Laurel Prince 

Holding up the scribbled-on paper closer to the light next to him, Taehyung was completely dumbfounded. Jungkook's handwriting was hardly legible, and several misshapen arrows curved about the page. Adorning the Oak Prince's instructions for the gas masks were many interesting sketches that detailed what size he wanted the masks to be, what material they were to be made of, and where to get the supplies from. 

The only problem was, Taehyung couldn't decipher any of it, and Jungkook wasn't waking up anytime soon. If the masks were to be ready before Jihoon showed up at the Oak Castle, the Laurel Prince had to crack the code as soon as he could. 

Taehyung turned the page in his hands this way and that. He held the page up close to his face, then far away. Nothing made sense. It was a garbled mess that somehow was going to save everyone around him, but at the moment...

"Can you understand it?" one of Jungkook's staff members eagerly asked Taehyung. 

Taehyung barely glanced up at the man who had a hopeful expression painted across his old features, "Sorry, no. Did the Oak Prince manage to tell you guys anything about his idea for the masks?"

The handful of men in the room with him only shook their heads in response...which Taehyung found to be quite surprising. 

If Jungkook wanted this effort to go over smoothly, wouldn't he discuss his plans with his own people? Wouldn't exchanging ideas and advice with a willing staff group aid him throughout the process?

"Hmmm," Taehyung sighed, mulling over the sheet of plans. Jungkook seriously needed to improve his penmanship, "I just don't get why he would-"

"It's alright, Laurel Prince. You don't need to worry about it. We can try to decipher it while you rest up. You still look pretty beaten up-"

"No," Taehyung turned away from the man who was holding his hand out for the plans, "The Oak Prince wants me to look over his work and oversee everything while he is...out."

The man moved closer, fingertips edging for the plans. A frown touched upon his lips as Taehyung instinctively scooted away.

"But Prince Kim, I don't think you are-"

"Enough," Taehyung shot a glare at the desperate man, "Leave me be now."

For a split second, the Laurel Prince wondered if this group of people was going to listen to him or not. They all had very hesitant looks in their eyes and Taehyung caught one of them mouthing something to another member of the group. 

The blonde maintained his eye contact with the first man, "I said-"

"We heard sir," the main guy nodded for his counterparts to leave Jungkook's study, "And we hope that you can figure the Oak Prince's plans out quickly," the man walked toward the door and paused one last time to glance at the blonde, "For Noirwood." 

Taehyung didn't miss the hint of venom in his voice. Jungkook's court seemed very wary of the Laurel Prince, and he couldn't understand why. 

What did he do to Jungkook?

His lips pressed together in determination and a bit of irritation as he scoured the paper again. His eyes trailed down the smears of ink as he spun the page around in his long fingers. He had so many questions. 

Why would Jungkook spend his day making something so atrociously messy? Why would his court appear so antsy to get their hands on-

Then it hit him. 

If Jungkook was the careful and precise prince that everyone knew him to be, then he would be sure to make a report that was at least legible. But this...this was so messy...like a child had done it. Meaning...

Jungkook didn't want people to be able to understand it. He must have noticed his court's strange behavior...perhaps he even had suspicions of his own that his court wasn't fully loyal to him. Jihoon did in fact intercept things from this castle once before...

Maybe Jungkook was making sure that it didn't happen again. Maybe there was a hidden message in between these seemingly random lines, pictures, and letters?

"Let him do it," Jungkook had croaked out to Taehyung before he passed out earlier in the day.

Taehyung's eyes grew as he thought about what that meant. Jungkook didn't...

Jungkook didn't hide a message in here specifically for him...did he? 

That would mean that Jungkook knew he was being sought after before he was poisoned. Jungkook knew that something would happen to him on some inkling and produced a scribble for Taehyung to interpret. If all of this was true, then that would mean that...

Jungkook truly was a genius. To Taehyung at least. 

The blonde smiled as he connected the dots. Jungkook wanted him up here for a reason. The Oak Prince knew that Jimin would be busy in the practice fields and predicted that Taehyung would be eager to help in any way he could after Jungkook couldn't anymore. 

"Fuck yes. That must be it," Taehyung cooed to himself in amazement. He scratched at the bandage above his eye and brought the page closer to his face. A few minutes passed yet, he understood nothing. Taehyung licked his dry lips before complaining loudly, "Nowwww, if I could only understand what this damn thing means! Jungkkoooookkk why did you make this so difficult for me! I don't even see what-"

His eyes roamed the page. 

"Hey, wait a second."

Taehyung had set the sheet of plans flat on the table and leaned back in his chair in his frustration. From his angle, the words, lines, and scribbled images all took on a familiar look that he couldn't put his finger on. If he just squinted his eyes a bit...

Voila. 

The collection of seemingly pointless chicken scratch started to form into a clear image in Taehyung's eyes. His mouth dropped open in recognition at the object. 

It was the Laurel Prince's crown. 

Well, not perfectly; the drawing couldn't get the ornate quality of the Laurel Prince's headpiece through its inkblots. Nonetheless, Taehyung could see the intricate weavings of Laurel in the mix of the words, he could see where the rubies went by the scribbled arrows, he could even get a sense of where his head would fit in the thing...Jungkook had enough artistic talent to make the picture have a bit of depth.

But what did it mean? It was clearly meant for him and it was clearly some sort of symbol for where Jungkook's real plans might be. But a crown?

"My crown is in my bedroom...Jungkook, you wouldn't put your plans there..." Taehyung adjusted himself in the wooden chair he was in and thought hard. A crown.

His crown. When they were last together, Jungkook had placed that very crown on Taehyung's head when he was "sleeping." Taehyung smiled fondly at the memory, remembering the guilty look on Jungkook's face when Taehyung opened his eyes. He remembered watching Jungkook set the crown down on the small table quickly and walk away...

Wait, small table. Study. Small table. 

Taehyung struggled to his feet and winced once he had straightened. This study was the same study that all three princes had met in for the first time. Taehyung's eyes flitted to the couches positioned near the side of the room, stopping once they hit a familiar table. He hobbled over, hoping he had understood the image right. 

But Jungkook wouldn't leave his plans just sitting on the table in the open...right?

As Taehyung got closer to the spot, he noticed a book laying on the table, cover down. Other than that, nothing was on the table. 

He must've understood the image wrong. There was no sign of any plans. Just a novel tossed on the table. 

Taehyung sighed and picked up the book, reading the cover. It was the same book that Jungkook was reading when Taehyung had walked in on the younger during their first meeting. Birds were flying on the front...it was some informational book on aviation. Taehyung was already bored. He couldn't comprehend why the Oak Prince would read something so bland. 

Right as he was about to set the book back down on the table, an anomaly with the book caught his eye. There was a place where one of the pages was bent at the corner, like a place holder. The blonde opened the book to that spot, eyes growing as he realized that he had just cracked the code. 

In the marked page, a paper folded in half was shoved into the binding of the book. Taehyung smiled, pulling it out and opening it. What he saw amazed him. Jungkook's real plans were written across the unfolded sheet, exquisitely neat and spaced precisely.  A diagram of an example gas mask along with several detailed paragraphs were all laid out. Jungkook had thought of it in only a few hours prior to his poisoning. Taehyung read over the material quick, dedicating as much as he could to memory just in case. He then folded it back up and placed it where he knew it wouldn't fall out or be discovered if he was searched. 

His underwear. 

Taehyung laughed quietly, hoping that none of Jungkook's court members were outside listening in. The paper fit nicely into the waistband of his boxers, hugging his body tight. The bird book he set delicately back down on the table, exactly where he had found it. Now that he had the real plans, he needed them to be carried out privately...he would enlist Jimin's help with that later. 

But first, he had to put on a believable performance for the suspicious people waiting outside of the room for him. He needed to feign ignorance and pretend to give up on his job so he could escape their presence quickly. 

This would be easy. 

"AUGHHHH! SERIOUSLY JEON. I CAN'T FUCKING DO THIS ANYMORE!" Taehyung yelled in anger, pushing around some furniture to make it seem like he threw a mini fit from the outside. 

He snickered to himself as he walked back to the confusing scribble laying on the chair he was sitting in. Putting an irritable look on his face, he crumpled the thing in one hand and stormed out the door of the study. Just as he had expected, Jeon's people were right there, leaning impatiently against the wall. The man who had approached him before met eye contact with the blonde and frowned. 

"HERE!" Taehyung threw the crumpled ball at the man's chest, squinting his eyes in rage, "I CAN'T FIGURE THIS DAMN THING OUT...IT'S...AAAUUGGHHG!" 

Not knowing how else to showcase his anger, Prince Kim walked up to the nearest wall and punched it. He wanted to put on a convincing performance. 

His audience bought it. 

"Prince KIM!" one of Jungkook's servants ran up to him, "Are you alright? You shouldn't be punching walls in your state-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Taehyung pushed past the servant, stomping down the hall. He could feel the pairs of eyes following his limping form, watching him with surprise. In his mind, Taehyung knew that they had bought the act. They might think of him as a crazy, irritable, unfit-to-rule prince, and that might have been true once, but Taehyung had changed since then. 

Since he had met the other two princes. 

Now he had a reason to try and control his emotions...after the mistakes he made at the duel and on the battlefield, he understood that he needed to take a step back sometimes. For his safety and for others. 

Taehyung gave himself an imaginary pat on the back for wising up a bit at the Oak Castle. Maybe it was all the wood, or the fact that Oak was the banner of wisdom. Taehyung didn't care which one it was that changed him. 

He only hoped that the Oak Prince would be awake when he ran down there to share the news. The cuts and bruises covering his body could hardly be felt as he strode down the main stairwell towards the infirmary with Jungkook's plans in his boxers. 

Outside the castle, the sun was setting in the distance. Jimin was probably finishing up training with his final platoons for the day. Taehyung hoped the Stone Prince was doing alright. With his head issues worsening...

It might hurt the gray-haired male when d-day came. It might hurt all of them.

Because in two days, Jihoon would be there. 

And Jimin would be playing a huge part in the battle effort, as head commander. 

Taehyung huffed at the thought as his shoes carried him back to the infirmary to see the Oak Prince. 

Oak Prince

A puff of air at his cheek. 

A whoosh of a sentence at his earlobe. 

An oh-so-deep voice cascading into his mind. 

"Jungkook."

"Please wake up babe," a soft giggle. 

"I found your plans."

Taehyung?

"God, I swear if your own court fucking poisoned you..."

"I'll kill them myself."

Jungkook's eyes snapped open to the bright lights of the infirmary. The first thing he noticed was the blonde leaning into his face, staring him down expectantly. Taehyung's blond hair was nearly brushing against Jungkook's cheek. When the Laurel Prince noticed that Jungkook was awake, he leaned further and pressed a kiss to Jungkook's temple quickly. Jungkook blinked the drowsiness from his eyes and and smiled at the soft feeling of warm lips on his skin. 

"Taehyung," the ravenette whispered, "You...you found the plans?"

The Laurel Prince sat up straight, pleased with himself. He swung his hair out of his face and adjusted the bandage on his head, "Yup. Wasn't too hard," Taehyung clucked his tongue and looked off to the side cockily. 

Jungkook sat up in bed, groaning as his lungs filled with air. It felt as if his lungs were filled with sand. But at least his nose wasn't bleeing. At least his heart rate wasn't skyrocketing...when he had first been poisoned-

It was one of the most painful experiences of his life. 

The Oak Prince still had no idea whether it was in the water he drank, the ink he used to write the plans, the air he breathed in, the oil he used this morning, the apple he ate...all things were either fetched by his servants or could be tampered with somehow. 

He was still pissed off about it. 

However, Jungkook had the sense to make sure his plans were foolproof; he made a fake copy as a stand in for the real ones. 

Because he could tell...the court members that were assigned to the task with him were court members he rarely spoke to. They were the people who said little at the meetings the Oak Castle held regularly. They were people who watched him carefully and nodded at the Oak Prince's words as if they were in a sort of daze all the time. 

In other words, Jungkook didn't really know them. Or trust them. Especially since Jihoon was coming so soon...he needed to be on his toes at all times. 

"I know you're lying Taehyung. I have a pocket watch, remember?" Jungkook reached down for his pocket watch and nodded at the time, "It's eight already. That took you a good couple of hours...I've been out for a while..." Jungkook sighed as he saw the blood stains sprawled over his shirt. 

Taehyung followed his gaze, "Yeah...you're right. I was really fucking confused at first..." Taehyung took Jungkook's hand in his and began playing with the ravenette's fingers, "Why'd you make it so hard for me to figure out? I'm not some genius like you-"

"Taehyung," the ravenette wiggled his fingers in the blonde's grasp, "You don't give yourself enough credit. I made that note really difficult...I would totally understand if you didn't get it," the Oak Prince gave a reassuring grin up at the blonde, "But now that I'm awake my court will be asking for me to explain it to them...I can tell something's not right with them they're just-"

"Assholes? Liars? Jihoon's mutts?" Taehyung blurted out with a cheeky smile, "I had to fake a tantrum to get out of there...they were so snoopy, y'know? I hate that," Taehyung squeezed Jungkook's hand in his, "But I think I know a way you can avoid them."

Jungkook raised an eyebrow, "How?"

"Well," Taehyung lips parted in an amused chuckle, "You could still be 'poisoned' tomorrow...I can take care of the real plans behind the court's back while you're out. I'll get Jimin's help of course but-"

"How am I supposed to fake being unconscious? I can't-"

"You won't have to," Taehyung brushed a strand of black hair off of Jungkook's forehead, "You don't have to stay in the infirmary y'know. And I'm sure your room is being monitored closely...so..." Taehyung rolled his tongue around in his mouth, "My room, yeah?"

The Oak Prince bit his lip, but not because he was nervous, "Mr. Kim, since when did you think of such great ideas?" the ravenette side-smiled at the blonde. Even if he was all bandaged up, the elegant 'greek god' in front of him was so alluring when he flirted. Despite both of their situations, Jungkook could practically feel the fire between them. 

Taehyung must've noticed it too, as he scooted closer to the ravenette on the bed, his knee pressing against Jungkook's hip bone. He took a deep breath and pursed his lips before speaking in a low voice, "Yeah...Kook, it's getting late...Jimin's still in the field so he can't help with the masks..." Taehyung trailed off as medic passed by them, thankfully not seeing the two princes huddled very close together, "We should...spend some time together up there, yeah?"

Jungkook nodded slightly...he got what Taehyung was saying. The Oak Prince laid a hand on Taehyung's thigh and smirked up at the blonde. 

"Laurel Prince, are you that impatient?" Jungkook teased the elder, rubbing his hand around in small circles, "Well, I guess since I haven't seen you in so long I'll make an exception..." Jungkook pulled his hand away from Taehyung's leg and laid back down, closing his eyes. 

Taehyung gave the ravenette a confused look and turned to look around the room, "What Kookie? No one is watching you, those curtains are blocking us. Is something wrong?" Taehyung placed his hand next to Jungkook's head on the pillow and leaned in. 

"Nope," the Oak Prince peeped an eye open to stare into the blonde's eyes, "I'm just being unconscious...remember?" Jungkook closed his eye again and licked his lips, "You have to give the order to bring me to your room...however," Jungkook's hand found the Laurel Prince's cheek. With his eyes still closed, Jungkook tilted his chin up until his lips were only inches from Taehyung's. 

"I would suggest paying a servant off to keep quiet about my location," Jungkook whispered into Taehyung's slightly open lips. He could tell by the way the bed shook how much this had an effect on the blonde. 

"Of course," The Laurel Prince stood up from the bed slowly, hand gliding down the side of Jungkook's 'unconscious' face as he strolled off to find the an open servant. 

Jungkook heard the blonde's footsteps receding and bit back the excitement pounding through his head. He could still sense the lingering feeling of the blonde's lips dangerously close to his. The Oak Prince knew that both of them wanted more more more of each other...

But would they be able to?

The last time Jungkook got close with Taehyung like that, the blonde pushed him away. Plus, both males weren't in the best physical shape to be doing anything like that...

Jungkook's face flushed at the thought. Why was he thinking these things in a time like this? Shouldn't he be worried about the masks and Jihoon and-

"Yeah, I want him in a certain bedroom.." Taehyung's voice drifted into his mind from nearby, "Why? Because I said so. It's my order, and I'm sure the Oak Prince would like to move away from this stuffy atmosphere."

A few seconds of distant mumbling from the servant. 

"Yes, he'll be alright...in fact, he'll be in a much more comfortable position there than he is here I think..." Jungkook could hear the ironic tone that Taehyung's words dripped with. 

Why was Taehyung such a goddamn tease? 

"Okay Laurel Prince, sir."

Jungkook tried not to flinch as he felt large arms curl under him, lifting him up from the bed and taking large swinging steps out of the infirmary. The Oak Prince forced his body to go limp, lolling his head against the large man's chest. He could hear another set of footsteps walking alongside them, presumably Taehyung's, as they were dragged out like the person had a bit of a limp. 

A few minutes passed of Jungkook being hauled up stairs and through an all-too-familiar doorway to another soft bed. Eyes still closed, the Oak Prince waited until the door clicked shut and he could only hear one set of footsteps before he opened them. 

"Ahhh...Jungkook, we're alone finally," Taehyung's deep voice drifted through his room. Jungkook fluttered his eyes open to see the Laurel Prince stalking towards the bed, a strange glint in his eyes. The ravenette sat up, raking his hand through his messy black hair. 

"So, what do you have in mind?" Jungkook breathed out, already knowing the answer. Taehyung smiled at him, eyes crinkling into crescents. The blonde moved across the room towards the Oak Prince faster, humming slightly as he pretended to consider his options. Jungkook turned his body toward the handsome man approaching him and unconsciously bit his lips. Taehyung opened his mouth to utter his answer. 

"You."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR'S NOTE

::::))))

Hello, how are you all?

Taekook!? Vkook!? :P

Jihoon?! >:(

I hope you enjoyed the chapter...more to come...

Thanks for reading!