Madeleine Grows a Pair

4 - Surprise Birthday Party But Without the Birthday Party

Madeleine Cookie stared at the floor of his home. He finished buying the rug and placing it in his home ages ago.

Despite being incredibly happy about his experience shopping with Espresso Cookie, he was also incredibly shaken.

In a couple seconds, just a few, and everyone could have found out about his wings. It was a terrifying thought, but he couldn't figure out why it was so scary.

Aside from how shaken he was, Madeleine was also very curious. He wanted to know more about how the wings worked. He wanted to know how they moved and how to care for them.

He'd felt it before, how his wings would grow from any light he absorbed and how they got smaller when he released magic. It was like a tool to gauge just how much magic he had.

He found this out on his first interaction with Espresso when he suddenly absorbed all of the light in the room after sucking in a breath. At that point, his wings grew in size, something that was hardly noticeable, but enough to shift the covers he was under.

Madeleine also wanted to know more about the effect his emotions had on them. Could he stop his wings from emoting with him? He knew it was involuntary but learning any form of control over his wings would be very helpful.

He came to a conclusion.

Madeleine set off for Espresso's house, just as the day was ending and the sun was setting.

Espresso Cookie entered his house and closed the door with a soft click.

He leaned against the door and closed his eyes. It had been a long day.

He sighed as he mentally recapped the events.

Of course, he started the day as usual, grabbing himself some coffee to calm his ever-growing tiredness. He went to check in on Madeleine, and definitely should have left, but ended up on a shopping trip. And now, after a brief shopping disaster and another trip to drop off the paladin, he was back at his house.

"What am I going to do with that babbling knight." Espresso muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

"What are you going to do?" A voice echoed in a similarly troubled tone, though there was a joking undertone.

Espresso snapped his eyes open to be faced with Latte Cookie.

Oh, great. Just what he needed. More interaction.

"So I saw you with Madeleine Cookie earlier today. Care to explain?" Latte had her hands on her hips.

"I don't need to explain myself," Espresso said dismissively, walking past his sister and into the kitchen.

Latte followed him, hot on his heel, and continued her interrogation, "You never go out with me. Ever, and I'm REALLY pushy. How did Madeleine do it?"

Espresso avoided any contact, eye contact or otherwise, and opened a cupboard to get his go-to coffee cup, "Can you stop asking me all of these questions?"

The cup was gone.

Latte grabbed something off the far counter and handed it to Espresso, "I made coffee while I waited for you to get home. Here."

It was his go-to coffee cup. Espresso grabbed it quickly and muttered a short "Thanks."

The cup was warm in his hands. "Why do you need to know anyways? Jealous?" Espresso asked, continuing the banter.

"You-" Latte let out a frustrated growl, "If you didn't have a cup in your hands I would punch you."

"Maybe I'm just the better sibling," Espresso teased, smirking as he took a sip of the coffee.

He immediately spat it out.

"This is a LATTE. What is wrong with you!?" Espresso yelled, coughing as he immediately placed the cup onto the nearest countertop.

Latte laughed at him, "Madeleine is definitely rubbing off on you."

"Absolutely not!" Espresso screeched.

He quickly composed himself and rephrased it, "I am nothing like that cookie."

"Sure."

Espresso rolled his eyes and walked out of the kitchen, his mood ruined from unexpectedly drinking a latte.

Latte followed again, this time picking up the cup for herself. Why waste a perfectly fine latte?

She walked into the room as Espresso sat down on a rocking chair. "Okay but seriously," she regrouped, "what's up with Madeleine?"

Espresso leaned forwards in the chair and rested his arms on his lap. He supposed he should start from the beginning. "Well, the day before yesterday, you kept telling me to check in on Madeleine. So I did."

Latte nodded along as Espresso explained.

"You know how he was gone for several days? Well, that was for good reason. He was..." Espresso tried to find the phrasing that wouldn't throw Madeleine under the bus. He knew that the paladin didn't want anybody to know about his wings, and Espresso respected that.

"He was rather ill. Bedridden," Espresso lied, "He looked like he hadn't slept for days even though he most assuredly had."

That part was true. Madeleine looked like the textbook definition of tired when Espresso stumbled upon him. Though he would've been fine without his help, Espresso was the slightest bit relieved that he found the knight.

Latte took a sip of the coffee in her hands, sitting on a nearby couch. She gave him a confused glance as she set down the cup, "So you took him shopping?"

Espresso facepalmed, "No, I checked in on him yesterday. He was tired, so I let him sleep and checked in on him again today."

"That still doesn't explain the shopping part." Latte stated, getting comfy in her seat.

"Oh, I didn't want to go shopping. Madeleine did. He looked like he was about to cry if I didn't go with him."

Latte paused on hearing that. "So are you his emotional support coffee mage or what?"

"I have no idea," Espresso started playing with his hands, "Madeleine has been acting rather out of character recently though."

Espresso focused hard on his phrasing. He didn't want to accidentally mention something that he shouldn't. It was a careful game to play.

Latte was about to question him further, but the front door creaking open caught her attention. The door clicked shut, and there was a fast-paced clanking of footsteps on the floorboards.

Suddenly Madeleine Cookie strode into the room, eyes shut, hand up to his chest, similarly to how he gloated. "Espresso, I have made a decision! I want to learn how to fly!"

As if on cue, his wings unfurled from under his cape, showing off their multicolored glory.

He cracked an eye open to see Latte Cookie. "Oh," Madeleine faltered.

Espresso shoved his face as far as it could go into his hands. He groaned, "You airheaded knight! Maybe you should look before you speak."

Of course Espresso was frustrated. All the energy he spent ensuring that Latte had no idea was for not.

Latte, meanwhile, had a wide-eyed expression on her face, "WHAT THE FUCK."

Madeleine swallowed thickly and mustered up, in quite possibly the smallest voice he could make, "...surprise?"