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A few weeks ago, Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla shared their first kiss.
This new development was still fresh, making Shadow Milk extremely shy to even attempt to initiate, no matter how badly he wanted to slam his lips against the ancient’s.
Not that he’d ever let Pure Vanilla Cookie know that.
☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★☆⋆｡𖦹°‧
Pure Vanilla Cookie knows Shadow Milk is shy—perhaps scared, even—to kiss him. He doesn’t particularly mind, though; to him it’s pretty adorable. The way Shadow Milk’s eyes would linger on the king’s lips seconds too long before snapping away when he thought he was in danger of being caught; the leaning in with an air of uncertainty, waiting for Pure Vanilla to make the first move; the deep blue blush that always dusted his cheeks after pulling away; the beast’s outright refusal to ask verbally for any kind of affection—of course, why would Shadow Milk wish to damage his ego? Pure Vanilla found every aspect of his bluebird’s shyness simply adorable.
It had only been a matter of weeks since the pair had kissed for the first time, a gentle, sweet moment soon turned intense by longing and hunger. Shadow Milk is not the shy type—far from it. Most cookies wouldn’t even consider putting the Master of Deceit’s name in the same sentence as the words “shy” or “subtle,” none except for Pure Vanilla. In those other cookie’s favour, Pure Vanilla himself wouldn’t consider Shadow Milk to be particularly withdrawn—until the matter at hand is affection.
The great Beast of Deceit is an incredibly touch-starved cookie (well, who wouldn’t be after millennia trapped away?), yet also one who takes pride in his actions and self.
Pranks? Executed without hesitation. Interruptions? Spared without a shred of thought. Plans? Elaborately crafted and thought out, without any sign of sloppiness.
Impulse? Very prominent.
It is a strange combination, for a cookie so impulsive and proud, to be so hesitant and avoidant when the matter at hand is, practically, impulse. Quite frankly, Pure Vanilla wouldn’t find himself minding the sudden press of his other half’s lips upon his own without warning. He is not, in any sense, unaccustomed to Shadow Milk Cookie’s impulsive comments and digs, nor his constant silent begs for attention; making any impulse—well, impulse executed without harm to anyone involved—perfectly welcome.
Which leads him to his task at hand.
Currently, Pure Vanilla Cookie finds himself enjoying the company of none other than Shadow Milk Cookie himself, the pair sitting on a park bench eating their ice creams.
The day is quite pleasant; and quiet—only sounds including the distant conversing of market dwellers and the gentle cheeps from birds as the tree branches are ruffled by a mild breeze.
It is, if you were to ask the Hero of Truth, the perfect day.
Spent with the cookie he loves.
The ice cream, however, is not at the front of Pure Vanilla’s mind. Nor is the lovely scenery, or his upcoming meetings, or his seemingly endless paperwork. No, no; the majority of his thoughts are occupied with a plan.
Shadow Milk slips away to bin the remains of the two finished ice creams, and when he returns, Pure Vanilla is simply watching him. Staring. Smiling.
Shadow Milk Cookie narrows his eyes. “What?”
What he was not expecting, however, was that Pure Vanilla Cookie would grab his face and abruptly kiss him. Shadow Milk’s eyes widen instantly, mind catching up to what was happening. Once composure is restored, he begins to kiss back, feeling Pure Vanilla let out a content sigh against his lips.
When they break apart, Pure Vanilla smiles down at the slightly dazed jester, kissing his nose. Shadow Milk clears his throat, blinking repeatedly. “In a good mood, are we?” He tries his best to not sound too out of breath.
“Perhaps,” Pure Vanilla responds, still smiling. “Or perhaps I just wanted to kiss you, my dear.”
Shadow Milk turns his head away from the king, face flushed furiously. “Sap.”
Clearly the oh-so-mighty founder of the Vanilla Kingdom isn’t as boring as he appears.
* ੈ✩‧₊˚* * ੈ✩‧₊˚* * ੈ✩‧₊˚* * ੈ✩‧₊˚*
The first time, Shadow Milk hadn’t paid too much mind. Of course, Pure Vanilla was allowed to kiss him, and Shadow Milk didn’t mind being kissed. The second time, however, was a bit more questionable.
Shadow Milk sits elevated in the air; residing next to Pure Vanilla, who is seated neatly at his desk, eyebrows furrowing as he reads stacks of paperwork.
“Shadow Milk, darling?” Despite himself, Shadow Milk’s heart skips a beat.
“Yes, Nills?” He turns to face Pure Vanilla, barely getting a glimpse of the man before soft lips are kissing his own once more. Shock wearing off, Shadow Milk can’t help but melt into the warm embrace Pure Vanilla’s affections offer, the comfort that’s rooted within.
However, this time, it feels—exhilarating. More…intense. At fault of the healers actions or his own, the beast does not know, and he does not find himself caring as Pure Vanilla shifts in his chair and tugs Shadow Milk down to sit in his lap. The jester does nothing but tighten his grip around Pure Vanilla’s neck—allowing the other to trail kisses up his neck and jawline, before placing kiss after kiss to his mouth. This lasts for minutes at most, yet Shadow Milk wishes it could last for eternity. At last, he—begrudgingly—pulls away to breathe, and is somewhat satisfied that Pure Vanilla looks as dopey as he does.
After catching his breath, Shadow Milk eyes Pure Vanilla. “Couldn’t resist, hm? Can’t blame you, really—I mean, look at me.” He preens.
Pure Vanilla chuckles slightly. “Yes, yes. You are, of course, the handsomest, cleverest cookie in all of earthbread, my bluebird.” He nuzzles their foreheads together briefly, before turning back to his desk, removing all attention from his bluebird and onto his lousy paperwork. After just now?
That won’t do.
Shadow Milk shifts in the king’s lap slightly, getting a better angle, before sinking his sharpened canines into Pure Vanilla’s shoulder, drawing a small wince and forcing the other’s gaze onto him once more.
“Shadow Milk Cookie!” Pure Vanilla exclaims.
Shadow Milk hadn’t bitten hard enough to draw blood. He’s not a monster. Well…technically…anyway, not the point.
Shadow Milk pulls away, making a show of snapping his teeth in the air. “What? I thought you were into stuff like that, you freak,”
Pure Vanilla’s already flushed cheeks redden further. Shadow Milk cackles at the sight.
Truly, Shadow Milk hadn’t even correlated the park incident to the occurring one a couple days after; he loved Pure Vanilla. And Pure Vanilla loved him. So why would he think anything strange of it? Well, he didn’t. Being loved in his own home isn’t something to be alarmed by at any cause, but by the third occurrence, suspicions had risen.
𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑𖤐⭒๋࣭ ⭑
One of the downsides of living in the castle is that Pure Vanilla is a people pleaser, and the Vanilla Castle has some fine ballrooms. So, inevitably, often politicians and respected individuals will request to rent out one of those ballrooms for whichever gathering they so wish to choose. Usually, these gatherings are ridiculous meetings Shadow Milk tunes out if he is beckoned to attend; tonight, however, there is an actual ball being hosted.
And, of course, Shadow Milk is not one to refuse an opportunity for gossip.
Nor is he one to refuse Pure Vanilla’s constant pleas to be joined.
“Please, bluebird? You know I have no interest in attending myself anyway, it’ll be more enjoyable with you there!” The healer had begged, taking Shadow Milk’s pale blue hand in his own and peppering its every inch with kisses as if that would sway the jester.
“Fine! Fine, fine, just quit that already!” Shadow Milk snaps, cheeks darkening. Okay, maybe it had swayed him a little bit.
So, that is how Shadow Milk Cookie finds himself sitting at a ridiculously large table stocked with a masterfully catered feast. It is also how he finds himself observing Pure Vanilla Cookie, whose anxious eyes are glued to his plate. Shadow Milk frowns. “Nilly?” He murmurs; if he were talking to anyone else, his voice would be lost amongst the endless chatter from the crowd sitting around the table—but not to Pure Vanilla Cookie. He hears, and responds, “I’m fine.”
“No you’re not.”
“No, really, my love. I’m okay.” He squeezes Shadow Milk’s hand under the table.
A milky pair of canary and ice meet an electric one of turquoise and azure—that same turquoise and azure tinged slightly with concern. “Okay.” Shadow Milk picks up a knife and fork, cutting a chunk off of Pure Vanilla’s jelly steak and taking a bite. “I take a bite, you take a bite,” He simply responds when questioned. “That way it’s fair.” Shadow Milk busies himself with cutting another piece.
Pure Vanilla smiles; a very warm smile. “Alright.” He takes the offered fork and pops it into his mouth. Shadow Milk Cookie hums, satisfied that the other is eating at last.
Soon enough, the plate is cleaned, and both cookies are satisfied. Pure Vanilla takes Shadow Milk’s hands into his own, giving them a light squeeze. “Thank you.” He leans in and kisses Shadow Milk quickly, lingering for a second. The kiss is sweet, but chaste, and leaves Shadow Milk in shock for a few moments; he had not expected that.
“Nilla?”
“Hm?”
“What was that for?!” Shadow Milk hisses.
“What do you mean?” Pure Vanilla tilts his head.
“I didn’t think you’d- We’re in public!”
Pure Vanilla smiles. “So? Am I not allowed to kiss my partner?”
Shadow Milk scowls. “Feeling bold, are we? What happened to “keeping our relationship behind closed doors?””
Thankfully, the bustle of other cookies are still drowning out the two’s words. “Don’t worry. I am fairly sure no one here is paying any attention to us anyways, my darling.”
“Whatever. I hate you, you know that?”
“I love you too, Shadow Milk.”
Shadow Milk rolls his eyes, ignoring the cerulean flush dusting his cheeks. “Yeah, yeah.”
☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
Shadow Milk flops down onto the king-sized bed he finds himself snuggling up in each night, sighing. Pure Vanilla follows after him, sitting down beside his jester, who turns to face him. “Pure Vanilla,” Shadow Milk calls softly.
Pure Vanilla Cookie turns to face Shadow Milk. “Yes, my dear?”
Shadow Milk scoots closer and lays his head on Pure Vanilla’s chest, who smiles warmly and begins stroking his hands through Shadow Milk’s hair. The beast sighs happily, leaning into the touch, as his eyes slip shut. He feels Pure Vanilla kiss the crown of his head gently, and nuzzles impossibly further into the other.
Pure Vanilla Cookie chuckles. “Bluebird!”
“What?” Shadow Milk coos. “‘m just cuddling my Nilly.”
“My, you truly are tired.”
“Maybe.” Shadow Milk relaxes once more.
Pure Vanilla hums. “Shall we get ready for bed then, my love?”
“I suppose we shall.”
Shadow Milk floats off the bed, taking Pure Vanilla’s hand in his own as the king gets up to join him.
Before suddenly grasping Shadow Milk’s face and kissing his lips. Shadow Milk Cookie, as expected, stills in surprise, before kissing back hesitantly. Pure Vanilla Cookie pulls away a moment later, serene smile plastered across his lips. Shadow Milk frowns.
“Why do you keep doing that?” He questions, staring into Pure Vanilla’s stupid love-struck gaze.
“Doing what?” The accused tilts his head to the side, perfectly—and adorably, though it kills Shadow Milk to say it—mirroring a curious puppy.
Shadow Milk narrows his eyes. Pure Vanilla knows exactly what he’s talking about, and yet he avoids the question.
Interesting.
જ⁀➴ ♡જ⁀➴ ♡જ⁀➴ ♡જ⁀➴ ♡જ⁀➴ ♡
It had, admittedly, taken Shadow Milk Cookie an embarrassingly long amount of time to figure out the motive behind Pure Vanilla Cookie’s actions. Actions in question being the fairly frequent “surprise kisses” he’d been dealing out lately.
Today, however, Shadow Milk is prepared. Witches, he’s not prepared, he has planned. Shadow Milk is going to beat Pure Vanilla at his own game.
Right now, Pure Vanilla Cookie has his back to Shadow Milk, busying himself with gardening. The pair are in the Vanilla Castle’s famous gardens, and the former monarch had insisted Shadow Milk Cookie join him, despite the latter’s persistent refusal.
“Shadow Milk, could you pass me the shovel?” Pure Vanilla calls.
“Which one? You have plenty of shovels, fool,” Shadow Milk crosses his arms for effect, despite Pure Vanilla’s inability to see such a gesture.
Pure Vanilla Cookie merely chuckles in response. “The smaller one with the red handle please, dear.”
“Kay.”
Shadow Milk scoops up the shovel and politely floats over, tapping his other half’s back. Pure Vanilla turns his head, mouth opening to thank Shadow Milk—but he doesn’t get a word in as Shadow Milk is yanking him into a kiss. Shadow Milk takes a leaf out of Pure Vanilla’s book, kissing gently and slowly as Pure Vanilla stifles his surprise and tilts his head to fit better against his partner’s. When Shadow Milk pulls away, he smirks, and rubs a smudge of dirt off one of Pure Vanilla’s flushed cheeks.
“Surprise!~”