"This is why we don't eat at crappy Barrel restaurants," Kaz complained, his bad leg propped up on the bathroom counter as Inej held Wylan's curly hair out of the young boy's face.

Wylan currently felt sick to his stomach; he was drenched in sweat, and his eyes were glassy.

Jesper groaned as Wylan vomited again. "I swear Kaz, why would you even suggest that restaurant?"

Kaz shrugged. "Everybody said it was good."

"Sometimes people are wrong, Kaz!" Inej snapped just as Wylan threw up again. "I swear, I should make you do something really bad like... I don't know! But you are getting everybody sick!"

Kaz grinned. "Now I don't have to deal with Wylan and Jesper nagging at me, though, so it worked out!"

Though Kaz's words were harsh, Wylan knew he cared about them Especially as Kaz put a bare hand on Wylan's shoulder.

Inej yawned and Kaz sighed. "Go get some sleep, Inej. I can take care of them for a while."

She nodded gratefully, releasing Wylan's curls and stumbling off to her room.

Kaz took out a rag and ran it under cold water, then he slowly wiped the sweat from Wylan's forehead.

The younger boy coughed, his shoulders shaking. Kaz gently steadied him.

"Kaz."

"Yeah?" Kaz asked as he continued to wipe Wylan's face off with cold water.

"Can you sing?"

Kaz was silent for a moment, then he finally nodded. He placed the cold rag on the back of Wylan's neck. Then, he slowly started to sing a soft tune. Surprisingly, his raspy voice was low and comforting.

Tears slid down Wylan's cheeks and he wished he could just die of embarrassment. His face was red and puffy and his brilliant blue eyes were glazed over. Jesper eventually left to go to bed, leaving Kaz and Wylan in the bathroom.

Kaz kept singing, always a soft, sweet song. And whenever Wylan would cry out or vomit, Kaz would wipe could water onto his forehead and sing a little bit louder.

Wylan reached for one of Kaz's hands, not noticing that he wasn't wearing his precious gloves.

When their hands brushed together, both boys were pleasantly surprised. Even more so when Kaz didn't move his hand away.

Wylan's fingernails dug into Kaz's hand as pain shot through his stomach once more. Kaz ran his free hand through Wylan's curls. "It's alright, Wylan."

Wylan wiped the hot tears from his face. "Easy for you to say."

But truly, he was extremely thankful that Kaz was even near him.

Kaz seemed to understand that as he helped Wylan to his feet. "I shouldn't have taken you guys to that restaurant."

Wylan leaned on the boy, exhaustion pulling at his bones. "Don't blame yourself."

Kaz sighed and shook his head. "You can say something like that, though you're sick to your stomach and throwing up your guts because of me."

Wylan coughed again, his stomach clenching in pain. He gripped Kaz's shirt sleeve and winced.

Kaz helped Wylan into his room, picking the boy up and placing him among the blankets. "Goodnight, Wy."

Wylan smiled softly at the nickname.

Kaz turned and started to head out of the room, but Wylan murmured, "Will you stay?"

Kaz looked over his shoulder, his familiar high cheekbones and deep brown eyes reflecting the candlelight.

He pondered over it for a moment and Wylan couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want Kaz to pull the door closed and limp down the streets to the Slat in the middle of the night.

Then, Kaz set his cane against the door and slowly shifted over to the bed. But before Wylan knew it, Kaz was curling into the blankets behind him, looping an arm over the boy and pulling him close. "If you tell anybody about this, I'll have your head."

Wylan wasn't able to find the energy to respond. He rested his head on one of Kaz's arms, glad to have somebody beside him.

Kaz started to sing softly again. When he ended the song, Wylan's eyelids were drooping. He yawned, curling closer to Kaz and drifting off into a troubled sleep.

****

Kaz lay awake beside Wylan, focusing only on the words he sang, not the boy's clammy hand clutched in his own. He kept the memories at bay.

Wylan rolled around his sleep, occasionally crying out or batting at the air. At one point, he shouted, "Father!" Then, he started sniffling and crying. Soothingly, Kaz wiped Wylan's tears away, forcing himself not to flinch away as his hand brushed against Wylan's cheek.

Wylan shifted around, his grip strong on Kaz's arm as he finally settled in one spot.

Guilt gnawed at Kaz's heart. He hated the feeling that he had done something so wrong, harmed another person. He had never felt like that before, other than when Inej had been captured. Suddenly hating the blame, hating the thought that Wylan would be mad at him, Kaz embraced the thin boy and wrapping himself around Wylan comfortingly and drifting to sleep, his dreams full of Wylan's sweet smile and his gentle voice whenever he tried to help anybody.

*****

"Well, I'd say it's an accomplishment, but it appears that Kaz Brekker, Dirtyhands, is in my bed."

Kaz blinked his eyes opening, squinting in the early morning light. He only then realized where he was. Wylan was still sleeping in his arms, his chest rising and falling peacefully. Standing next to the bed was Jesper, who was grinning like an idiot.

"Shut up," Kaz growled, pulling Wylan even closer as if he wanted to protect him. He truly didn't know why he was still holding the boy. He just was.

Jesper knelt down so he was eye-level with Kaz, though he focused mainly on Wylan. "Did he sleep well?"

Kaz shifted his shoulders into a more comfortable position. "Not really. He was mumbling a lot; I think he dreamed about Van Eck hitting him or something. He didn't calm down until I started to sing again and wiped his tears away."

Jesper dipped his head. "Kaz Brekker, thank you so much for staying with him. You don't know what that means to me."

Kaz nodded, pressing his face into Wylan's curls to hide the slight pink tint to his cheeks. "Don't mention it, Jesper. I stayed with Wylan for Wylan, not for you. He needed me, so I stayed with him. Now, if you say one word of this to any one of the Dregs, I will blow up your precious revolvers and make you watch."

Jesper nodded solemnly. "I swear, I won't say anything."

Kaz narrowed his eyes. "Good. Now, close the curtains and get out."

The Zemini boy scurried off to the window, pulling the drapes over the glass, shrouding the room in darkness. "Why am I doing this?"

Kaz glanced down at Wylan, who was sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling in even beats. "Because Wylan needs more sleep."

Jesper ran a hand through Wylan's curly locks. "Alright."

Then, the boy exited the room and closed the door.

Kaz laid in silence for a few moments, his warm hands wrapped around Wylan's. Reality slowly set in. His skin was against someone else's skin. Someone else was holding on to him.

"Where am I...?" Wylan suddenly yawned, shifting around. Kaz felt his grip tighten. "Kaz?"

Kaz was surprised when he realized that he didn't want to release the boy. "You're in your bed."

Wylan glanced at Kaz in surprise. "I thought you were only going to stay for a little while."

The black-haired boy rested his head on one of the ridiculously furry pillows. "I didn't want to leave."

Wylan rolled over, huddling closer to Kaz, his blue eyes blazing into Kaz's burnt chocolate ones. "Why not?"

Kaz pulled his arms back to his sides, slightly disappointed. "You were crying and you kept saying 'Father'. I couldn't have left; I would have felt bad."

Wylan smiled. "Thank you for staying."

Kaz only then noticed the way the boy was laying with his arm at an odd angle as if some muscle was cut.

"What happened to your arm?"

Wylan brushed his fingers over the fabric of his shirt, then slowly pulled up the sleeve. Across his arm was a pale scar, the line jagged and cruel. "It was my father."

Kaz slowly reached out to touch the scar. Surprisingly, no feelings of sickness rose up from his stomach. He traced the jagged lines with his thumb. "He didn't deserve someone like you. Even we don't deserve you, Wy."

Wylan's cheeks flushed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Are you glad that we all raided the Ice Court? Even if we lost Matthias and got scammed?"

Kaz nodded. "I'm glad I know you and Jesper and Nina and especially Inej."

A grin spread over Wylan's face. "Inej, huh?"

Kaz's own cheeks heated. "You already knew about us!"

Wylan leaned his head on Kaz's shoulder. "Why did you make us go to that restaurant?"

Kaz knew that the boy must have been in pain because as Kaz moved, the boy winced. "I wanted to get Inej a nice meal," he confessed. "It didn't work out too well."

Wylan tried to laugh but it instead came out as a hacking cough. When he kept coughing, Kaz helped him sit up.

Wylan groaned, leaning against the wall, his face sweaty. Kaz glanced towards the door. "Do you want to get up or something?"

Wylan sighed and nodded. "I guess I should."

They walked out of the room and into the living room, where Inej was cleaning her knives. "Where did you stay last night, Kaz?"

Wylan gave Inej an awkward smile. "He stayed with me."

Inej nodded slowly. "I'm leaving in a little while."

Kaz hurried over to her, sitting next to her. "Where are you going?"

She wouldn't meet Kaz's eyes. "I'm going back to hunting slavers."

Kaz nodded, feeling a void around him. "We'll miss you."

She met his eyes. She wanted him to say more. There were words that he wanted to say, but not in front of Wylan or Jesper.

She sighed and stood, walking out of the room. Kaz flinched as her bedroom door slammed closed.

"Dude," Jesper said, "you messed up. Big time."

"Shut up."