❄This is developing into something fun!!❄

They compliment each other like cheese and sprinkles; unlikely, but still possible. And somehow? They can make the relationship work. Their first meeting backstage, a certain dress-ruined mess incident, and Opera Cake’s decision to leave his old theatre group for the Fantasy Musical Troupe led up to their unique relationship now in the present.

For the time they've known each other, Soufflé's always admired the hat wearing singer and could never figure out a way to describe his admiration. Opera Cake was quiet in person, but on stage he could be anyone else. Outside of theatre, he was cold and lacked expression, saying only a few words when it was needed. That seemed to rub some people the wrong way and assumed the Food Soul was too arrogant and self confident. Whatever they thought wasn't true at all. Opera Cake just loved what he did so much that he'd give everything to perfect his talents to pursue it.

When Soufflé watched a performance of his for the first time, something seemed to resonate in him. Soufflé thought he was pretty and perfect as one of his dolls. He certainly liked giving Opera Cake a doll of each and every one of his roles in all of his plays, but Soufflé wasn't satisfied. He was similar to Opera Cake in that way: loving something so much to the point of wishing to perfect it.

Opera Cake found comfort in their little backstage meet ups. He subconsciously hoped that the showtime for his plays would come faster so Soufflé could see them and they could meet up again. Soufflé already loved being able to see Opera Cake on stage, and being able to have small moments with him afterwards was like a dream. While some members of the troupe weren't always hospitable to audience members going backstage, they didn't bat an eye if that person was Soufflé. If there was any trouble, Soufflé's... darker self might come out to "help out". Opera Cake was startled at first, but learned that he was still Soufflé. Different, but still him, and he didn't mind one bit.

If there was ever a time where the two couldn't meet each other, whether they weren't in the same place or they got caught up in other affairs, Soufflé was always quick to write his singer a letter, and perhaps a small token of affection to be boxed up with it. Opera Cake enjoyed the solace and peace when he could meet with the dollmaker, and Soufflé felt the same.

You've been running down with a bad cold lately and it didn't take long at all for your Food Souls—Blue Cheese especially—to notice your absence. He overheard from the others that you were heard coughing and groaning whenever you stepped outside of your room to get something to eat. Worriedly, he knocked on your door, calling out to you and asking if you were doing alright.

With as much as you could muster, you shouted back that you were fine, just a little under the weather—an understatement on your part, and one that Blue Cheese was not going to downplay. If you listened closely, you could hear him sigh from the other side of the door. Without waiting a second more, Blue Cheese opens it and steps in.

"Hello, Master Attendant," he greets, moving to your side. He pulls up a chair to sit with you. "I heard you weren't feeling well. I came to check up on you if that's alright."

You smile at him, appreciating his concern. "It's not a big deal, Blue Cheese. Don't worry." You notice him playing with his violin's strings in his lap. He doesn't seem like he's ready to play anything, his attention solely on you.

"I know people take medicine when they're sick, Master Attendant. So I ask: did you have anything like that?"

You vaguely remember taking some cold medicine this morning. You nod and Blue Cheese seems more relieved.

"That's good... Hm."

With one hand out and hovering above you, Blue Cheese asks for your permission before placing the back of his hand on your forehead. His brows furrow slightly. "Your temperature is rising, Master Attendant. It seems to me like you have a fever."

Your eyes are closed as you focus on the coldness of his hand against your warm skin. It feels nice... until you have a mild coughing fit. In the corner of your vision, you can see Blue Cheese stand up to get you a tissue box. You ungracefully sit up to take a tissue and thank him again. He shakes his head.

"No need to thank me. I just want to see you better, hopefully as soon as possible. I'm sure the others miss you, too." He leaves the tissue box beside you and gets up. You take the tissue box and put it in your lap. "Please rest up and don't move from your bed, Master Attendant. I'll be back in just a moment, I've got a fresh dish finished." You nod, tapping the tissue box with your fingers while you wait for Blue Cheese to return; after a few minutes or so, it gets tougher for you to stay awake.

When he arrives not a moment too soon with a steaming bowl in his hands, you've already fallen half asleep, energy drained from being so sick.

"Master Attendant? I'm back with some soup for you."

Blue Cheese gets no reply as he places the bowl on a nightstand. He looks over to you and sighs, putting his hand on your forehead and studying your face. He mutters, "Master Attendant, you really must take better care of yourself."

In a haze you regain consciousness. You insist telling him that you're okay, and that colds aren't super serious. Nothing you said could convince your Food Soul otherwise though. He shushes you gently, and you feel something cold press against your forehead.

"Just relax, Master Attendant. You've been keeping this up for a little too long. There's no harm in letting me take care of you, is there? If you prefer, I could come back to check up on you later- Oh."

Your hand reaches for his and holds onto it, your skin feverishly warm compared to his. You shake your head no, wanting him to stay. Blue Cheese is surprised at this, but chuckles at your action.

Everything the two of you have been through has led up to this moment: Soufflé sitting with you side by side on the couch, reading from the same book. A moment like this never would've crossed either of your minds. It was a quiet night in the restaurant downstairs, most fast asleep. The sun had set half an hour ago.

Soufflé has always been more on the reserved side; shy, doing what he was told, he never fails to be there whenever you ask. You appreciated him from the moment you two met, and after getting to know him slowly but surely, he would share something about himself on occasion. He'd stutter and hesitate, but the habit lessened over time. Sometimes you'd see him voluntarily approach you. Sometimes you'd see him softly smile. The feeling you got knowing that he was comfortable with you is something no words could describe.

After some time and some good communication, you find that your feelings for Soufflé are a lot stronger than you initially thought. He felt the same way about you. Now you're closer than ever, and tonight was supposedly a date night.

"Master Attendant, may I... May I come in?"

Soufflé stood anxiously outside your door, awaiting your permission while knowing he doesn't really need to ask. You've said before that he can just come in, but...

You let him in with a smile and lead him over to sit.

In Soufflé's hands is a storybook, one he often mentioned reading to a girl he once knew before. After showing interest, you asked if he could read that story to you next time. He obliged, though with some hesitation. He explains that he hasn't read it in a while, his voice is shaky, he'll mess up...

You tell him with a shake of your head that it's okay, you don't mind.

"A lot of people stutter when they read out loud, especially when someone's listening. Even I get nervous like that sometimes."

Your reassurance seemed enough to convince him to read to you, and you called it a date.

Soufflé's insecurity only increases as he opens up the book in his hands. You try leaning close to get a look at the cover. Soufflé freezes up at that.

"Hold on, Soufflé, could you...?" You tilt the book to get a better look at the title. As you read, you don't notice Soufflé's skin warm under your touch. His face flushes at the sudden contact, but other than a quiet gasp he says nothing. A second voice in his head—his mirror self—doesn't hold back his laugh.

"I've never read this before," you say, letting go of the book and his hand.

"I-it's, ah, an old one. Um, maybe you... it's probably no surprise you haven't heard... of it..."

You nod in agreement and shift in your spot to get comfortable.

"Shall I start reading...?" Soufflé asks.

As he reads, you listen. As you listen, you follow the lines. Soufflé notices you do so and sneaks a glance at you every once in a while. He can't help it when you're so close to him. Gradually, you've leaned in so much that your head is on his shoulder. Soufflé thinks you look cute and pretty that way, maybe even like a doll. His mirror self thinks so too. Maybe he'll make a doll of you... Would you like that?

He also notices your hand holding his free one. At least, the one hand of his that becomes free until he has to turn the page. But it always finds its way back in your grasp. Your bodies naturally get close, like two magnets being attracted to each other.

Soufflé's wavering voice stabilizes after each page, and he's as into the story as you are. After confirming that you were actually interested in the book, his heart warms and thumps, kicking around his chest like an excitable rabbit. He's secretly very happy that you're enjoying yourself.

Soufflé cares about you more than he may realize. It took him a bit to come to terms with that feeling when he finds out you feel the same way. He loves you. You love him too. You feel lucky to have him by your side.

Especially now, as you near the end of the storybook, Soufflé's finger flipping to the last page. His voice has become softer and clearer. He sounds more sure of himself by the time the last line of the story is said. Under your loving gaze he blushes slightly, not so sure of his voice anymore. It's strange, you make him feel bold and self-conscious at the same time, like he knows just what to do when you're around but also unsure if you might not like whatever it is he'll decide to do on his own. His heart feels like it's doing laps in mid-air; your hand in his manages to ground him every time.

"I liked that story," you tell Soufflé. He nods, his eyes shifting downwards.

"That's good..." He says quietly, fighting back a smile. "I... Maybe I can, um, read another book to you... n-next time."

All you could do was sigh when you got back home, and you headed to the bedroom only to flop down onto the bed. You groaned, and Souffle ran in, looking as confused as ever. He sat next to you, and patted your back awkwardly. You just knew Lilia and Vivian were clung tightly to him. He tended to keep them close to him at all times, and knew he could act differently without them. 

“Sorry Souffle…it’s just been a long day. Not up for doing anything really…” You took in a deep breath and turned over to lay on your back. “It’s good to see you though, you always calm me down.” You smiled, and he looked away with red cheeks. Reaching over with one hand, you took his free hand in yours. It was quiet for a moment before he spoke. 

“A long day? I know just the thing!” He gave you a small smile, and slid off the bed and over the span of a couple minutes made a sort of “pillow fort” in your bedroom. Your actual bed being in the center. He had a few little lights around in the room, fake candles and all that, so it looked really…well cute. “I-If I can…I could hold you? Make you feel safe?” He wouldn’t ever look at you when he made comments like that. Not unless he didn’t have his dolls with him. 

“Sure Souffle! That sounds nice.” Even your tone sounded worn out, and you maneuvered your way around the bed to be laying at the head of it. You laid down with your head on the pillow, and on your side as you patted the spot beside you. A yawn escaped, but by the time you had opened your eyes fully again, he was laying a foot or so away from you. It made you laugh quietly, and say “It’s okay! You can come closer.” 

He slid carefully, and slowly into your awaiting arms. When he wrapped his arms around you, you could feel the material of the dolls against your back. It wasn’t anything new, but it was comforting he’d let you get so close to them. He wasn’t exactly willing to let hardly anyone near Lilia and Vivian, let alone close enough to touch them. It showed how much he trusted you, and even just that made you trust him all the same. 

“Is…is this okay?” He hugged you a bit closer, before pulling back slightly to press his forehead against yours. He was making sure to not look at your eyes, knowing he could get so lost in them he wouldn’t be able to say more than a word or two. Though he did do it sometimes, it made him somehow even more flustered than he was on a regular basis. When he was already an extremely flustered person, it said a lot. 

“More than okay. Perfect even.” You laughed, and leaned forward slightly to kiss him. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it showed your feelings. He asked you often if you loved him, so you did everything in your power to make sure he felt loved. “I love you, Souffle. There’s no one else I’d rather cuddle with like this.” You kissed his nose, then relaxed more into his embrace. 

“I…love you too. All of me…loves you.” He sounded feeble, but the words were said with conviction. You knew he had another side, sometimes he was timid, but other times confident. Shy, then bold. It all depended on his mindset and how comfortable he was in a situation. Somehow, the dolls had something to do with it as well. But he always knew what he did no matter what he acted like, so it became common for you to even catch on to the slight changes. 

“It’s okay Souffle, I love all of you too.” A small laugh escaped, and he looked at you as if you were his whole world. And it may even be true, he certainly acted as if it was the case. He was precious to you, every detail. Every time he was happy, sad, any of it. “My Souffle…knowing how much you love me, only makes me love you more.” You reached and put your hands on either side of his face to pull him into a deeper kiss. 

He whined, loving the action and pulling you as close as he could. He was soft, and gentle as he kissed you. Even his hold on you, so careful as if he’d break you with any more pressure. He rolled his head to the side, and you did the same as you shared this intimate moment. Something changed though…he progressively got rougher. Still not rough itself by any means, but a noticeable difference. 

Your suspicions were confirmed when you felt his hands on your back, instead of the touch of Lilia and Vivian. The feelings went from comforting, to something more. You were pulled closer, and you felt his tongue run from the corner of your lips to your ear as he whispered, “I’ve missed you.” He chuckled, in a low and almost menacing tone. “Stressful day? I know how I can help you relieve that stress.” 

You were far from intimidated though, so instead you challenged him. “Think you can help me?” You laughed with him, and you let him roll you over onto your back while he hovered closely over you. “I think that’ll be alright. Though I’m not much in the mood for “rough” right now. Be gentle?” You tilted your head to the side and smiled up at him. 

“I suppose I could manage that.” He smirked, and leaned down, pulling you into another kiss. His hands wandered, from your back, around to your neck. Slow, but intentional. Using the tips of his fingers to span across your neck, and moving your head to the side so he had better access. “Don’t you just love it…coming back here, home to me. I can comfort you, confide in you…pleasure you. No one else can do that.” He chuckled against your neck as he trailed his lips along it. 

You sighed in contentment and let him do as he pleased. “My souffle…” You accentuated your words by putting emphasis on “my” and that little detail made him gently nibble on the soft spot on your neck as he chuckled at your words. He wasn’t always gentle, but right now he would be. “Not a human, not even a food soul I’d rather be with right now.” 

“Just as I am your Souffle…you are my y/n. Now and forever.” With the last word, he bit down just slightly harder and it made you gasp. “So now…I’m going to make sure you never have to worry about stress while I’m here.” His hands traveled, and rested on your chest as he squeezed, proving his point. 

From morning till late in the evening, it had been a really rough day. There were several occasions where you just wanted to nap the whole day and do nothing at all. But you're a busy person, and so there was very little for you to do about it. Having Food Souls around was handy as they could lessen your work load, but you found yourself not calling for their aid as often. Maybe it was because you felt it was your own responsibility to deal with everything going on, maybe you simply felt guilty to make them do work they would probably rather not do.

After cleaning up the restaurant and closing for the day, it was safe to say that you were totally down for the count. And it was because of your exhausted state that you didn't notice someone right in front of you. You almost bumped into them, but a pair of hands stopped you from walking any further.

"M-M... Master Attendant?" A meek voice says. You focus in front of you and find Soufflé standing there.

"Ah, good evening, Soufflé," you greet with a tired smile. "How are you?"

Soufflé doesn't answer. You notice him frown. "Did you... h-have a bad day today?" You shake your head, doing your best to reassure him.

"No no, nothing bad. It's just... ah, maybe it was a little, um, a lot." You chuckle. The worry on his face doesn't leave. You sigh, giving him a better answer. An answer he was likely looking for.

"Alright, maybe it was a bit rough today..." You admit. You were so tired that you felt you might not be able to stand around anymore. Noticing this, Soufflé takes your arm hurriedly and brings you to your room.

Before you knew it, you were prepared a bath, then changed in cleaner clothes, and now—if possible—you were having your hair brushed and blow dried by Soufflé himself. You sigh. You felt much better after a good wash. Even though you were completely capable of handling yourself, Soufflé still assisted you in every little thing while getting you prepared for bed. Tucking you in, Soufflé brought up a chair to sit next to your bed.

"A-are you feeling, um, a bit better, M-Master Attendant...?" Soufflé asks, fixing your pillow to make you more comfortable.

You smile and nod. "Yes, Soufflé. Thanks for helping me get to bed. I really appreciate it."

Hearing your praise, Soufflé looks down, his face slightly warm as he holds one of his dolls. Lilia, you think her name was.

"I-I... It's, um, I-I'm just glad... you look better, Master Attendant. Um..." He hesitates, still somewhat avoiding your gaze. "I-Is it okay if, uh, if me and Lilia sit here? To... watch over you, a-and make sure you sleep well...!"

You can't help but grin at his shyness. He was always looking out for you, even when it was tough for him to even try to do things without a direct order. "How thoughtful," you comment, watching Soufflé's expression. "Go ahead, I don't mind at all."

There's a small smile on Soufflé's face when you agree. "O-okay... I'll sit here and make sure you get e-enough rest."

Relaxing into the sheets, you let out a content sigh and close your eyes. "I'm so lucky..." You mumble, "So lucky to have Soufflé here to help me..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Soufflé sighed softly as he opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling for a few moments. He tried to move but found he couldn't, frowning to himself as he looked either side of him. He had to chuckle upon seeing his boyfriends curled up, each gripping onto his arm, still fast asleep. Blue Cheese had his head resting on Soufflé's shoulder, arms wrapping tightly around him. Opera Cake on the other hand was practically lying on top of Soufflé, cuddled up and snoozing peacefully, a blissed expression on his face. He'd never seen Opera Cake look so calm before.

Unfortunately, Soufflé accidentally broke the peace by staring too long. Opera Cake yawned sweetly, blinking up at Soufflé like a baby owl. "You woke me up," he complained pitifully, whining quietly and Soufflé laughed, leaning his head down to kiss his cheek lightly. "Sorry, baby.." He murmured, holding him close, wrapping his arm around Opera Cake's waist, whispering sweet nothings to him. Opera Cake was happy to cuddle up to him, humming quietly too, happy to spend the morning being just them, ignoring Blue Cheese snoring on the other side of the bed.

But good things don't last forever. It wasn't long before Blue Cheese woke up too, flopping ungracefully on his side as he blindly searched the cabinet for his glasses. Opera Cake and Soufflé watched worriedly as their boyfriend angrily grumbled to himself as he aggressively shoved them on his face. He turned on his side again, but this time to look at his two partners, kissing Soufflé gently (which was gladly reciprocated) before leaning over and attempting to kiss Opera cake who turned his face away. "Disgusting morning breath," he muttered and the other two laughed happily.

Blue Cheese rolled his eyes affectionately. "Drama queen." He muttered, moving to wrap his arms around him both. He had them securely around Soufflé, his hands linking together around Opera Cake's waist. He held them both close to him, smiling at them. “I love you both so much,” Blue Cheese murmured lightly, just admiring them both. Soufflé looked up at him and smiled, feeling so calm and happy. “I love you both as well..” To which they got a mumble from Opera Cake. Soufflé tsked lightly, tilting Opera Cake’s head up. “Use your words, baby,” he spoked lightly, smiling gently at him.