Work Text:
Sprout really didn't mean to sleep in so late, but alas, not only was he lucky enough to have today off, but he had been pooped from all the runs he was doing. Every day. He really shouldn't have been surprised that when he got a break, and a day to sleep in, he'd sleep until almost noon. He was still in his striped pajama pants (look, it's his day off, let a guy wear what he wants), but had at the very least put on a decent shirt. He didn't need to be walking around in full pajamas, after all. His sleeves were rolled up, his hair was up in a ponytail, and he was ready to start his day.
His apron, which he usually left on a rack in the kitchen, was missing. He figured that maybe Cosmo had used it. It was big for Cosmo, but sometimes Cosmo liked borrowing Sprout's stuff. Which, yes, did include his apron. Cosmo was serving some Toons lunch at the moment (god, how late did he sleep in?), to which Sprout stretched, leaning himself on the counter and taking a good look at his crush best friend.
"Hey, Cosmo," Sprout called out, "Do you know where my apron is?"
Cosmo looked up, and chuckled, calling back to Sprout, "I thought you weren't going to show up at all! But, no, I haven't."
"I can't work without an apron!" Sprout replied, watching Cosmo walk over.
"Yeah, I get that," Cosmo looked Sprout up and down, before noticing his pajama pants, and whispering, "You want the apron to cover up your pajama pants, don't you?"
Sprout rolled his eyes, "I don't want my pajamas dirty. There's a difference."
"Right," Cosmo teased, before going back to the topic at hand, "But I haven't seen your apron all day. When I came in here, it was just mine."
Sprout's brow furrowed, "Then where could my apron be? Should we ask Rodger for help?"
"Rodger's on a run right now," Cosmo replied, "You should know that."
"Oh, tell the toon who slept in he should know who's on a run right now," Sprout rolled his eyes, but there was no malice to it.
Cosmo blinked, "You do realize it's, like... half past noon?"
"HOW LONG DID I SLEEP IN?!? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE WAKE ME UP??!" Sprout yelled in shock.
"Maybe because you needed the rest, sleepy head," Cosmo gently teased, "But, seriously, we probably should figure out where your apron is."
Sprout sighed, "But who can we ask for help if Rodger's busy?"
"Me!" Toodles said, scaring both the toons in the kitchen.
"WHERE DID YOU- HUH?!" Sprout asked, "HOW DID- uuughh..."
"I just walked in," Toodles admitted, "I was playing with some dice earlier..."
Cosmo chuckled, "I think Sprout forgot about that... Actually, Sprout, do you think Toodles would be the perfect help?"
"Help for what?" Toodles asked, "I just heard you needed help."
"I... can't find my apron..." Sprout admitted.
"The one that says 'Kiss the Chef' on it?" Toodles asked.
Sprout nodded, "That one. That's my apron."
"On it!" Toodles smiled, "Wait! First, I need to get into my outfit!"
Toodles ran off, and afterwards, Sprout looked at Cosmo, "I'm glad we got the help we needed..."
"Do you think Toodles knows what 'Kiss the Chef' even means?" Cosmo asked, "Because I don't want her getting the wrong idea."
"...Let's just hope she either doesn't question it, or doesn't know what it means," Sprout replied, before placing his head down on the counter.
Cosmo only chuckled, waiting for the little detective to return. When she did, Cosmo could tell why Toodles wanted to get into her outfit first. She had a little suit on, replacing her usual white hoodie with the sleeves rolled up, revealing a blue underside to the blazer she was wearing. Her little scarf bow thing (the author does NOT know what it is called) was messed up, and her cap was slightly askew. She held a small magnifying glass in her hand, ready for her case. Cosmo chuckled, fixing the light blue thing around her neck.
"Alright, we're ready to start our investigation!" Toodles cheered.
Cosmo hummed, "What first, detective?"
"Well..." Toodles thought for a moment, "Where do you two last remember the missing apron?"
"I left last night before Sprout," Cosmo explained, "He was finishing a few last things up when I went to bed. So, I last saw him wearing it."
Sprout hummed, thinking, "I think I hung it up last night? Last night's fuzzy, I was half-asleep while wrapping up."
Toodles wrote notes down on a small notepad she had, before taking a look at the rack the aprons were hung on. Looking at it closer with her magnifying glass, she saw nothing out of the ordinary about it. No special marks signifying someone had done something, nothing that would point stealing. But if she were to take Sprout's word, then someone must have stolen it! She looked at her notes (they weren't the cleanest, but hey, she's doing her best), reading them over. "Cosmo saw Sprout wearing it. Sprout put it up?" If the second sentence was true, then who could have stolen it?
"Do we have any suspects, detective?" Cosmo asked.
Toodles shook her head, "Nothing from the scene of the crime."
"Could have been Gigi," Sprout said, "No evidence. Just something she would do."
Cosmo chuckled, "We can't just accuse someone. Right, detective?"
"Yeah! We have to have evidence she actually did the crime!" Toodles replied.
"We have no suspects," Sprout pointed out, "We might as well start asking others. I say we come up with a list of first suspects who would manage to steal something without leaving a trace."
Toodles nodded, "If we did that, we'd have... Gigi, Connie..."
"I'd say Yatta but she'd probably either cause a ruckus or leave candy," Cosmo added on.
"Was there candy there this morning?" Toodles asked, pulling her notepad out and ready to write, "You were the first in the kitchen this morning, correct?"
Cosmo shook his head, "I had a lesson with Boxten this morning. He arrived before me."
"Well, then we should ask Boxten if he saw some candy this morning!" Toodles smiled, "Come on!"
"Will do, detective!" Cosmo smiled, joining Toodles happily.
Sprout lagged behind the two, enjoying seeing Cosmo happy. He always enjoyed seeing Cosmo happy, whether it was from his own actions or someone around him. In this case, Toodles, being a detective for a not-so-harmful case. The case of the missing apron! Plus, it would be good entertainment for the kid. She really needed it, after all. Plus, a little bit of exercise would help Sprout wake up some. Clearly, sleeping in was not doing great on him.
Boxten flipped through the pages of the cookbook he had borrowed from Cosmo, looking at some recipes he felt like he could try next time they baked together. A lot of the recipes looked good, but one had caught his eye in particular. He was writing stuff down on a sheet of paper when someone knocked on his door. He got up and opened it, only to find three toons at his door. Toodles looked up excited, in a little detective outfit, Cosmo standing behind her, and Sprout leaning on the doorframe with a tired smile.
"Were you the first toon in the kitchen this morning?" Toodles asked, pointing her pen at Boxten.
Boxten looked a little confused, but decided to play along, "I don't think so. Sprout's apron wasn't on the stand this morning."
"I woke up, like... maybe 30 minutes ago," Sprout replied, "So take that completely out of the equation."
"Oh. Well, in that case... yeah, I think so. Cosmo came in a few minutes after me," Boxten replied, his hand fiddling with the bandana around his neck.
"Was there anything suspicious around the stand this morning?" Toodles asked, "Other than the lack of an apron."
Boxten thought for a moment, "No, nothing out of the ordinary."
"That means it can't be Yatta," Toodles mumbled, crossing something off on her notepad, "Thanks for your help, Boxten!"
"Oh, you're welcome. I can try to help more if you need it..." Boxten offered a weak smile.
Cosmo smiled, "We'll come back if we need it. Who should we ask questions to next, detective?"
Toodles hummed, thinking. Boxten decided to pipe up with a suggestion, "How about Gigi? She can be a lot of trouble..."
"Alright! Thanks, Boxten!" Toodles started running, "Come on! Let's interrogate Gigi!"
Everyone waved each other goodbye, Sprout and Cosmo following Toodles. Boxten closed his door, thinking for a long moment. With how tired Sprout had seemed to be, had they somehow already ruled out the idea that Sprout accidentally took it to his room? If they came back to him later, Boxten would suggest it. But, for now, it wasn't something he had to worry about. Besides, he had bigger things to worry about. Like the ichor operation. And the perfect recipe for the next time he baked with Cosmo. And how easy it is for toons to die in this society.
Yeah, much bigger things to worry about than some missing apron.
"Connie, I swear to fucking god, I'm going to kill you."
"You would never, and you know that."
"HOW DO YOU KEEP ROLLING THE EXACT NUMBER YOU NEED?! THIS IS RIGGED!"
"I don't know????"
"YOU BEAT MY ASS IN EVERY MINIGAME, ROLL THE PERFECT AMOUNT, AND AVOID ALL THE SHIT I THROW AT YOU!!!"
"..."
"You're right, Flutter. We really should stop playing."
"I'M NOT STOPPING UNTIL I BE-"
A knock on the door to Gigi's room stopped Gigi's yelling, as she looked at her girls. They looked at her, both giving her the look of "go open the door". Gigi sighed, knowing she was probably going to get berated for yelling (and swearing) again. Opening the door, she was faced with Sprout and Cosmo. Of course, they'd probably go off on her. She waited for them to say something. They said nothing, in fact, someone else said something.
Gigi looked down when she heard Toodles start speaking, "Do you know where Sprout's apron is?"
"...What's an apron?" Gigi asked. Most would think this was a lie - but Gigi genuinely didn't know.
"Don't play dumb!" Toodles tried to get up in Gigi's face, "Do you know where it is?"
Gigi turned around, "Hey Connie, what's an apron?"
Connie didn't look towards Gigi, "The thing Sprout wears that says 'Kiss the Chef' that I always use to tease him about kissing Cosmo?"
"Ooohh, that," Gigi replied, "Yeah I don't got a clue kid. Sorry."
"What about Connie?" Toodles asked, popping her head in.
Gigi sighed, "Connie, did you take Sprout's apron?"
"Why would I take the thing I use to tease him?" Connie asked, "If anything, if I knew where it was, I'd intentionally put it on him!"
"Fair," Gigi replied.
Toodles nodded, crossing things off her list, "Do you have any ideas on who could have taken it?"
Gigi took a good moment to think, really think, on who would actually bother to steal an article of clothing, "Maybe Glisten? I dunno, he might have wanted to style it."
"On it! Let's go!" Toodles then ran off, Cosmo following.
Before Gigi could shut the door, Sprout gave her a nasty glare, "Two things. One, you need to stop screaming and swearing, and two, get this message to Connie, DON'T embarrass me in FRONT of Cosmo like that."
"Yeah, yeah, I will," Gigi reassured, before shutting the door.
Once Sprout was out of earshot, Gigi sat back down on her bed, "I'm going to kick your ass this time."
"Sure you will," Connie replied, rolling her eyes.
Gigi did not kick Connie's ass that time.
Glisten was looking in his vanity mirror, adjusting the minor bits of his outfit. His blazer was slightly off, and he readjusted it. Again. His makeup? Perfectly done. His suit? Free of wrinkles. He didn't have his usual bow around him, but how could he? After Finn returned from his run, Finn would be putting on a suit as well. Glisten had prepared this. Everything had to be perfect. This date had to be perfect. Asking Finn out went perfect. Now the date just did as well.
A knock at Glisten's door pulled him out of his thoughts of perfection. Was Finn back already? Usually runs would go on for quite a bit. Maybe the run got cut short for some reason. That wasn't impossible. Glisten took one glance at himself again - perfect. He opened the door, expecting Finn. Instead, he found three different toons. Cosmo, in his usual wear, Sprout, without his apron and in pajama pants, and Toodles, in a little detective outfit.
"Ah, hello there," Glisten greeted, "Not who I expected, but do be welcomed in."
"Thanks Glisten! What's with the fancy outfit?" Toodles asked.
Glisten smiled, "I have a meeting with someone special later. Have to look my best, as always."
"Alright!" Toodles smiled, "Do you know where Sprout's apron is?"
"Wouldn't it be where he always put it?" Glisten asked.
"Well, it wasn't there," Toodles explained, "And we've been trying to find a lead on who could have taken it. Gigi said you might have."
Glisten chuckled, "Well, Gigi's wrong. Someone so perfect wouldn't have to steal anyways. If I ever wanted an apron, I'd ask to borrow it."
"Oh, ok. Do you have any ideas on who could have taken it?" Toodles asked.
"Who said it was taken?" Glisten replied, "There's always a possibility of another reason the apron could be missing."
Cosmo chuckled, "I guess it just makes more sense for it to have been taken, considering how many troublemakers there are."
"Well, thanks for your help anyways! Have fun at your meeting!" Toodles waved Glisten goodbye, before walking out and closing the door behind her.
Outside of Glisten room, Toodles looked down at her notepad. It read the following:
"Cosmo saw Sprout wearing it. Sprout put it up?
Gigi
Connie
Yatta
Glisten?
missing apron says kiss the chef"
"Well, I guess we're back where we started. Sorry, detective," Cosmo sighed.
Toodles shook her head, "There's one place we haven't checked!"
"And where is that?" Sprout asked, "We've got no leads."
"What other reason could the apron have gone missing other than someone stealing it?" Toodles asked, a sparkle in her eyes.
Cosmo hummed, thinking for a moment, "I'm not sure. What do you think, detective?"
"Sprout never confirmed if he even put it up!" Toodles had a big smile on her face, like she figured it out, "If we have no leads to another toon, who's to say Sprout didn't steal his own apron and forgot where he put it!"
"Well, Sprout? Mind if our little detective investigates your room?" Cosmo asked.
Sprout sighed, "Yeah, she can check out my room."
The door opened to Sprout's room, Toodles running in and looking around. Cosmo and Sprout stood at the doorframe, a gentle presence surrounding them. None of them said anything, but nothing had to be said. Toodles dug around for a bit, until she let out an "Aha!". Cosmo and Sprout looked over, and Toodles had pulled out Sprout's apron. Turns out, he had tossed it in his dirty clothes the night prior, forgetting he had it on from how tired he was.
"Case solved! The culprit? Sprout himself!" Toodles chuckled.
Sprout rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Blame past me."
"I think our detective deserves pay for such a good search," Cosmo suggested, "How about... some cookies?"
"You two would make cookies for me?" Toodles asked.
The boys chuckled, Cosmo speaking up while rubbing Toodles on the head, "I mean, we would have never found Sprout's apron if it weren't for your help! You deserve something special for that."
"And I could use some time baking after that," Sprout groaned.
All three of them laughed, heading down to the kitchen.
Rodger walked into the kitchen, only to find Toodles in the middle of eating a special cookie in her detective outfit. Sprout and Cosmo were talking with each other in the kitchen, seemingly have watched over Toodles. When Toodles noticed Rodger, she got up, running over and taking the cooke out of her mouth.
"Rodger!" Toodles gave him a hug, "Guess what I got to do today!"
"What did my little detective do today?" Rodger asked.
Toodles smiled, running around a little bit, "I got to help Sprout and Cosmo with a mystery! The culprit was Sprout himself!"
"Well, it sounds like you had a fun day," Rodger rubbed Toodles on the head, getting a soft chuckle out of her, "And what was this mystery?"
"Sprout's apron was missing! Turns out, he accidentally wore it to his room and took it off there instead!" Toodles explained.
"Great job, detective," Rodger stood up, looking at the two chefs, "Thanks for entertaining her."
Cosmo chuckled, "We genuinely didn't know where his apron was. We wouldn't have figured it out for her. So really, we should be thanking her!"