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Tedd sighed, running a hand through her hair as she shifted genders. The purple locks shivered, lengthening to frame his face. If not for the new glasses and improved posture, he could’ve been the boy he was a year ago.
“Is something wrong?” Grace asked, eyeing his hair as she slid into the booth across from him. It took her a moment to remember the table number in her hand, and a moment more to set it up.
“I don’t–” he began, voice cracking midway through. He pushed his glasses back up his nose, glancing to one side and wishing the new pair concealed his gaze.”No, no, nothing’s wrong . I’m on a date with my beautiful, kind girlfriend to celebrate us being together for a year.”
“But?” Grace ventured, cocking her head to one side.
He sucked in a breath, staring at the formica tabletop like a cave diver about to take the plunge. “I guess it seems a little too perfect. N-not to say I’m upset, or anything!” He flinched, holding his hands out defensively. After a moment, and a quiet smile from Grace, he breathed out and continued. “I just didn’t expect this to last.”
“Why not? I love you just as much as I did then.”
“Well, I… It was sudden. You were the first person to ever say that–say that you loved me, other than my dad, I guess. I kept thinking…” He shrank back into the bench, violet bangs clenching around his face. “One day, you were going to see who I really was, or figure out it was just puppy love, and move on.”
Grace reached out, covering one of his hands with her own. It took the warm pressure of her skin against his to make him realize he’d been shivering. “Who you really were? What, like, that you were nonbinary?”
Tedd giggled, a soft blush tinting his cheeks. “No, I hadn’t even figured that out yet. Back then I thought I was just… a pervert, I guess. I didn’t really care, but I was used to girls thinking I was only out for, y’know, kinky stuff. Zappy zappy, and such.” He looked away from her, staring out the window at the slice of Moperville woodland across from the diner.
“I thought you only trusted me because you didn’t know what kind of person I was. That you were naive.”
“I mean, I am a little naive, Tedd. It’s part of what makes me so adorable.” He opened his mouth to rebut, and she held up a finger. “But I didn’t just fall in love with the first boy I met. You were turned on by me, sure, but what I remember is you dropping everything to help some stranger who had just showed up out of the night with a weird story and no clothes.”
He shrugged. “I might have only done that because of the ‘no clothes’ thing, though.” She squeezed his hand, and he went on: “I mean, Sarah helped too. So did my dad, not that I… ew, sorry, that’s a bad mental image. Heck, Elliot’s whole deal is helping people.”
“You were kind. You didn’t just care about protecting me, you wanted me to feel safe and happy. Elliot… he might have protected me later, but he wouldn’t have spent all night by my side, or taught me to play Black and White , or let me share his bed after a bad dream. You’re both good people, but you…”
“I thought I had a chance at getting laid.”
She wiggled her eyebrows, and he got the sense that her antennae would’ve wiggled too if she weren’t transformed. “I mean, you did. But I fell in love with you because you cared about how I felt , not just that I was safe, and I think I made the right choice. I mean, look at you now–working to make magic free because you want everyone to lead their best lives. That’s not something a self-interested pervert would do.”
He felt a few other patrons glancing at them, and looked nervously to see if they were being watched. “I wouldn’t be doing that if not for you. You helped me get better.”
Grace leaned forward, looking him in the eyes. “I don’t think so. I think I saw that you were already good.” Before he could reply, she kissed him. It wasn’t a sloppy, passionate makeout, but it was warm, and comforting, and tasted slightly of nuts. It was her, and he was happy.