Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Pure Vanilla Cookie felt absolutely horrid. What had started as a simple headache a few days ago, forming while he and White Lily Cookie were researching the Beast-Binding Ritual, had blossomed into a terrible head cold. this head pounded relentlessly and his nose was completely stuffed up. He'd tried to avoid talking as much as possible today, since he knew his congestion would be obvious if he didn't choose his words carefully. He could feel a fever starting to warm his dough as well, a sign that he should probably rest, but there was far too much at stake for him to allow himself to succumb to this.

Even now, as he sat in the Faerie Kingdom's library where he had spent that past few days, his nose dripped mess and he had completely given up on trying to read, unable to focus on skimming over the braille with his fingers and keeping his nose in check at the same time. His nose itched badly, and he had to rub at it to stop himself from sneezing. He absolutely hated sneezing around other people, and although he seemed to be alone, this place wasn't nearly private enough for him.

With a great amount of effort, Pure Vanilla managed to keep the itch back, yet he soon heard the sound of rustling wings. From the noise, he could tell they were large, larger than the average Faerie's, which meant that White Lily was here. Pure Vanilla heard her drop down and approach his little corner, where he quickly went back to reading- or, started to pretend to be reading.

"Pure Vanilla Cookie...I think I've found something," she said, starting to explain what she'd discovered about the Binding Ritual. Pure Vanilla could hardly pay attention, though, because the itch was back. This time, he couldn't even sniffle, because a single one would give him away.

"H-..Hih'tshh, e-eh... H-Hih--... Hihh-... Shh-"  Pure Vanilla found himself unable to starve off the itch entirely, but he managed to stifle his sneezes into tiny, breathy, barely audible noises. White Lily immediately paused what she was saying and glanced over at him. Pure Vanilla wasn't sure he would have been able to read her expression, even if it wasn't as blurry as it was to his eyes.

"Exc-hih..use me...s-sorry," Pure Vanilla mumbled, obviously embarrassed even as his breath hitched again. "Eh- hih'sh-"

Pure Vanilla's face was burning, hand placed under his nose even though the forcefully tiny sneezes accomplished basically nothing other than serving to make his nose even more itchy and congested. He turned his head away from white Lily, focusing on a...very interesting spot on the bookshelf.

"Pure Vanilla Cookie?" White Lily's voice, with a rather odd tone to it, reached Pure Vanilla's ears and he shook his head slightly, mumbling, "I'm fine.."

"No. Here, I might..." White Lily muttered, going silent for a moment before Pure Vanilla felt a handkerchief being pressed into his free hand. Pure Vanilla took it with a tiny, whispered thanks and turned away again.

"Eh- heh...h'sh-" Pure Vanilla heavily stifled another sneeze into the handkerchief. He could feel White Lily right next to him, and after a second he allowed himself to lean against her side. "Ugh..."

"Why didn't you tell me you were feeling ill...?" White Lily scolded lightly, running a hand through his hair. Pure Vanilla could feel how strangely tense her body was, but he kept it to himself.

"...I-I was too busy," Pure Vanilla responded, breath catching again and he once again buried his nose in the handkerchief with a slightly less stifled, "Hah... ha'sch!"

White Lily sighed, but simply continued to run her fingers through his hair gently.

Chapter Text

The chill seeped into his bones, all consuming and making him shiver. Pure Vanilla approached the Dark Cacao Citadel as snow fell in sheets around him, piling up quickly. As soon as he reached the gates, Pure Vanilla was quickly ushered inside. It was slightly warmer, but not a lot.

He was here because Dark Cacao wanted his help. There was an illness spreading around the kingdom fast, and the Cacaoian healers were overwhelmed. When he received the ask, Pure Vanilla had come to help his old friend with little hesitation.

Currently, Pure Vanilla didn’t exactly feel the…best, himself, but it was probably just a cold chill. Nothing more, he had built up a rather good immune system working as a healer for so long, surely. Yet Pure Vanilla still decided to put a mask on when he spotted them lying in a box in the infirmary…he could never be too careful, right?

Pure Vanilla quickly grabbed a mask before following to the Citadel’s infirmary, struggling with it for a moment before being able to slip it on. For the next hour, he walked around the infirmary, weaving his healing magic into the ailing cookies. The use of magic was draining him, leaving him absolutely exhausted at the end of the hour. A small headache had developed by this point, his throat felt slightly raw, and his nose was itching terribly.

Pure Vanilla sighed and stood still for a moment, letting his grip on his staff slack slightly. He really felt awful…but there were still more cookies to heal…

”How are you faring here, old friend?” Dark Cacao Cookie’s voice made Pure Vanilla lift his head to face the other.

”Well enough,” Pure Vanilla responded, cringing at the sound of his own voice, sounding so obviously ill it almost pained him. 

Dark Cacao simply raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, his eyes flicking over Pure Vanilla. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you wearing a mask while healing before,” he said with minor curiosity.

”I just…wanted to be careful,” Pure Vanilla said, struggling to come up with something that was the truth but also not the full truth. He did just want to be careful, but not because he cared about catching this illness.

Dark Cacao hummed, before saying, “You look cold. I’m sure my healers can handle the remainder of my ailing people, why don’t you come rest?”

Pure Vanilla wanted to refuse, but he couldn’t ignore that he was tired and felt terrible, so he reluctantly nodded and let Dark Cacao lead him out of the infirmary. Pure Vanilla took the mask off and threw it out as he left the room, it having made it hard to breathe through his already blocked nose. He slowly realized that he did feel oddly cold, the freezing air making him shiver slightly.

Dark Cacao obviously noticed, and mused quietly, “You should probably be wearing something heavier than your usual robes, it’s the middle of winter..”

"I know, I didn't really think of it, silly me," Pure Vanilla said, forcing back a wince as speaking grazed his raw throat. He should really take his own advice and allow himself to rest sometimes, shouldn't he? Yet despite everything that was happening, his mind was telling him that he should be hiding this better, because he shouldn't make Dark Cacao worry while he already had half of his kingdom to worry about because they were ill.

Dark Cacao paused for a moment, before carefully unlatching his cape and handing it to Pure Vanilla. "Take this..I'm not sure we have much, but this should serve well enough as a blanket for now."

Pure Vanilla, against what his mind was telling him to do, immediately hugged the cape close like a blanket, wrapping it around himself, "Thank you..." he mumbled, before once again against everything his mind was telling him, sniffled quietly. His nose was really bothering him now..

Dark Cacao continued walking at a rather brisk pace, Pure Vanilla hurrying after him, shivering again as the cold managed to reach him even through Dark Cacao's thick cape. His nose was running now and itching bad enough that his breath started to hitch, yet he tried to hold back, not wanting to sneeze in front of Dark Cacao, especially not now while his hands and arms were too wrapped up in the cape. Yet his breath continued hitching, even though he desperately tried to hide it from Dark Cacao, who luckily hadn't looked back yet.

"Hah...hih- heh'schu! Hh-chiw!" Pure Vanilla desperately tried to stifle the sneezes into his shoulder, but they came out louder than he wanted. He managed to wrestle his hand out from under the cape and put it under his nose after, sniffling again to hold back the mess dripping out of his nose. He glanced back and saw Dark Cacao looking at him.

"I'm fine.." Pure Vanilla mumbled, despite it being obviously not true. Dark Cacao raised an eyebrow again, the small movement showing his obvious disbelief of the statement. 

"Did you seriously come here to heal my ailing subjects while you're ill yourself?" Dark Cacao asked almost judgmentally, but in the same kind of 'judgmental' that was Dark Cacao's form of worried.

"Yes," Pure Vanilla said in the same quiet tone, sniffling again as mess wouldn't stop dripping from his nose, his hand planted under it. Annoyingly and embarrassingly, his breath was hitching again, and he tried to turn away, yet Dark Cacao grabbed the hadn't of his under the cape and almost gently started tugging him along. "What..."

"Come, I'm going to get you relatively comfortable. The infirmary is too crowded," Dark Cacao said, pulling Pure Vanilla along until they eventually ended up in Dark Cacao's chambers, where Pure Vanilla sat on a small couch. Dark Cacao paused, before sitting down as well. "...do you require anything?"

Pure Vanilla shook his head, even though he should probably allow someone to take care of him, he couldn't let himself to ask for it. His nose was itching so bad, he had to resist the urge to rub it, knowing it would only make it worse.

"Huh..hah'schiww!" Pure Vanilla sneezed again, cringing slightly at the mess from his nose he felt on his hand. He tensed, his nose still awfully ticklish, even though he desperately didn't want to sneeze again. Pure Vanilla didn't think this time as he pulled the cape up, letting out a quiet "hh-chiw! Hah..hih'chuw!" into it. He instantly felt guilty as he felt mucus soak the fabric, yet when he glanced at Dark Cacao, the other didn't seem to care, instead tugging Pure Vanilla closer.

"Ugh, sorry..." Pure Vanilla mumbled, congestion thick in his voice now. He allowed himself to curl up against Dark Cacao's side, still sniffling.

"Do not apologize, I have plenty," Dark Cacao said simply, wrapping an arm around Pure Vanilla.

"I shouldn't be this close...I don't want you to catch this.." Pure Vanilla muttered, his anxiety about this rising slightly as he thought of all the germs he was probably spreading all over Dark Cacao and his room.

"Please, I truly do not mind," Dark Cacao responded, and Pure Vanilla sighed, letting himself lie against his friend. He was finally starting to relax and feel slightly better, until the tickle in his nose came back strongly all of a sudden.

"Huh-h'sch!" Pure Vanilla sneeze, unable to move the cape to his nose at first because he didn't expect it. Mess leaked out of his nose as the sudden sneezes kept coming, quickly and slightly desperately as each one only seemed to make the tickle worse. "Hh-ha'tsch! H'sch! Hh..hah'tshih!"

Pure Vanilla pulled the cape away before quickly pulling it back against his nose as a string of mucus connected the blanket to his nose. He sniffled, keeping the fabric pressed against his nose, which felt incredibly raw and sensitive. He knew that if he pulled the cape away, his nose would be red and slightly puffy in addition to the mucus dripping from his nose. Pure Vanilla groaned quietly, and Dark Cacao, unexpectedly, wrapped an arm around him and tugged him closer.

Pure Vanilla eventually pulled the cape away, seeing the droplets of mess and contagion soaking the fabric. He cringed and set the cape down.

"I truly am sorry..." Pure Vanilla repeated, congestion so thick in his voice now it was difficult to speak and his apology was almost unintelligible.

Dark Cacao sighed, but it was less of a disappointed sigh and more of a worried sigh. "You really shouldn't have come while ill. I would never have asked if I had known. 

Pure Vanilla nodded, burying his face in the others arm and sniffling to avoid getting snot on his clothes, although it was probably inevitable with his position. "You're too kind to me, dear."

Chapter Text

Pure Vanilla Cookie spun around, trying to observe his new outfit by looking down. He knew his hair had been done up nicely, and a flower crown of small white and yellow flowers had been placed upon his head. He had fox-like ears clipped into his hair and a tail clipped onto his robes. His robes and staff had both been changed rather significantly, but not in a bad way.

He enjoyed this new outfit quite a bit. He questioned the choice of ears and a tail, but he ended up enjoying them once they were attached to him. The tail was fluffy as he ran his fingers through it, and he smiled softly. 

He sat in the short grass under a tree, rather comfortable in his new outfit.

…for a moment.

He sniffled after only a few moments, something lightly irritating his nose and making it tickle. He brought a hand up, placing it under his nose as he sniffled again. Ugh, this was…odd, and out of nowhere. 

“Hah…heht chu! ” Pure Vanilla sneezed quietly, trying to stifle it into almost nonexistence but failing. “Ugh…”

He half expected the itch to just go away after that, but that was rather hopeful, wasn’t it?

Where had this come from..? This was rather random, but Pure Vanilla wasn’t exactly complaining. He rubbed his nose gently, sniffling quietly again. Was it something with the…

The fur. On this costume. Oh, of course, silly him- Pure Vanilla was a healer, he felt as if he should’ve noticed this immediately. Pure Vanilla carefully detached the tail clipped to the back of his robes, holding it in his hands. 

Part of him felt guilty at the thought of this, for reasons he wasn’t sure why. But a stronger part of his mind really, really wanted to use his supposed allergic reaction to it.

He was alone. No one else was even near the field he was sitting in… oh, Witches damn him.

“H-heh.. Hah’chih! Hetch’hu!” Pure Vanilla sneezed again twice, a tiny, almost silent whimper escaping him afterwards as he shifted, still holding the tail tightly. That hadn’t been on purpose, but now he really wanted to induce himself. His nose was dripping, and he sniffed, rubbing his hand under his nose and glancing at the mess on it.

This was so, so very unsanitary of him. Something he, as a healer, would never do normally, but in this situation, he couldn’t help it. He really wanted to.

Pure Vanilla brought the fake tail up to his nose, gently wiggling it so the soft strands of faux fur would tickle his nose. His breath hitched, and he pulled the tail away.

“Hh- hih’chih!”

Another tiny noise escaped Pure Vanilla’s lips, and he held the tail tightly. He didn’t even need to bring the tail back up again, his nose was tickling so badly.

“Hih’chih! Heh..hahtchu! Hh’t chih !” Pure Vanilla’s sneezes got slightly desperate, his senses suffering from his inducing. Mess was dripping from his nose even more now, and he didn’t bother sniffling again. After a few seconds, he brought the tail up again and practically used it as a tissue, rubbing the long side of it against his nose.

Whatever the thing in it that was making him react like this was brushing against his nose as he did this.

“Hah’tchih!” Pure Vanilla shivered slightly, the whimper that escaped his lips slightly louder now.

Witches damn him and his stupid enjoyment of such a normal thing. The logical thing would be to get rid of the accessories and end this reaction, but his mind wouldn’t allow him to.

But apparently, his nose wasn’t either. Pure Vanilla rubbed his nose harder,  the itch blossoming but not turning into anything. Pure Vanilla whined quietly, sniffing the tail again. That managed to get the reaction out, to Pure Vanilla’s pleasure and relief.

“Hah- hih’ tchih!” Pure Vanilla sneezed again, harder this time, the tickle completely fading. Pure Vanilla allowed himself to set the tail down, his face feeling hot and his nose slightly red from rubbing it.

He sighed, trying to calm himself down. That had been…unexpected, but he didn’t dislike it.

Maybe… maybe he should indulge himself more often. Just maybe.

Chapter Text

Pure Vanilla Cookie took slow, deliberate steps up the mountain. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to find- just going on a little trip through Beast-Yeast, perhaps? Why… he had no clue.

But he was exhausted. When he eventually came upon a large, more flat area, he allowed himself to sit down, letting his staff lay down and sighing quietly. A soft sound of gentle music flowed through the air, and many, many scents filled the air.

”Oh…? A visitor..?” the voice was gentle and quiet, almost gentler than Pure Vanilla’s generally. Pure Vanilla lifted his staff, the vanilla orchid’s eye focusing on the new, strange cookie.

His dough was pale, almost a powdery white, and his pink hair was short, curling around his face beautifully. A bun in the shape of a peach bao was stationed on top of his head. He only had one eye, flowers sprouting from where the other should be.

He wore traditional-looking pink and green robes, a ribbon with a peach pin on it wrapped above his waist.

The cookie smiled softly, crouching down and offering a hand to Pure Vanilla.

”Who are you..?” Pure Vanilla asked hesitantly.

”You may call me Peach Blossom Cookie,” the cookie said, and Pure Vanilla took his hand gently, standing up.

”I am Pure Vanilla Cookie,” Pure Vanilla said softly.

”Please, you must be starving. It’s a long trip up,” Peach Blossom said, holding Pure Vanilla’s hand gently as he dragged him along. 

Pure Vanilla followed, but he sniffled slightly. All the odd, unfamiliar scents were overwhelming his nose, making it itch horribly. He held back his hitching breaths, allowing the unfamiliar cookie to drag him. 

He had no idea who this was. He was probably a danger. But Pure Vanilla couldn’t really protest right now, too busy uselessly fanning his nose with his free hand with his staff tucked under his arm to hold onto it.

Eventually, he had to squeeze his nose shut with his fingers, letting out two heavily stifled, “Hh-gtch! Hah’tch!”

Pure Vanilla suddenly realized he wasn’t being dragged along anymore. He moved his hand, grabbing his staff and tilting its eye towards the new cookie.

Peach Blossom was staring at him, eyes slightly wide.

”Ah…excuse me, I- I’m sorry..” Pure Vanilla said shakily, sniffling again.

”No, no, it’s no problem,” Peach Blossom said hurriedly, his gentle voice sounding almost ever so slightly strained. “The scents are probably quite a lot to those… unfamiliar.”

“Yes… it’s rather awkward, though..” Pure Vanilla said with a slightly nervous laugh.

”You’re okay…” Peach Blossom said, turning away and starting to drag Pure Vanilla along again. But he was only dragging him closer to the peach bao, and which made Pure Vanilla’s nose twitch irritatingly. 

His nose was itching so bad, and as soon as Peach Blossom let go of him, he brought the hand not holding his staff up to his nose and sneezing again, “Heh.. hah’tshcih!”

”M-my apologies,” Pure Vanilla repeated, still fanning his nose slightly even though it did absolutely nothing.

”Don’t worry,” Peach Blossom said slightly shakily, taking something off a tree and handing Pure Vanilla the soft, juicy peach bao. “Take this. I- I came to give you this. This is my garden, take it as a traveling gift.

”Ah, th- thank you, I.. hah… just need a moment to.. hh- take care of this,” Pure Vanilla said, his voice trembling and hitching as he spoke. “Heh- hh’tschu!”

”Excuse me, sorry..” Pure Vanilla mumbled, staring at the peach bao that was now in his hands instead of Peach Blossom.

”Ah, no, no, please don’t continue to apologize,” Peach Blossom said softly, and Pure Vanilla felt hands on his cheeks, lifting his head up. He allowed his eyes to drift open, his blurry vision trying to search the other’s face for any obvious sign he could pick up. His staff had ended up discarded on the ground, and he could hardly see the other. “I’m not sure my garden has anything to assist you, dear… I apologize.”

”Don’t apologize..” Pure Vanilla said, sniffling lightly. “It’s not your fault… I can handle this.”

Pure Vanilla glanced back down at the peach bao, lifting it to his face and taking a small bite. It was rather delicious, and he said a quiet thanks for the sweet food. 

Ugh… Pure Vanilla kept sniffling, finding the thought of his nose dripping, especially onto the fruit that had just been so kindly given to him, rather rude.

Pure Vanilla couldn’t see Peach Blossom rather clearly, but could feel the slight tenseness of the gardener’s otherwise gentle appearance and attitude. It was a rather stark contrast, and Pure Vanilla couldn’t help but wonder why.

"Ah- hh'hetschu! Hah'stchu! Hah'stch!" The sneezes snuck up on Pure Vanilla, and he desperately turned away as quickly as he could, trying to avoid getting mess on the other cookie or the sacred food he had been given. His face burned slightly from embarrassment, sniffling miserably.

"...Witches bless you," Peach Blossom said shakily, and Pure Vanilla didn't question his odd way of acting this time. "Perhaps you should just get out of here."

"Thank you.. perhaps I should," Pure Vanilla said quietly and whispery, "It was pleasant meeting you, Peach Blossom Cookie. I hope I'll see you again, under... different circumstances."

"I hope we'll meet again, under these circumstances or others," Peach Blossom said. His words were odd, but Pure Vanilla decided to accept it.

"I- I'll- s..see... ugh, Witch-hah-Witches...hh'hatshu! Heh'tshuu! Hah'tsh!" Pure Vanilla's attempt at speaking turned into desperate hitching and even more sneezes. "I-I'll see you at another time."

As soon as Pure Vanilla managed to get the words out, he waved an ever-so-slightly shaky goodbye, and walked off.