IC Inbox: Hugtopia

[flawed_immortality]

"Make it good."

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Mid-Achtom-ish? IDEK time is an illusion. /stuffs in here for possible raciness ahead

[twistedempathy]

Of course you're not. Because I'm going to help you stretch that tightness out. Right~?

[He's not letting himself voice the [x] doubt over Cor's protest. Instead, Will just prompts him with an encouraging lilt. He knows how exhausted and stressed you are, Cor; you've been running yourself ragged trying to keep people safe, both from the storms and from their aftermath. You're not going to be allowed to stay that way if he has anything to say about it.]

[flawed_immortality]

[Cor heaves a sigh, rolls his eyes slightly, and drags himself up from the table. He reaches over to take Will's plate as well, moving towards the sink and fully intent on ignoring that pestering. He's perfectly fine.

Though now that he has actually sat down for a few it's even harder to convince his body he needs to stay upright and functioning. He has every intention of doing the dishes but once he places them in the sink he just... leans against the counter for a moment. It's fine. He's fine. He just needs to close his eyes for a moment.

He's definitely not swaying slightly on his feet. You're imagining things, Will.]

[twistedempathy]

[Oh yes, he's most certainly imagining things. Like the unsteady swaying, or the fact that Cor needs to lean on the counter to stay standing, or the way his shoulders are sagging. None of that is happening at all. Cor is clearly just standing there, Perfectly Fine, simply lost in thought. In front of the sink. With his eyes closed. There's nothing unusual about that at all.

Smiling wryly to himself, Will gets up to follow Cor over. It would probably be easier if Cor was sitting, (seriously, who gave him permission to be so tall?) but he reaches up to start kneading the man's shoulders. Arceus almighty, is he wearing armor under his clothes? That can't just be how hard his muscles are right now, can it?]

II B.

[flawed_immortality]

[As the days grow shorter Cor's nerves are a little more on edge. While it is a time of celebration and he's always enjoyed Solstice... the excessive darkness is unsettling. Which is why, a few days before the holiday itself, he finally settles himself on the couch with something to read and a large cup of the mulled wine from the fabricator. It's surprisingly delicious and he might go through the first portion of the glass a little more quickly than he'd intended.

Which in turn leaves him warm and flushed, sprawling out a little more, sweater discarded in favor of just a snug t-shirt. Even with how warm he feels the chill of the season has him idly toying with flames between his fingertips, spilling form one finger to the next like the roll of a coin. There's something distinctly distracting about the sensation and before long he gives up on the book to instead just bask in the warmth.]

[promittere]

[Cor isn't the only one who's found the mulled wine from the fabricators to be enjoyable. Ignis was never much of a heavy drinker, but there's something comforting about the wine that warms his spirits.

And his body.

He settles down on the arm of the couch, glass in hand. He can't see the Marshal, but he knows he heard him in there. He lets out a sigh.]

Have you had a long day?

[flawed_immortality]

[Ignis perches on the arm of the couch and Cor scoots a little closer so he can lean into the younger man, draping one arm over the younger man's lap.]

It has certainly felt like it, though I cannot pinpoint any particular event that made it seem that way.

[He tilts his head back, looking up at the advisor, a soft hum of appreciation on his lips. Astrals he really is breathtaking, especially in the low lighting, the dance of flames casting shadows on fair skin.]

For Regis~

[flawed_immortality]

[By the time his glass is empty he feels more at ease in his own skin than he has in a great while. Which is apparently a dangerous thing to be. Eventually he is able to master his own urges, cursing his pride. Clearly it is not just a simple matter of willpower, as he'd thought.

And that realization comes as he's leaning against his King's door, body still too warm and lips still tingling from Ignis' kiss.]

R-Reggie? I think... I've made a mistake.

[It's fine, just talking to your door now, Majesty.]

[kingkingcxiii]

Indeed you have, for if you want an actual answer, speaking to my door is the wrong way to go about it.

[Without really thinking about how close Cor sounds to the door, Regis pulls it open. Just how steady are you right now, Cor, because what you were leaning on is suddenly not there anymore.]

For Honerva~

[flawed_immortality]

[He was warm and flushed and his head was muddled. The solution for this, of course, was to get a little fresh air. He wasn't going to go far, just sitting outside the house in a communal patio area between a few of the townhouses. Still sipping at his wine, watching the stars overhead, and entirely not alert enough to realize there's a cat slinking by until a quiet chirp catches his attention. Looking up shows him not just a cat but it's owner not far away.

He'd been meaning to talk to her after all.]

Honerva?

[He stands, moving to follow her in case she didn't hear him, idly musing that her pale hair seemed to glow in the moonlight, ethereal like he imagines Shiva herself might look without her adornments. Ah- well... that's rather...]

Can I speak with you?

[shroudedsecrets]

[ Hearing her name called from a distance does get her attention. It was a quiet enough night, clear and mild, even if a sky full of stars could only bring distraction and reminders for her, be they familiar or no.

Honerva turns toward Cor's direction as he draws closer, head slightly tilted as she finds herself observing his step. Something seemed... different about him, perhaps it was in the way he moved. More strength in the step. Perhaps something more, too.

Kova did appreciate the chance to occasionally scout the territory, but now he too had stopped, watching them. ]

... Yes, of course. It is good to see you, Cor.

[flawed_immortality]

[Breakfast in bed is usually what Cor does for Regis. He'll get up at 6, go for a run, come home, shower, and make breakfast. By the time they're done eating and cuddling it's time for training to start at 9. He... definitely does not get up for his run today though. Whether it's the wine or the emotional situations that came with it he feels miserable in the morning, exhausted and stressed and tense.

Which surprises the hell out of him when Will slips back into the room with food. Not just from checking on the girls but breakfast.]

I... I'm sorry, dulcissime. I should have been up hours ago.

[twistedempathy]

[Will may not rise as early as Cor typically does, but he's still a morning lark himself. A little meditation helps to start the day off right! But that's not necessarily something he needs to get out of bed for either, especially when it would mean disturbing Cor's fitful sleep. Yesterday's..... excitement is more than enough reason to give him more time to recover.

He's cautious when he does slip out of bed, quieting the girls with soothing gestures, doing his best to keep the noise of cooking to a minimum. By the time he does return, he's alone and bearing a tray much like the ones Cor brings in for Reggie, smiling reassuringly.]

Shhhhh. You should be resting until you feel better, that's all. And that's exactly what you're going to do.

[How does he know that? Because between the tray getting set down and Will snuggling up against his side, there's no way Cor has anywhere left to escape to.]

Longest Night - CW: smut, h/c, probably Cor being awkward

[flawed_immortality]

[It's a relief once they get home and tucked away in the privacy of Cor's room. For once he's glad Regis is already in bed. Will is too emotionally raw for that cheerful mask to be anything less than painful and destructive. To be honest, he's more shaken than he'd like to admit as well. Neither of them are in any condition to withstand even the best of intentions right now.

Inside is warm and cozy, a welcome change from the biting chill and the darkness of the night outside. Even with just the bedside lamp on, the warm glow is a welcome change. Cor finally has to set Will down properly once they get into the room so he can shut the door without just kicking it closed. He doesn't want to wake Regis or Ignis. (Assuming either of them are actually sleeping.)

Even though he does put Will on his feet again he still keeps him close, one arm around him, for both their sakes.]

[twistedempathy]

[It would be..... hard, to see Regis right now. Regis has his own troubles; he doesn't need a night like this on top of them any more than Cor did. And knowing about Mors now, more concretely than he had before..... How much does Regis know about that? It's not his place to ask, let alone tell. He needs a little time to tuck that all away into the back of his mind, to let that knowledge settle so he can safely pretend it's not even there.

He's steady enough, once Cor sets him back on his feet, blinking in even this little light. Cor won't want him to go back out into the darkness again, he's sure of that--and frankly, he doesn't really want to leave, either. So he simply releases his Pokémon to let them get comfortable for the night, meandering to settle around the room. Once that's done, though.....

He sleeps in his mask all the time. It's soft and comfortable enough to, after all, and simple habit--just one more reason it's a crutch to lean on, something safe if he's sleeping with someone or gets woken in the middle of the night. But tonight..... it doesn't feel comfortable, or safe. It feels like just one more shadow to loom over his shoulder, breathing down his neck and watching, waiting for him to make a mistake. Surely he'll be fine again in the morning, when he has to go outside and see other people, but right now? He just..... doesn't even want it touching him. At all.

Even so, he hesitates as he slides a hand into his own hair, fingers fumbling with the tight knot, uncertain. It's an effort to force past the fresh spike of anxiety screaming that this is a mistake, but Will pulls it free regardless, holding it tightly in one hand. The nightstand, maybe? Is that where it's supposed to go this time?]

[flawed_immortality]

[Will releases the girls and Cor immediately has to snap his fingers, pointing at the floor before Arche can even get all four feet onto the bed. His jacket gets slung over the desk chair, boots toed off beside the desk, and he moves to curl an arm back around Will when he realizes what the younger man is doing.

His heart catches in his throat, surprised that Will would be comfortable being that vulnerable. It doesn't take long for him to follow the same logic that Will himself has. Cor's hand slides down Will's arm, hand curling around the other man's, large enough to close around Will's fist almost completely. His other hand pulls Will back against his chest, nuzzling into his hair, still giving him the privacy of facing away from him.]

It's not you, dulcissime.

[A soft murmur, reassuring, before the tinkle of crystal and a flicker of blue light has the mask vanishing from his hand, safely tucked away in the armiger where it can't even be seen but can be accessed in a heartbeat if needed.]

text; somewhere around mid-marchish

[scourgingstars]

it's ardyn, do you have a moment to talk?

Audio:

[flawed_immortality]

[Bluetooth is a wonderful thing, Ardyn. You should look into it.]

For you, always.

text;

[scourgingstars]

[that's silly, if he did that then he'd have to think about how abjectly miserable he sounded.]

i was wondering if perhaps there were still any spare room where all of you are living now.

waves hands time is fake, this is post-noct awakening

[promittere]

[It takes Ignis an embarrassingly long time to come to the realization that, if there's anyone who would understand the emotions he's no longer ignoring, it would be Cor Leonis. Anyone with or without eyes can see the way he loves Regis, and any one who knows the man, whether they met him in Havenwell or knew him before, knows how dedicated he is to his duty.

So.

You know.

He would definitely get it.

It's a quiet day in the house, broken up only by Ignis stumbling over Will's flareon again, as he approaches Cor in the kitchen.]

Ah- [Whoops.] Pardon the intrusion.

[flawed_immortality]

[Cor's doctoring his... third? Fourth? cup of coffee and as soon as he hears Ignis stumble he heaves a sigh of exasperation.]

Arche. You know you're not supposed to be in the kitchen. Go on.

[She's a godsdamned hazard and she takes the scolding precisely as it's presented, moving into the main living area, all four paws carefully on the carpet. Not touching the tile means she's not in the kitchen, right? She's dying, starving to bones, save her Ignis~. Whiiiiine~~]

No intrusion at all. Coffee?

Mid-late May: time is fake

[flawed_immortality]

[It had been almost 2 weeks now. Cor and his boys were gradually getting accustomed to the new routine. Cor would sneak out of bed early, meet up to go run his laps with Prompto, and then come home, shower, and crawl back into bed for some cuddles and to gently wake them for the day. It was less getting Will or Regis accustomed to it, nothing much had changed except that they had one another too cuddle while he was gone.

It was really more convincing Arche every morning to give his spot back, not disturbing Arete when he cam back in and she seemed convinced something must be wrong, half asleep as she usually was. The birds at least seemed content to move from their perches inside to the back yard where they could stretch out and enjoy the sunrise. And he always felt like Reve was judging him... but then she knew better than most precisely what went on in his dreams.

Which only made him blush when he barely bothered to pull on a pair of boxers before crawling back into bed between them. The windows propped open so the girls could poke their heads in if they slept too long and they were impatient for their breakfast, the warm breeze of early summer filtering through the room, ruffling curtains.... and as Will instinctively curls close to him again he may find the chest he is pressed against seems smaller than it should be, smoother too. Less hair, less scarring. The weight of him leaning against Regis is too light, still a good deal heavier than Will but not the same as Cor's usual bulk.

And while Cor tended to sleep painfully lightly, alert and on edge even in his sleep without Reve's assistance, the young man now tucked in between them slept a good deal heavier, soft little snores rumbling on every exhale. Something Regis might find both annoying and horribly familiar.]

[twistedempathy]

[It's been an adjustment period for everyone, though for some more than others. Will has taken it more in stride than most of his Pokémon have, in fact--on the rare occasions Arche hasn't stolen Cor's spot, it's because Will has shifted into it himself, to nestle against Regis instead in his absence.

He doesn't rest on a hair trigger the way Cor is prone to, but neither does he sleep like the dead, the way Regis does. Cor sliding between them doesn't quite rouse him, but the unfamiliar physique that greets him when he snuggles up does nudge him back towards wakefulness. Even so, he's too comfortable to snap alert from something so subtle, let alone to pin down what's wrong; he simply drifts instead, murmuring drowsily against uncharacteristically smooth skin as he nuzzles into Cor's neck.

It's not time to get up yet, is it? Cor would be waking them, if it was. He's not tired anymore, though..... Lazy, but not tired. So Will takes a moment for a long, luxurious stretch, pressing a kiss against Cor even as he opens his eyes.]

Morning, gorgeous.....

[flawed_immortality]

[The fact that Cor doesn't immediately respond to the press of Will against him is unusual. He's often close enough to wakefulness that he will at least curl an arm around him when he moves like that. But instead he continues to snore. Will tucks his face in against his neck and there is no scratch of beard, no coarse stubble along the Marshal's jaw.

The kiss gets a soft, curious little hum but even then he doesn't really reach out for Will. He tips his head, breathes in the familiar scent of his King, a quiet groan catching in his chest. Oh.. it's one of those dreams. Mmm... there's a flicker of guilt before he finally blinks his eyes open, wondering at the vividness of this particular dream.

And only then realizing there are two bodies surrounding him. One is most certainly Regis the other... when he looks down at the smaller body pressed to him he almost expects his mind to have offered him the impossible. Not only his King but the Queen as well. But no, no this is a beautiful man, just as elegant and gorgeous as Aulea but decidedly male, hair the exact shade of violet he associates most with her Majesty.

Later, when he's properly awake and feeling guilty for this indulgence he might wonder if the other young man is some sort of hint, perhaps an indicator that it's not just that he adores Regis but that he prefers men. That is something for a later Cor to think of though, for now he just... offers a dreamy little smile and lays back against the pillows, savoring the press of skin against skin.]

This is nice...

Talks During May's Aging Event

[kingkingcxiii]

[Regis pauses as he raises his hand to knock on the door to Cor's room. It's silly that he does so considering he's spent nearly as much time here as he has his own since Cor's birthday. All the same, what has brought him here is very different from what usually does. It's something that makes him extremely happy, but also fills him with wariness, especially after the little confrontation that Peter and Cor had when Cor was younger earlier.

Astrals Forbid, his age as regressed again. This is a conversation they've needed to have, but one that can no way happen when Cor is not his proper age. Regis doesn't want to think about how much the suggestion of sharing his love would hurt a younger Cor, as uncertain of his place as he was. Uncertain of everything as he was. Regis supposes that is the one advantage to him having aged up instead of down. He remembers everything and everyone he needs to.

With a sign, he finally knocks on the door. Regis is certain he's worrying too much. It's not like they haven't talked about Peter at all. They've just never talked about the idea of letting his fellow king court him before.

When no sounds of mad scuffling and no sly offers for him to join them come through the door--he'd hate to interrupt Cor as Will catching a few moments to themselves--Regis opens the door slowly and steps inside.]

My lovely lion, may I borrow you for a while?

[flawed_immortality]

[Will is actually out and about so there is no need for Regis' hesitance. Cor's merely putting away some laundry, trying to decide what of Regis' things he might keep to fill the vast closet in their room and what his King would want with him alone (and out of reach of Will's thievery). Cor smiles to himself when he hears the very man whose jacket he is holding come into the room.

He puts the jacket back into the basket and slips out of the closet, immediately stepping in to greet his King with a kiss.]

Of course, mea vita.

[A moment to appraise the other man's expression and then he steps back, hand catching Regis' to offer a reassuring squeeze. He knows that expression all too well.]

You're worried about something...