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“Bluebird, would you please stop wasting the flour? We only have so much—”
Poof.
Mid-sentence, Shadow Milk had decided it would be hilarious to dump flour onto the King’s head. Was it amusing?
Absolutely.
Was he probably going to be kicked out of Pure Vanilla’s bed tonight?
Most likely.
“Shadow Milk! What were you thinking? Now we’re out of flour…” Pure Vanilla muttered, his raised voice lowering slightly at the sight of his partner’s grin. His expression remained stern as he grabbed Shadow Milk’s ear, tugging him down to eye level.
Pure Vanilla’s grip wasn’t tight enough to hurt, but definitely enough to be uncomfortable. Shadow Milk hissed, instinctively wrapping a clawed hand around Vanilla’s arm.
“Tch—Ow, OW! Do you mind? My ears are sensitive! Haven’t you learned that by now?” Shadow Milk spat, squirming under Pure Vanilla’s grasp.
Pure Vanilla let go, his eyes widening. Guilt flooded his expression immediately. He hadn’t meant to hurt him, truly.
“I’m sorry, Shadow Milk; hurting you was not my intention,” Pure Vanilla said softly, his expression much less harsh than before. “And for that, I am utterly sorry. Are you sure you don’t want some ice? Or maybe a kiss to make it better?”
The way he looked at Shadow Milk made the Beast want to physically pull his hair out, one by one.
If he had known that pouring flour on his other half’s head would turn into a sappy moment, he wouldn’t have done it in the first place.
“Psh, it’s not that big of a deal, Nilly! Seriously, do you think someone like me would need a kiss to make it better? Ha! You’re a nut job, y’know that?”
Still covered in flour, Pure Vanilla stretched onto his tippy toes, pressing a chaste, floury kiss against his Beast’s cheek.
Shadow Milk let out a strangled noise, wiping the flour off his cheek as Pure Vanilla pulled away.
That insufferable, exceedingly benevolent, absolute—
“I don’t feel better in the slightest. You really thought a kiss would just suddenly heal my pain? Hate to break it to you, but not everything can be fixed!”
“Really now?” Pure Vanilla replied, his expression playful. “That’s quite ironic, is it not?”
Shadow Milk scoffed, his eyes narrowing. Did the man before him truly forget who he was? What he was created to be?
In a flash, the room was enveloped in darkness. Pure Vanilla blinked, attempting to refocus on the Cookie before him. Blue eyes blinked back from every direction.
In the daylight, Pure Vanilla’s vision was already terrible. Attempting to see anything in the dark was futile. As cyan strings found themselves wrapped around the King’s wrists, bad memories began to resurface.
An invisible force knocked Pure Vanilla onto his knees, the glowing strings tightening around his wrists even more.
“Shadow Milk, please calm down. I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it.”
Two mismatched eyes appeared in the darkness, peering into Vanilla’s eyes. It was as if he was trying to see past the King’s eyes, into his mind.
“Shadow Milk? Ha! Really? Have you forgotten who I am? I am the Beast of Deceit, no? Have you forgotten what I’m capable of? What I can do to you and every single one of your insignificant friends?”
“…”
“Say it, Pure Vanilla Cookie,” Shadow Milk snarled, his eyes slits. “Say my name.”
As Shadow Milk neared closer, he froze. The muffled sounds of hics and choked-out sobs came from the figure in front of him. Pure Vanilla was crying. Tears rolled down the healer’s cheeks as he struggled to regain his composure.
Shadow Milk’s eyes widened, his expression molding into one of realization. With a snap of his fingers, the darkness and strings vanished. Shadow Milk knelt in front of Pure Vanilla, hesitating to say a single word to the king. He wasn’t sure he deserved to.
After a minute or two, Pure Vanilla’s sobs were reduced to small sniffles. He kept tugging on nonexistent strings, pulling on his robes. Shadow Milk sat a little away from him, his expression unreadable. He focused on the split flour decorating the kitchen floor. Anywhere but his lover’s eyes.
This was his doing. His fault.
He had put Pure Vanilla back in a place he had promised never to let his Vanilla ever visit again. Shadow Milk had promised Pure Vanilla he would never put him through that again.
And yet…
Here they were.
Shadow Milk cleared his throat quietly, catching Pure Vanilla’s attention. Vanilla’s eyes searched his beloved’s. For a reason. An explanation.
But Shadow Milk’s expression was unreadable. His eyes were locked on Pure Vanilla’s, his mouth slightly agape. Perhaps he wanted to say something?
“I… I’m sorry,” Shadow Milk mumbled, averting his eyes from the healer’s gaze once again. Pure Vanilla wiped his eyes, scooting forward slightly.
“I know,” Pure Vanilla murmured, followed by a sniff. “It’s okay, my love.”
Shadow Milk’s brows knitted together. He watched as Pure Vanilla closed the distance between the two, wrapping his arms around Shadow Milk in an embrace.
“I forgive you.”
Shadow Milk’s eyes widened.
“You’re not going to leave me?” The Beast said quietly, inhaling the vanilla scent radiating off the cookie clinging to him.
“Wha- Oh, Shadow Milk…”
The Beast tightened his grip on Pure Vanilla Cookie, burying his face in the other’s hair. Pure Vanilla gave Shadow Milk a tight squeeze, whispering soft words into Shadow Milk’s ear in hopes of easing him. Shadow Milk didn’t shut down. It wasn’t like him. This wasn’t like him.
Pure Vanilla gently stroked the Beast’s hair, the crazed eyes in the locks beginning to shut entirely. He glanced over towards the mess of flour on the ground and the flour caked in his hair. Pure Vanilla could have a servant take care of the kitchen mess.
As for his hair, he could easily bathe. But for now, he was okay with it. As long as he was with his bluebird.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. They had all the time in the world. But hopefully, it won’t take that long.
As Pure Vanilla lifted a sleeping Shadow Milk into his arms to head for his quarters, he turned to the flour mess.
He had to admit, it was quite hilarious.
Shadow Milk would be pleased with his revelation.