Wylan glared at his father, shifting closer to Kaz. The raven-haired boy was also glaring at Van Eck, his pointed face drawn in a snarl.

Van Eck suddenly clasped a hand around Wylan's throat with a grin. "My son."

Kaz felt fury erupt in him. He wouldn't let Van Eck hurt Wylan again.

"Let him go."

Van Eck glared at Kaz. "Is there a problem, Brekker?"

Kaz took a deep breath. Van Eck would torture him. Or he would torture Wylan. And Kaz couldn't live with that. "Yes, there is a problem."

Van Eck released Wylan's throat and glared at Kaz. "What is it?"

"Please, don't hurt him."

The word please felt sour on Kaz's tongue, but he could swallow his pride for Wylan.

Van Eck laughed and gripped Kaz's shoulders. He slammed the boy into a wall, his nose cracking.

Wylan screamed. "Father! Please, stop!"

But Kaz wiped the blood from his face. "It's alright, Wy."

Van Eck's hand tangled in Kaz's hair and he pulled him back, only to slam him back into the wall.

Then, he forced Kaz to his torture chamber- two tables, one covered in doctors' tools.

Kaz didn't fight against Van Eck. He allowed the man to strap him to the table.

But his heart ached as the man forced Wylan to stand right beside him.

Wylan was crying, his face red, his cheeks puffy.

Kaz wanted to reassure the boy that he would be okay, but Van Eck was holding a scalpel.

"Cooperate and this will go smoothly."

Kaz just glared at Van Eck.

Then, he felt the cold air on his hands. His gloves.

Van Eck's fingers brushed against Kaz's palm and sickness rose up in his throat.

"So that's your weakness."

Van Eck grinned at Kaz, his blue eyes glowing demonically.

Wylan started screaming again, struggling against his restraints. "Please, Father, please."

Kaz met the boys sapphire gaze. "This man is your father through blood, not through affection."

Van Eck hissed, cutting a line down Kaz's cheek. Kaz hissed, trying to ignore his pain.

The only true thing hurting him was the sounds of Wylan's pleas and wails.

He let out a hiss of pain but kept still. He didn't want to look at Wylan. He didn't want to see the boy crying.

Van Eck lifted one of Kaz's hands and sliced a line across his palm. He repeated the same motion on his other hand.

Van Eck drew out the torture. It lasted for almost an hour, leaving Kaz in a bloody mess. Finally, Van Eck untied him and Wylan and left.

Kaz had tried not to cry, but tears stained his cheeks.

Wylan immediately wrapped his arms around Kaz and pressed his face to Kaz's neck. "Why did you let him do that?"

Kaz carefully shifted his arms to hug the boy, wincing. "I wasn't going to let him hurt you."

Wylan's hot tears soaked Kaz's neck. "I'm going to kill him."

Then, Wylan gently helped Kaz up and together, they stumbled over to a couch.

Kaz curled gratefully into the soft cushions, his bones weary and aching.

He was generally surprised when Wylan pressed against him and glared at the door. That was when Kaz realized he had a scalpel clutched in his shaking hands.

Kaz laid his head down. He wanted to succumb to the darkness. He wanted the pain to disappear.

"Kaz, talk to me."

He felt Wylan's hand clutch his own.

Kaz took a deep breath. Even that hurt. He slowly wrapped his arms around Wylan. "Wy..."

The boy glanced at Kaz. "Would you like me to sing to you, Kaz?"

Kaz remembered holding Wylan when he was sick. He remembered singing to him softly. He nodded, closing his eyes.

Wylan forced Kaz's eyes open. "You have to stay awake, Kaz."

Then, the boy began to sing. His voice was quiet and afraid.

Kaz forced himself to stay awake. He forced himself to focus on Wylan's voice.

"Will you be okay?" The boy asked as he finished the song.

Kaz pulled the boy closer. "I'll never be okay, Wylan."

Wylan met Kaz's gaze, a silent plea in them. "When we get out of here, will you stay at the mansion for a little while?"

Kaz nodded, even if he knew they would never leave. "I'll stay with you, Wylan."

Everything faded into the darkness.

****

Wylan stared down at Kaz. He was no longer covered in blood, as Wylan had cleaned it off of him. He was back in his mansion, but things weren't alright. Wylan wiped at his tears and stepped back, allowing Inej to go to Kaz's side.

She cried. It was a horrible sound, the way she shuddered, the way she whispered Kaz's name.

Wylan remembered his time with Kaz. He remembered how Kaz had protected them during their heist, how he'd protected him from his father. He remembered the way Kaz had threatened Jesper if he ever hurt Wylan. He remembered how Kaz had sung to him when he had been sick. He remembered dancing and laughing with Kaz.

Wylan wished that they could save Kaz, that they could do something, other than stand by and watch him suffer.

That was before he woke and whispered Inej's name.

Wylan raced to his side. "Kaz!"

Kaz took in a raspy breath. "I'm... sorry."

Inej shook her head. "You'll be alright, Kaz, you'll be okay."

He shifted, taking her hand. "Did you kill Van Eck?"

Wylan was suddenly back in his father's hideout. Van Eck was in front of him.

"You tortured him," Wylan hissed, the scalpel warm in his hand.

Van Eck laughed. "I enjoyed every moment of that boy's pain."

Wylan wiped some of Kaz's dried blood from the scalpel. "Then I'll enjoy every moment of your's."

He pressed the blade to his father's arm and drew a line from his shoulder to his elbow. "That's for what you did to Inej."

He made another line on his other arm. "For Matthias."

Then, he slashed a line across his father's abdomen. "For Nina."

A line down his cheek. "For the suffering you caused me."

A line down his other cheek. "For Alys."

A slice to his leg. "For your future child."

His other leg. "For Jesper, the boy I love."

A cut across his chest. "For every cut you gave Kaz."

Wylan took a deep breath, then pressed his thumb to the corner of one of Van Eck's eyes. "For the beatings, the tutors, the words on the pages that I couldn't understand."

Van Eck's blood squirted over Wylan's fingers and the boy felt his stomach lurch. His own father was suffering before him.

No, that man was not his father. Jan Van Eck was no father to Wylan. Kaz was more of a father to Wylan than Van Eck was.

His father screamed, blood coating his face, his clothes, his legs. "Wylan, please, I can make it better. I can find you a pretty wife and a nice mansion with lots of money. You could raise beautiful children and play your cursed flute to your heart's desire."

Wylan laughed dryly, removing his thumb from his father's bloody eye. "If you knew anything at all, you would know that I already have somebody I love. His name is Jesper Fahey."

"You will never have children," Jan hissed. "You will never continue a legacy."

"It's called adoption, you podge."

Van Eck struggled against the bounds. "You are ruining the name I created! You are ruining everything, you illiterate, annoying little-"

Wylan rolled his eyes, feeling like the criminal Kaz had taught him to be. Surprisingly, he didn't mind the thrill of adrenaline in him. He didn't mind making his father suffer for every single moment of pain he had caused Wylan.

"You can call me what you please."

"I'm going to call you later!"

Wylan glared at Jesper. "I'm trying to make a point, Jes."

Jesper sauntered over, his arms crossed over his lean, handsome build. "I'm sure everybody will be scared of you. And what's this I hear about adoption? Are you going to put me up for adoption?"

Wylan wrinkled his brows. "Jesper, I can't put you up for adoption. Plus, we're getting married in a few months."

"Oh." Jesper shrugged, taking the scalpel from Wylan. "Can I kill him? Can I torture him, as he did to you?"

Wylan nodded, stepping back. He watched in satisfaction as Jesper tortured Van Eck for 15 minutes, then he finally allowed the man to speak.

"Wy, please, let me go. I meant what I said! I'll give you enough kruge to buy Kerch! I'll let you have a legacy, a country named after you! Please!"

Jesper rolled his eyes and looped an arm around Wylan's waist. "We don't want Kerch or countries or legacies. And don't call him Wy, that's my thing."

Wylan gripped the scalpel and pressed it to his father's throat. He felt no regret as he said, "Any last words?"

Van Eck nodded. "I love you, Wylan."

Wylan spit in his father's bloody face. "Bad choice."

Van Eck's crimson blood stained Jesper and him as he slashed the man's throat.

"Yes," Wylan whispered, returning to the room with Kaz. "I killed him."

Kaz shifted gently, reaching for Wylan's hand. "I dreamed about you."

The words were startling, but Wylan replied with, "What was the dream about?"

Kaz's eyes took on a faraway look. It was difficult for Wylan to see the boy look like that. "Van Eck buried you alive."

Inej met Wylan's gaze with a concerned frown. "Wylan is fine, Kaz."

Kaz's hand brushed against Wylan's, but the dark-haired boy yanked his hand back, his eyes widening. "I saw you. I saw you as a corpse with my brother. You were on the Reaper's Barge. You were dead, you were rotting."

"It was just a dream," Inej assured him. "We're all okay, Kaz."

Kaz's eyes went even wider. "Wylan is okay?"

Inej nodded, placing a hand on his back. "Wylan is right here."

Wylan flinched as the boy gazed at him. "I'm okay, Kaz."

Kaz took a deep breath and sat up, his face scrunched up in pain. "Jesper? Nina?"

Inej nodded. "Everybody is alright, Kaz."

Wylan reached for Kaz's hand again. His heart hurt. He wanted Kaz to go back to being snarky and conniving.

Kaz's hand wrapped around Wylan's. The boy didn't pull away.

****

The next day, Kaz was curled into Wylan's bed, soft blankets tucked around him. He snored softly, his chest rising and falling peacefully.

Wylan wiped the dried blood from Kaz's wounds, his face tinted red at the fact that Kaz was only in his underwear.

Wylan could see each rib, each muscle in Kaz's lean body. He ran his fingers through Kaz's matted hair, straightening his raven locks.

"Still looking after him?" Jesper asked, flopping down on the bed.

Wylan nodded, taking Jesper's hand in his own. The Zemini sharpshooter smiled. "That was brave."

He blushed, pulling the blankets back over Kaz. "I'm just glad Van Eck is gone."

"Now you're free to call Kaz 'Dad' whenever you please!"

"You are going to call me Dad?"

Wylan smiled at Kaz as the boy blinked sunlight out of his eyes.

"Probably not, Kaz. Jesper's just being ridiculous."

Kaz yawned. "Who wiped the blood off of me? Who took my shirt off?"

Wylan awkwardly tossed his rag onto the floor. "I did."

"Oh." Kaz closed his eyes. "Jesper, can you stop kicking me?"

Wylan laughed. "Jesper, why don't we leave Kaz to his cat nap?"

Jesper nodded, crawling out of the bed. "Goodnight, Kaz."