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“What?”
“ Please, Zelda. Just take her out and go, I don’t know, shopping?”
Zelda blinks as Cloud finishes his sentence with a shrug of his shoulders. The Hylian princess tilts her head at the ex-SOLDIER. “Um… Why?”
“Planning something for her,” he says bluntly. “You’re the first person I thought of. You’re great at diversions, aren’t you?”
She pauses before smiling. “Cloud Strife, planning a birthday party for somebody. I never thought I’d see the day!” She giggles, and Cloud sighs.
“Zelda, please.”
“You got it, party man!”
“Don’t call me that.”
Zelda giggles again before she wanders off to search for Lucina.
~~~
Lucina and Zelda enter the mall, the Hylian taking the Ylissean by the arm. “So! Where do you wanna go first?” she asks.
Lucina glances around. “Zelda, are you sure about this?”
“Of course! Consider it a birthday treat.” Zelda beams. “The best thing about a mall is you can do literally anything.”
The bluenette pauses. “Hm… I don’t really know where to go, then.”
Zelda ponders before she beams. “How about we go pick a birthday outfit for you?” she suggests.
“Okay.” Lucina nods and smiles.
They head into a store, pacing around and looking at clothes. Lucina examines a knee-length dress, colored blue and decorated with light blue flowers. “That’s a cute dress!” Zelda exclaims.
Lucina nods. “I like it.” She smiles. “I think I’ll go try it on!”
Zelda claps her hands together. “Ooh! You’ll look so pretty!”
“Thank you.”
“I think you should also wear this with it.” She grabs a dark blue cardigan and hands it to Lucina. “Wanna snoop around a little more?”
“Sure!” Lucina nods her head, and the two continue to wander about.
Soon, with bags in their hands, Lucina and Zelda exit the shop. “Where to next?” Zelda asks with a tilt of her head.
“How about…” Lucina taps her chin. “The arcade?”
“Ooh, good choice!” Zelda beams before looking over. “There are lots of fun games in there. Come on!”
~~~
After playing arcade games and going to a few more stores, Lucina and Zelda exit the store, both duo chatting amongst themselves. “Thank you for bringing me here, Zelda.” Lucina smiles at the younger princess, who beams back at her in response.
“No problem! We should do this more often.” She then tilts her head. “Is there anywhere else you’d like to go?”
She pauses before shaking her head. “Let’s head back to the mansion.”
Zelda swallows before she looks around. “Okay. Can I check something first?”
“Yeah, of course. Take your time.”
“Thanks.” Zelda pulls out her phone and quickly reads her message notifications before texting Cloud.
Zelda: Is everything ready?
Cloud: Not yet. Can you buy us a little more time?
Zelda: Ofc! I’ll see what I can do :3
Cloud: Thx. I’ll text you when we’re done. Once you get back, bring Lucina to the backyard, we’ll be waiting out there.
Zelda: Yessir!
“Hey, Lucina…” Zelda looks up. “Are you sure you’d like to go home?”
“Hm…” Lucina pauses. “Well, I suppose we could grab a quick drink at the cafe.”
“Okay! Onward, then!”
~~~
The mansion is oddly quiet when the two arrive back there.
Lucina glances about. “Where is everyone?” she whispers, treating this silence delicately. “The mansion is never this quiet.”
“I dunno. Hey, let’s go and put on your birthday outfit, though!”
Lucina nods. “Okay…”
Lucina will admit, the silence is weirding her out. And why is Zelda acting so nonchalantly about it? Something could have happened while the two were gone. Not a Smasher or Assist Trophy is in sight; nobody making conversation in the halls, nobody picking fights. All of the Smash arenas are empty, as is the training room. Even the guests that make an appearance on some stages like Garreg Mach are gone.
However, a short while later, Lucina has changed into the outfit, staring at herself in the mirror as she runs her hand over the fabric of the dress, which is warm, fresh from the dryer. She tugs the cardigan around herself a little more and adjusts the translucent black tights. She then takes a pair of black shoes and slips them onto her feet. She then steps out of her shared room, bouncing on her heels as Zelda gasps. “You look so pretty, Lucina!”
She smiles. “Thanks, Zel.” Zelda nods, and Lucina glances around. There’s still no one here, and yet Zelda is looking at her phone.
“Now, come on.” She takes Lucina by the wrist.
“Where are we going now?”
She blinks, presumably at the skepticism lining Lucina’s voice. “You’ll see!”
“...” She sighs and follows Zelda, continuing to glance around.
“Now close your eyes.”
“What?”
“Close your eyes!”
She stares at the Hylian before hesitantly closing her eyes.
A door opens. A fresh breeze. Grass tickles her ankles through the thin tights. “Can I open my eyes now?”
“Hmmmmmm… Yeah.”
She opens them, and as soon as she does, she gasps as she sees everyone sitting under white tents with tables. Delicious food, from snacks to entrees to desserts, is lined up on a table, and some gifts are stacked by the table. Cute little bear plushies sit on some tables.
“Surprise!”
Lucina has absolutely no words. All she does is stand there, mouth agape, as Cloud stands and walks towards her, adjusting the dark blue blazer he wears over a blue turtleneck. Now she really doesn’t know what to say. He looks so damn good.
“Do you like it?” His tone seems a little nervous as her gaze lands upon him. She blinks at him a few times, eyes still wide.
“You...planned this?”
“Yeah.” He rubs the back of his neck. “...”
She grabs him by the jacket and pulls him into a kiss, clearly catching him off guard before he returns it. A mixture of reactions comes from everyone else. Some people murmur ‘aww’ as some of the kids shout ‘BLEH!’
Their lips part. “I love it Cloud. Thank you.” Lucina smiles as she nestles her head against Cloud’s chest. He wraps his arms around her, kissing her forehead.
“You’re welcome. Happy birthday, Luci.”