Ravens and Crows

Chapter 29 ~Jesper~

I woke up to the dark night and the sound of piano. I dragged myself out of bed and navigated through the dark hall to the music room that was dimly illuminated by candle flame.

"Wy?" I whispered, squinting at his shape silhouetted in the dark.

Wylan jumped and spun around on the seat on the piano. "Jesper." He whispered.

"What are you doing up at...whatever time it is." I asked.

Wylan ran a hand through his hair and turned back to the piano. I sat down next to him and he said, "I can't sleep."

"Nerves?" I asked as he started plucking at random notes on the piano.

"I don't think so. I wasn't nervous during the Ice court mission, or at least not super nervous, I wasn't really nervous during the whole 'save Kuwei' deal either. Though that wasn't all that worrisome." He muttered the last part like he didn't want me to hear.

I put my hands over his and followed his movements on the piano. "Maybe it's different this time. There's a bit more at stake this time if we loose, at least it feels that way for me."

Wylan was silent for a moment then his hands fall still and mine with them. "You might be right."

"Don't sound so surprised." I breathed a tired laughed. "I have my moments of genius."

He turns to me, biting his lip. "Shouldn't I be more nervous then? I'm not nervous." Wylan started to rumble. "Or at least I'm pretty sure I'm not. I think it's more of just, well I feel like I'm forgetting something. Something important. But shouldn't I also be-"

"Wylan, it's okay. It happens sometimes. When you get in enough fights you start getting more confident. Or cocky. Probably both. I'm not nervous either, well, I'm at least not worried. I know what I can do, I know what we can do, in the end that's all we can control."

He sighed and rested his head on my shoulder. "I just, I don't want you to think that I'm okay with losing what we have right now. I'm not. I like what we have right now. Things are nice."

"Nice," I agreed, rubbing circles on his back. "But a little boring you must admit."

Wylan laughs and shakes his head. "You can never be satisfied. Can you?"

I cupped the side of his head and brought his head up to look at mine. "I'm satisfied now." I said.

"Really?" Wylan asked, raising an eyebrow in speculation.

His eyes were shining a fantastic blue in the light of the candle and his hair looked to be on fire itself with its curls reflecting the flame. His fine pale skin contrasted greatly against my dark skin but it looked right and natural. He looked in place in this room; at the piano. Not because it was an expensive, lavish, room, but because it was who he was.

"Of course," I said before leaning in and kissing him.

The kiss was good, but Wylan broke away after a bit and rested his head on my chest.

"What's wrong?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair.

"I just want to make it out of this." He lifted his head from my chest. "I feel like we're just starting to figure out what we want for us. I just don't want it to end before it starts. Is that selfish, Jesper?"

"Not at all Wylan." I smiled at him. "That's having something to fight for."

~-~

The ships came in the morning. Inej was right about how many there would be, but she never really put to scale how big they would be. We could spot them miles away as we waited with other Slat workers and gang members on the docks.