Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Pure Vanilla had been in the city for about two weeks now, waiting for University to finally start. Her mom said it’d be a “chance to get used to big city life”.

She still wasn’t used to it.

Luckily she wasn’t the only one, as her roommate and childhood friend White Lily was in the same boat as her! Together they stressed for the whole two weeks about schedules, where on campus they were supposed to have what class and more.
It was a lot to get used to! Especially for two small town originators.

They both went to bed early the day before school start, itching to finally see what University life is like.
And somehow Pure Vanilla slept through her alarm.
Knock, knock “Pure Vanilla? You got to get up, it's 8AM.” White Lily's voice gently rouses Pure Vanilla from her slumber, causing her to sit up from her very comfortable sheets.
8AM? That means she only has 30 minutes to get ready!

Pure Vanilla practically leaps out of bed, and in less than 3 minutes she’s out of her room fully dressed. She walks straight to the kitchen, needing at least some coffee to be able to get through the day. White Lily sits at the small dinner table, eating away at his bowl of granola and yoghurt.

“I told you, you need to get a new alarm. You’re too used to sleeping in.” White Lily points out, gentle red eyes watching Pure Vanilla as she rounds their kitchen for food or coffee.
“I know. It doesn't help that I’m nervous.” Pure Vanilla finally finds the coffee and puts on some warm water for it. Leaning against the counter, finally meeting White Lily's eyes.
“Why are you so nervous? It can't be the classes or grades, you’re so smart.” White Lily questions, the compliment flowing almost naturally off his tongue. White Lily is good at that, putting Pure Vanilla up when she herself can't seem to do it.

He earns a small shrug from Pure Vanilla in response, “I don’t know.. It's more the people. What if they’re mean?” The water boils now, ready for the coffee.
White Lily chuckles, “There are probably more nice people there than mean ones, don’t worry.”

Pure Vanilla simply smiles in response as she pours herself a cup of coffee. Her phone vibrates in her pocket, as she picks it up it’s a message from one of her and White Lily's other friends.
“Ready to go?”

*******-------******
Pure Vanilla and White Lily of course had to separate, that’s just how it is when you have different majors. However, one of the classes he’d have is a faculty course, an exam class a lot of people have to go through to get their bachelors or masters.

And in this class, his other very good friend Golden Cheese would be joining him. The two having met in high school, same goes with the rest of the friend group. Though Golden Cheese was a year older, he was a reliable friend when one needed him. Like in a faculty course.
“How about by the window?” Golden Cheese points at the desks by the window, a nice place to sit on such a humid day as it seemed to be today. Pure Vanilla nicely nods, following Golden Cheese towards the desks.

Golden Cheese, the gentleman that he is, lets (Pure Vanillas who is blind as a bat) sit by the window. Out of everyone’s way, like he knows she likes it.
“Remember, we also have P.E together as well. We can meet by the entrance to the gym.” Golden Cheese grins, his golden curly hair shining nicely in the midday sun.

“Yes please, P.E always scares me.” Pure Vanilla chuckles nervously, the thought of P.E seeming a bit too much at the moment.

“I know it does! I’ll keep you safe from assholes, don’t worry.” Golden Cheese boasts, flexing his muscles in pride, gaining a small giggle from Pure Vanilla.
As the two continue to talk and the start of class comes closer by the minute, the class room gains a few more attenders. A calm and comfortable volume grazing the classroom.
Until the door bursts open in a loud PANG, hitting the concrete wall.

Pure Vanilla notices Golden Cheese looking towards the door, noticing the small crunch in his eyebrows as he looks upon the pair that has entered. Pure Vanilla does the same.
By the door stood two very different looking people, both women. They were bantering about something or other, strutting into the classroom like they owned it. Everyone in the class keeping their heads down or staring open-mouthed at the two.
And before Pure Vanilla can blink they’re standing by her and Golden Cheeses table.

“Well, well, well.” The bigger one drawls, crossing her well built arms as she looks upon the two at the desks. “If it isn’t the king of fake gold. You’re sitting in our seats.”

“Ahhhh it’s the queen of muscle but no brain! Sorry, didn’t see your name anywhere. Move it somewhere else.” Golden Cheese snaps back, no hesitation. So they know each other, Pure Vanilla notes in her head.

“And you brought the grumpy one, wow this is going to be a fun class huh?” Golden Cheese continues, motioning towards the one standing beside the one he’s talking to.
Pure Vanilla looks upon her closer, her multitude use of blues causing her to stand out against the whites of the classroom. But the biggest thing she notices are her eyes.

“Your eyes!” She bursts out, not meaning to so suddenly. The two strangers immediately turn all their attention on her.

“Excuse me?” The blue one asks, tilting her head. There is clear irritation in her voice, which Pure Vanilla ignores.

“They’re like mine!” Pure Vanilla motions towards her own eyes, two different colors. “They’re pretty.” She smiles politely, a small compliment never hurt anybody. Then she earns a scoff in response.

“I know. And guess that only counts for one of us.” The girl turns, her short-colored hair following the motion. “C’mon Burning Spice, we can find different seats. They’re not worth our attention anyway.” They both walk away, Burning Spice (the bigger one's name seems to be) of course casts a small look at Golden Cheese before following the other one to another desk.

“Morons, ignore them Vanilla. They’re just full-on bullies, nothing but ego riders with insecurity problems.” Golden Cheese turns to Pure Vanilla, putting a small hand of support on her shoulder. Pure Vanilla gives a small nod in response, the comments didn’t get to her anyway.
Still, the girl with the different colored eyes seemed to capture her attention. Who cares if she’s a little mean? And then, Pure Vanilla set a goal for the semester.

Befriend the stranger with pretty eyes.

Chapter Text

The cold of the room was a better wake up call than her alarm, Shadow Milk thought as she slowly woke up. She tended to wake up earlier than her alarm, no matter when. It didn't help that her room was always cold.

Burning Spice was most likely still asleep, like she always was this early in the morning. They only had P.E together, as Burning Spice had somehow managed to put herself up for the faculty courses even though she didn’t need it this year. So, that meant no need to pick her up today, loser who still didnt have her drivers license.

Today was another day of boring art class, big eyed stares in her direction and the faculty course. Which most likely meant that blond girl was going to be there.
It had only been a week, and she always managed to get on Shadow Milk's nerves on a daily basis. It was always a small smile or wave in her direction, or when she’d answer the teachers questions instead of Shadow Milk herself doing it.

Another try hard, just trying to win Shadow Milks attention. Nothing new, she was just like everyone else in this hell forsaken place.
But still, something about her irked Shadow Milks interests more than the usual passerby. She had called her eyes pretty.
That was new. It was weird, who compliments a stranger's eyes? Especially when they’re one of the sources of all her troubles in life.

Shadow Milk shrugged all these thoughts off her shoulders as she walked onto campus, stepping out of her car. She had subconsciously been blasting music the whole way here, gaining the attention of a few as she stepped onto the pavement outside of her car.

Let them stare, they can think what they want. Shadow Milk thinks as a bitter taste settles in her stomach, walking past a familiar group of people sitting on a bench.
Pure Vanilla, as her name seems to be, is sitting there. Surrounded by the usual four others, not as important as the blonde one. Who gives Shadow Milk a small wave and a way too kind smile.
Shadow Milk rolls her eyes as she walks past, keeping her pace steady as she walks towards the main building.

“Sheesh, she woke up on the wrong side of the bed it seems.” Hollyberry whistles low so only the group can hear it, earning a small chuckle from Golden Cheese who’s bouncing a football with his foot.

“When does she not? Honestly ‘Nilla, why do you even bother anymore. It's been like this all week.” Golden Cheese looks towards Pure Vanilla who’s still keeping her eyes at the doors that slammed shut behind Shadow Milk.

“Its only been a week, and there’s been progress! She doesn’t scoff as much anymore!” Pure Vanilla enthusiastically explains, trying to reason with the group. She earns a loud sigh in response from everyone in the group.

“You’re persistent, I’ll give it to ya.” Hollyberry smiles, patting Pure Vanilla on the back.
“But if you’re serious about befriending that idiot, you should be careful. Those types of people are made to make your life hell Pure Vanilla.” Golden Cheese warns, Dark Coco who’s sitting beside him nods in agreement.

“Sorry to ask Golden Cheese but you seem to know her friend, Burning Spice. Do you know anything about them?” Pure Vanilla asks after thinking about her friend's warning for a moment.

“Just that they’re mean and look down on a lot of people.” He pauses for a second, “a lot of people in this school put them and their friend group on a pedestal. They have a group like ours, but as far as I’m aware Shadow Milk is more of a loner.”

Pure Vanilla lets the words settle for a second as conversations start up again on other topics around her. If they have a group like ours, why is Shadow Milk still a loner? Maybe she’d appreciate more forward actions instead of a simple wave or two, perhaps she’s been too passive.
Yes, that could work! Pure Vanilla smiles simply to herself as a small plan hatches in her head, rejoining the blooming conversation going on around her.

*******-------******

Shadow Milk scrunches her nose as she reads the texts from Eternal Sugar, who’s begging her to join him after school to check out a new boba store in town. She really doesn’t want to, she wants to go home and just rot instead. Eternal Sugar would probably use that against her later though, if she doesn’t join that is.
She writes yes, and hits send. Immediately getting a small comment from being dry, but she puts her phone down now.

There's still 10 minutes till English class starts, she’s seated herself furthest back in the class. Hidden away from the peering eyes of everyone here. Most people don’t sit next to her even if there are few seats left, good.
Shadow Milk looks out the window beside her, a nice view of campus from here. Watching the people moving about like ants.

“Uhm hello?” A small voice calls out from behind her, causing her to shoot whoever it is a sharp look for even speaking to her. Which immediately falls for just a second when she sees who it is.
Pure Vanilla stands by the end of the desk, nervously fidgeting with the strap of her bag which is thrown over her shoulder. Her face is as gentle as it ever is, with just a small nervous twitch in her brow.

“Hey? What do you want.” Shadow Milk sharply answers, the question sounding more like a demand than anything else. Pure Vanilla doesn’t flinch.

“I was wondering if I could sit with you this class?” Pure Vanilla asks ever so nicely, gesturing to the empty chair beside Shadow Milk.

Shadow Milk thinks for a second, and Pure Vanilla feels her stomach twist slightly. Witches above, she’s going to say no isn’t she? There goes her plan to bond with her.
“Ok, but where is that loud mouth of a friend of yours?” Shadow Milk asks, as she removes her bag from the chair so Pure Vanilla can sit down.

“Oh he had football practice, would rather do that than this.” Pure Vanilla explains, giving Shadow Milk a smile. Shadow Milk looks at her for a second before a small smirk forms on her lips.

“Understandable, this class sucks.” Shadow Milk says simply before turning back to the window to people-watch.
Pure Vanilla doesn’t mind, cause this is the furthest she’s come with Shadow Milk! She’s sitting beside her! She’s never had better hope than this before, her stomach feeling like it had a thousand happy butterflies in it.
She smiles to herself, what a nice day this has and will be.

Chapter Text

Shadow Milk didn’t indicate any further want for conversation the entire class. Pure Vanilla did try, a small question about a task here, a small remark about the weather there.
Only to get a small hum or shrug back.

Pure Vanilla didn’t mind, she knows Shadow Milk is quite talkative. She seems to only talk and never stop around that friend group of hers, a smile always present on her face.
So, she was capable of doing such things. Just not around Pure Vanilla. Perhaps she was shy? She didn’t seem to outright avoid Pure Vanilla, so she couldn’t have a dislike for her. Perhaps if she kept pressing a little, she could break that shell of hers, little by little.

“So, what are you going to do now that class is done for the day?” Pure Vanilla slightly presses her voice to be louder through the noise of the class packing up for the day. Shadow Milk casts a small glance at her, her white bangs hanging in front of her different colored eyes as she’s leaning over her bag to put her notebook in it.

“..Going to meet a friend at this new Boba shop.” Shadow Milk flicks her short blue colored hair over her shoulder as she stands up, looking Pure Vanilla up and down before attempting to walk past her.

“Oh! Is it Sip Tea you’re going to? I was going to meet someone there!” Pure Vanilla slightly puts herself in front of Shadow Milk, causing her to stop shortly in her tracks. “Perhaps we could go there together? Company makes everything better after all!”
The smile Pure Vanilla gives Shadow Milk makes Shadow Milk's chest feel weird, and she immediately looks away, avoiding looking at Pure Vanilla right this second. She hates company, she didn’t even want to go to that stupid tea shop or whatever. It doesn't help that it's Pure Vanilla who’s offering her company, and how she doesn’t want her company right now for reasons she will not go into again.
She sighs, still avoiding eye contact as she gently pushes past Pure Vanilla. “Okay, just keep up. I have a tight schedule.”

Shadow Milk doesn’t see it, but Pure Vanilla beams behind her as she jogs slightly to meet Shadow Milk's pace as they walk.

“Who are you meeting with?” Pure Vanilla asks, looking at Shadow Milk who seems to insist on keeping her eyes forward during conversation.

“Eternal Sugar, he’s obsessed with stuff like this.” Shadow Milk answers simply, keeping a nice pace that Pure Vanilla manages to keep up with.

“Oh! The one with pink hair? I’ve seen him before, I think he’s in the same class as Dark Cacao.” Pure Vanilla continues the conversation with no struggle, she’s got Shadow Milk talking, she’s not going to let her go easily.

“Guess so.” Shadow Milk mumbles, checking her phone once before putting it down again. “Dark Cacao is the one that’s so serious right? Eternal Sugar has mentioned her.”

“Really? What did he say about her?” Pure Vanilla perks up, interested in knowing what Shadow Milk's friends think of her own friends. It’d be nice if they could all meet together sometime in the future.
Shadow Milks scoff however causes her to tilt her head slightly in confusion, the smirk on the others face doesn’t help the small pit of nervousness filling her stomach.

“He thinks she’s a hard ass who takes everything too seriously. And I don’t know if you know this Nilly, but Dark Cacao doesn’t exactly like him back.” Shadow Milk stops in her tracks now, fully facing Pure Vanilla. The smile on her face seems to widen as she talks about how much their two friends dislike each other. Pure Vanilla's face turns into a small frown as her brows furrow in distaste.

“What do you mean?” Pure Vanilla's voice breaks slightly, she clears her throat. She really doesn’t like the smile on Shadow Milk's face, she wanted her to smile but not like this.

“She thinks Eternal Sugar is a slouchy snob.” Shadow Milk shrugs as if the statement is obvious to them both. It was not obvious to Pure Vanilla, sure Dark Cacao had mentioned a small dislike for Eternal Sugar but nothing that drastic has left her mouth as far as Pure Vanilla was concerned.

Pure Vanilla's face scrunches up her face, small confusion clear on her face. Shadow Milk chuckles, “Thanks for the company, and just so you know, not everyone can be friends. Deal with it.” She turns, leaving Pure Vanilla in the dust alone in the middle of the gigantic campus grounds.

Maybe she’ll finally leave me alone, Shadow Milk silently hopes as she presses down a small hurtful feeling in her chest. Stupid Pure Vanilla.

Chapter Text

“SHE WHAT” Golden Cheeses voice rang out loudly through the cafeteria, not caring about the looks he got it seemed.

Pure Vanilla sank in her seat, it had been an entire weekend since the little Shadow Milk thing. And she had just now decided to tell her friends about it, it wasn’t that she didn’t want them to know. She just needed to word it in a way that didn’t put Shadow Milk in a worse light than she already seemed to be in the group.
Golden Cheese shifts in his seat with a big sigh, obviously agitated by the entire thing.

“Can’t say I didn’t warn you.” He shrugs, finally taking a piece of his food. White Lily places a steady hand on Pure Vanilla's shoulder, Pure Vanilla doesn’t immediately look his way though. Her mind elsewhere at the moment.

“He’s right Nilla, maybe Shadow Milk just isn’t for you to befriend.” White Lily tries, his voice seeming to carefully fall out of his mouth.

“You guys keep saying that.” Pure Vanilla's voice is quiet, more so than usual. Her posture seems to shrink a little as she talks. Her friends cast each other a small glance that Pure Vanilla doesn’t notice.

“Cause we want the best for you. You deserve good friends, not to brag but..” Golden Cheese mumbles the last part, getting an elbow in his side from Dark Cacao.

“Golden Cheese is right. You’re a good person, Pure Vanilla.” Dark Cacao says, her deep voice grounding Pure Vanilla slightly, the compliment making her chest feel just a little better. “Shadow Milk obviously had some problems she needs to deal with. But that doesn’t mean they should go out over your well-being.”

Everyone nods in agreement once Dark Cacao stops speaking. “Yeah! What she said!” Hollyberry exclaims, practically slamming his cup of water into the table to show how he’s interested in the subject at hand. “Even if you do have a crush on this girl, she’s just not worth it in my opinion.” He shrugs as he lets go of the cup.

Pure Vanilla's face immediately goes bright red, she quickly shakes her head. “N-No, it's not anything like that.” She practically slams her head down onto the table, staying there it seems. White Lily's hand stays on her back, giving her a few sympathetic pats.

“Uh-huh, sure thing sugar.” Hollyberry chuckles under his breath, taking another sip off his water.

As if on queue the cafeteria doors burst open, loud talking immediately erupting from that end of the room. Some people don’t even need to turn to guess who it is walking through, Pure Vanilla is one of them. Her face feeling hotter than before, she doesn’t dare sit up.

“Speak of the devil.” Golden Cheese calls out, rolling his eyes as they look upon the group entering.
The group walks towards them, loud bickering and laughter is heard as they talk to each other. They seem to be in their own world, it seems, almost unbothered by the surrounding students who look at them either in disgust, envy or fear.

“Damn, guess her naivety finally killed her, ay?” Shadow Milk calls out, motioning obviously towards Pure Vanilla who is still half lying face-down on the table. Abrupt laughter emits from the surrounding tables, same goes with the friends Shadow Milk is surrounded by.
Pure Vanilla sits up some more, her eyes locking with Shadow Milks who is smirking the same way she did last time they spoke. Before Pure Vanilla gets to say anything back, the others do it for her.

“How bout you mind your own business, jerk.” Hollyberry slams his fist on the table, casting a sharp glance towards Shadow Milk who doesn’t even flinch at the motion.

“Oh I’ll mind away all I’d like.” Shadow Milk chuckles, keeping her chin up in an egotistical fashion. “Whatcha going to do about it? Beat me up?” Shadow Milk fakes a small pout, and another small laugh emits from the on-looking crowd.
Pure Vanilla can't help but notice the small glint of something in Shadow Milk's eyes, there’s something off about her today. (Besides from the blatant thing of being a bit of a jerk.) But exactly what, Pure Vanilla can't say at the moment.

“Just beat it ego freak!” Golden Cheese stands up from the table, one hand on the table as he casts a very poisoned look towards Shadow Milk.

“Please stop.” Pure Vanilla mumbles, but somehow everyone hears her.

“What was that?” Shadow Milk questions, taking a small step towards the table. Golden Cheese has to be held back by Dark Cacao to not jump the girl immediately.

“I said stop, this is just some pointless bickering.” Pure Vanilla stands her ground, again meeting Shadow Milk's eyes. She hadn’t even noticed that she had looked away at some point. “You’re just causing a scene for no reason.”

“I have my reasons, you’ll know soon enough.” Shadow Milk leans back, crossing her arms. Her usual smirk transforms into a cold expression as she looks Pure Vanilla up and down.

“I’ll be waiting then.” Pure Vanilla answers, her expression surprisingly calm for the current situation. Though her stomach feels like it's about to curl inside-out.
Shadow Milk seems stunned by this for a second, but only for a second, and Pure Vanilla catches it. Her shoulders slump for a short second, and her brows get a small crease. Right before the mask slips right back on into that all-too familiar smirk.

“I hate patient people like you.” She sneers, before turning away, the group following in heel.
It's quiet for a second at the table, before they all abruptly start shouting supporting things at Pure Vanilla.

“DAMN DUDE, WHERE'D THAT CONFIDENCE COME FROM?” Golden Cheese shouts, practically flinging himself over the table to grab Pure Vanilla by the shoulders.
“I don’t know.” Pure Vanilla shrugs back, a smile on her face like nothing had happened. But something did happen, she saw Shadow Milk's face slip. And something else has become rather obvious to Pure Vanilla now,
Shadow Milk needs patience. And boy-oh-boy does Pure Vanilla have more than enough.

Chapter Text

Shadow Milk couldn’t stop thinking about the call from her mom, the seeming growing need to be the best weighted on her shoulders more than usual.
“Stay focused and don’t get distracted.”
The message was simple, but still, Shadow Milk felt the heaviness behind it. Her parents were kind enough to let her willingly sign herself up for an art major instead of medicine or philosophy like they originally wanted. As long as she did well and kept to her friend group, they would have no trouble with her.

Pure Vanilla was a problem when it came to this.
She was too easy going, too kind, too..

The plan was simple, if she was mean enough, Pure Vanilla would back off. She’d be upset, she would want nothing to do with Shadow Milk.
Which was for the better, Pure Vanilla was too good of a person to be friends with her anyway. Shadow Milk was used to being around people she didn’t like. Why change it now?
And why was the fact that seeing Pure Vanilla laughing with her friends making Shadow Milk want to die.

“Hey lover-girl, earth calls you back down.” Burning Spice waves her hand in front of Shadow Milks face, which gets immediately slapped away.

“Don’t call me that.” Shadow Milk snaps, turning abruptly back to her food on the table. She hadn’t even noticed she had been staring at Pure Vanilla, why would she even do that.

“Blue, I’m kinda worried about you.” Eternal Sugar's voice is eternally gentle, his long pink hair put up into a neat ponytail with two strands framing his face. Shadow Milk scoffs.

“What why, I’m fine.”

“You say that, yet you’re stabbing the shit outta your food and you keep gawking in Pure Vanilla's direction.” Burning spice answers bluntly. “Seriously, what’s so special about her? Besides her hair, I wonder what conditioner she uses…”

“What she said.” Mystic Flour adds on, motioning towards Burning Spice who grins at the agreement. “But on a serious note, what’s going on?”

It's quiet at the table for a short minute, Shadow Milk avoiding all eyes obviously looking her way. She hates this type of attention, she hates any attention. She’s been center-stage all her life, why can't she get a goddamn break.

“Nothing, mind you own business before I throw this stew in your face.” Shadow Milk threatens, it works. It always does, they ask, she denies and it's forgotten. Always as forgotten as Shadow Milk seems to be to Pure Vanilla now.

Playing the violin was the one rule she had to keep following from her parents’ ridiculously long list of things they want her to be good at.
She was good at it, because of course she was. That’s what happens when you’ve been playing since you were 5. She liked playing by herself, in her dorm room, which had been soundproofed the second she and Eternal Sugar had moved together. She liked being private, without anyone trying to sneak their way into her life for the potential of glory.

Her parents had signed her up for violin extra classes in University, without asking Shadow Milk of course.
So here she was, standing in front of a small audience, strumming the violin like she always has, and seemingly always will.
It came naturally, the movements, the notes, the hold on the strings. It was second nature at this point. But still, she couldn’t relax even if that was the case. If she let herself relax for a second something could go wrong, a court jester never gets off stage after all.

The song drifts into the end, and she puts the violin down. Releasing a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.
Immediately applause is her reward, though it feels fake. Like everything in this hell-born place.

Her eyes scan the audience, it's small. People in the class and some passersby’s who stopped to listen. Her eyes stop somewhere in the back.
A familiar hair of gold, and perfectly tanned skin.

Pure Vanilla had been watching. She had been watching for how long? Did she like it? Did she think Shadow Milk was good at violin?
Shadow Milk shakes her head as she walks to the side of the stage, why does she care? Of course Pure Vanilla liked it, she was just like any other brainwashed person in this school. And since when did Pure Vanilla's gaze mean anything to her?

A gentle tap on her shoulder snaps her out of her spiraling thoughts, she snaps around, immediately charging up an insult to whoever had the balls to touch her. Only to be met with the gentle blue and yellow of Pure Vanillas mismatched eyes.

“You played so well!” Pure Vanilla smiles, like she always does. Why did she walk over to her to say that? Why didn’t she leave like everyone else?

“Thanks, I know.” Shadow Milk looks away, Pure Vanilla's gaze feels heavy now that it's on her.

“How long have you been playing? You looked like a goddess up there.” Pure Vanilla continues, cause of course she does. Shadow Milk's face feels warm all of a sudden, stupid compliment. Goddess? Wow how original.

“Since I was 5.” Shadow Milk answers, packing her bag as quickly as she can while Pure Vanilla's presence feels like a glowing sun behind her. Warm, and way too much right now.

“I uhm..” Pure Vanilla mumbles, her usual flannel gone all off a sudden, which causes Shadow Milk to turn just to cast her a short glance. “-I’m sorry.”

Shadow Milk snaps up, bag forgotten. “What.” She deadpans. What the hell is this girl talking about???

“I overstepped, I didn’t give you space and that’s my bad.” Pure Vanilla starts, a small pause indicating she’s going to continue, so Shadow Milk waits. For once. “But still, all in all, I want to be your friend. And if you don’t want to, that's fine, but I would like to try something.” Pure Vanilla straightens her posture as her confidence builds up again.

“Oookay?” Shadow Milk drawls, motioning for Pure Vanilla to continue.

Pure Vanilla grabs a small part of her hair, dragging her fingers through it in a nervous motion. “Would you like to meet at a café tomorrow after class? We could at least try to properly get to know each other as I feel like we started on the wrong foot.”

Shadow Milk is at a loss for words, physically having to stop her mouth from falling open in small shock. Well that was surprising and there goes her plan to distance herself. Pure Vanilla isn’t like everyone else it seems.
One café going wouldn’t hurt, she can always distance herself afterwards. Give Pure Vanilla one day of attention.
Pure Vanilla isn’t like everyone else it seems, Shadow Milk was wrong.
“Sure, where and when?” Shadow Milk smiles, reaching a hand out for a hand shake which Pure Vanilla eagerly takes.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure about this?” White Lily turns in his chair, watching Pure Vanilla pack a small bag in a hurry. A small frown on his face, which Pure Vanilla finally takes notice of as she finishes up, standing up straight.

“Of course I’m sure, I am the one who asked her after all.” Pure Vanilla reassures him, giving him a small smile before abruptly exiting the apartment. Not waiting around for another small remark about this café meeting.
She had been looking forward to this all day, she had barely been able to concentrate in class due to how excited she was. A meeting with Shadow Milk! She was kind of impressed with herself, as Shadow Milk seemed to put in a lot of effort to just stay away from Pure Vanilla. So the fact she had gotten her to do this at all was quite a feat!
The café wasn’t far away from campus, she had decided it would’ve been easy for them both to meet there after class without having to go far. Especially since Shadow Milk mentioned having a busy schedule, a meeting close to campus might’ve been a plus for her, at least that’s what Pure Vanilla hoped.

Pure Vanilla gently pushes the door open, the café bustling with students and people living their lives filling the entire space. She stops by the door for a short second, scanning the room for that all too familiar blue hair. Doesn’t help that her eyesight is quite literally horrible..

A small tap on her shoulder snaps her out of her search, she turns around to meet the eyes of a familiar girl. Shadow Milk is dressed in the usual black t-shirt with a blue checkered shirt on top. Her eyes obviously squinting as she smiles as Pure Vanilla, but instead of the usual sneer, it's more of a welcoming one.

“There you are, thought you were going to ditch me.” Shadow Milk greets her, gesturing towards a table that she seems to have reserved for the two of them.

“What? No, of course not. I just couldn’t seem to find my keys, they blend in so well with everything in the apartment..” Pure Vanilla stresses, not noticing how Shadow Milk almost automatically pushes her chair in for her.

“Uh-huh, well no need to stress about it at least you showed up..” Shadow Milk waves her hand in a “I-don’t-care” motion as she sits down opposite of Pure Vanilla.
The place they’re sitting at is quite nice, as far as Pure Vanilla can tell. It's in the corner of the café, with a nice view off the bustling city street and campus right outside. Though it is a shame that Pure Vanilla really can’t see it properly.

“Say, I’ve noticed that walking stick of yours, what’s up with that?” Shadow Milk asks, and Pure Vanilla's gaze snaps right back onto her instead of the outside of the window. Pure Vanilla opens her mouth for a second before closing it again. She’s surprised at how forward Shadow Milk is, as most people usually beat around the bush or just show no curiosity at all. For the most part it's due to people trying to be respectful, but still, it’s nice when someone is curious about you.

“Ah well, you see..” Pure Vanilla starts, trying to find the right words. “I am kind of legally blind.” She shrugs, a small nervous chuckle leaving her lips as she is the one avoiding eye contact for once.
“Kind of?” Shadow Milk prods, which again surprises Pure Vanilla. Most people immediately act with pity, but not Shadow Milk it seems.

“Yes, I can still see when things get up close. But things that are very far away or when things are the same color it all just turns into a regular blob of colors. Very colorful things help a lot.” Pure Vanilla explains, and Shadow Milk listens.

“Huh, glasses can't help you?” Shadow Milk tilts her head, the sun hitting her hair in a very pretty way, which causes Pure Vanilla to look away again. Pure Vanilla shakes her head and gives her a small smile.

“Which is probably why I can spot you so easily! Your blues help a lot.” Pure Vanilla casually says, like it doesn’t make Shadow Milk feel like she could jump out a window and survive. She hopes to The Witches that the blonde can't see her blush from this distance.

“You’re welcome I guess..” she manages, why did that sentence mess her up so badly goddamn.
The two continue to chat for hours, the sun starting to gradually lower in the sky. And for some reason Shadow Milk feels lighter almost, like she isn’t walking on a tight rope every time she says anything to Pure Vanilla who gives the easiest replies ever.

And wow, Pure Vanilla looks pretty in this light. The café light gives her this golden hue in her already golden hair, and the sunset outside making her different colored eyes shine just a little more than usual. It's very distracting now that Shadow Milk thinks about it.

“You said you had been playing the violin since you were 5? You don’t seem to enjoy it, now that you’re talking about it.” Pure Vanilla points out, taking a small sip off her coffee. The conversation drifted to talking about Shadow Milk's hobbies.

“Yeah well, that’s what happens when your parents force you to stuff. We made a deal before I left for University that I had to continue playing violin if I was going to study theatre.” Shadow Milk explains, a small grimace on her face as she talks about her parents. A small, but clear distaste for her parents clear as day.

“Are they controlling? Sorry to ask but, you are your own person after all.” Pure Vanilla asks carefully, noticing the change in tone on Shadow Milk's entire attitude.

“I guess. They’ve been putting me in stuff ever since I was little. I quit gymnastics right before University, for example, they got pissed.” Shadow Milk starts, her mouth turning into a frown at the memory of how mad her parents got. “They have this thing where if I don’t seem perfect, I’ll ruin their image. Doesn’t help that they’re old fashioned as hell.” She scoffs, remembering how they reacted when she told them she only liked girls. Even though she’d rather not remember.

A small touch to her hand on the table pulls her back into the present, Pure Vanillas hand is way warmer than hers. It feels like her hand could burn off.

“That’s so much pressure, sorry you have to deal with that.” Pure Vanilla gently lets go off Shadow Milk's hand, Shadow Milk immediately feels a lot colder.

“It's fine, I’m used to it. They don’t have as much control over me as they think they do.” Shadow Milk shrugs, burying the feeling in her stomach as she thinks back to her plan, her plan to just leave Pure Vanilla alone forever.
But she’s changed her mind, Pure Vanilla is to be kept. She makes Shadow Milk feel better, and she’s not about to let that fall out of her hands again.

Chapter Text

“Soooooo you drove her home?” Burning Spice drawls, raising an eyebrow when she looks upon the rather disheveled Shadow Milk. Who is currently laying straight as plank in her bed.

“I did.” Shadow Milk answers, little emotion in her voice. Though her face tells a rather different story, she feels too much emotion. Her mouth pulled into a straight line, her eyes wide while her brows furrowed into a very confused expression.
The not-so faint blush on her checks also doesn’t help much.

“And she got her number it seems.” Eternal Sugar points out, who's sitting on the ledge of the bed beside Shadow Milk. Shadow Milk looks in his direction to see how the hell he’d know that without her saying so.

Eternal Sugar is holding her phone.

“Give me that!” Shadow Milk yelps as she throws herself up to yank the phone out of his hands, only to lay right back down onto the bed.

“What, you guys flirting heavily over text or something?” Burning Spice questions, the teasing in her voice clear as day. Shadow Milk scoffs at that, this is stupid, she thinks to herself.

“Yeesh, you’ve got it baaaad.” Eternal Sugar pats Shadow Milk's shoulder in pretend sympathy, an awkward grimace on his face. Shadow Milk twitches away from his touch.

“I don’t have it bad. It's just a stupid crush or something. Im probably sick.” She mumbles, her voice quieting as she starts thinking about it all again. She wasn’t going to see Pure Vanilla again till tomorrow, how the hell is she supposed to face her like this. Every single class is going to be straight-up hell.

“Stupid crush or whatever, it's still a crush.” Burning Spice moves from her spot to walk over next to the bed, looking down on Shadow Milk who gives her a small glare that she ignores. “What are you going to do about it?”

Shadow Milk sighs, her mouth opening and closing as she tries to decide on what to do. She doubts Pure Vanilla likes her back, her whole point of the going-out thing was to become friends. Nothing more.
“Nothing.” Shadow Milk breathes out, her voice uncharacteristically quiet as she locks eyes with Burning Spice who presses her brows together in clear concern.

“You sure Blue? I think Pure Vanilla could be good for you, like honestly you need whatever aura that girls got about her.” Eternal Sugar's voice also shows concern, and perhaps a small bit of worry and honest friendship in there. keyword perhaps.

“You’re wrong. I’m doing fine without her. Always has, why start now.” Shadow Milk answers back harshly, the two others glance at each other for a second before Burning Spice sighs loudly, shaking her head for emphasis.

“Okay, whatever. But if Pure Vanilla questions us about anything weird about you, we’ll spill. Whether you like it or not.” She crosses her arms for emphasis, her face taking on a stern look which is opposed to the usual grin that’s always present on it.

“Fine by me.” Shadow Milk rolls out of bed, not even bothering to look at the other two's reactions. She doesn’t even know why she bothered telling them anything, so much for help from friends.

*******-------******

Pure Vanilla checks her phone again. No response for hours.
Perhaps Shadow Milk wasn’t that much of an active person on her phone, at least that’s what Pure Vanilla hoped to calm her nerves.

“Oi, are you going to make-out with your phone or are you actually going to play the game?” Golden Cheese calls out, ripping Pure Vanilla out from her phone worries.
The sound of sneakers on the gym-hall floor surround them, people kicking footballs and general chatter immediately put Pure Vanilla back into the present. She reluctantly places her phone by her water bottle.

“R-right, sorry.” Pure Vanilla apologizes, walking up to Golden Cheese who’s holding a football under his arm. He gives Pure Vanilla a small look over, a slight tint of worry on his brow.

“Shadow Milk isn’t responding?” He asks, no beating around the subject as he reads Pure Vanilla like a book. Pure Vanilla raises her eyebrows at the mention of Shadow Milk's name, before her entire attitude deflates as she nods. Golden Cheese hums in response, clearly thinking.

“Don’t let her ruin your day. She’s missing out.” Golden Cheese pushes Pure Vanilla gently out into the court, “lets stretch a little. Get your mind off her dumbass.”
As the two stretch, and Golden Cheese yaps about everything under the sun that has to do with fashion of the week, Pure Vanilla can't help but think of Shadow Milk. Had she been too forward? Did she say anything wrong at some point? What if something had happened and Shadow Milk needed help-

“I'M READY TO KICK SOME ASS!” Burning Spice's voice calls out, causing everyone in the stadium to jump slightly. Her entrance into the building noticed by all.
Burning Spice…that means Shadow Milk can’t be far behind! Pure Vanilla thinks joyfully as she turns towards the sound of Burning Spice's loud voice. And she was right!
Next to Burning Spice, a smaller blue figure shifts. Her presence immediately causing Pure Vanilla's chest to feel just a bit lighter, a smile already forming on her lips. Shadow Milk looks in her direction, and their eyes meet.

It feels like time slows for a second, the eye contact feeling almost intense as the two look at each other across the room. The feeling in Pure Vanilla's chest is like she’s going to burn from the inside out, how strange. Almost automatically, Pure Vanilla raises her hand slightly in greeting. A friendly smile on her face as she looks upon the wonderfully fascinating person that is Shadow Milk.

Only for Shadow Milk to turn away immediately, no wave or acknowledgement back. Now that is strange, Pure Vanilla thinks to herself. Feeling a slight tint of disappointment fill her thoughts. Why does it feel like she just got hit by a bus?
Her spiraling anxiety gets quieted through the loud noise of the teacher whistle and the class immediately gatherers in the middle of the gigantic stadium.
The entire class- the entire class, Shadow Milk didn’t utter a word. Besides a few scoffs or cold shoulders when Pure Vanilla would do anything that mattered in the slightest. And if Pure Vanilla was going to be honest, she was feeling quite lost.

Why was she like this? Had her parents said anything bad again? She had said they would do that sometimes. But still, all that progress on Monday, only for it to not have mattered to the other.
Well…the only way to know was to ask. So she does just that.
When class is finally over, and everyone starts leaving the stadium, Pure Vanilla waits outside. The cool evening summer air blowing gently in her shoulder length hair, which had been put up in a neat ponytail.

The stadium door opens, and out comes…
Burning Spice?

“Uhm, excuse me, Burning Spice?” Pure Vanilla walks over to her, the others face distorting into small surprise before fixing herself into the usual smile, though now it seems sort of fake.

“Pure Vanilla! What, come to give me compliments for how I played today?” She asks, raising her eyebrows in a teasing motion.

“Not exactly.. though you did play well!” Pure Vanilla answers honestly, immediately trying to steer the conversation back to her original goal, “Can I ask, where is Shadow Milk?”
Burning Spices smile drops for a second, a long enough second that Pure Vanilla notices it, though she doesn’t comment. “OH, Blue? She went home like, immediately after class why?”

“I just…she seemed off today. Is she okay?” Pure Vanilla shuffles slightly, looking down as she feels the small pit in her stomach hurt slightly at the question.

“Yeah she’s fine, don’t worry your pretty little face about it.” Burning Spice answers quickly, almost like a practiced line. “Well, if that was it, I gotta get going. Nice talking to ya.” And with that Burning Spice leaves in a hurry. She feels a bit guilty lying to Pure Vanilla like that, obviously a girl who wants the best for Shadow Milk.
But maybe it’s just better if the two stay separated.

Chapter Text

“…Pure Vanilla?”

Pure Vanilla looks up, her eyes meeting White Lily's own. His eyes have a small touch of worry in the beautiful red color.

“Sorry…what were we talking about?” Pure Vanilla looks down on the papers thrown out on the bed they’re sitting on.
They’re sitting on Pure Vanilla's bed, and if she remembers right they were studying.

“I was reading my exam essay test for you to see if I should change anything. But it’s obvious you’re not listening..” White Lily explains, gathering the papers together. “So, why don’t you tell me where your mind is, as it's not in the room with us right now.” He jests, a small careful smile on his lips, though his eyes do not leave Pure Vanilla for a second. Studying her with practiced ease.

“It's Shadow Milk, I’m sorry, I know you’re sick of me talking about her.” Pure Vanilla spills, she looks away from White Lily. Her different colored eyes looking at her hands which she’s fidgeting with in her lap, a nervous habit she’s had since she was young.

“No it's okay, it's obvious to anyone you care about her, Witches know why though..” White Lily reassures her, giving her hands a small pat before retracking back into his original position. “What’s she done now?”

“She’s been ignoring me for a week!” Pure Vanilla exclaims, a little louder than she wanted to. “She doesn’t answer my texts, I’ve tried to call. And now she doesn’t even go to class, which is practically sacrilege to her with how much she wants good grades!” Pure Vanilla rants, stress obvious as her shoulders tense. “W-What if something has happened to her? What if I said something at the café and now she hates me?”

White Lily listens, because of course he does. Red eyes watching Pure Vanilla stress, waiting for her to finish. And as she finally calms down a little, he responds.
“She seems to do that a lot..” White Lily starts with, choosing his words carefully as Pure Vanilla looks at him with eyes filled with small hope and desperation.

“What do you mean?” Pure Vanilla asks, tilting her head with the question.

“I’ve told you about my new friend, Elder Faerie?” he asks, Pure Vanilla nods, listening carefully. “Well…she used to be pretty close to Shadow Milk, in high school and stuff. Like really close.” The emphasis makes Pure Vanilla's heart feel heavy for a second, but she pushes it down, motioning for White Lily to continue.

“Then all of a sudden, Shadow Milk started distancing herself with no explanation. And they just went basically no-contact. Shadow Milk got that friend group she got now, and you know the rest..” White Lily pauses, his lips forming a line of contemplation. “Shadow Milk is just like that, please, Pure Vanilla, don’t ruin yourself for her sake.”

It's quiet for a short minute, the only thing making noise is the sound of the light bulb in the roof.

“I’ve got to try. She deserves that much.” Pure Vanilla speaks up, moving herself off the bed. “Do you know where her apartment is?”

*******-------******

It's raining outside, heavily.

Shadow Milk notes in her head as she walks down the huge empty hallways of her parents home. She had been called home due to missing classes, and she got a talk from her parents.
They immediately left afterwards, like always. So now the house was very quiet, too quiet. Where her siblings were? She had no clue, and she didn’t want to find out either.
She was finally rid of taking care of them, just to get thrown right back into the ring. The two would get so clingy when she was back home, its made her stomach hurt.

“SHADOW MIIIIILK!!!” A screaming pitch sounds from behind her, she barely gets to turn around to see where it comes from before a small body flings itself around her waist, clinging for dear life.

“Hey! What did I say about clinging?” Shadow Milk yells out, desperately trying to push her little brother off her. But child hands have some sort of super strength it seems.

“Candy Apple! Let her go, jeez.” Another voice which belongs to her younger sister, Black Sapphire jogs over, her black hair not moving with all the products in it. “Sorry Shadow Milk. Why are you back so soon?” she asks, her eyes glancing at Shadow Milk with suspicion.

“None of your business, why are you brats here? You’re never in this part of the house.” Shadow Milk shoots back, finally managing to push Candy Apple off her.

“We heard you were back from a maid, said you got a talk from our parents. You okay?” Black Sapphire asks, though Shadow Milk senses no deep concern in her voice.

“I’m fine. Now piss off. I have stuff to do.” Shadow Milk pushes herself past them rather gently, before walking at almost running speed the rest of the hallway. Hopefully, they’ll back off for a while now.
Shadow Milk walks into the main front room, heading towards the staircase that leads to the upstairs. Her bedroom being her only goal, but a knock on the door stops her dead in her tracks.
Someone at the door in this weather? Witches, her parents always stoop to a new low..

She walks over to open it and immediately freezes when she meets a pair of blue and yellow eyes.

“Hey Shadow Milk.” Pure Vanilla greets with a smile, even when she’s soaking wet. Her long blonde hair stuck to her forehead and shoulders, her cardigan heavy from all the water it soaked up.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Shadow Milk asks, though there is no bark to her question.

“I had to see you, I got so worried.. You haven’t been answering my calls or texts and now you’re not even going to class?” Pure Vanilla's voice has a small sound of desperation in it, which makes Shadow Milk's chest burn, she presses it down, not now.

“So you stalked me to find out where my parents live?” She sneers, a small grin forming on her lips, though she doesn’t exactly feel any joy at the moment.

“It's not stalking if it's on Google Maps or on Facebook.” Pure Vanilla chuckles nervously, she shivers slightly. She fixes her posture, obviously trying to cover for the shivering.
Shadow Milk turns around slightly, checking for any sign of life nearby in the house. She finds no one, so she turns back to Pure Vanilla.

“Come on, get in before you die of hypothermia.” She steps aside, giving space to Pure Vanilla, who lights up at the invite to go inside. As she walks in, her arms slightly brush against Shadow Milks. And if Shadow Milk could die from that, she probably would’ve.

“Follow me, we need to get you changed into some warm clothes..” Shadow Milk mumbles, motioning towards the stairs. Pure Vanilla nods, she smiles warmly at Shadow Milk. Like Shadow Milk has done no wrong, like she actually likes being here right now.
And it makes Shadow Milk want to cry.

Chapter Text

Shadow Milk dangled her feet off the side of the bed. It had been a while since she had been in her childhood bedroom, it was just like it was when she left for University two years ago (as she had scared the maids out of touching her stuff). So it was sort of a time capsule, though her style really hadn’t changed much since then.

She was currently waiting for Pure Vanilla to finish changing, as she gave her some random clothes that Shadow Milk hoped would fit her.
Pure Vanilla hadn’t said much on the way to the bedroom, or anytime after they walked in here. Why? Shadow Milk had no clue in the world, she was most likely thinking about something.

She couldn’t get over the fact that Pure Vanilla came here out of concern for her. It stuck to her brain like gum under a shoe. Her friends had never done that, just some messages or perhaps a call but nothing as drastic as actually showing up to her parents’ house in person.

The sound of the on-suite bathroom door opening pulled Shadow Milk from her thinking, she looks up to meet eyes with Pure Vanilla. She gave her a dark blue t-shirt and some normal grey sweat pants, nothing exciting. But Pure Vanilla somehow made it look amazing, like she always did.

“Thanks for letting me borrow some clothes.” Pure Vanilla smiles gratefully, pushing some hair that got stuck in the t-shirt out. Shadow Milk clears her throat, hoping it isn’t too noticeable that she was staring.

“No worries, I wouldn't want you to freeze to death because of me.” She waves her hand nonchalantly around, avoiding eye contact with the other. She stares at the floor, neither of them say anything for a while.

There is a sudden noise of movement, and a weight putting itself beside Shadow Milk on the bed. Pure Vanilla sighs heavily, she sits upright, which looks way better than the slouching that Shadow Milk is doing.

“You didn’t tell me your parents were rich.” Pure Vanilla finally breaks the silence, she earns a small huff from Shadow Milk.

“Yeah well, it didn't seem important.”

It's quiet again, but not for long.
“Where are they? Its oddly quiet here..” Pure Vanilla asks, she clearly tilts her head to get a look at Shadow Milk, who’s still avoiding eye contact.

“They leave a lot, nothing new. So it's just us, my siblings and some maids right now.” Shadow Milk shrugs, she dangles her feet some more, it’s a nice distraction from the warmth that is Pure Vanilla beside her.

“Your siblings?” Pure Vanilla's voice drips of pure curiosity, which sort of peaks Shadow Milk's interest in the conversation. Though she still doesn’t look at the other.
“Yeah, younger. Two of them.” She answers plainly.

It's quiet again, the silence isn’t uncomfortable. Far from it actually, its rather comfortable. Which is new to Shadow Milk, she’s very used to silence being a punishment of sorts. But Pure Vanilla makes it comfortable, just by sitting there beside her.

“I have some questions for you, would you answer them?” Pure Vanilla asks, her voice having a small sternness that it's usually empty off, though the gentleness is still there causing Shadow Milk to think for a second. She nods, not wanting to actually say anything just yet.

“Okay, could you look at me?” Pure Vanilla shifts beside her, and Shadow Milk finally looks up at her. Wow, they’re sitting close, like way too close. She pushes down a blush that’s threatening to fill her cheeks, concentrating on Pure Vanillas different colored eyes. That look upon her with nothing but adoration. Their knees touch as Shadow Milk shifts so that both her feet are on the bed, matching Pure Vanilla who has her feet tucked beneath her.

“Thank you.” Pure Vanilla smiles, and Witches it feels like Shadow Milk could die right there. “Now, first question, why have you been avoiding me?” she starts, the gentleness not leaving her voice. Not a single drop of anger or resentment in it, which makes Shadow Milk look away for a second.

“You’re too much for me.” She answers, not really thinking as she talks. Pure Vanilla's shoulders sink for a second, before righting herself up again. “Oh? What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re too good for me. You’re nice, you’re way too damn patient. All I’ve done for the time we’ve known each other is avoid you and be a jerk. Therefore, too much for me.” Shadow Milk pauses, she frowns, fighting the small tears that try to form in her eyes. “We won't work as friends, I’ll just mess it up. So I mess it up before it does.” There's a note of finality in her voice, like she’s proven her point.
Pure Vanilla sits in silence for a second, Shadow Milks guts feeling like they’re twisting for every second. That is, until Pure Vanilla reaches forward and puts her hand on top of Shadow Milks. Her hand is warm, grounding, and way too soft. Shadow Milk has to fight not to pull it back like she usually would.

“You don’t get to make that choice for me, Shadow Milk.” Pure Vanilla answers back, a small pang of determination in it as she explains further, “I want to be your friend, even if you’ll hurt me. It's my choice to stay, it’s the least I can do.” She smiles, and Shadow Milk feels like her shoulders just got so much lighter.

“Okay..” Shadow Milks voice cracks slightly, she clears her throat.

“Now, with that out of the way! Next question..” Pure Vanilla thinks for a minute, her hand not leaving Shadow Milks anytime soon, Shadow Milk prays silently.

“How about we find some food to eat? You’ve got a kitchen?” Pure Vanilla beams, her smile being contagious as it makes Shadow Milk smile as well. A proper smile, and it makes Pure Vanilla's chest warm all over again.

“What a stupid question Nilly, of course we have a kitchen.” Shadow Milk rolls her eyes in mock sarcasm. Pure Vanilla giggles, covering her mouth slightly with her free hand. “Well, show me the way then, haha!”

*******-------******

The kitchen was huge, like huger than any kitchen Pure Vanilla had ever seen. Shadow Milk had insisted that she would be the one to make food for them, Pure Vanilla just assumed it was one of the ways she tried to apologize.

They had held hands the entire way to the kitchen, neither wanting to let go it seems. So when they eventually had to let go, it felt like a huge loss for them both. Pure Vanilla however, seemed to have found a new favorite thing to do, which was watching Shadow Milk's chaotic rampage around the kitchen. As she had placed herself on a kitchen counter right next to Shadow Milks work place.
She seemed to have everything under control, though her way of doing things seemed very chaotic and like they had little to no thoughts behind them.

Pure Vanilla took this chance to just look at Shadow Milk, as she rarely had the chance to do it so close. Her very long blue hair had been pushed back into a messy ponytail, and her brows knitted together in deep concentration. Something Pure Vanilla had never seen before was Shadow Milk's freckles, which she also had noticed when they sat on the bed earlier. She looked up a little, spotting some small strands of brown on Shadow Milk's head.

“You’re actually a brown-head?” she asks, curiosity getting the better of her.

“What, did you think I was born with blue hair? And it's auburn actually..” Shadow Milk tsch’s, though there is no poison in her words. Pure Vanilla only hummed as an answer, and they fell into that comfortable silence again.

That was until the kitchen door flung open.

“WHOS COOKING WHAT!” a very high-pitched voice sounded, causing both Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla to turn towards it.
A small boy with strawberry blonde almost white hair stared at them both from the door, his eyes switching between Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk who seemed to be mentally preparing for something.

“OH.MY.WITCHES. DID YOU BRING THIS DISGUSTING OUTSIDER IN SHADOW MILK????” He yells out, running over to them and grabbing Pure Vanillas skirt to try and drag her off the counter.

“Oi, stop screaming. She’s not disgusting, she’s a guest under my name.” Shadow Milk pushes him off Pure Vanillas skirt with ease, the kid puffing his cheeks in anger doesn’t seem to bother the blue-haired girl at all.

“Uhm, hello! I’m Pure Vanilla, and you?” Pure Vanilla tries, her voice hopefully, not giving any sign of nervousness. This must be one of Shadow Milk siblings, she thinks to herself as a second one walks in.

“That’s Candy Apple, and I am Black Sapphire.” Black Sapphire answers quickly, dipping into a mock-bow before walking over to the rest of the group. “Sorry, he gets a little possessive over Shadow Milk.” She apologizes, grabbing the younger brother's arm to try and drag him away from Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla.

“So what if I do?!?! She’s my sister! I should be the one who has a say in what person she hangs out with, and this lady is NOT IT.” He declares, wrangling around in Black Sapphires arms.

“Can you please calm down? I’ll give you food if you do..” Shadow Milk grins, seeming to know the kid's weakness as he immediately lights up at the mention of tasting the food. “REALLY??? I get to taste one of your absolutely amazing dishes?!”

Shadow Milk nods, “Just wait for a few minutes and it’ll be done. Now shoo..” She makes a pushing motion with her hands before turning back to the food on the stove. The two younger ones leave Candy Apple with some pep in his step.

“They seem like a lot haha..” Pure Vanilla giggles, looking over at Shadow Milk who just rolls her eyes. “Don’t get me started”

Chapter Text

“Well, are you going to get in or what?” Shadow Milk leans against her car, looking up from her phone which has been blowing up with texts from her friends wondering why the hell Pure Vanilla was looking for her and if they were together right now.

She hadn’t answered any of them.

Pure Vanilla looks at Shadow Milk, or at least in her direction. “Oh yes, just give me a second.” She turns back towards Black Sapphire and Candy Apple, who she had been talking to for minutes now. About what? Beats Shadow Milk.

Pure Vanilla mumbles something more to the two, before fully turning towards Shadow Milk and her car.
“BYEEE!!! You were better than I expected!” Candy Apple yells after her as she slides gracefully into the passenger seat, Pure Vanilla gives them both a smile and a wave as she closes the door.
Shadow Milk stays outside for a second, she looks at her siblings who are looking at her now. Their eyes clear with adoration and a slight melancholy. “I’ll be back, at some point.” She declares, gaining a smile from them both before she gets into the car.

“Straight to your dorm?” Shadow Milk asks, barely glancing at Pure Vanilla as she starts the car up. Pure Vanilla shakes her head even though Shadow Milk can't see it.

“No, I need to grab something from my home actually. Plus then you can get your clothes back.” Pure Vanilla explains, her voice sounding fond as she mentions her home. Shadow Milk looks at her for a second. “Okay.” Is all she says though.
Pure Vanilla hadn’t been home in some time, well since school started now which had been almost two months. Which was a long time for her, she wondered how her siblings were doing.

The car ride was mostly quiet, except for the occasional direction tip from Pure Vanilla. Pure Vanilla didn’t mind though, she liked seeing the quieter side of Shadow Milk.
After about 30 minutes of driving, they arrive at a quaint little street with old stone houses painted in a variety of colorful colors. Quite the opposite from where they had just left. “It's here!” Pure Vanilla points at an old wooden house, white paint and everything. Shadow Milk parks the car opposite of the street, getting a nice view of the place.
The front yard was littered with toys, a swing set that’s been hand-made hangs from a tree standing tall right in front of the porch. By said swing stood four kids, all seeming to be playing some sort of game.

“Want to join me? It’ll be quick, I promise.” Pure Vanilla beacons, she casts a glance at Shadow Milk. Shadow Milk's face is unreadable, and in all fairness quite nervous based on the way she was gripping the steering wheel.

“You don’t have to. But I can assure you, my siblings don’t bite.” Pure Vanilla gives Shadow Milk a small smile, which gets replicated by the other, her shoulders relaxing a little. “No, I can join. Better than waiting in the car.” Pure Vanilla lights up when Shadow Milk agrees to join, she gives Shadow Milk a small pat on the shoulder before jumping out of the car door.

The kids all immediately seem to notice that it's Pure Vanilla, as a lot of screaming and yelling starts up before Shadow Milk has even gotten out of the car.

“Pure Vanilla! What are you doing here?” The tallest kid of the bunch walks right up to the gate to open it for her, Pure Vanilla smiles in return. “Just going to pick up some stuff. Is mom home?”

All four of them nod, they seem concentrated on Pure Vanilla like if they look away she’ll disappear. That is until Shadow Milk steps a bit too close to the gate. Suddenly it's like she’s been pinned in place, she doesn’t dare move as all four of them give her a 1000-yard stare.

“This is my friend Shadow Milk! She drove me here, she’s just going to follow me in.” Pure Vanilla quickly clears the air, all four of the kids relaxing a little.

“Ohhhh the one you told mom about over the phone?” a kid with a crown made of paper asks, tilting his head for emphasis.
Pure Vanilla flushes slightly, a nervous chuckle leaving her lips. She doesn’t dare look at Shadow Milk right now. “Y-yes, that one.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, we don’t want to disturb your playing!” Pure Vanilla quickly excuses herself, she doesn’t want any more embarrassing questions being raised. Shadow Milk follows closely on her heels, giving each kid a small smile as they pass.

Pure Vanilla quickly opens the door, and like clockwork her mom appears in the hallway to greet them.

“Pure Vanilla! You didn’t tell me you’d drop by!” She exclaims, obviously happy to see her daughter again. Shadow Milk hangs back a bit, awkwardly removing her shoes as she watches Pure Vanilla hug her mom. She can't remember the last time she’d been that close to her mom.

“I’m just here to pick something up. And this here is Shadow Milk. The friend I told you about over the phone.” Pure Vanilla pulls away from the hug, motioning at Shadow Milk who gives Pure Vanillas a straight-lipped smile. Pure Vanillas mom looks Shadow Milk over, before a warm smile fills her face.

“Welcome! Any friend of Pure Vanillas is welcome in our house anytime! I like your hair!” She smiles brightly, and Shadow Milk knows now where Pure Vanilla got it from. She smiles brightly back, “Thank you ma’am. I like your hair too, very vintage.” She bows slightly, causing a slight giggle from Pure Vanilla's mom.

“Wow, you caught yourself a charmer, have you Pure Vanilla?” Pure Vanilla's mom gives her a playful nudge in the shoulder, Pure Vanilla laughs back.

“Its just a show for you, she’s trying to win you over.” Pure Vanilla laughs, heading towards the stairs that lead upstairs now. Shadow Milk follows of course, close behind.

“Well, it's working! There's some dinner leftovers if you want any!” Pure Vanillas mom calls out after them as they head up the stairs. Upstairs is small, but cozy. Old furniture, family photos strewn on every wall. Shadow Milk likes it here, she decides.

“This is my room.” Pure Vanilla opens a door far down the hallway upstairs. The room itself is small, a twin bed shown into the corner with a hand-made blanket on top of the covers. On the walls are drawings from her younger siblings and a few posters of old movies. And a single window that sits comfortably over a small desk littered with old notebooks and papers.

“It's nice.” Shadow Milk comments, lingering slightly in the doorway before Pure Vanilla moves her gently with a small pull so she can close the door.

“Haha you don’t have to lie, it's nothing compared to your room in that mansion of yours.” Pure Vanilla laughs quietly, walking over to the drawer.

“Well I’m not lying for once. It’s very cozy, better than a room you can't decorate cause everything is too far apart.” Shadow Milk sits herself down on the desk chair, watching Pure Vanilla as she rummages her dresser for something. Pure Vanilla only hums in response.
It's quiet for a second, before Shadow Milk breaks it just as quickly.

“You told your mom about me, did you?”
Pure Vanilla could practically hear the teasing in her voice, her face feeling hot all over again.

“Of course I did! I told her about our hang-out at the café and about how nice you were.” Pure Vanilla tries to save herself from some embarrassment.
Shadow Milk's laugh catches her off guard, her laugh causing the butterflies in her stomach to turn from small fluttering to feeling like she might buke. It was a genuine laugh, instead of the one she puts on when she’s making fun of something.

“HAHAHAA how nice I was oh wow Nilly, that’s a good one.” Shadow Milk drawls, whipping a tear from her eye. “I thought lying was my thing.”
Pure Vanilla is quick on her feet, she almost in an instant stands before Shadow Milk. She almost as quickly gently takes Shadow Milk's hands in hers and she holds them so gentle Shadow Milk thinks she might die.

“Do you really think so?” Pure Vanilla asks, her voice low. Shadow Milk looks up to meet her gaze, and she feels her heart sink. Pure Vanilla looks sad, like genuinely. The sudden change in tone catching her off guard.

“Well…I haven’t exactly been nice.” Shadow Milk shrugs, a smile on her lips that she can't help. Pure Vanilla squeezes their hands slightly.

“But you are nice, I’ve already forgiven you for when you weren’t.” Pure Vanilla lowers herself, basically kneeling on the floor. “I think deep down, you’re a big softie.” Shadow Milk can't help the small laugh that jumps out of her in surprise, her? A softie? Witches help them.

“It's true! Laugh all you want, but I’ve seen it!” Pure Vanilla squeezes their hands again, this time not letting it up. She leans in slightly, Shadow Milk doesn’t dare move. “If you weren’t secretly a big softie, you wouldn’t have let me into your house, let me borrow your clothes or follow me into mine. But you did. And that’s evidence enough for me.” Pure Vanilla opens her mouth again when she finishes, but she doesn’t say anything, so she closes it again.

Witches, why can't Shadow Milk see how amazing she is? Why is it so difficult to say it to her in general? It’s usually pretty easy to ease up her other friends like this.
Pure Vanilla's frown deepens, she looks down at her and Shadow Milks hand which are tightly intertwined in Shadow Milks lap.

“Well, if I’m a softie, what are you?” Shadow Milk says, though her voice is more gentle than usual. Pure Vanilla can't help the small chuckle that escaped her.

“haha… the major softie I guess.” Pure Vanilla looks up again, she’s smiling slightly now, though it's softer than the usual one.
Shadow Milk suddenly lets go of one of her hands and before Pure Vanilla can question why,

Her nose is booped.

“Ding-ding-ding, right on the money Vanilly!” Shadow Milk announces like a game show host, gaining another laugh from Pure Vanilla.

“Haha well, thanks for that.” Pure Vanilla lets go off Shadow Milk's hand. She raises herself up from the floor, dusting herself off for a second.

“Right back at you.” Shadow Milk beams up at her, and all feels right in the world.

*******-------******

As Shadow Milk drives Pure Vanilla back there’s a question lingering on her tongue, and for some reason she has to build up courage to ask it. She got the idea for said question from Eternal Sugar, whose messages since finding out she’d been hanging out with Pure Vanilla all day had been very helpful.

So when Pure Vanilla unbuckles her belt to leave the car, it just sort of jumps out of her.

“Hey, would you like to join me for this Halloween party coming up?”

Pure Vanilla looks at her for a second before a small, “Halloween party?” leaves her lips.

“Yeah… my friend Mystic Flour is hosting. You can bring those friends of yours.” Shadow Milk tries a confident smile, but she feels herself lose it the longer Pure Vanilla takes to answer.

“Sure! You can text me the information!” Pure Vanilla leans forward and gives Shadow Milk a small hug, Shadow Milk could practically die right there. When she pulls apart, there’s a small flush on Pure Vanilla's face that Shadow Milk refuses to ignore. But she doesn’t comment.

“Will do, see ya later Nilly.” Shadow Milk nods, unlocking the car door for Pure Vanilla.
“See you Shadow Milk.”

Chapter Text

The air stinks of products and bleach, the bathroom fan working as hard as it can to filter the air. Eternal Sugar dips the brush back into the bowl of blue hair dye.

“Bro, she so obviously likes you back.” He calmly says as he starts painting the brush against the now bleached roots on Shadow Milk's head. She grunts slightly in response.

“No, she obviously doesn’t. At least not in that way.” She rolls her eyes ignoring the small laugh from Eternal Sugar. She opens her phone once again to see another notification from Pure Vanilla on it. She smiles slightly, it was the weekend again so they wouldn’t see each other till Tuesday at least. So it was nice to still hear from her, small chat messages on the daily. It read;

- Burnt my pancakes :, (

“Whatever, I didn’t take you for a girl who could be delusional. But like, in the opposite direction.” Eternal Sugar naturally tilts Shadow Milk's head slightly to get a better angle, she obliges. It had become routine to dye each other's hair like this. It was a nice change of pace for them both.

“Yeah well, I can be as delusional as I want. I don’t have a chance with someone like her anyway.” Shadow Milk huffs out a small laugh, quickly answering Pure Vanilla's message.

- LMFAO mby don’t look at ur phone when u bake silly

“Hey, here's an idea!” Eternal Sugar speaks up, pointing his finger up like he figured out something really smart. Shadow Milk turns slightly to meet his eyes, she raises an eyebrow in suspicion waiting for him to continue. “What if. You try and like doing something at the party? Like to just test the waters?” Eternal Sugar smiles, to anyone else it would look sweet, but Shadow Milk knows better.

“No way, you’d better not try and set us up.” She hisses back, already not liking the idea. Eternal Sugar waves her off.

“I won't be doing anything, I’m talking about you.” He points the brush with hair dye at Shadow Milk, who flinches slightly at the notion. “You need to at least try, plus you can just blame it on the fact that you will most likely be drunk.”

Shadow Milk thinks for a second, her eyes not leaving Eternal Sugar as she contemplates.
Suddenly she turns back, immediately opening her phone. “I’ll think about it.” Her voice monotone as she opens her phone again, Pure Vanilla's message greeting her.

- Well, I want to talk to u! Cant blame me lol^^

*******-------******

“A Halloween party? At Mystic Flour's house?” Golden Cheese questions, slightly leaning over the table to give Pure Vanilla a small look of confusion.
Pure Vanilla doesn’t shrink away, she straightens her posture instead. She gives a small nod, “Yes, Shadow Milk invited us all. I think there will be a lot of people, so you don’t even have to talk to any of them, since I know you don’t get along great.”

“Shadow Milk? Invited us?” White Lily's voice drips of suspicion, his face twisted in some sort of expression of discontent.

“Yes, plus I don’t know if I’d like to go alone.” Pure Vanilla argues, this at least gets her friends to mumble slightly.
As they continue to debate on whether or not to join, the cafeteria doors open. All of them were too busy to notice the group walking towards them. At least not until a familiar blue figure stops behind Pure Vanilla, and before any of them can say anything Shadow Milk gives Pure Vanilla a gentle tap on the top of her head.
Pure Vanilla turns around, her face having a small mix of small surprise and pure joy when her eyes meet Shadow Milks.

“Shadow Milk! Good morning!” she greets, Shadow Milk does a fake salute back.

“Just wanted to give you this, kay bye.” Shadow Milk says so quickly that Pure Vanilla can barely process it, as she throws a small bag of cookies in Pure Vanilla's lap.
Shadow Milk and her group continue on like nothing happened, chatting away while they walk away to their table.
Pure Vanilla and her friends however…sit in shocked silence for a bit.

“Okay, well now I need to join that party!” Hollyberry laughs, breaking the silence. The others join in, trying to discuss what the hell that interaction was.
Meanwhile Pure Vanilla quietly opens the bag to find a small note in it, “from Candy Apple and Black Sapphire.”
She smiles quietly to herself, before turning to her friends again. Not noticing the small look White Lily gives her.

Chapter Text

Pure Vanilla looks herself over in the mirror, the smell of perfume and makeup filling the air. She brushes her dress over again, just out of nervousness at this point.

She had just been given a costume, as she herself was very unsure of what to wear. She’s a type of witch, she thinks. Golden Cheese had just handed it to her when she entered his apartment, in his words “it would be perfect for you!”. So she had reluctantly put it on, a long white robe with off the sleeves that were so long they covered her hands and small golden details over the entire gown. And a pointed hat, of course.

She didn’t look bad, far from it. She thought she actually looked kind of nice, she just hoped Shadow Milk would think the same. Shadow Milk invited her, it’s a normal thing to worry about.
Pure Vanilla feels her face warm up, she sighs. She’s so stupid, why is she so nervous? It's not like Shadow Milk and she hadn't hung out before, the only difference now was that it was at a party!
She straightens up, nodding slightly to herself before walking out into the living room where the rest of her friends are waiting.

“See! What did I tell you?” Golden Cheese grins, chugging a shot of something. White Lily nods, and Holly Berry gives her a thumbs up. “Yeah! You look like a real witch, very pretty Nilly!”

“Haha thank you… It's not too much is it?” Pure Vanilla can't help but let her worry show a small nervous smile on her face.

“You look fine, everyone else is also going to be wearing costumes. Like we are.” White Lily walks over to give her a reassuring smile, which immediately calms Pure Vanilla down. She nods, not saying anything else.

“ALRIGHT. Are we going or what?” Golden Cheese yells, heading towards the door to put his shoes on.

“You’re yelling, calm down.” Dark Cacao follows, same with the rest of the group. Still Pure Vanilla feels like something is off.
She presses it down and puts her shoes down as well.

Mystic Flour's house is huge. Seems everyone in Shadow Milks friend group is rich or something. It’s a nice mix of Chinese architecture and modern style. Pure Vanilla admires it a bit as she steps out of the car, before Golden Cheese takes hold of her arm.

“Okay, we’ll see you guys later. I gotta get lover girl to her other half!” he yells out, dragging Pure Vanilla after him into the house. The other having no time to respond.
The house is stuffed to the brim with people, a lot of which Pure Vanilla have seen around campus. Some even say hello to her as they pass, which she replies to with a wave or a smile. She can't really hear much as somewhere a speaker is blasting pop music.
Golden Cheese searches wildly, he’s a bit taller than most so he gets a good peak over everyone’s heads. He abruptly stops and looks right into Pure Vanilla eyes. “We need to get you a drink, lover girl can wait.” And before Pure Vanilla can protest, she’s dragged towards the kitchen.
The kitchen is also filled with people, but most of them are just chatting or passing by to get a drink and leave again.

“What do you want?” Golden Cheese asks, finally letting go of her arm. She shurgs her shoulders in indifference, “Something that isn’t too strong.”

“Bleh, boring. But fine, one sec!” Golden Cheese points his tongue out before disappearing, leaving Pure Vanilla for herself for a second. She checks her phone, no messages from Shadow Milk.

“Hey, Pure Vanilla.” A voice calls out to her, she looks up to meet the eyes of Black Raisin. Who’s walking towards her, he gives her a small smile. “Didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Heh, well when you get invited you kind of have to.” Pure Vanilla shrugs, glad to see another friendly face. Black Raisin is a classmate of hers, and they get along greatly even if they’re the opposite when it comes to everything.

“You waiting for someone?” he asks, he takes a small sip of the beer bottle in his hands.

“Right now Golden Cheese, he’s getting me a drink.” Pure Vanilla laughs nervously, Black Raisin raises an eyebrow at her. “And?” he asks, motioning for her to continue.

“And Shadow Milk. She’s the one who invited me.” Pure Vanilla elaborates, looking around a little. It's hard to see anything at parties like this, it's always so dark.

“HERE IS YOUR DRINK!” Golden Cheese's voice breaks through the crowd, he jogs over to the two and hands Pure Vanilla a cup of some pink liquid.
“Thank you, what is it?” She asks, she doesn’t want to get poisoned exactly. Golden Cheese waves a dismissive hand, “Just some pure alcohol, and a lot of soda. No poison.”
Pure Vanilla simply nods and takes a sip, it tastes nice.

“If you’re looking for Shadow Milk, she’s outside when I saw her. Which was like 5 minutes ago.” Black Raisin takes another sip of his drink, pointing towards the door in the kitchen that leads to the back garden.

“Oh! Thank you so much!” Pure Vanilla nods in thanks, before heading towards the door. It's nice outside, even if it is dark.
The porch is half filled with people, most of them smoking. So they don’t pay her any mind as she walks around to look for that familiar blue color.
Maybe she’s gone back inside? It’ll be practically impossible to find her in there, maybe she should just call her.

Pure Vanilla walks off the porch, some more searching could never do any harm. There's a pool, and a familiar figure is sitting by it dangling her feet into the almost glowing water.
She walks over, careful on the grass. Beside Shadow Milk sits two empty bottles, thrown aside.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding.” Pure Vanilla speaks up, her voice quiet, so as to not scare the other. Shadow Milk doesn’t jump, instead she looks at Pure Vanilla over her shoulder. Once she sees its Pure Vanilla, her face lights up into a smile.

“Yup! You found me. Congrats Nilly.” She looks back towards the water, dangling her feet again. She had rolled her pants up to not get her costume wet.

“Can I sit down?” Pure Vanilla walks over to Shadow Milk's side, and Shadow Milk simply nods.

Pure Vanilla sits down beside Shadow Milk, warmth radiating off her to Shadow Milk who is already too warm. Gods she regrets drinking so much already. She already has like no way to hold herself back normally, so when you throw drinks into the mix..

“You okay?” Pure Vanilla asks, she tilts her head so that she can get a view of Shadow Milk's face. Which is uncharacteristically monotone, little to no facial expression found.

“Yeah, just very drunk.” Shadow Milk laughs a bit to herself, refusing to meet the others' eyes. “You took some time to get here.”

“Yeah sorry about that, Golden Cheese insisted we all wear costumes.” Pure Vanilla apologizes, a laugh in her voice.

Shadow Milk hums lowly, “You look nice, like a very pretty witch.” Finally she looks at Pure Vanilla, hoping the blue glow from the pool hides the flush she can feel on her face. She can blame it on the alcohol.

Pure Vanilla flushes slightly at the compliment, “Thank you, I can say the same for you.” She smiles and pushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and Witches, Shadow Milk has to fight herself not to kiss Pure Vanilla right there.

“Can I ask you something?” Shadow Milk blurts out, at this point she’s being reckless. But she honestly doesn’t care, not when Pure Vanilla looks so pretty as she does.

“Of course, what is it?” Pure Vanilla scoots a bit closer, their shoulders touching slightly.

“Do you like anyone?” Shadow Milk asks, and jeez she feels like she’s in pre-school all over again. Stupid ass question.
Pure Vanilla simply smiles back, tilting her head in question. “What like romantically?”

Shadow Milk simply nods, she doesn’t want to say anything out loud right now. That’s too risky, even for her.

Pure Vanilla thinks for a second, her eyes don’t leave Shadow Milk for a second. “I don’t know, but I think I do.”

“You don’t know?” Shadow Milk asks, her voice filled with suspicion. Of what, even she doesn’t know.
Pure Vanilla giggles, putting a hand in front of her mouth to cover it. A habit Shadow Milk has noticed she has. “Well, I haven’t really liked anyone romantically before. So, it's new to me. But I think I do. Very sure actually.”

Pure Vanilla's eyes look at Shadow Milk, blue and yellow. They’re filled with fondness, and it makes Shadow Milk want to melt. How can she look at me like that? Especially when she likes someone, someone that isn’t Shadow Milk. Shadow Milk fights the urge to cry, she doesn’t cry.

“What about you?” Pure Vanilla asks, no concern or mockery in her voice. Just an open question.

This time Shadow Milk thinks for a second, regarding everything. “I don’t like anyone right now. No one's that perfect.” She crosses her arms, she smiles at Pure Vanilla.

Pure Vanilla sits still for a second, her smile dropping slightly. Before quickly recovering, “Hah, guess you’re right. You deserve only the best after all.”
Shadow Milk feels her heart shatter, she hates this. She hates all of this.

“Yeah I know.” She turns back to the water, feeling Pure Vanilla move away slightly. She feels colder already.
Suddenly she feels a small kiss on her cheek, before Pure Vanilla stands up.
She doesn’t look Pure Vanilla's way, she keeps her eyes on the water. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose. She’ll lose everything.

Pure Vanilla focuses on breathing and breathing only. That and finding any of her friends, any of them would be good right now.
She finds them on a couch on the second floor, they all greet her with warm smiles which disappear the second they notice how upset she is. White Lily opens his arms and hugs her closely.
She cries. She cries, and can’t seem to stop it.
Dark Cacao drives them home not long after.

Chapter Text

White Lily was quite lost on what to do.

Pure Vanilla had completely shut herself in since the party. And when asked, she’d answer with a smile and a dismissive wave and always answer with “I’m fine.”
It was obvious to everyone that she clearly wasn’t.

Didn’t help that she hadn’t told anyone what had happened, so White Lily didn’t know how to help directly.
He only knew it had something to do with Shadow Milk.

He always had a bad stomach feeling about her, and now she had hurt his dearest friend. The audacity and the gall, to pretend like nothing had happened too.
She would prance around them now, smiling widely and laughing with her friends like she hadn’t broken Pure Vanilla's heart or something just a few days ago.
And Pure Vanilla would just shrink more and more in on herself every time Shadow Milk passes and doesn’t even have the audacity to look her way.
It pissed White Lily off beyond belief.

He had discussed what to do about it with the rest of the group, Pure Vanilla excluded as she would only try to defend Shadow Milk with all her might.
White Lily understood Pure Vanilla more than anyone, but this whole crushing on Shadow Milk thing? Didn’t have a clue on what the point was. It was toxic and bad for her.
The whole group agreed on it, and White Lily had to be the one to go through with the plan they made.

He told Pure Vanilla he’d wait for her after the faculty course class, which he did. So when she comes out of the classroom, he tells her to wait outside for him as he needs to use the bathroom.
She gives him a smile and an “okay”. Good, she doesn’t see that he’s clearly lying.

He enters the classroom, Shadow Milk is luckily the only one left in there still packing her bag.

“Shadow Milk.” He says, his voice luckily not shaking like it usually does. It’d be a bad start.

“Pure Vanilla just left, you missed her.” Shadow Milk answers dismissively, not even looking up to see White Lily.

“I know, she’s waiting outside for me. I’m here for you.” He says, not sparing a second to get straight to the point. He doesn’t want to be here any longer than he has to.

“What?” Shadow Milk finally looks up, her eyes scan White Lily for a second. Before she laughs a little to herself, “Alright gnat, state your case.”

White Lily ignores the nickname and continues, “What did you do to Pure Vanilla?” A simple, easy to understand question. Shadow Milk blinks in confusion, she seems almost caught off guard by it. Before the smile on her face returns.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t do shit to her.” She laughs a little, turning back to her bag.

“Bullshit.” White Lily presses on, “She’s extremely upset about something, and it obviously has something to do with you.”

Shadow Milk stills, she stays like that for a moment.
“Well, I don’t know what I did that made her so upset. We didn’t really talk long at that stupid party.” Her voice is quiet now, it's different than the usual glamor in it. White Lily ignores the weird feeling in his gut from it.

“Okay, but you need to get over yourself and your ego.” White Lily says firmly, he doesn’t care if he’s being harsh. He wants this conversation to be over and done with.
Shadow Milk looks up at him again, she opens her mouth, but White Lily speaks first.

“She really likes you for some reason, and she’s my friend so I won’t stop her from doing so. And as her friend, I care for her. It's about time you did the same.”
He turns around and walks out, practically storming out in a better use of words. Shadow Milk says something, but he doesn’t hear it as he’s already halfway down the stairs.
Pure Vanilla stands outside, patiently waiting as always.

“There you are, I was starting to get worried.” She smiles, and White Lily immediately feels better.

“Yeah sorry, there was a small queue.” He apologizes slightly, Pure Vanilla simply hums in response.
They start walking, not noticing Shadow Milk exiting the building behind them.

“Well, I haven’t really liked anyone romantically before. So, it's new to me. But I think I do. Very sure actually.” Pure Vanilla's voice rings in her head, she’s been trying to figure out who the hell Pure Vanilla would like. Who could be good enough for her? No one that Shadow Milk could have thought of.
She’s now sure who it is. And of course it’s the person she refuses to get along with, White Lily.