Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You’re holding her wrong.” Were the lovely words that greeted the fount one early morning, before the sun had even fully risen to the air. It was Yuzu who spoke, standing the doorway with a hand in his hip.

The fount sighed, adjusting the young cookie he held in his hands. He holds her far from his face. “Then could you demonstrate the correct way of holding her.” He drawled, already handing over the small cookie.

Yuzu takes her in his arms, cradling her with gentle care. “You’re the Fount of Knowledge and you don’t know how to hold a baby.” He said while adjusting the red onesie the small cookie was wrapped in.

“I do!” The fount protested loudly. He paused. “In theory.”

Yuzu’s eyes narrow at the fount in a judgmental squint. “In theory.” He drawls mockingly.

The fount stares, a sheepish smile growing on his face.

The small cookie in Yuzu arms starts to squirm. She waves and arm around and it slaps Yuzu in the face. It was a weak one, due to the cookie still being freshly baked. Despite flinching in surprise, Yuzu didn't take his gaze of the fount or let any change in facial expression happen.

“Is this why you were holding her at arm's length?” Yuzu asked, his tone almost bored.

The fount sighs and with great reluctance he answers “Yes.” He says mulishly, looking away in embarrassment.

Yuzu hums, he gently holds the young cookie’s arm, which she was still waving around. “Don’t react when you hit her. She keeps on hitting you because you react, which entertains her.” Yuzu advices.

The small cookie makes a small noise in frustration. She squirms a bit, but has stopped waving her arms around recklessly. With a puff of her cheeks, she looks away, no longer hitting Yuzu with waving arms.

Blueberry Milk stares.

Yuzu adjusts his hold so the young cookie in one arm at the hip. With his unoccupied hand, he moves Blueberry Milk’s arms so they are ready to hold the young cookie. Gently, he places the small cookie in his arms.

The small cookie immediately perks up. With a laugh that borders on being a shriek, she happily waves her arms, hitting the fount in the face. The fount flinces, holding her a bit father, but she only changes tactics to hit his chest instead.

Hastily, the fount returns the small cookie to Yuzu's arms. “You take her for today.” He says, patting the now, armfull of laughing cookie Yuzu has.

Yuzu frowns. “I have classes to teach.”

The fount waves his hand, as if waving away the problem. “Just bring her with you.”

Yuzu looks down at the small cookie cradled in his arms. She was curiously pulling at his shirt, messing it up and revealing his chest. Yuzu ignored it, letting the young cookie explore a bit. He looks up at Blueberry Milk. “Have you brought her with you to teach?”

“Yes, why?” The fount answers with a confused tilt of the head.

Yuzu stares at fount. The silence lasts an uncomfortably long time, causing the fount to grow nervous. “If rumours about her being our child spreads, I’m not taking care of it.”

Yuzu turns around and walks out the room, leaving behind a flustered blue cookie spluttering in shock.

Chapter Text

Before the day has even neared it's end, Yuzu was already hearing whispers about him and the fount. Speculations were running wild, from simple friends with a by sitting agreement to a wild story of star-crossed lovers who were forced apart.

As they day slowly passed, more and more stories, each one wilder than the last were whispered amongst students in hallways and classrooms. Yuzu had even caught a few teachers whispering rapidly amongst themselves. His presence shut them up and they all fled from the room. Candy Apple had sqeeled in gleeful amusent, squirming as she did so. His focus was quickly shifted to ensuring she wouldn't fall, so he couldn't chase after them to do an interogation.

Yuzu sighed, holding his head up with a braced arm on the desk. Candy Apple sat on the desk, right where he could see her. She was busying herself with a colorful puzzle he had provided her with. Currently, she was mashing the blocks together rather than sloting them into the box with different shaped holes. When she tilted back to far, Yuzu had a hand on her back, pushing her back upright.

Candy Apple laughed, loud and joyfull. Yuzu wondered how her voice never tired with her constant and loud volume. He wondered whether she would grow to become a chatty child or if only her laughs were loud.

The small cookie threw away the blocks in her hand. With a sigh, Yuzu watched as the blocks landed by the door. Candy Apple laughed, she had recently taken a liking to throwing thing, much to Yuzu's misery. She crawled over to Yuzu, peering up at him with sparkling eyes, as if expecting a reward. Yuzu flicked at her, not actually hitting her, just the air in front of her face. She sqeeled, tilting back precariously. Once again, Yuzu caught her before she could fall.

Candy Apple reached for Yuzu, her face as joyful as ever. With a sigh, Yuzu brought her closer, cradling her in his arms. He runs his hand through her hair, combing through the short and messy white hair on her head. She whines in protest, trying to pull his hand away from her head. He relinquished, having already neaten what he found messy.

Candy Apple clung tightly to Yuzu's shirt, nuzzling into his chest. Yuzu's arm keeps her secured on her lap while his other hand gently cradles the back of her head.

A knock on the door interrupts them.

“Come in.” Yuzu says loudly to ensure whoever is on the other side of the door hears him.

The door opens soundlessly, and a small head of purple peaks through the crack. He shimmies in through the small crack, quickly closing the door behind him. The small purple cookies, wearing the academy's blue uniform, takes a seat in front of the desk Yuzu sits behind. He looks at Yuzu with a polite smile. One Yuzu recognizes to be a practiced one.

“Why are you here?” Yuzu asks curiously. He holds tightly to Candy Apple. The smaller cookie had taken an immediate interest in the new cookie and was trying to crawl her way out to approach him.

“The teacher told me to go to the headmaster's office.” The purple cookie says, the polite smile frozen on his face.

“Unfortunately, Blueberry Milk is currently absent.” Yuzu reaches behind him, taking the fabric hanging behind the chair and beginning to wrap the squirming Candy Apple up. “I’ve been waiting for him here.”

“In his chair?” The purple cookie asks.

“Candy Apple’s toys are stored in his desk.” He tied the last knot, securing Candy Apple in a sling attached to him. “She wouldn't let me move after I sat on the chair to retrieve them.”

The purple cookie’s gaze wanders to the squirming cookie in the sling, then to the toys still scattered on the desk.

“She threw some of them.” Yuzu mentions, pointing with his head to the door.

The purple cookie turns around to look. There, by the door, are two different shaped blocks in blue and yellow.

“If you would be so kind, could you help pick them up?” Yuzu asked. “I’m afraid I can't let go of Candy Apple, lest she hurts herself by accident.”

Soundlessly, the purple cookie slipped off his chair, walked over to the door and picked up the blocks. He walked back to the desk and placed the blocks beside the rest of its set.

“Thank you.” Yuzu said as the purple cookie returned to his chosen seat.

“It's no problem.” The purple cookie said with an easy smile on his face.

_

The office was silent save for Candy Apple’s occasional blabber and bursts of laughter. At some point Yuzu had put Candy Apple back on the desk. Candy Apple was playing with the purple cookie. He was trying to teach her how to use the toy. Despite that she refused to follow any rules, bashing the blocks against the box instead of matching shapes to their respective holes. She laughed gleefully everytime the purple cookie tried to correct her.

Surprisingly, the purple cookie showed no frustration despite Candy Apple's clear refusal to listen. A small smile was on his face as played with Candy Apple.

Right when Candy Apple had decided to pick up the empty box and was about to bring it down, the door opened. Blueberry Milk was greeted by the sight of Candy Apple bringing down the box with a screen of joy. It clattered noisily against the table, stopping just by the edge.

Blueberry Milk stared at the toy box. He slowly looked up, taking in the occupants of the room. “Black Sapphire?” Blueberry Milk asked, confused by the student in his office.

“Professor!” Black Sapphire greeted cheerfully.

“Black Sapphire, what happened.” The fount asks with a sigh. He walks into the office, the door closing behind him with a small twist of magic.

Black Sapphire's face falls. He shifts in his seat, looking away guiltily.

“Black Sapphire Cookie.”

Black Sapphire sighs before taking out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. He hands it to the fount, looking away as he does.

Blueberry Milk takes the paper, barely taking a second to read before he sighs. “How did he even get hired?” He mutters under his breath.

“It’s not like you do every hiring process yourself.” Yuzu speaks from where he's holding Candy Apple. She was squirming in his arms, babbling as she reaches for Blueberry Milk.

Blueberry Milk startles at the sudden input from a new voice. Noticing Candy Apple’s distress, he reaches his arms for her. Yuzu hands he over easily and she settles with a happy squeal, one a bit quieter than her usual ones but no less happy.

Balancing the happy cookie in one arm, Blueberry Milk gives the paper to Yuzu. Once the paper was taken from his hand, he readjusts his hold so Candy Apple is safely within the hold of two arms.

“A disturbance?” Yuzu asked, reading the small crumpled paper in his hand.

“He probably saw Black Sapphire's radio on his desk and assumed the worst.” Blueberry Milk answers while fussing over Candy Apple. Her movements were starting to grow languid, her usual energy slowly seeping away as she yawns. “I’ve been meaning to fire him for a while, but I haven't been able to find a good substitute yet.”

“None of the other teachers can fill in?” Yuzu asked.

“Unfortunately, no.” The small cookie in the fount's arms his her face as she blinks tiredly. With no more movements from the Candy Apple, Blueberry Milk looks up at Yuzu. “With the festival coming up everyone's to busy to substitute any classes.”

Yuzu frowns. He himself was busy due to festival preparations and he knew Blueberry Milk was just as busy helping with organizing the entire event. Candy Apple had been more fussy with the changes in routine their busyness had caused, resulting in the two waking early or late at night to calm the young cookie down like the earlier morning that same day.

“Are you two married?” Black Sapphire asked, interrupting their discussion.

Blueberry Milk stared, a blush steadily darkening his blue face as he processed th question. “What-” He splutters.

Yuzu sighs, sitting down and slumping in the fount's office chair.

“I mean, the two of you have a kid together so you must be married, right?” Black Sapphire asked innocently.

Blueberry Milk splutters some more. He looks at Yuzu, asking for help with wide eyes.

Yuzu responds with a tired glare. “I told you I wouldn't be dealing with any rumours that popped up.”

Blueberry Milk stared, mouth agape. He looked around the office as if to find something that would help him.

“You can just say yes or no.” Black Sapphire said. He looked at the fount with a mix of worry and judgement. “Are you married or not?”

“No, no we're not.” Blueberry Milk answers. His face remains flushed, his face having changed from its usual pale blue to the dark hue of a blueberry's skin.

“Then what's up with the two of you and that baby?” Black Sapphire asked, pointing at said baby sleeping peacefully in the fount's arms.

Blueberry Milk's mouth clamped shut. He looked at Yuzu, once more asking for help with panicked eyes.

Yuzu stares, disgruntled. He plants his head on the desk, covering his face with his white, sugar spun hair.

Blueberry Milk looks back at Black Sapphire. The purple cookie was sitting calmly on his chair. He stares at the fount, patiently awaiting an answer.

“Candy Apple took a liking to both of us.” Yuzu's muffled voice answers. Both cookies turn to him. “She wouldn't stop crying whenever one of us was missing. So, we were forced to raise her together.”

“Oh.” Black Sapphire turns to look at the fount with disappointment. “You could have done that.” He said, crossing his arms. “Why did my questions fluster you so much?” He asks with suspicion in his voice.

Blueberry Milk stares. He takes one hesitant step away from the purple cookie. A sudden bang startled him, waking up Candy Apple as well. Yuzu, with his hand firmly on the desk, glares at Blueberry Milk.

“You don't get to run away from this.” Yuzu hisses. “Deal with the problem you put yourself in and let me sleep.” He demanded before resting his head in a nest of his arms once more.

Blueberry Milk is stiff in his spot, the young cookie in his arms falling back asleep after seeing her favorite two cookies were with her. Black Sapphire looked at the fount expectantly, amusement lighting his eyes.