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Pure Vanilla Cookie had been sitting at his desk for hours, but he was only halfway through his pile of paperwork. A decent amount of it was correspondence from the Créme Republic.
A few of the letters were from Dark Cacao and Hollyberry, and they brightened his mood significantly.
Pure Vanilla Cookie felt his stomach growling, but he ignored it. He didn’t really care to eat at the moment.
He was exhausted, and it was growing more difficult to focus on what he was reading.
“I believe that’s enough for tonight,” he murmured to himself.
“Talking to yourself again?” Shadow Milk’s voice startled him. He hadn’t realized that the Beast was in the room.
“Oh! Hello, Shadow Milk,” Pure Vanilla turned to greet him. He was wearing an elaborate robe. Pure Vanilla had gotten used to the odd outfits he wore to bed.
“Hi, Nilly!” He glared at the papers on Pure Vanilla’s desk. “Don’t tell me you’re still working.”
“I just finished,” he stood up and stretched. “Did you need something?”
“Oh, come on!” Shadow Milk teased. “Can’t I come see my dearest Nilly without needing a favor?”
“Of course you can, but you rarely appear in my room this late without a reason.”
“What if the reason was just wanting to be in the presence of my beloved?” He took Pure Vanilla’s hand and twirled him around. The Ancient blushed profusely.
Shadow Milk was quite the flirt, and though it could be overbearing sometimes, he never failed to sweep Pure Vanilla off his feet, sometimes—like currently—literally.
“Aw, did I really affect you that much?” Shadow Milk caught him before he hit the ground.
“Perhaps you did,” he replied. Though, his fall was probably a combination of his lack of food and the sudden spin. Shadow Milk’s confident grin turned into a frown.
“You’re looking awful pale” He pulled Pure Vanilla to his feet and started looking him over. “Did you get hurt? Are you sick?”
“No, no, I’m fine,” he waved a hand dismissively. “I just haven’t eaten enough today, that’s all.”
Shadow Milk was quiet for a second. Pure Vanilla waited for him to speak again. After all, it was rare that he was quiet. It typically meant he was planning something.
“Go to bed,” he said. Pure Vanilla was confused.
“What do you mean?” He asked.
“I mean for you to go to bed,” Shadow Milk poked him in the forehead. “I will be back in the morning, and you better not be awake before sunrise.”
“I have things to do tomorrow,” Pure Vanilla protested.
“I will take care of them,” Shadow Milk waved his hands, and Pure Vanilla’s clothes changed into pajamas. “Bed.”
“What’s gotten into you?” He said, but he still climbed into bed.
“Concern!” Shadow Milk huffed. “You’ve been overworking yourself recently.”
“I believe rebuilding an entire kingdom and preparing for a war at the same time requires a little bit of overwork.”
“When was the last time you ate a full meal?” Shadow Milk was unrelenting, but that was nothing new. The Beast was quite stubborn.
Unfortunately, Pure Vanilla did not have an answer for him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten more than a small sandwich or a salad.
“That’s what I thought,” he said triumphantly. “I’m not letting your show end because you refused to take care of yourself. What kind of finale would that be for the Hero of Truth? Now, you go to sleep, and don’t you worry your pretty little head. I can take care of cancelling whatever duties you have tomorrow.”
“Hold on!” He protested. “You can’t just cancel—“
“Your responsibilities can wait for one day while you rest,” Shadow Milk insisted. “Imagine the faces of your friends if they saw you working yourself into the ground!”
“Are you trying to guilt trip me into resting?” Pure Vanilla had to admire the audacity.
“Is it working?”
“Perhaps.” Pure Vanilla watched as he waved a portal into existence.
“Good. Now, stay there and relax.” Shadow Milk stepped halfway into the portal and turned around, leaving just his front half leaning into the room. “I’ll be back!” He blew a kiss before disappearing into the other-realm.
Pure Vanilla placed his staff on its little holder to the right of his bed frame. His eyesight faded away, leaving him in peaceful darkness, save for a small point in the middle of his vision.
He knew Shadow Milk would make sure he rested, even if he had to have Candy Apple Cookie or Black Sapphire Cookie keep watch, so he laid down and went to sleep.
Pure Vanilla woke up to the smell of breakfast pastries and eggs. Shadow Milk was sitting on his bed, and Pure Vanilla was pressed up against his legs. The beast had one hand running through his lover’s hair and a book on necromancy in the other.
“Shadow Milk?” He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Why do you have a necromancy book?”
“Oh, you’ll find out later.” He shut the book and kissed the top of Pure Vanilla’s head. “Good morning, Nilly.” The scene was so domestic. He hadn’t had anything like this in centuries, not since he was ten and waking up to the smell of his mother’s pancakes.
Pure Vanilla was still mildly concerned about the book, but if the Master of Deceit wanted to keep a secret, it would be kept. He glanced around the room and found a small, silver cart of breakfast foods.
The cart had all his favorites: raspberry cream croissants, scrambled eggs, and blueberry pancakes.
“You went all out,” he turned back to Shadow Milk.
“You haven’t been eating enough lately, so I got whatever you might like to eat,” he gestured to the food. “Today, you will be doing absolutely nothing work related.”
“Really?” Pure Vanilla picked up a croissant and took a small bite. He didn’t quite want to eat, but he knew he should.
“Yep! You haven’t done anything for yourself in who knows how long, and as someone who knows the benefits of self-indulgence, I can hardly let you do that!”
“What if there’s an emergency?” He could barely go a week in the Vanilla Kingdom without something mildly destructive happening.
“You may help only if it’s life or death and someone is in immediate need of healing,” Shadow Milk replied.
“I suppose that’s fair.” Pure Vanilla finished off his croissant. Shadow Milk grinned triumphantly.
“Reached a compromise, have we?” He glanced at Pure Vanilla’s now empty hands. “I hope that’s not all you’re planning on eating. You need something with nutrients.” Even early in the morning, his voice still had that musical cadence. He grabbed a small plate of eggs and handed it to him.
Pure Vanilla sighed and ate the food. Shadow Milk frowned at him. He was mildly concerned; it was rare that he frowned.
“What do you have against food?” The question caught him off guard. Not even one of his fellow Ancients had picked up on his aversion to eating.
“Oh, well,” he paused, fumbling for his words. “I suppose I just dislike eating.” Shadow Milk tilted his head.
“Interesting.” He picked his necromancy book back up. Pure Vanilla eyed it warily.
“Why are you researching that?” It was concerning that someone with such a troubled past was looking into that dark of a topic.
“It’s a surprise,” he hummed. Pure Vanilla sighed.
“Shadow Milk,” he tried again.
“Oh, very well,” the Beast huffed. “I love drama, but it’s quite inconvenient when your lover’s best friend hates you. Besides, Silent Salt Cookie isn’t one I’d like to have as an enemy.”
“Don’t tell me—“ he was cut off.
“Yes, yes,” Shadow Milk rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to bring the butterfly back.” Pure Vanilla wrapped him in a hug.
“That’s wonderful!” He smiled. “I’ll do whatever I can to help. Oh, White Lily will be so excited!”
Pure Vanilla removed the plate of eggs from his lap and nestled into Shadow Milk’s side. He felt a flicker of joy through their Soul Jam.
He found it odd that he was sharing such a sweet moment with someone who had once tried to drive him insane, but love was love, he supposed.