This fanfiction is set in Beanpots's mp100 AU, Black and Gold. I do not take credit for the characters, or the general setting, since it has been inspired by another blog's work.

Here's the link to Beanpots's AU: tagged/royalty%20au

Hanazawa Teruki was not very well known for struggling with his feelings. In fact, he felt perfectly at ease with the majority of decisions he made and accepted his emotions without much hardship. He was smooth like honey in the way it looked-like a golden boy with a sweet smile-and the way it tasted-the pure flavor of flowers churned into syrup-and the way it was sticky-hinting that he would be a sappy lover, forever sticking to your side. He was also devastatingly intimidating like a hawk when it turns its yellow eyes on you, feathers ruffled out when his kingdom is threatened and the cunning gleam of claws-as shiny as his sword-flashed the horrified face of the offender.

To say he was the heartthrob of his kingdom would be just.

To say he was the heartburn of his enemies was true.

But now came the real question: if Hanazawa Teruki was confident and beautiful and gentle in the eyes of the kingdom, what was he doing aggressively grinding his teeth in the wee hours of the night? Certainly he was not struggling to figure out what he was eating the next morning, nor was he worried about his position in the Guard. It couldn't be about his clothing for the day, as tomorrow was a day as any other and he would simply wear his uniform.

No, Teruki's concern lied in the deep dark depths of emotions where people were often fond of hiding important things like the weight of deceit and marriage and the one time you morbidly embarrassed yourself in front of all the kids you were growing up with. It was the kind of hidden thing that only stayed hidden in daytime and felt free to roam at night, its favorite pass time sneaking up on its owner to worry them until they fell asleep.

At first, Teruki, comfortable with himself, picked up this little worry and examined it.

He said, "It's alright."

But he felt as if it would leave. Which was also alright.

Since Teruki accepted the Worry's existence, it felt brave enough to venture into the light of day. This was okay too, in the beginning. Teruki thought it funny and the feeling of his chest odd when the Worry would laugh at a sudden, very poorly timed joke made by the king. He thought it was strange the way the Worry would sometimes hop into his food during tea time so Teruki had to swallow the Worry, and then it would pull his rib cage against his heart when Teruki glanced up and accidentally met the king's gaze. On other occasions, the Worry would compliment the king's swordsmanship a little beyond necessary, and Teruki wanted to punch the Worry.

But soon, Teruki realized that that was only the same as having an annoying friend. He had hell to pay for not rejecting the Worry.

So the little Worry grew into a big Problem.

And suddenly, the king was Kageyama "Mob" Shigeo, and Shigeo could demote Teruki from his position as much as he wanted, and Teruki would just call it a good lesson because he was certain it was all getting to his head anyway. Shigeo would call for Teruki to walk with him in the rose garden or study with him, and Teruki would always be there, even if it meant missing several rounds of cards and silly gambling with the other guards. If Shigeo wanted Teruki to help him find an outfit for a particular event rather than asking his usual assistant, Teruki would be damned if he didn't make it to Shigeo's rooms in less than ten minutes, even if he had to fight a dragon along the way.

But Teruki was certain that he wasn't the only one becoming aware of the Problem. When he left the garden after an hour's walk with Shigeo, the assistants would watch Teruki with an odd shape to their eyes. Sometimes, he would be quietly beaming as he walked down the corridor after an accidental run-in with Shigeo, and the folk who watched him pass by glared as if his happiness was silly and uncalled for. Supper time became unbearable when he was enjoying conversation with the other folk dining, and Teruki made a cunning joke and the pair would exchange glances and Shigeo would give a small smile that let Teruki know he found it funny, and Teruki's heart would bubble over, and then the visitor of the week for this education purpose or that treaty would inch their chair away from Teruki in disdain as if he had somehow stolen the crown from them by having a little of the king's favor. (Not like they were going to get the crown, Teruki would think sullenly.)

But the longer the Problem tugged on Teruki's tailcoats and made him bite the inside of his cheek until it bled and pulled him into more flashy poses when Shigeo would watch him spar and snuck into his belly only to let loose cages of butterflies and pinch his cheeks until they turned red and would read to Teruki the list of Shigeo's favorite clothes and tea and weather late into the evening, the more Teruki grew frustrated until he finally snapped and he had an explosive argument with the Problem, which led to Teruki squishing it into a little box completely too small to contain the big Problem and stuffing the box into the deep recesses of his mind so it would collect dust like the underside of his bed.

It was alright for a little while; not feeling too much. Teruki ate fine and sparred fine and laughed fine. He still had his fair share of glances his way when he walked into town, people interested in his courtship, and his dancing was still top of the line, and he still won a number of card games. But sometimes the Box under his bed would rattle, just a little, and Teruki would have to go sit on it to keep it from moving. Sometimes, he would just kick the damn thing because it would try to open the lid when it heard Shigeo's voice floating down the corridor; because really. It's just a voice. Other times, it would whimper like a wounded animal if Teruki saw an interesting trinket at one of the market stalls that lined the street, and Teruki would glare at the Box. So what if Shigeo might like the trinket? It wasn't his job to buy things for the king. But the Box would shuffle to the side when Teruki pulled out a few coins to pay the merchant, pocketing the trinket as he walked down the street.

But there was something odd about this situation that made Teruki wonder, does Shigeo know the Box is there? Is he interested in it? Maybe the Box is a color Shigeo likes, and he wants it to put his own things in. Certainly Shigeo doesn't know what's inside the box, Teruki knows that; the king isn't that perceptive. But Teruki knows there's something about the Box that Shigeo is interested in, because he starts looking Teruki in the eyes for longer periods of time that send the Box quivering, and he would let Teruki stay in his rooms later and later every evening to discuss this book and that fancy new sword that had just been brought to the market even though Teruki was aware Shigeo didn't often read and didn't much like fighting, and the Box would shake so much that no dust could settle on it. Shigeo even once mentioned that he knew Teruki's Guard duty schedule so he would never interrupt his work, and Teruki had to kick the Box so it slid to the far corner of under the mattress.

But Shigeo seemed desperate to own that Box, because Teruki swore he could feel grabby, greedy hands searching under that bed in his heart where he kept the object. He blamed Shigeo's want for the box on him being raised as a little prince, but Teruki knew Shigeo was of the unusually selfless type; Shigeo probably just wanted Teruki to stop denting a useful thing like a box with kicks and punches. He didn't even know the horror that was kept under the Box's lid. So instead of letting Shigeo's smile search for the Box, Teruki sat down firmly on it, wrinkling the lid and crushing the corners. He'd buy Shigeo a much more pretty box from the market if he wanted one so bad.

The terrible thing though, was that Teruki, with or without the Box, would follow Kageyama Shigeo to the ends of the earth. Which he was entirely prepared to do as a knight and a friend, especially with the rebellions brewing in the underground. Others wouldn't view this as terrible, absolutely not; it was proof of a knight's loyalty. But for Teruki, this meant that even an hour past midnight, he would be climbing the tower stairs at a heated pace to knock on the king's door.

A quiet, "come in." came from the other side of the thick oak door.

Teruki silently opened the heavy door, careful not to make much noise, lest they alert the rest of the castle.

These were rare times, when Shigeo would call on Teruki so late in the night, very rare, but it was not the first occurrence. On average, these late hours were saved for when Shigeo was having a crisis, crushed under responsibility and concern, and Teruki would find him sitting on the very edge of his four poster bed, sweating nervously and pinching his arms as he hugged himself. So Teruki found himself dreading these late night rendezvous, because it seemed unfair that someone like Shigeo should have to worry himself to pieces about rebellions and assassins and treaties.

But tonight was an even rarer phenomenon. So rare, that it was the first time it had happened. Shigeo was wearing a cotton nightgown and leaning calmly against his closed window, body facing the door but his head turned in a side profile so he could watch the stars. Anyone would look at that image and think, what a lonely king. But Teruki saw a very happy king.

As the door clicked shut, Shigeo turned to notice Teruki, and the perfect portrait pose was broken to reveal a mildly awkward boy who looked rather younger than he was.

"Sir Hanazawa!" came the polite and quiet voice, but he was excited all the less. Folk needed time around Shigeo to understand that his perpetually plain voice held the smallest and usually most meaningful inflections.

"It's just Hanazawa, Shigeo," Teruki said in return. Shigeo had insisted on dropping the 'king' to his title, and Teruki was informal enough to accept. Shigeo, on the other hand, seemed stubborn in keeping Teruki's name polite. "Or Teruki, if you want."

"Hanazawa," Shigeo said as if in some form of justification. He would often drop the 'sir' these days, after Teruki mentioned it. He always had to remind Shigeo though.

"What is it you called me for?" This late in the night truly wasn't an issue for Teruki, he was often used to very late night patrols and guard duty. In fact, he had just been let off of this night's shift. But what could he be needed for here if Shigeo was perfectly fine?

Shigeo took a seat in one of the armchairs by the fire, sinking into the soft material. Teruki took a seat in the opposite one, pulling his legs up into the armchair to sit criss-cross, without permission; he knew he didn't need it. This was friend and friend, not King and Knight.

"Well, you had just gotten off duty for the night," Shigeo mumbled in his usual way. The Box in Teruki's heart made a scuffling sound. He never forgot how Shigeo had memorized his schedule. "And I happened to be awake. I-I wanted to talk to you about something."

Now Shigeo was nervous, and Teruki's whole being was aware of this.

"The-there's a ball tomorrow, and..." Teruki waited patiently for Shigeo to finish, but the Box was on edge. Then a very small, sliver of a voice came out, "I don't know what to wear."

"That's fine! I'll help you!" Teruki beamed, his regular voice seemed too loud in this silent night, and both boys flinched. Quieter this time, Teruki continued, "should we take a look at your outfits?"

"Y-yes," Shigeo said, standing up. Teruki followed and led Shigeo to his wardrobe, where he promptly opened it and examined the contents.

"You've bought knew suits," Teruki looked appreciatively at the cloth.

Shigeo played with his hands. "Ritsu gave some to me...said I've worn everything in here on too many occasions...people would start thinking of me as cheap."

Cheap, huh? That brother of his could be cold sometimes, but Teruki figured he was just trying to help his big brother out. He ignored the idea of giving a scoffing remark in regards to Ritsu in favor of picking out one of the tailcoat suits.

He played with the material of a black coat with golden embellishments adorning the sleeve cuffs and decorating the neck. A true classic for the kingdom. "Have you tried this one on?" Teruki asked, showing the suit currently in his possession.

"No..."

"Here. Hold it," Teruki gave Shigeo the suit and began another search.

He came out with another black tailcoat, this one with expensive red buttons and red seams, the waist pulled tight and then flaring out gently to exaggerate the area. A deep blue, seven piece suit with silver embroidery and a black cravat. Another one, this time with a cloak and golden, double buttons down the front. Teruki had chosen the new suits for Shigeo to try on, save for the solid white one with golden sewing; it was bold and regal, but not something Shigeo would be comfortable in. Teruki barely even bothered to look at it, knowing it was in the discard pile.

The boys spent the next hour looking at the details of the suits on Shigeo, adding shoes or a ring to his finger to see the full product. Shigeo turned a ruby red every time he revealed a new outfit on himself. Teruki kick the Box in his heart and told the king to turn in a circle.

"They all look magnificent, your highness," Teruki added the title as a friendly joke, but the honesty was tangible in his words. "Which do you prefer?"

"Oh, thank you, Hanazawa," Shigeo said, not looking at him. Teruki was sitting comfortably on the edge of the bed, and Shigeo had his back to him, standing up straight as he examined his image in the full length mirror, the last of the suits still on. "I'm not certain. I rather like them all." Then, suddenly, in Shigeo's regularly abrupt way, "what are you wearing?"

Teruki looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"

Calmly and still to the mirror, "to the ball. Have you decided what you're wearing?"

"Shigeo, I have guard duty. I won't be attending," Teruki watched his friend with curious eyes. The Problem in the Box was shaking.

Shigeo turned around swiftly, shock written on his usually passive face. Concern and worry flooded both boys at once.

"Oh no! I-I-I-I forgot! I'm so sorry, H-Hanazawa!" Shigeo's face was so red, Teruki figured he could cook an egg on it. The king was sweating profusely, and his mouth was open and frowning as he quickly apologized, and began to bow.

"No! No!" Teruki exclaimed, horrified that Shigeo was bowing to him to apologize. "Get up! Don't worry about it! This isn't something to be so sorry about!"

Shigeo was facing him, but his eyes were anywhere but on Teruki as he spoke. "I-it is, though! You-you see, I had arranged, weeks ago, for your duty to be excused for tomorrow! But...but I forgot to tell you!"

Teruki suddenly felt very empty. Had his soul evaporated? That must be it. He was going to a ball tomorrow? He hadn't been to a ball for ages. Did he even still have a suit to fit him? He didn't think so. And then his soul came rushing back into his body, and the air was knocked out of him. Was Shigeo inviting him to the ball? As the head of the Civil Guard, yes? Of course. Of course! But he didn't have a suit! Should he match Shigeo's suit, since they came from the same kingdom? Would others think that was weird? Did he have money to buy a suit to match Shigeo's? No, he shouldn't match Shigeo's suit, that would be strange. Right?

The questions ran into each other all at once in a panicked frenzy, but Teruki sounded calm as he said, "I don't have a suit to fit me. Its been too long since I've last attended a ball."

Shigeo played with his own hands again, eyes wide and worried. "I'm sorry! I can't buy anything on such sort notice...but I think Reigen might have something to fit you..."

"Really...?" Now Teruki's feelings were starting to catch up with his voice, and he sounded hollow and shell-shocked. "I'll have to ask him tomorrow morning then, huh...?"

"Y-yes, you should..." Shigeo fumbled with his fingers. "I-it's late. Perhaps we ought to go to bed? Since we'll be up late at the ball tomorrow."

"Oh, yes, of course!" Teruki hopped up from the bed, mind dizzy and his movements empty as he struggled to comprehend the fast paced events of the night. Shigeo followed behind him, and Teruki opened the door. As he exited, he turned around to bid the king a good night's sleep. "See you tomorrow then, Shigeo?"

"Yes..." he confirmed shyly, hand on the door. "Don't forget to ask Reigen for a suit."

And the door was shut, and there stood Sir Hanazawa Teruki, his soul once again evaporating from his mouth in the pitch black corridor. But this time, the Problem sprung out of the Box, and the Box evaporated too. His Problem was set free again.

Did they just play dress-up for an hour at 1:00am? Yes.

Aside from that fact, there's definitely going to be three chapters in this work, the next one being the exact same story, but in Shigeo's POV because Shigeo most certainly didn't know about the little Worry or the big Problem or even the Box under the bed. He was just really into hanging out with one of the most attractive guys in Seasoning Kingdom.

The last chapter will be the ball because wow, mushy. Those boys are mushy. Ugh.

Bless Beanpots and those AUs!