[Co-written by GorgingGeorge ]

[Ship: Espressoline, WizardBrave(Mentioned only)]

[NSFW?: No]

[Word Count: 6571] 

Espresso Cookie looked down at the young student he had stay after class. "Wizard Cookie, do you know why you're here?" 

 The student looked away. "I'm gonna be honest because I don't entirely know why I'm here."

"You're failing your language class." 

"Huh?! How is that possible?! I turn in all my assignments on time, I make sure of it!" Wizard exclaimed, completely off guard by the fact he was failing a class. "Yes, it shocked me too to see my top student not do well in one class. From what I heard from your language teacher, you refuse to work in groups for projects, and you have difficulty with oral presentations." 

"First of all, I don't want other people to mess up the project by being wrong or putting in little effort, then it would basically be me anyway." Wizard explained. "I see... I think it is rather ludicrous that they grade participation. It's not like you're going to use French in your day-to-day life." 

"Exactly! I'm already fluent in Latin and that's what the majority of spells are written in-"

"Pardon.  Are you stating you only learned a language for the sake of learning magic?" Espresso asked, somewhat impressed that someone so young would do something like that. "Obviously, I need to know what the language is to understand the spells." 

Espresso didn't know why but this seemed familiar to him. Then it hit him. Wizard is a lot like himself as in he wasn't that social with other students and was hyper-focused on magic. Then it double-hit him. Wizard Cookie may have autism.

"Wizard? When was the last time you met with a specialist? I have a feeling there might be something more going on with you." The older cookie asked. 

"Specialist?" 

"As in a psychiatrist. You may be on the spectrum." Espresso explained. "I was diagnosed back when I was your age. I'll have to-" 

"No!"

The professor was surprised to hear Wizard raise his voice. Usually, he would remain calm and collected, even if there was a brawl in the lunchroom. "I-I mean I don't see what the big deal is. It's nothing really, I think I should get back to my class, I'll see you soon." 

Wizard was about to make his way towards the door, only to be stopped by Espresso gently holding his shoulder. "I can tell you're upset. Were you told anything negative about being on the spectrum? Those other students can be rude but whatever they say isn't true in the slightest." 

"Well... It wasn't exactly the students, more like my parents. They called it something else, but said it meant I was stupid. They said if I was autistic, it would mean I wouldn't even be able to cut my own food, that I would never be able to become a wizard, let alone a good one." 

Espresso's face darkened after everything he heard; it was all too familiar to him. "My parents would tell me I had no future, that I would be stuck on the streets because of my diagnosis."

"Wait, you're autistic?" Wizard asked, confused since Espresso was a head of a school, he was too upset early to hear that Espresso was diagnosed. "Yes, I am, in fact, I'm not the only professor who is. Do you take Professor Eclair's history class?"  

"Yeah?"

"He's also autistic."

This was all shocking to the younger cookie. How could this be if what his parents told him was true? "So... My Parents were wrong?" He asked. "They are definitely wrong, and with the way they are speaking to you I don't believe they should be parents." The taller cookie claimed. "Well, I'll have a talk with them." 

"No, please don't-"

"Wizard, I am doing this for your sake. Even though this is supposed to be Latte's job since I don't like talking to people... Anyway, you are in an abusive situation and need help. Now then, please head to your next class. I'll handle this." the professor stated as he excused his student from the room.

Once the student had left, he needed to make a call to the police station. He didn't think things would get too serious, but it was better to be safe than sorry. "Of course, with the way they were talking about Wizard, and what they called autism. Either they're using the outdated term or worst-case scenario, as a slur." 

Wizard was passing by Eclair's office when he noticed the old professor hanging up one of his many prized artifacts. "Oh, hello Wizard. Shouldn't you be in class right now?" He asked once he caught sight of the young student. "Is everything alright?" 

"Oh, Professor Eclair? Have you ever been bullied? I mean, have people been treating you differently because you were diagnosed with autism?" 

Eclair widened his door to let the shorter cookie inside. "Oh, I have, many times. One time I was worried I would lose my museum because of my condition, that I would be considered unfit for even having the title of professor." He explained, placing his hat on his desk. "That is until Espresso stood up for me when I was being inspected." 

"Wow, do you really think I'll be a great wizard like him one day?" 

"Oh certainly! If not even better. Those with autism tend to think outside the box, they can deduce conclusions that allistic people may not. Do you remember when you managed to find Latte's missing staff on your own?"

"Yeah, I remember that. It was stolen by that Roguefort Cookie, and I used a search spell to find it. I mean it wasn't that hard, any other cookie could have done that." Wizard sighed. "That isn't so. From what I heard from Espresso; you were the only student to perfect the spell at the time." Eclair stated. "R... Really? Ah, I feel special now." 

"Yes. Now then, do you want to help me hang these crystal candy geodes?" The scholar asked. "Um, no thank you, I think I'll go to class." Wizard responded before getting out of there.    

But as Wizard was walking the halls to the class he's supposed to be in, he gets intercepted by Detective Almond Cookie. "Detective? What are you doing here?" 

"Well, other than my usual surveillance in case of a magical emergency, I received a call from your professor. I need to have a little chat with you." Almond stated before walking with the young mage down the hall. "Heh, I'm not in trouble, am I?" 

"Course not. I just need some information from you." 

"... Huh? About what? What information could I possibly have?" Wizard asked, puzzled.

"It's something that can be personal. Do you feel comfortable talking about how your home life is?" The detective asked. "If you don't feel comfortable it's understandable, from what I heard from your professor it doesn't sound very good." 

"Espresso? I mean it's not like my parents completely hated me, they never hit me or said that I was just a nobody. I just felt like I deserved it whenever I got bad grades." Wizard admitted, but he wasn't going to continue out in the open. Almond helped him into a private office so they could continue. "I got them whenever I had to perform an oral presentation. I don't understand why we need to tell the entire class about a project when my professors can easily understand it is written on paper." 

"Hmm, I see." Almond took out his notebook, jotting down everything Wizard mentioned about his family. "Have they ever said anything particularly negative about autism? You said they used a different term for it." 

"Um... The R-word, they said that a lot, but they tell me not to say it. Whenever they yell about my teachers, or when they say I should have a tutor to help in my classes. They always said there was nothing wrong with me and that I'm just not trying hard enough. But I am. Though, it seemed nothing was enough for them, at least that's what I thought." 

Almond was now certain Wizard's parents weren't fit to raise an autistic child, especially with how they dismissed his condition like that. "They didn't believe you were on the spectrum at all?"

"I guess, I don't know...! Ugh!" Wizard stated before tensing his fingers as a way to not freak out. Once he calmed down, Wizard just looked at Almond. "Detective, I don't know why this even matters, I just have to endure it until I graduate and then open a magic store or something." 

"Well, Wizard Cookie, it matters because you could be psychologically damaged-" 

"I mean, they already did their damage, what's a little more." The child stated before realizing what he said. "Damage?" The detective asked as he started writing again. "Oh, well, a child doesn't have this type of work ethic without a bit of 'growing up too fast'. Detective, I-" 

"I heard enough, thank you for your time." The older cookie stated as he left the room. Wizard, now alone in the office, realized what he said. "Oh no... Oh no oh no oh no! Why did I say all of that?!" He started freaking out because he believed that Almond was going to snitch on him to his parents. 

As he freaked out about this, he soon started hyperventilating. But, the door to the office soon reopened. It was Almond again. "I forgot my pen-" He stated before noticing the teary-eyed Wizard on the floor. "Wizard..." He sighed before sitting next to him. "Hey, it's going to be okay, just copy my breathing." 

Wizard did in fact copy his breathing, breathing in and out as his breathing steadied. "Ple...Please don't tell them..."

"Wizard. I won't tell them, but what they have done cannot go unnoticed. Everything you just said qualifies as abuse, I have never seen anyone go through so much trauma at such a young age." He whispered, taking a seat next to the distraught child. "You will need a lot of counseling; I will be willing to pay." 

Wizard didn't know how to respond, especially after spilling all the details about his childhood. "But... But what if they find out? What if they... They... What if they... What if..." He found himself hyperventilating again, calming himself as he remembered to breathe slowly. "If they find out I told you all that they would kick me out. Or worse." 

"Worse?" Almond helped him up to his feet. "You can stay with Espresso if you so wish. He doesn't have much but he won't do anything bad to you." He offered. 

"Oh... I would be honored. I think I need to stay away from them if you will have to arrest them. But what will happen if they get out? They'll come after me." 

"They'll have to get through the entire academy of Parfaedia first. They have nothing they can do against all the wizards and witches, even if they can, they will only extend their sentence." 

Espresso overheard from the room next door, he wanted to help Wizard any way he could, but his house wasn't big enough to raise a child in. "I might need some help from Madeleine. But knowing him he'll probably make a huge spectacle out of this."

Not knowing what to do he decides to go to his sister since she is currently raising a child she may know what to do. He waited until her current class was finished before barging in. 

"Espresso! You usually don't barge into my class unless something is wrong." 

"Oh, Latte Cookie, I don't know what to do! I know I need Madeliene's help, but his ego is so massive he'd just use Wizard as an attention ploy." Espresso sighed as he sat next to his sister. "I know Madeliene has an ego, but I don't think he'd use a child's disability for pity from strangers. It's not his son, is it?" 

"Well, no but what I'm getting at is that he'll probably make a big deal out of it and tell everybody that he's housing an abused neurodivergent child for clout!" The glasses-wearing cookie exclaimed. "How can you be so sure? It would probably be against his morals to do that since he works for the light." Latte stated. "You could at least ask." She continued, making a latte for herself.   

"Oh... But-" 

"Don't worry, I'll ask him. I know how you get when you have to talk to people." She stated before Espresso got up. 

Wizard was just sitting on the steps of the academy, dangling his legs around as he waited for Almond to return with news about his parents. Once he finally returned, he could tell it didn't go over well. "They wouldn't come quietly, it was like they didn't even care you were being hurt. I have never in my life seen anyone so apathetic towards a child." He finally uttered. "They had to be locked away, I'm sorry but with how they acted-" 

"No, it's fine... I mean I should have seen it coming, I can't believe I didn't think anything was wrong with them before. I always thought it was just me." Wizard admitted. "I kept thinking I was the failure." 

Almond would have continued if the pair weren't interrupted by an airship flying overhead, he recognized it as from the Crème Republic, with the symbol of House Madeleine on the side. "What brings them here?" The detective thought, reaching for his handcuffs if things were to get ugly. 

Immediately Madeleine dropped down from the ship, landing gracefully on his feet. "I come at the request of Ms. Latte Cookie! She requested my aid for a poor child, as a paladin it is my duty to serve the light and always be there for those in need!" He declared. "Ah, are you Wizard?" 

"Erm... Yes sir." 

The paladin beamed, kneeling down to his level. "I am here to offer a new home for you to reside in, my aunties will be more than happy to provide all of your wants and needs!"

Wizard was hesitant. Sure he was grateful for somewhere to live but... Madeline was a bit intense for him. And he assumed that his aunts were also as intense as the paladin was. "Uh..." 

"Is something the matter? I assure you, me and my aunties will raise you until you are able to live on your own." Madeleine smiled. "Raise... Me?" The young mage asked, becoming more hesitant since he assumed the blond cookie was going to make him stop being a wizard to do paladin stuff. And he was not into it so he booked it out of there. 

"Wha- Where are you going!? Oh... I hope I didn't scare him off that easily." Madeleine stated before going after the child. 

Meanwhile, Wizard was running through the hallway and was trying to find Espresso. Then, coincidentally he bumped into the older cookie. "Oh, Wizard, What are you doing here? School's over for the day is it no-" 

"Madeleine is trying to steal me and make me a paladin!" Wizard exclaimed, panicking a little. Espresso paused. "He's here already? Well, Wizard, I don't have space in my home so... Unfortunately, Madeleine had to be called." Espresso explained before hearing armor clinking as the paladin came rushing down the hall.

"Is everything alright, Espresso? I was searching for a young cookie who ran off. Is something the matter?" He asked, looking around everywhere for Wizard. 

"He's worried you'll make him give up on magic and make him into a paladin like your family." Espresso explained. "You're not going to force him to change professions are you?" 

"Why of course not! If he wants to be a wizard he will be the greatest there is, we can convert one of our fifteen bedrooms into a magic room whenever he wants to study and of course, we'll provide all the spellbooks he desires." Madeleine declared. "As a paladin myself we must always be there for cookies who need us, it is our duty to ensure those who cannot fend for themselves are protected by the divine light!" 

While Wizard was relieved he could continue to work his way up to being a better mage, he still flinched at how loud the himbo could be. "Erm, you might want to lower your voice. You're distressing Wizard." 

"I am? Oh terribly sorry, Wizard."

The short mage just grabbed onto the taller one's cloak, looking up at Madeleine. He wasn't really close to Madeleine, so he couldn't really trust the paladin.   

"Are you okay? If you're worried about flying in the airship, I assure you, it was never crashed." The paladin stated in a softer voice. But, a rare occurrence happened. Madeleine had an idea.  

"Espresso, would you be kind enough to accompany Wizard to my abode? Of course, you don't have to, but I believe it would be best for his transition to a new home if he had someone he trusts to be there to make him comfortable."  

"Oh, well, I don't see why not, classes aren't in session at the moment. After all, he probably needs to know how to get to and from the school since he hasn't been to your home before." Espresso agreed before picking Wizard up and carrying him to the airship.   

Soon enough, after thirty minutes, they arrive at the home of Madeleine, and it was rather intimidating for the young mage. It was so big, a lot bigger than his old home. 

"We have an entire dining hall for guests and my aunties are definitely cooking up a mighty feast as we speak. Oh, they will love you, they might pamper you every chance they get." Madeleine exclaimed. "Of course, I made sure to tell them not to overwhelm you once you arrive, ah. Here they come right now." 

Three much older cookies emerged from the mansion, all dressed in powder blue dresses with white accents and with matching blonde hairstyles. "Oh you must be Wizard Cookie. We heard so much about you, and we vow to make sure you have nothing less than the best life possible." 

The young mage just hid behind Espresso as the three aunts arrived. "Ah, my dear aunties. I present Wizard, is his room ready?" 

"Oh yes! And we've prepared for him a lovely welcome cake too, ice cream with sprinkles and some little madeleine cakes on the side. Do you prefer tea or milk?" The second aunt asked. 

"Erm, I'd like milk, please." Wizard mumbled, he was still mostly overtaken by how huge his new home was. "Which room is mine?" 

"You'll be right next to Espresso's guest bedroom, and you'll get your own study too."

"My... My own study?" The young mage asked. "But of course. Students need a space to focus especially on things that require a lot of concentration." Madeleine smiled. Wizard was extremely happy about this, so much so that he started flapping his hands a bit. It didn't last long though since he was getting looks from Madeleine. "Ah- My apologies, I'm just really happy about this." The young cookie apologized.  

"What are you apologizing for? You haven't done anything wrong." The paladin asked, not realizing that he was looking at the young cookie in a weird way. "Ah, it's nothing, I just uh... Lost control of my body, sort of. It always happens when I'm feeling strong emotions..."  

"Wizard you didn't 'lose control of your body'. You just stimmed." Espresso explained. "Stimmed? What is a stim?" The blonde asked his associate. "Well, a stim is a repetitive motion done as a way of self-stimulation. Some forms of stimming are movement based, like Wizard's hand flaps, and some use verbal forms of stim.  There are also other types."  

"Wow! Like how you talk to yourself?" The himbo asked, causing him to get a slight glare from the coffee mage. "Well, yes, technically, but I wouldn't say that I talk to myself. Anyway, Wizard, you can stim, no one is going to hurt you, you are safe to stim."

The young mage beamed as he continued to flap his hands, he was always forbidden from ever doing so much as twitch whenever he was around his parents, they always demanded him to focus on having good posture and that stimming would result in him looking weird. "So it's something normal? Is it also normal to also not like change? I remember it was awful when our potions teacher switched around the desks and just when I was getting used to the schedule, he created a new one!" 

"I see, that's also something common with us, it's also why I often grumble whenever Latte places the grading papers on a different table every year. I know she doesn't do it on purpose but it is getting very irritating whenever she does so." 

"I don't think I've ever heard of this before, I always got annoyed whenever things never changed. I always enjoyed more when I could shake up my schedule and try things I've never done before." Madeleine pitched in. "Although a schedule is definitely something worth following and can get distressful whenever there are any last minute changes." 

Espresso wondered if Madeleine could be somewhere on the spectrum as well, but shrugged it off once his aunties called down the three for dinner. "Oh! I almost forgot, is there any dietary restrictions that Wizard is on?" 

"I don't think so, but we better ask him just in case." 

"As in allergies? No I haven't got any, but I don't like anything saucy, it's just been a pet peeve for me. Oh, and the texture of leafy greens, they're too dry for me."

The three came down and had dinner with Madeliene's aunts. Wizard just slowly ate his food, glancing at the four blondes conversing about things; How their days were, any events coming up, etc, etc.   

He wasn't that into talking about his day, since he never did before. Not to mention he wasn't that social as it was. He watched before one of the aunts looked at Wizard. She wanted to bring the child into the conversation and let him get some words in.  

"How was your day, Wizard, dear?" She asked, catching the small mage off guard. "M...My day? Uh, well, um... It was fine?" He stated, though the way he said it sounded more like a question. He was so not used to this, but he noticed the look he was getting from all three aunts. They were a bit confused at first but they assumed Wizard might be a little shy around new cookies. 

Wizard, however, took it as him doing something wrong. "A-ah... Sorry I-" 

"Wizard, what are you apologizing for? There's no need to feel like you need to apologize for just being nervous." Another aunt smiled sweetly. However, Wizard only felt worse. Espresso noticed, so he turned to the shorter cookie and put a finger on his hand, getting his attention. "Takes some breaths, follow me." Espresso said softly and quietly, breathing in and out. The wizard did so, mentally relaxing.  

Once he was done, The coffee mage turned back to the table, seeing Madeliene in awe at him. "You're so good with children." He stated. "Well, when you're around children all day you kind of have to be good with them." Espresso stated.

"Espresso, have you ever considered being a father?" The himbo suddenly asked. "You're always so good with your students and now with Wizard, you seem to know exactly what to do whenever he needs you." 

"Wait. Are you saying I should adopt Wizard? I don't make enough to raise a child, even if I did I would mostly be in classes or doing work all day." Espresso stuttered. "I don't think I'll be a good enough parent to-" 

"You have already shown you were a way better parent than his old guardians. You were there for him when he was down, you got him back up on his feet, and look at how happy he is around you. It's clear he has a lot of faith in you, he trusts you more than anyone." Madeleine assured him. "He could use a guardian who understands him. Who understands what he's going through." 

"Wow... You really think I'm that good, huh? But how will I be able to house him? My hut has only a single bedroom and bath." 

"Well, why don't you both move into my abode? I'd be more than happy to house you! And my aunties will guarantee you will be pampered and treated no less than like kings." 

It was a good offer, even if Wizard was still trying to get used to not living with his parents. "I'll have to think about it. What matters most is if Wizard can adapt well to his new home, he might get overwhelmed by how huge your home is."

"Well, if you decide to stay, I will always be as hospitablw as I can be." Madeleine said before smiling brightly. Soon, after they ate and had dessert, it was time for bed, or at least just for Wizard cookie. Espresso doesn't usually sleep, since he's busy with either grading papers, perfecting spells, or a combination of the two.   

Madeleine assumed that Espresso cookie would not the offer, so he decided to put the child to bed. That makes him his son, hypothetically. "Ah, dear child, allow me to get you into clothes-" 

"No, that's fine. I can change myself, and put myself to bed. I'm 13... I forgot to mention that. Um..." 

"Oh, uh... Well then. I'll leave you to it then. If you need anything don't be afraid to ask." Madeleine smiled as he left Wizard in his room. But... He just wanted to be closer to him since he was like his son, sort of. Not legally by any means but he was going to be his guardian if Espresso leaves. So, speaking of Espresso, he decided to talk to him.   

Knocking upon the door, it opened to reveal the coffee mage. "Yes? What do you want?" 

"Ah, Espresso, I, well... How do I become close with Wizard?" Madeleine asked. "It's for nothing nefarious, I swear on my honor." He added, noting that it could sound weird to want to be close to a minor. "... Just come in my room, then we can talk about that."

"I am quite new to this parenting thing and I want to ensure Wizard's stay will be as comfortable to him as possible. Now I have taught younger children of the Divine before and have observed sparring lessons but I myself have never had firsthand experience when it comes to childcare. As in a child living under my roof. Do you have any knowledge about the subject?" 

"Me? I think you should ask Almond, he's a dad so he might be able to teach a thing or two about parenting. His daughter is around Wizard's age right? Who knows, she might be somewhere on the spectrum as well." Espresso remarked. "I'll ring him up and hopefully we can get the parenting thing sorted out together." Madeleine noticed a hint of blush on his face once he said that last sentence." 

"Together?" 

"Erm... Well platonically anyways, yes! It's not like I want to marry you or anything." The wizard blushed, his face back into a textbook. "Anyway, I should probably get to finish grading everyone's reports on the use of coffee magic." 

"You sure work a lot, don't you ever have any time for sleeping?"

"I do, but, why would I? One shouldn't need sleep if coffee can keep you awake." Espresso explained. Madeleine just looked at him, shocked. "No wonder you have such bags under your eyes. When was the last time you went to bed?" 

"Uh.... I am not entirely sure. Maybe a week ago-" 

"Espresso, why on earthbread did you do that? I know you really like coffee magic but staying up so long could be detrimental to your health." Madeleine stated, trying not to be loud since Wizard was in the other room. "Well, unlike you, I have things I need to do-" 

Espresso was going to continue, but he say that Wizard was standing in the doorway. His hat was off so all of his hair was exposed. "Hmm? Wizard, are you okay?" The coffee mage asked as the child entered the room. "I, uh... I can't sleep... can I stay in here with you?" Wizard said.   

"Well, how about this? You sleep on my bed, and I'll just finish grading." Espresso asked but was shot a puzzled look from the younger mage. "Shouldn't you sleep...?" He stated, catching the taller magic user off guard. "I, well... Fine... The most I'll do is take a break so you can go to sleep. But that's it, I still have papers to grade." Espresso sighed picking up Wizard and sitting in bed with him.

The shorter mage hugged his white scarf as he laid back on the king-sized bed, he never took it off no matter how hot it was outside. "You're very attached to that old thing, you've had it since you enrolled in the Parfaedia academy." 

"Oh my scarf? I just like how it feels, of course the other students kept calling it a beard. I was called sugar gnome and that I was trying to look older than I really am. Of course I just ignored them, I like my scarf and no one can take it away from me." Wizard remarked, continuing to hug his precious scarf. "It's cotton and ice cream scented, whenever I was good I would always have it for dessert." 

Madeleine overheard the conversation as he was getting dressed for bed, he knew exactly how to bond with the child now. "I could buy that new ice cream maker and then we can make our own ice cream together. Oh, I'm certain he will love it!" 

Now all he had to do was find out which flavor he preferred over the others. "And there's also the clothes shopping, I'll go with my aunties to find stuff his size and preferably in the same material as the scarf he likes. This parenting thing is a lot easier than I thought it would be, now that I know what exactly he likes most." 

Once Espresso was finally asleep, Madeleine tiptoed out of the mansion to buy everything he needed. He wanted it to be a surprise for his guests. "Just to be sure I got extra scarves in different colors." The himbo thought as he set everything down. "Won't Wizard be surprised."

In the morning, Wizard was surprised, more or less. He was perplexed at first when he saw a note on the door from Madeleine saying to meet him in the kitchen, but it made sense when he arrived.  

He saw the ice cream maker and then looked at Madeline, who was leaning over the kitchen island, not wearing his armor but a nice button-up and some black slacks. It was Saturday, the one day he doesn't have training, so he decided it was a good time to wear something more casual and friendly appearing. "Good Morning, my darling boy." 

"Um... Good morning... Why did you get this?" The wizard asked, a bit snarky since he had just woken up a few minutes ago. "Ah, well, I thought maybe we could make ice cream together during the time you aren't studying, as a sort of bonding activity." Madeleine beamed. "Also, wait here, I have another surprise for you." He said rushing out to get the box of scarves.   

Wizard just thought to himself. "I know I'm living with him now, but isn't this a bit much? I mean, of course, I'm grateful he bought a whole ice cream machine since he wanted to make me happy, but... Why? It's not like I'm his son or something..." He thought before the paladin returned with the box.   

the box was wrapped in ivory-colored paper with pastel blue ribbons, it wasn't the prettiest wrapping but it covered the box well enough. 

"Go ahead and open it." Madeleine stated as he watched the younger cookie open the box. He looked at the scarves, then at Madeline Cookie. "Thanks." He said simply.

"I'm happy you liked them, I made sure it was the kind you like best. Do you want anything else? If you don't like your room we can give you another." 

"Oh no, everything's perfect. It's just.. I mean I don't know why you're being so nice to me. Why are you treating me like your own family?" Wizard asked. "Wait, are you planning to adopt me? You're going to have me stay here forever?" 

"Only if you want to stay, we haven't made it official yet. How do you like it here? Espresso's home is quite small, of course, I would have paid for renovations but he kept declining." 

Wizard wondered why he was insistent on helping others. "I'm not sure why, you've been nothing but nice to him. In fact, it's almost like you want to express your feelings for him. Do you have anything romantic between you two?" He asked. 

"Romantic? Erm..." Now Madeleine was reduced to a blushing mess just thinking about the coffee cookie. "I have been thinking about him lately, but I'm not sure if he likes me back." 

"Oh? Why don't you ask him?"

"Wizard I can't just ask him, even if I really do want to. You see, he always says whenever he says anything slightly romantic that he means it in a platonic way, so even if I did confess my feelings he'd probably just reject me and that would most likely destroy the friendship we have." Madeline sighed. "I'd rather long for him as a friend than be heartbroken and friendless." 

"Wait you actually believe him?" Wizard asked. "What do you mean?" The himbo asked cocking his head to the side a little. "Well, during class, one of my classmates asked him if he was married or not and Espresso said he wasn't but had a crush on a blond paladin. Which, by the way, him talking about his crush wasted a whole class period." Wizard told him. 

"I see... Though it is odd that he's interested in Fiancier cookie-" 

"He is not into women, he's into you..." Wizard groaned as he had to explain this to the older cookie. Speaking of, Madeline became a blushing mess. "Oh my. Are you certain?" The paladin asked before getting a nod, making him blush more. "This is fantastic news! Since we're on the topic of love, do you have anyone you fancy, Wizard?" 

"Me? Well... Yes, but no. There's this cookie I used to go on adventures with, but that was before I got into magic school. His name is Gingerbrave." the small mage cookie confessed. 

"Aw that sounds so sweet, I take it you're very close to this cookie?" 

"Well yes, he and I along with two other friends and this one thief lady Gingerbrave practically dragged along had a lot of good times together. I never thought of it as anything much until we went our separate ways. I just wish I was able to tell him sooner.." Wizard admitted, kicking his feet as he sat down. 

"Well, maybe you can still tell him. You never know, he might have been invited to the Crème Republic one day. Tell him to stop by at House Madeleine for a surprise." 

"Hah, if only it were that easy. He's probably out on another big adventure with Strawberry, Chili and Custard the 3rd. I do write to him whenever I can. You think he would share my feelings too?" 

Madeleine patted his shoulder. "Well looks like we'll both find out soon enough, let us go see what Espresso is up to right now. With how much he stayed up last night he just might still be asleep." He chuckled, heading upstairs to his room. "I know he loves his coffee bitter and steaming hot, so I brewed him a little something." 

Lo and behold, the professor was in fact snoring right on his desk. "Look at that, I've never seen him asleep before." Wizard remarked. "Should we wake him up?" 

"I think we don't have to, he's coming around now." Madeleine blushed as Espresso rubbed his eyes, his usually well kept hair was now a complete mess. "Oh, did I doze off? I've never slept anywhere so comfortable before." He admitted. "And... Is that espresso I smell? There's no cream or sugar in it, right?"

"Of course, I know how defensive you get about your coffee." Madeleine laughed a little. "But I suppose I should confess to you... I... Well... I love you!" He exclaimed. The coffee magic just paused for a second before chuckling slightly. "Wha... What's so funny?" The paladin asked, seriously worried about the outcome of the situation. 

"... So that wasn't a joke? You... You actually love me?" the older mage asked. He just couldn't believe it, after all the mean things he said to him, how could he possibly love him? "Yes, Espresso cookie, I love you with all my soul. Do you accept my feelings?" The himbo stated.  

Silence fell in the room. "I just... I don't know-" 

"Oh can you just say you like him? I know you do." Wizard interrupted, making the coffee mage flustered. "How do you know?!" He asked, blushing wildly. "You literally spoke about your crush on him in class." 

"Oh yeah. uh..." Espresso started before sighing. "I just... You don't deserve to put up with me..." The coffee mage explained. 

"What are you talking about? It's not like you've been hogging the bathroom or keeping us up all night with parties." Madeleine asked. "Why do you think I'll not want to be with you?" 

"I mean, I was always pushing you away. Just before I asked for your help I assumed you would just want Wizard for good publicity. I always worry about the worst when it comes to you." Espresso admitted. "I don't understand what could have attracted you to me, especially with how rude I've always been to you before." 

He expected the paladin to storm out with his confession, not that he would blame him. But instead, he was pulled into a hug, a soft kiss planted on his cheek. "It doesn't matter what you thought of me before, I would be concerned if a child was used only as a stunt as well. But you trusted me enough to let Wizard stay." He explained. "And I always found you quite charming." 

"Oh.. ummm. I mean I didn't realize I had feelings for you until much later, I just didn't know how to respond to them. I tried my hardest to deny them." 

The pair continued to blush until Madeleine kissed him again. "Would you like to be my boyfriend?" 

"Oh yes! I mean.. if it's alright with you." 

The paladin smiled as his new boyfriend continued to blush, nuzzling his cheek. "Shall we go for a date? I'll set up your room and Wizard's for you both to stay here permanently." 

"Oh, that would be nice, thank you." Espresso smiled, pulling his new son into a hug alongside his boyfriend. "Erm, shall we go for a walk?" 

"I say yes."