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"I'm sorry," Jeonghan said, smiling sweetly.
"You're only sorry because you got caught," The Guard said, mouth set in a hard line. Jeonghan dropped the act and stared up at the man in front of him. "I'm really not," He said.
The Guard's left eye twitched.
It was the middle of the night, they were in the kitchens, one had his arms crossed, leaning on the counter with a terrifying look on his face, and the other was on the floor with his arms and legs tied up.
The one on the dirty floor was Jeonghan.
"I can't move," Jeonghan said, huffing out stray hairs out of his eyes.
"That's the point."
"You weren't supposed to be in the kitchens, no one was supposed to be down here in the first place! Not at this hour! Untie me!" Jeonghan said.
The Guard just squinted at him.
Yoon Jeonghan, the greatest thief the kingdom has ever known, notorious for occasionally stealing from the palace and never getting caught, was now at the mercy of the newly employed guard. Damn.
The Guard held up a worn duffle bag, "Care to explain?" he shook it for emphasis.
"I'd rather not."
"What are you planning to do with your loot?"
"I don't know," Jeonghan drawled, he was getting bored.
"Just answer the question."
Jeonghan sighed dramatically, "I have hungry kids to feed," he said, batting his eyelashes for effect.
"Cut the Bull," the other man said, looking more irritated than before. Jeonghan opened his mouth to retort but another voice rang through the kitchen.
"What bull?" it was accompanied by a head peeking from the entrance with curious eyes, brown hair sticking out from different directions.
Both the Thief and the Guard stiffened at the new presence, the Guard straightened his back and Jeonghan adjusted his position on the floor.
The Guard did a low bow, "Your Highness."
Prince Jisoo stood there in all his bedhead and pajama-clad glory, eyes twinkling in the dim lights of the kitchens. "Cheol, I thought I told you to just call me Jisoo," he said, smiling.
The Guard, whose name was Cheol apparently, flushed at The Prince's words. Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at this. Interesting.
Jisoo shifted his gaze from Cheol to the Thief on the floor. Then back to Cheol. Then back to the Thief. He blinked a few times and then put a hand up to cover his mouth. His shoulders were shaking.
"Is this who I think it is?"
"Don't you dare," Jeonghan said. The Prince came forward and settled right next to Cheol, eyes forming into crescents as he watched how Jeonghan started to squirm.
"Don't you dare laugh."
"I'm not," Jisoo said with a great deal of effort. Cheol looked confused, he kept looking back and forth between the two of them. Whether it was from Jeonghan's casual way of addressing his Liege or the fact that Jisoo didn't seem to care that he was being spoken so rudely to, Jeonghan had no idea.
"You're all tied up," Jisoo pointed out.
"And you're wearing stupid pajamas," Jeonghan said. And then the Prince laughed, hitting Cheol on the shoulder repeatedly, which the latter did not know how to react to.
"You got caught," Jisoo said, wiping at his eyes. He hoisted himself up to sit on the counter. Jeonghan waited.
"I can't believe it, you got caught," Jisoo repeated, his smile was so infuriatingly smug Jeonghan wanted to wipe it off.
"Are you done? Now order your Brute to untie me right now, the floor is uncomfortable," Jeonghan said. Cheol bristled at his words, "Do not speak to the Prince like that."
"I can speak to him however I like," Jeonghan said.
Cheol started forward, his hand already around the hilt of his sword but halted when Jisoo held a hand up. A silent command that instantly held him back.
"I would appreciate it if you would stop offending my newly appointed Captain of the Guards. Seungcheol was simply doing his job," Jisoo said, though his eyes were still twinkling. Jeonghan pouted.
"Just untie me, Jisoo!" Jeonghan said, exasperated. "Please," he added.
Seungcheol choked and it wasn't because Jeonghan had said please. Oh poor Seungcheol, he must be having a hard time comprehending the situation. A Prince and a Thief bantering as if they had been best friends for years. Well, in a way, It was true.
There was a reason why Jeonghan never gets caught.
"Do you need any help?" Jisoo asked, eyes wide and bright. he was holding out the last piece of the candelabra to Jeonghan. "Are you out of your mind," Jeonghan hissed, though he accepted the silver piece from the other's hand and stuffed them onto his sack anyways.
Jisoo's smile widened even more, he held up his thumb and forefinger and brought them together as though he were pinching something microscopic, "A little bit more. That didn't sound sincere at all, Don't you want to be free?"
Jeonghan groaned, "Pretty please? Oh Shua, please?"
"More."
"Pretty please with a big continental fuck you, Hong Jisoo."
For some obscure reason, that seemed to satisfy The Prince, for he laughed so hard and told his Guard to cut the man loose. Jeonghan watched as Seungcheol's jaw drop but quickly regained his composure,
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Promise me that you would not tell anyone? Especially the King, " Jisoo asked, leaning back and stifling a yawn.
"Of course, Your Highness."
"I knew I could count on you,"
Jisoo had not seen it because he was perched on the kitchen counter but Jeonghan had. Seungcheol's cheeks were tinged with red as he bent down and got to work on cutting him loose. Very very interesting.
---
Jeonghan rubbed at his sore wrists as he sat on the edge of the mattress. The three of them had relocated to the Prince's chambers after carefully sneaking out of the kitchens. "That was not fun at all," he said.
Prince Jisoo was leaning on his bedpost, hair still a mess. He turned his attention to the man standing by the door, "Seungcheol, you can sit down if you like."
"That would be rude of me."
"I give you permission, besides look at Hannie. He's already lounging on my bed as if he owns it," Jisoo said and Jeonghan snorted.
"Hannie," Seungcheol said.
"That would be me, I'm Hannie," Jeonghan said and the Guard's huge eyes turned to him. Jeonghan winked at him.
"Your Highness...is there a reason as to why you're an accomplice to Yoon Jeonghan's thievery?"
"Call me Jisoo and I'll tell you."
"But--"
"Just do it, Cheol," Jeonghan said, inspecting his cuticles. Seungcheol frowned for a moment and then sighed, all the fight draining out of his body.
"J-Jisoo..."
Jisoo smiled so wide, his cheeks were bunched up and his nose crinkled. Jeonghan rolled his eyes.
The Prince unceremoniously dropped himself onto his mattress and slung an arm around the said Thief. He looked at Seungcheol and winked.
"Well Choi Seungcheol, This is a game that we like to play."
---
"You fancy Jisoo, don't you?" Jeonghan said.
Seungcheol spluttered, face turning red and eyes downcast. Such long eyelashes, Jeonghan thought. They were outside the palace walls, surrounded by the thick branches of the forest. The sun had not yet risen and not a single soul was in sight save for the two of them.
Jeonghan had requested that he be escorted outside safely by Seungcheol.
"Let me borrow him for a while, Someone as pretty as me needs protection," he had said.
"As long as you bring him back to me," Jisoo replied.
"No need to be shy about it, everyone wants to sleep with Prince Jisoo," Jeonghan said, adjusting his duffle bag on his shoulder, "I'm sure if you asked nicely he'd let you."
"Please stop talking."
Seungcheol ran a hand over his face, suddenly very tired.
Jeonghan regarded him for a moment, taking in his features. It was only in that moment that the Thief realized that Jisoo's captain of the guards was quite...attractive.
Jeonghan could feel himself forming another scheme in his head. Jisoo's going to be so furious. Jeonghan can't wait.
"Hey Cheollie," he said and Seungcheol cringed at the new pet name.
"You're already part of this game so It's only fair that I tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"I know what I'm going to steal next."
"And that is?" Seungcheol asked, looking at him with a wary expression on his face. Jeonghan reached out and tugged at Seungcheol's hand, interlocking their fingers together.
"You."