Curled Horns

16. Dining

He took a piece of the cake, just enough to taste it and hopefully survive. Silently, Yunho and the queen watched him as if on some trial. With a shaky hand, Mingi led the piece to his mouth and clamped his lips shut around it before he could reconsider.

Like an explosion of divine tastes, the cake melted on his tongue. It was soft, not needing to be mutilated by his teeth as it spread its sweet flavour. Mingi tasted cherries, and chocolate, and vanilla, and he had tasted nothing as good. He nearly moaned in satisfaction, but quickly caught himself by lifting his free hand in front of his face to mask his astonishment. Neatly he set down the fork on the plate.

It took him a moment to regain his words. His stomach roared at him, nowhere near filled by this teasing delicacy. Mingi was still in the clouds from amazement.

"I... I think it should be safe to eat," Mingi commented. Possible poison could kick in far later. He could die in his sleep still. And yet, he wanted Yunho to eat that cake, wanted him to experience the same bliss.

When Yunho reached for the ornately decorated obsidian chalice by his side, Mingi watched him curiously. Nimble fingers set the object down in front of Mingi. A golden dragon made of glass wrapped around the cup, its ruby eyes glowing in the light.

"You should try a sip of the wine, too," Yunho said nonchalantly, even when his mother looked more confused by the second. "Just to be safe. Come, sit." He gestured at the chair to his right that was usually his own. In unison, Mingi's and the queen's mouths dropped open.

"Yunho, dear, what are you doing?" She inquired first, slight scorn bleeding into her voice. Mingi stayed rooted on the spot, only moving sluggishly when Yunho pushed the chair out for him directly with his leg.

"Just for today. You may leave dinner early, mother. I will stay a while longer." Yunho flashed his irresistible grin.

Huffing, the woman stood to withdraw to her own matters. Her draped green gown dragged over the ground behind her as the guards opened the door for her. Some people remaining at the desk followed, leaving the room nearly empty. Just a group of people lingered, uncaring of the ploys of the crown prince. Stony, the hall guards lingered in their posts.

Once more, Yunho nodded at the chair. Mingi sunk on it stiffly, feeling out of place. The velvet cushion was heavenly soft.

"Tell me whatever you want; I'll get it for you. Some of these foods may seem odd, but they are all formidable, so don't be shy to experiment with them." As if Mingi wasn't looking at him with big owl eyes, Yunho took his plate already to hand him some meat and potatoes that he knew Mingi would like. He scooped some paste to the side too, something creamy that Mingi had never seen before.

Mingi clutched his knees with his hands until his claws nearly broke his skin.

"Yunho... What is this?"

Yunho smiled, not needing to look at Mingi as he got some more food for himself, too. Under the table, his tail found Mingi's, brushing against the trembling appendage gently to offer solace.

"Just eat, Mingi. No need to hold back."

Mingi remained apprehensive, but he gingerly picked up the cutlery, anyway. After another nervous glance down the candlestick-dotted table, he dug in. The meat was juicy and soaked with a rich brown sauce that held mushrooms with a funny texture that Mingi had never tasted before. It was easy to bite, not tough, like the meat he sometimes ate with his parents. It went wonderfully well with the rich wine.

The more Mingi ate, the more his face lit up and the faster and more invested he got. Yunho fed him all the surrounding delicacies, preparing them for him on his table whenever they needed to be freed of a shell or skin. Mingi's stomach rejoiced over all the phenomenal food it got, even when his tastebuds still marvelled at tastes he hadn't thought possible.

Yunho watched him with satisfaction brimming in his eyes. Even when Mingi ignored all rules of modesty and manners to gobble down the food he was supposed to enjoy, Yunho kept feeding him with a patient smile. No inhibitions passed between them, despite the earlier tension.

"Which did you like most?"

"That one." Mingi pointed, not even sure anymore what he was eating; he just knew that it tasted like paradise.

"Alright, slow down for a second." With a chuckle, Yunho took his plate from him before Mingi's knife could come down on it again. He scooped some more of the salad on Mingi's plate and gave him a generous amount of meat to go with it. As soon as the plate was back, Mingi continued to shovel through it.

His stomach filled until it was ready to burst and even then he still ate, not able to part yet with those kickshaws. The flavours reeled him in, having him trapped in their spell even when his belly began to ache.

It was only when Mingi felt ready to burst and seconds away from throwing up that he slowed. Neatly, he cleaned up his plate, scooping up even the last bit of sauce so none would get to waste. He had emptied most of the silver platters in their area of the table.

Stuffed, Mingi fell back against his chair, utterly spent. Everything hurt, but it had been oh so worth it.

Yunho watched him, endeared. He had placed his chin on his hands again, sitting relaxed. Mingi basked in his glow, not thinking yet about how savage he must have looked eating in front of the prince like that.

"I saw no one eat so well. What a pleasure," Yunho hummed as Mingi weakly patted his round stomach. His tail still idly played with Yunho's. The tips had wrapped around each other so their tails could swing back and forth playfully between their chairs.

Shy, Mingi glanced down at his lap. He didn't know how to express his gratitude, both in getting fed and in getting introduced to a meal worthy of a prince. Mingi felt like a prince. Entirely out of place and yet spoiled to fulfilment.

"Thank you," Mingi mumbled, barely finding it enough. And yet, Yunho's grin was big and sunny, as always.

"It's my pleasure."

When Mingi glanced around nervously, he found that the table had emptied safe for the two of them. He could hear the clanging of the pots in the kitchen through the open door, and the lower-ranking guards and servants bellowing in the other hall. They played music over there, too, its enthusiastic tunes making Mingi's heart dance with them.

"Once you are ready to go, we can retreat to our rooms. I don't need your services anymore tonight, so you may finally get some rest after all that stable work in the morning."

Mingi doubted he could move. He felt thrice as heavy as usual. When he struggled to sit up, Yunho's lips jumped into a smile once more.

Both of them deserved a long night of entirely blacked out sleep. Like the little fruits on top of the pastries Mingi had eaten, it was the only thing that would make the day even more perfect.

As soon as Mingi nodded, Yunho finished his wine and stood. Slow, Mingi rolled from his chair, too, careful not to put pressure on his stomach and end up vomiting up all the good food.

It was easy once he came to his feet, so the two of them left the room. On the middle floor, Yunho stalled for a moment before he returned to his own chambers. His eyes found Mingi's once more, still holding their proud shine.

Shy, Mingi smiled at him.

"I hope you have a good rest and pleasant dreams, Mingi," Yunho said warmly. Mingi nodded, their tails intertwined once more, as if they could not unstick from each other.

"Thank you. Good night, to you, too."

They parted in the corridor. Their tails trailed along each other for as long as possible, lingering in a touch neither of them needed to point out. When they parted, they did so with yearning, looking forward to the time they could hold each other again.

Mingi's heart pounded in his chest like Ave's hooves as he retreated to his room. For a while, he just laid in his bed, unable to fall asleep for how delighted he was and how heavy the food laid in his stomach.

When sleep finally came to him, it was the exact exhaustion that took him far into the obscure land of dreams, where Mingi could imagine that Yunho had kissed him on three different occasions they had been close on that day. Drifting away on the wings of his imagination, Mingi dreamt of what could never be a reality.