#deuce drabble

Deuce never got nervous. Never, ever. But as he sat there, waiting for you at the park, he could feel butterflies start to flap in his stomach. 

He had no idea why he was so nervous. You were coming. You said you were coming. So he should be totally, one hundred percent fine. But he couldn’t help but not feel fine. Besides, it wasn’t every day you were about to tell your best friend since forever, girlfriend for the past few months that you loved her. Of course he would be nervous.

But Deuce never got nervous. So he wasn’t nervous. At least that’s what he kept telling himself.

Checking his phone again, you still hadn’t texted him with any changes to your plans to meet him at the park. So what was taking you so long? Why was he so worried about you? Why couldn’t he just snap his fingers and have you appear right before his eyes? Just where were you?

“HEY!” Your voice and your hand on his shoulder caused Deuce to almost jump out of his skin. He was just about to call you again and here you are.

“O-oh. Hey Y/n.” He smiled, trying to get his racing heart under control. But it was all for naught as you laughed that pretty laugh he loved so much.

“Hi Deuce. Sorry for scaring you.” You continued to laugh. “But I saw you sitting over here and I saw my opportunity and I just had to take it, you know?”

He nodded, rolling his eyes. “I’m sure you just had to.”

You nudged his shoulder. “Oh c’mon, like you wouldn’t do the same to me.”

“I-” He paused. “Fair point but still!”

Shaking your head, you took his hand and smiled. All he could do was smile back. “Are you ready?”

Was he ready? Was he ready to finally tell you the three little words that changed everything? Not that that didn’t already happen when he asked you to be his girlfriend, but still. He wasn’t sure he was ready to tell you how much he loved you and how much you meant to him.

“I’m ready.”

And with that, your date began.

A date at the park had been your idea. You wanted to spend time outside and stay active with Deuce without going overboard. Besides, this park was where your relationship began. The playground was where you first met Deuce and the pond nearby was where he told you he wanted to be your boyfriend. None of that was lost on Deuce. It was like you knew he was going to tell you he loved you today and that’s why you picked this specific park. The idea alone sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach, but he kept it hidden. Today was going to be perfect, he made sure of it.

And it was. After the two of you walked around the pond, you spent a little time playing on the playground. It felt like you were little kids all over again. Those happy memories lived on in your date and it made him happy to share it with you. You still had the same smile and laugh that he liked even when he was younger. He fell in love with you all over again.

If only he could tell you.

As the sun started to set, the two of you were lazily swinging together on the swing set, your hands interlaced together. The atmosphere had changed from childish fun to sweet and romantic. He knew time was getting closer to the perfect moment to tell you how much he loved you. But he still wasn’t sure he could do it.

“I had an amazing time with you today, Deuce.” You said, staring at the sky painted in red and orange as the day was coming to an end.

With the way you spoke, it also sounded like you were ready for the date to be over as well. He needed to tell you now or never. “Yeah, I did too.”

“Good I’m glad. We should do it again sometime.”

“Yeah, we should.”

You looked over at him with a sweet smile. “I always enjoy spending time with you, you know?”

Something about the way you said it made his heart flip in his chest. “Yeah, me too. You’re my favorite person to hang out with.”

“I love you, Deuce.”

There it was. The three little words he had been terrified of saying this whole time. And you just said them like it was nothing. He couldn’t believe it. 

“Are, are you sure?”

You laughed instead of getting offended. “I’m pretty sure I love you. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it. But if you think it’s too soon-”

“No! I mean it’s not too soon,” he explained. “I’ve been trying so hard to find a way to say the exact same thing to you all day.”

Again, you laughed. “Oh, Deuce, leave it to you to make things more complicated than it needs to be. I love you and you love me and that’s all I need to know.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well, I love you.”

Deuce was panicking. Usually, he had a clear head and knew what he was doing. Or at least that's what he thought. But when it came to you, all those rational thoughts seemed to fly out the window. To understand Deuce’s predicament, we need to go back two weeks.

You see, Deuce was also panicking two weeks ago. He was watching you walk home all by yourself from what he considered a safe distance. He had the biggest, and I mean the BIGGEST, crush on you. But he was way too scared to tell you. Not only because he was afraid of your answer, but also because he was a delinquent, a hoodlum. Someone who wasn’t worthy of your time or attention. You were perfect and he wasn’t. So he kept you safe and watched from a distance. That was all he could do.

But for some reason, that day was different. You were walking home when you stopped halfway there. Deuce had to scramble to find a hiding spot so you didn’t see him as you looked around. His breathing quickened and the panic set in. If his friends saw him now, he’d be embarrassed for the rest of his life.

“Hello?” You had called out. “Are you going to come out or am I going to have to find you? I’ll have you know I’m pretty good at playing hide and seek.”

Despite his anxiety screaming at him not to go out to face you, Deuce stepped out of his hiding place. He was surprised when you lit up upon seeing him, while his expression didn’t change.

“Oh, Deuce! It’s you! I was wondering if you were the stalker who followed me everyday. Glad to know I was right.” You laughed to yourself. “So are you going to tell me what you want to talk to me about? Considering you were following me, that is.”

He was confused. He didn’t think there was anything for him to talk to you about. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t all that interesting.

When he didn’t say anything, you continued to speak. “Alright then, I’ll ask. Would you like to go to the arcade with me some time? I think it’ll be fun and then I can get to know you more!”

That was definitely not what he was anticipating. But he had agreed and you gave him your phone number. You told him to meet you there two weeks from now, as you were busy next week. When he had gotten home, he told the rest of Heartslabyul what had happened. Of course, they freaked and fussed about the date for two weeks. The day of, they all made sure he was ready to go have the best time of his life with you.

And he did. You were just as vibrant and wonderful as Deuce had imagined. His crush on you had only intensified as the minutes passed. After playing for three hours, you both went to a nearby diner for some fast food. He tried to pay, but you insisted on splitting the bill. While you both ate, you continued to talk and laugh, and he fell even more in love with everything about you.

But now it was time to walk you home. He knew the way, as he had followed you for a long time. However, this time was different. He was going to take you to your door, and then what? Did you want him to kiss you? Did you want a hug? A handshake? Did you want him to just leave? He had no idea how to end a first date with the person of your dreams. If only he had some instruction on how to properly handle this part of the date.

As you both walked, Deuce flinched as his knuckles brushed against yours. He didn’t intend to do that! Now you probably hated him and were uncomfortable around him. He went to place his hand on his arm when you stopped him.

Carefully and gently, your hand found his and your fingers intertwined.

Deuce’s panic increased tenfold. Was his hand too sweaty, betraying his anxiety? Were his fingers too long? Was his palm too rough? Were you doing this out of pity or something and you were hoping to get home faster so you could take your hand out of his, even though he thought it fit perfectly?

While he pondered those thoughts, he didn’t realize how close you were to your home until you were at the door. Deuce had never been more nervous in all his life until this very moment. He’d rather be fighting five hundred men by himself with one arm tied behind his back instead of right here. What to do, what to do, what to do-

Your smile blinded him and rendered him thoughtless. “I had an amazing time this afternoon, Deuce. We should totally do this again! I’ll let you pick where we go. I’m sure you know some really cool places.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Stupid.

“Well, I guess this is a good night, though I wish it wasn’t.” You sighed before wrapping your arms around him. He was effectively a statue for a few long seconds. Then he hugged you back. You whispered in his ear, “Text me some time, please. I love talking to you. I’ll see you next time.”

When you were back in your house, Deuce stayed out there, buzzing from what had transpired. While his mind was practically blank, one thought kept screaming in his hand: