~~ REVELATION ~~ {Book 2} Shadow Milk Cookie x Reader

The Wrong Kind of Wake-Up Call Chapter 3

Shadow Milk beamed. "I knew you would be delighted."

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know!" he said brightly. He absolutely did not know.

"But enough about that. I brought you a gift!" He whipped out an outfit like a magician presenting a rabbit with showmanship issues.

Reader Cookie blinked. The clothes looked suspiciously similar to their old ones but recolored. Half was patterned in blue diamonds in two different shades, the other half looked ripped from Pure Vanilla's Truthless Recluse era. Black pants. Gold boots.

Reader Cookie raised a brow. "So... fashionable kidnapping? Bold choice."

Shadow Milk puffed his chest proudly. "I thought you might like a change."

"You also thought kidnapping was a good idea."

He shrugged. "Two rights make a more interesting story."

Reader Cookie pinched the bridge of their nose. This was going to be a long day.

Reader Cookie held the clothes in their hands, still trying to make sense of the situation. The colors were nice. The stitching was neat. The circumstances were still illegal.

They looked up at Shadow Milk Cookie, who stood there with the proud smile of someone who expected praise and affection instead of interrogation.

"Okay," Reader Cookie said, steadying themselves. "Let's try this again. Why did you bite me?"

Shadow Milk's expression flickered, just for a heartbeat. Something sharp. Something real. Then it smoothed back to cheerful nonsense.

"You are awake. You are not in pain." He spread his arms like that explained anything.

"That is not an answer."

"It is close."

"No, it is not. You bit me, gave me a souljam mark that glows, summoned heart-eyed shadows to spy on me, and keep acting like this is normal. What are you trying to do?"

Shadow Milk rocked back on his heels. "You are standing. That is good. These clothes will look great on you."

"Stop changing the subject."

"I am not changing it. I am... shifting it."

"That is literally changing it."

He hummed, tilting his head. "Semantics."

Reader Cookie took a slow breath. If they kept letting him bounce around the conversation like an overcaffeinated jester, they'd get nothing.

Fine. New tactic.

"You only did this to me," they said carefully. "You said that. Not others. Only me."

Shadow Milk's smile froze. Not vanished. Just... paused.

A crack in the mask.

Reader Cookie pressed on. "So you didn't do this out of hunger. Or boredom. Or mischief. You did it for a reason. A personal one."

Shadow Milk looked away. That alone was suspicious. He never looked away. He stared like it was a sport.

Reader leaned a bit closer. "You're binding me to you. That's what this mark is, isn't it?"

No response.

"You want something. And you think I'll run away if you tell me."

Still nothing.

Reader could almost hear the gears in his souljam grinding.

"You're afraid I'll reject you," they said softly.

Shadow Milk flinched. Barely. A small twitch in his jaw.

Reader Cookie went still. "That's it, isn't it?"

Shadow Milk's voice came out strained. "You... assume too much."

"Do I?"

The room grew colder. His shadow deepened under him like it was listening. Waiting.

Reader stepped closer. "Then tell me. Why did you do this? Why me?"

Shadow Milk opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Opened it again.

Nothing came out.

For once, the clown had no smile, no joke, no quip. Just a look that was almost human.

Then the shadows surged upward like a wave. They wrapped around him, swallowing up his shape, dragging him back into the darkness he always came from.

His voice echoed one last time, quiet but shaking.

"I cannot answer that. Not yet."

And then he was gone.

Silence filled the room.

Reader Cookie stared at the empty space he'd left behind. Slowly, they crossed their arms.

"So I was right."