Madeleine Grows a Pair

9 - The Day After

Madeleine had to stop saying 'yes' to everything cookies said.

He had spent the night with Strawberry Crepe, who kept rattling on different ideas as they made... something.

With the loud noises of equipment being used on top of his reluctance to sleep, he didn't have even a wink of sleep. He was getting to the point where the tired feeling that followed him started fading into an acceptance that he'd still be awake the next day. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Madeleine didn't register how much time had passed until he heard birds chirping. He looked outside of a window. It was still dark, but the sky was starting to get a visible blueish tint. It was a time he knew well.

That time was usually when he'd wake up in the morning. Ah.

Wait. It was a workday.

He made a startled noise, and Strawberry Crepe looked up from scribbling down some numbers.

"What."

Madeleine gripped the pilling edges of the cape Latte gave him, "I need to go."

Strawberry Crepe glanced outside a window behind him and let out a small, "oh."

He turned to leave, but when he reached for the door, Strawberry Crepe interrupted him, "Wait!"

They grabbed a fabric ruler from their deskside and ran over to him, holding it up, "I want your wing measurements."

They were interested in the whole wing situation, that was for sure. Though, looking around at all of the projects that they dedicated their work to, Madeleine wasn't worried about what they'd use the information on.

He sighed and grabbed one of the wings by his side, pushing it down and out to reach its full length.

Strawberry Crepe brought it up to him, making sure to be mindful, and muttered out some numbers. They thought about it for a second, ran to their desk, and jotted it down. "Okay, you can leave now!"

Madeleine nodded and awkwardly stepped out without saying goodbye. He shut the door behind him, making sure not to slam it shut like he accidentally did with his house door sometimes.

Looking forward, he immediately felt lost. He knew where he was in the kingdom, but he couldn't quite pinpoint how to get where he wanted to go.

The objective was Espresso's place. Not only to check in on his friend but also to get his regular clothes back since there was no way he'd go through the entire day with a purple sweater and an annoyingly loud orange cape.

Madeleine started walking in the hopes that he would come across one of his patrolling routes. He usually didn't patrol this part of the kingdom since the job was split between a few cookies. Though, he knew the area well enough to take over the job when someone was missing.

That made him think. Someone probably took over his job when he went home early on the day he grew his wings. And, well, the day afterward too.

When he grew wings out of his back, he didn't know how long he had been passed out on the floor; but upon spending the weekend with Espresso and all, he learned that it had been somewhere around a full day. That amount of time was... jarring. How could he spend that much time passed out and still be tired when he woke up?

Madeleine took a turn and ended up on a street within his usual routes. It was too early for cookies to be lining the streets, but it was getting closer to that time. He picked up the pace.

The familiar buildings blurred in the background. He was so accustomed to his patrols that he had to actively focus on where he was going. He clenched his fists.

The walkway in front of him started to get blurry as well. He blinked slowly. His eyes felt heavy.

Was he really that tired?

Madeleine wasn't even sure if he felt himself walking at that point. Sure he was moving forwards, but he felt more like he was floating. He looked down at his feet. They still moved when he walked.

His head started to feel like radio static. His thoughts weren't entirely coherent.

He glanced at a bench at the end of the walkway. It would be a good idea to sit down. He passed the bench.

He brought his hands up to press into his face. Maybe he was just exaggerating how tired he was.

He stopped at the front door of Espresso's home and turned the doorknob without even thinking of knocking. He shut the door behind him and almost tripped in the doorway.

His heels barely lifted off the ground when he walked into the living room. He looked around, but he couldn't find anything that was his.

Espresso was brewing another pot of coffee when he heard the front door open and shut. It was no question that Madeleine entered his house, but usually he would announce his arrival.

He peeked his head in the general direction of the doorway and saw him, strange outfit and all. "Madeleine?"

Madeleine looked over Espresso, eyes unfocused, and mumbled, "Have you seeen my... uhhhh..." He talked incredibly slowly but the words seemed to escape him.

Espresso wouldn't have been surprised if he passed out on the spot.

Madeleine rubbed his eyes and went completely silent for a moment.

"my clothes?"

Espresso didn't know where they were, but he wasn't about to let Madeleine search his house from top to bottom, especially in that condition.

He sighed, "I'll go find the clothes and you can rest on the couch."

Madeleine dismissed him, "Nooo, it's fine." His speech was slurred.

Espresso walked over to the paladin and put his hands on his shoulders, "It wasn't a suggestion."

He shoved Madeleine onto the couch. He fell down easier than he should've. That was... concerning. Was it really just a lack of sleep that made him act that way?

Espresso hoped he didn't hurt him with that shove. He paused for a moment, "I'll... Go find those clothes."

He left for his bedroom, just about the only place he'd expect the clothes to be, and was met with an all too familiar mess.

Well, everything was messy except for Madeleine's belongings. They were folded up neatly on his bed, gloves and all. He picked them up.

Madeleine's situation was worrying. Everything seemed different since the 'wing incident'. A cookie growing wings suddenly overnight, or even at all, was completely unheard of. Not to mention he had nobody to assist him with healing spells at all.

Madeleine was inexperienced at best when it came to healing magic. Sure, he could heal small cuts and bruises, Espresso had seen him do so, but there was no way he knew how to heal wounds on such a large scale.

Latte was right. He was probably still hurt.

Espresso swore at himself and walked back into the living room. Madeleine seemed to be nodding off.

"I got them for you," Espresso set the clothes down.

"Mhmm."

"If there's anything important I will wake you up." Espresso opened a nearby closet door and grabbed a blanket inside.

He threw the blanket at Madeleine, "Sleep."

Things felt... backward.

Since when was he the one taking care of Madeleine?

Espresso sighed and walked back to his workroom. There was no time for breaks when it came to magic research and its deadlines.

Except for coffee breaks, of course.