Archive of Our Own ^beta

            Shadow Milk lurked in the bushes of the Vanilla Kingdom, his own body considerably smaller than normal. For today, he’d taken on the form of an unsuspecting little field mouse. Such a devious choice of form allowed him to sneak closer than ever before to the conniving little thief of a cookie that had taken a half of his soul jam. Now he was hidden in the grasses of the field in which Pure Vanilla’s flock of sheep, and Pure Vanilla himself, were often found. 

            Currently the shepherd was relaxed, and completely unsuspecting, absorbed in reading some book. How foolish. The vanilla cookie laid against a tree, on the ground of all places. Personally, Shadow Milk would never be caught dead rummaging around in the dirt.. Except for when he was spying, of course, but that was an entirely different matter. At least his own time spent in the filthy soil of this truly wretched kingdom was spent with purpose, unlike Pure Vanilla, who chose to spend his free time lounging about in the dirt for no other reason than his own ridiculousness.

            Small ears twitching, the beastly mouse scurried around the grasses, a bit closer to where the Vanilla Kingdom’s ruler was relaxed with his book. The sound of the healer’s soft voice reached his ears and he quickly realized that Pure Vanilla was doing more than just reading. He was reading aloud. He was reading to his sheep. Shadow Milk couldn’t hear exactly what he was reading from this distance, but he was clearly reading out loud, to animals. What a ridiculous cookie, he sneered as harshly as his current form would allow and scrambled further back from the flock. He didn’t want to get too close to those flea ridden beasts. Sheep are easy to startle, and could give him away, or worse, they could step on him with their disgusting hooves.

            Unfortunately he needed to get closer. Shadow Milk wanted to hear what exactly this supposed ‘hero’ was reading. After all, a cookie’s book of choice could reveal a lot about them. If he discovered something useful, he could report it back to his colleagues.. Or, he could keep the knowledge to himself, and use it to further his own plans. Of course, all that depended on what book Pure Vanilla had brought for his day out in the fields. 

            He couldn't get past the flock in this form, so he decided on the next best thing. After all, one of the best ways to be invisible, other than being very small, was to blend in. Shadow Milk scurried further away from the flock, and found some thick bushes, ideal for a quiet transformation. He sighed heavily, and reminded himself that no matter what form he took, in reality he was still a very scary beast.

            Then, he pictured his desired form in his mind. Although shapeshifting came as easily as breathing at this point, he still took a moment to ensure that all his bones and organs would be in the correct place. With that, he shifted into a different, slightly larger, yet still little form. A simple cream sheep. A bit of a small one too, so as to stay as inconspicuous as possible, and to avoid alarming the flock of sheep with his presence. He was less likely to get into a scuffle with any of the pushier sheep if he seemed unassuming, and an idiotic tussle was the last thing he wanted right then.

            Shadow Milk stretched his new limbs. It had been a while since he’d taken an ungulate’s form, and the hooves he was now forced to walk upon were very different from his usual cookie legs. Although to be fair, he never did much walking on his cookie legs either. Despite this, it wasn’t too difficult to get used to walking on hooves again, not dissimilar to riding a bike. Although he was still a bit wobbly.

            Shadow Milk stepped out of the bush. The irritating branches clung to his wool, and he had to bite at some of them to free himself, leaving a couple of the stubborn twigs in his cream fleece. It hardly mattered to him. It wasn’t as if he’d have to live with the prickly branches for very long, unlike the rest of these sorry animals. He glanced at the flock of sheep in front of him, who grazed serenely in the sun. They’d have to be pathetic little cream sheep for the rest of their exceedingly short lives. 

            He would’ve chuckled to himself at the poor sheep, but he lacked the right vocal cords, and mouth shape to do that at the moment, so he could only huff in amusement. 

            With great trepidation, he waded into the large group of sheep, intent on finding out which book the healer was so absorbed in. The flock shuffled out of the way for him, bleating quietly, and giving him nervous looks, likely because they didn’t recognize his scent. Cream sheep were such nervous creatures. Despite his small stature, they were still treating him like a threat. Soon enough, they returned to their grass munching, the sound surprisingly loud. Gross.

            Now closer than he was before, almost at the front of the group, he could hear Pure Vanilla speaking clearly, even over the sounds of chewing happening all around him. Shadow Milk flicked his ear, and leaned forward a bit to hear the shepherd's voice more clearly. Finally he could distinguish the words over the sound of the flock around him.

            “....and so the two of them,” the rest of the cookie's sentence was lost to the sound of irritated bleating coming from somewhere in the flock. He glanced over his shoulder to see a pair of sheep having a disagreement about possibly the least important thing imaginable; a patch of grass. He would never understand how Pure Vanilla could put up with such foolish creatures.

            Shadow Milk tried to shuffle forward a bit closer to the tree to hear the shepherd better, but the altercation behind him must have escalated into shoving of some sort, because the sheep around him were suddenly bumbling about. 

            The shepherd paused in his reading, lifting his head, and watching quietly to see if the flock could resolve the issue amongst themselves. The sheep’s disagreement diffused quickly, but the flock was still rearranging itself, the fluffy little creatures carelessly pushed past each other in their haste to find a greener patch of grass. The commotion caught Shadow Milk off guard, knocking him off his already unsteady balance. 

            All the sheep found their flock mates fairly quickly, and returned to grazing. Shadow Milk might have joined them, feigned interest in the grass, and spied on the soul jam thief a bit longer.. But unfortunately for him, his hooves were much less steady under him than he had thought. The useless knobbly knees he’d cursed himself with practically buckled even as he vehemently tried to right himself. 

            Regrettably, due to how close he was to the front of the group, he landed right at Pure Vanila’s feet. The healer gasped at the unexpected arrival. The soft sound of surprise reached the false sheep's flicking ears. His head snapped up to look at the cookie, who of course, had noticed him, and once again stopped reading. 

            Shadow Milk froze, as if he could somehow avoid the impending interaction if he stayed completely still, which was an entirely foolish notion, and probably came from whatever animal instincts a sheep’s body came with. After all, they were very nervous animals, and Shadow Milk cookie was not a helpless little lamb. 

            Of course, the healer, being a foolish cookie who cared about insignificant things, smiled warmly down at him. Although there was a hint of concern clear in the healer’s face. Shadow Milk’s heart twisted uncomfortably. He hated the look of pity on the other’s face. He had to remind himself that Pure Vanilla wasn’t pitying him but rather the cream sheep that he thought was before him. He was pitying the illusion. He was pitying the act.

            The shepherd put aside his book and reached his hand out towards the sheep, the eye on his staff honing in on Shadow Milk.

            “Hello there, little one.. I’ve never seen you around here before,” the healer said, voice ridiculously soft, and appeasing. The beast startled a little. He hadn't expected Pure Vanilla to realize Shadow Milk wasn’t a part of his usual flock. How did the shepherd know? 

            Had he made a mistake when he’d transformed? Were his eyes too sharp? Was his dough too blue? His mind spiraled through the possibilities, but when his eyes drifted to the stolen Soul Jam that the shepherd wore, he saw his own reflection on its surface. He saw nothing but a simple cream sheep. 

            Shadow Milk’s act wasn't the problem. It seemed Pure Vanilla just knew his flock so well that he could actually tell them apart from each other, despite them looking nearly identical. The beast would’ve grimaced if he could’ve. How could such a powerful cookie devote so much time to such insignificant little animals?

            A tanned hand slowly reached out towards Shadow Milk, hovering unobtrusively, just shy of touching the side of his snout. The healer was clicking his tongue now, and making other appeasing sounds, trying to get him to come closer. Even trying the classic ‘pspsps’, although that particular call would normally be used for a cat. 

            The noises sounded pleasant to Shadow Milk’s ears at the moment, but that was the sheep’s brain talking again, for the beast was utterly disgusted at the sight before him. How could he not be? The worst liar of them all, one who pretended to be truthful, attempting to lure the beast of deceit into his arms? Absolutely deplorable.

            However, considering Pure Vanilla was still trying to get him to trot over to him, he probably wouldn’t resume reading until he had his prize in the form of a small fluffy sheep, and the sounds did make his floppy ears perk up a little. Hesitantly, Shadow Milk did what he thought a real sheep might do. He took a couple steps forward, and lightly pressed his nose into the offered hand. 

            The first thing that hit him was the nauseating scent of vanilla extract filling his sensitive nostrils, how disgusting. The second thing he noticed was how unbelievably warm the other’s hand was. Shadow Milk ran colder than most other cookies, so the sensation wasn’t.. Entirely unwelcome. The look on Pure Vanilla’s face was so sickly sweet, a joy so bright that it couldn’t possibly be genuine, just as most things were about the healer.

            “My, my,” he chuckled, gently pulling his hand forward to tempt the beastly sheep closer, “you’re very em.. headstrong, little one... There’s no need to look so hostile, I’m a friend.” Pure Vanilla still spoke so softly, as the beast begrudgingly followed the hand closer until he was almost right beside the healer cookie. A warm chuckle graced his ears, pleased by the sheep’s compliance. 

            The ancient's flowery staff was set aside so that he could reach out another hand towards the beastly sheep. The hand smoothed along the other side of his snout and face, before trailing down to scritch at his neck. Shadow Milk tried and failed to resist leaning into that warm touch. The other hand instead moved upwards, rising to scratch lightly behind his ears.

            Embarrassingly, Shadow Milk jumped a little when the shepherd’s hand came up under his chest, quickly followed by another hand supporting his hind legs as Pure Vanilla lifted the beast into his lap, with no regard for his dirty hooves. Shadow Milk was now surrounded by the warmth and scent of pure vanilla extract, just great. 

            He wanted to be disgusted by the situation, and he did have half a mind to chew the king’s fancy clothes, but he didn’t feel quite as outraged as he expected himself to be. No matter, he had a goal in mind, and this was the perfect opportunity. He could definitely get a good look at Pure Vanilla’s book like this.

            Why Pure Vanilla chose to place a dirty animal on top of his clean clothes was beyond him, but the healer hadn’t even hesitated to ruin his attire. The shepherd clicked his tongue disapprovingly as he looked over the beast’s wool, Shadow Milk couldn’t help but be a bit offended by that, as idiotic as the issue was. What did it matter if his coat was clean?

            “Poor thing, look at your fleece, all dirtied, and cluttered. Here, let me help,” the healer hummed sweetly. What a foolish cookie. If Shadow Milk had been a real sheep, he wouldn’t even be able to understand Pure Vanilla’s words. 

            All of a sudden, he felt fingers begin combing through his wool, and gently tugging pieces of brush free, before tossing them to the side. Strangely, he found the sensation both comforting, and revolting. Two sides of himself warring with the other. Unmistakably those sheep instincts again. Obviously.

            It hardly mattered anyways, he was here for a purpose, and despite the disastrous situation, he could now fully accomplish that mission. Whoever said he couldn’t find the silver lining? Shadow Milk leaned forward in Pure Vanilla’s lap to look at the book, only to find that he didn’t recognize it. 

            It had a brown-ish cover, and gaudy gold lettering that read “The King and His Jester”. Beneath the title, and on the spine of the book, there was braille, touched by so many fingers that the bumps had gotten blunter over time. It looked old, so very old. So why didn’t he recognize it!?

            It was like a slap in the face to know that such ancient books were completely foreign to him of all cookies. It was one thing to know logically how long he'd been sealed away, but to have his inexperience interfere with his plans so directly was entirely different.. All the while Pure Vanilla's hands still combed through Shadow Milk's wool.

            A strange wetness lingered in the edges of his eyes. The healer brought a hand to his chest again, and readjusted the sheep’s position in his lap. The beast’s blood was positively boiling. Of course he had to be reading one of the few books he didn’t have stowed away in his mind somewhere.

            Frustrated, and no longer willing to entertain Pure Vanilla’s incessant tugging of his wool, he began to struggle out of the healer’s grip, eager to leave, but not willing to reveal his true form. The shepherd easily held him in place, looping an arm around the beast’s front, and using his other hand to continue dragging his deplorable hands through his wool. 

            “Ah, ah, little one. I’m not quite done with you yet,” Pure Vanilla tells him quietly, before adding under his breath, “Poor thing, I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of from now on.” The shepherd’s words are spoken like a promise. Such an alluring offer, truly such a cruel lie. For it must be a lie. No cookie is just that nice. 

            Why was Pure Vanilla still putting on an act? Why would he put on an act for only a stupid sheep to see? Could he know that the sheep he held is in truth not a sheep at all? The frustration, and nervousness of not knowing still swirled uncomfortably in Shadow Milk’s mind. The possibility of his own act being seen through was like salt in the wound. He didn’t have all the knowledge anymore, and apparently he couldn’t even lie convincingly either.

            Suddenly the warmth was all too much. The gentle arm around his side felt too tight. The fingers carding through his fleece caught painfully on the tangles in his wool. Shadow Milk tried to fight his way out of the shepherd’s arms with renewed vigor. Pure Vanilla seemed surprised, and somewhat concerned, but didn't immediately release the beastly sheep. If anything, his grip only tightened around Shadow Milk’s body.

            Panic hit the beast like a physical blow, driving his erratic struggling to new heights. Something about the feeling of being restrained felt all too familiar. He fought with all his might, even going so far as to kick and bleat pathetically. Those warm hands started to release him, but it wasn't soon enough.

            In a wild burst of magic, Shadow Milk’s true form was revealed. He found himself in his enemy’s lap, Pure Vanilla’s arms still wound lightly around his torso. The healer’s jaw dropped in open shock as the little lamb in his lap was suddenly transformed into a cookie, more specifically, his beast counterpart, his other half. 

            “Shadow Milk Cookie!?” The thief gasped dramatically, as if he was genuinely shocked by the beast's arrival. A stunning performance, Shadow Milk might’ve given Pure Vanilla five stars, but his hatred for the healer complicated things. 

            Even after he had revealed himself, the warm arms around the jester’s body lingered a little too long for Shadow Milk’s liking. Tearing himself free from the shepherd’s grasp was easy now, mostly due to the vanilla cookie’s surprise. He floated high above Pure Vanilla’s head, where he believed he couldn’t be reached. The flock of sheep scattered immediately, confused, and concerned by the commotion. Their nervous bleating filled the air.

            Shadow Milk didn’t spare the sheep nor the thief a second glance before he summoned a portal. He was almost through his portal, he was almost to safety, but something made him stop short of his swirling gateway to home. A hand was suddenly clasped tightly around his ankle. He whirled around, already trying to yank his leg free, but something in the healer’s expression made him pause. Pure Vanilla’s face was an odd mix of awed, bewildered, and strangely enough, fondly amused.

            “Shadow Milk Cookie,” Pure Vanilla sighed breathlessly, as if saying his name could make the beast stay. Shadow Milk’s expression only soured further, he tried to pull his ankle out of the cookie’s grip with a sharp tug, but the healer held fast.

            Pure Vanilla tsked lightly, teasingly. “Ah, ah, hang on now. You’re not getting out of this that easily!” He chuckled warmly, despite the severity of his words. Shadow Milk forced a tight grin onto his face and leaned in closer, one cold hand reaching out to grasp Pure Vanilla tightly by the wrist.

            “Oh my! Did Pure Vanilly finally get some sense knocked into his brain!?” He laughed sharply, the sound was anything but genuine. “Unfortunately for you, I won’t be staying any longer!” He grit his teeth, his smile shifting into a grimace. “Let me go, Pure Vanilla Cookie.” The jester demanded, glaring reproachfully at the cookie. Pure Vanilla’s soft smile slipped into a frown briefly, genuine consideration crossing his face. Two mismatched eyes fluttered open, and lingered for a moment, only to fall shut just as quickly.

            “I will, you can leave.” The healer promised, even as he gently tugged the floating cookie closer to the ground. “..Just humor me for a moment, if you will?” He asked softly, still smiling that gentle smile, although it seemed a little more somber now.

            Shadow Milk pursed his lips into a thin line, but allowed himself to be pulled down to eye level. The warm hand around his ankle released him, only to settle firmly on his shoulder a moment later. The two were face to face now, but the silence dragged on a little too long for the jester’s tastes. His patience was wearing thin.

            He spoke very curtly, “What.” Then, the infuriating healer had the audacity to laugh. That bubbly light giggling sounded like nails on a chalkboard right about now. Shadow Milk glowered at the cookie, and used his magic to finally tear the healer’s hand off his shoulder. The shepherd didn’t seem to mind too much, still trying to stifle his laughter. 

            “..I apologize," Pure Vanilla said graciously, although he didn’t sound very apologetic. “I didn’t mean to offend. You see, I have a question, I’m simply trying to decide the best way to phrase it.” He explained mildly. Shadow Milk crossed his arms, shoulders tense.

            “I don’t like questions,” he huffed irritably, glancing away to glare at the beautiful green pasture. Pure Vanilla’s flock had wandered away, grazing together, and sending the pair of cookies suspicious glances. The shepherd’s thoughtful humming draws the jester’s attention back to him.

            “I know that,” he sighed. “But I’m only asking, you don’t really have to answer, I suppose. ..Although I do think I might be owed an answer to this particular question.” He huffed a slight laugh, shaking his head in fond exasperation. The beast rolls every one of his eyes.

            “Just spit it out already.”

            “Right, well then..” Pure Vanilla opened his eyes, blurry mismatched eyes met Shadow Milk’s own. “Why.. Why are you here?”

            “To spy on you,” Shadow Milk answered immediately, almost too quickly. “Obviously,” he added, to make sure the foolish shepherd understood how silly his question was. Pure Vanilla hummed thoughtfully, but didn’t seem convinced.

            “You needed to spy on me, so you transformed into a sheep, quite an adorable one, might I add, and you just.. Let me hold you in my lap?” The shepherd’s face, and tone were disgustingly fond. “I suppose I’m just a bit confused. What knowledge could you possibly glean from all this?”

            “I’m not surprised you don’t understand!” Shadow Milk scoffed, scrunching his nose up in distaste. “My genius is beyond the comprehension of most cookies.” He stated primly. Pure Vanilla only chuckled in response.

            “Hm, I see. Then perhaps you’d like to enlighten me?” He suggested lightly, tilting his head as if genuinely interested. Little did the fool know, Shadow Milk would never buy into his lies. No cookie was just that nice.

            “Hmph, it’d be difficult to explain, especially to a mind as dull as yours. Can’t teach an old cakehound new tricks, after all!” Shadow Milk huffed. He enjoyed pestering, and insulting the obnoxious ancient, of course, but the jester was still reeling a bit from his disguise being revealed, and from the uncomfortable shock of not knowing. Bitterly he muttered under his breath, “and besides, it doesn’t even matter since I don’t recognize that stupid book of yours.” 

            Somehow, over the winds of the field, and the bleats of the sheep in the distance, Pure Vanilla still caught his words. The healer perked up as if he were a flower drinking rain after a drought. Even his cream eyelashes flew open in his excitement. The shepherd immediately grabbed his book from the ground beside him, and thrusted it forwards with both hands to present it to the beast. The cookie was utterly beaming.

            “Well then I’ll be honored to teach the cookie of knowledge something new!” He declared warmly, leaving no room for argument. Shadow Milk felt his face flush in embarrassment. He crossed his arms tighter around his chest, curling in on himself a bit.

            “What? What are you on about now, foolish gnat?” The jester snapped cruelly, although he already knew precisely what Pure Vanilla wanted. The healer only smiled ruefully, and quietly pulled the thick book back into his lap.

            “Well, learning is what one does when they don’t know something, right?” he replied sweetly, his fingers trailed along the frayed edges of the old book. 

            “You think I would be in any way interested in whatever small minded books you choose to waste your time on?” Shadow Milk sneered, although he didn't yet turn to leave. Pure Vanilla huffed a slight laugh. His lips curving into a knowing smile.

            “Well, it seems you cared enough to sneak into my kingdom. Shape shift into an entirely different species.. and let me hold you-”

            “Hush!” The jester cut the healer off harshly, quietly and groaning under his breath, “You seem oddly hung up on the whole ‘sitting in your lap’ thing..” Yet again, the blind cookie’s uncanny hearing managed to pick up on Shadow Milk’s hushed words. At least this time the fool didn’t make such a big deal of it. The shepherd only sighed, and let his mismatched eyes fall shut again, once more the picture of serene strength. Pure Vanilla patted the grass next to him, as if to beckon the beast closer. The grass was green, springy, and welcoming.

            “Come. Sit with me, and I’ll tell you all that you want to know.” The shepherd told him kindly. He lightly patted the cover of the ancient book in his lap, to further convey his point. Shadow Milk’s eyes narrowed, sensing the prongs of a trap, ready to trigger at any moment.

            “Peh, right, sure.” He rolled his eyes, and glared at the healer venomously. “Why?” Shadow Milk demanded curtly. Pure Vanilla’s brows furrowed, and his orchid’s eye blinked slowly, as if perplexed.

            “Why.. What? I’m afraid I’m not sure what you’re asking. Have I said something misleading..?” He trailed off, tilting his head almost like a cakehound. The jester bared his teeth, and dragged his nails through his own hair, trying to contain his building frustration. The healer’s confusion visibly shifted to faint amusement.

            “Just, why? Why any of this? Why aren’t you mad that I’m here!? Why do you want to talk to me about your witches’ forsaken raggedy old book!?” Shadow Milk hissed, hovering closer to the vanilla cookie, their faces only inches apart. Pure Vanilla hummed lightly, and raised one tanned hand to carefully brush the beast’s wild bangs out of his face. The jester immediately reeled back, crossing his arms over his chest, and simply glaring. Finally, after a deep sigh, the healer responded.

            “Well, I’m not mad that you’re here, because I rather enjoy your presence.” Pure Vanilla frowned. “I thought I had made that clear, but evidently not clear enough. I’d like to get to know you better, and I’d like you to get to know me in return.” He smiled in soft amusement when the jester opened his mouth to retort. “I mean truly know me. Sifting through my memories, and catching glimpses of me through our other realm is hardly the same thing as genuine connection,”  

            Shadow Milk fell silent. 

            The healer slowly raised the book again, his thick cream lashes fluttering open to reveal those charming mismatched eyes. “Sharing interests is a great way to lay the basis of a long lasting friendship.” The healer said, his milky eyes practically brimming with hope. Shadow Milk stared for a long moment. Pure Vanilla didn’t falter once, still holding that wretched book up in silent offering.

            Finally, the jester broke into high pitched, sharp laughter. His voice was loud enough to startle the sheep, even though they were several paces away by now.

            “HAH! I see, I see now!” The jester grinned wolfishly. “That’s your angle, huh? Yeeesh, Nilla! Get a new trick, will ya? This one’s starting to get old~” Shadow Milk sang tauntingly. Pure Vanilla finally rested the book back in his lap. His blurry eyes fell shut, the first beginnings of frustration starting to show on the healer’s face. Pure Vanilla took a deep, steadying breath, before raising his head to face the beast once more.

            “Shadow Milk Cookie, my offer is not a trick in any way.” He stated firmly. “I’m not sure what your experience with friendship has been in the past, but whatever it is, I assure you, this is not that. I’m frankly a little hurt that you continue to rebuke my efforts solely because you don’t believe them to be genuine.” 

            Pure Vanilla’s frown deepened. Shadow Milk started to respond, but Pure Vanilla cut him off before the words could even form on his tongue. His milky eyes opened once more. This time there was an undying determination hiding behind those mismatched eyes, a fire burning so strong that it almost scared the beast. “Regardless, I suppose only time will prove my earnesty to you. Thankfully, you and I have an eternity of time on our hands.” 

            Those fiery eyes still didn’t close when the healer reached forwards and pressed the old book into Shadow Milk’s chest. The jester caught the book, and held it with both hands, if only out of reflex. Finally, Pure Vanilla’s eyes fluttered shut again, although his frown still remained. “Keep it. I have other copies.” He said with a small nod of his head. Shadow Milk glowered first at the book, then at the cookie himself. His blue and black hair swirled angrily behind him, even as his body was still as a stone.

            “I’m going to burn this when I get home.” Shadow Milk told him cruelly, a harsh sneer on his lips. Finally, the healer’s soft smile made a return, light and amused. It made the beast’s jam curdle, and his heart beat faster, from disgust or intrigue he wasn’t sure.

            “Like I said, I have other copies.” He replied simply. The jester scoffed loudly, and lunged for the cookie, only to disappear into a swirling portal of magic an instant before the two collided. The unexpected leap earned him a slight flinch from Pure Vanilla, but in the same instant the shepherd’s arms rose to catch him. Shadow Milk had disappeared into his portal before those detestable hands could touch him, of course, but the idea of it still left his face burning a bright blue as he reappeared in his spire.

            The silence of the empty tower felt oppressive compared to the easy sounds of the languid meadow. Soon enough, the jester’s pointed ears caught a faint sound from within the spire.The little pitter patter of frantic feet alerted Shadow Milk to Candy Apple’s arrival. 

            “Master Shadow Milk Cookie!!” She shrieked obnoxiously. He twisted higher into the air, just in time to avoid her exuberant leap, and her grasping arms. Undeterred, the cookie landed on her feet with a thump, only to immediately take flight with her tiny wings, and hover near the jester. “Whad’ja get? Whad’ja get!?” She demanded excitedly, although her nose wrinkled when she caught the scent of vanilla. Her mood only seemed to sour even more when she caught sight of the cover. “Ugh! That’s a crappy one, not worth your time, my illustrious beast of deceit~”

            “Hmm..” Shadow Milk quirked a brow, and ignored that last comment. He held the book out so the both of them could see it better. Candy Apple hovered over his shoulder to peer at the cover. “I’m not surprised. Its previous owner is quite a stick in the pudding.” He scoffed, turning the book around to examine its worn pages. The little cookie nodded immediately, eager to trash talk another cookie with him.

            “Seriously, it’s sooo vanilla!” She scoffed. “There’s not even any risky stuff until like the thirty something chapters..” Candy Apple bemoaned loudly, her voice echoing in the otherwise empty room.

            “Hah! I’ll bet it’s quite the mind numbing read,” the jester agreed with a chuckle. Candy Apple nodded again, her apple pigtails bobbing wildly with the movement. Shadow Milk had to move his own head in order to avoid getting knocked in the face with the sticks of those large candy apples.

            “You’re telling me! It was so so so booorinnng!!” She drawled out the word, and dragged her hands slowly down her face in exaggerated exasperation. The beast snickered quietly, mildly amused by her antics. Although his grin quickly faded at her next words. “They don’t even take off their shirts till-”

            “Take off their-!?” Shadow Milk cut himself off quickly, a blotchy purple flush fighting its way onto his face. “This is a..?” He trailed off. Even after all this time, he still had no idea how to handle cookiekind’s obsession with romance. He’d only ever watched from afar, only ever shoved down his own longing… He didn’t often read romantic novels, they weren’t productive. He was aware of them, of course, but that wasn’t knowledge that he had ever put effort into accessing. In the present, Candy Apple blinked up at him with wide owlish eyes.
            “..You didn’t know?” She tipped her head, and finally spoke after a brief moment of tense silence. “It’s some old romance story from like.. Ancient times or whatever. It was popular while you were stuck in the tree.” She shrugged. “..I used to visit Pavlova Cookie while you were sealed away, and he had a ton of those types of story's.” She pointed an accusing finger at the aged book. “This one was the worst, though. Sooo so boring.”

            With a wide, Cheshire grin, she turned to Shadow Milk again, leaning closer. “Wanna hear about the other books I read-? Huh!?” She whipped her head around in confusion when she realized the beast had disappeared. Shadow Milk could hear her frustrated groaning even from his room, near the top of the spire.

            He curled up in the bed that he hardly ever used, and cradled the book in his lap. A shameful curiosity burned in the back of his mind. He was so inexperienced with love. What did Pure Vanilla consider to be the ultimate tale of romance? A story so good that he had more than one copy? A story so good that the pages had been worn and yellowed over time, despite the great care that Pure Vanilla must've given it.

            The inner cover of the book read as follows, “‘The King and the Jester’ a story of grueling trials, and the mutual support of two friends turned lovers.” Shadow Milk blinked slowly at the page. He may not have been very tuned into love in general, but even he knew that the ‘friends to lovers’ trope was possibly the tamest one out there.

            It made perfect sense for Pure Vanilla, actually. He was the type of cookie to blur the line between love and friendship, after all. Still though, the book didn't sound particularly intriguing. The beast likely would never have read it on his own time. Somehow Shadow Milk found himself turning the page anyways.

            He only wanted to read it so that he could tease his other half about it later. Or use it against him somehow. It had nothing to do with ‘sharing interests’ or whatever that foolish cookie had been talking about. He'd told Pure Vanilla he was going to burn it, and for once he'd been telling the truth. Shadow Milk would burn this book.. later. Or perhaps was it more devious to not burn it at all? The jester decided he would make that decision later.

            For now, he only flipped to the next page, eyes glued to the slightly worn bumps of braille.