Hazel eyes blinked at you owlishly, while ears tried to comprehend what they just heard.
"Excuse me?" Coco asked, taken aback at your sudden outburst.
"Take me on a hunt with you." You said again, lowering your tea cup and steeling your nerve.
"I don't think-"
"You said you would take me anywhere I wanted to go. I want to go on a hunt with you."
You locked eyes with the Heavenly King, refusing to break your gaze. Truthfully, it had taken a lot of your nerve to ask the question, but now that it was out in the open, you didn't feel so nervous about it.
Coco furrowed his brow lightly at you.
"Where did this come from all of a sudden?"
You wrapped your hands around your tea cup, cradling in the heat in your palms.
"I think it would be fun."
"Fun?"
"Yes, fun. Why, is that a problem?"
Coco's tea cup remained suspended between his lips and the table, frozen, as he tried to process what you were saying. Only a mere moment ago were you deciding what sort of dessert you wanted to make tonight.
"I've never really heard the word 'fun' being used to describe working in the field before."
"Didn't you enjoy it before though? Before you became a soothsayer?"
Coco flinched at your comment. It was true; a long time ago he did enjoy going out and finding new ingredients. Recently though, his fears had started to get the better of him. Or, perhaps he was becoming complacent with his lifestyle choices.
"I did." He admitted quietly, finally lowering his tea cup to the table.
"Well, what's the problem now? Are you scared or something?"
"I'm not scared. I just…"
Coco trailed off, lowering his eyes into the green tea steaming in the ceramic. It looked so delicate under his large fingers. He could easily break it into pieces if he wanted to. All it would take was just a little pressure…
So much of that little cup reminded him of you.
"…I don't want you to get hurt."
You let out a sigh. You could understand his hesitation, but you weren't an invalid. Yes, you had been hurt before in the past; including one unfortunate time when he had to help put you back together, but you weren't fragile. You could defend yourself when you needed it…for the most part.
"Coco, I'm not going to crumble into dust from a few cuts and scrapes." You said, leaning your head on one hand. "If I did, do you think I would have worked in my industry for so long?"
"I guess not." Coco relented, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"And besides, we'll be together, right? I'm not asking for you to drop me off in the middle of nowhere and leave me alone."
This earned a chuckle from the man across from you.
"There's absolutely no way I would let that happen."
"Exactly! What are we waiting for then?!"
"Slow down. What it is you're wanting to capture?"
"Capture?"
"Yes, capture." Coco smirked, taking another sip of his tea. "You have to decide what it is you want before we just go off somewhere."
He had you pegged at this point. You hadn't really thought you would get this far in your request, but now that you were on the verge of success, it occurred to you that you didn't know what you were looking for.
"I… well… I guess…" you stammered, trying to think of something. You caught a glimpse of Coco's raised eyebrow at you and it was causing you to falter more.
"…Sweets." You concluded meekly.
"Sweets?"
"Yeah… I have a pretty big sweet tooth. I like making them too…"
"I have noticed that. Is there a reason for that?"
You shrugged, taking another sip of your tea.
"It's not like I have some strange back story for them. It was just something I was good at back in culinary school. Plus, they're a comfort food for me. You can probably imagine I've had my fair share of bad days."
"I guess you would have, considering your line of work."
"Heh, sad isn't it? Depending on food to feel better?"
"It's not that uncommon, especially in this day and age."
"I guess…"
The two of you fell back into silence, respectively finishing your drinks at different intervals. You both remained at the table, lost in your own thoughts. Coco cleared his throat, pulling you out of your reverie.
"Well, you should probably get something a little more…robust on." He said, eyeing your clothing. You had on a particularly thin and flowing dress on today; one you thought perfectly matched the spring weather.
"Hm? Why?"
Coco smiled at you with upturned eyes.
"We're heading out. You wanted to go on a hunt, didn't you?"
"W-Wait, what? Right now?"
"Yes. Good food waits for no one."
With that, Coco collected the dishes by the sink and strolled up the tower staircase, leaving your mouth agape and you blinking back at him.
As usual, Kiss touched his long purple talons down onto the ground with such finesse, you almost forgot he was almost the size of a two-story building. Coco jumped off from his back and held out his hands to catch you on your way down. You grinned at the Heavenly King and slid off from the Emperor Crow's back, sticking a stable landing with both feet on the ground; no assistance necessary. Coco raised his eyebrow and smirked at you in response, while you dusted your hands and put them firmly on your hips.
"Right. Where to?" You said, giving him a confident stare.
"Well, someone's confident. Are you sure you're up for this?"
"Bit late to back out now, isn't it?"
"Fair point."
"Where are we, anyway?"
"The Cassonade Archipelago. My fortunes tell me you'll find what you're looking for here."
Your eyes scanned the land around you. Frankly speaking, it didn't look too different from your typical forests you were used to seeing. You wondered what made this place so special. Still, the nice weather had held out, even if you had travelled a few hours away from Gourmet Fortune. Kiss had waited until you were safely on the ground before taking off, circling the skies far from your field of vision. You waved goodbye to your feathered friend before noticing that Coco had already started off without you.
"Hey! Wait up!" You said, doing an awkward little skip and run over to him. "Don't leave me alone; you promised!"
"You're fine, aren't you? Besides, you're the one that wanted to come out on a hunt." Coco chuckled, ignoring the pout you were sending his way.
"Some gentleman you are." You said with a huff, crossing your arms over your chest playfully.
"You know, I don't even know why I have that nickname."
"It's pretty obvious, actually."
"Do tell."
"Oh, come on, Coco," You rolled your eyes at him, dropping your arms and linking your hands behind your back. "You're clearly one of the nicest people in the world, and it's only coupled with the fact that you're handsome as hell. It's almost a little infuriating."
"Infuriating?"
"Well, yes. Look, maybe that's too strong a word. You're just so… so…"
Your eyes darted in all directions as you tried to think of the best word to describe him. But how could you boil it down to just one word? Coco was a lot of things, and that's what was so frustrating about him. From his compassionate nature, soothing voice and remarkable aesthetics, he was just simply…
"…wonderful." You said, averting your eyes.
A small smile crossed Coco's lips. He was used to being complimented by the hoards of women back in town, but it felt different coming from you. He was almost inclined to believe those words.
"Thank you. But I believe Sunny is probably the nicest looking one out of all of us."
"Sunny definitely makes an entrance. He practically glows…but I find his narcissism a little overbearing."
"You're not the only one to think that. Even I find it tiresome after a while."
'But you'd never tell him that, would you?" You said, rolling your eyes back to look at Coco. Something about the way he smirked confirmed your statement.
'See? Only someone like you would stay quiet so long."
Coco just shook his head as a response, a little grin escaping his façade. You both walked in silence for a while; the low crunch of nature underneath your boots. The air had a sweet tang to it as you breathed it in deeply through your nose, and the greenery had an almost candy-like colouring about it.
'So, what kinds of ingredients are we going to find here?" You asked.
"Things that would make good sweets. It's what you wanted after all."
"Okay, yes, but are we going to come across some sort of dangerous animal while we're at it? I feel a little underprepared, to be honest."
After becoming a little more accustomed to handling a bow, you felt like you should have bought it with you for some sort of protection. You weren't a professional archer by any sense of the word, and you wouldn't be able to take something down, but having it would have made you feel more comfortable.
"There's nothing to worry about.' Coco said, offering you a comforting glance. "This isn't a high-risk area by any means. I doubt that we'll be in trouble."
The conviction in Coco's voice eased your concerns. He was the experience one here after all. Whatever doubt you had in your mind, you convinced yourself that he would keep you safe from harm.
At this point, a shrub to your left rustled harshly and your panic spiked without warning. Despite all of your mental persuasion, your body still reacted on impulse and you ducked behind Coco; like a child hiding from a stranger.
The shrub continued to shake until out popped the small white body of a rabbit. Its ears twitched in all directions as its beady eyes locked onto both of your forms. Its nose twitched as it stared you both down, and you peeled yourself from behind Coco. You couldn't help but smile at the cute creature.
"Hey little guy," You said in an airy voice, crouching down to the ground and offering your hand out to it. "You're so cute!"
The rabbit's nose twitched at you before it scampered away, leaving dusty white footprints in its wake. You pouted again as you stood up.
"He doesn't like me." You said with a light whine. You just wanted to pat it.
"No, it's probably something else." Coco said, patting your shoulder and leading you to keep moving. He was following the trail of paw prints left by the rabbit.
"Like what?"
"Well, there's a few things. But why don't we follow where it went? Maybe he'll lead us to some nice ingredients."
"I guess…"
The two of you tracked the pawprints ahead of you. It struck you as odd that there was even a trail to follow. Normally, animals wouldn't leave behind a residue from their feet.
"Hey Coco, what kind of rabbit was that?" You asked, tapping your finger to your chin in thought.
'It's a Sugarabbit." Coco said simply. "Its body is made of a powdered sugar that comes off of it in a fine dust. It's actually quite the quality ingredient."
"Wait, so you're telling me I could use it in cooking?"
"Well, yes? This is the Gourmet Age after all."
You stopped walking and stared in disbelief. Why was this suddenly news to you? It's true, you knew that food was considered more than just a commodity, but you suddenly realised that your lack of knowledge about the world was enormous. Even through culinary school, you hadn't particularly focused on where ingredients came from; they were always just there, ready and waiting to be used. Things like fruits and vegetables you were accustomed to and could figure out that they were a naturally growing product, but basic things like herbs and spices? You never fathomed that those could be produced from animals as well.
"What's wrong (Y/n)?" Coco called out to you. Concern was written all over his face.
You shook your head quickly and refocused yourself.
"Oh yeah. I'm fine. I'm just… mind blown about how much I don't know."
Coco smiled and gestured you to follow him.
"Come on. Let's keep looking."
You nodded and joined back up with him. It wasn't long before a large expanse of undergrowth blocked your way from going further. At least, that's what you thought, but Coco pulled a bunch of branches and growth away with relative ease. This opened up a small passage for you both to clamber through, and you gasped.
On the other side was a clearing; a lake shimmered under the sun and the sweet tang in the air grew stronger. You watched as dozens of Sugarabbits bounced around, playing happily with each other; dustings of powdered sugar flying off of their coats. Plants and flowers all the colours of the rainbow lined the edge of the lake and extended beyond, deep into the tree line. Rocks of golden amber refracted light with a comforting glow, and you could smell the distinct smell of cinnamon biting your nostrils.
'Oh wow," you breathed, marvelling at the natural wonder before you. You quietly pulled yourself through the underbrush into the meadow, clasping your hands together by your chest.
"It's so beautiful here." You whispered, hearing Coco shuffle in behind you.
"Go on and look around." Coco said. "It's okay to try food as well. We're not going to destroy the ecosystem if we take a small amount."
"O-okay…"
You approached a large group of Sugarabbits, creeping closer and closer to them so you wouldn't scare them off entirely. Some of them did run off out of fright, but most of them milled around in the grass, huddling together in groups and pairs. You crouched down on the grass and held your hand out, waiting to see if any of them would come close to you. You were avoided for a long time, but then one of them hopped up to your hand and began sniffing your fingers. Its whiskers tickled your skin but you held back from moving so quickly in case you frightened it off. Its fur was so soft and you twitched your fingers underneath its soft hairs, feeling clumps of sugar building up on your fingers.
The Sugarabbit hopped closer to you, still sniffing your skin as it moved from your hand and into your lap. It placed both paws on your lap and reached up inquisitively. You took the opportunity to cradle the bunny in your hands and then pick it up, smiling at the way it curled its feet up at you. It blinked its eyes at you and twitched its little nose at you. You were almost certain that it was smiling at you. You hugged it to your body, and called Coco over to help you get a Gourmet Case out from your backpack.
"Coco, can you help me out here? I want to take some of the sugar for us both."
Coco pulled a small container out from the bag on your shoulders and popped it open for you. You began petting the small rabbit, guiding the sugar from its fur into the vessel. The rabbit had started to lick you; its small tongue darting out rapidly over your skin and leaving warm, sticky kisses. You couldn't hold back the smile beaming from your face.
"He's adorable! Oh, I wish I could keep him!" You squealed, planting little kisses all over its head. You ended up with a burst of sugar up your nose and you sneezed; a small white cloud blowing out.
"Probably best if we don't." Coco chuckled, hiding back his laughter from the white powder that had settled over your face.
"I know, I know. But he's so cute and soft and adorable! Here, why don't you hold him?!"
Your excitement was getting the better of you, and you thrusted the small mammal towards Coco. He politely declined, but you kept trying to press the rabbit into his arms. Coco was keeping his distance from it. Eventually you just held the rabbit in front of his face, and its tongue darted out against Coco's nose and peppered him with licks.
"Oh, my goodness, that was the cutest thing I've ever seen!"
"That wasn't a good idea…" Coco said, retreating from you both with a sad look.
"Huh? Why's that?"
'I think you should put him down, (Y/n)."
"What's wrong?"
Puzzled, you crouched down and let the Sugarabbit go, and it bounded towards the others, though you watched it as it started to limp sideways and its legs buckled under him and it fell over a few times.
"Did I do something wrong?" You asked worriedly.
"No, you didn't." Coco said sadly. "I did."
"But you didn't do anything?"
"It's my poison. There's always traces of it on my skin. Unfortunately, he's ingested some of it."
"Is he going to be okay?" You asked with a horrified look on your face.
"He'll be fine, he's just knocked a little. I feel bad for it though…"
You patted his shoulder and offered a kind smile.
"Hey, it'll be alright. It's not like you actively went to hurt it, right?"
Sadness still clouded Coco's features, and you opted to take the Gourmet Case from his hands, fastening the lid on it.
"At least we got something? Look, it's my very first capture!"
You held the container up and beamed, excitement coursing through you once again. It wasn't anything spectacular, but you were happy. Your happiness was enough for Coco to break a small smile.
"Well done. There are still many things for us to find. Let's keep going."
You wandered over to the sparkling lake and peered into the water. You could see small bubbles of carbonation bubbling under the surface and you dipped your hands in. You made a cup with your hands and pulled some of the liquid to your lips and drew it in. It fizzed in your mouth with a refreshing tang.
"It's lemonade!" you said excitedly. 'Coco, you have to try some of this!"
You pulled a small canteen from your hip and dipped it underwater, filling it with the natural fizzy drink. You took another hearty gulp from it before offering it to the Heavenly King. He took the canteen from you and tipped it back, careful to not let it physically touch his lips. He let out a satisfied puff of air.
"It's delicious." He said simply.
"I didn't think a lake like this could exist." You said, refilling the canteen and shaking off the excess liquid.
"Well, it makes sense for it to be here." Coco said. "This place is a specialty for sugary foods."
"Just how much sugar are we talking?"
'Well, try peeling a piece of bark from the trees over there." He pointed to the tree line. You scurried over and ran your fingers over the tree, feeling for a break in the smooth trunk. Your fingers latched onto a small lift in the bark and you pulled. A sheet snapped off in your hands and you tasted it.
"This is… dark chocolate!" You announced, taking another bite of the rich, bitter chocolate. Its consistency melted onto your tongue into a velvety treat. You started pulling more and more pieces of bark off the tree and stowing them into another case, filling it as much as you could.
From then on, you explored every inch of the meadow that you could lay your eyes on. The golden rocks turned out to be giant chunks of toffee, while the colourful flowers in bloom were natural hard candies. Each different colour was a different flavour, and the stamens were natural lollipops. You plucked a few and handed one to coco, lime of course. He took it graciously, and popped it into his mouth; the stick hanging out of his mouth looked quite comical.
Eventually, you had gathered a whole range of pantry staples; although they were simple types of ingredients, the amount of foods you could make with them were almost endless. You had enjoyed sampling all of the different types of sugars and sweet treats that were on offer, and you had collected a many great ingredients. Things like a dark sand that turned out to be refined cocoa, sap from a springy tree that made a delicious syrup, and even small collections of ready-made snacks and candies. Coco had shown an almost child-like delight at the sight of roaming Cookie Alpacas, hunting them down to take their pelt of assorted biscuits from them. He had relented to you that, while he doesn't normally partake in many sweets and desserts, he had a soft spot for these particular cookies. You happened to think it was adorable.
You had decided to rest your legs and taken a seat against one of the Rock Toffee, stretching out when Coco returned, holding an odd looking dandelion out to you.
"What's this?" You asked, taking it from him and inspecting it.
"Dentalion." Coco said, taking a seat next to you against the rock. "It'll help freshen your teeth from all the sugar we've had right now."
He pulled one of the leaves from the stem and placed it on his tongue, before lightly brushing over his teeth with the head of the dandelion. You expected it to blow away in the wind, but it was a lot sturdier than you had perceived. Reacting with the leaf, it bubbled like toothpaste. You followed suit, taking a leaf from your own flower and placing it on your tongue. It tasted like a fresh sprig of mint. The bubbling from the Dentalion acted like a cleaning agent, and as you swallowed the residue, your teeth felt cleaner than ever. You sighed contentedly, watching the group of Sugarabbits bounce and play across from you both; keeping a wide berth away from Coco.
"This has been one of the best days of my life." You said softly, twirling the stem of the Dentalion idly in your hands.
"I'm glad you've had fun. Did you enjoy your first hunt?" Coco asked, looking down at you with a sweet gaze. A wayward strand of your hair was taking his attention, and he was doing all he could to fight the urge to tuck it back for you.
"I did! If you could even call it a hunt." You chuckled. "Though, I would have loved to see you in action a little more."
"What do you mean?"
"You know… the way you fight. It's…strangely graceful. If it's anything like the way you train, I think it would be kind of amazing to witness in person."
Coco let out a small sigh and shook his head lightly.
"For me to be serious about fighting, that would mean there's a distinct threat around us. I try to prevent getting into fights as much as I can."
"I get what you mean, but I can't help feeling like that." You admitted lamely, embarrassed.
"Just like I can't help but feel other things about you." You thought, making your heart jump at an odd beat.
You tipped your head onto his shoulder without even realising, and he flinched under your touch.
"I suppose we should start heading home." Coco said, looking up to the sky. Somewhere above, Kiss was waiting for his call.
"Home…" You said, your mouth twitching downward.
"Is everything okay? You seem upset."
"Oh no, it's nothing like that." You said, pulling yourself up and shaking your hands quickly.
"I guess I should probably start thinking getting home too." You said sombrely.
A small sound of protest fell past Coco's lips, but you didn't hear it.
"You can stay as long as you want." He said meekly. "It's no trouble at all."
You let out a sigh. Of course he wouldn't find it an issue, but you were starting to feel like a burden in his home. For someone who has little social interaction, being a constant presence in his personal space must be very taxing for him. You were starting to feel guilty about it all.
"I figured you would say something like that." You said, nudging his arm lightly with your own. "But I can't leech off of your good intentions forever. Plus, I need to settle some personal issues of my own."
If you had your own choice, you would have liked to stay with Coco for as long as you possibly could. But you were two people that led very different lives, and as much as it pained you to say it, you weren't anything more than friends.
And at this rate, there was a high possibility that you might never be anything else.
"…I understand." Was all that Coco said, looking quite downtrodden as he did so.
"This isn't the end, though." You said, trying to lift the mood. "We can always meet up again. Whenever and wherever."
"Yes, that's true. I hope we can continue being friends."
Friends.
That word stung your heart like a piercing needle. So much so, you even winced when he said it.
"Hey, listen…" You asked quietly, turning to pull your phone from your pocket.
"Hmm?"
"I was wondering if… we could get a photo together?"
You broached the subject by bringing out the small metallic device and waving it a little. You could already sense Coco's apprehension, but you wanted to press the issue.
'I know you're not a fan of being recorded by any means but… I'd really like to have a keepsake of us together. You know… something to tide me over until we can meet again."
You looked into Coco's eyes and watched as his mind and soul played havoc with one another. You started to believe you had crossed a line at this point. Maybe you should back off and forget about it. After all, you were always going to remember what he looked like, blessed with a face like his.
"…Okay." He said quietly. Elation flooded through your being. "Just one… I don't think I can handle any more."
You nodded, and set up your phone's camera to take the shot. You scooted in as close to him as possible and tilted the device up. He shuffled in at an awkward angle to fit into the screen and you smiled. A big, beautiful smile and while the Heavenly King was uncomfortable, he still managed to look as serene as ever. A sweet little smile danced on his lips.
With a simple push of a button, this memory was preserved forever.