It was a rainy day in the shadowy kingdom, with soft drops tapping gently against the castle windows. You, the child of the mighty Shadow Milk Cookie, were wrapped in a giant blanket on the main hall’s couch, holding a warm cup of hot cocoa made by Mystic Flour. Your feet didn’t even touch the floor, and your eyes were quietly following the raindrops running down the glass.

— “Found you!” — Cloud Haetae Cookie exclaimed, jumping next to you like an unexpected beam of sunlight in the middle of a storm.

You gave a small, lazy smile.

— I wasn’t even hiding…

— “But I always feel better when I find you. What if you turned into a cookie crumb and vanished?”

You let out a tiny giggle and leaned your head against their shoulder without thinking much.

Cloud froze for a second… then melted. Literally wanted to put you in a cookie jar and never let go.

— “Are you okay?” — they asked softly, now in a gentler voice, adjusting the blanket around you carefully.

— Just a bit... meh. Everyone keeps looking at me weird because of my dad. Even when I’m doing nothing...

Cloud Haetae pouted, clearly offended for you.

— “Whoever does that is getting a scare the size of my ego.”

You laughed out loud that time. And Cloud felt so proud. Hearing your laugh was like getting a thousand compliments at once.

— You’re silly.

— “Silly and your official guardian, remember?”

They poked your cheek playfully, and you hid your face in the blanket.

— “Also…” — Cloud’s voice softened — “You’re the cutest thing in this whole castle. And that’s saying something—I’m super competitive.”

Your face heated up, and Cloud just kept watching you with that goofy smile, clearly loving how flustered you were.

— Stay with me here…?

— “Of course. Always.”

And with that, Cloud pulled you closer, like a warm shield against any kind of storm — outside or inside. And right there, with clouds in the sky and care in the air, everything felt just a little bit lighter.