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[Cookie Run: Kingdom] Pure Vanilla Cookie x Fem! Reader

[Ok, so I'm sick and tired of seeing (Y/N) used in the cookie dialect, so for ALL my cookie run stories, reader is (C/F) Cookie. Aka (Cookie Flavor) Cookie.]

Where was she?
Sure, it was like her to disappear for hours at a time, but usually a bit of asking around could let him know exactly where she was almost immediately. But it was getting late into the evening now and Pure Vanilla Cookie had probably asked everyone else in the Vanilla Castle, each having the same answer.
They had no idea where (C/F) Cookie was.

He sighs, exhausted from how obnoxious this wild goose chase was. He specifically told her to 'be sure he could find her' at a time that had passed literal HOURS ago.
She wasn't in her bedroom either, which is what concerned him the most.

She was not going to pull another all-nighter for no reason on his watch!

Just as he was about to admit defeat and go to bed, his staff saw something, waving its leaves frantically to get his attention before pointing toward the place he had seen the trouble-maker.

"(C/F) Cookie!" He yells as he makes his way towards the direction it had pointed him in. "(C/F) Cookie, please, I told you specifically this morning to not make me have to do this again tonight."

Thankfully his staff had been right, and she was indeed hurrying down the hallway he entered.

"There's so much to do though!" She was clearly more exhausted than him, and he actually runs the kingdom! "I can sleep tomorrow."

"I believe that is what you said yesterday, and the day prior, and almost everyday that we don't go through this routine." The King frowns, his staff reflecting his unimpressed expression, "Now stop before I ask the guards to lock you in your room for the next week and a half and hit you with a sleep spell."

(C/F) Cookie froze, not wanting to relive the last time she hadn't taken that threat seriously. It was not a joke. Probably the most rest she's ever gotten in her life though.
She turns to face him, "But there's so much I can do. I-"

The legendary monarch silences her by shaking his head, "No. You need rest. You look like you're about to collapse right there." He got closer and gently took her hand in his, "Come on, I know you well enough to know that you need to sleep. You can't argue your way out of this."

She frowns at the truth of his words, allowing him to slowly walk her all the way to her room, with her silently going through all the things she could be getting done right then instead.
The chefs said the kitchens needed a good scrub, the sheep needed to be accounted for and cared for, the armor in the arsonal needed to be polished, the list went on and on.
It wasn't even that she was a maid either, she was nothing of the sort. No, she just did a lot of things around the place because she would often stress about things like that unless someone told her it was taken care of. She was here on account of the fact that she would juggle all sorts of tasks that others might not have the time to do, even if it meant not caring for her own health.

"Did you at least have dinner tonight?" The King's voice dragged her out of her enormous train of thought.

...Did she? She was pretty sure yeah... but when was that?

"No dear, snacks do not count as dinner." He seems to read her mind with that comment.

"I think so?"

"Ah, so no." He nods.

"That's not at all what I said." She argues.

"'Think' is not a word you like using when it comes to your activities." He counters, shutting down her objections by being right. "So obviously you didn't and are attempting to lie to yourself in order to escape caring for your health."

She mumbles an objection to that statement.

"No, I don't want your pitiful excuses, I want you to actually care for your health!" He angrily turns to her, surprising her by his heterochromatic eyes angrily glaring at her. "I understand that you want to help, but you and I already know you can't do your best when you're not taking care of yourself too." He sighs, closing his eyes again and continuing down the hallway towards her quarters.

She hurries to follow him, fearing what might happen if he thought she was trying to get away from this.
It was honestly impressive how Pure Vanilla Cookie could make her feel like an equal on some occasions, and a child on others.
The silence that fell between them was uncomfortable for her. Obviously the conversation wasn't over yet, but she knew she wasn't the one who was supposed to continue it.

Pure Vanilla on the other hand, felt nothing awkward from it. He instead was trying to put his words together in a way that he wouldn't just be angrily lashing out at her. Yes, he was angry with her for this, but yelling wasn't going to fix it.

They reach her door and he pushes it open, causing her to momentarily open her mouth in protest before quickly shutting it again. Arguing that this was unnecessary might force his hand at her.

He takes the chair beside the carefully organized, messy desk and places it beside the bed, gently setting his staff beside the desk. "Would you like to tell me what it was you did today?"

She sits down on the bed, nervous of him getting mad again. "Well... I went into the square because..." as she talked about her day, with his gentle nods and smile to show he was listening, she didn't realize how relaxed and tired she got, yawning every once and a while. Eventually, she didn't know when, she closed her eyes and soon her voice died out entirely, implying that she had fallen asleep.

Pure Vanilla sighs, hearing her gentle snoring. He gently stood up and carefully tucked her under the blanket.
Then he turned to retrieve his staff, only to find it giving him an expectant look.

"What?" He whispers to it.

It glances towards (C/F) Cookie asleep on the bed, communicating silently with him.

Pure Vanilla Cookie looks back to her, understanding what his staff was telling him to do, and it wasn't like he didn't want to. It just felt a little silly that a freaking flower is the one who convinces him to.

"I suppose I should stay to ensure she doesn't wake during the night and get right back to work." He returns to the bed, gently sitting beside her and slipping his hand around her shoulders to hold her close to him.

The staff smiles at the scene before allowing itself to rest too.

(C/F) snapped awake in the total dark. While this was not uncommon, she usually was plagued by things that were not her responsibility in her sleep, she couldn't get up to go calm whatever anxiety she had. Something, more accurately someone, was holding her in a comfortable grip that would be more work than her tired body was willing to do to get out of.
She turned her head slightly to see King Pure Vanilla Cookie softly holding her, he was in a position she definitely wouldn't have found comfortable.
Forcing herself around she makes two discoveries.
One, for being really hard to tell whether he's awake or asleep, he's a rather heavy sleeper.
Two, those robes are much softer than she thought. No wonder he barely ever wears anything else!

He probably had stayed to ensure she wouldn't do exactly what she had been about to do, and she guiltily contemplated how much he clearly cared for her and his other friends.
Ok, with the situation it landed her, which would be really awkward if someone walked in on, she regretted nothing. This is amazing. Honestly this guy is a living comfort dispenser.
But she still felt bad that he had to take the time to ensure she was ok...

Maybe he was right.

Maybe all those things she constantly stressed over can wait.

Wait...

She sat up a little, feeling him finally shift at her movement.

There was his staff, with the look it gives when Pure Vanilla is smiling widely. It waves when it sees her looking.

Relaxing back into the king's arms, blushing madly, she mumbles, totally embarrassed.

"Please just crumble me."

And she was very glad that the Healer was not awake to hear it.