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“Come on, Silverbell. This is your favorite! At least take a sip.…”
Silverbell took a break from his moping to look over at his friend Sugarfly. December 31st had arrived, and Silverbell had planned to spend it with his boyfriend. Then two weeks ago, Mercurial Knight told Silverbell that they were better off just friends. So here he was on New Year's Eve, with no New Year's kiss.
Silverbell tried to drink a bit of his strawberry daiquiri, but after a tiny swallow he put it back down. “Not thirsty,” he pouted. Sugarfly rolled her eyes, but didn't push him further. Silverbell appreciated her effort, really! She'd skipped out on spending the night with the rest of the Silver Tree Knights, since Mercurial was going to be there and she didn’t want to leave Silverbell by himself. Instead they went to a different club on what felt more like a pity date than an outing between friends, but Silverbell hadn't said that yet because he didn't want to seem ungrateful. Now the two of them sat at the bar with their drinks, trying to talk over the party going on around them.
“Silverbell, I know you really liked him, but you've got to move on at some point,” Sugarfly pointed. “It’s New Year's Eve! Smile!”
Silverbell just sighed, and Sugarfly shook her head. “I'm gonna go look at the menu to see if there's anything good. When I come back, I want to see you fix your face!”
“Sure,” Silverbell answered, and just like that, he was just as alone as he felt.
Not for long, though.
“Mind if I sit here~?” a smooth, deep voice beside him asked. Silverbell turned to look at who it was, and his eyes went wide. Staring back was one of the prettiest men Silverbell had ever seen. This cookie was tall with dark hair that covered one eye, and Silverbell was quite sure there was gold glitter in it. His dough was purple, and his white eyeliner made his black and purple eyes pop. He wore a sleek black suit with a violet undershirt, and a white rose was pinned to his chest. The outfit was completed with black pants and purple heels.
The stranger smirked. “If you're done checking me out, I did ask you a question,” he reminded him. With a squeak, Silverbell nodded, and the newcomer sat down on the seat on Silverbell's other side from where Sugarfly was at. The stranger's gaze flicked to the margarita that she had left. “Are you with someone?” he asked.
“A friend,” Silverbell answered quickly without thinking.
“Good. I'd hate to distract such a handsome faerie if he's on a date.”
Silverbell blinked. “Aren't you with someone?”
“Is that surprising?”
“I just… wouldn't think someone like you would have trouble getting a date.”
Realizing how that sounded, Silverbell clapped a hand to his mouth. But the stranger just laughed, and oh, what a sound it was. “Think I'm too pretty to be by myself on New Year's Eve? Got dumped two days ago. Tragic, no?”
Silverbell looked back down at his drink. “You too, huh?”
“Don't tell me we're in the same boat.”
“Guess so.”
Another laugh from the purple cookie, but Silverbell couldn't feel mad about it. In fact, he finally smiled and finally took another sip of his daiquiri. He watched as the cookie flagged down the bartender and ordered a drink of his own. Once a glass of champagne was placed in front of him, he turned back to Silverbell and propped his head up on his fist with his elbow on the counter. “I almost forgot to introduce myself! Black Sapphire, at your service.”
The faerie's smile grew. What a pretty name. “I'm Silverbell,” he responded.
“Silverbell… I like it.”
Silverbell's cheeks warmed, and he was fairly sure it wasn’t just the alcohol. The way his name rolled off Black Sapphire's tongue made the knight's heart flutter. Witches, he could listen to this cookie talk for a long time.
“Well, Silverbell, tell me more about you!” Black Sapphire quipped.
“Oh! Um,” Silverbell stuttered, stirring his drink. “I'm a knight of the Faerie Kingdom. I help protect her Majesty, Queen White Lily. What about you?”
“I do modeling work,” Black Sapphire answered, sipping his champagne. “But I'm really an entertainer. I'm chasing a dream of hosting my own show.”
A model and aspiring show host? Silverbell could certainly picture that. Black Sapphire was absolutely handsome enough. “That’s an admirable dream,” he responded, his eyes locked on the purple cookie's face.
Black Sapphire chuckled. “You flatter me! It's ambitious, I know. But it'll happen.”
“Sapphy?!”
Hearing Sugarfly's voice, Silverbell turned to see his friend, a plate of sweets in her hand, looking at Black Sapphire with a pleasantly surprised smile. “Well, if it isn't Sugarfly!” the purple cookie exclaimed. “It’s been ages!”
Silverbell's head swiveled back and forth between Sugarfly and Black Sapphire. They knew each other? Sugarfly hopped back up on her stool and popped a chocolate covered strawberry in her mouth. “I haven't seen you since graduation! What are you doing here?” she asked cheerfully.
“Well, I was going to drink away my sorrows at being single tonight, but I'm willing to change my plans if your cute friend here is alright with it.”
Silverbell made a little flustered noise at the compliment, and his cheeks turned red. Sugarfly giggled. “Oh, I see. Well then, don't let me interrupt you boys!”
“Wait, Sugarfly!” Silverbell blurted as she slid off her stool. “What about you? I don’t want you to be by yourself!”
Sugarfly waved her hand before grabbing her food and drink. “I spotted some old friends while I was getting food.” She then leaned in to whisper into Silverbell's ear. “Don’t worry. I trust Sapphy. Just have fun!” And with that she slipped into the crowd and disappeared.
“It's a small world we live in.”
Silverbell looked back at Black Sapphire. “How do you know her?” he asked with a tilt of his head.
“We went to school together,” Black Sapphire explained. “We were in the same graduating class. She originally was going to theater school like me. She had a lot of talent, so much that she earned the nickname ‘Archangel.’ Everyone thought she was going to be the star of a musical.”
“Wow,” Silverbell marveled. “But… she graduated with me from the knight's academy. What happened?”
Black Sapphire's smile turned sad. “She didn’t like the competition. When you're chasing stardom, it's you against everyone else. It takes a lot of luck, and you have to be ready to make things happen, no matter what it takes. It's a lonely path, and it's not for everyone.”
A lonely path? Black Sapphire didn't seem like a loner. Even having just met him, Silverbell could feel the charismatic aura and charm from him. Someone like that should be a people magnet. But Black Sapphire came to a bar on New Year's Eve alone.
“Will you kiss me at midnight?”
The words left Silverbell's mouth before he could stop them. His face reddened again as Black Sapphire gave a loud laugh. “You sure that's not the alcohol talking?” he joked.
“Maybe partly,” Silverbell admitted a bit more eagerly than intended, sipping more of his drink with his eyes on the other. “But you're also really pretty and cool and your voice sounds nice and I think I wanna kiss you.”
Black Sapphire shook his head, but his grin stayed. “I know I'm a dark Prince Charming, but I didn't peg you as the type to be into bad boys. Looks can always be deceiving, though.”
“You're the one who came to sit next to me.”
“Touche. Let me put it this way. If I didn't actually care about you and never wanted to see you again after tonight, my answer would be yes. But I'm saying no, because even though I've just met you, I think you deserve more than that.”
Silverbell blinked and slowly put his drink down. Then he looked, really looked at Black Sapphire, because he realized he could actually see him now. He wasn't just a handsome face and a magnetic personality. Now Silverbell could see depth in his eyes, could tell his smile was rehearsed. And a new desire bloomed inside the knight, far surpassing his wish for a New Year's kiss. Silverbell wanted to know the real Black Sapphire.
A soft smile appeared on Silverbell's face. “Okay. Then instead, will you let me get to know you better?” he asked gently.
The purple cookie's eyes seemed to sparkle a little brighter. “That, Silverbell, I will gladly take you up on.”
They talked for a long while. Black Sapphire told Silverbell about his adoptive father and younger sister (“both slightly crazy, but they're my family”), and Silverbell told Black Sapphire about his father being a veteran who inspired Silverbell himself to join the faerie guard.
“He was the kindest man I know, despite all he suffered on the battlefield,” Silverbell said with a wistful smile.
“...Was?” Sapphire asked, picking up on the wording.
“Ah, yes,” Silverbell shifted a little in his seat. “He crumbled five years ago. He was fending off an assailant in the school he worked at. He managed to disarm and subdue him, but… his injuries were too great. He didn’t make it to the hospital.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Thank you. I'm proud of him, really, but I do miss him.”
They sat in silence for a moment, until someone at the stage in the back started talking into a microphone. “Alright, folks! It's time for karaoke! Everyone who signed up, please make your way to the dance floor! First up is Miss Parfait! Would Miss Parfait please come to the stage? It's time for your performance!”
Black Sapphire's eyes lit up. “Oh, hey, I signed up for that,” he remarked.
Silverbell's eyes widened. “You're singing?”
A grin spread across Sapphire's face. He downed the rest of his drink and slid off his stool, then held a hand out to Silverbell. “Indeed I am. Shall we?”
Silverbell giggled a little, warmed from more than the alcohol. He took the other cookie's hand and allowed himself to be led to the dance floor. They waited, listening to the other people who signed up first. There were some that were actually very good, like the Parfait girl, and then there were others who were… not as talented. Silverbell struggled not to plug his ears when a cookie named Crunchy Chip gave a valiant attempt at “Make a Man Out of You” from a movie Silverbell remembered seeing a while back. Finally, at the very end of the list, Black Sapphire's name was called.
“Good luck!” he chirped.
Sapphire winked, causing the faerie's heart to flutter. “Thanks, but I won't need it.”
Silverbell bounced a little on his toes as Black Sapphire made his way to the stage. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Sugarfly beaming at him. “He's incredible,” she told him.
“Yeah…” Silverbell sighed, his eyes drifting back to where Sapphire was talking to the DJ about his song.
Sugarfly giggled. “I meant his voice specifically, but it seems like you're enamored with a bit more than that.” She laughed again at his blush. “I'm teasing. But I'm glad you've finally perked up.”
“Alright, folks, our last star of the night is Mister Black Sapphire, who will be singing ‘Pretty Little Baby!’ The floor is yours, Black Sapphire!”
Both Sugarfly and Silverbell snapped to attention as the music started, and the moment Black Sapphire opened his mouth, Silverbell felt like his heart had been struck with an arrow shot by Cupid himself.
“Pretty little baby,
You say that maybe
You'll be thinkin’ of me
And try to love me
Pretty little baby,
I'm hopin’ that you dooooo…”
Black Sapphire's voice was perky and expressive, with just a touch of texture. Maybe it was Silverbell's imagination, but he could have sworn several times during the song that Sapphire was looking directly at him. The entire crowd seemed to be just as captivated, and some even started singing along.
“He's definitely singing to you,” Sugarfly commented smugly, and Silverbell blushed again. But inside, he felt like he was on cloud nine.
When Sapphire finished, he got the loudest applause all night. He bowed dramatically before handing the mic back to the host and hopping off the stage, pushing through his new adoring fans over to where Silverbell waited. Ignoring everyone else, he took Silverbell's hand and kissed it, prompting several gasps and squeals from the crowd in addition to Silverbell's face getting even redder.
“Allllright folks! With that outstanding finale, it's only 20 minutes until midnight!” the host announced. “We're now opening up the dance floor again, this time for some couples dances!”
“I'll leave you two to it,” Sugarfly teased, and slipped back into the crowd. Silverbell's eyes were on Black Sapphire, though, who still held his hand like a priceless treasure.
“Shall we?” he asked smoothly, and Silverbell nodded with a wide smile.
It turned out Black Sapphire was an excellent dancer, too. From the party songs to the waltzes, he led Silverbell across the dance floor effortlessly. Song after song, they danced, and eventually ended up slow dancing to a love song with lots of other pairs of cookies. Silverbell exhaled happily in Black Sapphire's arms as they swayed with the music. Suddenly, he heard Sapphire speak into his ear.
“Hey, Silverbell.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you still want a New Year's kiss?”
Silverbell's eyes snapped open, and he looked up to meet Black Sapphire's gaze. His eyes twinkled with mischief, but his smile was so beautiful that Silverbell couldn't help but smile back and nod. “Yes, I think I'd like that.”
“Good. I was probably going to anyway, but I figured I may as well ask.”
Silverbell giggled brightly and laid his head back on Black Sapphire's chest. Tonight had gone from his worst New Year's Eve to his best. What kind of stroke of luck was that?
At five minutes til midnight, Black Sapphire told Silverbell he was going to try to make a connection with the DJ before he left for the night, promising he would be back before the countdown. Silverbell watched him go with a little sigh, but his thoughts were quite suddenly interrupted when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and opened his messages to see that Sugarfly had texted him. He raised an eyebrow, wondering why she didn't just come find him again, but opening the message caused his stomach to drop.
Sugarfly: MERCURIAL IS HERE
Silverbell paused for only a moment before quickly tapping out a reply.
You: wasn't he at another club???
Sugarfly: I THOUGHT HE WAS????????
You: why is he here??
Sugarfly: IDK
Sugarfly: I TRIED TO STOP HIM BUT HE SAID HE'S LOOKING FOR YOU AND IT WAS URGENT????
Silverbell's heart raced. Why? Why now? Surely Mercurial wasn't going to ask for him back?
“Silverbell.”
Oh shit.
Silverbell turned slowly, and there he was. His ex-boyfriend, in the flesh. Silverbell pursed his lips. “Mercurial,” he replied awkwardly.
“I received word that you were interacting with a cookie named Black Sapphire.”
Silverbell blinked before furrowing his brows. “You've been watching me? Why?”
“Not you. Him. He's a person of interest being investigated for involvement in-”
“I'm not interested,” Silverbell cut him off sharply.
Mercurial raised an eyebrow. “I came to warn you against engaging with a potentially dangerous cookie.”
“And I'm telling you that you're wrong and you should leave before he comes back.”
The two stared each other down, neither wanting to back down. Finally, Mercurial sighed. “Very well. Do as you please. Just be cautious.” With that, Silverbell’s ex turned and disappeared back into the crowd, heading towards the exit.
“My, my. You look tense.”
Silverbell turned to see Black Sapphire behind him, smiling pleasantly. There was no way this cookie was guilty of a crime. Sugarfly knew him before Silverbell did, and they were clearly friendly. And Sugarfly said she trusted Black Sapphire. So Silverbell pushed it from his mind. Instead, he simply said, “...My ex showed up.”
Black Sapphire winced. “Ouch. That sounds unfun.”
Silverbell nodded, then added, “I don’t think he would like you.”
Sapphire laughed. “I'll take that as a compliment!” he joked.
That put a small smile back on Silverbell's face just in time for the host to start talking again.
“Allrrrrighty, folks! One minute until midnight! Couples, grab your sweetheart and get ready for the countdown!”
“I'll be honest,” Sapphire began, gently pulling Silverbell close. “This isn't how I expected tonight to play out.”
“Me neither,” Silverbell responded. “But I'm glad it did.”
“Same here.”
The crowd around them started to count in unison. “TEN! NINE! EIGHT!”
“I'd love to see you again after tonight,” Sapphire told him, raising his voice so that he could be heard.
“SIX! FIVE! FOUR!”
“I think I'd like that a lot,” Silverbell agreed, leaning closer.
“TWO! ONE!”
The club burst into cheers, and sweet bliss overtook Silverbell's mind as Black Sapphire kissed him hard. It was exactly what Silverbell hoped kissing Sapphire would be like: fiery and intensely passionate. But they didn't stop at one. The second their lips separated, Silverbell went in for another, throwing his arms around Black Sapphire's neck. The third kiss threw away all remaining chastity, as Sapphire pried Silverbell's mouth open to kiss down his throat.
Given Mercurial's warning, letting himself get carried away like this was probably irresponsible of Silverbell. But right now, he didn't care. And as he and Black Sapphire continued to kiss each other again and again, he decided to just forget about it.