Mingi's first night in the palace passed with no significant event. The bed under his back felt like a heavenly cloud to lie on and he barely felt the pressure of his pillow on his face or his tail getting trapped under the blanket.
When he awoke, Mingi felt more rested than he had ever been. Giddy, he slipped into his clothes and brushed his hooves and horns before he left the room. He tried to give his horns some extra shine to make up for the intensity they lacked when around Yunho. As usual, they didn't cooperate, and his unruly hair did neither. Sighing, Mingi ran a finger along the edges. He would have to visit Seonghwa again soon to trim them.
After he had travelled through the sleepy palace, Mingi visited the kitchen first. A kind cook handed him the meal he had ordered for Yunho the night prior. Carefully balancing it in his claws, Mingi scaled the stairs. He didn't want to hurry too much out of fear of toppling everything over. The few people he passed threw him sympathetic glances.
Mingi even saw Jongho on his way up. They shared grins, and the guard waved at Mingi as he passed him in the corridor, fully decked out in his armour apart from the helmet.
Out of politeness, Mingi knocked before he entered Yunho's room even when he knew that the man wouldn't counter while he was asleep. On quiet hooves, Mingi snuck inside the room and set the tray with steaming wooden bowls full of stew down on the table in the middle of the room. He caught his tail before a motivated swish of it could send the vase with black flowers flying. With it tightly clutched in his hand, he neared the bed.
Yunho hadn't explained to him how he was supposed to wake him. So Mingi halted in front of the golden veils on the ornate black bedposts that were carved into dragon heads on all four corners to ponder for a moment. Once he had made up his mind, he opened the curtain.
Elegant and noble even in his sleep, Yunho rested on the pillows. Free from the pressure Mingi experienced around his skull, his horns elegantly arched over his head. Mingi could make out their form against the black of the sheets only through the golden shine sticking to them.
In bed, Yunho had got rid of his jewellery, naturally. The expanse of his grey skin over lean muscles seemed to drag on forever.
Yunho laid on his back, his features peaceful and one arm placed under his head. The other one laid limply across his stomach and rose and fell with every breath.
Mingi swallowed at the sight of his beautiful symmetrical tattoos that painted geometrical, solid patterns over his body and blacked out large patches of his skin. The pattern interlocked in the middle of his body to create a perfect mirror. Like bracelets, the black lines wrapped around his wrists.
Before Mingi's eyes could trail over his veiny hands down to where the blanket bunched over Yunho's hips, he directed his focus on his wake up call.
Solemn, Mingi cleared his throat.
"Crown Prince Yunho. It's time for you to wake up. I brought your food."
Curious whether it had worked, Mingi glanced at the man. Him sleeping through the sound of his door opening was already a miracle, but Mingi presumed that rather than noise, Yunho relied on his sense of danger. Mingi didn't know whether he should be flattered or offended that he wasn't considered a threat.
When Yunho didn't react, Mingi reached out to nudge his shoulder gently. Hot, their skin laid against each other.
"Hey, Your Majesty. Time for breakfast."
At the second push, Yunho stirred. His brows furrowed first, then his jaw clenched in displeasure. Amused by his natural reaction, Mingi poked him with his claw.
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.
"I doubt it. You watch me get dressed and undress all the time, too. I don't mind it."
For a moment longer, Mingi hesitated. Then, he slipped the buttons open until only the V of his white shirt that dipped into his pants was still closed. He exhaled at the fresh air on his skin, gaining back some sense of freedom.
When Yunho chuckled at him, Mingi lowered his eyes again. He knew he didn't compare to Yunho, but he didn't want to get made fun of.
"What?"
"I'm right, is all. A piercing would look lovely on you. You are a beautiful man, Mingi."
To mask his embarrassment at the compliment, Mingi dug into his food. He ducked under Yunho's playful gazes and pretended to ignore the attention on his exposed skin. Despite being so much less of an eye-catcher as Yunho was, Mingi didn't feel like the rougher one. He was thankful that Yunho didn't relay that sense.
They were halfway through their meal and had fallen into a casual conversation about how Mingi's first night here had been and how much he liked this job. They got interrupted in the middle by Yeosang, who knocked as customary before he stretched his head in to grin brightly at them.
"Morning, you two. All going well?"
Yunho's features lit up with affection. Mingi watched through his munching how he patted the place next to himself and invited Yeosang in.
"Yeosang! Good morning, come drink some tea with us. What leads you here so early?"
Yeosang came in to sit down next to Yunho. He gave an appreciative nod at Mingi's chest before he received his mug. Shy, Mingi wrapped his tail around his leg and watched how Yeosang leaned into Yunho familiarly.
"Bad news, actually. Let's not ruin your breakfast with it. Mingi, how have you been?"
"Good. Yunho is kind, as you said, and I have no trouble with the job." Mingi's sunny smile got reflected by both men opposite of him. Yeosang giggled in his mug. He held it the way the royals would with his pinky spread off while Mingi still gripped his as if it were a jug of beer. Yeosang fit right in.
"Phew, I passed the test. You could have told me you put such high expectations on me." Yunho's joke made all of them laugh. Behind the bench, Yeosang's and Yunho's tails curled around each other affectionately, making Mingi wonder how close they were. He hadn't caught how long Yeosang already worked in the palace, but it had been a while.
"Don't be foolish, there is no way you could act even nicer than you already do. Nothing to hide on you," Yeosang giggled.
They shared casual bickering as a trio. Only when both Mingi and Yunho had scraped out the last bits of their food from their bowls, Yeosang sighed once more to remind them of the bad news he bore. Instantly, he got Yunho's full attention. Mingi played with his tail but listened just as intently.
"Today marks the first attack of a terrorist in the southern kingdom. Last night somebody went around cutting horns off our people there. The people are shocked. They didn't catch him."
Mingi's hands flew up to his horns to cup them protectively. The thought of losing them sounded horrible. Painful as well as a path down the eternal shame. What was a demon without his horns? They were weak and without protection then.
Distraught, Yunho searched Yeosang's face for a lie. When the servant's features stayed glum, Yunho shook his head disbelievingly.
"Cutting off our horns? Who would do that?"
"We presume them to be a pixie male. I don't have much information on him but the fact that he got away with cutting the horns off three demons and living makes him a dangerous subject. The southern king is alarmed as well. Apparently, the pixie went only for sky-pointed horns."
Horrified by that news, Mingi held onto his horns. His stomach churned at the idea of a pixie, those small, edible creatures turning their vicious magic against the demons. How had the pixie survived three mighty demons? His skill had to be terrifying.
"That's dreadful news indeed. Let's monitor him and hope we can catch him before he mutilates more people," Yunho said darkly. The concern for his people that blended into his voice had Mingi nod. At a glance at Mingi's shocked eyes, Yunho sent a comforting smile his way.
"I will discuss this matter with my father. Please make sure we are up to date if he appears again. I am very willing to go out on a hunting party if my help is needed."
Yeosang rose with a dire acknowledgement. Despite the warm basins surrounding the room, the chamber felt chilly. Mingi crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"All we wish for is your safety, Yunho. I will notify the southern kingdom of your decision and tell Prince San to be careful on his way here, too."
Thankful, Yunho allowed him to leave. However as Yeosang crossed the room, the prince called out to him once more. Their exchange happened without Mingi, leaving him to observe them while gnawing on his lips.
"Yeosang, want to come again by in the evening?" Yunho asked. His tone had shifted, something more personal filling it.
Before Yeosang slipped outside, he gave the prince another smile.
"With pleasure. See you later."
Then he was gone and Mingi and Yunho remained to get ready for yet another critical consultation with the king.