kingkingcxiii: Once More (Once More)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-09 08:53 am (UTC)(link)
[In many ways, the day never draws to an end for Regis. Even as he returns to his quarters alone--this being one of those rare nights where he's convinced Clarus it's not necessary to see him to the door--his mind is still going over the files and reports they were reviewing before parting ways. Foremost in his mind is a list of names. The latest casualties from the front. Those whose families he will need to see letters to; those who have no families and they will need to speak with their fellows to find out who might stand as next of kin. For how the list grows so fast now, he never forgets one. He can't.

His stride falters a moment, leg aching after day that has been too long. Regis wishes there was a way he could be out there with them instead of stuck here, but he also knows he would be no help. His body is not what it once was years ago. Some days it's a struggle to get from one end of the Citadel to the other, though he does all he can to hide that. He needs to look strong for his country and people.

For Noctis as well, even though he sees his son so rarely anymore.

Despite all that is on his mind, when Regis nears the balcony, he instinctively senses the presence there. His reaction would be stronger if he didn't also feel the pull on his magic. His visitor is not an enemy lurking where no one should be, but one of his trusted Kingsglaive.

One specific Glaivesman, actually, and the realization draws an amused smile to his lips before he lets his face settle back into a mask of regal seriousness.

His footsteps come to a halt several paces back from the open balcony, and as they do, Regis can almost hear Clarus' voice speaking a warning in his head. He may be within the heavily guarded Citadel, but his guards are still human and humans make mistakes.

Honestly, the warnings get old sometimes, but he has a country and a people to think of. He can't take risks, even if they are small ones.]


Did I miss the memo warning of a threat made against my balcony, Glaive Ulric? For surely, there is no other reason for you to be lingering here when your own bed must be calling.
kingkingcxiii: Look Back (Look Back)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-11 07:03 am (UTC)(link)
[Nyx is right about how those words put Regis on edge. It's an instinctive response despite the fact this is Nyx Ulric, the shattered young man he pulled from Galahd's ruins and who he's watched grow into a fearsome warrior over the last few years. Even with his rebellious nature, he's been a cornerstone of the Glaive almost from the moment it was founded in its present incarnation.

Magic thickens the air just for a moment and then Nyx continues. The way that magic fades from the air again is the first sign that Nyx didn't miscalculate this particular risk. The second comes more suddenly than the first when Regis lifts a hand to rest it against his chest as he lets out a choked, and frankly unregal, laugh.

Once the laugh passes, more quickly than Nyx probably wishes, Regis has to clear his throat before speaking.]


If you truly wish permanent Wall guard duty, I suspect there are far less painful ways to achieve your goal. For your own good, I hope my Shield doesn't catch wind of you having said that.

[Regis' voice is so grave that telling how serious that warning is would be impossible if it wasn't for the twinkle in his eyes. He moves forward a few more steps, those steps bringing him even with the balcony's opening.]


You do realize if I step out there, you are on duty again. My life is in your hands. Spirit is, unfortunately, a poor shield against assassins.
kingkingcxiii: Younger Days (Younger Days)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-11 08:24 am (UTC)(link)
I probably should, but then I would be down a very talented glaive, and I'm quite certain there's no one who could fill your shoes. No, it is wisest to keep you right where you are.

[Of course, that statement takes a bit of unintended meaning when Nyx bows and presses his lips Regis' hand. It's a surprising show of respect, outdated as it may be. Regis has never minded the fact the practice fell away for most people would do it merely as an expected symbolic act. It would mean little or nothing and he's never had time for such things.

This is the complete opposite of that and Regis can't help but let his eyes fall shut a moment as those warm lips press against his skin. His opens his eyes again just in time catch that predatory look, and suddenly finds himself happy that he's learned to school his expression enough that no blush has a hope of crossing his face. His eyes soften, though.]

Is that so?

[Despite the his words, Regis doesn't resist being led out onto the balcony any longer.]


Why do I get the impression there are many things that you would like to correct my views on?
kingkingcxiii: The Citadel (The Citadel)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-13 09:25 am (UTC)(link)
[Regis knows he's allowing his eyes to follow the motion of Nyx's tongue over his lips far too closely, but it's either that or focus on the rise of his own heart rate. While he's been on the receiving end of these looks his whole life, only rarely have they actual been focused on the man instead of the king. The last had been...

Has it really been since he lost Aulea?

He should put an end to this; send Ulric back to his duties before either of them regret it, but he doesn't. Later, perhaps he will blame the lapse on the fact he's feeling the weight of his mortality stronger tonight than he usually does. How many more chances will he get to be a man instead of a king?

Likely as few times as he will have to be a father.

In an effort to push away those morbid thoughts, Regis turns his gaze out at the city, pointedly avoiding anything too near the Wall. He doesn't need more reminders tonight.]


It's been quite some time since I've been able to debate with a friend. Let no one tell you that debates with councilmen are the same. They most certainly are not.
kingkingcxiii: Once More (Once More)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-13 11:21 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, is that how you explain your usual behavior?

[Regis raises an eyebrow as he turns his eyes in Nyx's direction. There's humor in them now, a vast improvement from the soft sadness of a few moments before.]

Perhaps you should lead with that explanation the next time Captain Drautos is asking to have you placed on Wall guard? You never know. It may make a difference.

[The joke has barely left his mouth when Regis once more finds his eyes following Nyx closer than they should be. This time the focus is the man's fingers as he works loose the chains keeping his cape in place. It's usually the first piece of his raiment that he sheds when he returns to his rooms, so Regis makes no motion to put a stop to Nyx's actions. When the weight leaves his shoulders, it's all he can do to keep himself from sighing in relief.

He doesn't quite manage to keep the curious voice in the back of his head from wondering why Nyx is so good at working through all the decorative chains and clasps, though.]


You have my thanks. I suppose I do it the same way as you do with your uniform. Too many years of practice and need.
Edited (Typo!) 2018-11-13 11:29 (UTC)
kingkingcxiii: Deny (Deny)

Have you SEEN the way that Iedolas struts around? Of course, there are peacocks in Eo- Oh wait...

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-14 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
It's very warm. I do believe that officially makes it more useful than a peacock's feathers.

[As he watches Nyx's 'expert' handling of the cloak, Regis can't help but chuckle, the sound softer than his earlier laughter, but no less amused.]


Congratulations. You just made yourself the enemy of every single on of my chamberlains. I can almost hear them screaming out in disgust at your idea of tender care.

[As if he hasn't done worse to that blasted cape some nights, but it's not like any of them are going to say something to him.]

No frills? You realize that likely would be seen as an act of treason against the Lucis Caelum line. We are quite fond of our dramatics.

[Yet, for all that purported love of dramatics, Regis falls suspiciously silent while Nyx's fingers move across his chest and shoulders. It would be easy to shake off the gentle touches, but he doesn't, finding himself more interested in wondering why each light touch leaves behind such a lasting warmth. The things that Nyx mentions are true. Regis is quite aware of how much he favors that side, of how the weight doesn't help. It's to the point that on some days he can't hide it even when in public. It's such a little thing, though, when one has to think of countries and prophecies. What does it matter when soon enough...

And there go his thoughts drifting far too far into the realm of his own mortality again. He's really on a roll tonight.]


Unfortunately, men of my age all tend to be more than a little lopsided.

[At first, Regis fully intends on leaving that statement as it is, but there is something about being the recipient of Nyx's look that makes him feel guilty, as if he's taking something that he has no right to take.]

You should save that smile to share with someone who deserves it.
Edited 2018-11-14 03:46 (UTC)
kingkingcxiii: Look Back (Look Back)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-14 05:19 am (UTC)(link)
[The tone of that honorific is probably the only thing that keeps Regis from stepping away and ending this right now for both their sakes. It wouldn't be hard. If he ordered Nyx home, as rebellious as the man is, he would go, but what kind of repayment would that be for the honesty he's just been shown, misdirected as it may be?

For far too short a moment, Regis lets himself be weak. His eyes close and he allows himself to feel the comforting weight of the hand against his cheek. He then reaches up and gently pulls that hand away with his free one, locking away the spark of loneliness that suddenly pains his heart.]


Don't do this to yourself, Nyx. Life is too short and this world has already taken too much from you.

[For just a instant he brushes the man's rough fingers against his lips and then lets his hand drop.]

Seek your happiness with one who doesn't linger in life like a ghost.
kingkingcxiii: Taking a Toll (Taking a Toll)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-14 08:07 am (UTC)(link)
[The moment that Nyx's expression shifts toward aggression, magic once more crackles in the air, chilling it around them. If Regis is going to strike out to defend himself, though, the blow never comes and an instant later, he's forced down into the chair, fighting back a wince of pain even as his cane clatters loudly to the floor near their feet.

Hands freed, he raises them both to take hold of Nyx's where they are still tangled in his clothing. Anger flashes in his eyes as they lock with his Glaive's.]


You Astral-damned fool! Do you have any idea what would happen to you if someone saw that? There is only so much I can protect you from!

[A chill still hangs in the air, but there is no tension as if attack may follow. Instead, there is only the gentle rolling of fog that will make it hard for anyone within the Citadel to make out what is happening on the balcony.

Regis is unsettled enough that the order for Nyx to go is nearly on his tongue and then the kiss swallows it, gentleness causing anger to drain away as if it'd never been there. As Nyx pulls back, Regis releases the hold he has on one of the Glaive's hands so he can draw him forward again, resting their foreheads together. When he speaks, his voice sounds tired, but also as open and vulnerable as it has the whole night.]


What am I going to do with you? It's not a hero you speak with, merely a man who has been bound by fate his whole life.
kingkingcxiii: Look Back (Look Back)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-14 11:40 am (UTC)(link)
[The return of that familiar cockiness causes a ghost of a smile to cross Regis' face, but the smile comes no where near lifting the tiredness in his eyes.]

You know it's not that easy. Not with who I am nor with who you are. There are too many who would jump on the chance to have you removed from your position or worse.

[Not to mention he can immediately think of five councilmen would would use any attempt to intercede on Nyx's behalf to weaken Regis' own standing. Politicians show mercy for no one. King or knight. Lover or beloved.

It's the politics of the situation he understands. He's played the game his whole life. This? This he doesn't understand. It's nothing like the relationship he'd had with Aulea. Their love had been born of lifelong friendship, of familiarity, and time spent in each other's company. While it's true that Nyx has been part of the Glaive for a long time now, they have hardly had time to come to know each other. They pass more often than not in silent understanding. Power given; life entrusted.

In the wake of the second gentle kiss, Regis forces himself to stop trying to puzzle the mystery out on his own, and instead takes the path of least resistance--asking the man kneeling before him.]


Your heart could choose any it wished to love.

[He rests his hand gently on the one Nyx is using to message his knee, halting the motion.]

Why would it choose me when you more than most know the price the Crystal demands of me?
kingkingcxiii: Younger Days (Younger Days)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-15 09:26 am (UTC)(link)
[There's something terribly sad about how hard it is for Regis to accept those gentle touches. Once it had been so easy for him to both give and receive affection. Then he'd lost Aulea and almost lost Noctis. Then Tenebrae had fallen and there was just no time for that kind of thing anymore. Even when Regis found time to reach out to Noctis, the distance between them had only grown. He'd given all he could, and more often than not what he didn't give was taken until...

For the third time this night, Regis lets his eyes fall closed in response to Nyx's touch. Once more he drags himself out of his own mind and forces himself to focus on something infinitely more comforting than the knowledge of the dark future that spreads out in front of them. This is dangerous. A fool's quest. Soon enough Nyx's stint on Wall guard will end and he will return to the front. The Glaive has cheated Death any number of times. His earlier statement was no empty bluff. Will the next time he dances with Death be the one that ends with Regis feeling the magical link between them snap? Where might he be when it happens? A council meeting? Negotiation with visiting dignitaries? Alone in his office doing paperwork?

A soft, vaguely shaky breath slips from his lips and Regis mentally curses himself for how easily he lets himself slip back into his thoughts. There once was a time where he could switch off his mind, but that switch broke long ago.

Still, despite the direction his thoughts run in, when he finally speaks again there's acceptance in his tone. He knows the dangers in this; he knows how unwise it is and he's decided to move forward regardless of the consequences.

Regis opens his eyes, turning them in Nyx's direction without moving his head so that he doesn't disrupt the Glaive's tender actions.]


This is not the path I envisioned you taking when we first met all those years ago.
kingkingcxiii: Once More (Once More)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-16 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
[There is an instant of silence after that statement, but no more since Regis has already made his decision, and he's never gone back on a decision once it's been made. The smile that crosses his face is tired--the soul-deep exhaustion he carries is not something that can be easily fixed if it can be fixed at all--but it is real, and matched with the appearance of that mischievous twinkle in his eyes--the one that Nyx has been looking for all night--it's clear this is no case of passive acceptance. There is a lot about his life and about the life Noctis will face that Regis has had to accept, but this is not something he will be adding to that list of things.]

I would certainly hope not. You're not going to find a better partner in crime than me, I'll have you know.

[Regis turns more fully toward Nyx, raising his hand as if he has every intention of resting it against the Glaive's cheek, but he stops just short of it when he feels that same stabbing guilt from before. The guilt that says he shouldn't be the one accepting or giving Nyx this kind of affection. The man deserves someone closer to his own age; someone who can put him first in everything; someone who can give him a family instead of having to send him off into battle time and time again.

But Nyx has made his heart's choice clear even if both of them lack understanding as to why the choice has been made, and it's that knowledge that lets Regis finally finish the action, brushing his fingertips over warm skin before letting his hand drop to rest on Nyx's shoulder.]


You'll have to forgive me. I'm terribly out of practice when it comes to this kind of thing.

[Somehow, that seems like a massive understatement when it hits Regis' ears. He hasn't even been able to keep his relationship with his own son strong. How will he keep something as complicated as this relationship is bound to be strong?

Then again, Nyx has knowledge of a great many of the things Regis is still doing his best to shield Noctis from. Not everything, but perhaps that knowledge will make the difference.]
kingkingcxiii: Flame (Flame)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-17 09:13 am (UTC)(link)
Of course. Where do you think my so-

[Regis' words are interrupted as a pair of lips crash into his--hot, passionate, insistent. Gone is the gentleness from before, burned away in an instant of pure need. When magic thickens the air this time, it's not in threat but in reaction to the rise of emotion in Regis' chest. It's been some time since he's felt such emotion so strongly and it's overwhelming at first, enough that the hand he has Nyx's shoulder, slides down across the Glaive's back and then up to the other shoulder where his fingers dig in so he can use the other man's steady form as an anchor. When he pulls back from the kiss a moment later, it's with a breathless chuckle that has nothing to do with the foolish words he breathes out.]

You're going to have to let me breathe, pup. My lungs are about 20 years older than yours.

[Before Nyx can reply, though, Regis leans in to return the favor, claiming the Glaive's lips with his own. For all his concerns of being out of practice, the kiss is every bit as confident and insistent as the one before, though when Regis pulls back this time, it is only by the barest amount, each whispered word causing his lips to brush against Nyx's.]


You only need to remain on your knees if that's really where you wish to be.
kingkingcxiii: Look Back (Look Back)

[personal profile] kingkingcxiii 2018-11-18 07:48 am (UTC)(link)
[The first response Nyx's gets is the scolding click of tongue behind teeth, but Regis quickly follows that with a laugh.]

What a cheeky thing you are once you've gotten what you want.

[Like he didn't already know that going into this.]

See if I worry about the state of your knees again.

[The threat is an empty one, betrayed thoroughly by the fondness in Regis' eyes and the gentleness of the fingers that comes to rest against Nyx's cheek.]

It pains me that you have to hold back for my sake, though I cannot thank you enough for doing it.

[Regis' free hand finds the one that is so bravely creeping up his leg and brings it to his lips, so he can press a kiss to it.]

I will make it worth your wait. Come. Lets move this to my quarters so we both can relax and worry not about who might come across us.

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