Almond stepped inside of the house, returning to the previous comfort of his home. He and Roguefort had spent hardly over an hour together on their date, although he enjoyed it so thoroughly that it felt like barely a minute. As Almond unbuttoned his suit, placing it back into the closet to be ironed later on in the day, he felt his eyelids suddenly grow heavy as he realized just how little he had slept. He slipped out of the dress suit and pants, preparing them to be ironed later in the day as well, before pulling on a more suitable pair of pajamas.
Walnut would have still been asleep by now, seeing as it was a weekend, and so there was no point going to her room to check what she was up to. Almond lay on the bed once more and found a soft smile that uncontrollably spread on his face as he thought of Roguefort being here with him. He was sure that it would most likely be a while until the two of them would be so close together, and for now Almond could only dream. And he most certainly did dream, as his eyes shut, finally letting him give into sleep.
It didn't last much longer, though. Soon after, Almond found himself waking up to yet another banging at his window. Something was rustling at it, and though the curtains hid the figure, not to mention that the sound at the window sounded far crasser than last time, Almond still assumed it was Lord Crumbles III, once again. His heart grew with excitement at the possibility of another calling card being delivered to him and shoved aside the curtains as he opened up the window.
Unexpectedly, Roguefort's feline companion was nowhere to be found, but they themselves were. Roguefort, caught against a bolt against the window sill, struggled so desperately to get out that they did not even notice Almond staring at them.
Lo and behold, it was a calling card delivery, a non-professional one at that. Roguefort fiddled with the cape of their suit as it was caught at the bolt; in their mouth, they tightly held onto another calling card, decorated in the same way as the last, patterned with hearts and stars, though it was clear Roguefort would not be able to balance against the window for much longer, and would likely fall if they did manage to escape.
"Got you, Bleu," Almond said, causing Roguefort to flinch in surprise, attempting to try to escape before Almond grabbed onto their arm. Roguefort flailed for a moment, hoping to be able to get away with the calling card delivery sneakily, without too much attention from Almond. However, as they looked down at the dangerous heights that reached from the window, they hissed in defeat and gave way to Almond's persistent grasp.
"It appears the detective has caught me…." Roguefort muttered, trying to sound calm although they were thoroughly embarrassed at such a significant failure to escape. Almond did not respond and was focused on bringing Roguefort inside to safety before uttering a word.
"I saw the calling card," Almond finally said, as he managed to pull Roguefort inside, "Is that what this is about?"
Roguefort's face flushed red in embarrassment, "Ah, that was the plan, yes… but I failed to deliver it without your hearing, not to mention my crass attempt at an escape. I had hoped you were asleep."
"I was, Roguefort. But you woke me up."
"Was I so sloppy?" Roguefort trailed off, looking down, ashamed of themselves. Almond had never considered Roguefort's state of mind very much, and it was likely they were just as sleep-deprived as he was. That would explain why so many of their schemes seemed like ridiculous impulse designs so much of the time, and today was no exception… Almond considered offering them a coffee break for when they needed it.
"No, you weren't," Almond lied, unable to make them feel any more disappointed with themselves, "I'm just a light sleeper."
"I see… How could I be surprised? A good detective always has to be alert!" Roguefort exclaimed, which Almond had admittedly never even considered, but nodded in agreement regardless.
"Anyhow… I figure you can stay, if you want," Almond said nervously, hoping not to sound all-too desperate, "I figure it's not as fancy as your whole mansion, but… you're probably as tired as I am."
Roguefort nodded with a smile, "Sounds wonderful, my dear… like a sleepover. Do I get cat pajamas too?" Almond quickly looked down and blushed in embarrassment, forgetting that he was wearing cat pajamas and desperately wished he could change out of them immediately.
"Well… these… Ahah. Don't get any ideas, Roguefort," Almond blurted out, his voice a stuttery mess, "Walnut picked this out. This isn't the sort of thing I would wear usually."
"If you say so, Almond," Roguefort laid back onto the bed, stretching their arms out, and Almond promptly sat beside them.
"I DO say so," Almond began, "...But I could get you something to wear," as he looked at Roguefort, Almond noticed that they had still been wearing the same, flashy suit from the date, which looked incredibly uncomfortable to wear. It was more than likely that Roguefort did not get a moment of rest at all and had spent the entire morning crafting their calling card after the date rather than sleeping.
"That… would be nice, yes."
Almond got up and went through his dresser, pulling out another pair of pajamas that had a plain pattern and was far less embarrassing. He handed it to Roguefort, assuming they would change in the restroom, but was shocked as they changed into the pajamas right on Almond's bed.
"The restroom is, ah, right there," Almond looked down, with a hand cupped over his face to cover his eyes from Roguefort, trying his best to be respectful.
"Trust me; I’m well aware…." Roguefort trailed off, laying back onto the bed for a moment, "But I’m afraid… it’s far too much effort to walk over there. Especially after climbing up your window."
"If you say so. Just hurry it up," Almond replied and turned his head towards Roguefort for a moment to see that they had already gotten dressed, with their suit folded neatly on the very edge of Almond's wooden dresser.
Roguefort laid back down on the bed, pulling the covers onto themselves with an air of dignity as if they owned this house. Almond sighed, joining them on the bed, before quickly blushing as he took the time to process the situation. The redness on his cheeks only spread up his face and soon realizing entirely red, completely flustered. He put a hand on his face, suddenly realizing that It was very warm.
"So… about your, er, calling card?" Despite the embarrassment, Almond did his best to speak casually, hoping that he would stop blushing if he ignored it enough, "Let's see it, Roguefort."
In response, Roguefort only let out a whimper or embarrassment, looking away and facing the wall, "You reading it with me here may be a little… embarrassing," they finally sighed out.
"I don't see why. Is it a riddle?"
"No… not quite."
"Is it the next location?"
"Not that either, Almond…"
Almond's face sparkled with anticipation. Roguefort had never seen him with so much passion about something and figured that he would be persistent if they didn't reveal the card. Roguefort slid the card into Almond's hand, as they looked away sheepishly. Almond looked at the envelope closely, as it had been endowed with glitter and loopy handwriting, all the same as the card previous from this one. He slowly opened the envelope, pulling out the card letter and carefully reading through it.
As rough as sugary sand, yet as kind as a lamb.
As bitter as licorice, but as sweet as jellybean jam…
He who I long for the most, he always brings me to be completely engrossed.
Who I love most of all, who has me caught in a romantic thrall.
I want him to be mine, all day… and every time.
Almond stared at the words on the patterned card for a moment after reading, before slowly turning to face Roguefort, who was desperately trying to look away now with their face entirely reddened.
"Roguefort… who's this card talking about?" Almond said quietly.
"You," Roguefort said quietly with their voice barely a murmur, and looked up at him, finding themselves far too nervous to maintain any form of eye contact.
Almond felt a jolt of shock. He had always felt these emotions towards Roguefort, and though their date hinted at it, this calling card solidified that Roguefort reciprocated the feelings.
Carefully, he wrapped one arm around Roguefort, placing a hand on their shoulder and gently pulling them closer. Roguefort obliged the touch, as Almond continued to pull them closer until both of them were touching by the forearms. In a moment of impulse thinking, Roguefort inched even further, laying against Almond's chest and savouring the warmth of his body heat. The two of them shared a quiet moment of silence accompanied by the touch, as they both lay perfectly still in enjoyment, careful not to ruin such a delicate moment.
"The letter wasn't too embarrassing...was it? You looked so shocked after reading…." Roguefort whispered, with a soft, nearly breathless voice.
"I…" Almond chose his words carefully, debating whether he would even say what he was preparing. He tensed up and took a heavy breath, only to continue speaking with a weight of embarrassment, "I've always felt the same way."
"Really?" Roguefort could barely form another word, only gasping in response.
"Yes."
Roguefort sat up to look at Almond, as they locked eyes, with both of their cheeks warm and lined with pink. As he put a hand around Roguefort, their face fell closer and closer to Almond's, until the two were staring extremely closely at one another, with Almond admiring Roguefort's radiant beauty. He knew he had to do something during this exchange. The two cookies had known each other for several years, and although they were always rivals, Almond could feel a friendly, almost romantic tension between them for as long as his memory could stretch back. And now, this was the moment that the both of them had always longed for. Almond knew he had to do something, anything…
Quickly, Almond pulled Roguefort into a kiss, placing a hand on the back of their head. They gasped in-between breaths but didn't dare pull away, only closing their eyes in thorough enjoyment. The both of them blushed, with pounding hearts that beat heavily in time with one another. Almond closed his eyes as well, his worries melting away, just for that moment.
Roguefort slowly pulled away from the kiss and sank down to lay on Almond once more, who wrapped his arms around them and let out purrs of happiness at the embrace.
"You're… concerningly good at this, detective…" Roguefort said, still catching their breath with shaky hands and their heart practically pounding in their throat.
"What can I say? I've been waiting for this moment for a while," Almond said, uncontrollably grinning from ear to ear.
"Really?"
"That's right."
"You're dastardly charming, Almond. I hope you know that… you're almost as charming as I."
"Almost?"
"Almost."
Almond chuckled softly as Roguefort wrapped their arms around him, pressing their face into the crook of his neck. Almonds face flushed red once more, before his eyes closed, his body relaxing into the mattress. Roguefort placed a hand on Almond's chest, as it rose and fell softly in time with his breaths.
"Roguefort- I, ah… have a question," Almond whispered in a soft voice.
"Go ahead."
"Are we...really dating?"
Roguefort pondered for a moment, falling silent before saying, "Do you want us to be?"
"Yes."
"Well, since I do too... I suppose we are," Nodded Roguefort, whose eyes grew heavy and closed in sleepiness.
"Wow," Almond could only sigh in amazement. The case, relatively speaking, had been 'solved,' and Almond could feel the happiness welling up inside of him.
Silence fell between them again, just for a moment. They could both appreciate times like these. There was no exchange of words, only the warmth and comfort of one another's soft breaths in and out.
"Goodnight, Almond."
"Goodnight."
You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net