Chapter Text
Quiet mornings in the kingdom are a wonderful blessing.
Espresso has quickly come to appreciate the quaintness that is the budding kingdom, still on the cusp of prospering into something grand and powerful. Compared to the hustle and bustle back in the Republic, one of the many charm points this place has is the relatively peaceful atmosphere.
Blueberry birds were chirping, their wings fluttering through the air as they go about their day to deliver neatly wrapped gift boxes to their designated receiptants.
Many of the shops have begun setting up for the day, while the cookies at lumberjack’s lodge and sugar quarry have long been working away since as early as dawn.
Espresso passes by Herb as he was headed to the jellyberry orchard and exchanges a polite greeting with Princess cookie before she continues her merry way towards the jellybean farm.
It didn’t take long for Espresso to reach his laboratory. The mage shuts the door behind him and drapes his cloak over a chair before going over to his blackboard.
The formula that he had been working on the night before is still there, his neat cursive handwriting written in chalk greets him as Espresso walks closer. Sunlight shines through the window and hits the surface of the board at just the right angle where Espresso can continue to scribble where he had last stopped.
The room is quiet save for the sound of chalk scratching across the blackboard, and the soft hum of the coffee machine working on a new brew.
Quiet mornings like these help Espresso concentrate better on his work, he’s able to tune out the outside world, sometimes a little too well.
He was so caught up in writing that he doesn’t hear Madeleine’s rapid footsteps approach.
“Espresso!” Madeleine’s voice boomed through the room.
Espresso was in the midst of a breakthrough when the knight decided to barge in without knocking, essentially spooking the mage that he lost control of his grip on the chalk. It swerved downwards, creating a harsh zigzag line before breaking in half.
The broken half falls onto the floor with an audible tap that seems to ring through the room, or perhaps that’s just Espresso’s woe exaggerating it all.
Madeleine does not notice the glum aura surrounding Espresso, he jogs over to where the mage is with a gleeful smile.
“Look what I got!”
Espresso didn’t even get the chance to fully turn to the knight before Madeleine shoved something large and soft into his arms.
It obscured his vision, blocking most of his view that he could only see Madeleine’s blue cape from the corner of his eyes.
He blinks, lowering the object just enough that he can see what he was holding.
“This is…”
The muzzle of a cartoonish animal greeted him.
A bear?
Madeleine puffs out his chest and laughs upon seeing Espresso’s confused reaction.
“It’s a jellybear plush, fashioned after yours truly!”
The bear is a buttery yellow, and its face sported the same signature smile that Madeleine always has on when he charges into battle. Espresso gives the soft paw a hesitant squish, his brows furrowing like he’s scrutinizing a peculiarly rare specimen.
“And why are you giving this to me?”
Madeleine chuckles. “It’s a gift, of course. For those long expeditions where I am away for days, in case you miss me.”
He winks the same way he would whenever he passes by a group of fangirls, and Espresso scrunches up his nose in return.
“I don’t need an oversized plush toy to keep me company, Madeleine.” Espresso says dourly. “Besides, it’ll get covered in dust were I to keep it here in the study. The laboratory is out of the question, I’ll risk knocking something over by having it there.”
He says that, but Espresso is still holding onto the bear in such a careful way as though he doesn’t want to mess up its meticulously styled hair.
Madeleine isn’t fazed, in fact his smile only widens.
“Keep it in our bedroom then! He can take my side of the bed while I’m away.”
Espresso harrumphs, and this got Madeleine to drop his self-assured front. The knight’s spiky hair seems to droop, Espresso swears if Madeleine has pinkish tips at the end of his hair, he’d resemble a strawberry shortcakehound.
“Come on, take him in. I had him specially commissioned for you, there’s nothing like him out in the market. One of a kind Knight Commander Madeleine merchandise!”
Espresso raises an arched brow at him, he’s not convinced in the slightest with that response.
It’s a well known fact throughout the Republic that Madeleine is popular amongst the cookizens, what with his family name and boisterous personality.
Though arrogant and narcissistic, Madeleine is still the embodiment of the typical knight in shining amour you often find in fairy tales. Helpful and considerate, it’s no surprise he easily won the heart of many cookies there, and in the kingdom too.
So much so that he has enough of a fanbase to have his own line of merchandise produced.
“Look, he’s even stuffed with potpourri, the flowers are from Herb’s shop! And he’s made with the finest cretonne!” Madeleine urges again.
Espresso looks down at the bear again, it’s grinning up to him with its ridiculously chubby cheeks dotted with rosy redness. Those big black eyes shone under the light and Espresso can see his own reflection in them stare back at him.
“Fine.”
Madeleine lets outs a triumphant cheer, and the dark laboratory seems to brighten up considerably that Espresso had to double check if Angel cookie was in the room too.
“I’m only keeping it because you probably won’t return it to the shop.” Espresso huffs. Not because it’s actually quite endearing.
Espresso walks over to his chair and gently places the bear down on the cushion, making sure to tilt the bear’s body back against the intricately carved splat so that it doesn’t fall over. Madeleine watches him the entire time with an enamored smile that’s sure to look dopey in Espresso's eyes.
The mage turns around and gestures to the coffee machine.
“Since you’re already here, how about a cup of coffee?”
It’s three days later that Madeleine is tasked to go on yet another expedition with a team of cookies.
He had came over to Espresso’s laboratory to bid his partner goodbye. After a firm kiss to the lips and a tight embrace, Madeleine swiftly left to the gates where Chili Pepper and Dark Choco were waiting.
Espresso watches the cookies depart from behind his research tower’s window. Their silhouette quickly disappears into the dark forests, and only then does he turn away from the window.
Things don’t go smoothly that day for Espresso.
He miscalculates the amount of coffee beans needed for a brew, misplaced his glasses in the bathroom when he finished washing his face, and then he couldn’t find the file that contained his latest research results, only to later remember he had send it over to Latte the day before.
It was one mishap after another, and Espresso’s frustration extends to the fact that he couldn’t blame it on anything or anyone except himself.
It wasn’t even afternoon yet, but his growing migraine has proven to be far too much for Espresso to continue his research. He slowly gets up from his desk, mindful not to get vertigo in addition to his already throbbing head.
With a resigned sigh, Espresso forces himself to lock up his lab and return home.
It feels odd to come back to an empty house, during broad daylight too at that.
He has become so used to having Madeleine greet him at the door after a long day (and night) at work, so even though the inside of the house is brightly luminated by the late morning sunshine, it feels cold.
Espresso doesn’t consider himself clingy, a opposed to Madeleine and his tendencies to show off flamboyant displays of affection towards Espresso regardless if they are in the presence of other cookies or in the privacy of their home.
But he can’t deny yearning for the blond’s comforting when he’s having a bad day.
Espresso sighs as he begins trudging along the carpeted floor and enters his and Madeleine’s bedroom. The first thing he sees is the large jellybear plush on his bed.
He walks over to it and picks it up with both hands, and then proceeds to have a one-sided staring contest with the toy.
“...”
“...”
Espresso gives it a gentle squish.
“ Divine grace! ”
“Huh?” Espresso almost jumped in surprise, but he does drop the jellybear back onto the bed. It bounces upon impact and falls to its side.
Espresso’s aware his head is spinning, but he can’t also be hallucinating hearing the bear speak.
He picks it up again and gives the jellybear another squeeze.
“ My sword shall bring us victory! ”
“...Really?”
Did that oaf really put a recording of his own voice inside the bear?
“There is no end to his narcissism.” Espresso shakes his head, he feels his migraine growing stronger.
He sighs and puts down the overly large plush toy. His headache isn’t going away anytime soon, and he most definitely is not getting any work done in this condition.
I will have to sleep it off then, he muses with a dispirited sigh.
He slips off his shoes and climbs onto the bed, the soft mattress dipped under his weight as he maneuvers himself into a comfortable position. The jellybear plush lays on its side facing Espresso from Madeleine’s designated spot, it has shifted closer to Espresso after the mage had been trying to make himself comfortable.
Espresso blinks. The more he stares at it, the more ridiculous the bear looks.
He’s only saying that because the bear really does resemble Madeleine.
There’s the long fluffy blond hair on its soft head, even its bangs have been cut and styled to look exactly like Madeleine’s. The navy blue cape that’s tightly secured around his shoulders with golden pins is a homage to the knight’s signature look, along with the blue gem headpiece that rests between its large dotted black eyes.
Espresso huffs and reaches out a hand to ruffle at its head. He musses up the bangs, but the nylon strands bounce back in place.
“I suppose you’re better company than that buffoon.” He tugs at the bear’s chubby paw and pulls it closer to his chest. “You at least don’t disrupt my work with any incessant ramblings.”
The spiky hair tickles at his nose, Espresso nudges it away with his jaw before resting his chin atop of its head. The bear has a pleasant floral scent, the subtlety of it surprises him. Madeleine did say it was stuffed with dried potpourri, Espresso was just expecting a more pungent, almost sickly fragrance.
He’s not complaining though, the distinctive scent of jasmine is quite calming. Espresso finds himself inhaling more of the floral smell shallowly.
Espresso is now essentially snuggling with a plush toy half his size, his arms wrapped loosely around its rotund torso and his face buried into the bear’s soft hair.
The plush is... admittedly pleasant to hold onto. He knows he’s being a hypocrite, what with just a few days ago he told Madeleine that he had no need for it, even thinking mini-Maddie is a waste of space.
He snorts, but with his face pressed against the bear’s head, it comes off as a weak puff of air through his nose.
Madeleine isn’t here to witness him being a hypocrite, so Espresso will continue to shamelessly cuddle with his gift.
Espresso’s heavy lids flutter close as he subconsciously hugs the plush tighter, this triggers the recording buried inside the toy’s cotton stuffing and the bear speaks.
“ I will always be there for you! ”
Espresso can’t hold back his laugh at that one, he chuckles into the bear’s fluffy hair.
He falls asleep with a lingering smile on his face, his migraine is cured by the soothing floral potpourri and the comforting weight of mini-Maddie in his arms.