Chapter Text
Inej let her legs dangle from her seat on the roof. A notebook lay beside her on the ledge and she was toying with a pen in her hand. Twirling it around her finger absentmindedly. She pulled out her phone and opened her messages app.
Swifties
9:36pm
Spider: i had a really good time today <3
Rat: me too <33
Spider: roof?
Rat: see you in 10
Inej slowly and stiffly raised herself from her seat, gathered her things and made her way across the roof to her and Kaz's usual spot. It was beside the school's clocktower, the place of their first meeting. Inej found Kaz with his back to the clocktower, he was talking to the crows that frequented the clocktower. Inej smiled softly to herself. She dropped down beside Kaz and chuckled, “Looks like you’ve made a friend, huh?”
Kaz’s head swivelled, “I didn’t hear you there”, he murmured.
She grinned up at him, “Liar”.
"Made you smile though, didn't it?"
Inej didn't reply, instead she laced her bare fingers through Kaz's gloved ones and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"What were you writing?" Kaz asked after spotting her notebook.
"Zoya wanted help with a song, I promised to do it tonight before I forgot", Inej said, pressing herself further into Kaz's side.
"What's this one about?" He asked, while he wrapped a tentative arm around Inej.
"Angry. Something about an insufferable blonde and her rage feeling like a dragon inside. I think Nikolai used up all her toothpaste again."
"Are they dating yet?"
"The day those two finally realize they're in love with each other is the day I fall in love with Jordie".
"What about us?" Kaz asks, quietly.
Inej turns to face him, "What about us?"
"If I finished the toothpaste would you be writing an angry dragon song?"
"It depends".
"On?"
Inej smiled at him, "How good your apology is".
"My darling Inej, treasure of my heart. Won't you please forgive me for finishing the tooth paste?" Kaz's face was completely serious, but his voice was so sincere sounding she couldn't help but laugh.
It wasn't a dainty laugh, it was all over the place, but Kaz loved it anyway. He was enraptured and if he could bottle that laugh to have it forever he would get drunk on it every night.
"Kaz, light of my life of course I forgive you".
They chuckled together for a while, once the laughter had died down they sat in a comfortable silence watching the birds.
Eventually Inej spoke, "Will you braid my hair?" She ran a hand through a chunk of it, dividing it easily into strands. Kaz nods and features for her to turn. He slowly pulled off his gloves, one at a time and stretched out his fingers. He copied Inej's first action and ran a hand through her hair, before dividing it into two sections of three.
"What type of braid are you doing?"Inej asked him, reaching for her notebook.
"Dutch, if that's okay?"
"Perfect".
Inej turned her phone on, opening Spotify first and scrolling through all the playlists on the group account, because none of them (except maybe Kaz and Wylan) could afford to have their own Spotify premium account. She ended up hitting play on the "kanej" playlist Nina had made. Was it so bad if she wanted to listen to it?
Invisible String by Taylor Swift came on and Inej mumbled along under her breath.
"Kaz?"
Kaz hummed something vague in response to his name.
"What are we?"
She felt his hands still.
"What do you mean?"
"Like…relationship wise?" Inej wanted to turn around but she feared the slightest movement would set Kaz off running.
Kaz's hands began moving again, except his movements were stiffer, more robotic this time. A big difference from the easy flowing movements before.
"Well", he said slowly, as if he were scared to set her off as well, "What do you want to be?"
Inej fidgeted with her hands in her lap, "Well". Should she say? Or would he be scared off? She contemplated the risk vs benefits in her head, Fuck it.
"I'm in love with you Kaz".
Kaz's hands froze again, he couldn't move them, it was as if time had stopped just for him to freak out. She loved him, that's what she said. Love.
He wanted to say something, tell her he loved her too, that he had for years. He needed to tell her. He couldn't speak, no sound came out when he tried to talk.
The minutes ticked by like years, Inej stood swiftly and turned on her heel. She ran across the roof away from him. Kaz's brain was too far behind to realize.
After half an hour of being frozen Kaz's hands reached for where Inej's hair had previously been, cradling the empty space regretfully. He held Inej's discarded notebook in his lap and closed his eyes.
" Fuck ".
Brothers😐
01:09am
SmackSmack: jesper she told me she loved me
SmackSmack: what the hell do i do
Knife Wives
1:16am
MissDictionary: nina i think i messed up
Brothers😐
01:47am
Shootshoot: what the fuck happened kaz
Knife Wives
01:56am
MissMisery: i have blankets and chocolate
MissMisery: i’ll kick matthias out
02:14am
MissMisery: Inej?
MissMisery: are you there?
03:23am
MissMisery: inej im getting worried about you
MissMisery: if you see this just let me know your okay
Brothers😐
02:25am
Shootshoot: whered you go
03:58am
Shootshoot: kaz where the hell are you
Shootshoot: i checked your room and your not there
Phoebe stans
04:05am
Jesjes: have you seen kaz?
04:48am
Jesjes: nej??
#1 Kanej Shippers
04:53am
Guns: have you seen kaz?
Roses: no
Roses: have you seen inej?
Guns: no
Roses: fuck
Kaz’s Favourites
04:57am
Fav #2: WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS?????????