and that feeling was friendship (gigner balls x wizar 🙏)

thats why yo boyfriends dead, dead as hell

They were right.

Gingerbrave tried to fight cake hounds on his own.. again. Wizard stared worriedly at the cookie who was knocked out and healing. 'It's my fault isn't it..' he thought. Tears threatened to fall and he did his best to hold them in.

He wasn't going to cry over Brave. He couldn't. He didn't want to.

Taking the cookie's hand in his own, Wizard just sat beside the small cushion. Something mustve came over Wizard since he slowly leaned down and planted a light kiss on Gingerbrave's forehead.
He's always wanted to do that. Just not because of this. The door creaked and Strawberry peaked in, "Is he still asleep?"
"Yeah, PV said he just needs lots of rest and all should be well. Nothing severe," Wizard answered without even looking at Strawberry or her direction.
-+-

When Gingerbrave woke up, he didn't expect to find himself in Wizard's tower. Surely they would've taken him to Pure Vanilla's healing area wouldn't they? But.. he was all healed. As he tried to make up theories in his head, he noticed that he was by himself.
'First, they leave me in this tower. Next, they decide to abandon me?!' His mind raced. His memory was jumbled as he tried piecing things together, all he remembered was that he had seen some red cookie before being completely jumped by cake hounds.

"You're awake?,"
He immediately looked up st the direction of the voice. Wizard. Of course, it had to be him.
"Wizard? You're here?" Gingerbrave made a noise between a sigh and a laugh. Before he could say anything else, he felt a warmth of a soft fabric press against his body as it wrapped around his waist. Wizard had hugged him.

"I'm so sorry..," Wizard mumbled into Brave's chest. Gingerbrave could feel his heat rising.
'Since when did he get so comfortable with physical touch like this?!'

"I get it, I'd be pretty jealous if you picked literally anyone else than me. After all, I didn't beg for you to be my friend for nothing.. at least let me be your #1," Brave winked at Wizard and pulled him closer. Now they were hugging closer and tighter, their faces barely inches apart but they didn't pull away. Nor lean in. A kiss this soon would be.. too soon, or at least Gingerbrave believed so. He didn't even know Wizard's feelings toward him. Especially in that way.

He thought about making a joke but he didn't want to ruin the silence, so he relaxed and had his arms wrapped around the smaller cookie. They had stayed like that for a while because Wizard could hear cookies calling their name. Strawberry must've been worried sick... He did basically 'kidnap' Brave after all.-

==

"I was worried sick! At least warn me next time-!" Strawberry went quiet as she realized she raised her voice because of how Gingerbright looked at her in surprise. She went quieter and mumbled.
"It would've been greatly appreciated.. Every cookie in the kingdom knew you both were gone," she finished. Gingerbrave looked at her apologetically as Wizard voiced his own.

Something seemed off though. Strawberry had a different look when she listened to Wizard. Like she knew something that Brave didn't.
'Cause she did.

A pain jolted through Brave's body and he winced.
"Oh shoot, you haven't healed fully!" Wizard exclaimed in panic. Gingerbright being a girlboss that she is (hollyberry is #1.) she lifted Brave up and went back to Vanilla's place with the other two following.

///

"So then, I wacked it with my cane!"
"Why do you even have a cane?"
"It makes me look manly, doesn't it?"

Wizard looked lovingly at Gingerbrave as the cookie told his story. He was mesmerized by the excitement in Brave's tone and he paid more attention to the story than he has ever had with his own study. "It also serves as a great weapon, also, why do you have a staff then?" Brave questioned.
"It makes me look wiser, of course," Wizard responded with a hint of proudness. This made the injured cookie giggle a bit. "What's so funny?" he looked at Gingerbrave. "Nothing, you're just so passionate that it's pretty funny and cool" Brave explained.

Wizard could've sworn the cookie had a hint of blush on him as he spoke. Maybe now was the moment? No, it can't be... can it?

"Hey Gingerbrave, do you ever... wanna tell someone something, but you're so scared of what they'll think of you next?" he changed the subject and leaned in closer to Gingerbrave's blankets, cuddling in closer. They've gotten so close that this was simply considered a platonic action. At least in Gingerbrave's case.
Brave tensed, though.

"Well.. yeah," he answered.
"Ah.." was all Wizard managed to say when it got quieter again. "But how do you deal with it? Like.. hiding something for so long?"
"I mainly focus on getting myself ready to say it, i don't know who or what you want to say something to but.. do it at your own time," Gingerbrave advised.

Wizard was genuinely impressed with his words. It gave him a rush of courage, but somethig was still holding him back. Like a vine. It was suffocating, he felt trapped and miserable. At any moment, he could break down in Gingerbrave's side.. crying nonstop. The lad did not want that. Curse these feelings! he thought.

"Gingerbrave I-," he started but stopped. The cookie was sleeping. That fast?

Wizard shrugged it off and huddled closer, now with his head placed slightly on Brave's good shoulder. The hounds did a number on his other arm though, must've been his shielding one.
'Don't ever do something so stupid without me.. I wanna be in your next crazy story, Gingerbrave'  the cookie thought as he slowly drifted into sleep.