𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2,500 words

𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨

Even if the sun was waking, he had decided against his own will and gotten out of bed. The walls of the castle felt tight this day, almost in an eerily, suspicious way, which had Jongho wondering if someone already had torn each other into pieces. He had known from the second they all had been gathered by the table, that not just some - but maybe even them all had one or two things against each other, making this place living warfare. The siren had eyes growing in the back of his head.

Nevertheless, he had gone outside his chamber doors, his steps being the only ones sounding down the long corridors. The castle didn't seem empty, he had noticed. Where walls maybe should have been dull, canvasses were nailed into the grooves between the firm stones in the wall. They were all of some type of nature; landscapes, flowers, hollow woods, mountains - all with a mystic aura to their mood, but still beautiful and aesthetic in their own ways. Sometimes, Jongho spotted living potted plants, standing on a window sill, on a table, or on a shelf. Someone had surely tried to make the place seem more homey-like, and he didn't know how well it was working for him. Especially when he saw the odd sight of an aquatic plant from the deep ocean floating in the air as it swayed with flowing water streams. Jongho felt perplexed by the view of life that definitely shouldn't be able to do that here. It was strange and sketchy to say at least, Jongho thought. Now it was for sure, that magic had its ways around the castle, and somehow he just knew that it would harm him trouble at some rather unfortunate point...

The prince had all his thoughts brushed off when he reached the stairwell down into the grand hall, head suddenly pulled up as he guarded himself down the marble stairs with care. His footsteps echoed unfamiliar underneath the weight of his body as he still was trying to adjust to the new sensation of walking on two legs - something that he had done not any more times than what he could count on his ten fingers. But as soon as he came to the third last step, he got the whiff of a full meal that had probably just been sat on the long table, and Jongho's tense shoulders eased immediately.

He strode down the last step and turned around to continue in through the tall open door, walking directly inside the spacious dining hall, eyes meeting the two figures who already sat by it. Jongho's palms felt sweaty when he clutched the sleeves of the blue cardigan he wore above his white dress-shirt, thinking of where to exactly sit when the two other princes literally had taken up the chairs as long away from each other as possible. Earlier had he wished to get rid of San the instant they finally entered this place, but right now did the siren wish for him to come back by his side. Especially when the man at the other end of the table raised his head and let his eyes lock with his. Jongho swallowed out of nervousness.

"Goodmorning," he bit his lip when the sound rolled off his tongue. But at no immediate answer, he went for a chair beside the blonde man he recalled as Yeosang. The room stayed quiet.

Jongho felt awkward - so out of place, and his fingers couldn't stop pulling at his clothes when no one answered him with anything but their crude gazes, there could only make his body shrink the more they glared. The siren went to fill his plate with the food in front of him instead as he tried to ignore the eyes on him the best he could. His head felt slightly fuzzy, but he didn't think long about that when a deep voice spoke to what he figured was him.

"I thought sirens were asleep during the day, and here you are, looking anything but tired - perhaps a little too aware of your surroundings."

Jongho lifted his head from his food and directed his courtesy to the man dressed in the grey- and red-colored, v-necked shirt - and how lucky for the siren that this prince still wore a black turtleneck underneath, for else he wouldn't have been confident that his eyes would have stayed on his dark, glinting orbs. The vampire's soft, honey-brown hair was parted on his forehead, emphasized by the heavy, black crown he wore on top of his head. And the siren prince was slowly falling deeper into those mysterious eyes that he for a fact knew had the property to turn a bright red.

Then all of a sudden he believed the prince of blood to sound so brash in a way that felt like he was mocking him for being of the specie he was, and it made Jongho pull an answer with the same cocky attitude: "And I thought that vampires didn't tolerate sunlight."

He rolled his shoulders and converted himself away from the vampire again, turning to Yeosang on his right side.

From the far end of the table, Mingi had a smug smile tucked around his lips, back leaning against his seat as he studied his fingers and replied, "You're right, I don't, if it wasn't for this ring that I so luckily got a hold of. I mean, royals do have precedences after all, so why would I not take advantage of that?" The vampire hummed, mostly to himself.

Jongho disregarded the comment and returned to his food instead, now and then glancing to his side at where the stunning fairie prince sat without having a word to say.

_____

𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠

Something seemed off, he figured that much when he was passing down the corridors. Instead of returning to the dining room where all the princes had sat yesterday, Hongjoong was now walking around by himself as he inspected the old castle; wanting to crack its goddamn secrets that he just knew it held. And yet, when he had thought he would still be alone from the moment he had left his distributed personal chamber, he sensed that someone was most likely following him in his footsteps.

This thrilled him. Someone wanted to play.

Continuing around the next corner, Hongjoong slowed down, shoes going silent as he pressed himself up against the wall and waited for the person to walk right into his trap. He held his sharp breath, teeth had to tug at his lips to keep his demonic giggles from revealing himself before the fun had even begun. Hongjoong's blank black eyes trailed the grooves between the stacked stones in the wall, ears being observant on the softest touch of air. He waited for a long minute before he started getting restless. Giving himself a look down, his smile faltered a little, lips closing as a frown raised underneath his long strands of dark hair. Was he fooling himself?

If the phoenix was following him again to roll a satisfying answer from his lips - the demon did admit to that the offer was beyond tempting, it was, but trusting others wasn't in his vocabulary; he simply didn't. Bird or not, pretty or unattractive, Hongjoong knew better.

Hongjoong sighed, dark eyes rolling playfully as he regained the smirk on his face and pushed himself off the wall, walking around the corner again.

"You don't have to hide from me," he called unamazed by the charm of conseal, "Unless, of course, you wish to play hide and seek with me."

The demon's eyes raked around the hallway, but it was as desolated as the driest desert, and he might as well just have closed his eyes and glanced around instead. Hongjoong was sure that someone had been walking behind him just before, but apparently, this person wished to mess with the prince of fucking hell.

His feet came only to take another step forward, before he stiffened under the touch of a hand gripping around his waist, gradually having nails digging deeper in his shirt and into his skin. Hoongjoong's breath stuttered, lungs filling with a sudden rush of sickly twisted pain that had his dark side seek more pleasure.

"What errands are you having here?"

The sentence rumbled lowly from the back of his head, and before the demon lost himself in the madness spinning in his head, he was surprised to hear that his predictions had been wrong; that the prince behind him wasn't one he had expected to be here. Although instead of letting the startle rule him, he brushed it off, delicately twisting his ankles around as he turned to stand right in front of his pursuer.

"Oh, it's the bloody vampire we have here. And I was starting to believe that you may have been someone else."

The vampire was so fucking tall. Deep narrow eyes ran down over him like they were observing something edible, and Hongjoong's eyes invisibly rolled to the back of his skull, wanting more.. so much more. His shoulders were prominent, and his neck and body long and slender - perfect for his smaller self to grab and pull and bend as he wanted. And the gaze drilling into him was almost too much for him to handle.

By now, Hongjoong was leaning closer, chin nearly resting against the vampire's chest, head bent back as he clearly invaded the other's private space. A tingle buzzed under his skin like a fire escaping secured grounds, and the demon very well knew what was happening: his body was starting to split itself, wanting to go for a hunt. He was slowly dragging his arms up to touch the vampire's hand that still held his waist so smugly even when he was pressing himself this close. But Hongjoong wasn't gone, at least yet. The way that Mingi didn't react the smallest made Hongjoong realize how stubbornly serious he had been with his first question for him - why he was here, and he knew he somehow had to answer it.

"I don't know.. what do you think I am here for?" his head was filled with possibilities of how to best throw Mingi around... thinking of how to make him squirm in need the best underneath him.. until his eyes only saw raw lust.

Something flicked in the eyes of the man and suddenly Hongjoong was forced up against the wall, face pushing against the cool stones while his hands were twisted around on his back.

The demon groaned, "Kinky.."

He knew that Mingi must have been agitated for some reason.. Some really good reason, for soon the other was lowly growling him in the ear, sounds making a satisfying shudder run along his spine. And he craved... craved more.

"You're wandering those corridors because of Yunho, are you not? All needy and bothered," it wasn't very often he was surprised of something, mostly was it the other way around - him who surprised others. But this time Mingi's words had the demon stall entirely, mind tying him to the moment as his vision blurred. What would wolf-boy have to do with him being here.. ? Confusion and perplexion pulled Hongjoong into a frown that felt beyond foreign on his face in the middle of the vampire pressing him so neigh against the rough materials of stones.

The heated anger engulfed him in a thick layer of energy and his greedy self started to slip more than what was actually intended. He smiled smugly, thinking that going with the vampire prince's anticipations would make him understand what was implied that he already knew, "So, what if we now assume that you're right.."

All air was beaten out of Hongjoong's lungs when Mingi shoved him harder into the wall, dancing lights flicking in his eyes as his smile expanded to reach his ears. Enjoying the roughness ... loving the smothering hands snaking up around his neck...

Mingi hissed at him, and the demon sensed the teeth that brushed his skin threatening as he spoke, "Then let me tell you this once: Stay away from Yunho."

Hongjoong giggled at the remark, finding it more cute than intimidating, and who was he to be blamed when he figured that the vampire was so protective of the wolf prince that he even guarded the corridors close to his chamber. The next thing the vampire would do was throw himself at the feet of the wolf, worshipping someone who should have been an enemy rather than a love obsession.

"Silly boy~" the demon sang while moving his free hand around the vampire's wrist, settling a weak grip around it. Slowly, Hongjoong let his fingers drag further up the arm as he twisted his upper body around when Mingi gradually softened his hands on him. The demon's heavy, black eyes regarded Mingi's muddled expression while the ardor spreading from the demon, encircled Mingi's lightly invisible blushing self. Hongjoong spun on his toes, flattering himself into the arms of the taller man that now held around his back as Hongjoong broadly smirked up at him. Hands moved up a pair of arms, enclosing the target effortlessly; soon brushing along his sharp jawline. The demon inspected the other's change of behaviour, licking up every little emotion there could make goosebumps prick on skin. So invested in the thrill. 

And he leaned forward, feeling how his energy swallowed the vampire fully, lips barely separating when the words pressed themselves out into the air, "I can do whatever I want to Yunho. And you cannot stop me~"

The demon grinned when Mingi's eyes clouded the more he held around the shorter male, and Hongjoong had almost thought that he would be gone forever in the control of his hand. But all suddenly, the vampire bared his teeth; a tongue caressing the point of one of his fangs as he darkly told him: "I know you are playing with me, demon, but it won't do it. I can resist your wicked tricks."

For a moment silence coated the walls as long the hallway was with unease and tensity as Hongjoong's twinkling eyes jumped to a bored expression. Mingi's reaction first came when Hongjoong swung him around and backed him up against the contours along the wall. Hongjoong relished in the surprise divulged by Mingi's widened eyes and hands gripping the wall.

"Would you prefer that I make him scream your name?" his breath caught around the other's face, "When I do him into insanity."

He could see how the vampire's throat was strangling him in a tightness that wouldn't have allowed anyone to breathe again; and so his expression followed, dumbfounded with so many fears that seemed deeprooted in some odd way. Hongjoong slowly let go of the tall prince again, his unmistakable giggle sounding again.

The demon prince bowed down, eyes glinting with sarcasm and signifying trouble and his one arm held on his back rather mannered, "I wish you a wonderful day, good sir."

Like that he glanced a last time at Mingi's lightly parted, thick lips before he continued down the hallway as if nothing at all had happened.

♛