Mild smut towads the end

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A few days passed without the king returning from his mission. The castle remained humbly quiet, and Mingi didn't see Jongho around either. The news of the pixie criminal drawing closer to the centre kingdom still graced their ears from time to time. Every new incident proved that so far, possible hunting attempts hadn't been successful, and Yunho's grim expression etched onto his face more and more.

One morning, Mingi found Yunho on his divan, reading in the same pose he had left him in last night. Mingi worriedly studied his fatigued features as he set down the tray of food next to him. The fragrance of fresh food brought some spirits back to Yunho, pulling him from his trance. With a sigh, he closed the book and ran a hand through his hair.

"Did you sleep at all?" Mingi inquired quietly. The concern lacing his voice reached Yunho despite his distraction, and pulled an appreciative smile from him.

"I took a nap for a few hours. This matter bothers me. I would like to know the people safe out there. Last evening after you left, I got another note saying that the criminal has invaded our kingdom by now. He is still near the border, but he is coming closer."

Mingi's stomach churned nervously. Unlike Yunho, he had no responsibility for the citizens of the kingdom, but his empathy had him just as stressed as the prince. That, and the reminder that whenever he looked at Yunho's horns, he remembered that those were the most sought after horns in the kingdom. The pixie would have all the reason to steal them if he sought for a trophy. After discovering that several people had died by now from the injuries they sustained, Mingi was afraid for Yunho.

"He's moving towards the castle. It's not hard to guess that he is after our royal horns. My father insists we heighten the security and trap him once he shows up in our vicinity. I would rather fewer people get hurt. To me, it doesn't matter their status if their lives are being threatened."

Yunho swung his legs down from the divan so they could face each other. The sight of food had him sigh, but he forced a few bites down. Quietly, Mingi ate his share.

"It baffles me we can't find him. His wit and strength differ from the pixies we've met, and I expect that. But he hides away so well, and that concerns me. I don't want many more demons to die from his hands or lose their purpose."

Venting his worries helped Yunho. His face had cleared some, his movements of eating becoming more secure as he replenished his powers with nutrients.

"I await my father's return eagerly. If San and I could hunt him down together, I'm sure we would succeed. I'm also not above using myself as a bait to make sure the pixie gets restrained. But of course, my rank makes it troublesome."

Mingi's tail felt itself along the divan and the low table between them. He found Yunho's tail hanging from his side limply; the tip lying lifelessly on the ground. When Yunho felt Mingi slithering closer hesitantly, he lifted the tip to wrap around. Gladly, Mingi took the opportunity to convey his silent support.

"I read about pixies all night long to find out about this special case. I wondered if the criminal might not be a pureblooded pixie but a mix. But if he were, he most likely wouldn't be able to hide away so well."

Numb, Mingi nodded. He knew little about pixies. He only knew that they were smaller than demons and that their magic-filled bodies were a perfect dessert.

Once more, Yunho ruffled his unruly hair. He had rid himself of some of his heavier accessories, as they had put a strain on him in the night. Some of his necklaces and the horn rings located in a pile next to them on the table.

When he abruptly looked Mingi into the eyes, the servant startled. Yunho's eyes still had an effect on him, one that he tried desperately not to think about too hard.

"Do you want to escort me to the library later? We could dig through it to find anything about them that makes this chase easier for our troops," Yunho offered with a crooked smile. It carried some pain, but Mingi reciprocated genuinely anyway.

"With pleasure. If we investigate together, we will be faster."

Yunho nodded thankfully and dropped the topic for now. He wouldn't be able to distract himself from it entirely, as he had done with their stable cleaning activity, but Mingi appreciated his effort. For a while, they just sat in comfortable companionship and finished their food. Only when Mingi was also done, Yunho put his hands in his lap to look at him patiently.

"Before we go, how are you, Mingi? I wanted to keep up with you to make sure you got comfortable here, but I got whisked away by duties. Are you still satisfied with this work?"

Surprised why he would ask, Mingi tilted his head. Yunho didn't ask within the boundaries of their ambiguous relationships and the special moments they had shared. He asked in the restricted environment between a lord and a servant.

"I am comfortable. Despite your duties, you look out a lot for me, and I am thankful for that. I wouldn't want to change it anytime soon," Mingi promised solemnly. Yunho nodded along, relief showing on his face.

"I promise you won't come to harm through the recent developments in the kingdom. I know that working here might be exhausting for a while, but I hope you will find your way around it. You need not worry about the issues you hear of here."

And Mingi didn't. Or rather, he wouldn't. If Yunho's horns weren't so damn gorgeous.

If, the little voice in the back of Mingi's mind whispered, you didn't care about him.

"I will look after myself, yes," Mingi smiled. His honesty gave nothing away about the turmoil in his heart, the emotion there that should never have blossomed and that he shouldn't indulge in.

Yunho's tail was warm against Mingi's as it wrapped tighter around him, as if mimicking a hug.

"And how is your piercing healing?"

Now he was back to the familiar tone between them. A smile ghosted over Mingi's lips.

"I have no pain anymore. By now, it should be fully healed."

Yunho whistled proudly.

"Good healing. You know, you can also exchange it once it's healed. If you want to wear any specific design you take a liking to, I can show you how to switch them out."

Mingi slipped his hand under his shirt, thumbing on the jewellery. He liked it for the meaning it held, and because Yunho had gifted it to him. Yet, he wanted to try one of the pretty dangling ones that Yunho wore often one day, too.

With a nod, Mingi adjusted his shirt once more. He wore it open to three-fourths, just barely hiding his navel from view.

"I will. For now, I don't have any others but maybe I will make use of my reward here to get another one someday."

"What type of piercing would you like to wear?" Invested, Yunho crossed his legs. Their tails had begun to swing again, evidence of the energy returning to the prince.

"I like the ones that dangle, like those you wear."

"Do you like the just golden ones more or those with the gemstones?"

Mingi hummed, unsure. He nearly told Yunho that anything looked magnificent on him, but he restrained himself to decide on the jewellery.

"I like the gemstone ones." They looked even more luxurious in his eyes. Unreachable for him, but enchanting in their shine.

"A good pick, yes. I think they would look great on you, too," Yunho agreed. He leaned back again, his eyes gone in a far distance for a moment as his thoughts took his attention away from them. Then he nodded once more.

"Well then, you'll need to show me once it's time. Shall we visit the library now?"

Mingi jumped to his hooves, enthusiastic to help Yunho in any way he could. In the best case, he would find something important that he could give Yunho and receive praise for it.

The castle's library was grand, grander even than the public town library that Mingi sometimes visited with Seonghwa when the man needed new reading material on his field of work. Yet, they looked similar to each other. Both held large wooden shelves and reading corners that didn't remind Mingi of the extravagance the rest of the castle brandished. It didn't take the role of a royal library, much rather staying modest, so it was easier to feel comfortable and relaxed in.

Yunho and Mingi found an unoccupied corner to collect books in and went to work. Yunho searched the historical section, while Mingi wandered among the fairytales and the cultural studies. They barely talked, just stacking books and then wandering off in different directions again.

Once they had found a sizeable pile, both of them sat down opposite of each other on comfortable lounging chairs and sunk into their reading. Mingi marked the pages he found interesting and put some over to Yunho's stack when he didn't understand a lot of it.

The hours passed in silence. The flicking of pages mixed with the sound of a crackling fire. Mingi was so invested in the reading of a fairytale book he forgot he had been searching for pixies and instead read about magnificent knights and witches.

By the time Yunho appeared next to Mingi's chair to tap his shoulder, Mingi had curled up comfortably on the seat as if he were in his private room and read breathlessly about the adventures of a princess with golden hair.

"Mingi. I'm going back to my chambers, don't hesitate to finish your reading here, yes?" Yunho carded his fingers through Mingi's hair tenderly. When he just received a distracted hum back, he stepped away with a chuckle.

For a while longer, Mingi read. He physically had to rip himself off the book before he would spend every second of his precious sleeping time with it. With a groan, he stretched his aching limbs and stacked up the three books he wanted to take back to his room, both for research and for his own late-night enjoyment.

He just packed up when he noticed another book on Yunho's side of the table, seemingly having been forgotten. The title read 'Pixies and How Their Magic Influences The Animal Kingdom'. It looked valuable.

Mingi tucked it in his pile. He would drop it off at Yunho's place since the prince was likely still awake and then return to his room.

Hurriedly, Mingi left the desolate library and plunged his own books on his bed. The corridors were empty and quiet at this time, settling into a spooky vibe that wavered off the grim guards with their shining red eyes.

After passing his room, Mingi jumped up the stairs to the upper floor. He didn't even need to heed the palace customs; nobody was around. It was so quiet that when Mingi arrived at Yunho's corridor; he wondered once more if the man was truly still awake. He hesitated, nearly turning before he could reach the door.

The only reason Mingi peeked into the room, despite his insecurity, was that the door was ajar. An open door never meant well in a castle that was meant to keep secrets. For a moment, fresh panic swelled in Mingi that the horn-cutting pixie might have dawned upon them and gone for the most precious horns in the kingdom.

Carefully, Mingi pressed the door open some more until he could peek his head in. Yunho wasn't in the living area. The door to his closet was wide open, but Mingi saw no movement inside.

When he heard a noise, his head snapped towards the bed. It had been a sweet noise, a quiet keen that was laced with bliss.

But it didn't sound like Yunho.

Mingi's eyes grew big once his brain pieced together the puzzle that he saw right in front of his eyes. On the round bed, and only thinly veiled by the golden cacophony, stretched out two demons, caught in the throes of their shared pleasure. Their limbs wrapped around each other until no space was left between them as they moved in a rhythm so sensual and intimate that it felt wrong in every way to lay eyes upon them.

Even through the veil, Mingi could tell the difference between Yunho's dark grey skin to his pale lover. Their tails had wrapped together, winding along the length to balance every movement. Slow and lingering, Yunho thrust into the pliant body beneath him. His lover was wrapped in his embrace, arms and knees threatening to give out under the larger body of the prince, but Yunho cradled him close to hold him like a precious good as the other man fell apart under his hands.

Mingi couldn't see much of the other person, since Yunho's broad back covered most of him. But he heard him. The breathy moans and whimpers of Yunho's name belonged to Yeosang.

Gulping, Mingi observed for just a moment longer. How Yunho's fingers threaded into the hair between Yeosang's horns, how he pulled him in gently so they could kiss.

As soon as the mixture of his emotions crashed into Mingi, he sobered up. The icy shock subsided to make way for his envy, but it also reminded him of his position. Slow and careful, ever so watchful of his own tail, Mingi backed back out of the room. The whisper of Yeosang telling Yunho how good he felt remained in their own privacy as Mingi soundlessly closed the heavy door. He hoped nobody else would walk in on them, especially not San, whenever he came back from his trip.

For a moment, Mingi stood in the corridor like a confused deer. His insides raged with emotions that battled each other like ocean waves. He was shaken to the core, as if an earthquake under his feet had made the volcano erupt.

After a few deep breaths, he found back to normal.

He had no place to intrude. No reason to delude himself into anything. Yunho was kind to him, but Yunho was kind to everybody. And if he had an intimate relationship with Yeosang, then it wasn't Mingi's place to judge it.

With the book clenched tightly in his hands, Mingi ran back into his room. He didn't cry, but his eyes burnt as he stayed up all night to read because he feared the delusion sleep would bring his foolish mind.