Smut warning for the second half of the chapter

******

Seonghwa padded through the dark, trusting his senses the way Mingi did. The faint glow exuding from his skin aided his tread, but he stumbled when his skirts caught on a piece of furniture.

A hand shot out from the bed in front of him to stabilise him before Seonghwa could topple over. His thankful chuckle was accompanied by the sound of his heels falling to the ground when he took them off.

"Hey, hawthorn. Did you leave early?" Seonghwa sunk into the bed by Mingi's side. Even in the shadows, he could tell that Mingi had exchanged his white sheets with black ones and that an abundance of furs kept his body at the high temperatures it craved. The demon's large hand played with Seonghwa's fingers on his lap.

"I heard too many voices and couldn't find you anymore. Sorry if you needed me." Mingi's dejected voice tilted into worry he made a mistake.

"No, shh, it's fine. I just missed you. Did you sleep?" Seonghwa's hand travelled up Mingi's shoulder and skimmed his cheek, brushing through the soft curls atop of his head. He looked so handsome today, with his regal uniform and the hair swept from his face. With a merry skip in his pulse, Seonghwa's soul swooned for his pretty demon.

"Some, but..." Mingi exhaled, voice sounding rough. After a long break, he dared to speak again.

"Did you talk to Hongjoong about the dreams?"

Seonghwa rolled his eyes in the darkness of the room. His sorcerer was always up to no good.

"I did, but he was cheeky about it. Babbled some nonsense about wanting to waken your inner demons. Don't listen to him. I can make you a curing tea if you'd like?"

Silence stretched in the obscure room. Mingi blacked out all the light from outside with his heavy curtains - not that he needed it - and Seonghwa was left to hold his thumb and pet his head by his side.

"I dreamt again," Mingi breathed. "I dreamt, and I-"

Seonghwa's brows drew together. Had Hongjoong cursed Mingi for these dreams to reoccur all the time?

"I'll make him apologise. " Seonghwa was halfway up the bed, fingers slipping from Mingi's hair, when the demon caught his wrist. Reluctant to leave him alone, Seonghwa perched back down.

"No, stay. I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't fall for his shenanigans," Seonghwa advised as he bent to press a kiss to Mingi's lips. "If you are uncomfortable, you never need to touch upon that side of you. You aren't obligated to force me down and ravage me in the way Hongjoong intends."

Another long silence. The soft breaths from Mingi's lips were the sole reminder of his presence.

"It's not... you in my dreams who makes me woozy. It's him," Mingi whispered his confession.

"Him?"

"I'm fearful not at the idea of forcing you down but by... getting forced down. But I'm afraid, so afraid. What if I trust anyone that close and I hurt them? I can't see, and I am a massive demon."

Seonghwa blinked into the void smelling of coal with large eyes. After all the irrelevant info that brushed past him today, his mind stuttered to catch up with this.

"Oh! I understand. Hongjoong accidentally made himself look good to your tastes, didn't he?" Seonghwa chuckled at the irony. Under his touch, Mingi calmed and nuzzled against Seonghwa's leg. He lay curled around the elegant elf, small and vulnerable like a child. Although he took a nap, he was still in his uniform and Seonghwa's hand traced over his shoulder and waist, appreciating the curve.

"He did. But I- How could I, now that he did this to me, how-" Mingi babbled to himself, making sense to neither of them. Ever so soothing with his moonshine, Seonghwa caressed his cheek.

"What do you need? Shall I strike a deal with him? Do you want to try?"

Mingi struggled for words, helpless despite Seonghwa's patience. Instead of words, he grasped for the hand trailing over him. He guided it hesitantly, lower and lower, across the buttons of his jacket and to the shy V of his legs that tucked around Seonghwa.

Seonghwa's breath got stuck in his throat when he touched the bulge in Mingi's pants. Naturally, Hongjoong's torturous dreams had an effect on Mingi. Now that he squirmed by Seonghwa's side, desperate for relief, Seonghwa understood for the first time why Mingi was so troubled by them. It wasn't the dreams that ashamed him, but what came after.

Specifically, his imagination of being held down by Hongjoong.

"My sweet hawthorn," Seonghwa whispered as he leaned over Mingi. The demon flinched when dangling chains tickled his face, so Seonghwa took off his crown and put it on the ground next to his heels.

The claws of his hands harmlessly pressed into Mingi's skin when Seonghwa cradled his jaw to capture his bite-swollen lips. His other hand sprawled languidly, mapping out the remarkable size of the demon below him.

"I want to help. Shall I show you how to feel good?"

"I'm scared to hurt you," Mingi whimpered, but his hips ground into Seonghwa's palm, seeking touch. Seonghwa squeezed his hardening length through his pants, careful to get his claws nowhere near the sensitive parts.

"We can try together, alright? I will guide you. More kisses?"

Relieved since that was a part he knew, Mingi turned his head so they could sink into a proper kiss. He trembled from nervosity and excitement as, this time, his lips opened for Seonghwa's and allowed the hesitant introduction of tongues. Careful of his sharp fangs, Seonghwa explored Mingi's mouth, relished in the exhilaration that oozed from him. Mingi learned anew, eager to please and to taste the rich moon essence that clung to Seonghwa's tongue.

They parted for a breath. Mingi pushed himself up to chase after the elf, leaving a lingering kiss on his lips as long as he knew where he was. The charming part of his hair framed his features.

"Show me how," he pleaded.

With an indulgent chuckle, Seonghwa pulled away to take off his gauntlets and put them aside. As soon as his touch met Mingi unabashedly and his fingers curled around the curve of him, the demon choked on a moan.

"Careful of your horns," Seonghwa whispered when they almost knocked into him. Mingi had his eyes pinched shut as he concentrated on the feeling. If he heard Seonghwa gulp by his side, it drowned in his pleasure.

"You can touch me. Explore wherever you want. I feel good where you feel good." Seonghwa took Mingi's hand to guide it to his waist, letting the demon feel for him. A second hand joined, clutching onto the lithe waist of the delicate elf. Heat pooled in Seonghwa's stomach.

Mingi exhaled.

"I noticed before, but... You're so small. Are all elves like you?"

Endeared, Seonghwa tucked Mingi's overgrown hair behind his pointed ear.

"We are. I am even one of the taller races, though no broader."

Mingi's hands carded through the chains as Seonghwa kissed his neck, littering him with bruises so any fool knew Mingi was his and he was much adored, no matter his blindness.

With a whine, Mingi tilted his head to make space for him. He felt over Seonghwa's shoulders and collar, coming back down to slide a hand over his fanning skirts.

"Finally, I can tell what you're wearing is beautiful. You are beautiful," Mingi muttered in awe. His hands slipped into Seonghwa's hair and Seonghwa encouraged him with a hum to take out the pins holding it together. Theirs mouths moulded into each other again as gradually, his curls unravelled.

Though Mingi liked the lazy comfort of kissing, he also squirmed quickly when their tongues traced over each other in a blatant invitation. Soon, he strained so much against his breeches that Seonghwa feared they would burst if he wasn't freed soon. His tongue dirtily dipped into Seonghwa's mouth, filling it, and they moaned with each other when Seonghwa sucked on the dark muscle while his fingers fiddled below.

Both froze and held their breaths when Seonghwa opened Mingi's pants. He leaned into the demon so he wouldn't shy away and whispered into his ear.

"You can undress me, too. The clasps are on the back."

With a shuddering breath, Mingi fumbled for the back of his corset. He opened the hatches one by one and soon; the item came off to fall to the rest. Seonghwa's neck holder was next, but Mingi faltered when his length sprung from its confinements to relish the open air. He was thick and long, much bigger than anything Seonghwa discovered on his other husbands.

In the faint glow of his hand, Seonghwa could tell Mingi's veiny skin flushed black down there, same as his embarrassment. The tip was pointy and curved upward like a scorpion's tail, looking so, so enticing.

A few months ago, Seonghwa would have been fascinated but scared by such a sight. Now, the yearning that zapped through his body made him blush. This was not the time to feel Mingi inside. This was for him.

Dainty fingers ran over the rough ridges and distinct shape of Mingi. Lower, his hand couldn't wrap around him, but when he circled his fingers around the tip, Mingi bucked sensitive hips.

"I will undress you. Is that alright?"

"Please," Mingi choked out, desperate like a starving man. He helped along when Seonghwa opened his jacket and shirt to brush them down over his shoulders and sat up so Seonghwa could peel his pants from his legs. In his naked glory, Mingi knelt on the bed as his length arched against his stomach. It twitched by itself, so aroused by their setting.

"Wait a moment," Seonghwa whispered against his mouth before he stood. He wriggled out of his dress to let it fall in a heap on the floor. Covered only by the dark of his hair, he crawled to sink opposite Mingi into the spacious mattress.

"I'm here," Seonghwa muttered as he caught Mingi's searching hands and put them back on his waist. They flinched when they touched naked skin before they settled on him.

With full concentration, Mingi explored Seonghwa's body. He skimmed his hands up his chest and shoulders, trailing down his long arms and back up. When he halted at his chest and Seonghwa couldn't help his whimper at the gentle pinches, the demon chuckled.

Since his curiosity wasn't stilled before he learned about all of Seonghwa, his hands fell to trace the flat of his stomach and his hips. As Seonghwa knelt to sit in a mirror of Mingi, the demon's cautious fingertips found his middle. The heat of his touch came as a shock, and Seonghwa's head tilted back with a breathy moan as those large palms covered all of him.

"Cute," Mingi couldn't help himself. He was scrupulous not to use his rough fist as he tested Seonghwa's reaction, pleased when this part about them was the same.

Ready to return the favour, Seonghwa scooted closer to wrap his hands around Mingi. Their knees slotted between each other and their breaths mingled for yet another kiss as the smaller elf and the timid demon got to know each other's bodies. The precome that oozed from Mingi was thick and musky, making Seonghwa's head spin with the urge to be closer and have it in his body.

Putty under Mingi's caresses, Seonghwa kissed back to the best of his ability and showed Mingi how to apply pressure without squishing him. Soon, the sheer innocence and caution Mingi practised made Seonghwa go mad. He panted against Mingi's shoulder, hips kicking on their own accord. When he felt the nudge of Mingi's length against his chest, he couldn't do it any longer.

"I'm ah- close-" The elf panted. Mingi swallowed his sounds and helped him through the shudders of his orgasm as Seonghwa stained his hands all over. His sounds must have been enough for Mingi. When he twitched, overcome by his excitement and their proximity, Seonghwa grabbed him tighter.

Mingi came a lot. Part of that was the fault of the years pent up and having next to no contact with others; the other part was his genetics. As his sticky spill oozed over Seonghwa's stomach and traced him with dark smears, Seonghwa was in love how their fluids mixed.

They kissed, slow and patient, to help each other calm down. Mingi lost his words on the way there and Seonghwa had yet to reel in his depraved body, as it yearned to experience all of that inside.

Hongjoong had his reasons he wanted to set off Mingi. But Mingi preferred to be held and Seonghwa would cherish that.

As their breath normalised and the trembles stopped, the two clung to each other with mutual giggles. Seonghwa slumped against Mingi's shoulder and the demon ran his fingers through the elf's hair, enchanted by him.

"How was that for a humble beginning?" Seonghwa asked with a smooch to Mingi's chin. When he straightened, Mingi pulled him into an affectionate hug. He was so warm.

"I loved it. Much more than what I tried before. It felt good. Though I am worried about Hongjoong now. If he wanted me inside this narrow body of yours..." To emphasise what he meant, Mingi dragged Seonghwa closer so the half-hard size of him could squeeze against the elf's stomach. Seonghwa's hand flew down, shocked at the comparison. He bit back a moan.

Not that he didn't know why some elves were loyal servants to orcs and demons. Being speared on something like this all day until no more thought remained in their minds was an undefeated bliss.

"Hongjoong's a madman," Seonghwa snickered, nonetheless. They shared another chaste kiss. The closer they got, the easier Mingi could reciprocate them.

Then, however, he stilled, not letting Seonghwa pull away. They still pressed together and Mingi pulsed heavy and hot against Seonghwa.

There it was, the notorious demonic stamina.

"You want to do more?" Seonghwa suggested first, so Mingi didn't have to struggle. At his encouragement, Mingi's face lit up. Charmed by the elf who shared his perpetual night, Mingi nodded.

"I want to try... Inside," he mumbled. "Perhaps with your fingers? I am scared to crush you."

Seonghwa huffed a fond smile. Whatever Mingi needed for his enjoyment.

"I know how. Can I leave you here for a moment? I need to get some oil from my room."

"Oil," Mingi echoed, face ducking. Laughing, Seonghwa evaded his horns.

"No need to be shy, you asked. Let me steal this fur; you can have it back later."

Seonghwa slipped his legs onto the floor and wrapped the fur loosely around his figure so it covered everything it should. It was nothing his husbands and servants hadn't seen, but he didn't want to pose an invitation when Mingi eagerly awaited his return.