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Licorice was laying on the bed he shared with his husband, Pumpkin Cream, who was currently sleeping besides him; senses enveloped by sleep after a long, hard working day.
A living plant going rouge related mishap happened—And he doesn't know who it was, but also it was definitely Prune Juice Cookie—that had him working overtime to fix the issue and didn't come back home until late afternoon, where Pumpkin Cream was already waiting for him, looking forward to fall into Dreamland while cuddling close to Pumpkin into his arms...
Until a loud cry took him forcefully back to reality.
"Lico... it's your turn to feed her..." Pumpkin said with a sleepy voice.
Licorice just groaned tiredly and squeezed his eyes shut, "Give me a minute." he yawned and got out of the bed, adjusting his sleeping robe and walking towards the cause of the wailing noise—he didn't need to walk far as he stopped at a cradle just by the other side of the bedroom.
There, bundled up in the softest sheets ever was his daughter, his little flower; Yogurt Swirl, her soft pastel pink dough flushed with tears as she cried out for any of her parents to comfort and feed her.
"There, there..." Licorice cooed as he picked her up, so small on his grasp, but that's to be expected, she was just a few weeks old after all.
He made his way out of the room and downstairs into the spacious kitchen where he opens the fridge, taking out the bottle of sugary milk inside—all while saying reassuring words to his baby softly who has calmed down a bit, but still fussy and hungry. Licorice sat on the living room couch and started to feed her and almost Immediately she calmed down and did cute little chirp sounds as she eat.
Licorice couldn't help but smile down at her; even if he never thought about the possibility of him ever becoming a father, he wouldn't trade Yogurt Swirl for anything else in the world... Even if she sometimes woke him and his husband on unholy hours of the night.
"You're awake, Meowster?"
Licorice turned to the sound of a familiar voice, seeing Bat-Cat's confused expression—the skeletal winged cat floated forward to stand on the arm rest of the couch he was sitting on, their collar doing small tinkling noises as they did so.
"I was just feeding the baby," Licorice chuckled under his breath, "Why aren't you asleep with the others?"
"The garden is getting cold, it's more cozy inside here!" Bat-Cat meowed.
Licorice figured as much, with Fall coming to an end, snow will soon be falling down on the Parfaedia City streets— Bat-Cat often slept in the backyard's garden along with Pumpkin Cream's animal companions, but most of the time sleeps inside depending on the weather.
He hummed acknowledgely, "I'm just glad you're finally getting along with them, unlike when we first moved here." He said as he took the bottle away from Yogurt Swirl's tiny grasp, now clearly content and already drifting off to sleep.
Bat-Cat huffed, as if offended, "It was my harmless prank yet, you both are the ones who put it above my head all the time!" They hissed in a whisper, being mindful of the infant close to them. Licorice laughed as quietly as he could while rocking his baby slowly, he admits Bat-Cat has mellow down significantly since living here, but their chaotic nature still prevails sightly.
They both stood in comfortable silent, the cracking of the fireplace comforting the residents of the living room.
The silence was only broken when Bat-Cat spoke once more, "Do you ever regret it?"
The ex-necromancer lifted an eyebrow at the sudden question his friend just gave, "...Regret what?"
"Leaving Dark Enchantress Cookie."
Licorice became stunned for a second.
There's many things from when he used to work under the Cookies of Darkness he would rather forget, things he isn't proud of because he felt underappreciated by everyone in his life when he was younger... Joining the Enchantress' cause with the pretense he would get recognized by his magical talent, only for him to feel even more useless looking for her approval any chance he got... But now, he didn't need any of that; he found someone who genuinely loved him for who he was, got a fantastic job, made new friendships that were more real than those of his old 'coworkers' and most important of all—he was happy, even if there are cookies out there who still remembered his past self and did not forgive him, he knows deep down that he changed for the better.
"No, Bat-cat." He spoke quietly as to not awake the now asleep Yogurt Swirl, "If anything, maybe I should thank her... If it wasn't for her I would've never met Pumpkin and Yogurt wouldn't be here right now—So no, I don't regret a single thing."
Bat-Cat nodded, not saying another word as they rested their head on their front paws, breathing going steady as they fell fast asleep.
Licorice stood there for another minute or so before he hears soft steps going down the stairs, where Pumpkin appeared with a smile on his face; there was no doubt he heard the conversation he just had with his childhood companion, he just smiled back even if the other couldn't see it. Licorice finally got up and walked towards his husband and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before both made their way upstairs and into their shared room.
He really would not change any of this, not in a million years or ever.