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Everything was so intense. Dark Enchantress and her waging war, Beast Yeast posing an even greater threat than previously, the sudden disappearance of White Lily Cookie and the Faerie Kingdom... the other Ancient Heroes barely had any time to themselves. Sure, awakening was nice, but where was the leisure?
Realising this, Pure Vanilla Cookie had come up with a (quote, unquote) "wonderful idea". What with it being mid winter and all, snow was pouring much more heavily than normal on the Dark Cacao Kingdom. Soft blankets of untouched white covering every inch of palace grounds.
King Dark Cacao Cookie, while primarily rather distant and strict, reluctantly caved to hosting a small get-together in his kingdom, per his friend's excited suggestion.
"Just to unwind a little! To... take a short rest, yes?" Pure Vanilla insisted, quickly backed up by Hollyberry Cookie's eager nodding.
On the scheduled day, the group of heroes met just outside Dark Cacao's chocolate gates, the once quiet village off to the side alive with hushed chatter and tiny snowmen the children had made.
Of course, Pure Vanilla's presence alone brought comfort and encouragement to the kids, as it always did. They felt safe to come out and enjoy the weather, even if they were just looking for an excuse to play in the snow near the famed Ancient Heroes.
The gentle king had also put himself in charge of making some warm drinks for the group, aided by a handful of grateful parents and a scattering of excited children.
Meanwhile, Hollyberry and a large portion of other young cookies had started a merciless snowball fight, in which her Shield of Aegis was 'stolen' for protection many times.
She didn't mind, and laughed it off easily, although Dark Cacao berated the queen repeatedly for being too "soft". Yet, against his better judgement, even he cracked a smile at the chaos once or twice.
The only royal who didn't seem to be taking advantage of the snowy weather was Golden Cheese Cookie. Even after her awakening, the outfits she wore were still often quite skimpy. Her lower torso was showing, as were her legs from the knee downwards.
Cold wind whisked across her dough, the following sensation feeling not much unlike rope burn. Everything was freezing, and awful, and her cheeks flamed with pink, and her hair came undone...
She muttered curse words under her breath and attempted to wrap her wings around her trembling body, aiming to gain back some vague idea of warmth. However, their almost paper-thin patagium provided seldom use in the chilling climate, much to the queen's dismay.
One of these days she'd have to buy something a little more... modest. Perhaps.
Fortunately, her quiet suffering caught the attention of Hollyberry Cookie, who was, at that moment, rather occupied making a wonky snow angel-like indent in the ground. She was aware enough, however, to notice Golden Cheese's heavy, muffled breaths, and the interesting vertical fetal position she seemed to be assuming on the bench.
"Goldie!" Hollyberry called out, discarding her artistic activity and jumping onto her feet. Making her way over to the bench, she carefully hopped from one foot to the other, trying her best to avoid the delicately crafted snow-minions the children had assembled earlier.
Despite the situation, Golden Cheese cracked an amused grin at the sight. Maybe Dark Cacao was right. Maybe that silly woman did need to grow up a bit.
"Hollyberry... Cookie..." The Radiant Queen chattered out, teeth clenched and head bowed into her chest as much as her dignity would allow.
"You look cold," Hollyberry pointed out, plopping herself down next to her winged friend on the bench.
Golden Cheese raised an eyebrow. "No, Hollyberry Cookie, I just really like the smell of my own clothes," She retorted, lifting her head just enough to reveal her - now unkempt - yellow locks. "Yeah, Sherlock. I'm cold."
The Hollyberrian chuckled, brushing snow off her armour. "My bad! Didn't realise I was poking the bear." She peered over the other queen's folded wings, fingers brushing along them gently. "Didn't you bring something warm to wear?"
The other Cookie flinched at the touch, but settled back down quickly. "I didn't plan for this, I'll admit. It's a big change from the desert."
"I can tell! Haha!"
They sat together in silence for awhile, the only sound to be heard from either of them being the scuffing of Hollyberry's boots against the snow in short intervals. Just as Golden Cheese laid her head back on her chest, she felt something wrap around her shoulders, quickly followed by the ruffling of feathers and the obscuring of her vision by something cloud-like. And large.
It could only be wings, but as far as Golden Cheese Cookie was concerned, she was the only one there who had-
"Oh my witches," She gasped, turning her head sideways to stare Hollyberry in the face. In her sweet, smug, silly, stupid face. "You never told me, you minx!"
"Do I need to tell you about everything that goes on in my life, Golden Cheese Cookie?" Hollyberry returned, patting her friend's shoulder playfully.
The other Cookie opened her mouth to argue, but stopped short. She was warm. It felt like a woolen blanket, weaved from clouds: cosy and toasty, an oven cooling down after something newly-baked. One of those fluffy bathrobes you snuggled into after a long day. As the gentle winter breeze hit feathers, they shifted idly around each other, sending glitters of light beaming from in between the gaps.
Truly, it was one of the first times in ages that Golden Cheese Cookie had felt at ease. That she was safe. Safe and sound, in the arms of-
"I shouldn't," She blurted, swatting away her friend's wings like they were irritating flies. "I mean... it... it doesn't help. Obviously."
Instead of showing offense, Hollyberry laughed, shrugging off the statement. "Well, then I know what will for sure!"
Before Golden Cheese could argue, two strong arms wrapped around her sides, pulling the cookie into a bear hug big enough to squish a dragon. Not rough though, just tight.
Heat radiated off the Hollyberrian in waves, even through the hardened armour plating her figure. Suffocating! Enveloping! Drowning! Comforting--
"Get off me," Golden Cheese snapped, meaning it about as much as a starving child refusing a meal.
"You sure?"
The stubborn bird had no reply.
Because of course, no, she was not sure.
She lowered her voice to a bitter mumble, discreetly shuffling further into her friend's embrace. "I mean, I guess if you want to... then I don't care,"
Hollyberry nodded, but softened her grip slightly. Which, admittedly, didn't make much of a difference, but Golden Cheese panicked anyway, because, despite her greatest efforts to act nonchalant, was worried about facing the cold alone again.
"I'm sorry," She murmured over the other Cookie's shoulder. What exactly she was apologising for, she wasn't quite sure. Something along the lines of snapping, or poking fun, or lying. To herself, more than anything. "Thank you."
Now, she knew what that was for.
Hollyberry smiled, carefully shifting her position on the bench and dropping her shield with a muffled clang onto the snow-covered ground.
"You're welcome."