King took some deep breaths before he left Card Castle. Peace of mind. Everything will be alright… or, rather, everything is alright.

Today, two months after the most recent royal funeral in the Cyber World, was King's first date with his crush, Queen, and he had never known real love before, so he felt quite nervous, if you already somewhat noticed.

The two had been on the telephone merely 2 days ago when Queen suggested a date, with which the young monarch reluctantly agreed, as he wasn't a big fan of the public world himself.

The King of Diamonds had overheard the hour-long telephone call, much to the Spade King's dismay, and he gave him permission to go out, but under a few very specific conditions, which didn't just include being home before nightfall.

Underneath his long, black cape, King wore a little teardrop-shaped charm around his neck, with which he could safely travel and, if necessary, remain in the Cyber World. He wore said charm more often, including at the previous Cyber Queen's funeral.

The charm itself was coloured off-white, similar to milky quartz, and nearly as small as the average olive. It radiated a mysterious yet very trustworthy and warming glow, like a guardian angel of sorts.

You can do this, King thought to himself. You got this. You're okay. Your eyes are normal. You have a working head. Nothing's on fire or made of concrete or something stupid…

He then walked further at a quicker pace due to still being a little nervous, and when he reached the end of Scarlet Forest, opened the warp door there, pictured Queen's Mansion in his mind and closed his eyes as he stepped through the door frame.

3, 2, 1…

Next thing he knew, the young monarch found himself in the hallway of Queen's Mansion.

The atmosphere was fairly lively at the moment. One could hear Darkners talking, the sound of expensive glasses and cutlery nearby, and the gentle notes of a grand piano in the background… wasn't that the Eastern Light World Dance by W.A. Mauszart? It sounded pretty energetic for something played on a grand piano.

Oh, and there was Queen's nervous yet easily recognisable laughter from the first floor somewhere, too.

King looked at the direction from whence the laughter came, and couldn't help but chuckle softly himself, too. Metaphorical bugs started crawling and fluttering around in his stomach, and the mouth on his stomach whisper-babbled a little out of nervousness.

Those jittery feelings only increased when the sound of clicking heels also increased through the halls. And this wasn't just the regular clicking sound either, it was a unique one, and its pitch was a little on the low side, for those came from high-heeled boots.

"Ah Hello Kingy Wingy!" Queen then exclaimed once she saw her crush stand in the hallway, "You're There!" She somewhat ran off of the stairs, her core quickly beating in excitement.

"Queen!" King simply brought out as both of his mouths started smiling widely in equal excitement.

The two then greeted one another with a great big hug, just what they both needed.

"Aww, isn't that sweet…?" a nearby Swatchling dressed in red whispered.

"Miguel!" another Swatchling dressed in yellow whisper-yelled. "You want those two to be the hot topic of gossip?!"

"I'm sorry, Bowen, I'm afraid I just got carried away there…" Miguel had his head hung low and pouted a little. He hated being called out like that.

Miguel and Bowen belonged to a group of five close friends who would always keep a secret eye on any couple that visited or partly, if not fully, belonged to Queen's Mansion. The other three Swatchlings of that group were Lemmy, who was dressed in orange; Fabio, who was dressed in green; and Mardi, who was dressed in blue. Among them, gossip would occasionally stir up regarding the couples they'd keep their eyes on, but that mostly represented nothing, really.

"H-how have you been?" the King of Spades asked.

"I've Been: Alright" Queen replied, "But Being Queen Isn't Easy You Know. Now How Have You Been?"

"P-pretty good, I guess?"

"Come On Now Don't Be Shy…!"

"Y-you're making me b-b-blush…!"

"We Should Definitely Take This To Dad's Café Kingy Wingy."

"Alright, if y-you say so… I m-mean…"

And with that, the two made their way towards the Colour Café, which was just near where they stood in the hallway.

"Good day, you two" Rolek, who stood at the main counter, greeted Queen and King. "Ah, if it isn't my sweet Queen's new boyfriend, the King of Spades…!"

"Dad Please Stop Embarrassing Me! Where Is The Best Spot For Us To Sit?"

"I'm terribly sorry, sweetheart, I guess I got a little too carried away there. Anyhoo, how does that little table in the corner sound?"

"Just Perfect."

"Alrighty, then please follow me." Rolek briefly got away from the counter to escort his stepdaughter and her crush towards the assigned table, even pulling the chairs back for them so they could sit down. "There you are. Please make yourselves comfortable. One of the others will get your drinks soon." And with that, he went back to his counter.

King was nervous and didn't dare to speak, except for the chuckles that he couldn't help whenever he looked Queen in her eyes, of which her visor occasionally showed two beating heart emotes. It was obvious that she, too, was pretty nervous about her first date.

"So, um…" King started. "Am… am I your, um… f-first boyfriend? Or is th-that… a… you know… a r-rude question?"

"Oh Yes You Definitely Are" Queen replied, "I've Never Been In Love Before Simply Because All Of The Other Men I Met So Far Were: Smug Annoying Ugh."

"I see, so, um, I'm n-not any of that to you, I p-presume?"

"Ha Ha Ha Of Course Not Why Would I Think That?" Queen's visor showed the text 'LMAO' at the same time.

"Say, if I h-happen to ask dumb q-questions, just, um, t-tell me about it, so I c-can try to stop asking th-those…!"

"So Far You Haven't Asked: Dumb Questions, But Alright It's A Deal."

"If, um, y-you didn't want to b-become a queen… th-then what would you be?"

"That's A Tricky One."

"Wh-when I turned 18, I d-didn't sign up to suddenly b-become a k-king after my f-father either… I was j-just your average everyday g-guy back in the olden d-days… but if I had t-to choose? A servant, or a l-lawyer, I think?"

"Ooh That Sounds Pretty Nice."

Some silence briefly lingered between the two, paired with Queen's visor showing the text 'processing…' for approximately half a minute, but as soon as Queen almost knew her answer to King's question, one of the many Swatchlings came towards them.

"Ah Hello Mardi How Are You Doing On This Amazing Day?"

"Hello to you too, my Queen" Mardi replied. "Me, I'm doing pretty good, can't complain. Could I offer you and your friend a drink, perhaps?"

"He's Not: My Friend, But I Have One Request." Queen leaned towards Mardi's ear to whisper. "Could I Please Have: Battery Acid (Ages 3 And Up)?"

"I'm sorry, my Queen, but you know I can't serve that to you yet until 2 years from now. I do happen to have a substitute, if you still want something in that way?"

"A Substitute You Say? Make That Two Please As One Of Those Is For: The King Of Spades."

"Alright, two glasses of substitute battery acid, coming right up. Would you like to take a gander at the menu as well?"

"Oh Yes Please."

"I'll let one of the others know to bring the menu cards while I prepare the drinks. Enjoy your time here." And with that, Mardi went off to the bar to prepare the drinks he was about to make.

King had burst out in laughter in the meantime.

"Battery acid…!" he laughed. "What a silly drink! Who invented that?!"

"I Have No Idea" Queen replied, "But Back In The Day Mum Loved It A Little Too Much. She'd Spend So Many Days Drinking Gallons Of It And Subsequently Telling Me And Swatch That It's Highly Addictive And Thus We Shouldn't Have Any Of It."

"So kind of like gin or vodka? The King of Clubs is highly addicted to that instead, no wonder he's considered the most incompetent by the Card Castle peers."

"Basically Yes, Except For The Fact That Battery Acid Can Also Be Used As An Ingredient In Dishes Like Pie To Name One Very Important Example."

"Battery acid pie, huh? It looks so weird when I try to picture it… the top layer seems to be the same colour as the tin. Or am I wrong?"

"You Most Certainly Are: Wrong. Battery Acid Pie Is Green Like Fabio's Clothes."

"Who is Fabio?"

"Whoops Forgot To Mention That Fabio Is: One Of The Swatchlings Who Lives In My Mansion. He's A Party Boy Archetype And More Energetic Than: Me. Ah Look Who's There!"

Fabio, the aforementioned Swatchling in green, came towards Queen and King's table with two menu cards, which he handed to them each.

"Someone just mention me?" he said.

"Thank You Kindly. Yes I Just Accidentally Mentioned You While Explaining To Kingy Wingy What Colour Battery Acid Is." Queen, her visor showing the text 'true', then held her hand out towards King. "Fabio This Is: The King Of Spades. Kingy Wingy This Is: Fabio."

"Nice to meet you, my good gentleman."

"G-good day…" King shyly said.

"You're the guy who fell in love with our Queen recently, aren't you?"

"Um, y-yes…?!" The spadeling was left blushing all over.

"Oh dear, I didn't mean to embarrass you, my sincere apologies for that. Is it a good idea if I leave the two of you be until you know what foods you want?"

"Okay…"

"Have a good time, you two." With a deep, sincere bow, Fabio casually went off.

King carefully folded his menu card open and started reading the choices.

"Alright, what shall I have…?" he mumbled. "Not much to choose from, if I may be honest…"

"I Already Made My Choice" Queen said. "I'll Have The Spaghetti Code. Oh And BTW All The Food Is On: Me."

"Spaghetti code, you say? That seems very interesting. Mind if I have it, too?"

"I'll Ask For A Big Shared Plate In That Case. Trust Me That Stuff Is: Divine."

"I've had many kinds of spaghetti before, from primavera to bolognese, and from alla genovese to the favourite of everyone at Card Castle: carbonara."

"Spaghetti Code Is A Secret Family Recipe From Dad That His Own Grandfather Came With Or So He Told Me."

"Ooh, you got me curious…!"

Queen giggled as she somewhat tickled King's chin with her index finger, making him blush all over.

A few seconds later, Mardi arrived with the drinks, which he carefully placed from his tray onto the table.

"There you go" he said, "substitute battery acid. Do you two know what you'd like to eat, too? I'll tell Fabio about it so he can prepare it."

"Sure We Do." The young cyber monarch closed her menu card, and her crush followed suit. "Oh And Just So You Know We're Having The Spaghetti Code Of Which Fabio Doesn't Know The Recipe Silly Mardi."

"Ah, so you're taking the secret family recipe? Thank you for letting me know, I'll tell Rolek to prepare it instead." Mardi then looked at King after swiftly having written the order down. "You'd better prepare yourself for one of the ultimate flavour sensations, my good gentleman…! One bite and you'll never want any other type of pasta again…!" He laughed heartily before taking the menu cards back and leaving.

"He's Not Even Kidding Kingy Wingy That Spaghetti Code Will Be One Of The Best Pastas You've Ever Had Ha Ha Ha." Queen was laughing heartily, with her visor showing the text 'LMAO' once again.

"You seem to live in one of the biggest funhouses in the entire Dark World" King said, "but that's just my personal opinion, don't pay too much attention to it. I mean, those foods and recipes are even beyond the King's comprehension…!" He took a tiny sip of his drink, smacked his lips for a bit and smiled. "This is pretty good stuff for substitute battery acid!"

"Wanna Know A Secret? It's: Slurm. Equally Highly Addictive." The young cyber monarch's visor showed the text 'true' while she spoke.

"I never heard of that before, but it's indeed quite nice! Do you or someone else happen to know how actual battery acid tastes?"

"Unfortunately No, But My Mother Always Told Me It Tastes Sweet And Sour Like: Sugary Lemons And Limes."

"Refreshing on hot days, huh? I should go here more often."

"Or I Should Buy You Many Of These If You're A Big Fan Anyway."

"That many as a first and big gift?"

"I Mean Why Not?"

"Only if I can share them with the others at Card Castle, since it'll be very likely that they'll become curious at what I'll get."

"That's A Deal."

Queen and King were found shaking hands for a bit, subsequently leaving them blushing and laughing heartily when some of the nearby restaurant guests' eyes were aimed at them.

It took about half an hour for Rolek to prepare the aforementioned big plate of Spaghetti Code for Queen and King.

By the time it was almost done, Mardi came by their table again and noticed that both of the drinking glasses were now empty.

"Shall I pour the two of you a second serving of substitute battery acid?" Mardi asked.

"Yes Please" Queen replied.

"Pretty please, good sir" King said.

"Wouldn't want to eat your lunch without a drink, huh?" The Swatchling in blue briefly went off to the bar to fetch the next soda bottles, which he opened and poured into the glasses back at the table. "There you are."

"Thank you very much."

"Thanks Mar Sweetheart You're A Lifesaver."

"If the two of you need another serving, please feel free to let me know anytime. Enjoy your food in advance… and, of course, your time together." Mardi briefly winked and smiled at the two crushes before going back to the bar to wipe some glasses clean.

A few seconds afterwards, Rolek returned from the kitchen, carrying a large cloche tray in his left arm, from which two large napkins also hung.

"There you guys go" Rolek said as he carefully placed the tray and the napkins onto the table. "A pretty popular secret family recipe of mine." He then removed the cloche from the tray, revealing its contents, as well as two sets of silver cutlery.

The spaghetti, which looked more like tagliatelle or linguini in my honest opinion, was topped with a strange yet appealing red sauce (which, by the way, tasted sweet), little green ones and zeroes, and many colourful macarons.

"Thanks Dad" Queen said with an excited smile and her visor showing the text 'nice'.

"Thank you very much, sir" King said. "My, my, that looks very dignified and crafty…! It even radiates a good taste…!"

"I hope the two of you enjoy this. The secret ingredient? Love, of course, because all of our home-made food is made with love." Rolek patted King's head with a friendly smile, then Queen's, and then he went back to his counter.

"Well, enjoy, I guess."

"Oh I Definitely Will! Bone Apple Teeth To You Kingy Wingy."

The spadeling burst out in laughter before grabbing his cutlery and taking his first spoonful of pasta.

Queen, for a queen, ate her side of the dish fairly greedily, yet still a tad on the slow side for she wanted to enjoy her (step)family's best secret pasta recipe in the entire Dark World.

King carefully took his first bite under Queen's watchful eye.

Hmm… the pasta was nice and smooth with just the perfect amount of butter. The sauce tasted like… mystery with a slight hint of red fruits? Pretty good, in any case, as tasted the little ones and zeroes that appeared to be made out of green apple skins. As for that one macaron? This one's taste matched this whole dish just perfectly. Would the others taste the same way?

"Mmm! Goodneth, thith ith amazthing!" The young card monarch was smiling all over from both of his mouths, with his primary one still being full.

"It's Yummy Stuff Huh?" Queen said with a smile before taking her next mouthful. "Told You!" Her visor showed the text 'true'.

"This is highly addictive, man! On to the next bite!"

The two young crushes continued eating, continuously smiling as they did. Most of the bites were very big, yet taken slow and ending up with their mouths being dabbed with their napkins, since they were both still monarchs with standards.

They did come to their last respective bite within no time, however, but very little did they know that one of those strings of spaghetti was connected to those two last bunches.

At the same time, Swatch happened to come inside and lean their arm on the counter where their father was.

"Hi, Dad" Swatch said. "Not very busy today, is it?"

"It's a weekday noon, dear" Rolek chuckled, "that's never busy."

"Could I help you with anything nonetheless?"

"Not today either, Swatch. Fabio and Mardi already have their hands full on almost nothing, and Georden and Jerome get to relax in the kitchen as well."

"Not even with counting the money in the cash register?"

"We already did that yesterday, but there's not much in there right now."

"That's unfortunate to hear, but whatever might come, I'll be happy to help." Then suddenly, something in one of the corners caught Swatch's attention.

King and Queen, who apparently noticed that their mouths shared one string of spaghetti, were giggling heartily towards one another, knowing what'd come soon.

"Oh Yes We Shall" Queen giggled without even having awaited a question at first.

King, still laughing nervously, then started sucking the string of pasta pretty enthusiastically… a little too enthusiastically, maybe, since it frantically snapped due to an intense pulling sensation soon after.

"Ah! I d-didn't mean to…!"

The young cyber monarch started laughing even harder, her visor seemingly showing the text 'LMAO' even brighter than it usually did.

"If You Didn't Want To Kiss You Could've Just Told Me! Ha Ha Ha!"

"Maybe it w-was the nervousness…!" King was now laughing as hard as his crush. "Of c-course I'd like… a… um… a kiss…? Oh my gosh did I actually say that?!" He put both his hands in front of his mouth and blushed deeply.

"Only If You Want To Of Course. I Won't Just: Kiss You."

King shyly dabbed his mouth with his handkerchief, downed all of the substitute battery acid he still had, and slowly shuffled his chair towards the other side of the round table.

Next up, he grabbed Queen's hand very gently, focused on her left cheek, and slowly planted one of the tiniest kisses there that one could ever imagine.

Queen herself immediately blushed all over, her cheeks having turned as red as cherries in the process. She did smile widely, though, as she was very happy with this gesture.

"Oh my gosh…!" Swatch squeaked in the distance, still trying to hold a typical Swatchling scream back. "Sh… she just got kissed by the King of Spades…! D-did you see that, Dad?"

Rolek was speechless. He just stood there with his mouth agape and his eyes quite widened. His very own stepdaughter just received her first kiss from someone that wasn't him or her (late) mother…!

"I…" King quietly said in the meantime. "I l-love you, Queen… I do…!"

"Aww I Love You Too" Queen said in a sweet tone, her visor showing two large heart icons. "That Was Very Sweet Of You To Have Done That." She kissed King right back on his forehead, making him blush just as much.

"I en-enjoyed spending the n-noon with you… hopefully, w-we'll experience more l-like this in the f-f-future…"

"Aww Aren't You Sweet? You Just Read: My Thoughts. I Want To Be With You More Often Too."

"Y-you should definitely come t-to my place next t-time… unless, of course, y-you don't want to, th-then that's okay t-too…!"

"Ha Ha Of Course I Do! Why Should I Not Be Curious About: Your Home?" Queen slowly drained all of her substitute battery acid. "This Was The Best Lunch I've Ever Had Overall Because You Were There."

Swatch soon came towards the table to take the now empty metal tray and used cutlery away to the dishwashing area, finally having found at least something to do to help their father out.

"Thanks A Bunch Swatchy Watchy You're A Helpful Sibling."

"No problem at all" Swatch said. "Glad to see you having a good time, I somewhat missed that, to be frank."

"Who Didn't?" Queen then got up and helped King up as well. "I'll Pay For: Our Food. It's My Treat."

"Thank you very much" King said with a kind smile. "You're the most generous lady I've ever met."

"Aw Thanks."

After the financial deed was officially done, it was time for the young card monarch to return to Card Castle, unfortunately.

Queen was as sweet to escort her crush to the warp door, but it didn't end there just yet.

"I Still Owe You One Kingy Wingy…!" she giggled as she took King in her grasp, their faces meeting closely.

"Hey, m-me too…!" King chuckled, finally having gained the courage to do what he secretly desired for so much longer.

Without any hesitation, both of the pairs of lips finally met. Softly, tenderly, and carefully, like butterfly wings.

It started with a few small kisses, which brought metaphorical bugs to both of the monarchs' stomachs. They soon turned into locking their lips, and giving one another a long kiss while tightly hugging and gently caressing one another.

Neither of them were any good at kissing, but for their first time, they were still pretty good as none of them flinched or backed off at anything.

They even refused to let go of one another's lips. It took minutes before they finally mustered the courage to do so.

"That Was Amazing…" Queen whispered, blushing deeply as she did. "This First Time Is Most Certainly Not: The Last Time. Mark My Words." Her visor even showed the ':3' emote.

"Mark mine, too" King giggled with a similar blush. "It's time for me to go, though. Consider this series of kisses as a worthy goodbye. Hopefully, we'll get to see one another again soon."

"Aww That's So Sweet Of You…! See You Soon Alright?" Queen swiftly slipped a little something into her newly-recruited boyfriend's chest pocket and gave him one last peck on the cheek, smiling somewhat mischievously after doing so. "Bye-Bye Kingy Wingy."

"Bye… sweet Queenie Beanie…!" Euphoric and as if in a dream, the spadeling left through the warp door, picturing Card Castle as he did.

3, 2, 1…

There he was. Back at the path leading to his big old home, where the atmosphere was obviously drastically different compared to Queen's Mansion.

King then felt something in his chest pocket, and grabbed it to check it.

It was a flip-style mobile phone, which was coloured a nice mixed hue of silvery grey and dark blue, and had a handy charger attached.

"Ah, good!" King said to himself. "Seems like I no longer have to share that old black phone with those cretins around here!" He flipped the phone open and was immediately greeted with a text message.

Hi!
Consider This My Real First Gift To You So We Can Communicate Easier :)
Today Was Nice And Hopefully We'll Have More Days Like: This
Queen XOXO

The spadeling smiled and blushed. He just loved Queen so much, and her typing quirk was pretty funny, too.

Secretly, he hoped that the very next day could be spent with her, too…