Walking out the bathroom drying her hair, she finally felt relaxed after what had happened yesterday. After leaving Jack, she had joined Tuma by the lake who was fishing and Fahima doing a puzzle with a book about Shapeshifters and had just spent most of the day relaxing after that incident with the angels.
Apparently time in Enzaya was different from Earth, so even though they had only been gone for what felt like a few hours had they actually been gone three days. Tuma had explained that traveling between Enzaya and Earth you could never be sure how much time had passed, it could be minutes, hours, days or even years even though you only spend a day or a few hours in Enzaya. You just never knew, which made Willow glad it hadn't been years or something, cause just the thought that she could still be sixteen and her brother maybe be older than her when she came back was just to unreal for her. But today she had spent it looking at the pictures Alina had taken of the different realms she had been too.
And she had finally meet Vadim and Itsuki at dinner. Itsuki who was in his early twenties seemed nice, though a little reserved. His jet-black hair was styled in a slight tousle, brushing against the nape of his neck and falling just above his eyebrows, making his slightly upturned dark brown eyes stand more out in his fair oval face. Vadim however looked like he stepped out of some rebel teen picture with his tattoo sleeves, piercings and dyed short unruly dark blue hair, he hadn't talked to anyone though, just listened to his music but Fahima said that wasn't abnormal for him, that he only talked to Valentina and Itsuki and Charlie due to similar hobbies.
Jack had been on a mission with Valentina yesterday so she hadn't seen him other than the short glimpse of him earlier today where she ignored him, still slightly pissed about what he did with the angels.
Tossing the towel onto the desk chair, she pulled the black top down when she hears a loud woah. Startled, she stopped and looked towards the balcony where Jack stands with damp hair and his back to her tensely.
"First time you seen a virgins bra?" she grunted still irritated with him because of his earlier remarks. He turned around with closed eyes waving at her. "Or afraid of belly buttons?" She snorted.
"Haha, very funny, here I am trying to be a gentleman." He grunted, opening his right eye a little before opening them completely with a relieved sigh when he sees she had pulled the top down.
As Willow settled onto the bed, she placed the books in her lap, only to realize that two were missing. An annoyed scowl formed on her face as she leaned over the bed, attempting to peek underneath. However, all she could spot were her black sneakers. "Where the hell are they?" she muttered, her frustration growing as she scanned the room for the missing books.
"What is?" He walked over to her chair she threw her towel and took it. She got up as he threw it at her waving at her hair. "Dry your hair, I'm not gonna nurse you if you get sick."
"I don't need you to," She grunted irritated but did as he said. "The books about companions and rogues, I'm sure I had it in my room." she mumbled, searching through her room.
With a frustrated curse, Willow made her way back to the bed where Jack was seated, watching her, accepting the fact the books wasn't in the room. " Is it common to just walk into people's rooms without knocking here or something?" she muttered, her voice tinged with frustration.
"Not really, only ones that should do that and probably do is me and Jane" he shrugged scratching his neck.
Looking at the panda they somehow had gotten from her old room her dad had gotten her at the zoo the day he died now sat on her bed. When she had come back earlier to find it, she couldn't help but wonder what her mom thought with it suddenly missing.
Her expression crumbled at the reason it might be.
Initially puzzled, his expression changed as understanding dawned on him. "No, no, we haven't," he quickly reassured her, his voice filled with sincerity. He reached out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, his gaze holding a depth of emotion she hadn't witnessed before. "I would never have let them do it before you were told. But Death made it very clear that it needs to happen soon. I'm sorry, Willow." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before rising abruptly, with a strained cough.
"Thank you," she smiled shortly, glad he would tell her but the pain in her chest, made her blink away tears threatening to spill.
"I'm hungry, not that kind of hungry." he added when she scoured away with wide eyes. "I thought I would go down to Marek and see what he was making of goodies, wanna come? See it as an apology for my poor joke yesterday. And Marek's pastries always help me think of something else."
Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, wondering what he meant with not that kind of hunger when it was clear from the nagging hunger in her head, he was that kind of hungry, she rubbed her eyes.
Hell, he even got her to eat more trying to satisfy it as it was annoying, and... heated her whole body up when she remembered the sensation. Willow shook the feeling off as she stood up, fiddling a lock of her hair as she nodded.
"Sure, why not."
Before she could even finish the sentence, she found herself standing in the midst of the largest kitchen she had ever encountered. It was expansive enough to prepare meals for a small school. One wall, constructed from gray stone, was lined with stoves and refrigerators. Small tables were strategically placed throughout the room, but the most prominent feature was a wooden island at the center. Towering over it was a tall, brawny man, his back turned to them. Flour dusted his light blonde hair pulled into a low messy bun, and his well-defined muscles were evident beneath the white t-shirt and apron he wore. As he turned to face them, Willow's gaze was drawn to the colorful animal tattoos that adorned his arms.
For a moment, their eyes locked, silently studying each other. Willow's attention shifted from his rugged features to his warm, dark green eyes, which seemed to hold her in place. She took a step back, slightly overwhelmed by the intensity of his gaze, especially as Jack nonchalantly walked over to him, and she noticed he only reached Marek's shoulder.
"What are you making tonight Marek?" Jack inquired, peering over the shoulder of the man in his thirties while resting a hand on it. "By Deaths scythe, is that cupcakes?" Jack's voice took on a high-pitched tone as he looked at Marek, a wide toothy grin spreading across his face.
Marek's attention was drawn from Willow as Jack spoke, and he nodded slowly before returning to his task. Willow's curiosity got the better of her, and she approached the island. There, she discovered a plate of freshly baked cupcakes, each different flavors and awaiting decoration.
"Need any help?" she asked, her nervousness betraying a small smile. Marek didn't even glance at her, instead pushing sprinkles and fruits in her direction while he meticulously added frosting to the cupcakes. Willow released a short breath, her apprehension easing slightly as she picked up heart-shaped sprinkles and began to decorate a vanilla cupcake, just glad to finally do something normal.
Jack cheerfully plucked a cherry, deftly removed the stem, and placed it meticulously onto a chocolate cupcake. Willow followed suit, selecting a cherry and positioning it on her cupcake while she remembered something.
"My friend Iris said once when we were making cherry pie in cooking class at school, that those that can make a knot on a cherry stem with their mouth is an amazing kisser." She mumbled without really thinking to fill the silence as Marek shoved another cupcake her way.
"Like this?" She looked over at Jack beside Marek who stuck out his tongue where a cheery stem with a knot laid before he spit it out in his hand with a grin. "I have been told I'm a excellent kisser." he chuckled winking at her, and to Willow surprise the heat from earlier rose up and she turned her head, letting her hair hide her face as she felt her cheeks burning.
Why did she react like this? It's Jack, Jack who almost left her to be killed by angels earlier, Jack the one who had her give her life for her brother, Jack that was hella confusing. Shaking her head roughly, she kept repeating those words to herself as she decorated another cupcake in silent. Leading her thoughts away from that, they went back to something Ian had said when she saw a peak of the reaper tattoo under Marek's shirt.
"How can one become a rogue reaper?"
Both of them stopped what they were doing and looked at her, making her wonder if she shouldn't have asked.
"There is many ways to become a rogue," Jack finally said, breaking the awkward silence that had followed Willow's question. "Most reasons are caused by a companion, or a reaper not wanting or can deal with the effects of our job. There isn't only one reason." he mumbled while Marek began to decorate a vanilla cupcake.
"Is there many that goes rogue?" Willow wondered, having yet to find anything about it in the books about rogue reapers that went missing, though she guessed she just hadn't come to that chapter as she wasn't far in.
"A couple of hundred, mostly we try to catch those we can and get rid of them if necessary as it's dangerous having such a powerful being wandering the realms without following orders," He mumbled peeking glances at Marek who had clenched his jaw. "Though that is only if they are a threat, and they lose a lot of their abilities when Death breaks the tattoo. But that isn't exactly a topic you should concern yourself with as none of us is going rogue, so drop it." The tone of his voice made it clear he was serious, and the tension in Marek's body made her let it go, though she was curious on how it could be a companion's fault.
She decorated the last one in silence.
"Is it Marek's pastries I can smell?" The voices of Ian and Charlie reached their ears, and both turned to find the duo standing there, their expressions hungry and eager. Marek pivoted around, holding a plate adorned with sweet treats and wearing a gentle smile. He gestured for them to each take one, and in a flash, Charlie snatched three before disappearing, mentioning they were for Itsuki and Vadim. Ian, on the other hand, selected the cherry-topped creation Jack had decorated.
Willow's choice was the vanilla cupcake adorned with heart sprinkles that she had decorated earlier. With one bite, a near-moan escaped her lips as the delightful sweetness danced across her taste buds.
"This is the best cupcake I ever tasted!" she exclaimed finishing it in almost one go.
"Marek is known for making the best pastries on the island." Ian grinned eating his as he leaned up against the wooden island, beside Jack who ate one of chocolate. Marek vanished for a second and came back with a drowsy Aina in a red pajamas and Fahima in a pink night gown, her nails wet from blue nail polish.
"Why did you drag me out of be-cupcakes!" Aina shrieked suddenly wide awake when she saw the cupcakes and grabbed one with a huge grin. Fahima took the last one and Willow asked if Tuma, Lina and the others maybe also want one and if they should make more, but was told none of them was on the island at the moment and Darlia wasn't fond of cupcakes.
"I wanted to try the chocolate," She mumbled to herself under her breath, a little saddened she didn't take a chocolate instead when a half eaten one comes into her sight. Looking at the owner of the hand she sees Jack, not even looking at her.
Without even glancing at her, he muttered, "You can the have rest of mine," and dangled the cupcake enticingly in front of her.
"Thank you," A grateful and surprised smile curved Willow's lips as she accepted the unexpected offering. Looking up, she noticed the collective astonishment etched across the faces of everyone present, their gazes shifting between her and Jack. "What? did I do something wrong?"
"Jack never shares food." Ian said, his face going back to normal, though his tone still showing his confusion.
"It's like his thing, especially Marek's pastries." Aina said not hiding her shock while Fahima and Marek nodded still looking at Jack who had crossed his arms.
"What? I can't be nice?" He mumbled, looking away from everyone. "Sooner or later I should learn to share- for Deaths sake Willow just eat it, I'm going to bed." he grumbled before disappearing.
"Did Jack sound flustered to any of you?" Fahima mumbled cleaning her hands with a wet napkin, earning a nod from Aina.
"No, he's right," Ian quickly said pushing himself away from the island. "it was about time he learned to share, and it being Willow has nothing to do with anything." his tone sounded tense as he uttered the last part, swiftly informing everyone that it was getting late and they should retire to their rooms.
As Willow was about to exit the room, Ian stopped her, pulling her aside and waiting until the others had left before speaking.
"I have to head out tomorrow night for a meeting, can you do me a favor Willow?" she nodded confused over the seriousness in his tone. "Jack gets these horrid nightmares sometimes cause most reapers though we don't need it, do use the time we sleep to process what we do. If he gets a bad one you will know due to your link, can you help him?" He took her hand and looked into her eyes pleadingly and she remembers seeing him this morning again walking out of Jacks room.
"Is that why you are in Jacks room in the mornings?"
He nodded shortly, sliding his fingers through his hair as he averted his eyes.
"For some reason it keeps him calm if he doesn't sleep alone," he mumbled and let go of her hand with a sigh. "Willow I know it's a lot to ask, but please? He would never ask anyone for help, so I need you to just help him."
The nervousness in Ian's eyes made Willow not even think twice over her answer.
"Of course, if I find out I will help him." She smiled reassuringly, wondering how she was supposed to do that without Jack just being snarky. So that could mean his nightmares could be worse than hers too? She shivered slightly by the thought while thinking that Jack would just have to suck it up and accept her help.