Curled Horns

29. Foreshadowing

"Do what your mother tells you to do, then, son. Your marriage to the prince would put you in high regards to the folk that suffered the same threat."

Yunho boiled, heat seeping from him to make the air around him flicker. The room was hot already, but Yunho's presence nearly melted the high pillars.

"I care for San, but I will not make him my spouse. Allow me the time off to hunt those pixies! Only if we execute them, we can excuse the terrible fate that dawned upon him within our borders! San wouldn't monger war against us, but you know his father would!"

The king leaned forward. His heavy horns twirled like a ribbon into the air. Their black shine glowed in the light of the fire basins.

"Is it the Choi kingdom you fear a war with or the pixies, son?"

"The pixies and we never got along well. I wouldn't be surprised if this led to yet another war with them. But I would rather our kin to unite with us in that battle rather than creating yet another enemy," Yunho called back. Impressed by his quick thinking and ability to remember political decisions before he tracked down Kim Hongjoong, Mingi nodded to himself.

"We will discuss this later with the advisors. After San, I wouldn't want you to lose your horns, too, son. If you put yourself at risk out there, we can merely refer to you as a fool, as heroic as your mindset is."

Yunho grit his teeth, his jaw flexing.

"Then so be it. If I am the fool who has to dance on death's blade to catch those pixies, I will become the most talented jester you have ever seen. I do not risk a kingdom. Gunho has my back."

With those words, Yunho abruptly turned to march back out. On his way, he pulled Mingi up by his arm, helping him when his knees arched badly enough they wanted to fold right again underneath him.

Once the heavy doors of the throne room had shut again behind them, Yunho set out for his chambers. Befuddled as his mind tried to catch up with the conversation between the king and his son, Mingi stumbled alongside him.

Back in Yunho's room, the prince didn't hesitate to let go of Mingi and ram his fist against a wall. He used the flat underside, mindful of injuries, as he let go of his irritation that way. Mingi orderly closed the door behind them, making sure nobody would listen in to Yunho's strained grunt.

"How can we still just sit around? How can father still not allow me to go?" His voice had fallen to a whisper, rough with his displeasure. Mingi made them some tea.

"Your horns are the most precious in the five realms. He wants you to cherish them," Mingi muttered as he sat down on the divan. Restless, Yunho followed him, perching opposite of him. His tense muscles barely relaxed.

"What are my horns compared to the lives of our people? San could have died today. He lost so much more than just his horns. His honour, his pride, possibly even his rank as a prince. How do my horns weigh more than that?"

Mingi didn't need to explain. Yunho understood, but he didn't enjoy being on the other end of the moral scale. His fingers ran through his hair.

"I don't want to bear the weight of these horns if they have the same worth as those I've sworn to protect."

Gently, Mingi sat the tea down in front of him. With trembling fingers, Yunho grabbed his cup. A mumbled 'thanks' dropped from his lips.

"You are the only one strong enough to bear them," Mingi said truthfully. He didn't doubt that with the newest development with San, Yunho would soon be allowed to hunt down the pixies. The moment the injured prince awoke to throw his tantrum, the king would reconsider keeping Yunho locked up for safety.

And if that didn't happen, Yunho would likely break out of his bindings himself soon.

Yunho calmed considerably after the first few sips of tea. The fragrant aroma lulled them both in to ease their burdens.

The topic didn't come up again. Yunho brooded silently to himself while Mingi fidgeted with his own cup. His mind had dug out the reminder of Yunho's pants again.

"I want to check on Seonghwa. I fear about his wellbeing, and I still have to collect your pants."

The downward pull of Yunho's lips told Mingi that the idea displeased him. But both of them knew that Mingi and his horns would remain unnoticed by the predators.

"Of course. Go tomorrow, but please return to me as fast as you can bear," Yunho pleaded. With a weak smile, Mingi nodded.

"I won't be for long," he promised.

Both of them dived into the depths of their own mindscapes. Mingi worried about Seonghwa and San, hoping that the prince would regain his health even if he hadn't been the kindest to Mingi. Yunho likely weighed the importance of his duties again. From time to time, he reached up to his head to thumb on the base of his horns. Mingi would have given a lot to hear what he thought about, but he didn't dare ask.

When Yunho leaned back on the divan next time to spread his legs comfortably, his unease had dissolved mostly. His smile was still tight with concern, but it returned to his face. The movement of his hand coming to lie on his thigh had Mingi perk up to eye him curiously.

"It's about time to go to the meeting and dinner. If you want to fetch a snack beforehand, I suggest you go now. I robbed you of your breakfast."

Mingi emptied his tea and orderly set their mugs aside so he could clean them later.

"San robbed me of my breakfast. Or rather, the pixies. Thank you for the suggestion, but I'm not hungry," Mingi assured the prince as he stood up. Curious, Yunho watched how Mingi rounded the table. He came to stand at Yunho's side. Mingi's hand on his chest, pushing him down onto the soft velvet cushions of the divan, had Yunho submit willingly.

Bend over him, Mingi could feel his piercing dangling, garnering Yunho's attention. Amused, he brushed his knuckles against the jewellery, nudging it into more movement.

Mingi's fingers on his chin distracted the man from his playing. His gold-rimmed eyes found Mingi's.

"Don't rip those advisors and your father apart, Your Highness. As attractive as you looked hitting that wall earlier, I would detest having to clean up the debris," Mingi teased him. Yunho's lips jumped into a more genuine smile. His fingers came up to curl around Mingi's horn, pulling him down towards him.

"So it's all fine if I help you clean up?"

Their breath mingled, lips not quite connecting as they breathed each other's air. Mingi hummed.

"Agreeing will make me sound like a bad person."

Yunho chuckled against his lips. His tongue flicked out to wet his lips and brushed against Mingi's sensitive mouth with artificial innocence. With his pure stubbornness, Mingi held himself back from chasing after it.

"Nobody but me has to hear it."

Void of any more unnecessary comments to add, Mingi finally leaned down to connect their lips. Their kiss tasted of the sweetness of the fairy dust in their tea. Mingi sighed into Yunho's mouth when his tongue carried the flavour still to share with Mingi.

Yunho sat up without breaking their momentum, easing the strain on Mingi's legs. His arms wrapped around Mingi's waist, fingers playing with his tail that curiously came to curl around the slender digits.

When they pulled from each other, Mingi licked the prince's taste off his lips. With yet another smirk, the prince stood.

"Well then. Let's commence into our meeting with the patience of saints and the wrath of a devil in case we won't get heard."

Yunho took Mingi's hand on their way out, leading him along until they reached the conference room. He didn't mind the curious gazes on them or how Mingi had lowered his eyes to the carpet bashfully.

The game with Onnah that day was filled with her teasing Mingi about his shyness. From what Mingi overheard of the discussion through her little jokes, Yunho once more got advised to leave the matters to someone else. Thankfully, the prince stayed composed.

But Mingi was sure of it. As soon as San would leave the sickbay, chaos would break loose in the palace. And Yunho wouldn't pass the chance to sneak out amidst that.