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Chapter Text

“Onto the next matter at hand,” Hiam Schenck said. As one of the senior council members, he typically ran the order of topics discussed. “Wylan Van Eck, you have been on this council since your father broke the merchant code and was sentenced to Hellgate. However, you are a minor and do not currently have a guardian. Therefore, you are not allowed to be a participant of the council until you come of age.”

Wylan blinked but gave no other reaction. “I am the sole heir of the Van Eck wealth. And being a Van Eck means I am automatically granted a position.”

“Unless you do not have a guardian.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Schenck shrugged. “Laws are laws, Wylan.”

“Fine,” Wylan snapped. “Give me twenty-four hours, and I’ll have a guardian.”

“Your mother cannot be a guardian until she is deemed mentally well enough.”

Wylan cursed in his mind. Who else would he ask? Now that he thought about it, he didn’t know anyone who was of legal age. Kaz just turned nineteen a few weeks ago, Wylan’s mind supplied. But just the thought of asking Kaz- a ruthless barrel boss and only one year older- to basically be his parent felt very awkward. But who else was there? Alys hadn’t even turned eighteen yet, not that he’d want her to become his legal guardian anyway. He did find a certain amusement in imaging Kaz having free reign in the council if he became Wylan’s guardian.

“We will give you twenty-four hours to find a guardian. If you don’t, then you will be suspended from the merchant council until we deem you ready.”

So basically never, Wylan thought. “Fine.”

“Here is the contract that you and your guardian will sign if you do happen to find one,” Schenck said, looking down his nose at the boy. He then nodded and said to the council, “Wylan Van Eck will be given twenty-four hours to find a guardian and make it legal, otherwise he will be put on probation until he comes of age and then further discussion can be made. Meeting dismissed.”

The twelve merchants filed out, leaving Wylan and the contract behind. As soon as the door shut behind them, Wylan dropped his head in his hands. What on earth was he going to do? Maybe Kaz would simply have ideas! He wouldn’t have to ask Kaz to be his guardian specifically- though he wouldn’t say no if Kaz offered. He couldn’t deny that he saw Kaz as a father figure. After all, it was Kaz who had looked out for him when he had been on the streets, and Kaz who was still looking out for Wylan.

With that determined, Wylan stood up, shoved the papers into his satchel, and walked out of the council room, heading directly for the Crow Club. Kaz usually spent his time going between there and the Silver Six, but the Slat was also an option. Wylan decided he’d visit the two gambling dens before visiting the Slat.

As soon as he stepped through the door, he caught sight of Kaz standing at the door to his office, eyes sliding over the crowd as if he was scouring the pigeons for cheating or dealers for skimming. Wylan gave an awkward wave when Kaz’s gaze landed on him. After receiving a slight head tilt, Wylan weaved his way between the tables and followed the gang leader into his office.

“Shut the door, Wylan,” Kaz said, sitting down behind the desk. “What business?

Wylan followed Kaz’s directions then plopped down in a chair opposite the desk. “The council voted that I have to find a guardian within 24 hours or else I’ll be suspended until further notice.”

“Because you are underage.”

“They didn’t even say that I would be suspended until I turned nineteen!”

“So once you’re suspended, you won’t be able to get unsuspended unless they decide otherwise, which is not very likely.”

Wylan nodded wearily. If he was suspended, he couldn’t even appeal to get back onto the council because he would technically still be a council member even though he couldn’t participate in any of it.

Kaz’s brows furrowed. “Do you even know anyone over nineteen who would agree to be your guardian?”

“None. At least, none that the council would accept.”

“Who do you know over the age nineteen that you would trust as your legal guardian?”

“Just you.” The words were out of Wylan’s mouth faster than they registered in his brain. He flushed. “I just meant that-” Meant what? That he trusted Kaz completely? That he saw Kaz as an older brother who acted as a father should?

Unbeknownst to Wylan, the tips of Kaz’s ears turned pink as the Barrel boss read between the lines. “I see. I would be willing to be your guardian if that is your wish.”

Yes, Wylan thought. That is exactly what he wanted. When all is said and done, Kaz being his guardian was not by far the strangest thing he’d ever seen in his short lifespan. Besides, Kaz hadn’t coddled Wylan by any means, but he’d treated Wylan as an equal and had found a way to make him a part of the team, even if it was only his unnatural ability to blow things up spectacularly. “I would like that if you’re sure. I don’t want to pressure you or anything either, so if you-”

“Wylan,” Kaz interrupted. “I wouldn’t have offered if I thought you were forcing me.”

“Right.”

“So we both can agree that this is my decision and that you are not pressuring me into anything?”

“Sure.”

Kaz rolled his eyes. “No one can make me do anything I don’t want to do.”

“You know that once you sign the paper, all of Ketterdam will know,” Wylan added hesitantly. He wasn’t afraid for himself. He figured that he would gain more than the risk of being so closely associated to Kaz.

“As long as you are willing to accept the risk of being allied with me, I don’t particularly care what others think.” Kaz raised an eyebrow and waited for Wylan’s response.

Without hesitation, Wylan said, “I know the risks. Besides, it’s basically already a known fact that we are associated.”

“As long as you’re sure. I’m assuming they gave you a contract?”

“Yeah. Here.” Wylan pulled the papers out of his satchel and handed them over. He felt like he was in a daze. This wasn’t actually happening, was it? Did Kaz just agree to become his guardian?

Kaz flipped through the papers quickly, yet he remembered every line. “Their contract seems fair at first, but there is a caveat that goes against one of the oldest and foundational laws of Ketterdam. So I’m going to rewrite it and we will present it tomorrow.”

“Are you even allowed to do that?” Wylan asked, frowning. “The council will never accept that.”

“They’ll have to because the foundational laws of Ketterdam say so.”

“How do you know so much about Ketterdam’s laws? My father had his very knowledgeable tutors teach me all about them, and I’ve never heard of anything about guardianship.”

“Your father wouldn’t have wanted you to know because then you might start digging and asking around and find out how to become emancipated and cause him all sorts of problems.” Kaz grinned wickedly. “When I have to avoid getting sentenced to death if somehow caught, I have to be able to defend myself in their unjust court. The only way to do that is to know all of the laws inside and out. So I did.”

Wylan shook his head, a wry smile forming on his lips. “Of course you did.”

The two then sat in silence as Kaz rewrote the contract. It had to be very similar to the version they gave Wylan to begin with or else they wouldn’t accept it. So all that needed changing was that Wylan would automatically be granted full council right when he finally turned nineteen.

When he was done, Kaz handed both contracts back to Wylan. “Tomorrow at the council meeting you will hand these to Schenck. However, if you get to the council room and the members are not there, go straight to the judge’s office and get it signed and dated. They might try to force you to forfeit, claiming you didn’t find a guardian within the twenty-four hours you were given.”

“Is that likely?” Wylan asked.

“No,” Kaz admitted. “But it’s best to have a backup plan. I have a meeting right before the meeting, but I will be there since I too have to sign the papers.”

Wylan smiled. It was just like Kaz to have a backup plan. He probably had a backup to the backup plan as well. “I should get going. Mother shouldn’t be left by herself for too much longer. Thank you, Kaz. This means a lot.”

“I hope you know that this is not entirely unselfish,” Kaz said. “I do have a vested interest in what goes on in the council chambers aside from what you tell me.”

“Of course,” Wylan said, rolling his eyes. It was just like Kaz to try to seem calloused and selfish, but Wylan and Kaz both knew that Wylan’s information about what the council talked about was very thorough and comprehensive; he didn’t miss much, so there was really no need for Kaz to be there in person.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kaz said, dismissing Wylan with a nod. He needed Wylan to leave so he could grin like an idiot without anyone seeing him do so. He had been a little caught off guard at first when Wylan had asked Kaz to be his guardian, but Kaz thought he’d done a good job of hiding his fondness of the younger boy.

Wylan left the club feeling lighter than he had all day. He debated telling his mother what had happened, but he knew it would not help her recovery if she knew people considered her unstable and unfit to be his mother. So he would have to keep this silent for a while.

The next day came quickly, and Wylan was up and ready to leave early. He had considered Kaz’s warning about the council potentially not meeting just to make sure he couldn’t get his paper signed within the designated time frame. So he decided he would show up a little earlier than normal just to make sure he didn’t have to go to the courthouse to get the paper signed.

Thankfully, when Wylan walked into the council room, all of the members were present. He took his seat and waited for the meeting to commence.

They discussed other topics since technically Wylan had another hour before he could no longer attempt to find a guardian. Schenck didn’t want to reject Wylan’s guardian and still give him time to go looking for a replacement. He stood up and looked at Wylan. “Wylan Van Eck, please step to the center of the room.” He waited until Wylan was in place, then he continued, “Your time is up. Have you found a guardian?”

Wylan cleared his throat. “You said I had to find a guardian. You didn’t specify who it couldn’t be, so I found someone of age willing to be my legal guardian.”

“And he or she signed the paper?”

“Yes. I have it right here with me. He also revised the paper a bit since your rules were unjust in the first place.”

“He can’t just-”

“Actually, he can,” Wylan contradicted, bringing the updated document forward and handing it to Schenck. “It’s in one of the laws that an underaged child’s guardian-to-be may alter the contract within reason. We only changed the parts that didn’t follow the laws set in place centuries ago, so it’s basically the same thing. Except that I will become a full member by nineteen unless the council elects to approve me before then.”

Schenck resisted the urge to frown. If Wylan’s new and so far nameless guardian knew the laws inside and out- that was the only way he could have found the tiny caveat in their original contract- that could very well mean trouble for the council. “And where is this guardian? He must be here when we sign the new form.”

They all froze when they heard the heavy thud of a cane. Seconds later, their nightmare appeared. Kaz Brekker, dressed in an impeccable three-piece suit, walked in. “Evening, gentlemen,” Kaz said, stopping right beside Wylan. “You’ll have to excuse my tardiness; business ran late. Shall we get started?”

“You aren’t allowed in here, Brekker,” Schenck said shakily. He was sure that the Bastard of the Barrel knew all sorts of things about him that would be devastating if made known to the public.

“I am now, actually,” Kaz replied, a shark’s grin spreading across his face. “As Wylan’s new guardian, I have a right to be in this room as long and as often as I wish to. Or do you not uphold the laws of Ghezen and the council before you?”

“You may dress like a merchant, Brekker, but you’re just a barrel rat,” Karl Dryden snarled, standing up and glaring at them. “Van Eck, you must choose someone who is not a criminal.”

If this had happened a few years ago, Wylan would have cowered and bent to their will. But he had faced worse than anything the council could throw at him. And with Kaz beside him, Wylan couldn’t find it in himself to be intimidated by even a little. “He’s not a criminal.”

“Of course he is!”

“What exactly am I wanted for?” Kaz challenged. As of right now, there was no arrest warrant for him considering his name had been cleared from the auction and nothing in particular had ever been pinned on him since his last arrest many years ago. There was always speculation and people who knew it was him, but no one could prove it because he never left any survivors or he somehow had blackmail on them enough to keep them silent.

“Many things! Murder, theft-”

“You can’t prove those claims.”

“-and many other things!”

“Like?”

“Like- like-“ Dryden stammered. Really, murder and theft basically summed up everything Kaz Brekker had ever been wanted for. Rumors were that he also impersonated people and had a personal torture chamber, but that couldn’t be proven and therefore wasn’t something that they could legally pin on him.

Kaz smirked. “The laws state that if there is no accusation with a good foundation then there is nothing that keeps someone from being a guardian.”

Schenck didn’t bother to hold back a scowl. Of course Kaz Brekker would know Ketterdam’s laws inside and out. It was bold of him to become Wylan’s guardian, but ultimately it would cause the council more problems, especially with his stance on brothels and indentures. However, there was nothing he nor any of the council could do to stop this. He quickly read through the paper and saw that it was as Wylan claimed: the same contract with the edit of granting Wylan full seat on the council. “Both of you step forward and let’s get this over with.”

Wylan and Kaz both stepped up to Schenck and signed the papers. As senior council member, Schenck was forced to sign the paper as the witness and representative of the council.

“Excellent,” Kaz said, smoothing out his jacket. “Now, I believe you said this was the last subject to discuss this week?”

Schenck’s scowl deepened. How dare this Barrel rat dismiss the council. But there wasn’t anything more to discuss that they hadn’t already covered. “Yes. We will reconvene next week at the same time.”

With that, the council members all got up and hurried out, not wanting to risk being left in the same room as Kaz Brekker.

Wylan and Kaz waited until they had all left the room before Wylan started laughing so hard he started crying. “Did you see their faces?”

“Ah yes,” Kaz said mildly, unable to stop the grin from spreading across his face. “The disdain on their faces when I walked in was priceless.”

It took Wylan a few minutes to get himself under control, but he finally wiped the tears off his face but left the grin in place. “Want to go get lunch at the Kooperoom?”

Kaz paused then nodded. “I don’t have any meetings, so I’m free for a bit. Lead the way.”

Together, Wylan and his guardian headed towards the restaurant. During their walk, Wylan said, “If you and Inej get married, does that mean she would also be my guardian?”

“Assuming we do- though not for quite a bit yet- then yes.”

“I wonder what she would say about that. She’s barely older than I am.”

“Think we should spring it on her next time we see her?”

Wylan grinned. “Oh absolutely.”

Chapter Text

Inej grinned as she watched Ketterdam grow larger. She’d been at sea for nearly four months, and she could no longer push down the longing to see both her friends and the city she had once extracted secrets from. Ultimately, though, she missed Kaz like a missing limb. For two years she had been at his side constantly, and now that they had finally acknowledged what was growing between them… She hated that the two of them had not talked about the unspoken feelings sooner, but there was no changing that now. Besides, she wasn’t done with this city and wouldn’t be for a very long time.
As she scanned the harbor, she caught sight of a familiar hat and laughed to herself. Of course he knew today was when she would be coming back to Ketterdam. Back to him. She adjusted the helm slightly so that the ship would be headed straight into berth twenty-two. Everything went smoothly, and soon enough Inej disembarked from the ship and was standing in front of Kaz, head tilted back to meet his eyes with hers. She smiled. “Hello.”

The corners of Kaz’s lips twitched upwards. “Hello, Inej. How does the Sankta of the Seas fare this lovely day?”

Inej laughed. “Quite well, I should think. She’s in good spirits, thanks to a certain Barrel boss.”

“Oh? And would the Captain of the Wraith fancy a walk up to Zelversraat?”

“And what exactly would she gain from following a certain gang leader to a place outside of his territory?”

“I figured you would be up for a little excitement,” Kaz said mildly.

The Suli girl raised an eyebrow. “And what type of excitement should I expect?”

“Well, hopefully you won’t need your knives, but it is Ketterdam, after all. You never know what could happen.”

“Fine. I suppose I could do with a little nostalgia.”
Kaz grinned quickly then turned on his heels and led Inej east. He felt more than saw Inej take to the skies and follow him until he reached the sidewalk opposite a small house.

Inej dropped down beside him. “What are we doing here, Kaz?”

“It’s just a small break-in. There’s some papers in there, but my leg has been acting up, so I can’t do it. I need you to go in through the back, down the stairs, and into the office two doors to the right. There should be papers on the desk. Just look over them and report back to me what they say.”

Inej noticed suddenly that Kaz seemed very nervous. What was on these papers that Kaz needed so badly and had worked himself up over? “Anything on the papers that you want me to specifically look for?”

“Not really,” Kaz shrugged, trying to hide the fact that his stomach was twisting into knots. What if this was a mistake? No, he had to do this. “Just whatever is on them. They should be very concise. Now go. We only have about an hour before the owners get here.”

Inej sent him a suspicious look but quickly crossed the street and slipped around the house to the back door. Quietly picking it open, she slipped through and shut the door behind her. Looking around, she saw the stairs Kaz had been talking about. Inej took a breath, looked both ways, then descended down the stairs and took the first right. Two doors down, she entered and glanced around the room. She’s seen a lot of weird things in rooms she’d broken into, but this one beat them, she thought. There were candles lining the single desk that was centered in the room. Rose petals were spread around the ground, and bouquets of geraniums were spotted throughout the room. It was beautiful and peaceful, and Inej wished she could stay for just a while. But Kaz had sent her in here for papers, and the owners of the house would be back in a short while. There were papers spread out on the desk, looking a little too in orderly. They were side by side, which in itself was unusual.

Inej crept up to the desk and froze when she read the words. “Will you marry me?” She looked around the desk for other papers, but those were the only ones in there.

“Inej?” came a voice from the doorway behind her.
She whirled around and drew a knife, ready to throw it and fight her way out. Her first thought was ‘was Kaz okay? How did they get past him?’ But then she saw that it was Kaz, but he was bent down on one knee. She glanced at the papers on the desk then back at the boy. “Kaz, did you set this up?” It was then that she noticed the ring in his hand. She froze and met Kaz’s eyes. Was this why he was nervous? Because he was proposing to her?

“Inej,” Kaz started hesitantly. “I know I’m not anything like who you thought you would marry years ago, but I want to be able to give you the world. You mean everything to me Inej, and I couldn’t stand it if I lost you. You saved me from myself, and I know I will always fight for you. So, Inej Ghafa, will you do me the greatest honor and become my wife?”

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she smiled. “Yes! Now get up before you ruin your leg even further.”
Kaz got up, and walked over to her, taking her left hand and sliding the ring onto her fourth finger. “I love you, Inej Ghafa.”

“And I love you, Kaz Brekker,” Inej replied, pulling him down and kissing him. She felt like she was floating, and they pulled apart, both grinning like lovestruck fools, which Inej supposed they were. She hesitated then said, “You did set this up, right?”

Kaz took her hand and led her back out of the house through the back door. “As a matter of fact, I did, though that is part of the surprise.”

“What is?”

“The house. I bought it for us since the Slat is not really a place for a married couple to live.”

“You sly fox. And you set this up by yourself without anyone knowing?”

“I actually had some help with setting up the room,” Kaz admitted. “I picked out the flowers as well, but Maria was the one to actually purchase them. She claimed that that was her way of contributing to the engagement.”

Inej felt her smile widen. “That was so sweet of her.”

“I have one last surprise for you. How would you like to meet your new future son?” With that, Kaz let go of her hand and disappeared up the stairs, leaving Inej dumbstruck.

The Suli girl felt like she was experiencing whiplash with all of the information that had been overloading her brain the last ten minutes or so. First the engagement plan and now this? Since when had Kaz adopted a kid? What else had she missed since she’d been gone? And who was this kid who had made such an impression on Kaz that the boy had adopted him?

Kaz, meanwhile, was trying to hide a grin. He could only imagine Inej’s thoughts about what he had said, and he knew she would snap out of it soon and follow him from the rooftops as he made his way toward the Van Eck estate. The whole way, he tried to decide what the best way to tease her about it. His problem was solved when he bent down to unlock the estate door as Inej finally caught up and joined him on the doorstep. “Ready?”

“Kaz, what did you do?”

“I think you’d be pretty proud of me, ‘Nej. I adopted a son, which means you will be a mother.”

“Kaz!” Inej exclaimed. “We talked about this! We both agreed we weren’t ready. So what changed your mind?”

“Circumstances, my dear,” Kaz said as he opened the door and walked in. It was just his luck that Maria Van Eck was coming down the stairs. “Hello, Mrs. Van Eck.”

“Kaz,” Maria replied, smiling. “What a pleasant surprise! Wylan is in his study if you were wishing to talk to him.”

“Thank you. I actually wanted to introduce Inej to her new son.”

The older lady rushed over and hugged a very confused Inej. “You proposed!”

Inej hugged her back, but still felt like her head was spinning. What did Wylan have to do with Kaz’s son- and apparently hers as well? Was he babysitting the boy while Kaz proposed? There were so many questions, and she had no idea when she would get answers.

“Let me see the ring,” Maria insisted. Inej lifted her hand and showed off the small, silver band, and Maria nodded her approval. “Jesper did a remarkable job.”

“He better have,” Kaz muttered. “He had months to work on it.”

“You let Jesper make this?” Inej asked.

“He said that if he wasn’t allowed to make it, then he’d make himself a nuisance for at least the next year. Well, more of a nuisance.”

“Try all you might, Kaz, but you aren’t fooling anyone; you and Jesper are basically brothers.”

“No comment.” Kaz said, “Maria, I think Inej should meet her future son. You are welcome to join us if you so wish.”

“You’d better take some food to him. He hasn’t eaten since early this morning,” the lady said, heading towards the kitchen. She made sure her back was to the couple before she let herself grin. She knew she didn’t have to worry about Inej seeming like a replacement for her, so she was going to thoroughly enjoy the little surprise the boys had half-planned for her. She quickly gathered some fruit and a sandwich into a small basket then handed it to Kaz who had followed her in.

“Has he been in the study since I left him there before going to the docks?”

“I’m afraid so. I’m no good at keeping him away from the books, but maybe you can convince your son to eat something.”

Kaz saw the twinkle of amusement in Maria’s eyes and smirked. “I’ll make it work.”

Maria laughed, and Inej glanced between the two. They were being extremely evasive about who this new son was, but it only made her feel more confused. How was getting Kaz’s son to eat related to Wylan not eating since this morning?

Kaz and Inej followed Maria back down the hall and into Wylan’s private study. “I’ll be here as support,” Maria said. Really, she just wanted to see how Kaz made Wylan eat so she could repeat it when Kaz wasn’t around to enforce it.

Kaz tried the handle to the door and found it locked. As if that would keep him out. Wylan probably wasn’t expecting Kaz to drop by today. Instead of announcing himself, Kaz unlocked the door in seconds and swung it open.

Wylan’s head snapped up to see who intruded, and he smiled nervously. “Hey, Kaz, how are you?”

“Maria told me you haven’t been eating lately.

“That’s not true! I ate a few hours ago.”

“Maria has been around the kitchen for the past few hours painting, and she never heard you.”

“I was really quiet?”

Kaz raised an eyebrow. “Wylan. You may be able to walk quiet on occasion, but getting food out quietly is not a skill you possess, young man. Now, your mother has prepared this lovely basket for you, and you are going to eat it in front of me.”

“What? Kaz, this is ridiculous!” Wylan protested. “I’ll eat when I’m hungry.”

“You don’t know when you’re hungry anymore,” Kaz said, snorting.

Wylan frowned, but then he saw Inej, and his face broke into a full smile. “Inej! It’s really good to see you! When did you get in?”

Kaz’s lips twitched, and he said, “You’re future step mother came in this morning.”

“Hold up,” Inej interrupted. “What’s Alys got to do with this?”

“Who said anything about Alys?”

“You did!”

“No I didn’t,” Kaz said, enjoying Inej’s confusion. Her reaction was better than he’d imagined. “You came in this morning.”

“What?”

“Inej, meet your future son, Wylan Van Eck Brekker,” Kaz introduced.

Wylan sighed in exasperation. “I told you I’m not changing my last name, Kaz.”

“You adopted Wylan?” Inej butted in, incredulous. “Since when were you even planning on doing that?”

“It was rather a spur of the moment thing,” Wylan replied, his cheeks tinting pink. “And it’s not really adopting; he agreed to become my legal guardian so I could stay on the Merchant Council. They said that because I am underage I wasn’t mature enough to be able to make decisions on my own.”

“Maybe they were right if you can’t even know when you should eat,” Kaz said dryly, dropping the basket on top of Wylan’s papers. “Now eat before I lock all of your papers away.”

Scowling, Wylan pulled out the sandwich and took an aggressive bite, glaring at Kaz, who simply raised an eyebrow. “Had I known you were actually going to parent me, I might not have asked you to be my guardian,” the younger boy grumbled.

“Making sure you stay alive and healthy is not parenting,” Kaz replied, rolling his eyes. “You better stop grumbling or you’ll see just how much I can ‘parent’ you.”

Inej grinned. It was so weird seeing this side of Kaz expressed to other people, and it honestly scared her a little to be able to so easily imagine him parenting kids of their own. It almost made Inej want to try, but she knew that no matter how much progress they’d made, neither one was ready for that.

“I’m a grown adult, Kaz,” Wylan protested, but at a look from Kaz, he took another bite.

“If you were a grown adult, you wouldn’t need a guardian, Wylan,” Kaz countered. “Now finish your food and let Inej show you her ring.”

Wylan grinned as Inej held her hand out. “Jesper has been fretting about this ring ever since Kaz asked him to make it months ago. Pretty sure he even asked Colm for advice on what it should look like.”

“I’ll have to tell him that he did a good job, then,” Inej said, laughing.

“I think Jesper’s at the Slat, if you wanted to tell him,” Wylan said.

Kaz nodded. “We’ll go do that and leave you be for now.”

He led Inej towards the door, but then she stopped and looked back, a mischievous grin on her face. “Wylan?”

“What?”

“Make sure you finish your food.”

“Not you too!” Wylan groaned in exasperation. “I don’t need three parents!”

“Don’t talk to you mother that way,” Kaz scolded.

“Kaz!”

“Act like an adult and we wouldn’t have to treat you like you still need one,” Inej said, but then left with Kaz before the younger boy could reply.