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That day felt like it took forever. There are important meetings to go to, documents to read and laws to sign. The truth is, being in several places at once (keeping the order, helping his mother) was quite stressful, and he knew he'd be late for dinner. He was actually expecting a little argument from Vicky as she set the dishes.
When he opened the door, it was covered in confetti. “Happy birthday!” everyone shouted. The truth is, almost everyone was there. His mother, his sister, the commander, Princess Veronica. Vicky was probably in the kitchen.
Alfonse blinked, confused. “Was it today?” he said, trying to remember what day it was.
“Don't you even remember today is your birthday?!” Sharena yelled, just like she always did.
“Oh dear, let him go. He's got a lot on his mind right now,” his mother said, laughing. “It was really fun pretending to be sick to get ready for this.”
“Mother…” said the blue-haired man, as he heard footsteps coming from the kitchen. He blinked and opened his mouth a little.
Zacharias was there, smiling, with a few things to take care of. Alfonse didn't hold back; he moved to give her a hug. After Embla, the prince left on one last trip. He saw the blond man making a noise, probably from the wounds he got in the fight with Embla.
“Happy birthday,” he said, smiling at him.
She heard small footsteps, causing Vicky to come out of the kitchen. A slight smile showed her that she wished him a happy birthday. Then, she looked at everyone. “Dinner's ready. You can sit down.”
“I'll help you,” said Princess Veronica, who was eager to help.
Everyone sat down and started eating the food that the redhead had prepared earlier, and then they ate the main meal. Sharena started joking about her brother getting too old while having fun with Princess Veronica. The commander and her mother talked about the library. Alfonse ate in silence, watching Vicky and Bruno talk about the food and the redhead praise themselves.
He smiled slightly. This was definitely where he wanted to be.
After he had received his gifts and danced for a while, only the three of them were left to clean up. But they were sitting at the table, enjoying the leftovers. The truth is, it was already quite late, and they always ate the redhead's food.
“I still think your meatballs are perfect,” the blond man said, eating the plate with a piece of bread.
“Slow down, you might destroy all the cantina menu,” the redhead joked, making the blue-haired man laugh. “I don't think we can afford what he eats.”
“Don't be like that with him, Vicky.” Alfonse shook his head. “Let him enjoy it,” the prince said, smiling. “How long are you staying?”
He saw Zacharias swallow, sit down and smile. They both blinked, lost in what he was saying. “To be honest, now that things have calmed down, the Empress is happy for us to become friends with Askr.”
“That's good news,” said the Prince of Askr, blinking. He noticed the redhead looking at the blonde, as if she already knew where the blonde was going.
The blonde smiled. “Well, I said that… I'm joining the order to help you with what I know, because of what happened, the Curse Directive it's going to be cloistered. Maybe forever,” he continued eating.
“It means…” the redhead continued.
“Are you moving in with us?” the blue-haired man asked, feeling nervous.
“I've already moved out,” he said quietly, putting his fork down. “There are too many boxes in our room. I'm sorry about that,”
The redhead jumped out of her seat to hug him, as did the Prince of Askr, but she was quicker to sit on one of his legs. The blue-haired man kissed him on the lips, very happily. The Prince of Embla smiled as the three of them celebrated a new step in their life together.
For Alfonse, being with his family and friends was the best birthday present he could have had.