the prince and the pauper ; kubokai royalty au

9 ¬ depend on you ¬

a/n 

this chapter is kind of a filler, but it's a cute one i promise

i'm going to try and write alot today, so let's see... ::::;;)))

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It was light out when Shun woke that morning, but the open window beside him blew in cold air, and the sun hadn't yet risen completely. It was early, just barely daybreak. This was exactly what he wanted, he told himself he would try and get up extra early, and luckily his body clock didn't fail him. He got dressed quietly, fumbling about in his dimly lit room. He then opened the door of his bedroom VERY quickly, as it would let out a loud creak otherwise, and started to creep down the hallway.

It had been a long time since he had snuck around the palace like this. He used to do it as a young boy; he'd wake up at dawn and dash through the dark halls, sliding along the polished floor. He'd always be cautious then too, knowing he'd get lectured if he was caught. But although there aren't any specific rules outlining him not to do this now, he knew that if anyone saw him out of bed, they'd surely question it and interfere. For a moment he wondered if Aren might catch sight of him, but remembered it was his morning off, and he was probably still sleeping in. 

And so, after a brisk walk down the main hall, he at last arrived outside the palace kitchens.

Whilst the rest of the palace appeared sullen, the kitchen was active and full of life. It was constantly busy, with the chefs dashing around to prepare food for later meals whilst also beginning work on breakfast for the royal family and staff. The chefs were nice to Shun, and he liked them. Once the kitchen door was closed, he finally felt safe from any suspicious court members he could've ran into earlier. It was often Shun wandered into the kitchens to talk with the chefs, and they never had any problem with him being there, in fact, they always seemed very pleased to see him. He liked the head chef, Kai, the most. He'd been working there ever since Shun was little, and so he saw him as somewhat of an elder brother. 

"Shun! Hey, it's been a while since you came down here to visit. We've been missing you down here, y'know?"

"Sorry." Shun laughed awkwardly, feeling guilty. But Kai smiled warmly and put his hand on Shun's shoulder.

"Don't be. I know how you get during the summer, it must be hard to have so much time with such little work to do. So.. tell me mate, what brings you down here? And so early in the morning too?"

"Ahh, I don't suppose you could.." Shun looked down at his shoes for a second, before clearing his throat. "Well, I was actually here to ask for something."

"Ask for something? Want me to make something specially, hm?"

"Well, sort of.. um, actually, I was just thinking. Could you maybe show me how to make..I don't know, picnic-type foods? Like..sandwiches and snacks and things like that, you know? You don't have to make them, because you probably have a lot to do, but maybe just get me started."

"Picnic-type foods? Well, I don't see why not. Planning on holding a picnic, are we?"

"Yes. Kind of. Well, it's actually.. sort of a suprise, which is why I came so early."

"And just who is this picnic with?"

"Um..one of my friends."

"..Which friend?" Kai eyed him suspiciously, but in a friendly way. "You having a little romantic encounter or somethin'?"

"No! No, it's not. That's not it." Shun laughed nervously and tugged at his sleeves. He prayed that he wasn't going red.

"Okay, okay. I suppose I won't pry anymore. Go get a chopping board and a couple knives from that cabinet over there, i'll bring over some produce you can use."