Archive of Our Own ^beta

Despite the way their pregnancies had developed differently throughout the months, when the time finally came for their little ones to come into the world, of course his two beloveds would find a way to sync up and both start the labor process at the same time. Honestly, with all the highs and lows of the last few months, Pure Vanilla really should have seen something like this coming, but he truthfully hadn't. Especially when their due dates were still a couple of weeks away. But their little ones had decided it was time to come out, and so he set to work.

Thankfully for all of them, his work as a shepherd and as a healer throughout the years, had more than prepared him for the challenge ahead. And thanks to his encouragement towards his husbands, plus a bit of help from his hand constructs and a bit of healing magic, the process only took an hour or so for Shadow Milk to be done, and another ten minutes after that for Blueberry Milk to also be done.

It had taken quite a bit of effort from them both, but even sweaty, tired and cranky as they were, his two husbands were the second most beautiful sight he had the pleasure of laying his eyes upon. The honor of first, of course, going to the three crying little baby doughs tenderly wrapped up in the waffle blankets he'd tucked them into, their soft, pudgy little dough still extremely delicate to the touch, requiring some tender care to ensure they were safely cradled, so as not to get hurt. And with all of them tucked into the blankets, he finally returned to his husbands' sides, to carefully set their little ones over their chests, so that both blue cookies could look at the little marvels they'd brought into the world.

One baby dough with his mama's pale blue dough and deep, glittery blue fuzz on his little head, the little boy being gently set atop of Shadow Milk's heaving chest, while the other two little baby doughs were set atop of Blueberry Milk's chest, one of the little girls bearing her father's tan colored dough and the tiniest golden curl on her head, while the other little girl resembled her mama and brother, with pale blue dough and a curl of deep blue fuzz atop her head, squirming and sniffling as she reached out a tiny hand into the air, as if searching or reaching for something.

After a quick checkup to ensure nothing was wrong, a spell to clean himself and his beloveds up, and a final one to change himself into comfortable clothing, Pure Vanilla levitated himself onto the cloud, settling between the two cookies, afraid to even blink as he took in the three little gifts, the little girl's tiny, oh so tiny hand opening and closing in a little fist, searching.

"Just...just look at them. They're so perfect." Blueberry Milk's voice, hoarse from his screams, curses, threats and more, echoed with love and pride, eyes glittering just as much as his counterpart and Pure Vanilla's were.

Shadow Milk's arms cradled his little boy, the infant making little cooing noises as he sniffled at him, "We did this Blue, we did this."

The Healer's voice was soft and tinged with the telltale tremble of emotion as he stared down at the little doughs “You did. You gave birth to our little stars, safely and with no real complications.” carefully, oh so carefully, he helped move the little boy and the tan little girl closer to their mothers' chests, guiding their little faces until the first two found and latched on to the dark blue nipples, beginning to suckle contentedly, though the little blue girl kept fussing and whining quietly, refusing to latch on even with gentle encouragement.

A sight that puzzled the healer, seeing how calm she'd been when in his arms. So after a moment of deliberation, he carefully lifted her up from Blueberry's body, and held her close to his neck as he began to shush her gently, letting her grab onto his finger as he murmured sweet reassurances against the blue fluff on her head. And in a matter of moments, almost like magic, she was cooing quietly as she gripped his finger with her tiny one, the fierce grip of her tiny hand making the man's tears finally fall as he kissed her little head “That's right, your papa's got you little one. There's no need to fuss, I'm right here.”

Shadow Milk and Blueberry Milk shared a look, snickering quietly yet tiredly, turning back to watch, "Truly a little daddy's girl, not even an hour old yet." With a lazy flick of his wrist, shivering as he felt himself emptied from his free breast, a full bottle appearing. "Here love, she still needs to eat after all, and this way, all of us get a chance to experience the first feeding together."

Beaming through his tears Pure Vanilla arranged the little girl before taking the floating bottle, nudging the nipple against her lips, the infant latching onto it immediately.

The entire time, still holding onto his finger, refusing to let go.

And as all three baby doughs began to nurse, the air in the room seemed to lose the remnants of tension from the impromptu birth, leaving a comfortable silence around them, the only noises being the suckling of the little ones, the quiet sniffling of Pure Vanilla as he stared down in besotted adoration at his little daughter, and the breathing of both mothers returning to a neutral state as the frantic rush from the birth slowly but surely faded under the peace of feeling their little ones nursing (they were here, really truly here, so small and delicate, but already with such a healthy glow to their soft doughs. Their beloved little stars.)

"We did this guys...these little beans."

"Our little stars."

Shadow Milk and Blueberry Milk murmured, still in awe, tired exuberance radiating from them.

The feeding went quickly, all three infants each falling asleep still trying to suckle in their sleep, gently freed and cleaned up, swaddled in the plush blankets the jester himself handcrafted. Their little girls, their little son.

As tired as all three were, something still needed to be done. "What should we name them?"

While names had been discussed, more than they ever want to look at again, three immediately came to mind as they looked down at their children with soft looks.

Shadow Milk was the first, looking down at his son, one hand tenderly brushing the little wisp of blue hair, "Star Sprinkle"

"Citrine Swirl." Blueberry Milk brushed his lips over his little girl's hair, "Matches her daddy's lovely gold coloring doesn't she?"

Shadow Milk's reply was a surprisingly soft giggle, as he glanced at the sleeping girl “Yes, yes she does. Almost tone for tone, now that I look at her. Splitting image of her father, she is.”

And through it all, Pure Vanilla just stared down at the little one sleeping in his arms, her little fingers still stubbornly wrapped around his index, with a strength that he hadn't expected from such a tiny delicate form, though he couldn't help but be in awe. And in the brief silence after Shadow Milk's remark, he murmured to himself almost too quiet to hear, as if afraid that if he spoke any louder, he'd somehow wake her "Sapphire Swirl. Our precious little jewel.”

The two mothers leaned further onto their husband, tired, a calm quiet descending upon the little family, staring down at the children, ones they've waited near nine months for.

As he felt his husbands leaning into him, their heads resting on his shoulders, Pure Vanilla smiled, and turned his head to kiss Shadow Milk's head and then Blueberry Milk's own, his voice a soft murmur “Thank you my loves, for persevering through the struggles of these last few months. You've both spent a lot of your energy bringing our little ones into the world, so please, sleep as much as you need, I'll watch over our little ones while you rest and recover your strength.”

It was a testament to how tired the duo were, neither protesting the statement as they turned their faces into the warm neck, eyes slipping shut.

Surrounded by his little sleeping family, safe and warm it took everything in Pure Vanilla to keep from glowing brightly and waking them up, his Soul Jam glittering in his shared euphoria.

He allowed himself several hours to soak in this feeling before deciding to get up to change the infants as well as give both mothers a sponge bath to alleviate the worst of it.

Fluffy dim clouds encircled the babies, lifting them up in their little bundles while he himself got up as careful as he could. Moving himself and the cloud over to the placed changing table he got to work, changing and dressing his children for the first time.

Careful hands unwrapped the little doughs and grabbed warm cloths to clean them up, careful of the little ones' soft, malleable nature, and once clean, they were changed into one of the many onesies they'd been gifted throughout the months by Eternal Sugar and Golden Cheese, the clothing soft and safe from causing any kind of chafing, something that both Shadow and Blueberry had been very adamant on checking, having been worried about their own frail nature passing on to their children. And once the little ones were dressed in their onesies and swaddled in fresh, clean blankets, he set them atop the warmed clouds, to keep them comfy while he worked on cleaning his beloveds as best as he could.

Before actively giving birth the duo had managed to change into just nightgowns of sorts, though in reality was just Pure Vanilla's night robes (both of them adamant about his vanilla scent soothing to them) so it was fairly easy to mostly disrobe the sleeping duo. Working methodically from the many times he had to do similar for patients that couldn't do so themselves he tended to his loves with a warm spongebath, cleaning away any residue from the event that would discomfort them before managing, with the aid of his hand constructs, to change them into fresh clothing.

Blueberry Milk stirred briefly, one eye open and locking onto the healer, the cloud floating right behind him.

To which he got a warm smile and a brief kiss to the forehead, along with a loving murmur “Sleep, dearest. Our children are safe.”

The eye slipped shut without a fight, a little rumble leaving the Fount as he got comfortable once more, falling asleep instantly, secure in the knowledge his family was safe.

With his husband asleep once more, Pure Vanilla carefully laid down once more, and brought the cloud with their little ones closer, so that they'd be nearby should they need anything.

Several minutes later the first tell tale signs of a hungry newborn was the shuffling the healer heard from the cloud, spotting his son beginning to wake, shifting in his swaddle. He moved to pick him up when he froze, spotting his eyes beginning to open.

The realization made his expression soften, as he cradled his little boy in his arms, holding him to his chest as he waited patiently. And the moment that those tiny, tiny eyelids opened, revealing two eyes not unlike his and Blueberry's own, just with the colors inverted, (the little boy's right eye a brilliant azure blue with little hints of indigo, and his left a bright sunflower yellow with flecks of gold), the man's smile widened into something besotted, his voice the quietest of whispers “Hello little one.”

Despite knowing that the little one couldn't truly see right then, his eyes not properly working being so young, he still couldn't help how his heart flipped when those little eyes locked onto his own.

Star Sprinkle's hand flexed onto his blanket, eyes looking around without seeing anything but blobs of color, registered the soft timber vibrating him.

Little noises escaped as the infant turned towards the sound, a hand reaching out to the familiar voice (one that told countless stories through the thin barrier between him and the outside world, Pure Vanilla talking or singing to his unborn children, promising the world to them, to love them always). A little nipple prodded at his son's lips, the bottle of fresh milk (from the countless bottles stored in stasis, fresh and ready to go for whenever the mothers couldn't nurse), the baby suckling greedily.

As the baby began to suckle contentedly, Pure Vanilla silently thought back on the various days when his beloveds complained of sore breasts, their bodies producing more milk than they could comfortably hold. A problem that he'd happily offered to help them with, working with them to drain some of the excess off, resulting in several bottles of milk being filled and put away in stasis in a small pocket dimension, the storage space a courtesy of his husbands' magic prowess. Breastmilk to be used on the days in which they might be too tired to let their little ones nurse, or for if Pure Vanilla himself wanted to feed their children, such as now.

Never had he been so thankful for their tendency to worry and over-prepare for things. For it served him well now, seeing as he didn't want to risk waking his spouses, not when they were sleeping so contentedly. They deserved to rest for as long as possible, and he would do his very best to provide them the chance to keep resting.

Plus, he noted with a bit of satisfaction, it allowed him some one-on-one time with his precious little ones. To just watch them exist, breathing, drinking, and moving around as they slowly but surely began to experience life outside their mothers' wombs. A whole new life to lead, with thousands of little milestones to overcome.

And he would be there for every one of them, if he had his way.

The fates seemed to favor his little family right then, letting him have the alone time with Star Sprinkle to finish his bottle and let out a tiny burp, shuffling against him before falling asleep once more in a milk coma before Citrine Swirl began to stir, little coos and grunts escaping the golden cookie as her brother was placed beside her before warm hands wrapped around and lifted her. Twin blue eyes blinked open slowly, the exact match of one of his own and Blueberry Milk's before the little one began to start to cry, quickly pacified by a fresh bottle and her daddy humming for her. "Shh little one it's alright. There's no need to fuss now is there?"

The nipple against her lips, the rumble of Pure Vanilla's voice speaking softly to her, and the sweetness of the milk all worked together to calm her down as she began to suckle, a tiny hand rising up to rest atop the bottle. And as she drank, she was blissfully unaware of her father's wide eyed stare as he saw her tiny pointed ears wiggling with every deep suck, (just like a nursing baby kitten) the sight making him coo in adoration, his expression one of deep awe and love "Goodness, that is a dangerous amount of cuteness for such a tiny body to wield, little one."

Only registering the loving tone and warmth Citrine Swirl just continued to suckle, ears wiggling every time, unknowing of the way her father recorded the moment with his Soul Jam to show his loves later on, wanting to share this precious little moment.

A sight that both cookies would tear up at seeing, especially with the contented expression in the little cookie's face as she suckled, content in her father's arms. And thankfully, a sight that would become a common sight in the coming months, as the babies nursed from their mamas and from the bottles their father held out for them.

But for now, it was only him and his little daughter, her little form an almost perfect copy of his colors, save for her eyes, a detail that he adored, having hoped that at least one of their children would have his spouses' lovely blue eyes. And to see it in the flesh now, he couldn't help but lean forward to kiss the center of her little forehead, murmuring against her soft dough "Thank you for having your mama's eyes, they suit you perfectly my little sun."

A slight flutter under his lips had him pull back with surprise, only for his eyes to widen when he saw, right in the middle of her little forehead, (right where Blueberry and himself had their own marks)... There was now a little blue eye staring up at him with a fuzzy pupil, the same exact shade of blue as the two eyes he'd just been admiring.

Blinking in surprise, he watched the little eye go half lidded alongside the other two as his daughter began to slow down her suckling, clearly starting to lose the fight against her full tummy, before she let go of the nipple, leaving only a few more gulps of milk behind, and yawned, eyes closing with the motion, and absolutely melting her papa's soft heart into a little puddle of goo, as his open eyes began to glimmer with building tears, the two eyes on his own cheeks opening up in a subconscious mirror of hers, as he murmured "Goodness, you truly do take after me in appearance in more ways than one, don't you?"

A very lethargic blink was his answer as his daughter gave into the call of sleep, surrounded by warmth and her full tummy. Another gentle kiss against the hidden eyelid before she was placed onto her cloud bed beside her brother after giving a little burp. Seeing the beginning waking of his final child, his youngest daughter, he got her bottle ready and lifted her up, cuddling her close. Before she could even begin to fuss he nudged her lips with a bottle, instantly latching on with a little warble noise, her eyes fluttering open, causing him to chuckle seeing a mirror of Blueberry Milk's gold eyes staring up at him, the little one giving a wriggle in her swaddle when she spotted his coloring.

And in response, all four of his eyes crinkled in response to her joy, as he softened his tone “Hello little one. It's good to see you awake and hungry.” hearing his voice the little girl gave another wiggle, before falling still, content with laying in her papa's arms and suckling from the bottle, her little hand rising from the blanket to rest over the fabric of his nightshirt, clinging to him instead of her blanket, though she wasn't consciously aware of it.

Just as her big sister and brother did before her it wasn't long before her little full tummy began enticing her to sleep though her father could see her being stubborn, jerking every time her eyes slipped shut, sucking several times in rapid succession as her gaze locked onto his own.

The healer just chuckled, taking the empty bottle from her and beginning to rub his blue daughter's little tummy, "I'm not going anywhere, I'll be right where you can find me, always my little one."

The gentle coaxing and voice worked to soothe her, and soon enough she was giving a noisy burp, before her golden eyes began to close as her little hand let go of his shirt, to instead reach for the thing at her tummy, and try to grab on, something that the blond allowed, feeling her tiny hand wrap around his finger and tug, bringing his hand closer to her face. And as he moved to gently cradle her chubby cheek, he was greeted with the wondrous sight of his little daughter leaning into his warm palm and finally close her eyes, apparently content with having his hand near her.

"That's one of the most precious sights I've ever seen." Pure Vanilla glanced over at the source of the soft tone, Shadow Milk's blue eyes half lidded, a smile on his face as he watched the other tend to their youngest daughter. "Truly daddy's little girl that one."

Smile softening, Pure Vanilla brushed the chubby cheek with a thumb, as he murmured “Yes, it certainly seems that way, though I'm not complaining. She's too precious for words and we both know it.” gently kissing her head, he shifted to lay back down on the bed between his husbands, with the baby girl still over his chest, her little unyielding grip keeping him from setting her down beside her siblings.

The still sleeping Fount curled into his husband's heat, nuzzling him slowly as he breathed deep and steady, lost to dreamland. The Jester wasn't much better though denied going back to sleep. "Just worn down from the birth Nilly but I'm ok otherwise. I didn't pop out two like sleeping beauty over there." The jab just had his husband chuckle quietly, not wanting to disturb their daughter. Shadow Milk's gaze softened even more watching her breathe before turning to the other two, listening as Pure Vanilla said he had just fed and changed them both. "Ah ok, been a few hours then? Judging by the dawn's light it has."

A twitch of his will had magic enveloping the two sleeping babies, bringing them over to rest on his chest pillowed comfortably by their swaddle and his soft robes. "Look at them Nilla, I can't believe they're finally here...you hear me? Especially you, little Sprinkle. Can't use my bladder for practicing your kicks now can you." Looking down at his son, their oldest child, the Beast Cookie carefully ran his finger over the wispy dark blue hair, seeing the itty bitty stars glitter. "Look at you, such lovely dark hair like the night sky...what were his eyes like love?" And after being told he couldn't help but chuckle, "Truthfully I'm not surprised, they were my original eye color after all, add in yours well, as I said not surprised."

The blond chuckled as he gazed at the sleeping babies "I was a little surprised to see his eyes were a literal mirror of ours, but I suppose it fits him. And sets him apart from his sisters, especially considering they each have one solid color to their eyes." Expression falling a bit, he brushed a thumb against Sapphire Swirl's chubby cheek "Though I hope they don't inherit my bad eyesight. They deserve to see the world in all its beauty."

"If they do love there's ways around it. The Orchid Staff you created for example." Shadow Milk watched his daughter lean into her father's touch with a little smile, "Blue and I can start doing some research as well, see if we can come up with something. The former and current Founts of Knowledge should be able to come up with an aid if it's needed, alright? We're kinda smart that way. But I wouldn't worry too much Nilly. For now all they got to worry about is growing healthy and happy, both of which we will help them with."

'Yawn' "The fact they ate as much as I assume shows no issues with their early birth, they're just smaller than what they would have been." Thick with sleep Blueberry Milk's voice notified them both he was awake.

Turning his face to look at the scholar, Pure Vanilla smiled and kissed the other's cheek, his tone soft "Hello love." pulling back he smiled softly "Despite their smaller size and their delicate dough from being born a little earlier than expected, our little ones are very healthy, all things considered. My magic doesn't sense anything wrong with their bodies, though I might ask Wheaty if she has a moment to stop by, so she can give me a second opinion later, just to make sure."

Both of his husbands agreed with that, the conversation pausing at a soft knock on the door.

The disturbance had all three turning to it in attention, the blue cookies' hairs flaring a bit in surprise, the eyes hidden within staring intently at the door, before Pure Vanilla spoke up "Who is it?"

From the other side of the door, the cheery, bright voice of Gingerbrave called out "It's us dad! We wanted to ask if you, pops and papa were awake, and if you wanted to have breakfast with us?"

Just then Wizard spoke up, his tone one of scholarly seriousness "Sous Chef Cookie made a really nice smelling meal, but if you can't come eat, we can bring the food to you. Pops and Papa especially need the extra nutrients and protein, and seeing as they're getting close to their due date, it's probably best that they don't skip any meals."

In the brief silence that followed, Strawberry spoke up in a slight hopeful tone "Can we come in? Or do you want to be left alone? We can go if now is not a good time."

All three shared a look before smiling, his husbands nodding at Pure Vanilla before he began helping Blueberry Milk sit up, placing their third child in his arms while Shadow Milk turned back to the door. "Actually, could you three come in? Please be quiet, ok? And shut the door behind you."

On the other side of the door the siblings shared a confused, concerned look before nodding, Wizard Cookie casting a quick spell to keep the light from going in before the three made their way inside, the door shutting behind them.

It took a second for their gazes to adjust but when they saw the trio in bed they were about to apologize and leave...until they registered the three little bundles on all their chests.

"Is..is that?" "Oh my Stars..." "...." Gingerbrave couldn't even speak, hands over his mouth as he did a little hop side to side.

Smiling warmly at his kids, Pure Vanilla nodded to them, before gesturing with his head to the little bundles in their arms "It's alright, you can come closer. Just be mindful of your volume, as they've only just now fallen asleep, and we'd like them to stay as such."

And with the permission given the three teens began to quietly walk closer, their eyes taking in the three adults, noting how each was holding a little wafer bundle in their arms, revealing the sleeping faces of the three little doughs sleeping soundly in their swaddles.

And in the silence that fell upon them, Strawberry murmured with happy tears in her eyes "They're so tiny."

"A little premature, so they will be a bit smaller and more delicate for a bit until their dough hardens." Blueberry Milk smiled, angling his daughter for Strawberry to see.

With permission from their parents the trio climbed onto the bed to cuddle with them, making room for them to see and join them.

Wizard was awed at little Star Sprinkle, Gingerbrave was besotted by Sapphire Swirl just like his father was and Strawberry couldn't help her cooing at little Citrine Swirl.

"Would you like to try to hold your baby siblings children?" Blueberry Milk's question had the Brave Trio all look up at him, surprised and hopeful, causing him to chuckle, "C'mon then Strawberry dear, scootch up next to me-that's right. Now here's a pillow to help you support her, remember how we said that babies can't support their necks at first?"

"Y-yes, you have to help them so they don't hurt themselves." Strawberry let her arms be adjusted, the pillow soft yet firm under her elbow as she was situated, her brothers being helped by their other parents. She couldn't help but stiffen when Citrine was placed in her arms, the little waffle cone blanket dwarfing the infant.

Blueberry Milk chuckled, helping his eldest daughter hold her infant sister. "Relax dear, we're all right here, you're doing wonderfully. See? You're supporting her head just fine."

From the other side of Shadow Milk, Wizard muttered “They're so small. And pudgy. Are all baby doughs this squishy when they're born? Or just yours?”

The Beast Cookie chuckled, "All baby dough baked this way are normally yes, though ours are a little bit more so, due to being born a few weeks earlier, it just means they got a little catching up to do. But don't worry, soon you'll have took up to them pipsqueak." A tendril from the jester messed with Wizard Cookie's hat, the child humphing as he leaned into the other looking down at the little infant.

From his place nestled against Pure Vanilla's side, GingerBrave whispered “So young, but they already look so much like you... It's incredible.”

"I'd be very put out if they looked like say, Dark Cacao and Burning Spice. In fact I'd have quite a few questions that would need answering." Blueberry Milk snickered, watching as the infants all shuffled closer to the warmth provided from their older siblings, making a mental note about that.

It was very likely that due to the constitution of himself and Shadow Milk all the infants would be colder than normal, or would just get colder, something he had secretly worried about and had hoped they'd take after their husband.

"What a-are their names?" The hoodied cookie asked, the trio listening as the parents revealed each name in turn, etching it in their minds to never forget their baby siblings.

Gingerbrave smiled down at his baby sister, letting her hold his finger in his sleep, feeling how soft her dough was compared to his own, "They're all perfect for them guys, you did great."

Pure Vanilla's smile was soft as he murmured “Yes, we thought they fit well.”

From his side, Shadow Milk gave a smirk as he spoke in a playful tone aimed at the children “You should feel very lucky, you know? You're the very first cookies beyond us three to look at our tiny masterpieces. Not even my two gremlins know of them yet.”

"Really?" "No way!" "We're the first one Pops?" The children couldn't help their excited whispers looking over at the Beast Cookie, Shadow Milk snickering as he nodded, "Yeah kiddos you're the first. They were born about 6 hours ago."

The soft chatter continued, the children asking question after question about their new siblings that the trio answered patiently (somewhat affectionately snarky in the case of Shadow Milk) when Gingerbrave let out a little gasp, looking downwards.

A pair of golden eyes were staring up at him.

His surprised noise had the others turning to look, and upon seeing the little girl awake, their smiles softened as they watched her give a tiny yawn, her little face still having a few remnants of sleep.

And seeing that, GingerBrave lowered his voice, even as his smile widened a bit with happiness “Hello Sapphire Swirl. I'm your big brother, GingerBrave. Welcome to our little family.”

The little girl looked back up at Gingerbrave and at her father smiling at her over his shoulder. Sapphire Swirl wriggled a little, freeing her hand, placing it on her big brother's chest. Her attention was taken by the teen as she locked gazes with him once more.

"Keep talking to her GingerBrave...though I'm a little surprised she hasn't started fussing yet. She was very adamant that her father hold her earlier." Blueberry Milk chuckled, explaining how the baby began to cry until Pure Vanilla cuddled her.

The tale had all the children staring at the baby in curiosity, before Gingerbrave did as told, and began to talk softly to her, telling her about himself, Wizard and Strawberry, all while the adults watched on, bemused by the sight of the little infant being so still as she was held by the teen.

Only for Shadow Milk to grin, as he whispered to the Sage "Seems like she has a favorite sibling now too."

Wizard Cookie pouted at that, impossible to see though, and playfully reached his hand over in offer to the infant.

The effect was near immediate, Sapphire Swirl scrunching up her nose at the strange thing in front of her, something that had the teen quickly retract his hand while Pure Vanilla offered his youngest daughter his own, immediately calming her as she turned back to GingerBrave.

And in the face of that, Wizard mumbled "Wow you weren't kidding. I thought she was about to wail because of that."

Tucking the other close to his side his Shadow Milk chuckled, relaxing "So did we kiddo. Preferably we'd rather them not wake each other crying but it's bound to happen."

"For now, we'll try reducing those chances as much as possible. And learn how to deal with the chaos along the way." the fount said with a smile, as he kissed the top of Strawberry's head, and murmured "You're doing wonderful Strawberry. Do you want me to take her?"

"No, she doesn't w-weigh all that much. And with the pillow, m-my arms are supported too. I'm okay."

"Very well, but do let me know if that changes."

"So what now?"

"Now." Blueberry Milk smiled at their eldest "We cuddle a little longer until her siblings wake up, we change them then prepare for the upcoming announcements that need done. The news of the Prince and Princesses being born will be cause for several kingdom celebrations,  the Heroes and Beasts need to be alerted, that sort of thing."

in reply Wizard's visible eye widened as he realized "Oh, and we also need to bring you breakfast! That was the whole point of us coming here!"

His other two siblings blinked, before their own eyes widened, Gingerbrave turning to his parents "Oh right, we were coming to have breakfast with you."

As if in mocking, twin loud rumbles were heard from the jester's and scholar's bellies, betraying their empty stomachs.

Pure Vanilla chuckled, saying that they would love breakfast and to make sure to bring something very healthy for the two mothers as their bodies would need it.

After carefully handing the infants over the trio raced out to do as bid, the Fount pouting a little. "Pure Vanilla really? Some jelly pancakes would be perfectly fine."

In reply the healer just chuckled "The kiddos said that Sous Chef Cookie made a meal for us, and I trust in their skills. And if after the meal you're still hungry, I'm sure we can convince them to make you both whatever treat you're in the mood for. Plus." The healer leaned over, brushing his lips first against his Fount then against his Beast. "You two want to make the best milk for our little ones right? That requires a healthy, full diet for you both. You've done so good these last several months."

The two pouted for only a moment more, before they huffed, and nuzzled him, their arms still holding their little ones close "Fine, but you're treating us to a fancy dessert after."

"I agree with him, dessert or no more kisses for you for the next several hours."

The fact that the two had recently given birth, and the whirlwind of emotions that they had been subjected to prior and during, Pure Vanilla was more than sure that the two fully meant their threat and would pull through with it, or worse.

Their nuzzling was interrupted by the infants beginning to fuss, signifying meal time would need to be now or there would be heck to pay. A few blankets were summoned, gotten for just this occasion, carefully placed over the infants and the mothers who began to nurse their children just as the Brave trio returned.

"Come in children, it's alright. Your siblings were just hungry, but if this sort of thing bothers you you don't need to stay." Blueberry Milk called over at the teens upon them realizing what was going on, not wanting to interrupt or make their parents uncomfortable.

The trio seemed to hesitate, before they glanced at each other, and then stepped further into the room, carrying trays of food with them, Gingerbrave smiling happily "We don't mind, we're just happy to see our little siblings eating."

Setting his tray down on one of the platforms Pure Vanilla had summoned for them, Wizard gestured to the pot of stew in his tray "And so do you. Giving birth is a very strenuous process, and you both need lots of good food to recover from the ordeal."

Wizard shared a confused look at his siblings when Pure Vanilla burst out laughing at the pouting mothers, both of them huffing at their husband but smiling at their son. "Thank you Wizard, just ignore your father. You're very right, though our hands are a little full. Would you like to try the constructs your father has been teaching you to give us a little hand?"

Wizard looked delighted at a chance to try, Shadow Milk chuckling, inwardly pleased at his little revenge against the now pouting healer, watching his third youngest focus. Slowly, hand constructs began to form, not quite as refined as the Vanilla King's own, but a far cry from his first attempts. His siblings cheered quietly when the two bowls of stew were lifted, a full spoon hovering before the two.

And with twin proud smiles, the two blue cookies leaned forward slightly to wrap their mouths around the spoons, humming in delighted surprise at the creamy, savory taste of the vegetable stew, the delicious food instantly quieting their reservations about healthy food, and igniting their hunger anew, prompting both to speak in unison

"More." 

Only for Blueberry Milk to flush a bit, and add "Please. it tastes really good." while Shadow Milk just grinned and shrugged with an unapologetic look on his face "I just gave birth six hours ago, I deserve to be fed while I feed my own little gremlin."

The children all snorted at that, Pure Vanilla rolling his eyes as he began helping his son feed his husbands, booping Shadow Milk to be more polite to their child. The other pouted but the promise and immediate delivery of more delicious soup had him behaving.

Together the family ate their meal, eventually the infants finished their meals, being taken out carefully as the duo mothers covered them up. Pure Vanilla set his food to the side, taking his daughter while all three parents began to burp the babies, the teens watching fascinated, having never seen baby Cookies up close.

And through it all, Pure Vanilla explained what they were doing, and the reasons why it was needed, the children listening with rapt fascination as they watched each of the little doughs burp one by one, before finally settling in the arms of their respective parents, seemingly at ease now that they had been fed and burped.

"So they just, do that? Eat, burp and sleep?" Wizard leaned closer to Sapphire Swirl, watching curiously.

His sister giggled, "Yeah Wizard. They're still growing and that takes a l-lot of work, so they just eat and sleep for a while."

"How do you know that Strawberry?"

"Because I read those books with Pops and Papa."

The little 'ohhhh' that left the magician had his siblings giggle at him, the parents watching amused and at ease. They were all safe, full, and together, their babies looking around the room and world in the intrigue only an infant could do, everything completely brand new, exciting, attention grabbing.

A sight that was wholly adorable, though even more cute, was seeing Star Sprinkle reach a tiny hand up for Shadow Milk's face, something that the jester allowed, the blue eyes on his star-speckled hair staring at the little cookie with hearts as he murmured, feeling the tiny palm bat at his cheek "Curious one, aren't you? Even though you're so small and fragile?" the little boy just blinked at him, before the second little hand was rising up as well to bat gently at his mama's lips, prompting the jester to laugh softly "Would you look at that. So small, and already exploring the world around him. Do we have a little scholar in the making?"

On the other side from Pure Vanilla, Blueberry Milk stared as his blonde daughter opened the third eye on her forehead, blinking at him slowly in the same way Shadow Milk's hair eyes (and his own constellation eyes, though he wasn't aware of that fact) blinked slowly at Pure Vanilla and himself when the Beast was fully relaxed and happy, a subconscious gesture of love that he and Vanilla had long since learned to recognize. And to see it in his little daughter as she stared up at him from his arms? He felt his eyes water, and his smile soften "Stars above, you really do look just like your father little one."

From Pure Vanilla's arms, Sapphire Swirl wiggled to get more comfortable, before she pressed her little face to his soft pajama shirt, one of her tiny hands coming up to grasp at the fabric as she settled down, content with her dad's scent and warmth enveloping her.

And so the little family stayed, Gingerbrave being the only one to leave, briefly, to tell Custard Cookie that, for the rest of the day, he was in charge and that a huge announcement would be coming soon and to not disturb the family for the remainder of the day.

Child he may be, Custard could still read between the lines, the little 'King' near jumping in joy as he realized what happened before promising to do as told, racing off to handle everything.

Their first day together was spent just doting on the little ones, getting to know them and letting them experience each one of their family members, though it was already becoming perfectly clear who the infants would prefer.

Star Sprinkle seemed to enjoy running his fingers over everyone's faces, learning through touch much like Pure Vanilla loved to do with his husbands, making tiny noises as he did so, almost like he was talking to himself in little grunts. Citrine Swirl was a wriggle worm, content for a moment before moving around, discovering her arms and legs as she did so. Sapphire Swirl was the quietest of the three, content as could be to be in her father's arms though she also spent time in everyone elses’, seeming to love Gingerbrave's the most right after the King.

As the hours passed, the group watched each of the little ones slowly but surely begin to show their personalities as they grew more aware of the outside world beyond their parents' arms, something that would become even more obvious as they grew up. But for the time being,those little glimpses of personality had the mothers teary eyed, and the older siblings watching in gleeful curiosity.

And by the time sunset was approaching, Pure Vanilla excused himself to go find Mystic Rice Flour, knowing that, out of all the Heroes and Beasts, she was the one he could trust the most with his little ones' first outside interaction. Plus, he knew she would want to examine the little ones once she was made aware they had been born.

He found her in one of the tea rooms of his castle, sipping on some jasmine tea while looking through one of the windows, watching Haetae Cookie run around and play with the other little cookies, the sight bringing a tiny smile to her face, glad to see her little self-appointed guardian relaxing and playing around.

A knock on the door had her turning in that direction, her eyes closed serenely as she heard Pure Vanilla's voice call out “Wheaty, do you have a moment?”

"Hm? Extract, this is a surprise. You've been glued to the hips of your husbands these last several days." Setting her cup down she gave the other her full attention, noting with worry his darkened circles under his eyes. "Have those two kept you up again? I can give you more tea to rest, it should help."

Chuckling, the man shook his head as he stepped closer to her table “There's no need, I promise I'm perfectly fine. More than fine even. But I *do* have a request to make of you, if now's not bad time?”

"Request? But of course, what can I aid you with?"

At her agreement, his expression softened, and he held out a hand to her, nervous hope on his face, the very same expression as when he'd asked her if she'd be the maid of honor at his and Blueberry's wedding, oh so long ago “Would you come with me, and meet your new nieces and nephew?”

Her smile in place as she slipped her hand into his Mystic Rice Flour was about to reply when his question caught up to her, pale eyes widening as her jaw dropped slightly, "My-my new nieces and nephew? They're here? They were born? And you didn't call me immediately you numbskull Cookie?!" Lightly batting his head with her hand she began tugging him along, marching with purpose. "Of all the moronic things, and you've done some truly worthwhile ones, you didn't call me for aid? Don't you speak when I'm asking you a question! Of course you didn't you were so focused on them that it would have slipped your mind. Obviously they're safe and healthy as are my brothers or you wouldn't have waited so long..." And the tirade continued as the elder pulled the younger along, muttering to herself.

The scolding, while warranted, only caused the man to relax and smile brightly, the eyes on his cloak going half lidded with teary pupils, even as he willingly sped up his pace to match hers, letting her lead him as she ranted, before he gently took over after a few minutes and began to lead the way to the room, hearing the children's voices speaking softly with his two husbands as he knocked on the door “I'm back, and I've got-”

“Move Extract, I need to check on them.” without waiting for Pure Vanilla's reply, Mystic Rice Flour carefully pushed the door open and stepped through, speed walking towards the bed where the two adults, three teens and three baby doughs snugly wrapped in wafer blankets were, her pale eyes taking everything in, from the surprised and slightly amused smiles on the two adults' faces as they each held a tiny baby dough in their arms, to the wide eyed looks of the kids as they all huddled together, GingerBrave clearly having been in the middle of feeding the baby blue cookie in his arms with a bottle of milk, the blue and gold eyes of the littlest cookie being half lidded in sleepy contentment as suckling noises were heard.

Something the woman mentally made note of ’At least they've got a good latch, even sleepy as they currently are. That's good news for their development.’ "Well then, Pure Vanilla has kindly informed me that my big brothers both gave birth." Clapping her hands lightly she enveloped the two free children, playfully rolling them in the air on flour clouds as she moved over. "Come now, let me see my baby nieces and nephews, it's time for a check up over their health brothers. Though I'm extremely pleased by their colors and yours, a lovely healthy glow to all of you. Who wants to go first hmm? How about this handsome little cookie in Gingerbrave's arms?"

Voice lowering to a soft cant she pulled a chair over to see better, her dough practically glowing at seeing the babies. "My look at you, such a handsome little cookie in your big brother's arms. Just as your sisters are little beauties that I can already tell, take after their own big sister and mothers don't they? Yes they do-oh look at that grip, so strong." Letting her finger be held by the little boy Mystic Rice Flour continued her exam, her magic gently washing over the infants, checking their health and status while a scroll appeared next to her, noting down everything such as height, weight, and anything of note.

And by the time she was done, she had a soft smile on her face “Premature they might be, but beyond being a little smaller and with more delicate dough than normal babies, they are in remarkably good health. Their grip is strong, and they're moving around perfectly fine, especially the blond little girl. She will probably be a ball of energy when she grows older.”

All three parents relaxed at that, breathing a sigh of relief, especially Pure Vanilla who had been the most worried about one of his children inheriting his poor sight. "Thank you Rice." "Yeah, thanks Flour." The twins said smiling at their younger sister, the gesture returned.

"But of course, it is my pleasure you three. Now then, you all rest. I will be going out into the market at dawn's light to get some supplements that the both of you and the three little ones will need to take, a boost in vitamins for all of you. The little ones will take it when they are not directly nursing from you but it also wouldn't affect them negatively if they take them and nurse while you are also taking them. It'll also help with your energy levels, you both are a little lower than I'd like but given you just did give birth, this is normal. Extract. Keep them on bedrest for at least a few more days, but let them walk around when needed to a chair or couch. I also recommend at least in ten minute increments to be outside in the sunshine, letting the infants soak it in their dough, it'll help them get crispy, but no more than that with a several hour window, and never during the peak of noon."

Straightening up, Pure Vanilla nodded “Yes ma'am, you have my word.”

From the side, the kids smiled, GingerBrave asking “Is there anything we can do to help as well Aunt Flour?”

Mystic Rice Flour's smile softened, reaching over to carefully ruffle the teen's hair (something she had been working on being comfortable to do for months). "Be there for your parents, and do as you are doing now. It'll be important for the triplets to be around others, to develop as they should. While they of course, don't understand anything, they do understand emotions, all infants can. Talk to them, read to them, even if its nonsense or about your day or your adventures. For the time being however you must be gentle with them, their dough is very soft, which is why sunlight will be important for them. In about a month and a half they should be up to their correct weight and everything as normal. Let them practice their grip on your fingers, and don't be alarmed if they try to stick your finger in their mouth it's how they learn for now."

At the advice, the kids nodded "We'll be careful, don't worry. And we'll teach them about all the cool things we've seen and heard about."

"I know you will." Brushing against each of their cheeks the priestess leaned back, pleased. "Well then I shall take my leave and return to check on them in a week's time unless I am summoned...and brothers, Extract? Don't forget that you must announce the birth soon, not only to the Kingdom, but to the others." Lips twitching, the closest she'd get to a smirk dancing across her face. "I am very pleased that I am the first of the group however."

In reply all three adults smiled, with Pure Vanilla speaking for them "Of course. Not only are you the greatest healer in the land beside me, but you've also been a huge help in helping us get ready for our little ones' arrival. Of course we'd tell you first."

From the bed, Shadow Milk grinned "It also doesn't hurt that you're one of the less rowdy of all our friends and siblings. You don't bombard us with questions like Eternal Rose Sugar and Hollyberry would, nor are you the type to try to force your way closer to look at them like Burning Paprika Spice or Golden Cheese would. Aside from these medium sized gremlins we call our kids, you were the next safest first meeting for our little ones. So of course we'd get you to look at them first."

"Good, now then, get some rest, plan on what you need to do, and if anything happens just send a bird to me Extract?" Sighing out the last bit, exasperated but fond, giving her brothers and brother-in-law a kiss on their cheeks before leaving the little family to themselves.

And in her absence, the adults sighed, and turned to each other with rueful smiles "Well, we should get started on figuring out how we want to announce this to our friends, and what order to do it in, shouldn't we?"

"Well age is typically how it's done no?" Blueberry Milk asked, smiling when Wizard began lecturing his father about how it was typically done when introducing heirs to the various Kingdoms, which then brought up the question on which child was heir of what.

Something that the healer shook his head at “It is too early to decide the succession order. I'd like to see what their natural aptitudes are, before we assign future roles to our little ones. That way they can flourish in a role they're suited for, instead of having to put up appearances for the public like their mothers once had to. But that can wait for later. Right now, all that they and us have to focus on, is getting them to grow up healthy, safe, and happy.”

"Love I didn't mean we have to decide their entire future right here and now. I meant age as in we will introduce them according to their ages." Blueberry Milk snickered at the flustered look his husband gave, Shadow Milk's cackle muffled as best as he could.

Gingerbrave snickered at his father as well as his siblings, "Don't worry Dad we're not going to force them to do anything they don't want.  And if they don't wanna do it for awhile? Well me Wizard and Strawberry got them covered too."

The trio parents all smiled at their three eldest, knowing that they would do whatever they could for their baby siblings. "We know you trouble makers will handle any challenge for them. You did it for your Dad against me after all." Shadow Milk teased, nuzzling Wizard and knocking his hat over with a snicker. "We know they're in good hands."

Grumbling a bit, but not moving to pull away, Wizard rolled his visible eye and huffed "Of course they will be. We take care of our own, even when our own act like uncouth gremlins."

The remark had Shadow Milk gasping in mock affront and pulling back as if wounded "Me? An uncouth gremlin?" then just as quickly he grinned wide, his fanged grin in full display as he let out a cackle "What a compliment, this is why you're my favorite, Wiz."

His siblings snorted while Wizard Cookie blushed, attempting to hide in his robes. "Pops! Stop that!"

Delighted by the child's embarrassment, Shadow Milk just continued to cackle, the eyes in his starry, midnight blue/black hair nearly closed with the force of his mirth, Blueberry Milk rolling his eyes and using his own indigo and royal blue starry hair to whack the back of the Beast's head, making Shadow Milk's laughter shift to giggles as he tried to glare at him, but being unable to fully stop "Hey, what was that about?"

"Your cackling is going to wake the little ones, lower your volume or I'll gag you myself. Or better yet, we'll make you deal with all three crying babies at the same time." The glint given to the Beast from the Virtue was downright evil, the others shivering though laughing quietly at the look Shadow Milk gave his twin, a glaring pout.

For a moment neither replied, but then Shadow Milk huffed, and grumbled halfheartedly as he looked away, though a few of the eyes in his hair betrayed him by staring at Blueberry Milk with upturned shapes, clearly fond “And they call me the Beast, when there's this kind of evil threats being lobbed around? Unbelievable.”

"Well you had to get it from somewhere."

As the duo began snacking back and forth, playful jabs all the while, Pure Vanilla couldn't help his fond sigh, the children giggling again. Gingerbrave glanced down at a wriggle in his arms, Sapphire Swirl glancing around watching the chaos unfold before turning back to him.

"Hey there Sapphire, did we wake you up?" Her big brother murmured softly to her, smiling, eyes crinkling as he did so. The infant merely stared up at him before wriggling, her head angled to his chest and began listening to his heart beat. A slow blink followed as she clenched her hand repeatedly, looking down and spotting his button, reaching for it.

And just as her little palm rested on his button, he shifted so that he could support her body with one arm and his leg folded up against his chest, his other hand freeing itself from under her, to instead rest on her tiny hand, and gently pull it back with a hesitant smile “Careful, that one is important Saph.”

The infant glanced up at him, a tiny huff escaping as she turned back to the item in question, tugging her hand free and resting on it once more.

'What if she gets scared? What if it causes her to not want to be around me?' Gingerbrave's thoughts began to spiral, form tensing before a clawed hand rested on his arm, Shadow Milk giving the child a kind, knowing smile.

"It's ok...I've learned that children, young as they are, can be extremely loving and kind, when we struggle to do that for ourselves."

The eldest child nodded, a little scared, freezing when he felt the button removed, the illusion that hid his scarring from escaping the Witch clear to see. Sapphire Swirl stared up at her big brother, seeing the changes from the crisp dark brown dough he had had, lined and marred by burn marks and scars from being grabbed bitten.

A soft little hand began to run with a feather light touch over them, her big brother unmoving, only to release tears that plopped onto her blanket when the little infant leaned forward, brushing her lips over the nastiest mark on his chest, resting her head there and looking up at him.

And in the face of such a gentle touch and no sign of fear or discomfort from his baby sister, the boy couldn't help but close his eyes and lean down to rest his cheek against her tiny head, crying and speaking through a trembling voice full of emotion "Thank you. So much." 'For not being afraid of me.'

The little family all smiled, Wizard and Strawberry crying on behalf of their brother, knowing his pain and his fears their own matching perfectly. Pure Vanilla had been helping them all heal as best as he could with such old wounds, helping Wizard with his depth perception from a missing eye, while Blueberry Milk and Shadow Milk had been conversing a lot with replacing the missing dough from Strawberry's jaw.

The trio had been terrified to reveal everything but their parents loved them all the more, promising to help them as best as they could.

Shadow Milk bonded the most due to their shared scarring from Witches, quietly showing his to his children. It helped soothe a deep part of the four, to talk about shared trauma from those events to someone that understood.

Someone who wouldn't think less of them for their fears and trauma responses, or give them pity for their missing pieces and damaged dough. Someone who would look at them, battered and bruised, and still smile all the same, providing support and understanding. Something that brought them all some relief. Relief, for the fact that they didn't have to pretend to be fine when they were not.

In return, Shadow Milk got security, acceptance and understanding of his own. From someone who knew the torment and pain of the Witches first hand, who he didn't have to pretend or wear a mask around.

He's lost count of the amount of times he's woken from a nightmare only to seek out the childrens' presence, or them in turn for him. Many times Pure Vanilla would seek him out in worry, waking up during the night with one spouse missing, only to find him curled protectively with the children, his tendril hair around them holding them close.

All of them huddled up in one of the children's rooms, often due to an errant nightmare.

Though looking at them now, all crying in happiness at the sight of the tiny girl looking up at the brave child, the future didn't seem so bleak anymore. Not when faced with the unconditional love of such a precious little dough.

While the coming days would be busy, the announcements needing to be done, meeting with their fellow Beasts and Heroes, all of that could wait.

Right now, their little family was whole, safe and sound. The three parents snuggled with the elder trio, each one holding an awake, snuggling infant looking up at them with adoration and trust.

The coming years would be full of trouble and mischief, good and bad, but right now, all was well with the world.