Seonghwa and Mingi returned to the palace in the morning to pack their bags. They had no interest in sharing breakfast with the demons, but Seonghwa accepted some provisions for their journey back. The Demon King saw them off in the entrance hall.

"Though it is unfortunate to see you leave so soon, our pact will remain in place, strengthened by your determination and marriage. If you ever find yourself bored of him or seek to be treated like divinity, visit me, Prince Seonghwa. My doors are always open to your beauty." The Demon King nodded a mannerly head, looming horn thick as one of Seonghwa's thighs. Though his words were disgraceful in their meaning, Seonghwa accepted them politely. There was no reason to fight beyond this point.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. We will be on our way."

"Relay my greetings to your father."

They parted with another shared nod before Seonghwa left the room. Mingi trailed behind him, glad to flee the judgmental eyes of the demons who sneered at the unlikely pair. The air of the cavern was stuffy outside as much as inside, but Seonghwa still felt he could breathe lighter once the gates shut behind them. In front of the stairs, he sought Mingi's hand.

"Do you have any unfinished business that keeps you? We can take a detour," Seonghwa asked before he led him down to the cart, waiting on the rails to loop back up into the mountain.

Mingi considered it, then he shook his head.

"I think I have everything I need." He tentatively squeezed Seonghwa's hand and the elf's pursed lips melted into a smile.

"Then let's go."

They piled into the cart and, since they went up this time, the conducting demon on the platform whistled through his fingers.

"Our bats will guide you back up. Hold on tight and don't pull on the ropes," he instructed while Seonghwa sat between Mingi's long legs once more. The demon rubbed a soothing hand down Seonghwa's arm.

"It won't be as scary," he promised.

The bat that came whizzing from the shadows of the cave's roof was massive, big like a gryphon. Seonghwa heard its shrill call tingling through his ears as it hovered before the cart to be strapped into a gear held by two ropes. The massive wings surged hot air into their faces.

"Have a sound journey," the demon sent them off. Seonghwa clutched his hands to the cart's rim, next they were on the way up. The bat didn't go as fast as gravity had taken them downward, and the incline was gentler and steady, not so drastic in its ups and downs.

Soothed since the animal in front of them wouldn't bring itself into danger, Seonghwa craned his head to look at Mingi. With just a few changes to his style, the demon's appearance would shine through. Even now that he smiled more often and didn't hide in his shoulders or hair, Seonghwa got struck by his attractiveness time and time again. Mingi had strong features and a lean build. With the right clothes, he could woo any elf in the Crystal Sphere.

Not that he needed to woo anyone but Seonghwa.

Mingi turned his head when he felt Seonghwa shift. He didn't see how Seonghwa's eyes clung to his lips, but the beat of silence was heavy with a shared sentiment. Somewhere in the cave, water dropped from the ceiling into abyssal depths.

"Kiss?" Seonghwa muttered at the same time Mingi leaned in. Their smiling lips met in the middle.

Today, Mingi tasted like himself, with no hint of food occupying his mouth yet. His natural taste was like that of fire and ashes, befitting his kin. The heat in his veins was much hotter than Seonghwa's and it resonated in his breaths.

Mingi liked kissing. He liked losing himself to their embrace and the click of their lips against each other. Since he was so cautious and would never harm Seonghwa, the laziness of their kisses was like meditation. It was temperate and relaxing, pushing all other thoughts from their heads.

Seonghwa sunk into Mingi's chest, trusting his larger body as the demon tilted his horned head to kiss the elf curled into his embrace. Warm lips moulded into a perfect balance of hot and cold to form an irresistible mixture. The soft noises of their mouths, followed by Seonghwa's sigh, drowned in the bat's wings.

They were still shy around each other, new to their likes and dislikes. Seonghwa was patient to find out and, though Mingi held back since he was afraid to do something Seonghwa disliked, their bodies dictated each other's melodies and adjusted as nature intended. Soon, Mingi didn't flinch away when Seonghwa drooped his head against the demon's shoulder and guided his hands to hold Seonghwa's narrow waist.

Mingi was the largest of them all, not accounting for Yeosang and Jongho, who could grow and shrink upon will. His fingers were large and hot as they held onto the thin silk of Seonghwa's dress, and the elf's stomach was ignited by the touch that could be so much more.

Yet, they took it slow. Mingi didn't understand when Seonghwa traced his tongue over his plush lips, but Seonghwa was too endeared to push him. Swaddled in a warm embrace, he enjoyed their ride while Mingi improved at kissing by the minute.

When they parted for a breather, Seonghwa's lips tingled with a pleasant heat.

"You are good at this," Mingi rumbled, and his voice was rough from not using it for a while. Seonghwa gulped, eyes lingering on the other's mouth.

"Did you kiss anyone before me?" Seonghwa was honoured to teach him the way Hongjoong had done for him. It was a sweet act and Mingi deserved to be eased into it.

"I did, actually. Though it might be unexpected to you," Mingi grinned. Seonghwa felt the swell of his chest push into Seonghwa's shoulders in pride and he had to snicker. Engulfed by the large demon, he felt as if cradled by a throne of comfort. Everywhere around him was safety, was Mingi.

"I am not surprised in the least. Just earlier I marvelled at how handsome you are."

Mingi flushed a pretty dark tint that Seonghwa saw only because he glowed in his ghostly moonshine.

"One of my friends offered me a kiss one day. He said he would help me experience it, since I was so unlikely to find a pair in our world. Later on, they helped me get into the joust and look where I am now. If they could see me with my stunning husband by my side, they would blanch in jealousy." He giggled deviously to himself and though Seonghwa smiled with him, his heart sank at the news about Mingi's first kiss. Somehow, he felt it wasn't taken from him as an act of kindness.

"Your friends. Tell me about them." Seonghwa cosied up against Mingi and watched the hypnotic up and down of the bat's wings. Happy to hold him close, Mingi rumbled on in his pleasant voice.

"We grew up in the same area of town. I wasn't suited for many jobs, so I helped around their houses with minor duties, like peeling vegetables or dusting the shelves. They were the kids of the families I served, so we became friends and often played together. They used to take me outside and show me how kids with sight played. We climbed trees, jumped over puddles, and played hide and seek. I was bad at that one," he snickered.

"They often reminded me I needed to work extra hard because many demons wouldn't accept me with my defect and taught me the things I would never experience otherwise. I even tried to- No, I can't say that. It isn't suited to your ears."

Though flattered that Mingi abided by the manners he learned in the Moon Castle, Seonghwa didn't like how he put himself last. Or what his words suggested.

"What did they teach you?"

Mingi blushed more.

"They said I might be innocent enough to become a rich lord's bedmate, not unlike what I feared our arrangement to become. But I didn't like that. My throat hurt a lot, so we didn't continue. I rather tried the tournament, though I didn't expect to win."

Seonghwa exhaled, willing back his anger. When he imagined those cackling bastards forcing Mingi to his knees to use his clueless lips for their pleasure, bile rose in his throat.

"But the tournament surprised me as much as them! And now I am with you, and I am very happy. I'm not useful, but I like you." He ducked his head, shrinking with his confession. Seonghwa helplessly ran his fingers through Mingi's hair.

"I'm glad you won. I enjoy having you by my side as well. But why didn't you want to visit your friends? Wouldn't they want to congratulate you?"

Mingi's hesitation meant he was aware, at least partly. But since he grew up like this, he knew nothing different.

"When I won, they were very jealous. I didn't understand my luck, but they would have preferred to take my place. They helped me fill out my papers, but they were frosty when I left. Maybe they didn't want the friend group to break apart?"

"That must be it," Seonghwa muttered. He would do everything in his might to ensure Mingi and those people never met again.

"You often touch my hair. They recommended this style to me because it doesn't show how weird my eyes are. Does it look good?"

Seonghwa pushed Mingi's dark curls back, unveiling strong brows and beautiful onyx eyes. Though they didn't move naturally, they were a gorgeous pair.

"I quite like your eyes. You can try different styles, but your comfort matters over your looks."

"Then I want to try," Mingi grinned. He cuddled Seonghwa, kissed him in gratitude while the brighter entrance cave of the mountain appeared in front of them. By the time they had to leave, Seonghwa's heart felt a little lighter.

They climbed out of the cart and Seonghwa grabbed for the communication crystal Hongjoong had given him for this trip. Upon his touch, it flared with warmth. A second later, a portal opened on the wall to their left.

Seonghwa and Mingi stepped through, hand in hand. They found themselves in Seonghwa's room, shrouded by the crisp, clear air. Hongjoong lounged in the conversation pit with Wooyoung, and the two grinned at Seonghwa when he took off his cape.

"Shall I bring you to your room to unpack?" Seonghwa offered Mingi, but the demon shook his head.

"Greet the others. I will see you at dinner." He lingered for a moment, as if wishing to use a term for Seonghwa to convey his affection, but he couldn't come up with one. He scurried away, blushing.

With a sigh, Seonghwa sunk into the conversation pit between his two troublemakers. They readily accommodated him and cosied up to his sides.

"Damiana," Hongjoong sang, "you look incredible in this dress."

"Delectable, even," Wooyoung purred. They wrapped their arms around Seonghwa, nosing on both sides of his neck while the elf huffed a chuckle.

"You missed me that much?"

"Every day." Hongjoong breath skimmed Seonghwa's lips. Wooyoung was faster and caught his chin in his hand first. They kissed, nothing like the kisses with Mingi. These were messy and open-mouthed, tongues tangling in a filthy mess. Seonghwa let go of his frustrations with the demons as the heat of his veins was tended to.

Hongjoong ran a hand up Seonghwa's thigh, tracing his sensitive twitches. When Seonghwa turned his way, they shared another greeting kiss.

Mingi was quickly gone from Seonghwa's mind. The two cheeky boys distracted him when they leaned their heads together to kiss Seonghwa at the same time, dripping drool all over their chins. Wandering hands seized his thighs, his hips, his chest.

Seonghwa whined, for it had been some time. He craved their bodies and their passion, for he knew they would empty his mind of all else. The squirming of his thighs got easily opened by Hongjoong's soothing hand, but it slipped past the part where Seonghwa needed him. Frustrated, Seonghwa pushed his chest into Wooyoung's palms.

But their touches got tamer, politer. Soon they pulled back altogether and left Seonghwa heated and unravelled in the pillows. His heavy eyes found their teasing grins when they gazed upon him with pride.

"Welcome back, Seonghwa," Wooyoung chirped, as if innocent.

Huffing, Seonghwa sat up when he understood they had done this on purpose.

"You two devils," he called them and they snickered before he took off to get changed. He relished in their presence and in the coolness of his castle for as long as he could before it would be time to depart to yet another mountain with Jongho.