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It was only so long one can stay up without sleep before they crash.
Espresso is one such case.
There was only so much coffee he could consume before his need for sleep caught up to him.
The last thing he heard was the sound of books falling, papers flying, and glass objects tipping over before he crashed into the floor and blacked out.
When he awoke, it was someone shaking his shoulders.
His vision is blurry but he can see the familiar shape of...
"Madeleine?"
"Oh thank the Divine!" The blond smiles brightly, "You're alive! I thought you'd drop dead from overworking!"
"Wha..." he reaches out to grab his glasses, which laid on the floor, "What are you doing in the kingdom? When did you get here?"
Where the fuck is his armor?
"I arrived yesterday," Madeleine frowned, "no wonder why I didn't see you! You need sleep."
Espresso scoffed, "I'm fine." He puts on his glasses and gets up.
It is then he realized that Madeleine's eyes were blue.
He couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"How long have you been working, my friend?" Madeleine asked in concern, offering a hand
"Days...Nights..." Espresso took his hand, "I don't know."
His eyes land on the door of his lab. Ah, it was nearly broken down again.
"Did you break down my door?" He huffed.
"I heard you were here," the blond frowned.
"A locked door means I don't want visitors," the coffee mage retorts.
"Well, it was a good thing I found you!" The knight argued, "You were passed out on the floor and everything's a mess!"
Madeleine then sighed, "I worry about you, my friend...is it really necessary to work until dawn?"
"Yes," Espresso grumbled under his breath.
He wanted to avoid these things. He wanted to avoid Madeleine and his...
...corruption...
Something isn't right.
"You're...you're not real," Espresso states bluntly, looking at dream Madeleine, "this...this is a dream."
Not this shit again.
The knight frowned, "Are...you alright, my friend? Did you hit your head when you collapsed?"
The blond tried to reach out, probably to lift him up, only for Espresso to smack his hand away.
"Cut the bullshit," he spat, "this isn't real. You aren't real."
Why the hell was his mind messing with him?
The Madeleine he knew was gone somewhere deep within the mind of a corrupted cookie. He wasn't in his dreams. He wasn't in this kingdom, annoying the hell out of the coffee mage with his arrogance. He was serving Dark Enchantress Cookie, probably (hopefully) against his will.
Madeleine was stubborn like that. He knew. There was no way for the knight to succumb and change sides so easily...right?
"Espresso-"
"Stop it! Get out!" He yelled, shoving at the blond's chest.
He didn't want to see the look on the knight's face. He didn't want to think about what could've been if the knight hadn't been dragged off course. There was no time to think about these fantasies.
He had to face reality.
"I want you gone! Out of my head!" He shouts, glaring up at fake Madeleine's shocked face with no remorse or sympathy.
"Is...is that what you really want?" The blond whispers, blue eyes so filled with emotion that the coffee mage can't help but feel just a tad guilty.
But he must accept reality.
"Yes," Espresso grits his teeth.
"I..." Madeleine looks down, hiding his expression, "...Very well, I shall take my leave."
The mage watches the knight walk out the door, leaving it open.
Espresso notices that it's strangely bright outside, despite the fact that there is no way light can enter the halls with such intensity. He ignores it for now and tries to sit down at his chair, resting on the surface of his desk. He closes his eyes, trying to escape this strange dream.
And yet opening them to see the still-bright door, yields him a fruitless attempt.
He needed to wake up.
He looks at the papers on his desk, finding it strange that none of his notes are on them. Espresso picks up the note.
Enter the light. Embrace the Divine. The light protects him. Forever he wanders...
Espresso scoffed at what he reads and he sets it down.
Then another caught his eye.
I want to wake up.
'Me too,' he thought grumpily, turning around to face the bright white light of the doorway.
If the only way out was in, he supposed he had no choice.
He stepped into the light.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on the bench. It is dark outside, with nothing but the lampposts to illuminate the night. He wasn't sure what time it is, but his bones ache as he stretches. The bench was quite uncomfortable.
He gets up.
What now?
He walks down the biscuit-tiled streets, the world eerily silent and foggy.
The sun starting to rise only signaled the start of dawn.
He wasn't sure where to go, so he wanders—hoping to escape this endless dream.
But of course, even in his dreams, he could not escape the blasted knight.
Espresso found him when he passed by the lake, the silhouette of the cookie gazing out upon the calm waters.
Ah, he remembers seeing something like this, one morning when he stumbled out of his home for fresh air. It was barely dawn and he spotted Madeleine Cookie sitting by a lake, back facing towards him.
At the time, he didn't bother to approach the blond—probably the knight needed some alone time or something. But the sight was...quite unusual when he's used to seeing Madeleine walking around in confidence and displaying arrogance. But here he looked...
Serene. Sad. Even.
Espresso finds himself slowly approaching the cookie, his footsteps as quiet as a mouse.
Then he heard a sniffle.
Was Madeleine...crying?
He slowly approached the knight and sure enough, he guessed right. The knight commander was silently sobbing, hands covering his face.
"Madeleine?"
No response.
He placed his hand on the blond's shoulder and Madeleine whipped his hand around—red-rimmed eyes wide in shock. The knight then laughs softly, wiping the tears from his eyes and putting on the fakest smile Espresso's ever seen.
"As long as the Divine shines on me, I will not falter." He says, perhaps to himself.
Those blue eyes seem to look beyond him—as if Espresso wasn't there.
But then a gloved hand rested on his shoulder, and Espresso looks to see blue eyes staring straight at him.
His expression was that of apologetic sorrow, "I'm sorry Espresso. May your dreams be restless, no longer."
It was uncanny how they were the same blue eyes, yet they felt...so different.
"Wake up," Madeleine whispered, a voice not his own mingling into his words.
Espresso shot up, startling Hollyberry Cookie who was at his bedside.
"Good to see you awake!" Hollyberry chuckled, though her face showed concern, "you've been out for nearly a whole day, Espresso. We had to break down your door so sorry for the damage."
The coffee mage sighed and flopped back onto his pillow.
"That's alright," he sighed.
"Staying up late and not eating isn't good for you," she chuckled, "eating right and good sleep are essential for your health and using your head."
She ruffles up his hair, causing Espresso to groan and swat away her hand.
The Ancient hero got up, "you get some rest, Espresso Cookie. Just relax."
She pats the blanket before getting up. With one last smile, she closed the door.
Espresso sighed, looking at the ceiling of his room.
He supposed he should sleep. Just a little.
And this time, no dreams haunted his mind.