A/N: Hi everyone! This is the first in a series of one-shots I'll be writing for TLC Ship Weeks. There will be about ten to fifteen one-shots in the series. While I won't actually be posting these to the Tumblr, since I don't have one, I'm still having a lot of fun with them, and I hope you enjoy them!

Disclaimer: The Lunar Chronicles belong to Marissa Meyer.

Pairing: Jacinter

Theme: Detectives

"Let's play a game," Winter said, sitting on the bed and crossing her legs.

"The Princess and the Guard?" Jacin replied, eyes lighting up. Their fathers were away on assignment, and it was hard not to worry about something happening to them. On Luna, the threat could come from anywhere, within or without. She knew they both needed the distraction, and she knew he would be grateful for it.

"No, I thought we would try something else," Winter said, grinning. Oh, this was going to be good. Bouncing on her pillows, she looked him in the eyes, face glowing.

"Well?" he prompted after a minute. "What is it?"

"I thought we could play…"

"Yes?"

"Detectives."

"How would that work?" he asked her.

"Well, I am still a princess, and someone has stolen my shoes." Winter shrugged. "The two of us shall look all over the palace for clues and find them. But we have to be careful, we mustn't let ourselves get caught by anyone."

"Where are these shoes?"

"Well, it wouldn't be very fun if I knew, would it?" She winked. "I lost them last week. You remember the black, sparkly ones?"

"With five inches of heel? How could I forget?" he said teasingly. "The number of times you almost tripped and I caught you…"

"I am not afraid of falling, Jacin, because you will catch me," Winter declared, eliciting the smallest of smiles from Jacin.

"If that's what it takes to protect you, then always," Jacin replied. "Now, shall we find these shoes or what?"

"Let's go, Detective Clay."

"But Detective Hayle, surely they aren't in the throne room?" He gave Winter an incredulous look.

"We won't know if we don't check, Detective Clay," Winter replied, winking at him. "Besides, even if they aren't there, we might see clues. Footprints, for instance."

"Surely we can avoid it?" Jacin said pleadingly. "If Queen Levana catches us sneaking around…"

"I'll make sure she doesn't hurt us," Winter said confidently. "Besides, she won't catch us, Detectives Hayle and Clay, best private investigators on Luna!"

He snorted. "Winter, unfortunately, you might be right on that one." She giggled. As far as she knew, Luna didn't even have detectives.

"Exactly. So shall we go in now?"

"Let's review," he said. "We didn't find them in your room or your dad's room, or anywhere between your section of the palace and the throne room. We've decided against snooping around in your stepmother's room because she would quite literally kill us. We certainly haven't found any matching footprints anywhere, but we did spot a little bit of glitter on our way here."

"Glitter?" she frowned. "You think it's from the shoes?"

"Well, we can't be certain, but it is a start."

"Right, Detective Clay. Now let's go check the throne room."

"Fine," Jacin grunted. "But after this, we're looking around the gardens."

She nodded at him, and together they crept into the throne room, trying to move silently. She could still hear his shoes as they hit the tiled floor. Clomp, clomp, clomp, clomp. Her own feet felt unnaturally sticky, and her movements felt slow. It sounded quiet enough to her, but she had to hope Levana wouldn't hear.

As they approached the throne, Levana's voice got louder. She was talking with one of the thaumaturges - Sybil Mira - about something. The two appeared to be in a heated debate.

"I really think he's served his purpose, my queen. He's rather old and decrepit, and there are so many others we could replace him with."

"Perhaps… but he knows far too many of our secrets. Besides, back in his time, he wasn't top of his class for no reason. I think we can find a use for him yet."

"Are you sure, Your Majesty? Wouldn't it be easier to eliminate him?" She shivered. Elimination was far too common on Luna. Whoever the poor man was, she felt sorry for him. She squeezed Jacin's hand. A second later, he squeezed back.

"Evret disapproves of all the blood we spill here. I have to keep him happy, you know. Just this once, we can find another accommodation." Evret. Her father. Always talking some sense into the queen. She smiled, taking a deep breath in. It tickled her nose.

"If you insist, Your Majesty…" Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no no no. She felt a sneeze coming on and there was nothing she could do about it. Come on, Winter, hold it in…

"I knew you'd see light. Now, as for reassignment…"

Winter sneezed, then covered her mouth. Levana's voice fell silent. Oh, no, Winter, what have you done? She looked apologetically at Jacin, but there was no ire in his expression.

"Who's there?" she called.

Jacin pressed a finger to his lips. Winter gave him a nod, and the two of them scrambled behind the throne, out of Levana's sight. They sat down and she tucked her knees into her chest. Breathlessly, they looked at each other and grinned. They had escaped.

"Ah, well. Must have been the wind. Now, as I was saying…"

They started arguing again, and Jacin put his mouth to Winter's ear and murmured, "Well done, Detective Hayle. Did you pick up any clues?"

"No footprints, no glitter, and no shoes," she whispered back, putting her head on his shoulder. "That was a close call. But I always knew we could do it."

He made no effort to shrug her off. "Should we go check the gardens, then?"

"Wait," she said. "I like this. We're sitting behind Levana, and she doesn't know we're here. We really are amazing detectives, are we not?"

He nodded and smiled at her. "Detectives Hayle and Clay, best private investigators in Luna. We can even evade royal scrutiny!" She smiled back.

"… and something really must be done about that wind," Levana finished. "It's simply intolerable. Please let someone know that the windows will have to be improved."

She looked at Jacin, smile widening. She felt the laughter trying to escape her, and finally gave in, letting the silent laughs shake her body. Improve the windows. Jacin's eyes shone with amusement as well. She gripped his hand for support. He squeezed back, and pulled her into an embrace. This was their secret, and no one could take it away from them.

He raised an eyebrow. "To the gardens?" he whispered.

"I think so, Detective Clay," Winter replied, her laughter finally subsiding. She took a deep breath, then looked at Jacin. Just making eye contact with him was enough to make her burst out laughing all over again. They quickly scrambled to the gardens before it became all too audible.

"Well, Detective Hayle, I would say we've had a productive day. Though we did not find your shoes, we did manage to evade the sight of every single person who lives in the palace, including the queen."

Winter was lying in the garden, completely sprawled out. She knew her hair and dress would have stains on them, but she didn't care. She was a ray of sunshine, and nothing and no one could contain her happiness. She looked up at all the trees, watching the leaves shimmer. So much green… As she gazed at the leaves, a small object caught her eye.

"Don't be so quick, Detective Clay," she smiled.

He looked at her quizzically and she grinned. "I think I see my shoes. Among the treetops."

His gasp was loud, for effect. "It can't be!"

She squinted, looking closer at the small, black object. Yup, those were her shoes, no doubt. So why was Jacin acting so dramatic?

"Waaaaiiit a second. You knew they were there, didn't you?" She sat up and looked at him. He smiled sheepishly. Guilty.

"Did you hide them?" she asked.

He nodded once. "I knew you'd find them eventually. For now, I figured it would be easier for all of us if you stuck to slightly more utilitarian shoes."

"Well, we can see how that worked out," she winked, wiggling her toes.

"No shoes?" He sighed. "I guess this means I must help you watch your step, Princess."

"Don't worry about me," she smiled playfully. "I can watch my step just fine. You have done enough protecting for the day, Jacin. Now, shall we get those shoes?"

He looked at her and grinned. "Race you there."

Hope you liked it! Please review, it means the world to me as an author! Thanks for reading!