan to murder someone."

He chuckled huskily, shaking his head. He then picked up the fresh clothes at his side.

"I can-" she reached for the clothes, wanting to help.

"I can do it myself." He interrupted. "It's nothing. I barely feel it."

But as he tried to stand, Inej went under his arm to help him balance. Whether he would admit it or not, she knew he was in pain. He scoffed, but a smile took over his face.

After he got dressed, he was still leaning on Inej for support. The air hung heavy for a moment as they both stared at the floor in thought. Inej couldn't ignore the arm around her shoulders. Even as his breath quickened, Kaz had made no attempt to shy away from her.

"I need to rinse my mouth." He gagged, sticking out his bitten tongue.

There it is.

She had been waiting for him to make an excuse to leave.

Inej handed him his cane so he could go to the ship's miniature bathroom. She sat on the bed. Kaz took a long time in the room, and she twiddled her thumbs, worried that she had triggered a panic attack.

When he came back with clean teeth and obviously touched up hair, he made his way over to Inej. His cane clacked on the wooden floor. When he reached her, he let the cane fall to the floor. He leaned over Inej with one hand resting on the bed.

His gloves were nowhere to be seen.

His dark eyes were nearly black as he looked at her. He leaned ever so slightly so that his face was mere inches from hers. Inej felt butterflies building in her chest as they locked eyes, their dilated pupils having a conversation of their own.

Come closer. She wanted to say.

"Thank you, Inej. For everything." His free hand came up to cup her cheek. "I... I love you."

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her senses were amplified, taking in every bit of Kaz. She didn't know if she ever expected to hear those words from him, but she knew that she felt the same.

"I love you too, Kaz." She whispered, placing her hand atop the one cupping her cheek.

"C-can I kiss you?" He spoke barely above a whisper, his voice rasping.

His eyes darted to her lips and she nodded. Inej took in a breath as he slowly brought his lips to hers. She closed her eyes, pressing back. They were both gentle with each other, holding contact for a few seconds before pulling away.

Kaz chuckled as the biggest grin covered his face.

Dirtyhands had stolen her heart.

~

On the deck, they leaned against the railing, staring at the open sea.

Inej turned to Kaz. "You know, the Barrel is practically yours now. You've cut out the heart of your biggest competition."

"It's only the beginning." He looked down at her with determination in his eyes. "Only the beginning."

There would always be more for Kaz to accomplish, more trickery to master, each thing more daring than the last. It was a means of survival. Everyone knew that an honest man didn't make it very far in the Barrel.

After a long moment of comfortable silence, Kaz spoke up, looking at the stars.

"I grew up on a farm."

She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Out in the countryside. My brother and I would play in the fields while my father worked them. Mother would weave and spin wool, humming beautiful tunes."

Inej gaped at him. He was opening up. Removing his armor for only her to see.

"When she got sick, my father never stopped working. He worked himself so hard Jordie once found him asleep in the field. Jordie is... was my bother. I came to Ketterdam with him after the accident. I was only nine."

Inej could hear the quiver in his voice. The past had not been kind to Kaz.

"You don't have to keep going. Not if you don't want to." She tried to comfort him. She knew that Kaz had not spoken to anyone about his past in years.

"No. You deserve to know. I need to speak about it with someone I trust."

So he told her everything. Everything that had happened right up until the moment he met her.

Tears welled in both their eyes as the sun peeked over the horizon. They had both lived their fair share of tragedy, but reliving it was a whole other beast. Inej wrapped an arm protectively around his waist, careful not to touch his wound.

"You were my first kiss, Inej." He confessed.

A smile overtook her face.

"I'm proud of you, Brekker." She rubbed small circles on his back.

"Look at us. A pair of criminals with tragic pasts." Kaz said lightheartedly, lifting the weight of his story that hung in the air.

"Dirtyhands and the Wraith." She chuckled.

"What will the others think?" He half- joked.

Then the thought hit her. They were on the way home, right next to Novyi Zem. Wylan and Jesper had to come home at some point.

"What do you say we go get the others?" Inej said, pulling out a map from her pocket.

Kaz simply hummed in approval, pulling Inej closer to him.