Chapter Text
Isshiki Totomaru is the prince of Citronia Kingdom, a kingdom most notable from their citrus fruits. Although his family values kindness and compassion, 17 year old Totomaru seems to be lacking any compassion or kindness. He's spoiled, bratty, and rude, a complete turn around from his parents behavior, whose actions perfectly fit the moral standards. While his parents are helping the poor or trying to help their kingdom, Totomaru sits around and orders servants around, doing little to nothing around the castle. His parents try to discipline him, but their hearts and morals wouldn't let them do anything past scolding, so they eventually gave up. They also seemed to have given up on tutoring, as Toto wasn't the brightest out of the bunch. All the tutors he'd had quit or got fired because they snapped at Toto and he had them removed. It was pretty tiring for Totos parents to live their everyday lives in peace.
One day, Totos parents had planned a meeting with another kingdom which were known for their brown sugar syrup production. The Kamonohashi's. Their sweet treats were quiet popular among different continents, so they were a wealthy family.
Toto and his parents waited in the throne room for the Kamonohashi's arrival. Toto pouted and crossed his arms, getting forced to be there to greet their guests.
"Uhhhhhhh! How long do I have to stander here-uh," Toto groaned.
"As long as we need to. Stay patient Toto-"
"Can I at least sit in a chairrr?" Toto intrurrupted. Suddenly, the doors to the throne room open and the Kamonohashi's graciously approached the family. Toto flinched at their sudden entrance, causing him to straighten up. His parents immediately put on a warm smile.
"Welcome! Would you like to sample our citrus? Haha, just kidding. Welcome to our kingdom." Toto's father said, going up to greet the guest family, Toto's mother doing the same. Toto stood back in the exact same place he was before, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. His mother greeted the Kamonohashi's with kindness, and they got kindness in return.
"It is a pleasure to be here with you. My name is Romi, my husband Elliot," the woman said, politely introducing her and her husband. Elliot gave a friendly smile, shaking the hands of Totos parents.
"No, it's our pleasure for you to come and visit us! Especially join us for dinner!" Toto looked at his father, eyes slightly wide with his brows furrowed.
"What?! You never mentioned that!" Toto yelled at his father. His father only ignored him. Toto scoffed in disbelief. Romi then turned to look at Toto.
"Is that your son?" She asked. Without looking, his parents both nodded, although a bit ashamed looking. Toto crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, giving Romi a nasty look. She didn't mind, however, and just smiled back.
"Your son reminds me of our own. He's quite a handful because he doesn't see the appeal of royalty, often sneaking out if the palace and making us search for him."
"Sneaking out? We wish that was our problem. Instead, our son lazes around all day indulging himself in anything and everything, bossing around everybody and using his royal title as an excuse for his behavior. Believe me, we'd trade anything to let sneaking out be our problem"
Totos father "joked" as he let out a little laugh, though he sounded genuine. Toto rolled his eyes again, and tapped his foot on the floor, losing his patience. With the added information of the Kamonohashi's staying for dinner, Toto was more irritated than ever.
"Can I go now?" Toto asked.
"Dont you want to meet.. uh.." Toto's father looked over at Romi.
"Ron."
"Right. Don't you want to meet Ron? Maybe talk to someone your age?" Toto gave his father a nasty look.
"No, I don't. You know what, you guys are taking forever, so I'm just gonna-"
The doors suddenly burst open, making the room go still. A group of guards came in with a struggling boy who looked like a regular peasant. He had black, messy hair, a part covering his eyes and his clothes tattered and worn out looking. Toto gave the boy a nasty look, being disgusted that a peasant would be brought into the castle. The Kamonohashi's didn't seem fazed. Elliot sighed as he walked over to the struggling boy and motioned for the guards to let him go. They looked hesitant, but followed their kings command. As soon as the boy was let go, he immediately tried to run again, but Elliot grabbed his collar and dragged him over to where the others were standing.
"This is our son, Ron." Elliot said, putting Ron in front of him. Ron gave up struggling as soon as his father dragged him over to where the other royals were standing. He stood up properly and patted off his clothing, glaring at his parents through his bangs. He quickly regained his composure, however, clearing his throat and effortlessly bowing infront of Toto's parents. His posture, his technique, even the tone of his voice was perfect as he introduced himself.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Isshiki. Please excuse my rude intrusion. I was planning to come by later but..." Ron glared at the guards. "..There was a slight interruption. Because I wasn't planning to come this early, please excuse my choice of clothing."
Rons smooth voice made Totos heart skip a beat, especially the smile that came along with his apology. He looked over to the peasant looking boy, his interest piqued. Totos parents also seemed to be charmed by Rons professionalism, slightly taken aback.
"Oh don't sweat it, sweetie. You are perfectly fine," Totos mother said. His father nodded along. Rons parents looked ashamed slightly. They tried to apologize for their son, but Totos father quickly shot them down.
"No need to apologize for your son! We welcome everybody into our kingdom!" Romi and Elliot looked at each other, slightly suprised, but smiled.
"Thank you for your understanding, Riku, we appreciate it." Elliot said warmly. Romi than nudged Ron slightly, motioning towards Toto.
When Toto noticed Ron turning his attention towards him, he quickly hid his face, slouching into himself as his other arm was still crossed across his chest. He looked away, hoping Ron would ignore him or think he's a weird looking servant. His "disguise" didn't work, however, as Ron walked over to him. His eyebrow was quirked up in curiosity.
"Are you.. okay...?" Ron asked cautiously, wondering why the prince infront of him was acting weird. Totos heart pounded in his chest, wondering what he should do. Ron looked back his his mother, wondering if she pointed him towards the right person. She looked over at him and signaled for him to do something. He looked back to where Toto was, but found nobody there. He blinked in confusion as he looked around, checking nearby corners or places to hide. With no success at finding Toto, Ron just shrugged and walked back over to his parents, joining in on their conversation.
Toto, on the other hand, was running down the castle hallway and stored himself away in his room. He leaned against his closed bedroom door as he breathed heavily from the sprinting. He felt a weird feeling in his chest as he remembered Rons mannerisms and looks. Although he looked like a peasant, he was a good looking one, according to Totos thoughts. He immediately shook his head as he tried to make them disappear. He had never thought of anyone as attractive, especially a peasant. Toto would gag everytime he saw even the slightest price of dirt on someone in the kingdom, judging them openly as he did so. But, even though Ron had himself covered in dirt and looking like a mess, Toto still felt his heart try and leap out of his chest. If that's what he looked like as a peasant, what would he look like in clean, royal clothes suited for a prince?
Totos mind immediately gave him a picture to ponder upon and he felt his face heat up. He quickly slapped himself, wondering what was wrong with him. He ran a hand through his hair before walking to his desk, planning to draw and distract his mind.
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Toto let out an annoyed groan as drawing hadn't seemed to distract him well enough. He had some luck the first few minutes, drawing flowers or beautiful scenery he remembered. But a few more minutes in, he caught himself sketching what looked similar to Ron from before. His brows slightly furrowed. He ripped the page out and crumpled it up, throwing it in the trash before turning to the next page. He started drawing flowers and other plants again, but soon he caught himself drawing Ron again, his face printed on the paper infront of him. Toto flipped the page and tried drawing again, but with the next few filled attempts, he laid his pencil on the desk and stood up. He paced around his room, trying to think of something else that could distract him.
He ended up lying in his bed, staring at the canopy above him. His thoughts raced and tried to curve around thinking about Ron. Still to no avail, Toto just let his mind wander wherever it please, removing the constrictions on his imagination. Of course, his thoughts immediately turn towards Ron. He seemed perfect. His demeanor, his mannerism, his personality all fit the descriptions of a well disciplined prince. His features where also on point. His sharp face shape beautifully clahing with the soft features of his face. His smile is charming with a hint of slyness, something that would make anybody feel there heart rate elevate. Even with messy, unruly hair, it seemed like everypeice fell on each other perfectly, making the hairstyle look intentional. The amount of effortless beauty the prince carried was not able to fully comprehend in Totos mind. Hell, even his voice was perfect. There was a perfect amount of deepness in his voice, having the type of smoothness that would make somebodies knees feel weak. The way the words rolled off his tongue so effortlessly made Toto feel a shiver rack his body. His mind then suddenly travelled to dangerous territory and Toto quickly sat up, face red as his eyes went wide. What was he thinkng about?! He had only met the prince today and had barely interacted with him.
Suddenly, a knock echoed through his silent bedroom. Toto slightly jumped at the sudden noice but scrambled to get up, going to the closest mirror to fix himself and make him presentable, taking deep breaths to calm his red face. After he thought he looked presentable enough, he took one last breath before opening his door. A servant stood nervously infront of Totos door, flinching as the door opened.
"What is it? I'm busy," Toto said harshly.
"I-I um... I was sent to fetch you... f-for dinner.." she said.
"Thats it? Well, tell my parents I won't be able to attend their dinner and to just bring me my food down to my bedroom." Toto attempted to close his door, but the servant quickly spoke up, making him pause.
"T-They also said that if your majesty doesn't attend the dinner, you would be... um.. grounded..." The servant got progressively quieter as she spoke, ending in a mumble. Toto burrowed his brows in irritation.
"Well tell them I don't give a fuck. I'd rather starve then have dinner with a person who looks like a peasant at the table." Toto said harshly slamming the door in the servants face. He sighed. He walked back to his bed, deciding to let his mind wander again, but start at a different spot. He thought about Rons status back at his kingdom. How was he treated in public? Did girl swoon over him from his looks? Maybe he got hit on a couple of time... How was he treated when he looked like a peasant? Was there really any difference? His charm and dashing looks must replace the societal hierarchy. With or without a crown, Toto was positive Ron would've gotten treated the same way. Another knock then came from his bedroom door. He dramatically sighed. He slouched over to the door and opened it. He closed his eyes annoyed as he did, sighing again.
"I told you to tell my parents-" Toto cut himself up as he opened his eyes. He was looking down, expecting the same servant that was shorter than him, but instead found himself looking at someone's chest. Totos eyes travelled up to the face of the tall stanger infront of him. His breath was immediately caught in his throat as he saw a sparkling pair of royal blue eyes. Toto processed who was standing in front of him. Ron stood in new clothes, clean and free of any reminisce of dirt. He wore a white dress shirt with lantern sleeves, collar slightly open. A black vest, same as the color of his pants and gloves, had been placed on top of the white shirt. His hair was cleanly slicked back, his cowlick standing freely. Toto blinked at the beautiful person infront if him. Before Ron could say anything, Toto shut the door. His face went bright red as he felt major embarrassment from the short encounter. He ran to his bathroom, fixing his hair and face, straightening out his clothes before running back out to his bedroom doors. He fixed his posture and took one more deep breath before opening the door again. Ron stood in the exact same place, slightly stunned. Toto put on a polite smile.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked, tone similar to how his parents sounded when they interacted with Rons parents. Ron snapped out of his stunned daze.
"Yes, right, well I have come to fetch you for dinner by request of your parents." Ron said calmly, one hand behind his back like a professional. He had the same charming smile he had before.
"Right..." Toto replied nervously.
"Shall we go?" Ron asked, his voice as smooth as polished stone. He lend out a hand. Toto looked at it for a few moments. Why did he lend out his hand like Toto was a princess? Why did he feel like he would enjoy that kind of concept? Why was his heart beating so fast? Why was-
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. It is mostly out of habit, so please excuse me," Ron said, realizing Toto was just staring at his hand. He retracted it, putting it behind his back with the other one. Toto snapped out of his racing thoughts and felt embarrassed again.
"No need to apologize.." Toto mumbled, exiting his bedroom while closing the door behind him. Ron gave the same charming smile before walking towards the dining room. Toto followed, allowing his face to go red since he was behind Ron.
They reached the dining room, the adults conversing freely. They chattering stopped as Ron and Toto entered the dining room, taking their respective seats.
"Ah! The hamster has finally come out of its hole!" Totos father exclaimed jokingly. Elliot and Romi laughed at the comment while Toto glared at his father.
"Looks like sending Ron over did the trick. We should start sending him to fetch Toto whenever we need him more often, eh?" Totos father said, the room filled with laughter, but Toto and Ron were the only ones not laughing. Ron ate silently while Toto sat and continued to give his father looks.
The dinner continued, the adults laughing and enjoying themselves while Toto and Ron stood off to the sides awkwardly. Ron would occasionally join their conversations, showing his intellect on certain matters and impress Totos parents. They would show there amazement and than make a small comment, comparing Toto to Ron. Toto didn't care at first, rolling his eyes, but he gradually felt himself feeling hurt and shrinking into himself as the night went on. In one day, Totos admiration of Ron started changing into jealousy and hate as his father made more comments comparing and making him seem useless compared to Ron.
"Oh wow! Ron, you are really capable of doing wonderful things for your kingdom! Only if our Totomaru could such things, oh it would be a miracle! If I had the chance, I'd probably swap Toto out for someone with your intellect!" Totos father spewed out. He laughed as other laughed along with him, although a bit awkwardly. Ron hadn't laughed as much at the last comment, feeling slightly uncomfortable by the wording and the overall meaning of the comment. He glanced in Totos direction and saw how his breath caught in his throat. Toto swallowed slightly as he felt his breathing pick up a slight pace, his eyes starting to sting. He stood up suddenly as the laughter started subsiding.
"I-Ill be heading back to my room.." Toto muttered.
"Already? Why don't you stay for a few more minutes? I'm sure-"
"I said I'll be heading to my room." Toto said more harshly, cutting off his father. As he left, he heard his father sigh and say something about his temperament. He felt tears start forming in his eyes as he hugged himself and made his way to his room. As soon as the doors closed, he walked over to his bed and fell face first into the sheets. He let tears start flowing freely, tangling himself in his sheets and blankets. He stayed in that position for a few minutes thinking about all the things he'd thought about before. Ron's perfect persona. His looks, his personality, and now his intellect. They became a reminder of how much less he is compared to the perfect prince. Totos looks? He looked like a child compared to the mature features of Ron. Ron had the perfect balance of soft and sharp features while Toto just had a... jumbled mess. A stupid excuse of a face for royalty.. And Toto couldn't get started on Rons eyes.. They were the most perfect shade of blue he had ever seen. They seem like they shimmer no matter the lightning or setting, a trait that would charm anybody who took a peak at them. Everything in Rons face was perfect. Everything was fit for the title of a prince. Unlike him, who had dull, boring, grey eyes that barely simmered at all. They looked gloomy all the time and, in Totos opinion, unfitting for someone with his title.
What about Totos personality? He's been acting spoiled for all his life. Bossing people around like they all owed him something. He'd overhear his parents conversations few times, talking about what they did wrong in raising him. They complained about his attitude to each other and him. He hadn't cared up until that night. All the comments and complaints came flooding to crowd his brain in shame. Why was he like this? Why couldn't he see how problematic he was sooner? How could he have the title of a prince if he didn't even act like one? Did he even deserve his crown?
Speaking of, did he even have the intellect to proudly represent the royal family? Or is he just a fraud? He hadn't known or heard about half the things Ron had said at the dinnertable. He was just there, being an extra mouth to feed with no real purpose. What was his purpose? Did he even have one? It seemed like it would've been better if he had just...
Never existed.
Totos started crying harder at the thought, letting out silent sobs as he buried himself deeper in his sheets, allowing his mind to spiral with nothing stopping it. The pitter patter of rain started outside, gradually getting harsher, banging on his window. Thunder and lighting soon followed.
That night, he thought of things he thought he would've never think of. The already open wound getting deeper and deeper.