Observing him, she relieved saw his eyes was no longer glossy and his face seemed to get some color back.
"Are you feeling better?" She softly asked as he walked past her to the fridge. He turned around, holding eggs and milk in his hands.
"Peachy, feeling death again" he grinned, playfully pushing her out of the kitchen with his hip. "And as a thank you for taking care of me I will make breakfast, cause now my taste buds are back so I will be able to taste again."His eyes glistened with mischievousness, but she just smiled, glad to hear he was feeling better.
"I didn't know you could cook" she said, taking a seat on the couch, watching him pull ingredients out of the fridge and turn on the stove.
"Yeah well I haven't for years, so don't expect anything special" he mumbled, cracking an egg into the frying pan. She sat there silently, watching him prepare breakfast, listening to his humming he didn't seem to notice he was doing. When he was done, he came over to the couch and collapsed beside her, handing her a plate with eggs, bacon, and toasted bread with Nutella.
She reached over and put her hand on his forehead, sighing with relief when she felt his cold skin, not realizing that he had tensed up for a moment. She turned her attention back to the food, not noticing his eyes following her every move for a second before he turned toward his own plate. They ate in silence until Jack broke it.
"Thank you," she turned her head to look at him staring at his plate before he lifted his head to meet her eyes. "Thank you for taking care of me."
She blinked, slightly surprised there was no smart-ass remark that followed.
"Of course, you were sick" she turned her attention back on the half-eaten toast. "You literally put yourself on the line to heal me, that was the least I could do. I will always help you if I can." She smiled softly, turning her gaze back to Jack. They looked into each other's eyes, and it was Jack who turned away first, clearing his throat.
"You done?" He got up, pointing at her plate without looking at her.
"Thank you for breakfast."
"Yeah, don't go and get too used to it," he put the plates in the sink and looked over at her with a grin. "Or fall in love with me because I make killer eggs."
Before she could respond, Ian appeared by the door, looking at Jack and sighing with relief.
"Glad to see you're feeling better" Ian smiled, walking over to him and putting his hand on Jack's forehead. "Seems you're well enough for you both to go back home."
Willow let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Ian thought Jack was better. "Today?" She questioned, already getting up to pack their belongings.
"Let's wait till tomorrow or the day after, just in case," Ian smiled, taking a dish towel to help Jack. "That way I can tell the others you're coming back cause I got some help from a CrÃdose. Otherwise they might be confused, cause if you still had been the one sick you would still not have been feeling better yet."
Willow sat down with a nod, glad to have Ian on their side, cause if they didn't, they would have been screwed.
"Thank you, for sticking your neck out for us"
Ian glanced her way with a tilted head.
"Of course, Jack is family, and since you're his companion that means you're too."
"When we're done patting our own backs-" Ian swatted Jack with the cloth. "Can we at least go out? I can't be the only one going a little crazy for the possibility of fresh air."
Willow's eyes lit up at the idea of exploring or simply stretching her legs outside. "Can we? I promise we won't go far?" She pleaded.
"And if she does, I will just haul her back." Jack added with a smirk, earning a narrowed look from Willow as she crossed her arms.
"You know, if it wasn't for the fact you're a reaper I could outrun you," they both raised an eyebrow making her exclaim. "I could! wanna try me?" She relaxed her arms with a defiant look. At home she was used to go on runs in her free time.
"No, no I'm sure you're a fast runner," Ian smiled reassuringly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "But even you can't outrun the wildlife on this island that will eat you, so let's not."
"I would very much like to not have to pull your out of some carnivores mouth, so let's just explore." He waved at the door, and she quickly pulled on her army green parka over her long sleeved tee and put on her sneakers, waiting for the others to get into more proper attire for the snowy mountain valley.
"I will leave you to it then, but don't walk too far away from the cabin, the terrain isn't as forgiving as it once was." Ian smiled, ruffling Jack's hair before vanishing.
"I could totally outrun you if you were human." Willow mumbled to herself as she walked out onto the porch.
"Considering I was a swimmer not a runner, I will entertain the possibility." Jack grinned, walking out without a jacket, earning a disapproving frown from Willow.
"Shouldn't you put on some more clothes? Just in case?" She looked at his bare arms, herself shivering from the harsh wind.
"I'm death Willow, now that I'm not sick, I'm not affected by the cold," he shrugged, reaching over and zipping up her jacket. "It should be yourself you're worried about, this isn't exactly winter attire."
"We will just make it a quick look around," she smiled, slightly frustrated she didn't know Ian was taking them to the snowy mountains, otherwise she would have taken warmer close with them. "And we can always fire up the fireplace" she beamed, stepping out onto the crusty snow. "This place is pretty amazing though, to think that reapers and companions lived here before the mansion" she looked around at the old decaying cabins spread around them, some reduced to nothing more than foundation.
"It was the BustyrÃa's who built it. Many have taken educations outside the island to better the well-being of those on the island," he looked around curiously. "Sometimes it's easy to forget with how well the island is self-sufficient that most have never even left the island."
"I thought you only could leave if you left for good at 18?"
Willow asked curiously, having yet to read the full book on BustyrÃa's. They walked past a crooked half cabin nearly toppled by the strong mountain winds. She tucked her hands into her jacket pocket, shivering as the fierce wind whipped her hair into her face.
"Usually yes, but some get special permission if the island is in need of certain jobs to be filled. Like Caroline's husband before dying was the dentist and took the education in Australia, living with a reaper who has a home there. He then taught Olivia who is now the dentist, everything she knows. But at times certain BustyrÃa's are sent out to learn the new ways of their jobs to then teach others in the same profession on the island." Jack yelled over the howling wind. They approached what seemed to be an old barn with half of its roof collapsed. "Are you sure we shouldn't go inside?" He pushed an astray lock out of her face.
Grimacing as the cold penetrated her clothing, she realized he was right, it was too cold. To avoid falling ill again, it was best to head inside. Nodding, she turned around, and Jack extended his hand. Confused by why he wanted to hold hands, she took it, and within moments, they were back inside the cabin.
"You know, the few footsteps to the door wouldn't have killed me," she chuckled as he helped her out of her jacket.
"I ain't taking no chances, I wanna go back to my own bed." he grunted while walking over to the fireplace and preparing it for a fire.
"Do you know how?" She frowned, watching him crumble newspaper as she pushed off her shoes. "I can do it if you want." She was used to light fire when camping with her family.
"You, make some hot beverage and I will fire up" he pointed at her and towards the kitchen and with a shrug she did as she was told.
She roamed through a cabinet and let out a satisfied grunt as she pulled out cocoa powder and chocolate bars.
"Gosh I miss cocio" she mumbled, heating up some water in a kettle.
"Cocio?" Jack frowned from the fireplace.
"It's this chocolate milk you can get in this one shop in town and probably other places. Saw it everywhere when we visited some great aunt across the border in Denmark when I was little." she explained. "Me and Isabell used to get one every Friday after school ended for homework." She smiled softly, pouring the hot water into two cups. She threw a chocolate bar at him, and he caught it midair as he sat down on the couch. "At my fifteen birthday last year Lucas jokingly bought me 7 bottles" she giggled.
"The dude that had a crush on you." Jack grunted, taking a bite of his chocolate bar as she came over to him.
"What? No, we are friends, he don't like me like that- I mean didn't." She frowned, placing the cups on the table. "Plus, how would you even know if he did?" She raised a brow.
The chocolate bar slid out of his hand as he cleared his throat, as he put the blanket around her.
"I'm a reaper, I know stuff," he mumbled, looking down at the bar on the floor. Before she could inquire further, he whined, "And this is how I die my second death, by starvation."
She rolled her eyes, warming her hands on the cup.
"Knock it off, it's a chocolate bar, not the end of the world. Plus, the only way you can die of starvation is because of me, which is unlikely." She grunted, into her cup.
"It was nougat." He mumbled with a pout, tossing it across the room into the trash bin. Sighing, she reached her own towards him and his eyes widened slightly. "You sure?"
"Sound like you need it more than I do," she waved it in front of his nose but he didn't take it. "See it as a compensation for Marek's cupcake." She dropped it into his lap. With a pleased expression he ate it and she went back to her book. "Ian told me that Mia has been asking for you." He froze before he got up from the couch with a frown.
"Then I guess it's time to end this little vacation." He waved for her to give him her hand but she looked at it with knitted brows.
"I don't think it's a good idea to leave just yet. Ian did say a day or two." She sighed, getting up from the couch and heading for the kitchen to see what food was left. She turned around and with a yelp dropped the cartoon with milk when Jack stood right behind her.
"Don't scare me like that!" She hissed, reaching for a cloth.
"Then don't make it so easy," he raised a brow, taking a cloth himself. "And why not, I feel a lot better. or is it cause you like being alone with me?" He gave her a smirk, wiggling his eyebrows and making her scoff.
"In your dreams."