glow of the mark (six of crows soulmate au)

chapter nineteen (inej)

"Finally. We're back." Inej sighed quietly, stepping onto the dock, her bag slung on her shoulder.

"Everyone, hurry up! We need to limit our time out here as much as possible, just in case. Just trying to avoid anyone seeing us. But this is gonna fail if you guys don't hurry up." Kaz whisper-yelled at the others, who were busy whispering to each other.

"Party pooper." Jesper stuck his tongue out, barely visible in the darkness of the night.

Finally, everyone got off the ship, including the crew. They had docked at the spot the person who had rented the boat to them owned. It had been rented under the name of the leader of a competing gang. 

"Alright! Let's go." Kaz ordered. His cane was sticking out of his backpack because he considered it too loud. 

Kaz and Inej walked together behind the others... so that they could "keep an eye on the surroundings." Really, it was just Inej insisting for him to walk by her, in case his leg gave out underneath him. Their hands were lightly locked together.

When they arrived back at the Slat, it was quiet, the snores of some of the Dregs could be heard from the floor above. The Crows all slept on the same floor, which happened to be two floors higher. 

Instead of walking up to their rooms like the rest of the Crows, Kaz and Inej stayed in the living area, neither quite tired.

Kaz and Inej were both drinking steaming cups of hot cocoa, topped with whipped cream and marshmallows. 

"Kaz, don't you think you should stop sending us out on dangerous missions? Some of us could get hurt." Inej spoke quietly.

"My plans work, don't they?" Kaz raised an eyebrow.

"I nearly died, Kaz!" Inej shook her head, "I could've also been captured by Oomen and those creeps! What would you have done then? Your plans won't always work, you need to accept those risks. Your leg is gonna keep getting worse if you constantly strain it!"

Thunder roared outside, and rain started to pour. Inej stood and placed her half-empty mug on a coaster, walking over to the door and taking her coat off the hook, pulling it back on... it seemed bigger than it had minutes ago. When she stepped outside, the rain chilled the anger brewing in her system. She sat down on the porch stairs, watching as the rain poured, as the lightning struck the sky.

She heard the front door open, and Kaz's voice followed. "I'll tell you what I would've done. I would have come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting."

Inej turned and smiled slightly, "I would do the same for you."

Kaz walked up to her and sat beside her, taking her cold hand in his. "Do you want to go back inside? You're going to freeze."

"I'm alright." Inej shrugged.

Without thinking, Kaz reached out for Inej's braid, "May I?"

Inej nodded, and Kaz took the hair tie that was holding the braid together out of her hair, running his fingers through it, separating it. He divided it into three sections and started to work his fingers, causing a new braid to form neatly.

"Where'd you learn how to braid hair?" Inej asked.

"I see you braiding it all the time and just caught on." Kaz tied it off.

Inej smiled, "We should probably go back inside now," Inej said, standing up.

Kaz nodded, standing as well. When they re-entered the Slat, the warm atmosphere greeted them once again, the fire still roaring.

"I'm going to go to bed, you should as well." Inej took off her coat, which she now realized wasn't hers, but Kaz's, and hung it on the hook.

Kaz noticed this detail too, choosing not to address it. "I will soon, I still have some work to get done. Goodnight."

Inej glared at him in response, "You need sleep."

"Goodnight, Inej." He replied dismissively. 

"Goodnight."