Six of Crows One-Shots

Reunion

Kaz limped after Inej, his cane thudding on the cobblestones. She raced for her parents, her braid streaming out behind her.

When he reached her side, she was crying into her mother's shoulder, her body wracking with her sobs. "I missed you," she whispered, "I missed you, Mama."

She broke away from her mother, embraced her father, and fell back to Kaz's side. Though she was finally reunited with her parents, she almost seemed... wary, uncertain.

Inej's calloused fingers laced with his, and said, "Mama, Papa, this is Kaz."

Mr. and Mrs. Ghafa finally turned to examine him, gazing over him with inquisitive, wise eyes. 

"Kaz," Mr. Ghafa murmured. "You wrote us the letter. You're a... businessman?"

His spine stiffened and he glanced at Inej for help, but she didn't offer any. But then, he saw Wylan and Jesper striding for them, Wylan finally looking comfortable in his own skin.

"Mr. and Mrs. Ghafa!" He said with a smile. "Yes, Kaz isn't exactly a... businessman per se, but he helps me run my business."

"How wonderful," Mrs. Ghafa cried, hugging Wylan tightly. "Did you take care of Inej all these years?"

"Kaz did," Jesper put in. "He took her in, helped her."

Kaz glared in Jesper's direction, loathing the attention that was now pointed at him. Mr. and Mrs. Ghafa shouldn't be thanking him; he'd only ever given Inej a knife and taught her to fight. 

Mrs. Ghafa embraced him, the scent of pine and lavender surrounding him in a haze. He'd once wondered how Inej had completely erased her scent and wondered if she had carried the scent of the forest at one point. "Thank you, Mr. Kaz. Thank you very, very much."

When she broke away from him, Mr. Ghafa extended a hand to him. "I owe you a life debt."

Kaz choked on the air. "What?"

"You took care of my daughter and now I owe you something in return."

Kaz shook his head. "I don't need you to repay me."

"This is a debt I'll be glad to carry," the man insisted. "Tell me what you want and I'll get it for you."

Kaz glanced over at Inej, at her pretty face, her entrancing eyes, her ebony hair. He wouldn't drag her father into anything, and as soon as she was gone... the better.

That wasn't what he wanted, though. He wanted her to stay with him, to realize that they both had issues and they should work through them together. Perhaps they could try to fix Ketterdam together.

"The only thing I could possibly want is for you to take good care of Inej and make sure she's happy." 

Inej squeezed his hand and moved closer, her shoulder brushing his. 

"Won't you see each other again?" Mrs. Ghafa asked.

Before Kaz could reply, Inej said, "Yes, Mama, we'll be seeing each other again."

When Kaz met her gaze, he read the promise there. She wasn't going to give up on him, on them.

"Should we go back to the house?" Wylan asked, ducking under Jesper's arm. "It's frigid out here."

The Ghafas murmured agreement and followed after Wylan and Jesper, but Inej stayed behind. "I'll be right over," she called. "I have to do something first."

She turned back to Kaz and met his gaze. "Are you coming?"

And Kaz Brekker, Dirtyhands, the deadliest boy in Ketterdam, smiled widely and nodded.