Fair warning, I haven't read CK yet, but I know the entire plot and have read fics set after it with no mercy for my own damned, spoiler-ridden soul. I also altered the wording/some of the sentiment of the original prompt to better suit their dynamic.
221. "I love you. I've loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you and- Oh screw it!" + Kanej (Six of Crows)
Inej's returns were always quiet affairs that involved a lot of slipping. The boat would slip into the harbour, she would slip onto the roof of The Slat, and slip into Kaz's room without making a sound.
Sometimes, he'd be out on a job, returning later smelling like gunpowder and blood. Other times, like this time, he'd be there already, shirt-sleeves rolled up but gloves still on as he pored over documents set out on the makeshift desk.
He took her in in silence, the loose cut of her clothes, so unlike the leather she'd donned while in his service. The blistering sun beating down over the sea wasn't kind to those who clad themselves in leather, and Inej had long since learned that cotton, the kind that billowed in the breeze, was the best option.
She wondered what he thought of it. Then he gulped, and she didn't have to.
"You're back," he said, fingers flexing. He didn't move from his place, frozen stiff on the upturned barrel that served as a chair in this wreckage of a room.
"No, I'm a ghost," replied Inej, strolling toward him. She wanted to sit herself on the desk, but she didn't trust the integrity of the structure enough. Just because she knew how to fall didn't mean she wanted to. "I've come to haunt you."
A slow smirk spread over his features. "And what have I ever done to you to deserve such a fate?"
Inej laughed, throwing her head back. Her hair was loose, slipping over her shoulders, strands of it ducking underneath her shirt collar to tickle at her skin. "You've done plenty to deserve that, Dirtyhands," she said, voice warm. She stretched a hand out between them, waiting for him to close the distance.
To her surprise, he didn't. Not immediately, anyway.
Maintaining eye contact with her, Kaz gripped the middle finger of his glove between his teeth, slipping his hand out of it and dropping the glove into his lap. He then offered his bare hand to her, letting her take it with a gentle grip.
It was only then that Inej realised just how much she'd missed him. They weren't ones for heartfelt professions, but this was something she couldn't suppress.
She'd just opened her mouth to tell him when he cut her off, eyes wide. "I love you," he said. "I've loved you since–well, not since I laid eyes on you, and you wouldn't believe me if I said that, anyway. But it's been a long time, and it built–Oh, screw it." He let go of her hand, composing himself. "I'm sorry, I just–can't always think when I'm–"
"It's fine," Inej soothed. "I understand." She wanted to say it back, to return his feeling to him, but she could see the panic in his eyes, the red flush of his cheeks. Touch wasn't easy for him; she wasn't going to confess to love like this.
Taking his glove in hand, Inej held it open carefully, watching Kaz slip his hand back inside. It was awkward at one point, his index finger going into the place where the thumb belonged, but they managed it without her touching his skin once. Once they were through, he held her hand.
Giving in, she perched on the edge of his desk, risking the fall to be near him.
Feedback appreciated! Always accepting prompts flo-lore-writes.