Mingi's fingers had barely rapped against Yunho's door when the man already asked him to come in. He found Yunho in his room, lounging with a book on his preferred divan. The flames in the fireplaces let shadows dance on his skin until his tattoos seemed to come to life.

Today, Yunho hadn't even bothered to wear anything but pants. As usual, his jewellery was still neatly in place, currently even joined by multiple piercings in his ears that connected filigree golden chains between his lobes and helix.

Upon recognising Mingi, Yunho shut the book and sat up. A faint smile passed between the two of them.

"You trimmed your horns," the prince noted right away. His voice was warm as he put his book down and stood. Shy, Mingi reached up to feel over the bandage once more.

"Yes, I visited my best friend in town today, and he helped me with them. Because of the angle, I can't file them myself." Curious, Mingi tilted his head. "Do you cut your horns yourself?"

"I do. Although I require help too sometimes. I usually let Onnah do the parts I can't reach. She has talented hands." When Yunho beckoned Mingi to follow him to the corner his bed stood in, Mingi shuffled after him shyly.

"So, what does your friend do?" Casual conversation to fill the awkward air between them was always easy with Yunho. He knew how to ask simple questions.

"He's a tailor. Although not one affiliated with the castle."

Humming, Yunho came to stand next to the casket on a wall projection that held part of his jewellery. He had a lot, strewn in boxes all around, but he stored his most often worn ones there.

"I wonder about his talents. Maybe I will commission him someday. Say, Mingi, do you still want that piercing?"

With gleaming eyes, Mingi nodded.

"Seonghwa is definitely worth the time! He does wonderful work. And yes, I do."

Mingi nervously played with his claws as Yunho went to work. Fluid like a stream, the muscles on his back shifted as he picked out something from the box. It was too small for Mingi to see in his hand, but he carried it carefully as he went to the bathroom to clean it off. When he returned, he also carried a needle in his hand, long and thin, but far thicker than the needles Seonghwa used for sewing and poking his fingers.

Nervous over the pain, Mingi fidgeted in the spot. When Yunho searched his eyes once more to identify confidence, Mingi smiled at him. Promptly, Yunho returned the gesture.

"If you're ready, you can sit down on my bed," Yunho offered with a polite motion to the piece of furniture. Gulping, Mingi glanced at his massive nest, the image of Yunho lolling in it like a god ascended to their midst still fresh in his mind.

"Why not the divan?"

"The bed has a better height for me to work on, and it doesn't curve. We can also go to your room if you are more comfortable with that?" Patiently, Yunho's tail swished behind him. The movement was hypnotic, drawing Mingi's flickering eyes in.

"Oh, no, it's no matter! Let us remain in your quarters."

Mingi's dilemma had a different root. Understanding, Yunho nodded at him and stepped over to his bed to raise the golden curtains out of the way and fastened them to the bedposts with the ribbons attached there. When the prince's hand patted the bed to invite Mingi on it once more, Mingi's stomach lurched. It took him all his physical willpower to step to Yunho's side. When he crawled on the soft mattress, it raised him high enough that his dangling legs didn't reach the ground anymore.

With a smile of praise, Yunho sat his utensils down on the sheets next to Mingi. They were neatly spread out on his round mattress and flattened out. Nothing reminded of the prince's gold-kissed body tangling with the blankets in a tantalising picture.

When Mingi lingered insecurely in his seated position, Yunho swooped down to pick up his legs under his knees. Mingi yelped when he was turned around as if he weighed nothing, and Yunho lifted his legs on the mattress as well.

"Wait!"

With a chuckle, Yunho glanced down at Mingi. They were so close now, close enough that Mingi could smell Yunho's soap on his skin. He squirmed, exposed to the tall demon by his side.

"I don't mind if your hooves are dirty, we can just clean that off."

Again, that was not it. And Mingi's hooves were clean, as always when he visited Yunho's chambers.

"Now, breathe deeply and unclench your stomach. Can you open your shirt for me?"

Mingi needed a moment, battling the urge to hide behind his hands. As he breathed deeply, Yunho leaned next to Mingi against the bed. Only when he deemed Mingi as composed, he plucked up his tools again. He held both in front of Mingi's face.

"I have tweezers here to pinch the skin between," he began. He imitated closing them around the air, leaving the holes within both metal fingers aligned. "Then, I will pierce your skin with the needle. It will hurt a bit, but only for a moment. Your wounds heal fast, after all." He demonstrated and jabbed the needle through the tweezers. With a gulp, Mingi nodded. His anxiousness was met with an even softer smile on Yunho's lips.

"And then I will insert the ring and it's finished. Any doubts now?"

Stubborn, Mingi shook his head. His trembling fingers reached to tug his shirt from his pants and unbutton it. It was intimate, their proximity and the setting sending Mingi's thoughts spiralling and his heart into a frenzy. Once he was exposed to Yunho's dark eyes, Mingi's hands fell into the sheets, carefully grasping onto them.

Yunho adjusted his stance. One of his hands came down to settle on Mingi's quivering flank. Warm and large, it rested against his skin. Mingi swallowed his panicked whimper.

"Unwind," Yunho breathed once more. His voice had dropped. Clenching his eyes shut, Mingi pressed his head into the sheets until his horns throbbed warningly. The pain distracted him.

A gentle touch of metal to his navel had Mingi's breath stop. Tense, he held his air.

"Mingi, I need you to look once more. From your angle, is this position correct?"

Mingi peeked down, at the patch of skin pinched between the tweezers. It looked centred to him, but he had little experience, and frankly, he was too overwhelmed to care much.

"Looks good," he just squeaked instead and dropped back once more. Yunho chuckled at him charmingly.

"You can hold on to my shoulder if you need it."

Instantly, Mingi's hands shot out. He had few inhibitions about his claws but still paid attention not to dig them into Yunho's skin too hard. Warm and muscular, Yunho's shoulder anchored him as he took his hand from Mingi's side to reach for the needle.

"Breathe in and hold your breath. I'm doing it," Yunho warned one last time. Mingi tensed, locking up entirely so he wouldn't tremble at the wrong moment. The moment the sharp metal penetrated his skin, he bit his lip with a whimper.

It was over within a second. Mingi felt the cold steel in his skin and he grabbed onto Yunho tighter.

"Just a bit longer, you are doing fantastic," Yunho rained praise on him. Metal clinked and Mingi felt a tug as he slid the needle through and the connected piercing slipped into place. For a second, his hands were gone. Then, uncomfortable pain zapped through Mingi once more as Yunho adjusted the piercing to attach the little ball on top to keep it in place. A moment later, Yunho's fingers left the hurting spot and returned to Mingi's sides. Mildly, he massaged Mingi's tense skin.

"Good boy. Now breathe."

Mingi disguised the noise that nearly spilt from him with a shaky exhale. Picking up on his shivers, Yunho smoothed his fingers down Mingi's skin once more. Mingi hadn't even noticed how his tail had wrapped around Yunho's forearm. Now that he gained awareness of it, he shyly uncurled it.

"How do you feel?"

Exposed. More than the rush of delight over the piercing he survived and the first jewellery Mingi ever possessed that he had yet to look at, he still felt too intimately close to Yunho. When he opened his eyes to be met with Yunho's bottomless eyes that concernedly gauged his reaction, Mingi had to press his hands to his cheeks to make sure he didn't overheat. Only when Mingi had fully detached himself from Yunho, the man shifted to sit down on the edge next to Mingi. One of his hands still stroked over Mingi's stomach, distracting him with delicate touches that made him forget the throbbing pain. Yunho's knuckles idly painted symbols on his unmarred skin.

"It hurt only a bit," Mingi replied courageously. He tried not to squint at the next prick of pain. Finally, he dared a peek downwards, too. His skin around his navel had darkened with the pressure left on it. Some spots of blood clung around the fresh cut and Yunho's fingers. And yet, the little silver accessory was the prettiest thing Mingi had ever seen. The top ball was blank, but the bottom was formed like a black rose, sitting in his navel decoratively. Awed, Mingi reached to nudge the item. It stung a bit when pulled at the wound, but he was already smitten with it.

He felt pretty.

"Do you like it? If you reconsider, I can remove it, the hole will heal shut fully. If not, you'll have to spin and twist it each day a bit, so your skin doesn't grow into the piercing. It may hurt, but it will be fine."

"No, I like it. Thank you very much," Mingi muttered meekly. With a smile, Yunho stood to get a rag. It was wet with warm water as he dabbed off the blood on his and Mingi's skin.

"It looks gorgeous on you. As I expected, it's a great fit."

Flattered, Mingi thumbed on his shirt. Yunho's attention made him shy, and the way that the man's eyes glowed with pride over Mingi having gone through with his decision.

"Leave it to the open air as much as possible and no lava baths for now. If you want to, I will check it for you from time to time so it heals nicely."

At Yunho's nod, Mingi sat up slowly. The piercing shifted with his skin, tenderly brushing his flesh. He marvelled at it from every direction. When it wasn't enough, he slipped from the bed to stand in front of the tall mirror next to Yunho's bed to watch the silver twinkle and shine on him. Delighted, he twisted left and right and gaped at the prettiness of the object.

Yunho passed behind him with an infectious grin as he tidied up his tools and put them back into their spots. Whenever the mirror showed both of them in the same frame, Mingi's eyes lingered for a little moment longer to engrave the view of the two of them next to each other in his mind.

This time when Mingi turned to Yunho, more honesty swung in his voice.

"I really adore it already. Thank you, Yunho."

This time, it was Yunho who reached up to rub his neck bashfully. The combined compliments affected him, too.

"You're welcome. I'm glad I didn't mess it up, that was the first time I did it on someone other than myself."

His shyness was endearing. Mingi's heart sung in content over having caused that. He wanted to convey his gratitude somehow, in either a hug or maybe even a bold kiss to Yunho's cheek now that Mingi knew the man didn't mind.

When he remembered San, Mingi politely kept his hands to himself. It had never been his place to be attracted to Yunho in the first place, and even less so now that he knew of Yunho's possible future spouse. San had made his goals clear, and Mingi didn't want to garner his wrath.

In response, Mingi just grinned at him. Then, he motioned at the door.

"Then, shall I leave you alone? You had a long day and I will be ready to greet you again in the morning with your breakfast."

Yunho nodded. With crossed arms, he leaned against the wall in a way so casual and domestic that Mingi's heart skipped another beat.

"Right. You, too, rest your injuries and we will see each other tomorrow."

"Good night, Prince Yunho," Mingi beamed with a big smile. Yunho copied the gesture.

"Good night, Mingi."

Mingi skipped past him down the stairs to the main room. While walking, he closed the top buttons of his skirt, hoping that he wouldn't encounter anyone on the stairs. When Yunho called after him, he halted on the spot to turn around.

Yunho stood in the juncture between his bedroom and the lounging space. He had stemmed one hand into his hip, and his own piercing twinkled in the dancing flames.

"Also, I didn't forget about the trips I promised you, both to your prior home and the portal. I'll make do on them soon, so keep looking forward to them."

Mingi grinned boyishly.

"I will await your notice, then. Rest well!"

With that, Mingi was out of the door to return to his room. In the hours he laid awake unable to get Yunho out of his head, a big stupid grin kept spreading on his lips.