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It had been a long day for a king, and as he shut the double doors that led to his son's room, a heavy sigh escaped him. Hours of meetings piled on top of a sleepless night holding said son to keep the nightmares away left him very tired indeed and he leaned his forehead against the door briefly before moving away. A twinge from his right leg made him grip his new cane tighter and he leaned on it a bit heavier while waiting for the pain to go away. Footsteps coming from down the hall made him take a large step away from the doorway and look up to meet blue eyes that showed nothing.
"Ah Cor... coming to make sure this old man finally goes to bed?"
"As if I could make you do anything."
The other man stopped by his side, the warmth a welcome presence as they made their way to his own bedchambers. He didn't need to look to see two others stationed at either end of the long hallway, both of them long time friends and confidants. More than likely, they were both waiting for him to retire as well, as they often did to ensure his safety before returning to their own homes. Oh they had rooms here as well, but Clarus had once said that he'd rather raise his children away from the opulence that they were in now, and Weskham had said something similar but included something about lounging around in his underwear which he obviously couldn't do here.
The excuses were waved away. Regis knew what it was like to want to escape this place and counted the year he'd had his 21st birthday as possibly the best year of his life. Being out with the people he loved above all others to explore and generally make a fool of himself was the best thing he could have imagined doing. Returning and only having a year with his own father before his coronation was, naturally, upsetting, but those friends had showed up at his side throughout the entire mess and grieving. If he hadn't had them, he wouldn't be the king, or father, he was today.
As Cor escorted him into the three rooms that served as his 'bedroom', he felt more than saw the two of them take their leave. The lock clicked behind him as he lifted his hand to undo various fastenings that kept his jacket and cape on, walking to the door on the right to enter his actual bedchamber. Firm footsteps follows and caught the trailing edge of his cape as he left it to fall. His jacket was discarded over a chair and he abandoned his cane there as well before making his way to the bed and simply falling face first onto it. His knee protested the action and he did little more than grunt at the throbbing.
"Can't I just stay here?" was the muffled complaint.
A quiet chuckle was the only response from his normally stoic companion, and he could hear the rustling of cloth as pajamas were pulled from a drawer and brought over to the bed. "Your maids would claim I was the one to wrinkle your suit if that were to happen." A calloused hand caught his shoulder and made him turn over, then went to work on the small buttons on his shirt. His own hands were batted away as he tried to help, and he sighed as he resigned himself to simply being undressed and redressed in pajamas.
"Please tell me you're not going to just leave me here like this," he groused as he sat up. His words were answered by the other man starting to remove his own clothing, and he couldn't help but smile.
"At least get yourself under the covers. If I have to pick you up to put you there, I'm going to resign."
A very undignified snort escaped him and he shifted so he could yank the covers down, not bothering to stand to crawl under them. "Why do I have to be fully dressed and you can be in boxers...?"
"Because it is fine for people to see me in a state of undress, but it isn't for them to see you that way."
Regis was silent as he watched the man fold the clothes and lay them neatly aside before walking to the bed. "But you locked the door."
"Like that means anything to someone that wants to clean in here."
And it was true, to a degree. Many of the servants were sworn to secrecy concerning everything that happened behind closed doors in the palace, but it didn't stop them from staring at him to simply catch a glimpse of skin. Still, it didn't stop him from wanting to keep all of Cor's little scars to himself either. In fact, he was tempted to tell him to put on a set of pajamas as well just to ensure they didn't see anything if they did come in. On second thought though, at least he could happily run his hands over that warm skin come morning. And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be too tired to enjoy it.
As the younger man slid between the covers with him, he shifted closer to the center of the overlarge bed. Lights were dimmed and turned off before a firm arm circled him and drew him close. Soft lips pressed to his forehead and Regis closed his eyes with a content sigh. Hopefully tonight Noctis would sleep soundly next to his own little adviser-in-training and Regis would get a good night's sleep. The last thing he would think about before sleep claimed him was how warm Cor was as he snuggled (yes, snuggled) against him, legs tangling just a bit in a small effort to get even closer. He drifted off with the vague spice that was Cor's own unique scent filling his senses, one hand curled into a loose fist against his chest where he could feel his heartbeat, strong and beating just for him.