I'm not a kitten... Okay, I'm Kitten

Chapter 6 - Pt.2

Koty woke, miserable and sore. His throat and jaw burned, while the rest of his body felt like he'd been running for hours. All he'd done was sleep, so why did he hurt so much?

He had to get up! He had to take his NEWTs today! Well, some of them. There was no way his mother would allow him to even attempt that, not that he particularly wanted to.

When Koty sat up, rubbing his eyes, he elbowed something that didn't feel like a pillow. Blinking, he fully opened his eyes.

"When did you get here?" Koty rasped, startled and very very confused. He cleared his still burning throat.

Severus woke up quickly, somehow managing to go from sleeping to alert in just a few seconds. "How are you feeling this morning?" He asked, a hint of worry slipping through.

Propping himself upright, Koty stared at the man. He ignored the question. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"I was brought here last night," he drawled. "By your very angry elf, who threatened bodily harm."

"What?!" Koty yelped. "Why?"

"Do you remember feeling ill last night?" Severus asked cautiously.

Koty thought. There was something. Exhaustion and hunger pains. That, he remembered. There was something else though. What was it? He had wanted- no, needed... what? What had he needed so badly? "I'm not sure," he said honestly. "What happened?"

When Severus finished explaining, Koty was quiet and contemplative.

"But... why didn't I have any problems at school?" He asked, his nose scrunched in confusion. "Nearly all my blood was in phials, just like now. So, why is it different all of the sudden?"

"Proximity," Severus said simply, having given it a great deal of thought. "There was not a day that went by in Hogwarts that we did not see one another, which kept my blood from essentially becoming a slow-acting poison. As we have not been in contact for nearly a fortnight, I was unintentionally starving you. Now," he said, shifting to an upright position.

Koty let out a startled yelp and rolled off the man's lap and back onto the bed. "Now what?"

"I am going to see to my morning ablutions," he replied, stretching and yawning. "After which, I will feed you properly."

"Okay," Koty said, rubbing the remaining grit from his jewel toned eyes. He scooted over to the edge of the bed, his feet dangling freely, and waited.

When Severus emerged from the bathroom, he noticed his little mate biting his lip. "Is something wrong?" He asked, kneeling in front of the Vílaupír.

"Can... can you help me?" Koty asked, keeping his eyes down shyly. He didn't want to ask, especially with how guilty he knew Severus must be feeling. He didn't want to take advantage of the situation. "I need... erm, I need help with my wings." While he logically knew that he wasn't human, the term 'preen' made him feel like a bird.

"Of course," Severus said softly. "Just let me notify your parents to my presence, and I will-"

"Did you just now think of that?"

Koty and Severus' heads quickly turned toward the door.

"Good morning, Cissa." Severus gave her a slight nod.

"Morning, mummy!" Koty said happily, struggling to get off of his bed. When his toes brushed the soft pelt on the floor, he dropped down and went to hug his mother. "Sev's here!"

"I see that," she said indulgently, hugging her baby close. "The question is, why?"

Hoping to pull his mother's (angry) focus away from Severus, Koty answered, explaining what he could.