Work Text:
Cold, again.
Dark, too.
Shadow Milk should have expected that by now. to be surrounded in darkness. It was night, after all. Still, he didn't feel the radiating warmth of his partner beside him.
A dream, then?
Shadow Milk tried to pry his other eyes open, yet still, they did not respond.
Great. this was just great.
Where was he?
As the ex-beast tried to also open his own eyes, he realized even those did not open. Shit. Where was he? Where was his sunflower?
Shadow Milk moved his hand, flinching slightly when he felt a cold touch to his fingertips. No. No, no, no. No.
He could not be back here again.
He had escaped! His newly-married partner swore to him he'd never be put back here — that he wouldn't be alone again. Shadow Milk pulled back, finally feeling the sensation of the chains against his wrists.
No! He was redeemed now! He knew how much Pure Vanilla swore to keep him safe, away from those who wanted to seal the ex-beast away.
The jester flinched violently, pulling against the chains like an animal as he thrashed about. He felt himself struggling to breathe, trying to catch his breath with whatever air he had.
His eyes finally opened, catching sight of the chains and trying to rip them off. "Pure Vanilla Cookie?! Pure Vanilla?!?! You told me I wouldn't be back here! You swore to me!" He cried, choking as the chain around his neck seemed to tighten around his dough — forcing tears to start running out of his eyes as he gasped for air.
"Pure Vanilla! Nilly?! H-help! Please...!"
No cry seemed to work — Shadow Milk choking out forced sobs of pain as he collapsed onto the cold, pure black ground beneath him. The tears ran down his cheeks as he wept, puddles forming beneath his body.
"...N-nilly... you promised me..." Shadow Milk croaked.
Light began to slowly peak in through the bars of the cell, the ex-beast forcing his eyes to stay open. It felt... familiar. The warmth he remembered from his sunflower.
Except it wasn't his sunflower.
Shadow Milk — with whatever remaining strength he had left — jolted back, unable to shield himself from the light. No. He knew all too well who carried that light. They did nothing to deserve it.
They had pushed Shadow Milk away even with his endless cries to them all those millenia ago. His tears had flown down his face each night and day he begged for some recognition from them, leaving scars torn on his mind from the one who never reciprocated any sort of acknowledgement to him.
It was torture without the physical pain. The only pain that existed was the ache the Fount had felt begging for help — wailing to their Creators like a young infant would for its mother.
"...No. No! N-not now do you get to decide to show up! G-get away from me!" Shadow Milk hissed, feeling the iron of the chain around his neck tugging at his dough again — pinching and grabbing at the now-cracked dough.
The illuminated hand reached through the bars, cradling his tear-stained dough gently before sinking their claw-like nails into it. The ex-beast let out a wince, sobbing once before trying to make an attempt at biting the hand. Alas, his head could not move, forcing him to look at the illuminated figure.
"Do not bite the hand that feed you, my sweet little Fount..." They coaxed, Shadow Milk hissing and trying to lash out. His clawed hands were chained — his hair not responding.
He yelled back at the figure. "You never once gave a damned shit about me! Get away! You never cared!"
The figure tilted their head, cupping Shadow Milk's other cheek. "What did they do you you... what did he do to my Fount..."
"I am not your Fount! S-shut up!! I said to get away from me!"
They let go of one side of Shadow Milk's face, holding it in place with the other hand under the chin before slapping his scarred eye. It forced a whine out of the ex-beast who tried to move his head away, but the hand still held his chin tightly.
"My Fount never disobeyed me. I'll make sure that he never hurts you again, my little Fount..." The figure spoke, trying to blind Shadow Milk from the reality that actually happened. Still he knew that Pure Vanilla truly had meant his words — that he wanted him to heal.
Wait, did they say-
No.
No.
He cried out, "Wait! Don't kill Pure Vanilla Cookie! P-please... don't hurt him!" Shadow Milk sobbed, pleading with his eyes as tears kept flowing down his face. His throat began to run dry — even when he still felt like he needed to scream.
The bright figure dragged something out from behind them, the body laying on the ground and gasping heavily.
Pure Vanilla Cookie.
"No! P-please! Don't hurt him! Nilly! Nilly! Please, you need to get up! Nilly, get up!"
The figure summoned a spear, holding it above Pure Vanilla's gasping body and readying it. They ignored Shadow Milk's wails and pleas, throwing down the spear into the Ancient. Jam rolled out of the wound as the spear was taken out, leaving him to bleed onto the dark floor.
Shadow Milk screamed, tugging against the chains that began to rip his dough, cutting against his wrists and neck as he kicked and tried to reach out to his other half.
Nothing worked. Pure Vanilla was dead. He was sealed.
He was alone again.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───
Shadow Milk jolted awake, falling off the side of the bed and curling into himself. He couldn't breathe, forcing him to gasp for air that wouldn't come. Dough on his wrists was torn — jam seeping out of the wounds that were made in his sleep.
"Shadow Milk...?"
The ex-beast kept sobbing, covering his face with his hands as he tugged on the white bangs covering part of his eye.
A creak was heard from the bed, footsteps rushing over to where he lay curled up on the floor. "Oh, bluebird... it's okay."
He sniffled, catching the faintest scent of vanilla before uncovering his face. Even through the blur of his vision created by his tears, he saw him.
"N-nilly...?"
"Oh, you tired thing... come here. I'm here, now."
Shadow Milk sobbed again, sitting up and leaping into the arms of Pure Vanilla — who was now kneeling on the floor next to where he was curled. The Ancient rubbed circles into his back, adjusting his position to better rock them both back and forth to soothe his other half.
"...my poor bluebird. It's okay, you're safe now. You're home. It's safe here," Vanilla coaxed, running his hands over Shadow Milk's weeping hair as to not overstimulate him more. The jester shuddered, sniffling once as he nuzzled his head into the Wielder of Truth's chest.
Pure Vanilla tilted his head. "Do you want to talk about it...? If not, that's alright."
Shadow Milk nodded, still catching his breath even in the Ancient's arms.
"Breathe, bluebird. Breathe with my heartbeat if it helps. You may talk when you are ready. I'm all ears whenever you want to talk."
The ex-beast nodded his head again, moving his head to better listen to Pure Vanilla's heartbeat. It always helped him to calm down, even in the most relaxing moments. After some time of sitting in his lap, Shadow Milk moved himself to settle his head into the crook of the Ancient's neck.
Vanilla smiled, nuzzling his cheek against the jester's forehead. "That's it, my dear. Are you okay now?"
"...better."
"That's good to hear. Do you feel okay to talk about it now? I also need to heal your wounds. You must've scratched yourself in your sleep."
Shadow Milk blinked the wetness out of his eyes, noticing his wrists were red and irritated. Jam still seeped out, staining the Healer's robes slightly.
"Oh. Y-yeah. You can do that."
Pure Vanilla tilted his head to lay a kiss on his warm forehead before gently grabbing his wrists, healing the damage. "Thank you, my bluebird."
"I'm sorry I woke you up."
"It's not your fault."
"...I saw them."
"Hm?"
"Y'know," he replied. "My... nightmare. I saw them."
Vanilla nodded, understanding the memo. "The Witches?"
"Mhm. Just one, though. Still..."
"Bluebird."
Shadow Milk moved his head out of the crook of his partner's neck, catching the rare sight of Pure Vanilla's mismatched eyes. "Are you okay, even after the fact?"
"I feel... fine. I just don't think my body or my mind is ready to let go of everything yet."
"You can always talk to me about it," The Ancient cooed. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
"They hurt me. Without realizing it, they hurt me."
Pure Vanilla pondered this, moving forward to rest his forehead against Shadow Milk's own. A smooth hand rubbed the tear residue off his blue cheeks and out of his eyes.
"It still does not deny that they hurt you, my love. It does not make them right in any way."
"I know."
Shadow Milk turned his gaze away from Pure Vanilla before hugging him, tugging his more truthful half closer. "It still hurts. I know it does."
"You'll never see them again, though."
"Still, it hurts."
"I figured as much."
Shadow Milk felt the familiar clink of their Soul Jams touching, averting his sight back to Pure Vanilla, who was still gazing fondly at him.
"What?"
"Hm?"
"You're...staring."
"My apologies. I just wanted my other half to know how much I love him."
"I love you too, my silly little Nilly. Thank you."
"Of course, my dear."
They went back to bed a good half an hour later, Shadow Milk resting his head atop Pure Vanilla's rising and falling chest.
His nightmares of the one who made him weep would never fully fade, but at least this time they would not continue to haunt him the rest of the night.