Jongin’s first encounter with the infamous Gentleman Thief, alias Chen, was during one of his performances at Blue Square.

He went on the stage knowing Chen would appear, when, and for what: The pendant hanging from a chain around his neck.

Chen appeared behind him in a burst of white smoke and joked around while the audience applauded in excitement and the taskforce cursed after finding themselves glued to the floor. He had a strict policy of no violence at his heists, so Jongin knew he was in safe hands and was content to stay still.

Yifan, the Canadian-Chinese detective who had chased Chen through countries, came running onto the stage soon after, which was Chen’s cue to launch into the chase that usually ended on the roof from where Chen laughingly departed by way of a paraglider. 

And hanging from Jongin’s necklace was no longer a pendant, but a pink rose. 

Jongin kept it in a vase until it wilted.

🌹

Their second meeting was unplanned, albeit Jongin knew Chen would be present and would be targeting a gem at an exhibit Jongin happened to participate in to support Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was absolutely livid to have his gem stolen and Jongin, not one to linger near conflicts, steered clear of them – and happened upon Chen in a disguise. 

“Stealing is an art,” the woman murmured as she observed the taskforce get berated by Kyungsoo. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mr Kai?”

The glint in the woman’s eyes was what gave away her true identity. Jongin could have called for the taskforce, or Yifan who was snooping somewhere nearby – but instead he frowned. “That’s a bit far-fetched, Thief.”

Chen chuckled and patted Jongin’s arm good-naturedly. “I take offence. I will have you know that I work hard to please the crowds.”

Jongin hummed. “Perhaps we can agree that magic is an art.”

“Halfway there, then,” Chen said and winked. “That’ll do.” He held out a yellow rose for Jongin to take, which he did. “Until next time, Mr Kim.”

It was only later that night, when he was getting ready for bed, that he discovered the gem inside his pocket.

💎

Their meetings since then are entirely deliberate: Chen’s notices, once Yifan has deciphered it, are a godsend, for it gives him time to tell Junmyeon, his manager, that he needs the evening off. 

Tonight is another heist, and Jongin stays near the taskforce while remaining somewhat incognito (he does not think Junmyeon will appreciate him being on the news the next morning for attending a heist, even if it’s Chen). 

The sky is dark and Chen appears like any other time: With much fanfare and glitter. He laughs and teases the taskforce, particularly Yifan, who shouts back threats of jail time, and delights his fans with magic tricks from sleight-of-hand to walking on air while mocking Yifan in his sing-songy voice. 

It is immensely entertaining, and there is no questioning that Chen is a performer – not that Jongin will ever admit that to his face.

Eventually, Yifan chases Chen to the roof, and Jongin follows the crowd outside to watch the spectacle. Chen’s laughter and Yifan’s curses can be heard from the ground, which brings a fond smile to Jongin’s lips. He appreciates these breaks from the stress of his career.

Chen is off on his paraglider, the crowds are cheering, the taskforce is bellowing, and then – suddenly Chen’s form plummets behind a tall building.

Then there are fearful cries until Chen appears again and flies off into the distance.

Except Jongin’s gaze strays towards Yifan, who is watching the sky with a frown.

🌹

He lingers until the crowds have dispersed and the taskforce is cleaning up. He hears Yifan’s mutter to a policeman, “He could have used a decoy. Wouldn’t be the first time. That plummet was not for show.”

Jongin is only slightly surprised to note the concern in Yifan’s voice – they must have built some sort of at least reluctant regard for one another after so many years of playing cops and robbers – and significantly more perturbed about the potential reasons. 

Yifan leaves the place to the taskforce’s capable hands to, in his own words, dig around, and Jongin leaves soon after. There is nothing he can do.

The walk home isn’t long, hardly twenty minutes, and the weather, while overcast, is pleasant. It’s about halfway he finds Chen collapsed inside an alley with blood soaking through his pristine white attire. 

Jongin is by Chen’s side without a second thought and drops to his knees. He puts his hands where he thinks the wound is, before remembering his phone and fumbling after it. “Hospital…”

“No,” Chen groans, eyes squeezed shut. “No hospital.”

“Right.” Jongin frets. “Uh…”

“Somewhere private. I’ll be fine, I just need… First-aid kit,” Chen grunts, and Jongin nods. He can do that.

💎

His own place is closest and safe, so that’s where they end up. Chen was shot down from the sky (“Not everyone appreciates my art,” he said wistfully when Jongin looked at him aghast) and did indeed send a decoy whilst he dragged himself somewhere more secluded. 

Jongin has a first-aid kit, but he doesn’t know how to treat wounds of this nature, so Chen patiently guides him through it. He doesn’t think mere bandages will be quite enough for a gunshot wound, but Chen assuages his concerns by promising he will get it looked at by a licenced doctor later. 

“Why did they shoot you?” Jongin asks softly.

“Bad people want what I’m looking for,” Chen says. “Pandora. But don’t worry, Mr Kai. I’ll be fine.”

“Jongin.”

Chen arches a brow on an otherwise perfectly neutral face. “Mr Jongin –”

“Just Jongin.”

Chen’s lips pull into an amused curl and he dips his head in acquisition. “Jongin.”

Flustered, Jongin says, “I don’t expect you to give me your actual name or anything, I just… I’m just Jongin.”

“Just someone wouldn’t have helped me like you did.” Chen smiles warmly. “Thank you.”

🌹

Jongin finds a bouquet of peach and cream roses with a single red-tipped yellow rose in the middle like a centrepiece. It is a peculiar mix, but they make Jongin smile.

He may not be able to do much to help Chen, but he hopes Chen at least knows he has a sanctuary with Jongin whenever he needs it.

This round's theme: Art! At the very least, one person had to be an artist of some sort (choreographer, painter, etc.) Additionally, it was for Jongin's birthday. 

I had quite a few ideas to choose from writing this fic, and one of them was the line, "Stealing is art", lol (I momentarily entertained the thought of "Murder is art", buuuuuuut), which got me thinking of Magic Kaito, which... ended up with me writing this. Obviously, Jongdae takes the role of Kaito, Yifan is Saguru, and Jongin... is just Jongin. Lol. I kinda wanted to write something more original but with some inspiration, and I'm not too happy with all the scene breaks, but alas.

I prefer using actual names rather than stage names, but... I couldn't push it to the point of Jongin learning Jongdae's actual name without it seeming off, so. Chen it is, lol.

Thank you for reading!