Deuce Spade: Seabreeze Cinderella
The new summer birthday boy color scheme makes me hungryโฆ I think of ๐ lemons ๐ and ๐ซ blueberries ๐ซ ๐คค
I apologize if this one seems a little rushed; I wrote this while hurriedly preparing for another trip + Iโm still dealing with recent events.
Like a single white rose in a field of red ones, Deuce stuck out like a sore thumb in that sewing room. Rifling through racks of jackets and boxes of jewelry, face affixed in awe. Heโs stumbled into a forest where the leaves are unknown fabrics and the fruits are pearlescent spheres on strings. A boy lost, like a newborn chick stumbling through life, unsure of which way was what.
You sighed, and decided you give him a nudge, peeling articles of clothing off the racks and handing them to Deuce. A periwinkle dress shirt, a white vest and slacks, pearls, a sheer lace blazerโฆ
โItโs like a magic spell,โ you told him. โCast it, and you can transform into an entirely new person. Delinquent to honors student. Worn-out soles to sparkling slippers.โ
The Deuce standing before the full-length mirror barely recognized himself. Eyes swollen with wide with surprise, he nervously fiddled with his lapels and adjusted his corsageโa piece styled to resemble jelly. Every bit as awkward and as earnest as he had been the first day youโd met.
โIโm not sure if this suits me,โ he sighed then. โIโm more comfortable with a pair of sneakers than dressy shoes.โ
You thought of a girl in glass heels, groggily flitting to you like the dregs of a dream otherwise long forgotten. Did she, too, stumble in them upon her first steps?
โIt might take you a while to break the new shoes in. How about we take a walk along the beach so you can get used to them?โ
He brightened instantly. โLet's! The sand puts up good resistance to shoes. It'd be great for power training."
And so he had been set loose on the world. Shading your eyes and casting them along the shoreline, you followed Deuce kicking up clouds of sand on his new soles. Wind blasting his face, his determined battle cry carrying across the sea.
The exercise seemed to energize him--by the time he sat down for dessert, his face was alight. So wild, so free. Unconfined.
He sparkles like those slippers from your dreams. Partly from sweat, partly from excitement. (You had helped him fix his hairโwhich he had slicked up for the occasionโpost-workout.
"Phew!โ Deuce huffs, retrieving a silver spoon laid out before him. โRunning always make me hungry. I canโt wait to dig in.โ
His brandy glass is bisected by a stripe of milk pudding, blue jelly cubes and sliced fruits swimming in a sea of soda. It looks like someone bottled the sea.
In goes the head of his spoon, scooping up a generous amount. Deuce inhales the whole bite, the ends of his mouth curling into a grin. He produces a muffled sound of satisfaction.
โMmmm! This is super refreshing. It hits the spot on a hot day.โ
โIโm glad you like it so much.โ
Deuce jolts in his seat, like it has suddenly occurred to him that he has made a faux pas. โGah, sorry! That was impolite, wasnโt it? Iโฆ I shouldโve waited for you to taste it first instead of charging ahead.โ
โI donโt mind. I wasnโt the one sprinting on the beach. You need to replenish your energy,โ you reply, shrugging. โDonโt worry about it.โ
โYou say that, butโฆ Arenโt you going to try your cider jelly? I feel bad eating by myself.โ
โIโm getting to it.โ You casually stir your dessert, the fruit and gelatinous cubes sloshing together along the inside of your glass. โI was just thinking...
โThose clothesโโ Your eyes flick up and down. โโthey suit you well. Very well, actually."
โD-Do they?โ He sits up straighter, and it reminds you of a golden retriever. Bright-eyed and eager to please. If Deuce had a tail, he would most certainly be wagging it. "Do you really think so?!"
โYeah. Took some time to get used to it, but you grew into them.โ You incline your head. โYouโre very handsome.โ
โHโ?!โ Deuce makes a noise like all the air has been forcibly sucked out of his lungs. โWh-What do you mean by that?!โ
โI mean exactly what I said,โ you say simply, as easily as one might go about telling someone else about your daily chores. โBut thatโs enough of that. Youโre hungry after your run, right? Weโd better pack away at the free all-you-can-eat dessert.โ
โH-Hey, you canโt just drop something like that and then move on from it!โ Deuce rises and slams both hands on the table. โYou can trust me with it! Honors studentโsโฆ uh, honor!โ
โMaybe when youโve matured a little more and the thoughtโs had more time to marinate.โ
His brows turn down, the peacock blue of his irises darkening, turning serious. Deuce collides a fist into an open palm. โGotcha! Watch me, then. Iโll mature so fast, you wonโt even know what hit you! Then youโll have to tell me.โ
You laugh softly. โAlright, itโs a promise.โ
Happy birthday, Deuce. Whether youโre in worn soles or brand-new glass onesโฆ Youโre always shining.
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