A/N What happens at the Masquerade? Read the first two parts for background info!

Featuring jealous Wylan, hurt Inej, comforting Kaz, and Kanej talking about something that's not murder.

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Wylan Van Eck

It was the evening of the stupid masquerade ball. And as it came to five bells, Wylan found Jesper getting ready in the bedroom. He'd chosen a bottle-green suit and a black mask with silver details, and by all of Inej's saints, he looked gorgeous.

"You're staring," Jesper said with that infuriating smirk.

"Well... I- You- Jes-"

Jesper came to stand in front of Wylan and took his hands. "You were saying?"

And Wylan knew words wouldn't come out, so he pressed his lips to Jesper's and looped his hands around Jesper's neck. Jesper broke away with a giggle. "Like the suit?"

"I like the person wearing it," Wylan managed, "I like him a lot."

"Do you now?" Jesper grinned but then softened into a smile, "You look beautiful, Wy."

Wylan himself had gone for black shirt and trousers and had accompanied it with a blue coat. His mask was navy blue with black details.

"You have no idea how good you look," Wylan insisted, "If I didn't have to give a presentation on Ketterdam's finances in forty-five minutes, you would be against that wall."

Jesper quirked an eyebrow, "I like the sound of that, merchling."

When six bells sounded, Jesper received the guests, led them to the meeting room, and Wylan gave a stupid presentation on how to reduce poverty. He meant to do that soon anyway, but with Kaz's need for a masquerade, it seemed sufficient to tie it in with the meeting. When the presentation finished, the crowd must've tripled at least. People did like a party.

To offer more cover, Wylan had extended the invitation to anyone in Ketterdam so long as they paid a little donation for the cause of the presentation. The ballroom filled and Aleks and Willow Van Sven entered. It was strange that after a few months at the Barrel, the target seemed so different that any other person there. Aleks and Willow may as well have had a sign atop their hats that said We're being robbed tonight.

Jesper and him shared a knowing glance but before he could escape, Wylan pulled Jesper against him. "First dance will be with me."

"You're bossy tonight," Jesper commented, and Wylan held back a groan/whine.

Jesper tugged on Wylan's arm and as the band Wylan had assembled started playing the first song, Jesper dragged Wylan to the dancefloor. Wylan felt like him and Jesper were the only people in the universe as Jesper twirled him around, and when he landed back in Jesper's embrace, he was blushing.

"You look adorable," Jesper whispered in his ears.

"Shut up," Wylan said and pressed his lips to Jesper's. Lost in the crowd, safe in Jesper's arm, one dance turned to three and that to five until Willow Van Sven came to view. Wylan nudged Jesper and saw the Zemeni's attitude change fully.

He unbuttoned a few buttons and Wylan whined, "Seriously?"

"Oh, don't worry, darling, you'll get a better view later," Jesper winked and was off, striding, purposeful and leaned into Willow, asking her with his honey voice whether she'd be up for a dance. Wylan did recognise that voice was a lot less shakier and a lot less husky than it was when he flirted with Wylan.

"I better get a full damn view," Wylan muttered to himself as he seated himself by the makeshift bar and ordered some weak alcohol. If he were to watch his boyfriend twirl a girl around effortlessly, he needed all the alcohol he could get.

Inej Ghafa

Inej and Kaz had decided to walk from the Slat and she was having a difficult time keeping her stupid dress out of mud. Kaz nearly chucked a few times when her dress nearly got caught or when she had to leaper over a puddle and swore.

"I don't think your saints would approve of the foul language coming out of your mouth, Wraith," Kaz commented.

"Yeah? I don't think we should've thrown a stupid masquerade to life a damn key."

They walked and when they reached the door, Kaz held a gloved hand to her. He'd replaced his leather gloves with velvet ones, the leather one to obviously his. They wouldn't be surprised to find Kaz here; everyone knew Councilman Wylan was associated rather strongly with Jesper and therefore with Kaz and Inej, but the mask offered some coverage, and so no point blowing it with the gloves.

And in the outfits they were in, no one would recognise them, Inej was sure. The Wraith didn't wear dresses and didn't have her hair down to her waist, and the Bastard of the Barrel never went anywhere without his cane and leather gloves. And he seldom wore any colour except black and he definitely didn't wear, in Inej's opinion, stupid masquerade masks.

Despite all of that, Kaz looked handsome and when he held a gloved hand out for her, she held on. They needed to be convincing as a newly engaged couple under the name of Shobna Weathers and Magnus Reitveld. She saw him tremor when they held hands tighter, but he gave her a small smile and they entered the ballroom.

They were a tiny bit late, and the dancing was in full flow. They spotted Jesper and Wylan kissing and dancing and Kaz shook his head. "Can they actually not keep their hand off each other?"

They kept to a corner by the bar, but a man still came over and Inej's breath caught. He- He was one of her first clients at the Menagerie and though she'd gained so much strength these past few years, the reminder of the Menagerie still made her heart flutter widely and she felt like she was about to pass out.

He couldn't recognise her. Surely not. Her breathing sped up.

"Well," the man said, and she remembered that voice in her ears, shouting at her not to cry. She wanted to double over. The man carried on. "Have we met before? I'd love to get acquainted. Can I have a dance, my lady?"

Inej wanted to throw up. She wanted to curl into a ball and cry. She realised she was shaking, and she felt, through the thin material of Kaz's gloves, his hands on her shoulder, firmly holding her up. He leaned in and whispered, "I've got you."

Inej didn't know Kaz could act so well, but he faced the man with a smile. "I'm so sorry sir. This is the first masquerade we're attending since our engagement, and we've been waiting for the perfect song to come on to have our first dance. And this is her absolute favourite. Would you mind if I steal her for this one?"

"Oh, don't let me break up a pair of lovebirds," the man laughed it away but when his gaze met Inej's, she shook again. Kaz held her closer and tighter and led her to the dancefloor.

"Inej," he whispered, "Look at me. It's okay. He's gone. It's okay. It's just me."

And he placed his hands on her waist, and both shuddered, both of them just two young people who'd endured so much trauma that kept them from loving, helping and healing each other. Inej forced herself to look into Kaz's eyes. If he could do so much for her, hold her up despite every bad memory that contact brought back, she would help him.

"You okay?" she whispered.

He nodded. She could see he wasn't. "He... He was one of my first clients," she said to distract him, "He... hit me. Because I- I couldn't stop crying."

And the Kaz's hands tightened on her waist and his eyes blazed. "I'll torture him. Leave him bleeding and begging on the streets. I'll make him crawl to you and beg your forgiveness. I'll make him regret everything he did to you and any other poor girl."

And Inej felt tears on her cheeks. Kaz removed his gloves. Inej's breath caught.

Kaz laid a bare hand on her cheek and brushed the tears away. He whispered again, "I've got you."

And he slipped the gloves on, and they danced for a while longer to make it convincing. She regained her control and tapped Kaz's shoulder. Jesper was leaving to charm Willow and Inej said, "I will never understand why the merchants choose to marry women ten years younger than themselves. Willow literally looks Jesper's age."

"Fertile for longer I suppose," Kaz offered.

When Kaz made Inej twirl to the beat, her eyes landed on Wylan sulking by the bar and looking at Jesper. Inej couldn't help but laugh. "Shall we offer Wylan some company? He looks like he's going to strangle Willow and he's undressing Jesper with his eyes."

"Those two are insufferable," Kaz shook his head but took Inej's hand and led her to the bar. She didn't comment on the fact he only let go of her after she'd taken a seat next to Wylan. Wylan raised an eyebrow. Inej glared at him until he turned to face Jesper again.

"I hate this," Wylan repeated, "I hate this. Why is he so good at flirting? He could probably flirt you a way into that goddamn safe."

"It's a Jesper talent," Kaz shrugged, "It's not something I could've done. I would've offered otherwise."

"I think you would've slit her wrist and removed the bracelet," Inej snorted.

"Would've worked."

The three watched as Jesper and Willow danced, Jesper laughing at every single thing she said, and slowly, he led her to the bar. His eyes found Wylan's and Wylan looked furious. He mouthed, "Stop touching her," to Jesper and Inej snorted.

"If the merchants married women their own age, they wouldn't be so shaken by a younger boy flirting with them," Kaz whispered so that Willow wouldn't hear, "All that these women get are bald men, so when Jesper says something remotely suggestive, they jump at the chance."

"Stop. Just stop talking," Wylan hissed and Kaz's half smile emerged again.

And as Jesper led Willow away from the bar again, he turned and threw something in the air. Inej, even whilst wearing a billowing dress, caught the key as gracefully as a swan. A few moments later, Jesper emerged, and Wylan launched himself at the Zemeni boy. Jesper stumbled but caught Wylan.

"Hi," Jesper murmured.

"Hey."

And then they were kissing. Kaz rolled his eyes, Inej stopped herself from laughing and turned her eyes away and made no comments when the pair raced out of the party.

"How are they still lovesick?" Kaz rolled his eyes again and stood up. "To the Slat, change clothes and to the Van Sven mansion?"

"Sounds like a plan."

They executed the plan, retrieved the money, put fake notes in its place that even a novice shopkeeper would recognise as false and headed to the Slat again. Kaz handed her a stack of kruge.

"Keep my share with the money going to the shopkeepers," Inej said. Kaz nodded and put his stack of kruge with the shopkeepers' stack as well.

"I knew you weren't a monster, Kaz Brekker," she said, "And I know you're changing."

"I may have met a girl whose Suli proverbs are enlightening," Kaz said, looking at the floor.

"Thank you," Inej said, "For saving me from that man."

"I need to protect my investments," Kaz answered with the glint of a joke.

Inej laughed and turned to go.

"Stay," Kaz said, "I'll find another mattress."

"It's okay," Inej said, and perched on the windowsill, "I'm comfortable here."

And Kaz took a seat on his chair and pulled it closer to the windowsill and propped his bad leg up on his desk.

"Kaz," Inej said, and he hummed, "Tell me about your childhood."

Just a few months ago, Inej knew, he would've told her to get out, told her this was a bad idea. Or he would've told her he climbed out of the Barrel sewers. But now, he closed his eyes and said, "We grew up on a farm."

He told her about the farm, some of his happiest memories and she listened with a smile. She already knew when everything had gone wrong, so he left that bit out and only spoke of the happy memories, the boy he'd been.

She shared some of her stories then and in the hush of the night, laughter and half smiles were exchanged. And as the night wore on, they fell asleep, Inej on the windowsill and Kaz on his chair, a small smile on both their faces.

At that moment, they weren't the Bastard of the Barrel and the Wraith. They were just Kaz and Inej. And maybe... just maybe... when all the vengeance was gone from their veins, maybe they could just be Kaz and Inej all the time.

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A/N Hope you enjoyed. Please comment, vote and share!

Anyone want to see this from Kaz's persepctive? Especially when the man comes to Inej and her opening up to him and the dancing?

Love, IC x