shimiarizuuuu

It'd been about a month since Venom Dough and their siblings started living with you, and it was...interesting to say the least.

Being in an entirely new environment, being...free, without orders from dark enchantress cookie was so different than what venom dough cookie was used to.

But the one thing that they truly valued about their freedom...was meeting you, even if it was when they were digging through trash for food, and you were kind enough to offer them the food you had bought.

They also picked up some hobbies you taught them, Like gardening. At first, they only watched from afar as you tended to the plants with a gentle touch, and it was only when you beckoned them over to help did they realize how fun it is to do things as small as take care of plants.

They started helping grow fruits, veggies and flowers, and even started planting their own. Currently, they are sitting near a windowsill, a potted plant sitting before them drinking up all the rays of sunshine it can get.

It's venom dough's favorite flower. They planted it in the pot themselves and had been taking care of it ever since, to have the freedom to just...sit around and watch a flower bloom was a thing they never had. Sure, many a cookie would find it boring, but venom dough didn't care, it only mattered that they had the freedom to do it no matter how boring or mundane it seemed to others.

"You know, that flower symbolizes freedom. It may be small now, but one day it'll outgrow its pot, and we can plant it outside, where it can sway in the wind, absorb the rain and all the sunlight until its life comes to an end."

Venom dough perked up when you said that, looking at the flower closer with a curious eye. "Freedom..." It's one word. Simple, easy to pronounce, but that word means everything to them.

"Yeah, freedom," you say, pulling a chair up to sit by their side as they reach out, fingers hovering near the flower petals before dropping. After looking at them, you continue, "Freedom, and love."

Their gaze drifts towards you, admiring your side profile as they lean their head on one hand, "Love...that word. It's a word...but not just a word at the same time. It's all so..."

They stop mid-sentence. Looking down at their bandaged hands with narrowed eyes, it's only the softness of your hand on their shoulder that makes them look up. "Hey, it's okay to be a little confused...we can do this...together. Just you and me. No dark enchantress cookie, no orders and no pressure."

They pause, and for a moment all is silent as they search your eyes for deception, lies, anything.

But they find none. All they see is you, honest, caring and with no ulterior motives...unlike the dark enchantress cookie. They don't know why their eyes feel wet, they don't know why they pull you in for the tightest hug they've ever given, But but they do.

And it feels good...it really does. "Thank you, thank you so much." Their voice is a little shaky near the end as they try to wipe away the tears that gathered in their eyes, but all you do is pat their back. "No problem, venom dough. I care about you, and I want you to know that even if you are an experiment, even if you were created to fend off dragons, even if you have chronic pains I'll never leave you behind. i'll never see you as a burden...not now not ever."

When they finally pulled back from the hug, they gazed at you, And right there and then, They knew they were ready. Ready to embark on this journey with you, through hell or high water because...

It'd been about a month since shadow milk had arrived in the vanilla kingdom for pure vanilla's "redemption training". Pure vanilla cookie had sent a letter to the spire of deceit, urging shadow milk to at least try experiencing the joys of friendship and kindness towards another cookie.

And to say he was beyond surprised when shadow milk actually showed up, grumbling about only coming to be amused and entertained would be an understatement. But it proved that his suspicions were correct. Shadow milk truly did want to change for the better! even if the beast in question refused to acknowledge it.

And shadow milk's road to redemption was being paved right before pure vanilla's very eyes, from how his expression softened when the sugar sheep in the pastures cuddled against him like he was a friend they'd known long. To how he tried to give a semi-kind-looking smile to a child who he handed a piece of candy to on the streets.

It all proved shadow milk wasn't as bad as he insisted he was. That the walls he had caged himself into were crumbling bit by bit, even if he wouldn't admit it.

And while pure vanilla was overjoyed by shadow milk's progress when all was said and done, when pure vanilla retreated to his bed chambers at the end of the day, he couldn't help the way his smile fell when he eyed himself in the mirror as he changed into his night clothes.

Was he too feminine? Did anyone truly accept him for who he was, or did they only do it when he was around just because he was their king? Did they all whisper and murmur behind closed doors about him? About how he would never truly be a man? About how he was just deluded and confused?

His fingers dug into his arm as he continued to stare at himself, at the scars on his chest from his top surgery, at the body he had which, in his eyes was nowhere near the body he wanted. At all the little flaws nobody but him noticed. He hated this, hated thinking of his own citizens as no-good liars who only pretended to be accepting. But he couldn't help it, couldn't help the dark insecurity that twisted deep within his soul beneath all the positivity.

By the time he noticed how the shadows in the corners of his room swirled together until they formed into shadow milk, it was already too late. Too late to cover it all up and pretend everything was fine, too late to pretend that he was someone with unlimited positivity and not someone with insecurities that were always there, always nitpicking at his every movement until his happy spirits where thoroughly crushed.

He expected laughter, expected shadow milk to mock him, to revel in pure vanilla's current self-deprecating state.

But the laughter never came. Instead, shadowy milk floated closer, leaning against pure vanilla as he gazed at him in the mirror. "Why so down silly vanily? You look like you have a rainy storm cloud over your head!"

Shadow Milk's voice was playful, but not mocking in the question he asked. Though pure vanilla just stared at himself in the mirror one more time before pulling his robes onto his bare upper half and turning away. "It is nothing, Shadow Milk cookie...I am merely...in thought."

Shadow milk didn't fall for it, stepping back yet remaining close as he continued to bug pure vanilla for an answer: "Ah, to try to deceive the deceiver! Such a naughty cookie you are nilly! But alas, I the wondrous shadow milk cookie remain-"

Shadow milk stopped immediately when he noticed the slight tremble in pure vanilla's shoulders and the tears that began to spill from his eyes. Shadow Milk's smile fell and, against his better judgement, he reached out his hand, wanting to reach out, to touch and comfort but instead it just hovered in the air before falling to his side awkwardly as he tried to find something to say. "Hey... I didn't mean to...if I said something wrong..."

Pure vanilla cookie just shakes his head in response, wiping the tears that managed to slip out as he tries (and fails) to keep his composure. "No, it's not you, it's just...I feel like nobody really sees me for who I am, for who I want to be. Like no matter how much I change...I'll always be a woman to everyone..."

Pure Vanilla didn't know why he was spilling his heart like this, but he was. And before long, he felt two arms wrap around him as shadow milk pressed himself to pure vanilla's back in an awkward hug, but pure vanilla smiled softly anyway and turned around in shadow milk arms so he could embrace him back.

After a while of silently hugging, shadow milk finally musters something to say. "Well... I think you look pretty great..." He pulled back to meet pure vanilla's eyes as he spoke, the words were unfamiliar on his tongue but seeing the smile on pure vanilla's face made it all too worth it. And before he could ponder or decide otherwise, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to pure vanilla's own.

The kiss was supposed to be brief, shadow milk was supposed to pull away, stammer an apology oand never speak about it again. But it wasn't...instead pure vanilla leaned into it, eyes falling closed as his arms came to wrap around shadow milk's neck to pull him into the kiss even more.

When they finally break apart, pure vanilla gazes at shadow milk in a way that makes the beast's heart feel all warm and fuzzy. And all shadow milk can do is bury his face in the crook of pure vanilla's neck and mumble at the soft-hearted fool that he just kissed like it was the most natural thing ever.

"If you say anything, I'm leaving." all pure vanilla does is chuckle in response and pull the beast impossibly closer to him. He doesn't say anything, but the proximity is enough.

And despite shadow milks embarrassment 9 simple words lingered on his mind.