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The spire had crumbled.
A heap of rubble without it's master, that just wouldn't do, but he couldn't return to it yet, like a cat he and his henchmen were cast into the shadows licking their wounds.
How utterly pathetic.
Shadow Milk Cookie had talked such a big game to the other beasts, to his servants, about his plan and how it was fool proof, ONLY TO LOOSE! It was utterly embarrassing... especially considering how he had mocked Mystic Flour and Burning Spice for their own failures, only to crash and burn in his own attempt.
Thus he was not going to go see them any time soon, not if he wanted to keep his pride, no.. instead he needed to scheme, needed to hatch another plan, needed a rematch!
Unfortunately his own connection to his power and Dark Moon Magic has been cut, it's Pure Vanilla's fault! He knows it! Shadow Milk has been limited even further to his former glorious self- Stuck to shape-shifting, portals, and small conjuring abilites! Bah! Infuriating! It's going to cause him to go back to the drawing board and start over, all previous plans, out the window! Shadow Milk can't stop his eyes from twitching and his hands shaking, his chaotic mind is going overdrive now.. spiraling words jumbled in his mind, chaotic plans, random intrusive thoughts, weaving through them is exhausting, and now looking at his board all the planning is drawn in messy childish scribbles he forgot where he was going with any of it. So he shoves it over sending it toppling down. Ugh.. what is with him today..? This is normal. It's how his brain has been sense his fall! So why is his body acting like it's a big deal now? Urgh. it felt like a hammer was being slammed into his head over and over, crumbling the dough with sharp shooting pain. Clearly this is because the body while helping his escape from the wretched tree, is not as high quality as what the witches had baked, Dark Enchantress Cookie if she had dared to cut corners Shadow Milk was going to crumble her--!
The moon is high in the sky now... greeting him like a old friend. He doesn't smile back. He is in no such mood for pleasantries.
He storms though the temporary base he made out of a long list of connected tunnels in the abandoned rabbit hole, he isn't sure what he's looking for. Maybe... he needs inspiration for his plans, to go see what his minions are doing. Yes.. That's it. It took a while to find them in the vast burrow, but when he did they were sat against the wall Candy Apple's head pressed against the side of Black Sapphire's arm, eyes closed, strangely quiet such as Black Sapphire was too. How lazy! His henchmen could do so much more with their time and they waste it on this?! He had half a mind to shake them awake-- only.. he did have a splitting headache.. and he preferred to not have to deal with Candy Apple's loud excitable nature.. So he snapped his fingers reluctantly and conjured up a bed to tuck them both into a bed rather then them being asleep against the cold dirt.
Now who is he going to draw inspiration from? Well... Who better to inspire him for his wicked plans against Pure Vanilla, then Pure Vanilla himself? Yes! That's it. He'll pay that stupid saint a visit!
The vanilla kingdom was quiet at night, and Shadow Milk found it easy to slink through the halls to Pure Vanilla’s quarters.
He tried the door.
Click. It’s locked.
Which was no problem for Shadow Milk Cookie!
Shadow Milk cracked his neck and stretched then he let his limbs pop apart like a puppet whose marionette strings had been cut, once apart the pieces melted into shadows and slid under the door. He pulled himself back together fairly easy.
Then he let his eyes adjust to the dark room. There is his target-!
and—
He’s on the bed. Asleep in a night gown, his hat on the dresser, and he’s tucked in cozily.
Ugh. What is with everyone and sleeping about lazily tonight?? While it was true that Shadow Milk sunk in here trying to not be detected by any guards, he had WANTED Pure Vanilla to know he was here! And how can Pure Vanilla do that, in his sleep?? Shadow Milk slinked over to the bed and crouched over Pure Vanilla glaring at his peaceful sleeping face. How dare he look so peaceful and calm when Shadow Milk was in his presence, how dare he rest after betraying Shadow Milk—
He should be planning. Like Shadow Milk is. Pure Vanilla an immortal being too, doesn’t need sleep, laziness like this is pointless!
Shadow Milk crawled onto the bed and grabbed Pure Vanilla by his shoulders starting to shake him. Wake up— wake up you stupid—
“H-huhh—?” Pure Vanilla groaned sleepily, his eyes fluttered open he was dazed and of course half blind his eyes were unfocused as he tried to narrow them to see the blur that was on his bed shaking him by the shoulders, blue and black—
“shadow milk..?” He rubbed his eyes trying to shake off his exhaustion at being interrupted in sleep.
“Took you long enough!” Shadow Milk huffed at him.
Pure Vanilla reached for his staff by his night stand as Shadow Milk scrambled back slightly releasing him and bristling as if expecting an attack.
”woah—! Wait— I don’t want to fight you.” Pure Vanilla reassured as he made his staff glow softly, like a night light so he could better see his other half.
Shadow Milk didn’t reply but he calmed slightly. He still kept his distance at the edge of the bed.
”What brings you here my friend? It is late, is something troubling you perhaps?” Pure Vanilla sat up.
Shadow Milk scowled at the suggestion, but quickly masked it with a smile “Troubling me? Silly Vanilly nothing troubles me, except for a thief like you thinking we’re friends, when I already rejected you!”
“Well. I do hope we can become friends even with your stubbornness, would you allow me to be slightly selfish and still refer to you as my dearest friend until it becomes true?” Pure Vanilla smiled softly.
Shadow Milk grit his teeth.
“May I inquire why you came here? I didn’t think I would see you so soon seeing as how our last interaction went.” Pure Vanilla continued at his silence
”Hah! It’s none of your business!” Shadow Milk sneered
”Well I think it is when it interrupts my sleep Shadow Milk.”
“You don’t even need sleep! Lazy oaf!” Shadow Milk snapped
”I think I do. Even as an immortal, it clears my head, makes me feel lighter and more stable. Wouldn’t you agree?”
”Ugh.. I don’t know-“ Shadow Milk could barely remember the last time he had slept, he had nothing to say on the matter
”You.. don’t know..? Don’t you sleep as well? Wouldn’t you say you preform best with sleep?”
“I preform just fine without sleep!” Shadow Milk was growing tired of this discussion
Pure Vanilla’s brow creased, Shadow Milk would be delighted in any other scenario to make Pure Vanilla uncomfortable or concerned, but not when Pure Vanilla’s concern is pointed at him.
“Have you not been sleeping as of late? How many days?” Pure Vanilla tilted his head
Days?? Please! If he thought Shadow Milk was going to collapse from a few days of no sleep then it was practically a insult to underestimate him so!
”Try centuries~! Sense my fall I’ve outgrown sleep completely”
Pure Vanilla’s eyes snapped wide open.
“Centuries..?”
“Well yeah-“
Pure Vanilla lunged forward, Shadow Milk hissed trying to open a portal to slip out of the room but was too late as Pure Vanilla firmly yet softly grabbed his wrist and pulled him over.
Shadow Milk struggled and clawed at Pure Vanilla’s face as Pure Vanilla wrapped his arms around him putting his staff down.
Pure Vanilla then proceeded to wrangle him into being tucked into bed.
“What. Are. You. Doing. YOU IMBECILE—?!” Shadow Milk hissed his hair usually together sprawling out into tangled tentacle ends the eyes in it staring at Pure Vanilla with pricked narrow slits.
Pure Vanilla kept the blanket on him even as Shadow Milk struggled.
“You need sleep desperately. No wonder you’re like this, lashing out, irritable, causing chaos— your mind must be so exhausted!”
Thinking back to it, Pure Vanilla during his time in the spire as Truthless Recluse, could see Shadow Milk at any hour, popping up to speak to him, night or day it didn’t matter. It’s now that he knows that is it because Shadow Milk never sleeps, deep concern bloomed in him. How much had this affected Shadow Milk? How long had he struggled with it alone?
”My mind exists outside exhaustion!” Shadow Milk still clawed and squirmed, Pure Vanilla had to keep his hands on the blanket to stop Shadow Milk from breaking free.
”That’s a lie and you know it!”
”Maybe it would have been a lie for my old self—! But as I am now, I exist outside of petty needs!”
Pure Vanilla frowned “Do your dreams haunt you so that you fear sleep?”
Shadow Milk stopped struggling “..what?”
“I said do your dreams haunt you? Why else would you avoid something that only benefits you?”
”Why does a scorpion sting the frog that helps it cross the river, why does a cake dog consume a cream sheep that was its only friend? Why do I refuse sleep—? It’s simply the natural thing! I. Am. Above. Sleep.” Shadow Milk hissed.
“Enough with the riddles. You claim you’re not exhausted, and yet you are still trapped under me. You should be able to break away easily if at your full strength, but you are not. Do you know why?”
”Because you have my soul jam you stupid—-“
”No. Because you are exhausted Shadow Milk Cookie. You are exhausted. You will admit it, and you will let me tuck you in and you will sleep.” Pure Vanilla furrowed his brows, he preferred a gentle approach but he knew currently it was time for some tough love.
Shadow Milk bristled as he melted into the sheets, accepting that he wasn’t wiggling away. Pure Vanilla relaxed his face..
”I.. hope you do not mind friend.. but I wish to rest as well” Pure Vanilla got back under the covers, and pulled Shadow Milk closer again.
Pure Vanilla couldn’t help the smile on his face when Shadow Milk let him wrap his arms around him. The progress was already increasing! Soon they would be friends- how Pure Vanilla’s heart ached with joy at the thought..
Shadow Milk silently continued to simmer with rage as Pure Vanilla buried his head in his neck. He ignored how his hair almost seemed to wrap around Pure Vanilla’s arms as if to pull him closer, as if desperate for connection.
Pure Vanilla swallowed, his cheeks flushed. He wasn’t sure why.
“..”
”Good night Shadow Milk.”
Shadow Milk’s eyelids grew heavy.. and his breathing grew slow as his body relaxed and grew limp.
A gentle kiss to the forehead was the last thing he felt before he slipped into sleep.