Espresso was neck deep in his work when he heard a knock from his front door. His hair was disheveled and he hadn't slept in days. He felt positively drained, but, still, he had enough energy to answer the door, despite having no desire to.
Madeleine stood on the other side, smiling per usual. "My knight in shining armor," Espresso sneered and rolled his eyes. Madeleine bit his tongue. "Just state your business," he snapped at the knight. Madeleine nodded and took a step forwards, but was stopped when Espresso held a hand out to halt him. "Business. Now. Your girlfriend doesn't want me around you, so make it snappy."
"My girlfriend?" Madeleine asked almost as if he were shocked. Espresso simply glared at him. "Espresso, I-I'm... Not, uh..." he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, quickly being silenced by the mage.
"Save it," Espresso hissed, his eyes hiding some kind of emotion that Madeleine couldn't recognize. The knight swallowed. "Are you sure you're okay, Ess? You seem... Off..." Espresso took a step forwards, shoving his hand into Madeleine's chest and forcing him back a little. "Listen, I want nothing to do with you! You mean nothing to me! The only reason I put up with you is because I have to! I'll be charged with murder o-or attempted murder if I lay a hand on you! Everybody knows that we don't get along! So that means we can't be seen with each other. Ever."
Madeleine's royal blue gaze filled with something that resembled sadness, or possibly hurt, a glossiness swallowing them and allowing Espresso to see himself in their reflection. "You know what, Espresso?" Madeleine started, hands curling into fists. "I try. I try so hard. But it's never fucking good enough for you, is it?" The coffee mage took a step back in shock, his brows lifting at the knight's choice of words. "You see no value in me. I know that. You make it so clear every single time I talk to you! But I try. I try to make it so that you're comfortable with my presence, so that you can stop running and hiding in the dark, in your stupid little man cave!"
"Excuse you!" Espresso scoffed. "It is not a a man cave!"
Rolling his teary eyes, Madeleine continued. "And whenever you say I'm worthless, or that you hate me, I brush it off, because I still have hope that one day you'll see me as something more than just some dirt for you to step on. I still have hope that one day you'll see me as the knight I truly am." Espresso's pupil's narrowed at the cookie of light, his arms folding over his chest.
"Financier will have me hanged if she sees me with you."
"Then let's find a place where we can be alone... Please." Madeleine's instantaneous response threw Espresso off, but he simply shook himself free of the odd feeling in his bones. "Alright, Madeleine. Fuck, I can't believe you've roped me into this, you piece of shit." Madeleine smiled warmly, wiping his few tears away.
"Thanks for calling me handsome, by the way. I'll see you in the woods tomorrow." Before Espresso could respond, Madeleine turned to leave, the coffee cookie's eyes wide and shocked. When in the name of fuck did I call him handsome!? The more he thought about that comment, though, the more he realized it was true. Madeleine was handsome. No, no, handsome was an understatement.
He was fucking hot as hell.
Espresso bit his lip, rubbing his arm nervously. He needed to get some sleep, the lack of it was making his brain act weirdly. Financier would have his head on a pig stick if she found out he was thinking about Madeleine like that. He shuddered and reentered his home, closing the door behind him and leaning against it.
Don't do this to me. Oh, god, please don't make me do this.
-
Financier watched from afar as the two cookies conversed in a rather hostile manner. Her brown eyes never left them, trying to read their lips, given she could not hear their conversation. But with Madeleine faced away from her, it made it difficult. That mage is going to end up hurting Madeleine. Either physically or mentally. It's going to happen unless I stop it.
She carefully drew her sword after seeing Madeleine leave and a stunned look cross Espresso's face. His cheeks were red. Did... Madeleine fluster him? Maybe he mentioned that "kiss" they shared in the woods. Highly unlikely, however. Madeleine was one to keep to himself when it came to his... Pleasures.
Sighing, Financier stepped back into the shadows once Espresso had returned inside his home, her lips pulled back in a slight grimace. She needed to keep a close eye on the two.
