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It was a busy day in the city. The streets were filled with cars, the occasional angry honk piercing the already loud, chatter-filled air. People walked to and fro, some frantic to get somewhere, some simply enjoying the environment.
One figure stood out from the crowd: a man with long, white robes, a tall hat, and long blonde hair that shimmered in the sunlight walked among them. He held a long staff in one hand, the top sporting an extremely oversized flower with, in the middle, what appeared to be an eye. He followed the wide sidewalk until stopping at a bench.
A second man sat on the bench, looking away, probably gazing at one of the shops further downtown. The one with the robes could only see the back of his head, and squinted. The color of his long blue hair, now tied up in a messy-yet-elegant high ponytail, was the only thing he recognized. He took a step forward tentatively. Then another.
“You're late,” Shadow Milk growled, tapping a wristwatch. He sat cross-legged, appearing closed off and disappointed. “Oh, it is you,” Pure Vanilla sighed, relieved. “I was a bit worried for a second there.” He tried to raise his voice, realizing how quiet he sounded with all the chatter of the city surrounding them.
Shadow Milk paused, still looking away from Pure Vanilla. “What, you didn't recognize me?” Pure Vanilla shook his head. “No… I mean, I'm used to seeing you in your… jester outfit.” Shadow Milk laughed. It’s true, in addition to his hair being in a high ponytail, his outfit was a lot different, the most striking being a black and blue jacket with a completely open back, only tied together at the lower back. He also wore a pair of flared pants, embroidered with blue flowers, and black heels. “It’s for the occasion! What, you think that's all I wear? Ever heard of trying something new? What are you, some kind of-”
Shadow Milk’s voice stopped, mouth still open. He had turned his head around, finally looking at Pure Vanilla. He closed his mouth, eyebrows scrunching up into a look of disgust as he looked him up and down.
“Is something wrong?” Pure Vanilla asked, confused. “Is- do I not look normal?”
“Do you,” Shadow Milk said. “Well this is definitely the kind of disaster I'd never want to be sitting five feet from. You seriously came here wearing that?”
Pure Vanilla looked down at his own clothes in confusion. “I.. what's wrong with it? This is what I always wear…”
The occasional passerby would turn their head and stare. One small child asked their mom, “Mama, who's that?” The kid's mother responded with, “Sweetie, just ignore them.”
“We're in the city, Nilly. You can't just walk in dressed like you're about to speak at a church! You stand out like a sore thumb!”
“This is what I always wear though, and it's been fine…? I mean, you're not exactly blending in, either?” Pure Vanilla said, his face beginning to flush with embarrassment. Shadow Milk stood up from the bench, his heels clicking on the ground, and grabbed Pure Vanilla by the sleeve, dragging him along with him. “I'm getting you something less atrocious.” Pure Vanilla stumbled along with him, still muttering in objection, even though he now felt very ashamed. “This is… what I always wear…” his words fell on deaf ears.
They eventually reached a clothing store. Without even looking at the clothes, or any other person in general(although Pure Vanilla stole a frantic smile and wave at the cashier), Shadow Milk dragged Pure Vanilla over to the changing rooms, swung one of the doors open, and shoved the Vanilla King into it. “Take those robes off,” Shadow Milk ordered. “I'm getting you some acceptable clothes.” He then shut the door to the changing room, switched a sign on the front to occupied, and Pure Vanilla could only hear the Beast’s heels clicking on the ground as he walked away.
Pure Vanilla let out a sigh. The date hadn't been his idea, nor Shadow Milk’s, but Shadow Milk had agreed. He thought over what had brought him to this moment.
“Just take him somewhere fun!” Golden Cheese suggested, flipping a coin in her hand as she leaned on the vanillian table at the Crow’s Nest Inn. “The denizens in my kingdom do so all the time. Or at least, they did. Still do, but we're working on bringing the old public entertainment buildings back.” “Hah! I knew she'd have better ideas than me!” Hollyberry laughed. “Something he can focus on. What about an… what are those things in your kingdom, with all the games… arcade?”
“He likes theater. What about a theater production?” White Lily’s voice was more crunched than the other two, her face displayed through a magic screen. She was in the Faerie Kingdom, so she had to participate in this friend-gathering virtually. “There aren't any theater showings in Los Cookielos this weekend,” Black Raisin interrupted. The crow-loving woman stood at the counter of the inn, gazing at a foldable screen - a laptop.
A lot of the younger people these days had been getting one of those. Black Raisin had taken a while to understand it, but it eventually clicked. Pure Vanilla didn't think it ever would for him.
“Um… maybe a movie, then?” White Lily suggested, before her voice quieted for a second. “Sorry, I have to go,” she said, before the 2D projection of her abruptly disappeared. “Well it's settled!” Hollyberry said. “Honestly, I don't know why you want us for dating advice! I think you're perfectly capable- it's not like he likes any of us more than he likes you!”
Later that day, Pure Vanilla had approached Shadow Milk, and asked if he was willing to go.
The answer was yes.
And now he was here.
The changing room was rather small, only big enough for a bench on one side to sit, a hanger on the other to put picked out clothes, and a mirror in the center wall so one could look at themselves. He had never been in one of these before. Pure Vanilla let out a sigh, slipping off his outer robes. They were rather heavy, and he laid them on the bench in one corner of the small, square space. Each garment he removed, he added to the stack, and once he was done, it took up a significant amount of space in the room.
Even though he hadn’t removed everything, Pure Vanilla now felt very exposed.
Eventually the door to the small changing room swung back open and Shadow Milk sauntered back in. He snapped his fingers as he entered, causing an other-realm portal to appear briefly beneath the robes Pure Vanilla had set on the seat, whisking them away. “I- wh-” Pure Vanilla began, but Shadow Milk shushed him. “Sheesh! They're going back to your castle. Probably going to fall on some clueless laundry worker. Aaaaanyways, I got a few options!” Shadow Milk closed the door behind him before hanging what seemed to Pure Vanilla as an extremely wide selection of clothes onto the pole on the right side of the room.
Shadow Milk seemed to look over them one last time, seeming very proud of himself, before looking back at Pure Vanilla, hands on his hips. His eyes scanned him up and down, as though analyzing every inch of him. “I don't think I've seen this side of you before,” Pure Vanilla said awkwardly. “It's kind of scary.” At his words, a smile split Shadow Milk’s face, and his eyes lit up happily. “Well, that's what makes it fun!” Shadow Milk walked over to Pure Vanilla, who now stood in the very corner of the cramped room. “You have to wear whatever I waaant~!” He said in a sing-song voice. “Also,” he said, poking Pure Vanilla in the chest. “You should wear this more often. You look better without all those layers.”
Pure Vanilla looked to the side, his face growing even redder. At least they were (mostly) alone. Inside, he felt very fond for his other half, because it wasn't often he got to see him happy- truly happy. It brought him enjoyment to know that Shadow Milk was having fun, so he decided he would play along, not that he had any choice.
It was not difficult to act bewildered when he actually was.
Within not too long, Pure Vanilla had been forced into an outfit, composed of clothes he was wholly unfamiliar with.
“Hmm,” Shadow Milk hummed, holding his chin with a contemplative expression. Pure Vanilla stood, looking at the mirror. The man who looked back no longer resembled the humble king of the Vanilla Kingdom, but someone young who would go to a concert. It's true he appeared young for his age(how many hundreds was it? He's lost count), but the clothing he now wore made it much, much worse. He had ripped, black jeans, a silver studded belt, and a very provocative T-shirt saying “FUCK THE WORLD” in all caps.
“Um.” Pure Vanilla frowned. His arms lay awkwardly at his sides, as he didn't know what to do with them, but he felt like he should somehow. Shadow Milk snickered. “Pfft- I knew you wouldn't look good in this style, but jeez. Your kind-looking face is a hilarious contrast, though.” The two of them stood there for a moment, before Pure Vanilla was ordered to put on a new outfit.
Eventually, a second outfit was on Pure Vanilla. He wore baggy cargo pants, a crop-top, and a jacket.
“I don’t quite see the point to this,” Pure Vanilla said, his upper half feeling very exposed. Shadow Milk rolled his eyes. “Okay, yeah, I’ll pass on this one.”
They proceeded to cycle through a numerous amount of outfits, including different types of pants, shorts, leggings, shirts, sweaters, and jackets, all of which felt like a blur to Pure Vanilla. The small room became a blur of: try something on, Shadow Milk decides he doesn’t like it, they throw it in the pile, and then try on something else.
At one point, Pure Vanilla stood wearing a skimpy, flowing sundress. With two straps on the top, an open back, and a waist that felt way too tight, Pure Vanilla felt entirely foreign from his own body. Shadow Milk, though, appeared extremely enamoured. “Whoa,” the Beast said, an evil grin splitting his face. “This is amazing.”
“I’m not saying I don’t like it, but are you sure?” Pure Vanilla said. “This isn’t exactly…” “Nope! It’s perfect!” Shadow Milk chirped. The Vanilla King’s eyes widened. “...Huh?” “Yup, you’re gonna be wearing this!” The moment Shadow Milk grabbed his arm, Pure Vanilla suddenly began to plead in protest. “Wait- this isn’t exactly- it’s not appropriate- please, I-” When they were a couple feet out of the dressing room, Shadow Milk burst into laughter. “HAH! Oh, this is too good! Your face!” He spun around, leading Pure Vanilla right back into the room. Pure Vanilla blinked in confusion. Shadow Milk rolled his eyes. “You seriously think I was going to have you go out with me in public with that? I do want to keep up appearances, you know!” the Beast snickered. “I am definitely going to buy this, though,” he added. True to his word(which does sound ironic), when Pure Vanilla discarded the dress, Shadow Milk put it back on the clothing rack instead of the pile of clothes he decided he didn’t like. “For research purposes,” he said, which sounded very ominous.
The next thing he tried on was… interesting.
A very short, leather crop top, which hugged his skin tightly. A pair of low-waisted shorts, adorned with a neon, blue-and-black checkered belt, which were so extremely short that they clenched his lower abdomen uncomfortably in a way he didn't think was possible for clothes. He swore they didn't even cover his behind. On his legs, he wore mismatched black and white socks that went up to his thighs, tall, high-heeled, laced black boots, covered with thick leg warmers.
“The, uh… the color of these clothes quite remind me of you,” Pure Vanilla pointed out. “Yup,” Shadow Milk giggled, his eyes glowing with a mischievous glint. Pure Vanilla only stared at himself in the mirror, feeling, just like when he wore the skimpy dress, exposed. At least the only two people in the changing room were him and Shadow Milk. “I just don't, um. If… if you want me to be matching with you, I, uh… I don't think…” His face grew red at the thought of walking the streets of the city with this on.
Shadow Milk’s silent giggling only grew, and he raised a hand to his mouth as he held in a laugh. “Don't worry, Vanilly,” he said, trying to hide the laughter in his voice. “Only I get to see you like this~” he walked forward, pressing his pointer finger against Pure Vanilla’s chest. He then used the finger to push the Vanilla King against the wall. “I know you have your kingdom to take care of, and you can wear those big, bright, ugly robes when you do all that,” he crooned, walking closer until Pure Vanilla felt trapped against the wall.
“But the only person here is me~!”
Pure Vanilla was quite a bit taller than Shadow Milk, as he had gained a few inches back when he awakened. But the fact they were in a city didn't stop Shadow Milk from using magic, and the jester floated slightly above the ground, loosely wrapping his arms around Pure Vanilla’s neck. Their faces grew closer, until they were only an inch apart. Pure Vanilla could feel his heart beating fast, trying to curb the excitement that strummed within him at his closeness to the other.
Shadow Milk was a complicated person, and an even more complicated partner. It was extremely difficult to get him to act like this, and it was never easy to tell when it would happen. But now, the Beast was clearly elated, his sharp-toothed grin splitting his blue, flushed face.
“And, you know… I like what I see.”
Shadow Milk pressed a chaste kiss against Pure Vanilla’s lips, and with a filthy grin, he continued kissing him, trailing his lips down his jaw. Once he reached the base of Pure Vanilla's neck, his kisses stopped being chaste. Pure Vanilla let out a gasp as Shadow Milk sucked on his skin, his warm, sharp teeth grazing against it. “Shadow Milk,” Pure Vanilla breathed, his arms wrapping around the other’s back as Shadow Milk continued ravaging his neck. “You-” Pure Vanilla yelped, letting out a wince when, suddenly, Shadow Milk bit him. “Shush,” Shadow Milk chided.
“-You know that's gonna leave a mark,” Pure Vanilla said, finishing what he had started earlier, earning himself another bite. “Ow-” Pure Vanilla groaned in response. In a burst of confidence, Pure Vanilla said in a low, intimate tone: “If you really want me to stop talking, then maybe you should just shut me up.”
Shadow Milk lifted his teeth from Pure Vanilla’s skin and leaned back, his pupils dilated. “Maybe I should,” he agreed, before crashing their lips together. Pure Vanilla opened his mouth, letting out a moan as Shadow Milk’s warm tongue slid into it. Shadow Milk floated a bit higher, before wrapping his legs around Pure Vanilla’s bare waist. With Pure Vanilla’s head tilted up, the Beast deepened the kiss, earning moans from both of them. Shadow Milk pressed his lower abdomen against the other and began grinding slowly, and Pure Vanilla’s excitement grew at how turned on he wa-
“Everything alright in there?”
An unfamiliar voice from outside the changing room cut through the moment like a lightning bolt. Their lips broke apart, Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla both staring at the closed door of the changing room.
“JUst peachy!” Shadow Milk chirped back, his voice cracking awkwardly. The jester then silently cursed under his breath.
Pure Vanilla felt his entire face heat up at how stupid they looked. What were they doing? This was a public space! The two of them exchanged a look, both flustered and annoyed. Shadow Milk slid off of Pure Vanilla dejectedly, not meeting his gaze.
When had the changing room gotten so warm?
“Alright! Sorry, you've just been in there for a long time, I wanted to make sure.”
It was probably one of the workers. How kind of them, to be checking up on their customers, Pure Vanilla thought.
Shadow Milk rolled his eyes. “We are finishing this later,” he hissed, fishing through the remaining clothes that he had collected for Pure Vanilla to try on. “I'll look forward to it,” Pure Vanilla responded warmly with a smile and a nod, earning him a glare from the other.
The last thing Pure Vanilla tried on, he realized he quite liked. He gazed in the mirror, but this time, it wasn’t some otherworldly version of himself who stared back.
It was himself. But not as a king, not as the savior of Earthbread, just–someone. Someone who was also him.
The sweater was comfortable. It was beige, with diamond patterns on it that were similar to the colors on his vanilla cone hat. Rather than being heavy like his robes, it simply hugged his arms, but in a way that felt nice rather than foreign. He also wore a pair of light blue jeans, which were comfortable as well. Pure Vanilla said nothing, but he smiled. Shadow Milk, however, did the opposite. “You look so you it’s almost disgusting,” he growled. “How does your smile just-”
Pure Vanilla turned his head away from the mirror, this time looking at him. “Just what?” “Nevermind.” “You were saying something, though-” “NEVERMIND!” Shadow Milk snapped.
They ended up buying the clothes.
Once the two of them exited the shop, the sun was no longer visible, only the sky was half-orange, signifying the end of the day. The city lights were more prominent now, giving the streets an artificial glow. The crowd had thinned slightly as well, though the continuous sounds of the city stayed.
Shadow Milk was grinning, proud of himself. “And that’s how you solve a wardrobe disaster~!” He spun around to face Pure Vanilla, gazing at him like a completed art project. Deciding his work was sufficient, he checked the watch he wore again, reading the time. “Let’s go to the movies, now, shall we?” Pure Vanilla nodded, and they walked alongside each other. Truthfully, Pure Vanilla didn’t know his way around the city, but Shadow Milk seemed to, and he trusted him.
“Hey,” Pure Vanilla said as they walked. Shadow Milk stopped and looked to the side, meeting his eyes. “Thank you for that experience. I’m really grateful for the new clothes,” Pure Vanilla said with a smile. He leaned over and held the side of Shadow Milk’s face in one hand, his fingers softly brushing against his skin. Without hesitation, he kissed Shadow Milk on the cheek. When he pulled away, Shadow Milk’s face first appeared blank, before a light blush dusted his cheeks. “You- you’re welcome,” he stuttered awkwardly, averting his eyes.
They completed the rest of their walk mostly in silence before arriving at the movie theatre.
Before getting their tickets scanned, the two of them stood together in line to buy snacks. Pure Vanilla decided he was okay with getting whatever Shadow Milk wanted to get, so rather than looking at the menu, he gazed around the theater. He felt a strange sort of contentness as him and Shadow Milk waited. He no longer stood out from the crowd as the king of a great kingdom–he was just simply someone in a movie theater in the city waiting in line to order food.
While Shadow Milk was seemingly focused on the menu, Pure Vanilla slowly and carefully inched himself closer to him bit by bit. He then carefully reached his hand over to Shadow Milk’s, tentatively brushing it against his. Shadow Milk’s hand flinched in surprise, moving away an inch, before stilling, as though unsure. Although he was acutely aware, he pretended not to be, still staring at the menu without turning to meet Pure Vanilla’s gaze.
First their pinky fingers brushed, then Pure Vanilla softly took Shadow Milk’s hand in his. His hand was cold, but comforting. It's like we're lovesick teens, he thought cheekily. And Shadow Milk didn't move, only staying in the line, accepting his affection.
They reached the front of the line, got their food, walked to get their tickets scanned, and before long, they had entered the theatre.
“Ooh, these chairs are the good ones!” Shadow Milk exclaimed as the two of them approached the seats shown on their tickets. Pure Vanilla blinked, confused. All he saw was a large, slanted row of many cushioned seats and a screen that was currently playing an ad for some food he had never tried before. “How do you know? Have you been to theaters before?” Pure Vanilla questioned. As the two sat down next to each other, Shadow Milk rolled his eyes. “Nah. I just did research. Very qualified, scholarly research,” he added with a grin. “Mhm,” Pure Vanilla hummed, nodding along. “So, Mr. I-know-everything-about-theaters… where are we supposed to put this giant bowl of popcorn?”
The seats were relatively wide, situated in groups of two. Each was separated with an arm rest, and the borders between the groups of two had room as well. Shadow Milk put the popcorn bowl on one of those, using it as a counter, and put his and Pure Vanilla’s drinks(Pure Vanilla had been too indecisive, so Shadow milk just got him water, while the jester himself had some radioactive-looking drink Pure Vanilla had never seen before) in the cupholders on their respective sides.
“If you reach down the side of the seat, there should be a button somewhere,” Shadow Milk said, and Pure Vanilla followed the other’s actions, eventually finding a small bump. “And if you press one side…” With a click, suddenly both of the leg parts of the seats began to rise, making it seem much more like they were laying instead of sitting. “Hah! It worked! Modern technology in this era is so interesting!”
The last thing Shadow Milk did before they waited out the rest of the advertisements was lift up the arm rest that separated their two seats. (“Does that count as property damage?” Pure Vanilla had asked. “No, you dimwit, it's supposed to be able to go up and down,” Shadow Milk snapped back.)
With the two of them now separated with nothing but empty space, Shadow Milk froze, as though thinking over something. He then settled back into his side, eyes trained on the large movie screen.
Pure Vanilla let out a sigh, deciding he should probably do the same.
Soon, the lights darkened, and not too long after, the movie started. The world portrayed in the movie was colorful and new, completely unfamiliar to what Pure Vanilla was used to, but he paid attention nonetheless, curiosity compelling him.
About twenty or so minutes later, Pure Vanilla’s concentration faltered when something poked against his side. He turned his head over, only to realize that Shadow Milk was handing him the popcorn bucket. His eyes met Shadow Milk’s, mismatched blue and yellow on mismatched blue, and Pure Vanilla gave him a warm, thankful smile as he took the bucket into his hands.
At the action, Shadow Milk’s face scrunched up, and he turned the other way. “You just have to take the stupid bucket, you don't have to do all that,” the Beast muttered under his breath. But secretly, Pure Vanilla knew that Shadow Milk enjoyed the small acts of gratitude.
The popcorn wasn’t bad, Pure Vanilla concluded as he popped one into his mouth. He couldn't imagine himself ever eating them back at the Vanilla Kingdom, but to eat while watching a movie was a nice addition.
In an attempt to solve the conflict, the main character was forced to travel to a version of her world that was wholly unfamiliar to her. It reminded Pure Vanilla of his experience in Los Cookielos, although it felt much more meaningful and emotional on the screen. After a couple more minutes of watching, Pure Vanilla handed the popcorn bowl back to Shadow Milk. His eyes were still trained on the screen as he felt the weight of the other’s hand reaching in and grabbing a handful. “Just leave it on your side,” Shadow Milk whispered. “I'm not that hungry anymore.” Pure Vanilla obliged, placing the popcorn bucket down once again, this time on the opposite side of their two seats from Shadow Milk.
The movie’s story was so compelling, time seemed to fly as Pure Vanilla watched. The conflict began to grow and grow: How could the main character ever get her world back to the way it was before?
Eventually, Pure Vanilla felt a warm, comforting weight against his side. He looked over, realizing that his other half had leaned against him, his eyes closed. Pure Vanilla smiled fondly and put his arm around Shadow Milk, holding him in place. Maybe all that walking was too tiring, he thought. Perhaps we should do this–go out–more often.
The film eventually reached its climax, before things started to settle down a bit. It was wonderful, and he really wanted to keep watching, but Pure Vanilla felt his eyes drooping, struggling to pay attention. The plot had been great, but with his partner leaning against him, the urge to fall asleep was growing. We still have to get home, Pure Vanilla reminded himself. He had his duties at his kingdom, and Shadow Milk had his duties at the spire.
Although, it couldn't hurt if Shadow Milk stayed the night.
Once the credits rolled, Pure Vanilla nudged Shadow Milk softly. “Hey,” he whispered. “The movie’s over.”
“Eugh…” Shadow Milk groaned, blinking awake. “Five… five more minutes,” he mumbled quietly.
“Shadow Milk, we're in a movie theater. We can't stay forever,” Pure Vanilla reminded him, nudging him again. This time, Shadow Milk moved away from Pure Vanilla, sitting up with a stretch. Once he finished stretching, he turned around to face Pure Vanilla, his hands on his hips. “Aaaalrighty then! Let's go,” he said, his previous lethargy seemingly gone. Pure Vanilla nodded, grabbing their two drinks and the empty popcorn bucket.
Pure Vanilla dropped the leftover trash in the trashcan as they left. Realizing the people around them were all talking about the movie, Pure Vanilla asked Shadow Milk about it as they neared the theater exit.
“Meh. It was okay. Obviously nobody's a greater playwright than me, but I give it a solid six out of ten.”
The cold air hit once they got out. The sun was now completely set, but the city lights completely blocked out the stars. Pure Vanilla began to feel a little homesick, missing the sight of the constellations visible every night back at the Vanilla Kingdom.
“Thank you for tonight,” Pure Vanilla said, turning towards Shadow Milk. He could see his own breath, he realized. He wasn't used to this kind of cold. Shadow Milk wasn't either, he noticed, and suddenly Pure Vanilla became very conscious of the fact that Shadow Milk’s jacket, though stylish, was still exposing his back, and couldn't keep him warm. Shadow Milk hummed in response, shivering. Pure Vanilla put his arm around the other, trying to share any warmth he still had. Shadow Milk made no attempt to move away at the act, only leaning closer. “Let's go home,” Pure Vanilla murmured.
“...home,” Shadow Milk repeated, clearly cold and tired. “You mean… your place?”
“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” Pure Vanilla reminded him. “Are you too busy?”
Shadow Milk shook his head.
“Then let's go.”
They made their way to one of the alleyways of the city before Pure Vanilla waved his hand, forming a portal big enough for the two of them to walk through, which would lead to the warm halls of the Vanilla Castle, no longer leaving them stranded in the cold.
They walked through, and in a flash of light, Los Cookielos was gone.