Chapter Text
All right, who was going to warn Shadow Milk that the fuckers would still be in his head when he absorbed them?
That should have been in the user’s manual for the universe, in his opinion.
Really? This is what you want to do with your time? Burning Spice asked, leaning on his thoughts somehow. How did that work? They are all sharing a body, how the fuck is that imbecilic warlord leaning on his thoughts?!
Spice, I’m not taking comments from the peanut gallery, Shadow Milk snapped, altering the panels on his new dress.
Surely you could have gone after Hollyberry instead. She actually has some passion, unlike your snivelling bookworm, Eternal Sugar drawled, puffing her non-existent cheeks in boredom. (Again, how? Shadow Milk would have been fascinated by the logistics if it hadn’t been so infuriating.)
Mystic Flour sat between them, raising a brow at Shadow Milk. You have decided to… harass a grieving man… instead of anything actually productive. Am I understanding this right?
Can you all just leave me alone? This is going to be useful, okay? Just shut up, Shadow Milk snapped.
They all sat there for a moment in silence.
… How is it going to be useful exactly? Mystic Flour questioned.
Next person to talk is getting a silence curse, Shadow Milk hissed.
Burning Spice rolled his eyecings. We aren’t Lights of Virtue. You can’t silence us like you silenced Deceit.
Shadow Milk sighed, rubbing his temples before pulling his hair down over his multi-eyecing. “There. We look like a proper young lady. This is going to be amazing. Now, I just have to fix the voice…”
Or you could go change the timeline. Like you were going to, Burning Spice pointed out.
Eternal Sugar sighed as she sat up and looked their body over. For a shapeshifter, you have no idea how to woo the male gaze.
You’re a lesbian, Shadow Milk deadpanned.
And? I still spent longer luring people into paradise than you did in your gay era, Eternal Sugar drawled, reaching through him to change his appearance.
“Woah, woah, hey! You can’t just—! Stop that!” Shadow Milk yelped, shuddering as his body shifted forms without his say. “You can’t do that!”
She just proved she can, Burning Spice snorted, and that opens up so many possibilities…
Shadow Milk pursed his lips, glaring internally at them all. Try anything, and I will find a way to make you feel agony. Do not test me.
Stop being such a grumpy grump and look down at yourself, Eternal Sugar snickered, rolling her eyecings.
Grumbling, the shapeshifter looked at their shared body once more. He… hated to admit that she was right. He looked softer, more approachable, sweeter and kindly. The White Lily allegory was near perfect without outright copying.
He was not going to tell Eternal Sugar she was right.
I already know, Eternal Sugar whispered, earning a growl from the other Beast.
He straightened out their skirt with a huff. “Listen. Pure Vanilla is the most powerful healer in existence and we aren’t exactly the most stable. If we get him to love us, he can fix our body. Happy?”
… That is unfortunately a good point, Mystic Flour murmured.
“Great. Now shut up and let me work my magic,” Shadow Milk demanded, earning a few grumbles as he opened a portal to the Vanilla Kingdom.
The wind whirled around his body, soothing the Beasts into quiet for a moment. The movement wrapped around their limbs, brushing their cheeks, reminding them that the damned tree was far, far away.
They would never go back.
Temptation sank into their dough, just the simple notion of sitting in the grass and feeling the world around them. When was the last time they’d done that? Just reveled in their freedom? Surely… Surely they had the time… They had all the time in the world now, didn’t they?
“I… This is a good place to have him find us,” Shadow Milk decided, looking around the garden. “Visitors are allowed here. We can just… wait.”
… Right. Wait, Mystic Flour agreed.
Can we feel the dirt? Burning Spice asked quietly.
Eternal Sugar hummed. White Lily liked gardening, didn’t she? She liked the Faeries, anyway. We could… probably get away with feeling the dirt. No one would question it.
“The dirt… Right.” Shadow Milk slowly sat down in the grass, flinching at the blades prickling on his skin. He’d have to get used to having to touch things again. Nightshade Cookie—his brilliant disguise—couldn’t float, to his chagrin. Every individual blade of grass flicked and scratched at his dough, grating against their thoughts until he pulled his hand back to his chest.
Why…? Grass didn’t do that before the fucking tree! Burning Spice protested angrily.
Eternal Sugar rubbed her hand with a whine. I just… I just wanted to feel the ground! Why is it so cruel?!
That is… unfamiliar stimuli, Mystic Flour murmured. It should not be. It is simply flora. We have all experienced flora before.
It felt like touching fucking broken glass. That’s… That’s not fair! We should be able to touch fucking grass! Shadow Milk protested, reaching out to feel it again.
The grating sensation returned, too many feelings at once slamming into their shared consciousness, before he snatched the hand back to their chest again.
We… We can’t touch it, Shadow Milk whispered.
Why?! Burning Spice demanded.
Mystic Flour slapped Burning Spice’s hand. Stop yelling. If one of us knew we would tell you.
We’re out of the tree. We got rid of that stupid Faerie. We don’t have to go back! Why does this hurt?! Eternal Sugar wailed.
“Ma’am, are you all right?” came a voice behind them, startling Shadow Milk into whipping around to face none other than Pure Vanilla himself. Mismatched eyecings sat under furrowed brows, looking them over. “You are crying.”
“Am I?” Shadow Milk whispered in the false Lily voice he had made, rubbing his cheek. Sure enough, his hand pulled away damp from his tear-streaked cheeks. “Oh. I… I hadn’t noticed.”
“Might I ask what is wrong? It’s not often I find Cookies crying in the gardens…” Pure Vanilla murmured, kneeling down next to them as he placed his staff down in the grass.
Holy shit, this might actually work, Burning Spice said, surprise lightening his tone.
He is witnessing us in a position of vulnerability. This is not wise, Mystic Flour hissed.
Oh shut it, Mysti, Eternal Sugar snapped, curling in on herself. We can’t touch grass. Vanilla isn’t exactly a threat here.
Shadow Milk had to force their body not to snarl as he growled, Knock it off so I can use this for method acting, damn it! I’m trying to salvage our plan!
Your plan, Burning Spice corrected.
SHUT IT! Shadow Milk roared.
“You do not have to tell me, ma’am. But… would you perhaps at least want company?” Pure Vanilla continued, sitting back on his knees as he gave them a small smile. “I can only imagine what might have brought you to tears here on such a beautiful day. How can I help?”
“I…” Shadow Milk swallowed, looking down at the grass again. There was no way he was admitting that he was crying because the grass was wrong. No. But… he forgot to have a plan for what would happen when they met Pure Vanilla.
Fuck.
You absolute imbecilic jester of a scholar, Mystic Flour deadpanned.
Shut up. I didn’t think I’d actually get this far, Shadow Milk huffed.
Eternal Sugar hummed between her sniffles. Maybe… Maybe we forgot…? Maybe we’re cursed?
He’d probably believe that, Burning Spice agreed. Go ahead and try it?
“I don’t… I don’t know how you can help… I don’t know what’s wrong…” Shadow Milk whispered as his eye trailed up to the healer, rubbing the palm of the hand the grass had somehow attacked. “I can’t… I can’t remember…”
Pure Vanilla’s eyecings widened for a moment before softening into concern. “Oh… Oh, my dear… Is there anything you remember?” he asked gently.
“I… No… A name maybe? Do you… Do you know a Nightshade Cookie?” the Beast asked, filtering hope into his tone. “Do you know who I am?”
“No… I do not. I am sorry I couldn’t help you with that, my dear,” Pure Vanilla admitted softly. “Do you remember anything else?”
Shadow Milk shook his head. “I… Maybe that there was a healer here? But I… I can’t… I can’t remember why I needed one…”
The hero in front of him chuckled. “Ah. I see. A healer, hm? Well, I happen to be a pretty good one. My name is Pure Vanilla Cookie. It’s nice to meet you, Nightshade, though I wish it were on better terms.”
“Better… Better terms?” the Beast repeated, trying to squash his feelings of being the young Fount back down into his mind.
The others weren’t helping, the emotional breakdown still echoing through them like an echo chamber.
Why is he being so nice? He doesn’t know us, Burning Spice asked.
Maybe… Maybe he’s tricking us… Eternal Sugar murmured, running fingers through her metaphorical curls.
Mystic Flour clicked her tongue. He is not as cunning as you, Eternal Sugar. That is highly unlikely.
“Well, you never want a first meeting to be while someone is crying,” Pure Vanilla remarked, smiling gently. “I believe good first impressions tend to be a little harder when the other party is trying to not break down in the grass, yes?”
Shadow Milk snorted before immediately forcing their body quiet. Who the fuck laughed at that.
… It was funny, Eternal Sugar admitted quietly.
We are trying to seem like a damsel in distress, Sugar—
“See? There we go!” Pure Vanilla encouraged with a smile. “Maybe it’s been a rough day, but we can still smile through it, Nightshade.”
“Right. Smile… Smile through it,” Shadow Milk sniffled, internally trying to shove Eternal Sugar back as their thoughts started mixing.
Shadow Milk, that is enough, Mystic Flour scolded. You praise method acting. Eternal Sugar is in legitimate distress. Let her help you.
This is my plan! Shadow Milk protested. She’s not even doing it on purpose!
Which is why it will look even more real to Pure Vanilla. Play along if you want this to work, Mystic Flour stated, enunciating each word with a cold fervour.
“There we go…” Pure Vanilla sighed in relief before continuing, “How about this? I happen to run this place—”
“You do?” Shadow Milk asked, perking up. “Maybe… Maybe you can help me!”
The healer chuckled. “I was about to offer. May I touch you?”
“Touch me?” Shadow Milk asked, trying to ignore the others trying to point out that Pure Vanilla could hurt like the grass in various volumes. “I… I suppose.”
Pure Vanilla reached out and gently took his hands, and immediately Shadow Milk’s dough felt like it was on fire. Every inch of contact burned, sizzling under their skin as the Beasts started yelling internally.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIS HANDS?! Burning Spice roared.
Eternal Sugar began sobbing, pulling on her curls. It burns, it burns! Stop it! Stop it! We haven’t even done anything yet!
He cannot have figured out this petty prank already. That’s ridiculous! Mystic Flour protested, trying to stabilise the others without being pulled into the tide of pain.
The traitor! The deceiver! He calls himself fucking TRUTH! Shadow Milk snapped, snatching his hands back to rub the pain away as his body started hyperventilating.
The burn didn’t lessen. It sank into their hands and ate at their bones and it wasn’t going away, why wasn’t it going away, what did he DO TO THEM—
“Nightshade! Nightshade, I need you to look at me!”
Shadow Milk’s eyecing flicked to his face, watching as the healer had his hands in the air where they could be seen.
“See? Okay. I’m not touching you. You are not in contact with me anymore. Can you breathe with me?” Pure Vanilla asked, exaggerating his breaths for Shadow Milk to follow.
“You… What?” Eternal Sugar asked, slipping past Shadow Milk for a moment as he began ranting about how this was exactly why he had refused Pure Vanilla’s offer of friendship.
“I want you to breathe with me. In and out. We need to slow your breathing,” Pure Vanilla explained, slowly moving one hand to his chest to demonstrate the in and out.
“In… in and out…” Eternal Sugar repeated, forcing their shared body to breathe at Pure Vanilla’s rate.
The four of them sank into the slowly regained calm with exhausted relief. The burning still persisted, but their panic wasn’t feeding into each other and whipping them into a frenzy. That was improvement.
You… This is my body… Shadow Milk complained.
She got the fear loop to stop. Be thankful, Mystic Flour huffed, hiding the way the tension started to bleed from her shoulders.
Burning Spice kept clenching and unclenching their shared hands. The burn is still here. It won’t leave.
We can’t let Pure Vanilla know, Mystic Flour said firmly.
He got the fear to stop, Eternal Sugar argued quietly, getting Mystic Flour to purse her lips.
He… He did, yes, Mystic Flour agreed.
Give me my body back. I need to handle this, Shadow Milk said, pulling himself to the front.
“There you go… That’s better, isn’t it?” Pure Vanilla soothed, giving a weak smile. “Did I accidentally hurt you? What happened?”
“I… Your hands, they… they burn…” Shadow Milk answered, thoughts still reeling as he rubbed at the dough on his hands.
Pure Vanilla blinked. “They… What?” he asked, blinking in confusion.
“I don’t know! They burn!” Shadow Milk repeated, glaring at the offending extremities on Pure Vanilla’s body.
The healer looked down at his hands. “I… did not know that was a reaction they could cause.”
“Well, they do, and it still burns,” Shadow Milk snapped, leaning away from the Ancient Healer.
“Ah. Perhaps you are cursed…?” Pure Vanilla murmured, looking him over with those horridly kind eyecings full of concern. “No matter. Tell you what. I’ll help you figure it out, okay? And your memory issues. Until then, you can stay here in the Vanilla Kingdom where you don’t have to try and figure out the world alone. How does that sound?”
“You… You mean that?” Shadow Milk asked with false hope. I can’t believe this worked.
I can. He thinks we’re in medical danger, Mystic Flour reasoned.
We ARE in medical danger, Burning Spice bit out. Our hands still burn.
Maybe we ARE cursed… Maybe that Ultimate Cookie dough did something to your body, Shadow Milk, Eternal Sugar whispered.
They all went quiet at that.
… Right. The plan worked. Let’s just seal the deal, Shadow Milk said, shrugging off the concern from Eternal Sugar.
“Of course I mean that. I will get you a room in the castle. You can rest your head there. I’ll be a few rooms down if you need me. How does that sound?” Pure Vanilla offered.
Shadow Milk nodded meekly. “That… That sounds okay…”
“Wonderful. Let’s get you in the castle, all right? Then you can recover from the… burning hands,” Pure Vanilla decided, getting up and grabbing his staff from the grass.
“Okay… Thank you…” Shadow Milk agreed, using the fabric of his sleeves to avoid touching the grass with their still-burning hands as he started to follow Pure Vanilla.
“Don’t worry, Nightshade. We’ll figure this out, okay? You will be all right. No one will hurt you,” Pure Vanilla assured them softly as he led the way out of the garden.
Why would he tell us that? Burning Spice asked.
I do not know, but if he can fix the burning, I am unsure I care at this moment, Mystic Flour huffed.
Eternal Sugar pressed closer to Shadow Milk. He’s… kind. Unreasonably kind. Why?
I don’t know, Shadow Milk replied, careful not to touch anything while following the ancient healer if he could help it, but I intend to use it to our advantage so we can leave. He can’t possibly mean any of it anyway.