Unseen | Caramel Arrow Cookie x Affogato Cookie

Giving Under The Moon

Affogato chuckled to himself as he slithered away from the window. He hoped that she was enjoying herself out there, but it was now past midnight, and he was getting tired. Not to mention the weight on his ankle was starting to bother him. Carefully, using his staff as a cane, he walked back to his room, the halls of the citadel quiet and empty. The yellow lights that lined the top of the walls were beautiful and made for a nice scene. He opened the door to his room and entered. He set down his staff against the wall by the door, then sat on his bed. He took off his robes and set them aside. He undid his hair and started unstrapping the boot when someone knocked on his door. He paused. His instinct was to tell the cookie to come in, since it was usually Caramel Arrow, but she was outside celebrating. So instead, he said, “Who calls?”

“Me. Caramel Arrow.”

“Caramel Arrow?” He repeated, surprised. There was no mistaking her voice. He looked at his half strapped boot. “Ah-.” He shook his head. He continued unstrapping it and said, “Come in, then.”

She quietly slipped into his room. “Hi.” She had a smile on her face, although it seemed a little nervous.

He stifled a laugh, shaking his head. He took off the boot and looked her in the eyes. “Caramel Arrow, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be outside celebrating.”  An involuntary yawn escaped him.

“I’ll.. go back. I just..” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I just wanted to see you.”

There was a pause, then he broke into a very soft laugh, flattered. “Caramel Arrow, you flatter me. You needn’t waste your time here, though. I am quite well.” He motioned his hand to push her out the door. “Go, celebrate with the other cookies. You deserve a night of celebration.” He urged.

She laughed. “You’re.. really sweet, Affogato.” She instinctively looked to where the tree would be if there were windows. “Really, really sweet.”

Affogato raised a brow. “Is there something wrong, Caramel Arrow? You’re acting a little strange.” A twinge of worry hit his mind. “Nothing is bothering you, is there?”

She smiled. “No, no.. I just.. heard about what you did.”

His eyes widened in confusion. “Heard about what?” There was a billion things he could have done. He hoped it wasn’t anything bad she’d heard.

“You suggested to put the two stars on the top of the tree. That.. That really means a lot to me.” She put a hand on her chest.

He stifled a laugh. Ah, that’s what it was. “Ah, so I suppose someone told you.” Who did, it didn’t matter. “Yes, I did. I supposed it was only fair that he was honored.”

She finally took some steps towards him. “It’s so sweet of you, Affogato.” She wished she could look up at the stars again, the bright yellow lights complementing the tree perfectly, making the atmosphere vibrant, bright, hopeful, and joyful. She looked him in the eyes, as he did the same. He was smiling. “It.. really, really means a lot. Thank you.”

“Yeah?” He said quietly. Moments passed of the two staring into each other’s eyes before Affogato broke the gaze and said, “Ah, that reminds me.” He yawned again, shaking his head. He slid open a drawer on his bed stand and pulled out a small box. A jewelry box. It was a fuzzy, half black, half white box. “I got a present for you.”

Her heart skipped a beat, but then she took a quick deep breath. She was getting ahead of herself. She took the box gently from him. He laid back against the back of his bed. “What is this, Affogato?”

He shifted in his bed, making a small sound as he stretched and got comfortable. “Open it and see. It is a present. Can’t just tell you what it is.”

She stifled a laugh. “For never celebrating Christmas before, you definitely seem like a seasoned expert at this.”

He chuckled. “Far from that, Caramel Arrow.”

She slowly opened the box. The first thing that greeted her was a black, crescent moon with white outlines. As she opened the box fully, it revealed to her that it was a necklace. She carefully took the precious necklace out of the box and set the box down on the bed stand. She studied it in wonder. “What is this, Affogato?”

“It’s one of the necklaces I’ve owned. It’s yours now, though.” He said with a smile. She looked at him. “If you want to know more, I’ll gladly spill the details.” He yawned, letting his head rest all the way down on his pillow. “It’s not often I get to share these things, you know.” He said in the middle of his yawn.

She looked back at the necklace, admiring the beautiful nature of it. “Sure, I’ll gladly hear it.” She sat down on a chair.

As he began to speak, she set the necklace over her head and around her neck. The crescent moon hung over her chest. “Believe it or not, I do celebrate something similar to Christmas. Although it’s already passed, I celebrate Saturnalia. It’s a Roman holiday that runs through the middle of December to December 23rd. Traditionally, it is celebrated with a large group of people and is a festival, but I obviously can’t do that here.” He shrugged. “So I celebrate alone with prayer and thanks.” He looked at her. He noticed she had put on the necklace, as well as finding her leaning towards him adorable. He laughed. “The necklace looks great on you.”

She snapped from her listening gaze and looked down at the jewel resting on her chest. “Oh.” She laughed. “Thank you.”

He hummed, looking up again. “That moon is one of the symbols of Diana, called Luna. She is the goddess of the moon, although she is more known for being the goddess of the hunt and wild animals. You might know her by the name Artemis. Anyway, that moon is one of the symbols that is used in celebrations of Saturnalia. With its black and white colors, I thought it’d look good on you.” He turned his head towards her. “Seems I was right, too.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t help but chuckle. Then, her eyes widened and she blushed in embarrassment. “Oh! I- ah-! I’m- I’m sorry, I don’t have a present for you. I mean-!” She took a deep breath. “It isn’t with me, I left it under the tree outside.”

He laughed at her nervousness. “That is quite alright. I don’t have a craving for gifts, anyway.” He smirked. “You should know I don’t go to big gatherings like that, don’t you?”

She looked down, rubbing the back of her neck. “Well, yeah.. I just.. Y’know.” Was hoping that he would show up anyway.

He shook his head, both of his hands behind his head. “Either way, it is okay. It can wait until tomorrow.” He involuntarily yawned again. “Speaking of, get back out there before the celebration ends. Enjoy your night.” He hummed, closing his eyes with a smile. He put his leg on the stack of pillows by his ankle.

She looked towards the door. In a split second decision, in a possibly stupid decision, she blurted, “Affogato?”

He opened an eye. “Yes?”

“Could you sit up for a second?”

He shifted to sit up. “Yes?” He repeated with a weary look.

She hugged him. He stifled a laugh and gave her a hug back. “Thank you for your gift.”

“Of course.” He muttered in her ear.

Okay, okay. She was going to commit to this horrible decision and not look back. “One more thing, Affogato.” She squeaked.

“Mm, yes?”

“I.. ah..” She stopped herself before she could say something she regretted. Instead, she separated far enough to look him in the eye before slipping a quick kiss on his cheek. It took all the willpower in the world not to let her lips slip to the edge of his mouth. She then separated quickly, standing up and retreating towards the door. Affogato just watched her, feeling stunned. She opened the door and looked back at him with an awkward smile and nod before scampering out of his room without another word.

Affogato blinked. It was only a peck on the cheek. Although, he never took Caramel Arrow as one to do that. He laughed. God, this was a mess. He let himself fall back down onto his pillow. “What a revelation.” He said sarcastically with a smile, letting his head turn to the side. Well, this future conversation with her was gonna be something. Part of him was nervous, but the other side of him was so eager to talk with her again. ‘Til tomorrow.