The Theft (taekook)

6. Shall I apologize?

"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.