Chapter Text
“ Madeleine Cookie. “
A soft whisper called out to him, in the midst of a blurred void. Madeleine Cookie, startled with the calling, stayed motionless, unsure of whether he should venture out in the darkness, and hope that nothing lurks in the path through the secrecy, or, just stay put, and wait until they call for him again. He spent quite a while pondering over the outcomes of either action, something he never really done before.
“Madeleine Cookie..”
They call out again. It was persistent with its soft whisper, but it has undertones of an imploring, beseeching for him.
But beseeching for what? What was so important that a cookie clothed in the unknown was begging for him?
Madeleine Cookie took a long, deep breath, before taking a step. There was a moment of disruption underneath his embroidered boot, before a still engulfed the ground, and the void became calm once more.
But, the calm of the void unraveled a detail that wasn’t quite there until he took the risk.
A navy hue.
Madeleine Cookie gasped slightly at the sight, such a small feature, yet it shred much needed information about the abyss. His action caused something, and for him to continue his action, is for the void to continue with the effects of his actions.
With hints of unease, he took another step.
Then another.
And another.
Which each step, the navy hue brightened to an admiral, and transformed to a cobalt in a minute of continuous steps
Madeleine Cookie, now more determined, started walking faster, the changes of hue now was less subtle, switching from cobalt to cerulean in seconds.
Madeleine Cookie started sprinting, and the cerulean became a baby blue in milliseconds, and quickly became a pure white, but his continuous movements transformed the pure white to a bright beam of sun, ceasing Madeleine from his persistent running.
“Agh!” Madeleine Cookie blurted, before shielding his eyes from the blinding ray of light with his hands, darkness engulfed his vision once more.
Madeleine was panting behind his arm, which was shielding his vision, clearly exhausted from the running he pursued. When he caught his breath, the silence of the void returned, engulfing the area with a calm.
And Madeleine didn’t dare disrupt it. He stood still once more. Unsure.
Unsure.
…
“Open.. your eyes.”
The whisper called out for Madeleine, an encouragement. It felt like a loving reassurance your partner would whisper in your ear. A silent plea for one more drop of determination.
But Madeleine kept still.
Unsure.
…
“Please..”
The voice called out once again, repeating its imploring tone.
And Madeleine Cookie, building up courage..
Opened his eyes.
…
And took in the sight of an idyllic terrain.
He was standing on a light beige path with dark brown lines intricately carved into the ground to make shapes that resembled a variety of flowers. On the sides of the beautiful pathway, was fields painted with bright, healthy green grass, decorated with rows of multicoloured tulips that stretched as far as his sight could reach.
Looking up, the sky was a soft pink, dancing with faint clouds that resembled the sweetest of cotton candy, with cherry blossom petals falling from the sky, though there was no sakura trees in sight. In the horizon, was the sun beaming brightly with hues of light red and orange, mixing with the pure pink sky.
Madeleine Cookie was in awe, taken aback by how such a perfect landscape was a soulless void moments ago, a mere blank canvas stained with one’s wasted imagination, sunken into a dark vortex of dissatisfaction.
But imagination wasn’t what Madeleine was focused on.
It was the figure in the distance, whose small but noticeable black silhouette burned into the perfect harmony of colours accompanying the sun.
A silhouette, who Madeleine Cookie is oh too familiar with.
The long hair brushed up in one big swoop, the glasses resembling the birds eye view of a coffee cup, the knee length gown garnished with a dramatic art piece of a cape…
Espresso Cookie.
The world slowly faded into a light pink mist as he focused his attention on Espresso, the petals falling from the sky still evident. His chest slowly grew in an overwhelming, but pleasurable warmth, as the silence of the landscape dripped away with his exclamation.
“Espresso Cookie?”
Madeleine called out, before starting to walk to him. Espresso didn’t answer his question, and merely continued his trot.
“Espresso? Espresso why aren’t you-“
“Madeleine Cookie.”
Espresso’s sharp voice pierced the peaceful atmosphere of the setting, with the landscape slowly succumbing to a pink haze, forcing Madeleine to focus on Espresso.
The highlights of Espresso’s hair, normally a creamy beige, was replaced with a fluffy light pink, mixing with the sakura petals grazing his body. While he was still wearing the same attire, his collar and cape was also decorated with small diamonds, though the sparkling was reduced due to the hazy atmosphere.
Oh, he looked so beautiful…
…
“Do you recall the time when we set off for a quest? To find an ancient treasure etched with history?” Espresso questioned, snapping Madeleine out of his daze. He was in front of him, though far enough to not invade his personal space.
He looked so much prettier up front..
Madeleine felt heat rise up in his face, but brushed it off by laughing
“How can I forget it? You were quite the gentleman indeed!” Madeleine joked, secretly feeling relieved that the heat in his face faded away. He subconsciously patted his chest with his hands to relish more in the relief.
“.. I was a fool for acting that way.”
Madeleine froze, as Espresso gently pulled both of his hands away from his chest, and interlocked his fingers. Madeleine held eye contact with Espresso, noticing how his pupils were more dilated than usual.
“I was a fool for not shaking your hand, I was a fool for ignoring your presence, I was a fool for despising you in the first place.”
Espresso’s expression grew from his usual composure, to a slight nerve, attempting to shield his anxiety with a tense chuckle
“The truth is, you intrigued me. Intrigued me in such a way that I just couldn’t bring myself to accept it. I was rude, I was cold, I was withdrawn.. it was all because I felt something. Something that I never felt before. Something so overwhelming I tried to mask it with feelings I was familiar with, feelings I could push under the rug and never look at again.”
Espresso broke eye contact for a bit, staring at Madeleine’s hands, before looking back up to him, his interlocked fingers pushed his hands up to Madeleine’s chest.
“I was wrong. Wrong about everything.”
Espresso walked closer, with Madeleine subconsciously moving a step back, realizing his action, he shifted forward.
“Madeleine Cookie…”
Espresso’s fingers loosened from Madeleine’s, travelling up his chest.
“Please.”
Espresso’s hands cupped his face.
“Kiss me.”
Madeleine’s eyes grew wide, the heat in his face becoming apparent. Espresso Cookie, probably the most distant person he has ever known, was so direct with his words. So confident, so shameless.
But.. admirable.
The only thing Madeleine had done was hold one of the hands Espresso was cupping his face with, looking at this artwork of a man. He couldn’t help but indulge in his touch for a moment, suddenly noticing every single crease on his fingers colliding with his perfect skin
And just as he noticed Espresso starting to feel embarrassed, he picked him up and embraced him with all his might.
It felt like bliss. Like a prayer finally being answered, an embarrassing memory being forgotten, a moment of peace in a world filled with hardship.
Madeleine wrapped his hands around Espresso’s shoulders, before melting into the kiss.
Or.. he tried to melt into the kiss.
In reality, he couldn’t feel anything. He didn’t feel the bliss, the satisfaction, the warmth. He was merely describing it in his head, trying to make it come true.
But it wasn’t coming true.
“Why.. can’t I feel it? His touch? His kiss? Why can’t I..”
And just as he was about to separate his lips from Espresso, Madeleine woke up.