Not The Way I Used To Be [Pure Vanilla Cookie x Reader]

▪︎ Chapter 4 - Runaway ▪︎

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Warning/s: Cussing

A/n: In the story, Pure Vanilla is in his early 30's. We'll say he was in his late 20's when the war broke out, and after Dark Enchantress was sealed away, he was too. It wasn't until she was released that well, he was as well. He didn't age.

Just for this story, I think it's canon that he's a lot older but, I don't know how old exactly.

The reader is in their late 20's, with no weird age gaps.

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Fried Butter's POV

I stomped down the path, enraged. A one-night stand, that's all I was to them. I poured my heart and soul into this relationship, I dropped hundreds of dollars I didn't have for them. I mean, they told me I was just a side piece but, I didn't think they actually meant it.

The awkward moaning sounds I heard behind the door were all I needed to leave, taking some of their stuff with me as revenge. They could have at least had the courtesy of letting me know they would be with someone else tonight.

Now, I had some nice jewelry and some more money, but I was leaving too late to catch up with Y/n. The train wouldn't run until tomorrow morning. It was an all-around shitty situation, I would just have to walk, and hope the sun comes up soon. The place I had sent them was only a few hours away on a horse, so if I walk briskly, I'll be there in no time.

You would think-

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My legs felt like they were moments away from crumbling, the sun was beating down on me as I struggled along. I didn't have my map on me, so it was just a shot in the dark, but I made sure to follow the path, the defined dirt road that was separate from the vegetation that grew on the side. Or rather, lack thereof.

This place was rather dead, and with this heat, I could see why. I should have gone during the night when it was cooler, with Y/n cookie.

I stumble over a notch in the path, one deep enough to throw me off balance. What the hell was that-

The dirt road had wheel marks. Wheel marks from a trailer, ones that looked oddly similar...

Ones that looked exactly like my trailer's wheels. It went off the path, and swerved around for a while, a chaotic trail left behind. The horses don't run like that unless there's a problem, which is obviously not a good thing.

Eventually, the trail ends right before a few trees and instead is left many hoove marks on the ground. It was a frenzy of footsteps, but pooling into the imprints in the ground was jam and a lot of it. Jam that looked a few hours old by now.

"Hey! You! What do you want?" I heard a strange voice call from above. There was no one around me, not that I saw until a Cookie jumped down from the cluster of trees.

"I've had enough trouble for today, leave before I'm forced to use more intense measures." She said as she pointed behind me. Birds flocked around her, and around the tree, she jumped down from.

I take off my hat, and press it against my chest, lowering my stance to show I wasn't a threat. I wasn't stupid enough to mess with anyone willing to hop out of a tree like it's nothing.

"I'm sorry Miss, I'm just looking for my partner, they had a trailer that leaves marks much like these." I dragged my foot across the ground, showing off the indents in the dirt. She looked surprised, before turning back around, and looking beyond the cluster of trees.

"You mean that trailer right there? I had seen cookie driving it here, they were fast asleep. I was trying to tie them up when they woke up and tried to make a quick escape. A slippery one, they were, they ran off back that way. I've been waiting for them to come back and take their trailer." She explained, leading me over to the horses. They all whined when they saw me, presumably because the only other cookie they trusted ran off a little while ago.

"They didn't come back?" I asked. That's not like Y/n to just run off. They are a smart cookie, and don't run away unless they know it's a hopeless situation. Clearly, this wasn't the case.

She shook her head no, and handed me the reins, "I can keep an eye out for them, but I don't like intruders. That includes you, the sooner you leave, the better." Her tone was serious, and she tilted her head down just enough to give me a sinister glare. Hell no, I'm not waiting around to see what happens. Y/n better wise the fuck up and come back asap.

"I'm going to the city an hour or so away from here, that away. If they come back, send them there. I need to have a strict talk with them when they get back." My mood took a downturn. Y/n was my most trusted employee, or so I thought. They did reak of the type to abandon someone's shit as soon as they had the chance, a backstabbing nobody.

They were definitely getting fired, and I'm taking their last few paychecks.

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Y/n's POV

A tree, one with branches they stuck out oh so coincidentally. This looked a lot like the treehouse in the backyard. Of course, there was nothing in the tree, nothing I could use.

I need to get ahold of mom before she starts to wonder where I went. It was early morning but, I didn't work until the afternoons. She would question where I was. I need to get back to my cousins to babysit.

The wound I attained from that weird cookie was still pretty bad, as I was spilling out Jam still. The Jam trail I was leaving was gone now but, I fear that's because I only have so much Jam to lose.

Wrapping the sweater I was wearing around the wound on my stomach helped, but I still had the one on my head. It dripped down my face and over my eye, it would give me a nasty scar. Trying to wash it off with water only made it sting, as I, unfortunately, found out.

I had cleared my pockets, to see what exactly I had. I grabbed pretty much everything I offered to that cookie, but most of it wouldn't help. The buns would make good food, and the knife she took would have been my best protection but, I didn't really know how to use one of those anyway.

The sun was still overhead as I searched around for food. Perhaps I could stay in the tree for a night, and try to fix my wounds. In the morning, I'll head back home, where ever home is-

The shirt I wore was folded upwards to form a makeshift pocket, one I tossed berries into as I always along the forest. I had gone pretty far out, far enough that there was actual greenery, and everything wasn't dead. I walked with a minor limp, the pain wasn't pleasant but, I had to keep moving while I could.

Once all the berries in the area were collected, I made a point to mark the tree I was at with some flowers I had managed to grab. The trees were difficult to distinguish from far away, but the bright colored flowers would help significantly.

I settled in, leaning against a flatter branch, and snacking on the food I picked out. It wasn't ideal, no, but there weren't any other ideas I could come up with. It was a dead-end, one Id be stuck at until I was able to walk farther.

The thought of going back to that cookie to ask for directions crossed my mind a few times, but alas I decided leaving her alone was the best option. After all, she wasn't too happy with me, and I don't want to find out what she could do with all those birds.

My body was tired, but my eyes would close, I was worried. How exactly did I end up out here? I never leave the house, it's too risky for Coconut Sugar to go anywhere, and we couldn't leave her alone. She wasn't alone right now... was she? Goodness... I hope not.

The stars weren't as bright as they should have been, maybe my vision was getting worse. Or perhaps, the area I was in was just smokey. Making them shine a little less bright, rather sad.

The moon, however, was still bright enough to illuminate the tree I was in and to keep me away as I was completely absorbed in my thoughts.