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You were hardly an exception to Red Velvet Cookie when it came to keeping up with Dark Enchantress Cookie's cause. Of course he was softer with you than he was to the others- seriously you swear you've seen Licorice Cookie nearly jump ten feet into the air when Red Velvet Cookie barked at him to pick up the pace… and he isn't even under the general…!
He still expected you to keep up with the other cake soldiers in the marches, and honestly you never fully dwelled on the fact that you were one of the only cookies directly serving within Red Velvet Cookie's army… though you're sure if you looked back and picked apart every interaction and conversation you'd find that at some point it had morphed into his quiet form of keeping a close eye on you. For safety, and for more selfish reasons that you aren't too mad about. If anything you found the fact that your position was partially spawned out of his infatuation was… sweet in its own way. The general's claws were never far when you were out fighting. How many times had he shielded you from a blow? Not to mention how he would send his very best soldiers to accompany you when you were sent out to scout and plot on Dark Enchantress Cookie's behalf. If he could he'd join you in a heart beat, but his loyalties were…
The softness he held for his beloved cake hounds extended to you, melting in with the sternness of a hardened general. Never taking no for an answer when he commanded you to fall back and hold out for this scouting mission when he noticed the drag in your feet. The slump of your shoulders made heavier as he rested the rich crumb of his warped hand- you never had the nerve to ask about its origins or how it came to be- to herd you to the tents set at the sidelines of whatever place was morphed into a battlefield.
Maybe it was the sickly sweet scent of burnt candy grass that had upset your stomach or maybe the constant march that had finally done you in- regardless, as soon as the troops returned to the glorified space you all called home, you were immediately sent to your quarters by Red Velvet Cookie… and who were you to argue when the sugar of your bones begged to be put out of its misery? You were more than happy to bury your face into your sugary marshmallow pillows. The fact they were growing stale and developing a faint stiff tackiness couldn't register fully in time before you simply… fell asleep.
If only a nap was all you needed to kill the growing pressure nestled deep in your skull- pressing hard and letting every curve of the bone intimately known to your vaguely dazed mind on the occasion to drag your lazy eyes across the room. Weapons carried fuzzy edges and extra pieces of armor felt soft before your eyelid collapsed over your eye and forced you back into dizzying darkness.
It felt like your bed embraced for only a few short moments. Days could have passed for all you knew as your dough sank deeper- as if your bones were attempting to rid themselves of your crispy exterior to lose themselves in the bedding. Maybe your bed being your final resting place was best, better than being sent somewhere deep in the dirt.
In reality you were only in bed for a few hours. Somewhere the piece of your mind that hadn't fully lost itself in your rising fever made a faint note of the mattress dipping and shifting as another party settled by your side- his warmth cutting through the meek chill rocking through you every now and then.
You felt Red Velvet Cookie's claws before he said anything. Sharp claws faintly smelling of tangy chocolate swiped against your cheekbone to tuck your sticky icing behind your ear. Slick with the faint sheen of sweat highlighting your skin. The general's claws remained clasped around the lock of misshapen hair… before slowly dragging out, ridding the hidden tangles. For someone who had spent the better half of today in bed doing nothing you sure did manage to squeeze a few knots in… but you don't recall tossing around in your sleep.
The curve of his knuckle traced down the tacky side of your neck, before coming to a rest on your shoulder. You were awake the whole time. You had roused from whatever dream you've already forgotten the moment Red Velvet Cookie crawled into the bed. Whatever he was mumbling under his breath did not at all register- but you did catch the way he clicked his teeth together with faint concern- at least you think it was concern- as you managed to lazily flop your head to the side to get a look at him… ignoring that it took you too long of a moment to crack your eyes open enough to peer through your lashes.
Warbled like murky water you caught the narrowing of his eyes as he pressed himself against the radiating heat of your spine- according to him you felt warm. Honestly you couldn't stop yourself from pressing deep against him. You… couldn't stop shivering.
The back of your head came to a rest somewhere against Red Velvet Cookie's throat… the light bob of his Adam's apple felt weird against the thick buzz as you subconsciously copied him. Instant regret as whatever had coated the inside of your throat remained locked in place, and what did manage to be forced down hung heavy in the back of your mouth. Thick and slimy as you tried again to force it down out of fear that it'd remain and suffocate you.
"You're a little warm," Red Velvet Cookie's voice finally broke through the dense fog of your ears as his sharp claws curled defensively against the bare skin of your shoulder. Again, you couldn't help but find yourself copying him. Your fingers a thousand miles away twitching in clammy comforters.
His jaw shifted against the top of your head. Another drag of his hand before he shimmied you around to lay you on your back- palm to your temple. Whatever phlegm remained in your throat made contact and rested as the sides of the pillow crept to your peripherals.
"We must get you to the infirmary,"
The concerned edge of his voice wasn't lost on you even as you counted the vertebrae of your spine as your pulse weaved up your spinal cord and died somewhere between your tonsils and nose- was the inside of your nose always shaped like that… weird…
"mmgh.." Thick and wet. The walls of your throat clamped against one another and forcefully dragged the thickness down. Gross. Disgusting. You'd have cringed and felt even sicker if you weren't so out of it- what was your partner thinking? Whatever it was he didn't make a verbal comment on it. In hindsight it probably would have been better to just hack it up… were there even tissues? Maybe some water could help, but honestly you were slightly worried that the fluid wouldn't be able to break past. Would medicine be able to? You didn't need it, you decided. You'd just sleep through it-
Whatever train of thought your mind was trying to take off on was halted in an instant as Red Velvet Cookie curled his hand against your cheek- penetratingly cold against the the heat. As if you were freshly baked, that's the last time you remembered being so warm… and even then the feeling was so fleeting that it didn't feel quite right to compare it to whatever was happening to you in the moment. You swear it was just your body's rebellion against the work you've been putting it through, you weren't actually sick- just tired from the marches and formations you were made to join in on in the fields between battles with those who dared oppose your cause-
"Breathe-"
You hadn't noticed how shallow your breathing was. Fluttering but not yet concerning, at least it didn't look too concerning. You could still gulp oxygen by the mouthful once it hit how stuffed full your nostrils felt. Revulsion.
But you really didn't want to get out of bed. Not yet at least. Even if the covers felt damp with your sweat and itched your skin you didn't want to get up to your feet or be treated to the harsh lights of the infirmary. Red rather than white. The Cookies of Darkness really loved their reds… honestly an almost drunken part of your brain thought it was a little funny now that you thought about it. The organization really was a walking trope of evil people- half of them looked the part too, and-
"Tomorrow…" You finally managed to blurt out, "In the morning… please.."
Gods even your throat felt thick as he vibrated through your nose.
Honestly you were fully expecting him to shut down your attempt to play this off for the time being. He'd never played around with sickness when it came to you or any of the cake hounds- even the biggest and meanest hounds were fretted over in an almost comical way.
Outsiders could say whatever they wanted about Red Velvet Cookie: but they couldn't deny that he cares about those close to him. It was easy to see once you got past the sternness, the toughness. The need and duty to keep marching forward to ensure Dark Enchantress Cookie's plans to rewrite the world came to completion. That was something you always admired about him- that drive. Maybe you could take some notes to will yourself out of bed as he no doubt drags you out of the comforters.
You were fully expecting that. In fact you were already attempting to squirm your arms under you to prop your heavy body up-
"…First thing tomorrow I'm taking you to the infirmary." His voice was even. Firm. There was no room for argument. The fact that he wasn't already hooping his arm under your back to guide you upwards knocked what little air you could get into your lungs right out through your teeth- you could survive not brushing them for one night. Hopefully Red Velvet Cookie wouldn't mind if he dared indulge you with a kiss tonight.
He probably wouldn't. Not to punish you for falling ill, but to protect himself.
You didn't blame him for it, even with the current state your brain found itself in.
"…thanks…"
A rough slur as you relaxed back into the dampened covers, shimmying absentmindedly closer to his front- his own non cake arm propping him up as he leaned over you.
He wasn't soft. In fact he was firm and toned from decades of hard work, rarely did he actually allow himself the pleasure of rest. Lethargy he had called it.
You press deeper into his warmth and pull a faint smile across your face as he lowered into the bed next to you and wrapped his arms securely around your waist. Cake over cookie, his massive striped claws shielding you from the closed door of the bedroom. Even in your exhausted shumbling state you still left him enough room on the mattress to worm himself between you and the entrance- he'd always been strict about acting as a barrier should something ever happen, Witches forbid.
Red Velvet Cookie's heart beat beat steady against your chest. Paced and faint, in contrast to the quick and heavy pumps of your own organs as they squirmed against one another.
One minute… and with each breath from him that guided your lungs, you found yourself calmed enough by the second minute to slip yourself back into a semi awake state, ready to plunge you back into the land of dreams.
"…love you.."
You weren't sure what prompted it.
You weren't sure why the words felt heavier than they usually did. You could nearly feel them hanging in the air as you traded the semi stiff marshmallow pillow for his chest. A light hum vibrated through his throat as it pressed against your forehead, your head tucked neatly against him. Cozy. So much better than turning the marshmallow into a gooey mess.
The bedding really should be changed soon… even getting them upgraded to something decent was a hassle- Red Velvet Cookie believed in bare necessity when it came to himself and his top soldiers… at least that's what he claimed… but you knew full well that when the chance presented itself, they'd always be tended with fresh goods and upgrades first. Leaving the scraps for himself.
Maybe you could use that to your advantage when you were feeling better…
Or maybe hinge off your not-sickness for extra persuasion points.
…Until then, you could treat his night shirt to the sweat that continued to drip off your body as you clung deeper against his bones. The soft caresses of his claws your own silent lullaby against each aggressive shiver that ripped through your muscles, the brief chatters of your teeth serving as his background music until the edges of everything slicked and blurred together into untangable colors and noise.