Fragments *KANEJ*

The Monster and His Wraith

Inej wakes up to the sound of a crow cawing from outside. She surveys her surroundings wearily. She realizes that she is laying on a large black bed, the relaxes at the realization that it's Kaz's bed. Then she suddenly snaps up, remembering what happened. Pain shoots through her body and she lays back down to let her injuries rest.

A knock on the door startles her. "Come in." She calls.

Kaz slowly opens up the door and walks inside the room, closing the door behind him.

"How are you feeling?" He asks politely, avoiding eye contact.

"Better, but certain wounds still hurt." She tells him, sitting up gently this time.

"Ah." Kaz nods and continues to avoid eye contact. He is worried for what he is about to say. Terrified. "I... I missed you." Inej, who is fiddling with the bedsheets, stops and looks up.

Both know what the other wants to say. An unspoken understanding dances it's way between them and Kaz walks forward. He gently takes off his gloves and sits on the bed beside her.

"Inej, I'm bad with words when it comes to speaking my... feelings. I'm bad at dealing with feelings in general. But, I do know that you're so much more to me than just an investment." Inej slowly takes his bare hand, and he flinches, feeling the water lapping at his ankles, but barely. He pushes the water away when he feels her pulse. She's alive. "I don't want to have all of this armor on every time we touch." He shudders at the last word, then continues, "Wait for me, please. I want to hold you. To touch you. To- to kiss you. But it might just take a little bit of time." Kaz looks down at his feet and tries not to get so angry at himself for expressing his feelings, the negative thoughts about possible outcomes already beginning to cut him up into pieces.

Inej just smiles and speaks softly, "It's okay, Kaz. I will wait for you forever, but you will have to do the same for me. One step at a time, okay?" Kaz smiles and nods at her. Then he slowly leans his head into the crook of her neck, and sighs at the warmth he feels. "Thank you, Inej. Now... I think... I think I'm ready to tell you about my past."

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10 months later.....

Kaz and Inej have made so much progress. Now they can touch with bare skin and be open to each other. There are still some hidden things about both of their pasts, and water still drowns Kaz at her touch on occasion, but it happens rarely. For once, Kaz is happy. He feels okay.

The Wraith and her Bastard walk the streets of the barrel, bare hands clasped together. No words are said, they just enjoy each other's company in comfortable silence. Eventually, they get to 5th Harbor, where Inej is leaving for yet another trip to stop slaver ships. He fully supports her dream, but part of him hates that she keeps leaving every few weeks. She doesn't stay out for too long, the most being 2 weeks, but he hates watching her leave anyway.

He cups her cheek in his bare hand looks at her beautiful dark eyes. She smiles and wraps her arms around his shoulders. He doesn't shudder, he rarely does these days. It's been so long since he's felt the warmth of skin, not the cold, dead touch that he remembers. And he likes this new feeling. It feels as though every time he sees her smile, feels her touch, or hears her words, his heart seems to stop and start all over again. The warmth of her love has melted his frozen soul, which had layers upon layers of cold, hard ice over it.

Kaz's broken pieces are being reassembled, back into the boy that he hasn't been in so long. His hard shell is still there, but now it has a softness to it, that only reveals itself when his Wraith is present. She is gaining the fragments of his soul and stitching them together, making him a whole man again. Yes, he still has a horrible dark side and is cold, terrifying and merciless. Dirtyhands, the Bastard of The Barrel, still exists. He is still a monster. But he is her monster, and that means something to both of them.

"When will you return this time?" Kaz asks her softly.

"In a week or so," she answers with a slight smile. "Can you take me out for waffles when I get back?" He chuckles and agrees.

"Of course, I'm sure they don't have waffles in the middle of the sea, unfortunately."

A couple of seconds of silence pass. Silence has never bothered them, in fact, when there's silence, they speak more words than if they actually made a sound.

"I'll miss you." She mutters suddenly and looks up into his dark topaz eyes.

He takes an unsteady breath and responds, "I'll miss you too, Wraith." He brushes back her hair gently with his soft fingers. It's so strange to Inej how someone so hardened and scary can have such a gentle touch.

For a moment, nothing happens. They just soak up all that they can of the person standing before them, grateful for the connection that they share. They admire each other's beauty, inside and out. Kaz hovers his hand over her hip and she understands. She nods and he pulls her into a soft and gentle kiss, but with more passion than any other. Their lips move together, synchronized in battle, like the twin soldiers that they are.

They break apart and grin at each other. Then, Inej turns and walks away with no more words, just a simple smile that he knows means "I love you, Kaz Brekker."

Well, "I love you too, Inej."

Thank you so much for reading!! Vote and comment and go check out my other stories!! I'm currently writing a long book of one shots that updates every week or so, called "a family of crows is called a murder" go read it please!! Anyway follow me and have a wonderful day!