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—You finally arrived, I thought you wouldn't come
My grandpa says with a smile, although I can notice a somewhat sarcastic tone in his voice. Although I don't blame him, I always avoid having serious talks with him because I know the situation will get awkward, and I prefer to avoid that.
—Sorry, I had some pending things to do before —Actually, no— What's going on?
—Did you forget? Your 18th birthday is tomorrow
Oh
My birthday
Even though I've been celebrating it for five consecutive years now, I still forget that date. After all, I don't think it's that important, at least for me. It's just a day where you remember that you're one year closer to your death and being old.
Although the term "old" may be relative for a ventrexian, particularly. We are a long-lived breed, a fact that is certainly depressing if you stop to think about it
—Huh....yeah, I absolutely remember it
His low laugh tells me that he hasn't believed my words at all.
—You should give it more importance, it's a special day!
—Well....I have my opinions about that
He folds his arms
—You act like an old man, I feel like I have more spirit and enthusiasm than you being a young guy of almost eighteen years old
Don't remind me that, I'm not very happy about the fact that I'm officially becoming an adult. I need him to get to the point right now, I'm getting anxious from waiting so long.
—Whatever, What is important about tomorrow?
—You want the good news or the bad news?
Oh shit that's NOT a good signal
—Huh....the bad ones?
So I get the good ones later and everything goes better, easy
—Okay, We'll have a party tomorrow to celebrate your birthday —A party? But he doesn't like parties, that's weird— Now that you are going to be king in a few weeks you need to know our main allies and make new contacts
—So.... it's a networking party
—If you want to call it that way....
—It is, grandpa, admit it.
He remains silent for a few seconds, letting out a deep sigh.
—I know this is not your thing, nor mine, but it is necessary
—I know
I'm not at all thrilled about being a king, I never wanted to be one, I never asked to be one. This whole thing about being the leader of an entire nation is a weight on my shoulders that I don't want to carry, It's too much for me. I can barely handle myself and my grandpa already wants me to try with a whole planet.
Everything would have been easier to digest if I had stayed in Ventrexia all this time, but of course, I was never able to have a stable life
—"?????" ?
I know I've been silent for a long time because my grandpa calls me, but not by my name, but by the name of another complete stranger. A person I don't want to know anything about:
My version as a king, the version that my grandfather wants me to be and that I am trying to be. Against my will, but I am still trying. I learned that name since the first day I arrived in Ventrexia, and I couldn't be more angry at my parents for choosing such a stupid and tasteless name like that.
I'll stay with "Cato", but I'll never tell him. He would be quite angry to know that I am using the name that the traitor of our nation gave me.
Even I would feel angry, I really don't know what I feel about that name now. It's what I know and what I am, I don't think I can change it that easily.
—Sorry, what were you telling me?
— ... —His expression is certainly tired, and I know perfectly well the words he is about to say to me— Son, you need to focus, I'm talking about serious stuff with you now, Ventrexia stuff! Stuff that-
—me as the new king I should give it importance, I know
My grandpa looks at me in silence for a few seconds, his gaze goes from tired to somewhat sad. I hope he starts talking now or I'll die of discomfort from how much he's looking at me now.
And also the fact that we are now in that area of Ventrexia where the two huge statues of my parents are. This place has always given me a strange vibe, and yet my grandfather always chooses it to talk about serious things.
—I know this isn't easy, unlike your parents you never had the right amount of time to prepare and process the idea, but it's something that has to happen.
—Yeah....
—So, I wanted to cheer you with something else now that I confirmed my doubts about how you would take this talk —Just now I notice that he is carrying a sword sheath, which he proudly holds in his hands. He lifts it at the height of his shoulders and looks at it with nostalgia.— This....was your father's sword
He takes the sheath from the middle and takes out the sword: it is a beautiful blue sword, it has gold details unlike the swords used by the Ventrexia's soldiers, which are silver.
—I gave it to him when he married your mother, I made him promise to protect her from all evil using this sword, but unfortunately things didn't turn out so well.
The vague memory of that man telling me how he killed my parents left a bitter taste in my mouth, I still have feelings to process about him
—I was able to recover it after the accident, And now that I have it in my hands again, I want you to own it now.
I froze at his statement, looking at the weapon in his hands in considerable surprise. I took the sword in my hands as he passed it to me, touching its material for a few seconds before was covered in a purple-shiny trail
—It is a relic of the royal family, before it was mine it belonged to your great-grandfather, and before it belonged to your great-great-grandfather-
—And it still looks like new —I stopped him before he could continue with his predictable talk.— Thanks, grandpa, I really appreciate it
He smiles at me, placing his right hand on my messy hair. My Mohawk grew quite long so I had to cut it a bit, now it falls lightly over my forehead
—This sword not only carries the weight of our family, it also carries the weight of this planet and the lives on it. By possessing this sword you swear to take care of your people with it, to give your people a future with it. Are you willing to do it?
It's not like I can say no....
—I do
—That's my boy —He laughs softly again— I know you will take good care of that sword
—I'll do!....
When I thought the conversation was over, my grandpa continued it after a few seconds of looking at me
—You remind me a lot of your mother
—I felt my throat closed with his words— It's incredible how identical you are to her, it's as if I still had her in front of my eyes...
He takes my face in his hands, making my body tense instantly. I inevitably look up, seeing the imposing statues of my parents above us, it is somewhat sad that this is the last and only reference of my parents that exists.
I can feel the pain in his words, I get his feelings. Losing someone from your family is the most painful feeling I have ever felt. I've felt it so many times that I'm starting to get tired of it.
—I know you will be a good king, and this time I will take good care of you, I will not allow that tragedy to happen again. I will not lose my family again....I won't lose you again. I promise and swear it with my heart.
He's really been that alone these years, huh?
I mean...I had Avocato, Gary, the entire Galaxy II team with me; despite the situation, I always had someone from my family looking out for me.
But....he hadn't
My mother was the only thing left of his family and he lost her, I understand why he is always so protective of me. I couldn't bear to lose my family knowing that I could have done something to avoid it
He's been looking for me all these years and now that I'm with him...I can tell his life isn't so lonely anymore. I think he deserves some peace.
I can give him that peace, I must to
—I'll be fine, don't worry.
I tried to give him the most convincing smile I could, I have so many feelings right now that I don't know what expression to put on.
—Happy birthday, "????". I know it's a few hours away but-
—Thanks, now you will have the privilege of being the first person to tell me that this year. Be proud of it
I joked, listening to his laughter and his right hand patting me lightly on the back.
Despite seeing him walk away from the place, my legs did not move. My eyes could only look at the sword in my hands.
I looked up again, watching the statues of my parents stare at each other with their empty stone gazes. I know my grandpa's intentions are good, but with this I now feel an extra weight on my shoulders.
....No, I can't be so selfish as to complain about this very special gift he just gave me, it's a special keepsake for him, so it's an important heirloom for me now...
It's a promise I must now keep.
I can't let my grandpa down, I can't let anyone down now. I just can't
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
I finally returned to my room, the suns had already hidden and now the cold night covered the sky of Ventrexia
—...Hey...
His sweet voice takes me out of my thoughts, and at the same time it makes me stiff. I had forgotten that I had told him to meet me in my room at night. You know, in case the talk with my grandfather hadn't gone well
—Hey, sorry for the delay
I turn around after closing the door, noticing his presence sitting on my bed, still smiling at me even though I arrived an hour later. He stands up and approaches me, giving me a warm hug. A hug from him always manages to put me in a good mood
Right now It managed to relax me, that conversation with my grandpa certainly made me feel anxious.
—It's okay, I know that your grandfather tends to talk at length sometimes.
He is so sweet, I can't lie to him
—Actually...this time it was my fault, I decided to take some time alone before coming here, but I think I didn't realize the time it was
—It happens, don't worry
He gently places his hands on my face, and compared to my grandpa, "Cay" makes me feel at peace, at home. I've known Caleb since I was 15, We started our friendship on the wrong foot but things improved considerably, and now we started dating almost a year ago
Tomorrow we will celebrate a year, now that I remember
I place my hands over his, feeling the heat on my face increase with the seconds, as well as a smile appearing on my face.
—You're so sweet, I don't understand how you're not upset with me right now. I know you hate when people are late.
—I do, but I understand the conversations with your grandfather overwhelm you most of the time
—Rather than overwhelming me, this time it was... surprising me —It also overwhelmed me, but I don't think it's necessary to mention it now— he gave me this
I show him the sheath with the sword inside, Caleb is noticeably surprised, adjusting his black glasses as he details it.
—Wow, he really came early this year with your birthday present. I'm usually the first one to get you something.
—I guess this year he broke your record
—He won't the next year!
—He says with a proud smile, I can only help but laugh softly— Can I see it?
I quickly hand him the sword, which he draws and holds with even more surprise. He spends a few minutes observing it carefully, I can assure that he is detailing every little detail since his scientific point of view, he always does this with almost all the things
I could say that he is the most intelligent person I have ever met, even more than me, and that is saying a lot.
He has created weapons for soldiers on his own, he also knows a lot about robotics and science. It's really admirable, I think that helped my grandpa to accept my relationship with him, he didn't seem very sure about us until he saw what Caleb was capable of.
It was actually quite difficult to convince him that I didn't need a "girlfriend".
I could tell he's still not convinced, but at least he doesn't forbid me from seeing him or anything as extreme as that.
—It's a pretty nice sword, a heavier than a common one —I can notice that the sword isn't glowing right now, that's weird— Its patterns and material are different, this sword was made especially for you, I can assume. Or at least made for the royal family if it's not a new sword
—It is really old according to my grandpa, I was also surprised to see how well preserved it is
I took the sword back into my hands, noticing how it started glowing in purple again. Apparently it only glows when I touch it, which is a strange detail. Caleb is more surprised if possible
—It glows! It's a very special gift
—It is, I guess...
Cay notices my low mood, coming a little closer to me again and looking at me with concern. I don't like to tell him these things, but unfortunately he knows how to read my body language very well.
He insists that it's better for me to talk things over than to keep them to myself and end up exploding later. I agree with him, but I don't want to put my weight on his shoulders too, he doesn't deserve it.
I know very well that he has his own problems, I would feel selfish putting mine too
—Cato, do you have something in mind?
I know he won't be calm if I don't tell him what's going on, Also...talking to him gives me peace, I think it's the best thing to do
—Yes, I'm sorry, it's just...
The words are lost in my mouth, I don't know how to tell him what's happening to me, but he seems to understand, because he gives me that smile that he knows it calms me
The sword stops glowing when I drop it on the ground, Caleb takes my hands and leads me to the bed, we both sit down and he waits for me to process my thoughts. I can feel his hands over mine, giving me caresses and making me feel safe
—This was my dad's sword. It was lost for a while, but now that my grandpa found it...he gave it to me.
I glanced at the sword on the ground, feeling a chill run down my spine
—It feels weird because...it's the last thing left of my dad and....I don't know —I feel my hands sweating, but I don't move them anyway, I don't want to lose his touch— My grandpa left me one more weight with this sword, although it is really something he already made me promise since I arrived in Ventrexia, but now the promise became more... heavy.
—Is it about you being a good king and stuff?
I nodded, Caleb rolled his eyes with some nuisance. I love the fact that, despite the expression he makes, his eyes are always the most prominent part of his face, they're a bright blue, and now at night they shine even brighter, even through the glass of his glasses
—I hate that he's putting so much pressure on you, until now you've been nothing but an admirable prince!
—I could do more...
—No. —He took my face again, looking at me seriously. His touch was firm now—You're doing the best you can right now, don't put so much pressure on yourself. What you do now is enough and is within your duty as a prince, and that is more than perfect, okay?
I can't help but laugh softly, no matter how hard he tries he still looks adorable even though he's "angry"
—Okay, okay! I get it
I remove his hands from my face, now taking them in mine. They are soft, his white fur is always well treated and is very pleasant to the touch.
—I want you to know that you are not alone in this, Cato —Caleb says calmly— That even though you will be the king from tomorrow, you will have my support and of the people who love you
—Who?
—Your people, all Ventrexia. Even your grandpa, even if he pressures you a lot, you silly —I felt my face burning again— If you need help at any time, don't hesitate to let me know.
—I don't know...it's not your duty
—But I want to. If that will make you feel more at ease, I will do it with so much pleasure
He smiles at me again, and I can't help but kiss him. He's always so kind to me, making sure I'm okay and comfortable. I definitely would have gone crazy without him here in the castle.
My kisses with him are always soft, most of the time he puts his arms on my shoulders and mine go to his waist. But this kiss feels more... intimate, even more than the usual ones. My hands stopped holding his, but his take mine again and now they are intertwined
The warmth of his body makes me feel sleepy, but his touch gives me so many chills that it manages to keep me awake.
Caleb is the one who breaks the kiss this time, he's out of air. He adjusts his glasses back on the base of his nose as he regulates his breathing.
—Wow....this felt...
—Different?
—Yeah..
His ears flatten slightly, and a shy smile appears on his face. His hands part in mine and begin to fidget nervously between them
I can't help but laugh
—You act like it's the first time we kissed
—Oh shut up —I laugh harder when I hear his indignant tone of voice— I won't say anything again after we kiss
—Nooo I was joking
I can't stop laughing even when I talk, he notices it and gets angrier, crossing his arms and stopping looking at me. I quickly hug him and start planting more kisses on his face.
—Wait you idi-! uqkdjwkfjw
My kisses tickle him and make him start laughing a little loud, we both fall lying down on the bed, now somewhat undone by how much he is moving due to the tickling
After a while I stop because I start to notice that he is running out of air again. I fall down beside him, grinning like a fool at how I left him: his hair was totally disheveled, his glasses had fallen off the bed a while ago so his eyes were even brighter than before, although it was also thanks to the tears that were in his eyes due to laughter
Cay finally looks at me with a smile on his face
—Look what you did to me, I look like a mess
—But you're not mad at me anymore
—Who says so?
A mischievous smile appears on my face
—I see, so you're not satisfied with the tickling? Don't worry, I can continue~
—Oh no, don't even try it! —He exclaims with a smile, moving away from me a little— Fine, I'm not mad at you anymore, happy?
—Absolutely
I pull him towards me with my arms, now there is no space between us. He puts his head in the space between my head and my left shoulder, so I can feel his purrs vibrate throughout my body.
The most relaxing sound I've ever heard, or well, the second most relaxing. His voice will always be my favorite.
—Thanks, Caleb. You always manage to make me feel better
—It's the least I can do for you, I'm your boyfriend
My boyfriend
It still gives me chills
—I don't know what I would do without you
—Me neither
His hands are on my back, giving me soft caresses, His hair tickles me, but I don't want him to move away, I could easily fall asleep right now.
—It's a shame that we can't celebrate our anniversary tomorrow, it's our first year after all
—Yeah, it's awful.... —I think about the idea for a moment— wait, why not?
—Well, tomorrow you'll be busy meeting people and all of that at that big party, right?
He knows? I'm starting to notice that everyone knew except me, nothing surprising. It's not the first time after all
—Yes, but you will be there. I can't see why we can't celebrate there.
—It's not too much for you? I mean...
—He moves away from me a little bit to look at me— Tomorrow you turn eighteen, your grandpa will surely be standing over you talking about the party and your coronation in two weeks and-
—Cay, you are my boyfriend, as you said a little while ago. You also deserve my attention.
—But-
—Nope —Just like he did before, I took his face in my hands— I know that being a king is a hard job, but that doesn't mean I'm going to leave you and everything related to you aside, Always keep that in mind. And if I do, you have every right to be upset, okay?
He processes everything for a few seconds, then smiles somewhat confused and nods.
—Okay, if you say so
He gives me a kiss on the tip of my nose, making my ears move as a reflection
—I have something for you, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow
—I hate surprises, now I won't be able to sleep peacefully tonight. You will be the one to blame for me waking up tired tomorrow on my special day
—You're such a drama queen, you know that?
—Ironic knowing that I wasn't the one who got angry a while ago
—Touche
He laughs and I can only laugh back
—How about we go to the lake tomorrow? You know, some time when everyone is drunk enough to notice I'm not there
—It sounds good!
I could call that lake our special place, My grandpa knows about that place, I think he is the only person who knows where it is besides Cay and me so I wouldn't scare him to death if he didn't see me at the party
—Cato?
His call brings him back to reality
—Yeah?
—Happy birthday
—But there are still two hours left
—I want to be the first person to say it
—I think my grandfather beat you again with that
—oh damn it
A laugh comes out of my mouth, he still looks cute regardless of what he does or says. Except when he's really angry, then I prefer not to laugh or do something that will annoy him even more, It's a little bit scary
—I think you should prepare more next year, I was hoping my punctual boyfriend would do it first.
—Oh shut up you baby, respect your elders!
—Oh come on, we are four months apart!
—I know, but for now you are younger than me, therefore, a little-cute-baby
He bops my nose, I just laugh slyly
—Okay, old man, whatever you say. Do you need your pills? Because I think you're forgetting that tomorrow we'll be the same age.
—Damn fine, I'll stop with my jokes
His ears droop in embarrassment, but his smile still doesn't go away completely. I place a kiss on his forehead again, hearing another laugh from him
It's nice to know that even though my situation is a bit screwed up right now, I still have him to lean on and have a good time with. The best year ever spent in my life.