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Lilac doesn’t remember when Yogurt Cream became more than just a target to him.
It should have come off as a shocking revelation to him – for all of his years silently moving through the night, slicing his marks with the glinting blades of his chakras and leaving their bodies for all the world to see the very next morning, he should have been appalled at his sudden attachment and quickly finish his mission before he jeopardizes it.
Instead, he continues to brush his ward’s hair in the comfort of his room surrounded by his butter tigers while the constant flowing of water from the fountains outside fills the room with white noises.
With every stroke of the brush that waves through light purple hair, a gentle caress of the hand follows. Lilac wonders how Yogurt would react if he were to bow his head and place a soft kiss at the tip of his master’s hair.
Would his cheeks blush from the onslaught of jam threatening to embarrass him in front of his bodyguard? Would he start stammering in an attempt to question him yet fail when piercing violet eyes become too much? Would he scramble to his feet, walk back a couple of steps and hide behind his fan? Or would he raise an eyebrow, brush off his odd behavior and tell him to keep brushing?
He doesn’t dare try it of course, not while the Magic Lamp is watching his every movement. He knows that the Lamp is aware of his newly found feelings towards its owner, maybe even before he discovered how his heart beats slightly faster whenever Yogurt smiles at him.
If the Lamp was given a chance, it would have killed Lilac three times over already. However, the danger that is Yogurt’s brother stops it every time as there is no one more capable of protecting Yogurt than the assassin himself.
Ironic isn’t it? A cookie raised with strawberry jam on his hands and a body count he could barely keep up with anymore, who ended the lives of the lowest of peasants to the highest of nobles, fell for the easiest target given to him.
Lilac was no stranger to poison, the pouch that’s resting on his hips, hidden from the world, reminds him of its presence every time he silently stalks through the shadows. A pinch could knock a person out, a handful could suffocate and kill them.
However, there’s no greater poison than the one he’s feeling right now. The ugly feeling has been threatening to crawl all over his entire body – he wanted to claw himself right then and there. He wanted to scratch himself until he was bleeding strawberry jam, leaving a stain on the pristine floor of Cheesecake’s mansion.
They were invited to attend one of her grand parties again. He has lost count of how many times the young lady threw a party for something trivial – really, a party for your pet simply because it learned a skill on its own.
Of course, since his young master wouldn’t pass the opportunity to mingle with the crowd and become the center of attention, Yogurt Cream accepted the invitation and practically pulled him to the seamstresses to find an outfit that’ll let them stand out from the rest.
And stand-out they did.
Their ‘dramatic’ entrance wasn’t anything to scoff at. They were fashionably late for three minutes, arrived on a magic carpet made with the finest threads, and embroidered with several jewels that shine even in the darkest of night. Yogurt Cream didn’t hide the way he bathe in their attention and shower himself with their awe and praises.
Lilac wasn’t surprised when he saw them staring shamelessly at his young master with their jaw wide open. His young master was, after all, a beauty - the most valuable treasure among the piles of gold and jewels in the mansion. He cannot be compared to a mere diamond that cannot break, nor rose quartz that holds elegance in its appearance. Yogurt Cream was more than that and Lilac has yet to figure out what he was.
But how can he think at the moment where he’s too busy trying to protect his young master from lecherous stares from disgusting creeps? How can he think when he was too busy controlling the poison from boiling over every time someone touches Yogurt’s arms and he lets them?
How can he think when all he wanted was to scoop Yogurt into his arms and leave?
Plain Yogurt invited Yogurt Cream for a walk, and as both of them are “close brothers”, there’s no need for Lilac to tag along, or at least that’s what Plain Yogurt told him in front of the several guests that are unaware of the older cookie’s malicious intentions towards his younger brother.
Unless he wants to appear like he’s refusing orders and thinking he knows better than his employer, he only bowed at him and stepped back. He didn’t miss the way Yogurt’s hand twitched – probably to grab him – before relaxing and waving goodbye.
“I’ll see you later Lilac,” Yogurt told him, fan hiding the frown that shows his displeasure. “I expect you to save us a seat and plates of food when I return! Akhi will certainly talk my ear off.”
He received laughter from the surrounding guests as he spied on Plain Yogurt at the corner of his eyes; the older cookie was grinding his teeth when he thought no one was looking. He forced himself to calm down, taking deep breaths and then smiling.
“Come Akhi, it’s been a while since it’s been just the two of us.”
“Indeed it has brother… indeed it has.”
This was one of those instances where he could rely on Magic Lamp to look after Yogurt. The Lamp couldn’t speak and was only viewed as a sentient object rather than a being with its own mind and feelings. Plain Yogurt couldn’t care less of its presence and acted like it didn’t exist at all.
Two cookies and a pet disappear into the garden as the servants disperse and go back to their posts. He waited until everyone left before sending Tranquil Bloom as a reassurance to himself that Yogurt was in no danger.
If Yogurt were to truly be attacked or ambushed, Tranquil Bloom can easily put the attackers and Plain Yogurt to sleep while Magic Lamp ushers Yogurt to safety. Tranquil Bloom will then come back to him and he will then comfort Yogurt to the best of his abilities.
With his heart finally at ease, he turned back and started heading towards the buffet table. Yogurt had been telling how tired he was of eating gummy bears and wanted something new and refreshing.
Luckily, the buffet had a variety of food to choose from; Acrid Salad, Deluxe Tail Steak, Jam Chops, Strawberry Fudge Fern Shortcake, and more. It must be a hassle to collect so many ingredients; from what he remembered, each dish requires exactly eighty pieces of three specific ingredients each.
“Have you seen the younger kids of Yogurt? They’ve simply grown into such fine men!”
An assassin’s senses were ten times better than a normal cookie. They’ve honed and trained to use all five in order to execute their mission smoothly with no errors. Lilac was and still is considered to be one of the best, there was a reason why no one lived to tell his tale. Pretending to appear as if he’s not eavesdropping, he moved closer to the cookies chatting in the guise of deciding which from the two dishes he was going to take from.
“I saw! I saw! What a charmer he is. Attending a party in such get-up! Does he intend to take one of the fair maidens in this party as his bride?”
The jelly bear server let out an ‘eep’ from their spot when they heard the sound of a fork snapping in Lilac’s grasp. His face remained emotionless as he continued listening.
“He should! A face like that would only go to waste if he stayed single for the rest of his life.”
Good. A voice at the back of Lilac’s head whispered. He discovered he didn’t exactly dislike the idea.
“Well, my dear Meat Bun has received several praises from her tutors and peers. He would be blind if he didn’t notice her.”
No, that would make you delusional. Perhaps a plate of Deluxe Tail Steak will appease his hunger? And then a slice of cake?
“Nonsense, my sons would be a perfect match for him. Why they’re ranked as top three and four in Yogurca’s good-looking young masters.”
Yogurt Cream better be top one or else I’m going to be visiting someone’s house tonight. His hands both carried plates of the dishes he chose and walked past the young ladies conversing for the past ten minutes. He glanced in their direction and gave them the coldest glare he could and took in great pleasure when they flinched violently and hid behind their fans.
He chose a table at the far corner, nestled behind gorgeous sweet swirl bushes. The thickness of the cream will be enough to block them from prying eyes. He wasn’t worried that Yogurt Cream will wander aimlessly in hopes to find him as he knew Tranquil Bloom has a knack for finding him.
True to his prediction, Yogurt Cream came back pouting and in a bad mood. He was grumbling about snakes, bribes, and plastics as he plopped down on his chair quite loudly. Seeing that it falls to him to calm down his young master, he cut off a piece of Tail Steak and held it towards the other cookie. Yogurt didn’t even hesitate to chomp down on the meat and chew his food, Lilac on the other hand felt his heart soar even if his face didn’t show anything.
Magic Lamp and Tranquil Bloom exchanged looks above them
“Really, who does he think he is?” Yogurt snapped his fan close and held it on both hands; Lilac was worried the poor item was going to break in half. “Acting like he cares by asking about my day. He even went as far as asking if you’ve been acting suspicious lately!”
Lilac’s voice hitched. He barely caught himself by shoving a spoon of dessert into his mouth to avoid saying something that could blow his cover.
It was no secret Plain Yogurt was starting to get restless, cornering him at any given chance to remind him of his mission. He tried to intimidate him, telling him that if he doesn’t do his job, he’ll hire another assassin to take over.
He only glared at him, daring him to go through his threat. He didn’t survive in those streets for years by being soft. He was merciless, the nightmare of nobles and merchants alike, words from an incompetent client were nothing.
“Must have seen me sneaking out of the kitchen because someone,” he gave Yogurt a pointed look, “decided he’d like to eat something in the middle of the night.”
Yogurt pouted and dropped his chin on the table. “Not my fault this body of mine is so hard to please!”
…
Yogurt didn’t seem to notice the conflict Lilac was under and shifted his gaze at the people gathering in the middle of the room with the musicians sitting at one side with their instruments.
“Hey Lilac, do you want to dance with me?”
Lilac raised an eyebrow at him. This was new. Usually, he’d go ask the nearest cookie and then dance the night away, captivating everyone including him. He never asked him to dance before, as he explained to him one day that Lilac looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.
“What happened to not me being in the center of attention?”
“…I just felt like it.”
Oh. He’s looking quite red, wasn’t he? It seems that he doesn’t need to worry about his feelings being unrequited after all. Still, it might take Yogurt a few more months before he comes to the conclusion that he might have feelings for his bodyguard beyond friendship.
“I suppose I could indulge in this one request of yours, just this once.” He stood up and waited for Yogurt to follow after collecting his bearings and closing his mouth when it hung open after hearing his answer.
For once, when both of them came forward and everyone’s eyes were on them, he didn’t feel uncomfortable. Why would he when he snuck an arm around Yogurt’s waist, unbeknownst to his young master and all for the other cookies to see?
He spied Plain Yogurt at the corner of his eyes and let out a tiny smile of satisfaction when he saw him seething in his spot, unable to break them apart lest he wants to make a fool out of himself.
And when they reach the center of the room, surrounded by several pairs and waited for the music to start, Yogurt asked him if he was okay and that he didn’t need to do this if he didn’t want to.
Lilac huffed in amusement and leaned up to whisper to his ears. “I’ll just distract myself by looking at you and no one else.”
The blush that followed after was the most beautiful thing that he saw in his entire life.