Cookie Run: Kingdom One-Shots, Head-Canons, Incorrect Quotes

O-S Minimal Damage (Herb x Sparkling)

A/N: OMG SO MANY VIEWS!!! I really wish I knew which ships you guys were looking for when you came here, so it would be very helpful if some of you requested in the comments so that I could know what people want to read. Thank you guys for reading my stories by the way. It means a lot to me. This is my first published writing and every view makes me smile.

Sparkling scrubbed the blood off the hardwood floor of his bar, hoping it wouldn't stain. A bar fight had broken out while he was upstairs on break and it had to be shut down early. Not that it made that big of a difference. The ambulance that had carried the injured away and the police cars that had arrived in a flurry of lights and sirens wasn't exactly great for morale. Neither was the new employee wrapped up in a shock blanket out front rambling about seeing Chili Pepper stabbing a guy. Luckily, the damage was minimal and the police gave him the go to clean up the scene.

The door opened and closed. Footsteps approached. Sparkling didn't look up. He had given up on scrubbing and was now staring at the bloodied rag, thinking about how pathetic he must look.

Herb didn't think he looked pathetic at all. Sparkling was sat on the floor by the bar counter near a tipped over stool. The only source of light was dampened by the curtains, making for a soft, sympathetic look.

"Sparkling," Herb's soft voice asked. He crouched down beside his friend, putting a hand on his back. "I heard about what happened and was wondering if you needed help."

There was no reply. Instead, Sparkling's voice, rid of all the usual charismatic joy it carried, said, "I worked so hard to make a name for myself. To make a name for this bar. I wanted it to be stylish. To be classy. To be a place people could come to discuss business. Knife fights never happen in five star restaurants." His head dropped further until he was staring at his lap.

Herb wasn't sure how to respond. Eventually, unable to find the right words, he decided to go with actions. He scooted closer to the man until he was just barely behind him, then wrapped his arms around his waist gently and leaned his forehead against his shoulder. It was almost like a child cuddling a much-too-large teddy bear. (If, of course, the teddy bear felt like its high-end establishment was viewed upon as any run-of-the-mill cheap bars, thus affecting its own opinion about its self worth.)

He felt Sparkling tense against him, then relax into the hug. His breath stuttered, and he whipped around and fell into Herb's arms, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and burying his face in his chest. Herb embraced the sudden movement, pulling him closer and adjusting his own position to be more comfortable for the both of them. Sparkling shook against him, gripping at Herb's soft, brown sweater as a way to ground himself.

"I didn't know you got panic attacks," Herb stated quietly. He began to take deliberately slow breaths and moved Sparkling's head so he could breathe better. As they sat there, he played with Sparkling's soft, blonde hair and gently talked about what he had done that day until Sparkling's breathing returned to a normal pace.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"I came here to help you in any way you needed it." Herb smiled down at him. "You have nothing to apologize for, and I feel glad to have been useful. Besides, you know Chili Pepper! She would stab someone anywhere! It's not a fault of your bar, it's a fault of her personality!"

They remained like that for a moment, their bodies intertwined, their heartbeats and breathing in perfect sync, their souls sharing the same, indescribable feeling of closeness that comes with being so vulnerable, so intimate with someone.

And then, they broke away and busied themselves with scrubbing.