Willow bobbed her foot irritably, trying to ignore the hunger in the back of her head. It has been five days since Jack had gotten room arrest, and too long since his last feeding. But since Darlia wouldn't budge was there nothing to do than waiting it out.
So, she had spent the last days with the girls, watching movies and playing games and celebrating Ikuto's birthday. She had asked about the others on the i island but apparently most of the reapers didn't celebrate their birthdays.
And today, Willow spent the whole day with Aina walking around the island exploring while Aina could take pictures, but nothing seemed to distract her.
Her focus slowly shifted from the movie she watched with Fahima and Daisy to the gnawing hunger once more, wondering if it was bad for her how Jack must feel.
"-Willow?"
"Huh?" She looked over at Fahima.
"I said are you okay? You keep scratching your throat." Fahima pointed at Willow's hand, and she quickly moved it into her lap with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, it's just Jack's hunger is really distracting."
"I'm personally more impressed his punishment wasn't more severe considering everything" Daisy mumbled under her breath before turning to look at Willow. "To think you're cute enough for Jack to intentionally go against Death again says a lot about how cute you are." Daisy chuckled, pulling her legs up under her, in the couch. "But then again, you are pretty cute."
Willow looked at her for a second.
"Are you, are you flirting with me?" Willow raised a brow.
"Oh I'm totally flirting, but that isn't what you should address," Daisy rolled her eyes, writing down stuff in her notebook for what Willow guessed was the golden globe, a newsletter for supernaturals, before looking up. "But he still deserves the punishment, if anyone else had done that the repercussion had probably been a lot worse cause this isn't the first time he's done something reapers shouldn't do. He should thank Ian for sticking his neck out once again and fix it for him. Or well, somewhat fixing it." She eyed Willow out of the corner of her eyes.
"Daisy, I clearly remember you trying to mess with your mom's death too and me doing the same for you in the eighties," they looked towards the door as Ian came into the room. "You have Arvo to look out for you too still to this day. You both young reapers and have and will do stupid things. Jack's... Jacks are just different stupid things." He mumbled, as he leaned up against the couch Willow sat in.
"Yeah I know," she sighed, licking her lips. "But you have to agree he's leash is longer than most. Which is a good thing, he's fun to have around." She chuckled.
Ian shifted his attention to Willow as she squirmed in her seat with a sigh.
"That reminds me I came to ask you Willow if you would be willing to go to doctor Morcant in town to tap some blood before he closes? I saw you walk around all day like this, so I guessed it's Jack's hunger and took some liberty to ask." Ian smiled softly, but his tone was serious as he added. "Only if you want to of course, but it could help you get the itch to be gone."
Willow smiled slightly relieved. "That could be awesome, thank you Ian." But then she thought about it and added. "Would that be fine for Jack though? Shouldn't we just ask Darlia again if I can visi-"
"- I already asked, the answer is still no," he interrupted with a sigh.
Reaching out a hand towards her, she took it with a sigh of her own.
They teleported into what clearly was a doctors office, and a elderly man sat behind the desk looking at something on his computer. With a little shocked gasp he looked at them.
"Ian! And what must be miss Willow," he quickly walked towards them with a broad smile. "Nice to officially meet you, I am Doctor Morcant but you can call me Andreas. I will be your doctor from now on, I was just looking at your papers to see if we could proceed with tapping blood and everything looks fine." He took her hand and shook it with a warm smile.
Willow raised a brow, but guessed she should not be surprised that they somehow found a way to her medical papers.
"Please, call me Willow." She smiled back as he led her to the examination table in the corner. He gave her a nod as he took up the needle and bag from the small table.
"Do you have any fears for needles or blood?"
"If I had it would be gone by now," she chuckled, making the doc laugh softly, as he prepared her arm while Ian stood in the corner patiently waiting.
As Willow sat on the examination table, she glanced around the doctor's office. It was a well-kept and tidy space, filled with medical equipment and charts adorning the walls. The presence of supernatural beings like reapers must have made this doctor's practice rather unique when you had beings that could heal anything just around the corner.
Dr. Morcant, or Andreas, as he preferred to be called, worked with precision as he prepared the needle and bag for the blood extraction.
Ian, standing in the corner, remained patient and watchful, ready to assist if needed.
The doctor's calm demeanor was contagious, and Willow found herself relaxing as he gently tied a tourniquet around her arm. She had never been afraid of needles or blood, and after all she had experienced recently, this was a relatively minor discomfort.
Andreas swabbed her skin with an alcohol pad, and then, with practiced ease, inserted the needle into her vein. Willow winced slightly as the sensation of the needle puncturing her skin registered, but it wasn't painful. But it brought back memories of when Jack's fangs punctured her skin and she had to lean forward to hide her face with her hair.
As the blood began to flow into the collection bag, Willow focused on her breathing and tried to push thoughts of Jack's hunger out of her mind.
After a few minutes, Andreas removed the needle, expertly applied a bandage to her arm, and sealed the bag containing the blood. He gave Willow a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"You did great, Willow, it's a easy fix so if Darlia doesn't lift his ban, I'm afraid you will have to come in again sooner than later as reapers need blood fresh. In the meantime, take it easy and stay well-nourished. And please do come again if you need ever need it."
"Thank you." Willow hopped off the examination table, feeling a slight wave of dizziness that quickly passed.
A few hours later, Willow was jolted awake, drenched in sweat, with a scream and a name on the tip of her tongue. Gasping for air, she curled up into a ball, her heart racing, and her mind clouded with the remnants of a terrible dream.
Glancing over at the balcony she wondered if she should do it, before she could make a decision, a soothing voice called her name. She turned to see Ian, who had discarded his usual formal attire for a pair of pants and a half-unbuttoned shirt, standing beside her bed.
"You alright?" Ian's voice was gentle as he placed a reassuring hand on her sweaty back. "Jack told me you had a nightmare, Willow. Breathe." He rubbed her back softly, trying to calm her racing heart.
With tears glistening in her eyes, Willow looked at Ian, struggling to regulate her breathing. The faint tunes of the violin from Jack's room filtered in, further grounding her in reality.
"Peter... I dreamt of Peter... he... oh Death." Willow choked out, her voice trembling. She covered her mouth with her hand, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Peter is fine, Willow he is fine." Ian said, sitting down beside her and gently guiding her head to rest against his chest. "I promise you, he is fine. He's on his way home from school to go to Oliver's to study, they have a math test on Friday." He mumbled into her hair.
" he always sucked at math," Willow hiccuped, wiping away a tear. She gazed up at Ian who gave her a reassuring smile and tenderly ran his fingers through her hair "How do you-?"
He gave her a short smile, caressing her hair.
"Your bloodline is under my domain until another is found, and even though I shouldn't, I have a tendency to check up on the families of companions for these scenarios." He kissed her forehead, before whispering. "Just don't tell anybody."
"Thank you." Willow whispered, her breathing gradually slowing down. The soft strains of the violin continued to play in the warm air. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, feeling a bit more composed. "Sorry I woke you both."
"I rarely take the time to sleep anymore, and Jack? Well, he hasn't slept for a couple of days." Worry laced his voice as he mentioned Jack
"Why not?" Her own voice lowered by worry.
" Well, as you know he suffers from night terrors, and they haven't become better since he became a reaper, as young reapers use sleep to deal with the job. Just like humans is it a way for the brain to go through what happens through the day." He mumbles, as he softly leans her back down. "Normally the nightmares would have been gone by now, but apparently you two are alike that way." He chuckled softly, but his eyes were filled with concern as he tucked her under the duvet. Gently, he placed her polar bear plush beside her, earning a small chuckle from Willow as he tugged her in. "Sorry, force of habit."
He pulled a chair closer to her bed and sat down, twirling his coin on his knuckles. Willow yawned and snuggled the polar bear against her chest.
"It's okay, I can sleep now I think." She murmured with a content sigh.
"I know, just humor me a little." Ian replied with a soft smile, crossing his legs. The music from the balcony drifted into the room, lulling Willow into a peaceful slumber as Ian kept his watchful presence nearby.