Love And Ink

Chapter Two

I didn't know how long I was sitting there. Could have been five minutes. Could have been an hour. I don't know, I'm not the kind of person to carry a watch with me, and my phone barely left my room. But when the bathroom door opened, I was jolted out of my thoughts. I got up and looked at the man, then froze.

He was still damp, his hair was still hanging in his face. His wounds had obviously started healing. But none of that was what caught my attention. No, it was the fact he had one of my towels around his waist.

One of my neon pink and bunny printed towels.

It took all of my self restraint to not laugh. The poor man definitely didn't need that right now. But the sight would forever stay in my mind.

"I hope you enjoyed the bath"

He moved his hands. I blinked. I didn't expect that, but I suppose it makes sense. A Cu Sìth has a dangerous voice, but I didn't expect the sign language.

"It's no bother really"

'You can understand me?' He sighed, surprise on his face.

"I've been alive a long time. I had plenty of time to learn sign language" I rolled my eyes. "Now let's get you some food and a place to sleep"

'That's not necessary' He shook his head, shedding some water. Typical dog. 'I should be going'

He tried to go past me before I could say anything, but I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

"You just escaped who knows what, and they're probably looking for you. Your scent leads just outside. You need to stay here"

'The person looking for me.. They're dangerous. I don't want to put you in danger as well'

"Sweetheart, I am the danger around these parts. Now, get your ass in the living room"

He raised his hands to argue, but I just sent him a glare and pointed to the living room. He released a soft sigh before he started walking to the living room, with me following behind him. I paid a bit more attention to his back, but only to avoid making myself giggle over the towel. Really.

Once in the living room, I directed him to the couch and made him sit down, before I got one of my fluffy purple blankets and put him over him. He tried to argue again, but I just shushed him. It was cold tonight, and I wasn't sure what other magic he had casted on him to make him weaker.

After making sure he was comfortable, I went over to the conjoined kitchen to make something to eat. I didn't have all that much available, since I was more of a takeout kinda girl, but I had enough to make something simple. Like instant soup. Or instant ramen...

"Are you allergic to anything?" I glanced over at him, and he shook his head. He really did stick out in my home. His dark green hair didn't go well with my pastel aesthetic. "I'm lactose intolerant myself" I stated as I got out some cup ramens and put them down beside the electric kettle. It still had enough water from this morning's coffee, so I just switched it on.

"Which is a pain, since I love ice cream and cheese" I could see he was watching me from where he sat, at least his head was pointed towards me. His eyes made it difficult to tell where he was looking.

"Could be worse. At least cocoa isn't toxic to me. Although judging by your size, you could probably handle a fair bit before it would affect you"

He started waving at me, most likely trying to get my attention, so I turned towards him to show him I was watching him.

'What's that?'

"What's what? Cocoa?" He nodded his head and I frowned at him. "Have you never had chocolate before?" This time, he shook his head no. "Seriously? How long were you captive?"

'A while'

My heart broke a bit. A while for an immortal could mean a couple of decades or hundreds of years. And no one deserved to be locked up for that long, when they didn't do anything wrong. And judging by his state, it was a rough while too.

I heard a click from the kettle, indicating it was finished. I turned back towards the cups and opened them up a bit before picking up the kettle and pouring the water in. Once done with that, I got something from my spice rack. A little bottle with a cork topper, no label. I opened it up and dusted a bit of it into his cup, then put it away before proceeding to take a fork and stirring the spices in.

He cleared his throat, and I turned my head so that I could see him. 'What was that?'

"Some herbs, they help with working magic out of the system. Also with healing"

'You have alot of healing stuff on hand'

"I have alot of fae friends that have a tendency to get hurt. I like to be prepared"

He nodded his head in understanding. Once the noodles were done, I stick a fork in each one before taking them over the couch. I handed him his, which he took, and sat down on the other side of the couch. I started eating, but noticed he was just staring at his, eyebrows bunched together.

"It's not going to hurt you or anything" He lifted his head to look at me. I then proceeded to take a bite, showing him it was safe. He then hesitantly copied me, making me smile.

I paused when I noticed he had a look on his face, like the look of someone who just tried an amazing delicacy for the first time. It was just cup ramen, but I suppose wherever he lived, he didn't get anything good. Once the shock wore off, he started shoveling food into his mouth, and this time I couldn't stop the laugh that left my mouth.

After he ate his fill, and the rest of mine after I couldn't resist the way he was watching me eat, I got him some pillows from the hall closet. Unfortunately I didn't have any clothes for him to sleep in, but according to him, he was use to sleeping without close. I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was more for my sake, but let him sleep however he was comfortable.

After I had made sure he had actually fallen asleep, I went to my own room and over to my bookshelf. I had some old books regarding fae, and quickly found the ones regarding the Cu Sìth. Cu Sìth and Cat Sìth didn't really interact that much, so my knowledge regarding them wasn't that much. But while I had one under my roof, I wanted to learn about them as much as I could.

And maybe learn something about the sick creature that would keep them as a pet.