"Call me~ Trust me~ Trust me~" the phone sang, waking the lovely prince from his oh-so-important beauty sleep.
Hibiya groaned loudly, his favorite song now his worst enemy. Damn that phone for waking him up; it was this day that he needed to look his best; a day of such utter importance he thought it should be considered a national holiday in this great country of Japan, if not an international holiday. This day was so important the prince couldn't understand how normal people lived about their lives without it, how there weren't parades, anonymous parties, festivals for this day.
It was December 22, His Royal Highness of Kingliness Prince Hibiya's birthday, his eighteenth to be exact. One of the most important anniversaries.
He sat up in bed and stretched, his fingers reaching for the top curtain of his golden-silk canopy bed. Feeling his muscles wake up, Hibiya reached for his gold-and-white cellphone, expecting a plethora of text messages wishing him a happy birthday from his specials subjects he gave his cellphone number. But, alas, there was only one.
[ONE MESSAGE: KATHRYN R.] it read.
Hibiya sighed. His new favorite subject, as she'd been the only one intelligent enough to remember this oh-so-important event. He slid open the message and read:
[HAPPY BIRTHDAY HIBIYA! HOPE YOU SLEPT WELL! Make sure to stop by my house later on today; I have your present! ;) ~Biblioteque~]
Ignoring the stupid signature, it was actually an uplifting message. Hibiya felt slightly better from it.
He shut his phone and got out of bed; he'd go to Kathryn's home after he readied for the day. The prince yawned, heading to the shower. He stripped (which wasn't much; he slept only in his silk boxers) and turned on the shower, stepping into the hot stream and letting his muscles relax while his senses woke up from the heat.
The prince thought while he bathed. What would Kathryn get him? Hopefully something good enough to where he wouldn't have to lie or fake surprise; Psyche's heart got broken last year when Hibiya wouldn't even touch his present.
The prince scoffed; what kind of a birthday gift was a gift certificate to an adult store? Seriously? Especially for a 17 year old virgin who hadn't even so much as kissed a girl. What could he possibly do with $50 worth of toys? He'd tell you; not a thing.
The prince scrubbed his hair. His legs fully woke up and he grinned, starting to dance. "Joyeux anniversaire," he sang, "joyeux anniversaire! Joyeux anniversaire, Hibiya~ Joyeux anniversaire! Quel age a tu?" He laughed, finishing his birthday song. "Je dix-huit ans, garcon!" Yes, Hibiya knew a little francais; he'd picked it up in school to help an exchange student who'd just moved from Strasbourg, as was his princely duty.
He took a final rinse before cutting off the water flow and stepping out of the shower. Drying off, Hibiya shook out his hair and carefully placed his royal crown atop his head. The crown always came before the clothes, his mother always said, bless her soul. No matter what you wore, how rich you were, always take pride in your heratige, be proud of your royal status. And that's exactly what Hibiya did. Even if he lived in a mid-sized apartment instead of a palace, he still kept his head high and acted as a prince should. Always.
Hibiya began to dress, first donning his white button-up and gold cape. Then came his gold bloomers and striped tights. Lastly were his golded knee-high boots. All that and some toothpaste and Hibiya was ready for the day. He checked himself in the mirror one more time before heading out to make his way to Kathryn's.
The streets were busy as Hibiya walked around. His costume earned him plenty of strange looks from the general public, but some completely brushed him off, assuming he was just a radical cosplayer. He passed by a candy store and ogoled for a second; jawbreakers, bubblegum, Laffy Taffy, a prince's dream! But, alas, he had no time to wander around.
He grabbed a cab and headed out to the country where his friend lived, where his beloved stayed.
What, you were thinking he was speaking of Kathryn? No, his beloved was his lovely white steed Alfred! Of course, who else would it be!
Once he arrived, he climbed out of the car and went to the door. He knocked and waited for the door to open.
It creaked a bit. "Hello?" a cute voice said from the door's opening. Blonde hair poked out from the crack, and suddenly Hibiya was on the ground.
"Hibi-chan!" Kathryn squealed, hugging the boy tightly. "Happy Birthday!"
The prince froze for a bit, but soon (embarassingly enough) found himself hugging back.
Tightly. Another surprise?
His Royal Highness was crying.
Kathryn suddenly got worried and pulled the two up to a sitting position. "Hibiya!" she exclaimed, "what's wrong?"
He sniffed weakly. "N-no one c-c-c-called m-me orr tex-x-ted me f-for my b-birthday! No-o one c-cares!"
She hugged him close, rubbing the back of his head to comfort him. "Aw, Hibi-chan," she soothed, "it's okay...everyone's just got a lot on their plate this time of year. Christmas, you know? Plus," she tilted his chin to meet their eyes, "we don't need them to celebrate an awesome birthday!"
He sniffed. "Yeah!" he exclaimed, making an attempt at sounding cheery. "W-we don't They sh-shouldn't have the honor of spending this important day with the Man of Honor!"
Kathryn laughed. "Exactly. Now come on inside," she stood and held a hand out for him, "we can;'t have the Birthday Boy crying on his special day!"
Hibiya nodded and grabbed her hand, noticing how soft it was. He was pulled to his feet and brought into the house.
Kathryn led him into the living room and sat him on her couch. "So, it's your special day! It's just about lunchtime; want some of your favorite food?"
The prince's eyes widened in excitement. "You have fatty tuna?"
The girl nodded. "Of course!"
He clapped happily. "Really, oh thank you, Kathryn! This is great!"
Kathryn laughed. "Okay, I'll go get it from the kitchen." She left to retrieve the food.
Hibiya stood, walking around and observing. There was a wall of pictures of his friend, from age 5 to now, age 17. It was quite an impressive display. To the right there was a bookshelf full of CDs, the genre diversity high. Hibiya absentmindedly scanned it for a while before he heard Kathryn emerging from the kitchen. He moved back to his original position in front of the couch.
"Hey," she said, carrying a box of the fishy treat, "here it is! Hope it turned-" she gasped as she tripped over her stupid, clumsy feet! The container went flying as she tumbled forward.
"Kathryn!" he exclaimed before she fell on him and was tackled to the ground. When he opened his eyes Kathryn was lying on top of him and his arms were wrapped firmly around her waist. His mouth was at her shoulder, her blue tank top showing her bright pink bra strap shoved in his face. His eyes widened as he felt a blush cross his cheeks.
"S-sorry!" the host exclaimed. "I...I don't know what happened. I just...sorry." She climbed off the prince.
He sat up, readjusting his crown. "It's quite all right...I'm just a bit tousled." His stomach growled. "How's the tuna?"
She laughed. "That's all you care about, isn't it?" She stretched to grab the box and examined it. "A bit mixed up, but they seem okay. Edible."
He grinned, standing and then helping her up. "Then let's eat!"
The duo sat on opposite sides of the coffee table, following Japanese tradition by sitting on the ground. They enjoyed the fatty tuna and tea while they had banal chatter. Once they were done it was time for presents.
"I really hope you like what you're getting-" Kathryn drawled as she brought the box from her bedroom. It was meduim-sized with wrapping paper that matched the prince's tights and a shiny gold bow at the top.
Hibiya clapped happily. "I almost don't wanna open it, it's so pretty!" He laughed. "Almost." He carefully unlaced the ribbon and peeled off the top paper to open the box.
His eyes went wide. "Oh...my...god."
She held her hands together tightly. "Do you like it?"
Hibiya pulled out two crowns, one slightly larger than the other. Gold embedded with fake yellow diamonds and a royal-scripted H on the front. They were stunning pieces.
"They...they're beautiful," he said, "absolutely gorgeous. But pray tell, why are there two?"
Kathryn shrugged. "One for you, one for Alfred. I figured it'd be sweet if you could match."
He seemed to contemplate this before he got close to his host, setting the crown in her hair, a faint red staining his cheeks.
"Wha...? What are you doing?" she asked, adjusting it foreignly on her head.
"I'd rather you and I match." He smiled. "You're my princess." He looked at her. "It suits you."
She felt her face heat up. "Th-thank you...P-prince." She felt a strong need to distract from her embarassment. "So...y-you want some cake?" The prince nodded so she quickly escaped to the kitchen, grabbing the small round cake decorated with glitter and stripes. She carried it back to the table and pulled a lighter out of the coffeetable drawer. She carefully lit the crown-shaped candle and sat back.
"Happy Birthday, Hibiya~" she said. "Make your wish."
He stared at it for a moment, just thinking. This was one of the best birthdays he'd had, and it was completely spent with his princess. This was all because of her.
He looked to her. "You close your eyes too."
She looked at him strangely. "What? Why?"
"Just do it!" he ordered. "Keep them closed until I say so." Once she obeyed he closed his eyes, thought his wish very hard (just like a child), and blew out his candles. He faced Kathryn before he lost his nerve. "I..." he said, but no words would come out. He decided to just take action and kiss her.
"Mmph!" Kathryn exclaimed as the newfound pressure ghosted her lips. She was suprised but soon found herself kissing back.
The kiss was mutual, loving, needy. It sent a warmth through the two that they knew meant something special. Something wonderful they shared.
Hibiya was the first to break off, hugging the girl close to his shoulder, rubbing her head. "My princess," he breathed, holding her tight to him.
She grasped him back, that warm, fuzzy feeling refusing to go away. But she was happy it stayed, wanted it to remain forever. "My prince."
He felt a jolt in him and his eyes widened. "I think I finally have a use for that gift card now," he accidentally stated.
"Hm? Giftcard?"
He held her. "Nothing." Thanks, Psy-chan, he thought.
