Madeleine Grows a Pair

2 - Wait, You Eat Pancakes Like That?!?

Espresso Cookie was not looking forward to the rest of the day. There wasn't much of the day left, considering the sun was setting, but he wasn't looking forward to it.

Madeleine had been unresponsive for about two days, and it was HIS job to check in on him.

Espresso sighed. Two days wasn't even that long. He had been stuck in his room doing experiments for far longer, and nobody checked in on him.

Well, almost nobody.

It was almost funny how the roles reversed.

He stopped in front of Madeleine's house, knocking twice before waiting.

There was no response.

At that point, Espresso was tempted to turn back and say he tried, but for some reason, he decided against it.

He knocked again. Maybe he didn't hear the first one. He could've been sick and passed out on the bed for all Espresso knew.

After getting no response for a second time, he grabbed the doorknob and entered the house. It felt a bit invasive to enter someone's house without them at the door, but he could deal.

He stepped in and paused.

What the fuck.

There was jam everywhere. It was as if someone used a hydraulic press on a cookie and they popped. That was a morbid thought.

Jam was freckled across the cream-colored wallpaper, going in all directions. It pooled on the floor in excessive amounts.

Espresso looked further out and saw Madeleine's armor scattered on the floor in disarray. He couldn't help but feel concerned. Was Madeleine okay?

The door shut behind him with a SLAM. Espresso jumped and looked back at the door. Okay, if the walls were bad, the door was considerably worse. It was a carved wooden door, clearly weighted since it slammed shut so easily. Jam was caked on it, resting in the divots of the pattern.

He tentatively looked out to the rest of the house. It looked surprisingly fine. Untouched, even. Wow, this man was clean.

Unfamiliar with the layout, he started peeking into rooms, walking past the kitchen. He stopped in front of a room with a crest decorating the door. Espresso should've come to this room earlier. It seemed incredibly obvious that this would be Madeleine's room.

He creaked open the door slowly, poking his head through, "...Madeleine?"

Across the room was Madeleine, who was upright in his bed. His eyes were wide, and he was pale. His hair was streaked with dried jam, clumping it together at the ends. His frame was covered by a blanket, the edges of it clenched in his hands. He looked so small. He looked terrified.

Espresso took a step into the room and was plunged into darkness. Madeleine, who had a strong glow about him before, glowed even brighter than usual. It was as if he absorbed all of the light the room had to offer.

There was a ruffling under the cover. Espresso had to stop to get a grasp of the situation.

Madeleine was trembling.

Espresso took a step back and held his arms up, "Listen, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to. I might not be the best cookie, but I do have morals, you know."

Madeleine took a deep breath, and the room lit up slightly again. He looked like he could at least listen to something Espresso had to say. The room was still considerably dim.

"Are you okay? Wait, that was a shitty question to ask... Are you hurt? Physically speaking," Espresso awkwardly swiped his hands over his outfit, removing the dust that wasn't there.