Hibiya Orihara was getting older. And as soon as he hit eighteen a few days ago, there was already talk of who his parents would arrange for him to marry. Of course, they would choose a princess of a different family that they could gain from - like land or money. And they already had one in mind.

But Hibiya didn't fancy her, as much as she might've him. Why? Well he was gay, for starters. Although, he didn't really realize this yet. So whenever they arranged meetings or dinners, he never quite seemed to be having a good time. He just put on one of his fake small smiles, and acted as polite as possible with the annoyingly clingy and materialistic princess.

One night, he awoke in his master bedroom to hear some clattering in the kitchen downstairs - being that he was a light sleeper. Prince Hibiya's golden eyes narrowed accusingly. Was there a thief? Or was Shitsuo clumsy for a change? Or maybe one of the servants was cleaning or trying to get away with a night snack?

He descended the stairs as silently as possible, wearing his cloak as a means for protection. Once nearing the kitchen, he peered around the corner to spot a blonde whom he did not recognize - wearing some obviously commoner's clothing and trying to stuff food into a backpack. Yep, a thief.

He cleared his throat obnoxiously.

Delic froze, turning to where he'd heard a throat deliberately being cleared. He swallowed the bite of food he'd stuffed hastily in his mouth while trying to satisfy his aching stomach.

Delic straightened up from where he'd been shoving the snacks into his beat up bag, a sheepish grin on his face as he met the stranger's accusing glare.

"Hi there~"

Delic said smoothly, not missing a beat. "As you can see, this is all a big misunderstanding… Quite a funny story, if you ask me." He tried to say convincingly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sure it was." Sarcasm dripped from the prince's voice. "You are fortunate I was the one to catch you. Your execution would be immediate if it was my Father. However, I might just let you go if you leave now. I'm feeling rather generous... and tired."

Plus I have too much to deal with already...

"Take only some bread and go, peasant. You'll survive. Don't get greedy with our pastries." Hibiya sighed, rubbing his temple. This was not the first thief they dealt with, but the first one he caught alone. Usually thieves or trespassers were brought in front of him and his parents by servants, and they'd often demand their execution. Either that, or the criminals became servants themselves.

Delic raised his eyebrows, shocked at the prince's words. "Are you serious?" He blurted, getting visibly excited. "I mean, I would have prefered the chase, especially since you're so cute but-"

He cut himself off and glanced back at the food, stomach grumbling. Delic turned back to the prince, grinning widely. "I don't mind this either."

He walked around the large counter, looking for the bread the guy had mentioned. "Ooh, do you have any chocolate too?"

Hibiya's eyes widened a bit before his cheeks flared with a pink blush. Was he a homosexual?! Now his Father definitely couldn't find out about him.

"Chocolate that is not yours." Hibiya frowned. "As I said, don't get greedy. If you're caught, you'll be-"

He froze, hearing footsteps.

Delic chuckled, raising his eyebrows. "Don't be so stingy; sharing is caring after all, love." He was going to say more when he saw the prince freeze and the clicking of shoes on tile. Delic's eyes widened as he looked to the shorter male with panic written all over his face.

"Shit!" He said as he dropped to the floor, staying silent at the footsteps crept further down the hall, right toward where he and the cute prince were. Delic huddled in on himself, trying make himself as small as possible.

As he did this, he realized one thing: his bag, stuffed full of pastries, was still lying on the counter. "Fuck," He whispered, heart sinking when he realized he was going to get caught. How, after so many years of stealing, did he end up in a situation like this? Delic's nails dug into his palms. It was because he'd gotten distracted by another pretty face.

Who else but Hibiya's Father entered the room. He'd probably originally been on his way to the study for some late night work, the prince assumed.

"Hibiya? What are you doing here?" The king frowned.

Hibiya spun to face him immediately, cloak lifting off the ground a bit with his sudden movement. He bit his lower lip. He wanted to lie, but he knew Delic would be caught. And he couldn't defend the peasant... wait, why did he want to defend the peasant?

"Father...

I was looking for Shitsuo for a late night snack when I found this peasant stealing our food." He pointed towards the hidden blonde on his ground, giving away his position.

Delic clenched his jaw, his temper rising. Even though he wasn't expecting much from the kid, Delic didn't really expect him to rat him out.

He sighed, slowly standing from his place on the ground, hands raised in the universal sign for surrender. He glared at the prince, eyes almost murderous.

He looked back over at the king, biting his lip. "Listen, sir… I was just trying to get a meal for me and my friend... We haven't eaten in days. Please understand," He pleaded, not having much hope. Someone who was born with a silver spoon in their spoiled mouth would never understand.

All his life, the prince was raised to believe poor people got what they deserved. That they didn't contribute to this society, so this is what happened to them.

Hibiya glared. How dare Delic shoot him that look? He was the prince! He was about to open his mouth and say something, but the king cut him off.

"No excuses. I will not be stolen from. You're no different than any other thief we caught. Hibiya, fetch the guards. This man will be executed at once so we can return to bed."

Hibiya frowned thoughtfully. Ideas ran through his mind. Shitsuo was more of his parents' butler... and the servants all mainly catered towards his parents... what if he had one all for himself?

"Father, if I may suggest-
What if I... kept him? As my own personal servant. I think it's about time I had one, don't you? I take full responsibility for him, and his idiocy will cease under my training." He promised.

Delic tuned back into the conversation, turning to look at the prince so fast he almost got whiplash. He stared at the kid, completely dumbfounded and more than just angry. How dare this kid think he's entitled to owning him?! He wasn't a piece of property! He turned back to the king, smiling sweetly. "I'd rather be executed. When did you say the guards were coming?"

"Silence, peasant." Hibiya glared.

"Are you sure, Hibiya? Wouldn't you prefer someone of higher caliber and training-"

"I said him."

After consideration, the king sighed. "You're right. You are old enough to marry now, so you should have your own personal servant instead of one of the family's. He will need to be trained and be acquainted with our rules as well as the other workers..."

As the prince and the king talked amongst themselves about how they were to 'train' Delic, Delic himself had crept over to where his bag was laying, slung it over his shoulder and quietly made his way back over to the door he'd come through, knowing it led outside. He was going to make a hasty exit while they chatted - no way in hell would he live here and become that damn prince's servant.

Even though he was a thief and homeless, Delic was happy with his freedom. He got to go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and he wasn't tied down by families or houses or friends or anything. He was free, free to do anything he pleased. Plus, his only friend, Psyche, followed him wherever he went. That's all he needed in life, after all.

"This has been fun and all," Delic said, halfway through the door. "But, I refuse to become someone's bitch, no matter how attractive. It was either death or my escape and, it looks like my death isn't happening today, so… Good day!" He yelled the last part as he darted out of the door.

Hibiya refused to run after him, just as Delic predicted.

"Shitsuo!"

He shouted. And almost immediately, the butler appeared in front of Delic - blocking his path.

"Sorry, but I can't let you leave. Prince's orders."

The butler grabbed him by the collar, pulling him back inside.

Delic growled as the blonde butler dragged him back into the house, kicking at the man's shins in a childish act of anger.

"I refuse." He hissed, crossing his arms over his chest as he was dropped right in front of king and prince.

"Kill me, I don't care. But I don't want to take care of that brat." He said as he pointed to the smirking prince.
"I don't want to be left under his care." Delic stated huffily, glaring once more at young man.

"Brat?!" Hibiya demanded in shock. "How dare you! I saved your life, you useless peasant-"

"Hibiya." His father interrupted him. The prince sure did have a temper, but he supposed it was inherited.

"Thief. What is your name?" The man asked.

Delic ignored the prince's outburst- Hibiya, was his name- to instead narrow his eyes at the king, deciding whether he should tell him to piss off or just be straightfoward with him.

He straightened up, puffing out his chest some.

"Delic." He said testily. "My name is Delic."

"Delic. As long as you serve my son, you'll live under this roof and won't need to steal any more food. As long as you don't get too greedy."

He looked back at Hibiya. "It's late. Go back to bed after showing Delic where the servants' quarters are."

"Yes, Father." The pouty prince grunted, dragging the blonde by his sleeve. "Come."

Before he had been able to respond to the king, Delic was dragged away by his snooty little son. He stubbornly fought back as Hibiya tugged him along, frowning at his back. Who did this spoilt little brat think he was?

"You can let go now," He snapped, tugging at his arm that was being held prisoner by the prince. "I refuse. Let go of me. I have someone waiting for me, I'm not staying here. Especially with you."

"I bet you do. That friend of yours, right? He your special friend?" He made a reference to the homosexual suspicion from earlier. Truth be told, Hibiya had been wanting to be with a guy for awhile. But no way would he ever stoop so low as to resort to some thief, no matter how good looking they were.

"Unfortunate for them. You're an idiot, that's what got you here."

Delic narrowed his eyes as they kept walking to his new room. "Yes, my very special friend." He stated, looking Hibiya up and down. "And I'm not an idiot, I was trying to help me and my friend survive." He snapped.

"Anyways-

Why do you sound so edgy hm? Never met a gay man?"

Delic always found it funny when people realized he was gay. Their reactions never ceased to amuse him.

As they slowed to a stop in front a grand, wooden door Delic poked Hibiya on the cheek, no longer angry. "Do I make you uncomfortable now?"

Hibiya frowned, glaring at him as he backed up from the finger. "Don't touch me, peasant. And no, I'm no homosexual. I have no reason to be uncomfortable." Hibiya was normally a good liar... so why did he mess up now?

"Tch." He looked towards the door and pushed it open, hoping Delic wouldn't be able to tell it wasn't true.

Delic raised his eyebrows at the obvious lie. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say princess." He said, smirking as they entered the room. Delic was almost back to his normal flirty self by now, curious about this uptight prince.

"Prince."

Hibiya corrected with a snap.

"Just to letting you know…" Delic started cheerfully as he threw himself backwards unto the king sized bed. "I'm not planning to stay here long. I need to go home." He sat up, leaning on his elbows.

"Just a warning."

"What kind of fantasy world are you living in? I have no intentions of letting you go, and even if you did manage to escape - you'd have a bounty on your head. The only other option for you would be execution." Hibiya glared.

The prince rolled his eyes, "Idiot. I'm going back to sleep now... and I'm locking your door behind me before you start getting any ideas."

He started walking, cloak fluttering behind him.

"Hey wait!"

Delic yelped as he sat back up, looking at the prince incredulously. "What about if I get hungry or bored? Or have to pee? Something." He whined, standing up from the bed.

"There's a pager beside your bed, just press the button and Shitsuo will be alerted." Hibiya droned.

"I bet this room doesn't even have working lights. You gave me a crap room. Can't you leave the door unlocked? Or better yet, why don't you spend the night with me~?" Delic tried.

"Please don't do anything stupid. I know that must be so hard for you." Hibiya smirked.

"…And why would I ever consider sleeping beside a filthy peasant like yourself?"

Delic sulked, kicking off his worn out and slightly holey shoes as he pouted at Hibiya. "You stuff me in this shitty room against my will, dump me off on that tight assed butler, then won't even give me company for the night."

He frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Bad hospitality, I thought you royals would be much more accommodating."

"Keep pushing your luck."

Hibiya grumbled, shaking his head and trying to leave once more. "Good night."

"Wait,"

Delic called out once more.

"Hey, just wait one second."

He waited until Hibiya turned back and saw how serious he was. "I don't understand why you did what you did... And I still don't quite understand why I'm here. But I won't stay here, I'm telling you that now. Unless..."

He hesitated, furring his brows in thought.

"Unless my friend can live here with me. I can't leave him behind."

"...Fine."

What else was Hibiya supposed to do?

"I hope you know I could make you live here, regardless of whether or not your 'friend' was as well. I'm simply doing this to get you to shut up, and hopefully cooperate."

He stalked forward, a few inches away from Delic.

"But just know that I won't hesitate to execute both you and your friend if you're caught stealing or trying to escape. Either would be highly disrespectful to me. Understood?"

"Understood."