Chapter Five

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Almond awoke only to be startled by the loud, shrill fits of noise that erupted from the kitchen. Almond turned to his right at the bed, wincing at what he had hoped he wouldn't see. The mattress was barren, except for him, and he knew this had to have meant that the loud ordeal in the kitchen must have been caused by whatever Roguefort had been scheming. 

With a hesitant growl of frustration, Almond sat up from his bed to head to the kitchen. Although he truly hoped that the happiness the two both shared earlier in the day would rid off any urges of Roguefort's crimes, Almond's job was a job, and if he had to step in to stop any thievery, then he would rightfully follow his duty to do so.

Pressing his back against the wall, Almond could hear the kitchen and be entirely convinced that he could hear the distinctive, although endearing accent of Roguefort's voice. With a heavy sigh, Almond accepted that the date they shared might've been the last they ever would have, and ran into the kitchen, with handcuffs ready to stop anything that Roguefort would throw his way in the bitter name of crime.

"Why, Almond! So charmed so see you! I was hoping you'd wake up on your own anyhow; you didn't seem too fond of being woken up when I tried,"

"Roguefort! You...huh?" Almond quickly spun around the room, shocked to find out that Roguefort had no malicious intentions after all. In fact, on the dining table were several plates of a very rich-looking breakfast, accompanied by a very hungry Walnut, who stuffed pancakes in her mouth carelessly, not even thinking to look up at Almond. 

"Your eyes do not deceive you, Almond… I hope you're hungry. I made enough breakfast for all three of us… and then some!" Roguefort looked extremely pleased with their work, hoping Almond would be pleased as well. 

Almond, in turn, was only confused. He had a significant appreciation for Roguefort's meal, and yet-- Almond found himself disappointed that his suspicions had only led him astray. Not once had he been wrong about being betrayed by a criminal of sorts, but here Roguefort was-- making pancakes for Walnut, and feeding Constable Whiskers, all out of the goodness of their heart. Never before had another cookie treated Almond with such kindness like this… Still, Almond knew that no one could be trusted so easily, and kept a keen eye on Roguefort, even if they had proven themselves innocent up until this point.

"Almond… is everything alright?" Roguefort placed a hand on Almond's shoulder, cutting him away from his overbearing thoughts. Roguefort grazed his shoulder softly, hoping to relax Almond, who was tense and frigid in stress.

"I'm alright. I could use a coffee, is all," Turning away from Roguefort, Almond began to walk towards the coffee machine that was once littered with stained cups and coffee spills that accompanied it and realized Roguefort must've cleaned it while he was asleep. Even while trying to empty his mind, Almond could only feel himself asking more questions. Why would Roguefort behave so kindly? Even if they were dating, Almond would never have expected so much from one person. 

Roguefort wrapped their arms around Almond's chest, pulling him into a gentle hug. Almond could feel his face redden with blush in only a moment, as a portion of his tension melted away, replaced by his growing sheepishness. Knowing that Walnut was thoroughly distracted with making it her personal goal to finish just about every pancake on the plates, Roguefort was sure she paid no mind to the two, and so Roguefort dotted kisses across Almond's neck, as his face flushed deeper shades of red with each touch. Their aim was to relax Almond's tensed-up muscles with so much affection-- and it seemed to work, as his eyes fluttered and closed, and his distress seemed to soften. 

"I love you, Almond," Roguefort whispered, pulling away from Almond's neck to speak, "And I love being here. We're like a wonderful little family… so trust me."

Almond let out a sigh that seemed to carry so much stress with it, and would only cling tightly against Roguefort's torso for comfort. He never knew his exhaustion could hold such an obvious air over him. Walnut watched Almond day after day, and even in some of his most stressful moments, Walnut never seemed to notice; perhaps it was the desensitization to seeing him stressed, and perhaps she thought that was the only feeling he would ever have. But either way, Roguefort could feel a sense of responsibility to help Almond; if they had been a part of so many thieveries and heists, all to gain Almond's attention, it would be up to them to help reduce Almond's stress afterward, too.

"I… thank you, Roguefort," Even the toughness baked within Almond's very own dough couldn't withstand Roguefort's sweet, sappy emotions in such a concentrated form, "It means so much more to me than you'd ever know," 

"Of course, dear detective."

"AHEM," The two's embrace quickly broke apart as Walnut had finished her plate of pancakes and had watched them intently, suddenly full of awareness at the scene. The room dropped to dead silence, as Almond could hardly even muster up a single word, and to his surprise, neither could Roguefort.

"Are you guys… like… dating?" Walnut scoffed at them, holding a hand to her mouth in a display of childish disgust. Almond only turned to Roguefort in silence, who luckily, had hatched an idea.

"Walnut! You're something of a fan of my wondrous pancakes, are you not? I'm quite flattered."

"I guess so," Walnut sighed at Roguefort, still chewing at crumbs in her mouth, "But that doesn't mean we're friends! You're STILL a bad guy… that makes good pancakes. So what does THAT have to do with anything?"

"Well! Seeing as Almond was charmed by my swift and skill-- and wonderful pancake making, he quickly fell in love with me! As long as I learned to turn away from thievery, of course."

"That sounds super cheesy."

"Ah, but it's true, little detective! And really, your father should be thanking me for such innocence."

"Who're you calling little?!" Walnut growled, cocking her head to one side, before coming to a sharp realization of what Roguefort's words meant, "Wait a minute… Innocence? You mean…"

"Correct!"

Walnut pressed her weight against the dinner table, her fists slamming against it in frustration, "That's… not fair! You mean… I'll never get to apprehend you?!"

"I'm afraid so. After all… there isn't much to chase when I'm right here, is there?"

Walnut growled in frustration, even more infuriated by Roguefort's smile as they spoke, "ROGUEFORT! I just KNOW you're hiding something. And I… I'll figure it out! You haven't seen my best sleuth work just yet… just you wait!" And with that and the snatch of one more pancake, Walnut ran into her room with a heavy slam of the door behind her, determined to prove Roguefort guilty.

"She's quite the assertive detective," Roguefort said, turning to Almond."

"She gets it from me. What was all that nonsense, anyway?"
 
"It's called improv, Almond, and shortly after this you will learn to be impressed with just how well I pulled it off."

Almond cocked his head to one side, "Pulled off WELL? Acting isn't your strong suit."

Roguefort let out only a low chuckle in response, partially entertained by Almond's words, and partially annoyed as well. They said nothing, grabbing Almond by the hand and pulling him onto the table to finish the remaining breakfast that wasn't eaten.

"All I really need is a coffee, Roguefort…" Almond protested, sinking into the chair beside the table.

"Nonsense!" Roguefort exclaimed in a reply, with the shake of their head, "No coffee today. There's no need. You need a day to relax. How long has it been since you took a break from all this caffeine, anyhow?"

Almond did not respond. Truthfully so, he didn't know. It has been so long since Almond had taken a break from the heavy coffee, so much so that the scent lingered around him, almost embedded in his dough. 

"I'm sure it's been quite a long while.…" Roguefort prodded on at the lack of response from Almond, "So I think you could use a day off today. Hurry up and eat!"

Almond sighed, sinking a fork into one of the pancakes, taking only a singular bite. With it, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the pancakes were just as tasty as they looked, and soon enough, Almond found that he was no longer affected by the lack of caffeine, so long as he had such a tasty meal to compensate for it.

“So? How is it, hm?”  Roguefort stared eagerly at the detective’s stern face, waiting for feedback, hoping it would be positive.

“Surprisingly….” Almond chose his words carefully, hoping not to appear or sound all too excited from the meal, “It's… Good. Very good.”

In response, Roguefort let out a high squeal in excitement, picking Almond up by the chest and pulling him into a firm hug, “Oh, I'm so glad, Almond! Although Walnut may have gotten ahold of the majority of these pancakes… I made them with you in mind.”

A slight smile formed on Almond’s face as they lowered him back into his seat. Almond grabbed Roguefort by the hand, settling them in the chair beside the one he sat in, “I won't eat alone, you know. I want you to sit here with me. Sound alright?”

“Aha! I was hoping you'd request such… I'd love to eat here with you, dear. So much so, that…” Arising from the table, Roguefort grabbed a large plate from the counter and placed it in front of Almond. On it laid a large, fluffy pancake drenched in rich syrup and whipped cream, as well as the two cookie’s names written on it in chocolate frosting. Seeing as this pancake was far more delicately made than the rest, it was the only pancake decorated so richly of its kind. 

“Oh Roguefort…” Almond’s smile grew wider, and his cheeks blushed a deep crimson at such a lavish treat. Roguefort sat down beside him once again, placing an arm around his shoulder as he stared at the pancake in awe.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Care to share it with me?”

“I- Wow. I'd love to…”

“Wonderful!” Roguefort wrapped their hand around Almond’s, sharing a quick, yet memorable kiss with him, before the two split the treat in half, sharing it amongst one another. 

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