Curled Horns

12. Another Incident

After waking up, Mingi took a moment to stretch and to peek at his piercing curiously. He twisted it dutifully, careful not to tug on the wound too much. Now that the worst swelling has subsided, the blinking silver metal nestled snugly in his skin. Enamoured by its prettiness, Mingi regarded it a while longer while he got dressed. His skin still remembered Yunho's touch on it, how simple and comfortable it had been. When Mingi settled his hand on his waist to replicate it, it wasn't the same.

He wanted Yunho to touch him again, even if just the fleeting touches of their hands brushing as they exchanged objects. No touch Mingi had ever felt made his skin tingle quite as Yunho's did.

Caught up in his daydreams about how the next skin contact with Yunho might occur, Mingi scurried from his room and down the corridor. The kind cooks in the kitchen saluted him with cheerful voices despite the early hour. One of them gifted Mingi a fruit tart before they whisked him away.

On his way up the stairs, Mingi got held up. The demon sprinting up the stairs behind him startled Mingi enough that he nearly dropped his tray. The guy apologised profusely and helped Mingi centre the bowls and plates again. Then he stood stiffly to deliver a deep bow to him. Surprised, Mingi nodded back.

"You are the servant of the crown prince, am I right?"

Mingi took in the man's draped horns and gave a careful nod. It didn't seem like he was in trouble.

"Excellent! In that case, please take this and deliver it to the prince for me!" He pulled a scroll from his bag that was sealed with a red ribbon and a wax sigil. Gently, he placed it on the tray as well and beamed at Mingi.

Before Mingi even got to reply, the courier dashed off again. Like a bolt of lightning, he zapped through the palace building.

Amused, Mingi continued on his path. He arrived at Yunho's door and balanced the tray on his knee and on his tail as he opened the door. Inside, he set it down and neatly put the scroll next to it before he went to wake Yunho. On his way, he unbuttoned his shirt to tie it together under his chest. Like this, his stomach and piercing laid free, but his shirt didn't hang open tactlessly.

In a similar fashion as last time, Mingi woke Yunho. The man was glad to see him hover above the bed instead of San once more and gave Mingi a sleepy smile the moment he recognised him.

"Good morning, Mingi. Slept well?" Yunho sat up with messy hair and ran his hand through it in an attempt to get it into form. When it didn't work, Mingi chuckled at his adorably debauched state.

"Good morning. Yes, I did, no pain in the piercing," Mingi announced with a happy skip. He aimed to step back to let Yunho throw his legs over the edge, but they came down to spread with Mingi in between them, framing him from both sides. Shy, Mingi remained in position when Yunho reached out his hands. They grasped onto Mingi's hips in no more but a wisp of a touch, politely holding him in place. He blinked to focus his eyes on the piercing, humming.

"It looks like it didn't infect, yes. That's the best outcome." When Yunho looked up at Mingi to grin at him, Mingi bashfully looked elsewhere.

"Yes, thank you again. I love it even more than yesterday," Mingi stuttered. When Yunho let go of him again to use his golden claws in getting dressed instead, Mingi was nearly disheartened. At the same time, his heart vibrated with exhilaration. Yunho had fewer inhibitions to touch him, and he also didn't mind the lingering brushes of Mingi's fingertips on his skin as he helped him get dressed.

"That's what I like to hear. Your beauty radiates even more with it than yesterday, too," Yunho sweetly charmed his way into Mingi's heart. When Mingi pretended to be struck by an arrow, Yunho giggled at him.