Curled Horns

32. Showing Affection

Smut in the second half of the chapter

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"Let's take a bath together," Yunho suggested the moment they had stepped into his room together. While Mingi still cleared his hoof of a stone he had stepped on earlier, Yunho already undid the buckles of his top.

Dinner had been filled with barely veiled threats and talks about political relationships that had nothing to do with their meal. San had regained enough of his strength to sit on the table with the royal family, and his tongue had cut even sharper than before. On their way up the stairs after the horrible meal had ended, Yunho had told Mingi that San was vulnerable and scared that his weakness could be mistaken for a soft spot by his family. Most likely, he would have to return to his country to figure out his future as soon as it was safe to travel again.

"Why not?" Mingi smiled back at him. He was just as keen as Yunho to wash off the stress of the day clinging to them like a gooey mass.

They left their clothes on the stone far enough from the tub that even their splashing tails wouldn't wet them by accident. As Mingi sunk into the pleasant heat of Yunho's pool, an inaudible sigh rumbled in his chest. He liked the memories he connected to this place. Of Yunho washing his hair, the moment of tension that had passed when Yunho had signalled for the first time that he considered kissing Mingi.

Meek at the memory, Mingi sunk into the water to the tips of his horns. Amused, Yunho watched him as he climbed in, too. On the way, his tail collected Mingi's from the water surface to drag it under and hold on to it. Avoidant of his gaze, Mingi thumbed on the sharp edges of his horns. He needed a trim, but asking Seonghwa for that when his injury was so recent would be tactless.

"Are you hiding from me?" Yunho reached out to wrap his arms around Mingi's waist. Effortlessly, he dragged Mingi to sit on his lap, taking the possibility of an escape away from him. Mingi wanted to bury his head in the prince's shoulder, but he didn't want to hurt him by accident.

"Both you and I," Mingi confessed. He defeated his embarrassment to put his arms on Yunho's shoulders. Wetly, his fingers massaged the back of Yunho's head.

"What for?"

Shy, Mingi looked down between them. The bubbles in their bath obscured their blurry frames from view, but Mingi felt the heat of Yunho's body between his thighs. Yunho's hands moved under the blanket of soap, caressing Mingi's thighs and squeezing the muscles appreciatively.

"I remembered last time we were in here together. It was... a lot."

Yunho's lips twitched into a smirk. When one of his wet hands rose to wrap around Mingi's horn, the servant exhaled shakily.

"You mean this?" Yunho gave a gentle tug, bringing them closer together. In unison, both of their gazes fell to each other's lips, seized their chance. Nervously, Mingi licked his lips and Yunho's eyes clouded over.

"Don't hurt yourself. They became sharp," Mingi whispered, barely even thinking about his horns anymore. Yunho swallowed and his throat bobbed with the movement.

"I can trim them for you after our bath if you want me to. I'll be careful."

Warmth flooded Mingi at the idea. He would trust his body in Yunho's hands, always.

"That would be very kind of you," Mingi agreed in a whisper. They were close, their noses brushing in a dance of push and pull. Neither surged in yet as they teased each other until one would break.

Mingi's heart raced in his chest and his fingers trembled with the need to nudge Yunho forwards.

When he noticed Mingi's resolve crumbling, Yunho smirked once more. He tilted his head, breath ghosting over Mingi's lips to entice him even further.