The Idea of You (Bdoc Royal AU)

Chapter Ten: Doc Gets Jealous and Does Nothing About It

[Day Nine]

Bdubs knew Doc's kingdom was going to be completely different from his own. But as the self-driving car drove them through the vast kingdom towards the center where the castle sat, he couldn't help but gawk at the various skyscrapers each city had lining the streets. He also didn't realize how much larger Oropolis was, at least construction-wise.

Artise had more land, as the forest itself was vast and ever-changing. But what Oropolis lacked in nature made up for with their high-tech cities. "Have you visited every one of these?" he said, turning to Doc once they made their way through the third.

"Ah, no," the prince answered, scratching the back of his neck. "I've never really been outside the palace walls until we came to your kingdom."

"Can I ask why?" he slowly and cautiously asked, fixing the gold crown on his head.

Doc fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist (which the shorter prince realized he had never seen take off) whilst he stared at his lap. "When I was little, it was for my protection. Despite how safe the kingdom is, my father was worried something may happen to me. And then as I got older, I just... never saw a reason to leave."

"Well, now that I'm here, I'm going to force you to explore your kingdom for once by taking me on a tour," he teased.

"Once we're done with today's meeting, I'll ask my father if we can tour the capitol outside the castle," Doc promised, glancing over at him with a small smile.

He returned the smile before gazing out the car window again. Sneaking a look at Doc through the reflection, he curiously watched as the taller hesitantly reached his hand over. Gently he rested it atop of Bdubs' and just nervously stared at the back of his head.

Bdubs held back a laugh, it was honestly kind of... cute. Keeping his eyes fixated on the passing buildings, he pulled his hand back slightly so their fingers could lace together.

On one hand, he felt terrible. He still wasn't sure of his own feelings but here he was, playing along.

But on the other hand, it felt... nice? It was nice to just quietly sit with their hands together like this. There was something simple about it that... he liked.

Plus, Doc's robotic hand was cold, but comforting, in a weird way.

-

When the car finally pulled up to his home, Doc pulled his hand away from Bdubs. It was a little strange being back. He was only gone for a little over a week and yet things already feel so different. Like just now; a week ago he probably wouldn't even think about doing something so stupid as holding someone's hand.

The door automatically opened and he slid out of the vehicle. Without even thinking he offered a hand to the other prince to help him. Much to his surprise, he gently touched his hand as he too stepped out of the car. But he pulled away to brush off his black trousers while the kings of Artise came out of the other car.

He looked back to the front doors of the castle as his father stepped out. "Welcome, King Cub, King Scar, and Prince Bdubs," he turned to meet Doc's eyes. "And welcome home, son."

"Thank you for having us," King Scar greeted as the Artise royalty bowed.

They met King Xisuma at the doors, who pulled the hybrid into a hug. After revealing the secret he's been carrying since his adoption to Bdubs, he briefly felt a little emotional.

Stepping back, his father pushed up his sleeve revealing the digital forearm cuff he always wore and typed in a command. "Now, if you'll all follow me, I'll show you around while the bots gather your things." On cue, three white robots came rolling out of the castle to collect the suitcases.