#nilly

The cathedral halls glowed dimly in the evening light, stained glass reflecting soft colors across the marble floor. The air was thick with the smell of herbs and the faint sparkle of healing magic that still lingered from spells cast hours ago.

You already knew where to find him, Pure Vanilla Cookie was always there, sitting among the wounded, his golden staff casting its warm glow across the chamber.

He looked radiant, as he always did, but you could see the wear in him too. His smile was still kind, his voice still steady as he whispered words of comfort, but his movements had slowed.

Each time he raised his staff, his arm seemed to waver just a fraction longer before it found its strength. His eyes, always so bright, were hazy with exhaustion.

You had asked him countless times to rest, begged even, but every time he would give you the same gentle answer.

“I will, when everyone else is well.”

It broke your heart, because you knew he would never choose himself over others.

But tonight was different. His staff trembled as he lowered it from another cookie’s bedside, his knees nearly buckling as he moved to the next patient. He caught himself on the edge of a cot, hiding the stumble as best he could.

That was enough.

You crossed the room quickly and laid a hand on his arm. “Pure Vanilla, stop.”

He blinked down at you, tired but smiling. “I’m alright-”

“No, you’re not.” You carefully took the staff from his shaking hands before he could protest. “You can barely stand. You’ve given enough.”

For a heartbeat, he looked as though he might argue, that stubborn streak of selflessness holding on tight. But when you brushed the hair from his face, your thumb skimming against his warm cheek, something inside him gave way. His shoulders slumped, his knees softened, and a shuddering breath escaped him.

Without another word, you slipped his arm over your shoulders and guided him away from the ward. He leaned into you heavily, too tired to pretend he wasn’t. Each step was slower than the last until finally you reached a quiet room tucked behind the grand hall, a little place where the golden light softened and the world felt still.

You eased him onto a cushioned couch, your hands firm but tender. “Sit,” you murmured, almost like an order, but your voice trembled with concern.

He obeyed, head bowed, eyes fluttering closed.

When you dipped a cloth into a bowl of warm water and began to wipe his face, he let out the faintest sound, half sigh, half whimper, and leaned into the touch.

You worked slowly, brushing away the weariness, trailing the cloth over his temples, across his jaw. The lines of fatigue began to melt from his face, replaced by something softer, more vulnerable.

“You see?” you whispered. “The kingdom doesn’t fall apart when you pause. The world can wait.”

He opened his eyes then, glazed with weariness, and for once there was no refusal in them. Only gratitude.

“Lie down,” you urged gently, and before he could think to object, you guided him onto the couch, resting his head on your lap. He sank into the cushion, his frame curling slightly as though he was finally allowing himself to fold.

Your fingers threaded through his soft hair, combing it back slowly, and his breathing began to even out under your touch. You pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over him, tucking it around his shoulders the way he had tucked countless patients into their beds.

For once, you were the one fussing, and for once, he let you.

He stirred faintly when you pressed a kiss to his hand. “You’re too kind to me,” he murmured, his voice rough with exhaustion, barely more than a breath.

You hushed him softly, your thumb brushing over the back of his hand where it rested atop your knee. “No, love. I’m only giving you what you’ve given everyone else a thousand times over.”

His lashes fluttered closed again, though his hand tightened around yours, holding on like it anchored him. His chest rose and fell in steady rhythm, each exhale warm against your thigh. He looked so peaceful like this, stripped of the weight of duty, simply himself.

As you watched over him, stroking his hair in long, slow passes, you whispered, “Rest, my sweet healer. Just this once, let me protect you.”

For the first time in days, maybe weeks, Pure Vanilla Cookie slept deeply, wholly, without fear of being needed. Because in that moment, he knew someone was watching over him.

The castle was quieter, as if it and everyone in it knew its healer was resting. Every sound carried softly through high ceilings and marble halls. Moonlight shone through the stained glass, scattering light patterns across the floor, across you, across the precious cookie asleep in your lap.

This time, it was your turn to be the healer.

Pure Vanilla hadn't stirred for hours. You had stroked his hair until your own body felt heavy, until your eyelids drooped, though you refused to sleep before he did. Even in rest, he clung lightly to your hand, as if he feared you’d slip away the moment he loosened his grip.

It was in that stillness that you felt him shift. A faint stir, the subtle tightening of his fingers around yours. His head tilted slightly against your lap, brows furrowing before his lashes fluttered open. His breath caught, heavy with grogginess, and he blinked up at you as though surfacing from a deep dream.

“You’re…still here?” His voice was hoarse, barely audible, heavy with disbelief.

You smoothed his hair back from his face, smiling down at him. “Of course I’m here. Where else would I be?”

The question seemed to steal the air from him. His lips parted, his gaze wavering between your eyes and the place where your fingers brushed his temple. For a long moment, he said nothing, only stared, vulnerable in a way you had never seen from him.

At last, words scraped their way out of his throat. “I…don’t know how to do this.” His voice cracked faintly, the gentlest tremor in it. “To rest. To…let someone else worry about me.”

Your thumb brushed across his cheekbone, tender, coaxing. “What do you mean?”

His gaze dropped, heavy with shame. “I am supposed to be the one who takes care of others. Always. If I let go…if I put myself first, even for a moment…” His chest rose and fell unevenly, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Then what am I, if not their healer? What good am I?”

The words tore through you. To see him, Pure Vanilla Cookie, who carried his kingdom, his people, and even strangers without hesitation, question his worth simply because he was weary…it fractured something inside your chest.

You cupped his face firmly, tilting his chin until his eyes met yours again. “Listen to me,” you whispered fiercely, though your touch was soft. “You are so much more than the healer. More than duty. You are Pure Vanilla. You are kind, and selfless, and strong, but you are allowed to rest. You are allowed to be cared for. And if you don’t know how to accept that yet, then I’ll teach you. Again and again, for as long as it takes.”

His eyes glistened in the moonlight, unshed tears making them shine like glass. His breath hitched, and with a shudder he leaned into your palm, closing his eyes as though surrendering to the truth of your words.

“You are far too good to me,” he murmured, voice trembling.

You bent down, pressing a lingering kiss to his temple. “No,” you whispered against his skin. “I’m giving you a fraction of what you give everyone else. You’ve carried the world, love. Let me carry you.”

Something in him shifted at that. Slowly, hesitantly, his arms lifted and wound weakly around your waist. He pressed his head against your stomach, clinging to you as though you were the only steady thing left. His breath warmed your skin through the fabric, unsteady, fragile.

“Promise me,” he whispered, the words muffled and desperate. “Promise me you won’t leave. That when I forget how to rest, when I bury myself in duty again…you’ll be there to pull me back.”

Your hand slipped into his hair again, cradling him close. “I promise,” you breathed, your voice shaking with the weight of it. “Always. I’ll never let you do this alone.”

His arms tightened just enough to let you feel it, just enough to tell you he believed you. And then he exhaled, a trembling, unsteady sound that seemed to release years of unspoken strain.

Within minutes, his body relaxed fully against you. The trembling stilled, his breath evened, his grip on your waist softened but never let go. He fell asleep again like that, wrapped around you, trusting you to guard him as fiercely as he guarded everyone else.

You gazed down at him, brushing your thumb across his knuckles.

Pure Vanilla Cookie stayed tucked against you for a long while, his head resting lightly on your thigh. It was rare to see him like this, unguarded, unhurried, no gentle excuses about duty tugging him away. He simply breathed with you, letting the morning sunlight wash over both of you.

Eventually, though, he stirred again. You felt him shift, that familiar sense of responsibility already pulling at him. He began to straighten, hands pressing against the couch as though he meant to stand.

“Oh no you don’t.” You caught his arm before he could rise, narrowing your eyes playfully. “Don’t even think about it.”

He froze mid-motion, blinking at you, a startled laugh escaping him. “Am I not even allowed to stand now?”

“Not until you’ve had something warm and nourishing,” you declared, trying to keep a stern expression even as you softened under his smile. “You’ve been running yourself ragged for days. Sit.” You gave his shoulder a gentle push. “That’s an order.”

The great healer chuckled, shaking his head with fond disbelief, but he obeyed, sinking back down. “I fear you’ve become far too good at giving commands.”

“And you’re far too bad at following them,” you teased, rising from the bench and brushing his hair once more before you slipped away. “Stay put. I mean it.”

You left the room only briefly, returning with a tray you’d put together: a steaming cup of fragrant herbal tea, a small plate of sweet biscuits, and a damp cloth. Pure Vanilla Cookie’s eyes softened when he saw it, his smile blooming with a warmth that reached all the way into your chest.

“For me?” he asked softly, though you knew he already knew the answer.

“For you,” you confirmed, setting the tray beside him. You poured the tea carefully, the steam curling in the morning air, before lifting the cup to his lips. “Drink.”

He chuckled again, shaking his head as he accepted your fussing, sipping obediently from the cup you held. The warmth seemed to melt into him instantly, his shoulders sagging, eyes half-lidding with relief.

“Better?” you asked when he handed the cup back.

“Much,” he admitted, his voice lower, more at ease. “Though I suspect the company makes it taste sweeter.”

Your cheeks warmed, and you quickly busied yourself with the cloth, dabbing gently at his face and smoothing his hair back from his brow. He closed his eyes under your touch, utterly still, as though savoring the rare feeling of being tended to.

“You’re hopeless,” you muttered, though your smile betrayed you.

He cracked one eye open, amusement glimmering there. “And yet, you are still here, patiently spoiling me.”

You rolled your eyes, though your heart was so full it nearly ached. “Someone has to. If I left it up to you, you’d work yourself into dust.”

His smile softened, and he reached out, catching your hand in his. He brought your knuckles to his lips, brushing a kiss over them with reverence. “Then perhaps,” he murmured, his voice tender, “I should be grateful fate gave me you.”

Your throat tightened at the weight of his words. For a moment, you couldn’t speak, only gazed at him, this cookie who bore so much, who gave so much, and who finally...finally...was letting himself be cared for.

“You don’t have to thank me,” you whispered, squeezing his hand. “Just promise me you’ll let me do this again. As often as you need.”

His eyes softened to pools of glassy light. “I promise,” he said simply, but you heard the truth in it. The vow was as sacred as any he’d ever spoken.

The rest of the morning passed in that quiet, sunlit peace. You fed him a few biscuits, scolded him gently when he tried to insist you eat first, and laughed when he surrendered with exaggerated defeat. He let you fuss, let you brush his hair smooth with your fingers, let you tuck the blanket around him again even when he claimed he wasn’t cold.

And though you knew he would always be selfless, always put others before himself, you also knew that from now on, he’d remember this morning, the warmth of your care, the safety of your lap, the way you refused to let him bear everything alone.

For once, Pure Vanilla Cookie was not just the healer of the kingdom. He was yours to cherish.