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Music was something that frequently brought people together. Cookies of all kinds would join together and string together many wonderful melodies. Melodies that conveyed numerous different emotions. Of which were all so beautiful one couldn't help but join in.
Though, as lovely as music was, it couldn't fix everything. Certainly it couldn't fix the current state of a particularly overworked actor. Shadow Milk had been given a week-long vacation since the playwright had taken a vacation. She rarely took vacations, much preferring to watch Shadow Milk's rehearsals and give him never-ending work.
So, when he'd learned of his, albeit short, break, Shadow Milk jumped at the chance. His to-do list? Fix his sleep schedule and watch a ton of films. Maybe even hang out with a certain faerie king who liked to pester him. He'd planned for a nice, quiet week of relaxation, but unfortunately (or fortunately) fate had other plans.
As Shadow Milk sat on the couch, munching on some buttered popcorn while watching a random rom-com, his phone buzzed. The actor half expected it to be Eternal Sugar revoking his vacation privileges, but he was pleasantly surprised to see a message from Pure Vanilla.
◇-----------◇
Viri dream man 💞:
Dearest, are you busy tonight by any chance? -PV
Uhhhhh…
No, why?
Viri dream man 💞:
I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to a concert tonight. -PV
I mean… I guess.
Yeah.
Viri dream man 💞:
Wonderful! I'll pick you up at eight! Do be ready, my love! ♡ -PV
Stop signing off your texts with ‘-PV’
We've been over this.
It's a DM ik that's it's u
Idiot.
Viri dream man 💞:
Ah, my apologies. I am more accustomed to writing letters. -PV
Old ahh reachin unc status 😭🙏
Viri dream man 💞:
Pardon? -PV
What was it like with the dinosaurs?
Viri dream man 💞:
I've never met one, my dear. -PV
I'm just teasing you
Jeez!
Lighten up, old man.
Viri dream man 💞:
Haha, of course. See you soon, Bluebird. ♡ -PV
◇-----------◇
Shadow milk sighed and set his phone down before stretching. Pure Vanilla was so bad at using any form of technology. It was both funny and painful at the same time. He supposed it came from the fact he was a faerie and was rather old. Although faeries did age rather slowly, it still didn't excuse that he was really over one thousand or something. Not that it ever bothered Shadow Milk.
“A concert, huh?” He said to no one in particular. Not that anyone was around to hear it. “Wonder what band is playing.”
Now, Shadow Milk could look it up, but he'd much rather be either pleasantly surprised or disgusted. No in between. The actor yawned and checked the time, having to do a double take for a moment.
19:45 p.m. the clock read.
Shadow Milk jumped, tripping over the blankets he'd nestled himself into in his haste. Wiggling and kicking blindly, he flopped harshly to the floor. He let out a groan and sat up, rubbing the arm he'd landed on. That was going to bruise.
Though, that was not what mattered right now. What mattered was that he had fifteen minutes to get ready for a concert. The actor stood up and rushed to his bedroom, grabbing a random outfit and throwing it on. He was not going to go out in public while wearing a hoodie and sweatpants. No, he was dignified.
Running a hand through his short hair, he attempted to brush out any knots, huffing when his fingers caught on one. He dashed to the bathroom and grabbed a toothbrush, lathering on a generous amount of toothpaste that would surely make his mouth burn. He brushed his sharp teeth as fast as he could, while grabbing a bit of his blueberry scented perfume. Spraying a few puffs of it, Shadow Milk finally finished brushing, spitting out the burning liquid before turning on the faucet to wash it down.
He looked up at himself in the mirror and sighed, grabbing his two different color eyeliner before applying them to each eye respectively. Looking this way and that, he checked if it was symmetrical. Once deeming it good enough, he walked towards where he'd left his phone. A message greeted him.
◇-----------◇
Viri dream man 💞:
I'm here, darling. I'm waiting for you outside. ♡ -PV
Alrighty!!
◇-----------◇
Shadow Milk shoved his phone into his pocket and dashed to the door, pulling it open to be greeted by the faerie king. He was dressed in almost his usual attire except if one were to make it look more casual. He also lacked his crown.
“Ah, you look gorgeous, my love,” Pure Vanilla whispered, grabbing onto his hand while raising it up to his lips. The actor's face lit up with a bright blush. Shadow Milk looked away, trying to fight the heat that stabbed into his cheeks.
“Shut up…” he mumbled, turning to look back at him. “You don't look too bad yourself.”
“Why thank you!” Pure Vanilla smiled brightly at him, faerie wings fluttering with quick bursts. Once the faerie let go of Shadow Milk's hand, he held out his arm instead, waiting for the actor to take it. Said actor hooked their arms together with a fond sigh.
The faerie king led him down the street and towards a very recognizable car. It was the one that the faeries used to “blend in” with the major populace of cookiekind. He'd seen it many times. Pure Vanilla opened the door for him with a smile so polite and so loving that Shadow Milk wanted to vomit. Regardless, he climbed into the car, mumbling a small “thank you” as he did so.
The door closed softly and soon, Pure Vanilla was sitting next to him. Since the faerie king was severely blind, it was both illegal and dangerous for him to drive. Hence why there were designated drivers instead. The car pulled out of the lot and started on its merry way.
“I do hope you like this concert! They've recently been touring the entirety of Earthbread. My good friend, Dark Cacao, recommended them to me,” Pure Vanilla explained, grabbing onto Shadow Milk's hand and simply holding it.
“Which band is it?” Shadow Milk asked, trying to ignore the butterflies that burst in his stomach at the feeling of the faerie slowly dragging his thumb across his knuckles. Each swipe made the butterflies flap around frantically, getting more and more erratic.
“HUNTR/X!” The faerie king responded, adjusting his grip on his staff that was laid across his lap.
“Ohh, yes, I've heard of them, but I have never listened to their music.” The actor nodded to himself, glancing out the tinted window at the world flying by. Pure Vanilla hummed next to him in acknowledgement.
“I'm sure you will like it.” Pure Vanilla leaned towards him to brush a featherlight kiss against his cheek. Shadow Milk blinked once before his gaze dashed towards the faerie, who had the audacity to look innocent like he wasn't swirling the actor's emotions around.
The car rolled to a stop and the faerie king got out of the car, rushing around to open it up for Shadow Milk. What a gentleman, he thought, stepping out and taking his arm. Pure Vanilla waved the driver off and paused mid-wave.
“Ah… I fear I left my staff in the car…”
Shadow Milk resisted the urge to snort, covering up his giggles with a cough. “Ehem... I'm sure I can help lead you around.”
“Why thank you, dearest Bluebird,” Pure Vanilla replied, leaning down to press a kiss against the crown of his head. Shadow Milk flushed and started walking, rolling his eyes when the faerie stumbled after him.
It wasn't hard to find where the concert was being held. The crowd was testament to that as well as all of the merch booths that surrounded it. Pure Vanilla cupped his own cheek and sighed sadly.
“Oh dear, it really is packed.” The faerie frowned, pulling Shadow Milk the slightest bit closer, like he was afraid to get separated. “Hm… I hope we can find a spot a bit closer to the stage. I heard their dances are very nice.”
Humming in acknowledgement, Shadow Milk began to weave through the crowd, walking towards the center. Most cookies grumbled at him, before pausing upon noticing the faerie king trailing behind him. They ended up closer to the stage, but not too close.
Pure Vanilla wrapped his arms around Shadow Milk's waist and grabbed his hand, dropping a pair of orange earplugs into them. The actor looked up at him, tilting his head as he did so. A silent question.
“To protect your precious ears, my dear. Concerts can be rather loud,” he whispered, lips brushing the shell of Shadow Milk's ear. “I'd hate for your pretty little ears to get damaged. How else will you be able to hear when we crawl into bed and-”
The actor blushed terribly and shoved his face away, plugging his ears as fast as he possibly could. That was so uncalled for!! In public too?! Did they faerie have no shame?! He hid his face as much as he could, not daring to peek out at “Pure” Vanilla.
“Haha… I'm sorry, love,” Pure Vanilla whispered, resting his head on top of Shadow Milk's head, cheek pressed against fluffy, short hair. “That was inappropriate. I just wanted you to be safe and got a bit carried away.”
“It's fine, don't worry about it,” Shadow Milk replied, waving his hand in the air as if he could physically wave away the faerie's thoughts. “It just… startled me.”
“Oh dear… I'm very sorry,” Pure Vanilla repeated as he kissed his cheek again, nuzzling against it. Shadow Milk leaned his head back a bit so that the clingy faerie had more access. Said faerie purred happily. “I love you.”
The actor glanced up at him, breath caught in his throat. They'd been dating for a few months now, but Shadow Milk had yet to actually verbally say “I love you” back. Every time he tried, he got nervous and was unsure of what tone or how to properly word his affections. Saying those three words had always proved difficult for him. It was only made worse when he'd gotten into acting.
He was thankful that Pure Vanilla was patient, and never took it to heart when Shadow Milk didn't repeat it back. The faerie only got this slightly worried look in his eyes. Probably his self-doubting tendencies.
Now? He felt ready. He'd been practicing and mapping out exactly what he'd say and how he'd say it. Opening his mouth, Shadow Milk was cut off by the resounding sounds of music. Pop music. Pure Vanilla perked up, wings and antenna raising upwards. The actor looked down for a second, slightly upset that he'd gotten interrupted.
Up on stage, the three singers, Rumi Cookie, Mira Cookie, and Zoey Cookie, began their performance. Shadow Milk found the music very upbeat and moving. One glance at Pure Vanilla showed that he was just as moved.
As the music flowed around them, cookies started to squish and shove into them in their excitement. Pure Vanilla's arms tightened around him, wings folding down to avoid them getting crushed. Shadow Milk leaned into his touch, letting the music caress him and the moment flow through him.
An hour passed, and the actor started to feel that familiar deep-rooted ache in his bones. He'd been standing for too long. Shadow Milk really wanted to sit down, but he didn't want to risk getting crushed by an excitable fan. The music thrummed through him, vibrating through him and only making the ache worse. Tapping on Pure Vanilla's arm, he attempted to catch the king's attention.
Closed eyes met open heterochromatic ones, and Shadow Milk stood on his tippy toes while Pure Vanilla leaned down to hear over the noise. Instead of the truth, an excuse tumbled out of his mouth. He didn't want the faerie to worry and fret over him while they were supposed to have fun. “I'm kinda thirsty, do you want me to get you anything?”
“Hm? Oh! No thank you, do you want me to come with you, Bluebird?” Pure Vanilla called, raising his voice to be properly heard. Shadow Milk shook his head, sighing. As much as he wanted to stay with him, the actor didn't want to be seen as weak.
Leaning his head against his chest, he smiled as sweetly as possible. Being an actor really did help him in almost every area of life. “I'll be quick, besides it'll be hard to get to this lovely spot again. Why don't you save it for us so no one takes it?”
“I suppose you're right… stay safe, my love,” Pure Vanilla whispered, cupping his face and pressing a quick peck to his lips. Shadow Milk melted and pecked him back before detangling from his arms. He pushed through the crowd, worming his way through.
He popped out the other side where the crowd thinned out and rushed towards the nearest bench. Sitting down, he groaned in relief, reaching down to massage his leg muscles. His bones sobbed with relief, and his dough whined. Shadow Milk sighed, glancing back at the crowd. The music was much quieter back here, but no less beautiful. Of course, was it his favorite? Not even close, but it was still very nice and pleasing to his partially obstructed ears.
Standing up after a few minutes, Shadow Milk walked back towards the crowd. He couldn't get a drink as he'd forgotten to bring cash in his haste to get ready. That was alright though. He only really needed a cover for taking a small break. While he was used to standing, walking, and even running for long periods of time, he broke easily per se. In fact, his body bruised and cracked if he bumped into something too hard. Witches, did it make it difficult to act. Usually, he'd just take some pain meds and force himself to continue through it. Rubbing his sore arm, he stepped back into the crowd.
Oblivious fans bumped into him; the noise reached a crescendo. Shadow Milk was thoroughly lost when the show ended, and he was overwhelmed. Too many people; too much noise. All he wanted was to drown in his boyfriend's loving embrace and forget all about his woes.
He ended up getting shoved towards the gate which led up to the stage. Surprisingly, he found no security guards. Pushing through the crowd had hurt his body again, making it much worse than before. He should've swallowed his pride and asked Pure Vanilla to carry him. The cold metal of the gate dug into his blue dough, sending microfractures splintering up his hip. Honestly, climbing over just to get another moment's rest didn't seem too bad. However, he could get hurt if he did. The pros outweighed the cons and Shadow Milk hooked a leg over, bracing himself.
A cookie bumped into him, sending him toppling over. The small crack! wasn't heard over the noise of fans. However, the actor noticed it all too well. He winced and weakly crawled to sit as far away from the crowd as he could. Warm jam burned against his skin, oozing out of his wound and staining his clothes. The cool night air nipped at him and Shadow Milk hugged himself. He hadn't realized how warm the crowd had been until now. Quickly, he pulled out the earplugs and pocketed them. The feeling of them was starting to annoy him even more on top of everything.
He risked a glance at the dark and secluded area right by the stage. He scooted back and sighed in relief. The noise was still loud, but at least he wasn't suffering in public where someone might pry into him and his life. Witches forbid if he was recognized. There weren't very many blue skinned cookies around.
“Hey, you know you aren't supposed to be back here,” a cookie with a more monotone voice said. Shadow Milk recognized it as one of the singers. He looked up, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. “Woah, wait… aren't you that one actor from the plays?”
Jinxed it… He cleared his throat, looking up at her. “Yes, I am… why?” Shadow Milk asked slowly, suspicion lining his body. When he was younger, he craved getting recognized, and thrived in the attention, but as the years went on, and as he became more and more akin to a soulless husk than a cookie, he'd lost that spark. Now, he actively dreaded it. Hence why he always had a mask up. A spikey, arrogant front to hide from everyone around him. The only one who'd been able to help him start to lower that façade was Pure Vanilla.
“I love your work,” Mira Cookie said, looking down at him with a slight ghost of a smile. “Really. You're a great actor.”
Oh. “Yeah, thanks. Your music is very nice as well,” Shadow Milk replied, attempting to stand up. He was sure the jam was bleeding through his clothing by now. Thankfully, it was too dark to see, but the tart scent of blueberries and milk wafted into the air.
Mira Cookie looked him over for a second, squinting her eyes. “You're bleeding. Is that why you're back here?”
Shadow Milk gave her a deadpan look while he held himself up against the wall that made up the side of the stage. “Yes.”
“Mira Cookie! Where are you? Are you ready for our post-show snacks and movies?” A chipper voice called. Zoey Cookie it seemed. Shadow Milk sighed, trying to pull out his phone to hopefully call his boyfriend. Surely Pure Vanilla was worrying his wings off right about now. “Oh! Who's this? Waaaaiiitttt! Are you… Shadow Milk Cookie? The Shadow Milk Cookie?”
Looking up, he spotted Zoey Cookie excitedly looking at him. Mira Cookie shook her head fondly, while Rumi Cookie finally walked over, eyes widening with recognition. The actor felt very exposed right about now. He forced on an easy smile despite the pain throbbing in his hip. “The one and only.”
“I love love love your work! Every play feels so authentic. Ah, can I get a pictu- oh my witches! Are you bleeding?” Zoey Cookie asked, gasping in shock. Rumi's eyes creased with worry while Mira simply stared at him.
“Are you okay? Do you need any help?” Rumi Cookie wondered, sharing a look with the other members of the band. All of them looked back at him with determination in their gaze. Shadow Milk inwardly sighed. He did not need anyone else getting involved, much less three celebrities he didn't even know.
“I'm fine. It's just a small scratch,” the actor replied through gritted teeth. He pulled out his phone, clicking on Pure Vanilla's contact information. As he was about to call him, his phone died. Great. Just great. The witches hated him.
“That doesn't look like a small scratch,” Mira Cookie pointed out, a frown adorned on her face.
“Yeah! That looks really bad. Did you come here with anyone?” Zoey Cookie asked, stepping towards him. Shadow Milk pocketed his phone, glancing between the three of them, wondering whether he should trust them. He didn't really have a choice though, did he?
“Yeah…”
Rumi Cookie walked past, risking a peak out at the crowd. It had thinned out quite a bit. “Any distinguishing features? A name maybe?”
“Pure Vanilla Cookie… he's-” Shadow Milk barely got another word out before Zoey shrieked. Flinching back, the actor glared at her. Quickly covering her mouth, she giggled nervously.
“Sorry! It's just! You mean… Pure Vanilla Cookie as in the faerie king?” Zoey asked, uncovering her mouth to gape at him. The actor glanced at the other two, who offered him a shrug. Shadow Milk looked back at her and nodded. “Jeez… I didn't realize we had literal royalty watching our concert today.”
“Zoey, we performed for the Dark Cacao Kingdom a few weeks ago,” Mira pointed out. “That was royalty.”
“Yeah, well… King Dark Cacao Cookie is a lot more intimidating than Pure Vanilla Cookie. Besides, I was still freaking out internally then, too!” She replied, sighing playfully. Mira chuckled, rolling her eyes.
Rumi clicked her tongue, drawing attention over to where she was still peaking out. The others walked over, with Shadow Milk hobbling slightly. “Is that the faerie king we're looking for?”
Shadow Milk snorted. There, a few hundred feet or so away stood a very frantic and nervous faerie. Pure Vanilla had his wings flared and antenna curled out to try and look for him. Even his usually closed, beautiful, heterochromatic eyes were open. Moonlight refracted through his wings, casting sparkles across the dirt. A mesmerizing sight to behold.
“Yeah… it is,” Shadow Milk replied, voice lost in a fond trance. He was so deep in admiring the faerie that he missed the looks that the singers were giving each other. He raised a hand and cupped it to his mouth. “Nilly! Over here!”
He'd never seen Pure Vanilla whip his head around faster. The actor was almost worried that he'd broken it. He'd also forgotten how fast faeries could be. All he'd done was blink and suddenly the king was all over him. Gentle hands checked him over while healing magic thrummed through his wounds.
“Oh, Bluebird! Witches! Are you okay? Don't scare me like that!” Pure Vanilla lightly scolded, cupping his cheeks and squishing them together. “I was so, so, so worried! I thought you'd gotten kidnapped, or lost, or Eternal Sugar had realized that you'd-”
Shadow Milk cut him off by pressing a finger to the faeries lips, snickering when said faerie went cross eyed for a second. “Hush now… keep your eyes closed.” He paused for dramatic effect before he stuck out his tongue at him. “Blegh!”
The actor watched as the cogs turned in the faerie’s head. Pure Vanilla blinked a few times before he burst into giggles. “I'm so glad you're okay, my love.” He nuzzled underneath Shadow Milk's head, pressing his nose against his neck. Deep purrs vibrated up and through the actor's own body. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too, Nilla,” Shadow Milk replied, awkwardly patting the faerie's head right in between his antenna, which coiled around the actor's hand and refused to let go. A familiar exhaustion sludged over his mind. This usually happened after Pure Vanilla used his healing magic on him. His dough always felt so heavy right after. “Can we go home now…?”
“Of course, my dearest Bluebird,” Pure Vanilla whispered, voice low and soothing. The faerie king pressed a quick peck to his cheek, but the actor was too tired to register it. “We can go home.”
“Oh! Uh, wait, before you both go. Can we maybe get a picture?” Zoey Cookie asked, pulling out her phone quickly. Mira and Rumi both sighed at her, but their tones were full of an undercurrent of fondness.
“Um… sure,” Shadow Milk replied, detangling from Pure Vanilla, who pouted at the loss of contact. They got into position and Zoey waved the faerie king over.
“You too! We can send this to Dark Cacao Cookie!” Zoey said, angling the phone camera as best as she could. Pure Vanilla perked up and rushed behind Shadow Milk, immediately pulling him into an embrace. “Say cheese!”
Once the photo was taken, Zoey looked it over before smiling. “Thank you! Thank you!”
“Of course,” Shadow Milk answered, reaching up to tiredly rub at his eyes. Pure Vanilla promptly picked him up. The actor squeaked in surprise, but didn't bother glaring.
“Your music was lovely. I do hope you all have a great night.” Pure Vanilla ducked his head, a soft smile on his face, before he turned and carried the actor back towards where the car was. The singers all called out various goodbyes. Shadow Milk was already half-asleep by the time they were both in the car. Pure Vanilla shook his head, antenna curling.
“Dearest, may I stay the night over at your place?” he whispered, brushing hair out of the actor's blue face. “I want to make sure you're okay.”
“Mhmmm,” Shadow Milk hummed, leaning closer to the touch. Everything was starting to feel far away as the cusps of sleep gripped onto him. Soon enough, he was blinking in and out of sleep, only jolting awake when the faerie scooped him up and carried him back into his apartment.
Soft sheets cradled him and warm vanilla scented arms held him. Shadow Milk couldn't think of a single thing to worry about. Not his work; not his pains, not his boss, nothing. All he could think about was how nice the scent of vanilla was and how warm he felt.
“Nilla..?” Shadow Milk mumbled, suddenly remembering something even while he was drunk on exhaustion. The faerie king hummed, running fingers through his short blue hair. Shadow Milk purred at the feeling, leaning farther into him.
“Yes, Bluebird? What is it?” Pure Vanilla wondered, humming a tune under his breath. It sounded like one of HUNTR/X’s songs. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Mhm… I just… I love you,” the actor mumbled, cheek pressed against Pure Vanilla's chest. He could hear the faerie’s heart stutter and breath hitch. For a moment, he wondered if he'd said the wrong thing, but the faerie pulled him into a loving kiss, which silenced all his worries.
“I love you too, Bluebird.” Pure Vanilla pulled the actor as close as he could, gently squeezing him. Shadow Milk smiled like a dork and finally fell into the clutches of his exhaustion.