"Come here." Kaz said.
Inej shot him a look that made it clear he was in no position to order her around.
"Please" he mumbled, looking at the ground.
One of Inej's eyebrows rose slightly, but she gave in and sat on the bed next to him. Leaving a careful distance between them.
"What is it Kaz?"
Kaz took off his gloves. His pale fingers lay still on his legs, except for the slight tremor that went through them, just visible to Inej because she knew he was uneasy.
"I fucked up." He simply said. Inej turned and really looked at Kaz's face. The lines across his face were deep with worry, his eyebrows drawn together and his dark coffee eyes more open than usual. He wouldn't meet her gaze. Something was seriously wrong.
She waited for him to elaborate but when it became clear he wouldn't she scooted a little closer. When he didn't back away she placed a hand over his. He took a sharp breath but still didn't move. It was still hard for Kaz to touch her, but he was getting better. She liked to think that it was because of her. Because of this, she was willing to make the first move. As long as he eventually reciprocated her gestures.
He did. He slowly turned his hand and locked his long fingers with hers. She saw that his arm was tense, but she knew he liked touching her too.
She squeezed his hand lightly, trying to get him to tell her what was wrong. He got the hint and started talking.
"I fucked up. Really bad this time. I invested in a small gambling hall and got scammed. It was stupid. So stupid. I lost a lot of money…" he finally looked at her.
"Kaz" was all she said, trying not to sound pitying. He was looking into her eyes, probably trying to read her mind. After a good minute of eye contact he leaned in and gave her a short kiss. Inej felt her lips tingle after he pulled away.
"It's not your fault. Anyone could have invested that money. You're Kaz Brekker. You'll find out who scammed you and make sure they never do it again. And you'll get back the money. You'll be fine." She reassured him, but Kaz shook his head.
"I know who it was. It was Per Haskell."
"What? I thought he left Ketterdam."
"That's what I thought, but apparently he's decided to start a new gang and take revenge on me." Inej could feel anger running through her body. The old man should have left while he had the chance. She said as much to Kaz.
"You don't understand, we're in a bad place. The Crow Club's been having a dry spell and there have been more fights within the dregs. I don't know what to do." He confessed.
Inej untangled their hands and scooted even closer, wrapping her arm around him and pulling him close. He placed his head on her shoulder and sighed deeply. She started running her fingers through his hair cautiously.
"Is this too much?" she whispered.
"No, it's perfect." He said.
They stayed like that, tossing around plans and ideas to make sure the Dregs stayed the most important gang in the barrel.
Eventually they came up with a solution to solve Kaz's problem and he took his head off of her shoulder. He took her face between his hands and kissed her again. It meant the world to Inej. She left his room with a smile on her face, walking down the stairs of the slat with an unusual swagger. She felt empowered, she felt important, she felt loved.
Kaz watched her go from his window, but she did not look back.