Kaz glared at their captor. Wylan sat by, looking uncomfortable and angry.

Van Eck stood before them, a devious grin on his wrinkled face. "Kaz Brekker and my dear son, Wylan Van Eck." He spat Wylan's name like he would spit jurda on the streets.

"Who do I torture first?" He asked, pacing in front of them, a dangerous knife held in his blistering hands. "Who will break quicker?"

When he stopped in front of Wylan, Wylan was horrified. He couldn't help but shake his head. "Father, please don't. Please."

Kaz glanced at Wylan. "The man before you is not your father, Wylan.

Van Eck growled. "Like you care about my son."

Kaz raised his head defiantly. "I do."

Wylan shifted closer to the raven-haired boy, desperate for his comfort. "He protects me from getting hit, he doesn't hit me."

Van Eck hissed and gripped Kaz's shoulders. "If you care about my son so much, will you protect him from me?"

Kaz didn't even bother to fight against him. It would have been pointless. "You'll have to kill me before I let you touch him."

Wylan's father laughed evilly, then he yanked Wylan to his feet. He cried out, stumbling on his sprained ankle from when he had tried to run away from his father.

Kaz glared at Van Eck. "Don't hurt him. Please."

Van Eck grinned. "Did I just hear you beg, Brekker?"

Kaz nodded, his eyes glowing with determination. "Yes. I'd beg if it meant that you would let Wylan go free."

Van Eck cackled again, pulling Wylan towards a table. Beside it was another table, covered in dangerous looking weapons, such as a surgeon's scalpel and a metal-rimmed hammer.

Kaz shook his head and fell to his knees. "Please, Van Eck. Please, hurt me instead."

But Wylan was now pinned to the table as his father tied his legs and arms down. "Father, please."

Tears dripped down Wylan's face against his own will. His father maniacally gripped the scalpel and held Wylan's head against the cold metal table.

"Such pretty blue eyes. It would be a shame if one of them would be... gone."

Kaz started to scream, but Wylan barely noticed anything, other than his father's cold hand on his forehead, the glint of the blade right above his eye. They were the same hands that had hit him, that had at one point wrapped him up in soft blankets. 

"Brekker, shut your mouth!" Van Eck snapped. Then, Kaz was there, hoisted up by Van Eck and held him beside Wylan. 

Kaz's cheeks were red, his eyes misty. "Let him go, please!"

Van Eck grinned and suddenly, the knife was sliding down Wylan's cheek. Pain shot through him and he screamed. Hot blood bathed his face, the coppery stench gagging him. Van Eck made a similar line down Wylan's other cheek.

"Let's see if your boyfriend still thinks you're pretty after this."

Wylan thrashed, struggling against his bounds. His face hurt and he squeezed his eyes closed, wishing the pain would go away.

He felt his father's hands on his leg before he realized what was going on. Then, he felt and heard the crack. He screamed, tears streaming down his face.

He faintly noticed Kaz's screams of, "Let him go!" or "Please, don't hurt him!"

Van Eck laughed, forcing Wylan's eyes open. "How does that feel?"

Wylan didn't have the strength to do anything, not even struggling as his father cut lines down his arms, legs, his stomach.

Then, his father untied the ropes and pushed Wylan off of the table. His leg bent uncomfortably beneath him and he cried out again. He was harshly pulled to his feet.

"Walk, you worthless boy." 

Wylan forced himself to take a step, his leg buckling underneath him. When he glanced at Kaz, the boy was nearly on the verge of tears. It was something hard for Wylan to see.

Kaz took a deep breath. "Let me help him, Jan. Please."

Van Eck dipped his head. "Half an hour. Then, I'll continue."

Wylan's father then untied Kaz's hands and exited the room. Kaz was immediately at Wylan's side, his gloved hands over the cut across his abdomen. 

"Wy, look at me." 

Wylan met Kaz's coffee gaze and tried to stop hyperventilating. "Kaz."

Kaz pressed a hand to Wylan's broken leg. "It's out of place. I can put it back, but it'll hurt."

Wylan reached for Kaz's hand. "Do it."

Kaz nodded, resting his hands on Wylan's leg. "What's your favorite color?"

Wylan thought for a moment. When he went to answer, he felt a painful yank on his leg and he screamed, reaching for Kaz again. This time, Kaz gripped both his hands.

"Breathe. In, out, in out."

Wylan focused on Kaz through the red blur to his eyes. "Will you sing to me again?"

Kaz nodded, pulling Wylan closer. He hummed a soft tune, his voice quaking on occasions, his eyes closed. When he stopped, Wylan sniffled and said, "My favorite color is purple."

"Like the night sky?"

Wylan shook his head. "No, like the shirt Inej wears sometimes or the color that Jesper would have worn in the army. The pretty purple that seems to be full of hope for a new day. The shade of purple that promised us more. What about you?"

Kaz started to rip his expensive suit into strips and tied the bandages around Wylan's wounds. "Orange."

"Why orange?"

Kaz took a deep breath. "It reminds me of my home on the farm before I came to Ketterdam. The beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the flowers, the autumn leaves from the trees that my brother would sweep into a pile and throw me into."

Wylan smiled through his pain. "Like my hair?"

Kaz gently tied another bandage around Wylan's upper thigh. "Yes, just like your beautiful head of orange hair."

Wylan stared into Kaz's eyes, a seriousness burning within him. "Kaz, please don't let him hurt you. I can't live with my father torturing you as he did me."

Kaz ran a hand through Wylan's fluffy curls. "I'm a lot stronger than you think, Wylan. And saying that, it was very difficult to watch him hurt you. I'm not going to let it happen again."

"What will you do?"

Kaz pulled Wylan even closer, his head pressed under Kaz's chin. "I'll protect you no matter what. I couldn't protect my brother, so I'll make up for it by protecting you."

"Jesper's gonna kill you."

"Why?"

Wylan rested his head on Kaz's shoulder. "This close to the wedding and my face is going to be scarred, my leg will still be broken, and I'll have knife wounds all over me."

Kaz snorted. "Jesper will be happy to have to have you alive."

They sat in silence for a long while. It was a lot longer than half an hour when the door burst open.

"What happened here?"

Both boys were startled as a voice rang out that was extremely pleasant and familiar.

"Jesper!" Wylan yelped. "How did you find us?"

Jesper rushed over to them, some of the Dregs following him.

As Jesper went to help Wylan, Kaz literally growled at him. He held Wylan tighter, a dangerous scowl on his face.

"Kaz, what are you doing? Let me help him!"

Wylan was going to object against Kaz's protection but thought better of it. Then, Kaz was standing and Wylan vomited on his father's carpet, his vision spotted.

Kaz gently shifted Wylan around. The young boy groaned, clutching Kaz's shirt within his bloody hands. 

"I'll carry Wylan, you guard us."

"Fine, but be careful."

Wylan cried out again as Kaz limped forward.

He immediately felt comforted as Kaz started to sing again. It was Wylan's favorite song, the song that Kaz had often sung to him. He took deep breaths in a let deep breaths out, focusing on Kaz's soft voice until he faded into darkness.

****

Kaz didn't even bother to try to stop Jesper's fist as it slammed into his nose. "You let Van Eck torture him!"

Kaz gazed up at Jesper. His left eye was swollen, shielding most of his vision. "I'm sorry."

Jesper jammed his knee between Kaz's legs and the pale boy gasped, but he didn't fight against Jesper.

"You were supposed to protect him! You promised me!"

Kaz blinked at Jesper, not caring enough to wipe the blood off his face. "I tried, Jes. I tried. I'm sorry that I couldn't help him."

"You realize that we had to call for a Grisha healer to help him?"

Kaz nodded. "I would be with him right now if you would let me go."

Jesper laughed and punched Kaz in the gut for the third time. "You don't deserve him, Brekker."

That threw Kaz over the edge. He snarled, slamming his own fist into Jesper's face. "I held Wylan when he was sick. I sang him to sleep. I gave him comfort when nobody else did. When you had your little slip-up and kissed the wrong boy, I was there to comfort Wylan. If anything, you don't deserve him."

Jesper's cheeks were stained with tears as he fell against the wall beside Kaz. "I'm sorry I beat you."

Kaz looked at the handsome Zemini boy. "I deserved it."

Jesper laughed dryly. "Let's go see our young Wylan."

*****

Wylan blinked open his eyes to see Jesper sitting beside him, his eyes closed, snores echoing from deep in his chest.

"Wy?"

The voice was Kaz's. And Wylan was so happy to hear it. "Kaz?"

Kaz appeared beside Jesper, his eyes glowing. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Why is your nose all bloody and beat up?"

Kaz grinned. "Let's just say that your fiancee wasn't very happy with me."

Wylan groaned, reaching for Kaz's ungloved hand. Kaz hesitated only a heartbeat before his soft skin brushed against Wylan's. "I'm sorry about his behavior."

Just at that moment, Jesper choked on a snore and woke, coughing. When he saw Wylan and Kaz holding hands, he shot into a sitting position, slapping Kaz's hand away from Wylan's. "Don't touch him!"

Kaz glared at Jesper. "What's your problem, Fahey?"

Wylan flinched, his heart aching at the sight of the two people he loved most fighting. "Please, don't argue. Not now."

Jesper sighed, leaning down to brush hair out of Wylan's eyes. "Alright. As long as you don't get yourself into trouble again."

Wylan hit his hand away, pain shooting through him at the simple movement. "I don't plan on it."