winterfrosting | Dark Cacao's Inbox

A gift.

[ Cacao probably heard the click of Vanillas hooves coming up behind him before he speaks up, the minotaur smiling serenely as his Staff stares at his husband. ]

May it protect you where and when I cannot.

A... Vanilla, you did not need to get me anything.

[Yet he knew he probably would regardless]

I know.

[ He wanders over, setting hit Staff aside to take the hair tie from Cacao, then step around behind his husband and reach up to take Cacao's hair in gentle hands. And slowly he begins to plait it into a braid, weaving the feather in with it. ]

Yet, too, how could I not? Your very heart lays on my finger. It strengthens and soothes me in equal measure.

[ A smile as he leans his head forward to rub a horn against one of Cacao's shoulders in love and affection, careful of the hair he's dutifully braiding still. ]

This the the least I could give in return. If ever you suffer a mortal wound, it will recall you from that brink. Should you either need or desire it, it shall grant you flight. And for an hour every day, wind and light are at your command.

So many... perhaps I should have asked for the ring to be enchanted as well?

[A revival from death? That alone would be so much]

Oh, my love, these come no where near your gift.

[ He ties the braid off carefully, then moves around to Cacao's front, his hand gliding against his shoulders as he tilts his head up to smile at him. Or well, he hopes it's at him, the Staff can't see well from this angle hanging up as it is. ]

Since reviving, I have felt empty. Not just from my healing magic being taken from me, but from the silence and lack of the Light of Truth. [ Or... whatever/whoever it really was. ] I was confident I would be all right, I was a Cookie before I was a Bearer, and I had survived well enough as that. But I had forgotten how very long ago that was, and to suddenly be mortal again...

[ He rubs his thumb against the ring, his expression turning softer, if possible. ]

I cannot hear Resolution, it is not mine, but I can feel it. Faint as it is, it's still there. It's you, your heart and love patching the emptiness. You make me feel whole again.

Vanilla...

[His voice hitches slightly as he speaks, and by the end his eyes brim with tears he does not bother trying to hold back]

I... will admit I was scared. Have been since the day you first broke your Jam. As those Chosen by the Jams it is our duty to give of our selves for Cookiekind. And we would not have been selected if it was not already in our natures to do so. Yet... every time I saw you put yourself on the plate I wanted to scream. Not just your Jam, but-

[he reaches up to lightly touch the flower collar with his fingertips]

-the Corruption. The Oripathy... I know you would not be the cookie I love if you did otherwise, yet I still found myself grieving and... perhaps even resentful. That Lily and I would lose you. That a piece of you could never, truly, belong just to me.

[He lowers his hand, the tears flowing freely now]

But... to hear that a little of my Jam eases your suffering even a little... I could not be happier.

Edited 2024-12-13 18:13 (UTC)

[ Oh, his heart. Both the thing and the man. His expression can't help but crumble a little as he reaches up as his husbands hand lowers, to curve his palm against his cheek. To wipe away the tears that flow there. ]

I'm sorry, my love. I so often delve into what I can give of myself for others, that I do not lay my eyes upon the suffering I may be causing in the people I love the most by doing so.

[ Or, if he does, he considers it a small price to pay for the betterment of everyone. Ah, his alternate memories tell him how easily he could have followed Lily, because he's truly a lot like her in some things. He tugs Cacao's face down so their foreheads rest together, his other hand coming up as well to slide back into his husbands hair, careful not to pull the braid out. But to merely take a hold on him. ]

You do far more for me than you realize, or that I may vocalize. Your presence has been the strength I've been leaning on this entire time, or I would not have had it for my decisions. I... I fear that means I have taken you for granted, that willpower of yours to hold me up. I am truly sorry.

[ He drags his hand against Cacao's face again, then tilts to kiss the tears away. ]

The little piece of Jam may quiet the hole in me the loss of my own has caused, but it has always been you that has been what holds me up the most. You are my strength.

[He rests his head against Vanilla's, eyes closing and taking in strength from his words. He does not know if Lily has had a similar conversation with him yet- not since the one they were both there for. He knows she is not one to not speak her thoughts when she found them important.

But also the two mages are... painfully similar. He lost them both that long ago day. He could not bear it again.]

But do not forget you are mine as well. My Resolution stands as long as I have something. Someone. To protect and fight for. I beg you, do not break my heart, Vanilla.

I will never break your heart, my love. I promise.

[ Though he's unsure of how strong he can be for Cacao now, the Resolution on his finger that pulses with a beat that matches Cacao's heart helps bolster the idea that he can. It emboldens him, helps him make a decision.

His voice is soft, for Cacao only. ]

I have given all I can give to this world. For you, for Lily, I shall give no more. What is of me as I am now is entirely yours. I vow this, my heart. My world.

[he sighs so deeply it sounds like he's deflating]

Thank you. Like you told me to trust the fresher cookies, trust me and Lily to continue your efforts. And not just us.

[ The noise breaks his heart. How long has Cacao been needing to hear that? He shifts his arms to hold Cacao down to him tighter, soothing his hands over the braid, and turning to kiss his ear gently. ]

I trust you. With everything. And I'm sorry.

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