A soft sigh couldn't be suppressed as the King paced through the room.
This was the day that he'd invited the Queen of Ripple Star over to visit. It was a hasty invitation - one that he probably should have thought more about - but an invitation nonetheless. The two had become quite close after Dedede had helped with saving the planet from Dark Matter, and he visited her from time to time, but she had never been to Popstar herself. After finding out about this, the King had quickly decided to invite her over as a type of repayment for how often he went to visit her planet.
Thinking it over now, it may not have been the best idea to do so this underprepared.
"Your Majesty!" a voice called. Dedede turned to face the doorway, a familiar face peeking inside. Bandana Waddle Dee stood at the door, a bottle of some sort in his hand.
"Is she here already?" The King fretted, his heart suddenly in his throat. She wasn't s'posed to be here for a while now, why's she coming so soon?
"Oh, no, not yet," Bandana laughed. "I was wondering if you were ready to be prepared for her arrival?"
A relieved breath escaped his mouth, and the King nodded. "I almost forgot 'bout that."
He followed the Dee out of his room and into the throne room, taking a seat on the floor by a nearby chair. Bandana hopped up onto the seat, shook the bottle he was holding, and opened the cap.
"Do you want to change into something more, er . . . complementary, Great King?" the Waddle Dee asked, proceeding to spray water along the penguin's neck.
Dedede couldn't help but tense at the cold temperature of the liquid and slid his robe down his arms a bit to shield it from the water. "Like what?"
"Oh, a little addition, such as a necktie!" He stopped spraying and picked up a small comb, beginning to brush out the feathers that lined the King's shoulders and neck. Dedede tried to bear with the annoyance that arose at the touch.
"Just get me something that looks nice," the King muttered, glaring at the floor as Bandana continued preening. Once he was finished, the Dee jumped from the chair and ran off, soon returning with a bowtie and a fancy-looking hat.
"What's that s'posed to do?" King Dedede asked, grabbing the hat from Bandana's outstretched hand. He looked it over and noticed that it appeared to be a hat that he'd worn before. It was a top hat with a monocle attached to it. Utter perfection for the refined gentleman.
"I can't wear this," Dedede growled, tossing it onto the Dee's head. He crossed his arms and turned away, sighing deeply. "Why should I wear anything else than this anyway? I never change when I go to Ripple Star!"
Bandana made his way around the King, worriedly placing the hat on the floor. "I thought you might want to dress to impress, if you understand my meaning, King?"
Dedede blinked, looking down at the Dee, unable to muster up words for a moment. "Do you know?"
"Do I know what, Your Majesty?"
"Ah, nevermind," he muttered, both relieved and a bit more worried. "Lemme see if that tie fits me or not.
o~o~o~o
The time was drawing near to when the Queen would arrive, and King Dedede was in shambles. He'd ordered the Waddle Dees to clean up the castle a bit, and even though they'd been working at it for nearly an hour, he still felt as if something were missing. Bandana had been reassuring him not to worry, but he couldn't help but think he wasn't doing something quite right.
"King! Oh, King, I saw them on their way!"
Dedede turned to Bandana's voice. "Already? Where?"
"They are almost here, a bit far, but may arrive in a few minutes."
The King cussed under his breath. "Is there anything else we need'a do before she gets here?"
Bandana lifted a hand as if to say something but then shook his head with a small laugh. "Your Majesty, I think you are fully prepared! You don't have to worry about it this much!"
The King straightened the bowtie that rested underneath his chin - red, to match his clothing. "Right. What are you waiting for? Welcome her inside!"
Bandana nodded, turning and waddling over to the main entrance and ordering a few guard Dees to move out of the way. Dedede watched him for a few moments, then realized he should probably be walking alongside him and hurried to catch up.
"Don't' you think this might be a little weird?" he fretted. "It's just a stupid necktie, it ain't fancy."
"Great King!" Bandana suspired. "It's more than nothing, right? And I don't think she's going to get all dressed up and pretty, anyway. It's just a little get-together, King!"
"I'm sure she'll be pretty," the King muttered.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Did you say something, Great King?"
Did I say that out loud? "Nah, it was nothing." Dedede's mind raced for a chance to change the subject, embarrassment clouding his thoughts. He looked around the room, searching for something to comment on, but then an idea struck him. "Er- and Bandana? Stop calling me that. Just call me Dedede."
"Of course, Your Majesty!" The Dee started to nod, then paused, glancing at his feet as the two continued to walk down the hall. "I mean, um, Dedede."
The King smirked, patted his friend on the head, then looked up towards the castle entrance. Light shone through the open gate, and a soft, pinkish glow pulsed through the entryway. Dedede and Bandana continued to walk together, soon reaching the doorway, and that was when the King finally caught sight of the ship.
The ship had a yellow base, a white, dome-like glass top, and approximately 11 slowly spinning heart-shaped objects around the base. Dedede knew that for a fact; he'd ridden on the thing before, and it wasn't exactly an entertaining time. One could get bored pretty easily.
King Dedede blinked the thoughts away and made his way towards the ship, Bandana Waddle Dee already a ways ahead of him. The top of the ship lifted up, revealing the Queen, along with . . . Ribbon?
"Who said she could come along?" Dedede muttered through clenched teeth.
Bandana sent him a look, and the King made sure to shut his mouth.
"Hi! It's nice to see you, Dedede!" Ribbon waved an arm, then looked down at Bandana, who was standing near the edge of the ship. "Oh, you're here too!"
Bandana gave a smile. "Hello, Ribbon!"
Dedede watched the exchange, lost in thought. It wasn't until her voice broke the silence that he realized she was still waiting.
"Hello, King Dedede," Fairy Queen beamed.
Dedede turned to her, a sheepish grin creeping up upon his face. "Er, hey. D'ya like it here?"
The Queen's face turned to one of amusement. "I have hardly seen anything. But your castle does look nice from the outside."
His grin turned to a genuine smile. "Well, yeah, I gotta show you the good stuff in there. Here." The penguin offered her a hand, and she took it gingerly, stepping out of the ship. Once her feet touched the ground, he drew his hand away, averting his eyes and clearing his throat awkwardly. Ribbon flew out as well and dove close to the ground, hovering over Bandana.
"Is Kirby here?" she squeaked, fluttering in small circles around the Waddle Dee.
"He actually isn't right now. I think he's at his house. Do you want to go there?"
"Yes! I'd love to see Kirby again!" Ribbon's face turned to the Queen. "May I go with Bandana?"
Fairy Queen smiled at her, motioning with a sleeved hand towards the forest in the distance. "I don't mind at all, Ribbon."
The young fairy and the Dee quickly dashed off, leaving the King and the Queen to watch as they slowly disappeared down the hillside. Dedede, though hesitant for a moment, lifted a hand to take hers with. "Should we go inside, my Queen?"
She took his hand with her own, giving a small curtsey and a grin of delight. "Of course, my King." Her eyes trailed down to his neck. "You wear a bowtie now?"
Dedede shook his head, quickly bringing his hands up to fiddle with the thing. "Er, n-no, this isn't . . . It's nothing, I don't usually wear this. That'd be stupid." He tried to tug the thing off, but that only proved to make it tighter, resulting in him grimacing in embarrassment. "Just, uh, gimme a minute." He continued to tug at it, attempting to find a way to bring it over his head without hurting himself, but to no avail.
"I know how to take them off if you need some help," the Queen said, raising a sleeve.
"No, I got it," Dedede muttered. He - somehow - drew the strings up far enough to fit inside his mouth, then bit down as hard as he could. The strings snapped, the tie loosened, and he pulled the thing from his neck. Unfortunately, this had resulted in his precisely-brushed neck being fluffed up again, but he took no notice of it.
Fairy Queen blinked, looking from the bow strings to the King's face. "A waste of a tie, but very creative."
He let on a grin. "I can always just get a new one." Turning towards the castle, he glanced around, looking for a guard Dee but finding none. Instead, he turned back to the Queen, offering a hand yet again. "Okay, for real this time, wanna come inside?"
She, again, took his hand, and the two walked down the long corridor and into the throne room. The room was large and littered with Waddle Dees frantically scampering about; some holding platters, others holding washing utensils, and yet more holding nothing. Dedede glared at a few of the passing Dees, trying to make it clear that they weren't supposed to be in the room, and a few of them seemed to catch his point.
"There are so many Waddle Dees here. I had no idea there were these many citizens." The Queen observed the room, taking in the sight of the many Dees attempting to clean their things and remove themselves of the palace. One ended up tripping and spilling the items in its hands, to which she couldn't help but giggle at, covering her mouth with a sleeve to make it seem less offensive.
Dedede smirked, pleased to hear her laugh. "There's a lot more than just these ones. These are just the castle ones; there's a bunch more of 'em outside the castle, too."
"What makes Bandana so special compared to the others?"
"Psh, well, that's a long story. He's loyal, that's for sure. He also gives me advice on stuff sometimes. And he has some pretty nice spear skills; the kid can wreak havoc with that little thing." He tipped his head, turning to look at her instead of the Dee struggling to clean up what it spilled. "What makes Ribbon so special?"
The fairy smiled, narrowing her eyes and turning to the King. "Many reasons, like you said."
"And what reasons are those?"
"She is kind, helps out around the castle, delivers messages for me. . ."
"I think I've got the gist of it," Dedede sighed. The fake boredom in his voice made the Queen's smile widen, and he couldn't help but grin back. That was the moment he realized that their hands were still entwined, and he glanced downwards, an awkward feeling rising in his chest.
Her eyes turned to their hands as well, and her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "Oh, um, I'm sorry, I did not realize-"
"No, it's fine." He drew his hand away from hers, raising it instead to rub the side of his neck. "Uh, d'ya wanna take a tour around?"
The Queen proceeded to push her slightly-askew glasses farther up her face, nodding. "That would be nice."
"Right this way!" he exclaimed, pointing towards a new hall. Fairy Queen followed him as he walked down the corridor, pausing every few seconds to take in the tapestry that lined the walls.
Inwardly, King Dedede cursed himself. This is getting to be a lot more awkward than I thought. He glanced back at the fairy, who was busy observing a painting on the wall that Adeleine had drawn for him. Then again, we ain't really not awkward over at her place, either.
"Where is she these days?"
Dedede jumped, his thoughts fading. "Uh- who?"
"Oh, um, sorry. That artist . . . Ado, was it?"
"Adeleine?" He turned around, walking towards her to face the painting as well. "Ado's a real old nickname, I'm surprised you know about that. But yeah, she's still around, just not in the castle much. She likes the forest a lot more."
Fairy Queen nodded, a sleeved hand resting on her chin. She said nothing else, so Dedede decided to continue on his way through the hall. The two soon arrived at a stairway, which they both floated up quite easily - who needs walking when flying is an option? - and arrived at a new doorway. He pushed open the door and waved a hand to invite her inside, to which she gladly accepted, wandering into the room with Dedede following behind.
This new room was quite small but held another door on the far side. There was a large bed to the right, and what was supposedly a closet on the left, but not a speck of anything else was to be seen.
"Wanna go out on the balcony?" Dedede asked, pointing a finger at the door on the far side.
"All right."
He took the handle of the door and swung it open, walking out onto the balcony with the Queen following behind him. The balcony was almost as big as the room itself and looked out across Dream Land. The forest lay in the distance, with a steady line of smoke trailing from it. Most likely a fire from inside a small house or camp spot.
"This is a very pretty view," she commented, walking up to rest her hands on the balcony fence. Dedede walked up to stand by her as well, but kept his weight off the fence - there was no use in breaking it.
"It ain't always like this. This is one of the good days. Pretty similar to Ripple Star, huh?"
"It seems so." She paused, silence filling the air, before continuing. "I don't suppose your castle has been broken before?"
The King glanced back towards the outlook. "Uh, yeah, actually. It's been broken a few times. Those Waddle Dees sure know how to fix it up, though. Has yours?"
"Oh. No, it hasn't. Did you say multiple times? How?"
"Well, there's a bunch of things that ain't that cooperative when it comes to trying to take over the castle, y'know. . ."
"Ah."
He shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "But, I mean, it ain't like it doesn't get fixed. Why d'ya ask?"
The fairy shrugged. "I saw a few cracks along the walls. I assumed something must have happened, but I was not sure what."
"Huh."
Silence rang in the space between the two, and Dedede tried to think of something to fill in the awkwardness. It was always awkward; no matter how hard he tried to be normal and friendly to her, he couldn't bear the thought that she might someday see past that and into what he was really trying to say. His mind was fuzzy and he couldn't think well, but this only happened around her. He let out a sigh of frustration and ended up asking, "Do you want to have some tea?"
She turned to him shyly. "Of course. But it doesn't always have to be tea, Your Majesty."
Dedede tried not to frown at the title. "You don't have to call me that. Please, just . . . call me Dedede, 'kay?"
"Dedede." She smiled. "If I call you that, then you just call me Fairy."
"Fairy? But. . ." A questioning look lined the King's face, but he decided to shrug it off. "Alright. Fairy then." He waved a hand towards the still-open balcony door, taking a step towards it. "I'll go tell the Dees to bring some tea in here."
As he walked into the room and out to the hall, Dedede made sure to shut the door behind him. He called quietly for a Waddle Dee and ordered it to bring some tea and cookies into the room, then leaned against the wall of the castle with an annoyed growl of defeat. Why did it have to be so awkward? They'd known each other for a long time, but it was always like this, and the funny feeling in his chest didn't help at all when it came to trying to start a worthwhile conversation with her. He waited outside the room for a few moments, anticipating the Waddle Dee's return, but it felt like an eternity before the server came back.
"Here you are, Great King!" The Dee presented a platter of cookies and a pitcher of tea, along with two cups for pouring. Dedede grabbed the items eagerly and turned to the room, kicking it open and marching inside. He placed the items on the small bed, then looked up towards the balcony, the door still open. She was still standing outside, looking over the edge, leaning against the fence. It wasn't until she turned and saw him that Dedede realized he was staring, and quickly turned his head to face the platter of cookies instead.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were waiting," she muttered, quickly fluttering to his side. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but ended up motioning to the pitcher instead with a small wave of a hand. "Um . . . what type of tea is it?"
"Dunno, I just asked for tea."
"A Waddle Dee brought this?"
He smiled sheepishly. "Er, yeah, I don't really get stuff for myself 'round here."
Fairy laughed, placing a hand on his back. "How are you supposed to get anything done around here, Dedede?"
The touch felt so unnatural coming from her; it made him bristle and his thoughts escaped him. "Ah. Uh. I tell them to do . . . stuff. For me. I don't really do a lot besides order 'em around."
"You do help out a bit, though. Such as showing me around here. You didn't let a Waddle Dee do that for you. Neither did you let a Waddle Dee help my kingdom in your place."
Dedede couldn't help but grin as she recited the appreciations. "Of course not! I ain't gonna let some Dee show you 'round the castle. This place belongs to me, and I was the one who invited you here in the first place."
"I'm only teasing, Dedede."
"Yeah, I know." He reached for the pitcher of tea and brought a cup up to its lip, slowly pouring some inside. "You wanna sit?"
"Sure."
The King moved the platter and cup to the edge of the bed and took a seat himself, tossing some of the many pillows onto the floor to make it more comfortable. Once the Queen settled beside him, he handed her the teacup, which she gladly took. Soon enough, they were both holding cups of fresh tea, while a platter of cookies sat in between them as they leaned against the headboard.
Dedede took a sip of the tea, which he had to immediately draw away from his mouth due to the bitter taste. Flavorless, for sure.
"Is it no good?" Fairy asked, watching his facial expression change from pleased to disgusted.
Dedede shook his head, putting the cup down on the platter and taking a cookie instead. "It's not even flavored. What was that stupid Dee thinking?"
"Did you specify that you wanted it flavored?"
He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, shoving the cookie in his mouth out of embarrassment. Fairy Queen laughed softly, placing her cup on the platter as well, then brought a cookie up to her mouth.
"D'ya have a favorite kind of tea?" he asked quietly, attempting to change the subject. He hated making stupid mistakes, especially if it was in front of her, but watching her face turn from boredom to amusement was certainly a treat.
"I've never thought about it," she replied, glancing at the still-open door to the balcony. "I will drink anything, really. It doesn't matter much to me what flavor it is. As long as it isn't plain like you said, then it's fine. Green tea is good, I suppose . . ." Her words were cut off as she drew a hand to her face, covering it a bit. "S-sorry, I'm talking a lot. Do you have a favorite?"
Dedede blinked, searching for an answer. "I'm not that sure either." He almost continued, but stopped himself, anger filling his chest at his own selfishness. I should'a said she could talk for as long as she wanted. Now she's gonna think I wanna talk over her all the time. He muttered a curse under his breath, then proceeded to take some more cookies from the platter and stuff them into his mouth.
"Is something wrong?"
"Huh?"
"You said something under your breath, I'm not sure if. . . ?"
"Oh, nah, it's fine." He turned toward her and noticed the worry that was displayed on her face. "Er. I was just gonna say that . . . I don't really mind when you talk a lot. It's kinda cute." The embarrassment that filled his chest at that moment was humiliating; he could feel his cheeks burn at the words that had come out of his own mouth, and couldn't help but avert his eyes.
"Oh." The tone of the Queen's voice sounded confused, and it made Dedede want to hit himself on the back of the head. Of course, out of all times, he had to go ahead and ruin this conversation. It was his brilliant mind at work again, wasn't it?
"Thank you?"
He lifted his head to face her. "Uh, huh? Oh, erm, yeah." Stupid, stupid, say something else than that, stupid! "No problem. I mean, uh, go ahead." He couldn't think of an appropriate response, and his cheeks were still plenty on fire, but he still tried to hold her eye contact for as long as he could. He wasn't a coward after all.
A moment of silence ensued before Fairy Queen burst into a fit of laughter. Sweet laughter, full of amusement. "You are so kind," she said between giggles. "I do appreciate it, though. I hardly talk much when it comes to duties around the castle back at home, so this is . . . quite nice."
The King felt self-conscious then; he lifted a hand in an attempt to prove a point, change the subject, anything of the sort, but nothing could be thought up. So he just sat there, hand lifted in the air dumbly, as the Queen smiled at him, looking thoughtful.
"You aren't too bad looking yourself, either, my King," she commented, her voice quiet. She drew a sleeve up to cover her face again, and Dedede quickly glanced at the bed, his previously-raised hand now at his side. The room was silent once more, neither one willing to break it with an awkward word.
After a moment, Dedede was able to choke out a small "thanks" before burying his face into his hands. Why did I say that? Why did I have to blurt that out? I'm such an idiot!
A touch on his shoulder made him jump, and he peeked from behind a hand to see that Fairy Queen was much closer now - leaning into him, more like. "How long have you had feelings for me, Dedede?"
His heart rose to his throat, and he looked at her face, which was now relatively close to his own. "Am I that obvious?"
"I have known for quite a while now, if that is obvious enough."
The touch of her arm across his shoulders was nerve-wracking; his mind clouded with so many weird thoughts and his hands felt strangely warmer than usual. He could hardly muster up the courage to reply but eventually he was able to speak. "Didn't know I could be that stupid 'bout it."
Fairy sighed, but it wasn't a sigh of boredom. Moreso, an affectionate sigh, or it seemed so to Dedede. "You aren't stupid. Though I would have appreciated it if you had told me earlier." She paused, and the King nearly took this chance to speak for himself, but was cut off as the Queen continued. "I wasn't sure if the actions you performed were out of affection, or if they were just to set an example for your kingdom. It was confusing, and I wasn't sure if I should have said something about it, but-" She suddenly pulled away, drawing her hands towards herself. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't. . ."
"What? Shouldn't what?" Cold air was left where Dedede had previously felt warmth from her, and it pained him to see her look the way she did.
"I don't wish to make you uncomfortable with this."
"You ain't making me feel uncomfy at all!" he declared. "I do like you! I like you a lot, I just didn't know if you'd be mad at me for it." His voice faded to a whisper, and the quietness made him angry with himself. Weak. He was acting weak! The King mentally cursed himself for being such a coward in front of her; he should be able to say he held affection for her without making such a big deal of it.
"Mad at you?" Her face held confusion. She lifted a hand to adjust her glasses, glancing at the platter of half-eaten cookies that still lay on the bed. "Why would you think I would be angry with you?"
"I dunno. Just thought so." I've never had feelings for another person, how should I know what your reaction would be? "I didn't know if it'd make you not wanna hang around me anymore or something."
"Dedede. . ." Her voice became quieter, matching the tone of his. "I was afraid to tell you because I thought you would not wish for it. You seemed so reserved; a king who would rather have his kingdom in order and his needs met, than . . . a courter."
King Dedede thought about her words for a bit. Did he really come off as blatant as she said he did? He had never intended to be seen as unfriendly, or someone as selfish as she spoke of. Then again, he could recall many a time when he would have rather stayed on Popstar than gone to visit Ripple Star . . . but eventually he had gone, so perhaps he wasn't as selfish on the inside as he seemed?
"I don't wanna come off as stubborn," he sighed. "I didn't know it looked like that. I thought I was just being normal me, but I s'pose not. Sorry."
"No, don't apologize, it was my bad."
"Still, I could'a been more open with you back then too."
The Queen smiled, but very softly, and carefully moved her way closer to the penguin, offering a hand. "You have the chance now, my King."
He lifted a hand to rub the side of his neck, feeling diffident. "I guess so." In his other hand, he took hers, but couldn't hold her eye contact for more than a second without the funny feeling in his chest threatening to suffocate him. He felt like he was supposed to say something, but nothing came to mind, so he just relished the silence that hung in the air as the two sat on the bed, fingers entwined. They sat there for quite a while, the minutes ticking by. The awkward position of holding hands in silence was enough to let Dedede's mind wander, along with his eyes, and eventually he ended up scooping the rest of the cookies from the plate into his mouth.
"Is that your favorite snack?" Fairy asked.
Dedede shrugged, glancing around the room. "Sorta." He looked at nearly every nook and crevice that littered the small space, but never once let his eyes rest on the fairy's face. The fact that his assumed 'confession' had been snatched out of his mouth by the one he was supposed to confess to was discomfiting enough; looking her in the eye would most likely end up in him saying something even more ridiculous, and he wasn't prepared for that.
"You are a lot more bashful than I previously thought of you as," Fairy Queen murmured, a playful smile appearing on her face. "I never would have thought that the tough King of Dream Land could become this flustered."
Dedede opened his mouth to retort an answer, but then remembered that this was Fairy Queen - the person he was supposed to have feelings for - and stopped himself. "I ain't all I seem all the time," he grumbled, turning his face to the opposite side of the room. "I didn't know you were so touchy, either."
He felt her hand suddenly full away, and turned to look at her again, noticing a small, hurt frown on her face. "I'm sorry. If you don't like it, I don't-"
"No, no! I didn't mean - it's not that I don't like it!" The King fiddled with a sleeve of his robe, searching for words. "I like to, er, hold your hand. And hug you. And stuff." He growled in annoyance at how stupid he sounded. "I do. I don't wanna offend you . . . I'm sorry." Muttering the last word was difficult. It was so unnatural. The King of Dream Land, apologizing? It was strange for anyone to hear, not only himself. And the fact that he'd said it multiple times already was even more strenuous.
Fairy Queen sighed, her frown gone. "I don't wish to make you uncomfortable, is all. I'm sorry."
"Naw, don't say that, you ain't making me uncomfy at all." It's just me being stupid, he told himself silently. It ain't her fault at all. She shouldn't have to feel bad about me blabbering like a dolt.
"I'm glad that isn't the case," she murmured.
Dedede tried to hold her eye, but after a few seconds, he had to glance away, rubbing his neck and feeling his face grow warm yet again. His thoughts trailed back to what he'd said before, and feeling daring, the penguin turned back to the Queen and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. This earned a surprised noise from the fairy, her hands shooting up in defense, but then happily reaching out to hug him back. The King could feel her cold glasses against his warm plumage, which meant her face was very near his own, and which also meant his mind spun from how much limerence clouded it. Holding his arms around her as she, too, held her own around him, was a mere fantasy he used to think about when he looked at her; the feeling was nice, but also made him feel dizzy. Dizzy out of adoration.
A muffled squeak and struggle from the Queen snapped him out of it immediately.
The King released her from the hug with a yelp. "Ah, geez, sorry! I didn't realize . . ." His words trailed to a stop as he noticed how messed up both her hair and glasses had become, and he couldn't suppress the smirk of amusement that played from his mouth. Cute.
"Your hugs are very tight," she laughed awkwardly, attempting to straighten her specs. "And quite warm. But you are always warm." She grinned, both sleeved hands up to cover her face a bit.
"About that." The penguin raised a hand towards her face, but hesitated. "Uh, your hair's a bit messed up in the front there."
"Oh, that's alright," she said quickly, as if it were a normal problem. "It does that sometimes."
Dedede beamed, brushing at her bangs with a hand and fluffing them back into place. Just as he was about to draw his hand away, a knock sounded at the door.
"Your Majesty!" A Waddle Dee's voice sounded from behind the door, the doorknob slowly twisting open to reveal Bandana. "Oh, thank goodness, we've been looking for you! I was deathly worried that you and the Queen might be. . ." A terrified expression arose on the Dee's face. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt! Um, is there anything I can do for you?"
Dedede sent him a look of annoyance. "Yeah, sure. Take the cup of tea and this thing." He lifted the previously-cookie ridden platter and cups to hand to Bandana, who took them gleefully.
"Of course, King Dedede!" he said, starting to waddle towards the door. "Oh, my Queen, Ribbon is also waiting outside for you to return! She wanted to let you know that she is ready to leave when you are."
"Oh, dear," the Queen whispered. "Right. Thank you, Bandana."
The Dee nodded, turning and walking out the door, supposedly into the kitchen to return the tableware.
"I really should be going by now," Fairy Queen fretted, sliding off the bed and dusting off her dress. "I was supposed to be back at around this time, I think."
"Yeah," Dedede muttered. "I'll show you the way back."
He took her hand, this time less timid, and led her back down the stairway, through the halls, and to the entrance. The ship from Ripple Star still lay there, and Ribbon fluttered above it, holding a piece of paper in her hands. When King Dedede and Fairy Queen turned the corner, her eyes lit up, and she flew over to the Queen eagerly.
"My Queen!" she said happily. "I had a great time with Kirby! He drew this for me!" The young fairy raised the paper she held into the air, turning it around for the two to see. It was a crudely drawn image of Ribbon and Kirby, which looked as if it were depicting them to be holding hands.
"That looks nice, Ribbon," the Queen commented with a soft smile. "You are ready to go, right?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Thank you." Fairy turned back to the penguin King. "I will see you soon, then?"
"At Ripple Star?" he blurted out. "Since it's a lot better there for you and all that."
Her smile widened. "If that would be fine with you."
He nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that'd be great."
The Queen nodded, glancing at Ribbon, then back to the King. "I will see you then, Dedede." With little hesitation and help from her wings, she planted a small kiss on the penguin's cheek, then turned and flew into the ship where a happy Ribbon fluttered, staring and smiling at the two.
It took a moment for him to regain his senses, but once he did, Dedede wasn't even sure what to do them. He looked from the stupidly-grinning Ribbon, to Bandana who was standing nearby, then back to Fairy Queen, who held two hands over her face to cover the blush that flooded her cheeks. It was like he was stunned, but he could also think very clearly. The funny feeling that filled his chest definitely didn't help with the fact that he was trying not to make a show of how happy the peck had made him feel.
"Bye!" Bandana called, waving at the now-rising ship. "See you guys soon!"
King Dedede, who hadn't noticed the ship taking off, started to wave as well, a grin just as stupid as Ribbon's displayed on his own face. The ship soon disappeared into the distance, which prompted the King to stop waving, instead drawing a hand up to his cheek.
"Great King!" Bandana Waddle Dee turned to the penguin, his features displaying a happy look. "Are you courting the Queen?"
Dedede looked down at the Dee, his stubborn embarrassment taking over his previously dumbfounded demeanor. "Psh. 'Course I ain't. I dunno what that was for."
The Dee sent him a sly grin. "Are you sure, King Dedede? I feel like I've only seen your face become that happy around her."
"Aw, shush it, Bandana," he scolded, patting the Waddle Dee on the head. "Just don't tell anyone 'bout it."
Bandana nodded, saluting with a small hand. "Of course, my King. Not a word." He tipped his head, a curiously happy expression rising to his eyes. "Though I must say, you two do look quite cute together."