A/N A masquerade needs to be thrown for the heist. And a masquerade means clothes shopping of course.

Featuring Kaz trying his best to get over his touch aversion and Inej being the supportive sweetheart that she is.

One neck kiss is managed.

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Kaz Brekker

Kaz entered the Slat and got everything needed to scope out the Van Sven mansion ready. They'd leave at eleven bells at night and should be back by twelve bells considering Kaz knew the house, just not the insides well enough to find the safe.

Inej pulled herself through and shortly after, Pim knocked. "Boss- oh, hi, Inej."

Inej lifted a hand in greeting and Pim carried on, "Letter for you and the Wraith."

He placed it on Kaz's desk and exited, leaving Kaz and Inej to look at the letter suspiciously, as if it could blow up the Slat any minute.

"Do you want to open it, or should I?" Inej asked but she was already there, opening the envelope and reading the letter. Kaz steeled himself and went closer to Inej, standing behind her and looking over her shoulder at the letter.

He was so close that he could bow his head and kiss her neck again like that time in the hotel washroom. He could push her gorgeous hair back, pull on the band that held it together so that it would billow around him like a dark curtain. His breath caught.

"You know," he said, "Next time you're coming to Ketterdam, send us a message."

"Couldn't find time or resources to send a letter," Inej whispered back, and it made Kaz's heart flutter that her voice sounded as broken as he felt. Gently, cautiously, he put a hand over Inej's and closed his fist over the letter as well. She gave a quiet gasp and took a breath. He felt the water start to rise. Kaz focussed on the letter.

Dear Mister Brekker and Miss Ghafa,

You are cordially invited to a masquerade at the Van Eck mansion on the coming Friday at seven bells to celebrate the upcoming projects of Mister Wylan Van Eck in supporting the poorer parts of Ketterdam. Join us at six bells for the presentation and seven bells for the party. We look forward to seeing you there.

Yours sincerely,

Mister Van Eck and Mister Fahey

"A masquerade?" Kaz asked incredulously, "I've just walked back to the Slat. I'm not going over to the mansion again to ask them what the hell they were thinking."

"We'll be hidden better," Inej pointed out, "Maybe that's why they did it."

"They've probably done it to make their own evening a bit better," Kaz mumbled.

"They deserve the happiness," Inej said and Kaz realised, as the water rushed at him, that he was still very much close to Inej.

"You do too," Kaz managed.

"I am happy, Kaz."

"Haven't met a man you like yet?" Kaz asked, anticipation building in his chest.

"Kaz," Inej sounded exasperated, "You're here. So close that you could kiss me. I haven't put a knife in your heart. Don't you think you're the man I like?"

So close that you could kiss me.

"Can... Can I?"

Inej nodded. It calmed his nerves that Inej's back was to him, and he pushed against the rising waters. Her skin was so smooth, lean and soft, and so delicate for someone nicknamed the Wraith. He took a breath and put his lips to her neck.

He felt the water rising, threatening to choke him and drown him and pull him to his death. He could feel his heart beating quicker and quicker, and not just from desire. He was panicking and he stepped away from Inej, panting as he leaned against his desk.

He shut his eyes, trying to drive out all the memories of the barge, but it wasn't working. And then a voice came through the haze. "Kaz, it's okay." Inej's sweet murmur. "You're here, at the Slat. It's okay."

He stopped shaking and his eyes sought out and landed on Inej's dark eyes. She hadn't moved closer to him. She smiled. "It's okay."

And just like that he was okay. He considered apologising, telling her more horrible truths about himself so that she'd go away, he considered telling her to stop wasting her time on him, but she handed him his cane. "Van Sven's mansion. Let's go."

And this is why he found his trust for Inej was so strong. She didn't use his limp, his agonising past, his stupid panic attacks against him. Hell, she barely ever pointed it out. She found the good in him, like she did with everything, through all the darkness and failures. She exited the room, and he followed after her, his heart pounding.

Inej Ghafa

The next morning, Inej woke up in the Van Eck mansion. This was her third time coming to Ketterdam after setting out on her voyaged, and all the times she'd taken up residence in Wylan's house. She spent a lot of time perched on Kaz's windowsill, updating him on everything she'd achieved, and sometimes, like last night, he'd try. And that effort meant more than a thousand kisses to her.

After scoping out the Van Sven residence, Inej had thanked Wylan for a bowl of hot stew and had fallen asleep as soon as her head had hit the pillow. Now, she was in the sitting room with Jesper and Wylan who were discussing the logistics of the party.

They heard Kaz talking to one of the maids, heard his cane tap on the floor and soon, he'd joined them and had put together a detailed plan for Friday. Jesper then exclaimed, "Great. Now suits. And a dress for Inej. Unless you want a suit?"

"A dress will do," Inej rolled her eyes and they walked, like four friends, through the richer part of Ketterdam. No one would believe that this was the Bastard of the Barrel, the Wraith, a sharpshooter or a demolitions expert, because deep down, Inej believed, they were just kids who'd been forced to grow up too quickly and had to kill to survive.

Wylan led them into a shop and Wylan and Jesper skipped ahead and Jesper muttered something in Wylan's ear, causing the poor boy to blush. Inej didn't want to know what he'd said.

"I hate this," Kaz said sourly, running his hands over a few classic tuxedos.

"I could get Jesper to pick something out for you," Inej offered and Kaz's lips twitched into a half smile. He'd been doing that a lot lately, she thought with a smile herself. The armour was slowly wearing away.

"No thanks," Kaz said, and he thumbed through many outfits and Inej looked through the dresses.

She ended up picking two. One was a proper ballroom dress in pale green. It had full sleeves, a deep neckline and a netted skirt that glimmered like a thousand stars. Sadly, Inej thought of Nina. That was a Nina Zenik dress.

And the other option was a rose-gold empire dress with a soft, satin belt around the waist. She held the two up, contemplating the options when she heard someone behind her. She whirled, placing the dressed together in one hand and pulling out a knife with another and nearly slit Kaz Brekker's shoulder.

"Hello, Inej," he said.

"Saints, Kaz," she swore and returned her knife to its place.

He hesitated and then held up a suit. "What do you think?"

The shirt and the trousers were black. The coat was black, but the lapels were outlined in a deep wine red, and the red matched the tie. Inej cursed her mind for offering her an image of Kaz in that suit. She gulped and nodded. "Yeah. That would look great."

He nodded and judged the two dressed she was holding up. "The pink one."

And then he slipped into the long corridors of clothes when Jesper called for him.

Inej bought the pink dress. 

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A/N Hope you enjoyed! Please comment, vote and share and suggest any one-shots you want me to write!

Love, IC x