The Prince

Part 50

"Congratulations!"

Noah was overwhelmed by the streamers and poppers that spilt confetti everywhere and the calls of congratulations when he entered the house. Looking around, he saw the balloons floating above them with coloured string hanging from each. He looked at the happy, smiling faces in front of him and Jackson, who had his phone out taking pictures.

"What's going on here?" He asked in confusion once the noise had died down, but before he could get a response, Jackson came barreling down on him, gripping him in a tight hug.

"We're so proud of you!" He whispered in Noah's ear before letting him go.

"Stop keeping him all to yourself, Jackson." Raymond walked over to give him a hug. "You did good, kid; we're really proud of you!"

Tsukasa also came rushing forward to give him a tight hug.His excitement pulpable.

Blowing a horn, Jackson called them together, giving each person a bamboo skewer.

"Before we get to the cake and the food, we play a game, okay?" Not waiting for a response, he continued. "Right, the game is simple; you choose a balloon, pop it and get a prize. You can either keep the prize or swap it for another balloon."

"Seems simple enough," Skye nodded, sure there was a way to get the good prizes.

Stepping up, Noah grabbed a balloon and popped it, watching a piece of paper flutter to the ground. Picking it up, he looked from the paper to Jackson in shock.

"Is this for real?" He turned to Jackson with his eyes wide before glancing back to what was written on the note. It read cellphone, tablet, and laptop.

"Yip, it sure is. We can pick them up this weekend." He gave a sly smile when he turned to Skye. "How about you next, little one?"

Popping a balloon, Skye looked at the note he had in his hand. "I want to swap." He immediately crumpled it up, taking one of the grey balloons and popping it.

"What did you get?" Noah asked curiously, leaning in.

"A weekend at Granddad's," he said in a monotone, frowning at his father.

They carried on playing the game until the last balloon was popped by Tsukasa, winning him a new bike.

"Right, let's eat and get to the cake!" Raymond herded them to the dining room.

Skye quietly watched as Noah joked and laughed with the others. He was glad that Jackson insisted on making his usual fuss. Not that he needed an excuse, but this time his dad had come through for him.

His dads have always made a huge deal out of every milestone, and Jackson would celebrate everything if he could. To him it was so normal that he didn't even think about it and sometimes even was annoyed by it. But having learnt of Noah's past and what he had been through, he appreciated his dad even more.

Noah deserved this after all that he had been through. He had his life turned upside down, and it was a relief to Skye that he could still laugh. Maybe things will turn around for him. Maybe he'll start believing that he was worthy of love. No one should go through what Noah had, but Skye felt that now at least they could start to move forward.

 "You're quieter than usual," Noah brought him out of his daze.

"I was wondering what you were thinking and how you were feeling."

"Me? Why?" 

"Well, about all of this," he waved his hand over the remnants of their celebration.

"It was the best ever!" His eyes shone brightly from excitement before a slight frown replaced it. "I can't remember the last time when anyone made such a fuss over something that I had done; it was quite a surprise at the start." Looking around the room, he turned to Skye with a bright smile.

"For a moment I felt what it was like to be the Prince, and it was pure magic!"

"You're a dork." Skye gave him a brief smile. "I'm really proud of what you've managed to do, Noah. You worked your ass off without complaining too much... well, less than what I expected. But what I'm trying to say is that you should never doubt yourself again. Look at everything that you've done and look at all the people who love you for being who you are and what you do." 

Noah was about to make a flippant remark but gave a moment's pause. He looked at the others who were still animatedly talking. These people had taken him in and nursed him back to health, asking nothing in return, not even his two friends.

"It's still a bit unreal, but I haven't been this happy in a long time. Thank you, Skye." On impulse he reached up to hug Skye. "Tell me if you don't like it." He whispered, holding on tightly. In response, Skye snaked his arms around Noah to return the hug.