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Madeleine had never quite come to fully understand Espresso.
Despite spending so much time with him during their excursions, the cookie would never bother to treat him as more than a colleague. Espresso was dismissive towards him, impertinent in his disinterest whenever Madeleine had something to say. It was clear that the coffee cookie had set up walls only indestructible to something that piqued his interest.
So when Madeleine inquired about Espresso’s studies one late night, settled in the bed and breakfast of a cozy town on their travel route, the knight knew he had made a crack in the foundation.
“Why are you so... Well. How do I... Why do you study coffee so diligently?”
The question was primitive to Espresso. Ever dense Madeleine, always bugging him with the most annoyingly rudimentary gestures. He wondered why the blond even bothered with the formal cordiality.
Despite Espresso wanting to appreciate the idea of Madeleine bringing up his favorite interest, he couldn’t admit to himself that he enjoyed his constant advances. Nobody had ever tried to dig Espresso out of his shell in such a way.
Madeleine prepared to hold back a sigh, laying back on his side of the bed. Not expecting a response, he removed his kindly patient gaze from Espresso.
“..If you really must know,” Espresso began, not meeting Madeleine’s newly curious stare, “Brewing coffee is an art. Coffee has brought me and many others onto Earthbread, and I founded my school on the basis that we can all come together and study the substance. Without the extensive planning and research I devote to coffee, so many cookies in this world would be lost.”
The professor finally lifted his head to look at Madeleine. The knight had never lifted his blue eyes off of him, staring at the other with a genuine look of wonder. The mage had considered the idea that he’d said something wrong before Madeleine began spewing questions (which fell on deaf ears, of course, as Espresso’s thoughts were louder in his own head than anything upon Earthbread) stemming from his fascination.
For a second, Espresso felt a small wave of flattery run through him. Did Madeleine really care to engage with him that much?
“You know... We kind of have the same drive.”
Espresso quirked a brow. “How so? Are you suggesting my studies are as lackluster as your silly little mission?”
Madeleine shook his head, letting out one of his glorious chuckles. The nonchalant grin he’d wore throughout the day had lost its weariness, now having the fuel it needed to return to its full beauty. “No, no, I want you to think about it for a little. We both want to provide the cookies of our kingdom with opportunity. I fight for their freedom and safety, you enrich them with knowledge. Isn’t that funny, how closely aligned those two prospects are?”
Espresso drew in a breath, feigning his usual disinterest as he pondered Madeleine’s acknowledgement. He was correct (to some degree, which Espresso deemed near impossible of Madeleine) in the sense that they both provided for their people. Every detail he took into account while perfecting his formulas benefitted the lives of cookies everywhere, and there was no doubt Madeleine’s sacrifices did too.
Madeleine was a cookie that fought for the good of others. It was obvious in the way he carried himself, how he made his passion caring for people. And here Madeleine was, lying in bed beside Espresso in their inconvenient one-bedroom quarters, caring for Espresso.
...Continuously, caring for Espresso.
The coffee brewer could never let himself give in to Madeleine’s consideration. He could never let the knight know just how much he appreciated his small gestures- Espresso had no time for the feelings that rose in his chest whenever the blond’s heavenly blue eyes fell onto Espresso’s own, reflected by the round glasses that framed his face.
No, it was something he refused to acknowledge. Madeleine cared for him out of the goodness of his heart, and Espresso had to make it appear unrequited for his own safety.
“Espresso,”
At the sound of Madeleine’s voice, the coffee connoisseur in question visibly tensed.
Espresso lifted his head with an indifferent stare. His eyes were weary- powered only by the caffeinated concoction he had devoted his life to. The cookie’s glasses had slid down to the tip of his nose, but Espresso didn’t bother to readjust them.
Oh, how Madeleine wished he could fix them for him.
“What’s troubling you?”
Madeleine’s stare was unwavering. He shifted, bed creaking as the knight turned onto his side to face him properly. The unmoving smile that graced his face was filled with soft sincerity.
They both knew that Madeleine had struck a chord within Espresso, and that very same chord caused the brewer’s defensive exterior to tumble.
Espresso let his shoulders slump as he took off his glasses- Madeleine’s brows lifted in surprise as the other cookie folded them, placed them on the beside, and slid down into the sheets, turning his torso to allow himself to meet his eyes. Madeleine swallowed, his throat feeling a little dry. Espresso, this close to him, willingly? Unheard of, until tonight.
“Madeleine, we’ve never met before.”
“Right.”
“...Then why are you so nice to me?”
Madeleine’s smile grew wider, and Espresso felt the corners of his lips break into a soft grin as the knight’s face drew closer to his own.
Placing the gentlest of pecks upon Espresso’s lips, Madeleine sighed into him.
Perhaps that was just the answer Espresso needed.