Work Text:
Coffee Candy Cookie jolted awake at the sound of buzzing. She rubbed her eyes, groggily pushing herself from the table.
“Ah, I fell asleep again.” She sighed to herself, feeling the coarse feel of paper and records scattered around the hard wooden table she was sleeping on.
Her neck aches.
“How long was I sleeping?” She mumbled to herself, stretching her arms with a whine.
Her attention was turned to the origin of the buzzing noise that woke her up, noticing that her phone was ringing.
She squinted, rubbing her eyes as she tried to make out who was calling her.
The realization hit her like a bag of bricks.
She pressed call.
“H-hello?! Baguette Cookie?!”
Coffee Candy Cookie said, her voice stuttering wildly. Her mind was a mess, confusion on why her manager was calling her and worry that she might be in trouble stirred together.
Well, at least she’s fully awake now.
“Coffee Candy Cookie. I assume you’re awake now.”
She sighed.
“Of course her manager knew she was sleeping on the job again.” She thought to herself.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...”
“Before you say anything, I’m not going to scold you...”
Coffee Candy Cookie let out a silent sigh of relief.
“I’m simply calling because of how late it is. You can leave that work for tomorrow. Make sure you clean up properly before you go.”
The call ended with a resounding beep, words couldn’t describe how relieved Coffee Candy Cookie felt at that moment.
She quickly gathered up the papers in a hurry, stacking them neatly on the corner of her table. As she moves the stack, her elbow touched something, something foreign. Her eyes glanced and saw cup of coffee, sitting near where she was previously dozing off on.
Curious, she picked up the cup as the aroma wafted through the air. It smelled sweet, a hint of bitterness, but sweet.
Her fingers brushed upon a note, stuck to the side of the warm cup.
'You did well today.' The paper read.
Coffee Candy Cookie felt herself smile, a feeling of happiness flowed through her like a wave. Her fingers lightly trembled as she thought of who could’ve given her this cup.
They certainly hadn’t left earlier, the coffee was quite warm. The only two cookies that stayed back that day was her and Baguette Cookie.
Her smile grew wider at the implication, subconsciously giggling to herself.
Maybe Baguette Cookie wasn’t as strict as she thought.
____________
Coffee Candy Cookie thought she’d never get this nervous again, ever since her job interview for the TBD. But here she was, trembling as she reached for the doorknob to her shared office with Baguette Cookie.
Her hand gave out, flopping back down to her side as she sighs, her face met with the ground once again.
“Come on! Calm down, Coffee Candy Cookie! The bread is going to get cold if you just wait around here all day!” Her inner voice pressured.
She knew that returning the office the next day without a single word of thanks or saying anything about the cup of coffee would be rude, so she thought she had to return the favor somehow. She then settled on getting a couple baguettes, alongside some other fancy pastries from the expensive looking bakery downtown.
Her wallet wept that day, but her manager seemed like someone that doesn’t like cheap stuff from down the street, so she had to make do somehow.
But that was her plan. Now she stands in front of the office door, slumped down in nervousness, paper bag filled with all sorts of breads in hand, because she was too nervous to see how Baguette Cookie would react to all of this.
“I know I need to hurry and get on with it before she thinks I’m late! But...”
“Oh! Coffee Candy Cookie! Didn’t expect you out here at this hour!”
As if her heartbeat wasn’t thumping loud enough into her ears, the sudden monotone voice made her heart threaten to jump out of her chest.
“Maple Taffy Cookie?! What are you doing here?!”
She settled on a question to counter his. Coffee Candy Cookie just couldn’t confess to him that she can’t enter because she’s too jumpy to.
“Ah, well, y’know, running errands for the Director, as ever.” He nonchalantly mused.
“What ‘bout you? Wouldn’t Baguette Cookie go ballistic if you’re not in the office right now?”
He was right. Coffee Candy Cookie sighed in defeat.
“Well...”
She started, before the door swung open, to both of their surprise.
“Ah! Baguette Cookie! Right on cue! I have an order from the director I needed to deliver you!” Maple Taffy Cookie said with a smile, Baguette Cookie’s stern gaze was, instead, fixed onto Coffee Candy Cookie.
Coffee Candy Cookie cowered, averting her gaze as she quietly hid the paper bag behind her back.
“She’s gonna kill me this time, for sure.”
“Coffee Candy Cookie. You’re late.”
“I-I’m sorry...”
Coffee Candy Cookie swallowed. It’s now or never!
“I-I wanted to give you this!”
She stuttered, her hands outstretched the paper bag towards Baguette Cookie. She didn’t want to look up, fixing her sight to the ground before her.
Her manager didn’t falter, though. Baguette Cookie stepped closer, as Coffee Candy Cookie felt a hand on her shoulder.
She mustered up the courage to meet her manager’s gaze, preparing herself for whatever wrath she was about to endure for the next 24 hours, only to be met with a warm look. Baguette Cookie’s face looked, somewhat, softer, her expression still as strict as ever, but a little warmer.
“Thank you. Though you still shouldn’t be late.”
Baguette Cookie said, her tone sounded firm, but with a hint of gentleness, as if she was trying to not scare Coffee Candy Cookie away.
“Head inside first, I have something to discuss with Maple Taffy Cookie.”
Coffee Candy Cookie nodded profusely, her fist clutching on the paper bag for dear life as she entered the office space. Her heart still beating as fast as ever.
______________
She could hear Baguette Cookie moving towards her back, Coffee Candy Cookie tenses up, her writing stops as she lifts the pen to avoid it pooling on the page.
“Coffee Candy Cookie. You wrote that in the wrong section. Do it again.” She said, leaning down a bit as her figure loom over Coffee Candy Cookie, her hair brushing a bit against the shorter’s back.
“Ah, right. I’m sorry...”
Coffee Candy Cookie said, her voice meek. She silently shuffled upon a new piece of paper, pushing the other to the side. She’s still a little nervous from before, her hands trembled slightly as the unmoving stature of her manager is still on her side. She...didn’t do something wrong, did she?
“What was the occasion?”
“Pardon me?”
Coffee Candy Cookie turned to look at her manager once more, her strict demeanor still present in her presence. But, for whatever reason, she doesn’t feel as intimidating as when Coffee Candy Cookie first met her.
“Why did you give me that bag of pastries?”
Ah, that.
“It’s a thanks for the cup of coffee you left me!” Coffee Candy Cookie said with a careless smile, before realizing who she’s talking to and piped down, the smile went away as fast as it came.
“Oh.”
Baguette Cookie said, sollemnly looking back at the bag sitting on her own table, as if in deep thought.
“...It’s a natural gesture for employers to care about their employees. Get back to work. You still have to finish yesterday’s unfinished records.” She said, turning away from Coffee Candy Cookie.
“Yessir!” Coffee Candy Cookie said, turning back to her desk. Unbeknownst to her, the day of a certain manager was made a thousand times better.
___________
“Hm? Baguette Cookie? Fancy seeing you here.”
Dark Fondue Cookie didn’t expect her friend to be at lunchtime, and at her office of all places. Their meetings usual fits in the timeframe of the rare times that Baguette Cookie actually leaves her office or during board meetings. Nevertheless, she’s still her dearest friend.
“I need your help.”
The stern tone of Baguette Cookie piqued her interest.
“With what, exactly?” Dark Fudge Cookie asked, her eyebrow raised, crossing her arms as she leaned back on a desk nearby.
“I want to get closer to someone. But I think I scared them off.”
Dark Fondue Cookie smiled sinisterly. Her eyes sparked a knowing look.
“Do you know how little that narrows down?”