Light's embrace

by Bloody_midnight

Summary:

Shadow Milk's boredom starts getting to him so he begins to cause some mischief to make things more entertaining.

Peaceful, serene, tranquil.

All words that could be used to describe this dull place of a prison. Shadow Milk detested this place. Far beyond what one would think is possible. 

The peaceful calm of the Vanilla Kingdom. Nauseating. 

That's why he stayed in this guest room Pure Vanilla had allowed him to reside in for the time being. It had his own personal touches, the shadows moving across the dimmest parts of the room, the lingering scent of something other than Vanilla, and the cold.

 

Especially the cold.

 

It hadn't been intentional by any means, infact, it bothered him. The cold, quiet isolation left a bitter taste on his lips, one that was, admittedly, quite familiar, much to his dismay. He put up with it though, not wanting to see Pure Vanilla's irritating self. But, the solitude was getting to him, against all odds. 

The loneliness boredom was starting to drive him nuts. He couldn't take anymore of this uneventful atmosphere. Against his better judgment he actually got up, well, floated up. 

He had encased the room in shadows since his arrival, using the darkness just to shut out the calm world beyond the doors. 

 

After the collapse of Shadow Milk's Spire he quite literally had no other option, not to mention Candy Apple and Black Sapphire’s shortcomings. That's why he begrudgingly came right to his other half's front door. He didn't know why the other had openly welcomed him or why he thought Pure Vanilla would even take him in without a second thought. Shadow Milk didn't dwell too much on it, especially not on his own feelings on the matter. 

 

Shadow Milk stretched like a cat, yawning and twisting as his body cracked and popped, his dough stiff from not moving for so long. He snapped his fingers and the shadows disappeared, the light from the window hitting the light creme walls once again after what felt like years.

 

In the light invading, Shadow Milk hissed. The light was harsh, like a certain cookie’s truth. Speaking of which, where was he?

Shadow Milk rubbed his eyes and adjusted to the bright atmosphere. Then he paused. What would he do to cure his boredom? 

 

He could spook the staff he had seen up and around when he arrived. They had been made aware that Shadow Milk was staying so there was a lingering sense of anxiety. Anxiety that his presence always seemed to cause other cookies. It was a fact he most adored and relished in often. But today, he had other plans. To do that, he had to find Pure Vanilla himself. 

 

As he stepped foot outside of the guest room for the first time, Shadow Milk was hit with an intense wave of a vanilla scent. Of course, this is the Vanilla Kingdom after all. 

He composed himself, gathering himself in order. First order of business; find Pure Vanilla. Second, torment him. This surely would keep him busy for a bit, entertained beyond belief for certain. 

Wandering the castle proved to be a hassle. Long hallways and twisting paths, grand staircases, many empty rooms. And don't even mention the decor. Paintings of the man himself, stained glass of the heros, flowers in pots, lilies, of all things. Shadow Milk spotted them by the windowsill. He touched them harshly, glaring down at them as he watched them wilt in his grasp. A toothy grin morphed onto his face as he took pleasure in watching the flowers decay. Yes, now this is something he can get behind.

Roaming the halls he spotted a cookie. She was a small thing, carrying a basket of jellies that seemed oh too heavy for her in her arms. She had on a flowy dress, must be one of the maids. Shadow Milk grinned as a glint of mischief entered his mind. 

 

He floated down, his heels hitting the ground with a clack. The small cookie jolted, turning around instantly. She stilled as she saw the looming figure smile at her. The basket of jellies fell from her grasp, falling onto the floor. No matter, Shadow Milk was more than happy to play this game.

 

“Lookie lookie, what do we have here?” Shadow milk laughed with a sing-song voice. He looked down at her with his mismatched eyes. 

 

“You're the- the-” 

 

“The-T-the, what? Never been in the presence of a devilishly handsome individual? Snake got you tongue tied?” Shadow Milk giggled.

“You're the beast!” The little cookie screamed. She took a step back before falling, looking down and seeing a shadowy snake beginning to coil around her leg. She froze, paralyzed in sheer and utter terror. Her fear filling the area with a delightful scent that Shadow Milk just adored.

 

He cackled, the sound resonating around the two. “Oh, this is so much fun already. What shall I do next?~ Perhaps I could-”

 

“Shadow Milk Cookie.” An irritating voice, one of assertion, still dripping with its oh so familiar warmth.

 

“What are you doing with her?” Pure Vanilla huffed out, pinching his nose bridge.

 

“Oh Nilly, is that really you? My annoying other half.” Shadow Milk growled out, turning to face the man.

 

“I told you, you could stay here, if you follow my rules. Simple ones, really. Don't cause harm to other cookies.” Pure Vanilla sighed out as he walked over the smaller cookie. He reached out his hand and helped her up, apologizing to her as he put down his staff, helping gather the scattered jellies. 

 

“Are you alright, Salted Toffee Cookie?” He asked softly.

 

“I-I’m fine, yes, very well, thank you for asking, Pure Vanilla Cookie. I'll just get going to the… kitchen…” She mumbled quickly, trembling as she took the basket and sprinted away. 

 

Pure Vanilla picked up his staff and walked over, an exasperated breath leaving his lips. His robes swished around with him with each step.“Shadow Milk, I see you're finally out. Got tired of the loneliness?” He chirped at the other.

 

Shadow Milk scoffed as the taller cookie walked over to him. He floated up, heels leaving the ground. “Boredom. Get it right you old man.”, he tutted.

 

“Yes, well, you do know you can seek my company if you are truly this “bored”, right?” The angel of a cookie let out a chuckle. It made a warm buzz of irritation crawl into Shadow Milk's very dough causing him to shudder. How much more annoying could one cookie get?

 

“Oh? And would the oh so benevolent king grace a humble jester with his presence?” He asked with a quirk of his brow. At this rate his original plans weren't going to come to fruition. Maybe just this once he could indulge the other, out of pity, if anything.

 

“How about a walk in the garden?” Pure Vanilla spoke, a small smile gracing his lips.

 

Yes. This man has to be the most annoying person Shadow Milk has ever encountered.

The garden was filled with flowers, plants blooming and thriving. It took everything in Shadow Milk not to just make all the foliage wilt and rot with a simple touch. Was this the other's idea of fun? It was so painfully boring. 

 

“You've been in your room for a few days, what made you decide to come out?” The soft voice snapped the jester out of his own thoughts. 

 

Why? The truth was he didn't know. “It was getting quite stuffy.” 

 

“Ah. I see.” 

 

“No you don't. You're as blind as a bat.” Shadow Milk sneered.

 

“I can still see, just not very well.” Pure Vanilla chuckled, his right hand coming up to his mouth as he held his staff in the other.

 

The sight made Shadow Milk's eyebrow twitch. He turned away and looked up. The sun was beginning to set. They had been conversing for a few hours now, well, more like one-sided yapping on the ancient’s end. 

 

“It's getting late, isn't it? Shall we head back?” Pure Vanilla asked the other.

 

“I suppose so. This was awfully boring though. Don't you do anything fun around here?” Shadow Milk floated onto his back.

 

“It wasn't boring for me, especially since you were here.” There it was again, that bright, irritating smile that he wore when he was speaking earnestly. It irked the jester to no end.

After walking back, Pure Vanilla escorted Shadow Milk to his room. Shadow Milk opened the door, the cold once again coming back onto his dough as he stepped inside, his shadows encapsulating the room in a sanctuary of darkness once again.

 

“Oh my, it's freezing in here. Are you sure you want to stay here tonight?” Pure Vanilla asked the other as he shivered. 

 

“I happen to quite like the cold. It's very nice.” Shadow Milk's Voice came out harsher than intended. No matter, he just wanted to get rid of the taller cookie and have him out of his sight already. 

 

“If you say so.” Pure Vanilla reluctantly replied. “My room is a short walk, or use one of your portals. If you need anything, please do come find me. If you'd like we could spend time together again tomor-” 

 

Shadow Milk pushed Pure Vanilla out, slamming the door behind him. He didn't need him. He didn't need his company, his attention. He just needed his souljam, his powers back. 

 

Shadow Milk collapsed onto his bed and huffed out a laugh. What a foolish cookie, trying to intrude into HIS life. He was the Beast of Deceit for crying out. He didn't need anyone, especially not the one who stole his souljam.

 

He spent a long while just staring at the ceiling, his shadows dancing across the room. He opened a portal.

 

“It's cold in there.”

Notes:

This was written in February and had one singular beta reader. This was originally supposed to be like multiple chapters of Shadow Milk just crashing out but I gave up, lol.