━━━ ⸝⸝ ━ ⟡ ━ ⸝⸝ ━━━

” (≖⩊≖) “

━━━ ⸝⸝ ━ ⟡ ━ ⸝⸝ ━━━

The voice before you carried its usual mix of loud playfulness, but beneath it, a quieter thread of fondness lingered, soft enough he definitely wanted you to notice.

“So! Pretty sweet gift, hm?~”

Shadow Milk Cookie lounged in midair as if the air itself had kindly provided him with an invisible chaise. A sharp grin curled across his icing lips—only slightly softened when his eyes fell on you.

One arm bent easily, his cheek resting in his light-blue palm like this was all effortless routine.

And in your hands sat the gift.

A doll.

Not just any doll—an exact replica of Shadow Milk Cookie himself, perfect down to the tiniest, almost obsessive detail.

From the sparkle that never left his mismatched eyes, to the pointed little elf-like ears half-hidden behind those two tufts of white icing hair framing his face.

It was uncanny.

Beautifully made, yes—but perfect.

With a casual flick of his free hand, Shadow Milk drew the attention back to himself, his dual-toned hair curling into the shape of a heart right in front of him.

“It’s me, after all! Your one and only lovely, handsome, and powerful jester!” he declared, shutting his heterochromic eyes in a smug, self-satisfied grin.

Even his cape tails gave a little wiggle, as if punctuating the line.

From within the rippling shadows of his lapis-and-onyx hair, faint ghostly eyes peeked out, gazes lingering on you with a mix of fondness and mischief.

The doll in your grasp thrummed faintly, its Soul Jam brooch glowing with a warmth that was almost too real. The aura it gave off matched his—down to the very hue.

Coincidental? No. Not even close.