six of crows oneshots + stories

dream a little dream of me: kanej

hello this is a very very soft kanej oneshot that includes kaz being sick and maybe possibly hallucinating things and talking about her out loud 0-0. also the title is a reference to the song. the lyrics also suit this oneshot really well, so go listen to it if you want. 

takes place before crooked kingdom but pretend that nothing happened in terms of plot since inej wasn't even there and everything moved too quickly. this is just in terms of how their relationship was. in this their feelings are known but it's still the "i will have you without armor" part of their relationship. hope that makes sense. happy reading!

Inej pov

Inej knew that something was wrong the second she stopped outside of his door. She had just returned from another one of the assignments he had given her; this one had included hiding behind a chimney and gathering information on one mercher that owed Kaz money. He had a hunch that he was planning to flee Ketterdam, and as always he was correct. She didn't understand why he even sent her anymore if he knew the answer. Maybe he just wanted to give her something to do other than feeding the crows.

She hadn't crossed passed with him in three days, and the last time she'd seen him was only in passing. They were never at the Slat at the same times, and she had been out at night for the past two days. So when she got to the landing at the top of the stairs, she gave a start at what she heard inside the door.

Kaz was hacking furiously inside of the room, coughing and coughing without an end. She heard him gasp for air and knocked on the door once in a hurry and bursted inside without waiting for a reply.

"Kaz?!" She stopped in her tracks. Kaz stood clutching the desk, coughing furiously, holding a handkerchief to his mouth. When the fit finally ended, he looked up at her.

"I'm fine. What's the situation?" he asked as if he wasn't just hacking like a cat trying to cough up a hairball. He folded the handkerchief and tucked it away inside his pocket but not before she caught sight of the blood that stained the white fabric.

"Kaz." Inej had never seen him look so pale. She noticed that he was clutching his cane harder than ever, and his eyes that were normally the color of steep tea were almost gray. The shadows underneath his eyes made him look much older than he actually was.

"Inej." They stared at each other.

"Kaz, if you're sick you need to rest," she told him. He picked something off his suit sleeve.

"Inej?" he asked, walking towards her.

"Yes?"

"I don't get sick. Please move aside. I have business elsewhere," he said, brushing past her and out the door. She felt a small flurry of anger inside of her. Why did it matter? It's not like he would ever listen to her. Why did she even bother trying to care anymore?

She walked to his window and had one leg out before something hit the floor with a thump. She whipped around  and saw Kaz grasping the railing, his cane fallen to the floor. She hesitated, wondering if he was just going to dismiss her again. She couldn't stop from worrying though, and was almost relieved when she heard him rasp her name.

She was at his side holding his cane. Another fit of coughing hit him, and a trickle of blood ran down his chin. She simply looked at him, wide eyed in concern, unsure if she could touch or help him.

"Inej," he rasped again, turning to look at her with bloodshot eyes. "Tell Jesper I won't be there today." His leg buckled, and instead of grasping for the railing, his gloved hand clutched her arm. She held onto him, supporting his weight. She pleaded with him silently to go rest. Miraculously, he let her lead him to his room, hacking the whole way there. He stripped off his coat and unbuttoned his shirt, collapsing onto his bed. Inej carefully leaned his cane on the desk and went to where he lay on his back, chest heaving.