Couldn't Care Less // Espresso x Madeleine // CRK

chapter one

Espresso wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Woo!" Madeleine cookie exclaimed from beside him. "That was awesome."

Espresso rolled his eyes. After killing over 100 monsters... "Just hurry up, we need to get back before it's dark."

"Of course!" Madeleine said, running to keep up with Espresso's fast pace. "Hey, why do we have to get back before it's dark?"

"If I tell you, will you be quiet until we get there?"

Madeleine nodded eagerly.

Espresso sighed. "We need to get back soon or the others will get worried and we'll have no where to sleep!"

"Right!" Madeleine grinned.

"Remember our deal? You need to shut up now." Espresso snapped. He was too focused to notice Madeleine's disappointed expression beside him.

The two ran in silence for a while- enough to satisfy Espresso- when Fig Cookie appeared from the bushes, scaring the pair.

"Oh, hi!" Fig greeted. "Sorry, I didn't see you there." They said with an accent.

"It's alright," Espresso panted. "Where'd you come from, anyway? We could use a shortcut."

"I came from just over there," Fig pointed behind them, and Espresso could make out a faint pathway to the kingdom.

Espresso thanked the cookie and headed in the direction Fig had gestured to, not bothering to check behind him to see if Madeleine was following him.

Soon, Espresso could make out the familiar walls of the kingdom. Madeleine followed his gaze.

"Can I talk now?" He asked. Espresso, who had found it- weirdly enough- quite unnerving without hearing Madeleine constantly talking, nodded.

"Wow, that was the longest time I have went without talking!" Madeleine noted. Espresso didn't have trouble believing that. Even without a watch, he could tell it'd only been a few minutes since he'd made the deal with Madeleine.

"Just because I let you talk does not mean I will let you disturb our mission, or prevent us from getting back to the kingdom. I suggest you keep quiet, even if you have my permission to talk." Espresso instructed, slowing his run down to a walk as they approached their home.

"Yes, sir."

"Do not address me with sir."

The two walked in silence together, Madeleine occasionally making comments on things like the weather as if he wanted to start a conversation. Espresso wasn't having it. He ignored every word that came out of Madeleine's mouth, for he thought Madeleine was too oblivious to mention anything useful to Espresso.

Finally, they reached the entrance of the kingdom, and was immediately bombarded by several cookies. As Madeleine began to tell his stories to the younger cookies, Gingerbrave approached Espresso.

"How'd the expedition go?" He asked.

Espresso sniffed. "It went well, I suppose. Though it may have went better if that idiot of a cookie hadn't accompanied me."

Gingerbrave raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do you two not get along well?"

"Worse than that, actually. I despise him- a light-magic user as well as a dimwit. And he can't seem to take a hint that I do; which is the most frustrating part about it."

"Sounds to me like a you problem," Gingerbrave commented, "everyone else seems to like him."

"Another reason why I do not wish to interact with him, Gingerbrave."