lost_boy | (no subject)

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This was it, my very first birthday party.

I was nervous and excited and I was probably driving Eddie and Magnus both absolutely mad with all my checking and rechecking of things. I wanted to make sure everything was exactly right, because I had never thrown a party before and although Magnus had helped me quite a bit, I still felt like I needed to make sure I didn't make a mess of it. I knew the rules -- no going upstairs, no alcohol -- and I would make sure everyone else knew it, too, because I didn't want to disappoint Magnus with any terrible behaviour. He was doing me a very big favour, letting me use his place and his pool to have a proper party and I wasn't going to take that for granted.

There was food and drink of all kinds, and plenty of snacks. The pool was lit up with different colours that would get brighter as the sun set and all sorts of inflatable toys could be found so people could just float if they wanted to. At the shallow end of the pool was a little floating basketball net and a bunch of inflatable balls to use with it. There were toys for diving, even a little obstacle course under water with rings people could swim through. The towels were big and fluffy, the chairs were comfortable, and there was even a big birthday cake with my name on it and seventeen candles, although that was for later.

All I had really wanted, I told Magnus, was for it to remind me of his party with all the colours. The one where Eddie and I had first kissed, and he had come through for me. The decorations were fun and bright and everywhere I looked there was a different coloured light.

I had invited all my friends, regardless of their age, so that meant there were little kids on the guest list and adults, too. A part of me worried some of the other kids around my age might think that was weird, but in the end I decided I didn't care that much. I wanted my friends to be here with me, all my friends, and not all my friends were the same age. I liked that about them all very much.

As the first people started to arrive, I clutched Eddie's hand nervously, beaming at him, then kissed him quickly on the cheek before going to greet people. I was supposed to be the host, after all. It was my first party.

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While Rapunzel knows that the guest list for this party isn't exactly small, she's still honored that Jamie took the time out of his day to invite her to his party. She makes him clothes, which isn't much of a surprise considering the business that she's in, but Jamie had been so happy to receive the sweater she made him. She still has his measurements, so she makes him another sweater and a nice button down shirt to go underneath it, along with a pair of slacks. She even tucks a little handmade coupon into the bundle, redeemable for help with Jamie (and Eddie's) Halloween costumes if they would like.

She also bakes some cupcakes, even though she knows it isn't necessary. A party hosted by Magnus will have more than enough food, but she still wanted to make something personal. It's how she shows people that she loves them, and she really does adore Jamie.

The party is in full swing when she arrives, and she sets the cupcakes and her gift down with the others. She's dressed in a pink sundress over a purple one piece suit, and she quickly abandons the dress near a chair, leaving Pascal snoozing while she steps up to the edge of the pool.

"Hmm," she says as she pulls her braid around to the front of her, wondering if would be too much of a bother to keep out of everyone's way. "Maybe I'll just get some sun."

"Are you going swimming?" I asked when I appeared at Rapunzel's side, already eating one of the cupcakes she had made for me. I would share them with others, of course, I liked being able to share with my friends, but I wanted the first one all to myself.

And I wanted to show Rapunzel I was already enjoying them. She was very good at baking and they were delicious.

"I didn't open the rest of the present yet, but the cupcakes are delicious," I said to her with a smile. "Thank you very much."

"I was thinking about it," Rapunzel says as she stares down into the crystal clear water. "But all my darn hair might get in the way."

She turns to look at Jamie, pleased to see a cupcake in his hand, and leans in to give him a tight hug. "Happy birthday!" She exclaims, pulling back and reaching up to cup his cheek. "You're very welcome. Are you having a good time?"

"It's a big pool," I said, looking at the water, then Rapunzel's hair. She should be able to swim if she wanted to, although now I was wondering if her hair would get very heavy when it was wet. Maybe because it was magic it didn't happen like that.

"I'm having a really good time," I answered after hugging her in return. "I've never had a birthday party before and I think this was a very good way to start."

She knew I had to pick my own birthday, that I didn't really know which day it was, but so did most of my friends. I thought I had picked a really good day.

"It is a very big pool. I barely know how to swim," Rapunzel admits. Being flushed out of that dam and into a river back home made her realize that she can doggy paddle well enough, but she doesn't go into large bodies of water too much. Again, probably because of the hair.

"I never had a birthday party before I came here either," she says, tucking one of Jamie's soft curls behind his ear before touching his cheek once more and letting go of him. She turns to look at all the people here for Jamie, laughing and having fun, and she feels so genuinely happy for him.

"This is a perfect first birthday party," she tells him. "You picked a very good day."

"I could teach you," I offered. "Does your hair get very heavy in the water?"

That would make a difference, I thought, in how easy it would be for her to learn. If her magic made her hair light, then it would be pretty easy, but then, I loved swimming so much, so maybe I was a little bit biased.

"I think I picked a good day, too," I agreed. I didn't think that was being too arrogant, it was just a day, after all.

"Kind of," Rapunzel admits. At this point, she isn't sure if her hair is somehow magically lighter than it should be, or if she's just so used to it that it doesn't bother her. She suspects the former, because she's never had anyone tell her that her hair was heavy. But then again, not that many people have had to hold her up. It doesn't seem to bother Peter, in any case.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you, but you don't need to spend your party teaching me how to swim. Maybe we can do it another day?" She thinks Jamie would be a good teacher, kind and patient, but she certainly doesn't want him to miss any of his party. "Come on, open your present."

"We can do it another day," I agreed, because I thought it would be fun. I loved teaching people how to swim and I loved spending time with my friends, so that was just a great combination of two things I really enjoyed.

But I also liked presents. I hadn't realized I did, not until Eddie had given me one for our first Valentine's Day, and I grinned when Rapunzel suggested I open my gift from her.

"Alright," I said cheerfully. "I already opened the cupcakes, though."

"We will definitely do that," Rapunzel assures him, smiling to herself at the grin that crosses Jamie's face. She takes his hand and leads him over to the table of gifts, only letting go she can find her package and set it in front of him.

"The cupcakes were just the cherry on top," she says with a laugh. She knows that hand-tailored clothes probably aren't the preferred gift of all teenage boys, but she thinks Jamie will appreciate knowing that his gift was made by hand, just for him, by someone who cares. That, and he'll have something nice to wear to one of the parties later in the season. Perhaps Christmas, which is why she made the sweater in the same shade of green that’s in his eyes.

But it's the coupon she's most excited about, because she loves Halloween and she knows that Jamie will appreciate Eddie being included. She sits next to him, practically bouncing with excitement, and takes a cupcake for herself. "Go on."

The concept of wrapped presents was still a little new to me and so I enjoyed unwrapping them with a sort of delight I thought probably wasn't typical of a regular teenager. I suspected whatever was inside the package would be handmade, because Rapunzel was both talented and thoughtful in that way.

My eyes lit up as I saw what was inside. I knew she had made the clothing for me and I looked over at her, grinning.

"You made these, right?" I asked.

"I did!" Rapunzel grins and watches as Jamie takes out the outfit; sweater, shirt, and trousers, and takes the sweater from him to hold it up against his chest. "I knew this would be the perfect color."

Jamie's smile makes all the work worth it and Rapunzel beams right back at him as she folds the sweater back up. "I figured you could use something nice to wear for the holidays."

The coupon sticks up out of the box and Rapunzel nudges it closer to Jamie. "And this is for Halloween, if you want."

"Wow," I said once I had read the coupon. It was really nice of Rapunzel to make clothes for me like this, but it was even nice of her to offer something like this, personal costumes for both me and Eddie. I couldn't even believe it. I stared at the coupon again for another moment, reading it over, then looked at Rapunzel.

"Really?" I asked. "You would really do that?"

We would have the best costumes ever. Anything Rapunzel made for us would be far better than something bought from the store, which had been my plan so far.

The look on Jamie's face as he examines the coupon makes all the work Rapunzel will have to put in more than worth it. He looks so happy, and Rapunzel is glad that she can make him feel special. It's his birthday; he should feel important.

"Of course!" She says with a grin. "Anything you guys want. Just let me know as soon as you guys decide, so I can have time to make them perfect."

She pulls him in for another hug and presses a kiss to his cheek, since she can't really reach his messy mop of curls. "For you, I am happy to do it."

"Thank you," I said, wrapping my arms around her in the tight hug. I still sounded a little shocked, but that was because that was exactly how I felt. Rapunzel was so kind, she had been since the very moment we met, but it was still surprising to me when someone went so far out of their way just to make me happy. I loved the boys on the Island, I loved Charlie and I loved Sal, but none of them had been like this.

None of them were like any of my friends here. I knew Darrow was special.

"That's so nice of you," I said, pulling back to smile at her. "I'll talk to Eddie as soon as I can and we'll figure it out and... thank you."

"You're very welcome," Rapunzel replies, nearly bursting with happiness as Jamie hugs her. She is lucky enough to be able to do something she loves for a living, and she's grateful that not only can she make money, but she can also share her talents with her friends.

She's still so grateful to have friends at all, let alone so many wonderful people in her life. It's the least she can do.

"Let me pack these up so they don't get wet," Rapunzel says, pulling away so she can fold the clothes back up. "Now," she adds, leaning up to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "Go find your boyfriend and enjoy your party. I'm going to lay out and soak up some sun."

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