When Kaz is overworking himself, she steals something small from him to distract him. A pen, some paperwork, even his shoes once, when he tried to leave his room without sleeping for the fourth day in a row.
On nights when sleep is hard for both of them to find, Inej will tell Kaz Suli folktales and sing him lullabies in Suli. It gets to a point where Kaz can't get to sleep without either hearing her voice or humming to himself.
"Having trouble sleeping?"
"I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay..."
"Inej, how did that one about the fox go"
She has tried to teach Kaz Suli before, but his accent is so atrocious that he sounds like he's speaking Fjerdan. He tries his best, but sometimes, just sometimes, he messes up on purpose to make her laugh.
Calls Kaz the most sugary, repulsive nicknames she can think of.
Inej buys Kaz lots of silly accessories for his hats. Giant feathers, sparkly ribbons. Once she got him a bright pink pin that read 'PRINCESS' and he didn't talk to her for 3 hours. (He did, however, wear the pin.)
"Kaz, I thought you'd like being a princess ;-;"
"You have WOUNDED me, Inej, and for that I will never forgive you"
"Kaz. Darling, shcnookums, sweeting, sugar bear-"
"ALRIGHT FINE YOU'RE FORGIVEN"
I firmly believe that Inej is the menace in this dynamic. Kaz is a scheming, cartoon villain but Inej is definitely the mischievous one.
When he and Inej first get together, Kaz starts to work on his touch aversion. He starts small, a hand on Jesper's shoulder after a crime well committed, accepting one of Wylan's high-fives. It's difficult, painful sometimes, but it's for Inej, and Inej is worth everything.
To Kaz, the most attractive thing about Inej is her hair. He finds her breathtaking in her entirety, but her hair holds a special fascination for him. He definitely reads up extensively on hair care and goes out of his way to buy her products suited specifically to her hair type.
Acts all judgy of inej's hair-care choices because he's sulky she doesn't take his advice, but simultaneously refuses to tell her he's been researching and isn't just pulling shit out his ass.
"surely you aren't serious." "what?"
Kaz refuses to properly ask Inej on a date. He'll ask her to accompany him on a job and then walk out to the pier, and then buy himself something to eat and accidentally happens to buy enough for Inej as well, and then his leg happens to hurt enough that he has to sit down for an hour, at the perfect vantage watch the sun go down. And if Inej is obligated to join him as part of the job, he can't help that ;)
Kaz shows unapologetic, brazen favor for Inej in the gang. Jesper is outraged at first
"why does Inej get all the good jobs??"
"because she's the only competent person in this entire facility, idiot"
"i don't buy it. it's cause you likeee her isnn't it?"
"Jesper"
"ooooh, kaz likes inej, kaz likes inej"
"Jesper"
if this is late af no it isn't <3
(also i feel like this is kinda shit but i tried)
