Curled Horns

6. Dark News

With a yelp, Yunho opened his eyes to gaze at Mingi sleepily. His indignant glare mixed with his usual easygoing attitude. Even when still drowsy, a kind smile pulled on his lips. Mingi felt warm, satisfied with his triumph.

"There you go," he praised the prince as if he had accomplished something unexpected. Sighing dramatically, Yunho threw his arm over his eyes. As he stretched, Mingi spotted the twinkling golden piercing in his belly button. Fascinated, his eyes got stuck there.

"Ah, don't tell me I had a wet dream," Yunho muttered with a curse when he picked up on the stare. When Mingi quickly shook his head, the prince soon figured out his source of interest. As he sat up, the height of his bed combined with his horns made him nearly as tall as Mingi. The sheet slipped lower, exposing the first shadows of dark hair. Mingi quickly adverted his eyes.

"The piercing? Do you find it interesting?"

Mingi nodded as he fetched the clothes Yunho had prepared in the evening from his drawer. He handed Yunho the pants first and respectfully looked into the wide room while the man fiddled with the drawstrings.

"I never saw one on a man. They are common among the beauties in the town."

Playful, Yunho's tail swished behind him. Once he had finished with his pants, he sat back down to watch Mingi lazily. His voice was still rough from sleep, and his eyes were just a tad bit darker than usual. The setting was intimate, and Mingi bit his lip as he fastened the light top around the man's chest. The drawstrings holding it around his waist crossed all the way over his back to come back to the front. Mingi nearly had to kneel to fiddle them shut. Yunho leaned back on his sculpted arms to allow him more space.

"I first saw them there too, yes. I found them charming, so I wanted one for myself. I like it lots." Yunho trailed a slender finger over his skin sensually. When Mingi's lips prickled with the imagination of following that path with kisses, he quickly blinked the thought away. Those were not the appropriate thoughts to have about the prince.

One by one, Mingi fetched the expensive accessories to fasten them around Yunho's wrists, upper arms, neck, and ears. Leaning close to his face so he could see his lobes, Mingi basically had to stand between Yunho's legs. The prince smelled good, and Mingi liked being surrounded by his tall form. Yunho stayed relaxed, not causing discomfort by caging him in.

"It looks magnificent on you. Did it hurt a lot?"

"Not more than the stab of a needle would. If you ever want to, I can give you one, too. I don't doubt you would look gorgeous with it."

The compliment dropped from his lips so easily but in the warm air between them on Yunho's bed, the tone in which he said it sent a shiver down Mingi's spine. He pinched the last earring shut to let it dangle over Yunho's collarbone. Thankful, the man smiled at him.

"I would love to. Although I can't show it off in the palace. I'm still getting used to the dress code," Mingi muttered as he stepped back from the prince. His fingers tugged on the collar of his shirt helplessly.

When Yunho beckoned him to follow, Mingi joined him in the seating area.

"Is that much fabric bothersome to you? I know the issue. If you want, you can not wear it while you are with me. I only ask it of you during dinner or around my father."

The permission was a blessing to Mingi's ears. However, just as he reached to unbutton his shirt, his hands faltered. Shy, they dropped again.

"Wouldn't it be weird if I suddenly stripped in front of you, though?" With his insides still a mix of the abrupt morning intimacy with Yunho and the quick change to their usual dynamic, Mingi remained perplexed. Yunho hummed as he distributed their tea and the two bowls with food between them.