8A/N: This is my first Six of Crows fanfiction. For now, I'll keep it as just this oneshot, but I'll probably add more to this later. I want to finish my other story first. Please review! Also let me know if you think any of the characters were a little out of character. I hope you enjoy!
Inej P.O.V
Inej stood at the bottom of Kaz's apartment building. She watched the crows that seemed to always loiter outside his window. She shook her head, a faint smile on her face. Kaz had always claimed that the black birds were always perched on his windowsill because she would always feed them. But Inej had caught him feeding the crows little pieces of cracker when he thought no one was looking. But the Wraith missed nothing.
She nimbly scaled the building, springing from windowsill to windowsill, the movements so familiar she didn't even have to think about what she was doing. But today, being high on the rooftops didn't rejuvenate her, as it usually did. Today, she would be leaving on her new ship, The Wraith. While she was excited to start this new chapter of her life, finally fulfill her dream, there were some things in the city of Ketterdam that would be painful to leave behind. She would be returning regularly, but she knew it meant she wouldn't be seeing her friends nearly as often.
Inej wasn't oblivious to the fact that the thing she would miss most was a certain black haired, obsidian eyed boy. Inej knew deep down, that she was probably in love with Kaz. But ever since they had held hands on the docks that day, she had never been quite sure where they stood in their relationship. Were they even in a relationship? It wasn't like they had kissed or anything. The last few months, they had slowly started opening up to each other. In fact, it was hearing about Jordie that had driven Inej to pay Pekka Rollins a late night visit a couple days ago.
Inej finally reached Kaz's window. He had bought an apartment for himself immediately after he had become the leader of the Dregs. He had wanted space to himself. Inej, on the other hand, had been living in the Van Eck Mansion, along with Wylan, Jesper, and Nina, who had recently returned from Fjerda. Perched on the windowsill to the right of Kaz's, Inej threw a couple small pieces of bread onto a different windowsill, sending the crows fluttering after it, a trick she had learned due to her frequent visits to Kaz's apartment. Once to crows had cleared, she sprung onto Kaz's windowsill, and started picking the lock.
She couldn't see into his room, since the windows were all tinted. Every day, Kaz would lock his window with a different lock to challenge her lockpicking skills. Inej had never really been very good at lockpicking. On most heists, Kaz ended up picking the more complicated locks, as he was the most skilled out of their whole crew. Probably in the whole city. Inej has yet to see Kaz fail to pick a lock. Inej appreciated the extra practice. She had been trying to improve her lockpicking skills for the past couple of weeks. The key word being trying. After about a minute and a half, the lock clicked open. She muffled the sound with her hand. What she had taken a couple minutes to do, Kaz could have done in 30 seconds.
Inej took a deep breath before reaching to open the window. She wasn't stupid. She knew that Kaz wasn't happy about her leaving. He had tried to hide it, but the Wraith missed nothing. But Inej wasn't sure if it was because he actually cared about her, or if she was a valuable asset. Probably the latter.
But nothing could have prepared Inej for what she saw when she opened his window. Kaz was sitting at his desk. With his head in his hands. She froze, wondering what had made him so upset. Maybe a deal gone wrong? Should she just come back later today?
Kaz whipped his head towards her at the sound of his window opening. He didn't even reach for his cane. She was the only one who ever came in through his window. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of her. It took less than a second for Kaz to arrange his face, hiding his emotions. But Inej had known him for so long, that she used that fraction of a second to try to see what he was really feeling. In that time, he had looked disbelieving and almost hopeful. That was when the puzzle pieces clicked in her head. Her. She was the reason he had been so miserable earlier.
15 minutes earlier
Kaz P.O.V.
Kaz stepped into his room and closed the door behind him. He surveyed his room, ensuring that no one would be able to see him. Assured, Kaz Brekker finally allowed himself to crumple. He sat at his desk burying his head in his hands.
She was leaving. Today. He hadn't said goodbye yet. Hadn't had the nerve. Kaz knew that he was being stupid. Getting so worked up over one girl. But if he was being honest with himself (something he rarely did), he knew that he was in love with her. Kaz Brekker was in love with the Wraith. And she was leaving today. He would never see her again.
Sure, she claims she'll visit him, but he knows that she won't. After all, why would anyone want to visit him. She had only stuck with him because he was her way out of the Menagerie. But now she would be leaving him. He was in love with her. But he would never tell her. She deserved better than him. She deserved someone who was capable of love. Someone whole. Unbroken. Pure. She deserved better than his dark, twisted soul.
The sound of his window opening brought Kaz back to reality. He snapped his head towards the window. There was only one person who entered his room that way. She was here. Why? He took in her small form, perched on his windowsill, almost like a crow.
He forced himself to stay levelheaded as he smoothly got out of his seat, grabbing his cane. She hopped down from the windowsill, closing the window behind her. He stopped a few feet in front of her and watched as she quickly removed all of her knives. He wasn't sure why, but she always did that in his apartment. He was honored that she felt safe enough around him to part from her beloved knives.
"How was the lock?" He said, in a poor attempt to fill the silence between them.
Her lips twitched upwards, and Kaz found himself unable to look away. "It took me a couple of minutes, but I eventually got it."
He nodded, not exactly sure what to say next. Getting fed up of beating around the bush, Kaz blurted, "You're leaving today."
She nodded. "I just wanted to talk a little before I go."
Kaz nodded, leaning against the table. He couldn't help but notice that with her back to the window, the moonlight made it look like she was glowing. And her lips. They were curved perfectly, and he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away. She looked like a goddess. A lethal, deadly goddess. And he wanted to kiss her. Badly.
Inej continued, "I wanted to thank you for everything. The ship. Reuniting me with my parents. All of it."
Kaz blinked, not sure what to say. No one had ever said anything like that to him. Not that that was surprising, considering the fact that he wasn't exactly what you would call a nice guy….
Inej snorted. "This is the part where you say, 'You're welcome, Inej'."
Kaz forced himself back to reality. He forced himself to get a grip. "You deserved it. You have nothing to thank me for."
Inej smiled up at him, and his heart skipped a beat. He was suddenly aware of the fact that they were much closer now. There was less than a foot separating them. And he had taken his gloves off earlier. Realizing the same thing, Inej started to step back.
Panicking, Kaz blurted, "No. It's okay." She stopped where she was. Suddenly, wanting to get closer to her, Kaz found himself leaning in. He immediately stopped himself. What was he doing?
But then Inej took a step closer to him. He found himself unable to tear his gaze from her lips. He wanted to kiss her. Desperately. Then, surprising him, she reached for his hand, but stopped just above it. She looked up at him, asking for permission with her eyes.
He swallowed, and nodded, watching her hand. She gently took both of his hands in hers, placing one on her waist and one on her shoulder. Kaz's breath hitched. For some inexplicable reason, he found that he loved holding her. Touching her. Did she really want him to kiss her? Was this really happening? Kaz bit his tongue. A sharp flash of pain confirmed that this wasn't a dream. Kaz had dreamed of Inej more often than he would ever dare to admit.
She smiled up at him encouragingly, and he took a deep breath, before moving his hand from her shoulder to the side of her face. He looked at her, making sure she was okay with this. She gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.
He slowly stroked her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes fluttered closed. He really wanted to kiss her, but he wasn't really sure how. He had never kissed someone before. He ceased stroking the smooth skin of her cheek and ran his thumb over her top lip. Her lips were slightly chapped from the cold. They were gloriously soft.
He took a deep breath, and slowly lowered his mouth towards hers. Was he doing it right so far? What if he messed it up? As his lips neared hers, doubts ran through his head. But he knew that more than he had ever wanted anything in his life, he wanted to kiss her. And he wasn't going to let her go without at least trying.
All thoughts flew out of his mind as his lips touched hers. He felt like he had been waiting for this forever. He felt like he was flying, soaring through the skies without a care in the world. It was like he had been missing something his whole life, and he was now complete. He made to pull away, but Inej wrapped an arm around his neck, deepening the kiss. And as her tongue brushed his bottom lip, his mind went completely blank. All he could think was More. More. Inej. He couldn't remember who he was, what he had been doing before, or anything else. He pulled her against him, kissing her with more intensity, until they both had to pull away for air.
He stumbled onto his reading chair, and Inej bumped into his bed. It took a few seconds for everything to come back to Kaz. He sat up in the chair, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. He turned to Inej. "Was that okay? I'm sorry if it wasn't! I really don't know–"
Kaz was cut off as her lips met his again, in a shorter kiss this time. He was still a little shocked, and the second kiss didn't help the state of his mind. She settled in his lap. Smiling up at him. "That was amazing." Kaz could feel his heart melt a little as she shot him another dazzling smile.
Before, he had always wondered why people kissed. It seemed like such a waste of time. Such a stupid thing to do. But now, he understood. Nothing he had ever done made him feel the way he felt when he had kissed Inej. He had always thought that love was a weakness. That it tied you down. But he had never felt as strong or as free as he had when he kissed her.
Without really thinking, he blurted, "I love you." His eyes widened. He silently cursed the muddled state of his mind. What was wrong with him?
Inej's lips twitched upwards, "I love you too, Kaz."
He blinked. This couldn't be happening. How could she love him? She deserved better!
He must have accidentally voiced his thoughts, because Inej sat up, looking into his eyes. "I love you. And only you. Forever. I don't deserve better, because you are the best. People might call you cold, but you aren't. You've been hurt. You build walls around yourself. You think that makes you horrible, but it doesn't. I have walls too, Kaz. We're both broken, but we can heal together."
Kaz wasn't sure when he had started crying, but by the time she was done speaking, his head was buried in her neck, and the top of her shirt was drenched. For the first time since Jordie died, Kaz found himself hopeful. And happy. Inej loved him and he loved her. He decided to take a chance. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.
"What's my darling Wraith thinking?" He held his breath, unsure of whether or not she would like the nickname.
She smiled up at him, "You tell me, then I'll tell you."
He smirked down at Inej, who was now laying across his lap. He felt a delightful little shiver go up her spine at his smirk. He silently made a mental note: She likes the nickname and the smirk. "I see you've picked up some tricks from me! You drive a hard bargain, Wraith. How about you tell me first, then I'll tell you!"
She sighed but agreed. "The deal is the deal."
Then her attitude changed. She was serious, and even seemed a little nervous. He could hear her take a deep breath, before saying "Uh, would you possibly want to come with me on the ship? If you can't that's completely fine! It's–"
He cut her off with a deep, but short kiss, leaving them both slightly breathless. He couldn't believe it! He was pretty sure he was the happiest man alive! His heart was going to burst!
"You want me to come?"
"Yes, but if you don't–"
He cut her off with another kiss. He peppered her face with little kisses. Her cheeks. Her nose. Her forehead.
"I'd be honored, Inej. Jesper and Anika can watch the Dregs for a week while we're gone."
She smiled up at him, and he could've sworn that for that one moment, the world stopped spinning.
"What was your thought?"
"Oh. That."
"Yeah, Kaz. That. Time to hold your end of our deal!"
He sighed, and she laughed. A sound that he never wanted to stop hearing.
"I'm thinking that if you keep laughing and smiling at me like that, my tiny excuse for a heart is going to melt into a puddle of goo, and we'll have to call Nina to fix me up."
Inej doubled over in laughter, and Kaz found himself smiling too.
"Who would've thought?" Inej managed to get out between her laughing fits, "Kaz Brekker, a hopeless romantic!"
He mock-glared at her, causing her to burst into another fit of laughter. Kaz couldn't take it anymore. He placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her. He made sure to put as much love and passion into the kiss as he could. They both pulled away, chests heaving.
Once they had both caught their breaths, Inej smirked and amended, "Who would've thought? Kaz Brekker, an amazing kisser!"
A/N: In case any of you ACOTAR fans were wondering, yes, I shamelessly stole the thought for a thought idea. I feel like it fits Kaz and Inej's relationship so well! Remember to leave a reveiw! Let me know if you thought either Kaz or Inej was out of character. And please send in some prompts! Should I continue this with their trip on the ship? Should I write Kaz meeting Inej's parents?