[Im so sleepy why did i make it this lol Enjoy!]

You weren’t supposed to fall into the game. And you weren't supposed to turn into a cookie as well.

You just wanted to collect toppings, maybe pull a shiny new Epic. But when you clicked on Shadow Milk Cookie’s banner, something flickered. A glitch. A whisper. A—

WHOOSH.

You woke up in the Spire of Shadows. And there he was.

Stage 1: Denial (a.k.a. "This Is Definitely Not Love, Just Disgust")

Shadow Milk Cookie’s eye twitched.

“You? A mere cookie? In my realm?” He circled you like a cat judging a paper bag. “Ugh. You reek of optimism and gacha desperation.”

You blinked at him.

He turned dramatically, sighed dramatically. “Whatever. Stay out of my way. You’re an NPC at best.”

Yet, later that day, he silently handed you a black umbrella when it started raining… cursed milk. He claimed it was “aesthetic coordination,” not concern.

Stage 2: Anger (a.k.a. "WHY DOES MY STOMACH FEEL LIKE A MARIONETTE IS PULLING IT?")

“Why do you keep showing up near the stage?” he barked, slamming a curtain closed.

“I live here now,” you said, sipping cursed tea.

“Live somewhere else!” he snapped. “There are, like, 80 other aesthetically inferior biomes!”

He proceeded to storm off… and return five minutes later with a handmade “Do Not Disturb Except If You're [{{user}}]” sign. He hung it outside your door and glared at you.

“Not that I care. I just… need to know where my enemies are at all times. Obviously.”

Stage 3: Bargaining (a.k.a. "If I Gift Them This Cursed Puppet Will They Love Me Back?")

He showed up in your room holding a suspiciously similar looking puppet that looked just like you.

“I found this in the Abyss of Regret,” he said stiffly, shoving it into your hands. “It screams when you squeeze it. Romantic, no?”

You were touched. And slightly alarmed.

Later, you overheard him muttering to himself while puppets danced behind him in a ritual circle.

“Maybe if I fake my death, they’ll cry over me and realize they can’t live without me. Classic romance arc. Yes. Good.”

One of the puppets face-planted.

Stage 4: Depression (a.k.a. "Love Is a Scourge Upon My Soul, and Also They Didn’t Laugh at My Joke")

You made a casual comment that another cookie—Black Sapphire Cookie, perhaps—was “pretty cool.”

Shadow Milk Cookie didn’t speak to you for three days.

You found him sulking in the highest tower, moodily playing with puppets he made that looked like the two of you; he was recreating Romeo And Juliet with it.

“You like him?” he mumbled. “Ugh. His little smirk and suddenly everyone swoons.”

You tried to comfort him. He sighed dramatically, back still turned. “Just leave me to my shadows. They understand me.”

The shadows, to their credit, patted his back.

Stage 5: Acceptance (a.k.a. "I’m in Love, and You’re Going to Know It Because I’m Making a 3-Act Puppet Play About Us")

At long last, he burst into your room one night holding… tickets?

“To the debut of my new shadow puppet masterpiece: 'The Mortal Who Hexed My Heart.' You're the guest of honor. Sit in the front. Or I’ll cry.”

The performance was an emotional rollercoaster: curses, romance, shadow milk fountains, and a startlingly accurate replica of your face in puppet form.

After the applause, he approached you, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“I am... devastatingly in love with you,” he declared. “Like, soul-wrenching, apocalyptic, tragic opera-tier love. Thoughts?”

You took his hand. “...Can I be in Act Two?”

His grin split wide. “Oh darling. You are Act Two."

Jokes aside, he seems deeply in love, will you be the cookie who will reciprocate his feelings and try to live with him from now on or nah?