"Just take my hand, step on my shoulder and jump." he was always soft spoken, that was nothing new. What was indeed surprisingly new was how facile it was this time. For the first time the sugar coated words were not for a con, they were infact for no selfish motive at all. They were there, effortlessly.

Worry was etched all over the face of the boy who was still nodding his head even though the instructions ended seconds ago. He stretched out one leg down the wall ledge carefully lowering it to Jungkook's shoulder who instantly gripped at the slightly worn out duck's bill shoe for support looking up at how the other, very arduously after a good amount of struggle had finally let down the other leg that was now dangling like a broken pendulum, and was holding the ledge of the wall between both arms and his chest as if he was trying to climb up, not get down.

"You're doing great sweetheart, now just jump down. It's not as big of a distance as you are presuming. I promise." Jungkook's effortless silk talk continued attempting to comfort the frantic boy. But even the crickets in the bush beneath the log that jungkook was standing on, that were the only company they had around, could tell that the younger was far from comfortable.

There was only one thing better than Jungkook's general talent of stealth, and that was Jungkook's talent of stealth during nighttime. They were climbing down the big wall that fenced taehyung's back- garden, the most neglected part of the palace, thankfully so. This was supposedly his escape route after he got his hands on the crown. The plan that massively flunked.

But he would rather not think about it at the moment for he had a bigger, more innocent and distressed looking, problem at hand. Problem- Taehyung.

"If I was in the slightest endurable at parkours of this sort, I would have been training far seas with hyung-nim. Not hiding my face behind the books, Jungkook. I think this is the moment I die."

Jungkook would have laughed at the sharp reply if he hadn't been busy balancing himself on a rocking wooden log, holding on to the royal's foot on his shoulder. And the other was not making any of this easy.

"You will not die, Tae. Please don't be absurd. Just trust me and jump" Jungkook sighed almost assertive that there is no fruit in persuasion anymore. It already took twenty minutes for him to make the other climb on the wall and another fifteen to convince to move from sitting on the ledge just dangling legs nervously.

"Oh I do trust you. I just don't trust myself. I'm certain I will be reason of my own death." Jungkook chuckled lightly. A quick analysis ran through his mind at how he would have ran out of patience long ago had it been anyone else. Scatch that. Had it been anyone else, he would never risk his life just to show the other around in the first place. But no delay bothered him at the moment. He rather found the other's apprehension endearing. Adorable.

"So you trust me, huh?" jungkook mumbled more to himself as he looked down making a mental calculation on how the ground was just three feet below the log and about nine feet from Taehyung's feet. "Tae, when I count to three,  you let go of the ledge. Okay?"

"Huh? Or how about you help me climb up again and we abolish this idea altogether?"

"One." Jungkook announced grabbing the other dangling foot into the same hand.

"So you are serious about this, huh?"

"Two." He extended the free hand upwards and placed it on the small of other's back.

"Hyung-nim, I love you, I'm sorry. But atleast I died doing something brave. Wrong. But brave nonetheless."

"Three. Let go." Taehyung squeezed his eyes close and slowly let go of the wall that he was holding for dear life.  Jungkook jumped down the log simultaneously pulling the other's feet along. As soon as his own two feet landed on the ground he affirmated the hand that was on the other's back, pushing it forward while the feet were pulled downward causing the prince to land on his shoulder like a sack of rice with a loud shriek.

He, in one swift motion slided the prince in a better position to end up carrying him bridal style. Taehyung wrapped his arms around the older's neck instinctively, eyes still squeezed shut. "I'm taking a wild guess that I did not die?"

"How incapable of a guard do to presume me to be?" jungkook smiled adoringly as the younger slowly opened his eyes innocence dripping out of them like gold lava.

Taehyung smiled the one kind that made his eyes into tiny apostrophes. He unwrapped one of his hands from the other's neck and picked up the stall that had drifted down and lifted it up to cover the face on the side that jungkook likes to be hidden.
"Truth be told, I like you better without the cover."

Sometimes, when you lay on your pillow at night and gawk at the ceiling for no reason while sometimes swimming sometimes drowning in the endless ocean of your thoughts, you wish. There are some sentences that you run in your brain thinking "what if someday someone says this to me" but as quickly as it comes you shush it thinking "that's ridiculous, why would someone say that?"

And now Jungkook only wishes that atleast once he would have thought that through so that now he knew how to react when Taehyung has offhandedly recited something that he had yearned to hear for ten long years.

He would like to alibi that he was in a moment of awe when he leaned down  and nuzzeled the prince's neck touching the cold nose tip to the warm neck before slowly extending himself to place a peck on the said boy's cheek once. Then twice. Then thrice.

It was right after his third peck when he came to senses for what he had done. But the moment he retracted his face expecting a wrath of enrage on the royal, he condemns his consious for shamelessly wanting to repeat the action when he saw a furiously blushing taehyung with cheeks tinted just one shade below red, eyes wide but soft, teeth traumatizing the lower lip in the most sensual way possible. No sign of disapproval whatsoever.

"S-shall I apologize, y-your highness?

"A-are you remorseful?" he questioned back with innocent bambi eyes and a flushed face.

"Not the slightest."

"Then n-no. But c-could you continue to carry me for a while? I f-feel a little dizzy."

"From the fall?"

"From the rise."

And with that the color of guard's cheeks resembled that of the royal's as two blushing boys made their way from the jungle to the streets of Arauna, one in the arms of the other.

******

"You cannot do that to him father. Have you not been unfair enough already?" the vein on prince Jongha's forehead looked like it may burst as he tried his level best to remember his mannerisms of talking to an elder, let alone the king himself, despite the volcanic enmity bubbling in his lungs.

"When have I been-"

"Father. Let's not go there. You and I both know the truth. I just want to talk about the matter at hand."

"I have not agreed to Lee Taran's deal yet. But come to think of it, he may after all be happy. I am considering this offer keeping that in mind. Taehyung's current life is not going anywhere attribute to his lack of skill. You must understand my worries, he is a prince no matter what he says."

"You are ready to do decimate your son because you think he may be happy? Father, I'm not gullible. And truth be told, neither is Tae. He understands everything. He is just so far down into the guilt that he continues to bury himself by agreeing to everything you ask of him. If you ask him about this, he will say yes without a second thought. He will drink his own tears again, like he does always. One day he will bury himself so deep till he is nothing but dust and if there's one person to blame for it, it is you. YOU!" Jongha had lost his cool for the first time ever consummating in a shivering Anaya, a terrified Queen and a surprised but enraged King.

"ENOUGH!! You may be the future king, Jongha but you forget that I am your father! AND THIS INDISCRETION IS NOT TOLERATED. I consider you my better son, do not make me change my mind. I WILL DO WHATEVER I RENDER BENEFICIAL FOR KINGDOM AND MY FAMILY AS WELL. I know what is good for my sons, you as well as Tae. Now you will only open your mouth again if it is to apologize. Otherwise scurry away from my vision."

Jongha heaved a heavy sigh closing his eyes to compose himself before speaking again.
"I apologize for my misbehavior. It is unlikely of me to loose myself. However I stand my ground, if it means anything at all to you. I will detest the acceptance of this offer. I hope you forgive me for my tone earlier. Have a good night." Jongha's apology and extended perpendicular bow showed respect but the clenched fists and a raised eyebrow told another story as he walked out of the hall that now had rest of the Kim family along with Sir Yoongi.

*******

"Would the town not be in a slumber by now, given how late it is?" Taehyung and jungkook had almost crossed the woods now the main town area was only a few minutes away. They sauntered through the crunchy leaves and twigs, hands intertwined comfortably as if it was the most natural thing for them to do.

"No petal, it is you royals who go to bed at dusk. An average resident comes home after a long day of work and it is this time that he spends with his family. The market and grounds must be brimming with hoi polloi. It is my favorite time to work."

Taehyung snickered at the strange use of 'hoi polloi' but then realized how he has never asked the other what he did before becoming the temporary guard.  "Do you work somewhere in the emporium?"

"No, Tae. I steal for a living. I'm a con."

Jungkook had pictured himself confessing to taehyung after the very first time of wrapping his arms around the other's petite frame.

But a surge of anxiety engulfed him as he only waited for the slender hand to be snatched away from his and the royal to spit profanities at him, but that never happened. When he hesitantly averted his gaze he was only met with the other nodding with his constant smile as if they were having the most normal conversation.

"You don't look disgusted." taehyung's smile widened at this has he looked at jungkook with sparkling eyes only to take his breath away, like everytime it does.

"Why would I look like that?" taehyung squeezed his hand firmly before wrapping his other arm around his elbow like fairylights to the bonsai tree.

"Were you disgusted when I could not even climb a wall despite being a prince who must supposedly excel at such activities? "

Jungkook shook his head. He was at a lack of words, like everytime he is when the royal is around. As the comforting silence whirled, he started thinking.

Even a bird flying high in the vault of skies could spot how out of place taehyung was in the royals, how unhappy he was. When jungkook had asked the other if he had a clothing that would make him look like a regular resident of Arauna he had only expected a thumbs down that he was loaded with opulent royal fabrics only.

But oh how wrong was he. Turns out taehyung had more of those than the royal clothing itself only confirming jungkook's suspicions. Taehyung was only treated like a royal for the eyes of the outer world. It was a different story in the palace.

If jungkook had the power he would take taehyung away from that gold plated hell-hole in a single breath and give him the carefree life he deserves. But that is the thing, he does not. He has courage, he has stealth, he has brain, sharpness and an outstanding ability to manipulate. Power is the only thing he does not have.
And in there world, only the powerful raise the powerful.

Why did it bother him so much? Taehyung was ill-treated by his own family and this made jungkook as sad as finding out his mother was ill. Why?
He was nobody to him. Then why?

"Where to?" taehyung broke the silence when the road came into view.

"My cottage. We will eat something a regular eats make a little time table for the night in such wise we don't loose track of it and then head back. You have one night to live the life of the-great-jungkook."

Taehyung chuckled unwinding his arms from around jungkook because they just could not be seen that way. Or seen at all. But the again,  who would know the royal who was apparently too cavalier-- said to be too arrogant to step out of his chamber to address the subjects.

Jungkook's cottage was not far from the woods. For jungkook, that is. Taehyung did a pretty good job at pretending he was fine with walking but the light that sparked in his irises as soon as jungkook proposed a piggie back, gave it away.

Now clad on his back, lean legs wrapped around in torso and arms around his neck, jungkook tries to concentrate on answering the random questions about the town the prince throws at him, instead of the distracting tingling in his tummy with every fan of breath on the nape of his neck.

"But what if they catch you red-handed."

"I've been caught many times. Countless. But I have gotten away with it everytime. I like to assume I have a way with words. Very different from the way you do, however."

"Why thank you. I wish to get away with robbery as well someday." taehyung chuckled again this time causing his lips to brush on the junction of jungkook's neck and shoulder slightly, leaving behind a very noticeable shudder of the other's body causing jungkook to abruptly stop mid-laugh.

Taehyung noticed this and liked the reaction too much, way too much. He, to test the waters, brushed his lips again on the same exposed regions, followed by a light peck once. Then twice. Then thrice.

Only on the third peck he noticed how jungkook had now completely halted and tilted his neck backwards. His eyes were closed as he tried to pull a face that looked unbothered, failing miserably.

Taehyung felt a shiver run down his spine at the older's reaction. Not the shiver which is caused whenever he is called to his mother's chamber. The good kind. The kind he may not mind experiencing time and again.

"Shall I apologize?" he uttered with cheeks tinted crimson, tightening his arms around the older's neck and hiding his face on it.

"Are you remorseful?"

"What do you think?" taehyung questions with a hint of amusement in his voice and pecked the other's nape again giggling right after eliciting the same from the other.

******

"This is my sister." taehyung had climbed down as the door of a secluded wooden cottage opened. To say he was nervous would be an understatement.

"Oh hello. My name is Yerin. Brother has never brought a friend home. I'm so thrilled to meet you." both of them stepped inside the little room but taehyung only kept his head hanging fidgeting with his finger.

"M-me t-too.. Umm.. N-nice nice to meet y-you."

"Don't be nervous sweetheart. She is younger than you. Introduce yourself."

"M-my introduce?" taehyung pointed at himself with wide innocent eyes and jungkook could only coo at the sight.

Only then he realized that as a prince who has hardly ever stepped out, he may have never needed to introduce himself, hence the sudden puppy eyes.

Yerin smiled in utter adoration at how his brother eyes filled with warmth and affection and the use of a nickname which is again unlikely of him, knowing in a second how this was not just friendship she was witnessing.

But in the next moment her smile poofed in air and eyes blew wide hearing the next sentence.

"G-good evening Yerin-ssi. M-my name is Kim Taehyung."

~~~~~~~~

My phone's auto-prediction sometimes turns kim taehyung to Kim Kardashian and it's fuckin hilarious when I'm texting someone about bts.

Bye bye