Work Text:
"Well, well, well… look who finally got caught."
The Prince couldn't hide the wicked smile gracing his lips when his guards entered the throne room, dragging a certain Robin Hood along with them. Isabel who leaned on the throne he was sat on let out a giggle as well, both of them watching as Guy instructed the guards to force the Outlaw on his knees right in front of them. The knight then joined them, standing besides John while carrying the same smirk on his face. All three of them looked down on Robin on the floor, lifting his head up and sending them a glare back.
"Sorry, not really planning on staying for long." He told them with a tense smile. The Prince let out a scoff, getting up from his throne and approaching the Outlaw.
"Oh I insist! We set up a nice cozy cell specifically for you to spend the rest of your life in." The Prince cooed, clasping his hands together. Robin just rolled his eyes and John could see him fidget with the handcuffs behind his back.
"My, my, going through all that effort for me? Prince John I am honored but you really didn't have to!" The ginger bit back, mirroring the arrogant smile John was giving him.
"Of course I had to! And once we get a hold of the two pests you call your friends, you three can enjoy a nice, relaxing vacation in jail before I make sure none of you ever bother my peace ever again." The Prince got out with a cackle, tilting his head towards Isabel and sending her a curt nod. He watched as she repeated the nod, turning around and disappearing behind the curtains. Then he turned back to face Robin who raised an eyebrow at him.
"Bold of you to assume they will let themselves get caught by you." John scoffed at Robin's response, taking a step closer and tilting his body forward.
"We caught you, didn't we? And you are all we need to find them." The Prince chuckled, watching as Robin's brows furrowed.
"Are you expecting me to tell you where they are?" Robin asked him a little deadpanned, but his expression quickly turned into confusion once John didn't respond, only sending him a sly smile. And just in time too, since Isabel emerged from the room to the side of the throne, holding a small vial in her hands and returning to her place next to John.
Ah, this was going almost too perfect for him.
The day started on a sour note when Robin decided to rob him of his honestly taxed gold again. But this time, they were prepared. They had flocked the forest with dozens of guards, ready to stop the trio in their tracks once they tried to flee into their trusted forest. The plan worked perfectly. The three boys waltzed right into their trap, caught like flies in a spiders web. The only thing that turned out to be a bit of an annoyance was that Robin had managed to trick and distract a majority of the guards long enough so that Tuck and Little John were able to flee with his gold. But John still managed to cash in a win, since for that plan to work, Robin had to throw away his chance at escape and had landed right in Guy's trusted hands. Considering his incompetent guards let the other two get away, he was glad that at least Guy was competent enough to actually catch Robin. For once.
So while they didn't get the gold, they got Robin, which in John's eyes would've been rewarding enough, but he knew it was just a matter of time until the two annoying pests would try and save him. But that's when Isabel approached him with an idea. One that might finally help them get rid of all three of the Outlaws for good.
God, John loved having Isabel and Guy around. Such an improvement from the Sheriff and his sons who never got anything done.
John took the vial from Isabel, twirling it in his hand while still focused on Robin.
"Oh you will tell us everything. From where your friends are hiding my gold to where your hideout is and who keeps helping you escape out of my castle. All thanks to this." The Prince bragged, holding up the vial for Robin to see. The ginger eyed it warily, directing his gaze back to John, this time with a hint of uncertainty that the Prince just adored seeing.
"You do know poisoning me will make me never say anything again, right?" Robin crudely responded, which gained a quick laugh from John.
"This isn't poison, my dear." The Prince cooed, switching his gaze to Guy and gesturing towards Robin with a quick nod. The knight showed a smirk of his own before pacing towards the Outlaw, coming to a halt next to him which made the ginger squint suspiciously.
"It's a truth serum."
The way Robin's head jerked towards him, eyes widening with realization made the grin on John's face widen just a little.
"What?" Robin blurted out in shock, watching the Prince give the vial another turn before he gave Guy another command.
"Hold him down."
That's apparently all it took for Robin to go full fight or flight mode, jumping up from his knees with haste and trying to shove his way past the guards, only for him to rapidly get yanked back to the ground by Guy who had one hand tightly locked in his hair and the other gripping his arm. Just for good measure, Guy also decided to give him a swift kick to the stomach, making Robin splutter and effectively stay on the floor.
"Stay on your knees." The Knight sharply said, getting back a glare from Robin who just whispered "Bastard…" under his breath, making Guy scoff and roughly pull at his hair again, causing Robin's head to tilt up, coming face to face with Prince John again. Isabel had walked forward as well now, looking down at Robin with enjoyment just like the Prince. Said blonde let out an evil cackle, handing the vial to Guy.
"You know what to do." The knight took the vial, opening it with ease and facing the other guards, gesturing them to hold Robin in place for him. Once they did, all Guy had to do was grab Robin's face and force his mouth open. The Outlaw stared at the vial in panic, trying to inch away from it and resist the guards hold with no success.
"Wait-"
Robin didn't get to finish the sentence. John and Isabel watched as Guy forced the liquid down Robin's throat, a little disturbed by the process. Lucky for all of them, Guy was quick with it and soon let go of Robin's face again, taking a few steps back and storing the empty vial in his pocket. The ginger started to cough, almost doubling over if it wasn't for the guards still holding him in place.
"When exactly is it going to take effect?" John whispered towards Isabel, squinting at Robin on the floor a little suspiciously.
"The headband lady said it works almost immediately." Was her response. John hummed, all three of them observing as the coughing started to subdue and instead, Robin's previously scrunched up face slowly started to relax, eyes fluttering a bit as he seemed to enter some sort of trance. The smile on John's face widened at the sight, sending both Guy and Isabel a last winning glance before approaching Robin, gently tilting his chin up with his hand and making the ginger look him in the eyes. The usually golden eyes had a shimmer of lilac in them, clearly an effect of the truth serum. John could only grin, preparing himself to finally get all of the answers he sought for out of the Outlaw.
Opening his mouth the Prince finally spoke up. "Well then Robin, you can only tell us the truth now, so tell me, where is-"
"Honestly, all I can think about is how cute you are."
Robin blurted out, the words dying down in John's throat almost instantly. He froze up, jaw still open mid sentence and eyes wide open in shock.
"You- What??" John barely got out of his lips, but Robin just kept talking.
"Yeah, I mean the way the light is hitting your hair right now is so gorgeous. I just wanna drive my hand through it and admire it all day."
John was now so taken aback that his hand dropped from Robin's face, hanging loosely besides his body as he just stared at the ginger. Robin's expression was calm, calmer than the Prince had ever seen before, eyes still shining with lilac, but they were glimmering with…admiration? Was Robin fucking Hood admiring his face??
"And your eyes too. They are such a beautiful color. Not even the most beautiful Oceans and Seas could come close to the way they reflect the light around you." The Prince felt Robin's hand gently cup his face, bringing a warm feeling to his cheek. He was too shell shocked to even react properly, to say anything or to slap the hand away. All he could do was stare at Robin while the ginger just titled his head, smiling at him so softly and warmly.
Has he ever been touched so gently before? Has someone ever looked at him with such devotion in their eyes? Has anyone ever told him how pretty he was?
"Now, hold on a minute-" Isabel managed to speak up, freeing herself from the silent shock that had washed over everyone in the room. She strut forward, pulling John back from Robin and separating them, but Robin's gaze didn't falter for even a moment, eyes still focused on John without wavering. The Prince felt as if he was trapped in them, unable to look away even though everything was telling- no, screaming at him to run. And yet somehow he missed the warmth of Robin's hand almost instantly the moment it was gone.
"Sometimes, when I see you on your horse, in the village, taking the villagers taxes, I stare at you a little longer and think about if we could've been friends if we weren't on different sides of the same river."
While John was still speechlessly staring at Robin, Guy came up behind them with a huff, putting a hand on John's shoulder and standing next to him almost protectively.
"Back off Robin. I don't know what the hell you're trying to do but we won't let it happen." He almost growled, pushing himself before John. If the prince would rip his eyes off of Robin for even a second, he would see that Guy and Isabel were clearly trying to shield him from whatever spell Robin tried to put on him. Save to say, John was not looking away. In fact, John was still staring straight at Robin. Said ginger just send Guy a weird glance, speaking up again.
"I'm just telling the truth. I really think Prince John is so incredibly interesting and unique in ways I cannot describe."
John couldn't decide if he should feel disturbed or if his heart was about to explode in his chest.
"Aren't you in love with the princess? What happened to that?" Isabel asked almost accusingly, crossing her arms and raising a brow. Robin barely even acknowledged her, still focused solely on John.
"I like her, but nothing could compare to the way I feel for Prince John. Frankly, I don't think I could feel this way about anyone else." Even Isabel couldn't respond to that, her own jaw now slack and speechless. John felt like he was about to faint.
"Oh for Christ's sake- Whatever your plan with this, tell us now. If you're actually affected by the truth serum tell us what this is about? What do you want??" Guy demanded, letting go of John and grabbing Robin by his shirt, pulling him up and shouting into his face. Robin winced away from him, yet still seemed mostly unbothered.
"I just really want to kiss John right now."
Yeah okay, it was time for John to just faint at this point. Literally
His eyes rolled back, as well as his entire body that just lost balance and fell backwards. He would've hit the floor if it was not for Isabel barely catching him. The girl let out a yelp, holding John's barely conscious head in her lap before letting out a groan. The fall caught both Guy's and Robin's attention, both of them sending a worried and concerned glance towards the prince.
"Ugh- now look at what you've done! Guy, get him out of here. John clearly can't handle…whatever this is!" Isabel commanded him, waving her arm around accusingly at Robin. Guy clearly didn't need to be told twice, wasting absolutely no time hauling Robin up and dragging him towards the door.
"That truth serum shit clearly didn't work." He grumbled under his breath, gaining a scoff from Robin.
"It did, you just can't handle the truth."
Isabel just rolled her eyes, focusing on John who was still on the floor seeing stars. She lightly slapped his face, trying to get him back to the living.
"And you, get your act together John. You can't just faint because Robin Hood out of all people called you cute."
John managed to open his eyes again, staring Isabel in the face, meeting her unimpressed frown.
"But nobody has ever called me cute before…" He mumbled, not even bothering to move a muscle to get up. Isabel stared at him for a good five seconds before groaning in complete and utter disappointment, driving a hand down her face before outright pushing John off of her. If she were anybody else, John would've probably arrested them for blatant disrespect against the prince. But then again, it's Isabel.
"So what? Are you falling for him now, is that it?" John's cheeks started to tint pink while giving Isabel a glare that could kill. She just put her hands up in defense.
"This is your fault." He scoffed, crossing his arms and turning away from her. Isabel blinked a few times before scoffing as well.
"My fault? How the hell is this my fault??" She sounded offended, getting off the floor. John followed her suit, squinting at her.
"You are the one who said this was a truth serum. Clearly you were wrong."
"Maybe I wasn't wrong and you just can't accept that this stupid, arrow shooting, ginger outlaw you've been obsessed with for the past seven years actually has grown to like you."
Johns cheeks tinted red again.
"No." He simply said, turning around, letting his cape flutter behind him as he made his way out of the throne room. Isabel behind him groaned.
"Where are you going now?" She shouted from halfway across the room, just as John reached the door.
"To my room, to think of an actual plan to get my gold back instead of your FAILED one." He answered her with a simple "tsk" before shutting the door behind him.
He did actually go back to his room, but it was not to think of a new plan. Oh no, he had way more important things to think off. The moment he shut the door behind him, the moment he was alone and free from anyone's prying eyes and ears, he let out a long, long overdue sigh, barely managing to register what in the hell just happened.
It was already bad enough that Robin said all of that, that he thought John was…pretty, that he fucking admitted he wanted to kiss him. But that wasn't the worst thing. The absolute worst thing about this entire situation was the fact that John wanted it to be true. He so desperately wanted this to be the truth. That Isabel hadn't mixed up the potions, that Robin actually thought all of that. Because not once in his life had someone even as much as glanced at him with such devotion and admiration like Robin had. John couldn't even start to explain just how warm he felt, how just for a moment, he felt as if the world was a little lighter, felt as if somebody actually loved him.
Actually loved him.
He shook his head, holding his hand to his forehead. God this entire thing was giving him a headache.
"I need to lie down." He mumbled to no one but himself, promptly walking towards his bed and plopping down, face first into his pillow.
He was going to take a nap. Yes, exactly, a nap. And afterwards, everything would be okay again. He'll have forgotten about the truth serum incident and can focus on finding the gold they stole from him.
"Sometimes, when I see you on your horse, in the village, taking the villagers taxes, I stare at you a little longer and think about if we could've been friends if we weren't on different sides of the same river."
John's grip on the pillow tightened dramatically, hiding his red face from the world.
He'll never forget about this, will he?