for @kingdonmicrofic day 16: glitter | 499 words | ao3
Frank watched from the porch as the woman dressed in ridiculously glittery princess garb entertained his daughter and her friends. Abby had done a great job with planning the party and he really had to hand it to her for hiring a 'real-life princess' because the kids were completely enamored, following her around and asking her about what being a princess was like. It was adorable. He was thankful for how well he and Abby were getting along while co-parenting.
Penny came running towards him, jumping into his arms. He hoisted her up and she transferred the tiara she was wearing to his head.
"Daddy! Now you can be a princess too! Princess Mel said so!" Penny exclaimed.
"Oh, Princess Mel did, did she?"
"Yes! Mommy is Queen and I'm Princess Penny and you're Princess Daddy."
He gave her a big kiss on the cheek. "What about Tanner, Pen?"
She furrowed her brow as she pondered. "He can be a knight!"
Frank audibly chuckled. "Not a prince?" Penny shook her head and his heart nearly burst at his daughter's cuteness. She started wiggling and he set her down. She grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the face-painting.
"Daddy needs princess face paint too, Princess Mel!" Princess Mel gave him a small smile and gestured for him to take a seat. She leaned in close to work and he didn't have anywhere else to look so he just watched her—how her eyes roved over his face, how a little crease in-between her eyebrows appeared as she focused—and wondered what she must think of him.
When she was done, she held up a mirror and he started grinning; her work was delightfully charming. She blushed and said, "Sorry, I'm used to doing it on kids."
"It's great. I'll wear it with pride," he declared, not missing how she avoided his gaze, pink still dusting her cheeks.
The party lasted only a few hours, thankfully. He waved to the departing families as he collected the trash. Abby had already started washing up in the kitchen.
"Oh, Princess Mel, you don't need to clean up. That's way below your pay grade."
"I don't mind at all," she replied warmly.
"No, really. You should go." He ran a hand through his hair. "You were great today. Pen adored you."
She smiled at him. "Your daughter is very sweet. It was a lovely party."
She walked over to her stuff and gathered her things, sliding on a pair of glasses and pulling her hair back into a single braid with ease. She gave him one final wave before walking into the house and saying her farewells to Abby, then she was gone.
"Abby, do you have Princess Mel's number?" He called out.
"No reason," he answered, holding the pair of sneakers she'd left behind. He spent the rest of the night brainstorming a way to spin returning her shoes into an opportunity to see her again, just the two of them.
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