Page 44 of Gilded Crown

“I’m just having a bath. It’s a fairy thing. You wouldn’t understand.”

They both crept closer to his clothes. One suddenly grabbed his bundle of clean stuff, squeaked, and started heading for a tree.

“Hey! What the fuck?”

The other snatched his pile of dirty things that he’d intended to wash, including his cloak, and hustled off after his buddy.

“Get back here! That’s mine!”

The second minky somehow managed to scale the tree with surprising agility and clothes trailing from his arms. The other was already picking apart Jari’s clean stuff. A pair of drawers went flying and snagged on a branch. The second thief sat on a branch, took Jari’s dirty drawers, and put them on his head. The first waved a shirt around and squealed his pleasure.

“Give it back!” shouted Jari. “I swear to Ymir, I’ll go over and shake you out of that tree!”

A dirty sock was thrown in his face.

***

Jari paused by the thick bush that was high enough to cover his critical bits. “Uh, Aurelius? Could you maybe get some of my clothes from my pack?”

“Why don’t you deal with your own clothes?” Aurelius remained facing away as he ate something, presumably a strip of dried meat.

“I would, but I’m kinda totally naked, and that’s why I’m over here.”

Aurelius hesitated and dared to peek over his shoulder. “What the fuck did you do?”

Jari’s face grew hot. “Two minkies stole my clothes.”

A pale eyebrow arched. “Minkies stole your clothes?”

“They’re all scattered about the branches, and I’d rather not climb a tree in the nude because I’ll get scratched up. All I got is a sock over my dick and my boots. I’m lucky I didn’t have to make do with a strategically placed leaf. Please, just get me some clothes and fling them over here or something!”

The Prince’s pink lips parted for a moment as he stared at Jari, half hidden by a bush. His whole face softened as he busted out laughing and dropped his piece of dried meat. Jari had never seen him laugh so freely and with real mirth in his eye.

It figured it would be at Jari’s expense. The horses snorted as if this greatly amused them too.

Aurelius braced a hand on the ground as he tried to catch his breath. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard in a while. I should have gone to peep like a pervert so I could see that. That’s what you get for spying on me and having filthy thoughts about my supposedly gorgeous body.” He cut his eye at Jari before facing away and covering that side of his face with a hand. “Go get your clothes. I don’t feel like trying to figure out what’s what while you stand there with your dick blankie and a pair of boots.”

“Fine. Keep your eye to yourself.”

“Like you did?”

Jari hesitated before hurrying over to his pack while trying to hold the sock in place. “Excuse me that I happened to think you look…alright. Better than me.”

“From what I’ve seen, you’re not bad either.”

Was he trying to say something more? No. Definitely not. Jari risked a glance, and Aurelius was still facing away and keeping his eye covered. If Jari led things anywhere else, he’d have a split lip. He rustled through his pack as he grabbed stuff. The horses stared at him and were probably laughing in their heads. Once he hustled off back through the bushes and trees, he could have sworn he heard the Prince giggle.

It took him a good fifteen minutes of climbing around and straining to reach his clothes which had been scattered about the branches. The minkies had run away earlier. Aurelius smirked when he returned with the damp stuff since he’d washed the dirty clothes.

“I’m missing a pair of drawers,” said Jari. “Are you happy you got a laugh at me?”

“Yes, I am.”

Jari huffed before he draped his things over some bushes to dry. “I think we should stay here and give the horses time to rest. It’s quiet, we have water, and we’ll hear anyone coming. Our stuff can dry too.”

“All right.”

They’d be doing a whole lot of nothing, and as he settled on the ground a few feet away from Aurelius, he wondered again if Aurelius would dare say yes. Jari had only bottomed a couple of times when he was younger since he preferred topping. Actual sex would help the tension more than a hand since he hadn’t fucked in months, and maybe Aurelius wouldn’t treat him like a hole to dump his cum into.

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